He Is My Wife…
The sun was indeed glorious.
The warm late-autumn sunshine fell brightly upon the white marble path of the garden, casting a golden rim over the fully bloomed Chinese roses.
Zhang Lu walked with great difficulty.
His belly, nearly seven months along, hung heavily from his waist like a lump of solid pig iron. With the increasing gestational age, his center of gravity had completely shifted, and with every step he took, the old injury in his lower back twitched with a dull ache.
“Take a break. I cannot catch my breath.”
Zhang Lu stopped in his tracks, supporting himself with one hand against the pillar of a nearby gazebo, while his other hand instinctively cradled the base of his protruding abdomen as he gulped in fresh air.
A pair of arms immediately and steadily wrapped around his waist.
Jin Yuan stood behind him, bowing his head slightly as his chin rested intimately against Zhang Lu’s shoulder.
He seemed to thoroughly enjoy the process of displaying his trophy in the sunlight, his palm moving slowly and possessively across the towering curve through the fabric.
“The doctor said you need to walk for at least half an hour every day, or you will not have the stamina when the time comes.”
Jin Yuan’s voice sounded somewhat languid in the sunlight, carrying even a rare hint of a smile.
“Easily said, it is not you carrying this weight.”
Zhang Lu retorted ungraciously, yet his body did not struggle as it used to; instead, he comfortably leaned a major portion of his weight against Jin Yuan’s embrace.
Such seemingly frequent moments of peace occasionally made Zhang Lu forget.
Who he really was. Who the person beside him really was.
It almost felt as though it should be this way, waiting together for the arrival of a certain little life.
Right at that moment, a servant suddenly stumbled out from the direction of the main building.
He ran at top speed, his feet sliding across the lawn, and before he even drew close, his pale face was etched with terror.
“Boss! At the gate, we cannot stop them!”
The servant panted heavily, not even managing to finish the title completely before a majestic, bell-like voice charged with soul-piercing authority resounded from the garden entrance:
“Stop me for what? This place is Jin property; who has the qualifications to stop me?”
Zhang Lu’s spine stiffened abruptly.
He felt the warm hands previously wrapped around his waist turn instantly icy and rigid the moment the voice sounded.
The lingering gentleness in Jin Yuan’s eyes vanished completely, replaced by a surge of black-tide fury the moment he turned around.
At the garden entrance, several suited bodyguards retreated miserably to either side.
An elderly woman leaning on a redwood cane, her hair stark white yet looking spirited, walked in as if surrounded by stars.
Her sharp, piercing eyes landed on the heavily pregnant Zhang Lu standing in the center of the garden with a look of surprise. The shock vanished instantly, replaced by a deep, bone-chilling disgust.
“Jin Yuan, did you break your own brother’s leg just for a thing like this?”
Her voice was not loud, but it pierced the air like an ice pick, making the hairs on the back of Zhang Lu’s neck stand on end.
Jin Yuan let out a low laugh, devoid of any warmth, cold enough to shave off a layer of frost.
He casually pulled Zhang Lu slightly behind him, speaking in a flat tone:
“Jin Yang’s skills are truly impressive as always; he cannot learn anything else, but running to file complaints is a sure win every time.”
“Breaking into my private residence and attempting to harm my people, Grandmother, why do you not teach me how I should be polite to such a person?”
The old woman’s grip on her cane tightened sharply, the tip heavily striking the stone floor with a dull thud.
Her expression grew rigid and tight as she stared fixedly at Jin Yuan, a towering rage suppressed in her voice:
“And you had to strike with such cruelty? Jin Yuan! That is your brother! The seed of our Jin family!”
“Seed? Ha!”
Jin Yuan laughed out loud. “Grandmother, I never knew our Jin family relied on sowing seeds to make a fortune; this is the first time I have ever heard of it.”
“But since you value the seed of the Jin family so much,” as he spoke, he wrapped an arm around Zhang Lu’s waist and stepped slightly aside,
“What is in his belly is my seed.”
Zhang Lu and the old woman’s pupils shrank simultaneously, though Zhang Lu’s face flushed wine-red the next instant:
“Jin Yuan, you…”
Deny it?
It seemed impossible to deny.
Meanwhile, the old woman’s face turned instantly ashen, trembling all over with fury:
“Jin Yuan! What nonsense are you spouting?!”
“I said,” Jin Yuan’s hand rested on Zhang Lu’s bulging abdomen, his lips curling slightly, but his words exceptionally clear, “In here is my seed.”
“He is my wife.”
Straight to the point, Zhang Lu raised his foot and slammed it down hard onto Jin Yuan’s shoe.
Jin Yuan frowned slightly, whispering into his ear, “Let us drive them away first.”
The old woman gripped her cane tightly, pounding the redwood tip heavily against the white marble floor with a dull, grating sound.
Her face grew so dark and gloomy it looked capable of dripping water as she sharply reprimanded:
“Absurd! Utterly absurd! You have thrown away all the dignity of the Jin family! An ambiguous anomaly carrying an abomination, and you want him to enter the Jin family doors? Let me tell you, while the ancestors of the Jin family are here, the family will never acknowledge him, let alone this bastard spawn!”
Those sharp, mean-spirited words pierced his ears, and the anger Zhang Lu had been suppressing instantly rushed to his head.
He shoved away Jin Yuan’s support, pushed himself forward by half a step with his heavy belly, straightened his back, and though his face had paled from anger, his gaze burned like an agitated wolf as he snapped at the old woman:
“I do not give a damn if your Jin family acknowledges it or not! Jin Yuan acknowledges it, and I acknowledge it; that is enough! Stop spewing garbage out of your mouth, cut the crap, and get lost right now!”
The old woman’s complexion turned the color of excavated bronze from the roar, her cane repeatedly striking the ground as she raised her eyes to bark orders at her attendants:
“Have you all lost your minds? Drag this shameless thing down and teach him a proper lesson!”
The bodyguards on both sides immediately stepped forward, closing in on Zhang Lu with heavy footsteps.
Jin Yuan’s gaze darkened as he stepped forward to shield Zhang Lu firmly behind him. The corners of his lips curled into a chilling smile, his voice low yet carrying a crushing, ruthless intent:
“Let us see who dares touch my wife or my child.”
The air froze instantly, tense to the breaking point.
Watching this scene, Zhang Lu wanted to speak up, but a sudden, noticeable dragging pressure gripped his lower abdomen.
Following that, a clear, powerful force struck him hard from within, it was Xiao Xiao, seemingly startled by the external hostility, kicking fiercely and restlessly inside.
His expression shifted slightly, and he instinctively bent forward, pressing a hand tightly against his belly while his brows locked together in a tight scowl.
Jin Yuan noticed Zhang Lu’s abnormality almost instantly; the hostility in his eyes vanished entirely. One hand supported Zhang Lu’s waist while the other stroked his abdomen:
“What is it?”
“Xiao Xiao…” Zhang Lu forced a bitter smile, glanced at the old woman, and lowered his voice, “Does not like your grandmother.”
“Nobody likes her.” Jin Yuan raised an eyebrow. “Come on, let us go back inside to rest.” With that, he supported Zhang Lu toward the main building.
However, the old woman raised her cane to block their path, her eye corners twitching violently: “Jin Yuan! This matter is not over today! Do not think you can just walk away with him!”
Jin Yuan paused, turning back to look at the old woman with a mocking smile: “Not over? How do you want to finish it?”
His tone grew even more aloof: “Did you elderly folks not value the Jin family’s seed the most?”
He lowered his gaze to look at Zhang Lu’s swollen belly, gently soothing it with his palm, “I have to take care of my seed now; I do not have time to waste with you.”
He paused, casting a pointed glance at the attendants behind the old woman:
“You should spare more effort to look after the other Jin family seed. Probably a shattered patella, after all; it still needs proper recovery.”
Ignoring her completely, Jin Yuan half-supported and half-embraced Zhang Lu, escorting him right past the crowd in broad daylight.
Zhang Lu raised his eyes to watch the old woman’s pale, mottled expression as she failed to make a single move to stop them, a wave of satisfaction rising in his heart.
Back inside, Jin Yuan helped Zhang Lu sit on the bed and said:
“Lie down and do not move; I will get you a glass of warm water.”
Zhang Lu nodded, carefully scooting inward, lifting his legs onto the bed, and resting his hand naturally over his lower abdomen.
There was no more movement there, as if Xiao Xiao also understood that it was safe now.
A moment later, Jin Yuan walked over holding a glass of warm water and handed it to Zhang Lu’s lips.
Zhang Lu raised himself slightly, took a sip of the warm water, turned his head to look at Jin Yuan watching him, and moved his Adam’s apple: “Jin Yuan, are you not going to explain?”
“Explain what?” Jin Yuan smiled, climbing onto the bed and gently placing his palm over Zhang Lu’s lower abdomen, “Calling you wife?”
“You!” Zhang Lu gritted his teeth, pretending to kick him, before letting out a sharp yelp as Xiao Xiao protested again.
Jin Yuan chuckled, giving a light poke to Zhang Lu’s belly:
“Xiao Xiao is on my side.”
Glaring at him, Zhang Lu temporarily swallowed his grievances: “Are you insane? If you say things like that, will your family not hate Xiao Xiao even more?”
“I have to say it.” Jin Yuan’s tone carried a hint of nonchalance, “That is the only way to keep you and Xiao Xiao safe.”
Before Zhang Lu could erupt, Jin Yuan added:
“You are my wife, and what is in your belly is my seed. Whoever touches you dies.”
His expression remained completely flat as he spoke those words.
Zhang Lu opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
He was ruthless himself; whoever dared bully his younger brother, regardless of who they were or what their background, he relied on his fists and whatever tools were readily available.
He would make sure the other person bled.
And it was precisely because of this that he had drawn Jin Yuan’s attention.
Because the person his younger brother chose had an extremely deep connection with the man before him.
His heart began to pound uncontrollably.
Hoarse-voiced, he could not help asking provocatively: “I do not want to be your wife at all. I am a man; I cannot be anyone’s wife.”
“That is just a habitual title. What else would you like to be called?”
Jin Yuan reached out, lightly rubbing against the carotid artery on Zhang Lu’s neck.
Zhang Lu could not help holding his breath.
“You just said it yourself: you acknowledge it, I acknowledge it. Xiao Xiao has you, and has me, that is enough. Everyone else does not matter.”
“I am not your wife.” Zhang Lu’s voice was hoarse, yet stubbornly persistent.
Jin Yuan chuckled, compromising: “Fine, fine, then I am your wife. Hubby, come here, kiss me.”
The word “Get lost” had barely reached the tip of Zhang Lu’s tongue when his lips were firmly sealed by Jin Yuan.
Tasting and grinding, Jin Yuan’s breath carried a hint of sweetness: “You cannot escape me, wife.”