Chapter 85: Dirty Water

Li Zhou stared at Rong Xiu’s belly and couldn’t help but ask, “How many months along is the child? Is it a boy or a girl?”

Fan Xia, sitting beside them with her arm around Rong Xiu’s shoulders, smiled and said, “It’s a boy.”

Rong Xiu quietly put down his teacup, a faint smile on his lips, but his eyes glancing at Li Zhou held no trace of mirth.

Li Zhou was overjoyed, covering his mouth as he laughed, “Oh my, a boy is wonderful! Boys are like little cotton-padded jackets. Nowadays, it’s not popular to have girls. You have to save money to buy them houses and save for their future bride price to marry men. Sons are different; sons are like commercial banks.”

Commercial banks? Watching Li Zhou laugh happily with his hand over his mouth, Rong Xiu’s lips curled in mockery.

He had previously investigated Li Zhou’s past and knew that back then, it was because he was pregnant with Gu Jin Yi that his wife-master had an affair during his pregnancy and ran off with a mistress.

Back then, when he himself was pregnant with a boy, he had sighed long and short, wishing it were a girl, unable to keep his wife-master’s heart. Now, hearing that Rong Xiu was pregnant with a boy, he was so happy he couldn’t contain himself. How could this be happiness for him? It was clearly schadenfreude, laughing at him for carrying a boy.

At the same time, wasn’t he happy for his son Gu Jin Yi? Did he think that because he was carrying a boy, Gu Jin Yi would have a chance?

What an old bastard! Both the old and young were cut from the same worthless cloth. With so many women out there, they had to covet his wife-master, thinking of breaking up his family. A whole family of lowly scum!

“Yes, Fan Xia and I both love this child very much. After all, it’s our first child. We’ll gain some experience, and later we can have a second daughter. The older brother can then take care of his younger sister,” Rong Xiu said, suppressing the urge to glare at Li Zhou. In his heart, he cursed, serves you right that your wife-master ran off with someone back then.

Gu Jin Yi’s smile seemed like a blunt knife, stuck on his face, with bitterness seeping through.

Li Zhou laughed uncomfortably and said, “Having both a son and a daughter is best, but you must take good care of yourself during this time. By the way, are you having a natural birth or a C-section? Let me tell you, once a man has given birth, that belly becomes like a balloon that’s been blown up and deflated. Not only will you get stretch marks, but if you don’t take good care of yourself, your belly will become dark, wrinkled, and loose. It’s very unsightly. If it’s a C-section, it’s even worse. You’ll have a long scar on your belly, like a centipede crawling on your stomach.”

As Li Zhou spoke, he deliberately dragged out the words ‘dark’, ‘loose’, ‘wrinkled’, ‘unsightly’, and ‘centipede’, emphasizing them heavily, as if afraid Fan Xia wouldn’t hear and automatically imagine the post-birth appearance of a man.

Rong Xiu adjusted his glasses, the thin lenses reflecting a silver light like a sharpened knife. His gaze cut into Li Zhou: “Thank you for your concern, but I have a dedicated nutritionist and postpartum care staff. I won’t end up like most pregnant men whose figures change after pregnancy and childbirth. My wife-master often praises me, saying my figure hasn’t changed at all since becoming pregnant, that it’s still the same as before. Isn’t that right, wife-master?”

Fan Xia took Rong Xiu’s hand and said with a smile, “That’s right, Uncle Li. You don’t know how many people have been fussing over Rong Xiu since he became pregnant. Every meal is specially designed with the healthiest dietary combinations. Look at him, if you didn’t see his belly, who would know he was pregnant?”

“…Indeed, it’s not noticeable,” Li Zhou’s smile froze on his face for a moment, then he continued, “But while that’s good, it’s all achieved through money. When we had children, we didn’t have such treatment. Ah, times have really changed. Back in our day, if we wanted to eat a little more during pregnancy, we’d be scolded for being wasteful.”

“Was it your father-in-law who said that to you back then, Uncle Li?” Rong Xiu asked with a enigmatic smile. His long fingers slipped into Fan Xia’s delicate palm, intertwining their fingers tightly. The warm palm gradually warmed Rong Xiu’s slightly cold fingers.

Li Zhou’s eyes widened, the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat like a wad of cotton.

When he was pregnant, his wife-master had run off with someone, so naturally, his father-in-law had abandoned him too.

Before Li Zhou could speak, Rong Xiu continued, “Actually, all the elders were like that back then. You shouldn’t keep dwelling on past events; it’s not good for your mood. Haven’t you and Jin Yi been living well these years? Look at Jin Yi now, he’s so accomplished. Even though he’s a boy, he can support a family.”

As he spoke, Rong Xiu rested his head on Fan Xia’s shoulder, his long fingers lazily caressing his belly. He was relaxed and at ease, like a rich young master who had never known hardship or been ground down by life. His privileged background had nurtured his innate refined appearance and demeanor.

Though his words were praising Gu Jin Yi, his tone was that of a superior person showing pity to an inferior. To Gu Jin Yi’s ears, it made his heart clench tightly.

He had worked so hard at basketball, trying to change his life, yet he couldn’t compare to even a fraction of Rong Xiu. Rong Xiu had a perfect family background, a perfect face, and even a perfect wife-master. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach even the edge of Rong Xiu’s blissful life.

His angry and resentful heart bred the jealousy he had once despised. Gu Jin Yi had to admit, he was insanely jealous of Rong Xiu, hated Rong Xiu to death, and even more so, longed to become Rong Xiu. Even if he could just be his substitute, to briefly experience Fan Xia’s love would be enough.

With his heart twisted in pain, Gu Jin Yi said bitterly, “I can’t compare to brother-in-law. Married to elder sister Fan, he doesn’t even need to work to live worry-free.”

Fan Xia hadn’t expected Gu Jin Yi to say such things. Hearing the obvious jealousy of Rong Xiu’s wealthy and leisurely life in his tone, she gave Gu Jin Yi a deep look and said, “Jin Yi, your brother-in-law is also a very excellent man. It’s just that his main job right now is preparing for pregnancy at home, temporarily stepping away from his career.”

Gu Jin Yi looked up in a daze, not realizing he had spoken his thoughts aloud. He quickly covered his mouth and explained, “Elder sister Fan, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Rong Xiu’s cold eyes flickered slightly, and he lowered his head, laughing imperceptibly. His slender dark eyes sparkled, the faint red at the corners of his eyes like wet rouge splashed with poison wine – the flower beautiful yet toxic. What a fool, falling right into his trap.

He lowered his head, his thick eyelashes still damp from the snow, not yet dried by the room’s warmth, giving him a pitiful, endearing look. “Being able to marry your elder sister Fan is naturally my good fortune. She’s the one who made me feel the warmth of family, which is why I’m willing to bear children for her, why I voluntarily gave up work to fully devote myself to staying at home and preparing for childbirth. Although I know my choice will surely make many independent men look down on me, I’ve always felt that men should ultimately return to the family, taking care of children and wife-masters is what a man should do… I’m not like you, Jin Yi, single and unmarried, able to play in stadiums in front of tens of thousands, watched by so many male and female fans who like you. I’ve already married your elder sister Fan, so I need to be aware of my role as a husband. I don’t want to be in the limelight anymore.”

Gu Jin Yi’s eyes widened as he listened to Rong Xiu’s aggrieved speech, feeling flustered and helpless.

Playing basketball was being in the limelight? Where did he have so many female fans? Why deliberately emphasize the words ‘female fans’? Gu Jin Yi opened his mouth, utterly unable to defend himself.