Su Zhinian pretended to knock on Song Qingchun’s bedroom door twice before pushing it open and walking in. The sound of water in the bathroom provided the perfect cover to his movement. The girl in the shower was humming happily, and she didn’t even hear him walk in.
Su Zhinian walked to the bathroom door and knocked on it. After a while, the sound of water inside stopped, and Song Qingchun called out, “Who is it?”
“Tingting, it’s me.”
“Huh?” Through the bathroom door, Su Zhinian could hear Song Qingchun walking toward him barefooted. “Didn’t you say you’re going home? Why did you turn back?”
“I remembered that I had something to give father on the way home, so I came back…” After a pause, Su Zhinian added, “…You’d better finish showering first lest you catch a cold. We can talk after you’re done.”
“Okay,” Song Qingchun answered. There was the sound of her barefoot on the bathroom tiles, then the sound of the faucet being twisted open, and finally the sound of rushing water.
Su Zhinian stood at the bathroom door for a while before turning around to walk toward her bed. He picked out his phone to send Tang Nuo a text. “It’s time.”
About ten seconds after the message was sent, Song Qingchun’s phone rang. Su Zhinian didn’t hurry to remind Song Qingchun, who was in the bathroom. Instead, he waited until Tang Nuo repeated the call three more times before he walked toward the bathroom and knocked on the door.
After the water stopped, Su Zhinian uttered, “Tingting, your phone has been ringing. It sounds like an emergency….”
Su Zhinian paused before continuing in a kind voice. “…Do you mind if I take a look at it?”
Song Qingchun was in a hurry to wash away the shampoo on her hair, so she answered without thinking. “Sure.”
Su Zhinian, who had received Song Qingchun’s permission, returned to the bed quickly. He grabbed Song Qingchun’s bag, opened it, and started to rummage through it. Song Qingchun was in a hurry to get out from the bathroom since Su Zhinian was waiting for her. However, since she was pregnant, she stood under the bathroom’s warm light and carefully and slowly wiped her hair dry. When Song Qingchun dried her hair completely, she pulled open the bathroom door and walked out.
Her make-up counter was just next to the bathroom door, so she exited and took a sharp left turn to sit before the mirror. She grabbed a bottle of skincare lotion and squirted out a generous amount on her palm.
However, Song Qingchun was suddenly reminded of the baby in her stomach. Worried that such products might harm the baby, she put the bottle back on the counter and walked back into the bathroom. When she was washing the product away, she turned to ask Su Zhinian, who was standing in her bedroom, “Who was it that called me?”
Su Zhinian didn’t reply. She frowned but didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she took a detour and walked into her closet. She rummaged through the many drawers before she located a bottle of harmless natural oil. With that, she walked back into the bedroom.
She twisted the cap open, and when she was going to apply it on her face, she suddenly remembered that her phone was placed in her bag, and her bag also had…
Song Qingchun whipped around to look at Su Zhinian.
The man was reading through several pieces of paper in his hands, and on her bed was neatly arranged the folate and calcium tablets that the doctor administered her that morning.
The ball of toilet paper was sitting on top of her bag, and resting on it were the ten pregnant test sticks that she had used that morning.
Song Qingchun froze for who knew how long before Su Zhinian finally finished reading her pregnancy report. He lowered his gaze and was silent for a moment before he walked toward her with the report in hand.