Chapter 157: Chapter 94: The Doctor Said, I Am a Blessed Person
Seeing Mili walk away without a backward glance, Jiang Wanyi’s beautiful eyes narrowed.
She watched, wide-eyed, as Mili snatched the toy from her hands and crawled into Chen Yuan’s arms.
Chen Yuan chuckled. "Heh heh heh."
’Don’t talk to me about blood ties and motherly love,’ he thought. ’With Tongzi’s tech backing me up, they don’t stand a chance!’
"Good girl, Mili. Let Daddy hold you."
Chen Yuan held the baby, and Mili showed off the little yellow duck to him.
"AHEM, AHEM, AHEM..."
Jiang Wanyi crossed her arms and shot Chen Yuan a sidelong glance.
"Whose side are you on?"
’So conventional methods didn’t work, and now you’re resorting to dirty tricks, huh?’
"Is that even a question? No matter what, you and I are on the same team. It’s not like she can cook for me."
That proud, prickly air of hers surfaced again.
The beauty of this contrast had its own unique charm.
"Good girl, Mili. Let’s go play with Mommy for a bit. Let Mommy hold you, too."
Holding the baby, Chen Yuan shuffled over to Jiang Wanyi and placed Mili on her lap.
"Let Mommy hold you."
Mili, ever obedient to Chen Yuan, settled onto her lap.
She had wanted to give her a few light smacks on the bottom, but the moment the child was on her lap, her heart softened. She ended up pressing her cheek against the baby’s little face several times.
Flesh of her own flesh. Unless it was absolutely necessary, she couldn’t bring herself to be harsh.
After playing with the baby for a while, Jiang Wanyi handed Mili back to Chen Yuan.
"She’s all yours. I’m going to do a workout to lose some weight."
"You’re really going to do it? If you lose any more, the food supply will be gone."
"How could that be? The past is the past, and now is now. I’ve got some assets these days."
"I wouldn’t be so sure." Chen Yuan wagged a finger. "When you got back, the baby had finished everything. You didn’t leave a single drop for me."
"I’m going to pinch you."
She reached out and pinched his waist.
"But that last feeding... she really did eat a lot. On a normal day, I might have been able to save some for you."
"See? You need to be careful about losing weight."
"Don’t worry. I’m just doing some cardio to build up my stamina. Otherwise, my fitness will go downhill."
"Go on, then."
She got up, went back to the bedroom, and changed into a pair of gray yoga pants and a tight tank top.
Her chest instantly looked much smaller in the top, yet a considerable amount was squeezed out from the neckline, looking fair, tender, and alluring.
To keep Mili from watching the screen, Jiang Wanyi didn’t cast it to the TV. Instead, she set up a phone stand, clipped her phone in, and started her workout.
"Your gear looks pretty professional."
"I used to do this all the time before she was born. After giving birth, I hadn’t recovered properly, so I’d leak whenever I jumped. You helped me get better, so it’d be a waste not to get back into it."
"Just another example of my excellence."
"Hmph. You’re so full of yourself."
Rhythmic music started playing, and Jiang Wanyi began following the fitness instructor on the screen.
"We’ll work out too," Chen Yuan said to Mili. "We’ll dance with Mommy, and you’ll grow up to be a great beauty just like her."
Jiang Wanyi didn’t turn around, but she could barely suppress the smile spreading across her lips.
During her breaks, Jiang Wanyi would occasionally glance back to check on Chen Yuan and the baby.
Chen Yuan’s patience far exceeded her expectations.
He’d been entertaining Mili for so long—if it were her, she’d be getting fed up by now. But he wasn’t annoyed in the slightest. He was still playing with her patiently. Most people didn’t have that kind of knack.
"I can’t go on."
A little over half an hour later, she turned off her phone and sat down on the sofa, beads of sweat on her forehead and chest.
"You lasted half an hour. That’s really good."
He took a tissue and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"I’ll go make her some solid food. It’s almost time for her bath and bed, so she shouldn’t eat too late," Chen Yuan said.
"Okay. I’ll go clear out the inventory."
Having spent so much time together, Jiang Wanyi no longer felt the need to be overly polite with Chen Yuan. She liked this feeling a lot—not having to overthink things, just doing whatever felt comfortable.
She put the baby in her little stroller, and a toy was enough to keep her from crying or fussing.
He took some short, broken noodles from the fridge, chopped up a few vegetables, and quickly boiled them to make the baby food.
He placed it in the little panda bowl to let it cool down naturally.
"Here we go. Daddy’s going to hold you while you eat."
He tied a small bib around Mili’s neck and sat in the kitchen to feed her.
"Aah~ Open wide~~~"
Mili copied him, opening her mouth.
With Chen Yuan, she was always obedient. It didn’t take long for her to finish half a bowl of noodles, which was about half her usual portion.
Just then, Jiang Wanyi came out, holding a bottle that was more than half full.
"Your little sweetheart turns into a remote-controlled doll in your hands. She does whatever you say. It’s usually such a struggle for me to feed her."
"Can’t be helped. She’s my sweet little girl, after all."
"So full of yourself."
Jiang Wanyi twitched her small, delicate nose and handed the half-full bottle to Chen Yuan.
Jiang Wanyi just stood there watching. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt incredibly happy.
"I’ll take her to the master bathroom for her bath. You should rest a bit and then take a shower, too. It’s been a long day."
"I’ll go lie down for a bit first."
’Nothing’s as comfortable as lying down, and nothing’s as fun as...’
Lying down felt much better.
There were messages from Song Jianye and Fang Youning on his phone. After a brief chat, he opened the group chat for the External Relations Department, where he found the final draft of a script.
After reading it, all he could say was that he was still too green in the realm of abstract humor.
He didn’t know if the resulting video would go viral, but it would definitely stand out from the crowd.
He could almost see 2,000 yuan waving at him.
"Little bro..."
Jiang Wanyi’s voice came from the bathroom.
"There’s only the baby’s dad here, not your ’little bro’."
"You’re so annoying," Jiang Wanyi said with a playful, chiding laugh. "Baby’s daddy."
"Coming!"
"The baby’s all clean. Can you come get her? The towel is on the chair in my room."
Chen Yuan went to the master bedroom, found the pink bunny towel, and stood at the bathroom door.
"I’m coming in?"
"Come on in."
He opened the door. Jiang Wanyi was in the shower stall, and there was another curtain drawn inside it.
Double protection. Even her clothes didn’t cover her this thoroughly.
Mili was still in the baby tub. Chen Yuan lifted her out and wrapped her snugly in the towel.
"Here we go."
After she had eaten, he held her and walked around the room a couple of times, patting her gently. Next up was the usual bedtime routine.
Just then, Jiang Wanyi came out of the shower, a bath towel wrapped around her body, her hair dripping wet.
Chen Yuan put a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.
Jiang Wanyi smiled gently and gave him a thumbs-up.
She went back to change into her loose-fitting nightgown and quietly returned to the secondary bedroom.
The baby was asleep, but not deeply.
Out of habit, Jiang Wanyi knelt by the bed and gently kissed Mili’s little cheek and tiny foot.
"Why’d you wash the baby bottle? You were supposed to leave it for me."
"It’s just one bottle. I did it while I was at it."
"You’re a great dad."
"I’m just average. Don’t worship me blindly."
"No, I insist on worshipping you a little."
"Don’t use the main bathroom. If you’re going to shower, use the one in the master bedroom. I haven’t cleaned it up yet," Jiang Wanyi said.
"If you’re too tired, you don’t have to shower. My daughter won’t mind."
"I’d better rinse off. I’m sweaty."
"Go on. I’ll find you a pair of underwear in a bit."
"Mm."
Chen Yuan got off the bed, but Jiang Wanyi stopped him.
"Wait."
"What is it?"
"Are you... hungry?"
"Heh heh... Actually, I am a little hungry."
"The baby’s asleep. Should we order some food?"
"Sounds good to me."
"What do you want to eat?"
"Well then..."
Chen Yuan thought for a moment. "How about fried skewers?"
"Okay. Go take your shower."
Having settled their late-night snack plans, Chen Yuan went to the master bathroom.
He didn’t see any tantalizing lingerie. She must have put it away. All that was left were the yoga pants and tank top she had worn earlier.
When worn, they were a sight to behold. But once taken off, they were just ordinary clothes with nothing special about them, even if Jiang Wanyi had worn them.
He took a quick shower in the stall. As he was finishing up, Jiang Wanyi’s voice came from outside.
"I hung the underwear on the doorknob, don’t forget to grab it. Just toss the pair you’re wearing, and your socks, into the sink. I’ll wash them in a bit."
"I can wash them myself. Don’t trouble yourself."
"It’s no trouble at all. I haven’t washed mine either, so I’ll just do them all together. Be good and just leave them in the sink."
"Okay."
There was no need to be fussy about such a small thing. It wasn’t the first time she had washed his clothes.
After showering and drying off, he tidied up the bathroom a bit.
He opened the door a crack and reached for the underwear hanging on the outside doorknob. He tugged a few times but found it was snagged. He would have to adjust his angle to get it down.
Just as Chen Yuan was repositioning his hand to get it, he found the underwear came loose on its own.
Without a doubt, Jiang Wanyi had helped him from the other side.
"Well, this..."
It was a little intimate.
He got dressed and came out to see Jiang Wanyi had turned on the TV. Inside the playpen, she had placed a small table with a plate of fruit on it.
Just then, a knock came at the door. The food delivery had arrived.
Jiang Wanyi pointed to her chest, indicating that she couldn’t get the door dressed like this, and gestured for Chen Yuan to go.
He opened the door, took the delivery bag, and said, "Thank you."
It felt heavy in his hand. Jiang Wanyi walked over and took the items.
"There’s hot pot-stewed snacks, fried skewers, and a main dish of egg fried rice."
"I’ll have a little of the main dish, the rest is yours. Neither of us should eat too much tonight."
"Whatever you say."
They laid out all the food on the small table. Their late-night snack looked quite sumptuous.
"Oh, right. There’s one more thing."
Jiang Wanyi went to the fridge, pulled out a can of beer, and gestured with it toward Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan nodded. They had communicated just through gestures.
Besides the beer, she also grabbed a bottle of Coke.
Coming into the playpen, Jiang Wanyi curled her legs up and sat next to Chen Yuan. The scent of her body wash wafted over, smelling wonderful.
"I bought this for cooking. It’s the cheapest kind, so I don’t know if it tastes any good."
"It’s just to set the mood. As long as it’s alcohol, it’s fine."
"Let’s find a variety show to watch, something relaxing." Jiang Wanyi worked the remote. "How about ’Comedy Night Live’?"
"That works. I’ve seen a bunch of clips from that show on my feed."
"Let’s watch that, then."
With no particular episode in mind, they just picked one at random.
A comedy sketch was playing on the TV. Even for someone like Chen Yuan, who had a high bar for comedy, it was quite funny.
Especially the sketch called "Goodbye, Old Zhang." It was a masterpiece.
At night, the whole city was ablaze with lights. The bustling metropolis was like a tireless neon loom. Inside the 19th-floor apartment, through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the light strip overhead cast an amber glow, illuminating the two of them.
They sat next to each other, very close.
Jiang Wanyi was natural and at ease, even more relaxed than when they were taking photos. It was as if, in this moment, her soul had returned to her body.
She hadn’t bothered to arrange the hem of her nightgown, leaving her fair, slender legs exposed. The cleavage at her chest exuded the charm of a mature woman...
"To the baby’s daddy. Thanks for all your hard work," Jiang Wanyi said, raising her Coke.
"It’s no trouble. I enjoy it, too."
They lightly clinked their drinks. Jiang Wanyi took a small sip, while Chen Yuan took a big gulp.
"So..."
Jiang Wanyi said lightly, "Do you feel a little bit happy?"
"Of course. Didn’t the doctor say I’m a fortunate man..."
’Fuck!’
’What did I just say?!’
The air suddenly fell silent and seemed to freeze.
Jiang Wanyi’s body went completely still, the only sound being the THUMP-THUMP of her heart...
"M-Maybe I should go now..."
"Don’t talk! Watch the TV!"