Zhao Tianhao parked the car on the side of the road, speechless as he looked at Zhong Xiaoqin, who was staring blankly into space.
The evening was already getting chilly.
Zhong Xiaoqin was only wearing a loose short-sleeved shirt and pants, and she was pregnant.
Zhao Tianhao took off his coat and draped it over Zhong Xiaoqin's shoulders.
Feeling the weight on her shoulders and smelling the familiar, pleasant scent, Zhong Xiaoqin turned to look at the man beside her in disbelief. Sure enough, only he had that scent.
Before Zhong Xiaoqin could say anything, seeing her staring blankly at him, her eyes seemed to ask, "What are you doing here?"
Zhao Tianhao spoke, "You two had a fight," though it was a question, his tone was certain.
Looking into Zhao Tianhao's all-seeing eyes, Zhong Xiaoqin didn't hide her feelings and nodded, "Mmm."
Zhao Tianhao wanted to say something, but the occasion wasn't right; it was so cold outside. "Let's get in the car, it's cold outside, and you're pregnant."
As if knowing what Zhong Xiaoqin was about to ask, Zhao Tianhao added, "I heard it from Gu Jia."
Gu Jia had already told him on WeChat about seeing him and Zhong Xiaoqin being intimate in the car. So Zhao Tianhao didn't hide their relationship.
Zhao Tianhao reached out, helped Zhong Xiaoqin, and pulled her into the passenger seat. Then he closed the door, got in, and turned on the interior lights.
Zhao Tianhao didn't ask any questions, and Zhong Xiaoqin seemed lost in thought.
The two remained silent in the car. Only the sports car continued to pant heavily, making a constant "whoosh whoosh" sound.
"Chen Yu doesn't want this child because she thinks it's unplanned, and the child's arrival has disrupted his plans."
After a long silence, Zhong Xiaoqin finally spoke, and her voice was filled with resentment.
"Seeing Gu Jia and her family so happy together, and seeing the adorable Xu Ziyan, I really want to give birth to him. He's a gift from God, but Chen Yu just doesn't understand."
"We've been arguing for a while now. Today he took me to watch tennis, but halfway through, he ran off, saying he had to work overtime, leaving me all alone."
"Chen Yu is just like that—stubborn, inflexible, he plans everything, plans, plans. I'm fed up with all the planning!"
Zhong Xiaoqin complained, grumbled, even roared.
Zhao Tianhao wanted to advise her to calm down; after all, pregnant women need to control their emotions.
But Zhong Xiaoqin's negative emotions had been building up for so long, and if she didn't release them, it would be bad for her health, and she might even become seriously ill.
Zhao Tianhao chose to listen quietly, being a good listener.
Zhong Xiaoqin must have finished venting; she was tired, and as she spoke, she leaned back in the passenger seat and fell asleep.
Zhao Tianhao looked at Zhong Xiaoqin's baby-faced features; she looked adorable sleeping.
Zhao Tianhao started the car, keeping the sports car as slow as possible to maintain a smooth ride and avoid waking Zhong Xiaoqin.
Zhao Tianhao parked the car downstairs at her apartment building. Seeing her sleeping soundly, he didn't wake her.
He reclined her seat back as far as possible to make her more comfortable.
Then he started playing a mobile game, waiting for Zhong Xiaoqin to wake up on her own.
After Zhao Tianhao finished two or three rounds, Zhong Xiaoqin let out a soft moan and groggily opened her eyes.
Looking around, she realized she wasn't in her bed, but in an unfamiliar environment—it seemed to be in a car.
"Ah!" Zhong Xiaoqin exclaimed, sitting up abruptly. The coat covering her fell to the side due to the sudden movement.
Seeing Zhao Tianhao leaning back in his seat playing games, Zhong Xiaoqin snapped back to reality, realizing she had unknowingly fallen asleep.
"Sorry, Boss, I fell asleep." Ever since Gu Jia and Zhao Tianhao got intimate, and Zhong Xiaoqin discovered it, she knew Zhao Tianhao was her boss's boss.
"It's alright," Zhao Tianhao said casually.
"Oh, right, I forgot to give you back the 200 yuan I borrowed from you last time," Zhong Xiaoqin suddenly remembered the 200 yuan in the stairwell.
"I'll deduct it from your salary," Zhao Tianhao joked.
"Huh?" Zhong Xiaoqin looked confused.
"Just kidding, you don't need to pay me back."
"No, I have to pay you back. You already helped me a lot last time." Zhong Xiaoqin took out her phone seriously. "Um, can I add you on WeChat?" Zhong Xiaoqin didn't know why she took the initiative to add Zhao Tianhao. Ever since Zhao Tianhao helped her down the stairs last time, she sometimes inexplicably thought of him.
After learning about his relationship with Gu Jia, Zhong Xiaoqin didn't feel any disgust.
Gu Jia is currently a married woman. Zhong Xiaoqin felt that something was wrong with her thoughts. So recently, she had been forcing herself not to think about Zhao Tianhao.
Who knew that today, when she was feeling lonely and helpless, Zhao Tianhao appeared in front of her again. And a simple "We had a fight" shattered all her strength and pretense.
All her grievances, upon seeing Zhao Tianhao, exploded like a powder keg ignited.
She suppressed the urge to rush into Zhao Tianhao's arms and calmed herself down. Then she poured out her thoughts, her situation, and her grievances to Zhao Tianhao. Unexpectedly, she fell asleep while talking.
Now, waking up to find Zhao Tianhao quietly keeping her company, not disturbing her, Zhong Xiaoqin couldn't suppress her feelings.
"No need to be so polite with me, no need for all this formality," Zhao Tianhao said, pulling up his contact information. Zhong Xiaoqin happily added him, and without thinking, she typed in a red envelope to send him money.
"Insufficient balance" made her so embarrassed she wanted to disappear.
She had forgotten she had no money on WeChat. She even wanted to take a taxi home that night, but she didn't have any money, and Chen Yu didn't answer her calls.
So, this pregnant woman ended up walking home from the tennis court alone.
Finally, she was too tired to walk any further and sat down to rest.
Thinking about this day, this period of time, her marriage, a seed of regret began to sprout in Zhong Xiaoqin's heart.
Seeing Zhong Xiaoqin's embarrassment, Zhao Tianhao quickly realized she was out of money on WeChat.
Zhao Tianhao didn't comment on her laziness or the hassle of registering her salary card under her husband Chen Yu's name.
However, he couldn't understand why a pregnant woman would go out without cash and have no money for third-party payment.
Zhong Xiaoqin couldn't believe it, and neither could Chen Yu. Did she not want the child? Did she not want either the mother or the child?
Looking at Zhong Xiaoqin's delicate face, Zhao Tianhao asked, "Have you eaten?"
"No," Zhong Xiaoqin said softly, looking at the concerned Zhao Tianhao.
Zhao Tianhao checked the time; it was already past eight o'clock in the evening.
Finding the nearest restaurant, Zhao Tianhao called and ordered some nutritious food suitable for pregnant women, as well as a fish soup, instructing them to prepare it quickly.
After hanging up, Zhao Tianhao adjusted Zhong Xiaoqin's seat, told her to "sit comfortably," and drove to the restaurant. Watching Zhao Tianhao's smooth and skillful actions, which perfectly showcased his care and concern for her, Zhong Xiaoqin couldn't help but feel moved and happy.
Zhong Xiaoqin didn't believe it was merely a boss showing consideration for an employee.
She didn't have that much influence, and Zhao Tianhao didn't have that much time.
Having figured this out, Zhong Xiaoqin was certain Zhao Tianhao liked her, and of course, she was happy. Because, without realizing it, she had also developed feelings for Zhao Tianhao. The two were now mutually attracted.
However, while happy, Zhong Xiaoqin was also conflicted. On one hand, she was married; on the other hand, Zhao Tianhao and her best friend Gu Jia had that kind of relationship.
Sigh. If only they weren't in that kind of relationship. Zhong Xiaoqin didn't want to compete with her best friend for a man.
The journey was spent with Zhao Tianhao driving attentively and Zhong Xiaoqin's inner turmoil.
Zhao Tianhao got out of the car, went to the passenger side, and took Zhong Xiaoqin's hand, leading her into the restaurant.
Zhong Xiaoqin only struggled symbolically for a moment, but couldn't break free, and let Zhao Tianhao hold her hand.
Her face flushed, her head lowered, she looked like a shy, demure wife, silently letting Zhao Tianhao lead her.
Actually, Zhong Xiaoqin was afraid of running into acquaintances.
The two of them sat down in the private room, and the food they had ordered in advance was served one by one.