The Man in the Black Sweater - 4: First Prenatal checkup

Luo Xu was three months pregnant, and today was her first prenatal checkup.

Getting into the car, she noticed Pei Yan was there too, and couldn’t help but say:
“Actually, I can go by myself. You don’t need to trouble yourself.”

“I already promised Tang Huang I’d take care of you until he returns to the country. I don’t break my word so easily.”

Pei Yan wore a gray overcoat, the collar perfectly pressed, and if you looked closely, even the crease of his trousers was a straight line. Sitting there, he was like a statue of a god—you couldn’t intrude upon him, and even when you spoke to him, you had to measure every word carefully.

Luo Xu probably had a bit of fledgling dependence—since Pei Yan was the first person she’d gotten to know after returning home, in situations like this, she felt a lot more at ease with him around.

“Thank you.” Without further polite refusals, Luo Xu sincerely expressed her gratitude. She knew Pei Yan wasn’t as free as she was.

“Mhm.” He gave a short reply as the car slowly pulled out of the gate.

The hospital wasn’t far, maybe twenty minutes including traffic. Pei Yan’s assistant led Luo Xu ahead, holding the checklist and telling her what tests she needed, which department to go to, and who the attending doctor was.

Pei Yan watched her enter one room and come out again two minutes later.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Holding a tiny specimen cup, Luo Xu flipped it around. “They want me to pee in this… It’s so small, how am I supposed to aim?”

Pei Yan instantly regretted opening this topic.

“I don’t even feel like peeing right now, what should I do?” Luo Xu stared at him miserably.

“Try to… cultivate the urge,” he said.

She nodded, sat down on a bench, and shook her legs. Five minutes later she looked up:
“Still nothing.”

The assistant, seeing his boss’s face turn dark, immediately stood up with sharp instincts.
“I’ll go buy water!”

Luo Xu nodded, still bouncing her legs.

Pei Yan turned to look out the window, even feeling suffocated sharing the same cubic meter of air with her.

The assistant came back with two bottles of water—one for Pei Yan to cool down, one for Luo Xu to solve her problem.

“Thanks!” Luo Xu grinned. The assistant reached out to open the bottle for her, but she cracked it open with a snap herself and gulped down half of it.

Three minutes later…

“Are you going to drink yours?” Luo Xu glanced at Pei Yan’s untouched bottle sitting on the chair.

“Finish it,” he said.

Taking the order, Luo Xu quickly twisted it open. “I just don’t want to waste your time. The sooner I solve this, the better.”

“Miss Luo is so considerate,” the assistant jumped in to flatter.

Pei Yan turned his head. “Are you bored?”

The assistant shut his mouth and obediently stepped aside.

After two bottles of water, Luo Xu finally needed to go. She came out of the restroom with a twisted expression and handed the cup to the nurse.

“Why do I feel like I’ve been violated?” she muttered, face pale, slumping back onto her seat.

The assistant came over with the chart. “Miss Luo, it’s your turn.”

“Oh, okay.” Luo Xu staggered to her feet and pushed open the office door beside her.

“Miss Luo, it’s this room.” The assistant reminded her from behind.

Luo Xu laughed awkwardly, scratched her head, and quickly ducked inside, not daring to meet Pei Yan’s eyes.

“Miss Luo…” The assistant struggled for words. “She’s… rather unique, isn’t she?”

“Mm. Especially dumb,” Pei Yan replied.

“That’s not what I meant—”

“That’s what I meant.”

“…”

The doctor’s office door opened again, and a head popped out.
“Could you please come in for a moment?”

The assistant pointed to himself. “Me?”

“Heh… him.” Luo Xu extended a finger toward Pei Yan.

Pei Yan took a seat on the stool inside. Luo Xu was lying on the examination bed, having changed into a hospital gown, which made her look much more slender than usual.

The doctor slid the examination device over her belly, finally stopping and turning the computer screen toward Luo Xu.
“This is the fetus.”

Luo Xu propped herself up on her elbow to look at the screen. Black and white blurred together, and in the middle, something seemed to be moving.

Thump, thump, thump…

A rhythmic sound filled the room. Luo Xu turned to the doctor.
“Is that the baby’s sound?”

The doctor smiled. “That’s the fetal heartbeat.”

Thump, thump, thump…

Luo Xu listened carefully, the smile on her face growing wider and wider.
“It sounds like tap-dancing! How amazing.”

She turned her head toward Pei Yan. “Did you hear it?”

Pei Yan nodded. “I heard it.”

The doctor pointed at the computer screen. “Look, this is your baby.”

“Where?”

“Here, this little dot.”

Luo Xu squinted until her eyes hurt, still unable to spot it.
“Where is he? Why can’t I see him?”

The doctor pushed the computer closer. “Here, do you see?”

“This shadow, like a soybean?” Luo Xu narrowed her eyes even further.

“Yes, that’s it,” the doctor chuckled.

Luo Xu’s hand gripped the sheet tightly, her eyes heating up.
“So this is my child…”

The doctor glanced at Pei Yan. “Would the father like to take a look as well?”

“He’s not the father, he’s—” Luo Xu quickly denied it, worried he’d think she was taking advantage. But she got stuck, unable to think of the right title.

Seeing her struggling, Pei Yan said, “I’m the baby’s grand-uncle.”

“Ah, such a young grand-uncle,” the doctor smiled, adjusting his glasses. “Then grand-uncle, come and have a look. This is a very lively baby.”

Pei Yan walked over, bent down, and glanced at the screen.

Luo Xu touched her face, which was growing warm. A man she’d known for less than two weeks was staring into her womb. This feeling… was so bizarre.
Still, her life had rarely ever been “normal.”

After giving urine, bl00d, and registering her maternity file, the checkup was done. The hospital opened a record for her; from now on, they’d handle her delivery. Though, Luo Xu thought, the baby would probably still be born in New York.

Pei Yan had accompanied her all morning. Once the exams were finished, he returned to the company, leaving the driver to take Luo Xu home.

She carried the baby’s ultrasound photo back, eager to show it to the old butler and Aunt Chen—only to realize she couldn’t even recognize the baby herself.

“Oh my god! Am I really this face-blind?” Luo Xu panicked, squinting at the picture in search.

“It’s fine. He’s only the size of a bean sprout. Not recognizing him is normal,” Aunt Chen comforted.

“But—he’s my own child! How can I not recognize him?” Luo Xu held the picture sideways and upside down, determined to find him no matter what.

Aunt Chen laughed and went off to cook.

After lunch, Luo Xu wandered in circles through the front garden, hands clasped behind her back.

The sound of a car came from the corner. Her eyes lit up, and she stepped back onto the stairs to wait.

The car headlights swept over her as she stood at the entrance. Bathed in light, she waved at him, looking far less annoying than usual.

“What are you doing outside in this cold?” Pei Yan got out of the car, watching her trot up to him.

Luo Xu pulled the photo from her bag, holding it up to him with eager eyes.
“Do you know where the baby is?”

Pei Yan pointed to a dark spot on the picture.
“You mean you don’t?”

“Hahaha, of course I do! I was just testing you.” Luo Xu laughed, giving his shoulder a guilty pat. “Not bad, not bad—you’re a qualified grand-uncle.”

Pei Yan’s eyes lowered slightly.
“I just pointed at the wrong place. It’s actually here.”

“…” Luo Xu glared.

“Seems I’m a qualified grand-uncle, but you’re not a qualified mother,” Pei Yan said with a light chuckle as he walked past her.

Cold wind rushed in from every direction, seeping into her collar.

A slogan popped into Luo Xu’s mind: Cool to the core, heart soaring high.

“This kind of vibe… I really like it!” Luo Xu smacked her lips, savoring his scornful smile. It was oddly refreshing.

Stamping her feet, she clutched the photo and dashed inside, bubbling with excitement.
“Aunt Chen, I know where the baby is now!”

She swept past Pei Yan like a whirlwind, barreling into the kitchen like a cannonball. Soon, a chorus of chirping chatter filled the air, like larks in spring and summer.

Pei Yan shrugged on his coat and went upstairs, convincing himself it was just background noise.

From the kitchen, Luo Xu poked her head out. “Does he always go to bed this early?”

“Sir likes quiet. He’s probably gone upstairs to read,” Aunt Chen replied with a smile.

Luo Xu bit her finger. Reading… She liked reading too.