He Shixia still tried to fight for himself, saying, “The night we both just got reborn, you were still interested in me. Have you lost interest so quickly?”
Ning Yichu leaned against the door lazily and replied, “Didn’t you reject me that night? Now you’re not pretending to be a gentleman anymore?”
He Shixia sighed helplessly, “You weren’t very rational that night, and I didn’t want to take advantage of you.”
Ning Yichu: “And now you do?”
He Shixia chuckled, “It’s been several days. I think you’re calm now.”
“I calmly think that what you said that night makes sense. I don’t want someone I dislike to take advantage of me,” Ning Yichu urged, “Hurry up and go buy me something.”
There was a clock on the study wall. He Shixia glanced at the time and persisted, “It’s past three in the morning…”
Ning Yichu: “Stores that sell those things shouldn’t close at night.”
He Shixia paused, thinking that made sense, so he subtly changed his tone, “What I mean is, you’re interested now, but it’s late. If it takes too long, you might get sleepy. Stores selling those items are usually in busy areas, which aren’t close to the He Family Old Residence. Going out to buy them would take a lot of time, Ah Ning…”
Ning Yichu frowned, “I don’t want you to.”
He Shixia laughed, “Can’t you reconsider? I think I meet your requirements quite well.”
Hearing this, Ning Yichu unconsciously lowered his gaze, then looked up with a smile, “No, you make me uncomfortable.”
He Shixia was taken aback by this.
He hesitated and said, “We only had that one accident… Were you uncomfortable then?”
Ning Yichu raised an eyebrow, “I was sick and slept for three days afterward. Was that a sign of comfort?”
He Shixia was silent for a moment and apologized, “I went too far then… But during the process…”
“It was uncomfortable during the process too. Your skills were terrible,” Ning Yichu said bluntly.
Hearing this, He Shixia felt his mood was quite strange: “…”
After thinking for a moment, He Shixia said, “That was my first time too, and the medication affected me… It’s understandable that I didn’t perform well, right? Ah Ning, give me another chance, okay?”
“No,” Ning Yichu found him annoying, “Are you going to buy me something or not? If you don’t want to, just say so. Stop trying to sell yourself.”
He Shixia also felt his sales pitch was quite clumsy, no wonder Ning Yichu wasn’t buying it.
Seeing Ning Yichu getting impatient and about to leave, He Shixia reached out and grabbed Ning Yichu’s arm, “Ah Ning… Going out now and coming back would indeed take a lot of time and affect your interest. Plus, I don’t want you to use something bought from just any store… I’ll research it during the day and buy you something of better quality, okay? As for now, since you don’t want to use mine, let me help you in another way, okay?”
Ning Yichu turned back to look at him, raising an eyebrow, the red mole at the corner of his eye particularly striking, “Another way?”
He Shixia’s words might not be pleasant, but his actions were quite useful.
In fact, Ning Yichu didn’t have much actual memory of that night at the hotel. When he tried to recall, there were only some fragmented images, let alone any good or bad experiences. He said He Shixia’s skills were poor just to provoke him, knowing He Shixia couldn’t refute it.
However, judging from the current feeling… He Shixia might not have really made him uncomfortable back then.
For ventilation, the bedroom window wasn’t fully closed, leaving a small gap. At this moment, the wind outside made a whimpering sound, lifting the curtain slightly. The subtle noise amplified in his hypersensitive ears, making Ning Yichu’s breath tremble.
He exhaled a sound lighter than the wind but more urgent, stepping on He Shixia’s shoulder, “He Shixia, move…”
He Shixia didn’t move, accepting all of Ning Yichu’s suppressed emotions, making Ning Yichu unable to hear the wind for a moment.
After taking care of the immediate situation, when Ning Yichu’s emotions stabilized a bit, He Shixia thoughtfully moved back, as this was in line with Ning Yichu’s original intention of wanting a “model.”
“He Shixia…” Ning Yichu noticed his actions, his nerves suddenly tense, instinctively calling his name again.
…
He Shixia rinsed his mouth and returned to the bedroom. Ning Yichu, who had been tidied up first, was already lying quietly under the covers, eyes closed, as if nothing had happened just minutes ago.
He Shixia chuckled, leaned over, and touched Ning Yichu’s still flushed cheek, asking softly, “Can I have half the bed tonight? The sofa in the study is really uncomfortable to sleep on.”
Ning Yichu didn’t open his eyes or make a sound, just silently turned over, avoiding He Shixia’s hand.
He Shixia took it as Ning Yichu’s silent consent, moving to the other side of the bed to prepare to sleep.
But as soon as he sat down on the bed, Ning Yichu opened his eyes, looking at him clearly, “I didn’t answer because I meant no. I don’t want to share a bed with you, but since you just helped me, I feel a bit embarrassed to say it directly. I hope you understand… It’s not that I agreed but was too embarrassed to say it.”
He Shixia paused slightly, standing up, “Sorry, I misunderstood. But… from what you said, you were satisfied with my performance just now?”
Ning Yichu closed his eyes again, his voice flat, “Don’t forget to buy me a ‘model.'”
He Shixia smiled, “Okay.”
He Shixia returned to the study, unable to sleep after lying down, and couldn’t help but reminisce about what had just happened in the bedroom.
Ning Yichu’s rapid breathing, his body allowing He Shixia to approach, the uncontrolled call of “He Shixia”… The sounds and images lingered sweetly in his mind.
He Shixia closed his eyes.
During the process of comforting Ning Yichu, He Shixia wasn’t exactly a saint. After all, it was the dog Junzi that was neutered, not him. With his beloved in his control like that… Of course, he had a reaction.
But at the time, he was focused on Ning Yichu’s feelings, having no time for himself. Later, when he got up to rinse his mouth, he managed to suppress it.
Now alone in the study, the more He Shixia thought about it, the more restless he became, his mind filled with Ning Yichu’s rare blush and unstable voice.
He wanted to take care of himself, but it was ineffective. Just thinking about Ning Yichu being just a wall away made He Shixia restless, unsatisfied with only imagining in his mind. He wanted to see Ning Yichu with his own eyes, touch Ning Yichu with his own hands, kiss Ning Yichu.
He wanted him.
…But Ning Yichu didn’t want him. He’d rather have a “model” to play with.
Thinking of this, He Shixia had a sudden idea, feeling that his current state wasn’t entirely useless.
Because of the bite on his neck that needed medication, and the need to cover the scar with gauze when going out, there were bandages and medical tape in the study. He Shixia improvised, and in the middle of the night, he busied himself in the study, creating a “mold.”
But this didn’t relieve his physical state. In fact, thinking about what he would do with it later made He Shixia even more excited.
He Shixia took several deep breaths, then tidied himself up a bit, opened the study door, and walked to the bedroom next door.
He moved quietly, carefully pressing down the door handle.
Inside the bedroom, Ning Yichu was already asleep, lying on his side facing the window, his expression peaceful.
He Shixia, like a thief, walked to the bedside, looking at Ning Yichu’s sleeping face, his throat gently rolling.
“Sorry…”
He Shixia had heard of people doing shameless things with others’ photos, but he never thought he would one day do something like this… even more despicable.
What he had in front of him wasn’t a photo, but the living Ning Yichu.
Taking advantage of Ning Yichu being asleep, he stood by his bed like a flower thief, holding his breath as he acted like a rogue.
This was so disrespectful to Ning Yichu, but…
It wasn’t until there was something unusual on Ning Yichu’s face that He Shixia suddenly snapped back to reality, feeling guilty and annoyed.
“Fortunately,” Ning Yichu was sleeping soundly, and He Shixia didn’t intend to aim at Ning Yichu’s face, so not much got on him, and Ning Yichu didn’t wake up, only frowning subconsciously.
He Shixia tiptoed but quickened his pace to the bathroom, washed his hands, and returned to the bedroom with a towel, using the faint night light to wipe Ning Yichu’s face and neck, which had also been slightly affected.
Although he couldn’t see clearly, He Shixia estimated that the headboard was also splattered, and he was a bit worried about how to clean it.
The warm towel brushed against his cheek, and Ning Yichu, though asleep, wasn’t in a deep sleep, naturally feeling it. Even in his sleep, he subconsciously frowned, startling He Shixia into lifting the towel a bit, suspending it in mid-air, not daring to move.
After a while, he carefully continued to wipe the corners of Ning Yichu’s lips.
Putting aside the cause and effect, Ning Yichu’s face stained with his stuff, his lips and eyes unclean, actually satisfied He Shixia’s dark thoughts.
He Shixia moved too slowly—he didn’t dare to rush, afraid of waking Ning Yichu—so the once warm towel had cooled, making the touch on the skin more noticeable, and eventually, he successfully woke Ning Yichu.
Seeing Ning Yichu’s eyelashes flutter like butterfly wings, then those dark eyes slowly opening, revealing the small red mole hidden at the corner of his eye, He Shixia’s heart almost stopped.
He instinctively wanted to hide the towel, so he turned his hand behind his back, but in his haste, he made a mistake, brushing the bedside lamp, which lit up with a touch.
Ning Yichu, half-awake, though he opened his eyes, hadn’t realized anything was wrong, so he instinctively wanted to close his eyes and go back to sleep. But the lamp’s light flashed, making it impossible not to wake up.
He suddenly opened his eyes wide, looking at He Shixia standing by the bed, startled: “…What are you doing here?”
At this point, He Shixia tried to remain calm, hiding the towel behind him, and said warmly, “Couldn’t sleep, came to check on you. Sorry, accidentally touched the lamp. Go back to sleep, Ah Ning.”
Then he tried to turn off the lamp.
Ning Yichu’s thoughts were still unclear, cursing lowly, “Are you sick,” not thinking much, and was about to close his eyes.
But he suddenly smelled something strange, sniffing carefully, it seemed to be coming from the pillow beside his head.
“Wait.” Ning Yichu stopped He Shixia from turning off the light, propping himself up slightly, wanting to check the pillow.
But as soon as he got up, the loose hair by his forehead fell onto his face, along with the dirt that had gotten on his hair earlier. Ning Yichu instinctively raised his hand to wipe it, finding the texture unlike sweat, and he wasn’t hot, so why would he sweat?
Looking at the pillow’s condition, and as his consciousness returned, Ning Yichu finally realized where that strange smell was familiar from, and his face changed drastically.
“He Shixia!” Ning Yichu looked at He Shixia in disbelief, “What did you just do by my bed? What are you holding in your hand, why are you hiding it?”
Given the current situation, He Shixia himself wanted to help Ning Yichu call the police.
He gave up struggling, revealing the towel, and said with downcast eyes, “Sorry, I wanted to clean it up before you woke up…”
Ning Yichu instinctively raised his hand, using his pajama sleeve to wipe his face again, “You… are you a pervert! Running to my bedside in the middle of the night… He Shixia! I might as well kill you…”
He Shixia coughed lightly, “Ah Ning, I’ve already cleaned your face… Sorry, I was too uncomfortable, couldn’t handle it myself, lost control for a moment…”
“What does your discomfort have to do with me!” Ning Yichu was so angry he was dumbfounded, suspecting the quilt on him wasn’t clean either, pushing it away a bit, annoyed, “Even if you helped me, I wouldn’t help you, and you didn’t even ask me, just… Is there still some in my hair? Pervert, He Shixia, you sleazy bastard…”
He Shixia, besides apologizing, had nothing else to say, standing by the bed with a proper attitude, listening to the scolding.
Ning Yichu didn’t have time to continue scolding him, getting out of bed to wash his face in the bathroom, leaving behind, “Clean my bed, you rogue.”
He Shixia coughed lightly, “Okay.”
Ning Yichu originally just wanted to wash his face and check if there was still dirt in his hair, but under the bright bathroom light, he saw strange stains on his pajama collar and in his hair.
He could only curse He Shixia, this bastard, angrily returning to the bedroom to grab a set of pajamas—glaring at He Shixia, who was changing the pillow—then went to the bathroom to take another shower.
When Ning Yichu returned to the bedroom, He Shixia had already replaced everything on the bed with new ones.
“The pillow core is also new, there were spares in the wardrobe,” He Shixia said softly, still feeling guilty.
Ning Yichu didn’t want to talk to him anymore, didn’t want to sleep on the side of the bed he had before, lying down on the other side, pulling up the quilt and closing his eyes.
He Shixia suggested, “How about you slap me a few times to vent your anger?”
Ning Yichu: “Get lost—”
To make amends, after washing up, He Shixia returned to the study and began researching how to make the “model” Ning Yichu wanted, then ordered all the necessary tools before dawn.
The tools were delivered discreetly, with same-city express delivery, arriving at the He Family Old Residence before Ning Yichu got up, and He Shixia brought everything into the study.
Because of the midnight disturbance, Ning Yichu got up a bit late that day.
“Ah Ning…” Seeing him come out of the bedroom, He Shixia greeted him, “Good morning.”
Ning Yichu saw him and still felt annoyed, “Pervert.”
He Shixia accepted his new nickname well, asking warmly, “Do you want to have breakfast in the room or go downstairs to the dining room?”
Ning Yichu didn’t answer him, went to the bathroom to wash up, then went downstairs on his own.
He Shixia followed him, thinking for a moment, and chose something Ning Yichu liked to hear, “The lawyer just contacted me, saying that all the assets that need to be transferred, including the equity transfer procedures, can be completed today. The asset documents can be delivered later this afternoon.”
Ning Yichu blinked, “So you’re going to become a broke guy who can only live off your family?”
He Shixia laughed, “We haven’t divorced yet, can’t I live off you for a bit first?”
Ning Yichu suddenly felt better, “I’m going out to spend money later.”
He Shixia: “Okay, I’ll drive you.”
Ning Yichu thought of something else, “Such a big change in equity, let’s have a party to celebrate my ‘promotion.’ Before the show recording next Friday, let’s do it by Thursday.”
He Shixia nodded without hesitation, “Okay, I’ll arrange it, invite more guests. Just right, didn’t you say yesterday you wanted to spread the ‘excitement’ that just happened in the He and Ning families? I’ve already leaked the news, it’s time for a proper occasion to let everyone talk about it.”
Ning Yichu turned his head to look at him, smiling, “If I want to kill someone now, would you hand me the knife?”
“That won’t do,” He Shixia said.
Ning Yichu mocked him, “Still have principles.”
He Shixia said warmly, “I won’t watch you go down a dead-end road again, Ah Ning.”
Ning Yichu was silent for a moment, then sneered, “Yes, you’ll just stand by my bed in the middle of the night and dirty my face, hypocrite.”
He Shixia: “…Sorry.”
Ning Yichu: “Go die.”
He Shixia smiled, “The ‘model’ you wanted, I can give it to you tonight.”
Ning Yichu tilted his head slightly, “Where did you buy it?”
This question made He Shixia pause, answering a bit slowly, but Ning Yichu just asked casually, not caring about the answer, instead thinking of another question, “Wait, didn’t you give me all your money? You shouldn’t have any new income these days, where did you get the money to buy things?”
He Shixia smoothly skipped the previous question, answering calmly, “I didn’t hide any private money, it’s a credit card given by the family years ago, the bill will be sent directly to the He family’s finance department, it goes through the family’s account, I don’t have to pay it myself.”
Hearing this, Ning Yichu found it unbelievable, “Living off your family doesn’t have to be to this extent, you even put this kind of bill on the public account?”
He Shixia laughed, “Don’t worry, the bill will only show the merchant, unless someone specifically checks, it won’t show what was bought, the finance department doesn’t have that authority. Besides, what I bought… shouldn’t be easily associated with its use.”
Ning Yichu couldn’t understand this kind of second-generation’s “openness,” feeling helpless, he said, “This time I forgot to give you money in advance, next time if I ask you to buy something for me, I’ll remember, if I forget again, remind me, don’t have such weird… expenses.”
He Shixia couldn’t help but laugh, “You seem to only be ‘thick-skinned’ in front of me, able to call me up at midnight to buy you something, but not willing to let others know.”
Ning Yichu was puzzled, “Does this have anything to do with being thick-skinned? You really are… never mind, anyway, we’ll probably divorce next month.”
Speaking of this, He Shixia’s expression became a bit serious, he said earnestly, “It shouldn’t… be that soon, right? You’re having surgery in four weeks, at least let me take care of you until you’re discharged, then we can talk about the divorce, okay?”
Ning Yichu sneered, “You got me pregnant, I’m having surgery, of course, you should take care of me until I’m discharged, this has nothing to do with when we divorce.”
“I’m not saying it’s related, I mean, let’s take things one step at a time, no rush,” He Shixia said, “Okay?”
Ning Yichu didn’t answer.
After breakfast, Ning Yichu wanted to go out and spend money—though by the time he got in the car, he still hadn’t decided what to buy, but he went out anyway.
The car left the He Family Old Residence, He Shixia asked, “Have you decided where to go?”
Ning Yichu blinked, asking back, “How do you second-generation rich kids usually squander money?”
He Shixia laughed, “We second-generation rich kids, squander money in all sorts of ways, if you want something healthy… how about we head straight to the airport now, take a private jet, first go to Paris for French cuisine, then watch a fashion show, buy some luxury items that look like they’re worn by wandering philosophers except for the price, then fly to Florence to see an art exhibition, buy some post-modern paintings that no one understands and can be explained in any way, then go to Vienna for a concert in a language we don’t understand, cheer loudly like fools at the end, and finally come back to prepare for the family banquet.”
Ning Yichu: “…”
He Shixia spoke so smoothly that Ning Yichu even suspected he really had such plans.
He Shixia glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing Ning Yichu’s speechless expression, he couldn’t help but laugh, “Do you need me to give you an unhealthy squandering plan?”
“No need, I’ve seen that kind in the Ning family,” Ning Yichu refused woodenly, not wanting to continue listening to He Shixia’s nonsense, he decided, “Drive to the city center shopping street, find a roadside parking spot, I’ll stroll along the street.”
He Shixia nodded, “Okay, I’ll walk with you.”
Ning Yichu raised an eyebrow, “You’ll accompany me? How will you accompany me with that face?”
He Shixia was choked, “…Ah Ning, you’re making it sound like my face is unpresentable… There’s a mask in the car, I’ll wear it to cover my face, actually, in everyday scenes, especially on the street, everyone goes their own way, it’s not that noticeable, I’ll be careful not to be recognized.”
Ning Yichu snorted lightly.
He Shixia smiled, “Do you want to wear a mask too? Although there weren’t any clear frontal photos of you exposed before, you naturally stand out, easily noticed.”
Ning Yichu refused, “I can be seen.”
He Shixia didn’t insist further.
Thinking for a moment, He Shixia said, “The reason our photos were exposed before was because of He Rusong.”
He Rusong, He Shixia’s “uncle” He Dingbang’s second son, whom He Shixia used to call second brother.
Ning Yichu didn’t know about this, but he didn’t show much surprise.
—According to this life’s timeline, about a month ago, Ning Yichu went to the hospital for a check-up due to feeling unwell and was told he was already two months pregnant.
At that time, Ning Yichu felt devastated, with no one to talk to.
He had no family, the Ning family wasn’t his home, but they controlled him.
The Ning family could ensure he had no friends growing up—because they were the same age, they went to school together, and with a little arrangement from the Ning family, he was always in the same class as Ning Zeshu and Ning Anqiu, even in high school.
So over the years, if a classmate wanted to befriend him, they would soon be noticed by the Ning family, who would then spread the story of him being a “fake prince trying to impersonate the real one” again. If someone didn’t believe it, they would add some sarcastic remarks.
Originally just ordinary classmates, naturally, no one wanted to cause trouble, distancing themselves was reasonable, and not joining the Ning family in mocking him was considered kind and independent.
Until college, Ning Yichu finally escaped that situation a bit, but he was already used to being alone, uninterested in making friends. After all, they would eventually drift apart, no need to force himself to join the “liveliness” for the sake of making friends, being polite with strangers was good enough.
This led to, when the accident happened, Ning Yichu looked around, with no one to talk to—he didn’t really want to talk to anyone, just in that vulnerable moment, there was a feeling that if he could talk to someone, he might find a solution.
Just like he actually hated maintaining relationships, but because he never had them, he always longed for beautiful family, friendship, and even love, until he died once and was reborn, he finally let go of those “lack of love” burdens.
Ning Yichu sometimes even suspected that the Ning family didn’t necessarily all hate him—this wasn’t to excuse the Ning family, no matter what, their verbal and physical abuse was real, Ning Yichu only wanted revenge, not forgiveness.
Nor was it to save face for himself, just considering a possibility, after all, regardless of age or interest, the Ning family all genuinely loved one person and hated another, the possibility seemed a bit far-fetched, they weren’t mass-produced robots.
So, Ning Yichu suspected, perhaps the Ning family needed a point to unite them, making them appear harmonious and prosperous.
Just like some small groups, they would naturally form a “group pet,” then choose a bullying target, loving the group pet and participating in bullying would make them feel more integrated into the group, and make the group appear harmonious and united, even if there were occasional conflicts among members, they could reconcile through these two behaviors, maintaining group harmony.
Of course, bullying isn’t good behavior, so they would definitely label the bullied person with “deserved” hats, like “this person is inherently bad,” “this person dares to bully our group pet”…
This process doesn’t even require explicit discussion, it can be achieved through “tacit understanding.”
For the Ning family, Ning Zeshu was a blood-related relative, more pitiful in background, more likable in personality, so he was silently “elected” as the group pet by the Ning family, who gave their true, good, and beautiful side to Ning Zeshu, and over time, it became a habit.
And Ning Yichu was “of unknown origin,” stubborn in personality, not easy to get close to, unlike Ning Zeshu who could sweetly call people and get familiar with everyone as soon as he returned to the Ning family, so in comparison, Ning Yichu naturally fell into the opposing position.
However, initially, the Ning family probably didn’t think so much—because the Ning family, unlike socially formed small groups, were already a family, even without this connection, they were destined to be a “group,” just maybe not as united, so they probably chose to strengthen this state after realizing “extreme differential treatment of the real and fake young masters makes us appear particularly united and harmonious.”
And all this was based on the fact that Ning’s father and mother first easily recognized Ning Yichu as their biological son and brought him back, not even showing doubt about the jade pendant Ning Yichu presented at the time, and later when Ning Zeshu returned to the Ning family, Ning Yichu was still kept—mistakenly recognizing a child can be explained by the long search for a son, finally finding a child who matched in many ways, so they were too excited to notice. But later, when the truth was revealed, why did his adoptive parents insist on keeping him in the Ning family?
Ning Yichu couldn’t figure it out, even knowing the original plot in this life, he still couldn’t figure it out, the original book didn’t mention this issue at all.
In short, in his previous life, after learning he was pregnant, with no one to talk to, Ning Yichu chose to drown his sorrows in alcohol.
Then the incident of him losing control and cutting his wrist happened, and he accidentally called He Shixia. He thought he was calling 120 emergency services, struggling to give his address and situation, then passed out.
He Shixia received the call while filming on set, fortunately, the set was local and not far away—of course, this was later seen as evidence of Ning Yichu’s scheming, having scouted the location in advance—he skipped work for the first time in ten years, rushing from the set to find Ning Yichu.
The scene of He Shixia carrying Ning Yichu onto the ambulance was captured by people, not just one angle or one photo, because He Shixia had rushed from the set, making it easy for entertainment reporters and paparazzi nearby to follow.
Some photos and videos even clearly showed Ning Yichu’s face, but those people understood the “rules,” contacting He Shixia’s studio before releasing them.
The manager was busy spending money to suppress the news, but a week later, when they thought the storm had passed, an unknown whistleblower suddenly appeared, not contacting the studio, directly exposing a photo with the caption “He Film Emperor is about to marry a one-night stand partner due to pregnancy.”
This whistleblower wasn’t after money, otherwise, they would have contacted the studio directly. It seemed they weren’t after fame either, as they anonymously exposed the news without revealing their identity.
But to say this person was just out to ruin He Shixia’s reputation didn’t seem right either, as they only exposed once and never made a sound again, besides the photo of He Shixia carrying someone onto the ambulance, they didn’t provide other evidence, He Shixia could easily claim it was a rumor. Given He Shixia’s past public image, although this exposure caused a stir, it wasn’t difficult to handle.
So… it seemed more like someone hoped He Shixia would deny the marriage publicly for the sake of his career and reputation. And given He Shixia’s style, after publicly denying it, he wouldn’t have any marriage plans in the short term.
Thinking this way, it was more likely the Ning family did it, but the He family could have too.
Ning Yichu had suspected this before, and now hearing He Shixia confidently say He Rusong’s name, he didn’t react much.
He Shixia said softly, “Putting aside the blood relationship, there are seven grandchildren in the He family, previously because of grandmother’s favoritism, only my eldest sister and I had shares in the He family, the others didn’t get any when they came of age, meaning they could only wait for inheritance, but the possibility of getting any is slim, and the share would be very small, even if grandmother divided the remaining five percent equally among those without shares, it would only be one percent each.”
For outsiders, one percent of the He family shares is already a huge fortune, but for the He family themselves, one percent is not enough, especially since this is the most ideal situation, the reality might be they don’t even get one percent.
“He Rusong might be worried that if I get married and have a child, it would be grandmother’s first great-grandchild, and if she gets happy and gives the remaining shares, their hope would be even slimmer. Plus… he does have a bias against you, so after learning I decided to marry you after you recovered and were discharged, he exposed it like that,” He Shixia said.
Judging from He Rusong’s exposure, he probably didn’t intend to cause actual harm to He Shixia’s career, putting aside family ties, if he really caused trouble for He Shixia, he wouldn’t benefit if it was traced back to him.
He Rusong thought that marrying a one-night stand partner due to pregnancy was unpleasant to hear, He Shixia had maintained a good reputation in the entertainment industry for many years, he probably wouldn’t want to tarnish it.
After finding out the exposure was He Rusong’s doing, He Shixia asked him, and He Rusong said, “Weren’t you also set up by that Ning Yichu, now forced to marry and take responsibility? Second brother did this to help you find an excuse, you can say for the sake of career stability, you can’t publicly acknowledge the marriage, so to avoid being exposed as lying in the future, you can only temporarily shelve the marriage, this way you can stall that Ning Yichu.”
He Shixia warned him, then publicly acknowledged the marriage news.
But he didn’t mention whether it was due to pregnancy, only denying that the marriage partner was met through a one-night stand. Then, after consulting Ning Yichu, He Shixia accepted a variety show, saying he would introduce his marriage partner to the public during the show.
He Shixia paused slightly, then admitted, “I… didn’t find out about this after you were gone in the previous life. I already knew before we got married, and I told the He and Ning families… I didn’t tell you, afraid you’d feel uneasy and anxious, and you were still in the hospital recovering…”
Before officially getting married, being rejected by the He family, trying to destroy his marriage with He Shixia… In the previous life, Ning Yichu would indeed have been anxious.
Ning Yichu raised an eyebrow, “No wonder, I was wondering why the Ning and He families didn’t pin any charges on me for this, only saying I cut my wrist, made the pregnancy known to everyone, forced you to marry, didn’t say I schemed to arrange for someone to take photos and expose it, forcing you to publicly acknowledge the marriage news, turns out the truth was already known, not convenient to lie and pin blame, so they simply didn’t mention the latter part.”
“No wonder the two families always wanted to marry, birds of a feather, quite in sync.” Ning Yichu sneered, looking at He Shixia’s face in the rearview mirror, coldly saying, “You too.”
He Shixia said softly, “I’m sorry for what I did to you.”
Ning Yichu said matter-of-factly, “You’ve done a lot of things to be sorry for.”
He Shixia: “Yes, so you can ask me to do anything.”
Ning Yichu tilted his head, “If I cheat, will you stand guard for me?”
He Shixia laughed, “Playing with a ‘model’ yourself doesn’t count as cheating, if you need, I can even stand by your bed.”
Ning Yichu: “…Pervert.”
…
The car parked in the underground parking lot near the shopping street, He Shixia put on a mask to cover his face, walking with Ning Yichu to the street.
He said he wanted to spend money, but after walking around, Ning Yichu only bought some snacks and fruit drinks. His health wasn’t good, so he couldn’t eat too much variety, after a few bites to satisfy his craving, he handed it to He Shixia to hold, then continued walking, shopping like taking a stroll.
By the time they were ready to head back, He Shixia was carrying quite a few odds and ends.
On the way back to the He family, Ning Yichu sat in the back seat, resting with his eyes closed, He Shixia driving, after more than half an hour, He Shixia received a call from his manager.
He answered the call on speaker, so when the call connected, Ning Yichu also heard the somewhat weary tone on the other end, “Shixia, having a nice date?”
Ning Yichu lifted his eyelids.
He Shixia chuckled, “Were we photographed?”
“Sunday, shopping street, people coming and going, you dare to lead your partner with a face that shines like a beacon into the public with just a mask… I’m really thankful you weren’t definitively recognized, causing road congestion and other negative impacts, this might be thanks to your partner’s face being quite unapproachable, people might not have dared to stare too much.”
The manager, Xin Qingyun, was almost singing a lament.
“But Mr. He, tell me, a passerby posted asking ‘Did I recognize wrong, is the one in the mask He Shixia, then is the one next to him his marriage partner, although very beautiful, does this mean He Shixia’s orientation is male, now I believe they didn’t marry due to pregnancy hahaha’… Should I suppress the news?”
He Shixia: “Sorry, let me ask.”
He was driving, not convenient to turn around, so he looked back through the rearview mirror, meeting Ning Yichu’s gaze.
He Shixia: “Ah Ning?”
Ning Yichu said indifferently, “Whatever.”
He Shixia then replied to Xin Qingyun, “If there’s no negative trend, no need to specifically suppress the post.”
Xin Qingyun coughed, “Alright, I’ll have the PR side keep an eye on it just in case. Xiao Chu is listening to the call too, hello, has Shixia mentioned me to you? I’m his manager, Xin Qingyun, if you don’t mind, you can call me sister.”
Ning Yichu smiled, “Hello, Sister Qingyun.”
After hanging up the call, He Shixia said, “You’re quite friendly to Sister Qingyun.”
“She’s quite friendly to me too.” Ning Yichu hummed, a bit curious, “Her impression of me should come from your introduction, how did you describe me to her?”
He Shixia recalled, “When I decided to publicly announce the marriage news, she asked when and how I met my marriage partner, what your family situation was, and what you did.”
“I said the two families had business dealings, knew you since childhood, you were the adopted son the Ning family mistakenly brought back while searching for their biological son, haven’t had a good relationship with the family over the years, you just graduated from University A, considering work, but now unexpectedly pregnant, you were already in poor health since childhood, so you’ll be resting at home for now.”
Hearing this, Ning Yichu blinked, then chuckled.
He Shixia also laughed.
Ning Yichu laughed for a while, then said, “She must have misunderstood, thinking we’re childhood sweethearts, I’m a poor little orphan under a wealthy melodrama, originally frail and sickly, finally self-reliant graduating from a prestigious school, only to have my future affected by a mysterious pregnancy… No wonder she’s so friendly to me.”
He Shixia said warmly, “It’s not really a misunderstanding, that’s how it is, I just didn’t tell her about others’ misconceptions about you… Although the ‘childhood sweethearts’ part is a bit inaccurate, just based on the age we met, it’s not against the facts.”
Ning Yichu thought for a moment, “I remember meeting you when I was nine, you were fifteen then, still childhood sweethearts? Whose childhood sweethearts have such an age gap?”
He Shixia was choked, after a while, he hesitated, “Six years… is that a lot?”
Ning Yichu leisurely replied, “Not a lot? When you were an adult, I was only twelve, if you confessed to me then, it would be a crime against nature.”
He Shixia was silent for a moment, then calmly said, “Then fortunately, we didn’t have much interaction before, now you’re already twenty-two.”
Ning Yichu: “Does twenty-eight and twenty-two sound like a smaller gap?”
He Shixia calmly said, “Yes.”
Ning Yichu laughed.
That day, as soon as they returned to the He family, He Ruzhu came running out again—his other siblings, regardless of how their careers were going, at least on the surface, had things to do, only He Ruzhu, who had just finished the college entrance exam and was going abroad next month, could stay at home without regard for time.
He didn’t like staying at the He Family Old Residence all day before, like his father He Dingbang, he liked going out to play with other young masters in the circle.
But after He Dingbang’s background was exposed, He Dingbang himself still went out to play as usual, after all, He Grandmother didn’t publicly disclose this matter, he was still the eldest son of the He family.
He Ruzhu, after all, was still young, not as thick-skinned as his father, not ready for psychological construction, so he didn’t go out much the past two days, staying at home playing games.
Today, he just wanted to go out to play, but his friends asked him, saying they heard rumors that his father wasn’t the He family’s biological son?
He Ruzhu was struck by lightning, now running to ask He Shixia and Ning Yichu, “Sixth brother! Did your wife reveal the matter about grandfather and my dad?”
Ning Yichu tilted his head.
He Shixia frowned, although he was happy to hear others call Ning Yichu his partner, it didn’t mean he was happy to hear others only use this identity to refer to Ning Yichu.
“He Ruzhu, who taught you to address people like that?” He Shixia said with a serious face.
He Ruzhu paused, startled by He Shixia’s expression—this sixth brother, in He Ruzhu’s view, belonged to the good-tempered category, although not having the intimacy of being close with siblings, he didn’t make the family feel distant or cold, He Ruzhu wasn’t afraid of him before.
Now he finally realized, He Shixia was seriously standing by Ning Yichu’s side, not just indulging his partner’s antics.
“I…” He Ruzhu stammered, “Sorry… I… my friends suddenly asked me, saying they heard rumors, my dad is a fake prince swapped by grandfather… Didn’t grandmother say not to tell outsiders?”
Ning Yichu laughed, “Grandmother didn’t tell outsiders.”
He Ruzhu pouted, “It was really you who did it…”
“I instructed, your good sixth brother did it,” Ning Yichu didn’t take all the “credit.”
He Ruzhu didn’t dare ask further, turning away dejectedly.
That day, Ning Yichu was in a good mood, later in the day, the lawyer delivered various documents as promised, and all of He Shixia’s assets truly fell into Ning Yichu’s hands, making him find He Shixia much more pleasing to the eye.
In the evening, He Shixia tinkered in the study for two hours, then before Ning Yichu went to bed, he knocked on the bedroom door.
He handed the box to Ning Yichu, “Ah Ning, the thing you wanted.”
Ning Yichu paused, taking it in hand, opening it openly in front of He Shixia, casually saying, “Did the delivery come this late…”
He Shixia spoke the truth, “It’s not a finished product, I made it for you myself.”
Hearing this, Ning Yichu looked at the item in the box, his expression wooden: “…”
He Shixia coughed lightly, continuing, “…The materials arrived before you got up in the morning, the curing process took quite a while, so I’m giving it to you now.”
Ning Yichu felt his eyes hurt, so he closed the box again.
Then his teeth felt a bit sore, he didn’t know what to say, “…You made it yourself?!”
He Shixia nodded, “Actually, it’s not that difficult…”
“Who asked about the difficulty!” Ning Yichu interrupted, “You… are you too idle? If you really can’t, take a temporary job these days, go out and work…”
He Shixia smiled, “I didn’t want you to use something made by someone else, or mass-produced by machines. Um, do you want to try it now…”
Ning Yichu felt his ears were dirty, “No! I’m afraid it’s poisonous!”
He Shixia earnestly promised, “Healthy materials, environmentally friendly and non-toxic…”
“Shut up!” Ning Yichu wanted to slam the door.
But then he thought of another question.
After a slight pause, Ning Yichu looked at He Shixia, “…What did you use as a reference to make this thing?”
This question…
He Shixia tried to appear more gentlemanly, answering politely, “I used myself as a model, I think you’ll be satisfied.”
Ning Yichu couldn’t listen anymore, finding He Shixia entirely unbearable, he closed the door, leaving the pervert outside.
Author’s Note: Thank you for supporting the original [heart]
Second update in ten minutes o3o