ACMS 46

Chapter 46 – Follow-Up Check

Shen Hechuan moved so fast when he scooped up Qiao Man that even Qiao Le didn’t have time to react—his hand, instinctively reaching out, froze midair.

Qiao Man thought Shen Hechuan was playing with him. Even with his feet dangling in the air, he wasn’t scared. He laughed and asked, “Uncle Shen, am I heavy? I’ve gained weight recently!”

Supporting him by the bottom, Shen Hechuan lifted him onto his shoulders. “Not heavy.”

All kids loved being lifted high, and Qiao Man was no exception. He usually liked playing with his older brother, but this was his first time sitting on Shen Hechuan’s shoulders. He blinked, then broke into a radiant smile. “So high!”

“Sit tight.”

Shen Hechuan patted his legs, keeping one hand steadying him as he walked toward the sofa.

Qiao Le pulled back his hand and stood still, watching the two of them from behind.

He realized—Shen Hechuan really did seem to like children.

Back when they’d first moved in and Qiao Le saw the gifts and the room Shen Hechuan had prepared for Qiao Man, he had thought: if Shen Hechuan had a child one day, he’d surely spoil the baby to the heavens.

He never imagined Shen Hechuan would actually have a child now, and yet he didn’t want it.

Qiao Le couldn’t quite put a name to what he was feeling. He knew Shen Hechuan must be upset. But truthfully… he was also pretty upset.

He lowered his gaze and looked at his own belly.

It was still early in the pregnancy—his lower abdomen hadn’t changed much yet. No one who didn’t know would ever guess he was carrying a baby.

Shen Hechuan placed Qiao Man down on the sofa, then turned and saw Qiao Le standing there, lost in thought.

“Lele?” he called softly.

Qiao Le looked up, and the expression he hadn’t managed to hide was caught in Shen Hechuan’s eyes.

He looked… sad. Or maybe guilty.

Shen Hechuan didn’t know whether it was because of him or the unexpected baby. But either way, he didn’t want Qiao Le to look like that. And he didn’t want him to feel guilty for not wanting to keep the baby.

He stepped forward, but before he could get there, Qiao Le had already composed himself and walked over. “Have you two eaten?”

He’d gotten up late—it was already past ten.

“Yeah!” Qiao Man answered. “You were being lazy~”

Qiao Le flicked his forehead gently. “You got up so early—bet you’re hoping to go play, huh?”

Qiao Man nodded like a pecking chick. “I want to go to the amusement park!”

Qiao Le had promised earlier that he’d take him during the New Year holiday.

“Sure,” Qiao Le said. “After I eat.”

Qiao Man went to tug on Shen Hechuan’s hand. “Uncle Shen, are you coming too?”

Given Qiao Le’s condition, Shen Hechuan didn’t feel safe letting him take Qiao Man out alone—especially to an amusement park sure to be crowded during the holidays.

He nodded. “I’ll go with you.”

Qiao Man clapped. “Yay!”

Aunt Yang, who had been busy in the laundry room, came out when she heard them. “Lele, you’re up? I’ll get your breakfast.”

“I can do it,” Qiao Le said as he walked over. “What’s for breakfast today?”

She smiled. “Wontons, millet porridge, steamed eggs, and pancakes. Mr. Shen mentioned you hadn’t had much of an appetite, so I pickled some radish and green beans—you can eat them as side dishes.”

Qiao Le’s appetite was much better today. Just looking at the food made him feel ravenous.

Aunt Yang’s pickled radish and beans were crisp and refreshing—perfect with millet porridge.

As he ate, he couldn’t help thinking of the dried radish his aunt used to make.

She’d called last week to say the old house had finally been torn down, and the foundation for the new one would be dug in a few days. Next year, when he and Shen Hechuan visited, they’d be able to stay in the brand new house.

He’d planned to go back one weekend, but now it looked like that would have to wait.

After breakfast, Aunt Yang had already helped Qiao Man get dressed and packed his little backpack.

Qiao Le changed clothes and went out with Shen Hechuan and Qiao Man.

As Shen Hechuan had expected, the amusement park was packed for the holiday. At the gate, they even ran into one of Qiao Man’s kindergarten classmates.

Usually, it was Aunt Yang who picked Qiao Man up. Though Qiao Le was in the parents’ group chat, he didn’t know many people, so he only exchanged brief greetings after learning who the other parent was.

They bought tickets and picked up a detailed map and attraction guide at the entrance.

Of the three of them, one was pregnant, one was a five-year-old child—obviously they couldn’t do anything too thrilling.

Qiao Man had been chattering about go-karts the whole way there. Qiao Le couldn’t ride with him, so Shen Hechuan had to take that one. Qiao Le sat on a bench nearby to wait.

Qiao Man was a little disappointed at first—he’d wanted his big brother to ride too—but once he was in the car, joy took over. He laughed loudly, shouting things like, “Go, Uncle Shen!” “Uncle Shen, he’s ramming us!” “Uncle Shen, you’re amazing!”

Watching the two of them from the side, Qiao Le couldn’t help but smile.

After the go-karts, Qiao Man happily ran over to the carousel. This time, Shen Hechuan didn’t go with him—he stayed with Qiao Le and waited.

He took Qiao Man’s backpack, pulled out a thermos, unscrewed the lid, and handed it to Qiao Le. “Have some water.”

Qiao Le took a few sips and passed it back. Shen Hechuan capped it again.

“Big Brother! Uncle Shen! Look at me!”

Qiao Man’s voice called out. Qiao Le lifted his phone and snapped a few pictures.

“Tired?” Shen Hechuan asked.

Qiao Le shook his head. Shen Hechuan was the one doing all the work playing with Qiao Man—he’d spent most of the time just sitting and waiting.

Not far away, a couple was standing and taking photos of their child, occasionally interacting with the child on the carousel, their faces unable to hide their happiness.

Shen Hechuan noticed Qiao Le had been staring at the couple for some time and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qiao Le withdrew his gaze and shook his head.

Shen Hechuan could tell he had something on his mind. Even if Qiao Le didn’t say it, it was obvious it had to do with the baby. But there were people all around them now, so it wasn’t the right time to ask. He waited until they were home that evening to bring it up.

By then, Qiao Le had already taken a shower and was lying in bed. When he heard Shen Hechuan’s question, he was silent for a moment.

After a long pause, he finally asked the question he hadn’t dared to the night before: “Do you think… choosing to abort the baby is right or wrong?”

Shen Hechuan walked over and sat down beside him. “Why are you asking this now? I thought you’d already decided.”

Qiao Le had indeed made up his mind not to keep it—but there was still a tangle of emotions he couldn’t quite explain.

“Do you know what I was thinking when I first found out that my mom didn’t want me and Qiao Man?” he asked Shen Hechuan.

Shen Hechuan’s eyes shifted slightly, and he followed up, “What were you thinking?”

Qiao Le continued, “I thought about a lot of things. I wondered if it was because I wasn’t good enough, not likable, so she didn’t want me. But back then, I was always in the top three at school, and the neighbors all liked me. So I ruled that out.”

“She left because of—”

“Let me finish first.” Qiao Le interrupted him. “Later, I found out about her divorce with my dad. I asked my uncle and aunt, and they told me their relationship had already started falling apart long before. They only stayed together on the surface for me and Qiao Man’s sake.”

“I can understand her decision. She’s her own person. She wasn’t obligated to stay in that house for us.”

“But what I can’t understand is… that she used Qiao Man as a tool to fix her marriage. And when it didn’t work, she cruelly abandoned him. He was only two when she left.”

What he couldn’t understand even more was how, after learning their father had died, she could remain indifferent to his and Qiao Man’s situation.

“Shen Hechuan,” Qiao Le looked at him, “If I so cold-bloodedly decide to abort this baby… doesn’t that make me no different from her?”

The comparison wasn’t quite appropriate. This baby wasn’t even born yet—just an embryo. It wasn’t really a matter of responsibility yet.

As the one carrying the child, Qiao Le had every right to decide its fate.

In fact, bringing a child into the world without being ready would be the truly irresponsible choice.

Shen Hechuan knew Qiao Le wasn’t the type to be melodramatic. He was just someone who had experienced loss, and now with his hormones all over the place from pregnancy, it was easy to get caught up in these thoughts.

“I won’t comment on your parents,” Shen Hechuan said, “but I will tell you this—you don’t need to trap yourself in some kind of moral prison. A man getting pregnant is already abnormal enough. The fact that you’re calmly dealing with this is amazing.”

The baby was important—but to Shen Hechuan, Qiao Le would always come first.

He gently patted Qiao Le’s head, like he was rewarding him. Qiao Le even saw a hint of pride in his eyes.

Shen Hechuan said, “If anyone should be reflecting, it’s me. If I’d had more self-control that night, you wouldn’t be suffering like this.”

“But I didn’t even consider what you wanted,” Qiao Le said.

“When it comes to keeping the baby or not, you’re the one who gets to make that call,” Shen Hechuan said seriously. “It’s not like you ignored what I wanted—just that in this situation, it’s impossible to factor everything in. You’ve already done great, truly.”

Shen Hechuan’s words finally eased the last of Qiao Le’s anxiety. He sat up on his knees and reached out to hug him.

“Stop overthinking,” Shen Hechuan patted his back and reminded him, “You’ve got a checkup with the doctor tomorrow. Rest early tonight.”

Qiao Le asked, “Where’s the checkup? Lihua?”

“Yeah,” Shen Hechuan replied, “Just a more detailed checkup. Don’t worry—everything will work out, alright?”

Qiao Le nodded. “Okay.”

—

The next day, the two of them went to Lihua Private Hospital.

The New Year’s holiday was over and the hospital was back to regular operations. There were quite a few people coming in for checkups and treatment.

Shen Hechuan had already made arrangements. When they arrived at the obstetrics department, he and Qiao Le went straight to the VIP floor and found a female doctor surnamed Liang.

Dr. Liang Jiayu was younger than Qiao Le had expected—even younger than the two doctors he’d seen before. She looked like she was in her thirties.

After hearing about Qiao Le’s case, she had been looking forward to meeting him. When her assistant brought Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan in, she stood up with a smile. “You’re Qiao Le, right?”

“Yes,” Qiao Le replied. “Dr. Liang.”

“Come with me.”

She led them into the exam room. This was already Qiao Le’s third checkup, and he was familiar with the routine. He lay down on the bed without needing to be told.

Dr. Liang applied gel to his lower abdomen. “This might feel a bit cold.”

First time’s unfamiliar, second time’s better.

By the third time, Qiao Le was used to it. He lay down and tried to relax.

Shen Hechuan stood nearby, his eyes fixed on the screen of the ultrasound machine. He didn’t really understand what he was looking at, but he studied it seriously, trying to make sense of the image.

Dr. Liang held the probe in one hand and pointed to the screen with the other. “The baby is developing well. See here? The limbs are starting to form, though you can’t really make them out clearly yet.”

Hearing her explanation, Shen Hechuan managed to see a hint of a shape in the mass on the screen. His emotions started to shift.

Was this really their baby?

Qiao Le tried to tilt his body a bit to see the area she was pointing to, and as he moved, Dr. Liang said, “Don’t move yet—hold on, I’ll—”

Suddenly she paused, her eyes glued to the screen, her expression surprised.

Shen Hechuan noticed and thought something was wrong with the baby. He quickly asked, “What is it? Is something wrong?”

Qiao Le tensed up as well. “Dr. Liang?”

Dr. Liang didn’t answer right away. She kept sliding the probe across his belly, her expression shifting from confusion to shock. She glanced at Qiao Le, then back at the screen.

“Dr. Liang?” Qiao Le’s heart clenched. “Is something wrong?”

Dr. Liang looked at him, full of amazement. “Oh wow. You’re pregnant with twins!”

Qiao Le: “…What.”

Shen Hechuan: “…What.”

Twins—what?!