Chapter 63:

The man sat on the sofa with her in his arms, momentarily stunned.

“You mean we won the lottery…?”

“Dumbass,” Tan Mo pointed the pregnancy test stick at him. “Look, two lines mean I’m pregnant. I bought so many of them just now and tested repeatedly. They all showed two lines.”

The man looked at the pregnancy test stick, his mind surging with waves of shock and joy. The unexpected happiness left him somewhat incredulous.

“But we’ve always taken precautions…”

“I guess it must have been that night we went to Ran Xia’s house and came back. In the bathroom… Although you put one on afterward, there’s still a risk of pregnancy if we weren’t careful at the beginning.”

They both knew this, but after being married for so long, they gradually developed a sense of complacency, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to relax occasionally.

As it turned out, “accidents” can happen at any time qwq.

Tan Mo sat in his arms, pouting softly as she scolded him: “Xie Qichen, you’ve made our plan advance by a whole year. I was originally planning to get pregnant next year, waaah…”

Xie Qichen hadn’t anticipated this either. Although he liked children, he always prioritized the girl’s feelings. Seeing her like this, his initial joy was quickly replaced by heartache and self-reproach: “Mo Mo, I’m sorry. It’s my fault that day.”

He was usually very careful, not wanting the girl to become a mother too soon. There were always raincoats in the drawer of the bathroom vanity, just in case. That day, they happened to run out, and things escalated before they could prepare, resulting in a child.

Tan Mo pouted slightly, murmuring: “Well, it’s not entirely your fault either…” She had agreed to it back then.

Xie Qichen hugged her tightly, gently placing his hand on her stomach, his dark eyes meeting hers: “Are you still feeling unwell now?”

“I just threw up, but I’m okay now, just a bit tired…”

The man felt heartbroken and said, “Let me carry you back to the bedroom first, okay?”

“But you haven’t finished your work yet. Maybe you should handle it first…”

“Do you think I still have the heart to deal with work now?”

“Um…”

Xie Qichen slid one arm under her knees and the other gently around her waist, lifting her steadily as he walked out.

Back in the bedroom, Xie Qichen placed Tan Mo on the bed and turned on a warm orange lamp, then looked at her tenderly:

“Are you thirsty? Do you want some water?”

Tan Mo sat on the edge of the bed, thinking for a moment, “I don’t want water. I feel like having some honey pomelo tea from the fridge.”

“Okay, I’ll go get it for you.”

Xie Qichen poured a glass of the drink, slightly warming it to avoid it being too cold, then came back. Tan Mo then said she wanted some potato chips from the living room downstairs. The man, without showing any annoyance, went downstairs again to fetch them. Worried about the effects on the pregnant woman, he even checked the food’s ingredient list to make sure it was safe before giving it to her.

Standing in front of her, he half-squatted to look at her: “Do you want anything else?”

“Nope.”

Tan Mo sighed leisurely, “Pregnancy is so uncomfortable. My reactions are already so obvious…”

Xie Qichen listened, his brows furrowing even more. Tan Mo took some chips, swinging her feet as she chewed, saying vaguely: “I used to think the lemon flavor was weird, but now it tastes so refreshing. Ran Xia was right. Pregnant women’s tastes really do change…”

The man’s gaze fell on her, hesitating before speaking. Tan Mo suddenly thought of something and looked up at him:

“Should we go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah, I’ll make the arrangements.”

Xie Qichen made a call, then returned to Tan Mo’s side, “Everything’s booked. Should we tell our parents?”

Tan Mo hesitated for a moment before declining, “Not yet.”

Hearing this, Xie Qichen sensed her attitude subtly, his eyes dimming slightly, “…Okay.”

After eating a few chips, she wiped her hands and, feeling tired, lay down, reaching out to Xie Qichen who was still standing nearby: “Stay with me for a while, okay?”

Xie Qichen lay down beside her, lifting one arm to pull her closer, lying on his side to face her. Tan Mo looked up at him and blinked: “Kiss me.”

Then her chin was lifted, and the man’s thin, warm lips immediately pressed against hers.

As if sealing all his love in this kiss.

After a while, he stopped. Tan Mo sensed his suppressed emotions: “Xie Qichen, do you have something to tell me? You seem a bit off.”

“Mo Mo…”

“Hmm?”

A few seconds later, he looked at her and spoke, his voice hoarse:

“About this child… Do you really want it?”

Tan Mo was taken aback: “Why are you asking me that…”

“I know you didn’t plan to get pregnant so soon. You had more work plans for this year. If you don’t want it, I’ll respect your decision…”

“When did I say I didn’t want it?”

“You were just upset, weren’t you? And you don’t want to tell our parents.”

Hearing this, Tan Mo instantly understood the reason behind his previous mood. She hadn’t expected the usually mature and calm man to have such wild thoughts, so she laughed:

“I said I didn’t want to tell our parents because I wanted to wait until after the hospital check-up to confirm. What I was upset about earlier wasn’t really being angry. It was just too sudden, and I hadn’t fully processed it yet…”

The man was stunned. Tan Mo asked him: “Would you really be able to abort our child?”

“Would I be able to abort our child? Do you really think I could?”

Tan Mo smiled, “So I wouldn’t be able to either. Don’t tell me you really thought I was unhappy?”

“I really did think that…”

“But it’s not like that at all,” she said, stroking her belly, “Although this little one came without even saying hello, catching us off guard and ruining our travel plans. But whether it comes early or late, whether it’s within our plans or not, I still love it.”

She smiled at him, “Because this child is connected to you, so everything is good.”

Xie Qichen met her gaze, then in the next moment, he raised his hand to hug her tightly, closing his warm eyes: “Mo Mo…”

The two embraced each other. After a while, he loosened his hold. Tan Mo poked his chest: “You only had that one moment of carelessness, and we got pregnant despite such a small chance. Someone should reflect on this, right?”

The man smiled slightly, rubbing her lower back, “Isn’t it because of you? You’re just too easy to get pregnant.”

He was thankful that he hadn’t been careless before; otherwise, with his sweetheart’s delicate health, she might have ended up pregnant before graduating from college.

Tan Mo blushed slightly and huffed, “Haven’t you heard that when both parties are healthy and no precautions are taken, it’s equivalent to preparing for pregnancy?” To truly avoid it, you have to use protection from start to finish.

“I didn’t expect it to be so coincidental. It must be that the child’s fate has arrived, and we can’t stop it.”

Tan Mo stroked her belly, finding it hard to imagine a life about to be nurtured inside her: “Although I know it’s bound to happen eventually, I still feel unprepared now that I’m actually pregnant…”

“It’s okay, don’t be afraid,” he rubbed her head, “I’ll be with you. We’ll prepare together, okay?”

Tan Mo smiled, “Okay.”

They both lacked experience as parents, but they would help each other and grow together.

She said, “Tomorrow, let’s go to the hospital for a thorough check-up. I hope the baby is healthy. Luckily, I stayed mostly at home last month. If something had happened, what would we have done?”

“It’ll be fine. Everything will be okay.”

After a while, Tan Mo said she wanted to take a shower, so Xie Qichen carried her to the bathroom with him.

After the shower, Xie Qichen carried Tan Mo back to the bed, made her lean against the headboard, and gently dried her off, his movements infinitely tender.

Tan Mo couldn’t help but be amused by his overly cautious manner, as if she were fragile porcelain: “Xie Qichen, do you have to be so dramatic?”

The man hesitated slightly, lacking experience in this area, “Isn’t it said that we should be extra careful during the first trimester?”

“That doesn’t mean you have to be this dramatic. Me and the little one in my belly aren’t made of glass.”

“But we still need to be careful.”

After drying her off, Tan Mo asked Xie Qichen to go finish the remaining work he had left, saying she would wait for him. The man then left first.

Tan Mo turned up the air conditioning temperature in the room and snuggled into the bed. After a while, the bedroom door opened, and Xie Qichen returned, pulled open a drawer, and placed something inside. Tan Mo, puzzled, asked, “What’s that you’re holding?”

“The pregnancy test stick.”

Tan Mo was shocked, “Why are you keeping it?”

The man was silent for a moment, then said casually, “Just keeping it, you know.”

Tan Mo: ???

She had originally thought that this person’s reaction to her pregnancy was just normal, but now she realized he was so happy that he even wanted to keep the pregnancy test stick as a memento?!

She finally understood. She guessed that the calmness he had shown at the beginning was just because he was shocked by her state, but in reality, he was probably over the moon with joy, hahahaha…

Tan Mo suppressed her smile, “Okay, you keep it then.”

After putting the item away, Xie Qichen lay back on the bed and pulled her into his arms, “Are you sleepy?”

“Not really. I still want to chat with you a bit.”

Xie Qichen stroked her head, “Tomorrow morning, I’ve made an appointment at ten o’clock. I was worried you might be too tired to wake up early, so you can sleep in a bit.”

“Perfect, you’re very considerate.”

“After we go to the hospital tomorrow morning, do you want to go buy some things?”

“What kind of things?”

“Like baby clothes, formula milk, a crib, and stuff like that.”

Tan Mo laughed, “Xie Qichen, you don’t have to be in such a hurry. It’s not even that time yet!”

He pursed his lips slightly, “But shouldn’t we start preparing now?”

“No need to buy so early. The baby won’t be born until next year. It’s better to buy things like baby food closer to the expiration date. Who buys things so early? What if they expire?”

Xie Qichen: “…Right.”

She reached up, hooking her arms around his neck with a smiling face, “Xie Qichen, why do you seem so nervous? Is your big shot business brain having a crash?”

The man’s expression remained unchanged, “Am I?”

“Yes, it’s written all over your face.”

“…”

Xie Qichen was silent for a few seconds before gently saying to her, “Because this is a completely new and unknown field for me. I know giving birth is especially hard for you. I want to try my best to be a good husband and a good father.”

Hearing this, Tan Mo was momentarily stunned, then smiled and leaned on his shoulder:

“Xie Qichen, you’re already a good husband. I believe you’ll definitely be a good father too.”

As long as there is love, every problem is solvable.

The two embraced each other and chatted for a while. Soon, Tan Mo felt drowsiness creeping in. She yawned and nuzzled into his neck, “So sleepy. I’m going to sleep with the baby first.”

The man kissed her gently, “Sleep well.”

Tan Mo leaned against his shoulder, closing her eyes with a smile.

Xie Qichen’s gaze fell on her, his expression becoming increasingly gentle.

–

Perhaps she was tired from shopping all day, Tan Mo slept soundly that night.

The next day, the sun rose slowly, and at around eight in the morning, Tan Mo woke up naturally.

Opening her eyes, she saw Xie Qichen sitting on the chaise lounge across from her, looking at something on his phone. “Xie Qichen…”

The man, who was reading about pregnancy-related knowledge, put down his phone upon hearing her voice and walked to the side of her bed. “You’re awake? Do you want to sleep a bit more? There’s still time.”

“I’m awake. How come you’re up so early…” Tan Mo rubbed her eyes, looking at him fully dressed, shocked, “Don’t tell me you got up early in the morning and are already ready to go out?”

Xie Qichen hesitated for a moment, not mentioning that he had woken up at 3 a.m. out of excitement to look up information. He pretended to be calm and explained:

“No, I just woke up first and took the opportunity to wash up.”

Changing the subject, the man said, “Do you want to get up and wash up?”

“Yeah, I’ll get up too.”

Tan Mo got out of bed, and Xie Qichen scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. Tan Mo blushed slightly as she leaned on his shoulder: “Xie Qichen, I can actually walk by myself. I’m not that delicate. I’m pregnant, not injured…”

“It’s okay. I want to carry you.”

Eventually, when they reached the bathroom, Tan Mo was put down. She stood on tiptoe and gave him a morning kiss, her eyes and eyebrows full of smiles: “A reward.”

A while later, after Tan Mo finished washing up, her waist was hugged by the man again, who leaned down and pulled her into his arms for a lingering kiss, looking at her intensely: “A return gift.”

Tan Mo blushed, and the two of them were affectionate for a moment before coming out of the bathroom. Tan Mo changed her clothes and brought various things, then went downstairs with Xie Qichen.

Because Tan Mo was pregnant and couldn’t cook, Xie Qichen hired the housekeeper and chef back for the weekend. They already knew about Tan Mo’s pregnancy, were given a raise, and were instructed by Xie Qichen to take better care of Tan Mo.

After breakfast, the two of them went out.

On the way, Tan Mo teased him: “Xie Qichen, what if I was wrong yesterday and I’m actually not pregnant?”

The man sighed helplessly, smiling while holding his forehead: “Baby, don’t make my mood go up and down like a roller coaster.”

Tan Mo laughed, “I’m just teasing you. I don’t think I’m wrong. Besides, I’ve really felt that my physical condition has been different these past few days.”

Xie Qichen rubbed her head, “It’s okay. We’ll confirm it soon enough.”

The traffic was smooth, and the car drove steadily for twenty minutes before finally arriving at the best private maternity hospital in Licheng.

The two got out of the car and entered the hospital. The receptionist, upon learning their identities, immediately sent a nurse to guide them to the clinic.

After a series of examinations, they finally confirmed—

Tan Mo was indeed one month pregnant.

Both were extremely happy upon hearing this news. The doctor said that Tan Mo’s various physical indicators were normal. Her discomfort might be due to recent work fatigue and poor physical condition, but there was no major problem. She just needed proper nourishment and care during the first three months.

Xie Qichen listened attentively, carefully noted down the doctor’s instructions, and inquired about many aspects of precautions. The doctor smiled and teased:

“This is the first time I’ve seen a husband so attentive to his wife. Actually, there’s no need to be too nervous during the first three months. You can relax a bit, so as not to add pressure to the pregnant woman.”

Tan Mo held the man’s hand under the table, smiling brightly: “It’s okay. He’s not nervous, just happy.”

The doctor laughed, “I can see that he’s really happy.”

After finishing the consultation, they came out of the clinic, and Xie Qichen hugged her. Tan Mo looked at the lab report in her hand and proudly said to him: “Now you’re 100% sure, right? I told you I was definitely pregnant.”

The man smiled, “Yeah, good thing we didn’t expect in vain.”

After finishing up, they left the hospital and returned to the car. Tan Mo smiled:

“Now that we’ve confirmed, we can tell our parents, right? They’ll definitely be very happy. They probably thought they’d have to wait another two years to become grandparents, so this will be a surprise for them.”

Xie Qichen nodded, took out his phone, “I’ll call them.”

“Okay.”

Then Tan Mo heard Xie Qichen making calls to the four elders one by one, his tone clearly cheerful, showing his joy:

“…Yes, Mo Mo is pregnant. I took her to the hospital for a check-up this morning…”

Tan Mo listened nearby, feeling a slight sense of admiration: This person is really happy.

Upon hearing the news, both sets of parents were naturally overjoyed. They all instructed Tan Mo to take good care of her health and said they would come to the villa to see her in the next couple of days. Tan Mo leaned over and obediently responded along with Xie Qichen.

After the calls ended, Tan Mo looked at the man beside her and teased, “Some people have finally gotten what they wanted, and their smiles can’t be contained anymore.”

“Is that so?”

“Isn’t it? Don’t think I can’t see. When we went to Xun Huo’s house last time and found out he was going to be a father, you were envious, weren’t you? Now it’s your turn, right?”

Xie Qichen slightly raised his eyebrows, thinking about something. He took out his phone, opened the chat with Xun Huo, and casually typed a few words:

[“You mentioned wanting to recommend some parenting books to me last time. Please send me the titles.”]

A few minutes later, Xun Huo sent a confused message from the other end: [“Why do you want to know? Is it too early to start learning?”]

Xie Qichen: [“It’s not too early. My wife is also pregnant. I should start reading now.”]

Xun Huo: [“???!!!”]

Xun Huo: [“What? Tan Mo is also pregnant?!! We didn’t hear any news last month!”]

Xie Qichen slightly lifted the corner of his mouth and replied: [“It just happened last month. It was an accident. Actually, Mo Mo and I weren’t in a hurry. It just happened. I didn’t expect it either.”]

Xun Huo, who had been working hard for a long time: “…”

“Why do I feel like this guy is showing off?”

Xun Huo scoffed: [“Don’t be so smug. Even so, I’m still the first one to become a dad.”]

Xie Qichen: [“That’s normal since you’ve been preparing for six months.”]

Xun Huo: “…”

What an annoying guy!

Xun Huo, both angry and amused, sent a voice message to scold Xie Qichen a bit, but after the jokes, he also expressed his happiness for them, saying that they would have more common topics to talk about in the future.

After finishing the chat, Xie Qichen was in a great mood and opened the male classmates’ group chat from their university days. Someone in the group invited everyone to have dinner together that night, and everyone else agreed. Finally, someone mentioned Xie Qichen:

[“Chen, come tonight! It’s been a month since we last got together.”]

Everyone was calling for Xie Qichen. The man saw the message and replied:

[“Can’t make it tonight. I have to take care of my wife.”]

Everyone: [“What do you mean? Is your wife sick?”]

Xie Qichen crossed his legs, slowly typing a few words, his tone as casual as ever: [“No, she’s pregnant.”]

Everyone: [“What??? Congratulations, Chen! You’re going to be a dad!!”]

Upon hearing the news, the brothers sent their blessings one after another. The man’s expression was cheerful as he casually asked: [“How about you guys? Am I the fastest one?”]

Brother 1: [“My son is one year old.”]

Brother 2: [“My daughter is three years old.”]

Brother 3: [“We already have one child and are preparing for the second.”]

Brother 4: [“We’re already considering the third child.”]

Brother 5: [“Haha, Xie Qichen, you’re so slow that you’ve reached your grandma’s house.”]

The old man trying to show off: “…………”