ACMS 57

Chapter 57: A World for Two

Wu Huilan’s slip of the tongue had everyone bursting into laughter.

But it also showed just how excited she was about Qiao Le’s pregnancy.

“I’m the grandma, then what does that make you?” Shen Zhenghe said with a helpless smile. “The grandpa?”

“I was just too happy, okay?” Wu Huilan rolled her eyes at him and handed the report to the old man. “Dad, look—Lele is pregnant. We’re going to have two little babies in the family soon.”

Old Master Shen had heard them mention pregnancy earlier, but he never imagined it was Qiao Le. After all, the idea of a man getting pregnant was so absurd he hadn’t even dared to consider it.

But now the report was right in front of him—Qiao Le was indeed pregnant.

Two months along.

He stared at it for a while before finally speaking, his voice stumbling over the words. “R-Really?”

“It’s true!” Wu Huilan beamed, pointing at the report. “See? It says it right here—eight weeks pregnant!”

Then she turned to Qiao Le. “Isn’t that right, Lele?”

Caught up in their joy, Qiao Le felt his earlier nervousness melt away. He nodded. “Yeah. It’s true.”

Hearing the confirmation, Old Master Shen lit up. “That’s wonderful. Truly wonderful.”

Wu Huilan quickly turned to Qiao Le with concern. “Pregnancy’s hard enough for a woman—can’t imagine how tough it must be for a man. Are you feeling okay? Is the morning sickness bad? How’s your appetite? What did the doctor say?”

She had been through it herself and knew how difficult it was to carry a life.

“My appetite’s been much better lately, and the morning sickness isn’t too bad,” Qiao Le said. “The doctor said the babies are healthy.”

“That’s good to hear.” Wu Huilan still fretted. “This is the first time I’ve seen a man get pregnant, so I’m not sure what to look out for. How about this—I’ll go with you to your next appointment so I can ask the doctor directly.”

“That’s really not necessary,” Qiao Le replied. “I’m doing fine, really. Eating well, drinking well—”

“What’s so troublesome about it?” Wu Huilan cut him off. “It’s settled. I’m going. Hechuan doesn’t have any experience with pregnancy either—I wouldn’t feel right leaving it all to him.”

Qiao Le looked at Shen Hechuan, who gave him a little smile. “She’s right. I really don’t have any experience. Let’s just listen to Mom.”

“Alright.” Qiao Le knew she meant well, so he didn’t insist further.

“By the way,” Shen Zhenghe suddenly said, “Lele’s pregnant—what about school?”

That was an important point. Wu Huilan echoed, “Yeah, what about school? You can’t possibly take another break, can you?”

They all knew how hard it had been for Qiao Le to return to school. He’d only been back a semester and now he was pregnant—it was bound to affect things.

Qiao Le explained the plan he had in mind. Wu Huilan looked at him with sympathy. “That’s going to be tough on you, especially in the later stages.”

“I’ll manage,” Qiao Le said with a smile. “Don’t worry.”

“It’s not that hard to arrange,” Old Master Shen chimed in. “We can invite the teachers here, or get someone to record the classes.”

Wu Huilan thought it over. “That could work.”

“It might work, yes,” Shen Zhenghe said, “but a man being pregnant is no small matter. For Lele’s safety and reputation, we need to handle this with care. Hechuan, make sure everything is airtight. No mistakes.”

“Of course,” Shen Hechuan nodded. He’d already considered this, and if they were inviting teachers into their home, a confidentiality agreement would definitely be necessary.

Listening to them make all these plans for him without needing him to say a word, Qiao Le felt an indescribable warmth.

From the moment they learned he was pregnant, not one of them found it strange. Instead, every word had been full of care and concern.

He couldn’t help but ask, “You all… don’t think it’s weird? That a man is pregnant—something this bizarre?”

“Weird?” Wu Huilan chuckled. “Surprising, sure—but to us, it’s a happy surprise.”

“There’s a saying: ‘The world is full of wonders,’” Shen Zhenghe said. “There are plenty of strange things we’ve never seen. Don’t overthink it.”

Old Master Shen added, “That’s right. Don’t overthink it—it’s a blessing.”

Shen Hechuan let go of Qiao Le’s hand and slipped an arm around his shoulders. “Told you there was nothing to worry about. Was I right?”

Earlier, Qiao Le had been anxious about how to tell Wu Huilan and the rest of the family. But now, it had all gone so smoothly it felt surreal.

He was starting to realize just how open-minded the Shens were when it came to the unbelievable—take Shen Hechuan, for example.

“Knock knock—?”

A knock came from the other side, followed by a small voice. It was from Qiao Man’s room.

Everyone turned toward the sound. The tightly closed door cracked open, and Qiao Man poked his little head out, looking around the room and calling to them one by one: “Are you all done talking? I’m hungry.”

In all the excitement, they’d nearly forgotten about the little one.

“Right, right, let’s eat first.” Wu Huilan quickly said, “Lele hasn’t had anything all morning either. Let’s eat. Xiao Man, come out—it’s time to eat.”

“Okay!” Qiao Man opened the door and bolted out.

Not long after breakfast, the professional organizers they’d scheduled arrived—three of them, sleeves rolled up and immediately diving into the boxes on the floor.

Qiao Man saw the baby stroller on the floor and tilted his head in confusion. “It’s so small… is it for me?”

Qiao Le laughed and teased him, “Want big brother to lift you into it and see?”

He reached toward him, and Qiao Man giggled. “Nooo, it’s too small! It’s for a baby.”

“You’re such a smart little guy.” Qiao Le praised him with a few words.

Qiao Man looked around curiously. “Then where’s the baby?”

In your big brother’s belly.

But with strangers still in the room, Qiao Le didn’t say it aloud. Instead, he just pinched Qiao Man’s soft, chubby cheek. “I’ll tell you next time.”

The professional organizers quickly tidied up the house, and soon, Qiao Le and the others were ready to leave.

For tonight’s kindergarten evening party, Director Zhou had arranged the best seats for them, making it convenient for them to take photos and record videos of Xiao Man.

Xiao Man’s class performance was scheduled fifth, and before that, other children had performed recitations, choirs, and piano pieces.

If this had been in the past, Shen Hechuan would have had absolutely no interest in these children’s performances. However, now that he was about to become a father, he found himself watching with great enjoyment.

He even began to think about what extracurricular classes to enroll their child in once they grew up. Singing, dancing, and playing the piano all seemed like great options.

Imagining the children on stage as his own and Qiao Le’s made his heart flutter in a way he couldn’t describe. He was so lost in thought that Qiao Le had to call his name twice to bring him back.

“Huh?” He looked at Qiao Le.

“What are you thinking about?” Qiao Le asked softly.

Shen Hechuan also whispered back, “I was thinking about what extracurricular classes we should send our babies to.”

“…What?” Qiao Le gave him a speechless look. “They are still this small, and you’re already thinking about sending them to classes?”

Shen Hechuan knew he was getting ahead of himself, but he couldn’t help it. Being a first-time father, he just couldn’t control his thoughts.

He secretly took Qiao Le’s hand. “Don’t worry, I won’t force them. Whatever they want to learn, they can learn. As long as they’re happy.”

Qiao Le grasped his hand back and teased, “Well, that’s not certain. Other people have a kind and strict mother, but our family will ll have two strict fathers.”

The words “our family” made Shen Hechuan freeze for a moment before he smiled softly. “One’s enough.”

“Our family?” Qiao Le asked.

“The household listens to you.” Shen Hechuan turned his head and whispered in Qiao Le’s ear, “Including me.”

Qiao Le tightened his grip on his hand and silently smiled.

Soon, it was time for Xiao Man’s performance. The little one had practiced hard and did a great job. Qiao Le recorded the entire performance and sent the video to his uncle and aunt after the performance ended.

After the event, Wu Huilan repeatedly reminded Qiao Le to take care of his health before leaving, telling him to let her know if anything came up.

“I know. Don’t worry,” Qiao Le said.

Wu Huilan reached out to fix his hair, which had been blown by the wind, looking at him gently. “I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this.”

It was a strange and surprising thing for a man to be pregnant, and it just so happened that Qiao Le was the one to experience it.

For the Shen family, it was a joyous occasion, but for Qiao Le, it wasn’t necessarily the same. He had to give up so much. They all should be grateful to Qiao Le.

After seeing Wu Huilan and the others off, Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan walked back to their neighborhood.

The evening wind was a little chilly, and their tightly clasped hands were sweating, but neither of them let go.

After the kindergarten’s end-of-year party, Xiao Man officially started his holiday, and Shen Hechuan and Qiao Le sent him back to Pengshan No. 1 Residence.

Wu Huilan had hoped Qiao Le would stay with them since it was his holiday too. She mentioned it twice, saying that having more people at home would be helpful in taking care of him. But before Qiao Le could say anything, Shen Hechuan had refused on the grounds that they were newlyweds and needed some time alone together.

“Time alone? With how Lele is now, you can’t—”

“Just come back for the New Year!” Qiao Le hurriedly interrupted, afraid she might say something like “you can’t sleep together,” “The New Year’s almost here, once Shen Hechuan’s company has its holiday, we’ll come back together.”

Wu Huilan couldn’t argue anymore, so she gave in. She then asked about Qiao Le’s family. “Have you told your uncle and aunt about your situation?”

“Not yet,” Qiao Le replied. “I’ll tell them when we go back for the New Year. It’s hard to explain over the phone.”

With less than a month until the New Year, Wu Huilan nodded. “That’s fine.”

Qiao Le’s next pregnancy check-up was in a week. Normally, early pregnancy checks weren’t this frequent, but Qiao Le’s situation was different. Director Liang had asked him to come in every two weeks.

On the day of the check-up, besides Shen Hechuan, Wu Huilan also accompanied him.

It wasn’t the first time for Shen Hechuan and Qiao Le to see the ultrasound images. They were much calmer than last time. But for Wu Huilan, it was her first time, and she was so excited, staring intently at the screen.

After the check-up, she asked many questions about things to watch out for and brought a notebook to take notes.

When she came out of the check-up room, her face was filled with joy. She turned to Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan and said, “The babies will be born soon. How about we pick a surname for the babies?”

Shen Hechuan: “…Soon?”

Qiao Le: “…Born?”

“It’ll be soon,” Wu Huilan said. “If we wait until they are born, it’ll be too late. Don’t worry, I’ll go back and discuss it with Dad.”

Qiao Le hadn’t thought that far ahead, but with someone else taking care of it, he could relax. He said, “Sure, but we don’t know their genders yet, so we’re not sure what to name them.”

“Well, that’s true.” Wu Huilan thought for a moment. “But that’s fine. I’ll think about it when I get back.”

“Okay.”

The three of them didn’t dwell on the issue and didn’t deliberately try to find out the babies genders. To them, it didn’t matter.

That night, after Qiao Le took a bath, he lay on the bed playing a matching game.

The room’s heating was a bit too high, so he rolled up his sleeves but still felt hot, pulling up the hem of his pajama top a little.

When Shen Hechuan came out after his bath, he saw Qiao Le lying on the bed with his legs bent, his pajama top lifted, exposing his fair belly.

At two and a half months pregnant, Qiao Le’s belly wasn’t very noticeable, but Shen Hechuan could still make out a slight curve when he looked carefully.

Smooth, fair, and the round belly button was so cute.

Shen Hechuan: …

He suddenly thought that his mother’s suggestion for Qiao Le to stay at home did make sense after all.