Shi Yuan turned and fled into the room like a turtle retreating into its shell.
He sat back down on the edge of the bed, taking deep breaths to calm himself.
After a moment, he snapped back to reality.
Wait, wasn’t it his senior who had forced the kiss on him? Why was he the one feeling guilty?
Not only that, but his heart was racing wildly, and his neck and ears were burning bright red, just like a lovesick teenager hiding a secret crush.
This wasn’t right!!
Shi Yuan felt a pang of despair.
He clutched his stomach and slowly lay back on the bed.
It must be because he was carrying a baby in his belly that he felt so guilty. It had to be.
Once he figured this out, the iron-willed straight man finally let out a long sigh of relief.
He was straight for life.
Huo Sang was still standing outside the door, taken aback by the sheer force Shi Yuan had mustered earlier, slamming him against the wall. He flexed his fingers slightly, a thought lingering in his mind.
Shi Yuan’s stomach seemed rounder than before.
Maybe it was because he had been cooking for Shi Yuan every day recently, unknowingly fattening him up.
Recalling the kiss, Huo Sang couldn’t help but let a faint smile curl at the corners of his lips.
This life was worth it.
In the days that followed, Shi Yuan became even more cautious.
Fortunately, Huo Sang was busy with his thesis defense and was much busier than before, often disappearing for days at a time. Though Shi Yuan didn’t know exactly where he went, he felt immensely relieved.
After all, with his belly growing bigger day by day, having one less person living under the same roof to watch him meant he didn’t have to live in constant fear.
Meanwhile, the semester quietly drew to a close.
The defense date was set, Huo Sang’s thesis passed the final revisions smoothly, and everything proceeded as planned. The graduation gift Shi Yuan had prepared for Huo Sang was also nearly finished.
It was a wooden carving he had made himself. Following an online tutorial, he had carved and polished it stroke by stroke—a half-body statue of himself.
On the day the carving was completed, Shi Yuan held it in his palm and examined it for a long time. He felt that, aside from lacking a bit of its original spirit, it was passable.
This would definitely dazzle that British guy! The narcissistic Shi Yuan thought smugly to himself.
Originally, he had intended to carve Huo Sang himself, but after several attempts, none of them turned out satisfactory—none looked like him. The little pregnant man, unstable in his emotions during pregnancy, angrily gave up and switched to carving himself instead.
Shi Yuan admired his own beauty in the mirror every day, so he knew exactly which features were his best. The finished product turned out quite well—at least presentable and worthy of gifting.
In the future, when Huo Sang left the university, as long as he saw this wooden carving, he would inevitably remember that he had such a heavenly beautiful roommate during his student days.
The kind even Meng Po’s soup couldn’t make him forget!
Shi Yuan’s face beamed with pride.
In the end, he had come out slightly ahead.
Over the past two months, aside from preparing for his defense, Huo Sang had spent almost all his time supervising the construction at the Feadship shipyard in the Netherlands.
The eighty-meter luxury yacht he had personally overseen the design of, custom-made for Shi Yuan, was nearing completion after two years of work.
He wanted to hold the launching ceremony for this yacht, which cost over a hundred million, before graduation, gifting it to Shi Yuan himself and letting everyone witness it alongside him.
April arrived in the blink of an eye.
Shi Yuan had quietly submitted his application for a leave of absence and the relevant materials to the college. His return flight ticket had long been booked, with Huo Sang’s graduation day falling exactly one week before his departure.
Huo Sang paid out of his own pocket to invite their entire research group to vacation in Portofino, Italy, staying at his private residence.
The junior disciples all knew that Hawthorne came from a well-off family, but they never expected his wealth to reach such an extent. Portofino was known as the summer parlor of Europe’s old aristocracy, yet he actually owned property here—and not just as a casual three-day tourist.
The newly delivered white luxury yacht from the shipyard was now quietly docked here. Hawthorne planned to present it to Shi Yuan here, confess everything to him, and officially begin his pursuit.
Of course, he would take it step by step Shi Yuan still had a full year before graduation, so they could slowly nurture their feelings, allowing him time to mentally prepare. Once he graduated, Hawthorne would formally propose.
The twilight in Portofino was like an old dream unwilling to end.
The sea was dyed golden-red by the sunset, colorful houses cascaded down the hillside, church bells drifted down with the evening breeze, the harbor was already lit up, people in open-air restaurants raised glasses in laughter, and the shore was lined with beautiful wooden boats.
Shi Yuan chose a loose-fitting top and a pair of comfortable flat shoes before heading out. His belly was already showing a little, and wearing fitted clothes like shirts or suits would look odd.
Because of his overly casual attire, he looked perfectly suited for a vacation.
Since becoming pregnant, Shi Yuan had developed a habit of taking daily walks to ease his backache and swollen legs. In the evening, he would slowly stroll to the seaside alone, one hand supporting his lower back, to get some fresh air.
Hawthorne seemed busy with something. After they arrived, he told everyone to feel free to explore, hinting mysteriously that there would be surprises in the next two days.
Shi Yuan stood by the dock, tilting his head slightly.
In the distance, beyond the bay, a massive white yacht lay quietly anchored in the dusk, its layered observation decks glowing softly in the sunset. The ship’s flag hung from the stern, as silent as a slumbering white whale.
The yacht had been there since they arrived in Portofino.
It was so beautiful it seemed almost unreal.
Shi Yuan wondered enviously who it belonged to.
He glanced at the sky and turned back toward Hawthorne’s vacation garden.
Unbeknownst to Shi Yuan, Hawthorne was on that very white yacht at that moment, conducting a final inspection.
Every corner, every detail of the yacht had been personally overseen by Hawthorne according to Shi Yuan ‘s cultural background and preferences. He wanted to ensure everything was flawless, ensuring Shi Yuan would love it at first sight.
And precisely because of this, he was unaware that an unexpected guest had arrived at the house.
As soon as Shi Yuan returned to the vacation garden, he heard about it.
The younger princess from the royal twins, the heirs to the throne, had quietly appeared.
The princess, just nineteen, had slipped away from her parents and older brother under the pretense of traveling and secretly made her way to Portofino. With her pale golden hair and understated attire, Hawthorne’s butler stood respectfully by her side.
The young girl was unpretentious, and her eyes lit up when she saw Shi Yuan return.
Shi Yuan nodded to her and smiled politely.
Hawthorne never made public appearances, and his identity as a duke was unknown to most. The princess, however, was different—she had grown up in the public eye.
Shi Yuan ‘s senior disciples whispered nearby, gossiping.
“I heard the princess came specifically to see her future sister-in-law. Apparently, Senior Brother Hawthorne is her distant cousin.”
“Sister-in-law? Is Senior Brother in a relationship?”
“Yuan, aren’t you Senior Brother Hawthorne’s roommate? Can you tell us quietly—is he secretly dating someone?”
Shi Yuan was taken aback. “I don’t know.”
No wonder I haven’t seen my senior brother lately—he’s been busy with a new partner.
He gently placed a hand over his lower abdomen.
Poor little one, already getting a stepmother before even being born.
Steadying himself, he carefully climbed the stairs to rest. A pregnant man needs plenty of sleep!
Unbeknownst to him, the little princess’s eyes dimmed the moment he left.
Her future cousin-in-law! She only got one glance—how could he leave so soon?
When she first heard the rumors from Hu Shuo, she hadn’t believed it.
Her seemingly passionless cousin—could he really have finally opened his heart?
She simply had to sneak over and see for herself.
Shi Yuan returned to his room. Hawthorne had given him one of the two best master bedrooms, which was connected to Hawthorne’s own.
Or rather, Hawthorne and his partner’s bedroom.
Shi Yuan took the wooden statue out of his luggage, placed it on the bedside table, and studied it for a moment.
Thank goodness he was straight.
Otherwise, giving this as a gift would be impossible to explain.
He had planned to rest for the night, hand the statue to his senior brother the next day, and return home. Unexpectedly, he received a call from He Jingchuan’s secretary.
Before even finishing the first sentence, Shi Yuan’s heart sank.
He Jingchuan had performed three consecutive surgeries without rest, overexerted himself, and fainted outside the operating room. He was now in the hospital ward, with stable vital signs but in need of quiet recovery.
Shi Yuan stood by the window for a few seconds, his mind blank.
Even if Uncle He had minor health issues, he would always insist that those around him keep it from Shi Yuan. For the secretary to call him directly—though it sounded routine—was anything but simple.
The secretary must have failed to persuade Uncle He and hoped Shi Yuan would return home early, to convince him to rest and recover properly.
Shi Yuan hung up the phone, immediately pulled his suitcase from under the bed, and began packing.
He picked up the wooden statue from the bedside, held it in his palm for a moment, carefully wrapped it in cloth, and went downstairs to find Senior Sister Ophelia. He entrusted her to personally deliver it to Hawthorne.
He didn’t go to the butler—the butler would have immediately notified Hawthorne.
But he didn’t want to see Hawthorne. With Uncle He’s health in question, he was in no mood for a confrontation, fearing he might end up arguing with him.
By the time Hawthorne received Shi Yuan’s graduation gift, Shi Yuan was already on a flight back home.
Shi Yuan had never left his domestic phone number with anyone, so Hawthorne couldn’t reach him. After making several inquiries through the university, Hawthorne learned that Shi Yuan had taken a leave of absence, with no set return date.
The white yacht in Portofino Bay remained docked for a long time, ultimately failing to welcome its true owner.