Three days and four nights was his limit.
He had only managed to endure for so long, holding onto the belief that she would be back soon.
Qin Shu was seven months pregnant, and her stomach was quite large. When Fu Tingyu held her, he tried not to press against her belly.
“What are you doing here? Don’t you have work to do?” Fu Tingyu’s unforeseen appearance was a pleasant surprise.
“My wife is back. Isn’t it natural for me to pick her up?” Fu Tingyu kissed Qin Shu’s forehead lovingly in response to her question.
No one but Shi Yan knew that his Young Master had rushed over from the office upon receiving Ye Luo’s call. He had been waiting for her at the airfield all this while.
Qin Shu giggled, a high, lilting sound like that of a bell.
Gu Yan poked his head out of the cabin. His eyes were red and raw from the sight of the two love birds together.
It felt like he was intruding on a pair of lovers, reunited after a long separation.
Green with envy, Gu Yan cursed his luck. He should have stayed on board the jet and waited for the couple to take their leave before disembarking.
Fu Tingyu cradled Qin Shu in his arms for what seemed like an age. As if making up for the time they were apart, he whisked her off her feet and into a bridal carry. Their destination? Bright Garden.
Watching the two of them depart, Gu Yan could not help but grumble in his heart. Whoever said women were like clothes, as fickle as the latest trends, or that men were brothers for life must not have known what they were saying.
It was complete and utter nonsense!
As soon as Qin Shu got off the plane, Fu Tingyu had no eyes for anyone else but her. He did not even spare him a glance.
Despite feeling aggrieved, Gu Yan hurried after the beau and his dame.
He still needed to perform his routine check of Qin Shu’s pulse. It was a good idea to do in Fu Tingyu’s presence. Knowing that man, he would not feel at ease unless he could ascertain the results for himself.
Caution was not unwarranted since Qin Shu was seven months pregnant.
By the time Gu Yan caught up with them, Fu Tingyu had already deposited Qin Shu on the couch, pouring her a cup of water.
Gu Yan was by Qin Shu’s side in a heartbeat, her hand in his as he checked her pulse.
Fu Tingyu held two cups. He placed one cup in front of his wife and the other in front of Gu Yan. He then sat down beside his wife, awaiting Gu Yan’s verdict.
Once Gu Yan released her hand, he asked, “How is it?”
Gu Yan smiled and said, “Nothing seems amiss with her pulse. The baby is healthy.”
Seeing that Gu Yan had not understood his question clearly, Fu Tingyu emphasised, “I’m asking how my wife is. Is she alright?”
“She is healthy, but I would recommend that she lays off on her sugar intake. It won’t do her any good. Not only would it cause excessive weight gain in the child, but it could also result in several undesirable consequences.”
Qin Shu was a little embarrassed when she heard Gu Yan’s report. She had been trying to restrict her sugar intake. In fact, she was not eating as many cakes or sweets as she had before.
Immediately, Fu Tingyu turned to Qin Shu and said, “For the next few months, you aren’t allowed to eat anything with an excessive amount of sugar.”
What else could she say?
Resigned to her fate, Qin Shu gave her assent.
“I should head back too. I’m developing a new drug, and it’ll need a lot of time and energy. Call me if you need anything.” Gu Yan chimed in.
Gu Yan spent most of his time researching drugs. It was a hobby and talent of his.
Fu Tingyu firmly believed that talent was hereditary.
A son of Wen Shangyue could not possibly be bereft of talent in the art of medicine. As for why his surname was not Wen but Gu, Fu Tingyu had always wanted to know.
Yet, an opportunity to ask Gu Yan this question never arose. He would always cut him off with an exclamation of how unexpected it was for him to pay a visit.
Had she not been in such a hurry upon her arrival in the capital, Qin Shu would have paid Ye Xue a visit at Imperial College.
Ye Xue was all alone now that she, Jiang Yu, Fu Tingyan, and Bao Ye were no longer in the capital.
–
At this moment, in the capital…
Ye Xue spent almost all her time studying, spending most of her free time in the library.
Her grades had improved by leaps and bounds.
For the sake of not attracting unnecessary trouble, she chose an unfashionable pair of glasses to downplay her looks.
She did not care if others thought it was old-fashioned.
The only person who shared a good relationship with her was probably Zhou Yizuo.
She continued to live in the apartment. For a long time, she was the only inhabitant of that apartment. Later, for reasons unknown to her, Zhou Yizuo also moved in.
It was strange that no one else moved in along with him.
Ye Xue would eat in the school’s cafeteria after completing all her lessons for the day, returning to her apartment as soon as she filled her belly.
She was familiar with every corner of the school, but none more so than the route back to her apartment.
The journey back always reminded her of the day she and Jiang Yu held each other’s hands.
–
Winter…
The first thing she did upon her return was to head to her room and finish her homework.
Before she could engross herself in her work, a knock sounded at her door.
“Dong Dong”
It took her a while to realise someone was looking for her. Putting down her pen, Ye Xue opened the door.
She and Zhou Yizuo lived in the same apartment. Even if she did not open the door, she knew who was knocking.
Zhou Yizuo stood outside her room with a package in his hand. He passed it over to her.
“I found this package at our doorstep. Since it is addressed to you, I decided to bring it in with me…”
Ye Xue stared in confusion at the package in Zhou Yizuo’s hand. “It can’t be mine. I haven’t ordered anything of late.”
Zhou Yizuo blinked owlishly in response. He examined the intended recipient and phone number again before saying, “But the name on the package is yours, and so is the phone number. Here, look.”
Ye Xue had no choice but to accept the proffered package.
She fished out her phone from her school bag. Perhaps, someone had it sent to her and left a message.
She had not looked at her phone in a while, too busy concentrating on her studies.
Ye Xue saw a message the moment she unlocked her phone. According to it, a courier had been dispatched with a parcel for her.
“Did my father send me food? Why didn’t he write down our home address?”
Zhou Yizuo followed her into the room and stood beside her. Hearing her mumbled thoughts, he said, “Open it, and you’ll know for certain.”
“That’s true.” Ye Xue put down her phone and opened the express delivery box using a small penknife.
Soon, the contents were revealed. Inside the delivery box was a packet bound up in bubble wrap.
After opening it, she saw a bowl and a pair of chopsticks inside. They were made of bamboo, natural and unprocessed.
Although the craftmanship was not anything to write home about, Ye Xue could tell that a lot of effort had been put into making it, hard-polished and smooth that it was.
Like the bowl that preceded it, the two chopsticks were also made of bamboo.
With one look, Ye Xue could tell that her father did not send them.
When Zhou Yizuo saw the bowl and chopsticks made of bamboo in the box, he burst into laughter and asked, “Did your father send these? There’s no need for him to send utensils, is there?”
Ye Xue shook her head. “My father isn’t the sender. I don’t know who it’s from.”
Zhou Yizuo looked at Ye Xue. It was almost the end of their first year, and summer vacation was just around the corner; yet, he had made no progress thus far.
Deciding to try his luck, he asked, “It’s the weekends tomorrow. Do you want to go out and have some fun? You’re buried in your books all day and night. Sooner or later, you’ll become a bookworm. You should take some time to rest and relax!”
Ye Xue mulled over Zhou Yizuo’s invitation, eventually nodding. “Okay.”
After Zhou Yizuo left, Ye Xue picked up the bamboo bowl again, sizing it up. It was not an ugly piece, so she decided to keep it, for the time being, stowing it away in her dressing cabinet.
As for who sent it, that was a question for another day.
–
Jiangcheng, Bright Garden…
Qin Shu was more than nine months pregnant. She spent most of her time in the courtyard.
There were so many mysteries she had yet to solve.
Where was Master now?
She did not know when she would recover her memories; everything seemed to point to her past.
Unfortunately, she did not have the time to pursue these loose threads. Her most important responsibility, now, was the welfare of her unborn child.
