Up until now, there were no other visible differences apart from her ballooning stomach.
But Wang Juhuai was still on edge, insisting on bringing her to the hospital for checkups every fortnight and constantly feeding her nutritious bird’s nest soup.
But he didn’t dare give too much nourishment, lest the baby became too big and she would have a hard time carrying and delivering it.
Wang Juhuai had already discussed it with her. She should go for a C-section at her age; otherwise, she wouldn’t have the strength to deliver.
Han Zhuoli and Lu Man drove home after having dinner there.
On their way home, as he drove, Han Zhuoli told Lu Man about Han Zhuoling and Shi Xiaoya.
Han Zhuoli was all-smiles. “Big Brother won’t admit it and insists that he simply wanted to apologize to Shi Xiaoya and ask for her forgiveness, but when had Brother spent so much effort on a woman before in all these years? That isn’t how you beg for forgiveness.”
Han Zhuoli said, “Big Brother’s temper is such that he wouldn’t care whether the other party forgave him after he had apologized.
“And now? He’s bent on getting Shi Xiaoya’s forgiveness.” Han Zhuoli snickered. “When has he ever cared about someone else like this? He doesn’t care about men, much less those other random women. He’s just lying to himself. He’s the type of guy that just forms an impression at first, and then he increasingly cares about the other person, sinking deeper and getting more lost in his feelings. When he finally understands, he’d already be in too deep.”
Lu Man looked in amusement at Han Zhuoli, who spoke with an air of an experienced person.
“Were you like this with me too?” Lu Man asked with a raised brow.
“Yep. I was only curious. Why did you climb through my window, seek my help, then kiss me and leave, seemingly not wanting to take responsibility for your actions?” Han Zhuoli laughed.
He had checked her and her background thoroughly and anticipated her next move.
The price for his curiosity was giving her his heart.
“Big Brother has yet to be enlightened.” Lu Man smiled. “It’s quite incredible, now that you think about it. He’s 33 yet inexperienced in matters of the heart.”
Han Zhuoli burst out laughing. His Big Brother had turned all his EQ into IQ to be used for work.
Lu Man’s countenance suddenly changed. “Oh, if only you’ve told me earlier! Shi Xiaoya called me in the afternoon, asking if I needed her to do my makeup on the gala night. I don’t need to make an appearance, I just need to be seated below as a student, so I rejected her offer, lest she missed out on other job opportunities. If I had known, I’d have agreed!”
“It’s fine.” Han Zhuoli held her hand. “Jiang Yuhan had approached Shi Xiaoya before. She seems to be a guest for the gala. Shi Xiaoya was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to help you if you approached her after she had promised to help Jiang Yuhan, so she called to enquire. If you don’t need her services, then she’ll take on Jiang Yuhan’s offer. The ending’s the same either way—she’ll be there during the gala night. Even if she’s not among the guests, she’ll be backstage helping Jiang Yuhan with her cosmetics.”
As Han Zhuoli spoke, he parked the car in the garage and got down with Lu Man.
Rubbing his chin, he thought aloud, “Now that I think about it, I’ve seen Shi Xiaoya interact with Brother only once. It’s during the previous film festival, when Big Brother got his face scratched and Shi Xiaoya had to cover it up. What about you?”
Lu Man nodded. “Same, I’ve seen it only once that time.”
