Where Do Babies Come From?

Su Nanxiu simply looked at Liu Chang'an, seemingly having great confidence in Qin Yanan and believing that Qin Yanan couldn't possibly be seeing another man behind his back.

Is this the mindset a simple older brother should have?

The events of that year ultimately affected his mindset; men are, after all, creatures with an extremely strong possessive nature.

Even if I can't get it myself, or even if I don't necessarily want it, it's best if others can't get it either.

That's exactly right.

"So what if Qin Yanan has a secret lover or boyfriend?" Su Nanxiu retorted.

"This is probably a complicated matter, and it might be a little painful, but if it's mutual and she's willing, then that's fine too." Liu Chang'an hadn't thought about it in detail; he just felt that this was probably the mindset.

"Su Shi wrote 'Prelude to Water Melody' in 1076 AD. At that time, Qin Cao was only two years old. When Qin Cao was thirteen, her family fell into poverty, and she became a courtesan, selling her art but not her body. She was very popular for a time, and then she met Su Shi," Su Nanxiu said coldly.

She was well-versed in poetry and naturally knew about men's romantic affairs and emotions. The poems were beautifully written and sung, but when you peeled back the layers, you found only women's resentment, sorrow, suffering, and the burial of their lives.

She knew that Liu Chang'an liked to read poetry and prose, so such a man was probably much like the literary talents of past dynasties.

"I know about this... but what does this have to do with Qin Yanan's pregnancy?" Liu Chang'an looked calmly at Su Nanxiu, who could no longer suppress her resentment.

Her emotions were palpable in her eyes, her lips, and her tone; there was no doubt that Su Nanxiu had many complex feelings about Qin Yanan's pregnancy.

"Su Shi and Qin Cao's relationship could never have been purely platonic. Qin Cao had someone else in her heart, and how could a philandering old man like Su Shi let her go? But Su Shi was especially despicable. When he and Qin Cao were touring West Lake, Qin Cao asked him, 'What is the person in the scenery?' He replied, 'Her skirt trails like six panels of the Xiang River, her hair is tied up like a section of the Wushan.' Qin Cao asked, 'What is the person in one's heart?' He replied, 'Following Scholar Yang, killing Military Advisor Bao.' Qin Cao asked, 'What then?' He replied, 'The gate is deserted, horses and carriages are few, and in her old age, she marries a merchant.'" Su Nanxiu sneered again, not looking at Liu Chang'an. She wasn't mocking Liu Chang'an; at least Liu Chang'an wouldn't do such a thing.

"Hearing Su Shi's words, Qin Cao finally gave up and became a nun." Liu Chang'an naturally knew this story. "After Qin Cao became a nun, Su Shi still often came to see her, but she already knew that there was absolutely no possibility of a worldly relationship with her, and she passed away eight years later."

"That's exactly what Su Shi meant. He meant that he couldn't marry Qin Cao; he wanted to maintain his public image and reputation. But he also didn't want Qin Cao marry anyone else, warning her that even if she did, she could only marry an ordinary person, not someone as refined and talented as him. Qin Cao complied with his wishes, shaved her head and became a nun, never to marry again. Su Shi was then relieved and could even take monks and friends to visit her for Zen meditation. How elegant and refined, untouched by vulgarity!" Su Nanxiu then turned to look at Liu Chang'an. He should understand what she meant now.

"You mean, a man's feelings towards a woman are often such that even if he can't rightfully possess her, he wouldn't want her to belong to someone else?" Liu Chang'an nodded. "Su Shi did go too far, and it certainly reflects a common male mentality... As for his public image, we can't dissect it; as for his true nature, we can't scrutinize it too closely."

"You dare say you don't feel the same way about Qin Yanan?" Su Nanxiu was even angrier. "But you can't let Qin Yanan end up like Qin Cao!"

What angered Su Nanxiu was that Liu Chang'an wouldn't allow Qin Yanan to shave her head and become a nun, thus severing the bond between the two.

"So you imagine I'd do something you absolutely cannot tolerate, and then use that as a basis to get angry with me?" Liu Chang'an pointed to his chest. "You're setting up a target on me to shoot at yourself, isn't that going too far?"

"I've always been like this, and you're only just realizing it?" Su Nanxiu glared fiercely at Liu Chang'an. "While your precious little sister is in my hands, and you can't compete with me, how could I not take this opportunity to use you as a target?"

"Okay." Liu Chang'an gestured for her to continue.

Su Nanxiu didn't want to say anything. What she really wanted to know was whether Liu Chang'an felt the same way about her.

If she asked him directly, he certainly wouldn't give her a satisfactory answer, so Su Nanxiu didn't want to ask him directly either.

For women, venting their emotions is the most important thing; whether it solves the problem or not is not the point.

"Qin Yanan is pregnant; this is a big deal."

Liu Chang'an and Su Nanxiu turned to look at Shangguan Dandan. She seemed to have finally realized what had happened, and she tried to cultivate the right emotions, looking at Liu Chang'an with relief.

"I suppose you're quite pleased, after all, Qin Yanan is so skilled at flattery and ingratiation." Su Nanxiu looked at Shangguan Dandan expressionlessly, recalling Qin Yanan's past behavior towards Shangguan Dandan... Judging from the interaction between Liu Chang'an and Shangguan Dandan today, Qin Yanan really did flatter the right person. It's clear that Shangguan Dandan has a certain influence over Liu Chang'an; otherwise, Liu Chang'an wouldn't have kept her by his side at a time like this.

"It's useless to be jealous of others when your own belly is so weak. Last time I had you discuss the ways of husbandhood, and it seems you didn't understand much." Shangguan Dandan frowned in disappointment, glanced at Su Nanxiu, and then looked away.

Su Nanxiu looked down at her lower abdomen, then at Liu Chang'an, a little old woman who had been buried in the ground for who knows how many years. How could she understand that modern science had already proven that the lack of pregnancy was solely due to the woman's belly? What could she do if the man didn't try?

"Don't blame him. I already know that you absorbed far more of his vital essence than Qin Yanan, yet Qin Yanan got pregnant while you didn't. Isn't that your problem?" Shangguan Dandan had been staring at Su Nanxiu. How could the Empress Dowager, who had lived in the palace for many years, possibly hide the subtle movements and feelings in Su Nanxiu's eyes from her?

"I feel like a modern daughter-in-law encountering a mother-in-law who is a collection of feudal superstitions and traditional dregs." Su Nanxiu didn't want to argue with Shangguan Dandan; it felt like a scholar encountering a soldier—there was no way to reason with him.

She could indeed find it hard to tolerate the natural sense of superiority over inferiority that Shangguan Dandan occasionally exuded, but how could this "grandmother" who looked fifteen or sixteen but was actually much older compare to her in terms of expertise in biology and medicine?

"Don't treat everyone like your daughter-in-law," Liu Chang'an reminded Shangguan Dandan. "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll dock your allowance."

Shangguan Dandan immediately tensed up.

Su Nanxiu secretly rolled her eyes at Shangguan Dandan. Just as Liu Chang'an said, she was just a child playing with adults, and Liu Chang'an was actually able to keep her in check with his allowance.

Su Nanxiu pushed open a door and continued walking forward. She noticed that Shangguan Dandan was following Liu Chang'an around like a little shadow, holding his finger. These are just children's habits.

Upon entering a lounge, the three of them went inside. Qin Yanan lay on a white bed, surrounded by various instruments. Behind a transparent wall, they could even see a larger laboratory filled with all sorts of instruments, materials, computer equipment, and robots.

Qin Yanan had already woken up by this time. When she saw Liu Chang'an, a complex light flickered in her eyes, and a rosy blush appeared on her delicate and fair cheeks.

"When I notified you, she hadn't woken up yet, but you were a bit slow to arrive. I've already told her." Su Nanxiu casually picked up the white coat hanging to the side and put it on.

This familiar white coat actually gave Su Nanxiu a more down-to-earth feel... relatively speaking.

Liu Chang'an and Shangguan Dandan walked over, naturally not too quickly, because pregnancy is not an emergency, nor is it a rush to see someone one last time, and they weren't even completely sure yet. Liu Chang'an remained unhurried as always.

Shangguan Dandan walked over and shook Qin Yanan's hand with satisfaction.

Qin Yanan's cheeks flushed even more, because she knew what Shangguan Dandan meant. However, as a woman who had never been in a relationship, being suddenly told that she was pregnant was unbelievable, and she couldn't help but feel embarrassed and ashamed.

"It seems your fainting spell last time wasn't accidental. Su Nanxiu believes Central Plains might be related to your pregnancy... Do you think you're pregnant?" Liu Chang'an was more concerned with the person's own feelings and thoughts.

"How could I possibly be pregnant?" The reason Qin Yanan didn't leave after regaining consciousness was because she wanted to understand her own physical condition, which is why she agreed to cooperate with Su Nanxiu's examination.

As for being used as an experimental subject by Su Nanxiu, she had nothing to worry about, because Su Nanxiu herself was even more worthy of study; neither of them were ordinary humans.

Su Nanxiu had already examined Qin Yanan's body and insisted that Qin Yanan was indeed pregnant, but Qin Yanan was not so easily convinced by Su Nanxiu's diagnosis.

It's like if even the most authoritative expert doctor insisted that a 100-year-old woman was pregnant, even though she had been living alone for decades—no one would believe it.

"She insisted I was pregnant, even gave me an abdominal scan, and just pointed to a random spot and said it was the baby in my belly," Qin Yanan muttered, sounding a little coquettish.

After all, she was barely considered a patient, and even classified as pregnant, so it was her right to speak and act in a slightly coquettish manner.

Su Nanxiu showed Liu Chang'an a scan image and pointed at it. "Professor Liu Jianshe, look closely, the enlarged uterus outline, the clearly defined gestational sac."

Abdominal scanning technology is not new, and Liu Chang'an certainly knows how to use it. There are some details in this image that are different from those of a typical pregnant woman who has just developed a gestational sac, but they are enough to explain something.

"Could we do another scan?" Liu Chang'an glanced at Qin Yanan, then asked Su Nanxiu.

"Good."

Su Nanxiu scanned Qin Yanan's abdomen again, letting Liu Chang'an stare at the screen to see clearly, and indeed a gestational sac was present.

Su Nanxiu cleaned Qin Yanan's abdomen. Qin Yanan's cheeks flushed slightly as she pulled up the blanket. Su Nanxiu gestured for Liu Chang'an to turn around.

"Where did this child come from?" Liu Chang'an looked at Su Nanxiu, then at Qin Yanan.

"What do you think?" Su Nanxiu looked at Liu Chang'an coldly.

Shangguan Dandan kept her eyes glued to the television. Could it really detect the baby in her belly through this? Shangguan Dandan looked at the three people in front of her with their different expressions and touched her belly.