“Second Brother, you’re scaring Xiulan too much,” Jin Liwei said. “Why don’t you just tell us what’s really going on?”
Wang Yingjie chuckled. “I think you already have an idea, Third Brother.”
“En.”
Iris looked back and forth between the two men. Seeing her man’s demeanour which was the total opposite of hers, she also started to calm down. If Jin Liwei wasn’t worried, she didn’t have anything to worry about. She trusted him more than anyone else.
“Look here again.” Wang Yingjie pointed at the ultrasound monitor. “This little bean here is Baby A and this other one is Baby B.” Then he once again faced them and gave a big smile. “Congratulations. You two are going to become parents to twins in a few months.”
Iris’ mind went blank. “W-what?”
Wang Yingjie was calm as he told her, “Xiulan, you’re pregnant. You’re going to be a mother.”
Her breath caught in her throat. She stared wide-eyed at the two little beans shown on the monitor with a mixture of shock and wonder. Then panic and fear rushed in, overwhelming her until her chest tightened and she felt suffocated.
“Breathe, love. Come on, breathe.” Liwei swooped in and forced her to look at him with a firm touch. “Everything will be fine. Believe me. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
She nodded because, yes, she believed in him. And it was all she could do at the moment because she was frozen speechless. Jin Liwei looked very calm, so she focused on him until she no longer felt like having a heart attack. His mere presence alone centred her and lightened the heavy emotions currently shaking her entire being. Afterwards, she noticed that he wasn’t showing any emotions except for utter calmness.
His lips only showed a small, restrained smile but the joy in his eyes couldn’t be faked. It lit up his entire face and shot straight to her heart.
“En.” He didn’t add any other words but that didn’t detract from the delight and excitement emanating from him.
His emotions were so infectious that Iris also started smiling. And when she finally smiled, Jin Liwei no longer restrained himself. He grinned like a man who just won the entire world and all the good things in it. They grinned at each other like two stupid idiots.
Iris turned to look at the monitor again. The two little beans didn’t resemble anything human just yet, but Second Brother said that they were her babies. Her babies! Hers and Jin Liwei’s.
It was as if the proverbial scales on her eyes fell off. All the signs and symptoms she had been experiencing in the past few days—now everything made sense!
Perhaps she subconsciously rejected the idea that she might be pregnant even after experiencing all the tiredness, cravings for sweets, breast tenderness, and mood swings because just the thought alone of becoming a mother was enough to make her tremble in fear.
But now?
Her mind cleared.
She now realized how her fear narrowed the scope of her usual logic and made her completely misread why she was feeling so off lately. The fear shut down the possibility in her mind that she might be pregnant. It made her attribute all the signs and symptoms as mere results of exhaustion due to her busy work schedule. She mentally berated herself for not realizing that she was pregnant sooner.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Jin Liwei leaned over and kissed her on the mouth. It was a messy kiss but she could feel his happiness through it. The kiss didn’t last long because he once again forced her to look at him.
His expression was serious when he asked, “How about you? Are you happy?”
She didn’t even think about it before nodding.
“Really?”
“Yes, really.” She puckered her lips, asking for another kiss, hoping that it would make him stop doubting that she was also happy. He complied with her silent request and dipped down his head to give her a sweet peck on the lips.
“I’m glad,” he murmured.
‘I’m happy because you’re happy,’ she thought but didn’t say out loud.
His gaze at her was filled with tenderness. “This baby—”
“Babies,” she corrected. “There are two of them.”
“I hate to interrupt your moment but let’s wipe the gel off from Xiulan’s belly and cover her up first,” Wang Yingjie said. “I don’t want her exposed to the cold especially right now that we’ve confirmed she’s pregnant. We need to be extra careful with her health because the first trimester is the most dangerous.”
Jin Liwei instantly became serious. He took the paper towel from his second brother and wiped Iris’ belly himself. After he was done, he bent down and gave her still flat abdomen a loud, smacking kiss and a gentle rub.
“Hello, babies. I’m your dad. Be good and grow healthy inside there. Don’t bother your mom too much, alright? We’re very excited to meet you.”
Iris’ eyes reddened. Watching him talking to her belly like this, it was now beginning to really sink in that she was really pregnant. That she was going to be a mother. It was really happening!
The fear was still there, but seeing her man’s joy and excitement tamped the negative feeling down. With Jin Liwei beside her, she felt like she could do anything.
And if she was going to be a mother, then so be it.
###
Chapter Title: Pregnant
