Yan Zhiqing fiddled with her finger nervously. Old Lady Yan had never given her so much attention before and was never really concerned about Yan Zhiqing's thoughts. It gave Yan Zhiqing a warm feeling and she did not know how to deal with it.

She said stubbornly, "I don't care if Lin Chu has a boy or girl, but I don't mind tagging along. It will help to have some life experience, it would be… Beneficial for my future acting career."

Lin Chu smiled and nodded, "That's right. If you get the part of a pregnant woman, you can just come to me or Yu Zi if you have any questions."

Yan Zhiqing grunted in reply. Old Lady Yan smiled as she let Yan Beicheng push Yan Zhiqing out on the wheelchair.

Yan Beicheng watched as everyone came along with them. It was a huge crowd and his face was getting darker by the minute.

He wanted to be the only one with Lin Chu for the check-up. He was looking forward to being the first to find out the baby's gender. He did not want to share the information with so many people!

He wanted to continue showing off with information about the baby's gender!

Now that everyone was coming along, it was about to take away his joy and excitement of being a father!

Yan Beicheng had the perfect image in his head. It was a private, joyful moment for only Lin Chu and him as they watched the ultrasound screen nervously and expectantly for the baby's gender. It would be a secret between both of them.

They would then discuss the baby's name and decorate the baby room according to the gender, and shop for more toys and clothes for it. They would then return home to announce the baby's gender to the two elders and Yan Huaian and his family. Yan Beicheng would later show off in the '8x8 is 64' chatgroup.

But now…

Yan Beicheng's expression stiffened as he watched the excited Old Master Yan and Old Lady Yan lead the charge. He could almost hear the beautiful image built up in his head break into two.

As he was pus.h.i.+ng Yan Zhiqing along, Yan Beicheng and Lin Chu were following at the very back.

Yan Zhiqing pursed her lips as she said to Lin Chu, "Don't think that we're close now that I've helped you."

Lin Chu's lips twitched and she said, "Yes, I know. You don't need to feel pressured about it."

"What pressure do I have?!" Yan Zhiqing's cheeks puffed up unhappily.

Lin Chu wanted to pat Yan Zhiqing's shoulders, but considering that she was hurt all over, Lin Chu gave pause and later gently rubbed her head instead. "You don't need to feel any pressure because we won't think much of it. You've always been our sister. We'll reprimand you when you've done something stupid or unreasonable. When you're being bullied, we'll protect you. It's as simple as that. Just like how you protected your big brother, it's an instinct. You don't need to feel embarra.s.sed about what we've done for you."

Lin Chu moved her hand away and smiled as she said, "We won't laugh at you about it."

Yan Zhiqing stiffened. She lifted her hands to tidy her hair in annoyance. She said nothing as she blinked a couple of times. Her eyelashes looked slightly wet.

When Yan Beicheng and Lin Chu pushed Yan Zhiqing to the clinic, Old Lady Yan and the others were already seated there, crowding the clinic.

When Lin Chu arrived, Old Lady Yan quickly waved her hand, "Hurry up and do the ultrasound, Lin Chu."

The doctor was taken aback by the crowd of people. Yan Ningbai's fat little hands were already clutching the bedside as his big, bright eyes stared at the screen.

The doctor checked the condition of Lin Chu's pregnant belly. The outline of the baby scrunched up in a small ball could be seen on screen. It was lying there quietly as if sleeping soundly. The doctor checked from different angles and everyone could see the baby in Lin Chu's belly from different perspectives.

All Yan Ningbai could see was a dark clump, he really could not figure anything out from it.

Old Master Yan and Old Lady Yan, on the other hand, stared intently on the screen.

Old Lady Yan was shouting out in excitement throughout, "Look at that, it's the hand!"

Yan Beicheng got excited and wanted to take a look, but he was pushed away by Old Master Yan, "Let me see, let me see."

The two elders squeezed in front of the screen and did not even allow Yan Beicheng to see anything.

Yan Beicheng, "…"

He wanted to kick his grandpa and grandma out of the clinic!

He was the baby's father!

He should be the first one to see it!

"Doctor, is it a boy or a girl?" Old Lady Yan asked.

The doctor moved to a few different angles. "Here it is, we can finally see it. It was not that clear just now. Look here."

The doctor pointed to a small, pointed shadow that could vaguely be seen. As the image was blurred with some shadows appearing now and then at the side, it was not easy to see the little, pointy image from the screen.

"Hey, that… That's a boy? There's a little chili there," Old Lady Yan said in disappointment.

Doctor, "…"

Lin Chu, "…"

Old Lady Yan might have been disappointed but she continued hogging her place in front of the screen. Yan Beicheng was way at the back, behind everybody. He craned his neck to look at his son's little chili but was not able to see anything. He could only hear the doctor confirming, "It's a boy."

Old Lady Yan touched the little pointy thing from the screen in disappointment. She said to Lin Chu, "Don't worry. We'll have another chance to have a girl."

Doctor, "…"

Lin Chu, "…"

Old Master Yan did not care if it was a boy or girl. They were part of the family all the same. The important thing was the Yan Beicheng had an heir. Old Master Yan was so happy that he could not stop smiling, He would not let go of the screen as he held on to it.

"Oh, my great-grandson! You're so big now, my great-grandson!" Old Master Yan beamed so much that his eyes became one straight line. The corners of his eyes were folded deep into the root of his hair.

Yan Beicheng, "…"

"Let me take a look," Yan Beicheng clenched his teeth as he said.

"Stop playing around. We'll let the doctor print out the ultrasound for you. You can go home and look at it all you want," Old Master Yan waved him away dismissively. He did not even bother to give Yan Beicheng any s.p.a.ce.

Yan Beicheng said gloomily, "That's my son."

"We know it's your son. What's the point of showing off to us?!" Old Lady Yan retorted as she continued looking at the screen.

Yan Beicheng, "…"

'I thought you were not looking forward to a boy. Why would you still be hogging the screen?!'

Lin Chu watched as Yan Beicheng turned moody. He looked pitiful. So, she waved him over.

Yan Ningbai was still leaning by the bedside. Yan Beicheng was not that accommodating with Yan Ningbai. He grabbed his collar and threw Yan Ningbai aside so he could be next to Lin Chu.

Lin Chu held Yan Beicheng's hand as she said quietly, "It's just a little chili. When our son is born, we'll get to look at the real thing."

This did not cheer Yan Beicheng up. Judging by the looks of today, he would probably not have the chance when the baby was born. The two elders would probably not allow him to carry the baby.

Lin Chu got Yan Beicheng to lower his head as she whispered in his ear, "There's nothing much we can do today. If the baby kicks me, I won't tell grandpa and grandma. You'll be the first one to know. I'll let you be the first one to say h.e.l.lo to our son, okay?"

Yan Beicheng gave a silent thought about this. At least he could retrieve some dignity as a father, so he nodded in agreement although he was not very confident about it. "You really must be careful not to let them find out about it. When Song Yu and Ruan Chendan were pregnant, their reactions were so obvious when the babies kicked that everyone immediately knew. You've got to hold it in when you're surprised by the baby. Don't let the two elders find out about it."

Yan Beicheng was acting like he was defending himself from thieves.

"Don't worry, I will," Lin Chu did not want Yan Beicheng and his grandparents to fight over the baby like some secret agents fighting against each other, so she nodded.

The baby in her belly was not moving much at all and no matter how much one appreciated the little life, there was a limit to staring at it.

The two elders finally moved away, and Yan Beicheng could take a look.

He did not even have his fill of watching the baby when Old Master Yan asked impatiently, "How long do you want to stare at the screen?! It's just a little blob, what is there to look at?"

Yan Beicheng, "…"

'Both of you were hogging the screen for half an hour. I had only 10 minutes and you start hurrying me!'

Yan Beicheng ignored Old Master Yan and obstinately stared another 5 minutes before finally collecting the copy of the ultrasound. He pushed Yan Zhiqing back to her ward along with Lin Chu.

Old Lady Yan was already taking out her phone to call Old Lady Han. "Old Han! Let me share something with you. I've just been to the doctor's for a check-up with my granddaughter-in-law, Lin Chu. It's a great-grandson! I'm getting a great-grandchild. I'll drop by for a visit tomorrow and tell you all about it."

Old Master Yan was just as eager as he proudly called Old Master Wei on the phone.

Yan Beicheng, "…"

He knew this would happen. He wanted to come for the check-up with Lin Chu alone so he could be the one to show-off first!

Now, this opportunity had been grabbed by the two elders!

Everyone had been in the hospital for quite a while and as they could not stay overnight, they prepared to leave.

Besides, Wen Ren had brought his family along to the city. Even though Yan Beicheng had paid him for it, he did give the Yan family a big help.

The Wen family had status. They would not readily help anybody just because one had money. Many people came to them with a lot of money but were all ignored by the Wen family. They had only agreed to help because they had a relations.h.i.+p with the Yan family.

Wen Ren had even come over personally for them. It was only right that the Yan family expressed their grat.i.tude for their help.

Yan Zhiqing's ward had been full of life, but the moment everyone prepared to leave, she felt a little lonely. Even with the nurse accompanying her, it felt different.

She pressed her lips as her eyes lowered. She was silent as the look in her eyes revealed loneliness and yearning for them to stay.

No one noticed it, but Lin Chu saw the look on Yan Zhiqing's face. It was a look she had often seen in the orphanage. Every time Lin Chu visited, the children were especially happy, but when she left, she could see that same look on Mo Jinxi's and the other children's faces.

Even though Yan Zhiqing was a grown-up, there was not much difference in the look on her face compared with Mo Jingxi and the other children. It was because she was a grown-up with that child-like expression that made Lin Chu feel bad for her.

Lin Chu knew that Yan Zhiqing would not admit to it as it was her nature to pretend otherwise. So, Lin Chu came up with a plan and asked, "Zhiqing, does your back still hurt?"

As expected, Yan Zhiqing looked up as she disguised the loneliness in her eyes. She replied in mock annoyance, "Of course it doesn't hurt anymore!"

The look of 'I will not admit to my pain to you' on her face made the corner of Lin Chu's mouth twitch slightly.

"If you're no longer in pain, why not get discharged today?" Lin Chu smiled.

Old Lady Yan was about to disagree when Lin Chu continued, "It would be a much happier environment at home. Just bear with the pain on your back for a while and it would soon be over. It would make for a good distraction if someone was chatting with you."

Old Lady Yan understood Lin Chu's intentions, so she smiled instead and did not say another word.

There was a joyful look in Yan Zhiqing's eyes, but she pretended to disregard it. "Hmph!"

That meant an agreement. Old Lady Yan smiled, "Then let's go home together. Don't stay in the hospital. It would be tiring for us old-timers to be visiting the hospital so often. Beicheng, go help Zhiqing get discharged. We'll leave together today."

Yan Beicheng smiled and nodded. He immediately went off to make arrangements.

Yan Huaian got someone to find them a good caregiver who was able to start work the next day.

Old Lady Yan said to Lin Chu, "We'll move back to the old mansion today. We didn't bring much to your place, so there's not much to pack up."

So, it was decided. Yan Beicheng helped to settle Yan Zhiqing's discharge procedure and they packed up her belongings. The two elders got into Xiao Deng's car and brought Yan Zhiqing home to the Yan family's old mansion. The two elders did not bring too much luggage to Sheng Town. They were only planning to stay there temporarily and had only brought along a few clothing items.

Aunt Chen was still at Sheng Town, so they got Aunt Chen to pack up their luggage and brought it back to the old mansion.

Wen Ren and his family were staying at Sheng Yue. They went back directly to the hotel after leaving the press conference.

Their visit to B City was naturally taken care of by Yan Beicheng.

When Yan Beicheng and Lin Chu got home, it was already past 4 in the afternoon. Lin Chu contemplated the time and asked Yan Beicheng, "I wanted to invite Wen Ren and his family over to our house and personally cook for them instead of eating out at Sheng Yue. It would be so impersonal if we had our meal there. We stayed with the Wen family the last time we visited the Lanshan Inst.i.tution and we were taken care of by the Wen family. Would the two elders be too tired? We've been busy the whole day, after all."

Before they got into their car after leaving the hospital, Old Lady Yan had specifically informed them that the two elders would like to personally thank Wen Ren.

Yan Beicheng replied, "I'll give them a call and ask. Wen Ren is not a petty person. If the two elders are too tired today and are only able to see them tomorrow, he wouldn't feel unhappy about it."

That said, it was still best to invite the Wen family over today. So, Yan Beicheng gave the two elders a call.

Old Lady Yan picked up the call and immediately agreed to invite the Wen family that night itself. It was not nice to delay it.

Yan Beicheng gave it a thought and decided to head over to the old mansion with Lin Chu. It would be best for the two elders and Yan Zhiqing to stay put and rest.

Yan Beicheng gave Wen Ren a call. He brought along Chu Xi and called Yan Huaian and his family to head to the old mansion.

He was not worried about Wen Ren being unable to find the place. Wen Ren had Fang Boran, his Head of Intelligence with him. Every family's address in B City would be in Wen Ren's hands.

As expected, Wen Ren and his family arrived at the same time they did at the old mansion even though Yan Beicheng did not give them an address.

Wen Xu got off the car, his young, little face looking serious as usual. Wen Ming was heavier, even though he was not considered fat. It took some effort to carry him down the car, so he was pa.s.sed to Wen Ren to carry.

Wen Ren looked at his son with a silly smile on his face. He put Wen Ming on the ground and let him stand on his own.

Wen Ming was like a little duck as he waddled over to look for his mother. As he walked towards the car, Fang Jiaran suddenly opened the car door and Wen Ming was pushed to the ground by the door. His pudgy little body fell to the ground.

Little Wen Ming blinked in confusion as his mouth remained agape. It looked like he was contemplating if he should cry.

As he was not in pain, all little Wen Ming did was blink. He did not cry. He smiled widely as he saw Fang Jiaran got off the car anxiously to hug him. He reached out both his arms towards Fang Jiaran from the ground as he revealed the few teeth he had. He gave a silly little laugh.

Fang Jiaran was relieved to see that her son was not hurt from the fall. She carried him up from the ground and kissed his tender face, "My baby is such a good boy. You're so brave to fall and not cry."

"I'm a strong man!" Little Wen Ming remembered his father saying this. He told the two brothers that they should be strong men who should not be afraid of pain nor cry.

If they cried, their father's wife, who is their mother, will feel sad for them. If they hurt Wen Ren's wife, Wen Ren was prepared to give them a whipping.

Little Wen Ming could not remember much of that long threat, but 'strong men do not cry' was a key phrase that he remembered.

He immediately displayed a look of pride as he puffed up his chest while still in Fang Jiaran's arms.

Fang Jiaran smiled and kissed Wen Ming. Wen Xu raised his head and saw it. He was envious but refused to display this emotion. He was not willing to ask Fang Jiaran for a kiss.

Wen Xu pressed his lips together and gave a faint stare at Wen Ming. If Wen Xu was not willing to make the request, it would make do for Wen Ming to continue with this.

So, Wen Xu said, "Look at us. We walk ourselves."

Wen Xu pointed at Yan Ningbai, who had Chu Xi on a leash not far away from them.

Yan Ningbai looked over innocently. He did not know what Wen Xu was saying while pointing at him. He had not met Wen Xu before and had not been properly introduced.

Wen Xu was one year older than he was. Yan Ningbai's twisted around slightly. He was a little shy.

Wen Ming looked towards where Wen Xu was pointing and agreed with him. Strong men should walk by themselves. So, he pointed to the ground and said to Fang Jiaran, "Walk by myself."

Fang Jiaran put him down.

Chu Xi was excited about having new friends. It ran over excitedly with its tongue hanging out. It was so strong that Yan Ningbai could not hold on to it and got dragged over by Chu Xi.

Chu Xi braked in front of Wen Ming as it suddenly stopped. Its huge head was very near to Wen Ming, it was almost touching him.

Wen Ming was not afraid at all. Old Master Wen kept many pets in the Lanshan Inst.i.tution. There were horses, eagles, cats, and dogs. There were dogs of different sizes there and Wen Ming had seen many of them.

The pets in Lanshan Inst.i.tution were especially domesticated. Wen Ming played with them often and had a close relations.h.i.+p with the animals. Wen Ming broke into a big smile when he saw Chu Xi and patted it on the head.

Chu Xi closed its eyes blissfully as it pushed its head into Wen Ming's arms.

The gates to the old mansion suddenly opened and Old Master Yan and Old Lady Yan came out personally to greet them.

"Oh, it's just a few of you? Where are the other young people?" Old Lady Yan saw that it was only the Wen family that had arrived. Yan Beicheng had informed her that there were a few capable men in the Wen family who gave a lot of help in this matter. Among them was Fang Boran, who was Fang Jiaran's older brother.

"My older brother came over with his family. My sister-in-law is from B City and they seldom come home, so he brought my sister-in-law and their children to visit home," Fang Jiaran explained.

"Oh yes, I remember now. Your older brother married that girl from the Lu family," Old Lady Yan said. She and Old Master Yan were not able to attend the wedding, but Yan Beicheng and the others had attended it.

The Lu family in B City was a different one from Lu Zhenting's family in Ning City. The B City Lu family was considered a second-tiered family in the Eight Dominant Families and was well-known in B City.

The girl from that Lu family was Lu Nanxi. She was the best friend of Wei Ziqi's wife, Wei Ran.

"The other three young fellows have gone off to have some fun on their own as they are not keen on formalities," Wen Ren said. He was very respectful in front of the two elders and was not his casual, proud self.