After lunch, Pei Rong was asked to take a walk on the rooftop and then take a nap—his schedule was clearly mapped out for him.
Before his nap, Pei Rong turned down Zhou Hang’s script offer: "Let me think about it. I’ll rest for a while first."
He’d finally managed to secure this no-sex-life vacation for himself—no way he was going to waste it on work.
He wanted to enjoy watching that bear Lu Qin squirm and whimper in frustration.
Work could wait until after the secret was out. Lu Qin would feel sorry for him having to film while pregnant and would ease up on the frequency during that period.
Lu Qin had obtained an account to access medical journals and was searching for precedents worldwide. There were almost none in China, so he opened English articles one by one, not missing any related tags.
There were very few.
Even if there were some vaguely recorded surgical cases, adding the keyword "second pregnancy"... the search results were zero.
For the entire afternoon, Lu Qin grew even more worried.
When Pei Rong woke up, Lu Qin was in a meeting. Pei Rong saw dozens of foreign-language article titles on the still-open webpage.
Having lived abroad for a while, his foreign language skills had improved, allowing him to grasp the general content at a glance.
Pei Rong’s heart clenched.
Worries about whether the little one would develop fully, anxiety about whether the surgery might go wrong, concerns about whether the pregnancy would put pressure on the carrier’s body...
What Lu Qin had been longing not to miss was actually thinking about these things every single day.
From Lu Qin’s perspective, the experience of accompanying Pei Rong through the pregnancy was more nerve-wracking than exciting, with each check-up bringing fresh anxiety.
Pei Rong’s laid-back nature diluted these worries, so he managed to get through it relatively pleasantly.
But every time Jiang Yan announced, "Development is normal, we can continue to monitor," Pei Rong felt the urge to share the news with someone.
Pei Rong knew that this was what Lu Qin had missed, wanted, and deserved… He understood deeply what exactly Lu Qin regretted at heart. He was willing to give it, but it still pained him.
He made a call to Jiang Yan: "Lu Qin will definitely come looking for you. Just tell him straight out that there’s no risk at all."
Oh well, let Lu Qin experience it for a week—that should be enough.
Jiang Yan complained, "We doctors aren’t supposed to say things like that."
Pei Rong: "Your ‘big nephew’ is already out in the open, and you still can’t say it?"
Jiang Yan: "According to regulations, we’re also not supposed to call it a ‘big nephew.’"
Pei Rong: "According to regulations, you can’t provide a zero-risk plan, or your sanatorium will get ‘sky-chilling-Wang-broke’-ed."
No helping it—that’s just how overbearing CEO novels roll.
Jiang Yan: "Aren’t you afraid Lu Qin will accompany you to the prenatal checkups?"
Static images can be faked, but how do you handle a dynamic ultrasound?
Pei Rong, utterly unflustered: "You give an ultrasound of the kidney and call it an embryo—he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyway."
If asked, the answer is simply that men are different from women.
Jiang Yan: "…"
It was clear that the bewitching consort now held overwhelming power and had the ability to call a stag a horse.
Pei Rong hung up the call. Seeing that it was nearly dark outside, he asked when Lu Qin’s meeting would end.
The secretary said it would still be a while.
So Pei Rong called Dundun himself to chat. Yesterday, Pei Dundun, Madame. Jiang, and Lu Jianye had gone to Shaolin Temple. Because his forward rolls were too smooth and he had recently been itching to try backflips onto the bed, he was deemed to have extraordinary bone structure. Hearing that he was also a direct disciple of a brother temple, they warmly invited him to stay and exchange insights on Shaolin martial arts.
They wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.
The great beauty couldn’t help but wonder: just how many rolls in public and how dirty did you have to get to catch their eye like that?
Just imagining it made him want to give the kid a whack.
All the skills that earned a beating were just talents used in the wrong place.
***
Lu Qin wasn’t in a meeting.
He went to see a top domestic specialist. Using a difficult and complex medical condition as a pretext, he privately sought a consultation from the upright and principled Dr. Wen Zhenrui.
Lu Qin, with his sunglasses and mask, projected an aura of mystery and aloofness. He slid over the prenatal checkup report with all extraneous information erased. "Take a look."
If the other couldn't tell at a glance that this wasn't a normal uterine ultrasound image, then he was just a fraud seeking undeserved fame. Further discussion would be pointless.
Wen Zhenrui’s expression darkened as he examined the report.
"What is your relationship to the patient?"
Lu Qin, unsettled by the other’s serious expression, replied, "That is not your concern."
Wen Zhenrui pushed the report back. "I'm sorry. To protect patient privacy, I only discuss special cases with the patient personally or their immediate family members."
This report was unmistakably Pei Rong’s prenatal checkup image from three years ago. What was the meaning of it appearing here now?
Given Pei Rong’s celebrity status, he had no choice but to be extremely cautious.
A glint of understanding flashed in Lu Qin’s eyes.
He recognized it immediately? And even used the term "special case." For an obstetrics and gynecology expert who had seen all kinds of complicated conditions to use that phrase, this ultrasound image must be extraordinarily unusual.
It seemed Wen Zhenrui truly had real skill.
"I am his husband."
***
Pei Rong waited until 5:30 PM for Lu Qin to finish his meeting. Noticing the computer on the desk was still on, Lu Qin inconspicuously kicked the power cord, disconnecting it.
He would handle all these complicated matters himself. There was no need for Pei Rong to worry about them. The great beauty only needed to relax and maintain a happy, carefree mood.
Pei Rong’s gaze flickered slightly.
"Feeling alright anywhere? Any discomfort?"
"No."
Lu Qin brought a full set of digital medical-grade color Doppler ultrasound equipment home.
Pei Rong and Lu Qin arrived home almost simultaneously with the machine. Feeling a bit speechless, Pei Rong said, "This isn't necessary…"
Lu Qin insisted, "It's more convenient at home. Going to the hospital too often isn't good—it's easy to be seen. Let's invite Dr. Jiang over for dinner tonight. He's helped us so much, and we haven't properly thanked him yet. We can also have him check if this ultrasound machine is up to standard. If not, we can replace it."
Pei Rong notified Dr. Jiang.
"Brother Pei isn't here?" Jiang Yan felt uneasy. Without Brother Pei around, it felt just like the Feast at Hong Gate.
***
The manufacturer's technician came to install the ultrasound machine. While Jiang Yan was preparing for the demonstration, Lu Qin stood by attentively, watching and learning with even more focus than a hospital intern.
Jiang Yan's emotions were mixed. Here was Lu Qin, seriously studying the process, while they were essentially just playing house.
"Lie down and pull up your shirt."
Finally, Lu Qin got to apply the genuine coupling gel himself, his technique already quite skilled by now.
Jiang Yan expertly began scanning from a lower position to check the echo of both kidneys. The resulting image was a bit disorienting from that angle, yet it bore some resemblance to a prenatal checkup report.
Lu Qin stared intently at the monitor, holding his breath.
"Kidneys look great," Jiang Yan murmured under his breath.
He thought to himself, if there were just a small cyst, he could point to it and tell President Lu, "Look, this is the four-week gestational sac."
"Are the kidneys okay?" Lu Qin asked urgently.
Jiang Yan: "..." His hearing is too sharp, isn't it?
Staring at the ceiling, Pei Rong chimed in sincerely, "He's complimenting your kidney health."
Jiang Yan: "...Yeah."
One shot, one hit.
But we doctors usually don't casually tease family members. Jiang Yan felt a bit wronged.
Frowning, Lu Qin kept his eyes fixed on the image without saying a word.
Jiang Yan deliberately moved the probe in a confusing pattern. "Same as last time, nothing unusual."
However, Lu Qin didn't seem relieved. He gently pressed Pei Rong, who was about to get up, and said, "Wait, move it to the left."
Jiang Yan shifted slightly left, his scalp prickling. Damn, did he notice something?
"More to the left," Lu Qin directed.
Jiang Yan moved significantly further left, quickly sweeping past the spinal area.
Under Lu Qin's guidance, the ultrasound image transitioned from the right kidney to the left.
A similar Doppler echo pattern appeared once again.
Jiang Yan: "..." Director Lu's short-term memory is way too sharp. He actually managed to spot something from just a glance.
The doctor and the expectant father exchanged a bewildered look.
Come on, beauty, think of a way to explain why you have two kidneys all by yourself.
Must be a misdiagnosis.
Lu Qin pursed his lips slightly, his voice hoarse: "Are they... twins?"
Pei Rong: "..."
Jiang Yan: "..."
No, it's just good kidney health.
