She sat at the computer all day, completely engrossed in writing, except for feeding the baby.
She was busy, and Ling Yuchen was even busier, not even coming out of his study to eat.
He was getting ahead of his work, so that when he returned to the old house tomorrow, there wouldn't be too many files to deal with.
Gong Zhijing knew he was busy, so she didn't go to disturb him.
Unknowingly, night descended, and the hazy moonlight, shrouded in mist, enveloped the entire Linglu Mountain.
The silence of the mountains and wilderness was accompanied by a few insect chirps. The layered vegetation was hidden in the night, forming a stark contrast with the villa that stretched from the foot of the mountain to its summit.
The warm yellow light shone gently on Gong Zhijing's face. Suddenly immersed, she felt a shadow fall before her.
She subconsciously looked up, her gaze meeting those deep, narrow, cold eyes.
"Are you done?"
Gong Zhijing's eyes, looking at him, were clear and bright, filled with confusion.
"Yes, it's very late."
Ling Yuchen casually sat down beside her. Although curious about what she was doing, he didn't peek.
Gong Zhijing glanced out the window at the darkening sky. She checked the time; it was already 6:30 PM.
She had fed the baby around 4 PM and had been sitting here, motionless, for over two hours.
Although Ling Yuchen hadn't asked, Gong Zhijing knew he was curious about what she was doing.
Suddenly, she really wanted to tell him this good news.
It would be stifling not to share happy things with someone.
Qiao Xinyue and Wen Xuanyuan were both traveling and couldn't spare her any attention. Ling Yuchen was the only one she could share with.
She smiled and asked, "Do you want to know what I'm doing?"
Seeing her mysterious demeanor, Ling Yuchen played along and asked, "So, what are you doing?"
"I'm writing a novel, a 'domineering CEO' type!"
Ling Yuchen showed no surprise and couldn't help but praise her with a smile, "Mhm, impressive!"
"Did you already know?"
His reaction was too calm, making Gong Zhijing a little suspicious.
Ling Yuchen said matter-of-factly, "Yes, you talked in your sleep last night."
"Impossible! Did you peek at my computer?"
Gong Zhijing wouldn't believe his nonsense, as she had no habit of talking in her sleep.
"Alright, actually, I accidentally saw the notes you left behind." Ling Yuchen confessed directly.
Gong Zhijing felt a little embarrassed and meekly asked, "How much did you see?"
Those notes were for her to record character names, relationships, and the outline.
For some reason, even though she had told Ling Yuchen about this, she didn't want him to read her novel.
She felt awkward, uncomfortable, and very shy.
"Just a quick glance," Ling Yuchen said, looking at her with amusement, his tone sincere.
"Okay, but I don't want you to read it right now."
Ling Yuchen complied, "Then I won't. Alright, let's go eat."
"Wait, I need to feed Leyou first."
Gong Zhijing felt a strong fullness in her chest, especially on the left side, which was becoming hard.
She frowned deeply but didn't voice her discomfort, thinking it would be fine.
Ling Leyou was drowsy but still felt hungry in her sleep.
Soon, the discomfort eased, and Gong Zhijing didn't think much of it. After pumping out the residual milk, she went to eat.
Ling Yuchen hadn't noticed her discomfort at all, just carefully served her food.
After dinner, Ling Yuchen wanted some intimacy, but Gong Zhijing's eyes were glued to the computer.
Thinking of the pile of files in the study, he resigned himself to dealing with them.
He hadn't felt this way before, but now he increasingly found these matters bothersome.
Sometimes he even wondered why he had expanded the group's business by a third more than before, leading to so much more work.
Thinking back now, he felt foolish at that time.
Gong Zhijing was unaware of his thoughts. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, her mind overflowing with inspiration, feeling like she could work all night.
Time flowed by. It wasn't until the nanny brought in Ling Leyou, who couldn't be soothed, that she reluctantly put down the keyboard.
As she casually took the child, she accidentally touched her chest. A sharp pain surged through her nerves, making her tremble and let out an involuntary groan.
"Madam, are you alright?" the nanny asked, confused.
Gong Zhijing hadn't experienced this before but knew it was a bad sign.
"My chest hurts here. I touched it when I picked up the baby, and it started hurting badly."
Strangely, it stopped hurting when she wasn't touching it. She tentatively pressed gently. Even though she was prepared, she still gasped in pain.
The nanny, being experienced, immediately said, "Madam, are you experiencing engorgement? This is most likely mastitis caused by a milk duct blockage!"
Gong Zhijing's face suddenly turned pale. She asked with a hint of fear, "What should I do? Leyou just drank my milk, will it affect her?"
She had to return to the old house tomorrow for an engagement party. What if something went wrong at this critical juncture?
"It's okay. You just can't take anti-inflammatory medication while breastfeeding; you'll have to bear it. I'll give you a massage to clear the blockage, but given the severity, you might develop a fever tonight..."
Gong Zhijing's mind went blank. A fever was something she hadn't anticipated.
She could only let the baby nurse from the unaffected side and wait for the nanny to massage and clear the blockage on the other.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Ou immediately went to boil some houttuynia cordata for her to drink, claiming it had anti-inflammatory properties.
After confirming with the nanny that it wouldn't affect the baby, she agreed.
After feeding, Ling Leyou fell asleep. Fortunately, she was always a good baby.
Next came the agonizing massage. Even touching it hurt, but she had to let the nanny continue.
It felt like someone was constantly pressing on her wound.
Gong Zhijing gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and forced herself not to make a sound, no matter how painful it was.
Hot compresses, cold compresses, massage. The nanny was sweating profusely.
"Madam, the lump has shrunk considerably, but it still needs more massage."
After the session, Gong Zhijing did feel much better, though she wasn't sure if it was due to the pain numbing her senses or if it had genuinely eased.
Then she drank a large bowl of water boiled by Aunt Ou, after which she took Ling Leyou to bed.
Ling Yuchen was still in his study and likely wouldn't finish until late. She didn't go to disturb him and returned to her room directly.
Writing all day had been exhausting. Her back ached, her vision was blurry, and her head throbbed.
She drifted off to sleep in a daze.
It was past 11 PM when Ling Yuchen finally emerged from his study after finishing his work.
His brows were etched with deep fatigue; he just wanted to finish up and go to bed.
Returning to the room, both mother and daughter were sleeping soundly.
He tenderly stroked his daughter's face, then leaned down and gently kissed Gong Zhijing's forehead. He felt a patch of burning heat.