"Xinxin, what do you and Chuxi Daddy want to watch? I want to watch too!"
Yan Chenxi came running over, his small legs pumping furiously.
Mo Chuxi put away the USB drive.
"It’s late. We should go back now."
He said, casting Yan Xinxin a meaningful look.
The sky gradually darkened, the deep blue night faintly peppered with stars leaping into view one by one.
After dinner, Yan Xinxin was in the kitchen washing dishes. As she scrubbed, a wave of nausea surged uncontrollably within her.
Mo Chuxi emerged from the room, instantly spotting her hunched over the sink, dry heaving.
His typically casual steps quickly quickened as he headed to her side.
Yan Xinxin sensed Mo Chuxi approaching but hadn’t expected him to gently place his hand on her back, his touch feather-light as he soothed her with soft strokes.
After a while, Yan Xinxin finally managed to calm down.
"Was it before, when you were pregnant?"
Mo Chuxi asked softly, his tone tinged with a hint of tender concern.
Yan Xinxin froze for a moment before lifting her big, expressive eyes in mild protest to meet the depths of Mo Chuxi’s gaze.
"Maybe the little one inside is just as overbearing as someone I know. Even now, so small, it’s already bullying me."
"I haven’t watched that video yet. I’ll take a shower first, then you can show it to me."
Yan Xinxin said as she touched her belly and turned away.
The night became cloaked in stillness.
After her shower, Yan Xinxin found her son had quietly nestled into bed and fallen asleep.
Looking at her sleeping son, Yan Xinxin smiled sweetly, but soon her delicate brows furrowed involuntarily.
Her hand slid over her still-flat belly as she lowered her gaze.
If Xi knew he was going to have a little brother or sister, how would he feel?
Yan Xinxin gently closed the bedroom door and turned to leave. Just as she was about to head to Mo Chuxi’s room, she heard faint sounds coming from the attic.
Was Mo Chuxi on the rooftop?
Watering the flowers?
Yan Xinxin wondered, and then she climbed the stairs.
The light evening breeze swept softly over, carrying delicate wisps of floral fragrance.
As she stepped onto the rooftop, Yan Xinxin saw Mo Chuxi reclining on the sofa. He wasn’t wearing socks, his pale, slender feet lazily draped over the sofa’s cushions.
Freshly showered, he wore a thin beige knit sweater, his collarbones clearly exposed to the night air.
A laptop rested on his lap, and he seemed engrossed in whatever he was watching, the corner of his mouth curved into a faint, ambiguous smile.
Yan Xinxin stared at his refined, flawless profile, unwittingly feeling her heartbeat quicken.
"Finished showering?"
Mo Chuxi suddenly lifted his gaze towards her, catching her staring. Her heart instantly skipped a beat as her flustered eyes collided with his penetrating ones.
He set the laptop aside and got up, walking toward her, his gentle eyes warm as an early summer sun.
"Still feeling unwell?"
Yan Xinxin shook her head. As Mo Chuxi came closer, her cheeks heated, and her pulse raced uncontrollably.
"Uh, about that... that video, I want to watch it."
"Go open it yourself."
Mo Chuxi gestured toward the laptop with a cryptic smile.