Having already fired the disrespectful employee despite ehr incessant begging, Luna let the matter slide and did not let it ruin the rest of her day. She called Xiaoshi to her office when she got back.

"You can take a week off." She directly stated, realizing how uneasy the young woman looked in her presence. It was as though she was scared of being punished even though it was certain that she had not made any mistake.

Xiaoshi raised her lowered head and looked at Luna in surprise. Not only was she not getting punished, but she was being rewarded as well?

In the next second, she realized what must be happening and frowned slightly. "Boss, you don't have to do this."

"It's not for any reason other than your hard work. I noticed how fast you completed all your tasks in the past month." Luna explained as she reclined in her seat. This was why she didn't announce Xiaoshi's day off in the conference as she did with the other employees—she knew that they would think too much and assume that she was doing it because of the bullet that Xiaoshi had taken in her stead.

Hearing that it had nothing to do with personal matters, Xiaoshi was relieved. She was even happier to receive acknowledgment for her hard work. "I only did my duty as my employee. Thank you so much, boss."

Luna nodded and let her go back to her office.

...

In the evening, Xiaoshi dashed to Han Xichen's condo to tell him the good news. He was not home so her eyes drooped in disappointment. However, she remembered that he was a doctor and his schedule could never be constant, so she decided to go back to her house and give him a call later.

She was just about to leave when she noticed his car entering the complex. Her lips curled into an excited smile as she waited for him to park the car before rushing over to him.

"Shishi, you could have given me a call. I would have come earlier." He pulled her into a hug, wondering whether she has waited for too long.

"I just arrived. I know better than to wait without knowing when you will be home."

"Good girl." He praised her with a pat on her head and a kiss on her forehead. "Come on. Let's go up."

Xiaoshi nodded and took his hand that he was holding out to her. As they approached his house, she couldn't keep the news to herself anymore and smiled as she reported, "Guess what? I have a week off. It was a reward from my boss for my hard work in the last month. Are you very busy? If not, we could go out over the weekend."

The man remained silent for a long while, and she looked up at him curiously then heard him finally speak up. "I'm sorry, Shishi."

"What happened?" Her eyes drooped as she curiously asked.

"An emergency happened at the border. They need as many doctors as possible and I have to rush over. The hospital president included me on the list." He explained.

"I see." She let out a slow sigh at the bad news.

"I'm so sorry. Please don't be mad, okay?" He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as he looked into her eyes. "I don't know when it's going to last but I'll spend more time with you when I come back."

"I'm not mad. You will give me a call when you have time, right? Or just a text message once every day to let me know that you're alright." She asked. Although she was sad about not being able to be with him, she knew that it was not his fault so she did not blame him.

"I can't tell when I will call as I don't know how grave the situation is but I will at every chance I get." He promised, and kissed her forehead.

"I understand, Xichen. Be safe, okay?" She wrapped her arms around his waist.

He hummed in response. "I will leave tomorrow in the morning. Would you like to stay over tonight?"

"Yes." She didn't want to miss out on the golden opportunity so she nodded. "Are you hungry? I will cook something."

"Let's go and cook together." He shrugged his coat off and wondered whether he should take a shower first. Picking up his coat, he headed towards the main bedroom. He pointed in a direction when he remembered that she didn't know where the kitchen was. "The kitchen is at the end of that corridor. I'll join you in a jiffy."

"Okay." She didn't look at him and disappeared into the kitchen, and he finally understood that she was shy about being in his house for a night. This was probably her first time sleeping over in a man's house?

He burst into chuckles. Why was she so cute?



Xiaoshi tried to familiarise herself with the kitchen while trying not to blush too hard. She so badly wanted to pinch herself. Why did she agree to fast? How could she stay the night under the same roof as a man, on their own? It would have been alright if he was still her friend, since she knew he wouldn't expect anything. But as her boyfriend, would he expect something to happen between them?

While she tried to calm herself, her father called.

"Father?" She was still fl.u.s.tered when she answered the call.

"Are you doing great?" Asked the man in a gentle tone.

"Yes. I'm okay." She responded, inwardly cursing when she remembered the only reason why her father called her lately.

"How is Xingyu? Is he warming up to you?" Came the expected question, and she almost didn't know how to answer it.

"No." She bit her tongue.

"Did you try?" He specifically asked, perhaps because he found it odd that Xingyu was yet to warm up to her after such a long time.

She was not trying since she had a boyfriend but she didn't know how to tell him this yet so she guiltily agreed. "Yes."

A spell of silence followed before the man huffed on the other end. "It must be because that bitch is always around him. Just try harder. If worst comes to worst, I will take care of her."

Her heart almost stopped beating when she realized what her father meant. He was not going to do anything to Luna, right? Before it could come to that, she decided to admit it. "Actually dad,..."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later. I have a meeting to rush to." He interrupted and hung up without giving her the chance to explain anything.

She was still in a daze when Han Xichen returned. He held her as he asked, "Shishi, what happened?"

She launched herself into his arms guiltily. "I'm afraid something may happen to Luna again. It's all my fault for not telling the truth from the start and…"

She was so fl.u.s.tered that her voice was incoherent. He patted her back as he led her to sit at the kitchen island. "Slow down and tell me, what happened?"

She explained what her dad had told her on the call just now.

His eyebrows furrowed as he continued to rub her back. "I'll tell Xingyu about it. When I return, I will have a good word with Uncle."

...

Meanwhile, Xingyu observed that Luna was not in her best mood.

"Are you doing okay?" He asked as he sat beside her on the bed.

"Yes. I'm just tired. I had a long day at work." She smiled, but looked forced like she was holding something back. "I'll take a nap, okay?"

He observed her for a while and was more convinced that she was hiding something, judging from her furrowed brows. "Honey, you know you can count on me."

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "It's alright. It's just… I don't want you to worry about me."

"But my love, if you don't tell me what's going on, I will be even more worried." He gently stated.

She thought about it and realized that it was what would happen. The last time she tried to hide her feelings from him so she wouldn't worry him, she ended up drifting away from him and wrecking their relationship.

"Promise me you won't worry too much?" She looked up at him.

He didn't promise that, since he would be worried if it was something too distressing.

Still, she decided that it was probably best to tell him about it.

"The thing is, I've been feeling some... Pains in the belly. It's more than I have ever expected. I don't know if it's because I'm nearing the third trimester or something else. I already booked a gynecologist appointment."

"My love, why didn't you tell me about it earlier?" He asked with a frown, though he couldn't bring himself to scold her.

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