After the Maniacal Alpha Settled Down, She Had a Wife and Daughter - Chapter 31

Bai Jiling looked at Chu Jiayun’s reaction and her haggard face, simply unable to believe it. How could she have changed so much after such a short time?

She stood by the door, watching Chu Jiayun expertly rinse her mouth and wash her face, clearly already accustomed to the reaction she just had. Bai Jiling had an ominous premonition but quickly shattered it with her own reason.

Impossible. How could this be pregnancy? Maybe she was sick or hadn’t rested well.

Chu Jiayun ignored the seriousness and questioning in her eyes. She returned to the living room, poured a glass of water for Bai Jiling, and prepared to continue packing. She clearly had no intention of having a detailed conversation with her.

Bai Jiling didn’t dwell on it. She stepped forward and grabbed Chu Jiayun’s wrist: “What exactly happened? You suddenly returned to Ancheng, and now you’re going to move to another city without a word. There must be a reason, right?”

Chu Jiayun avoided her gaze, gently slipped out of her grasp, and carefully placed a professional book into a cardboard box.

“There’s no particular reason, actually. I’ve never been used to staying in one place for long. There’s nothing wrong with changing the environment.”

“You chose Ancheng initially because the climate and environment were suitable, and there was a familiar, trusted doctor who could help Jiaxi. Has all that become unimportant now?”

Chu Jiayun paused her packing, still keeping her back to Bai Jiling. She rarely felt as helpless, or even fragile, as she did now.

Bai Jiling walked around to face her. She couldn’t clearly see the emotion in her eyes, but there was no need to ask how she was feeling anymore. The last time she saw Chu Jiayun so heartbroken was shortly after Chu Jiaxi’s accident.

“If you’ve truly run into trouble, you can tell me. We can solve it together.”

Chu Jiayun immediately denied her suggestion: “We can’t solve it together. You can’t help me.”

Bai Jiling frowned. Chu Jiayun hadn’t completely shut her out over Chu Jiaxi’s issue. What kind of problem would make her so resolute now?

“We’ve known each other for so many years. Don’t you trust our friendship? If you’re worried that we’re not capable enough, I can ask Uncle to help.”

Chu Jiayun knew her personality, so she had no choice but to look up at her: “Jiling, you really can’t help me this time because this is my own matter.”

Bai Jiling’s face instantly turned ashen. She tried to find all sorts of reasons, just wanting to hear an answer that would put her mind at ease from Chu Jiayun. Even the most difficult problem, even one that required a huge price to solve, would be better than what she was hearing now.

At this point, she could no longer deceive herself. Since she had come and seen it, she might as well ask clearly and gain some understanding.

Bai Jiling took a deep breath: “Jiayun, are you… pregnant?”

Chu Jiayun trembled slightly, her brows tightly furrowed, but she didn’t deny it.

Bai Jiling clenched her fists, which hung uselessly at her sides.

The two stood there, neither close nor distant, neither speaking again. The fact of Chu Jiayun’s pregnancy shattered all the balance in Bai Jiling’s heart. She didn’t understand, didn’t comprehend, and certainly couldn’t accept it.

“Can you tell me, whose child is it?”

Chu Jiayun shook her head, her emotions already returning to calm: “Just consider it mine alone.”

Bai Jiling finally couldn’t hold back and raised her voice: “Is this something you can achieve by yourself?! You’re still protecting the other party at a time like this. What is wrong with you?”

From the moment Chu Jiayun resolutely took on the responsibility of caring for her sister, Bai Jiling knew she was a person with a strong sense of responsibility. How could she be so tolerant of an irresponsible Alpha when it came to herself?

Chu Jiayun was much more fragile than before. She felt exhausted at this moment and had to sit down on the sofa to rest. Bai Jiling followed her and sat beside her, but she lowered her voice.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to say who it is, but you don’t have to move because of this. If the other person is harassing you, I can help you solve it. If you’re worried about being criticized, then I…”

Chu Jiayun supported her forehead with one hand, interrupting her: “Jiling, can you let me handle my own affairs? I have my own plans. I know what I’m doing.”

Bai Jiling felt like countless ants were crawling inside her heart. She couldn’t truly accept this reality even now. She was more convinced that Chu Jiayun’s sudden cancellation of their appointment that day was definitely related to this matter, but she wasn’t sure if it happened before or after.

She got up to help Chu Jiayun pack her books, placing the books from the floor into the box one by one according to Chu Jiayun’s preference. Her tone carried an unspeakable sadness: “I’m not trying to interfere with your life. I just… didn’t expect such a huge matter, and I was completely clueless.”

“I’m sorry.”

“If you need my help with anything, please just ask. It will be too difficult to bear this alone at a time like this.”

Chu Jiayun didn’t tell her about the surgery she had scheduled, nor did she tell Bai Jiling about her plans afterward. The pregnancy was already a great shock to her. If she mentioned anything else, Chu Jiayun was afraid Bai Jiling would faint in her house.

Continuing the conversation about the child would only increase the awkwardness. Bai Jiling also didn’t want to bring more distress upon herself, so she proactively changed the subject: “If you move to another city with Jiaxi this time, won’t you easily miss any news about an SS-class Alpha?”

“I haven’t found one in four years. Life still has to go on as usual. I’ll just leave it to fate.”

Bai Jiling then brought up Bai Shiqian’s research progress: “But Uncle asked me to tell you some good news. There’s a major breakthrough in the research of simulating and replicating scent gland gene sequences. Perhaps it will soon be possible to achieve minimally invasive cell sample extraction. Then the probability of Jiaxi’s scent gland being repaired will be very high.”

They were looking for an SS-class Alpha simply to obtain cell samples from their scent gland. However, current technology was limited. Any extraction would inevitably require a major surgery, which posed a great risk to the scent gland owner.

Before this, Chu Jiayun would have unhesitatingly chosen her sister. In a way, she was selfish. But now, she hesitated, because that person was Yu Sui.

She was well aware that human nature sometimes could not withstand scrutiny and testing. One would always subconsciously seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, always wanting to choose the side that benefited them.

Yu Sui’s place in Chu Jiayun’s heart couldn’t surpass her sister’s, but those eyes that genuinely cared for her and worried about her often accompanied her to sleep in the silent depths of the night. Occasionally, she would let her thoughts wander in a moment of vulnerability, wondering if Yu Sui were here right now, would she find her troublesome or carefully look after her?

But this kind of unrealistic speculation only happened late at night. As soon as rationality gained the slightest upper hand, Chu Jiayun knew that Yu Sui would not want to be dragged down by such a thing. She had conducted a psychological evaluation on Yu Sui and had private contact with her. She knew what Yu Sui truly desired in her heart.

It was freedom. Many subtle details inadvertently revealed by Yu Sui indicated that she wanted to live freely, living the life she wanted.

A person like the wind—Chu Jiayun knew how hard it would be to try and hold her down. Besides, Yu Sui did what she did to help her. She didn’t want to use this to restrain Yu Sui’s pursuit of freedom.

She had feelings for Yu Sui, but they weren’t strong enough to be absolutely indispensable, and she never thought of using the child to pressure her.

Bai Jiling was puzzled to see that Chu Jiayun not only wasn’t happy about the news but was even more worried: “Don’t you want Jiaxi to be cured soon?”

“Of course I do. No one wants her to get better more than I do.”

“But you don’t seem to react much. I thought you had changed your mind.”

“I’ve just been disappointed too many times, so I don’t dare to be happy too soon.”

Bai Jiling wanted to stay for a few more days to help her pack, but Chu Jiayun was afraid she would find out about the surgery and insisted on rushing her back to Jingcheng.

The day before the surgery, Chu Jiayun canceled all her work and stayed home alone. Her decision wavered occasionally but never changed. She sat from sunrise to sunset. Finally, as night fell, a crack appeared in her heart. Perhaps she could try asking for Yu Sui’s opinion. After all, the child wasn’t hers alone.

She hesitated for a long time before dialing Yu Sui’s number, but after waiting for a moment, it wasn’t answered. She calmed herself down and dialed again. This time, it was picked up quickly.

Before she could speak, a familiar voice came through, but it wasn’t Yu Sui’s.

The slightly noisy background music inexplicably irritated Chu Jiayun, and Ren Xuran’s excited voice made her feel dizzy.

“Instructor Chu, are you looking for Yu Sui? She went to the restroom. Just wait a moment.”

“Are you out singing?”

“No, we’re getting ready to go abroad next week and are here to choose a few custom sound systems to ship over.”

Chu Jiayun’s heart sank. She stabilized her tone and asked: “Are you going to the school you mentioned before?”

The background noise on Ren Xuran’s end lessened, and her voice became clearer: “Yes, but Yu Sui insists on applying to change schools after arriving. Sheng Nanxi and I can’t talk her out of it.”

Chu Jiayun’s voice was sharper than usual and subtly trembling. Ren Xuran thought she was hallucinating because of the sound system testing.

“Instructor Chu, do you have an urgent matter? I can go to the restroom to find Yu Sui, or should I have her call you back later?”

“No need. I just wanted to ask a former student about their assessment experience as a sample. Don’t tell her.”

When Yu Sui returned and heard Ren Xuran’s words, she wished she could hit her with the phone.

Ren Xuran looked wronged: “It’s your fault for refusing to take your phone to the restroom and saying you were waiting for a delivery, asking me to answer it for you.”

Yu Sui dialed the number while glaring at her: “Does ‘Instructor Chu’ sound like a delivery person?”

To Yu Sui’s surprise, Chu Jiayun answered the phone quickly this time. Yu Sui hadn’t even fully prepared what to say.

“Instructor Chu, were you looking for me?”

Compared to Yu Sui’s stammering, Chu Jiayun seemed very calm: “I’m writing a research report for a project. I was going to use a few former students as data samples.”

“Oh, I see.” Yu Sui couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She didn’t expect Chu Jiayun to reach out to her only for work.

But she quickly continued: “I can be a sample. What do you need to ask?”

There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by the same calm tone: “I’ve already sorted it out. Thank you.”

“Then… if you need any other help, feel free to contact me.”

“Mmm.”

Yu Sui didn’t know if she should say goodbye and hang up now, but she didn’t want to.

Chu Jiayun listened to the breathing on the other end, which sounded both real and unreal, just like the person sleeping beside her when she woke up that evening.

“Ren Xuran said you are leaving to study abroad next week. Have a safe journey.”

“I’ll send you a message once I’m settled there, okay?”

Chu Jiayun pinched her palm: “I’ll be very busy later, and you’ll be so far away abroad. I won’t be able to help you with anything anymore.”

The distance was still palpable. Yu Sui didn’t want to cling to her humbly, afraid Chu Jiayun would misunderstand that she was trying to latch onto her.

“Then, Instructor Chu, I also wish you… all the best in everything.”