A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return
chapter-406

Pei Ziheng’s face stiffened as he processed her words. “Really?”

She did not know what to expect of his reaction and simply nodded lightly. Her success depended on this opportunity — as long as he acknowledged the child as his, there would be a chance of its survival. She went on, “I haven’t been feeling very well recently, and even dreamed of the Buddha of Fertility at night. I guessed I must be pregnant since the night we did it… was not a safe period for me.”

She spoke very quietly but managed to get his expression to soften. He moved towards her and held her in his arms like she was his most valued treasure. This time, he held her for a long time, silently and without a hint of violence or violation. Xia Ling felt uncertain about the situation and called out, “Pei Ziheng?”

Only then did he make a sound. “I’ll take you to the hospital for a checkup.” If she really were expecting, this would be his first child, a child that he had been longing for too long — years back, he had already made plans for Wang Jingwan to have his first child, the oldest grandchild of the Pei family, before having a second child with Xiao Ling. Xiao Ling’s child would be brought up under Wang Jingwan’s name so that it could enjoy the luxuries of a Pei offspring as well.

Now, there was no need for such a plan. Xiao Ling’s child could be his oldest offspring.

It all seemed so blissful suddenly that Pei Ziheng’s tone became incredibly cautious and gentle. “Did I hurt you just now? How are you feeling? Do you feel any discomfort? You should’ve told me earlier that you’re pregnant, I could provide you with the best.”

Xia Ling bit her lip. “It’s only been over a month, I’m not too sure.”

Pei Ziheng, on the other hand, was sure. “You must be pregnant.” That would explain her poor appetite, mood swings, and all her unusual behavior. Now that he found an explanation to all of it, his anger had completely dissipated, replaced by inexplicable joy. He got some clothes and put them on for Xia Ling. “Let’s go to Compassionate Peace Hospital.”

The time had come.

Xia Ling was alerted by those words but managed to pull a willful expression. “I don’t want to.”

“Huh?” Pei Ziheng was confused.

“I don’t want to go to Compassionate Peace Hospital.” She said. “I detest that place. I’ve only just gotten out from there, and you’re taking me back. Every time I think of that place, I recall… that incident. Falling from the cliff was terrifying.”

She tilted her head downwards to hide her incongruent expression.

Pei Ziheng thought about it. Besides recalling the fall from the cliff, would she be reminded about her parting with that man? It suddenly hit him, and he figured out why she was unwilling to let him know she was expecting his child — having feelings for another person and yet having his child must be a torment for her.

He looked a little more somber now but stopped insisting. “We’ll go to another hospital then.”

Since she was unwilling to reignite her past emotions and to think about her parting with Li Lei, why would he want to push her to it?

Xia Ling sighed in relief.

“I’ll pick the hospital.” She said.

Pei Ziheng was still gentle with his words. “How do you know which hospital is good? Leave such trivial things to the rest of us, all you need to do is rest and take good care of yourself.”

“Nope.” She said a little coquettishly. That was how she used to do it in her past life when she wanted to play the childlike card; she knew that Pei Ziheng could never say no to that. “I’ll pick the hospital on my own. This is my baby.”

Having heard that expectant mothers usually had unstable moods, Pei Ziheng decided not to go against her. If she could find a good hospital, he would follow her wishes, and if she could not, he would surely find a way to get her to one.

Hence, he acceded to her request.

“But,” he said. “We’ll let the family doctor take a look first to confirm it.” Pei Ziheng maintained a calm front even though he was bursting with joy inside. There was so much to look forward to, how could he possibly wait for her to take her sweet time to a hospital?

“But you just said I must be pregnant!” She feigned anger in order to change his mind. “I don’t want to go through so many tests and checkups. Even if the family doctor has confirmed it, wouldn’t I still have to go to the hospital for another round of tests? What if the baby is hurt in the process of all these? Pei Ziheng, what sort of father are you?!”

She had rehearsed this line in her head countless times and was all prepared for such a situation. For the sake of keeping her child’s identity a secret, she had to tread the lines carefully.

The moment Pei Ziheng heard “father,” all his rationality was replaced by bliss. Xiao Ling was right, what if running too many tests hurt the baby? This was their first baby together, and if it were a son, he would be the oldest grandchild of the Pei family, the heir to take over the business. He had to be kept safe and well.

“Alright, I won’t call the family doctor.” He abided by her wishes.

Xia Ling felt a weight off her shoulders.

Everything was going as planned so far, and she could only hope for things to stay this way.

She had Pei Ziheng prepare a set of radiation-proof garments for expectant mothers before she started using the computer. Xia Ling looked up the Internet for renowned hospitals in the city as if she were struggling to make the best decision. Meanwhile, Pei Ziheng sat beside her and peered at the screen as he peeled oranges for her. Both of them were unusually quiet and peaceful, the same way they were as a loving couple many years back.

Pei Ziheng looked at her flawless side profile and thought that it really was amazing to have a child.

Xia Ling took a long time to compare the different hospitals before finally settling on the one that Feng Kun had arranged for her to visit — Huaxin Women and Children’s Hospital. “This one.” She told Pei Ziheng.

Pei Ziheng took a glance at the hospital’s name and said, “Sure, we’ll go tomorrow morning.” Given that this concerned his flesh and blood, how could he possibly let her make any reckless decisions? In fact, long before she had picked her choice, he had gotten somebody to check out the hospitals around, and the recommendation he had gotten was this very hospital — Huaxin Women and Children’s Hospital. He heard that this was the best gynecology and pediatric hospital, and hence did not reject it.

If she had picked another hospital, he would still have made her go to Huaxin for her test.

Xia Ling nodded. “Alright.” She heaved a sigh of relief inside. She had managed to buy time, such that it was already dark and the hospital was closed by then. Even if Pei Ziheng were impatient, he had no choice but to wait till the next day, which was a Wednesday — the day she and Senior Zhang had agreed on previously.

Feeling that things were running well, she couldn’t help but smile.

Pei Ziheng was mesmerized by her smile; she was really so beautiful. She was not stunning and breathtaking on the outside, but the radiance that she exuded from inside out, the glow from her pregnancy, it was oddly calming.

He would take good care of her and their child.

They went to the hospital on Wednesday, and as she had expected, the only specialist around was Senior Zhang. Senior Zhang took a look at her registration card, saw her name, and immediately knew that she was the one Feng Kun had mentioned. He kept his expression unmoved and proceeded to give her a thorough checkup.