The Tender Beauty is Sweetly Doted in the 20th Century Novel!-Chapter 240 - 239: A Loving Father and Dutiful Son?

Chapter 240: Chapter 239: A Loving Father and Dutiful Son?

Ye Manman had a very comfortable sleep, and even had a sweet dream.

In the dream, she and He Chen were playing water polo with a little boy whose face was unclear.

It was in the swimming pool of her villa. The little boy wore a blue and white striped children’s swim ring around his waist, she wore a light blue bikini from her wardrobe, and He Chen wore a pair of blue and white floral swimming trunks, standing in the water.

The pool wasn’t deep, just over a meter. The little boy had to lie on the swim ring to barely move, while she sat by the pool with a cold drink, not participating, and He Chen took advantage of his height and long legs to freely move around in the pool.

For some reason, she always felt that He Chen should be a man who doted on children, but in this game of water polo, he was particularly competitive, skillfully and swiftly hitting the ball, rendering the little boy defenseless.

But the little boy was stubborn too, clearly only four or five years old, at an age prone to tantrums and tears, yet he persistently refrained from begging for mercy or crying, stubbornly standing his ground against He Chen.

Strangely, this scene made her feel like she had given birth to a mini He Chen.

The colorful little water polo occasionally splashed water in the clear pool, but never hurt the little boy.

She sat by the pool, smiling as she watched, seemingly even cheering them on with a few shouts, although she couldn’t quite remember what she said. But she remembered clearly that after she spoke those words, the father and son played even more fiercely.

She didn’t know how it ended. She felt a kick in her belly, and then she woke up.

So what exactly did she say to make this father and son compete like that? A perfectly affectionate family water polo game turned into an intense competition.

Ye Manman sat on the bed for a while, trying to remember, but when she couldn’t, she got up to wash up.

As she stared into the mirror, she suddenly realized there might be another layer of meaning to her dream.

The little one in her belly might very well be a boy.

But she didn’t really know what signs or dreams represented what, and she liked both boys and girls anyway, so she didn’t think much further.

She did think she’d have to go for another prenatal checkup tomorrow.

She wondered if all little ones were as quiet as the one in her belly.

He seemed to be too quiet. The morning kick felt like he was just reminding her to eat breakfast, given that she had slept in.

Maybe he was hungry too.

Ye Manman quickly gathered her things and headed to the school cafeteria.

She felt that when she ate breakfast, the little one in her belly noticeably became active, as if turning over a few times, though she wasn’t sure if it was joy or something else.

Thinking there was now a little one who needed food, her appetite increased, and she ended up having an extra meat bun before leaving the cafeteria to head to class.

She felt full, and her belly quieted down.

It was as if there had never been any fetal movement until she got to the classroom.

When the class bell rang, Ye Manman suddenly felt a kick in her belly.

Was the little one startled by the bell?

She gently touched her belly to soothe it, planning in her mind that she should prepare to take a temporary leave from school.

The class bell was always harsh and startling, always making people’s hearts jump when it caught them off guard, let alone such a small child in her belly.

She had originally planned to take a leave of absence or study at home around May or June. Now the little one’s reaction just reminded her.

Anyway, she could study anywhere. Even if she had to study in the library, it would be the same. It all depended on what the school decided. If she could self-study and still take final exams, that would be best, saving a year at school and avoiding wasting time.

After class, Ye Manman went again to the phone booth as arranged yesterday.

This time Jiang Yuan was waiting at the post office. When she called, the operator directly passed the call to Jiang Yuan.

"Hello, hello, Manman, I bought the ticket! It’s for the day after tomorrow, and the time is about the same as when you went to Jing City last time. Did you ask Yuanyuan yesterday if she has time to come out and play?"

Jiang Yuan was thrilled to play in the big city. As soon as she got on the phone, she chattered excitedly like a magpie bringing good news, making anyone listening feel joyful.

Ye Manman also felt her spirits lift.

"I asked. She does have the time. I’ll call her as soon as I hang up. We’ll go pick you up together the night after tomorrow, how about that? Quite considerate, right?"

She curled her lips, eager to announce to her friends the good news of feeling her baby’s first movements.

"Oh, by the way, Jiang Yuan, my belly’s been moving already. The little one kicked me last night, and this morning he woke me up too. How’s your belly doing?"

Jiang Yuan was a little over a month behind her in pregnancy, so it should not have happened so early for her. But she couldn’t resist wanting to ask her, sort of boasting about her faster progress, with pride and joy in her voice.

Sure enough, Jiang Yuan was envious, "Ah, I’m so jealous. My belly has no movement at all. Besides getting bigger and rounder, it doesn’t even feel like I’m pregnant."

But she quickly shifted the topic, curiously asking, "Does it hurt when he kicks you? You’re five months now, right? So I’ll soon be experiencing fetal movements in a little over a month. Suddenly, I’m a bit scared... I’m really afraid of pain."

Jiang Yuan was even more childlike than her, and Ye Manman couldn’t help but chuckle.

"I’m not sure either, but it doesn’t hurt when he kicks me now. Plus, he seems pretty quiet, rarely moving. I wonder if he’ll be more active later."

She instinctively touched her belly, her expression gentle.

Jiang Yuan let out a sound, "Ah, then I’m relieved. As long as it doesn’t hurt, haha. This long-distance call is getting expensive! Let’s talk more when we meet. You go call Yuanyuan, okay? I’ll hang up first?"

Ye Manman responded, and Jiang Yuan immediately hung up the call.

She raised her hand to check her watch.

Goodness, Jiang Yuan timed it perfectly, really not wanting her to waste a penny. Today’s call lasted exactly one minute and fifty-nine seconds.

Smiling, she dialed Cheng Yuan’s school.

Cheng Yuan was also waiting in the phone booth, and she picked up right when Ye Manman called.

The two discussed when Jiang Yuan would arrive, and agreed on when and where to meet the day after tomorrow night, then both fell silent.

The city calls were much cheaper, costing only twenty cents a minute, so Ye Manman wanted to comfort her a bit more.

But with Lin Zhishu’s name on the tip of her tongue, she swallowed it back down.

Ugh.

She didn’t know what to say about their situation.

In the end, all the words in her heart turned into a simple, "Are you okay?"

Cheng Yuan softly replied, "Mm, I’m okay. It’s not as bad as I imagined. I thought I wouldn’t sleep at all last night, but I fell asleep early and didn’t even dream."

Her tone sounded somewhat relieved, and for a moment Ye Manman couldn’t tell if she was pretending to be relaxed or had genuinely let go of some emotions.

"That’s good. Don’t overthink it. When Jiang Yuan gets here, the three of us can go to the mall and have a good time."

"Mm-hmm, okay..."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Manman pondered over it.

She felt that Cheng Yuan seemed a bit too normal, which was abnormal in itself, but she couldn’t figure out what was going on, so she had to wait to meet up the day after tomorrow to talk it out.