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After a phone call from his mother, Zhou Mi felt a little better. He told her almost all about what he was feeling, although he kept his insecurities to himself. He didn't want his mother to worry too much, so he only told her about how sick he was feeling. The soup that Siwon's mother brought for him helped a little, but his stomach was still feeling quite upset.

With his mother's advice in mind and simply having heard her voice again, Zhou Mi felt a little better. He felt so much better, in fact, that he actually decided to go out and do a little shopping. He was greatly encouraged by the fact that he didn't get lost on his way to the shops, but his rare experience outside by himself proved to be overwhelming all the same. He was more focused on trying to decipher all the conversations all around him on the street than he was on actually buying anything and it soon occurred to him that he was not likely to be able to keep up with his interest in fashion for a while and he wondered if he would even be able to after giving birth.

Apparently not realizing that Zhou Mi was not only married but also pregnant, one of the employees at a shop at which he was browsing made a fairly obvious attempt to flirt with him, stopping only when Zhou Mi lifted his hands to adjust his scarf and in doing so, made his wedding ring as obvious as possible. It wasn't the first time that a woman or another man tried to flirt with him but with Siwon away, it bothered him a little more than it usually did. It happened frequently, too but rather than feeling flattered, Zhou Mi really didn't like it. He felt objectified and particularly vulnerable because his Korean wasn't so great, still. Sometimes, he'd worry that someone would say something suggestive to him and he wouldn't be able to understand. It wasn't that he wanted to hear the comments, but it made him feel just a little less targeted if he at least understood what was being said to him. It wasn't that no such thing would happen to him in China, but in the village from which he came, no such thing would. He knew everyone in the small village but had been just as afraid when he went to the city for university. But at least he had understood the language...

As much as his spirits had lifted that morning, Zhou Mi's mood plunged again and he hurriedly made his way back home, not before passing a store that specialized in baby clothes and accessories. He couldn't imagine shopping for his baby and he didn't