When Jin Liwei returned to the bedroom, he didn’t see his baby girl on the bed. He paused for a moment by the doorway and straightened his spine, as if preparing himself for an upcoming battle. He heard noises from the walk-in closet so he headed there.
Iris’ back was facing him when he entered but she still heard him with her great hearing. She was in a half-dressed state and in the process of putting on a stylish, tailored jumpsuit. Without turning around, she spoke in a cold, flat voice. “I can’t find my phone. Where is it? Ketchup isn’t responding to me no matter how many times I call her, that brat. I need to contact Elder Sister Yiyi and apologize to her for missing my 7 AM work commitment today.”
She sounded like she was talking to a subordinate. Her tone irked Jin Liwei but he tamped his own temper down. Patience, that was what he needed right now. And understanding. His woman was pregnant. His second brother already warned him that her emotions would be all over the place, possibly during her entire pregnancy.
Sighing, he straightened his back once again before replying. He explained that she left her phone in their suite’s living room when she fell asleep on the couch last night. It was already low on battery that time. He didn’t bother bringing the phone with them when he had her transferred to their bed. The phone should still be in the living room, maybe already drained of battery.
“I contacted your manager last night when you were asleep, so you don’t have to call her again,” he said. “She already knows that you’re not coming today. We discussed about cancelling most of your showbiz commitments and keeping them at a minimum while you’re pregnant.”
She spun on her feet and finally faced him. Her eyes were blazing in fury. “Who’s we? Because I don’t remember being involved in that discussion.”
His eyes narrowed but managed to keep his expression neutral and his voice calm. “I made the decision for you as your husband and the father of our children. It’s what’s good for you. Remember what Second Brother told us. You should scale back on your work now that you’re pregnant. Exhausting yourself is not allowed anymore, Xiulan.”
“I’m pregnant, Liwei. Not incapacitated. Second Brother said that I should scale back, not completely stop working. There are many other pregnant women who’s still fully capable of working like usual in their careers and they’re doing just fine. I can gather some confirmed data to prove it to you if you want.”
He didn’t reply but made it obvious to her from his rigid silence that he wasn’t planning on backing down on his decision. He believed that he was correct. Her twisted expression indicated that seeing him like this was angering her even more. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you’re not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It’s very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]
She pulled her eyes away from him and forced herself to take a few deep, shaky breaths. “I don’t want to fight with you today, Liwei. My energy is very low right now. I can’t waste it fighting with you. I’m going to Bright Summit to discuss my work schedule with Elder Sister Yiyi myself.”
“You!” She pointed an angry finger at him. “Do you even realize that you’re starting to return to your old, controlling self when it comes to me? Have you forgotten what we’ve talked about before? I despise the feeling of being caged and controlled! It’s what I hate the most! And right now, you’re doing just that. Just because I’m pregnant now, you want to control everything about my life? I love you with my life. But if you continue doing this to me, I can’t promise that I won’t start hating you. I don’t want that to happen. You’re my lover and partner, Liwei, not my master! Remember that!”
His hard, unyielding expression cracked as her words shot straight to his heart like sharp arrows, making him bleed inside. Tears filled her eyes but she wasn’t letting them fall in front of him. She was also now trembling due to her unstable emotions. The sight caused him great anxiety. This was not good. He needed to calm her down first. He stepped forward towards her.
“Don’t come close to me!” She raised her hand in a stop motion. “I’m too upset right now. Stay there.”
“Love, I didn’t mean to upset you.” He made his tone as gentle as possible. “I just did it for the sake of your health and that of our babies. Let’s talk about it, alright? Please let me close, baby. I want to hug you.”
His last two sentences made her waver but she avoided his gaze. She started opening drawers and rummaging inside, looking for a specific silk scarf that she wanted to wear today. A sound of frustration escaped her tense lips when she failed to find it.
“What are you looking for?” Jin Liwei asked. “I’ll help you find it.”
She acted as if she didn’t hear him and continued to open and close several drawers. In her current turbulent emotional state, she didn’t realize that she had reached Jin Liwei’s side of the walk-in closet and was now opening his drawers. When she opened a particular drawer which normally contained his neckties arranged in neat rows, an unfamiliar item caught her attention and pulled her mind back to the present. It was a bulky paper bag. The sight was glaring because it looked so out of place among the expensive neckties. She picked it up and was surprised at how light it felt.
Without asking him what it was, she opened the paper bag and pulled out one of the items. She frowned, not immediately recognizing what it was. Then she read the label on the box.
“Easy to use. Fast results. Over 99% accurate. At-home pregnancy test.”
