CHAPTER 109

After hearing this, Ye Lianyin glanced at everyone and noticed that Qin Zhongying, although not very skilled, was learning to peel shrimp for Rao Antong to eat, while her own mother, Ye Yufeng, was busy eating her own food.

The quality of a romantic relationship could even be seen in something as ordinary as having a meal together.

After finishing the meal, Ye Lianyin pulled Song Xinchu's hand and took her aside to talk.

"Mom, are you thinking of divorcing Mother?"

Song Xinchu was surprised. "Did I show it that clearly?"

Ye Lianyin nodded. "Both my sister and I noticed. Don't worry, we both support you."

"Mom, after removing the mark, why don't you come and live with me and Qin Zhaoci? I have the money now, and I can take care of you."

"But Qin Zhaoci..." Song Xinchu hesitated. "Won't she mind? If I go to your place, won't it be a disturbance."

"No, she won't, mind." Ye Lianyin smiled and shook her head. "Qin Zhaoci is doing all this to change the current situation for contemporary Omegas. Mom, you've made a change and decided to leave. She will support you just like I do."

"And don't you want to accompany me?" Ye Lianyin blinked her eyes. "Don't you want to see your granddaughter being born?"

Song Xinchu was moved by Ye Lianyin's words. "Then... then you have to ask Qin Zhaoci. Don't threaten her, okay? I'll go if she agrees."

"Okay, okay." Ye Lianyin nodded repeatedly.

.....

One month later, after the enactment of the legislations to remove the marking, Song Xinchu proposed divorce to Ye Yufeng and agreed to leave the house in order to get divorced.

Ye Yufeng, apart from constantly being scolded by Qin Zhaoci, had never been so defied by anyone before. She also believed that Song Xinchu couldn't leave her and would eventually come back. So she suppressed her anger and went through the divorce proceedings.

After completing the divorce process, Song Xinchu felt like the dark clouds that had been hanging over her for so many years had finally dispersed. She no longer had the sense of oppression she used to experience.

After completing the procedure, she went directly to the hospital and underwent a two-hour surgery to remove the marking.

There were many people undergoing surgery at the hospital, including many elderly people with gray hair. This showed just how many years of oppression they had endured due to the lifelong marking.

After the surgery, Song Xinchu didn't experience any discomfort in her body. After lying on the hospital bed and observing for an hour to make sure everything was fine, she left the hospital.

"Mom." as soon as she came out of the hospital, a car stopped in front of Song Xinchu.

Song Xinchu was taken aback and looked at the window as it rolled down, revealing Qin Zhaoci's face.

"Mom, I've come to pick you up and take you home. Yinyin is at school, so it's not convenient for her to come over."

Qin Zhaoci smiled and opened the car door, expressing her welcome to Song Xinchu through her actions.

.....

"Mom." in the evening, Ye Lianyin was brought home by Qin Zhaoci. As soon as she saw Song Xinchu, she walked up and gave her a hug.

"Alright, alright, you're about to become a mother, and you're still running so fast." Song Xinchu touched Ye Lianyin's rounded belly. "Are you still experiencing morning sickness?"

"No, I have a good appetite now." Ye Lianyin shook her head. "I've been gaining weight recently."

"You're not gaining weight, you're just getting heavier." Song Xinchu shook her head. "You've lost so much weight before. Now you look almost the same as before pregnancy."

"Yeah." Qin Zhaoci nodded in agreement. "She keeps saying I made her gain weight, but she's only gained weight in her belly."

Ye Lianyin turned around and gave Qin Zhaoci a playful glare. "Alright, alright, go and cook quickly. I'm hungry."

"Okay, okay." Qin Zhaoci nodded with a smile. "What does our little sweetheart want to eat?"

Without hesitation, Ye Lianyin began to place an order.

After dinner, Song Xinchu went to rest, while Qin Zhaoci and Ye Lianyin returned to their room.

After freshening up, the two of them lay on the bed, and Qin Zhaoci massaged Ye Lianyin's shoulders, neck, and calves.

"Mom looks much happier than before." Ye Lianyin nestled in Qin Zhaoci's arms. "Indeed, this marriage has made her unhappy all along."

"Yeah." Qin Zhaoci nodded and, through Ye Lianyin's pajamas, gently touched her small belly.

"We're starting to show the pregnancy soon." Qin Zhaoci felt the rounded curve in her palm. "I'll go to the mall in a couple of days and pick up some maternity clothes."

"Okay." Ye Lianyin lazily leaned against Qin Zhaoci's chest. "You've been working hard. Lately, you're the one taking care of everything."

"You've been working hard too." Qin Zhaoci kissed Ye Lianyin's face. "Enduring pregnancy symptoms and still managing both work and school."

Ye Lianyin lifted her head and sat up straight, then whispered a few words in Qin Zhaoci's ear.

Qin Zhaoci widened her eyes and shook her head quickly. "No, no, I'm too scared."

Ye Lianyin looked at her and smiled. "The doctor said it's okay in moderation."

"Maybe in another month." Qin Zhaoci shook her head. "Let's wait until things are more stable."

"Okay." Ye Lianyin nodded helplessly. "But I can see how hard you're trying to endure."

Qin Zhaoci pouted. "Then you should kiss me more, so it won't be so difficult."

"Alright." Ye Lianyin smiled and leaned in to kiss Qin Zhaoci.

As the early pregnancy symptoms subsided, Ye Lianyin's belly gradually grew larger, and the people at the Empire Academy finally realized that their school's beauty queen was pregnant. Many people began to feel a sense of melancholy.

Some even started discussing who the child of Qin Zhaoci and Ye Lianyin would resemble.

As the months went by, Qin Zhaoci always accompanied Ye Lianyin to and from school. Their intimacy made it clear to others that they had no chance.

"Mom, would you like to go on a trip?" After spending a month at home, bored and restless, Ye Lianyin suddenly suggested to Song Xinchu, "You've been staying at home all these years. It's time for you to go out, have some fun, and make friends."

"But..." Song Xinchu hesitated, looking at Ye Lianyin's visibly pregnant belly. "You're still pregnant. It's not appropriate for me to go out and have fun now."

Ye Lianyin smiled and shook her head. "The school semester will end in two months. I have to juggle between school and work, and Qin Zhaoci is always at the office. Mom, you're all alone at home, and it must be boring. You can go out and enjoy yourself for two months, and come back when I'm seven months pregnant. That way, you can accompany me during the delivery."

"Yes." Qin Zhaoci nodded. "Mom, I'll hire a bodyguard to accompany you, so you'll be safer."

"Well..." Song Xinchu hesitated for a moment, then nodded and agreed.

In the evening, Ye Lianyin sat on the bed while Qin Zhaoci lifted her clothes and applied the stretch mark prevention oil prescribed by the hospital.

The five-month-old baby was already moving, and as Qin Zhaoci applied the oil, she could clearly feel the fetal movements in the palm of her hand.

She smiled happily, her eyes filled with joy and tenderness.

"Seems quite lively." Ye Lianyin looked at the occasional bulges on her belly. "Does it take after you?"

"Not at all." Qin Zhaoci shook her head with a smile. "I asked Mom, and she said you were mischievous when you were little."

"Tsk," Ye Lianyin pouted. "Mom is on your side now. She always reports on me to you."

Qin Zhaoci proudly raised an eyebrow. "Well, who made me so likable?"

"Tsk," Ye Lianyin rolled her eyes.

After applying the oil, Ye Lianyin let her clothes down and lifted her hand to hook Qin Zhaoci's neck, tilting her head back to kiss her.

Qin Zhaoci understood what she meant and carefully avoided her belly, responding to her affection.

.....

"That's enough." Ye Lianyin pushed Qin Zhaoci away. "I can't go on anymore. I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."

Qin Zhaoci put on a mournful face, looking at Ye Lianyin, who seemed satisfied and ignored her. She sighed helplessly and went to the bathroom to take care of herself.

Two months later, Song Xinchu returned from her trip in high spirits, excitedly recounting her experiences traveling to other planets and the friends she had made.

At this point, Ye Lianyin had completed her junior year courses and temporarily suspended her studies to focus on her pregnancy. She looked at her mom, who seemed much livelier than before, and felt a deep sense of contentment. The rest of her pregnancy went smoothly under the care of her mom and Qin Zhaoci.

The baby inside her was well-behaved, and it was born on the expected due date.

After entering the delivery room with Ye Lianyin, Qin Zhaoci held the baby in her arms and followed Ye Lianyin out of the operating room, crying and whimpering.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Rao Antong and Song Xinchu, who had been waiting eagerly, quickly approached. "Is there a problem?"

Qin Zhaoci carefully placed the little baby, who was still pinkish and delicate, into Rao Antong's arms and sniffled. "I cut her umbilical cord. The doctor said she weighs six pounds six ounces and is very healthy."

"As long as she's healthy." Song Xinchu lovingly gazed at the sleeping baby in Rao Antong's arms. "Ah, she's so adorable."

"Yes, look at her little lips, she looks just like Yinyin, and her nose resembles Xiaoci," Rao Antong observed the baby and came to that conclusion.

"Really?" Qin Zhaoci hesitated and wiped her eyes. "How can she resemble me and Yinyin? She looks so ugly."

Ye Lianyin, who had regained some strength, helplessly massaged her forehead and pinched Qin Zhaoci's arm. "Don't talk nonsense. Le Le didn't look cute when she was born either, but she's incredibly cute now."

"Uh," Qin Zhaoci blinked and recalled the appearance of Shan Le, the daughter of Shan Pan and Wan Baiyun. "It seems so."

Ye Lianyin sighed helplessly, thinking back to when Qin Zhaoci had just finished cutting the umbilical cord and cried, saying that this ugly child had caused her wife so much pain.  She couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.

After taking Ye Lianyin back to the hospital room, Rao Antong held the baby and placed her in the crib.

Qin Zhongying stared at the little one in the crib, extended her finger, and gently touched the tightly clenched little fist, smiling happily.

"Have you decided on a name for the baby?" Song Xinchu asked Qin Zhaoci and Ye Lianyin.

Qin Zhaoci and Ye Lianyin exchanged a glance and nodded with a smile. "Her formal name will be Qin Yuanjun, taken from the phrase 'I only wish your heart is as devoted as mine, never disappoints the longing for our love.'  Her nickname will be Lian Lian."

"Why Lian Lian?" Ye Lianyin asked curiously.

Qin Zhaoci tilted her head. "Last night, I had a dream about a lotus pond. There was a beautiful golden fish playing in the pond, creating ripples on the water's surface. And coincidentally, 'Lian' is part of Yinyin's name, which means 'compassion.' I hope our baby will be cherished and loved throughout her life."

"Good, good." Qin Zhongying expressed her satisfaction. "It sounds beautiful and has a meaningful message. Excellent choice."

Ye Lianyin nodded with a smile. "Yes, it's really nice. It sounds great."

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