The more crowded a place, the harder it was to carry out security measures. Even so, Guan Jing chose to reinforce Zong Jinghao’s villa’s security because it was their previous residence, and it was easy for him to implement security features.
An anti-theft system was installed around the perimeter of the villa, and its job was to sound an alarm whenever someone passed through the surveilled area. Besides that, the eight guards Shen Peichuan dispatched were skilled in combat, and they stood guard all day round.
“Everything is in order,” Guan Jing approached them and said once he saw their car arriving.
Aunt Yu went back first to see if their bedrooms were cleaned sufficiently. Meanwhile, Guan Jing inquired doctors about the environment a pregnant lady should be in. He concluded that Lin Xinyan should improve her mood by being in a quiet, well-ventilated, and cozy environment.
Even though Lin Xinyan was pregnant, she still stayed upstairs in the master bedroom. That was because the room was quiet, and it faced a forest that provided fresh air. The room was very suitable for people who needed to stay in there for long periods of time.
Aunt Yu placed the flowers she brought from the hospital on the headboard before going downstairs and telling Zong Jinghao, “Mr. Guan made sure everything is in order inside.”
Upon hearing that, Zong Jinghao carried Lin Xinyan out of the car. Even though Bai Yinning’s words unnerved her severely, she tried not to let it show.
That was because she felt that she would ruin the mood if she put on a grumpy face, especially since everyone was trying their best to provide for her.
Thus, she said to Guan Jing and Su Zhan, “Thank you for today. Please stay here tonight for dinner. Oh, and invite Shen Peichuan here too.”
She did intend to thank them, but she had another ulterior motive…
Su Zhan and Guan Jing didn’t dare to oppose her because she was pregnant, so they gave Zong Jinghao a look of hesitation as if they were asking him for approval.
Noticing that, Lin Xinyan smiled and said, “I was the one who invited you to dinner, so why are you looking at him? Don’t tell me you don’t intend to show up?”
“It’s just that…” Su Zhan wanted to explain himself, but Zong Jinghao interrupted, “Do as she says. Guan Jing, go find a chef to make tonight’s dinner.”
“Alright.” Guan Jing was excited he received an invitation from Lin Xinyan, who was recognized to be Zong Jinghao’s wife.
Everyone knew that Zong Jinghao had a female partner even though they didn’t organize a wedding ceremony. Only the people in Zong Jinghao’s company and his subordinates dared to greet Mrs. Zong because they were scared to get her title wrong. After all, no one knew if they were actually married or not.
Su Zhan placed their stuff in the room and said, “I’ll go downstairs and call Shen Peichuan now.”
He couldn’t offer much assistance to them upstairs, so he decided to just let Aunt Yu take charge.
Zong Jinghao nodded in acknowledgment and placed Lin Xinyan on the bed. The blankets were all brand-new and fresh from the dryer. They were made of silk – soft and cooling, perfect for the weather nowadays.
“Home sweet home,” Lin Xinyan exclaimed. Even though the hospital wasn’t too bad either, it was noisier and less comfortable.
Zong Jinghao propped out two pillows behind her so that she could lie down more comfortably while Aunt Yu unpacked their luggage.
Before Aunt Yu went downstairs with their suitcases, she said, “When the chef arrives, I’ll show him to the kitchen.”
Zong Jinghao instructed, “Bring a glass of warm water here.”
Aunt Yu replied with a “yes” before going downstairs.
The windows of the room were left slightly ajar, so a gentle breeze came inside.
Meanwhile, Lin Xinyan closed her eyes and pretended that she was about to sleep. She wasn’t tired; she just wanted to avoid Zong Jinghao’s gaze lest he realized that her hidden intentions.
“Are you tired?” He sat on the side of the bed and asked.
She replied, “A little.”
“Let’s wait for Aunt Yu to come up with the glass of water first,” Zong Jinghao suggested.
Originally, Zong Jinghao thought that she genuinely wanted to thank his subordinates by inviting them to dinner.
However, he wasn’t so sure now that she was deliberately trying to avoid his gaze.
She seemed so helpless when she heard what Bai Yinning said, and she was so concerned and scared when she was talking to me afterward.
What were her real intentions of asking them to stay for dinner?
He had his suspicions, but he never showed it to her.
At that moment, Aunt Yu came back up with a glass of water in her hands and passed it to Lin Xinyan.
Lin Xinyan stared at Zong Jinghao in surprise, “I thought the glass of water was for you?”
“I’ll drink it after you do,” He replied softly.
“How did you know that I’m thirsty?” She thought that he asked Aunt Yu for a glass of water because he was thirsty.
After Zong Jinghao tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, he explained gently, “Your lips are dry, and you just cried in the car, so I thought that you should drink some water. You’d be able to sleep better afterward.”
Lin Xinyan took a sip of water and smiled. “Did you laugh at me silently?”
Zong Jinghao replied with silence.
“I know that I was a huge embarrassment today. Gosh, being pregnant just makes you so much dumber.” She couldn’t keep her emotions in check today because she was so anxious that he would discover her secret.
“Well, I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that it’s a very natural occurrence for pregnant women.” Zong Jinghao took the glass of water, but he didn’t take a sip or put it down. Instead, he just held onto it as he asked, “Are you curious where I read that from?”
“Um… I’m tired.” Lin Xinyan replied as she took one of the pillows with her and turned away from him so that he wouldn’t ask her any more questions.
Zong Jinghao remained motionless as he stared at the glass of water in his hands. He then finished the glass of water and realized that Lin Xinyan’s breathing gradually became regular. Soon after that, he tried gently calling out to her for a response to no avail.
She’s probably asleep. He stood up from the bed and headed towards the window. Meanwhile, Lin Xinyan was only pretending to be asleep, so she opened her eyes the moment he left her bed.
She saw that he was facing away from her, so she couldn’t see his expression or guess what he was thinking right now.
Even so, she knew that Zong Jinghao was smart enough to have figured out that something was amiss.
He probably already has his suspicions now, right?
Her resolve to keep the truth under wraps was even stronger now. She took out her phone and texted Shen Peichuan, “Get me a wheelchair and put it in your car. Don’t tell anyone about it and don’t reply to this message. I’ll tell you the reason why at night.”
Among Zong Jinghao’s subordinates, Shen Peichuan was the most trustworthy one, which was why she chose to put her faith in him.
After the message was sent, she put her phone down and closed her eyes. However, unbeknownst to her, Zong Jinghao saw everything that transpired from the reflection in the glass window.
The moment Lin Xinyan closed her eyes, he turned back around and shuffled towards the bed.
