"Yinan, actually, I've been meaning to tell you this, but I'm afraid it might peel back old wounds, so I have been keeping it in my heart…"

Mrs. Cheng paused and sighed before continuing.

"Please don't blame Qingchong when she lost the baby from her accidental fall at her company; she didn't mean it. It was an accident.

"That her first time pregnant, and she was too careless. I know it sounds like I'm siding with Qingchong because I'm her mother, but she was also very saddened by the miscarriage, so please don't blame her. I'm so worried that you will blame her, so please don't…"

Listening to her mother, Cheng Qingchong's head lowered even more. She gripped the pair of chopsticks tightly and suppressed the rising urge to dash out the room. She was ravaged by guilt. This was her plot, but it had caused her mother such unnecessary worry.

The room was quiet for about half a minute before Qin Yinan answered in his gentle as water tone, "Mother, don't worry. Of course, I don't blame Qingchong. If anything, this is my fault. I should have stayed at her side to look after her. In fact, I should have put my foot down to insist that she stay at home when she was pregnant instead of allowing her to go to work…"

Cheng Qingchong's face burned with shame as Qin Yinan's words drifted into her ears.

"I'm so glad that have heard you say that." Mrs. Cheng's words had audible relief in them. "But you've been working hard for two years already. Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing for a young man like yourself to achieve greatness in his career, but don't forget about your family. When Qingchong is pregnant again, I promise I will help you take care of her. After all, I'm already retired and have no pressing matters on my hands."

Qin Yinan flashed a perfect smile. "That would be perfect. With Mother's help, I'm sure everything will be fine."

Mrs. Cheng smiled in return, and the atmosphere in the room relaxed again. Elderlies were prone to go off at a tangent. Even though there was no pregnancy in sight, Mrs. Cheng couldn't help herself from reminding Qin Yinan about the things that they should be careful about when they had a baby in the future.

Qin Yinan didn't show any trace of impatience, chatting kindly with Mrs. Cheng.

After dinner, when Mrs. Cheng was clearing away the table, she suddenly handed the work over to Cheng Qingchong and rushed into her temporary bedroom like she was reminded of something.

The moment Mrs. Cheng left, the smile on Qin Yinan's face disappeared without a trace, and even the air around him became heavy with chills.

Cheng Qingchong was so scared that she didn't even dare breathe too audibly. She cleared away the plates cautiously, and when she carried the empty plates into the kitchen, Mrs. Cheng came out of the bedroom with a bag in her hands.

Cheng Qingchong didn't close the kitchen door, so when she was washing the dishes, she could hear her mother tell Qin Yinan, "Yinan, this is a little something from me and your father. Hopefully, you will like it."

"Mother, you shouldn't have! Plus, it is me who should be preparing presents for the both of you, not the other way around! You shouldn't have wasted money on me."

"What are you talking about? It's not a waste. After you married our Qingchong, we already considered you our son, so how can you call gifting our son a small present a waste? Yinan, your father and I don't live in Beijing, so we are greatly appreciative of you for helping us take care of Qingchong. If she is lacking in any way, please do be tolerant of her…"

Cheng Qingchong tuned herself out from the rest of the conversation. She lowered her head to focus on doing the dishes as fat tears fell into the sink.