Chapter 574. Sensitive and Fragile
“Mom! Go back!”
“Why are you always at my house! I’m pregnant, but I’m not bedridden and helpless!”
Ning Chu had never been angry at her mother, even when her mother didn’t approve of Wen Yang and hoped she would marry someone from a good family. She would only argue back verbally, insisting she would marry no one but Wen Yang.
But today, she firmly lost her temper at her mother.
Her mother stared at her in shock, a hint of disappointment flickering in her eyes, but soon that was replaced with a gentle smile. “Alright, alright, I’ll finish cleaning and then I’ll leave?”
Ning Chu’s anger came on suddenly, but it dissipated just as fast when she saw her mother’s fleeting sadness, transforming into a deep sense of guilt.
She opened her mouth to apologize but the words wouldn’t come out, so she just slumped down on the sofa, curling up into a ball.
Morning sickness had started at the six-week mark, and it was more powerful than she had anticipated.
Her emotions had become unpredictable; one moment she would be playfully laughing, the next she would suddenly sulk with a dark expression. Her spirit was extraordinarily drained, and even ten hours of sleep didn’t feel like enough rest.
Nausea and dry heaving had become the norm, and facing a table full of delicious food left her unable to eat, forcing herself to consume a little more.
The attentive care and strict guidelines at home not only made it hard for her to adjust but also increased her stress.
“Mom…”
When she spoke again, her voice was trembling and watery.
She rarely cried, but these past few days the tears sprang forth uncontrollably, a whim of vulnerability that even made her feel ridiculous.
“What’s wrong? Don’t stress too much; if there’s something on your mind, just tell me.”
Her mother set down the mop, sat beside her, and gently wrapped her arms around her frail shoulders to comfort her.
“I just feel so tired…”
“How about I ask Wen Yang to come back for a while?”
“That would affect his work too much.”
Ning Chu leaned against her mother’s side; once a strong woman herself, she now resembled a fragile porcelain doll, her hair in disarray against her cheek, looking pitifully weak.
“Am I bothering you a bit too much?”
She responded without hesitation, “No.”
Her mother could see through her insincerity but didn’t press the issue, helping her smooth out her wild hair and tying it into a ponytail with a hair tie.
It seemed her hair wasn’t as smooth as it used to be.
“I’ll finish cleaning, then I’m going to book a wedding banquet at a hotel. What do you think about 2,600 per table? I expect about seven to eight tables of guests.”
“Uh-huh…”
“Don’t think too much, go play a game. Didn’t you remodel that room just for gaming?”
“No way, it’s for the baby.”
It was the first time her mother suggested that Ning Chu relax by playing games; usually, her mother was quite disapproving of them.
Once her mother left, the house fell silent.
Ning Chu stared blankly at the movie playing on the projector; her emotions were slightly more stable than before.
She began to habitually stroke her belly, lifting her shirt to check the silvery stretch marks that indicated a life was growing within.
But her mother hadn’t been gone long when there was a sound at the door.
With a beep, the electronic lock clicked open, and Wen Yang walked into the living room holding a three-layer cheeseburger.
“Hey, darling! Come eat your burger! It’s a three-layer cheeseburger!”
Ning Chu lifted her head in a daze.
Her reddened eyes glimmered with moisture, her complexion dull, a pimple had appeared on her formerly fair forehead, and she looked as wilted as a droopy flower.
Wen Yang’s heart ached.
With his usual cheerful smile, he jogged over. “Didn’t you say you wanted a burger? I specially bought this for you.”
“I don’t want to eat, it’s too greasy.”
Ning Chu mumbled, glancing at the wall clock.
“It’s only five o’clock; did you come home early?”
Since her mother mentioned that her moods were noticeably off, Wen Yang had taken the day off and hurried back.
It was said that rising pregnancy hormones could create an imbalance affecting emotional stability, and when combined with prenatal anxiety, it could easily lead pregnant women into deep depressive states.
But Wen Yang shook his head. “No, the company was dead today, nothing to do, so I just left early to keep you company.”
“Want to try a bite of the burger? It’s from a new American burger joint.”
“Okay.”
Ning Chu couldn’t refuse when he held the burger up to her mouth, so she took a small bite.
The high-calorie food truly improved her mood; after just one bite, she couldn’t help but smile brightly, “It’s delicious.”
“Want another bite? Just don’t eat too much; this whole thing is enough calories for the day.”
“Ah~”
She tried to open her mouth wide, and Wen Yang flattened the burger to ensure she could stuff her mouth full, cheeks bulging like a little hamster.
After finally chewing and swallowing, Ning Chu shook her head. “You finish it; I’m a bit too full now.”
“I’m full too.”
Even with those words, Wen Yang had devoured the burger in less than two minutes.
Like magic, he pulled a can of cola out of his briefcase and took big gulps, washing away any greasy taste.
Upon seeing the cola, Ning Chu’s eyes lit up as she wanted to beg him for a sip, but her pregnant status made it hard to ask.
“I’m going to the bathroom to shower and change,” Wen Yang said, placing the half-empty cola on the coffee table, complaining, “It’s getting hotter; just walking a few steps outside makes me sweaty, and my shirt clings to my body.”
“Exactly, hurry and wash up.”
Ning Chu’s gaze was glued to the cola, unable to look away.
She hadn’t had a drink in months! Since starting to prepare for the pregnancy, her most indulgent drink had been her homemade milk tea—barely sweetened—which she had to sneak.
Wen Yang went into the bathroom with his clothes to shower, and just after the door closed, Ning Chu couldn’t wait any longer. She grabbed the cola and took careful sips.
The fizzy bubbles teased her tongue, and the icy refreshment was enjoyable from head to toe, prompting soft moans of pleasure from her.
Not wanting to overindulge and risk being caught, she returned the cola to its spot, thinking, just a taste will do~
When Wen Yang returned, with a little trick, he quickly brightened Ning Chu’s mood. She was no longer staring blankly, zoned out, and instead happily switched to a funny movie to continue watching.
“Wen Yang, want to go shopping tonight?”
From across the living room, Ning Chu called out from the sofa.
Wen Yang, in the bathroom, quickly responded, “Aren’t you worried it’ll be hot? Where are we going to shop?”
“It won’t be hot after eight or nine, just some casual shopping~”
“Okay!”
A quick shower didn’t take long, and soon Wen Yang emerged, towel-drying his wet hair and wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts.
He glanced at the cola on the coffee table and teased, “Have you been sneaking sips?”
“No.” Ning Chu shook her head with a straight face. “How could I sneak any?”
Even though the cola can hadn’t moved, Wen Yang saw through her little act. He didn’t dwell on it, casually tossing the towel aside, and asked, “What do you want to eat tonight?”
“Didn’t we just eat?”
Ning Chu pouted and mumbled, “Hubby, I was a bit harsh on Mom earlier…”
She was still quite concerned about what had happened earlier.
“Mom won’t mind; I can apologize for you next time.”
“I’ll handle it myself…”
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.