Ch 138: Perfect

The following summer, Yan Nian underwent her first heart surgery.

Her post-operative condition wasn’t good. Because of her thin arteries, insufficient blood supply to the brain after surgery caused memory loss, slurred speech, and slightly sluggish reflexes.

She returned to the hospital several times afterward for various examinations. The doctor said these were post-operative aftereffects that would gradually improve. It was crucial to prevent the child from experiencing extreme emotions or engaging in strenuous activities.

She couldn’t attend dance classes anymore and could only lie at home each day. Xiao Yao often took her to the flower shop to play.

Although Le Tao was younger, due to Yan Nian’s condition, she was exceptionally well-behaved and obedient, never crying or throwing tantrums, making Xiao Yao even more heartbroken for her.

After Yan Nian’s surgery, Xiao Yao stayed by her side to care for her, while Jiang Lufang consistently looked after Le Tao. Le Tao, accustomed to this arrangement, didn’t cling to Jiang Lufang like Yan Nian did.

Xiao Yao was a patient person. For a whole year after the surgery, she accompanied Yan Nian, taking her to hospital check-ups, watching summer rain stream down the eaves, forming curtains of water along the windowsills.

She accompanied Yan Nian on autumn walks in the park, collecting maple leaves to make beautiful specimen frames and hanging them in each family member’s room. She also accompanied her in building snowmen in front of the university during the grand winter days.

A year and a half passed, and there was still no sign of pregnancy. Countless precious and expensive herbs had been consumed, an immeasurable amount of money spent. From expectation to disappointment, and back to her former indifferent attitude, even Old Madam Ju next door was helpless, shaking her head whenever she saw Xiao Yao, who had completely given up hope.

To say she wasn’t disappointed would be a lie, but her life now revolved around Yan Nian, leaving Xiao Yao no time for sorrow.

Zhuang Lingyun was also extremely busy recently. He took over Zhuang Hao’s business, now Chairman of the Four Seasons Lord, expanding operations after merging with the original company.

The company expanded several times over, the number of nationwide branches drastically increasing, recruiting numerous talents, and requiring business trips every few days, leaving him with no free time.

Even so, he consistently made time for seven days each month to stay home and be with her and the children.

Unable to travel far, they would choose nearby parks and wetlands, taking the family out to see the scenery and have picnics, enjoying a comfortable and fulfilling life.

Luo Li and Fu Jinglun, in the spring of their second year of dating, happily entered the marriage hall. They were a pair of happy enemies, feeling restless if they didn’t bicker daily.

Yet, miraculously, their relationship grew closer with each argument. Even if they fought fiercely in the morning, destroying half the house, they could still be seen arm-in-arm and intimately close at parties in the evening.

They always made up after their fights, never holding grudges overnight. Their relationship was both enviable and humorous.

That same summer, Zhao Fangyuan and Xiao Wenxing broke up.

After Xiao Wenxing’s incident, Zhao Fangyuan rushed to Xinjiang and never returned. Although the close-knit trio of girlfriends remained in contact, Zhao Fangyuan never mentioned anything about her and Xiao Wenxing, the process remaining quiet and unknown, yet the outcome was earth-shattering and publicly known.

Zhao Fangyuan initiated the breakup. She was tired of giving her all without receiving anything in return, tired of Xiao Wenxing’s constantly cold attitude. She publicly lamented her years of suffering and pain on her Moments, her tearful accusations causing Xiao Yao immense heartache.

If Xiao Wenxing weren’t so far away, Xiao Yao really wanted to pull off that scoundrel’s ears to serve as an appetizer for Zhao Fangyuan! Although she couldn’t do it herself, she could still give him a good scolding over the phone!

Xiao Wenxing didn’t retort, silently listening to Xiao Yao’s reprimand, only offering perfunctory comfort when she paused, telling her not to get upset, and even laughing heartlessly.

He was truly incorrigible!

Unbeknownst to Xiao Yao, over the past two years, Xiao Wenxing had accumulated millions in debt, with creditors constantly blocking his door, forcing the family to flee and move constantly, with no fixed abode.

Xiao Jianbo and his wife regretted their actions, but it was too late.

Xiao Wenxing was ruined. To repay his adoptive parents, he used his life savings to fill the bottomless pit, even dragging Zhao Fangyuan into significant losses. Yet, the other party remained unsatisfied, even mortgaging his last remaining house to loan sharks.

He merely expressed his stance, but was immediately labeled as unfilial, condemned as an ungrateful wretch.

Xiao Wenxing, heartbroken and disillusioned, chose to retreat and escape. He knew that if he continued to tangle with Xiao Jianbo and the others, he would likely be squeezed dry.

Now penniless, he couldn’t offer Zhao Fangyuan a future, his attitude toward life being one of resignation and indifference, living one day at a time.

So, he decided to play the villain to the end, cruelly pushing Zhao Fangyuan away to prevent her from wasting her time on him.

What a wonderful girl; he couldn’t bear to part with her, but he didn’t deserve such love.

—

After completely stopping medication, Xiao Yao’s menstrual period suddenly became irregular.

Sometimes it came every two or three months, sometimes twice a month, highly irregular, causing significant inconvenience to her life.

Old Madam Ju said that medicine has side effects, even the best medicine after prolonged use. However, it wasn’t a big deal; it would recover after a year or two of metabolism.

Xiao Yao didn’t worry about it. Later, Le Tao developed roseola infantum, running a high fever of 41 degrees Celsius. Zhuang Lingyun was away on business, so Xiao Yao and Jiang Lufang took turns caring for her at the hospital.

Later, she contracted hand, foot, and mouth disease due to a cross-infection at the hospital. Le Tao, once such a lively and cheerful child, was visibly thinner and listless, not speaking.

Xiao Yao was heartbroken, unable to eat or sleep well for a week. Finally, when Zhuang Lingyun rushed back after finishing his work, Xiao Yao fainted in his arms.

Zhuang Lingyun, rushing back to catch up on work, had been working overtime and hadn’t slept for three days. Seeing Xiao Yao unconscious in his arms, he felt dizzy.

Jiang Lufang was holding Le Tao, who was receiving an IV drip, unable to help, so she ran to the door to call a nurse. In a turn, Zhuang Lingyun had already picked up Xiao Yao and staggered towards the ward to find a doctor.

Thankfully, this was a hospital; doctors were readily available.

After a brief examination, the doctor frowned, causing Zhuang Lingyun’s heart to sink. “What’s wrong, doctor? Is my wife alright?”

The doctor said something that completely stunned Zhuang Lingyun. He stared blankly at the doctor’s eyes, incredulously asking, “What… what did you just say?”

The doctor, somewhat unnerved by his gaze, subconsciously took a few steps back and said, “I said she’s experiencing threatened miscarriage. It’s easier to miscarry before three months. You should immediately initiate admission procedures. She needs complete bed rest; even walking is dangerous.” At this point, the doctor suddenly realized something and looked at Zhuang Lingyun uncertainly, “This child… do you want it?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Three emphatic “yeses,” his head bobbing like a woodpecker. He seemed slightly disbelieving, with gradually rising elation. Looking at Xiao Yao’s face, he held her hand and kissed it repeatedly, his eyes welling up, muttering, “Of course we do! How could we not? She took so many medicines, she had such expectations and so much disappointment. How could we not…”

The doctor didn’t hear the last part, but he did hear the previous, immediately calling a nurse to arrange a ward and urging Zhuang Lingyun to complete the admission procedures, beginning the plan to save the pregnancy!

The results of the ultrasound and blood tests revealed something even more shocking—twins!

Xiao Yao was 29 when she became pregnant. While not considered a geriatric mother, her special physical condition and the fact she was carrying twins meant absolute bed rest was crucial until the pregnancy was stable.

Xiao Yao’s initial disbelief at learning she was pregnant, followed by the shock and elation of discovering it was twins, then the inability to move, lying in bed like a plank of wood, led to some depression.

For three whole months, 90 days, she lay there. Someone fed her, someone bathed and changed her clothes. Nowadays, using the toilet was the only thing she could do herself, requiring two assistants to support her arms, fearing she might slip and cause harm to herself and the babies.

Sometimes it was incredibly embarrassing, but there was no other way. The little darlings were hard-won; cherish every moment.

Throughout Xiao Yao’s pregnancy, Zhuang Lingyun suspended all travel plans. He delegated any work that could be done by others and only dealt with absolutely necessary tasks while watching over Xiao Yao using his laptop.

He was virtually inseparable, providing the utmost care—a perfect example of a great husband!

Even so, during Xiao Yao’s delivery, she almost made Zhuang Lingyun’s ancestors’ graves smoke with anger. The pain made her curse continuously, and the medical personnel couldn’t take it anymore, urging her to calm down and focus on giving birth.

After a near-death experience, she finally got through it.

She gave birth to two 6-pound princesses, and both mother and daughters were safe.

The moment everything ended, Xiao Yao felt her soul leave her body, lightly floating into the air. In a daze, she seemed to see Xiao Jianshan, suspended in mid-air, radiating golden light, smiling kindly at her, “It’s complete.”

Tears welled up in Xiao Yao’s eyes, “Dad, thank you.”

✦ ✦ ✦