Chapter 408

When Guo Wei appeared before me, full of pride, Chen Meng was preparing to enter the delivery room.

Outside the delivery room, a group of people had gathered. Besides Huang Weiwei and me, He Jiaxiao and Guo Wei were there. Among them was a special person—Aunt Mo, who sat on a bench without a word, accompanied by her nanny, occasionally looking up at the red light above the delivery room, her expression appearing restless.

He Jiaxiao held a bouquet of flowers, his expression solemn, with the gravity of a father-to-be. He only gave a faint smile to my greeting, without much enthusiasm.

I understood that he was blaming me. I hadn't told him the news that Chen Meng was about to give birth. It was only after Aunt Wanru informed him that he rushed back from Central Province.

Since he ignored me, I couldn't be bothered with him either. Now was a time when everything was a mess; Chen Meng's attitude made it impossible for me to grasp who she really belonged to—only she knew that.

He Jiaxiao and Guo Wei didn't look at each other. They occupied opposite sides of the delivery room door, listening quietly to the sounds coming from inside.

Li Lian was an obstetrics expert and went into the delivery room with Chen Meng. Before going in, she was still talking to me about men accompanying the birth.

Huang Weiwei was noncommittal, but Chen Meng was firmly opposed, saying that when she gave birth, she didn't need a man by her side. Besides, I, this man, had nothing to do with her and her child.

Huang Weiwei had been hesitant at first, until she heard Li Lian say that a woman giving birth is at her most vulnerable moment in life. A man's hand could provide immeasurable strength. Her mind began to waver, and she even whispered to me, hoping I could follow into the delivery room and accompany Chen Meng through the birth.

I refused unceremoniously. I pulled Huang Weiwei aside and said, "I am your husband; are you willing to have your husband go watch another woman give birth?"

Huang Weiwei smiled, looking radiant, "I want you to go accompany her; what are you thinking?"

I said self-deprecatingly, "Should I close my eyes and not look?"

"Of course you're not allowed to look."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to help it."

"If you can't help it, then don't go." She finally wavered in her idea. Chen Meng was an exceptionally beautiful woman; although she was pregnant and had a big belly, her innate fairness and fullness became even more vivid with the blossoming of her maternal nature. A pregnant woman has an irresistible temptation; who can resist it?

I said sadly, "Wife, you actually don't understand Mengmeng's heart."

Huang Weiwei looked at me in surprise and asked, "What heart?"

I sighed, "Women only want the child's father by their side. As for us unrelated men, accompanying her through the birth isn't giving her strength, but giving her humiliation."

Huang Weiwei nodded as if she understood, and said softly, "Since that's the case, why not let He Jiaxiao go in?"

"But Guo Wei is here too."

"He's not the child's father," Huang Weiwei pouted and opened her mouth to call He Jiaxiao outside the door.

Since arriving at the hospital, He Jiaxiao hadn't stepped into the ward once. Upon hearing of He Jiaxiao's arrival, Chen Meng's expression, after the initial excitement, was one of firm refusal to see him.

Guo Wei was no exception; he also didn't get her permission, so he had been pacing outside the ward.

The only man entering and leaving the ward was me.

I was like a messenger, delivering information for them. I went in and out between the ward and the corridor, like a swallow carrying mud, building an invisible information network for them.

After Aunt Mo arrived, she didn't enter the ward either. She just quietly called Huang Weiwei out, asked some questions, and then sat on the bench outside the door waiting.

Everything fell apart after Chen Meng's bed was pushed out. Chen Meng saw her mother sitting blankly at a glance, and immediately burst into tears, choking as she reached out to hug her mother.

Aunt Mo had tears in her eyes, hugged her daughter, pressed her face against hers, gently patted her daughter's back, comforted her, and encouraged her to be strong.

We were all gathered around her hospital bed, with Guo Wei and He Jiaxiao standing on either side. I paid special attention: her head tilted toward He Jiaxiao's side, and she only glanced at Guo Wei on the other side with the corner of her eye.

This subtle action was actually conveying a message.

"Mengmeng, Mom is at home stewing fish soup for you," He Jiaxiao leaned down and whispered in Chen Meng's ear.

Guo Wei also hurriedly leaned down and asked, "Mengmeng, what do you want to eat?"

Aunt Mo sighed sadly and walked aside to wipe her tears.

I learned a little bit from the nanny. Secretary Chen firmly forbade Aunt Mo from coming to the hospital; he locked himself in his study and wouldn't come out.

It was just that there was a particularly important meeting at the Municipal Committee today, and Secretary Chen had to go out. As soon as Secretary Chen left, Aunt Mo rushed to the hospital. She really couldn't stop worrying about her daughter!

To what He and Guo said, Chen Meng seemed to turn a deaf ear. She reached out to Huang Weiwei and smiled lightly, "Weiwei, you accompany me."

Huang Weiwei's face turned red, and she hurriedly waved her hand, "I'm scared."

Li Lian was wearing a white coat, a change from her usual fashionable style. She wore a large mask, revealing only a pair of bright, watery eyes. Hearing Huang Weiwei's words, she burst into laughter and said, "What's there to be afraid of in giving birth? Anyway, you'll reach this day sooner or later."

Chen Meng laughed, like a water lily blooming on the snow-white sheets.

Huang Weiwei whispered in her ear, "I'm not going; if you want someone to go, call Chen Feng."

I heard this clearly, and my ears turned red instantly.

This woman always speaks without regard for the occasion. There were three men here, two of whom had intricate relationships with Chen Meng,

and one of them was the biological father of the child. If they weren't accompanying her, what was I?

Chen Meng's face also turned red, and she scolded, "Nonsense."

Just then, a contraction hit, and Chen Meng's face twisted in pain. The nurse next to her became impatient and urged us to stand aside.

We watched Chen Meng being pushed into the delivery room. Of the three men, none of them followed her in.

I pulled Guo Wei to the end of the corridor and handed him a cigarette.

Guo Wei didn't usually smoke, but now he took it, asked me for a light, frowned, and smoked without a word.

I patted him on the shoulder and said, "You've worked hard."

Guo Wei smiled bitterly, "It's not hard work. As long as the matter is accomplished, even if it's hard, it's worth it."

I said, "I have to thank you properly. This time, thanks to you taking action, otherwise this project would still be a story written in the wind."

Guo Wei didn't accept my gratitude and laughed, "It's all for the country; there's no such thing as thanking or not thanking. I'm just doing my human duty."

I understood Guo Wei's hostility; he was clearly blaming me for why I called He Jiaxiao.

Actually, he misunderstood me. He Jiaxiao's arrival had nothing to do with me. From beginning to end, I hadn't revealed a hint of the news that Chen Meng was about to give birth to him.

I said, "You came back just in time. You happened to catch Chen Meng about to give birth."

Guo Wei snorted through his nose.

I said with a smile, "If you have anything to say, just say it; don't hide it. We are grown men; we don't need to be coy."

"Fine. Give me an explanation: why did He Jiaxiao come?" His voice was loud, causing Huang Weiwei and He Jiaxiao to look over.

"Don't get excited. I'll tell you three things now. First, He Jiaxiao wasn't called by me; second, if you want to be the child's father, you have to listen to me; third, I want to know about the situation in the United States." My voice wasn't high, but every sentence made Guo Wei ponder.

Sure enough, Guo Wei put on a layer of smiles and said sincerely, "I'll report to you too: first, everything in the US is going smoothly, and the first investment payment arrived on the day the agreement was signed; second, I must be the child's father. Only I can give him happiness; third, whether He Jiaxiao comes or not, it's just like that. He can't turn the world upside down."

I patted him on the shoulder and said, "That's good. That's the measure of a real man. I think if you want to be the child's father, you must first give the child's mother a home. Are you ready?"

Guo Wei hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "My thinking is completely ready."

"It's not just thinking; it's action."

"What kind of action?"

"Marriage."

"Marriage?" Guo Wei was taken aback and said hesitantly, "I don't have a new house yet."

"Can't it be at your place?" I asked curiously.

"I want to give Mengmeng a new home," Guo Wei said firmly. "I'm going to buy a house right now."

"Is there enough time?" I sneered, "Even if you buy a house, you still have to renovate it, and you still have to prepare other things for the wedding. At this rate, when will it be?"

"Then what should I do?" Guo Wei was so anxious that his face turned red, and he looked like he was about to cry.

"Let me think of a way for you," I said, and as I spoke, the image of my and Huang Weiwei's new house floated into my mind.

As soon as this thought popped up, I was startled by myself.

Guo Wei was full of gratitude, and his speech became stammering: "Chen... Chen Feng, you... you are my... brother. No... no... you are my... second parents."

As soon as Guo Wei's words came out, I felt as if I were sitting on a volcano.