Chapter 9: Three Years of Foolishness After Pregnancy?

“Little Lucky?” Qin Haiyu looked at Yu Zhile—sure enough, her husband really couldn’t bear to leave his readers behind, couldn’t bring himself to end things and put down his pen for good! Otherwise, he wouldn’t have composed a song with the exact same title as his novel, “Little Lucky,” just for this story!

Suddenly, she felt that being the wife of her husband’s readers was an incredible blessing… At this moment, she was no longer Yu Zhile’s wife, but merely one of his adoring fans! Yes, the kind who can’t help but swoon…

…

Yu Zhile gave the guitar a tentative strum. He was so familiar with the song “Little Lucky” that he could play the accompaniment with his eyes closed. After making sure the guitar was properly tuned, he said, a little awkwardly, “Wife, let me sing it through once for you, then I’ll teach you line by line.”

“Alright,” she replied softly.

Qin Haiyu sat next to him on the piano bench and leaned her head on Yu Zhile’s shoulder, waiting expectantly for him to sing to her. Her long, curling lashes blinked as she gazed at his profile, looking for all the world like a girl newly in love. There was no sign of her being a mother at all! Her lovestruck expression spilled out beyond her control…

It’s been so long since my husband sang to me! Ever since the baby was born, for more than half a year now, he’d barely had time to write, let alone sing for me. The more she thought about it, the more her infatuated smile faded into guilt and self-reproach. She blamed herself for rushing into motherhood, for letting her own entertainment career lapse during the year and a half of pregnancy and childbirth. Her husband had to take care of her and the baby, so he had no energy left for his writing, and had been forced to put down his pen.

The more she dwelled on it, the heavier her guilt grew…

The gentle chords of the guitar began to play. With Qin Haiyu leaning so close against him, Yu Zhile was tense at first, but gradually relaxed, letting the melody calm his nerves. He glanced at Qin Haiyu resting at his side—this was a scene he had dreamed of, and he never imagined it would become reality.

Clearing his throat, he began to sing:

“I hear the rain fall on the fresh green grass,
I hear the distant bell ring for class,
But I don’t hear your voice calling my name,
Not once, not even in earnest…”

As he sang the first verse, Yu Zhile realized there was a big problem—his voice was out of practice! He struggled with the lower notes, and the opening section was a mess. It was rather embarrassing…

This was a sign—his voice hadn’t been properly trained in so long! That’s why he made such amateur mistakes, and his breath control was lacking, making his phrasing rushed.

He pressed on, and the further he sang, the more he found his rhythm, and the more natural his performance became.

“When I fell in love with you, I didn’t understand what love was,
It’s only after parting that I found how deeply it was carved in my heart.
Why didn’t I realize that meeting you
Was the best thing that could happen in my life…”

At this point, the lyrics struck a chord in Qin Haiyu, who was leaning on Yu Zhile’s shoulder. As expected! Her husband really couldn’t bring himself to end things—the song was about the moment in “Little Lucky” when the male lead breaks up with his first love!

When Yu Zhile reached the chorus, Qin Haiyu was even more moved.

“So it turns out you were the luck I most wanted to keep,
So it turns out we were once so close to love…”

This was the very plot from “Little Lucky” that had made countless female readers weep. Many of them had cursed the heartbreak, wishing the protagonist wouldn’t break up with his first love, while crying over how their own first loves had ended just the same—unable, for all sorts of reasons, to walk into marriage together in the end.

But Qin Haiyu was lucky. Her first love was Yu Zhile, and now they were so happy together. Although they’d had their share of arguments over small things, not once did those quarrels ever truly harm their love. They understood each other deeply, so every time a fight was brewing, one would always take the initiative to apologize and cheer the other up.

Especially after their daughter was born, their lives had become even happier. They hadn’t quarreled or upset each other since.

As Qin Haiyu stared at him with affectionate eyes, daydreaming, Yu Zhile had no idea that “Little Lucky”—the song—so perfectly matched the storyline of “Little Lucky”—the novel!

He kept strumming and singing:

“Meeting you was my luck,
But I’ve lost the right to weep for you.
I hope, somewhere beyond my sight,
You’ve spread your wings,
And the one destined to meet you—
How lucky she will be…”

As the last gentle chords faded, Yu Zhile noticed that Qin Haiyu was quietly sobbing, her lips pressed tight. He was at a loss.

Why are you crying? My singing was nothing special! I didn’t even put much feeling into it! How could you be so moved you’re crying? We’ve been married for years, there’s no need to humor me like this…

Between her tears, Qin Haiyu blurted out, “Husband, if you can’t bear to give up ‘Little Lucky,’ then don’t. I know this story means as much to you as our own child does! I won’t sing anymore, and I won’t join any music shows. I’ll stay home and look after the baby. That way, you’ll have time every day, just like before, and you can write your novels happily again.”

Yu Zhile was stunned!

Happily write novels? Happy, my foot! I need to end this for good! I’m not cut out to be a novelist!

He reached out to wipe the tears from Qin Haiyu’s cheeks and said, “A man’s word is his bond! Do you want your husband to be someone who breaks his word? Since I’ve already announced I’m done, I won’t pick up the pen again to continue the story.”

Qin Haiyu, tears shining on her cheeks, insisted, “But this song proves you can’t let go—I can hear it!”

Foolish wife! Are your ears faulty? I really am not reluctant, alright? Yu Zhile realized his wife’s imagination was running wild. How did she hear so much lingering emotion in this song?

He forced a wry smile and decided to go along with it. “Maybe there’s a bit of reluctance, but the song also expresses my resolve, doesn’t it? Like the lyrics say: Youth is a journey full of stumbles. Along the way, we encounter both happiness and heartbreak. We all yearn for happiness, but reality always brings us unforgettable sorrows. Yet, it’s precisely these experiences that teach us resilience and strength. I chose to put down my pen because I owe my readers, and I owe myself for pouring my heart into a story I couldn’t finish. Only by facing this can I move on, work harder, and create even better music for them—for the world.”

Suddenly, Qin Haiyu burst out sobbing, “Husband, you’ve moved me so much, wuwuwu!”

Yu Zhile cocked his head in astonishment, looking anew at Qin Haiyu, who’d thrown herself into his arms, sobbing against his chest.

Moved? Could it be my wife’s lost her mind? Or is this just that post-pregnancy brain people talk about?

Heavens! Is this really the Qin Haiyu I remember?