"Now you're scared, aren't you?" Jiaxi chuckled and stopped, holding her neck, intending to kiss her.
Mengyao blocked his lips and said, "No, be careful not to hurt the baby."
Jiaxi said resentfully, "Can't I even have a kiss? If I had known, I should have used contraception."
Mengyao pushed him, "It'll be fine in a few more months. Do you think being a parent is that easy?"
Jiaxi couldn't resist a light peck on her cheek and asked, "Still a few more months? Do we have to wait until you give birth and finish your confinement? I'll go crazy!"
"Mom said the first three months and the last three months are out, so maybe only the middle period is okay." Mengyao's face turned red as she finished speaking.
Jiaxi hugged her and said, "Ten months of pregnancy, and only two or three months in the middle? That's too short."
Mengyao quickly tugged at him, "Grandpa and Mom are waiting for us to go back for dinner. Hurry up and drive. What are you thinking about now?"
Jiaxi let go of her, looking somewhat disgruntled, "Yes, wife, sit tight. I'll drive now."
Mengyao smiled at him, finding him truly childlike.
As soon as they entered the house, they smelled the aroma of food. Jiaxi led Mengyao to the dining room, saying cheerfully, "Mom, what delicious food are you making today? It smells so good..."
But before he could finish, he saw Luo Hang sitting next to his aunt, also waiting for dinner.
"Jiaxi, you're back." Luo Hang looked at him and Mengyao, smiling with ill intent.
Mengyao didn't have a good impression of Luo Hang, finding him a bit rough. She nervously gripped Jiaxi's hand.
Jiaxi shielded her, giving her a reassuring look, and smiled at Luo Hang, "You're quite a rare guest. It's unusual for you to come back for dinner. What's wrong? Have you gambled away all your aunt's money again?"
Mengyao saw Jiaxi's aunt looking very awkward, but with Luo Hang present, she didn't retort to Jiaxi's words as she usually would.
Luo Hang, however, didn't seem to mind Jiaxi's jab. He chuckled, "I'll come back for dinner whenever I please. I haven't asked my mother for money, and I even bought her a gift."
"Yes, Luo Hang is truly filial. He even bought me a gift." Jiaxi's aunt said, fiddling with the pearl necklace around her neck.
Mengyao noticed that the pearl necklace wasn't very valuable. The pearls looked like cultured freshwater pearls.
Luo Hang had spent a little money, just to get more from his mother.
Jiaxi met Luo Hang's gaze coldly, seeing through his petty trick.
"What are you all talking about? It sounds so lively. Why aren't you all sitting down for dinner?" The old man appeared at some point and took the head seat.
Jiaxi's aunt immediately pulled Luo Hang up and respectfully called out, "Dad."
"Grandpa."
"Grandpa."
Old Mr. Hong merely glanced at Luo Hang before smiling at Jiaxi and Mengyao, "Why are you both standing? Sit down. Jiaxi, help your wife."
"Grandpa, I'm fine. I haven't had any reactions all day. This child is very well-behaved and isn't causing any trouble." Mengyao said as she sat down.
The old man said happily, "Good, good. Tell the kitchen to serve the dishes quickly, so my great-grandson doesn't go hungry."
Jiaxi's aunt hurried to the kitchen and helped the servants bring a dish to the table.
Luo Hang sat there with his head down, seemingly insignificant, but he kept glancing at Jiaxi and Mengyao.
He thought to himself that this Hong Jiaxi was quite something. In the afternoon, he was holding his mistress at the amusement park, looking so intimate. And now at home in the evening, he was acting so caring and considerate towards his pregnant wife.
Hong Jiaxi, that brat, was a good actor!
Luo Hang was inwardly amused when Jiaxi's mother brought a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Mengyao, saying, "Mengyao, drink this soup before you eat. It's nourishing and good for the baby."
Mengyao found the smell of the soup unbearable and said, "Mom, can I not drink this nourishing soup today? It tastes strange and makes me nauseous."
"This soup contains precious medicinal herbs, which is why it's a bit bitter. I've been stewing it all day. Drink it quickly." Jiaxi's mother stared at her, insistent that she drink it.
Mengyao looked to Jiaxi for help. She really couldn't stand the strange taste of the soup and didn't want to drink it.
Jiaxi picked up the soup bowl and smiled, "Let me taste it first. How does it taste?"
Jiaxi's mother glared at him, afraid he would drink it and say, "What are you tasting? This soup is only beneficial for pregnant women. It's useless for you."
Jiaxi took a small sip and found the taste indeed not great.
But seeing his mother's angry expression, he could only play the peacemaker, handing the soup to Mengyao and saying, "I've tasted it. It's okay. Listen to Mom and drink it. This is her good intention."
"Drink it." The old man also chimed in, "It's good to drink more soup during pregnancy. It's good for your health."
Everyone else at the table watched coldly, and no one spoke up for her.
Mengyao had no choice but to take the bowl of soup and drink it all in two or three gulps.
Jiaxi's mother immediately smiled and said, "Good girl, good girl. Eat more dishes."
Mengyao forced down the discomfort in her stomach and heart, and had to smile and say, "Okay, thank you, Mom."
After dinner, Jiaxi and Mengyao returned to their room.
Jiaxi thought about Luo Hang's expression at dinner, which was completely different from before. Every time they made eye contact, his face seemed to carry a mocking tone. This was not right.
But he couldn't figure out what was wrong with Luo Hang.
Mengyao saw that he was distracted and didn't know what he was thinking. She couldn't hold back and questioned, "I clearly didn't want to drink that soup just now. Why couldn't you talk to your mom for me and tell her not to make me drink it? You even joined her in persuading me to drink it. What's going on with you?"
"My mom had good intentions, for you and the baby in your belly. I couldn't really say anything to her. You just went along with her and drank the soup. It's just a matter of taste, and drinking it won't do any harm," Jiaxi explained.
Mengyao felt even more uncomfortable hearing him say that and said angrily, "You can't say it like that. She can't use the excuse of doing it for my own good to force me to drink soup that she likes. Isn't that forcing me to endure something unpleasant?"
Jiaxi thought she was making a fuss, but he still coaxed her, "I'll talk to my mom privately later and ask her not to make this kind of soup for you anymore. Is that acceptable?"
"How can you say that, as if I'm being unreasonable?" Mengyao felt he still didn't understand what she was trying to express or her thoughts. "Do you know how uncomfortable I felt at dinner? All of you were saying it was for my own good..."
"Miss! Aren't my family and I good enough to you? Is it that big of a deal that you drank a bowl of soup you didn't like, to the point of escalating it to the level of our whole family bullying you?" Jiaxi said, feeling annoyed and not wanting to listen to her complaints and nagging anymore.