The villa was large and was meticulously designed from the interior decoration to the outdoor garden. There was a mountain and lake here, the air was fresh and the environment was quiet. It was a good place to take care of Gu Meng’s body and the baby inside her.
But it was unbearable, even if the environment was good, to be able to only move around the villa every day and not be allowed to go out.
Cen Xi felt aggrieved and sad for Gu Meng.
Gu Meng was not in the villa and the servant told Cen Xi that she was in the back garden.
So Cen Xi went over with the pastries.
By now, Gu Meng was 35 weeks pregnant. She sat at a small round table, wearing a loose black dress and her long black hair had been cut short, showing her charming face which was still beautiful, but the vigor and vitality from before was gone.
Sunlight fell on her through the branches and leaves, covering her with a faint halo of light.
She was too quiet.
As she held a pencil in her hand, she had her long fan-like eyelashes lowered as she concentrated on drawing. Cen Xi felt unfamiliar and distressed seeing Gu Meng like this.
It should not be like this.
Gu Meng used to be energetic. When she spoke, her eyes would be bright like the brightest star in the night sky. She was optimistic, strong and nothing could knock her down.
But now, Cen Xi could not see any vitality in her.
She seemed to have turned into a pool of stagnant water.
“Mengmeng,” Cen Xi called out to her after adjusting her mood.
Gu Meng raised her head, following the sound of Cen Xi’s voice and looked over at her. Seeing Cen Xi standing not far away, Gu Meng stood up from the chair. “Xiao Xi, you’re here.”
Cen Xi went over. When she got close, she found that other than Gu Meng’s belly getting bigger, her face seemed to have become thinner.
Gentle hands reached out as Cen Xi touched Gu Meng’s face. “You haven’t been eating well, have you!”
As her stomach got bigger, Gu Meng could not sleep well at night. Sometimes she had leg cramps and did not have a good sleep. She did not have much appetite as well and after some time, her complexion did not look good and she had lost some weight.
Cen Xi had not been pregnant before, but she knew how hard it was to be pregnant.
She thought of her pregnant sister. She seemed to be busy with something recently. A while back, her sister sent a text message saying that she had to turn off her phone for a while and then did not contact her after that.
After a few days, she had to go to Switzerland. She was worried about her sister being pregnant and living there alone.
Cen Xi opened the pastry box she had brought. “Look at what delicious pastries I brought you.”
The pastries were baked by Cen Xi personally. She had made them into corn, peach blossom, ingot, lotus as well as other shapes.
The colorful pastries looked very appetizing.
Gu Meng tasted one. It was crispy and delicious. She nodded. “Mm, it’s delicious.”
“Then you should eat more.” The servant brought a chair for Cen Xi and Cen Xi sat beside Gu Meng. Seeing the design Gu Meng had drawn on the design book, Cen Xi was amazed. “Mengmeng, no wonder Fu Cheng said that you have the gift for jewelry design. You draw so well!”
Gu Meng had drawn a brooch in the design book. It was of a butterfly surrounded by flowers with its wings spread open as if it wanted to fly. The model of the butterfly was exquisite and life-like, looking particularly natural.
Looking at it, Cen Xi felt slightly sad.
Mengmeng must be imagining herself as this butterfly. She was trying to fly out of the flowers, but she could not.
As Cen Xi sighed in her heart, she flipped to the design draft Gu Meng had drawn on the front pages. Cen Xi was slightly shocked when she saw the design of a necklace, earrings and ring on one page.
This design integrated the ancient elements of S Country. The combination of paper-cut window decorations and bright pearls had both classical charm and fashionable elements.
However…
Cen Xi furrowed her eyebrows. If she remembered correctly, this set of jewelry was already being sold on the market and had become a hot sale product in the jewelry stores of the Capital.
The price for it was not cheap and only upper-class ladies and socialites had the purchasing power.
But there were already imitations of it.
Cen Xi then turned to another page of Gu Meng’s design. She also felt that this set looked familiar. It was gorgeous and classy.
She searched through her mind carefully. Didn’t she see Princess Dai Na of Y Country wearing this in the news a few days ago?
Gu Meng ate some pastries and seeing Cen Xi frowning, she asked, “Xiao Xi, what’s wrong?”
Cen Xi pursed her lips. She did not know if she should be frank with Gu Meng. Looking at the bulging belly of Gu Meng, Cen Xi decided not to say it first.
Cen Xi put down the design draft and shook her head. “It’s nothing. I just think that you have talent. If you have the chance, you will be a great jewelry designer.”
“After giving birth to the child, I plan to study abroad for a period of time, then find a job in this field. When I have the experience, I’ll come back and open a studio.”
“That’s a great idea. I’m sure you’ll be very successful.”
Gu Meng saw the diamond ring on Cen Xi’s finger and there was surprise in her eyes, then seeming to have understood something, it became joyous. “Xiao Xi, Young Master Qiao proposed to you?”
Cen Xi smiled and nodded. “Yes, I didn’t expect he would propose to me so soon.”
“How wonderful…” There seemed to be a wistful luster in Gu Meng’s dull eyes as she held Cen Xi’s hand. “I’m really happy to see you getting your happiness.”
Cen Xi continued to chat with Gu Meng for some time and only left when Gu Meng was feeling sleepy.
After Cen Xi left, Gu Meng lay on the soft bed and fell asleep, but she kept having dreams. She dreamed that she was also being proposed to. Brother Ah Dai was dressed in fishermen’s clothes in front of her, kneeling on one knee.
She accepted the ring with a bright smile.
The moment the ring was slid onto her finger, Brother Ah Dai changed. The fisherman’s clothes were gone and became a tailor-made suit. His hair was combed neatly and with a cold expression, he told her that he was not proposing to her.
Suddenly, there were countless voices, mocking her as derisive laughter and sarcastic voices echoed all around her. She saw Dai Na walking over in a gorgeous princess dress.
The cold and heartless man pulled out the ring from her finger and put it on for Dai Na.
Startled, Gu Meng sat up in bed, shocked awake from the dream. She looked down at her hand. In the dream, the pain of the ring being forcibly pulled out seemed to penetrate through to reality.
She got out of bed barefooted and walked to the door. She was about to open the door when she heard two servants murmuring outside, “Why do I feel that the design draft drawn by Miss Gu is very similar to the designer called Jane, who has been very popular recently?”
“I think so, too. But I heard that Jane is a designer who has returned from studying abroad, so she shouldn’t have copied Miss Gu’s work!”
“Miss Gu doesn’t watch TV or use her cell phone. So it’s impossible for her to copy it either!”
“Who knows? Maybe they have the same ideas and the designs they draw are similar!”
Gu Meng returned to her room and took out a cell phone from under her bed. She had hidden it there secretly. A few taps of the screen later, she found the designer called Jane.
Gu Meng’s eyes turned wide when she saw Jane’s latest designs.