Chapter 381: with translation of chapter title

Hearing Miao Cuixia say that, Miao Yijia swallowed the words "I'm not pregnant" that were on the tip of her tongue.

A flash of inspiration struck her mind: why not first pretend the child is Chen Songbai's, wait until he divorces, then be together, then find a chance to abort—after all, she's only just pregnant, and it's fine within three months.

Miao Yijia's heart pounded wildly; that thought kept surfacing in her mind, seeking a sense of existence.

"Jiajia, why aren't you speaking?" Miao Cuixia, getting no reply, grew anxious on the other end of the phone, "Say something to Auntie."

"Auntie." Miao Yijia's voice thick with nasal congestion, sounding extremely wronged and helpless, "I've finished the checkup; the doctor said I'm indeed pregnant. What should I do?"

"Oh dear! I just knew my judgment was spot on." Miao Cuixia slapped her thigh, overjoyed; considering Miao Yijia's unstable emotions, she restrained herself a bit, though her voice still couldn't hide her delight, "Are you still at the hospital? Are you busy with the checkup and haven't eaten? Hurry and take a taxi over so I can take good care of you."

After hanging up, Miao Cuixia eagerly conveyed the good news to Chenfu.

Upon hearing it, Chenfu immediately clasped his hands together and bowed three times toward his hometown, murmuring, "May the ancestors bless us, may the ancestors bless us."

Miao Cuixia: "I heard Jiajia's state on the phone wasn't right; she doesn't sound happy, probably still worried that our Songbai won't accept her. Dad, you need to think of a solution."

Chenfu lit a cigarette, took a hard drag, his cheeks hollowing: "Go find Chen Songbai right now and tell him clearly—our Chen family's bloodline cannot be left outside. If he refuses to marry Yijia, just wait to collect my corpse."

"Now?" Miao Cuixia hesitated a little, "He's at work, right?"

"Exactly now."

"Jiajia will be here shortly."

"You go your way; I'll keep an eye on Jiajia." Chenfu puffed on his cigarette, hands behind his back, pacing the living room, "It's also not suitable to keep it from Songbai's uncle's side; I'll call them right away."

"Will they be angry?"

"What's there to be angry about? Songbai has looks, got promoted just a few years into his job, and earns a high salary—what could his uncle possibly find fault with? It would be wonderful for the two families to become even more closely tied."

Miao Cuixia was convinced; she changed clothes, took her wallet, and went out.

She had never been to the place where Chen Songbai worked, but she had heard of it. She gritted her teeth, hailed a taxi, and gave the company's name.

The driver dropped her off at the location; she lifted her head to gaze at the building that shimmered with blue light under the sunlight, feeling delighted and proud. Miao Cuixia lowered her head and walked in, only to be stopped.

She sat on a sofa at one side of the lobby, took out her phone, and called Chen Songbai.

It rang for a long time, but he didn't answer.

Miao Cuixia was utterly helpless, yet she couldn't get in.

She refused to believe it; just as before, when Chen Songbai didn't answer, she called him back one after another, showing more perseverance than anyone. Eventually, when he grew impatient, he would pick up.

Events proved Miao Cuixia right. After seven or eight calls bombarded him, Chen Songbai couldn't withstand her and answered, his voice low: "What is it? I'm very busy."

Miao Cuixia's voice, as loud as ever, echoed through the spacious, empty lobby: "I've come to your company; I'm downstairs. Come down, I have a few words to say."

As if doubting he'd heard wrong, Chen Songbai stared for several seconds: "You said you came where?"

Miao Cuixia: "Your company."

Two minutes later, Chen Songbai emerged from the elevator, his jacket unbuttoned, strides large and fast, his gaze sweeping the lobby; he noticed a petite figure in a floral short-sleeve top and black long pants by the sofa.

Miao Cuixia also saw him; before he approached, she pushed herself up using the sofa's armrest and gave him a smile.

Chen Songbai felt deeply weary: "How did you find this place? I'm at work."

"I know you're at work; I'll talk and then leave." Miao Cuixia looked at her son before her, sweat beading on his forehead; she wasn't unsympathetic, but the joy of having a grandson outweighed everything, "Do you know? Yijia is pregnant."

Chen Songbai's face showed obvious disbelief; his mouth stiffened, making it hard to open.

Without needing his response, Miao Cuixia went on: "I came just to tell you this—don't abandon Yijia anymore; the child in her belly is yours, you must take responsibility, so the child isn't left nameless and statusless, and Yijia, who's carrying the child, isn't left nameless and statusless either. Your father has already decided to call your uncle and aunt to inform them; you'd better hurry and divorce that woman Xia Xuan, show the proper attitude, and not disappoint your uncle and aunt."

Chen Songbai couldn't take in anything; he only felt the world he was in was absurd to the extreme.

"When your uncle and aunt arrive, we'll discuss your marriage to Yijia; if we wait until her belly grows big before holding the wedding, people will gossip." Miao Cuixia chattered on, "This time we won't invite as many relatives from the hometown—every little bit saved helps, since raising a child costs a lot."

Xia Xi finished buying her medicine and came out; her car was parked a bit far, she opened her umbrella and hurried over, not expecting to run into Miao Yijia again.

She sat on a bench under the shade, weighed down by thoughts, head lowered, turning her phone over in her hands.

Xia Xi slowly stepped back a few paces to avoid being seen. In the nearby flowerbed, a row of evergreen trees had been trimmed into spheres, perfectly concealing her figure.

Miao Yijia was on the phone: "Hey, Dan Yan, are you at work? Nothing much, just wanted to ask you something—when we went to the bar, the friend you brought along, I mean that guy, have you been in touch lately? Oh, it's nothing, I'm just asking casually. Hey, don't spout nonsense; I don't like him, so stop being mysterious."

After Miao Yijia finished her call and left the hospital, Xia Xi continued toward her car, then delivered the medicine she'd bought to Su Jinru's home, knowing Su Jinru already knew the dosage and usage, so no extra instructions were needed.

"Your dizziness isn't huge, but it's not trivial either—you need regular hospital checkups." Xia Xi said.

"I know, I know." Su Jinru nodded, "Compared to before, it's much better; I haven't had an episode in a long time."

Xia Xi then chatted with Xia Xuan for a while before leaving Su Jinru's home.

She still had to go to the company in the afternoon.

After driving a stretch from the residential area, Xia Xi recalled running into Miao Yijia at the hospital that morning, the doctor's words, and the call Miao Yijia had made; her tone then had sounded like she was confirming something, coming across as odd.

By the time she reached the company, it was still before noon; she didn't turn into the underground parking lot but changed direction.

After an unknown amount of time, she pulled over to the side, unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned back with eyes closed to gather her thoughts, picked up the phone beside her, half-squinted, and dialed.

"Have you eaten lunch yet?" Xia Xi's voice was soft.

"Huh?" the other person seemed to sense something, "Where are you?"

Xia Xi curled the corner of her lip; she knew this person's sensitivity was top-notch, she lifted her eyelids, gazing at the towering building outside the car window: "I'm outside the Xu Clan headquarters building."

"Wait for me."

After tossing off those two brief words, Xu Yanfeng sprang into action, keeping the phone line open without hanging up.

"How did you suddenly think to come find me?" Xu Yanfeng entered the private elevator; the signal was still okay.

Xia Xi teased: "I've missed you."

Xu Yanfeng's breath hitched; watching the numbers jump, he wished he could fly straight to her side—normally he didn't find the elevator slow, but this feeling was now intensely strong.

Xia Xi heard a soft "ding," the elevator's arrival sound; she heard his footsteps, and heard someone greet him, saying "General Manager Xu, hello."

She quietly fixed her gaze on the distant glass door.

The sensing door slid open, and Xu Yanfeng's tall, slender figure appeared in her view, like a straight pine; he held his phone to his ear, looking left and right, searching for her.

Xia Xi: "I misspoke—I'm in the car across the road from the Xu Clan headquarters building; did you see my car?"

Following her voice, Xu Yanfeng lifted his gaze and looked far off; he certainly recognized Xia Xi's car and spotted it at a glance. Just then, the car window rolled down, revealing her lovely face; her chin rested on the lower edge of the window as she waved at him, seemingly smiling.