Pregnant With The Pup Of A Wealthy Old Man - Chapter 73

Today is the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, a minor festival in the North, and also Shen Yunxing’s birthday.

Not long after the couple had breakfast, Shen Mu called, asking them to come home for lunch.

Around eleven o’clock, the two of them arrived at the entrance of the neighborhood with gifts, where Shen Yunxing’s older brother, Shen Yunshu, was there to pick them up.

Shen Yunxing hadn’t seen his brother for a long time and was very excited to see him. He waved vigorously at him through the car window.

Shen Yunshu, looking at his lively younger brother, raised his hand and responded with a smile.

Shen Yunxing’s belly had grown significantly since the last time they met. His thick down jacket created a small bump, though it wasn’t very noticeable. People who didn’t know the situation might not see it, and even if they did, they would probably just think the kid had a beer belly.

Seeing his brother coming towards him as if everything were fine, Shen Yunshu’s brow furrowed with concern.

“Bro, when did you get back?” Shen Yunxing asked happily as he reached his brother.

“Yesterday afternoon,” Shen Yunshu said, ruffling his brother’s head through his wool hat. “I was supposed to be off on the 26th, but since today is your birthday, I finished my work at school and came back early.”

Hearing this, Shen Yunxing’s eyes curved into an even happier smile.

“Bro, did you bring me a gift?” he asked as he walked.

Shen Yunshu decided to tease his brother a bit: “No, I didn’t.”

“Okay, it’s fine if you didn’t bring one,” Shen Yunxing said, though he felt a little disappointed inside.

When they got home, Shen Mu asked her younger son about his health. Before Shen Yunxing could respond, the baby kicked his belly, making a small bump.

“Oh, the baby is greeting Grandma,” Shen Mu said, patting her younger son’s bulging belly and smiling widely.

Shen Yunxing smiled along, not having the heart to tell his mother that the baby was kicking because it was mealtime.

The little one kicked up a storm every mealtime and would refuse to move once he was full.

“Definitely going to be a little foodie after birth,” he thought to himself.

For lunch, Shen Mu had prepared a table full of dishes, and the family of five enjoyed a warm and happy meal together.

“Mom, let’s go to Liuchun Garden for dinner tonight. Grandpa Tang will also be there,” Shen Yunxing said as he swallowed a bite of fish that Mr. Fu had carefully deboned for him.

They had originally planned to have lunch together, but an old friend of the elder’s came to visit today, so they changed the time to dinner.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t have a candlelight dinner with Mr. Fu.

He glanced at Mr. Fu with a bit of regret, his lips curving down slightly.

Fu Tingzhou squeezed the boy’s hand gently and whispered, “It’s okay, there will be many more opportunities in the future.”

“Mm.” Shen Yunxing nodded.

“See if you like it.” Shen Yunshu handed his brother the prepared gift.

“Bro? Didn’t you say you didn’t bring me a gift?” Shen Yunxing looked at his brother, opened the box, and saw a small, exquisite model kit inside. His eyes lit up instantly.

“Thank you, Bro!” He hugged the model, extremely excited.

“This kid, even though he’s about to be a father, still has such a playful heart,” Shen Mu said with a smile.

Seeing her younger son being well cared for by Fu Tingzhou, Shen Mu smiled even more.

After dinner, Shen Yunxing spent some time with his parents before heading out to the movies with Mr. Fu.

“My brother and sister-in-law seem to be arguing,” Shen Yunxing said worriedly in the car. “My sister-in-law has called him so many times, and he hasn’t answered any of them.”

“Your brother will handle it,” Fu Tingzhou said, withdrawing his hand and ruffling the boy’s head. “Let’s pick a movie to watch.”

“Okay.” Shen Yunxing held his phone and searched for movies. When he saw that the film he had been waiting for was finally out, he immediately became cheerful again.

“Mr. Fu, let’s watch ‘Earth Redemption’!” he said excitedly.

This was a film directed by Director Song Cheng. As a fan of Song, Shen Yunxing couldn’t miss it!

“Alright.” Fu Tingzhou smiled.

With students on vacation, the cinema was busier than usual, even the VIP rooms were full.

Fu Tingzhou carefully escorted the young man to their seats, then took a blanket from his bag and draped it over Shen Yunxing’s belly and knees.

“A blanket and a thermos? It’s like you’re in confinement,” muttered someone passing by.

Shen Yunxing’s expression stiffened, but the next moment, Fu Tingzhou took his left hand.

“Mr. Fu?” Shen Yunxing smiled at him.

Seeing the young man’s calm demeanor, Fu Tingzhou relaxed.

“What snacks do you want? I’ll get them for you.”

Shen Yunxing thought for a moment, then pointed at a small strawberry cake on the low table, looking at Fu Tingzhou with hopeful eyes.

Fu Tingzhou replied, “We’ve already had cake at home.”

“It’s my birthday today,” Shen Yunxing said plaintively.

Fu Tingzhou, hearing this, helplessly nodded.

The cake was very small, not even half the size of his palm. As he watched the young man enjoying the cake with cream on his lips, Fu Tingzhou’s smile was full of indulgence and affection.

Outside the VIP room:

“What are you sneaking around for?”

The security guard saw the man wearing a hat and mask, carrying a camera, loitering outside the VIP room without entering, and immediately had him stopped.

“Are you a paparazzi?” The security guard eyed the man up and down. “Hand over the camera!”

The guard had seen plenty of paparazzi, but this was the first time he’d seen someone so openly sneaking around in a cinema!

“It’s a misunderstanding. I’m not a paparazzi. I’m here to find someone,” the man said.

“Is that so? Let me see the camera to know if you’re a paparazzi.”

The man didn’t want to hand over the camera, so he removed the memory card and gave it to him.

“I’m borrowing the camera. Can I just give you the film?”

After leaving the cinema, the man slid the other memory card back into the slot.

“Damn, so cautious. Luckily my camera can hold two cards, or this trip would have been in vain!” He flipped through the photos he had taken over the past few days, nodding with satisfaction.

Inside the VIP room, the young man, moved to tears by the film, buried his head in Fu Tingzhou’s arms and rubbed against him shyly.

“Look, this man is so handsome!”

“Where? Wait, it’s Mr. Fu! And the person in his arms is… Xing Zai?!”

There was no mistaking it; it was the same down jacket Xing Zai wore in the photos posted on Weibo yesterday!

Hearing the two girls’ conversation, Shen Yunxing’s back stiffened.

“Hello,” Fu Tingzhou said, holding the young man’s head and smiling at the two girls. “Please keep this a secret.”

“Sure! Don’t worry, Mr. Fu!” The girls were excited, their faces flushed. “Xing Zai, keep it up! Everyone at our wellness center will always support you!”

Shen Yunxing struggled internally for a moment, then withdrew from Fu Tingzhou’s embrace, blushing deeply. He tried to act calm as he said, “Thank you, I won’t let you down.”

“Ah, ah, ah, the Yun-Ting CP is real, I’m totally shipping it!” The girl squealed as they left the cinema, pinching her friend’s arm excitedly.

Her friend said, “You seem to have forgotten to ask for an autograph…”

“Oh my gosh!” She covered her head and cried out in frustration.

On the way to Liuchun Garden, Shen Yunxing received a birthday gift from Mr. Fu. When he opened it, he found a set of keys inside.

“Mr. Fu?” He looked at the man in confusion.

“Our new house, decorated in the style you like,” Fu Tingzhou said, glancing at the young man with a smile. “We can go see it tonight. We’ll also need to buy the missing items tomorrow after work, and prepare the baby’s room and necessities in advance.”

Shen Yunxing was stunned.

No wonder he had seen so many renovation plans on Fu Tingzhou’s computer that day!

“Is this our new home with the baby?” he asked excitedly.

Seeing the man nod, he leaned in and planted a kiss on Fu Tingzhou’s cheek.

“Thank you, husband.” He said, a bit embarrassed, his ears flushed and his heart pounding.

Fu Tingzhou gently pinched the young man’s reddened earlobe, feeling his heart soften.

When they arrived at Liuchun Garden, Shen’s parents hadn’t arrived yet.

In the private room, Grandpa Tang and Tang Che, the grandfather and grandson, sat on opposite sides, each ignoring the other and not even facing each other.

As soon as Shen Yunxing walked in, he saw Tang Ge giving him a signal. He called out to Grandpa Tang in a sweet voice, making the old man’s heart melt.

“Oh, my dear son-in-law is here,” Grandpa Tang said, giving his own grandson a glare. “This biological grandson of mine is worse than someone with no blood relation. All he does is make me angry. One day when I kick the bucket, let’s see who he gets mad at.”

Shen Yunxing frowned. “Grandpa.”

“Oh, Grandpa was wrong. Today is our little Xingxing’s birthday,” Grandpa Tang said, patting his dear son-in-law’s head and taking out a small box from his pocket.

“This is a gift for you and the baby,” Grandpa Tang said. “Yours is a small jade pendant, and for my great-grandson, it’s a longevity lock.”

“They’ve all been blessed by a master. They need to be worn for at least three years to be effective,” Grandpa Tang reminded.

“Got it, thank you, Grandpa.”

The jade pendant was only about the size of half a thumb, with a vivid dragon carved into it that seemed to move if looked at for long enough.

Shen Yunxing liked it very much and immediately had Fu Tingzhou put it on for him.

He tucked the jade pendant into his clothes and patted it through the fabric.

“I’ll take good care of it,” he said solemnly.

 

“Pah, superstitious nonsense.” Tang Che snorted through his nose, glancing enviously at the jade pendant Shen Yunxing had carefully put away.

 

“You don’t understand anything!” Grandpa Tang rapped his cane and took out another piece from his pocket, handing it to Fu Tingzhou.

 

“I also have one?” Fu Tingzhou took it, which was the same style as Shen Yunxing’s, but with an additional line of small characters on the back that he couldn’t read.

 

“Grandpa, what do the characters on the jade pendant mean?” Shen Yunxing leaned in to take a look. It resembled seal script, with “Peace and Smooth Sailing” being familiar to him, but he didn’t recognize the line below.

 

Grandpa Tang remained composed: “More children, more blessings.”

 

Shen Yunxing: “……”

 

He silently examined his own pendant, which indeed had “Peace and Smooth Sailing” on it, but also had an additional line of small characters below.

 

“Pfft—” Tang Che, who had been hoping to get a pendant from Grandpa Tang, instantly gave up on the idea.

 

“Still laughing? That kid Huai Jin is so good, and you argue with him every few days. Only Huai Jin’s temper is good enough to tolerate you; anyone else would have left by now!”

 

Grandpa Tang was furious thinking about this. The two kids were together, and today was a family meal. He had wanted to invite Huai Jin for dinner, but this morning Huai Jin suddenly called to say he had a cold and couldn’t come out.

 

On the phone, he heard his grandson coaxing someone to eat, but Huai Jin didn’t respond at all.

 

It was clear they had argued again! Grandpa Tang was so angry he took his cane and struck his own grandson’s back several times. The result was that his grandson was wearing thick clothing and barely felt it, while he almost hurt his own waist.

 

“I told you we didn’t argue, why don’t you believe me?” Tang Che was aggrieved. “Or should I call Huai Jin and have him explain to you in person?”

 

Grandpa Tang glared at him: “Huai Jin’s voice is hoarse from crying, and you still tell me there was no argument?”

 

“Really didn’t argue.” Tang Che, seeing that Grandpa Tang was about to lift the cane again, resignedly said, “I was a bit rough on him last night and hurt him a little.”

 

Grandpa Tang: “……”

 

Grandpa Tang’s face alternated between green and red before he cleared his throat and sternly lectured: “Young people don’t know moderation. You’ll be the ones to suffer when you grow old.”

 

Fu Tingzhou noticed the young man was secretly smiling with his head down and couldn’t help but smile as well.

 

After waiting a while longer, Shen’s parents finally arrived.

 

“Grandpa Tang, I’m really sorry. We got caught in traffic.” Shen’s mother said.

 

“Family-in-law is here!” Grandpa Tang greeted cheerfully. “You’re not late. I just wanted to see the kids earlier, so I arrived early.”

 

“Please sit down. The food will be served soon. We’re all family, so let’s eat and chat,” Grandpa Tang said.

 

“Brother, come here.” Shen Yunxing waved at his older brother.

 

Shen Yunshu smiled and sat down beside his younger brother.

 

The three elders sat together, and the three younger ones sat together, each chatting without interrupting the others.

 

“You’re so young and already a professor, and a university professor at that. Impressive!” Tang Che gave Shen Yunshu a thumbs up.

 

“My brother has been a top student since he was young. He even represented the country in the International Olympiad,” Shen Yunxing proudly said, lifting his chin.

 

“That was twenty years ago,” Shen Yunshu said with a smile.

 

Meanwhile, the three elders settled on the wedding date and details, raising their glasses in a toast.

 

“Then it’s decided. We’ll hold the wedding after the New Year,” Grandpa Tang declared.

 

Shen’s father had always dreamed of being a soldier. If it hadn’t been for failing the medical exam, he would have gone into the military. During the chat, hearing Grandpa Tang talk about his past experiences with guns and battles stirred up memories of his youth.

 

“Ah, not going to the military is the regret of my life,” Shen’s father sighed.

 

“Xiao Shen, you shouldn’t think that way. Think about it—if you had gone to the military, Yunxing and Yunshu would have belonged to someone else!” Grandpa Tang patted Shen’s father’s shoulder.

 

Shen’s father nodded repeatedly: “You’re right, I was thinking wrong.”

 

Grandpa Tang drank a bit more and, when leaving, walked steadily but couldn’t turn corners, bumping into the wall twice before allowing his grandson to help him out.

 

“Leaving now. We’ll meet again another day.” Tang Che waved at the two as he got into the car.

 

“It’s too cold. You should head home quickly,” Shen’s mother reminded her younger son before they left.

 

“Let’s go home.” At the entrance of Liuchun Garden, Fu Tingzhou held Shen Yunxing’s hand and said softly.

 

Shen Yunxing smiled sweetly: “Okay.”

 

……

 

The new house was not far from Shen’s parents’ place, just a couple of streets away.

 

After arriving home, Shen Yunxing spent ten minutes exploring each room, finally settling into the small tent set up for the baby, refusing to come out.

 

“Mr. Fu, this place is so comfortable,” he said, kicking his feet.

 

Although the tent was intended for the baby, Fu Tingzhou had anticipated this and had it made quite spacious, fitting the young man perfectly.

 

“Mr. Fu, come lie down too,” Shen Yunxing scooted over and patted the spot beside him.

 

When Fu Tingzhou joined him, the space instantly shrank by half. The two lay side by side, their foreheads touching, close enough to hear each other’s breaths.

 

“I really like this gift,” Shen Yunxing leaned in, kissed Fu Tingzhou’s lips, and his eyes overflowed with affection. “Mr. Fu, being with you is the happiest thing in my life.”

 

“Fool.” Fu Tingzhou’s heart softened. He kissed the corner of the young man’s lips and said softly, “There will be more happy things in the future.”

 

“Mm.” Shen Yunxing hugged Fu Tingzhou, “And with the baby, we will always be happy.”

 

……

 

At two in the morning, Shen Yunxing had his cheek pressed against Fu Tingzhou’s chest, sleeping soundly.

 

Meanwhile, countless Weibo posts appeared simultaneously before netizens:

 

【Long Brother Gossip】: [Shock] New rising star suddenly goes viral online, with just one small web drama can land a role in Director Zheng’s film. The reason is—[Pictures*9]

 

【Heart Entertainment】: [Gossip][Gossip] Heart always thought this young man was extraordinary, and sure enough [Pictures*6]

 

【Moon Entertainment】: Most talented new actor Shen Yunxing, frequenting high-end clubs and hotels, embracing and kissing a mysterious man in a luxury car, falling into depravity! [Pictures*6]

 

Author’s Note:

Countdown to the birth of Baby Zhouzhou—