Chapter 154: Gu Yan × Shen Yanhui: Pregnancy

Since the year they married, Shen Yanhui would take Gu Yan to Paris to live for a period of time every year.

It was partly to accompany Pei Wanjun, and partly to take her on vacation.

The spring in Paris has the most beautiful light; Gu Yan likes to sketch there. She especially likes the Seine, and no matter how many times she paints it, she never feels it is enough. Shen Yanhui would sit beside her easel, looking at documents, occasionally looking at her.

From time to time, people would pass by and take a second look at this Eastern couple. The man was cold and noble, the woman focused and radiant, like a painting.

A happy thing is that Pei Wanjun's condition is becoming more and more stable.

Sometimes when they meet in the garden, she will stop and nod at the two of them. Although she still does not speak, and still likes to stay by herself, that nodding motion is enough to make Shen Yanhui silent for a long time.

This day, Shen Yanhui happened to have work, so Gu Yan went for a walk in the garden by herself.

She had seen a flower bud in the flower bed yesterday and happened to go over to take a look, perhaps hoping to see the moment it bloomed.

The afternoon sun in Paris was lovely, making one feel warm all over.

Gu Yan hummed a song as she wove through the flowers. After walking for a while, a sudden, dragging pain came from her lower abdomen; the pain came suddenly, as if something were dragging downward.

She looked down and saw blood on her dress.

With a "buzz," her mind went blank.

She instinctively wanted to scream, but could not make a sound. Her legs went weak, and she collapsed toward the ground.

Gu Yan was panicked and terrified...

In a flash, someone caught her.

She turned her head and saw Pei Wanjun.

The face that was always cold was now full of panic. Her hands were shaking, yet she held Gu Yan tightly, her lips moving.

"Don't... be afraid."

The voice was hoarse; it was two words squeezed out with all the strength of someone who had not spoken for a very, very long time.

Gu Yan could not even care about the pain in her lower abdomen.

Pei Wanjun held her tighter, her other hand gently stroking her cheek. The movement was very light and soft, like a mother soothing a frightened child.

"Mom is here," she said.

Gu Yan's tears fell all at once.

——

When she woke up again, Gu Yan found herself lying in a hospital.

Shen Yanhui was sitting by the bed, holding her hand. Sensing her movement, he called her in a low voice: "Yanyan?"

Gu Yan was still a bit dazed; she seemed to have bled, and when she fainted, it was Pei Wanjun...

Pei Wanjun!

"Shen Yanhui, Mom spoke to me!" she said excitedly.

Shen Yanhui's hand paused.

She continued: "She held me, said don't be afraid, and also said Mom is here."

Shen Yanhui: "Mm, I know." He held her hand, tighter and tighter.

Gu Yan sensed something was wrong and asked blankly: "What's wrong?"

Thinking of the blood before she fainted, her face turned pale; she couldn't have some terminal illness, could she?

"Shen Yanhui, you... don't hide it from me." Her voice was trembling a little, "What illness do I have? Tell me, I can handle it."

Shen Yanhui was rarely stunned for a moment, and then helplessly curled the corners of his mouth.

The arc was very small, but it made Gu Yan feel inexplicably a little more at ease. At least he could still smile, which meant the problem shouldn't be big.

"Gu Yan."

"Mm."

"You aren't sick."

Gu Yan didn't quite believe it: "Then why did you have that expression just now?"

Shen Yanhui asked: "What expression?"

Gu Yan: "Just... a very serious, very scary expression."

He was silent for a second and sighed: "I was scared."

Gu Yan blinked, hearing him continue: "When you fainted, I almost went crazy."

He lowered his head and planted a kiss on the back of her hand: "It's good that you're okay."

"Then what is wrong with me?" Gu Yan's eyes were a little hot; she sniffled and asked in a low voice.

Shen Yanhui raised his head and looked at her, his eyes filled with surging emotions.

"You are pregnant."

Gu Yan was completely stunned: "What?"

He said it again: "Yanyan, you are pregnant."

She opened her mouth, unable to speak. She never would have thought, even if her head were broken, that it was actually because she was pregnant.

They clearly used safety measures every time; they had never had any risky behavior.

This child...

Before she could react, the doctor next to them smiled and said: "Mrs. Shen, congratulations, you are about six weeks along. There were signs of a threatened miscarriage just now, but fortunately, you were sent to the hospital in time, and the child is fine. You need to rest more and keep a happy mood from now on."

Gu Yan was dazed, unable to take in a single word.

She just looked at Shen Yanhui.

Looking at that expression on his face that she had never seen before.

Surprise, lingering fear, relief... all mixed together, finally turning into that thin layer of moisture in his eyes.

He lowered his head and kissed her chapped lips: "Gu Yan, thank you."

But Gu Yan remained dazed.

——

The news of her pregnancy reached back home, and the Gu Family exploded.

Gu Fanglin wanted to book a flight to fly over that very evening, but after being persuaded by Yang Bing for a long time, he was finally delayed until the next morning, when he booked the earliest flight straight to Paris.

Gu Lin howled on the phone for a long time before being suppressed by a single "Shut up" from Gu Chen.

Su Jin also dug out a pregnancy diary she had handwritten years ago and explained her own experiences to Gu Yan in detail.

Everyone was happy.

Everyone was looking forward to the arrival of the new life.

Only Gu Yan became increasingly depressed.

She didn't know what was wrong with herself either.

Clearly, everything was fine. Shen Yanhui stayed by her side every step of the way, attending to everything personally. The doctor also said the children were very healthy, developing very well, and were even a pair of boy-girl twins.

Yet she just couldn't bring herself to be happy.

Sometimes she would sit by the window and stare blankly, sitting for an entire afternoon. Sometimes she would want to cry for no reason, and after crying, she would feel that she was being overly sensitive.

She couldn't sleep at night, had no energy during the day, and had no appetite for anything.

As the person sleeping beside her, Shen Yanhui naturally discovered this at the first opportunity.

He invited the best doctors to examine her.

"Prenatal anxiety," the doctor said. "Caused by fluctuations in pregnancy hormones, it's very common. I suggest shifting your focus more, doing some things you like, and keeping a happy mood."

After Xu Yuan found out, she spent the night making a detailed itinerary for Gu Yan. Art exhibitions, travel, spa... everything was included.

Shen Yanhui looked through them one by one and rejected them all.

He thought for a long time and finally made a decision.

Starting the next day, he brought home all the work he could. He added a recliner to the study so she could curl up in it and watch him.

When he had to go to the company, he took her with him.

A corner was arranged for her in the office, with a sofa, a blanket, fruit, and snacks. Sometimes Gu Yan looked at her phone, sometimes she slept, and sometimes she just watched him.

The senior executives gradually got used to it; there was always someone curled up in that seat beside the boss.

That was their boss's wife, and also the true master of the Shen Corporation.

Until one day.

A project regarding art investment was put on the agenda.

Gu Yan had originally been curled up on the sofa half-asleep, but upon hearing the words "contemporary art" and "up-and-coming painter," she suddenly opened her eyes.

She listened for a while and then sat up straight.

Shen Yanhui saw her movement out of the corner of his eye and signaled for the report to pause.

"What's wrong?"

Gu Yan said in a low voice: "That project... can you let me listen?"

The office was quiet for a moment; Shen Yanhui curled his lips and said, "Continue."

The reporting executive swallowed hard and braced himself to continue speaking.

Gu Yan listened attentively and would occasionally ask a question or two. After the meeting ended, Shen Yanhui pulled her onto his lap: "Interested?"

She nodded: "I think that gallery project is quite interesting."

He thought for a moment: "Then let you be in charge?"

"Me?"

"Mm." Shen Yanhui pressed his forehead against hers, "I'll assign you an assistant; you lead it, you can do whatever you want."

Gu Yan was tempted, but hesitated: "But I have no experience..."

He didn't persuade her, only asked: "Do you want to try?"

Gu Yan hesitated for a long while, but still nodded.

From then on, she began her days of going to work every day.

She had her own office, right next to his, although it wasn't very big. She had her own team, personnel personally selected by Shen Yanhui, all of whom were experienced veterans.

She began reading documents, holding meetings, making decisions, and occasionally arguing until her face turned red because of disagreements.

The good thing was that she was no longer depressed.

Every day she was high-spirited, and every day she had endless things to say when she got home. What contract was signed today, who she had to meet tomorrow, that so-and-so was not professional at all, it made her so angry.

Shen Yanhui just listened.

Occasionally he would respond, occasionally he would give her an idea.

Her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Time passed in the blink of an eye; ten months of pregnancy, one day of labor.

Gu Yan gave birth to a pair of boy-girl twins.

The older sister came out first, her cry loud and clear. The younger brother followed closely behind, much quieter.

Shen Yanhui stood in the delivery room, not even giving them an extra glance, just staring at Gu Yan.

His little girl had suffered greatly.

She lay on the delivery bed, her hair completely soaked, sticking to her face in strands. Her complexion was frighteningly pale, and there were bloodstains on her lips from where she had bitten them. Her eyes were half-open, too tired to even have the strength to blink.

She saw him and tugged at the corners of her mouth, wanting to smile.

But she didn't even have the strength to smile anymore.

He crouched by her bedside, reached out, and gently brushed the hair sticking to her face, his fingertips feeling a patch of icy coldness.

His hands were trembling.

"Does it hurt?"

"It hurts, it hurts to death," Gu Yan said in a hoarse voice, "Brother, will you coax me?"

Shen Yanhui lowered his head and buried his face in her sweat-dampened palms.

He did not move for a long time.

Gu Yan suddenly felt something warm dripping onto her palm.

She was stunned for a moment before she realized: "Shen Yanhui... are you crying?"

He did not speak.

She felt him grip her hand tighter and tighter.

After a long while, he finally raised his head. His eye sockets were red, and there were still wet traces at the corners of his eyes, yet he curled his lips as he looked at her.

"Alright, I'll coax you."

Then he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips.

It was very light, as if he were afraid of breaking something.

He let go of her, then kissed her brow, her nose, and her sweat-dampened temples.

"Does it still hurt?"

"It seems a little better."

He kissed the corner of her mouth again: "Does it still hurt?"

She pursed her lips and smiled: "It seems it hasn't gotten better again."

He let out a low laugh, and just like that, he pressed his forehead against hers, pecking kisses on her again and again.

"Yanyan."

"Mm."

"Thank you."

Thank you for being willing to endure the pain of childbirth for me; this is a debt I will be unable to repay for the rest of my life.

"We won't have any more," he added.

Gu Yan burst into a laugh: "Shen Yanhui, you are so silly."

The person who had been called silly actually nodded: "Mm."

The nurse nearby finally couldn't help but cough lightly: "Mr. Shen, Mrs. Shen, would you like to see the babies?"

Gu Yan's eyes lit up: "Yes!"

The nurse walked over carrying the two children. The two wrinkled little things were bright red; the younger brother was sleeping, while the older sister was looking around with her eyes open.

Gu Yan looked at these two little things and suddenly felt a bit dazed: "Did I give birth to these?"

Shen Yanhui nodded: "Mm, you gave birth to them."

She reached out and lightly touched the child's little cheek.

It was soft.

Softer than tofu.

She was so startled she quickly pulled her hand back.

The nurse smiled: "They are like this when they are just born; they will grow into their features in a few days. Would you like to hold one?"

Gu Yan wanted to hold one, but she didn't dare, so she looked longingly at Shen Yanhui: "Brother, you hold one for me to see."

Shen Yanhui's body stiffened for a rare moment, and he awkwardly took the older sister, who had her eyes open, from the nurse's hands.

The little one lay in the crook of his arm, still staring at him.

A strange feeling suddenly surged in his heart; this was his and Gu Yan's child.

He looked up blankly and met Gu Yan's watery gaze.

In an instant, he felt settled again.