However, such a lifestyle was not what Jin Qingyan wanted.
He began to feel like he was playing the role of her father instead of her lover.
Gazing at that innocent face of hers, he would become soft-hearted and give into every single request of hers.
Even if it was something he did not excel at.
On this cold and lonely night, Jin Qingyan found it hard to fall asleep.
—
In the brightness of early morning, Mei Yangyang and Long Tianze made their way to the hospital by car for a prenatal checkup.
In the past, Mei Yangyang used to go alone in order to avoid getting exposed. However, Long Tianze insisted on accompanying her this time.
Needless to say, they were recognized and photographed by the public, though Long Tianze was no longer bothered about that.
After conducting the ultrasound scan, the doctor said smilingly, “The fetus is very healthy. Congratulations, Mr. Long.”
“That’s great. Is it a girl or a boy?” Long Tianze asked.
“By right, we’re not supposed to reveal the gender of the child, but I’ll make an exception for you.”
Ah, so that’s the difference in treatment, Mei Yangyang thought to herself.
“It’s a boy.”
Mei Yangyang broke into smiles upon hearing the doctor’s answer. “Really?” she asked excitedly.
“Yes.”
“A boy?” asked a dismayed Long Tianze.
“Yes,” the doctor repeated himself.
It was written all over Long Tianze’s face that he detested boys!
Mei Yangyang was overjoyed for she had been hoping for the child to be a boy. Male heirs were necessary and favored in wealthy families like Long Tianze’s. Once it’s confirmed that it was a boy she was carrying, she would no longer have to be afraid of Long Tianze’s parents’ disapproval. She could then tell them with much gusto: “I’m carrying your grandson in my womb! Are you still refusing to accept me?”
Besides, there were no sons in her family. Tongues would definitely wag if her firstborn was a girl.
The gender reveal had put an end to her woes.
Mei Yangyang began humming merrily on the way back.
“Are you really that happy?”
“Yes, and I’d like to ask you, why were you so upset to find out that it was a boy?”
“I was hoping for a daughter. I like girls.”
“It doesn’t matter. Our firstborn may be a son, but if you want a daughter, I’ll bear you another child.”
“What if it’s a boy again?” Long Tianze asked.
“Then we’ll go on to have a third child. I like children.”
Long Tianze was momentarily speechless at her answer. “Although I like children too, I don’t wish to make you become a baby-making machine. Regardless of the baby’s gender, let’s just stop at two. We won’t have our own space if we have too many children,” said Long Tianze.
Mei Yangyang grinned at him and answered, “You call the shots, Hubby. Let’s go back to your place.”
Long Tianze was surprised to hear that she asked to go back to the old mansion. Was she more confident now that she was expecting a son?
“Sure,” he agreed joyously.
Soon, they arrived at the Long family home.
Mr. and Mrs. Long were still kept in the dark about their son’s marriage.
Mr. Long was sipping on some tea and reading newspapers on the couch while Mrs. Long was seated opposite him and scrolling through her social media account.
They were stunned at the sight of Long Tianze and Mei Yangyang’s arrival. Noticing Mei Yangyang’s full baby bump, they looked at each other in puzzlement and asked, “What does this mean?”
“Mother, I brought your daughter-in-law home to see you.”
“What daughter-in-law? I didn’t approve of your marriage. She’s not my daughter-in-law yet,” Mrs. Long hissed in contempt.
Unbothered by the harsh remark, Mei Yangyang put on a smile and walked towards Mrs. Long. “Mother, you may not acknowledge me as your daughter-in-law, but I already see you as my mother-in-law. Tianze and I have already gotten married months ago. I’m currently expecting the grandson of the Long family.”
“You’re married?” Mrs. Long asked, her eyes widening in shock.
“Yes, I stole the household register and went to register my marriage with Yangyang.”
“Tianze!” Mrs. Long exclaimed, receiving the shock of her life.
Although Mr. Long was rather taken aback as well, he said calmly, “Sit down and talk.”
Mei Yangyang held Mrs. Long’s arm and took a seat while smiling throughout. Noticing that Mrs. Long had yet to hit the roof, Mei Yangyang quickly said glibly, “Mother, we just went for a prenatal checkup at the hospital. The baby is four months old now. It’s a boy.”
Mrs. Long’s initial fury vanished upon hearing that she was expecting a boy. She had been too preoccupied with the news of them getting married in secret that she forgot about the pregnancy.
Staring at Mei Yangyang’s stomach, Mrs. Long was overwhelmed with a mix of emotions.
“You two are so defiant. Why didn’t you tell us about such a serious matter like marriage?”
“Mother, if I informed you and Father beforehand, would you guys have allowed us to get married? I did that precisely because you were so against it. But it’s all good now. You’re going to be a grandmother in another few months,” said Long Tianze, who hit the nail on the head.
“When do you plan to hold the wedding?” Mrs. Long asked.
“We’re not in a hurry. We’ll discuss the wedding in the future. I’d like to hold a wedding when the time is right,” Mei Yangyang interjected.
To her, she would rather not hold a wedding if An Xiaoning could not be present on her big day.
“Yeah, isn’t Mo Li holding her wedding with Ye Xiaotian after her child was born? We’re not in a rush either,” Long Tianze agreed.
“Up to you guys then.”
The situation was a lot less tricky than Long Tianze had expected. Mrs. Long even invited them to stay for lunch, which consisted of a specially-prepared spread of nourishing dishes. Mrs. Long was exceptionally pleased to hear Mei Yangyang addressing her endearingly.
What was done cannot be undone, it was too late for Mrs. Long to object to anything now.
It did not matter to her anyway, as long as her son was happy.
Long Tianze initially thought that they could hold their wedding after the birth of their first child. Contrary to his expectations, Mei Yangyang never once mentioned the wedding even after their second child, a daughter, was born. Every time he initiated it, she would turn him down and say that she would like to wait a while more.
He could not wrap his head around why she was reacting that way.
Neither did he know what she was waiting for.
It was not until their son, Long Wenlun, and daughter, Long Xiaoxi, turned four and three, respectively, that Mei Yangyang told him they could finally hold a wedding.
On their big day, Long Tianze could not help but ask her, “I’ve always wondered why you took so long to agree to holding our wedding, which should’ve been held long ago.”
Mei Yangyang was trying on the wedding gowns at the time and appeared to be in high spirits. Beaming with joy, she looked at him and answered, “Because my Godson and his mother weren’t around at the time.”
“So, you refused to hold a wedding all because of your childhood friend who went abroad, whom I’ve never met before?”
Mei Yangyang nodded. “Yeah, precisely because of that. I wanted to wait ’til they’re back so they could attend my wedding.”
Long Tianze was almost driven berserk by her ridiculous answer. “Just who is that important? I have to take a good look at her myself once she’s back.”
Mei Yangyang changed out of the wedding gown and said softly, “You should’ve found out about this earlier. I’ve been hiding it from you all along. Also, please don’t be too shocked when you see her.”
Long Tianze simply could not guess who it was.
“She’s going to give me a great shock?” Reminded of the fact that Mei Yangyang would often go on an annual trip overseas without him and their children, Long Tianze could not help but feel a little disgruntled. “Well, I feel like your bosom childhood friend matters more to you than I do,” he lamented jealously.
“Why would you say that? You two are equally important to me.” Mei Yangyang took a look at the time and said, “They’re touching down in the evening. Go sleep in the guest room tonight.”
“Why?” Long Tianze asked in disbelief.
“Nothing, I just want to share the same bed as my bosom sister.”
