The Long-awaited Mr Han

Initially, he had not thought in this direction.

As Shi Xiaoya was still young and the two of them had not used contraception…

It was only a matter of time before Shi Xiaoya got pregnant.

As such, Han Zhuoling had never placed any special consideration on this matter, simply deciding to let nature take its course.

Shi Xiaoya was not pregnant yet, but Han Zhuoling was not worried about that.

After all, it had not been long since the two of them stopped using contraception.

But who knew where Old Mrs. Han heard the rumor from? She suddenly went to ask about it.

The moment Han Zhuoling heard about it, he could not hold back his anticipation.

He even thought that Shi Xiaoya had already gotten an examination done and knew she was pregnant.

But she kept it a secret from him because she wanted to give him a surprise.

Thus, Han Zhuoling had been filled with great anticipation.

However, when he found out from Shi Xiaoya that this whole thing was just a big misunderstanding…

Han Zhuoling could not help feeling disappointed.

It was only then that he realized he had been anticipating having a child with Shi Xiaoya all this time.

He had been wanting to let nature take its course. Yet when he thought she was pregnant, he finally realized he was actually this excited…

And that he had such great anticipation for their child's arrival into the world.

While Han Zhuoling was sorting out his feelings, he heard Old Mrs. Han say, "It's news on the internet. They said you went to a pharmacy early in the morning and then went to the set to deliver something to Xiaoya, suggesting the possibility that Xiaoya is pregnant."

Han Zhuoling felt speechless. "…"

So this was how the misunderstanding came about.

With this, Han Zhuoling knew Shi Xiaoya truly was not pregnant.

It wasn't that he doubted her.

It's just that Shi Xiaoya did not have much experience in this aspect.

Much like Lu Man, what if Shi Xiaoya got pregnant and didn't show much sign of it, so she didn't know?

In the end, the rumor was actually because he had gone to a pharmacy early in the morning, leading others to misunderstand.

Han Zhuoling explained, "I went to a pharmacy in the early morning because Xiaoya had not been getting enough sleep all this time while she's working with the crew. She could only sleep for five hours every day, and some days, she would get even less. As the casts' makeup artist, she needs to wake up earlier than many of the other crew members. And unlike the cast who can leave after they finish filming, she needs to stay on the set until the end of the day."

Hearing this, Old Mrs. Han felt sorry for Shi Xiaoya and said, "Xiaoya, this child, she really works too hard."

"So, precisely because she hasn't been getting enough sleep, she had a really severe headache when she got up early this morning. I was afraid she would just go to work with the headache. It was too hard for me to bear, so I went to a pharmacy to buy some medicated strips for her headache," Han Zhuoling said. "I never expected that just this would feed the imagination of others and cause them to say that Xiaoya's pregnant."

Old Mrs. Han was also a bit disappointed.

Initially, she had made this phone call in excitement and anticipation. She never imagined it was actually all just a misunderstanding.

"So it's like this. It's fine, it's fine. That's just a misunderstanding, then," Old Mrs. Han said.

Shi Xiaoya was still young anyway.

Old Mrs. Han was an old lady, after all. It was natural that she would be happy and in anticipation upon hearing that a younger member of her family was expecting a child.

That said, it was fine that Shi Xiaoya was not pregnant. After all, this was not a matter that could be rushed.

"Have the two of you eaten yet?" Old Mrs. Han asked.

"We're eating right now. Xiaoya got off work earlier than usual today," Han Zhuoling answered.

Old Mrs. Han knew that Han Zhuoling was currently treating the hotel as his home every day because of Shi Xiaoya.

However, Old Mrs. Han thought this was a pretty good thing.

It would prevent some temptresses from thinking they could take advantage of Shi Xiaoya's absence and make a move to take her place just because she's not around.

Coincidentally, by doing this, Han Zhuoling could make it known…

That the relationship between him and his wife was great. They could not bear to be apart for even a short time. It would make those who still had intentions towards him stop as soon as possible.

"Oh, oh, oh. Then you two hurry up and have your meal," Old Mrs. Han said hurriedly. "I won't disturb you anymore."

Old Mrs. Han hung up the call and then thought of how Lin Liye might have also seen the false rumor on the Internet.

She was afraid Lin Liye would go and ask the couple about it.

Initially, she and Lin Liye had not intended to give the couple any pressure about having a child, but after her phone call with them, she felt she had already given them some pressure. So this wasn't good.

Consequently, Old Mrs. Han rang Lin Liye without delay.

"Mom," Lin Liye immediately called out when she picked up Old Mrs. Han's call.

"Oh, Liye, have you seen the rumor on the Internet about Xiaoya's pregnancy?" Old Mrs. Han asked.

"I just saw it and was about to ask Zhuoling what's going on," Lin Liye replied.

"Hey! Don't ask about it," Old Mrs. Han said. "I just asked him. It's all just a misunderstanding."

Old Mrs. Han took a moment to explain it to Lin Liye.

"I guessed that you must have seen it as well and wouldn't be able to resist asking them. But I thought that if we both go ask them about it excitedly and in anticipation, they'll think we're rushing them. There's no way to explain this either. The more we try, the more they will misunderstand and end up feeling more pressured," Old Mrs. Han said.

With that, Lin Liye immediately understood. "I understand, Mom. I won't ask them. It's enough that I know this is just a misunderstanding and that Xiaoya isn't actually pregnant."

"Yes, good." Old Mrs. Han happily hung up the call.

***

Shi Xiaoya took a sip of water and looked at Han Zhuoling. She asked, "Are you hoping for us to have a child earlier?"

"It's not that I'm hoping for it, per se. I'm just letting nature take its course," Han Zhuoling said. "Once I know that our child will soon be born into this world, I will be very happy, of course. This is human nature. But for now, I'm not in a hurry to have a child."

He continued with a smile, "Haven't we only just stopped using contraception? Since when has a pregnancy occurred right after stopping contraception? That's why I'm not worried. Didn't Zhuoli and Lu Man prepare for their pregnancy for quite a long time? Wasn't it like a year?"

"In any case, I'm quite anxious about it," Shi Xiaoya said. "I want to hurry up and give birth to a child for you."

Han Zhuoling pondered this slowly and suddenly felt something was not quite right with her words.

"Why?" Han Zhuoling narrowed his eyes. "Is it because you think I'm getting older, so you want to have a child as soon as possible?"

Shi Xiaoya was speechless. "…"

Was this man a roundworm inside her stomach?

Or was he able to read her thoughts? Did he possess X-ray eyes or something?!

How did he know what she was thinking?

She… She did indeed have such thoughts…

Shi Xiaoya felt that Han Zhuoling was not particularly young anymore. In fact, he would soon join the ranks of those who had children in the later years of their life.

If they didn't put in more effort now, Han Zhuoling's arms and legs would become like those of an elderly by the time their child grew to a lively and playful age. Without the energy to play with his child, what would he do then?

Even if it weren't to the extent of having the arms and legs of an elderly person, he certainly would not have the energy to keep up with a child's vigor.

If their child went to him so they could play, he would probably have a bitter and pressured expression. He clearly would not have the physical strength to do it, yet he would not be able to admit it, needing to take into consideration his image and dignity as the child's father.

He would force himself to play with his child and then return home terribly exhausted.

Upon thinking about it, he could only blame himself for being soft-hearted.

While thinking these things, she was faced with Han Zhuoling's narrowed eyes.

Shi Xiaoya immediately laughed dryly. "Hehehehe… How could that be? Why do you think that way? You're still…"

The words "hale and hearty despite your years" almost emerged from her mouth.

Fortunately, Shi Xiaoya had restrained herself in time and didn't actually say those words out loud.

"You're still so young!" Shi Xiaoya's face was filled with surprise. "How could you feel you're too old now? Why do you feel this way?"

Han Zhuoling laughed.

He felt that it truly wasn't a waste for Shi Xiaoya to stay here with the cast and crew.

At the very least, she had gained a lot of improvement in her acting skills.

This act of hers was just like the real thing.