Chapter 426: Chapter 426 Countdown to Due Date
He emphasized the word “morning sickness.”
This made Ji Xiuyuan feel awkward: “Just kidding, nothing serious!”
Huo Tingdong: “We’ve been brothers for so many years. If you really want to eat ice cream that badly, you could’ve called me. No matter how much you want, I’d eat it with you.”
Ji Xiuyuan squinted, immediately sensing an ominous premonition.
Suddenly, Huo Tingdong got up, walked to the counter, and ordered ten different flavors of Blizzards.
Five minutes later—
The clerk placed ten massive cups of Blizzards in front of Ji Xiuyuan.
Ji Xiuyuan stared at the mountain of ice cream, his scalp tightening bit by bit: “Tingdong, what… what is this?”
Huo Tingdong replied, “Didn’t you say you were craving ice cream like someone pregnant with morning sickness?”
Ji Xiuyuan: “…”
Huo Tingdong grinned elegantly: “I’m treating you.”
Ji Xiuyuan froze for a moment, then immediately turned to Lin Qi for help.
Lin Qi was equally stunned.
Ji Xiuyuan instantly stretched out his hand, secretly tugging at Lin Qi’s sleeve, begging her with a desperate look that screamed, “Sister-in-law, save me!”
Lin Qi suddenly blanked out, staring at the window in complete avoidance.
Ji Xiuyuan’s heart sank into despair!
He turned back pleadingly to Huo Tingdong.
But Huo Tingdong, arms crossed, calmly said, “Eat. If it’s not enough, I’ll buy more. My treat.”
Ji Xiuyuan: “There’s so much… I can’t finish it all by myself.”
His voice was on the verge of tears, but he tried to maintain composure.
Huo Tingdong smiled deeply again: “Eat. If you can’t finish now, eat slowly. You leave when you’re done.”
Ji Xiuyuan looked at him helplessly.
Then Huo Tingdong’s voice suddenly turned cold, “If you don’t eat, don’t blame me for being unpleasant.”
Ji Xiuyuan: “…”
The underlying message was clear: eat every last bite—or face the consequences.
Lin Qi sat nearby, petrified, fidgeting nervously as she watched Ji Xiuyuan awkwardly wringing his hands, clearly unsure where to start!
Huo Tingdong asked coldly, “Do you need me to feed you?”
Before Ji Xiuyuan could reply, he picked up one Blizzard, scooped out a massive spoonful as if digging into concrete, and held it to Ji Xiuyuan’s mouth, calmly commanding, “Eat.”
“Mmh…”
Ji Xiuyuan opened wide, and Huo Tingdong shoved the spoonful into his mouth like he was stuffing a goose!
Ji Xiuyuan muttered an agonized “mmph”!
He felt like his upper and lower teeth were encased in ice! Frozen solid!
He raised his hands in surrender, quickly declaring, “I’ll pack it up! I’ll take it home and eat it slowly!”
Unmoved, Huo Tingdong scooped another large spoonful: “Eat it now!”
Looking at the increasingly frigid expression in his eyes, Ji Xiuyuan dared not resist any longer, adopting a look of sheer resignation as he obeyed without protest!
…
What’s it like to wolf down eight massive cups of ice cream and five smaller bowls in one go?
Ji Xiuyuan had only one word to describe it: torture.
After finishing, he dragged his shaky legs to the car.
Huo Tingdong drove Lin Qi home.
The whole ride, Lin Qi was eerily silent.
She had just witnessed Ji Xiuyuan devour all that ice cream and now couldn’t help but worry he’d end up with a terrible stomachache—or worse.
Huo Tingdong seemed to read her mind, “You’re worried about him?”
Lin Qi replied, “He ate so much ice cream… will he be okay?”
Huo Tingdong: “He won’t die.”
“…”
No wonder Ji Xiuyuan said he and Huo Tingdong had a life-and-death friendship.
When Huo Tingdong got angry, he could truly be lethal!
It seemed he was definitely mad this time—furious that Ji Xiuyuan had secretly taken her out for ice cream, unaware it was actually her who begged Ji Xiuyuan to indulge her cravings!
Or maybe, deep down, he knew the real story but didn’t dare take it out on her. So, the fire at the city gate ended up destroying the fish in the pond!
But…
Thanks to Ji Xiuyuan, her obsession with ice cream was completely cured now.
After all, she had watched him devour every last scoop greedily. At first, she had been slightly envious. But seeing his increasingly miserable expression as he neared the end, she now felt nauseated whenever she thought of ice cream.
Huo Tingdong asked her, “Do you still want ice cream now?”
Lin Qi replied, “Never again.”
…
During the long prenatal waiting period, Lin Qi’s patience gradually wore thin.
By the late stages of her pregnancy, she reluctantly trimmed off her long hair.
After all, her belly was growing bigger by the day, and everything had become more inconvenient. Managing long hair only made things worse.
So, she decided to chop it off.
Huo Tingdong hesitated but didn’t protest. Lin Qi explained that after confinement and breastfeeding, her hair would grow back. Plus, her long hair had already been drying out at the ends. Given all the nutrients were prioritized for the baby, she might as well cut it now and grow it out later.
Huo Tingdong hired a professional hairstylist to come to their home.
When the stylist arrived, Huo Tingdong personally opened the door. Seeing his darkened face, the stylist was immediately alarmed.
As the stylist trimmed Lin Qi’s hair, Huo Tingdong stood right beside them, not moving an inch. Every time the scissors snipped, his face grew darker, frequently warning, “Too much!”
In the end, her hair wasn’t cut too short. Lin Qi sported a clean, neat bob, which made her already delicate face look even smaller.
After the haircut, washing her hair became much easier!
Every day after that, Momo flipped through the calendar, marking off the days as the due date drew closer. For the two Little Babies inside her, the waiting felt like an endless ordeal.
Lin Qi found it equally monotonous.
While working from home during this time, she managed to complete the quantum encryption formula!
The formula was handed over to the company’s core project team, patented, and entered trial calculations!
If successfully applied, the encryption technology could officially launch!
That would mean annual patent royalties in the nine-figure range!
At nine months pregnant, with nothing else to do, Lin Qi spent her days cradling her belly and talking to the little ones inside.
By the late stages of pregnancy, fetal movements had become increasingly pronounced.
Lin Qi began prenatal education, listening to music daily. One day, as she sat on the sofa enjoying classical music, she suddenly felt the baby kick. Sitting next to her, Huo Tingdong saw her tug his sleeve eagerly, saying, “Look! The little one is playing around again!”
Huo Tingdong looked at her round belly and noticed that her stomach moved—one spot even popped up slightly.
He couldn’t help but find it fascinating.
He had seen fetal movements before. At first, they startled him, as though the baby inside was rolling around, causing her belly to ripple like waves.
He had even nervously asked her whether the baby moving around hurt her.
Pain wasn’t the issue, though it wasn’t entirely comfortable. The baby’s constant activity often disturbed her sleep.
Huo Tingdong reached out and poked the bulging spot. Almost immediately, that area flattened again.
He’d asked the doctor before. The doctor explained that in the late stages of pregnancy, fetal movements become more frequent—sometimes it might even seem like the two little ones inside are fighting!