CHAPTER 995: CHAPTER 674: CHERISHED

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Chuxia came out after a shower, dried her hair, and passed out immediately. She was truly exhausted.

Some things are just strange like that. When you don’t know there’s a bun in the oven, it doesn’t feel like much. But once you do, all kinds of symptoms appear immediately.

Still, being in her prime, after a nap of over an hour, she felt refreshed and comfortable all over.

Just as she finished getting dressed, Zhou Mikang pushed the door open and came in: "Why did you wake up so soon?" He looked at her somewhat nervously. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Chuxia rolled her eyes at him, too lazy to respond. Why does he always ask her that? It feels like he’s particularly hoping she’s not well.

Zhou Mikang looked at her complexion, a faint smile on his lips: "Alright, alright, my bad. I was just worried when I saw you wake up so quickly."

"Have my parents gotten up?" Chuxia asked.

"Not yet. They’ve been too exhausted lately, plus with a lot on their minds. How could they rest so quickly? The food will take a while too. Want me to accompany you for a stroll?"

"No way..." Chuxia shook her head without thinking, "It’s freezing outside, what kind of stroll? If people see me, they’ll think I have a screw loose."

"Are you shy about people knowing you’re pregnant?" Zhou Mikang coughed lightly, "When you were showering just now, I already told the elders about it."

"You... you..." Chuxia glared at him furiously, "Didn’t you promise me not to say anything for now? How can you go back on your word? I’ll never trust you again!"

"Whether sooner or later, it has to be said eventually. What’s the point of dragging it out? Sooner or later, the result is the same." Zhou Mikang looked at her seriously. "Don’t tell me you really think this is something to be ashamed of?"

"No..." Chuxia sat back on the bed, feeling deflated. "It’s not that I think it’s shameful. I just wanted to deal with things first. The teachers and senior sisters are already back to work, and I should at least visit and exchange New Year’s greetings with them, right?"

"In your heart, do you really think grandpa, grandma, dad, and mom are so unreasonable?"

"It’s not about being unreasonable. It’s that they’ll definitely worry about me and won’t like me going to the hospital. I don’t want to upset them. But if I don’t go, I also feel I’m letting the teachers down.

I know you promised me I could continue attending classes during my pregnancy, so you’ll definitely make it happen. But besides that, I also want to handle things with the teachers properly.

And there’s Elder Yuan, he’s been so kind and supportive. I should at least go and say goodbye, right? He’ll be so disappointed. I promised to study under him..."

Zhou Mikang interrupted her helplessly: "Can we not overthink everything? Stop worrying about what others think? Right now, your health is the most important, understand?"

"I understand, but these people have been good to me, how can I not care about their thoughts? If they were insignificant, of course, I wouldn’t care."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Chuxia looked at him puzzled, "Did you think I was lying?"

"Not lying, just avoiding..." Zhou Mikang looked at her steadily, "You’re finding all sorts of excuses. But the root cause is you don’t want to become a mom so soon. So deep down, you’re resistant, always finding ways to avoid it. You can argue with me, but when you have a quiet moment, think about whether what I’m saying is true."

Chuxia stayed silent, not knowing what to think.

Ever since she found out she was pregnant, her mood had been off.

She used to think it was because of the string of family issues affecting her mood. But looking back, it didn’t seem quite like that.

For instance, when at the Qiao Family’s place, regarding Che Yali’s matter, she actually didn’t agree with mom getting involved. But she reluctantly agreed after a slight objection, at the time, thinking she didn’t want mom to regret it later. But thinking back, the bigger reason seemed to be to delay leaving by a day.

And when at the Zhang Family, she even hoped the ex-fiancee would cause a scene, giving her a reason to stay another day.

These hidden thoughts were not unknown to her. She just didn’t want to face them, deliberately avoiding them.

In the end, she just couldn’t accept becoming a mom at eighteen.

Alright, even if she counts her real age as twenty-two, she still can’t accept it.

She’s still a kid herself, and she’s about to become a mom?

However, she also knew that whether she accepted it or not, she had to accept it. If she dared to say she didn’t want this child at this moment, the whole family would be heartbroken, including her own parents.

Moreover, even if she couldn’t accept it, she couldn’t bear to actually abort the child, because after all, this was a bond between the child and her, and she couldn’t destroy it.

Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile and looked at Zhou Mikang: "I will slowly adjust myself. Perhaps it’s just because I’m newly pregnant, and my body and mind are struggling to adapt right now."

"Sigh!" Zhou Mikang let out a heavy sigh and held her tightly, "Seeing you like this makes my heart ache, and I feel guilty too. Actually, I’ve thought about it. If you really don’t want this child, you don’t have to keep it. I’ve even secretly consulted with doctors, but the answer was that if you don’t keep it, it would cause significant harm to your body, plus the procedure itself is very painful.

Chuxia, can you tell me, do you not want the child because you feel too young, or because you lack confidence in me? Or is it because, in your heart, our relationship hasn’t reached this point yet?"

"I..." Chuxia paused and said, "I just haven’t fully prepared myself mentally. I believe in you, but this is different from what we initially planned, so I need some time to adjust."

Zhou Mikang, please rest assured, I won’t give up on this child. I never really had that thought. Not accepting it is one thing, but ending a life is another."

"You still didn’t answer one question." Zhou Mikang insisted.

"You’re so persistent..." Chuxia raised her head and glanced at him, amused, "We’re already married, and you’re talking about our relationship not being at that level? What are you after? Looking to find someone else?"

"Nonsense!" Zhou Mikang glared at her, "I just want to know your true feelings so I can make a decision, you know, I don’t want to force you."

"You mean if I say that our relationship hasn’t reached that level, and I don’t want this child, you would actually take me to abort it?"

"Sigh!" Zhou Mikang sighed again, "If it wouldn’t harm your body, I would do it immediately, but now, I need to consult experts to see which method would cause the least harm to your body, and that’s the approach we’ll take."

"That’s the same as saying nothing..." Chuxia pouted, "As long as it’s a surgery, it will harm the body, but speaking of real physical harm, isn’t giving birth more damaging than having an abortion? Are you suggesting I shouldn’t have the child and you would do it instead?"

"I wish I could, but I don’t have that ability." Zhou Mikang looked at her, half-laughing, half-crying, "Can’t your little mind think of something more practical?"

Chuxia just snorted coldly, "Hmph, I just can’t stand you saying big words without doing anything."

"I’m not just saying big words, I genuinely mean it, and remember, I will never force you to do anything in my life. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you."

Chuxia seriously observed him for a moment, and the determination in his eyes finally made her stop arguing with him: "I believe you, but I have decided to keep this child."

"Alright." Zhou Mikang placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, "All my efforts in this life are for you and the child to live better. You have to trust me."

Chuxia nodded: "I trust you."

"I’ve already discussed it with grandpa, grandma, mom, and dad. We’ll help you rent a larger house outside of school, and dad and mom will stay there to take care of you. When the time gets closer, grandma and mom will visit frequently.

However, half a month before you give birth, you must come back to stay at home, and after the child is born, you’ll need to recover at home before returning to school. Can you agree to this?"

Chuxia widened her eyes in surprise: "They agreed?"

"Of course, why would I tell you if they didn’t agree?"

"You’re amazing, Zhou Mikang, I’m crazy about you!" Chuxia jumped up excitedly and showered his face with kisses, only to notice that Commander Tongzi’s face had turned as red as a shrimp...

"Ahem..." Chuxia herself also felt a bit awkward. She was so excited that she lost her composure. Despite knowing each other and being married for so long, she had never been so proactive.

"Hmm..." Suddenly, her lips were sealed by him. She could feel his emotional excitement and warmth, feeling tense but not worried because she knew he was someone who knew his limits.

When they walked out of the room, Zhao Yulan, Lin Baohe, and Lin Wenbin were already in the hall.

Chuxia could feel the elders’ eyes filled with worry as she came downstairs.

In an instant, her heart was filled with emotion. They were clearly so worried, yet they allowed her to go to school and live outside. How difficult was it for them to make this decision?!

However, thinking about Yu Tao’s pregnancy, although the elders were worried, they ultimately allowed Yu Tao to continue working, she felt that her previous struggle had been a bit excessive.

The elders of the Zhou family have always been reasonable, or maybe she was scared by the grandparents in Dalin Village and Luo Xiaoqiong’s grandparents, thinking too much for a moment.

"Xia, come, sit next to grandma." Old Madam Zhou patted the seat next to her, and Chuxia obediently went over to sit. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote with recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)