"Didn't I specifically warned you not to work after 5? Why are you still in the study?" Jie's roaring voice startled Xu Mey so much that she almost jumped.
"Sheesh! Ah-Jie, you scared me!" Xu Mey placed her hand over her heart to calm it down. Jie didn't budge from his place, he just stared her down from his position. He was leaning against her study room's doorframe.
Since no one allowed Xu Mey to go back to the company, she could only make do with working from home. But even working from home had restrictions. She was tired of eating, taking walks and sleeping. There was nothing else to do!
"Baby, why can't you take care of yourself?" He was reprimanding her in a soft voice.
"I'm tired of resting. I feel like I'll start rusting up. I can't do that." Xu Mey whined like a kid.
Jie rubbed his forehead and kneeled down in front of her chair. He held her foot and shook his head, "Look, your feet are all swollen up. I told you to prop up your feet. But you don't listen."
Xu Mey pressed her lips together tightly, feeling guilty for forgetting that part. "It's no big deal. It will get better." Xu Mey was rubbing her neck sheepishly but as Jie gave her a look, it definitely shut her up.
"Let's get you to bed," Jie said and got up from the floor.
"Ah-Jie, you're going to pick me up?" Xu Mey immediately stretched her arms. Jie had the urge to say no since she never seemed to listen to him but obviously, between his anger and her glistening eyes only one could win; Xu Mey! There was no doubt in that.
Sighing in resignation, Jie picked her up in Princess-style and breathed out, "Baby, you're heavy."
Xu Mey gasped and slapped his chest. "Are you calling me fat?"
Realizing what he just said out loud, Jie tried to mediate the situation. "Nope. I'm calling you heavy."
"How is that any different?" Xu Mey complained.
Jie placed her gently on the bed and kissed her forehead saying, "It's different. You're heavy means you are taking good care of yourself while if I said you're fat that would mean you have unnecessary weight."
"Huh? What kind of logic is that?"
"It's my logic. And it works as long as I say so." Jie pinched her nose.
Xu Mey scowled, not convinced at all as she said, "I'll let this go. But if you ever called me fat, I'll strangle you."
"Baby, you have already given me the bite and slap. There is no need to strangle me at all."
"Bite and slap? When did I do such a thing?"
Jie came slowly close to her face and in his deep husky voice, he said, "Well, you came like a love bite and then your love became the cupid that slapped the glitter out of me."
Xu Mey burst out laughing at his words. "Ah-Jie, where do you come up with these lines?"
Instead of answering with words, he pressed his lips to hers in a slow, tender and full of love kind of kiss. It might be a slow kiss but it definitely left a storm of butterflies in Xu Mey's stomach.
Jie pulled away to say, "To keep this beautiful smile on my beautiful wife's face, I have to work extra hard... You know it takes a lot of effort to come up with such lines."
Xu Mey rolled her eyes at him while trying to stifle her smile. "Why is my smile so important?"
"Because..." he tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered, "It's my drug."
Xu Mey's heart was beating, no actually, it was drumming violently in her chest. His presence, his words, his scent... All this was enough to work like a charm on her.
"You know drugs are bad for health." Xu Mey stated in an all-knowing way.
"Are they?" Jie asked in surprise.
"Mmhmm..." Xu Mey nodded along.
Pulling her body against his own with a jerk, Jie whispered again, "But my drug has become my only way to breathe. I think there is no cure. Because I love this drug."
"Ow!" Xu Mey suddenly winced making Jie panic.
"What happened? Should we go to the hospital?" Xu Mey held his hand and placed it against her stomach.
"Say you love me." She said.
Jie frowned for a second before saying, "I love you, baby. Don't I say it-" his 'enough' was left at the tip of his tongue as he felt it. That sensation was mild but he still felt it. His eyes widened as he stared Xu Mey in disbelief while she was grinning.
"He kicked, right?" Xu Mey asked eagerly and he nodded in a daze making her grin wide.
"Oh, wait! I told you it's she, not a he."
"Ah-Jie, let's not start again. He just kicked. It sure is a he."
"How can you be prejudice like this? My princess can also kick! Perhaps she wants to become a football player."
Xu Mey rolled her eyes at him and huffed. "Yes, HE will be a football player."
"SHE!" Jie exclaimed again with a glare.
"Urgh! Now, I'm regretting keeping the gender a secret. At least, this fight won't happen."
After an extended silence, Jie pulled her back to his chest and hugged her from behind saying, "Baby, even if it's a she or a he, the child is ours. And it won't change. So, no point in this argument, right?" Xu Mey pondered his words for a moment and nodded her head in agreement. He kissed the side of her head and continued, "Let's shower our child with all the love that you and I missed out on. Okay?"
Xu Mey felt tears stinging in her eyes so she nodded, not trusting her voice at all.