Ever since Nan Yu asked Qu Jiaran for help that one time, Qu Jiaran had been pestering her to have a meal together.
Nan Yu was so bothered that she finally made an appointment with her.
Qu Jiaran was overjoyed. She dressed up beautifully and went out.
Of course, Qi Zhu followed her around.
At the end of January, it was still a bit cold in Jiangcheng. When Nan Yu was going out, Tan Linyuan told her to dress warmly.
If it hadn't been for something that came up suddenly, he would have liked to go with Nan Yu to have the meal.
Nan Yu was worried that Qu Jiaran couldn't keep her mouth shut, so she quickly told him to go and handle his own business and just pick her up when it was over.
Tan Linyuan personally sent Nan Yu to the restaurant.
As soon as Qu Jiaran saw Nan Yu, she got excited and wanted to hug her, but when she saw her obviously bulging belly, she held back.
"Yu Yu, your belly is so big."
Nan Yu was already dressed a bit bulky, which made her belly even more noticeable.
"But it's good like this. Your face is rounder than before. You look even cuter!"
Qu Jiaran pulled Nan Yu's hand and sat down. She said affectionately, "You look beautiful in any way in my eyes."
Nan Yu didn't want the topic to always revolve around herself, so she took the initiative to ask, "What about you? How have you been recently?"
Qu Jiaran was two months behind Nan Yu in pregnancy, but she still didn't show much.
"Don't even mention it." Qu Jiaran shook her head and showed a bitter face. "My pregnancy reaction is super serious. It's just a bit better today."
Qu Jiaran also complained that she often had morning sickness during pregnancy. Nothing tasted good to her, and she couldn't sleep well.
"Fine, but I can't eat this and can't drink that. I have to close my eyes and go to sleep at ten o'clock at night."
"I really want to just get rid of the baby." Qu Jiaran said unhappily. "If I had known it would be so hard, I would rather be childless for the rest of my life."
Qu Jiaran was a hedonist. It was estimated that all the hardships she had endured in her life were related to having a baby.
No wonder she often said she wanted to get rid of the baby.
Nan Yu silently glanced at Qi Zhu.
Qi Zhu stayed in the room, ignoring their conversation.
It was really not easy.
Nan Yu looked at Qu Jiaran's belly again. Her lower abdomen was quite flat.
Nan Yu remembered that when she was four months pregnant, she had already started to show a little.
"I heard that everyone has different reactions during pregnancy. What about you, Yu Yu?"
Nan Yu pursed her lips and said that she didn't have any serious reactions. She had morning sickness only a few times and slept fairly well.
"I'm so envious." Qu Jiaran propped her face with both hands. "Why can't my baby be more sensible? It only knows how to torture me."
"There's some calming incense at home. I'll ask Tan Linyuan to send it to you later. It should help you sleep."
Nan Yu thought this was the only thing she could do to help her.
Qu Jiaran was very surprised when she heard this. "Is there really such effective incense?"
Nan Yu wasn't sure either.
She only remembered that the first time she smelled the calming incense was when she was staying at Tan Linyuan's place.
At that time, she wasn't used to the bed, and it was raining heavily in the middle of the night. It was the incense that Tan Linyuan lit that helped her fall asleep.
In the past few months, she had a bit of a sleep disorder during pregnancy, and Tan Linyuan prepared some more for her.
"I don't want to owe others favors." Qu Jiaran pouted. "You go back and ask me the brand. I'll ask Qi Zhu to buy it for me."
Nan Yu had no choice but to nod with a smile. "Okay, then I'll go back and ask for you."
As they were chatting, the topic turned to the wedding.
Nan Yu and Tan Linyuan had already decided that the wedding would be held after the baby was born and full - moon.
In this way, there would be enough time to prepare for the wedding, and they didn't have to worry about Nan Yu running around with a big belly.
Qu Jiaran counted on her fingers for her. "Your due date is in March. The baby will be full - moon in April. It will take another month to prepare for the wedding... Won't you get married until May?"
"More or less."
"By then, I'll be about to give birth." Qu Jiaran was disappointed. "What if I miss your wedding?"
She thought about this question seriously.
Nan Yu had to say, "The time hasn't been specifically determined yet. I'll definitely invite you then."
Qu Jiaran was easy to coax. She immediately beamed with joy.
Nan Yu then asked Qu Jiaran what her plans were next.
"I'm going to get married." After answering, she poked the rice in the bowl with her chopsticks. "Some time ago, the prenatal check - up form was found by the nanny at home and sent to my dad."
Nan Yu was shocked. "Uncle Qu knows about you and Qi Zhu..."
"Otherwise, should I say that I got pregnant with a child by some random man outside?" Qu Jiaran was much calmer than Nan Yu. "My dad told me to get the marriage certificate with Qi Zhu first so that it would be easier to explain to others when my belly gets big."
Nan Yu felt like she was hearing a fantasy. "... He agreed?"
"What else can he do if he doesn't agree?" At this point, Qu Jiaran lowered her voice. "I always thought Qi Zhu's father was dead. It turns out his father works in a confidential institution and his identity can't be revealed."
That's why Qu Gaolin was able to agree to this marriage.
Although it was far from the Qu family, it was still a decent background and could barely be justified.
"However, from his original plan, he was going to arrange for me to marry the son of an official. I ruined his plan, and he was in a bad mood for several days."
Qu Jiaran was very proud. "I'm happy to see him angry. Who let him be my dad? He deserves it."
Regarding other people's family affairs, Nan Yu could only sigh inwardly.
It's hard to have everything perfect.
"By the way, Yu Yu, I want to confess something to you." Qu Jiaran suddenly said.
Nan Yu was taken aback.
"The check - up form you asked me to pick up last time... I couldn't help it. I took a look."
Nan Yu wasn't surprised.
Qu Jiaran was just such a person. If she really didn't take a look, it wouldn't be her.
However, since she had asked Qu Jiaran for help at that time, Nan Yu had already prepared herself for her to see it.
"Who asked you to do the amniocentesis? Does someone suspect that the baby you're carrying isn't Tan Linyuan's? Is it the elders of the Tan family? How could they treat you like this?" Qu Jiaran asked like a machine gun.
Nan Yu: "..."
She took a deep breath and answered vaguely, "Just a random check."
"Just a random check to identify the baby's blood relationship?" Qu Jiaran couldn't believe it. "Yu Yu, I'm physically ill, not mentally ill."
Nan Yu didn't want Qu Jiaran to get involved. She was afraid that her impulsive nature would cause trouble. "No one suspects me. You're overthinking."
"Humph, you can deceive others, but you can't deceive me." Qu Jiaran sneered. "I know what kind of people the Tan family are better than you."
Qu Jiaran told Nan Yu that in the early years, in order to maintain their reputation and get in touch with the Qu family, the Tan family sent Tan Linyuan to the temple and publicized it, making Tan Linyuan a living Buddha.
In this way, the whole Tan family could gain everyone's respect without any effort and have a good reputation.
Qu Jiaran also said, "Do you know why everyone in the Tan family doesn't need to manage business, but they all live a superior life? Because they're sucking Tan Linyuan's blood and squeezing every bit of his value. They don't regard Tan Linyuan as a family member at all, but just a dog."