Chapter 39: I Can Wait, But the Baby in My Belly Can't

Chen Weiping leaned in with a roguish grin and stole a kiss: "What did I promise?"

The woman in his arms raised a hand and gave him a light smack, looked up, glared at him, and pouted, "Stop fooling around, I'm talking serious business with you."

Chen Weiping loved that little look in her eyes—it was simply too alluring: "Go on, go on."

That's what he said, but his hands weren't behaving in the slightest.

The woman gave a soft "hmph": "That girlfriend of yours from the countryside."

"Hold on, hold on, hold on—what are you saying? She's not my girlfriend. The marriage was arranged by the old man, I never agreed to it."

The woman tightened her hold on Chen Weiping and nestled back into his arms: "But our situation—Auntie probably won't agree either, let alone the fact that you still have an engagement on you. My aunt has already given me an ultimatum: she says if I don't bring a boyfriend home soon, she'll take it upon herself to pick a family for me."

"How could that be allowed? We're already like that, you—"

The woman reached out and covered Chen Weiping's mouth to stop what he was about to say: "I didn't, I didn't agree. I'm already your woman—how could I possibly agree to what my aunt said? But I'm afraid I can't stall much longer."

"Also, also, it's—"

"Xiaoru, what else? Out with it."

"I, I—"

Before she could finish, she burst into tears.

Chen Weiping dropped his cavalier manner: "Hey, hey, hey, why the tears now?"

The woman sniffled for a long while, still saying nothing.

Worried, Chen Weiping grew serious too, cupping the woman's face in his arms: "Xiaoru, what happened? Out with it, you're driving me crazy."

"Weiping-ge, I—I—I think I might be pregnant."

"What?"

Those words hit Chen Weiping like a bomb, sending a shudder through his whole body; he nearly lost his grip and dumped the woman in his arms onto the floor: "No way, we only did it that one time—how could I have knocked you up?"

Seeing his reaction, the woman said: "Weiping-ge, what do you mean by that?"

Chen Weiping's mind went blank: "Wait, wait, let me catch my breath."

Though he was a rogue, he truly hadn't planned on causing a life before marriage—but now it was too late for any of that. He blamed himself for drinking too much that day and not keeping his lower half in check, and he irritably scratched his head: "Xiaoru, don't worry, I swear I'll marry you into the house in grand style."

He had always intended to take this woman as his wife; moreover, her uncle-in-law worked in the municipal government—once he had that kind of backing, why worry about his future?

Far better than marrying some country bumpkin who couldn't help him one bit. It seemed the matter of breaking off the engagement had to be sped up.

Looking at the troubled face in his arms: "Xiaoru, don't worry, I'll break off the engagement as soon as I can. Give me a few more days."

The woman threw herself into Chen Weiping's arms: "Weiping-ge, you'd better hurry. I can wait, but the baby in my belly can't."

Chen Weiping's head was a mess, but he still replied: "Alright, I won't make you wait too long."

Seeing things unfold as she had planned, the woman curved her lips into a faint smile.

Chen Weiping seemed to think of something: "Xiaoru, just to be safe, it'd be better if we went to the hospital for a check-up."

Before he could finish, the woman in his arms sat bolt upright with a start: "What do you mean?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, this is no small matter, and you did say the baby in your belly can't wait. I figured it'd be better to confirm it—then when we come clean to the family, I can hold my head up high, right?

But if it turns out to be a false alarm, knowing my mom's temper, I'm afraid she'll make trouble for you, and my grandfather probably won't let me off easy either."

Hearing this, the woman said worriedly: "But the county town is only so big—if we run into someone we know, how will I ever face people after this?"

(End of chapter)