Wei Ran was amused instantly. He reached out to touch Lin Shenzhi’s stomach and said, “Can you have babies too? Then give birth to one for me. As long as it is the one you gave birth to, I will definitely love it.”
As he spoke, Wei Ran’s hand moved toward the ticklish spots on both sides of Lin Shenzhi’s waist, trying to tickle him.
He had no idea that Lin Shenzhi possessed this kind of ability.
“Stop messing around.” Lin Shenzhi grabbed Wei Ran’s unruly hand.
“It looks like I need to work harder.” Though his hand was caught, Wei Ran’s mouth remained disobedient.
A trace of faint helplessness rested in Lin Shenzhi’s eyes, mixed with a hint of bitterness. “Then what if that child is different from other people? I am being serious.”
“As long as it is not a bug, I do not care at all.” The smile on Wei Ran’s face grew even more intense. He leaned over to kiss Lin Shenzhi’s lips, deciding to check thoroughly later since he had no idea Lin Shenzhi could actually have children.
Lin Shenzhi quietly looked at Wei Ran.
Noticing this, Wei Ran stopped his movements. “What is it?”
Wei Ran looked Lin Shenzhi over. Lin Shenzhi had been acting strange today, his complexion was pale, and earlier he had even looked like he was about to throw up.
Wei Ran stopped fooling around. “You are too nervous. You really do not need to be this nervous.” He was afraid that getting married was going to drive Lin Shenzhi crazy with anxiety.
“Mm.” Lin Shenzhi raised his arm to cover his eyes.
“Silly.” Wei Ran gently pecked the corner of Lin Shenzhi’s mouth.
That night, Lin Shenzhi cooked while Wei Ran acted as his assistant, and the two of them prepared a table full of dishes.
Lin Shenzhi was an excellent cook, and by the end of the meal, the expression on Wei Yun’s face had softened considerably.
After dinner, the three of them sat on the sofa to briefly discuss matters regarding the wedding.
Their marriage had happened too suddenly, and there were still many things to prepare. Guests were one aspect, and parents were another.
“My father has already passed away, and there is only me left at home. You two can decide on these things,” Lin Shenzhi said when family was mentioned.
This was the first time Wei Yun had heard about this, and he was somewhat surprised.
After a pause, Wei Yun looked at Wei Ran. “Then have you two been to pay your respects at the grave?”
Wei Ran was startled; he hadn’t thought of this at all.
Looking apologetically at Lin Shenzhi, Wei Ran realized he had been too caught up in his own happiness.
Wei Yun rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked at Wei Ran. “Before the wedding, you should go with Lin Shenzhi to pay your respects at the grave at least once. They should at least be informed.”
Wei Ran looked at Lin Shenzhi. “When are we going?”
“I will head to the company tomorrow morning, and I will have time in the afternoon.”
Having made up their minds, the three of them went to bed early.
The next morning, after seeing Lin Shenzhi off, Wei Ran was cornered in the living room by Wei Yun to officially start preparing for the wedding.
Wei Yun looked well-prepared and full of confidence, yet only ten minutes into the preparations, he had already gone outside to make three cry-for-help phone calls. Watching this scene unfold, Wei Ran’s trust in him instantly plummeted to rock bottom.
However, Wei Yun was his father, so he didn’t dare to speak up or ask questions, leaving him with no choice but to obediently write down the guest list according to Wei Yun’s instructions.
Wei Ran knew quite a few people. After all, he had just graduated not long ago and still kept in touch with his classmates, though whether they would actually be able to come to the wedding was another matter entirely.
Wei Ran lay across the desk racking his brain to figure it out, and while pondering on his own, he didn’t forget to bother Lin Shenzhi and tell him to quickly think of guests he wanted to invite as well.
Lin Shenzhi’s situation was special. As the president of a major corporation, hundreds of people had business ties and familiarity with him. If they were all invited, they would have to select the largest and best venue just to fit everyone.
Less than three minutes after Wei Ran sent the message, Lin Shenzhi replied. The message contained only two names: Jin Qili and Chen Jiyun.
Jin Qili was Lin Shenzhi’s assistant who had been working in the Lin Corporation ever since Lin Shenzhi’s father was still running it, making him someone akin to an older brother and a friend to Lin Shenzhi.
As for Chen Jiyun, the moment Wei Ran saw that name, his brows furrowed uncontrollably.
Chen Jiyun had known Lin Shenzhi since they were kids. He was reportedly a distant relative of the Lin family and Lin Shenzhi’s only friend.
Chen Jiyun disliked him intensely.
When Chen Jiyun originally found out that Lin Shenzhi was dating him, he had been strongly opposed to it and even tried to stop Lin Shenzhi, though it ultimately failed.
Chen Jiyun probably didn’t know yet that he and Lin Shenzhi had already obtained their marriage certificate. Once he found out, he was bound to cause a scene.
Wei Ran drew a heavy slash across the notebook filled with names and reluctantly wrote down the three characters for Chen Jiyun.
After thinking about it for a moment, Wei Ran sent another message over. “What about the others?”
Lin Shenzhi replied quickly. “Just them.”
Wei Ran was speechless. Just two people?
Another message came from Lin Shenzhi. “We can talk about the others later.”
Wei Ran quickly understood what Lin Shenzhi meant. For their wedding, Lin Shenzhi only intended to invite people who were truly close to them, while everyone else in the business world could be arranged separately at a later time.
Wei Ran breathed a sigh of relief, as this made things much simpler.
In truth, he didn’t really want a bunch of strangers at his wedding either; he only wanted to introduce Lin Shenzhi to the people who mattered to him and solemnly tell them that this was his beloved.
After a momentary hesitation, Wei Ran proactively asked, “What about Chen Jiyun’s side?”
“I will find some time to talk to him.”
“Okay.”
Seeing Wei Yun return from making phone calls, Wei Ran quickly put his phone down and informed Wei Yun of Lin Shenzhi’s decision.
Learning that Lin Shenzhi would not be inviting business partners from the Lin Corporation, Wei Yun also breathed a sigh of relief. A regular wedding alone was already enough to give him a headache.
Before coming over, Wei Yun had specifically sought advice from the older generation and taken notes, thinking he had everything figured out. However, once he actually started preparing, he realized that getting married was nowhere near as simple as he had imagined.
Lin Shenzhi returned at eleven o’clock in the morning.
After finishing lunch, Lin Shenzhi took Wei Ran out to go pay their respects at the gravesite.
The Lin family owned a dedicated private cemetery located outside the city. It wasn’t far from where Lin Shenzhi lived, but the drive still took over an hour.
At a little past one in the afternoon, the car stopped outside the cemetery.
Wei Ran followed Lin Shenzhi out of the car and headed into the grounds.
The Lin family’s private cemetery was situated at the foot of a large mountain, surrounded by lush shade and a quiet environment. The cemetery wasn’t very large, containing only a few hundred graves in total.
It was exceptionally clean, evidently tended to by dedicated caretakers.
“This way.” Lin Shenzhi took the lead, walking toward one of the graves.
Soon, the two of them stopped one after another in front of a tombstone.
There was a photograph on the tombstone. Lin Shenzhi’s father looked very much like Lin Shenzhi, especially around the brow and eyes, which were cold and sharp, as if cut from the exact same mold.
Lin Shenzhi’s father had passed away quite early, seemingly not long after Lin Shenzhi graduated from university. Wei Ran didn’t know the exact circumstances because Lin Shenzhi almost never brought it up.
As for Lin Shenzhi’s mother, Lin Shenzhi had never mentioned her at all.
After looking for a moment, Wei Ran quickly placed the flowers he had brought down.
“Dad, I am married,” Lin Shenzhi spoke up.
Wei Ran quickly chimed in, “Dad.”
Lin Shenzhi wasn’t a man of many words, and that remained true even while visiting a grave. After that single sentence, he said nothing more.
Wei Ran stood awkwardly to the side. He wanted to say a few words, but he felt it might be a bit abrupt. What if his father-in-law thought he was a chatterbox and a nuisance?
After thinking it over, Wei Ran decided to leave Lin Shenzhi some space. “I am going to look around nearby.”
“Okay.”
Giving Lin Shenzhi a slightly worried look, Wei Ran turned around and strolled around the cemetery.
This place was located near the city outskirts, devoid of motorcades or crowds, making it very quiet. Walking among the graves, Wei Ran felt no fear; instead, he felt quite relaxed.
Following the pathway up to the highest point, Wei Ran looked back toward Lin Shenzhi. Lin Shenzhi was talking to his father. The distance was too far for Wei Ran to hear clearly, and he could only see the somewhat dazed and uneasy expression in Lin Shenzhi’s eyes.
Wei Ran didn’t rush back. He walked around the perimeter of the cemetery, observing everything as he went.
Whether it was just his imagination or not, it seemed like most of the graves in the cemetery belonged to members of the main Lin family clan, with outsiders sharing the surname being a rare sight.
Just as Wei Ran was feeling puzzled, he saw Lin Shenzhi waving at him from a distance. Lin Shenzhi had finished talking with his father.
Wei Ran hurried over.
Reaching Lin Shenzhi’s side, Wei Ran glanced at the two graves next to Lin Shenzhi’s father. The names on the tombstones bore the surname Lin, and Lin Shenzhi’s mother was nowhere to be seen.
Did the Lin family cemetery not even allow outsiders to be buried there?
Wei Ran felt a slight sense of discomfort. What era was this to still be fussing over such things?
Seeming to sense Wei Ran’s confusion, once they were back in the car, Lin Shenzhi took the initiative to speak. “He is still alive.”
Wei Ran was startled. This was not what he had expected at all. “Then…”
“He left me and my dad when I was very young.” Lin Shenzhi looked out the window.
The car started moving, and the cemetery gradually receded, eventually disappearing from view outside the window.
“Then where is she now?”
“We haven’t been in touch for a long time, and I do not know where he is.” After a pause, Lin Shenzhi added, “I have never seen him even once since I was born.”
Wei Ran was speechless once again.
Thinking about it, Wei Ran began to understand. No wonder Lin Shenzhi was always so insecure, always feeling like he would leave him.
Wei Ran took hold of Lin Shenzhi’s hand, enveloping it within his own palm, his heart aching. “Silly.”
Lin Shenzhi withdrew his gaze from the window and looked over at him.
“I am not going to leave you,” Wei Ran promised. If Lin Shenzhi wanted to hear it, he could say it to him every day, and he would also prove with his actions that he meant what he said.
Lin Shenzhi remained silent, only lowering his gaze to look with a quiet, complex expression at the hand being held by Wei Ran.
His fingers twitched slightly, interlacing his fingers with Wei Ran’s.
Wei Ran knew nothing.
The man who was nominally supposed to be his father had chosen to leave after discovering that his father was not normal.
At that time, his father was already pregnant.
And it was precisely because his father was pregnant that the man chose to leave. When he left, he didn’t even have the courage to say goodbye to his father, sneaking around to pack his things and disappearing without a trace.
After he left, his father did not go looking for him.
His father gave birth to him alone, nurtured him alone until he hatched from his shell, and then raised him alone.
Lin Shenzhi could not imagine how heartbroken his father must have felt returning home to find the house completely empty, but he knew that if Wei Ran were to walk out without a word one day, he surely wouldn’t be able to control himself, would desperately want to go look for Wei Ran, and would undoubtedly die.
Female bugs had a long period after pregnancy when they could not control themselves, uncontrollably revealing their complete, true forms.
The Zerg were not actual insects, but they couldn’t be said to have no relation either. The complete forms of the Zerg were insect-like states where they grew wings, developed corresponding bug markings, and experienced changes in their eyes.
Ordinary people found it hard enough to accept their differences, and Wei Ran, he was even afraid of bugs.
“If one day you decide to leave, can you please tell me and not leave in secret?” Lin Shenzhi leaned against the car seat and asked softly.