C22 I Need an Explanation

Her stomach was not bloated from eating—that he was sure of.

The very next moment, Shao Yunchen stood up, said a few words to Mr. Ji and the others at the table, and walked away. His feet led him in the direction of the washroom. A dark expression marred his features.

As soon as Lu Yao entered the washroom, she opened a cubicle and knelt on the toilet seat. She tried to vomit, but nothing came out of her mouth. She had not eaten and was feeling rather weak.

Why was she so disgusted by the smell of seafood after becoming pregnant?

Lu Yao walked out of the cubicle. She went to the sink and splashed some warm water on her face. When she looked up in the mirror, she saw Shao Yunchen standing behind her. His eyes were fixed on her and he looked pissed.

Lu Yao lowered her gaze and avoided him. She wiped the water off her hands and tried to walk past him.

"Lu Yao." Shao Yunchen grabbed her wrist at once. "I need an explanation," he said firmly.

"Mr. Shao, what's there to explain?" Lu Yao felt like her wrist was burning in his grasp. She forced herself to remain calm and said, "I just had too much to eat."

Shao Yunchen immediately said, "You never eat so much that you feel like throwing up. In fact, I don't think I saw you eating at all this afternoon."

His eyes were zeroed in on her. Lu Yao shrank away from him a little bit out of fear. Seeing that she could not shake her wrist out of his fingers, she said, "All right, fine. You want to know what is going on? I'm pregnant."

The air seemed to freeze with those words. Shao Yunchen blinked at her, his brows furrowing because of the mixed emotions he felt.

"It's only been a month," Lu Yao continued. She knew from the expression on his face that if she told him the truth, he would tell her not keep the child because he did not want one.

She looked at Shao Yunchen and smiled. "You can believe me, Mr. Shao. You're so smart every time you make love. You never forget to take precautions. You remember, don't you?"

Shao Yunchen did not reply and only stared at Lu Yao, deep in thought.

He could not deny that Lu Yao being pregnant made things complicated. When she said that she was with child, he was alarmed because he did not know how to handle the little life—his own flesh and blood. However, the next moment, she justified that the child was not his and he felt strangely irritated.

In the end, Shao Yunchen sighed inwardly and only said, "Really? Congratulations."

He did not utter another word. Turning around, he left.

As the washroom door closed, Lu Yao's back hit the wall. Her eyes welled up as she put her hands on her stomach.

As long as she could keep the baby...

Lu Yao's pregnancy progressed the next few days. Sometimes, she would vomit in the bathroom in the middle of the night. After a few days, Mrs. Lu realized that something was wrong. Lu Yao wore flat shoes and her belly was getting rounder.

Mrs. Lu asked her daughter in all seriousness, "Are you pregnant?"

As Lu Yao reluctantly nodded, Mrs. Lu let out a long sigh, understanding reflecting in her eyes.

Although Xiang Dongnan often brought Tian Tian home to play, she could tell that Lu Yao and Xiang Dongnan did not have anything going on yet. Lu Yao and Shao Yunchen only got divorced a month ago. She knew that the child was definitely Shao Yunchen's.

"Mom, I can feel a life growing inside me. It's so small." Lu Yao touched her abdomen. "I want to raise my child well and give it the best it deserves."

"Have you thought about the future?"

Lu Yao smiled at her mother. "Mom, your daughter earns more than ten thousand yuan a month. There's scope for promotion too. Are you afraid that I won't be able to support you and your grandson?"

Mrs. Lu patted her daughter's hand in comfort. She did not say anything in response, accepting Lu Yao's decision.

When Lu Yao went to visit Tian Tian on her off day, Xiang Dongnan was also home.

Xiang Dongnan had tried to find a nanny for Tian Tian previously. Today, his daughter wanted his company so he decided to stay home with her. Whenever he was not required at office, he chose to spend his time with her.

Xiang Dongnan waved two cruise tickets at Lu Yao, saying, "It's a prize I won by chance. I don't think you're very well these days. Why don't you give yourself a vacation and go out with a friend?"

"Five days and four nights in Japan?" Lu Yao read the ticket. She wanted to treat herself to a holiday and tour another country, but she knew that her friend Zhou Linlin would rather stay at home than go out.

Tian Tian walked up to them to see what they were talking about.

Lu Yao smiled. "I don't have any friends I can go out with. How about we go together? I think Tian Tian would also like to go."

Her mood had been dull lately. She reasoned that going on a vacation would also be good for the baby.

Xiang Dongnan nodded, smiling. "Okay, then let's go together."

After her application for leave got accepted at her office, Lu Yao packed her bags. Along with Xiang Dongnan and Tian Tian, she went on the cruise ship to Japan.

The cruise ship was designed by a wealthy family that owned a Japanese company. It had a total of twelve decks, a ballroom pool, and a golf course. This tourist cruise was like heaven on earth.

Lu Yao saw that her room was on the eighth deck, next to the ballroom. It could get loud at night and she wanted to have a quiet stay, which was only possible on the upper decks. She went to the front desk to exchange her room for a suite on the eleventh deck.

However, when Lu Yao explained her situation, the receptionist said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Miss. Only our VIP customers can avail the benefit of exchanging rooms for a suite."

"Then can I sign up as VIP?"

"Sorry, our VIP quota is limited. But if you know someone who has a VIP card, you can use it to get your room changed."

Lu Yao put her hand on her waist in annoyance. After standing there for such a long time, her hips had started to ache and she felt tired.

She just wanted to find a comfortable place to rest. Was it so difficult?

Unable to change her suite, Lu Yao gave up in dejection. But as she turned around, she saw none other than Shao Yunchen walk in through the glass doors. He looked good in a simple long windbreaker. It was obviously expensive. 'He's in on this cruise ship too!' Lu Yao thought, surprised.

Shao Yunchen seemed to ignore his ex-wife completely. He walked straight to the front desk and handed over a card, saying in a low voice,

"Change my suite, please."

"All right." The receptionist took the VIP card from Shao Yunchen and busied themselves with the computer.

Her baby needed to sleep soundly. Lu Yao turned around and walked up to Shao Yunchen. Taking in a deep breath, she asked, not caring about her dignity, "Can I borrow your VIP card? I want to change my room too."

Lu Yao was five feet and 6 inches in height, which was pretty tall for females. However, when she stood beside Shao Yunchen, she looked dwarfish.

The man lowered his head and looked at her indifferently before turning to the front.

Lu Yao sucked in a sharp breath. He was outright ignoring her!

No matter what, they had once been husband and wife. This man refused to lend her his VIP card. What did it matter to him if she changed rooms? She was not using his money! This was too much!

Lu Yao gritted her teeth, then grabbed the money on the table and left in anger.

The receptionist changed Shao Yunchen's room and handed the card back to him, but Shao Yunchen did not take it. "Help that lady change her room," he said. "Tell her it's for free. She is to stay there alone."

After all, Lu Yao was pregnant. Even if he was not sure who the father of the child was, he ought to at least look after her needs. She probably had a reason behind wanting to change her room. He did not want her sleep to be affected.

When Xiang Dongnan learned that the cruise management needed VIP access to exchange a standard room for a suite, he wanted to call his friend and ask him for a VIP card.

However, less than half an hour later, the manager on duty walked over to them.

He handed a suite card to Lu Yao and smiled. "Ms. Lu, congratulations. You have been chosen as thr lucky winner on our cruise! We have decided to change your standard room to a suite on the eleventh floor."

"Really?" Lu Yao felt as if she was dreaming when she took the key card.

When the manager further said that she alone could stay in the suite, Lu Yao immediately understood what was going on, but she did not say anything. She went up to the room with Tian Tian anyway.