"During a group executive meeting, when Na Muzhong spoke, the other seven people dared not to reply," Zheng Wei said, understanding Na Muzhong well. "She fundamentally doesn't trust men, so if you've truly decided, what you need to do is give her a sense of security."
"I think what Old Zheng said is plausible, but it takes too long. Don't you have no other opportunity to get close to her besides warming her bed? In my opinion, why not have a child? With a child, you can tie her down," Lin Xin suggested, believing this was the best method.
"Do you think Na Muzhong is like your other women? I guarantee that if she knew she was pregnant, the first thing she'd do is get an abortion," Zheng Wei scoffed, reaching out to pat Lin Xin on the head.
"Furthermore, setting aside Na Muzhong's personality, this idea itself is a bit despicable. A child is not a pet. Even before marriage, one must carefully consider both parties' attitudes before deciding to have a child. Otherwise, what you're doing will only hurt her." Regarding children, Zheng Wei deeply empathized. The arrival of a child is best when born under the parents' expectations, otherwise, bringing a child into the world would be suffering, let alone for the child's mother.
Zheng Wei's words successfully silenced both Lin Xin and Lu Taobao.
"She's not a fool; she's just strict about matters of the heart. If you've truly made up your mind, what does it matter if it takes longer? It's rare for our Old Lu to like a woman for the first time in so many years," Zheng Wei added the last part as if joking.
Lin Xin covered his head and shook it vigorously. "That woman Na Muzhong looks like she's impenetrable. Waiting like this, who knows how long it will take. What if she just packs up and leaves Old Lu, leaving Old Lu to have only warmed her bed in vain?"
"Lin Xin, do you know why you've never settled down?" Zheng Wei took a sip of his drink, his tone laced with a smile.
"Why?" Lin Xin asked, confused.
"Because your mind is filled with such thoughts. My experience tells me that if I truly, desperately want to spend the rest of my life with a woman, I wouldn't be so concerned about losses, whether it's time or, even more so, money. These are things I'm willing to give. You can't buy willingness with a thousand pieces of gold." Seeing Lin Xin still looking bewildered, he continued, "As for you, you've always been accustomed to using money to dismiss women. Women, to you, are nothing more than things obtained with money. You say Na Muzhong is defensive, but in reality, you are more defensive. You have less security in relationships. Because you fundamentally don't believe in these transactional relationships."
Zheng Wei's critique of Lin Xin was spot-on. Even the silent Lu Taobao nodded, admitting that Zheng Wei's words were indeed very insightful.
"So, it all depends on Old Lu now. If it truly comes to the point of complete separation, then Old Lu won't have any regrets, after all, he has tried his best," Zheng Wei said.
"Brother, you can be an emotional and psychological expert now," Lin Xin said, hitting the table somewhat excitedly.
Zheng Wei smiled without offering any explanation.
These were merely words of experience. In the past, he had been too confident about matters of the heart, always believing there would be a woman who loved him, no matter what he did, she would never leave him.
But the memories of those past events mocked his naivety. If someone plays with emotions, there will be retribution.
If those were indeed events from a past life, then Zheng Wei was incredibly fortunate to have a second chance at life...
Otherwise, he wouldn't even know how he lost everything.
"Don't try to cut corners in relationships," Zheng Wei said to Lu Taobao. "From now on, you can directly disregard Lin Xin's advice."
"I'm already this old, I don't expect to find someone I truly connect with. At worst, it will be like this. I have no worries now. As long as you guys can come out for drinks in the future, you're welcome!"
Recently, Zheng Wei had noticed that the thing he had been worried about had indeed happened. Shen Xiaoyan had started to lose her appetite. As soon as she ate a little, she would vomit uncontrollably. Even though she had been plump and healthy just recently, after a few days of this, she began to look frail. Seeing a doctor had no effect, and they could only wait for this period to pass.
Because Shen Xiaoyan kept vomiting, Zheng Wei had asked Na Gu to prepare lighter dishes. Although it had slightly eased things, after a day or two, she was still the same, as if she was about to expel all her internal organs.
Zheng Wei had initially been sent to the company by Shen Xiaoyan, but he was constantly worried even at work. Whenever he had time, he would video call Shen Xiaoyan to check on her condition.
One afternoon, Zheng Wei was in a meeting when his phone suddenly rang urgently. Zheng Wei gestured to the people speaking and looked at the caller ID, it was from home. He quickly got up and walked out of the conference room.
"Na Gu? What's wrong with Xiaoyan?" Zheng Wei's heart was pounding. He must have known something had happened to Shen Xiaoyan, or Na Gu wouldn't call so suddenly. Thus, he answered the phone while walking towards the elevator.
As he answered the call, he was already preparing to go home.
"Young Master, Xiaoyan is still vomiting, and this time there are blood streaks." It was Na Gu's first time seeing such severe morning sickness.
Hearing this, Zheng Wei's hand holding the phone grew weak. He grunted, hung up the phone, and quickly went to get his car. On the way, he called Sima Han, asking him to rush to the Zheng residence.
Since Shen Xiaoyan became pregnant, Sima Han had rarely appeared. Although he and Zheng Wei didn't get along well, he answered Zheng Wei's call promptly this time.
...
When Zheng Wei arrived home, Sima Han had also just arrived. Zheng Wei glanced at Sima Han, who asked in a very normal tone, "Her body should be fine. It's just that her morning sickness is delayed and more severe than usual. Don't look so worried; it will affect her mood and make her afraid."
Hearing Sima Han's words, Zheng Wei realized how worried he looked. He gave a gruff grunt and then stepped into the house.
The two dogs also seemed very worried. As soon as they saw Zheng Wei, they both rushed out from behind. They had grown quite a bit, especially the golden retriever, Little Cantaloupe, who had grown a lot.
"You should come in and see. She's been like this for several days. The food is already very bland, but it's still no use. The hospital checks showed no problems," Zheng Wei said, his brows furrowed with uncontrollable worry. He was somewhat at a loss, knowing Shen Xiaoyan was suffering but not knowing how to resolve this predicament.
Sima Han nodded and followed Zheng Wei inside. Na Gu was pacing anxiously. Seeing Zheng Wei return, she seemed to have found her backbone. Shen Xiaoyan was sitting reclined on the sofa. Seeing Zheng Wei return, she gave him a weak smile.
Zheng Wei knew what she was thinking when he saw her smile. She must have not wanted him to worry.
"Silly," he sighed and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"Sima Han, please come and examine her," Zheng Wei said, sitting down beside her, his eyes intently watching Sima Han take her pulse.
"Her pulse is very normal. As for the reaction, Xiaoyan's is indeed a bit strong. I have some methods here, strictly speaking, they are recipes. You can try to use these to regulate her body."
Shen Xiaoyan's notebook for writing was placed nearby. Hearing Sima Han say this, Zheng Wei nodded, reached out to take the pen and paper, and said, "Tell me, I'll write it down."
"En," Sima Han began to recount, item by item.
Na Gu listened from behind, her expression becoming increasingly curious. When Zheng Wei finished writing down the four recipes, Na Gu couldn't contain her curiosity and couldn't help but ask Sima Han, "Doctor Sima, these sound like very ordinary dishes. Even the few Chinese herbs seem very common."
"These are things I developed myself. Although they look simple, they are actually very time-consuming. If you have time, I can demonstrate the preparation process. The rest is just boiling and steaming," Sima Han explained.
"Young Master, since Doctor Sima is free now, why don't you let me learn? This is my first time trying, and I'm afraid of making mistakes." Na Gu was also very concerned about Shen Xiaoyan's health.
Zheng Wei nodded. The house had all the necessary ingredients. However, just as Na Gu was preparing to go to the independent kitchen to get busy, Zheng Wei suddenly stopped her. "Na Gu, I'll go learn first. She's suffering for the child. I want to learn this personally."
Na Gu was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, then I'll take care of Xiaoyan here."
"Don't cut your hand," Shen Xiaoyan raised her notebook to show Zheng Wei.
Zheng Wei's heart warmed. He nodded and grunted in response.
...
The independent kitchen at home was very large. Even with two men standing together, there was plenty of space.
Zheng Wei stood by and watched. Sima Han's knife skills were very sharp and efficient, indicating he had been doing this for a long time.
"Do you often do this?" Zheng Wei asked, his fingers clenched tightly.
"En, I thought she wouldn't have such a reaction this time, but I didn't expect it to be so severe. These meals should suit her appetite." To be precise, these were dishes he had made for her based on her taste at the time, after dozens of adjustments to arrive at the most suitable ones.
Hearing Sima Han calmly mention "in the past," Zheng Wei's expression turned somewhat sour.
"You don't need to have such hostility towards me. Before she got pregnant, I truly thought I had a chance, but in reality, ever since you gained that memory, I lost my advantage. I don't care about you; as long as she's happy," Sima Han's inner thoughts were.
Moreover, he disliked getting involved when she was already married. If he liked her, he would pursue her, but that would have to be under the condition that both parties were single.
"Teach me!" Zheng Wei blurted out the three words. Although his face was still very sour, his eyes were clearly attentive.
Sima Han meticulously demonstrated each step until Zheng Wei had noted down all the necessary precautions.
"After preparing these, they should be steamed or boiled. The taste should be at the level I mentioned earlier. If the weather is good, you can take her out for walks, to the park, anywhere." This was Sima Han's final instruction.
...
When the two emerged from the independent kitchen, it was already two hours later. Sima Han walked to the living room and spontaneously sat opposite Shen Xiaoyan, asking about her recent condition as if they were old friends.
When he saw Shen Xiaoyan's profile as she lowered her head, he felt an indescribable mix of disappointment and happiness...
Zheng Wei, who had been away at the company for half a month, began working from home again when Shen Xiaoyan's vomiting became severe. Therefore, for the past few days, Shen Xiaoyan and Na Gu often saw Zheng Wei moving his laptop into the independent kitchen. He would then reply to inquiries while cooking, appearing very busy. However, when Shen Xiaoyan leaned in to take a look, he would tell her to wait outside obediently.
This was Zheng Wei's first time following Sima Han's prescriptions. After he finished everything, he asked Na Gu to help serve the dishes.
Shen Xiaoyan had been unable to eat for the past few days, and the weather was also a bit hot and dry, so her appetite was very poor. However, when Zheng Wei served her a bowl of cooked food, the rich aroma hidden in the broth unexpectedly stimulated her appetite.
Zheng Wei was in a state of extreme tension. He watched Shen Xiaoyan take a bite, his eyes practically glued to her, afraid that the dish he made wasn't as good as Sima Han's.
Shen Xiaoyan lowered her head and took a bite. She knew there were medicinal herbs in it, but she couldn't smell them at all, and the first bite made her want a second.
"Heaven bless us, Xiaoyan can finally eat. Look how much weight you've lost these past few days!" Na Gu was also watching nervously from behind. Seeing Shen Xiaoyan eating with relish, she also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Xiaoyan, don't lie to me, is it really delicious?" Zheng Wei could cook, but this was his first attempt at such a complex and advanced dish. He knew Shen Xiaoyan's personality; she was considerate and might pretend it was delicious even if it wasn't.
Shen Xiaoyan nodded, picked up the pen and paper, and wrote, "It's really delicious."
Receiving Shen Xiaoyan's confirmation again, Zheng Wei finally smiled. He sat opposite Shen Xiaoyan, and the atmosphere between them was very warm as they ate dinner.
"If there's anything you feel is unsuitable, you must tell me, okay?" Zheng Wei's confidence had inexplicably increased by a lot. "Sima Han said these accompanying dishes can be changed within a reasonable range, so try them first. If you want to change anything, I'll change it tomorrow!"
Zheng Wei's selfish thought was to erase all the accompanying dishes Sima Han had mentioned, as if this could erase Sima Han's presence. However, these were indeed dishes his wife liked, so after thinking about it, Zheng Wei could only grumble secretly. After all, his wife was the most important.
...