During the first three months of pregnancy, Bai Yin suffered from severe morning sickness. She often felt dizzy and nauseous, vomiting frequently. No matter what she ate, it made her nauseous. She also had insomnia.
On top of that, Bai Yin had taken on a big budget fantasy costume drama, and she would never allow her physical condition to delay her work. So during that time, the tiny life in her belly tortured her until she was less than human.
Chen Huaixiao saw how haggard she looked and felt extremely distressed.
Bai Yin would never take time off during filming, and Chen Huaixiao could not force her. Nor could he take over carrying the baby for her.
If he could, he really would have preferred to take Bai Yin's place in experiencing all the physical pain and mental stress of bearing this child.
During this time, Chen Huaixiao was completely gloomy. He felt none of the joy of becoming a father for the first time.
Every day he ran to the set, personally picking Bai Yin up and dropping her off for work.
For the worst two weeks when Bai Yin's reactions were most severe, Chen Huaixiao even became her "personal assistant" who never left her side, holding an umbrella for her, bringing her water, adding clothes and rubbing her belly...
In the behind the scenes footage and photos from every promotional event for the fantasy drama, Chen Huaixiao's figure could be seen.
He either stood next to Bai Yin, or gazed at her from afar, his brow never relaxing for even a day.
Finally even Elder Master Chen could not stand to see it anymore.
During the time they were dating, Elder Master Chen had learned to use short videos.
He would often tap on trending keywords related to their CEO couple.
As a result, based on his viewing history, whenever he opened the short video app, his recommendations were filled with nothing but the latest, hottest videos of the CEO couple.
And recently, Elder Master Chen discovered that Chen Huaixiao had neglected his career yet again.
When he called Ephemeral Star Media several times, the answer was either that the CEO was in a meeting, or that the CEO was with a client...
But as soon as he opened the short video app, the CEO was clearly not in any damn meeting!
He spent all day on set, massaging and pampering Bai Yin.
Elder Master Chen angrily called him and rebuked, "Can't your wife afford to hire an assistant, that you have to fawn over her here? It's not like when you were newly dating, why are you still being so lovesick, neglecting your company just to revolve around your wife? Can't you have some ambition?"
Chen Huaixiao knew his grandfather had a hot temper, even at his advanced age of nearly ninety, he still burned hot.
He could only pull the phone away from his ear a bit, waiting for Elder Master Chen's temper to simmer down before patiently explaining, "Yin is having a bad reaction to her pregnancy, so I'm taking extra care of her."
"If you can't afford to hire assistants, then I'll hire them! Ten or eight of them, to wait on her hand and foot. You get back to the company where you belong!"
Chen Huaixiao paused, then said, "I don't feel at ease leaving her care to others. It won't be for much longer, there's only two more weeks until filming wraps."
"Is shooting this scene so important? How much money does she earn for it, that you indulge her so?"
"It's not about the pay." Chen Huaixiao said frankly, "This is her career, I have to support her."
"What about your own career?"
Chen Huaixiao blurted out, "My greatest career is to become an attentive husband, and a qualified father to her child."
Elder Master Chen was so angry he stamped his foot, cursing, "Useless mongrel!"
"Sorry, grandfather, to disappoint you."
When he got home, Chen Huaixiao told Bai Yin about his conversation with grandfather today, which earned him another scolding from his wife—
"How could you speak to grandfather that way!"
"I only told the truth."
"It looks to me like your greatest career is provoking your grandfather." Bai Yin gave him an exasperated look, waving her fringe fan, "You know what he expects of you, why must you do things he won't like? You could at least pretend!"
"I don't want to pretend. I pretended too much in front of him as a child. Now I just want to be myself."
Bai Yin lazily reclined on the sofa, reminiscing with emotion, "Eighteen-year-old big brother was so obedient. Who knew you'd become more and more rebellious as you grew up."
Chen Huaixiao said casually, "Because my wings are broken."
Bai Yin laughed at his silly statement. It was the first time she'd heard someone say they broke their own wings.
But after two laughs, she nearly vomited again.
Chen Huaixiao immediately ran over, grabbing an antique vase from the table to catch it.
Bai Yin painfully pushed the vase away, "No, get something worthless instead..."
Chen Huaixiao supported Bai Yin to the bathroom, watching her body convulsing. His heart ached.
Bai Yin took the warm water he handed her and rinsed her mouth. Seeing Chen Huaixiao's poor expression, she reassured, "It's no big deal, I'm used to vomiting now, don't worry too much."
Chen Huaixiao sat beside her on the sofa, softly caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. "Sleep for a while."
"Okay." Bai Yin nuzzled his hand and obediently closed her eyes.
She didn't fall deeply asleep, just rested her eyes.
After some unknown amount of time, Bai Yin felt the man beside her shift, his hand gently touching her still flat belly.
Then she felt him lean his jaw against her belly, mumbling, "Little brat, Chen Huaixiao has never begged anyone in his life. Consider this me begging you, stop tormenting your mama."
His broad, warm palm brushed lightly over her stomach for a while, then he threatened in a fierce tone, "When you come out, you'll still have to live under my hand for eighteen years. Think it over yourself."
"... "
Bai Yin was amused and angered by his silly behavior.
She opened her eyes and lifted Chen Huaixiao's face. "It's still an embryo, it can't understand your threats."
Chen Huaixiao righteously declared, "It's not a threat. To be precise, this is a business negotiation."
"Okay, you go ahead and negotiate with your child."
Bai Yin was tired and didn't want to argue with him. She let him mumble to the child through her belly...
Whether it was Chen Huaixiao's negotiations taking effect, or the morning sickness having run its course, Bai Yin gradually stopped vomiting and her condition improved.
Chen Huaixiao insisted it was related to his nightly "negotiations" before bed. It seemed the child had a sense of integrity and would be a good kid in the future.
She said very seriously to Chen Huaixiao, "Big brother, you're the best big brother in the whole world, and in the future you'll also be the best dad in the whole world."
The corners of Chen Huaixiao's mouth quirked up slightly as he confidently smiled, "Of course."
"... "
"Can you be a little more modest!"
"Why should excellent people be modest."
Bai Yin didn't want to say another word to him.
...
During Bai Yin's pregnancy, almost all her nutritional meals were made by Chen Huaixiao, with Tang Ka only helping out on the side.
This period of "training" had truly honed Chen Huaixiao, someone completely lacking any cooking talent who had failed countless times before, into a nutrition chef able to make all kinds of supplements and stews single-handedly.
During the seventh and eighth months when Bai Yin was craving sweets, whatever amount of cakes and desserts Tang Ka baked, she could eat just as much.
At first Chen Huaixiao was also lenient with her eating, but later after consulting the doctor, he intentionally restricted Bai Yin's sugar intake.
Bai Yin was very unhappy about this. Plus her hormone changes during pregnancy gave her a bad temper. The two often got into "sweet wars".
For instance, right now Chen Huaixiao had snatched away the chocolate candy in her hand when she wasn't looking. "You're thin now, but the doctor said if you don't control your diet, especially sugar intake, after giving birth you could rebound wildly. It will be very difficult for you to lose weight again then."
Bai Yin chased him, trying to grab it back. "I'm pregnant! Can't I even eat what I want when I'm pregnant?"
"You can eat, but the amount needs to be controlled."
"I see, Chen Huaixiao. You're afraid I'll get out of shape and look unattractive, right."
Chen Huaixiao looked at her. "I'm afraid of your efforts over all these years going up in smoke."
Bai Yin was suddenly tongue-tied. After a long pause, she mumbled, "You still care about that."
Chen Huaixiao placed the chocolate back in her palm, then held her hand. "Yin, your life is absolutely not just me and the child. You still have more beautiful scenery to explore. The only thing I can do is give you my full support."
Bai Yin silently handed Chen Huaixiao a chocolate candy, reluctantly gazing at it for a long time before finally putting it in his mouth. "Eat it quickly, don't let me see it!"
The sweetness spread across his tongue. Chen Huaixiao held her face and gave her a sudden kiss. "I can give you a little bit to eat."
Bai Yin laughed and licked his lips again. "I want more."
...
With the due date nearing, Chen Huaixiao went to the best maternity hospital in North City and consulted with Bai Yin's doctor about what to pay attention to during the birthing days.
In the evening, Bai Yin called him to ask about the doctor's instructions, but Chen Huaixiao did not answer.
She called Shen Bin, and Shen Bin said the CEO was in the company.
Having nothing to do, Bai Yin had Tang Ka take her to Xing Star Media.
Shen Bin personally welcomed her and worriedly said to Bai Yin, "Master Chen is in a bad mood and locked himself in the living room, refusing to see anyone."
"What happened?"
"He just went to the maternity doctor and happened to encounter a woman with a difficult labor. I heard she was in labor for 32 hours without giving birth and finally had massive bleeding. Master Chen saw her husband anxiously waiting outside the delivery room and came out looking lost. He's probably worried about a horrible outcome."
"Worried about a horrible outcome?"
"I apologize for misspeaking!"
Shen Bin immediately corrected himself: "The CEO was probably frightened. Madam, do you want to go in and take a look?" Bai Yin pushed open the door and entered the living room.
The living room lights were off, dimly lit. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the night sky was a dark blue during the transition between day and night, gloomy.
Chen Huaixiao sat alone on a chair, expressionlessly gazing out the window into the night. The neon lights occasionally illuminated his handsome face, and the tranquil depths of his eyes rippled with hidden undercurrents.
Bai Yin walked over to him and lightly placed her hand on his shoulder.
Chen Huaixiao gently held her hand. She accompanied him in silence, not saying a word.
Their tacit understanding had long surpassed thousands of words.
Chen Huaixiao gently kissed her palm. After a long while, he said in a low voice, "Bai Yin, you can never leave me."
"I promise."
...
In early March of spring, Chen Nian Bai was born into the world amidst the singing of orioles and sprouting of grass that comes with the spring days and fluttering of fallen petals.
Although Bai Yin's body recovered well, she still suffered some hardships during childbirth.
During that time, Chen Huaixiao almost lived in the postpartum care center, taking care of Bai Yin and the baby with the caregiver every day.
He had intended to settle the "total account" with the baby for all Bai Yin had suffered during the pregnancy, but she doted on the little girl so much that Chen Huaixiao could only postpone the reckoning and take care of the baby with Bai Yin.
The Chen family had many sons but few daughters. This little girl was the only one.
So as soon as Chen Nian Bai was born, she immediately became the apple of the whole family's eye, loved by all.
Even Chen Huaixiao's estranged cousins who usually didn't get along with him would come to visit this cute little niece every now and then, and gifts of all kinds almost filled up the nursery.
And at little Chen Nian Bai's 5th birthday banquet, Chen Jingye generously drove a limited edition pink Maserati into the yard as a birthday gift for little Chen Nian Bai, shocking many netizens:
"Chen Jingye, you've gone overboard. When the little one grows up enough to drive a Maserati, this model would be outdated!"
"Who said she has to drive it herself? Didn't you see this little uncle even arranged a driver?"
"I want an uncle like this too, wahhh."
"Little Chen Nian Bai is really the little princess of Xing Star Media! She's so incredibly happy!"
...
Old Master Chen doted on the little one even more unprecedentedly, having the little girl stay at home with him for two or three days every week.
In her, he saw the shadow of little Bai Yin from back then.
She looked exactly like little Bai Yin. On the winter morning when Old Master Chen peacefully passed away, only little Chen Nian Bai accompanied him.
On his deathbed, Old Master Chen held little Chen Nian Bai's hand, his eyes brimming with tears. Amidst his incoherent words, he repeatedly recounted stories of the past, but in the end, only one sentence remained: "Little Bai Yin, please forgive grandfather."
Much later, Chen Nian Bai told this sentence to her mother, Bai Yin.
Bai Yin sighed lightly.
The departed had departed, and everything had faded away like smoke and clouds.
Chen Huaixiao had healed all the wounds she suffered during her unfortunate childhood. Chen Nian Bai's arrival made her start to like the springtime of March.
Chen Nian Bai hooked her little pinky with Bai Yin's and said in a soft voice, "Mom, grandpa said I look exactly like you when you were little."
Bai Yin smiled and shook her head. "Mom was not very good when she was little, stubborn and sensitive. But my Bai Bai is more like daddy."
"Like daddy?"
Bai Yin looked at the man standing by the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. Sunlight shone on his crisp white shirt, handsome side profile and cold demeanor, just like his youthful appearance from back then.
That was the best of him.
Composed, elegant, steady.
"Mom, tell me what daddy was like before."
Bai Yin took her daughter's hand. "It's a beautiful and long story."
She would recount it with a lifetime of passion.
