"I"m going to wait until my son moves," Yan Beicheng replied calmly. He was determined to stay.
He lowered his head and said to Lin Chu"s belly, "Hey, little guy. Move a little. I"m about to be chased out by someone. If you don"t move, I"m going to give you a good beating when you come out from there."
Lin Chu, "…"
This was embarra.s.sing.
However, she did not want to embarra.s.s Yan Beicheng here by kicking him out so openly.
It was lucky that their son was very supportive. She wondered if he had heard Yan Beicheng"s threat. He had moved not long after Yan Beicheng spoke. His movement was gentle as if he was testing out the waters by moving a little. He gave another kick after three or four seconds.
Yan Beicheng"s face brightened up as he looked excitedly at Lin Chu"s belly. His hands were trembling. He suddenly broke into a wide smile and looked especially silly, "He… He moved!"
Yan Beicheng turned to look at Wei Zilin as he said, "He moved!"
Wei Zilin nodded stiffly at his words.
Yan Beicheng rubbed Lin Chu"s belly appreciatively for a long time as he grumbled in dissatisfaction, "Why is he not moving anymore?"
"He"s still very young. Let him have some rest. Besides, it"s very uncomfortable for me when he moves too much," Lin Chu said quietly. She knew very well how to sort out this situation with Yan Beicheng.
As she had expected, the moment Yan Beicheng heard that Lin Chu would feel uncomfortable, he immediately ordered his son not to move. "Stop moving so much. You should not be torturing your mum."
"…," Wei Zilin could not take it anymore. "Now that your son has moved, it"s time for you to go. Yan Hui can"t do without you."
Wei Zilin spoke while clenching his teeth.
Lin Chu quietly nudged him as well, to remind him that he should not be here. He was making everyone uncomfortable.
Yan Beicheng did have work to do. He was supposed to be in a meeting, but he got Zuo Qiu to push it back. He should not be staying for too long.
That was why Yan Beicheng finally turned to Lin Chu and said, "I"ll pick you up in the afternoon."
With that, he stood up. Yan Beicheng did not forget to remind Wei Zilin, "Even though it"s exciting that my son is moving, but you"re not allowed to touch Lin Chu"s belly."
Wei Zilin, "…"
"Just get out!" Wei Zilin said darkly.
Yan Beicheng did not leave but stared at him instead.
Wei Zilin"s lips twitched as he a.s.sured helplessly, "Fine, I won"t touch."
Why would he be touching his friend"s wife for no good reason?! It would be weird even if it was for feeling the baby"s movement in her belly!
It was only then that Yan Beicheng was satisfied, leaving Lin Chu behind who was too embarra.s.sed to say anything.
Wei Zilin left too looking grim. Zheng Yuntong moved close to Lin Chu and asked, "Yan Beicheng has already felt it. Can it be my turn now?"
Lin Chu, "…"
"I"ll get you when he moves again," Lin Chu"s mouth twitched a little as she said. Lin Chu felt that Wei Zilin would not want to feel the baby"s movement. Yan Beicheng was so busy being guarded against Wei Zilin that he failed to guard the baby against the real "threat".
By the time Yan Beicheng came to pick her up, her son stayed still lazily in her belly. Lin Chu left under the regretful eyes of Zheng Yuntong, who watched sadly as Lin Chu left the office.
When Lin Chu got into the elevator, it was already half-past three.
There should be enough time for them to get to Mo Jinxi"s school.
She walked into the elevator and pressed the b.u.t.ton to the ground floor. The elevator moved downwards. Lin Chu had the habit of looking up at the display that showed the floors the elevator had pa.s.sed. When the elevator got to the sixth floor, it suddenly shook tremendously.
Lin Chu was shocked by the sudden tremor. Her face went pale. She remembered reading an online article about what to do in the elevator should an emergency as this happened.
She quickly pressed on the emergency b.u.t.ton. The online article had images that showed that if the elevator suddenly accelerated downward, one should bend their knees and lean against the elevator wall with their hands and back pressed to it. It would help provide an amount of protection when the elevator fell.
Lin Chu quickly positioned herself. All she asked for was that this would be just a scare and her baby would be fine.
At that moment, the intercom in the elevator rang. It was the building"s management.
Lin Chu quickly explained the situation.
The building management quickly sent security and maintenance to help and even called 119.
Lin Chu was alone in the elevator and she could not help but felt scared. She took out her phone from her handbag. There was no signal on it.
As there was no ventilation in the elevator and she had no tolerance for the heat due to being pregnant, Lin Chu started to sweat. It was also partly due to her being nervous about the situation. She wondered if it was a psychological effect as she started to feel suffocated and could not breathe.
The elevator suddenly shook again. Lin Chu screamed as her heart sank. She was very afraid that the elevator would crash downwards.
As the elevator shook, the lights in the elevator flickered, as if following the rhythm of the shaking elevator. As the shaking and flickering got more frequent, the rhythm got faster. In the end, after a few quick flickering of the lights, all she heard was a huge bang and all the lights were gone.
The elevator was pitch-dark. She could not see anything at all.
Even though she was the only one in the elevator, Lin Chu still could not help panicked. She was really scared and did not even dare to lift her head. When she was in university, Lin Chu had watched a horror movie with her roommates. They hugged each other during the whole film as they got paranoid about the dark corners. Who knew what was lurking or there in the dark. They could very well lift their heads and see a female ghost hanging up there.
The wall on her left was a mirror and Lin Chu was too afraid to use the flashlight on her phone. In a dark environment such as this, a mirror could be a scary object to have.
"Yan… Yan Beicheng… Beicheng…" Lin Chu could not help sobbing for him.
She knew that Yan Beicheng was waiting for her in front of the office building. Lin Chu yearned for Yan Beicheng to rush by her side right now, even if it was just his voice, it was still okay.
She was so scared that her tears could not help flowing. Once she started, she could not stop sobbing and her crying got worse.
"Please wait for a while more. Our maintenance people are fixing the elevator right now!" The voice in the intercom said.
She felt better upon hearing the words.
"Please… Please hurry up. I"m pregnant and I"m finding it difficult to breathe," Lin Chu sobbed.
The voice in the intercom got anxious as well, "Yes, we"re working on it right now! We"ve also called the fire department and they"ve just arrived. They"re working on opening the doors to get you out as soon as possible. Don"t be nervous. Take a deep breath along with me. Maintain your strength and don"t speak too much."
Lin Chu sobbed. She wanted the person on the intercom to get Yan Beicheng. All she wanted was to hear Yan Beicheng"s voice and it would be enough, but she did not want Yan Beicheng to be worried, so she did not make the request.
Lin Chu was finding it even more difficult to breathe. She could hardly stand but she held on to whatever strength she had left. No matter what, she would need to maintain her position in case something happened to the elevator.
Lin Chu rubbed her belly and said, "Mummy will protect you."
"Madam, please relax. We are from the fire department. We"re going to get you out right now," a man"s voice could be heard from outside. It was a voice filled with a.s.surance.
"Okay, okay," Lin Chu replied with a trembling voice.
Suddenly, she heard another anxious voice, "Lin Chu, is that you in there?"
It was Yan Beicheng"s voice.
There was a slight tremble in his voice. Lin Chu felt upset for him. This was why she did not want to let him know about her being trapped. She did not want him to be worried.
He would be more anxious out there knowing that Lin Chu was trapped inside.
"Beicheng, I"m here. I"m okay," Lin Chu tried her best to calm down. The last thing she wanted was for Yan Beicheng to be worried.
However, Yan Beicheng had heard her replying to the fireman. She was so scared that her voice was trembling. He did not believe that Lin Chu was calm at all.
The elevator was stuck between level five and level six. Yan Beicheng, the firemen and the building"s maintenance team were all on the sixth floor.
As the firemen opened the door of the elevator, they could slowly see the inside of it.
When it was completely opened, the light from the outside shone into the dark elevator. Lin Chu tried to adjust to the sudden brightness as she moved her head to the side to avoid the bright light. It took a while for her to turn toward the door.
She had forgotten to change her position due to being too nervous. Lin Chu had maintained leaning against the wall of the elevator.
"Lin Chu, everything is okay now!" Yan Beicheng looked down into the elevator while he laid on the ground on his chest.
Lin Chu finally reacted she slowly straightened up and walked toward the door. She had been too nervous and had maintained this position for quite a while. Now, she was aching all over and felt uncomfortable.
The fireman noted that it would be inconvenient for Lin Chu to climb out of the elevator due to her pregnancy, so he gently got into the elevator and said, "Don"t worry. I"ll help you out."
Lin Chu nodded. The fireman carried her up and gave her a push.
Lin Chu did not use much strength to climb out of the elevator. Yan Beicheng helped her out from above. She did not need to exert herself as Yan Beicheng carried her by the armpits and pulled her out.
He was careful not to disturb her belly.
It was only when Lin Chu was finally standing properly on solid ground that Yan Beicheng gave her a tight hug.
Lin Chu could feel Yan Beicheng trembling along with her.
"It"s okay, it"s okay now," he mumbled into her ear. He was not only trying to comfort her, but he was also trying to comfort himself.
Lin Chu felt weak in the knees. It took a while for her to get her strength back while she was being held by Yan Beicheng.
"Are you okay? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?" Yan Beicheng saw that she was pale in the face and was sweating on the forehead.
He took out his handkerchief to wipe away her sweat. Lin Chu shook her head. "It"s nothing. I was just scared of being trapped in the elevator, and there was no ventilation at all, which made it difficult to breathe. I sweated quite a bit but I"m feeling much better now."
"What about your belly? Do you feel anything different?" Yan Beicheng touched her belly worriedly.
Lin Chu shook her head, "I"m fine."
Yan Beicheng was still worried and wanted to take her to the hospital.
Lin Chu said, "I"m okay. I wasn"t trapped for too long. I didn"t get hurt anywhere. It was just some psychological pressure I suffered in there. I"m okay now."
She looked at the time. It was already 40 minutes past three. She said, "Jinxi is still waiting for us at the school."
Yan Beicheng frowned slightly as he said, "We can arrive a little late to the parent-teacher meeting. I"ll take you to the hospital first. It"s nearby and it takes only five minutes to drive there."
Lin Chu wanted to object but Yan Beicheng said, "Your health is important. Jinxi will understand."
Lin Chu could only nod in agreement to calm Yan Beicheng. She truly felt that she was okay but she had to be responsible for her son. It was better to get a full check-up in case it affected her in the future.
If it was not for Mo Jinxi"s parent-teacher meeting, Lin Chu would have agreed without hesitation.
In the end, Lin Chu went with Yan Beicheng to the nearest hospital. They did not expect a long line of pregnant women there and it took a while for their turn. They did the check-up after explaining the situation to the doctor.
Everything seemed to be normal with Lin Chu and she was fine.
When they got out of the clinic, the little fellow in her belly kicked her. He seemed especially active. His parents were greatly relieved.
When they were done with the check-up, it was already 4 pm.
Lin Chu felt guilty when she looked at the time. She was worried that Mo Jinxi would think that they did not keep their promise. Mo Jinxi had no phone on him, and they could not inform him about the situation.
"Let"s leave quickly. Jinxi would be anxious by now," Lin Chu said.
Yan Beicheng nodded, "Wait at the entrance. I"ll drive the car over."
Many people were coming in and out at the hospital entrance. Lin Chu did not dare to wait at the stairs, so she walked down and waited in a corner where there were lesser people. She looked around while waiting as she had not much to do.
She was looking around when her sight stopped at a spot. There were two to three people at the corner to the left where she was looking at. A woman in sungla.s.ses had her head lowered and did not see Lin Chu.
Lin Chu, however, recognized her. It was Zhu Hexuan, who had been silent without any news for quite a while.
Zhu Hexuan"s head might be lowered, but Lin Chu could still see the bruises on the corner of her mouth. She had obviously been beaten up by somebody.
Lin Chu thought that her sungla.s.ses must be used to cover up the bruises around her eyes.
She wondered how Zhu Hexuan got hurt. Zhao Zhide had been arrested and was no longer able to hurt her. Zhu Hexuan was not completely stupid. She had immediately given a statement about Zhao Zhide. The police had also found Zhu Hexuan"s pictures and videos on Zhao Zhide"s computer.
If that was the case, then Lin Chu wondered who was the one responsible for the wounds on Zhu Hexuan"s face.
Lin Chu did not call out to Zhu Hexuan. There was no need to. She was not responsible for how Zhu Hexuan lived her life.
She looked away when Zhu Hexuan walked into the hospital.
Yan Beicheng had arrived just on time. Lin Chu opened the car door and got in. She did not notice that after she got into the car, Zhu Hexuan stopped walking into the hospital. She had turned back to watch. It was after the car drove off that she looked away with a weird look on her face.
"What were you looking at?" Yan Beicheng asked.
"I saw Zhu Hexuan. Her face was wounded. I wonder what happened," said Lin Chu.
"Did she see you?" Yan Beicheng raised an eyebrow as he continued asking.
Lin Chu shook her head and replied, "Her head was lowered. I think she was afraid people would notice the wounds, so she didn"t see me. I didn"t call out to her either."
Yan Beicheng nodded as he snorted sarcastically, "I know what happened to her face."
Lin Chu looked over questioningly. Yan Beicheng explained, "When she was released after her arrest, I got someone to watch her in case she was up to something again. She ended up seducing someone"s husband. That man is the boss of a small company and is somewhat a wealthy man. His wife found out about their a.d.u.l.tery and sent someone to beat her up. I guess that"s how she was wounded."
Lin Chu sighed, "There"s no chance of her getting onto the right path in this life, is there?"
"This is the road she chose. There"s no need to interfere too much," Yan Beicheng said nonchalantly. He had no time to waste on people who had nothing much to do with them.
Lin Chu decided to stop thinking about it and sighed as she rubbed her belly, "it"s only been five months. My dear son, can you quickly grow up? It"s inconvenient for mummy to be going about with this little ball."
Yan Beicheng also took a glance at Lin Chu"s belly as he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, your daddy has been inconvenienced too."
Lin Chu, "…"
She turned to look at Yan Beicheng"s serious face. She felt that there was a dirty meaning to his words. Lin Chu knew exactly how he was inconvenienced.
"Oh yeah, why were you around when I was trapped in the elevator?" Lin Chu suddenly remembered and asked.
"I was waiting for you in the car. You usually take around three to four minutes to come out of the building but this time, it took you a long time. Then, I saw the fire engine arrived and thought that it was too much of a coincidence. I heard that the elevator malfunctioned and was worried you would be trapped in there, so I followed them. I did not expect you were really trapped," Yan Beicheng was able to be calm right now.
He had gotten quite a scare and had hoped fervently that it was not Lin Chu that was trapped in the elevator.
When Yan Beicheng heard the fireman shouting toward the elevator and heard the familiar voice replying in a trembling and sobbing tone, he had felt his blood turned cold all over. His knees went weak and he nearly fell.