Chapter 1: I Don't Deliver Live Cargo!

Arrival is by chance, departure is inevitable. Therefore, you must let things take their course without wavering, and remain unwavering as things take their course.

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On the eve before the start of the new year, Lu Huaining finally boarded the flight home amidst the city’s bustling atmosphere of renewal. Once he landed, he instructed his driver, Old Yang, to take him directly to Sunshine Residence. Upon opening the door, he found the house quiet, almost desolate—a solitude reminiscent of an ancient tomb.

He had assumed she would be quietly staying in the music room, but only the piano stood there, filling the space with its lonely presence. Standing on the second floor, Lu Huaining gazed down at the living room, awash in light. The sofa was empty, the television silent, and for someone so accustomed to solitude, he found himself oddly unsettled.

Descending the stairs, he caught sight of her pair of milky-white slippers. Only then did he feel at ease. After changing his own shoes, he inexplicably bent down and turned her slippers inward.

When Xue Zuineng received his call, she was sitting on a bench in a corner of the square, looking up at the New Year countdown on the LED screen. The crowd bustled, scattering the usual winter chill. Playful couples lit small fireworks around the square, and a mischievous little boy, soaked by the fountain, laughed without a care.

Sometimes, happiness is simple and direct.

“Sister, may I sit here and wait for my mom?” Just as Xue Zuineng hung up the call, a sweet, soft voice sought her permission.

Glancing at the little girl with pigtails, Xue Zuineng’s mind flashed to a memory of her own childhood. She smiled faintly. “Of course.”

“Thank you, sister.” The girl scooted onto the bench and beamed up at her.

Xue Zuineng withdrew her hand, gently shaking her head. “No need to thank me.”

The girl propped her chin in her hands, her bright eyes studying Xue Zuineng as if recalling something. “Pretty sister, I think I might know you. You look just like the sister on TV.”

“Do I really?” Xue Zuineng was about to explain when an anxious voice called out in her direction.

“Yaya, how can you run off by yourself?”

The father’s stern tone sent the little girl sliding off the bench, racing into his broad embrace. She pouted, “Daddy has to take care of Mommy and the baby, so Yaya plays by herself.”

The man tapped her mischievous nose, then turned to Xue Zuineng with an apologetic smile. “Sorry to trouble you.”

“It’s nothing. She’s very well-behaved.” Out of courtesy, Xue Zuineng stood up, but suddenly pain surged through her lower abdomen, as if something was about to force its way out. Her legs faltered and she collapsed back onto the bench.

“Miss, are you alright?” Father and daughter rushed to her side, alarmed by the sweat breaking out across her face. “Should I take you to the hospital?”

“No need…” Xue Zuineng caught her breath, pressing her hand gently to her abdomen. She looked up at the man. “Could you help me call a taxi?”

After she got into the car and returned to the sumptuous house, Xue Zuineng stood in the courtyard, gazing at the soft glow of lights within. Was he waiting for her?

In the empty living room, the silence was so profound that Lu Huaining could almost count his own breaths. His gaze, complicated and intense, was fixed on the flimsy piece of paper in his hand. The date showed two days ago—she was pregnant. And she had kept this secret from everyone! If he hadn’t found her medical record in the bathroom, how much longer would she have hidden it?

The sound of the door opening echoed from the foyer. Lu Huaining’s head snapped up, eyes locked on the entrance. When his gaze fell on the woman who entered, his pupils contracted sharply. She looked strangely unfamiliar.

Xue Zuineng’s eyes swept indifferently over the man watching her so intently. As she bent down to change her shoes, his serious, measured voice resounded through the vast space. “Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”

“You saw it?” Xue Zuineng glanced at the medical record in his hand. So she hadn’t lost it after all.

Lu Huaining watched her settle slowly onto the nearest sofa. Just as he was about to speak, she cut him off coolly, “Surprised, aren’t you?”

Was he surprised? Lu Huaining could no longer distinguish the transformation of his identity in this brief hour. Father—a title both strange and anticipated.

Xue Zuineng reached for the TV remote on the coffee table, but he suddenly pulled her into his arms.

Lu Huaining felt his body trembling uncontrollably. He wanted to hold her tightly, yet dared not, afraid of harming the miraculous little life that linked them. His expectant voice, warmed by the heat of his palm, reached the woman wrapped securely in his embrace. “Let’s have the baby. Give it to me as a gift—will you?”

“Lu Huaining, do you know…” Xue Zuineng slowly raised her hand and hugged him back. Her pale lips moved to his ear, her breath cold as ice. “I never give anything alive.”