Jing Jiaxi harbored far too many misgivings regarding this relationship.
On the surface, for someone as impoverished as him—who could barely even afford to keep himself fed—marrying the city’s richest man, Fu Qianyu, meant his future would completely leap across social strata, resulting in a qualitative transformation.
But precisely because Fu Qianyu’s background and conditions were vastly superior to his own, he and Fu Qianyu were people living in two entirely different worlds.
Fu Qianyu’s social circle and lifestyle were completely distinct from his. If they were to be together, conflicts would inevitably crop up in every single aspect of their daily lives.
Throughout this entire period, the topic they discussed most frequently was the child, which happened to be the solitary reason their relationship existed in the first place.
Even if Fu Qianyu treated him exceptionally well right now, who could guarantee that Fu Qianyu wouldn’t change his mind in the future?
Jing Jiaxi still remembered the exact words Fu Qianyu had spoken the very first time he went looking for him.
“You’re engaged!” “So what?”
That was likely the exact attitude individuals of his social class held toward marriage.
As the one occupying the vulnerable position, how could he possibly demand that Fu Qianyu maintain absolute fidelity?
Or rather, did he even possess the baseline right to demand Fu Qianyu’s loyalty?
In the eyes of certain people, the mere fact that Fu Qianyu was willing to marry him meant he should be profoundly grateful, prepping himself to welcome Fu Qianyu’s countless future lovers with open arms.
That was not what Jing Jiaxi wanted.
And a child wouldn’t wish to grow up in that kind of household either, right?
If he chose not to marry Fu Qianyu, and instead worked a perfectly ordinary, independent job…
And if the two of them merely maintained a relationship centered around co-parenting and educating the child, perhaps that would actually turn out better for the baby?
Regardless, Fu Qianyu had already made it explicitly clear that he would take full responsibility for the child. Therefore, remaining unmarried wouldn’t impact the child’s access to his other father’s love.
Jing Jiaxi harbored zero desire to leverage his pregnancy to marry Fu Qianyu for financial gain; as long as his child could lead a good life, he would be completely satisfied.
Wrapped in a heavy blanket of worries, Jing Jiaxi lowered his eyes, gently stroking his abdomen where the embryo was growing, lost in deep thought.
Fu Qianyu’s phone vibrated. He scanned the text message sent by his subordinates.
A flash of comprehension darted through his mind. As expected, Jing Jiaxi’s parents fully intended to attach themselves to him like leeches for the long haul.
The investigation results revealed that Jing Jiaxi’s scholarship funds had never been used to settle the loan sharks; instead, the parents had intentionally directed the loan sharks to track down Jing Jiaxi.
When the lenders failed to locate the boy, they had completely trashed the family’s house.
Only then did the parents venture out to track down Jing Jiaxi, plotting to squeeze even more money out of him.
Even though the mere mention of marriage caused the boy’s expression to turn melancholy, Fu Qianyu deemed it absolutely necessary to lay out the raw truth before him.
Upon learning that his parents had pocketed his scholarship funds yet refused to settle the high-interest debt incurred because of Jing Jizu, Jing Jiaxi was so utterly shattered by his parents’ shamelessness that he grew completely incoherent.
“They… how could they do this…”
Jing Jiaxi slumped onto the sofa, burying his face in his hands as tears flowed freely. “They weren’t like this in the past…”
Whenever his parents crossed every baseline to inflict pain upon him, Jing Jiaxi couldn’t help but instinctively recall how wonderful they had been during his early childhood.
They used to wave toys in front of his face to coax a smile out of him, and they would hold him tightly with immense heartache whenever he cried, soothing him gently.
They had clearly treated him so beautifully back then…
“Why… why exactly did it turn out like this… Could it be… could it be that they truly don’t love me even a little bit…”
At this moment, alongside his helpless fury, a profound sense of shame over his parents’ disgraceful conduct washed over him.
Bearing the burden of such a family, how could he possibly dare to entertain any thoughts of marriage?
Jing Jiaxi had initially believed that clearing the loan would grant him his freedom, but it turned out he still hadn’t managed to sever these shackles.
He wept softly, his entire frame shivering from an inner chill.
A hand radiating a comforting warmth placed itself gently over his head. “Don’t cry. It’s no grand issue. I’ll handle it for you.”
Fu Qianyu possessed the absolute power to resolve everything for him; however, it entirely depended on how far Jing Jiaxi wanted to take things.
He could easily sever all ties between the parents and Jing Jiaxi permanently, but judging by the boy’s attitude, he still harbored a lingering trace of attachment to them.
“…I feel like I’m constantly causing trouble for you.” Jing Jiaxi detested this feeling of being entirely dependent on someone else while being completely powerless to do anything himself. It felt awful.
“Your matters are never trouble.”
Fu Qianyu wiped away his tears. “You’re carrying a child; crying constantly isn’t good for your health.”
Witnessing Jing Jiaxi weep so bitterly over his family’s squabbles, Fu Qianyu actually found himself reflecting on his own actions. The boy was merely a college freshman who had just started his university life; why had he laid bare these ugly truths just to make him miserable?
Having wept far too intensely, Jing Jiaxi hiccupped softly as he finally managed to stem the flow of tears.
“I’m sorry… my emotions have been so unstable lately…”
A pregnant individual’s well-being took precedence over absolutely everything. Fu Qianyu ruffled his soft, fluffy hair. “What is there to apologize for? You aren’t the one in the wrong.”
Jing Jiaxi’s nose tingled, a fresh wave of tears threatening to spill over out of nowhere. He sniffled, forcing them back down.
“Thank you… Mr. Fu. You really have helped me so much.”
The boy had wept until the tip of his nose and the rims of his eyes were flushed a vivid pink, contrasting starkly against his porcelain skin. His pale lips bore the distinct imprints of his own teeth from biting down on them—he looked disheveled, yet strikingly beautiful in his sorrow.
Suppressing a sudden urge to stroke his cheek, Fu Qianyu offered a helpless smile. “Are you still calling me Mr. Fu?”
The boy frequently utilized formal honorifics to deliberately maintain a safe distance between them.
Hearing this, Jing Jiaxi’s lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.
He simply didn’t know how else to address Fu Qianyu.
Call him directly by his name? He felt they weren’t nearly close enough for that level of familiarity.
Even though they had shared an intimate night together, Jing Jiaxi’s memories of that occasion were incredibly hazy; he could only view Fu Qianyu as the father of his child.
As for the exact boundaries of their relationship, he had never been able to locate the proper footing. Consequently, he retreated a long way back, shielding himself behind the most respectful title available.
In Jing Jiaxi’s heart, this man was incredibly powerful—someone who naturally commanded awe and reverence.
“Mr. Fu” was the most natural form of address he could bring himself to utter.
“Forget it. Call me whatever makes you comfortable.”
Fu Qianyu refrained from placing pressure on him over minor details, causing Jing Jiaxi to let out a sigh of relief.
very night, Fu Qianyu settled Jing Jiaxi into the apartment, transferring an assistant, a nanny, a nutritionist, and a chauffeur directly from the Fu family estate.
Every single one of them was a trusted professional who had served the Fu family for years. They took up residence in the apartment directly beneath Jing Jiaxi’s unit, ensuring they could provide immediate care whenever he required it.
Fu Qianyu made no effort to conceal this massive deployment of personnel from his parents. The moment his mother, Lang Youyuan, caught wind of it, alarm bells instantly rang furiously in her mind.
If it were merely a matter of arranging a piece of real estate, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Lang Youyuan harbored no objections to him keeping a lover or gifting them cars and properties; as long as he settled down after marriage, his pre-marital flings could easily be brushed off as standard youthful indiscretions.
But Fu Qianyu had actually dispatched the very staff who had raised him during his childhood to tend to this boy!
This was a definitive sign that he was taking things dead seriously!
Staring at the secretly captured photographs Lu Zhili had delivered to her, Lang Youyuan felt her scalp go completely numb.
The angles from which the candid photos were taken made the interactions between the two men look extraordinarily intimate.
In the images, Fu Qianyu was treating the boy with immense tenderness and care—meticulously brushing a stray strand of hair from his face, feeding him water, carrying his backpack, and even engaging in overt public displays of affection.
One had to understand—even that person from all those years ago had never received this kind of treatment!
What kind of extraordinary manipulation tactics did this boy possess to manage to reduce her traditionally stoic, emotionally detached son to such a state in a matter of mere days?
This boy was definitely not simple!