Chapter 436: Surprise

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Sister Li, I’m going back first,” Li Qian stood at the door of Jiang Li’s office and said.

“Yeah, I’ll be leaving soon too. I’ll finish reading this data first,” Jiang Li replied without lifting her head, holding onto the document.

“Alright!” Li Qian left the company after saying that.

For a while, the only sound in Jiang Li’s office was the flipping of pages.

After some time had passed, the sky outside had darkened. Jiang Li pinched her forehead to relieve some fatigue. She felt more comfortable and left the company, carrying her bag.

Not long after, a pink Porsche Cayenne emerged from the underground parking of the Global Center, merging into the traffic.

“Click, thud!” Jiang Li returned home with a hint of fatigue, casually placing her bag on the table by the door. She walked towards the living room without turning on the lights and lay down on the sofa.

Just as she had laid down, half asleep, she felt something furry brushing against her head. Startled, Jiang Li shouted and jumped up from the sofa, quickly turning on the living room lights.

She saw a large orange cat sitting where she had just been lying, looking at her.

“Shoufu?” Jiang Li couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Meow, meow!” Shoufu jumped down from the sofa and quickly ran to Jiang Li’s feet, rubbing against her legs.

“It’s really you! Are you here? Did Brother Chao come back?” Jiang Li touched Shoufu’s big head and said.

“You’re back! 1 even prepared a delicious meal for you as a surprise, but 1 waited for you for an hour, and you didn’t come back. So, 1 took a shower first!” Zhou Chao stood on the second-floor railing, wiping his wet hair with a towel, smiling as he looked at Jiang Li.

Jiang Li put Shoufu on the sofa and ran upstairs. As soon as she reached the second floor, she jumped onto Zhou Chao, who quickly put down the towel and caught her.

The two gazed deeply into each other’s eyes, and for a moment, silence spoke louder than words. Jiang Li hugged Zhou Chao’s neck, and they drew closer. Eventually, Zhou Chao leaned in and kissed her. They kissed passionately, and slowly made their way to the bedroom.

Zhou Chao looked at the charming Jiang Li and was about to undress her when she stopped his mischievous hands.

“What’s wrong? Are you having your period?” Zhou Chao asked regretfully. After all, it had been a while since they last saw each other, and a sudden interruption left him feeling a little disappointed.

“No?” Jiang Li answered mysteriously.

“What’s wrong, not feeling well? Lin Wu told me earlier that you had a little nausea at the office. Maybe we should go to the hospital tomorrow to check,” Zhou Chao said with concern as he sat beside Jiang Li.

“Li Qian must have been tattling again. Wait and see how 1 deal with her tomorrow,” Jiang Li said, wrinkling her nose and making a light hum.

Zhou Chao chuckled at her words, knowing that she was just blowing off steam. Their relationship had always been good.

Gently pinching Jiang Li’s nose, he said, “You’re being naughty. Tell me, what’s wrong? If you’re tired, we can go eat first.”

Jiang Li smirked and leaned in close to Zhou Chao’s ear, whispering, “I’m pregnant, almost two months now!”

Zhou Chao couldn’t believe his ears and looked at Jiang Li in disbelief. “What did you just say? You’re pregnant?”

“Yes, I’m pregnant, almost two months now!”

“Hahaha! I’m going to be a dad! I’m going to be a dad!” Zhou Chao excitedly spun Jiang Li around in circles.

“Quick, put me down, I’m feeling a bit dizzy!” After a few spins, Jiang Li began to feel lightheaded and nauseous, so she quickly stopped Zhou Chao.

Upon hearing Jiang Li’s plea, the initially excited Zhou Chao calmed down and said apologetically, “Wifey, I’m sorry, 1 got too carried away.”

Jiang Li rolled her eyes at Zhou Chao and pouted, “I’m hungry.”

“I’ve already prepared a feast; we can’t let my two treasures go hungry!” Zhou Chao said as he placed his hand on Jiang Li’s belly and gently stroked it.

“Hmph, two treasures? Does that mean I’m not important anymore?” Jiang Li muttered with a pout.

“Of course not,” Zhou Chao quickly responded, feeling a tingling sensation on his scalp. He had heard that pregnant women tend to have wild thoughts during pregnancy.

“See, see, you’re just brushing me off. Oh, I’m so unlucky!” Jiang Li pretended to cry, covering her face with her hands.

If Zhou Chao hadn’t noticed that her mouth wasn’t completely covered and was sticking out, he might have believed her.

“You’re such a drama queen, are you ever going to stop with this act? I’ll just go eat by myself; all the good food will be gone!” With that, Zhou Chao pretended to get up and head downstairs.

Jiang Li quickly lowered her hands when she saw that Zhou Chao was still willing to continue the act. She then saw Zhou Chao standing at the door, watching her antics.

“You did it on purpose!” Realizing how embarrassed she had become, Jiang Li rushed towards Zhou Chao and playfully punched his chest, showing her frustration.

“Alright, let’s go eat!” Zhou Chao held Jiang Li in his arms and whispered softly.

Jiang Li, lying in Zhou Chao’s embrace, nodded, and they walked downstairs together.

As soon as they reached the ground floor, Shoufu approached them. Jiang Li was about to pick it up when Zhou Chao stopped her.

“You’re pregnant, you can’t hold Shoufu!”

Hearing Zhou Chao’s words, Jiang Li looked utterly puzzled. Seeing her expression, Zhou Chao took out his phone and found the relevant information, handing it to Jiang Li.

After reading the various risks mentioned, Jiang Li’s face turned a bit pale. She nervously asked, “I was holding it for a while when I came back. Could it affect the baby?”

“Don’t worry, Shoufu undergoes regular check-ups and vaccinations. It should be free from those diseases, but 1 just want to be cautious!”

Looking at Shoufu, who was crouched obediently on the floor, Jiang Li turned to Zhou Chao and asked, “What should we do then?”

“Let’s go back to Jingdu. You can take the day off tomorrow and go to the hospital for a check-up. Aunt Wang is at home; she can take care of you. If anything happens, your parents and Brother Yang are nearby, which will be more convenient.”

Jiang Li fell into silence upon hearing this.

Seeing her reaction, Zhou Chao added, “I have a big project coming up soon, and I might have to travel for a while. I won’t be able to take care of you, and I’ll worry about you being alone at home. If something happens to you while I’m away, I’ll be heartbroken.”

Jiang Li touched her belly and nodded, agreeing to Zhou Chao’s suggestion.

“Brother Chao, what about Shoufu? You’re not thinking of sending it to a pet shop, are you?”

“How could 1? Shoufu is also a part of our family. I’ll hire a nanny to take care of it.” Zhou Chao squatted down and patted Shoufu’s head, making a mental note.

It seemed that Shoufu had understood their conversation as it meowed a couple of times before lying down in a corner.

Seeing Shoufu’s adorable behavior, Jiang Li couldn’t help but smile.

“Alright, let’s go have dinner; it’s been in the warmer for an hour,” Zhou Chao said and quickly headed to the kitchen.

“I’ll help you!” Jiang Li said and walked toward Zhou Chao.

Upon hearing her offer, Zhou Chao turned around, looking serious, and said, “You’re pregnant now. Let me handle these tasks. Your job is to take good care of your health. Understand?”

“I understand,” Jiang Li grumbled.

Sitting in a chair, hands supporting her head, Jiang Li gazed sweetly at Zhou Chao, who was busy in the kitchen, a smile of happiness on her face.

Soon, the table was filled with dishes prepared by Zhou Chao himself.

“All Li, have some of this soup. It’s made from yellow lip fish gelatin, specially brewed to supplement your blood and energy. You’ll need to eat it regularly from now on,” Zhou Chao said as he served Jiang Li a large bowl, causing her to roll her eyes.

Jiang Li accepted the bowl obediently and began sipping it slowly, finishing the whole thing.

“Try this; it’s been a while since 1 cooked, and I don’t know if my culinary skills have deteriorated.” While talking, Zhou Chao started placing some dishes in Jiang Li’s bowl.

“Brother Chao, are you trying to fatten me up like a pig? 1 can’t possibly eat this much!” Jiang Li looked at her overflowing bowl with a bemused expression.

Only then did Zhou Chao realize that Jiang Li’s bowl couldn’t hold any more food.

“I didn’t notice; I’ll get you a bigger bowl next time,” Zhou Chao said and saw Jiang Li give him two big white eyes.

Jiang Li didn’t say anything but started eating with her chopsticks. Zhou Chao, on the other hand, looked silly, propping up his head with both hands, watching her.

“Brother Chao!”

Startled, Zhou Chao said apologetically, “I got a little carried away. Just thinking about becoming a dad makes me so happy.”

Zhou Chao didn’t know why he was feeling so ecstatic, maybe because the arrival of the child made him feel like he was no longer an outsider in this world.

“Brother Chao, do you prefer a son or a daughter?” Jiang Li put down her chopsticks and asked Zhou Chao seriously.

“I love both sons and daughters, but of course, if it’s a daughter, that would be the best!” Zhou Chao replied, looking up with a hopeful expression on his face.

“Why do you prefer daughters more?”

“Daughters are more filial, always considerate of their dads, hahaha!” Zhou Chao really hoped for a daughter for their first child, as he was quite fond of them.

“You’ve got quite an imagination.”

“Of course!” Zhou Chao said proudly.

Amidst their laughter and joy, they quickly finished their dinner. Jiang Li was then sent upstairs to rest by Zhou Chao, who proceeded to tidy up the kitchen.

“Shoufu, 1 was planning to take you to play in this area, but now you have to go back to living the cat life again.” Zhou Chao sat on the sofa, holding Shoufu and patting its plump body.

“Meow, meow, meow!” Shoufu meowed a few times and rubbed its head against Zhou Chao’s hand, seemingly expressing understanding.

“Don’t worry; tomorrow 1’11 find someone to take care of your life. You won’t be lonely.”

Zhou Chao and Shoufu played on the sofa for a while before he carried it to the nanny’s room on the first floor. He also gave it some cat food and water.

After finishing these tasks and preparing to go upstairs, Zhou Chao suddenly stopped in his tracks and returned to the sofa. He took out his phone from his pocket and scrolled through it before making a call.

“Hello!”