Being pampered by the CEO during pregnancy

4

Morning sickness intensified starting in the seventh week.

Shen Wei used to think the exaggerated portrayals of pregnant women vomiting terribly in TV dramas were overdone, but now that it was happening to her, she knew what "dying" truly meant. She couldn't stand the smell of cooking oil, perfume, or even Lu Chenzhou's cedarwood aftershave. Just one whiff would send her rushing to the bathroom, gagging and vomiting until bile came up.

Lu Chenzhou changed his aftershave that very day. He switched to unscented, which didn't bother Shen Wei, but he himself wasn't used to it. Every morning when he stood in front of the mirror to get his razor, his face looked pale. Shen Wei leaned against the doorframe, watching him, and smiled weakly: "If you're not used to it, just switch back. I can bear it."

Lu Chenzhou glanced at her in the mirror, rinsed his razor, dried his face, and walked over, bending down to touch her forehead: "You've endured it for three years. Enough."

His tone was indifferent, but Shen Wei sensed something else. He felt indebted, so now he indulged her in everything, even changing his aftershave, which he'd used for seven or eight years, without batting an eye. His guilt was deeply hidden, yet impossible to conceal; it manifested in the smallest, most insignificant details.

That evening, Shen Wei's appetite was unusually good; she ate a small bowl of chicken porridge. Lu Chenzhou sat beside her, barely touching his own food, watching her eat the entire time. With each bite she swallowed, his brow relaxed slightly, as if her eating was sustaining him.

Just as he put down his bowl, Lu Chenzhou's phone rang. He glanced at the screen, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, then got up and went to the balcony to answer it. Shen Wei, with her ears perked up, couldn't hear what he said, but could tell from his reflection in the glass door that his expression wasn't pleasant. After hanging up, he returned, his expression normal, and sat down to pour her a glass of warm water.

"About work?" Shen Wei asked casually, taking the glass.

Lu Chenzhou hummed in agreement, picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of pork rib, then suddenly put it down, looking up at her. "Shen Wei, there's something I need to tell you."

Her heart skipped a beat. What this man was about to say was usually not pleasant.

"Grandpa Lu is coming to the house tomorrow," Lu Chenzhou said calmly, his expression unreadable. "He wants to see you."

Grandpa Lu was Lu Chenzhou's grandfather. He was the one who arranged the marriage three years ago. Shen Wei's grandfather was an old friend of his, and before his death, he entrusted him with the care of his granddaughter. The old man had readily arranged his grandson's marriage. This was what Lu Chenzhou resented back then—his grandfather using his marriage as a way of repaying a favor.

Shen Wei didn't have a good impression of this old man. For the past three years, she had visited the old house during holidays to pay her respects. The old man was polite to her, but beneath that politeness lay a distance, probably because he felt she wasn't good enough for his grandson. Now that she's pregnant, the old man's sudden visit speaks volumes.

"What's he coming for?" Shen Wei put down her cup.

Lu Chenzhou leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke: "In the Lu family circle, only results matter. Grandfather forced me to marry you to repay a favor to your grandfather. Now that you're pregnant, in his eyes, your relationship with the Lu family is truly stable. He's coming… probably to introduce you to the family, so you'll start showing up at Lu's social events."

Shen Wei fell silent. She'd been married to Lu Chenzhou for three years and gained nothing but a hollow title. She'd never been part of Lu's inner circle, never attended family gatherings, and even at the old man's annual birthday banquet, she sat at a corner table. Now, with a child, she'd suddenly become the "real Mrs. Lu."

"If you don't want to see him, I'll tell him," Lu Chenzhou said.

"I'll see her." Shen Wei lowered her eyes, her thumb tracing the rim of her water glass. "We'll see each other sooner or later. Besides," she looked up at him, a hint of stubborn defiance in her eyes, "why should I avoid her?"

Lu Chenzhou stared at her for two seconds, a very faint smile playing on his lips. He reached out and gently ruffled the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair with a touch as light as petting a cat.

"Alright," he said, "then I'll accompany you tomorrow."

The next morning at ten o'clock, Old Master Lu's car pulled up promptly in front of the house. The old man was over eighty, but remarkably spry. As he got out of the car, leaning on his cane, his back was ramrod straight. His eagle-like eyes swept over her, first landing on Shen Wei, then scanning her from head to toe, finally settling on her still-flat stomach.

"Please sit," the old man said, taking a sip of tea from the butler's cup. He cut to the chase, "Three months along, right?"

"Almost eight weeks," Shen Wei replied, sitting upright next to Lu Chenzhou.

The old man nodded, then suddenly pulled an envelope from his suit pocket and pushed it across the coffee table. Shen Wei glanced at Lu Chenzhou, who nodded slightly. She opened the envelope; inside was a property deed for a villa in a prime location in City A, along with a private trust account already opened in her name.

"Your grandfather entrusted you to the Lu family, and I promised to take care of you," the old man said calmly, but a rare hint of gentleness flickered in his eyes. "For the first three years, Chenzhou wronged you; I'll remember that debt. Now that you're pregnant, take these things. Don't deprive yourself."

Shen Wei clutched the property deed, a complex mix of emotions swirling within her. She hadn't married Lu Chenzhou for money, but the old man's attitude meant he was officially accepting her into the Lu family. Three years of cold treatment, a complete reversal, all thanks to the tiny baby in her belly.

Before she could speak, Lu Chenzhou said first, "Grandfather, I will give her what she has. Take back this villa, and close the trust account."

The living room was silent for a moment. The old man frowned at him, "What do you mean?"

Lu Chenzhou placed his hand on Shen Wei's hand, interlocking their fingers, and said slowly, "She is my wife, and I will give her everything she deserves. Keep what you have for your great-grandchild. I acknowledge her status; you don't need to bestow it upon her."

These words were polite, but the underlying meaning was firm—Shen Wei was Lu Chenzhou's acknowledged wife, and it was not the old man's place to bestow favors. The old man, speechless for a long time, blew on his tea a couple of times, and finally snorted, "Just like your father's temper."

Lu Chenzhou's lips twitched, but he didn't reply.

Shen Wei sat beside him, her hand held in his, the warmth of their palms touching. Under the table, she secretly hooked his little finger. He turned to look at her, the coldness in his eyes instantly melting away, revealing a tenderness unseen by others.

After seeing the old man off, Lu Chenzhou leaned against a pillar in the porch, loosened his tie slightly, and let out a long sigh. Shen Wei walked over and stood beside him, the two of them watching the old man's black sedan drive out of the ornate iron gate.

"What you just said to the old man," Shen Wei tilted her head to look at him, "aren't you afraid he'll be angry?"

"Let him be angry." Lu Chenzhou turned to the side, stretched out his arm and pulled her into his embrace, resting his chin on her head. "I was angry when he gave me away as a favor, now it's his turn to repay me. You're the one I married, the one I'll be living with, not him."

Shen Wei nestled in his arms, listening to the steady beating of his heart, and suddenly found it amusing. This man had kept her hidden in his heart for three years, but now that the floodgates had opened, sweet words were pouring out like they were free.

"Lu Chenzhou," she called him in a muffled voice.

"Hmm."

"When you hid my umbrella, did you already like me?"