Volume One, Chapter Three: The Family Elders Press for a Second Child Once Again

Early the next morning, a phone call came through to Cheng Qian's phone.

It was Mrs. Li, her mother-in-law. Having learned that Cheng Qian had returned to the country, she wanted her and Li Zhinan to bring their child over for lunch.

Li Zhinan had left for the office early that morning. Around ten o'clock, he called Cheng Qian.

"I'll have the driver pick you and Xiaoye up."

"Don't trouble him," Cheng Qian replied. "I'll take Nanny Liu and drive there myself."

"Alright," the man said before hanging up.

When Cheng Qian arrived at the Li family ancestral estate with her son, the residence was already bustling with activity.

Li Zhinan's younger brother was married, and his wife had recently given birth to fraternal twins. Only six months old, the babies were fair, chubby, and utterly adorable.

As Cheng Qian walked in with her son, her eyes met those of her sister-in-law, Xia Mengjiao. A popular actress, Xia Mengjiao was currently carrying a bit of postpartum weight, though she was still fashionably dressed.

"Sister-in-law, you're here! Xiaoye has gained weight again," Xia Mengjiao greeted her warmly, a sweet, amiable smile plastered on her face.

But Cheng Qian knew this was all a facade. Having married into the Li family one after the other, Xia Mengjiao had constantly compared herself to Cheng Qian in everything—from wedding dresses and banquets to gifts and who could better curry favor with the elders.

Li Zhinan's younger brother, Li Zhishi, was a musical prodigy who was devoted to his artistic dreams, leaving the family businesses entirely alone.

In terms of capability and influence, Li Zhinan was the undisputed head as the eldest son.

Cheng Qian had never intended to compete with anyone, but as sisters-in-law, a quiet rivalry had inevitably formed between them.

When Cheng Qian first gave birth to her son, Xia Mengjiao had been as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, desperate to produce offspring of her own as quickly as possible.

Over the past two years, she had endured the agonizing process of IVF before finally welcoming a beautiful pair of twins.

Though she couldn't beat Cheng Qian in timing, she had won in terms of quantity.

Before coming, Cheng Qian had prepared red envelopes for the two babies, which she now presented.

"You're far too polite, Sister-in-law," Xia Mengjiao said with a smile as she accepted them.

Holding her son, Xiaoye, Cheng Qian greeted the matriarch and the other elders before sitting down on the sofa to feed her son some fruit.

The matriarch was somewhat displeased with Cheng Qian's ten-month study trip abroad. She spoke up, "Qianqian, Xiaoye is still so young. You shouldn't just leave for such long periods in the future. That is not what a dutiful mother does."

Cheng Qian knew she shouldn't have left her child behind, but certain experiments simply could not be conducted domestically. Unable to argue, she lowered her head and murmured, "Yes, Grandmother. I will limit my overseas trips in the future."

Xia Mengjiao chimed in with a sweet smile, "Sister-in-law is so young, yet she's already a scientific research elite. She's truly a role model for women. When she achieves great things in the future, we'll all share in her glory."

Cheng Qian had never bragged about her career, always keeping a low profile.

The matriarch's expression darkened slightly. "A woman should still prioritize her home. Showing one's face in public is a man's business."

Xia Mengjiao immediately fell silent. As an actress, she had to travel for filming and commercial events every year—the very definition of showing her face in public.

Just then, Li Zhinan arrived.

Dressed in a high-end business suit, a crisp white shirt, and a black tie, he looked formal and precise, exuding an air of stoic restraint.

Xia Mengjiao had always envied Cheng Qian for marrying the patriarch of the Li family. Watching Li Zhinan walk through the door, a flicker of jealousy flashed in her eyes.

After greeting everyone, Li Zhinan walked over to Cheng Qian. "I'll take Xiaoye to the backyard to see the small animals."

As Cheng Qian handed the child to him, he bent down to lift the boy.

Coming close, Cheng Qian caught a faint, delicate scent of roses on him.

A sharp pang pierced Cheng Qian's heart.

After giving instructions to the kitchen staff, Li Zhinan's mother came over to speak with Cheng Qian.

In the Li family, Jiang Meng, the mother, was the only one who treated Cheng Qian well. This was because Cheng Qian's father had once saved Jiang Meng's family, and Cheng Qian's mother had been one of Jiang Meng's closest friends.

"Qianqian, come upstairs with me for a moment."

Cheng Qian stood up. "Alright, Mother."

Watching the two figures walk upstairs, Xia Mengjiao silently showed her displeasure, before turning around to scold the confinement nanny for holding the baby too roughly.

In the second-floor bedroom, Jiang Meng studied Cheng Qian. "You've lost weight again. Did you not eat well abroad?"

Cheng Qian's eyes grew slightly warm, but she smiled. "I did, it's just that the lab was very busy, and I had to stay up late."

Jiang Meng sighed. "You're just like your parents. Once you start working, you throw your entire soul into it. I believe your future achievements will surpass theirs."

"I only hope to follow in their footsteps," Cheng Qian replied modestly.

"Have you seen the news? Zhinan invested in your uncle's company. Don't blame him. He wants to develop a treatment for cystic fibrosis as soon as possible to help Xiaowei live a normal life. Three months ago, Xiaowei used a drug provided by your uncle's company, and his lung infection was temporarily suppressed, allowing him to be taken off the ventilator. Zhinan saw a ray of hope."

As Jiang Meng spoke, her eyes reddened with deep maternal heartache.

Everyone only knew that the Li family had two sons, but they did not know there was a youngest son who suffered from a genetic disease. Since the onset of the illness at age seven until now, at sixteen, he had been confined to a hospital bed, undergoing various treatments.

Jiang Meng had given birth to this son at the advanced maternal age of thirty-eight, pouring all her longing for her late husband into him. She never expected that Li Zhiwei, born out of hope, would suffer from a genetic defect.

Cheng Qian was somewhat surprised. She had researched treatments in this area before, but had failed multiple times.

She hadn't expected her uncle's biotech company to make such a breakthrough.

"Mother, if they truly have the ability to save Xiaowei, then the Li family was right to invest. It will bring hope to countless patients." Cheng Qian finally understood the reason.

Jiang Meng sighed softly. "Qianqian, I know you've been working hard too, but medical breakthroughs cannot be achieved overnight."

"Mother, is Xiaowei doing better now?" Cheng Qian asked with concern.

"Much better, and he's gained some weight," Jiang Meng said, comforted.

Seeing Jiang Meng so comforted by the improvement in her youngest son's condition, Cheng Qian hesitated, holding back her words.

Li Zhinan's investment in her uncle's company likely had another hidden motive, and she wondered if her mother-in-law knew about it.

During lunch, around the long dining table, the matriarch began nagging them to have children, as usual.

"Zhinan, now that Qianqian is back, you two need to hurry up and put a second child on the agenda. Look at your younger brother, he had twins on his first try."

"As the eldest brother, you cannot fall behind."

Li Zhishi, consumed by his music and possessing a relatively simple nature, laughed. "Grandmother, what's there to compare when it comes to having children? If Big Brother and Sister-in-law wanted to, they could easily have one every year."

The matriarch glared at him, signaling him to shut up, before turning her gaze to Cheng Qian. "And you. A woman should manage the household. Look at your mother-in-law. Even though your father-in-law passed away many years ago, she has kept this home in perfect order. You must learn from her."

Jiang Meng said softly, "Mother, Qianqian is different from me. Achieving success in her career is also a form of accomplishment."

"Since ancient times, men rule the heavens while women are the mothers of the earth. When the cosmos is inverted and yin and yang are out of harmony, it is rarely a good thing," the matriarch declared majestically.

Cheng Qian glanced at Li Zhinan.

Li Zhinan simply nodded to the matriarch. "Don't worry, Grandmother. We will work on it."

Hearing this, Cheng Qian wanted to laugh. He might want to try, but it wouldn't be with her.

***

After lunch, Li Zhinan left the villa under the pretext of work.

Cheng Qian also received a call from the laboratory; there was urgent work waiting for her.

Looking down at the son in her arms, she sighed softly, having no choice but to hand him over to the nanny to take back to their villa.

In the laboratory, Cheng Qian was examining the reason behind the failure of a batch of chemical agents. Dressed in sterile scrubs, her expression grew serious and precise.

She quickly discovered that a temperature fluctuation had caused a change in the pH value. The responsible pharmacist apologized in a panic.

Cheng Qian personally gathered her subordinates. Using this incident as an example, she strictly emphasized the importance of maintaining temperature and environment.

By the time night fell, Cheng Qian rushed back home.

The moment she stepped into the house, she heard her son's laughter coming from the backyard.

Following the sound, she saw Cheng Yan crouching on the floor of the backyard sunroom, holding a feather wand to play with a kitten.

Beside her, Xiaoye was clapping his hands in delight, completely engrossed.

"Here, Xiaoye, you hold it and play with it. It's very smart," Cheng Yan said gently, handing the wand to the child.

Xiaoye immediately took it to play. The kitten suddenly pounced, almost jumping on him. Frightened, he threw himself into Cheng Yan's arms. "Mommy, I'm scared. Hold me."

Cheng Yan giggled and gently picked him up.

The sound of a page turning came from nearby. Standing outside the door, Cheng Qian finally noticed Li Zhinan reading a book on the sofa in the sunroom.

He was actually sitting right there, watching without doing anything to stop his son from calling another woman "Mommy."

Unable to endure it any longer, Cheng Qian pushed the door open and walked in.

Startled by the sound of the door opening, Cheng Yan looked up, a trace of surprise flashing across her beautiful face.

A second later, she quickly whispered, "Cousin... Cousin!"

Cheng Qian walked straight over and snatched Xiaoye from her arms. However, Xiaoye reached out his small hands and cried, "Mommy, hold me... I don't want to leave you!"

Cheng Qian's heart felt as if it were being pierced by a knife. She tried to soothe him gently, "Xiaoye, I am your mother. She isn't."

"No, you're not! Let go of me, I want Mommy!" Xiaoye cried, tears streaming down his face.

A look of innocence and helplessness appeared on Cheng Yan's beautiful face as she looked flusteredly at the man on the sofa. "Zhinan, please explain it to Cousin."

Li Zhinan closed his book and cast a cool glance at Cheng Qian. "There is nothing to explain. If she had spent more time with the child, this wouldn't have happened."

Cheng Qian's face stiffened. Was Li Zhinan still blaming her for going abroad to study?

Cheng Yan walked over gently to explain to Cheng Qian, "Cousin, please don't misunderstand. I didn't make Xiaoye call me Mommy. Perhaps he heard other children calling their mothers that, and he just copied them."

Cheng Qian sneered. "He is young and doesn't know any better, but what about you? He calls you that, and you just accept it?"

Cheng Yan froze, immediately looking at Li Zhinan with a wronged expression. "Cousin still misunderstands."

Li Zhinan's voice sank as he said to Cheng Qian, "I have invited several important guests for dinner tonight. Don't make trouble."

Just then, the sound of a car engine shutting off echoed from the courtyard.

Joy lit up Cheng Yan's face, and she turned to walk outside gracefully. "They're here."

Holding her son, Cheng Qian intended to go upstairs from the backyard. Just as she did, she saw several tall, handsome figures walking through the living room entrance.

They were all close friends from Li Zhinan's social circle—some childhood playmates, others business partners, all of similar age.

Cheng Yan was very familiar with Li Zhinan's friends. In contrast, Cheng Qian had almost nothing in common with them.

Cheng Qian carried her son upstairs. The little boy cried aggrievedly, his small fists continuously hitting Cheng Qian's arm. "Put me down! I don't want you to hold me! You're a bad person!"