He stopped, and the crowd behind him involuntarily followed suit.
An assistant by his side promptly inquired, "Leader, what's wrong?"
Song Xiaoping pressed his throbbing temple and coldly asked, "Has Xu Qian woken up yet?"
The assistant shook his head, "Miss Xu hasn't woken up."
Even if Xu Qian stayed at home, there was a group of nannies attending to her 24 hours a day. As soon as Xu Qian woke up, breakfast would be promptly delivered.
Song Xiaoping's brow furrowed. He glanced at the time. By his usual habits, Xu Qian would wake up ten minutes after he left.
He knew she was doing it intentionally, not wanting to see him for another moment.
But what of it? They had a child. In time, Xu Qian would surely forgive him.
"Tell the nanny to knock on her door. If there's no response, inform me immediately."
"Yes."
The bedsheet was stained with blood, and the blanket by her hand was so crumpled it was beyond recognition.
Xu Qian's face was pale, her forehead beaded with sweat. She could feel the baby coming out bit by bit...
"Knock, knock, knock," a sound echoed.
"Miss Xu, are you awake? Breakfast is ready, shall I bring it in for you?"
Xu Qian's lips were devoid of color. Enduring the pain, she faintly replied, "No need, I want to sleep a little longer."
The nanny paused, then softly acknowledged.
Song Xiaoping soon received the message, but he felt something was wrong. Xu Qian was not someone who would sleep in.
He turned and instructed, "Meeting adjourned, we'll inspect tomorrow."
With that, the man left in a hurry.
Rather than feel uneasy here, it was better to go home and see.
[Ding, system notification, target number 3 is on their way back.]
Xu Qian's face changed drastically, her breathing becoming more rapid.
No, just one more step. As long as the child was born, she could enter the space.
But the more anxious she became, the more difficult it was to give birth. She couldn't deliver.
Xu Qian closed her eyes, suppressing her turbulent emotions.
The most important thing now was to give birth to the child.
With a surge of intense pain, Xu Qian gritted her teeth and pushed hard. A coolness spread beneath her, and the baby slid out with a plop.
Xu Qian didn't have time to look closely. She quickly got up, grabbed a nearby swaddle, wrapped the baby, and with a thought, entered the space.
The baby was red and wrinkled all over, its face was greenish, and it felt no heavier than a cat in her arms.
Xu Qian knelt on the grass, gently rocking the little one in her embrace.
"System, why isn't she crying?"
Even if she hadn't eaten pork, she had seen pigs run. A baby should cry upon birth.
[Ding, host, please use the suction catheter to remove the phlegm from the baby's throat first.]
Xu Qian followed the instructions, and soon, the baby wailed loudly, its cry clear and strong.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Though small, the baby seemed healthy.
Xu Qian, following the system's instructions, carefully cut the umbilical cord and gently wiped the baby clean with a towel. The baby continued to wail.
[Ding, she's hungry.]
The system was also helpless. It was rare for the host to not follow instructions. Having the baby around was always troublesome...
Perhaps, it shouldn't have given this advice?
Xu Qian's brow furrowed. She glanced down at her increasingly full chest.
Alright.
After feeding, the baby slept peacefully.
Xu Qian looked closely. It was quite ugly, and she couldn't tell who it resembled.
It looked most like her. Regarding that man, she had completely given up hope.
The little bit of familial affection she had left had been completely extinguished by him.
Both publicly and privately, she only wished to cut him into a thousand pieces and scatter his ashes to the wind.
Xu Qian pressed her throbbing temple and, carrying the baby, walked into the villa within the space.
With a thought, a crib and a series of baby supplies appeared in the room. She placed the baby in the crib and covered it with a blanket.
After finishing, Xu Qian felt dizzy and her back was covered in cold sweat.
She quickly exchanged for a bottle of beginner's potion and drank it, her body instantly feeling much better.
Xu Qian hesitated a little but still asked.
[System, do I... need to stay in for confinement?]