Chapter 46
When he was about 4 months pregnant, Yu Li could occasionally feel a slight stirring in his belly, but it was like a feather brushing past, not very obvious.
He didn't know if that counted as fetal movement, so he never mentioned it.
Until just now, when more distinct fetal movements came, he was able to confirm it.
As Yu Li spoke, Yan Shiting's hand paused on his leg.
Unknowingly, Yu Li's way of referring to the fetus had also changed.
Yan Shiting lowered his gaze and saw Yu Li lifting the hem of his pajamas, revealing the slightly protruding curve of his belly.
The fetus was not far along, and when Yu Li wore clothes normally, one couldn't even see that curve.
Only when he was at home wearing pajamas could it be slightly detected.
Yu Li stared intently at his belly, and after about ten minutes, just when he thought the previous sensation was just an illusion, another wave of stirring came from his belly.
Yu Li blinked, his eyes slightly moist.
Most of the time, he couldn't really feel that there was a child in his belly, and sometimes he even forgot that he was pregnant.
Now he finally realized that a life would soon be born and gradually grow up into an adult.
Yu Li took a deep breath, gently touching his belly, and the stirring came again, as if responding to him.
He lowered the hem of his pajamas, feeling somewhat emotional, opening his mouth but not knowing what to say.
Finally, he murmured, "Just three more months..."
And the child will be born.
Yan Shiting withdrew his gaze from Yu Li's belly and reached out to stroke his hair.
Yu Li looked at Yan Shiting and said, "I've heard that it's good to talk to the baby during pregnancy, so it will remember our voices."
He smiled a little sheepishly, "So, Brother, you should talk to it too."
To prevent the dream he had from coming true, from now on, let the other father build a good relationship with the child.
Yan Shiting looked at him and nodded after a moment, "Mm."
After talking for a while, Yu Li's leg started cramping again.
Yan Shiting's hand returned to his calf, professionally massaging it.
The pain gradually eased, and Yu Li fell asleep with his eyes closed.
Yan Shiting covered Yu Li with the blanket and reached out to turn off the bedside lamp, but his hand paused just as it touched the switch.
He hesitated for a moment, then looked back towards Yu Li's belly, his gaze unreadable.
After a while, he withdrew his gaze and turned off the lamp.
...
On the Lunar New Year's Eve, Y City had a heavy snowfall.
In the afternoon, after the snow stopped, Yan Sui drove to pick up Yu Li.
They had agreed to meet at an intersection near Wanting.
When he picked up Yu Li, Yan Sui casually asked, "The rent around here must not be cheap. Are you living here now, Yu Li?"
Yu Li fastened his seatbelt and nodded, "Living with my boyfriend."
"Oh—" Yan Sui started the car, "So you're living together? What's your boyfriend like? If he's not good, don't just endure it."
"Dating and living together is not like living in a dorm. If you're going for marriage, and you see red flags, it's best to cut your losses early."
Yu Li thought for a moment and said meaningfully, "He's a good person, well, about the same as your brother."
"Huh? About the same as my brother?" Yan Sui pondered for a while, then said, "Well, that's alright then."
He then chuckled and said, "By the way, my brother is already 32 years old, and I've never seen him in a relationship before. I wonder what he would be like in a relationship."
"Is it about the same as your boyfriend?"
Yu Li smiled and said, "You'll find out soon enough."
"Haha, the way you say that, have you and your boyfriend decided when to invite me to dinner? I'll start looking forward to it then."
"Mm-hmm."
They arrived at the Yan family manor just in time for dinner.
Yu Li opened the small program he had made on his phone and saw that a fallen maple leaf, which the wild geese had plucked from the tree, was floating in the water, with Yan Shiting's message:
[Company annual meeting, will be back late.]
Yu Li smiled, sending him a photo of the dinner.
It continued snowing heavily during dinner, until around 9 PM.
The snow in the manor reflected the lights, making the night not as dark.
Around 10:30 PM, there was another message from Yan Shiting in the program:
[On my way back, go upstairs and sleep first.]
Yu Li was indeed a bit sleepy, but he didn't want to go upstairs to sleep yet.
Coincidentally, Yan Sui was waiting in the living room for a late-night snack, so Yu Li stayed there too, leaving a series of circles in the program for Yan Shiting.
At 11 o'clock, Yan Shiting came back.
As he walked from the parking lot to the first-floor living room, he saw Yu Li dozing off leaning against the sofa.
Next to him, Yan Sui had just finished his late-night snack and was cleaning up the coffee table.
Yan Shiting glanced at Yan Sui and said in a low voice, "Why haven't you gone upstairs to sleep yet?"
Yu Li was briefly awakened by his words.
He instinctively thought Yan Shiting was talking to him, so he opened his mouth to say, "I was..."
But before he could finish the sentence "waiting for you", he heard Yan Sui's reply from the side, "I just had a late-night snack, I'm going upstairs now."
He hadn't heard Yu Li's earlier words, and after finishing, he quickly cleaned up the coffee table.
"Brother, I'm going to sleep now."
He then waved to Yu Li and said, "Come on, Yu Li, let's go upstairs to sleep."
"You look sleepy, we've known each other for four years, you don't need to be so polite when you come to my house. Next time, if you're sleepy, just go upstairs to sleep, don't worry about what I'm doing."
Yu Li, being beckoned by him, couldn't stay in the living room anymore.
He looked apologetically at Yan Shiting, then followed Yan Sui upstairs.
After the two of them disappeared around the staircase, Yan Shiting raised a hand and rubbed his brow, then went to the kitchen to heat up a glass of milk.
He brought the milk upstairs and walked straight to Yu Li's room.
Yu Li hadn't locked the door, waiting for him.
Seeing Yan Shiting come in with an expressionless face holding the milk, Yu Li quickly took it over and stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips.
"Brother, in a few more days, we can tell Yan Sui about our relationship."
Until then, he still had to sleep in a separate room from Yan Shiting.
"Mm." Yan Shiting caressed his face and deepened the previous kiss.
Yu Li drank the milk, finished washing up, and sat down on the chair at the desk.
His freshly washed hair was still a bit damp, and Yan Shiting took the hair dryer and stood behind him, helping him dry it.
The strands slipped through his fingers, and soon the sound of the hair dryer stopped.
Yu Li leaned against Yan Shiting, closing his eyes, drowsy.
Yan Shiting put down the hair dryer, bent over, and lifted him up, carrying him to the bed.
The moment his back touched the bed, Yu Li woke up a little, grabbing Yan Shiting's sleeve and softly saying, "Brother, don't forget to talk to the baby."
Ever since he had clearly felt the fetal movements, every night before sleeping, Yu Li would have Yan Shiting tell a little story.
Yan Shiting held his hand, sitting by the bed, and said in a low voice, "I remember, sleep."
Yu Li nodded drowsily, finding a more comfortable position in Yan Shiting's embrace.
He thought for a moment, then pulled Yan Shiting's hand and placed it on his belly, then closed his eyes.
Yan Shiting let him do as he wished, opening his phone to find a few short stories.
In his deep voice, Yu Li gradually fell asleep.
After finishing the last story, Yan Shiting was just about to put down his phone when he felt a faint force on the hand resting on Yu Li's belly.
It was as if the fetus inside the belly had lightly moved and then touched his hand.
Yan Shiting's body stiffened.
He almost didn't dare to move, and soon the little one lightly touched his hand again.
After a while, the movement stopped.
Yan Shiting remained in that position, lowering his gaze to look at Yu Li.
After a long time, he finally released Yu Li, covered him with the blanket, and quietly left the room.
...
The next morning, Yu Li went downstairs and saw Butler He handing out red envelopes to the other employees in the hall.
With Chinese New Year approaching, the manor staff were also going to take a vacation and go home.
Around 9 a.m., some employees left one by one, having packed their bags.
Yu Li looked at Butler He, who was still dressed in a tuxedo, and asked in puzzlement, "Uncle He, aren't you going home?"
Butler He turned around and said, "There's no one at my home, so I'm not going back."
Yu Li was slightly taken aback. "I'm sorry, Uncle He."
Butler He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's not what you're thinking..."
But he saw the security guard come over with the duty roster.
Butler He quickly said, "Little Yu, I still have some things to do, you can go find the young master to play."
Yu Li nodded, "Okay, take your time, Uncle He."
He turned and left, and by the floor-to-ceiling window in the hallway, he saw Yan Sui clearing the snow in the garden.
Yu Li thought about it, changed into non-slip shoes, and went out to help Yan Sui clear the snow.
He casually asked about Butler He's family.
"Uncle He?" Yan Sui was a bit surprised, then sighed, "Well, when Uncle He graduated from college, he wanted to repay my parents for supporting his studies, so he came to work as a butler in our family."
"But his relatives didn't really understand, scolding him as a 'dog servant' and 'unambitious,' and other very hurtful things. After that, Uncle He just didn't want to have any more contact with them."
So that's why Butler He said "there's no one at my home."
Yu Li heard this and felt his guilt lessen a little.
He could understand Butler He's actions; relatives like that, it was better not to acknowledge them.
The heavy snow the day before had crushed some of the flowers and plants in the garden, and the gardener aunt hired by the Yan family was digging out some of the plants in poor condition to move them to the greenhouse.
Yan Sui and Yu Li went forward to help.
The soil was wet and soft, and after finishing, their hands and shoes were covered in mud.
It was almost lunchtime, so Yan Sui and Yu Li quickly went back to the manor.
Yan Sui walked faster and changed his shoes as soon as he got inside.
Yu Li was a few steps behind, trying to avoid getting the mud on his clothes, keeping his hands outstretched.
As he walked in, he made eye contact with Yan Shiting standing in the foyer.
Seeing the mud on his hands, Yan Shiting took a pack of wet wipes and helped him wipe it clean.
Then, he very naturally squatted down and helped him take off his dirty shoes.
After the pregnancy, it was difficult for Yu Li to bend over, so whenever Yan Shiting was around, it was usually him changing Yu Li's shoes.
The shoes were covered in soft, wet mud, and in helping him change shoes, some of it got on Yan Shiting's long fingers as well.
In the living room, Yan Sui, who had just finished washing his hands, stood by the sofa, staring in shock at the foyer.
His brother, how could he be helping Yu Li change shoes?
And his brother was so neat and tidy, how could he not even frown with the dirt on his hands?
His head was full of questions, and Yan Sui furrowed his brows.
During lunch, Yan Sui was a bit distracted.
He looked up again and saw his brother ladling soup for Yu Li.
This...
Yan Sui suddenly remembered that two months ago, his brother also seemed to have done something similar.
At the time, he had thought his brother treated Yu Li the same as he treated him, but now, the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
The "strange things" were not just these two incidents.
After lunch, Yu Li was sitting on the sofa eating fruit, and Yan Sui went to the kitchen to get a drink. As he walked out, he saw his brother had peeled a fragrant pear and placed it in Yu Li's hands.
Yan Sui was startled again, then fell into contemplation.
He silently observed his brother's every move.
Soon, Yu Li became a bit drowsy and went upstairs for a nap.
Seeing this, Yan Sui quickly pulled his brother upstairs to the small study.
After closing the door, under Yan Shiting's calm gaze, Yan Sui hesitated for a moment, then asked:
"Brother, do you like Yu Li?"
**********
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