Chapter 635 - 417: Geriatric Pregnancy

Her hair was all tousled, fanned out across the pillow like a blooming flower and half-covering her left cheek and eye. A rosy glow graced her cheeks.

The two of them were breathless.

"Let’s stop, okay?" Jiangg Ning said, taking a deep breath. "We have so much to do tomorrow. We should really get some sleep."

There was a hint of pleading in her voice, and her expression was a mix of feigned seriousness and wary caution.

Under the covers, her hand was pressed firmly against Chen Yuan’s. But that did little to protect her long, smooth legs from the sudden touch of his warm palm. Whenever his fingers poked the back of her knee, Jiangg Ning would hastily shrink away, giggling uncontrollably because it was just too ticklish.

Her waist and bottom weren’t spared, either.

She had laughed so much that she was out of breath, and all her struggling had left her feeling hot and flushed.

The feeling wasn’t unpleasant, but it was strange. Jiangg Ning had little experience with it, and deep down, she was a bit unnerved.

Perhaps it was because she had always been too traditional at heart; she felt this level of intimacy was just too shameful. Especially when Chen Yuan’s hand had slipped inside her pajamas just moments before...

"Nope. You have to beg me." Chen Yuan shook his head.

He had finally gotten a chance to get back at Jiangg Ning, and he wasn’t about to let this golden opportunity slip away. After being given the cold shoulder for so long, it was only natural for him to hold a bit of a grudge.

After all, who doesn’t hold a grudge?

"I’m begging you. Can we please just get a good night’s sleep?" Jiangg Ning’s voice was soft, with a subtle tremor.

"That’s not sincere enough. I don’t know if I can agree to that..."

"Chen," she wheedled, "I’m begging you. Let’s just get a good night’s sleep tonight. Next time we have a chance like this, I promise I won’t stop you. I know you’re an understanding, gentle boyfriend who always knows how to take care of his girlfriend. You’ll say yes, won’t you?"

As she spoke, she met Chen Yuan’s gaze, even reaching out to caress his cheek.

Honestly, who could possibly resist that?

To be face-to-face with such devastating beauty, her voice a sweet, pleading whisper that tugged at the heartstrings.

When someone who rarely acts cute finally decides to, it’s absolutely lethal.

Chen Yuan folded in an instant.

’Yup, he really *was* an understanding, considerate, and gentle boyfriend.’

Chen Yuan chuckled foolishly to himself, then obediently retracted his hands. They lay on their sides, quietly gazing at each other.

He opened his mouth, pretending he was going to bite her. With his cheek pressed into the pillow, he wrinkled his nose playfully.

"This is bliss," Chen Yuan said softly.

"There have been happier moments than this, but you didn’t know how to cherish them. Our potential for future happiness is infinite, but you’re not willing to choose it. I’m trying to understand you, but I can’t." Jiangg Ning reached out, her slender fingers toying with his bangs.

The truth was, she truly loved Chen Yuan. The emotion in her eyes was every bit as deep as his was for her.

Throughout their journey together, she had been keenly aware of her heart’s every flutter. She knew that Chen Yuan gave her feelings she had never experienced before. What she couldn’t understand, however, was why he had to make the choices he did.

In the end, all her unspoken thoughts and feelings boiled down to a single sentiment: she couldn’t understand.

She was right.

If Chen Yuan chose her, they would be unbelievably happy. They could live a quiet life together, finding the meaning of love in the simple routines of everyday life. They would heal each other’s wounds and be each other’s rock in times of hardship.

In this lonely, turbulent world, they would have found a home that belonged to them.

All this was within reach.

All Chen Yuan had to do was take one step forward.

But instead, he chose to walk away, toward a place where Jiangg Ning couldn’t follow.

"You’ll understand one day," Chen Yuan said quietly after a moment’s thought.

The intimate atmosphere was suddenly broken, replaced by a touch of sadness.

"How long is ’one day’? I’m not getting any younger. This is something we have to face. Are you really going to wait until I’m thirty to marry me? I’m not trying to force you, but when it comes to a real-world issue like marriage, every detail matters," Jiangg Ning said softly. "For Mrs. Jiang’s future heir, marrying a thirty-year-old woman... it doesn’t exactly look good."

"We don’t have to care what other people think..."

"Can we really afford not to care? You might not, but what about your family? Do you think they’ll feel the same? When you’re just turning thirty, I’ll be much older. My age won’t just freeze and wait for you to catch up. By then... my looks will have faded. Won’t you have a change of heart? There are so many beautiful young women out there, all of them younger than me. What if one of them is just like I used to be?"

Jiangg Ning pursed her lips. "New is always better than old..." she said in a low voice. "And do you know what the scariest part is?"

"What?"

"In a few years, if I want to have a baby, I’ll officially be of ’advanced maternal age’!"

"PFFT—COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!"

Chen Yuan nearly choked on his own spit. He couldn’t catch his breath and burst into a fit of violent coughing.

"How did your mind even get there?" he asked, completely baffled. "That’s so far off..."

But Jiangg Ning was completely serious, her brows furrowed stubbornly.

"These are real-world problems we have to consider. If we don’t plan for the future, we’ll be caught completely off guard when it arrives. I’m always extremely wary of things I can’t control."

Chen Yuan had no idea how to respond to her worries.

’Marriage is one thing,’ he thought, ’but having a baby? That seems way too far off.’

To be blunt, he had barely grown up himself.

This was the crux of the problem caused by their age gap.

"Let’s just get some sleep," Chen Yuan said, pulling the covers tighter and reaching over to turn off the bedside lamp.

In an instant, the bedroom was plunged into darkness.

Chen Yuan closed his eyes, ready for sleep. He felt content and completely relaxed.

The bed beneath him was comfortable, supporting his lower back perfectly—not too soft, not too firm. A reassuring scent seemed to cling to everything his skin touched.

Outside on the terrace, the wind rustled the flowers in the courtyard. The endless RUSTLE of leaves against each other brushed against his eardrums, creating a strange sense of open space, as if he were in a boundless garden.

Suddenly, Chen Yuan felt a kick, and his body jolted to the side.

He opened his eyes.

Jiangg Ning was staring at him, her cheeks puffed out in indignation.

Chen Yuan had dodged the conversation again.

Jiangg Ning yanked the covers over, rolled onto her side, and left him with nothing but the indistinct silhouette of her back. It seemed she was going to sleep, too.

After a long while.

Chen Yuan couldn’t resist inching closer. His movements were light as he carefully wrapped an arm around her waist, resting his cheek near her shoulder.

"I won’t let you end up in that situation. Trust me... We’ll be happy. I promise you that."

Jiangg Ning didn’t answer, just slowly closed her eyes.

’Forget it,’

she thought.

’I’ll worry about the future when it gets here...’