Chapter 409: Willing to slay the thieves, but powerless to turn the tide

A crisp cry of an infant announced that a fresh, living soul had entered the world.

Outside the delivery room, it was a scene of jubilation. After the nurse announced that both mother and child were safe, we cheered and jumped for joy. Everyone's expression held a wealth of emotion: some weeping, some laughing, some standing in silent concentration, others chattering away.

He Jiaxiao was so moved he was bathed in tears. He pulled out his phone and called Aunt Wanru: "Mom, it's born. A son."

Huang Weiwei and I stood to one side, our hands clasped, fingers intertwined, blessing the new life in our hearts.

Aunt Mo was the opposite of her previous anxious self, replaced now by an impatient desire to go in and see her daughter and grandson. Her face was full of smiles; all her worries had been swept away.

In the face of a new life, all of a person's trivial concerns seem so insignificant.

The delivery room door opened, and Li Lian and a nurse pushed the cart out. Chen Meng lay on the bed, her hair looking as if it had been washed with water. She smiled serenely; beyond happiness, not a trace of sorrow could be found in her expression.

This woman, who had just experienced life and death, radiated a magnificent maternal glow. It was as if the past nirvana had drifted away like flowing clouds. All the emotions suppressed in her heart erupted upon seeing the new life.

She looked tenderly at the little life lying beside her, her eyes filled with nothing but love. She seemed to have no time to spare a glance for us, her eyes never leaving the child, as if the moment she looked away, the child would be snatched away.

The first to rush up was He Jiaxiao. He steadied the small bed, took hold of Chen Meng's hand outside the quilt, and said with deep affection: "Thank you!"

Chen Meng gave a faint smile, her gaze sliding over his face before falling back onto the child.

He Jiaxiao, heedless of anything else, lowered his head and gently kissed the child's tender, smooth cheek. The child opened its eyes, its pupils like black grapes spinning around, and with a lift of its mouth, it smiled.

This smile was like sunlight piercing through a hazy sky, instantly softening one's heart and letting the love hidden deep within human nature spill out freely.

He Jiaxiao's face was covered in tears of excitement. He leaned down recklessly and kissed Chen Meng on the face as well.

Chen Meng's face flushed red instantly, and she turned to look at her mother. Aunt Mo pretended not to see; she picked up her grandson from beside her daughter, held him up before her eyes, and exclaimed: "What a beautiful child."

He Jiaxiao's actions left Guo Wei at a loss for what to do. He squeezed his body over and said to Chen Meng: "Mengmeng, let's go back to the room."

Chen Meng did not object and said softly to her mother: "Mom, I want to drink some water."

Guo Wei went to push the cart, but He Jiaxiao snatched it away, saying with a cold face: "No need to trouble you, Secretary Guo. I'll do it myself."

Guo Wei wouldn't let go, sneering: "This is our own business, it has nothing to do with you."

He Jiaxiao looked at him provocatively, a flash of contempt in his eyes, and asked lightly: "Is that so?"

Seeing that a war was about to break out between them, I hurried over and blocked them, saying: "Both of you, let go. Let the nurse push. You don't know the weight of things, don't mess around."

They both let go at once and followed behind Chen Meng toward the ward.

After a few steps, Guo Wei said: "Mengmeng, I'll go get you some water."

He Jiaxiao blocked him, saying: "Can she drink water now? You want to ruin Mengmeng's health, is that it?" He walked a few quick steps to the ward door, opened it, and said: "Mengmeng, wait a moment, my mom is sending soup over. Drink soup, your body needs nourishment."

Chen Meng was noncommittal, smacking her lips and saying: "I'm thirsty."

Her words, and her demeanor, were clearly a woman acting coquettishly toward her own man. Who with eyes couldn't see that?

Guo Wei truly couldn't take it; he stood by the door and stopped entering, a look of desolation instantly covering his face.

He gripped the door frame, lowered his head, and after a long while, looked up at me and said: "Chen Feng, come out for a moment."

I followed him to the end of the corridor. This time, he reached out to ask me for a cigarette. After lighting it and taking a deep drag, he sighed and said: "Chen Feng, I've failed."

I widened my eyes and said: "You cannot give up lightly."

Guo Wei smiled bitterly: "I am willing to slay the thieves, but powerless to turn the tide."

I was speechless. To be honest, I hoped Guo Wei would marry Chen Meng. I knew Guo Wei loved Chen Meng, and it was a love that could cast aside worldly judgment. He was willing to accept the child in Chen Meng's womb, something most men would find difficult to do, let alone the fact that Guo Wei was not a man without prospects.

That he could do this showed he loved Chen Meng deeply. Some say that to love someone, you must accept everything about them. He had achieved that.

There was another layer of meaning in it: Guo Wei was quick-witted and decisive in his actions; he would be a rare helper or ally in my official career.

But He Jiaxiao was my cousin, a young man unversed in the ways of the world. I bore the responsibility of looking after him and watching him grow. Our two families had deep roots. Hundreds of years ago, our ancestors were even sharing the same pot.

My cousin-uncle had returned to his roots; wouldn't he hope for a successor?

And, as I marched forward triumphantly, hadn't my cousin-uncle been there waving the flag and shouting support?

I understood that without my cousin-uncle, I would be nothing. Even with Huang Weiwei! It wasn't certain I could be so carefree.

The child was He Jiaxiao's! This was the fatal key. Because of this child, the love between the three of them had become tangled and obscure.

Guo Wei's desolation made my own mood heavy.

"Don't lose heart, Brother Guo, good things take time." I comforted him, though I knew these words were bullshit, spoken insincerely.

"It's not that I'm losing heart. It's just seeing the three of them, looking so happy together. Sigh!" He sighed, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, and ground it into the floor with his foot.

"Happiness must be fought for. Happiness won't fall from the sky." I continued to console him.

Guo Wei stared at me for a long time, a mysterious smile lifting the corners of his mouth: "Why do you look like a traitor to me?"

I suppressed my smile and said: "What do you mean by that?"

Guo Wei laughed: "Logically speaking, you and He Jiaxiao are family, but no matter how I look at it, it seems like you're helping me."

I said sternly: "I help the right, not the kin."

"Both have their points, how do you help?"

"Man proposes, God disposes." I said: "You decide for yourself; there are some things I cannot help with. However, as long as you need it, I can help you with your wedding house."

Guo Wei was startled, looking at me in disbelief as he asked: "How can you help?"

I smiled and didn't answer.

In fact, I had an idea for a long time: if Guo Wei's marriage proposal succeeded, I would give them the wedding house in the development zone. Of course, by giving up one wedding house, I would gain things ten times its value.

Huang Weiwei came out of the ward, poking her head out to look for me.

Seeing me and Guo Wei smoking at the end of the corridor, she waved for me to come over.

I smiled apologetically at Guo Wei and said: "I'll go over for a moment."

Guo Wei said nothing, waving his hand to let me leave.

Huang Weiwei pulled me aside and said: "Chen Feng, what were you two talking about?"

I feigned a smile and said: "Nothing much, just talking about some work matters."

"Liar!" She puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction, pinched me, and said: "Confess honestly, were you whispering about their business?"

She pointed at the ward and asked me mysteriously.

"Nothing of the sort." I was still lying, but I couldn't hide the panic in my eyes.

"Be honest with me, you're not allowed to give bad advice. Don't you see how happy they are right now?" Huang Weiwei sighed longingly: "The baby is so cute."

I teased: "How about we make one too, for fun?"

Huang Weiwei's face turned red, and she pinched me hard, saying: "Pervert!"

I was in so much pain I almost jumped. She helped me rub the spot with a pained heart, blew a soft breath on the place she'd pinched, and said with malicious joy: "Know the pain now, do you!"

I nodded vigorously.

"Do you think Secretary Chen will accept He Jiaxiao?" Huang Weiwei asked me hesitantly.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard that Secretary Chen is preparing to transfer Guo Wei to the Municipal Party Committee Office."

"Who did you hear that from?"

"The news is absolutely reliable."

"That's a good thing."

"What good thing? Isn't Secretary Chen doing this to plan for Mengmeng's future?" Huang Weiwei sighed with worry.

"Does Guo Wei know?" I asked, feeling that the situation was getting serious. If Secretary Chen approved of Guo Wei, would He Jiaxiao still have any hope?

"He probably doesn't know yet. This is also news that just came out, it's still highly confidential." Huang Weiwei held my hand, gently resting her head in the crook of my arm.

I thought of my decision to give the wedding house to Guo Wei, and my heart suddenly felt as if a bottle of five flavors had been overturned.

"Now it seems my cousin-uncle has accepted Mengmeng." I said.

"Isn't that because of the child?" Huang Weiwei gave a cold laugh: "People in your family are all hard to please."

My heart skipped a beat; Huang Weiwei must have had her reasons for saying that. But I couldn't get to the bottom of it; I had to play dumb! Sometimes, when a person plays dumb, they can see many things clearly.

I was just about to tell her about the wedding house when I saw my cousin-uncle's wife enter in a hurry, followed by Sister Xiao Mei, holding a clay pot in her arms, walking straight into Chen Meng's ward. ===== CHAPTER 410 =====