Chapter 10

Chapter 10

After quitting my job, I started my life as a stay-at-home mom-to-be. Every day was filled with eating nutritious meals, sleeping, and the daily "Alex Qin walks"—which he never missed. Alex came with me to every prenatal checkup. He even remembered the doctor's advice better than I did. All the books on our bookshelf had been replaced with ones about "pregnancy do's and don'ts."

Alex even started "slacking off" at work—leaving on time every day to come home and watch me eat, or take me for walks. One day, I teased him, "President Xie—aren't you worried someone will take over the company if you keep leaving early?"

"Compared to the company," he said, flicking my nose and handing me a glass of milk, "I'm more worried about someone taking you away."

For the Mid-Autumn Festival, we went to Alex's parents' house for dinner. After the meal, Alex's mom took my hand. "Xiao Shi," she said, her voice soft. "I know I wasn't nice to you before. The Jenny Yuan incident scared me too—I never thought things would get that bad. Now that you're about to have the baby, don't hold a grudge against me. Just focus on resting."

I was surprised by her sudden change of heart. Alex was leaning against the kitchen door, smiling at me. When he saw me looking at him in confusion, he nodded.

"Mom, I never held a grudge against you," I said. "I know you were just looking out for Alex." Even though she'd never liked me, she was still Alex's mom.

That night, I asked Alex, "Why did Mom suddenly change her mind about me?"

"After the Jenny Yuan incident, I talked to her," Alex said, pulling me into his arms. "She realized you were pregnant and almost got hurt because of her mistake. She felt terrible. And after all, you're carrying her grandson. She just wants me to be happy." He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "How could there be an unsolvable problem between the two people I love most?" His eyes looked tired—he'd been working so hard lately, and the dark circles under his eyes were more noticeable. "She wanted to apologize to you earlier, but she didn't know how to bring it up."

I knew Alex must have put a lot of effort into getting his mom to accept me. The next morning, I looked at Alex sleeping next to me, and my heart was filled with happiness. When I went downstairs, his mom waved me over to eat. "Mom, thank you," I said. I knew Alex had never said it, but he'd always wanted his mom to truly accept me. His mom looked at me and smiled—she knew exactly what I meant.

On the afternoon of the Mid-Autumn Festival, I was resting at Alex's parents' house while Alex went to the company to handle some work. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my belly. Alex's mom heard me cry out and rushed over.

"Mom—it hurts," I gasped. "I think the baby's coming!" The pain hit in waves, and I panicked—all the fears of childbirth rushed over me.

"Did you bring the hospital bag?" she asked. We'd planned to stay at her house for a few days, so we hadn't brought it with us.

"It's at our apartment—we didn't bring it," I said, clutching my belly.

"I'll call Alex to bring it over. Just breathe—don't panic," she said, grabbing her phone. "I'll call the driver to take us to the hospital right away. It's going to be okay." She kept comforting me as she made the calls. Amid the panic, I felt a little happy too.

The baby was born safely—a little girl. Alex had always wanted a daughter, and his wish had finally come true. Our baby was born on the night Alex's mom and I had made up—on the Mid-Autumn Festival, a day for family reunions. Later, everyone said her birth was a sign that our whole family had finally come together.

Now, I had two sets of parents, Alex, and our baby. Lying in the hospital bed, looking at the tiny little body next to me, my heart felt full.

A few years later, I watched Alex and our daughter bustling around the house, and I had my dream design job too. I thought to myself—there was no happier sight in the world. I wanted to thank the Mid-Autumn Festival. It had witnessed me finding the greatest happiness in my life.