Chapter 213: Did You Regret These Five Years?

Jiang Ran took the notebook; on it were the neatly written characters "Jiang Jin", and although some strokes were a bit crooked, it was already quite good.

"Jinjin is awesome!" Jiang Ran also lifted his son, "Now you can even write your own name."

Li Huijuan poked her head out of the kitchen: "Ranran is back? Perfect, dinner."

At the dinner table, Jiang Ran talked about work: "This month's sales of the Shanghai boutique exceeded expectations; Director Liu suggested we consider opening a boutique in BJ as well."

"BJ?" Su Ruan looked up, "Isn't that too fast?"

"I think so too," Jiang Ran said, "so we haven't agreed yet. Let's steady for now, focus on doing Shanghai well first."

Jiang Jianguo nodded, "Steady and solid is right. Business isn't about getting bigger, it's about lasting longer."

"Dad is right," Jiang Ran passed a dish to his father, "I think the same."

After the meal, Jiang Ran and Su Ruan took the children for a walk around the residential complex.

The late‑autumn night was a bit chilly, but the air was fresh.

Jinjin and An'an darted ahead like two little deer.

"Slow down, don't fall," Su Ruan reminded.

"Mom, look! Stars!" An'an pointed at the sky.

City light pollution makes the stars few, but if you look closely you can still see a few especially bright ones.

"Which one is the brightest?" Jiang Ran asked.

"That one!" An'an pointed to a star on the horizon.

"That one is Venus, also called the Morning Star," Jinjin suddenly said, "Grandpa taught me."

Jiang Ran and Su Ruan exchanged a glance, both smiled; their son was becoming more like a little Encyclopedia.

After returning from the walk, they washed the children up and coaxed them to sleep.

An'an was especially excited today, lying awake for half the day with eyes still open.

"Mom, I can't fall asleep," the little girl whispered.

"Why can't you sleep?"

"Thinking… about tomorrow's art class," An'an said, "the teacher said we have to draw autumn, I don't know what to draw."

Su Ruan thought for a moment, "How about drawing the stars we saw today? Plus the fallen leaves, and our home."

"Okay!" An'an's eyes lit up, "Now I'm going to sleep and draw well tomorrow."

When the children finally fell asleep, it was already 9:30. Jiang Ran and Su Ruan returned to their room, both sighing in relief.

"Raising kids is really not easy," Jiang Ran collapsed onto the bed, "it's more tiring than a whole day of business talks."

"But it's worth it," Su Ruan sat at the vanity removing makeup, "watching them grow day by day, learning new things—no feeling of achievement can compare."

Jiang Ran sat up, walked behind her, and took the makeup‑removing pad from her hand: "I'll do it."

He gently removed her makeup.

Su Ruan closed her eyes, savoring this rare tender moment.

"By the way," Jiang Ran suddenly recalled, "next weekend is our fifth wedding anniversary."

Su Ruan opened her eyes and looked at him through the mirror, "You still remember?"

"Of course I do," Jiang Ran lowered his head and kissed her forehead, "five years, we should celebrate."

"How should we celebrate?"

"I'll arrange it," Jiang Ran said mysteriously, "just wait for the surprise."

Su Ruan smiled, "Okay, I'm waiting."

After removing makeup and washing up, the two lay on the bed. Jiang Ran pulled Su Ruan into his arms, his hand naturally resting on her waist.

"Daughter‑in‑law."

"Hmm?"

"These five years, have you ever regretted anything?"

Su Ruan was startled, "Regret what?"

"Regret marrying me," Jiang Ran's voice was a bit low, "sometimes I think, if you had married someone else, you might not have had to work so hard—no opening a shop, no designing, no walking with me from Hu Tong to today…"

Su Ruan turned around, looking at him in the darkness, "Jiang Ran, listen. These five years are the least regrettable five years of my life."

"Yes, it's hard, tiring, sometimes the pressure is so big I want to cry. But with you, with Jinjin and An'an, with everything now, all the hardship is worth it."

She reached out to stroke his face, "And without you, I might never have known my designs could move so many people, could become a brand. You gave me courage, gave me a stage."

Jiang Ran's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he pulled her tightly into his arms, "Su Ruan…"

"So," Su Ruan whispered in his arms, "don't say you regret. I will never regret marrying you."

That night, the two embraced and slept, closer than ever before.

Friday afternoon, Su Ruan was at the office reviewing the new quarter's design Sketch when her phone rang. It was Jiang Jiaojiao.

"RuanRuan, are you at the office?" Jiang Jiaojiao's voice sounded a bit urgent.

"I'm here, what's up, sis?"

"My stomach hurts a bit, Yan Shen is at an out‑of‑town meeting, Mom and Dad are taking Grandma for a follow‑up at the hospital. Can you accompany me to the hospital?"

Su Ruan sprang up immediately, "I'll be there right away! Stay at home and don't move around!"

After hanging up, she grabbed her bag and ran out. On the way she called Jiang Ran, briefly explaining the situation.

When she arrived at the hospital, Jiang Jiaojiao was already sitting on a chair outside the obstetrics emergency room, her complexion a bit pale.

"Sis!" Su Ruan ran over, "How's it? Does it hurt badly?"

"Better now," Jiang Jiaojiao said, gripping her hand, "it was those intermittent pains earlier, but it's much better now. The doctor said it might be false labor, but we need a check‑up."

Su Ruan supported her, "Don't be scared, I'm with you."

The test results came quickly; it was indeed false labor, nothing serious, but the doctor advised plenty of rest and to avoid overexertion.

"Are you too busy lately?" Su Ruan asked.

Jiang Jiaojiao sighed, "My department has a big project lately, I'm handling a part of it. It might indeed be a bit tiring."

"Work may be important, but not more than health," Su Ruan said seriously, "You have to think about the baby."

"Got it," Jiang Jiaojiao said, unusually without objection, "I'll tell the boss tomorrow to adjust my workload."

After everything was settled, it was already 5 p. m. Jiang Ran also rushed to the hospital; seeing his sister fine, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You scared me to death," Jiang Ran said, "Does brother‑in‑law know?"

"I called him; he's hurrying back," Jiang Jiaojiao said, "Actually nothing's wrong, just a false alarm."

"Even a false alarm must be taken seriously," Jiang Ran said, helping his sister up, "Come, I'll take you home."

After dropping Jiang Jiaojiao home, Gu Yanshen also happened to arrive. Seeing his wife safe, the usually composed man had red eyes.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been on a business trip," he said, gripping Jiang Jiaojiao's hand tightly.

"It has nothing to do with you," Jiang Jiaojiao laughed, "It's my own carelessness."

Leaving Jiang Jiaojiao's house, it was already night. In the car, Jiang Ran held Su Ruan's hand, "You were scared today, weren't you?"

"A little," Su Ruan nodded, "Seeing sister's pallor, I really feared something would happen."

"That's a reminder for us," Jiang Ran said, "Don't push yourself too hard; when you need rest, you must rest."

"Understood," Su Ruan leaned on his shoulder, "But today at the hospital, seeing those newborn babies, I suddenly thought of Jinjin and An'an when they were just born."

"You really had it tough back then," Jiang Ran squeezed her hand, "Having twins is far more exhausting than a single baby. I was outside the delivery room, pacing anxiously."