Chapter 940: Chapter 920: His and Her Surprise
The child in her womb was merely her final bargaining chip to escape from Si Yuheng.
Only after giving birth and handing the baby over to him could she truly start a new life. He would never come after her again.
Jiayi was about to speak, but Liang Anya had already regained her composure. It seemed she didn’t want to dwell on this topic, so she picked up the tiny baby clothes she had brought and began inspecting them.
The baby clothes were soft and pink, incredibly adorable. Yet as Liang Anya looked at them, her gaze darkened again. She put the baby clothes down.
What’s the point of them looking so pretty?
Maybe, she wouldn’t even get to see the child dressed in these baby clothes.
The moment the baby was born, he might be taken away by people from Beiming Hall to A Country, never belonging to her again.
As for her, the surrogate mother who bore the heir for Beiming Hall, once her task was completed, she’d be discarded without a second thought.
She had wanted to abort this child all along, not wanting it at all, but upon knowing that this child would be taken away by that man, she felt an unbearable ache inside.
Seeing what was on her mind, Jiayi wanted to offer comfort, yet didn’t know what to say.
Anya couldn’t bear to part with this child. After all, it was the flesh and blood she had carried in her body for over nine months.
Compared to a few months ago, when she had been desperate to terminate the pregnancy, Anya’s feelings for the child had gradually solidified.
Tearing a mother away from the baby she just gave birth to was undeniably cruel.
But she also understood that Anya and Si Yuheng could never be together.
Even if Anya was willing to stay with Si Yuheng for the sake of the child, Liang Tao would never agree upon finding out.
Jiayi sighed lightly at the thought.
Luckily, they had concealed the truth carefully, and Liang Tao and his son were abroad. Otherwise, with her godfather’s temperament, once he learned that Anya had been confined by some mysterious man to give birth, even if Si Yuheng wielded immense power, he would surely unleash his wrath and fight to the end.
To break this stifling silence of helplessness, Liang Anya pressed a button on the remote.
The wall-mounted TV lit up.
The sound from the television filled the room, adding some liveliness to the atmosphere and finally improving it.
Recently, that man’s restrictions on her had loosened a bit, allowing her to watch TV.
Though limited to shows on parenting education and some prenatal anime, it was much better than previously, when all she had were magazines to flip through.
Liang Anya brought out two large bags of snacks and sat on the couch with Jiayi, munching and chatting idly as the TV played in the background.
This was one of the few privileges Si Yuheng had granted her.
Every afternoon that Jiayi visited her, the sisters’ time together was so carefree, allowing her to temporarily forget everything else.
Initially, Si Yuheng had strictly forbidden her from eating any junk food, fearing that the additives in them would harm the heir. He only permitted her to eat the specially prepared meals arranged by his private obstetrician.
The few bags of preserved plums, squid shreds, and potato chips she managed to have now were hard-fought victories after countless protests, claiming that bland food made her feel nauseous and acid reflux, which could also affect the baby.
...
As their conversation continued, the sunlight waned.
Liang Anya inadvertently glanced at the snack wrappers in Jiayi’s hands, straightened her posture, and looked quite surprised: "Xiaoyi, this is supposed to last me a whole week. You’re even more of a glutton than me, and I’m the one with the big belly!"
Jiayi glanced at the nearly empty bag of preserved plums in her hands, realizing she had already finished them. Not only that, but the two empty boxes of potato chips beside her were also wiped clean. She chuckled: "I was in such a rush to see you, I only had a few bites of lunch."
Liang Anya eyed her suspiciously: "I don’t think it’s just a light lunch. You might need to see a doctor."
Jiayi pretended to pout: "I merely ate a few bags of your chips and plums, and now you’re cursing me to see a doctor?"
Liang Anya quickly muted the TV, leaned in mysteriously: "Have you been eating this much lately? Are you craving foods you don’t usually like?"
Jiayi hadn’t caught on yet and dumbly nodded.
Liang Anya slapped her thigh and nudged her with her elbow: "Has your period come yet?"
Jiayi froze for a second, finally understanding what Anya meant. Was she suggesting that she might be pregnant?
No way... Could it really happen so soon?
That man—was he a sharpshooter or something?!
"You’ve been pregnant before. How can you not notice at all?" Liang Anya shook her head.
When she was pregnant with Zaizai, her symptoms had been different from this time. She hadn’t had a voracious appetite, and coupled with not expecting to conceive so quickly, she hadn’t paid much attention.
Seeing her still in a daze, Liang Anya grew even more anxious. She stood up and strode toward the door.
"Hey, where are you going?" Jiayi quickly put down her snacks.
"I’m asking someone to buy a pregnancy test for you!" Liang Anya turned her head back.
"It’s not that urgent. Don’t trouble anyone; I’ll check when I get home..."
"What nonsense. Si Yuheng left all these subordinates here to serve me. If I don’t make use of them, it’s a waste!"
Liang Anya opened the door and cleared her throat softly.
Two hulking Beiming Hall subordinates immediately walked over from the end of the hallway, bowing respectfully: "Miss Liang, do you have any instructions?"
"Go buy a pregnancy test kit for me. Actually, buy several—pregnancy test sticks, test strips, anything related. Just buy more."
It was best to test multiple times to ensure accuracy, as Xiaoyi was still in the early stages of pregnancy and the results might be inconclusive.
The two men hesitated: "Pregnancy... pregnancy test sticks?"
"Yes. Stop dawdling and hurry up."
Without asking more questions, the two hurried off.
As per the Hall Master’s instructions, apart from preventing Miss Liang from leaving the villa, barring her access to communication tools, and ensuring no harm came to the baby, they were to follow all her orders.
...
About ten minutes later, the pregnancy test sticks and test strips were brought back and piled onto the coffee table.
"Are we really testing right now?" Jiayi’s heart raced inexplicably for reasons she couldn’t quite understand.
"Of course."
Jiayi took a deep breath, finally carrying the heap of testing supplies and nervously heading into the bathroom.
.........
The sunset painted the sky in hues of red.
Under the twilight, a Mini car cruised steadily along the road.
At the driver’s seat, Jiayi gripped the steering wheel. Her heart was still pounding wildly, her mind struggling to believe it.
Finally, she freed a hand, sliding it down gently to rest on her lower abdomen.
Though faint, there were two red lines. Right here, a tiny life had already taken root and begun to grow.
Perhaps the previous miscarriage had left too deep a scar on her psyche. When she saw the pregnancy test and those two red lines, it felt like her lost baby had finally returned, leaving her emotionally overwhelmed for half the day.
He had always wanted her to be pregnant. When he learned the news, how would he react?
Her heart beat faster, her hand softly caressing her lower abdomen as she steadied herself: "Baby, let’s tell Daddy when we get home, okay?"
Just then, her phone rang.
She put on her earphones: "Hello?"
On the other end, Huo Zhenyang’s voice flowed like cold springs striking against stone—magnetic and deep: "Still at Anya’s place? I’ll have George pick you up."
"No, I’m already on my way back." She couldn’t hold back her overflowing joy and almost spilled the news over the phone—but no, not like this.
Such an important matter couldn’t be handled so casually.
She’d wait until she got home to tell him.
"Alright. When you get back, I have a surprise for you." His voice carried a gravelly undertone.
A surprise? Jiayi blinked in curiosity, her lips curling upwards: "I have a surprise for you, too."
