Blossom through the Cloud - Extra Chapter 5

Extra Chapter 5

Because relevant standard regulations at the time found it difficult to determine the impact of high-altitude radiation on pregnant women, Ruan Suxian stopped working as soon as she received definitive confirmation from the hospital.

However, with her days suddenly wide open and idle, falling asleep at night proved exceptionally difficult.

Every time she closed her eyes and pondered deeply, the mere thought that a new life was growing inside her belly felt like something utterly miraculous.

Even though her lower abdomen remained completely flat, she approached every single movement with extreme caution, clinging to Fu Mingyu's arm even when rolling over in bed.

After several days of this routine—culminating in her treating the simple act of getting out of bed with the elaborate majesty of an Empress Dowager from the Qing Dynasty—Fu Mingyu finally reached his limit.

"Right now, it's just a fertilized egg. You could dance a jig and it wouldn't have the slightest impact." Despite saying this, Fu Mingyu scooped her up into his arms, carried her into the bathroom, and seated her atop the vanity counter, bracing his arms on either side of her thighs. "Do you want me to help you brush your teeth and wash your face?"

"No thanks, I'll pass on your kind offer."

Ruan Suxian stretched out her legs, intending to hop down, but Fu Mingyu pinned her in place.

"Wait."

Lowering his gaze to Ruan Suxian's lower abdomen, he reached out to give it a gentle, fleeting poke, a smile breaking across his face without him even realizing it.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?"

Ruan Suxian asked.

Without a second thought, Fu Mingyu replied, "Either is fine."

"Yet I have this lingering premonition that it's going to be a boy." Ruan Suxian stared blankly at Fu Mingyu's chest. "Lately, whenever I dream, I keep hearing the laughter of a baby boy."

"Is that so? Then you're quite something." Extracting a facial cleansing wipe and wetting it to wipe Ruan Suxian's face, Fu Mingyu drawled leisurely, "You can even distinguish the gender of an infant by its voice."

Lost in thought, Ruan Suxian waited until Fu Mingyu had squeezed toothpaste onto a brush and handed it to her before she finally spoke. "I can just tell, that's all."

"Don't you like boys?"

Fu Mingyu asked.

Holding her toothbrush, Ruan Suxian pointed it at Fu Mingyu. "It's not that I dislike them, but what if we have a child who turns out exactly like you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Fu Mingyu caught her hand, his gaze heavy and intent as he looked at her. "Speak."

"Oh..." Ruan Suxian said offhandedly, "Wrecking other people's daughters, of course."

"Whose daughter have I wrecked?" Letting go of her hand, Fu Mingyu instead pinched her chin, his fingertips lightly tracing back and forth over her skin. "Hmm?"

The rising heat filling the morning bathroom tinted Ruan Suxian's cheeks with a rosy flush. Raising her eyes to meet Fu Mingyu's gaze, she instinctively lowered her hands and muttered coyly, "Well, who knows?"

A soft chuckle rippled through the bathroom air. "Probably the daughter of the Ruan family, who accidentally got herself wrecked to the point of bearing me a child."

They finished washing up right at seven o'clock sharp. Aunt Zhang had breakfast prepared, and after eating, Fu Mingyu prepared to head off to the company.

Ruan Suxian set down her toothbrush, spat out the foam, and shot him several sideways glances while standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him to wipe her hands.

Suddenly, Ruan Suxian opened her arms wide toward him.

"The bathroom floor is slippery."

With a chuckle, Fu Mingyu bent down and scooped her up, carrying her outside.

In truth, the early stages of pregnancy had almost zero impact on normal daily life. With time on her hands, Ruan Suxian attended concerts, visited art exhibitions, and experienced immersive theatrical plays, only to ultimately realize that such high-art lifestyles weren't really suited for her—staying home was far more entertaining.

As the weather grew increasingly hot, people naturally grew more indolent.

Ruan Suxian didn't show much of a baby bump; even by the fifth or sixth month, her limbs remained free of swelling, and she faithfully maintained her exercise routine.

Yet while Ruan Suxian remained idle, Fu Mingyu became worked to the bone during the seventh month of her pregnancy.

Why he could be described as worked to the bone was because he consistently returned home in the dead of night and left before dawn while Ruan Suxian was still asleep. Had the bed not retained his lingering warmth, she might never have known anyone had shared it with her.

Feeling that pushing himself this hard was excessive, Ruan Suxian suggested he stay overnight at the Mingchen Apartment instead, which would cut out a massive chunk of his daily commute.

Though he agreed readily enough with words, he still returned home every single night, slipping into bed with feather-light movements to wrap an arm around Ruan Suxian's waist and pull her close as they drifted off to sleep.

During this period, Fu Mingyu had declined virtually all social engagements, but tonight marked a joint supply-chain cooperation dinner hosted among the tourism, aviation, and lodging sectors. Zhu Dong had booked a private dining room for the evening and invited a large gathering of prospective business partners.

Since situations like this were entirely unavoidable, Fu Mingyu gave Ruan Suxian a heads-up before heading out to attend.

Throughout the banquet, everyone's spirits ran high, with the sole exception of Fu Mingyu, who didn't touch a single drop of alcohol, substituting water for tea the entire evening. Watching this, Zhu Dong muttered a couple of complaints under his breath.

"Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the one carrying a child in your belly."

The remark drew roaring laughter from the surrounding companions, but Fu Mingyu merely arched a brow, showing no intention of touching the alcohol. "It's not like you don't know my wife's temper."

Overhearing the exchange, the head of a neighboring travel technology platform probed with a few tentative questions amid the toast-exchanging, eventually piecing together the broader picture.

His wife was seven months pregnant and had limited mobility. To his twisted mindset, however, this presented a distinct opportunity.

Shielding his mouth behind his wine glass, he cast a significant glance toward the female companion he had brought along.

Catching the cue, the young woman let her gaze linger over Fu Mingyu for a few moments before rising from her seat with her wine glass in hand.

She was originally a receptionist at this tourism firm. Because of her striking looks and the drinking capacity she had displayed at the company's annual gala, she had been transferred to the marketing department. Though young, she frequently accompanied her boss out to business dinners, honing an increasingly adept hand at navigating the social dynamics of the banquet table.

Approaching Fu Mingyu, the young woman delivered a smooth, flattering toast before promptly downing her glass first. The men at the table showered her with praise for her drinking prowess, while Fu Mingyu simply smiled and took a sip from his teacup.

Before coming, her boss had briefed her that everyone at tonight's gathering was tied to their company's interests, instructing her to stay sharp. He had also warned her that President Fu of Xihang was notoriously difficult to deal with, urging her to handle things with extreme caution and tact.

Yet seeing his gentle expression and the faint smile lingering at the corners of his lips as he spoke, he bore no resemblance whatsoever to the intimidating figure others had described.

Later, after several rounds of mingling engineered by her boss, she somehow found her seat shifted right next to Fu Mingyu's, and she eagerly took over pouring his tea and water.

Yet just as she picked up the ceramic pot and before a single drop could pour out, Fu Mingyu—who had been deep in conversation with Zhu Dong—suddenly turned his head and casually blocked the rim of his glass with the back of his hand.

"No need, I'll pour my own."

When the pot was retrieved, the young woman awkwardly lowered her hand, her eyes flickering over the ring on Fu Mingyu's ring finger as they hid within the dancing interplay of light and shadow.

After the meal concluded, Fu Mingyu was the first to rise and prepare to leave.

With practiced fluency, the young woman picked up his suit jacket and handed it over. Fu Mingyu took it out of habit, though instead of putting it on, he draped it over his forearm, exchanged pleasantries with the occupants of the private room, and walked out.

Taking the gesture of accepting the jacket as a tacit sign of mutual understanding, the young woman immediately trailed after him.

Noticing this unfold, Zhu Dong rubbed his ear, hesitating for a few minutes between whether to get up or stay put.

Having had a child of his own the previous year, he knew all too well how agonizingly difficult it was during a wife's pregnancy, coupled with the immense temptations of the outside world—take that young woman just now, for instance, who wasn't just pretty but proactively attentive. Terrified that Fu Mingyu might succumb to temptation and cross a line, forcing him to visit his longtime friend in the intensive care unit tomorrow, he felt compelled to get up and follow them out.

Stepping out into the hallway, Zhu Dong found no sign of anyone, and his heart instantly leaped into his throat.

After all, this venue featured an adjoining hotel.

Fortunately, after rounding a corner, he spotted them near the elevator bank.

Standing beneath the lights, Fu Mingyu lowered his gaze to appraise the person before him.

As his eyes swept across her face, the young woman grew visibly nervous.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Originally meant as nothing more than an excuse, she hadn't expected Fu Mingyu to actually play along with her opener, forcing her to bite the bullet and press on. "It's... regarding the partnership we mentioned today. You seemed quite interested."

With the elevator yet to arrive, Fu Mingyu spoke in a low voice. "Go on."

"Our company is a blockchain-based centralized... no... a decentralized open-source travel distribution platform, which can solve issues like conflicting flight statuses."

"Are you saying your company's proprietary blockchain can serve as a single source of truth for flight data?" Glancing at his phone where Ruan Suxian had texted him a "going to sleep" message two minutes earlier, Fu Mingyu kept his eyes on the screen.

Though looking at his screen, the warmth infusing his eyes stood in stark contrast to his businesslike tone. "The demand for airline inventory consolidation and multi-source distribution channels is constantly evolving. What specific solution does your company's blockchain technology provide for that?"

Fu Mingyu had casually thrown out two technical hurdles, yet they left his interlocutor utterly speechless.

"I..."

"You haven't even wrapped your head around your own company's core operations—what qualifications do you think you have to discuss this with me?"

The elevator arrived with a soft chime, its doors sliding open automatically. Before stepping inside, Fu Mingyu glanced back at her once more. "Is it based solely on this face of yours? If so, you'd be better off going and researching what kind of person my wife is."

As his words trailed off, Zhu Dong—who had spent the entire time eavesdropping from around the corner—stepped out with a beaming smile, giving the crestfallen young woman a smooth, polite gesture. "Your boss is looking for you."

Once inside the elevator car, the two men stood side by side. Glancing at their reflections in the polished metal doors, Zhu Dong drawled with world-weary boredom, "You've gotten a lot gentler in how you talk these days."

"Have I?" Loosening the top button of his collar, Fu Mingyu's tone softened further. "Probably because I'm about to become a father."

Recalling how the young woman had chased after him earlier trying to hook him for a "private chat," he let out a dry, self-deprecating laugh. "I figured my wife's reputation was pretty well known, yet there are still people charging blindly ahead."

"You only have yourself to blame," Zhu Dong retorted. "You actually took the jacket she handed you just now—no wonder her expression changed instantly."

Fu Mingyu lifted his eyelids lazily. "What else was I supposed to do? Just abandon my jacket? My wife bought that."

Pausing for a second, he added, "Besides, I'm used to it. The housekeeper at home handles all of that with absolute thoroughness."

Zhu Dong choked on his words. "I take back what I just said. You're still the exact same old Fu Mingyu, not a single bit changed."

As the elevator descended smoothly, the silence stretched before Zhu Dong offered an addendum: "Well, okay, you have changed a bit—your temper's been worn down into something much better by your wife."

Fu Mingyu: "Do you really have to use the word 'worn down'?"

Zhu Dong: "Then how about... 'trained'?"

Fu Mingyu: "......"

Finding Fu Mingyu momentarily speechless, Zhu Dong broke into a grin. "All jokes aside, years ago I genuinely thought you'd end up marrying a gentle, deferential wife cut from the exact same cloth as that young woman."

Fu Mingyu's tone turned frosty. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Zhu Dong: "...Naturally, Comrade Little Ruan is also gentle and deferential, not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. On that front alone, very few women can hold a candle to her."

Lowering his gaze, Fu Mingyu spoke in a soft, unhurried cadence, almost as if talking to himself. "There are plenty of beautiful women in the world, but there is only one Ruan Suxian."

"Oh, well that goes without saying," Zhu Dong agreed enthusiastically. "After all, outside of dreams, you'd be hard-pressed to find another woman willing to fly across the high plateaus in the dead of night just to bring you home."

When Fu Mingyu arrived back home, the clock had just struck midnight. Skipping a shower, he pushed open the bedroom door and stepped inside guided solely by the moonlight.

The moment he bent down, however, he caught Ruan Suxian's eyes snapping wide open.

"Still not asleep?"

"No, dealing with a bit of insomnia tonight." In the dim room, Ruan Suxian fixed her gaze on Fu Mingyu's eyes. "I just dreamed that you sneaked behind my back to go find a young little sweetheart."

Fu Mingyu: "......"

The psychologist specializing in prenatal mental health who was assigned to Ruan Suxian had warned them that pregnant women were prone to letting their imaginations run wild and required their husbands to provide an absolute, unshakeable sense of security.

Incidents resembling tonight's had actually happened before, though he had never mentioned them to Ruan Suxian, deeming it entirely pointless to let such petty nuisances upset her.

Yet suspecting that Ruan Suxian might possess some terrifying sixth sense regarding tonight's escapade, he leaned down to cup her forehead, intending to offer reassurance before she cut him off again.

"Such a young, tiny little sweetheart—not even a year old yet—and you were holding her in your arms and kissing her all over."

Fu Mingyu: "......"

Peeking out from behind her blanket with just her eyes visible, Ruan Suxian broke into a curved-eyed smile. "I have a premonition; it really might turn out to be a little girl."

Winter arrived in the blink of an eye.

Following a heavy blanket of goose-feather snow the previous night, the sun emerged at seven o'clock sharp the next morning, casting a brilliant, blinding glare across the snow-covered city.

Little Fu Guangzhi entered the world right at that moment.

Just as Ruan Suxian had predicted, it was a soft, squishy little girl.

Hearing her first sharp cry, Fu Mingyu snapped out of his nervous stupor, gripped Ruan Suxian's hand tightly, and leaned down to plant a kiss on her sweaty forehead.

Drenched in perspiration, Ruan Suxian stared blankly at the ceiling for a long while before finally speaking.

"Is she pretty?"

Only then did Fu Mingyu turn his head to take a brief glance at his daughter.

"Pretty."

With a sigh of relief, Ruan Suxian turned her head to look at the infant being held up by the nurse.

Seconds later, her brow furrowed.

"Are your eyes broken or something?"

Though wrinkly at first, the baby's vital signs were all exceptionally robust.

Predictably, Helan Xiang adored girls far more than boys, a preference that thoroughly compensated for her lack of a daughter. From the day her granddaughter was born, she went all out, purchasing miniature outfits that stuffed two entire wardrobes full—enough for the child to cycle through five costume changes a day.

On top of that, the items prepared by everyone else ensured the little one achieved a literal definition of wanting for neither food nor clothing.

As the child gradually matured, her skin smoothed out and turned as fair as her parents', sporting a set of long, dark eyelashes whenever she dozed. Dressed in clean, exquisite little outfits, her wide-open eyes sparkled as if naturally enhanced with cosmetic lenses, instantly capturing the heart of every elder who held her and making them refuse to let go.

Ruan Suxian finally conceded that Fu Mingyu wasn't visually impaired; he had simply possessed supreme confidence.

Yet the scene from her dream never materialized—Fu Mingyu never once scooped up their daughter to shower her with kisses. Instead, he would sit by the crib for a solid hour at a time, staring at her unblinkingly.

Unable to fathom what Fu Mingyu found so endlessly fascinating, Ruan Suxian decided to investigate alongside him, only to find herself losing interest and sitting by the crib for an hour straight right alongside him whenever she deemed there was nothing worth watching.

Only over time did a subtle realization dawn on her.

Every single inch of skin, every strand of hair, and every drop of blood coursing through this child's veins belonged to both her and Fu Mingyu.

Children were perhaps the most powerful buttons in the universe, buttoning her and Fu Mingyu tightly together; no matter how the world turned upside down, the arrival of this life stood as undeniable proof of their love.

Yet true emotional integration blossomed slowly through daily coexistence.

Roughly a month after the baby's birth, Ruan Suxian resumed her post-return training, leaving Fu Mingyu to shoulder the lion's share of day-to-day childcare responsibilities.

While Fu Mingyu wasn't excessively demonstrative in his affection toward his daughter, he exhibited extraordinary patience and meticulous care when it came to practical living—for instance, he never let the nanny handle mundane chores like clipping the baby's tiny fingernails.

Sometimes, returning home to find Fu Mingyu cradling the baby in the courtyard while feeding her with a milk bottle, his impeccably tailored suit contrasting against such a domestic task created a surreal yet harmonious tableau that repeatedly struck her as unreal.

As a father, Fu Mingyu was exceptionally competent, yet he possessed a streak of rather mischievous humor.

For instance, he persistently addressed such a delicate, jade-carved little girl by the moniker "Guangzhi."

Naturally, this wasn't her legal given name, but hearing it repeated so often meant the child naturally began reacting to it.

"Guangzhi, Guangzhi, Guangzhi! Do you have some kind of terminal fixation on these two characters?!"

Utterly exasperated and feeling deeply sorry for her daughter having been saddled with such a nickname, Ruan Suxian protested, "When she grows up and tells people, 'My name is Guangzhi,' won't her classmates make fun of her?"

"What's wrong with Guangzhi?" Fu Mingyu remained entirely unrepentant. "A steadfast mind brings no chaos, and broad aspirations prevent narrowness—the name your father picked is splendid."

Ruan Suxian let out a long, heavy sigh.

Guangzhi it was, then—at least it beat Dazhi.

Yet perhaps because she had been tagged with this nickname even before birth, the path of the child's future seemed destined to validate Fu Mingyu's casual prophecy.

Of course, that was a story for another day; for the time being, the child's personality caused Ruan Suxian a fair bit of anxiety.

By the time the child reached one year old, she still hadn't uttered a single word, whereas most babies typically started calling out "Mama" or "Dada" around ten months of age.

Frequently hovering over the crib, Ruan Suxian would coax her in a soft murmur, "Baby, say 'Mama'."

The child would simply blink her eyes.

"Say 'Mummy' is fine too."

Still no response.

With her face scrunched up in a frown, Ruan Suxian turned to look at Fu Mingyu. "She just refuses to talk."

With an amused smile, Fu Mingyu stepped forward with supreme confidence, bent down, and wrapped a tiny hand in his own. "Guangzhi, say 'Dada'."

His baby stared right back at him and slowly parted her lips.

A flicker of anticipation lit up Fu Mingyu's eyes, while Ruan Suxian held her breath in suspense.

How could this be?!

Yet her child didn't let her down—though she opened her mouth, the gesture culminated solely in a massive yawn before she rolled over, shut her eyes, and drifted back to sleep.

Every fiber of her being radiated the message: Sleeping, do not cue.

Fu Mingyu: "......"

Ruan Suxian cracked up in amusement.

"What are you laughing at?"

Failing to notice the shift in Fu Mingyu's expression, Ruan Suxian laughed so hard she collapsed backward onto the sofa. "If I'm not laughing, am I supposed to cry instead?"

"Cry?" Fu Mingyu mused. "That can be arranged."

Ruan Suxian's laughter instantly cut short, freezing on her lips.

"Fu Mingyu, in broad daylight, try acting like a normal human being."

Lifting his hand, he hooked an index finger into his tie and yanked it downward, his eyebrows lifting with a distinctly suggestive glint in his eye. "That might be tricky—I simply can't bear the thought of letting you bear a second one."

Ruan Suxian: "......?"

Whether it was due to pregnancy brain persisting, it wasn't until she was coaxed back into the bedroom that the full implication of Fu Mingyu's remark finally registered.

Apart from her reluctance to speak, little Fu Guangzhi also showed zero interest in toys. During her zhuazhou ceremony celebrating her first birthday, faced with a spread of books, an abacus, coins, a golden gourd, and an official seal, she displayed not a shred of curiosity, ultimately yielding to the eager, expectant gazes of her surrounding family members by casually picking up a book just to go through the motions.

Figuring the child might take after her, Ruan Suxian carried her into the storage room to show her the entire gallery of aviation models.

Yet the child simply kept her head down, absorbed in playing with her own fingers.

"Is this kid a bit introverted?" By this point, Ruan Suxian had already returned to flight status, leaving her with limited time at home and triggering a wave of maternal guilt. "Is it because we spend too little time with her?"

"Introversion is fine too."

Though saying this, Fu Mingyu sought to explore other facets of their daughter's temperament.

He decided to test her artistic talents.

One morning, with Ruan Suxian sleeping in during her day off, she woke up to find neither the big nor the small occupant in the bedroom, though faint strains of music drifted from outside.

Following the sound, Ruan Suxian emerged to find Fu Mingyu seated at the grand piano in the second-floor foyer, cradling little Fu Guangzhi tucked securely against his chest.

Morning sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, washing over father and daughter. With his back held straight, Fu Mingyu embodied the very definition of effortless elegance as his fingers danced fluently across the keys, while cradling the baby added a touch of unexpected gentleness to his silhouette.

Hands clasped behind her back, Ruan Suxian tiptoed up behind him, leaned down to rest her chin on his shoulder, and glanced at the musical score resting on the rack.

"Paganini... Etude. Can she even comprehend this?"

"Whether she comprehends it is irrelevant." With his ten fingers executing a fluid run across the keys, Fu Mingyu maintained a completely serene expression. "Refining one's artistic temperament starts from a young age."

"Oh... did you happen to forget that you did the exact same thing when I was pregnant?"

"Mmm?"

"Back then, I was fast asleep." Pressing down on Fu Mingyu's hand, she gestured for him to look down into his arms. "I think our daughter takes after me on this front."

Lowering his gaze, Fu Mingyu let out a long sigh.

Little Fu Guangzhi was slumbering soundly and peacefully in his embrace.

Any lingering anxiety regarding the baby's introversion dissolved; they decided to stop forcing the issue.

After all, they discovered that while she rarely spoke, she smiled with remarkable frequency—from that perspective, her emotional development was undoubtedly in top shape.

Yet Ruan Suxian soon noticed that as their daughter's facial features matured, she bore an increasingly striking resemblance to Fu Mingyu—a carbon copy, down to the last detail.

With that realization, such facial geometry naturally demanded a matching temperament; she was bound to grow up into the quintessential ice-queen beauty.

"How is this fair?" Ruan Suxian muttered to herself as she cuddled the child. "I'm the one who carried you for ten months, I'm the one who gave birth to you—why on earth don't you look anything like me?"

Extremely pleased with the child's appearance, Fu Mingyu didn't forget to offer words of comfort to his wife. "Daughters are naturally inclined to favor their father's looks."

Turning her head to look at Fu Mingyu, Ruan Suxian decided to fish for a compliment, attempting to coax a sweet remark out of him. "But this leaves me getting thoroughly cheated."

With a faint smile, Fu Mingyu replied, "A blessed loss is a gain."

Ruan Suxian: "......"

"Then I wish you a fortune as boundless as the Eastern Sea."