Chapter 189
After unburdening himself from work, the fatigue in his body seemed to erupt, and he found himself very inclined to sleep throughout the day. Often, he would wake up around nine or ten in the morning, only to nap for another two or three hours in the afternoon. Plus, with Qing Qing making nutritious soups for him every day, in less than half a month, he had gained weight and his belly had become more prominent.
“He’s kicking me.” On a particularly sunny afternoon, Qing Qing’s younger sister Lele, who hadn’t gone to school, squeezed onto the small stool beside Ye Zhi, using her hand to feel his belly through his thin clothes to sense the fetal movements.
Ye Zhi was now six months pregnant, and the fetal movements were becoming more frequent. Although not strong, he could feel that it would be a rather lively child. “He’s most active after meals,” Ye Zhi smiled, with a gentle warmth in his expression, radiating a maternal charm.
“In three more months, we can meet!” Lele was very excited. She was as beautiful as her brother, with long, thick eyelashes and the characteristic slightly darker skin tone of the Hei Tu Mountains. Her eyes were bright, and she was very lively. “I hope it’s a sister. I really want a sister.”
Ye Zhi smiled and suddenly thought of Huo Ran. He couldn’t help but touch his own abdomen gently and whispered, “A sister would be nice too. She’ll definitely be very well-behaved.”
Memories always lingered, thoughts of Huo Youcheng, and also of Huo Ran. Whenever he was idle or before falling asleep, the beautiful memories of the past would replay in his mind, replaying every detail over and over again, unable to completely satisfy the yearning in his heart, but offering some slight consolation.
He was always easily contented, especially now that he had a new focus.
Ye Zhi wasn’t used to freeloading; he would help with whatever he could. When Hui was busy, he would prepare meals for the family. When Yu was busy, he would even help with herding. On days when Lele didn’t go to school, he would hold her hand and leisurely stroll to the town to buy candy for her, and also buy a bag of vegetables or daily necessities for the house.
“You don’t need to spend money. I’ll buy these things when I finish work,” Qing Qing immediately said when he found out.
Ye Zhi just smiled. “It didn’t cost much. If you don’t let me do anything, I won’t be able to stay.”
He was a bit stubborn, and Qing Qing couldn’t stop him, but he was afraid that Ye Zhi would spend all his savings, so he came up with a solution.
He decided to secretly put some money into Ye Zhi’s wallet.
When the plan was in action, he asked his sister to take Ye Zhi out to play, then sneaked into the bedroom. Now that they were sleeping together, Qing Qing knew where Ye Zhi kept his things very well. He found his wallet in the drawer.
It was a very old wallet, with some cracks on the surface, but it was very clean. Qing Qing had been to the big city, seen the market, and recognized various luxury brand logos, but couldn’t tell what brand this wallet was, guessing it was just an ordinary miscellaneous brand.
“Huo Youcheng is so stingy, he didn’t even give you a new wallet,” Qing Qing muttered softly. He didn’t have much affection for Huo Youcheng to begin with. Later, he saw how good Huo Youcheng was to Ye Zhi, and his impression improved slightly. But now, that little bit of goodwill had disappeared.
He opened the wallet and put the prepared cash inside. To avoid Ye Zhi noticing, Qing Qing didn’t put too much, and prepared both large and small denominations. Satisfied with his handiwork, Qing Qing smiled to himself. Just as he was about to close the wallet, he suddenly noticed a bit of white poking out from between the folds, with some faint writing on it.
Something that could be tucked into the wallet fold was evidently quite precious, and it was also private. Qing Qing didn’t originally intend to pry, but the occasional glimpse of Ye Zhi’s occasional desolate expression flashed through his mind. With a moment of hesitation, he couldn’t resist unfolding the piece of paper.
It was a very small note, looking like a casual message on a sticky note. It was folded in half, covering the contents inside. Qing Qing hesitated for a moment, but couldn’t resist unfolding the note.
The content on it was indeed a very ordinary message, but when Qing Qing saw the name at the end, his heart suddenly clenched.
Huo Youqiao? Was this a note left by Huo Youqiao?
Clearly just a message about saving some food, why would Ye Zhi treat it so seriously and keep it in the fold?
His affair partner… was Huo Youqiao?
The answer that he didn’t dare to think about was laid out before him, suddenly connecting with the previous doubts.
Why did the divorce happen so quickly? Why didn’t Ye Zhi face severe retaliation even after cheating? Why did he leave the central city? Why did Cheng Yanzhou look so stunned when he received that call from Huo Youcheng…
Qing Qing was stunned for a long time before hurriedly folding the note back and putting it back in its place in the wallet.
