Zhou Shiyi found himself almost sleepless the entire night after learning he was going to be a father.
Back then, in the Christmas Town, he never imagined using a child to tie the two of them together.
When her period arrived on schedule the next month, logically he should have felt relieved, yet at that moment, a faint sadness crept in.
He clearly didn’t want to use a child to solve their problems.
But still, he hoped for a child.
That kind of conflicting feeling was something no one could understand.
At three in the morning, Zhou Shiyi was still wide awake.
Zhong Yi was sound asleep in his arms, having become unusually sleepy these past few days.
Last weekend, when he brought Zhong Yi home for a meal, the topic of becoming a father for the first time came up. His father thought about it for a long time but said his memories were vague.
Maybe it was because having him had been so easy that both his father and mother couldn’t remember how they felt when expecting him.
At that moment, his parents must have felt a huge sense of relief, finally able to report back to the family.
At four thirty, Zhou Shiyi could no longer hold out and finally drifted into a drowsy sleep.
In his haze, he had a dream—he returned to Christmas Town, where two children clung to his legs, refusing to let go.
“Daddy, carry me!”
“Daddy, I can’t walk!”
“Daddy! I’m tired!”
But how could he carry two children?
He couldn’t make out their faces, nor tell if they were boys or girls.
Just knowing there were two was enough to make him very content.
Yet, for some reason, that contentment was mixed with a deep helplessness, because these two little rascals wouldn’t walk and insisted he carry them.
“Husband?”
Just as he was about to scoop both little rascals into his arms, he felt someone push him.
“Hubby?”
“It’s 7:30. Aren’t you going to work today?”
Before Zhou Shiyi could gather the two children who had called him “Daddy” into his arms, Zhong Yi had already nudged him awake.
Zhong Yi had finished washing up and changed into her work clothes, but when she stepped out of the wardrobe, the person on the bed was still asleep.
She had gone to bed at nine-thirty last night, unaware of how late he had worked.
“Don’t you have a meeting today?” she asked uncertainly, wondering if it had been canceled or if she should wake him.
Zhou Shiyi gathered himself for a few seconds. The two children clinging to his legs were only a dream.
But the feeling in the dream was so vivid, especially those few calls of “Daddy,” which still echoed in his ears.
After opening his eyes, the sense of loss was no less than when her period had arrived on time all those years ago.
Zhou Shiyi sat up. “What time is it?”
“Seven thirty-five.”
Zhong Yi sat on the edge of the bed. “Had a nightmare?”
“Not a nightmare.”
“A dream far out of reach.”
After dreaming of their breakup, this was the first dream that woke him up and left him unable to shake off its feeling.
Zhong Yi pulled him into a hug. “Is it some kind of psychological shadow, dreaming you didn’t get pregnant again?”
Zhou Shiyi smiled. “Not pregnant doesn’t necessarily become a psychological shadow.
Maybe from looking up too much about twins, it’s quietly engraved in my mind that I feel like I could have kids just the same.”
He ruffled her short hair, worried she might be hungry. “Let’s eat first. Don’t wait for me.”
Zhong Yi went downstairs first. Breakfast was abundant, with both Chinese and Western dishes.
Looking at the table full of food, she found herself without any appetite but suddenly craved Soy Sauce Noodles.
She went into the kitchen, tied on an apron, and prepared to cook noodles.
Ayi, who understood how strange pregnancy cravings could be, said, “Whatever you want, I’ll make it.”
Zhong Yi said, “Soy Sauce Noodles, I’ll make it myself.”
Less than twenty minutes later, a bowl of Soy Sauce Noodles was ready.
It looked and smelled far from perfect, but she ate it with relish.
While she was eating, Zhou Shiyi came downstairs.
He hadn’t worn cufflinks today, just rolling up his sleeves a few times.
Happy events bring a cheerful spirit; even though he had only slept three hours, he felt no trace of fatigue.
Jiang Bo and the Ayis all congratulated him on becoming a father.
“Thank you.”
Zhou Shiyi told Jiang Bo that everyone would receive double pay this month.
Only when he sat at the table did he notice Zhong Yi was eating plain Yangchun Noodles.
“Not your usual appetite?”
Zhong Yi shook her head. She just suddenly wanted noodles.
She talked about the baby in her belly: “Should be a good baby, not picky.”
Zhou Shiyi had only just recovered from that dream, but when she said this, he thought again of the two children in the dream refusing to walk.
Sure enough, the dream was the opposite of reality.
“When should we go to the hospital for a checkup?” he scooped a spoonful of Shrimp Steamed Egg and fed it to her. “I’ve made an early appointment.”
Zhong Yi replied, “No rush, let’s go next week.”
Around six weeks is the best time for a B-Scan.
“What kind of dream did you have? Can you tell me now?” she asked.
Zhou Shiyi evaded the question lightly. “I dreamed of Christmas Town.”
Zhong Yi thought he must be fixated on that place because they hadn’t spent a happy Christmas together that year.
“After the baby is born, we’ll go as a family.”
What Zhou Shiyi pictured was if they had a daughter, he would carry her on his shoulders to feel the lively festival atmosphere of the town.
Then he would hold her while taking wedding photos with Zhong Yi at the same place.
Right behind were the snowy mountains; the child would surely love it.
The following Saturday, Zhou Shiyi made an appointment for the checkup.
Zhong Zhuohua had wanted to accompany her daughter but was persuaded otherwise by Jiang Jingyuan.
“If you go, it’s like everyone will know our daughter is pregnant.”
After some thought, Zhong Zhuohua gave up.
“Going to be a grandfather, how do you feel?”
Jiang Jingyuan replied, “I just treat the child as a second child to raise.”
He didn’t see himself as someone from the grandfather generation.
Just like his daughter—although she was now a mother, in his eyes she was still that kid who hadn’t grown up.
Still craving cold things and sweets, still unable to finish an entire egg and needing him to finish the remaining half bowl.
At nine-thirty, Zhong Zhuohua received a call from her daughter.
“Mom, the checkup’s done. Everything’s normal. One baby in the womb.”
Zhong Zhuohua gave her daughter a few reminders before hanging up.
She told her husband, “We’ll have to compete for who gets to raise the child. I’m in the same group as Shi Fanyin; you’re with Zhou Yunlian. Let’s see which team’s faster.”
Jiang Jingyuan said nothing.
No matter how fast they were, neither he nor Zhou Yunlian dared to make a move.
At the same time, Shi Fanyin also received a call from her son.
On the phone, Zhou Shiyi told his mother that several test results showed the embryo was developing well.
Shi Fanyin couldn’t help but ask, “Is it a single baby or…?”
“Mom, you don’t really think I can have twins, do you?”
Shi Fanyin laughed, “That’s because you often mention dizygotic twins, and your father said you were actively preparing for pregnancy. Hearing it so much, I started to think you had a chance.”
A natural dizygotic twin pregnancy was too rare to hope for.
Everyone at Kuncheng Group knew Zhou Shiyi was actively preparing for pregnancy.
In recent months, he had quit smoking and drinking, even refusing a single drop at social gatherings.
He was extremely disciplined in diet and exercise.
Shi Fanyin said, “Even your dad is learning from you recently—quitting smoking and drinking and working out to help take care of your family’s child.”
“Your mother-in-law and I are still debating whether to let them do it. The kids they raise are stubborn but otherwise flawless.”
Zhou Shiyi said, “My own child—what’s there to debate?”
Shi Fanyin laughed and scolded her son, “You bastard!”
Back home, Zhou Shiyi looked over the checkup report again.
The baby was healthy; the worry in his heart was finally eased.
Zhong Yi carried a plate of grapes into the study, snacking as she walked.
Seeing Zhou Shiyi still looking at the B-Scan report, she teased, “No matter how much you look, it won’t turn into twins.”
Zhou Shiyi smiled and explained, “I’m checking the fetal heartbeat and the embryo.”
He pulled out a folder specifically for the baby’s checkup reports.
With a large plate of grapes, she had already eaten half in a short time.
Zhou Shiyi told her to eat less, “You won’t want lunch later if you eat so much now.”
Zhong Yi said, “I want to eat. I can’t control it at all.”
Pregnancy cravings had to be satisfied immediately, with self-control completely gone.
By the eighth week, her eating habits had drastically changed.
During a meeting, she suddenly left the room.
That’s when the entire team learned that President Zhong was pregnant.
To celebrate her becoming a mother, Yan Tinglin booked an entire Western restaurant at noon and invited the two teams for a meal.
Ning Que joked, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were the one becoming a dad.”
Yan Tinglin laughed heartily, “Zhou Shiyi’s child is basically my child too.”
During lunch, he toasted Zhong Yi, “Is it twins?”
Zhong Yi laughed, “You all know Zhou Shiyi is preparing for pregnancy?”
Yan Tinglin said, “Not just me—even the chefs at his usual private restaurants know.”
Zhong Yi’s smile faded before she said, “Single baby. Twins aren’t that easy.”
Yan Tinglin replied, “After all my effort, he still didn’t have twins.”
The others at the table turned to look at their boss.
If Zhou Shiyi was having a baby, what effort was he making?
Yan Tinglin indeed worked hard—he’d switched the playlist to Prenatal Education Music and even got a Double Happiness sticker from a Happy Egg to stick next to the number keypad on Zhou Shiyi’s floor, matching the original Double Happiness character.
Ning Que said, “You listen to Prenatal Education Music? You’re basically soothing yourself into becoming a fetus. No wonder Zhou Shiyi can only have one child—the spot’s taken.”
Laughter erupted around the table.
Yan Tinglin choked on his drink, laughing so hard he had to put down the glass.
Halfway through the meal, Zhou Shiyi arrived.
The waiter had added extra cutlery for their table.
Zhou Shiyi glanced at his friend. “If this isn’t a celebration for my having a child, why wasn’t I invited?”
The suddenly quiet dining hall burst into laughter again.
Tang Nuoyun finally understood why the boss had booked the entire restaurant—otherwise, with all this laughter, other guests wouldn’t have been able to eat.
The project was halfway done, progressing smoothly; today’s meal was relaxed because of that.
During the project, Zhong Yi had held a wedding and was now upgrading to motherhood.
She and her boyfriend had also registered their marriage, with the wedding scheduled for next June.
Ning Que, who didn’t want to date, had heard that his family had introduced someone to him.
Only Yan Tinglin remained single, seeming truly indifferent to romance.
The pinned post on his social media, “She didn’t give me her WeChat. Still hasn’t given it to me,” had been unpinned since he returned to the country.
Many guessed who “she” really was.
Tang Nuoyun thought it must be Zhong Yi.
She used to think the boss had a difficult love life, but after working with him so long and learning some things, she realized that whoever he had been thinking about for so long was definitely not just about romance.
“Come, let’s congratulate our President Zhou on becoming a father!” Yan Tinglin toasted Zhou Shiyi, then quickly turned the subject, “And congratulations to myself too.”
Zhou Shiyi said, “Change the Prenatal Education Music, or Min Ting will regret it. Nobody wants to invite a fetus back with them.”
Yan Tinglin laughed and raised his chin at Ning Que. “You two must have eaten together so much in college that your thought patterns are exactly the same!”
Zhou Shiyi placed a piece of pan-fried fish in front of Zhong Yi.
Since getting pregnant, the one thing that hadn’t changed was her love for fish.
Just like before, she had to eat two portions at once.
Zhong Yi called the waiter over. “Please bring me a small bowl of lemon juice to drizzle on the fish.”
The waiter smiled gently and said the fish was already drizzled with fresh lemon juice before leaving the pan.
Zhong Yi said, “I know. But the taste is a bit light for me.”
“Alright, please wait a moment.”
Zhong Yi poured half a bowl of lemon juice on the fish before she barely felt it had enough flavor.
Others at the table looked away when they saw her pour fresh lemon juice directly on the fish—it was almost painful to watch.
Zhong Yi’s appetite was growing, and her sleepiness increasing.
By the ninth week, it was time for another hospital checkup.
The doctor in the B-Scan room looked at the screen and said, “Not bad, both embryos are developing well.”
At first, Zhou Shiyi and Zhong Yi didn’t pay much attention, only hearing “developing well.”
It wasn’t until Zhou Shiyi received the B-Scan report that he saw:
Intrauterine pregnancy with two live embryos (possible monochorionic diamniotic twins).
Recommend regular follow-up.
Zhong Yi froze. “How is this possible!”
Zhou Shiyi thought there must be a mistake. Checking the name on the report, it was indeed Zhong Yi.
He couldn’t believe it and strode back to the Obstetric Ultrasound Room, asking the doctor if there was an error.
“Last time it was a single baby.”
Zhou Shiyi showed the doctor the previous report on his phone.
The doctor smiled and assured him it was correct—the single embryo had split into twins.
Monochorionic diamniotic twins, a same-sex pair.
Leaving the Obstetric Ultrasound Room, Zhong Yi grabbed Zhou Shiyi’s hand. “Don’t get too excited!”
Zhou Shiyi chuckled. It should have been him reminding her, but how could he not be excited?
He pulled Zhong Yi into his arms, wanting to hold her tightly, but could only embrace her gently.