Shi Che’s hand lifted slowly, slowly reaching out and ever so gently touching Ling Chuxia’s cheek. His hand caressed her face without daring to use any strength, fearful that the slightest pressure would wake her.
What did he really want?
Over the years, he seemed to never have asked himself that question.
But the answer was crystal clear to him, unchanged from the past to the present.
He wanted Ling Chuxia, a living, breathing Ling Chuxia full of life. He loved her, he wanted to bring her happiness. He wanted her to live each day with joy, to cry when she felt like crying, to act up when she felt like acting up, to be capricious when she felt like it.
Yet, in the three years they were married, not for a single day had he allowed her to cry if she wanted to, to act up if she wanted to, to be capricious if she wanted to.
In front of him, she became increasingly humble and respectful. She would no longer call out his name, Shi Che, with brazen affection, but would instead respectfully call him "young master." She wouldn’t playfully flash him a smile, but would offer a modest one instead.
Did he really want their long life together to continue this way?
No, he didn’t want to go on , he didn’t want to continue seeing Ling Chuxia’s humility and respect, nor did he want to see her always compromising and tiptoeing around.
That confession from years ago, she never did give him an answer. But whether or not she answered, it didn’t matter anymore.
Because he was going to confess to her again, to tell her once more what was in his heart.
They had already wasted three years, and he refused to let a lifetime slip away.
Even if she didn’t love him now, he believed that one day she would.
When Ling Chuxia woke up, she was already lying in the familiar bed. She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling for a while before slowly wrapping herself with the blanket and sitting up.
She tilted her head slightly to look out the window. The sun was up high, its light spilling through and illuminating the entire bedroom.
A trace of sorrow slowly surfaced in Ling Chuxia’s eyes, but she suppressed it forcefully. She took a deep breath, got out of bed, and walked to the bathroom to wash up.
After finishing her morning routine, she stepped out of the bathroom and the cell phone on the nightstand vibrated. She walked over, picked it up, and saw it was a reminder on her phone—today was the day of her prenatal checkup.
Ling Chuxia stared at the phone screen fixedly, then after a long moment, put the phone away, changed her clothes, grabbed her bag, and left the house.
The prenatal checkup went smoothly, and the report came back quickly. The doctor had a worried expression as she read the report and occasionally frowned. After finishing, she put down the report and looked at Ling Chuxia, speaking, "Miss Ling, have you been experiencing any mood swings lately?"
Ling Chuxia could tell from the doctor’s expression that things weren’t good. Her hand involuntarily clenched, "Doctor, I... really haven’t been in the best of moods lately. Has it affected the baby?"
The doctor’s frown deepened and her tone became much more serious, "During the first three months of pregnancy, the fetus is extremely unstable and can be affected by various factors, especially the emotional fluctuations of the mother, which can have the greatest impact. Your recent mood swings have already affected the fetus. If it continues , it could possibly lead to a miscarriage!"
Ling Chuxia’s heart chilled, and her grip tightened so much that veins started to show on the back of her hand.
But she had already decided to step aside, to let her elder sister and Shi Che be together. This child... she couldn’t keep it either.