A few months later:

  Qian Meng was almost done with work when Mo Qingchen called her. She put her call on speaker as she worked.

  "Are you done with work?" Mo Qingchen asked slowly. She could hear him walking and knew that he was asking so that he could drive her home.

  "I still have half an hour to go. I have some proposals to go over. Are you done?" she asked in response.

  "Yeah. I was calling because Mo Xiao Chen wants to reveal the gender of the baby." Qian Meng grew eerily silent.

  "What baby?" she asked.

  "Xiao Chen's baby," he answered, explaining away her confusion. "I guess they changed their mind about finding out the sex of the baby."

  Qian Meng was still confused. "I didn't even know they were expecting," she told him. "When did this happen?"

  Qingchen laughed. "My brother told me two days ago. Something about keeping it under wraps until the first trimester passed. It's a superstition, I believe." He sounded mildly bored.

  "Okay. I didn't know." She was surprised by the news. Especially considering the fact that the couple had no plan to have babies, ever. "When are they telling us?" she changed the tone of the conversation. She was excited on their behalf.

  "They sent an email to me. They want to do a video conference to tell us."

  Qian Meng grinned and sat up straighter. "This is so exciting. We're going to have a niece or nephew." She giggled.

  "Yes, it would be one of those," he retorted.

  "Smartass," she laughed as she raced through her work. "Go to the car and wait. Get the laptop ready. I'll just finish this and come down."

  She could finish work once they went home. It was more important to listen to the couple gush about their baby. Every parent deserved to be unadulteratedly happy about the life they were bringing into the world.

  After finishing the paper she was reading, she took her blazer and fixed her hair, wanting to look a little more presentable for the video call.

  She found Qingchen in the parking area, sitting on the driver's side and setting up his laptop. She rounded the car and slid into her seat.

  "I don't think she was expecting that at all," Qingchen was telling the couple.

  "I wasn't expecting what?" she asked.

  "That they are pregnant."

  She nodded. "I definitely wasn't expecting that," she answered with a grin. "This is the surprise of a lifetime."

  "Meng Meng!" Xiao Chen's voice rang from the laptop speakers before she was even in the view of the monitor. "Where are you?"

  "I'm here. I'm, here," she ensured, leaning into Qingchen so that she was visible.

  Qingchen turned the light in the car on and turned the laptop so that both of them were visible without having to struggle in their seats.

  "Hey, Qian Meng!" his girlfriend squealed excitedly, waving at her.

  "Hey, guys!"

  Qian Meng took in the image on the screen with a big, silly smile. The couple was perched on their couch, the mother-to-be glowing and Xiao Chen beaming with his massive hand on her rounded belly.

  "You look amazing. I think your belly got bigger since last week. Or am I imagining it because I know you are pregnant?" Qian Meng contemplated.

  "Ugh, don't remind me!" the other groaned dramatically.

  "I hear you have some news for us," Qian Meng prodded.

  "We do!" she responded. "We kept the pregnancy a secret for a while and weren't going to find out the sex of the baby. But well… we couldn't resist!"

  Qian Meng chuckled. "Well, spit it out!" she insisted.

  "Ready?" she turned to her boyfriend and for a quiet moment, they just beamed at each other.

  "The suspense is killing me," Qian Meng chided.

  "Okay, okay," Xiao Chen answered, not taking his eyes off of the mother of his child. "We're having…"

  Qian Meng's fingers and toes tensed in anticipation. She was more excited to find out if they were going to have a son or daughter than she had ever anticipated. This was the first pregnancy journey she would be part of!

  "A boy!" they both cheered at the same time.

  Qian Meng squealed with happiness, clapping her hands together.

  "Congratulations," Qingchen said smoothly, calm and collected as ever while Qian Meng freaked out.

  "I'm so happy for you guys!" She leaned against Mo Qingchen as she spoke.

  "This one is going to be a troublemaker," Xiao Chen declared, patting his girlfriend's stomach.

  They chatted for a little longer, talking about nursery decorations and possible name choices. When they hung up, Qian Meng made Xiao Chen promise to take care of her growing nephew and his mother. Qingchen informed them slyly that the couple would drink wine in their honor.

  They disconnected the call with a lot of well-wishes.

  "I'm so happy for them," Qian Meng said to Qingchen, her head on his shoulder as she hugged him.

  "I am glad, too. They are embracing such an unexpected circumstance so well."

  Qian Meng nodded. It was clear that the baby was unplanned, but the couple had been happy about it nonetheless. "I bet your mother is over the moon now that she is having a grandbaby."

  Qingchen chuckled. "Oh, I am sure. The pregnancy was unexpected but it worked out for everyone. My dad was flipping out but I am sure he is going to be ecstatic now that he is getting a grandson." He scoffed.

  "Wait. Is that important? Is your father that way, too?" she asked.

  Qingchen shook his head. "He melts for baby girls in the family, but he can manipulate and threaten the male children. He enjoys the power trip."

  Qian Meng was suddenly bothered.

  "Well, it's better them than us."

  Qian Meng leaned back into her own seat and looked at him carefully. "How is that?"

  "My mother is getting the grandchildren she wants so badly. My dad gets a grandson to be a tyrant with."