Extra Story 12
In the middle of the night, Chen Cheng suddenly woke up from a dream.
Still half-asleep, she reached out and hugged An Yuan beside her, giving him a couple of light squeezes. But something felt off, it was too soft.
She opened her eyes and, under the glow of the bedside lamp, realized that she was actually hugging a giant pillow.
"An Yuan?"
Where did An Yuan go in the middle of the night?!
Her heart started to race. The panic instantly cleared her mind as she quickly sat up and grabbed her phone to check the time.
Only 1 AM?
Lately, Chen Cheng had been keeping a pretty regular sleep schedule, going to bed around 10 PM and sleeping straight until 7 AM, plus an extra nap in the afternoon for another one or two hours. Altogether, she was sleeping more than 10 hours a day.
She had long noticed how sleepy she had become, and since pregnancy made her feel uneasy all the time, she always dragged An Yuan to sleep with her.
But today, he had clearly waited for her to fall asleep before sneaking out of bed to play on the computer! That sneaky jerk! And he thought he could fool her with a pillow?!
"Not sleeping with me, huh..."
She grumbled in dissatisfaction, carefully supporting her large belly as she got out of bed, her brows furrowed.
The extra weight made her uncomfortable. She had never been great with physical activity before, but at least she used to feel light when moving. Now, she felt like a heavy lump, it was even tiring just to walk.
She was in her final trimester...
Just a little more to go! Chen Cheng could only hope her skin would hold up and not get worse stretch marks. She also hoped the baby wouldn’t be too big, if she had to get a C-section, the scar would look awful.
She stood up, put on a jacket, yawned, and pushed the door open.
"An Yuan?"
The moment she stepped out, she noticed the lights in the living room. Peeking outside, she spotted An Yuan sitting stiffly on the couch, looking guilty and avoiding eye contact.
"What are you doing?!" she questioned sharply.
"N-Nothing..."
"Did you secretly order takeout?! Damn it! What did you order? I could smell it the moment I stepped into the living room!"
An Yuan scratched the back of his head in frustration. "It’s not for you. Pregnant women shouldn’t eat this."
"If I’m in a bad mood, that’s even worse for the baby!"
With her belly sticking out, Chen Cheng hurried over to the table in small, quick steps. An Yuan quickly got up to support her.
"Where’s the takeout? What did you order?"
Her eyes lit up excitedly as she looked around. Finally, she spotted a huge bowl of pickled fish and a bunch of grilled skewers wrapped in foil under the table.
"You were gonna keep all this good stuff to yourself? What kind of friend are you?! We’re done! I’m cutting you off, you traitor!"
Helpless, An Yuan pulled out the pickled fish and skewers, then reached behind the couch and revealed a pack of beer.
"Eating the fish and skewers is fine, but you absolutely cannot have the beer."
"Do I look like an alcoholic to you?"
Chen Cheng scrunched her nose and huffed at An Yuan like a cat protecting its food. She immediately grabbed the grilled skewers and pulled them close.
To be fair, An Yuan had been ordering her favorite takeout every week to cheer her up. Pregnancy made her emotions unstable, and if she also had to give up all her favorite foods, the stress could be overwhelming.
But even with this little indulgence, Chen Cheng still went from being a playful seductress to a practically celibate monk. Not because she had lost interest, she just didn’t want An Yuan to see her body like this.
No matter how much An Yuan praised her, it didn’t make a difference.
"This Takeout Is Good! Do They Have Sausages? Get Me One."
"The pickled fish is delicious too! You found a good restaurant and didn't tell me?"
"I just ordered from here for the first time too," An Yuan said, opening a bottle of beer. He took two big gulps and let out a satisfied sigh. "Ah~ So refreshing!"
"You shouldn’t drink."
Hearing that, Chen Cheng gave him a long, meaningful look.
"Then don’t drink in front of me! Now you’re making me want some too," she whispered, as if plotting something sneaky. "How about just a couple of sips? Mom and Dad won’t know anyway."
"Who are you trying to fool? If you drink, it’s the same as giving alcohol to the baby. You want her to grow up silly?"
"Fine... But why do you suddenly feel like drinking? Something on your mind?"
An Yuan let out a bitter chuckle and took another sip. "I’m about to become a dad. Kinda freaking out."
"Don’t panic! What’s there to panic about?" Chen Cheng patted his shoulder. "Your job is so easy, you can be with the baby almost every day. That’s way better than how we grew up! You’ll definitely raise a happy, healthy kid. Trust me!"
"How about you quit your job then? With our investments and savings, we have enough to live comfortably. Your salary doesn’t even cover our monthly expenses. You might as well stay home with us all the time."
An Yuan shrugged. "And if I made you stay home all day without writing or drawing, would you be okay with that? You need something to do."
"Of course not~"
There are many reasons to work. In his past life, An Yuan worked tirelessly for a house, a car, and financial security, for marriage and survival. In this life, he worked to fulfill himself, to do things he was passionate about.
Ideally, the second reason is the best way to work. But for most people, reality forces them to choose the first.
As a transmigrator, An Yuan was already content with his current life. He wasn’t some wealthy tycoon, but a peaceful, stress-free life with enough to eat and enjoy was pretty great too.
"Hey! She just kicked me!" Chen Cheng frowned as she took a bite of her chicken drumstick. "So small, yet already this restless."
"Hah! How dare she hit my wife! Just wait till she comes out, I’ll teach her a lesson!"
An Yuan dramatically waved a skewer like a weapon.
"Are you dumb? Hahaha!" Chen Cheng burst into laughter.
Seeing her laugh so happily, An Yuan felt lighter too. He picked up some pickled fish for her and smiled. "What do you think our kid will be like?"
"Hmm..." Chen Cheng thought hard. "I hope she takes after you, outgoing and cheerful. That way, she’ll have an easy time in life. Just don’t pass down your hair loss."
"What hair loss?! It’s just a little thinning!" An Yuan immediately panicked. "Once you give birth, I’m getting a hair transplant!"
"Hair transplant? Pfft~ At this rate, even if you have hair, it won’t matter if you keep getting fatter." Chen Cheng poked his belly, already feeling the extra weight. "Once I get back in shape, I might start disliking you."
"But I never disliked you." An Yuan pouted pitifully.
"I even bought you an exercise bike! Go use it! We also have dumbbells and a treadmill! Are you just using them as clothes hangers?"
"Oh, speaking of which, isn't it almost the day we first transmigrated, right?"
An Yuan quickly changed the subject.
Chen Cheng was distracted by his words, trying hard to recall the night she was lucky enough to transmigrate to the past.
She couldn’t remember the exact date, but it was after the National Day holiday, probably mid-October…
"I remember that day very clearly," An Yuan said, taking another sip of beer. "My boss scolded me at work. I had to work overtime till 10 PM, and by the time I got home, it was already midnight."
"I don’t really remember. I just stayed in my tiny rented room all day, anyway."
Chen Cheng rested her chin on her hands and let out a deep sigh.
"Almost ten years already... Time flies."
In ten years, she had gone from being a young man to a pregnant woman about to become a mother.