Confession

At the dining table, Shen Yi held his bowl and said,

"The dishes today are a bit simple, hope you don’t mind."

"Didn’t have much time to prepare, but I’ll make it up to you all tonight."

Shu Yunyi picked up a piece of water bamboo and chewed it before replying,

"It’s fine. We don’t eat much anyway—four dishes are more than enough."

Cheng Jun chimed in,

"I don’t mind either. As long as it tastes good, that’s what matters. Definitely better than what I could whip up."

Usually, lunch was either eaten out or ordered in, so this rare homely atmosphere with home-cooked food was something she actually quite enjoyed.

Shen Yi laughed, suddenly feeling a little bashful at the praise, and quickly urged the three to focus on their meal.

Fu Nanzhi, however, remained quiet, quietly picking at the fish in front of her.

She couldn’t handle spicy food, so she hadn’t touched the stir-fried pork with peppers.

Noticing this, Shen Yi placed a piece of the dish in her bowl.

"These are bell peppers—not spicy at all. It’s savory, so don’t worry."

He was generally aware of the three women’s preferences and had been careful to avoid anything they disliked. So far, his cooking had been well-received.

But Fu Nanzhi’s silence wasn’t about the food. She was debating whether to share the news at the table.

When Shen Yi spoke to her, she immediately looked up, locking eyes with him. Though she didn’t say a word, her meaning was clear:

Should we tell them now?

Shen Yi understood instantly. He hadn’t expected Fu Nanzhi to be in such a hurry—he’d originally planned to bring it up later when everyone was free.

It wasn’t that now was a bad time, but lunch was short, and they all had work in the afternoon. Such important news might be better saved for later.

With that in mind, Shen Yi reached under the table and gently patted Fu Nanzhi’s leg, signaling her to stay calm.

Then he set down his bowl and chopsticks, cleared his throat, and said,

"There’s something... I need to tell you all."

The moment he spoke, Shu Yunyi and Cheng Jun turned their heads toward him, curious about what he had to say.

Under their combined gaze, Shen Yi felt a flicker of nervousness, but he quickly steadied himself and continued without pause,

"It’s good news."

"Nanzhi... is pregnant."

The words hung in the air for a second before Shu Yunyi and Cheng Jun exclaimed in unison,

"What?!"

They looked at Shen Yi, then turned to Fu Nanzhi, who was blushing slightly. The news hit them like a shockwave, leaving them momentarily stunned.

Fu Nanzhi? Pregnant? The idea sounded so foreign that it took a moment to sink in.

Shu Yunyi was the first to recover, asking skeptically,

"When did this happen? Was it during the check-up this morning?"

"Yeah," Fu Nanzhi replied softly, her voice a mix of joy and apprehension.

Seeing her expression, Shu Yunyi realized this wasn’t a joke.

Meanwhile, Cheng Jun choked on her food, coughing violently until tears welled up in her eyes.

Sitting beside Fu Nanzhi, she ignored her flushed face and grabbed Fu Nanzhi’s arm in disbelief.

"Nanzhi... I thought you couldn’t...?"

Her surprise wasn’t unfounded. Fu Nanzhi had a medical condition, and past signs had suggested as much.

Fu Nanzhi hadn’t hidden it before—both Shu Yunyi and Cheng Jun had their own children, while Fu Nanzhi only had Little Lingdang, whom she’d adopted.

Even Fu Nanzhi herself wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened and could only murmur vaguely,

"I don’t know the details either, but the blood test this morning confirmed it..."

"That’s wonderful! Congratulations, Nanzhi!" Shu Yunyi quickly offered her well-wishes, knowing how much Fu Nanzhi adored children. After all, she’d often helped with childcare in the past.

Now that her wish had come true, her happiness was immeasurable.

Cheng Jun’s smile soon turned genuine too. She wasn’t jealous—just utterly shocked by the news, which had left her momentarily speechless.

Fu Nanzhi’s relief was palpable. She’d worried there might be tension, but the two had accepted it so easily that she finally relaxed.

As the three women huddled together, fussing over Fu Nanzhi as if she were a treasure, Shen Yi quickly interjected,

"Let’s eat first. We can talk more afterward."

"Otherwise the food will get cold."

He then tempered their excitement slightly.

"Actually, it’s only been a week. We just happened to find out early—otherwise, we wouldn’t have known for at least another month."

After this little interlude, none of them had much appetite left. They absentmindedly took a few more bites before abandoning their bowls and gathering on the living room couch, whispering among themselves.

Shen Yi called after them, but they ignored him. When he asked them to help with the dishes, they all insisted they needed to take care of Fu Nanzhi, the expectant mother—their excuse so lofty he couldn’t argue.

With a resigned sigh, Shen Yi shook his head and started clearing the table himself.

What could he do? When they ganged up like this, he had no choice but to retreat.

After swiftly tidying up and drying his hands, he walked into the living room.

"What are you all talking about?"

The moment he appeared, their chatter stopped.

"Not telling you," Cheng Jun teased, sticking out her tongue before turning away.

"Yeah, go away. No eavesdropping on our secrets," Shu Yunyi added, lounging with one foot dangling in a slipper as she shooed him off.

Fu Nanzhi, sandwiched between them, hid behind a cushion, blocking Shen Yi from view.

Clueless about their little secret, Shen Yi snorted.

"Fine, don’t tell me. I don’t even care."

With that, he turned and walked away.