ACMS 54

Chapter 54: The Whole Family Is Shocked

As the holidays approached, Qiao Le barely had any classes left.

He only had two classes this morning, and was done by 10:30. A classmate invited him to hang out, saying a new escape room had opened on the commercial street near campus.

If it weren’t for his physical condition, Qiao Le would’ve been interested. But he politely declined, saying he had something to do and would join them next time.

“Got a date?” his classmate teased. Everyone had seen his post on social media yesterday, and quite a few people lamented that they’d already lost their chance before even starting to pursue him.

Qiao Le didn’t act coy and admitted cheerfully, “Yeah.”

Someone asked curiously, “Where’s your boyfriend from? Is he from our school?”

“He’s from our school, but he’s already graduated.”

“Graduated?” the classmate sounded a little disappointed. “Then we probably won’t get to see him. What a pity.”

Qiao Le smiled, thinking, You guys already saw him at the New Year’s school celebration.

As he was leaving the classroom, Shen Hechuan called, saying he’d received the flowers.

This time, Shen Hechuan had gone downstairs to get the bouquet himself. Although he didn’t take the regular elevator this time, word had already spread throughout the company.

Qiao Le replied that he had just finished class.

They made plans to see a movie in the afternoon. Since there was still plenty of time, Shen Hechuan asked if he wanted to wait at the company.

Qiao Le agreed gladly. “Sure! I’ve never had a chance to try your company’s cafeteria.”

Shen Hechuan replied, “You’ll get your fill.”

After the call, Qiao Le drove to Hualang Group, parked his car, and entered the lobby.

Yesterday, he’d waited at the entrance. This was his first time coming inside, and he headed straight for the front desk.

Xiao Tao was at the reception desk sorting through the day’s visitor log when a warm and clear voice sounded above her. “Hello.”

She looked up and met a pair of bright, smiling eyes. When she saw who it was, she froze.

It’s the boss’s partner!!

She secretly took a deep breath. Even more handsome than yesterday.

Though he looked young—probably even younger than her.

“Hello,” Qiao Le greeted patiently when he noticed her staring. “I’m Qiao Le, here to see President Shen. Do I need to sign in?”

Xiao Tao snapped back to her senses and hurriedly said, “Mr. Qiao, right? No need to sign in. President Shen already informed us. You can head straight to the top floor.”

She came out from behind the desk to guide him to the private elevator. “This way, please.”

“Thank you,” Qiao Le said and followed her.

Xiao Tao didn’t dare stare openly and could only sneak glances from the corner of her eye. Unfortunately, the distance from the front desk to the elevator was short, and before long, Qiao Le was gone.

As soon as she sent him off, she rushed back and posted an update in the office chat group.

[President Shen’s partner is here! Super handsome! I just escorted him to the elevator!!]

[Really? Is it too late if I go press the elevator button now?]

[Too late. He took the private elevator.]

[!!!! Perfect, I’m already on the top floor!! I’ll wait here!]

[Wait for me. I’m heading up now to “report work” to Judy!]

[Judy is in this group too. Keep it low-key, people!]

Judy: …Could you be any more obvious, you idiots?

Still, since she was free and heard Qiao Le had arrived, she got up and walked to the elevator. Just as she got there, the doors opened.

Qiao Le saw her and greeted, “Hi, Judy.”

“You’re here,” Judy replied with a smile. “Let me take you to Mr. Shen.”

At the same time, another elevator opened nearby, and two women and a man stepped out.

Judy: …

The young man in front was the one who’d claimed to be coming up to “report work.” The two women had gone down from the top floor just ten minutes ago.

All three were from the development team—the office’s top three gossipmongers. They’d probably stop to watch even if a dog peed on the sidewalk.

The young man greeted Judy, his gaze sweeping over Qiao Le. Then he exchanged a knowing look with his two teammates.

Judy’s face darkened. “Aren’t you supposed to be working? What are you doing up here?”

The three responded in perfect sync, “Reporting work to you.”

Judy: …Who are you trying to fool?

Seeing the situation, Qiao Le said to her, “Maybe you should take care of that first. I can go on my own—”

“We’re not in a hurry!” the trio quickly chimed in. “We can go with you!”

Judy rubbed her forehead. “Enough already. Aren’t you afraid Mr. Shen will find out? He might dock your bonuses.”

The three immediately shut up and took a step back, glancing sheepishly at Qiao Le.

Qiao Le caught on right away—they weren’t here to report anything. They were clearly here to check him out.

So gossipy?

He couldn’t help but chuckle, but he understood. If someone’s boyfriend or girlfriend came to visit the bar he used to work at, they’d probably gossip the same way.

So he greeted them naturally, “Hi.”

The three hadn’t expected him to be so friendly. They paused, then swarmed around him enthusiastically. “Hello, hello, hello!”

Qiao Le: …Why the sudden formal tone?

“Alright, alright. Now that you’ve said hi, get back to work.” Judy shooed them away. Once the elevator doors closed, she turned to Qiao Le and said, “Sorry about that. They can be a bit—”

“Gossipy,” Qiao Le said with a smile. “I get it. I’m the same.”

Judy relaxed and laughed with him.

Still puzzled, Qiao Le asked, “But how do they all know who I am? Was it because of Shen Hechuan’s post?”

Judy replied, “Not exactly.”

Not everyone at the company had Shen Hechuan’s WeChat.

As they neared the office, Judy lowered her voice and said, “Yesterday, President Shen took the public elevator while carrying the flowers you sent. He told everyone it was from his husband. Now the whole company knows about you.”

Qiao Le: …

He imagined the scene and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Qiao Le hadn’t realized before just how low-key and secretly dramatic Shen Hechuan could be.

Judy brought Qiao Le to Shen Hechuan’s office. Qiao Le knocked lightly, then pushed the door open.

Shen Hechuan was on the phone. Hearing the door open, he looked up. When he saw Qiao Le, he told the person on the other end, “Let’s leave it there for now, we’ll talk later,” and hung up, then walked over to Qiao Le. “You’re here.”

“Yeah.” Qiao Le asked, “Did I interrupt your work?”

“Not at all.” Shen Hechuan pulled him over to the lounge area to sit. “It was just a friend calling. There’s a charity banquet after the new year, and they invited me—and you—to attend.”

“Me?” Qiao Le looked surprised.

“Mm.”

Though their engagement banquet hadn’t been made public, the engagement itself was known within their social circle—everyone knew Shen Hechuan had a fiancé, though not many had actually seen him.

The friend who called was one of the hosts of the banquet. After seeing Shen Hechuan’s post on social media, they understood he was publicly acknowledging his partner, and specifically called to invite Qiao Le too.

“Do you want to go?” Shen Hechuan asked.

Qiao Le’s winter break was about to begin, and unlike before, he didn’t need to work himself to the bone. He had plenty of free time, so he said, “Sure.”

“Great.”

Shen Hechuan replied to his friend on WeChat, then asked Qiao Le if he wanted anything to drink.

Qiao Le said, “Judy said she’d bring something over in a bit.”

Judy had already asked him on the way up. Shen Hechuan nodded at that and said, “You can sit and relax? I’ve got a bit of work to take care of.”

“Go ahead, I’ll amuse myself.” Qiao Le pulled out his phone—Song Tongyu was asking him to play a game.

Song Tongyu was already on break and planned to return in a couple of days.

To avoid disturbing Shen Hechuan, Qiao Le had brought headphones and played with Song Tongyu quietly. During the game, Judy brought him bubble tea and some snacks.

When it was time for lunch, Shen Hechuan took Qiao Le to the cafeteria.

As expected, their appearance immediately drew the attention of the employees. Even the cafeteria staff stopped mid-action, a ladle suspended in the air.

They went up to the second floor. Shen Hechuan got food for both of them, based on their usual preferences, and found them a spot to sit.

Normally the second floor was less crowded than the first, but today it was packed—for obvious reasons.

Qiao Le took a bite of sweet and sour pork ribs and suddenly remembered the time Shen Hechuan had first taken a photo of the cafeteria food to show him. Back then, the two of them weren’t even that close. Who would’ve thought they’d be married now?

Life was full of surprises.

After lunch, Qiao Le started feeling a bit sleepy. Shen Hechuan took him to the break room for a nap. They left the company about an hour before the movie started.

At the theater, they ran into Chen Hao and Xu Jiayin, who were also there to see a film.

Xu Jiayin was in the badminton club too and knew Qiao Le. She wasn’t aware of the relationship between him and Shen Hechuan, and seeing how close they were acting, she couldn’t help glancing over a few more times.

Qiao Le asked Chen Hao, “Didn’t you say you were watching a movie yesterday?”

“Jiajia wasn’t free yesterday,” Chen Hao replied. “What are you guys watching? Which theater?”

Qiao Le told him the movie, and Chen Hao said regretfully, “Not the same one. But I’ve been wanting to watch that too. Let me know if it’s good after you’re done.”

“Sure.”

Qiao Le didn’t chat much more, and took his ticket to go in with Shen Hechuan.

They found their assigned seats. The lights dimmed, and the movie started.

It was a commercial film—not bad, not great. Some of its controversial ideas sparked quiet discussion among the audience. Qiao Le thought to himself that watching movies at home was better—he could discuss things with Shen Hechuan without holding back.

As they left the theater, Qiao Le said, “Let’s just watch at home next time.”

The seats at home were way more comfortable than the ones at the theater anyway.

Shen Hechuan didn’t mind. He asked where else Joey wanted to go, and Joey said, “There’s a mall downstairs. Let’s take a look and pick out some New Year’s gifts for the elders.”

They took the escalator down, planning to browse the second floor. But as they passed the third-floor maternity and baby section, Qiao Le’s steps subconsciously slowed.

Shen Hechuan picked up on it and asked, “Want to take a look?”

They’d already decided to keep the babies, but hadn’t bought anything yet. There was still time before the due date, but since they were here…

Qiao Le said, “Sure.”

The entire third floor was divided into sections for maternity wear, babies, and children.

They went straight to the baby section and stepped into a store—everything in there was new territory for them anyway.

Qiao Le had taken care of Qiao Man before, but only after the kid turned two. Before that, Liang Shuling had handled everything.

A store clerk approached them with a bright smile and asked whether they were shopping for a boy or a girl.

The two looked at each other—only then realizing they didn’t even know the baby’s gender.

“…We don’t know yet,” Qiao Le said, rubbing his nose. “It shouldn’t matter, right? They’re too little to care what they wear anyway.”

He’d even dressed Xiao Man in a floral dress before. The little guy didn’t know any better and ran around the yard in it.

“Of course it doesn’t matter,” the clerk said. “The baby hasn’t been born yet, right? Besides clothes, do you need anything else? We also have toys, bottles—everything.”

“We need it all,” Shen Hechuan said, glancing around. “Everything.”

Jackpot!

The clerk’s eyes lit up and she led them farther in. “This way—let me show you around.”

“Shen Hechuan, how’s this set?”

“Buy it.”

“What about this one?”

“Buy it.”

“This bottle—?”

“Buy it.”

“This—”

“Buy.”

The two of them went around saying “buy” so many times the clerk nearly forgot how to write the word. Her hands were shaking from trying to keep up with the order—it was just too much.

Especially when they were done shopping and Shen Hechuan casually added, “Everything we picked—double it.”

The clerk: “!!!”

This wasn’t a big order—it was a massive one!

Since they had so many items, the clerk offered home delivery. Qiao Le figured tomorrow was Saturday and they’d be home to organize everything, so he left his address.

When the clerk saw the address was “Linjiang Complex,” she silently thought to herself, No wonder they’re spending like this. Anyone who can afford a house worth tens of millions wouldn’t blink at these prices.

She beamed as she walked them out of the store. “Thank you for coming—hope to see you again!”

As they stepped out of the baby store, Shen Hechuan asked Joey, “Want to check out any other stores?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Qiao Le said. “I think we already bought quite a lot just now.”

Just the baby bottles alone—they had grabbed more than a dozen. This one looked nice, that one looked useful… and before they knew it, they’d piled up a whole heap.

The key question was, how many mouths did two babies even have?

Qiao Le rubbed his forehead. He used to think Shen Hechuan would spoil the kids, but now it seemed he wasn’t much better himself.

What’s more, they hadn’t even told their families about the pregnancy yet—neither side knew anything.

Not knowing how to bring it up, Qiao Le stood at the entrance of the baby store and asked Shen Hechuan what they should do.

“We’ll find the right time, and I’ll tell them,” Shen Hechuan said, patting him reassuringly. “Don’t worry. They’ll only be happy when they find out.”

Qiao Le said, “Then let’s do it this way—you talk to your parents, and I’ll tell my uncle and aunt.”

“Alright,” Shen Hechuan agreed. “Want to look around downstairs?”

“Sure.”

The two of them went downstairs to pick out gifts for their parents. As they passed a plus-size men’s store, Qiao Le pulled Shen Hechuan inside.

The babies were only two months along now, but in another three months his belly would start to show, so it was time to pick up some more comfortable clothes in advance.

By the time they left the mall, the sky had already darkened.

Across the street, someone was selling roasted sweet potatoes. Qiao Le’s mouth watered a little. He asked Shen Hechuan if he wanted some, and the latter nodded. “Sure.”

The winter street bustled with hurried footsteps, the night wind sharp and cold.

Qiao Le took a bite of the freshly roasted sweet potato. The soft, sticky sweetness made his eyes squint slightly in contentment. After finishing one, he asked the vendor to pack two more.

“Want to grab a bite to eat?” Shen Hechuan asked. “What are you craving?”

“Barbecue,” Qiao Le licked his lips. “I want grilled fish, beef skewers, chicken wings…”

He rattled off a list. Shen Hechuan remembered the doctor hadn’t mentioned any dietary restrictions, so he didn’t stop him. “Know any good places?”

“Yeah, but it’s a bit far,” Qiao Le said. “There’s this great BBQ spot over near A Drink To Unwind. Jiaxu and I go there a lot.”

“Driving’s no big deal. Let’s go,” said Shen Hechuan. Neither of them had work or class tomorrow, anyway.

“Alright!”

The two of them drove to Baihui District. After eating BBQ, they sat for a while at A Drink To Unwind before heading home.

—

The next morning.

Qiao Man had a performance at his kindergarten that evening, so he got up early and went to school for rehearsals.

At home, only Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan were left.

They’d come home late the night before, and Shen Hechuan was woken by a call early in the morning—Wu Huilan said they were already on their way over.

He lifted the covers and got out of bed. “Why so early?”

“We were just idle at home,” Wu Huilan said, “and brought some food over for you and Lele. Uncle Li made it.”

Uncle Li was their family chef. Qiao Le loved his cooking.

After hanging up, Shen Hechuan saw that Qiao Le was still asleep, so he let him rest and went to wash up. While doing so, he took two more delivery calls from stores.

Not long after he finished getting ready, his parents arrived.

Shen Zhenghe was holding a thermal food container. “Where’s Lele?”

“He slept late yesterday, still in bed.” Shen Hechuan took the container and asked if they’d eaten.

“We did,” Wu Huilan said, glancing toward the master bedroom. She followed him into the dining room and lowered her voice, “Even if you’re newlyweds, don’t go overboard. Lele’s still a student—you should show a little restraint.”

Shen Hechuan: “…”

He realized she’d misunderstood and quickly explained, “It’s not like that. We went to a friend’s bar yesterday and got back late.”

“Oh, I see.” Wu Huilan chuckled awkwardly. “Then pretend I didn’t say anything.”

“Where’s Grandpa?” Shen Hechuan asked.

“He went to the kindergarten to watch Xiao Man rehearse. He’ll be here later,” Wu Huilan said. “Should we wake Lele? The food might get cold.”

Shen Hechuan checked the time. “I’ll wake him. You and Dad sit down first.”

“Go ahead. Don’t worry about us,” Wu Huilan waved him off.

Just as Shen Hechuan reached the bedroom door, the video doorbell rang. The screen showed two young men outside speaking into the intercom: “Hello, Mr. Qiao. We’re from Century Mall, here to deliver your order.”

“What did you buy?” Wu Huilan was already walking to the foyer.

“I got you some New Year’s gifts,” Shen Hechuan said as he ducked into the bedroom to wake Qiao Le.

“Seriously? More gifts again?” Wu Huilan chuckled, but then froze when she opened the door and saw the entrance stacked with boxes.

What kind of gifts… required this many boxes?

“Hello, we’re from Century Mall, delivering to Mr. Qiao,” one of the workers greeted her. “Shall we bring them inside?”

“Oh—yes, yes, come in!” She stepped aside to let them carry things in.

Inside, Shen Zhenghe was also startled by the never-ending stream of boxes. “What on earth did you buy?”

“No idea,” said Wu Huilan. “He said it was for our New Year’s gifts—”

She paused, eyes landing on a box labeled clearly with three characters: “Baby Stroller.”

Wu Huilan: “…”

Wait, what?

I’m already in my fifties—I’m not planning on having another child!

Something felt off. She checked more boxes and found that each was related to baby supplies.

“Did they deliver to the wrong place?” she asked the delivery guys. “We don’t have a baby in our family!”

The staff double-checked the details. “Mr. Qiao Le, Building 8, Unit 1, 28th floor, Linjiang Complex. Phone ending in 3301.”

“The info matches… but why so many baby items?” Wu Huilan looked baffled and turned to her husband. He shook his head. “Don’t look at me. I’m just as confused.”

Just then, Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan came out of the bedroom. They also froze when they saw the sea of boxes.

“Which one of you is Mr. Qiao Le?” a staff member asked, holding out a delivery receipt. “Your order from ‘Angel Baby’ has been fully delivered. Please check the items.”

Qiao Le: “…”

Shen Hechuan: “…”

Shen Hechuan had taken two delivery calls earlier, one of them from the baby store. He’d completely forgotten about it.

“Did you buy all this?” Wu Huilan asked.

Just yesterday, Qiao Le had been worrying about how to tell their families about the pregnancy. Today, they were caught red-handed.

The scene was incredibly awkward.

Qiao Le braced himself. “Yes, we bought it. Uncle, Auntie, give me a moment—I’ll check the order list first.”

“I’ll do it,” Shen Hechuan offered.

“I suggest both of you go over it together,” the staff said kindly. “There’s quite a lot.”

Qiao Le: “…”

Shen Hechuan: “…”

While they were checking the items, the gifts for the elders were also delivered. After verifying everything, Qiao Le once again sighed at how much they’d bought.

Looking at all the boxes, Qiao Le gave up the idea of organizing them himself. He turned to Shen Hechuan. “Let’s get someone to help. I’m too tired.”

Shen Hechuan was exhausted too and nodded. “Let’s eat first. I’ll get someone to handle it.”

“Wait,” Wu Huilan called out, pointing at the boxes. “One of you explain what all this is. You didn’t buy all these baby items for us, did you?”

“No, no,” Shen Zhenghe quickly said. “We wouldn’t know what to do with them.”

“…It’s not for you,” Shen Hechuan said, rubbing his forehead. “It’s for us.”

“For you?” Wu Huilan looked even more puzzled. “What would you two need this for? You’re not… planning to raise a child or something, are you?”

At this point, there was no use hiding it anymore.

Shen Hechuan said, “We’re planning to raise two.”

“Two?!!”

Wu Huilan and Shen Zhenghe exchanged a look. “You’re adopting?”

“No, not adopting,” Qiao Le explained, looking a little embarrassed. “Um… Uncle, Auntie, I’m pregnant.”

Wu Huilan: “Σ(っ °Д °;)っ??!”

Shen Zhenghe: “Σ(っ °Д °;)っ??!”

You’re what?!!