After enduring countless bouts of torment, Zhuang Yan had come to a definitive conclusion: being pregnant was truly more than a human could bear especially when one’s Alpha was nowhere to be found.
The family doctor had been right; using the pheromones of other Alphas could provide relief, but it was merely a temporary fix. Nothing was ever as effective as the pheromones of the child’s biological father.
Thus, at around the twentieth week of pregnancy, Zhuang Yan arrived at the hospital accompanied by Chi Xiaocheng.
This hospital belonged to the Yue Group. It was the same place where Yue Lu had been treated for a broken arm, and it was where their family doctor held a consultancy.
Today, the discomfort was truly unbearable for Zhuang Yan. Even Chi Xiaocheng’s soothing pheromones were proving useless. Even the doctor’s suggestion for the two of them to stay close to one another yielded no results.
“Brother Xiaocheng, I don’t want this baby anymore,” Zhuang Yan muttered, his forehead resting against Chi Xiaocheng’s shoulder, his face deathly pale.
Had he known that bearing a child was such an agonizing ordeal, he never would have provoked Ms. Zhuang Jinling so much in the first place. To endure such misery while carrying it, to face the pain of giving birth, only for the child to grow up and become a headache how could anyone in the world be so unlucky?
“Alright, alright. Just sit here for a moment. I’ll go buy you a bottle of water. Your lips are so chapped, you don’t even know to take a sip of water.”
Chi Xiaocheng helped Zhuang Yan sit upright, but seeing his “boneless” and frail state, he let him lie back down on the sofa instead. Just as he settled Zhuang Yan and stood up, a fist came flying toward his face.
The assailant didn’t stop at one punch; a second and a third followed in quick succession…
Chi Xiaocheng hadn’t even seen who was hitting him before he was inexplicably beaten to a pulp.
“Yue Lu, what do you think you’re doing!” Zhuang Yan propped himself up with his hands, struggling to sit. He had never been in such a pathetic state.
Yue Lu stood there at a loss, his hand still frozen in a punching gesture.
Their new product had been the culmination of his entire team’s hard work, and as expected, it received an incredible response upon its launch. Rival companies and small factories could no longer stir up any trouble. One factory owner had even tried to sink the ship and take Yue Lu down with him in a desperate “broken cauldron” move. However, the person the owner hired had turned around and sold the information to Yue Lu. Yue Lu didn’t care for those “autumn locusts” and simply handed the evidence over to the police.
But it was only after he rushed back that he learned the person he had married was Zhuang Yan, and the so-called Yue family heir was his and Zhuang Yan’s child.
He had run to the hospital without a moment’s pause, only to see Zhuang Yan leaning into the arms of a strange Alpha.
That was his wife and child!
And because of this man, his “Beibei” was calling him by his full name and shouting at him?
“You’re carrying my child, yet he was holding you…” Yue Lu stammered, unable to find the right words or focus.
Chi Xiaocheng clutched his bruised face and went over to help Zhuang Yan up. “It’s your turn next. Sit here and catch your breath.”
“Brother Xiaocheng, are you okay?” Zhuang Yan looked at Chi Xiaocheng, who had turned black and blue in a matter of seconds, feeling incredibly guilty. He had asked for the help, and now Chi Xiaocheng was being misunderstood and beaten for it.
“I’m fine. Just let him accompany you inside. I’ll go register and have a doctor apply some medicine.” Chi Xiaocheng thought to himself: Rich people’s genes really aren’t that great resorting to violence right away. It was a good thing his nephew was being sent directly to the Yue family; otherwise, who knew how annoying he’d turn out to be?
“It’s almost time for Xiao Yan to go in. You sit with him and give him some pheromones.” After giving these brief instructions, Chi Xiaocheng left.
Zhuang Yan looked at Yue Lu, who was still standing there, and didn’t even want to acknowledge him.
After being apart for so long, there was no soul-stirring reunion, no “I finally found you,” and no tearful eyes.
“Weren’t you busy playing a disappearing act? Why are you suddenly back?” Zhuang Yan snapped irritably.
“I didn’t…”
“You didn’t what? You didn’t want to divorce me, or you weren’t unreachable?” Zhuang Yan questioned.
“I didn’t lose contact on purpose. My phone and wallet were lost abroad. Later, with a friend’s help, I bought a phone, but I couldn’t get my old number back. As soon as I finished my business there, I rushed back. I truly didn’t know the person I married was you,” Yue Lu explained helplessly.
He knew these words were hard to accept immediately, and he didn’t expect full forgiveness, but he hoped Zhuang Yan would let him stay, considering it wasn’t intentional.
Slap!
A palm landed squarely on Yue Lu’s face.
Zhuang Yan’s emotions had been extremely volatile lately either running around the house happily or curling up on the sofa in a daze. Therefore, Chi Xiaocheng, who was waiting for the elevator nearby, wasn’t the least bit surprised by the slap.
As the elevator arrived, Chi Xiaocheng decided not to leave just yet. Usually, Zhuang Yan wouldn’t be at a disadvantage, but in this state, it was different. Even if he couldn’t beat Yue Lu, he could at least carry Zhuang Yan and run.
“You didn’t know you were married to me, yet you still stayed in an ambiguous relationship with me? Scumbag!”
Zhuang Yan didn’t know why he was crying. He rarely cried, but lately, he would burst into tears over the slightest inconvenience. He was clearly in the right, and Yue Lu was the one who got slapped—so why was he the one crying?
Thinking this made him cry even harder.
Yue Lu stood there, paralyzed. Zhuang Yan kept hitting and pounding on him, his tears never-ending.
Finally, Chi Xiaocheng couldn’t watch anymore. He stopped waiting for the next elevator, gave up on the drama, and strode over to shove the two of them together.
“Just hug him already! Comfort him! What are you standing there for? Enjoying the scenery? What scenery is so damn beautiful?”
Finally, Chi Xiaocheng gave Yue Lu a hard kick in the rear a little payback for the earlier punch. Having finished his business, Chi Xiaocheng darted into the elevator and made a grand exit.
Yue Lu’s leg injury hadn’t fully healed; the kick nearly sent him to the floor. Ignoring his leg, he carefully pulled Zhuang Yan into his arms.
“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I should have made things clear. I should have memorized your phone number. I’m sorry.”
“What ‘sorry’? I don’t see how you’re sorry at all. Do you have any idea what I’ve been through lately? Anyway, it’s all your fault.”
“Yes, it’s my fault. It’s entirely my fault,” Yue Lu echoed, following Zhuang Yan’s lead.
“It is your fault, it is, it is!”
“Yes, my fault, my fault, entirely my fault.”
“You two at the door, stop acting out a soap opera! Number 266, Zhuang Yan? Is that you? Get in here. Didn’t you hear me calling you for ages?” The doctor sounded exasperated, clearly feeling that this salary was hard-earned.
Perhaps because of the news that the Yue family was expecting an heir, the number of patients in the obstetrics department had surged. Some happened to be pregnant, some wanted to ride the coattails of the rich family’s benefits, and some perhaps even harbored thoughts of “swapping the prince for a leopard cat.” Regardless of the reason, the doctor had been swamped lately.
When the doctor pulled up Zhuang Yan’s file, his expression changed instantly. This was the boss’s wife. For the sake of his paycheck, he had to maintain a proper professional demeanor no matter what.
“Well, people are always acting out life-and-death dramas at the hospital entrance,” the doctor tried to cover for his earlier outburst. “We are all civilized people. If there are personal feelings, please handle them privately rather than in public.”
The doctor felt like he was only making it worse. If he were better with words, he would have been an orator, not a doctor. Fortunately, the two involved didn’t seem to mind, much to the doctor’s relief.
“The Omega is fine. He just needs a certain amount of Alpha pheromones during pregnancy. No matter how busy an Alpha is, they shouldn’t neglect the Omega at home. If the Omega lacks pheromones during pregnancy, the child may have defects in the future.”
The doctor had been shocked when he first saw the test results. So you two were acting out a tragedy at my door, but you’re actually so estranged that you haven’t even provided basic soothing pheromones? A worker’s life was truly a hard one.
“Understood, Doctor. I’ll pay attention,” Yue Lu stood straight beside Zhuang Yan, listening intently. “Does he need any supplements? I was abroad and couldn’t look after him. If we start using pheromones now, can we make up for it?”
“It’s not a problem,” the doctor pushed up his glasses. “The indicators are still relatively normal. The third trimester is the critical period. As long as there’s no lack then, it will be fine.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Yue Lu nodded.
Leaving the hospital, Zhuang Yan walked as if he had wings on his feet. Yue Lu didn’t dare follow too closely, trailing at a cautious distance.
“I’ll drive you back!” Yue Lu shouted as he saw Zhuang Yan heading for the subway entrance.
Zhuang Yan didn’t look back. “I don’t need you.”
Left with no choice, Yue Lu followed him through security and onto the train. Fortunately, there were seats since it was during working hours. However, as they passed a large shopping mall, a crowd suddenly boarded. Yue Lu stood in front of Zhuang Yan, terrified he would be bumped or squeezed.
“Move! How am I supposed to get off with you blocking me!” Zhuang Yan shoved Yue Lu aside and managed to squeeze out just before the doors closed.
Yue Lu continued to follow behind, explaining, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were getting off at this stop.”
Zhuang Yan ignored him and hurried home. Upon reaching the apartment, he pulled out a key to unlock the door. Yue Lu was surprised. “When did you change the code lock to a keyed one?” He clearly remembered it being a code lock before he left.
“To keep you out. That’s why I changed it.”
Zhuang Yan entered and tried to slam the door, but Yue Lu seized the opportunity to squeeze inside. “The doctor said you and the baby need my pheromones.”
Yue Lu was secretly pleased that Zhuang Yan needed him and had no reason to refuse, but then his eyes landed on Chi Xiaocheng, who was sitting casually on the living room sofa.
“Why is he here?” Yue Lu pointed at Chi Xiaocheng, questioning him in disbelief. “He actually has a key to your house?”
Yue Lu was crashing. Why did this Alpha have a key while he didn’t?
“It’s none of your business who I give my keys to!” Zhuang Yan didn’t know what was wrong with him he just wanted to scold him, punch him, and absolutely refused to speak to him calmly.
“I need to explain something,” Chi Xiaocheng said. He had just finished applying his medicine and didn’t want to get hit a second time. Honestly, private hospitals were expensive. Had he known, he would have gone to a small clinic for a bandage. “I didn’t get the key from him. I got it from his brother.”
To his surprise, Yue Lu became even more agitated upon hearing this. “You’ve already met the family?!”