The news came so suddenly that Wen Baozhu couldn't digest it for a while.
She stared blankly. "I'm pregnant?"
But she had bled so much.
Guessing what she was thinking, Fu Lian said in a gentle and low voice, "The doctor said all your physical indicators are healthy, and the baby is safe. But you need to be more careful later as there are signs of miscarriage."
Wen Baozhu lowered her eyelashes and reached out to touch her lower abdomen.
It was flat, showing no sign of pregnancy.
"You're only one month along," Fu Lian said with a faint smile. "It's only tiny. You won't be able to feel it."
Wen Baozhu wasn't mentally prepared at all. There had been bloodstains on her underwear just a couple of days ago. How could she be pregnant?
She couldn't tell what she was feeling now.
Fu Lian said with a smile, "Our Baozhu doesn't seem very happy."
Should she be happy?
She lifted the corners of her lips, but in her heart, fear outweighed joy.
"It's a good thing to be pregnant now," Fu Lian sat on the edge of the bed, reached out and pulled her into his arms. "I've just come back from Norway. I can take good care of you, our Baozhu."
Every word was so considerate and meticulous.
Wen Baozhu slowly lowered her head and fell silent.
Until a pair of big hands covered the back of her hand, holding it in his palm and passing warmth bit by bit.
Wen Baozhu looked up at Fu Lian.
Fu Lian asked, "What do you want?"
Wen Baozhu bit her lip.
She didn't say a word, but with just this small gesture, Fu Lian guessed she had a request.
Wasn't this a kind of understanding?
Wen Baozhu said softly, "I want to go back and see Grandma, just once."
The dream she had just had still gave her the jitters.
Fu Lian's gaze was meaningful.
Wen Baozhu felt a bit guilty. She knew she was breaking the rules and shouldn't have made such a request.
But for the sake of her pregnancy, she wanted to take a chance.
Finally, Fu Lian let out a faint laugh. "I'm not restricting your freedom. After a few months when the baby's heartbeat is stable, you can go back anytime. I'll send bodyguards with you."
His voice was as gentle as ever. "But—you probably can't go recently. The doctor just said you're not fit to run around now."
"If you miss your family badly, you can call them first."
Regret showed in Wen Baozhu's eyes, but she was still satisfied.
Before coming to Hong Kong, Fu Lian had made a deal with Wen Baozhu's mother: no going home, no phone calls, no contact.
A huge check had bought her.
Now that he was allowing her to make a phone call, it was already an act of grace.
She should be grateful.
"Thank you, Mr. Fu."
She couldn't go back to Fucheng for the time being. It would be good just to hear Grandma's voice.
Thanks to that huge check, Zhang Sumei no longer had to go out to work and could stay with Grandma all day to take care of her illness.
This was the only thing Wen Baozhu was glad about.
Back then, Zhang Sumei had held her hand and said earnestly, "Baozhu, your mom and you could work for someone all your lives and still not earn this much money."
"Look, if you just agree to go to Hong Kong with Mr. Fu and enjoy a good life, your mom and Grandma will have a secure life for the rest of their days."
Wen Baozhu had thought for a long time and then asked Zhang Sumei a question.
"Then you won't go out to work anymore?"
"Nope, nope. With so much money, we won't be able to spend it all in our next lives. Why would I still work?"
Wen Baozhu took a deep breath. "Mom, promise me you'll take good care of Grandma."
Seeing that she was convinced, Zhang Sumei beamed with joy. "Of course. Grandma is my mom too. Don't worry."
At that time, she had chosen to trust her mother.
...
With Fu Lian's permission, Wen Baozhu started to feel for her phone on her body, only to find she hadn't brought it. It must have been left in the hotel.
Wen Baozhu looked up and asked hesitantly, "Mr. Fu, can I borrow your phone?"
Fu Lian knew she was going to call Zhang Sumei.
True to his word, he took out his phone and handed it to her, even flipping to the phone number. All she had to do was press the call button.
It had been a long time since she last called home, and Wen Baozhu was a bit nervous.
Zhang Sumei was far away in Fucheng. When she saw the call was from Hong Kong, she immediately answered eagerly. "Mr. Fu, how have you been?"
Wen Baozhu paused and then obediently called out, "Mom, it's me."
Surprised that it was Wen Baozhu on the phone, Zhang Sumei was taken aback and quickly lowered her voice. "Baozhu, why are you calling? "
There was no concern, only panic. "Have you forgotten what you promised Mr. Fu? You're not supposed to call randomly. I'll hang up now—"
"Mom!" Wen Baozhu quickly shouted. "Mr. Fu told me to call you to ask about Grandma."
Mr. Fu had given his consent?
Seeing that she didn't hang up, Wen Baozhu quickly said, "Mom, how's Grandma? Ask her to answer the phone."
Zhang Sumei was stunned for a moment. "Your Grandma?"
"Yeah. Is she beside you? I want to talk to her."
Zhang Sumei's voice started to sound panicked again. "Your Grandma just fell asleep. I can't wake her up."
It was ten o'clock in the morning.
Wen Baozhu felt something was off, but she didn't think too much. She was a bit disappointed. "Can you take a photo of Grandma for me? I want to see her."
"Mr. Fu doesn't allow us to have contact. How can I send it to you?" Zhang Sumei started to get impatient. "Baozhu, don't you trust your mom?"
"I don't mean that," Wen Baozhu quickly explained when she realized she had been misunderstood. "I just haven't seen Grandma for so long..."
"Your Grandma is doing fine."
Zhang Sumei cleared her throat and started to nag into the phone again. "Since you're with Mr. Fu, live a good life in Hong Kong. Don't worry about us."
"Is that all? If so, I'll hang up. Your Grandma needs to drink Chinese medicine at noon. I have to go and make it for her now."
As soon as she finished speaking, without waiting for Wen Baozhu to say anything, she hung up the phone with a click.
The busy tone of the disconnected call came from the phone receiver. Wen Baozhu felt a bit lost.
She looked up at Fu Lian.
Fu Lian looked at her with a half - smile. "Done with the call?"
Wen Baozhu lowered her eyes and returned the phone. "Thank you, Mr. Fu. I'm done."
"Is your mom and Grandma okay?" Fu Lian asked.
Wen Baozhu bit her lip. "They're all fine. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Fu."
"Can you rest and nurture the baby in peace now?"
"...Yes."
Not being able to hear Grandma's voice was always a pity.
But since Mom said they were all okay, there should be no problem.
Wen Baozhu comforted herself.
After she gave birth to the baby, she could go back to Fucheng and reunite with Grandma and Mom.
Because she was looking forward to that day, she also started to secretly look forward to the arrival of this baby.
In this way, she didn't seem so scared of giving birth anymore.