"Let's confirm whether it's true first," Lu Sicheng patted the person wrapped in a quilt in his arms. "Don't panic. What's there to panic about? Having a daughter early means someone to splurge with you later. When you go out shopping, salespeople will say you look like sisters again... Isn't that the kind of flattering lies you love hearing the most?"
Tong Yao sniffled and imagined the scene—it did seem quite nice. Finally, her voice lost its teary edge: "...You sound quite experienced."
Lu Sicheng let out an indifferent laugh: "Heard it all my life, till my ears grew calluses. Last time I accompanied my mom to Japan, a salesperson asked if she was Angelababy—she was over the moon... You women are so easily fooled."
Tong Yao: "..."
The future mother-in-law's case wasn't just about being "easily fooled." Believing such words could only be described as "losing oneself."
Tong Yao nuzzled against the man's chest: "But I want a son. My little brother was so adorable when he was young, following me around with his chubby face, calling me 'sis' in that sweet voice, and even doing the elephant dance for me—"
Lu Sicheng raised an eyebrow: "Does your brother still do the elephant dance for you now?"
Tong Yao slapped his chest: "Shut up. He's in college now—and he's your little fan."
Lu Sicheng didn't quite grasp her meaning, still stuck on the elephant dance. He immediately replied: "Even if he's my fan, he doesn’t need to dance for me. I have my own, and it's not small—you’ve seen it."
Realizing that if she didn’t get up now, this conversation would veer into dangerous territory, Tong Yao lifted her head from his chest and started to climb off the bed. But she paused halfway, leaning over the edge to look down—Lu Sicheng asked what was wrong. Tong Yao mumbled: "Shoes."
Sighing, Lu Sicheng hopped out of bed in just his underwear to retrieve her slippers, which had flown off earlier. After placing them neatly, he watched her slide off the bed and slip them on, teasing: "Look at you, so delicate."
"Gotta stay healthy for the baby, can’t catch a cold," Tong Yao said, straightening up to glare at him. "Back when I had my period, you wouldn’t even let me touch cold water. Now you call me delicate? We’re not even married yet, and I’m already the discarded wife?"
Lu Sicheng: "No, I really admire your strong sense of self-preservation and how much you cherish your life."
Tong Yao turned to see him casually rummaging through her clothes drawer, pulling out an oversized T-shirt and shorts she didn’t even know were there, and slipping them on. She frowned: "Was that a compliment?"
Lu Sicheng replied earnestly: "Yes."
Three minutes later.
Xiao Rui and Little Fatty, eating cereal for breakfast on the first floor of the Team headquarters, looked up to see Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao descending the stairs side by side—Lu Sicheng holding Tong Yao’s hand like a eunuch supporting the Empress Dowager.
Little Fatty stared at Tong Yao in horror and blurted out: "Are you pregnant?"
Tong Yao nearly tripped, but Lu Sicheng swiftly caught her by the waist—both broke into a cold sweat at the close call. Once steady, Tong Yao glared at Little Fatty, while Xiao Rui burst out laughing, slapping the table: "A baby’s great! It’ll have a bunch of godfathers—each donating a pack of diapers would last a month!"
Little Fatty: "Wait, if we have six people during a match, would that count as a foul?"Xiao Rui: "ZGDX Team's mid lane has turned into a duo lane, the phantom sixth player on the World Championship stage. Just saying that out loud would scare them to death."
Little Fatty: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Tong Yao: "..."
Listening to these two play off each other, Tong Yao was truly amazed by these guys who could spout nonsense all day yet make it sound somewhat plausible... At times like these, only Lu Sicheng remained serious. He glanced down at her slippers: "Change to anti-slip ones this afternoon. But what if you still fall even with hedgehogs under your feet because your cerebellum isn't well-developed?"
Tong Yao rolled her eyes: "Then why don't you carry me everywhere?"
Lu Sicheng: "That could be arranged."
Lu Sicheng settled her into his seat, then went to get her breakfast and heat up some milk. When he returned to find two cats totaling probably twenty-five jin squatting on her crossed legs while she had a game running on the computer, his eyelid twitched. After some thought, he asked quietly: "Radiation?"
Tong Yao said "Oh" with complete calm: "Why don't you buy me some lead plates to stuff in my belly?"
Lu Sicheng raised an eyebrow: "I'm being serious here."
Tong Yao: "So am I. We still have training to do, what radiation? How much radiation could a computer possibly give off? And you call yourself a college graduate!"
Lu Sicheng patted her head and didn't argue further, letting her play. He picked up the two cats clinging to her and after a staring contest, decided to stuff them into pet carriers for Little Fatty to take for baths and vaccinations. Then he turned to go buy pregnancy tests at a nearby pharmacy... As he was leaving, Tong Yao called out from inside: "What were you staring at my cats for just now? Not planning to abandon them, were you?"
Lu Sicheng answered from the doorway: "...I'd rather abandon you. Take you back where I found you."
Tong Yao: "Where?"
Lu Sicheng: "The trash bin."
With a loud slam of the door, he left for the pharmacy.
The downside of being tall and handsome was the pharmacy clerk's subtle expression when handing him the pregnancy tests - her face practically screaming: "Dude, didn't you just buy contraceptives last month?" Now pregnancy tests? Same girl?"
For the first time in his life, Lu Sicheng understood what embarrassment felt like. He grabbed the items, paid, and swore to himself while leaving that he'd never patronize this pharmacy again.
Approaching the team headquarters, he tore off the packaging like a thief and tossed it in a distant trash bin, stuffing the actual items in his pocket before calmly knocking on the door. Tong Yao opened it, and their eyes met - one inside, one outside - in that flickering gaze, Lu Sicheng suddenly felt like an accomplice had arrived, turning one thief into two.
Standing in the doorway, Lu Sicheng handed the items to Tong Yao.
Her hands shook, dropping them.
Quick as lightning, Lu Sicheng bent to pick them up, shoving them back to her with cold sweat down his back.
Tong Yao looked miserable: "I'm nervous."
Lu Sicheng replied expressionlessly: "I wasn't this nervous checking my college entrance exam results by phone back then. Go on."
Tong Yao wiped her palms on her clothes, licking her lips: "How does this thing work anyway?"Lu Sicheng: "Take the test, then wait for the results. Two lines mean an eight-carat diamond ring. One line means I'll beat you up first, then fuck you senseless with a complimentary 'can't-get-out-of-bed-tomorrow' package—I'll bring breakfast to you in bed."
Tong Yao immediately looked wary: "How do you know all this?"
Lu Sicheng remained utterly calm, giving her a look like she was an idiot: "Because I read the instructions."
Tong Yao: "..."
An eight-carat diamond ring versus being pinned to the bed and ravaged all night—the gap between these two outcomes was vast. As Tong Yao stomped upstairs with a tense expression, she realized she was even more nervous now. For a moment, she couldn’t even tell which result she wanted to see... When she reached the top and glanced down, Lu Sicheng was standing at the foot of the stairs, looking up at her intently. His deep brown eyes were calm and steady, exuding the unshakable composure of a seasoned general ready to "meet the enemy with a shield and block the flood with earth."
Tong Yao’s heart eased slightly. From afar, she mouthed: I’m going now.
She saw Lu Sicheng nod slowly in response.
Tong Yao turned and headed to her room, entered the bathroom, and shut the door. Taking a deep breath in front of the toilet, she thought: Never in my life have I felt such complicated emotions toward a toilet—as if my entire future hinges on its mood.
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