“Yeah.” Liang Siyao’s eyes glimmered with joy. “My period was late so I went to purchase a pregnancy test. I got the results on the first try.”
“Hahaha…” Xia Lei laughed in glee.
Liang Siyao frantically placed a hand over Xia Lei’s mouth. “What the hell are you doing? This is the office! We’ll be the butt of the joke if anyone learns this.”
“Am I not allowed to express my happiness?”
“Hell no.” The sister disciple rolled her eyes at him. Bearing a man’s child before marriage was very frowned upon in Asian society.
“Alright, alright. I won’t laugh. Come, let me see my child.” Xia Lei carefully flipped Liang Siyao over. His swift hands then lifted her blazer and the sweater inside.
Her pale stomach was now exposed to his eyes. The smooth expanse of skin was delicate and had some child-like pudginess to it. He itched to use his left eye to spy on the baby but quickly diminished the thought. What if using his X-ray vision left radioactive side effects? Xia Lei would have been heartbroken if something were to happen to his little boy.
Not using the X-ray vision didn’t hinder his fatherly love. Xia Lei extended a hand to smooth over her silky abdomen while he mumbled, “Son, can you feel my hand? Come on, say hello to Papa. Give me a high-five.”
“Hahaha…” Liang Siyao broke into a fit of laughter. “High-five your fucking ass. Our child would only be about the size of a peanut now. How are you expecting him to clap your palm? Plus, it might be a daughter instead of a son.”
“A daughter is great too. She’ll be our little princess. I’m sure she’ll grow to be a woman as beautiful as you.” Xia Lei said while grazing his palm lightly on top of her stomach.
Liang Siyao made no move to stop him, the woman closed her eyes in embarrassment. He brought her happiness and she would offer him everything she had.
“What shall we name our child?” Xia Lei murmured into her ear gently.
“Shouldn’t that be decided by the father?” asked Liang Siyao.
“You deserve to name her too.” Xia Lei’s hand was starting to get a little frisky.
“You… Stop it. This is the office. What if…” All thoughts of a potential name immediately stopped as she gazed nervously at the sneaky hand that had made its way upwards onto forbidden territories.
“No one will come in at this hour,” Xia Lei said with a grin.
However, as soon as his last word rang out, someone entered through the door.
“Oh shit…” The person exclaimed in shock, quickly turning around to face the wall.
Xia Lei let go of Liang Siyao while the latter quickly removed herself from his lap. Panicked, she quickly tidied her crumpled shirt. The woman felt even more embarrassed than Xia Lei himself for the person who entered was Xia Lei’s legal wife, Fan Fan.
“Erm…” Fan Fan cleared her throat awkwardly. “Are you guys done?”
Xia Lei coughed dryly twice. “What do you mean? We were just in the middle of a discussion.”
Only then did Fan Fan face them. With flushed cheeks, she responded, “Yeah, right, a discussion. What I saw was just you both hard at work.”
Having to witness a sight of her fiance getting intimate with another woman in his office would certainly leave her bitter. Albeit so, Fan Fan had to force herself to look cheery. This was because the woman was aware that the foundation of her relationship with Xia Lei was paper-thin. In the end, the union between her and Xia Lei was dyed with the colours of ‘political marriage’, and the term was extremely difficult to get rid of. She needed time and she needed to get along with Xia Lei’s other women.
However, Fan Fan had to face a rather direct question. If Xia Lei didn’t run into problems with Tang Yuyan in the first place, would he even try to get together with her? After understanding her circumstances, Fan Fan was now sure of how to get along well with his other lovers.
Liang Siyao cleared her throat lightly, desperate to resolve the awkward tension in the air. “Ah, Miss Fan. Please take a seat, I’ll be back with tea soon.”
“No, no, no. You should sit down too. You must be tired. I’ll make you tea instead.” Without waiting for Liang Siyao’s response, Fan Fan began to stride towards the water cooler on the side. The woman uttered, “Siyao, there’s no need to call me Miss Fan next time, just sister will do.”
Liang Siyao felt embarrassed, quickly looking over to Xia Lei. The man only nodded at her in response. She glared at him and hissed internally, “Lucky you!”
Xia Lei was a very lucky man. He had managed to solve an issue not many men could do.
On the other hand, Fan Fan had really made Liang Siyao chrysanthemum tea and red tea for Xia Lei. She was literally the image of a virtuous wife and loving mother.
Liang Siyao could her cheeks burn, quickly bringing a chair for Fan Fan and tried to initiate a topic. “Sister, do you not have work today?”
“I wish, but I could never enjoy a carefree life.” Fan Fan chuckled. “I’m here to bring our man a message.”
There was a faint tinge of pink on Liang Siyao’s cheek. Fan Fan’s words were direct and clear. They were destined to be family in the near future. Though some things were better left unsaid, the reality was there and everyone had to work towards accepting it.
“What message?” questioned Xia Lei. To let a high-positioned employee like Fan Fan deliver him a message personally would indicate that it was of utmost priority.
“The higher-ups want you to appear in the coming Boao Forum For Asia.” Fan Fan continued, “You’ll be attending it as a special representative. Also, Time Magazine is preparing to interview you there. You’re required to accept their interview.”
Xia Lei was utterly surprised. Earlier, Hattori Mei was in his office trying to convince him to attend the Boao Forum. It wasn’t even long after her departure and Fan Fan was here talking about the same event. However, he was clear that the latter’s appearance wasn’t a result of Hattori Mei or Madam Folsom little political tricks. The higher-ups had truly intended for him to attend the forum.
“Why do they want me there?” Xia Lei was bewildered.
“They want to promote the existence of you and the Thunder Horse Organization to the world.” Fan Fan went on, “The message is simple. We are stronger than before.”
Liang Siyao interjected, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting, what a smart strategy.”
Fan Fan giggled. “That’s right, you’re so smart.”
Xia Lei answered, “Alright then. Since they’re that adamant, I’ll go.”
Fan Fan quickly added on, “I’ll go with you. Siyao, you should come with us too.”
“Me?” The other woman frantically shook her head. “I don’t think I’m meant to appear in such a setting.”
Xia Lei tried to convince her. “Siyao, you should come. Hainan is a good place to relax.”
Liang Siyao shook her head fervently. “No, I really don’t want to go. If you left and I followed suit, who is going to look after the company?”
Xia Lei wanted to continue but found himself out of words.
Abruptly, Fan Fan stuck herself close to Liang Siyao’s side. Their new proximity was so close that Fan Fan’s lips were essentially touching her ears. Fan Fan whispered, “Shentu Tianyin is an important figure of the Boao Forum. You and I both know that our man is a gigantic softie who doesn’t know how to say no. Do you get what I mean?”
Liang Siyao blinked slowly, her hesitation only lasted for a second. “Alright, I’ll go.”
Fan Fan grinned. “Okay, that’s settled. I’ll prepare another luggage for you.”
“Oh dear, there’s no need to do that!” Liang Siyao was profoundly embarrassed by the extensive hospitality.
Fan Fan grasped her hand. “There’s no need to be so courteous. We’re sisters, we’re a family now.”
The two women continued to chatter about. They were becoming closer, totally ignoring their man in favour of each other.
Dispirited, Xia Lei asked, “Siyao, what did Fan Fan say to you? You weren’t budging when I tried to convince you but you immediately agreed after a few seconds of her talking to you. What the hell is going on?”
Liang Siyao rolled her eyes at him. “Our business is none of your concern. I won’t tell you.”
“I’m not going to tell you too,” said Fan Fan.
The two of them continued to talk, both engaging and friendly to one another. The display now was still rather normal but in another few months, it would be a scene of two heavily pregnant women deep in conversation. The image made Xia Lei’s head spin. Suddenly, he thought of Jiang Ruyi. Ah, he didn’t dare to imagine further.
Fan Fan once again whispered into Liang Siyao’s ear. “Hey, how long have you been pregnant?”
“Huh?” The query caught her by surprise. “Sister… How did you know?” Liang Siyao felt a little down. She had just learnt of it just now and rushed over to deliver the good news to Xia Lei. How did Fan Fan know off the bat?
Fan Fan lowered her voice. “The expression he had when caressing your stomach was the same as when he caressed mine… Isn’t it obvious?”
Liang Siyao shot a sharp glare at Xia Lei. She was most definitely going to eat him alive.
Xia Lei stood up and came to stand behind the two women. He placed each of his palms on the back of their pale necks. Gently, his palms began to pinch and press. “You both have worked hard. Your husband shall give you a massage as a reward.”
“How shameless can you be?”
“Who the hell are you calling wife? Shameless.”
“Hehe, there’s no need for shame when I have you both.” Fan Fan was being nice to Liang Siyao and they both were getting along well. It was a rare sight to see. They hadn’t even said a word about him massaging them at the same time. Perhaps they wouldn’t mind him having them in the same bed in the coming future.
For the sake of his future happiness, the man was determined to do his best.
The two women really hadn’t minded each other’s presence, only feeling a little embarrassed and awkward about the entire situation. Despite that, they made no move to avoid his hands and no one had said a word of protest. Was this considered a silent acknowledgement…?
The two of them squeezed their lids shut, not daring to look at each other and Xia Lei.
Unbeknownst to them, Xia Lei’s smile behind them was devious and plotting.
There was still much to do with his women. Though the process was bound to be difficult, it was inevitable.