Qin Tianyi noticed that Su Su seemed preoccupied after returning from the mall. He patted her shoulder as she stared blankly at her laptop and asked, "Still not sleeping? What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing, let's just go to bed early," Su Su replied, closing her laptop and preparing for sleep.
Qin Tianyi suddenly scooped her up and placed her on the bed. Ignoring her protests, he kissed her fiercely.
Su Su chuckled softly and pushed against him, "Be careful not to hurt the baby. You'll have to restrain yourself for a few months."
Qin Tianyi lay beside her with a mournful expression, counting on his fingers, "A few months? I think I'll have to endure a year."
"A year?" Su Su said, her face slightly flushed, "It's been over a month now, and there are still eight months until the baby is born."
"When you've just given birth, you'll definitely be weak and need to rest during confinement. We'll have to wait until your body fully recovers," Qin Tianyi turned and placed his hand on her belly, sighing, "I don't think a year will be enough."
Su Su burst into laughter, surprised by his thoughtfulness. She turned to look at him and said, "Then you'll have to work hard."
"It's fine, it's all for our baby. I can endure it," Qin Tianyi said he could endure it, but then he unceremoniously hugged her and kissed her again.
Su Su was almost overwhelmed by his advances and pushed him away forcefully, "Stop messing around. Go restrain yourself somewhere else."
Qin Tianyi stopped kissing her but still held her tightly.
Su Su said with amusement, "Perhaps we should sleep in separate rooms. I'm afraid you'll develop a problem if you hold back too much."
"No," Qin Tianyi insisted. "I've always been pure and abstinent. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Sleeping alone would be more frustrating."
Su Su didn't argue with him and leaned into his embrace, trying to shift his mood. "Tianyi, do you know who I saw at the mall today?"
"Who did you see?" Qin Tianyi asked, though his words were pleasant, he was already feeling aroused and trying to calm his restless heart.
"When I went to the restroom, I saw Jia Nanfang at the Western restaurant on the west side of the mall. There was a man about her age with her," Su Su said. "It's so strange. With her status, why would she be dining with another man in a place like that? Isn't she afraid of being photographed by paparazzi?"
The fire that had ignited within Qin Tianyi subsided considerably. He said thoughtfully, "She doesn't want to be seen. She's hiding in plain sight, deliberately meeting this person in a crowded mall."
Su Su hummed, "But I can't figure out what her relationship with him is. Why would they go to a crowded mall and then hide in a less crowded Western restaurant?"
Qin Tianyi suspected that the Western restaurant must be problematic. He asked, "What's the name of that Western restaurant? I need to check it out."
Su Su tried to recall, "I think it was called 'Yi Yuan' something restaurant."
Qin Tianyi frowned slightly. The people he had investigating Jia Nanfang had already uncovered something important.
When Jia Nanfang was young, before she joined Shu Corporation as Shu Zhongze's assistant, she had received sponsorship from a mysterious benefactor.
This mysterious benefactor also had an unusual relationship with Shu Zhongze's mother. Jia Nanfang was introduced to the elder Mrs. Shu by this mysterious person.
However, the identity of this mysterious benefactor could not be traced. Jia Nanfang's official resume before joining Shu Corporation was impeccably clean, as if she were a blank slate, which made it even more suspicious.
He had initially wanted to spare Su Su from worry and hadn't told her anything until the matter was clarified.
"What's wrong? Did you fall asleep?" Su Su asked when he remained silent for a long time.
Qin Tianyi said with some concern, "Jia Nanfang is not as simple as we think. You must be very wary of her."
"I know. Do you think she found out about my relationship with Shu Zhongze? When she asked me to design a dress last time, was she actually testing me?" Su Su had re-examined many things after discovering her blood relation to Shu Zhongze. She felt that the Shu Zhongze couple would eventually find her to confirm her blood ties with the Shu family.
Qin Tianyi agreed, "That's likely. Now that her own daughter is gone, it's more than just testing you. She definitely doesn't want you to have any claim to Shu Corporation."
"She's overthinking things. Even if Shu Zhongze insists on acknowledging me as his daughter, I have no interest in Shu Corporation," Su Su said dismissively.
"I know that, but she won't think that way," Qin Tianyi speculated. "She probably sees you as a thorn in her side now and won't let you off easily."
Su Su felt a chill run down her spine, never imagining that her blood relation to Shu Zhongze would bring such trouble.
Qin Tianyi hugged her tightly, "Don't be afraid. I'm here, and I won't let anything happen to you."
"With you here, I'm not afraid of anything," Su Su nestled closely against him.
"Oh, right. The doctor said you should get a comprehensive check-up at the obstetrics department. I'm resting at home these days, so I'll accompany you for the check-up tomorrow and see what our baby looks like," Qin Tianyi said excitedly.
Su Su smiled, "They're too small to see what they look like, but regular prenatal check-ups are necessary."
"Go to sleep. Don't move around too much. Pregnant women shouldn't stay up late."
Su Su bid him goodnight and drifted off to sleep, resting her head on his arm.
...
The next day, their visit to the hospital for the prenatal check-up brought them immense joy.
During the ultrasound, the doctor discovered two heartbeats, confirming that Su Su was carrying twins.
At present, Su Su's physical condition and the fetuses' development were all normal.
As they left the hospital and were on their way back, Qin Tianyi was still incredibly excited. He suddenly said to Xiao Lin, who was driving, "Don't go home yet. Let's go to a maternity and baby supplies store."
Su Su asked confusedly, "Why are we going to a maternity supplies store?"
"Let's go buy more little clothes for boys," Qin Tianyi said happily. "It's really a boy and a girl, so we need to prepare more things for boys."
Su Su smiled, "But the doctor only said twins, not necessarily a boy and a girl. How can you be so sure it's one of each?"
"I'm just sure," Qin Tianyi reverted to his illogical reasoning.
Su Su felt the urge to vomit again. She took out the vomit bag kept in the car and began to throw up uncontrollably.
Qin Tianyi quickly told Xiao Lin to pull over. He had heard that pregnant women experienced morning sickness, but he had never witnessed it firsthand.
Seeing Su Su suffer from bouts of intense vomiting during her pregnancy, he now understood how difficult it was for women to carry a child.
Qin Tianyi gently stroked her back and said with concern, "If I had known you would have such a hard time, we shouldn't have had another child."
After vomiting, Su Su felt much better. She looked at him weakly, "What nonsense are you talking about? Pregnant women feel like this in the first few months. It's a normal reaction, I'm fine."
Saying this, she asked Xiao Lin to continue driving. She thought that sitting in such a luxury car, one wouldn't feel the bumps, and Tianyi was just too worried about her.
Xiao Lin asked uncertainly, "Mr. Qin, are we still going to the maternity supplies store?"
"Not for now. Let's go home first. Su Su needs to rest," Qin Tianyi changed his mind.
After vomiting, Su Su drank some water and leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling incredibly secure.