"Envious?" Yin Yiyan repeated the two words, curling her lips slightly as she looked at him with a half - smile. "What on earth do I have to be envious of?"
She looked out of the window and let out a whistle, her tone nonchalant. "With your small frame, you'd have a hard time even getting married."
Her words were full of sarcasm.
Gong Ming wasn't angry. Holding the steering wheel with both hands, he stared straight ahead. "I'm going abroad for a while next month. Come with me?"
"Nope, nope. The company was just founded, and I'm swamped with work." Yin Yiyan replied without hesitation. "You go about your business, and I'll focus on mine. Maybe the distance will make our relationship even better."
As soon as she finished speaking, Gong Ming turned his head and stared at her intently.
Feeling his gaze, Yin Yiyan also turned to look at him.
For some reason, she always felt that his look was a bit serious and carried an indescribable solemnity.
"What... what are you staring at me for?" Yin Yiyan felt a bit flustered, and her back started to tingle.
"Yin Yiyan, I've made an appointment with the best cardiologist in internal medicine." He paused for a moment, his voice low. "I'd like you to accompany me. Is that okay?"
There was a pleading tone in his voice.
Yin Yiyan was stunned for two seconds. It took her a while to react, and then she exclaimed in shock, "You're going to have surgery? The one you mentioned before, the one with risks?"
She had heard from Gong Ming before that there was the most advanced heart treatment surgery abroad that could cure his heart problem. However, since there were not many clinical cases, there were certain risks.
"Yeah." Gong Ming nodded, his tone casual. "I'm still young, so I'm going to give it a try."
"You're crazy!" Yin Yiyan shrieked, looking utterly incredulous. "Do you know what it means if the surgery fails? It means..."
"It means I'll die, Yanyan." Gong Ming said it lightly, but if you looked closely, you could see that his hands on the steering wheel were tightening slightly.
He took a deep breath, a faint smile appearing on his face. "For our future, I still want to give it a shot."
If he didn't have this surgery, Gong Ming would be like a ticking time - bomb with a heart problem for the rest of his life.
Before, he didn't care about his worthless life; but now, things were different.
He wanted to be with Yin Yiyan, without any worries, and for a long, long time.
"Not long ago, I had a private meeting with your mom." Gong Ming hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should say it. "I want to marry you, and she agreed."
"The prerequisite is that I can't leave you a widow." Gong Ming glanced at the traffic ahead and started to slow down gradually. "I also agreed."
The atmosphere in the car became heavy.
To liven things up, he let out a soft laugh and joked, "Maybe I should go for the surgery earlier. If it fails, at least I won't hold you back from finding someone else, right?"
"You jerk!" Yin Yiyan was both angry and annoyed. She wanted to punch his shoulder but was afraid of distracting him while he was driving, so she held back.
Gong Ming didn't mind her swearing. He drove the car smoothly into the parking lot and said slowly, "Whether you agree or not, I've already made the appointment for the surgery and bought the plane tickets."
He parked the car, turned to look at her, his eyes gentle. "Ever since I found out I was sick as a kid, I've had nothing to be afraid of."
"Your mom is right. I can't leave you a widow."
He poked her forehead, half - serious and half - joking. "Besides, you have such high needs. If I can't get cured, how are you going to deal with it? Cheat on me?"
"Once I succeed in the surgery, I'll give you as much as you want." He smiled, letting her fists pound on his chest.
It didn't hurt at all.
——
Originally, Lu Yan and Ning Anmiao had agreed to go back to the Ning family this weekend. But before the weekend arrived, the two elders of the Ning family came all the way from Jiangcheng with big and small bags.
When Lu Yan opened the door, he saw Ning Zhijing standing at the door with a walking stick and Bai Jiaying, who was smiling kindly and holding onto his arm.
Lu Yan was stunned for a moment.
"Dad, Mom, why are you here?" Although he asked this, Lu Yan quickly made way for them and welcomed them in.
Bai Jiaying smiled sweetly, her voice gentle. "I heard that Miaomiao is pregnant. Your dad and I just couldn't sit still. We couldn't wait for you guys to come and see us this weekend, so we came first."
Ning Zhijing coughed twice, his tone serious. "Your mom and I are still in good health. A few hours' drive isn't a problem for us."
Then, he looked up uncomfortably, his voice polite. "I hope our sudden visit isn't causing you any trouble."
Even as an elderly person, his speech was still polite, showing the grace and propriety of a noble family.
Lu Yan shook his head and immediately led them to the sofa to rest. Then he walked towards the kitchen. "Dad, Mom, sit down first. I'll go make some tea in the kitchen."
"Where's Miaomiao?" As a mother, Bai Jiaying was most concerned about her daughter. As soon as she sat on the sofa, she quickly asked Lu Yan.
"She's taking a nap upstairs." There was a faint smile on Lu Yan's face. He put the teapot on the coffee table, poured tea for the two elders, and then sat across from them on the sofa.
Bai Jiaying understood. "It's normal for a pregnant woman to be sleepy." As she said this, her eyes still couldn't help but look towards the master bedroom upstairs.
Seeing her concern, Lu Yan smiled and said, "Mom, you can go upstairs and take a look. She's been sleeping for a while. She should be waking up soon."
This was exactly what Bai Jiaying wanted to hear. She immediately got up and walked upstairs with a big smile.
Downstairs in the living room, only Lu Yan and Ning Zhijing were left.
"It hasn't been easy for you and Miaomiao to get to where you are today." Ning Zhijing picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea. The after - taste slowly spread in his mouth.
"I've made you worry, Dad." Lu Yan also picked up his teacup in return.
After chatting about something else, Ning Zhijing seemed to remember something and asked, "Do you two have any ideas about the baby's name?"
"Not yet. We're waiting for you to give us some advice." Lu Yan looked calm, having already made up his mind.
The baby's name should be chosen by Ning Zhijing.
Ning Zhijing was a master in Chinese studies, with profound knowledge in this area. The ceremony of naming a child, which was full of good wishes and meanings, should be decided by him.
Ning Zhijing looked at Lu Yan with satisfaction, a wise and elegant smile on his face. "Since that's the case, I won't decline."
It seemed that the old Mr. Ning already had a plan for his grandchild's name.
"I'm all ears, sir." Lu Yan sat up straight, looking extremely serious and focused.
He was like a student listening attentively in class.
——
Upstairs in the attic.
Although Ning Anmiao was sleeping, she wasn't in a deep sleep. The sound of the door opening was enough to wake her up.
She was still groggy and thought it was Lu Yan coming in. Her voice was soft and slurred from just waking up. "Husband, what time is it..."
"Miaomiao, it's Mom." Bai Jiaying looked at her daughter's sleepy face as she rubbed her eyes. She felt both happy and heart - broken.
One day, her daughter had finally grown up and was going to be a mother herself.