It was eight years ago that Ying Yue realized one day that she was pregnant. It had been two months since that court hearing day when she talked to Rodey before he was taken away. Though she did fulfill her promise that she would come to meet him frequently.

She started getting nauseated and dizzy. Sometimes she would feel lethargic for no reason and puked at almost anything she ate.

Ying Lan immediately caught onto it. She had been noticing her for the past few days and now her suspicion got stronger.

"Yue."

Ying Yue sighed and shook her head. "It\'s okay Mom. Maybe I am tired. I will be fine after rest-"

"You seem to be pregnant."

The chopsticks fell from her fingers and she widened her eyes.

"What?"

"Yes. Your symptoms say that clearly. You look different too. Pregnancy gives that change in one\'s body. The more I look at you, the more I am sure now that you are pregnant."

Ying Yue was in a daze. She opened her mouth many times but couldn\'t say anything. She trusted her mother, so she believed her when she said that.

She didn\'t have to think twice to understand that it was because they slept together in the hospital. That was two months back.

"T-that…" she suddenly felt nervous of her reaction.

Ying Lan already understood everything.

She smiled. "Yue. You don\'t have to be so scared. I am not disappointed in you. You were always smart and intelligent since young and I always trust your judgement and decisions. But I have to ask you seriously because this is a big decision and you are only twenty."

Ying Yue felt relieved with her mother\'s comforting words.

"Are you ready to take this child\'s responsibility? Of course, you are not alone. I am with you. But a child will change your life forever and you need to be mentally prepared for that. Plus, you are still studying."

She touched her stomach and she felt her chest tighten.

Rodey and my child…

It was still unbelievable to her. She thought and thought for a long time before she parted her lips. "I will raise this child, Mom. I will take his or her responsibility."

Ever since Rodey was gone, she always felt lonely, but now she suddenly felt that he was there with her in the form of their child. Her heart bloomed in immense happiness.

Ying Lan saw her determined gaze and nodded. She warmly smiled. "En."

After her checkup, the doctor confirmed that she was indeed two months pregnant.

Everybody in the Xin family was equally thrilled.

Xin Nianzu cried in joy. "Omg. First Ruiling and then Yue. Grandchildren! Grandchildren!"

Bai Li smirked. "Congratulations. I hope your child turns out to be like you. Smart, calm, wise and intelligent. We don\'t want another version of that stupid Rodey."

Xin Lei hugged her. "Congratulations! I am so happy for you!"

She burst into a chuckle.

The only one left now was Rodey.

So she met him in jail the next day. Rodey\'s mouth twitched as he appeared in the other room wearing the prisoner\'s uniform. "Babe, stop bothering to come here. I am fine."

Ying Yue clasped her hands together in nervousness. She was anxious about Rodey\'s reaction.

"Have you come here to sit like a statue like that?"

"No. I came to tell you something important."

Rodey raised his brow.

"I-I...I-..."

"I think there are some words that need to come after your I, you know."

"I am... pregnant."

Rodey didn\'t react. He kept on watching her unblinkingly as if time had stopped.

"Pregnant?"

She nodded. "Two months pregnant. You are going to be a father."

Rodey was stunned. His brain refused to register this fact and he sat in a daze for a long time.

Father? Family?

His own broken childhood came flashing past his eyes. Then he started chuckling which burst into a full blown laughter. "Father? Babe. You are saying that I will be a father one day?"

"Yes," she had a faint understanding that it would be difficult for Rodey to accept it. She didn\'t know about his entire childhood, but what she knew was enough to tell her it would affect him.

"Babe. You want a criminal father for your child?"

"Our child. You won\'t be a criminal after you leave from here."

"Do you think that would fucking erase my past?"

"If that is so, then why did you ask me to wait for you? Us living together wouldn\'t have erased it either," she calmly stated.

Silence.

"Do you think anybody would treat your child nicely once they know who the father is?"

"Our child," she corrected him again, "I am more concerned that our child should treat others nicely, not the other way around since it\'s your blood flowing through him or her."

His brows twitched.

"Heh! A criminal father and then loads of bullying. I can already see its future. It wouldn\'t make a difference even if I served my sentence. People don\'t understand that."

"Do you mean to say our child would be so weak?" She raised her brow. "Do you mean that our child carrying your blood will crumble under something like that?"

"I will kill him if he does. He or she cannot be a weakling."

"Good."

Silence again.

Rodey said after a long pause. "Babe."

"Hm?"

"I don\'t know how to be a father."

"I don\'t know how to be a mother too. It\'s my first time."

Rodey coughed hard.

Sh-she has a point...

"Rodey," she warmly looked at him and smiled. "So let\'s learn together. Your childhood was painful but different. It has no connection to how our child\'s childhood or life would be. Don\'t compare them and pull yourself down."

He clenched his fists. Suddenly, his eyes stung in tears.

What the fuck! How can I cry?

He cleared his throat. "It better be a girl. If it\'s a son, then dump him in an orphanage."

Ying Yue pursed her lips. "Don\'t say that about him. I think it will be a boy."

Their petty argument over the gender went on for a long time before Ying Yue harrumphed and left. But she felt sad that he wouldn\'t be there for ten years when their child would be growing up.

Back at present, Ying Yue looked at Xin Nianzu in shock. "Soon? What do you mean?"