They both fell silent, neither speaking until Qin Huai finally broke the quiet. He was famished. Whether it was because of his overtime work or the many worries weighing on his mind recently, he was so hungry that he felt lightheaded before it was even time to eat.
Qin Huai sighed, his expression filled with helplessness. Just as he attempted to stand up, he felt a sudden wave of dizziness and nearly slumped to the floor. Fortunately, Shen Yuzhi was quick to react, catching him in his arms and preventing him from falling.
“Young Master Qin, have you really been starving yourself to this extent?”
Even though Shen Yuzhi’s tone remained teasing, he was genuinely worried, terrified that something might be wrong with Qin Huai.
Qin Huai propped himself up, yet he could not help but lean against Shen Yuzhi for support. He felt a bit frustrated with himself; how could he have gotten this hungry? He told himself that the work these past few days had been too exhausting. He had to take a day off to rest, or else something bad would happen if he kept working like this.
“Let us go, Young Master Shen. If I stay in the hospital any longer, I might actually starve to death.”
Qin Huai could not help but join in on the banter. They slowly left the hospital, got into the car, and headed to the nearest restaurant.
However, when Qin Huai received the menu and looked at the dishes, he found himself shaking his head. He had no appetite at all. In the end, he chose a simple soup and a few dim sum dishes.
“What is the matter, Young Master Shen? Have you been working too hard these past few days? You have even lost your appetite. Why not take a few days off?”
Shen Yuzhi took the menu from Qin Huai’s hand, glanced over it, and then ordered several more dishes while looking at him with concern. Qin Huai did not look well, which pained Shen Yuzhi.
Qin Huai rested his face in his hands, sighed helplessly, and nodded.
“Yes. I do not know how they organized the work, but the files on my desk are twice as many as everyone else’s. I spend every day processing these files or sitting in meetings. Those meetings are even more boring, yet they never let anyone leave. Ah, this company is truly doomed.”
As Qin Huai spoke, he looked out the window at the bustling streets and sighed again. Recently, he had not even had the free time to investigate what Lin Xingxue, Cheng An, and Cheng Shangjian were planning behind his back.
“If you are that busy, just take a few days off. There are plenty of people in the company; spreading your workload among them will not increase their tasks by much.”
Shen Yuzhi was uncharacteristically generous. He immediately took out his phone and helped Qin Huai request several days of leave.
“Rest at home peacefully for these next few days. However, Qin Huai, I still suggest that you move to my villa.”
Shen Yuzhi held his glass of red wine, smiling as he looked at Qin Huai and spoke in a languid tone.
This suggestion caught Qin Huai off guard. He had not expected Shen Yuzhi to invite him to live in his home voluntarily. However, Qin Huai did not really want to do so. He felt relatively free at the Song family villa, but if he moved into Shen Yuzhi’s home, he did not know what kind of treatment he would face.
Seeing Qin Huai’s hesitation, Shen Yuzhi seemed to understand his thoughts and fell silent, deciding not to push the issue further.
“The weather is getting hotter, and I have had no appetite for days. Since you ordered so many dishes, it will be a waste if I cannot finish them.”
Qin Huai watched the waiter bring in dish after dish, but he still had no desire to eat. He was just about to scoop some soup when Shen Yuzhi took the spoon and bowl from his hands.
“Young Master Qin, just rest. Let me scoop it for you.”
Faced with such an assertive Shen Yuzhi, Qin Huai did not feel any resistance. He sat opposite him, watching quietly as he filled the soup bowl. Even so, Qin Huai began to look at the dishes on the table. Although they were all chosen by Shen Yuzhi, they seemed more suited to his own taste.
Even though he had no appetite earlier, Qin Huai picked up his chopsticks and tried the dish closest to him. To his surprise, the flavor was unexpectedly perfect, which lifted his spirits considerably.
“It seems the taste suits you well, Young Master Qin.”
Shen Yuzhi’s eyes were filled with undisguised pleasure as he spoke. He reached out with his chopsticks and kept adding food to Qin Huai’s plate until it formed a small mountain. Qin Huai was busy through the entire meal, eating one thing after another. As soon as his plate was empty, Shen Yuzhi would fill it up again. It was exhausting, but it left Qin Huai feeling satisfied. Having not eaten properly for days, this meal finally made his exhausted body feel much better.
“Are you full?” Shen Yuzhi wiped his mouth and looked at Qin Huai, who was sprawled out on the sofa to rest. His voice was unusually gentle, completely different from his usual tone.
Qin Huai felt a bit awkward, moved his body to sit up straight against the sofa, and nodded.
“Then let us rest for a while longer, and then we will go to the hospital to get the results.”
After Shen Yuzhi finished speaking, they both fell into a deep silence. Qin Huai’s mind was now focused entirely on the test results that were waiting for him.
They were about to leave when Shen Yuzhi’s phone suddenly rang. Because of this call, Shen Yuzhi was unable to accompany Qin Huai to pick up the report, so he had to have his driver take Qin Huai while he left first.
“Let me know once you have the results. I have to go now.”
As Shen Yuzhi left, that single sentence left Qin Huai lost in thought, almost frozen in place.
“I understand. Take care on the road, Young Master Shen.”
After sending Shen Yuzhi off, Qin Huai followed the route he had just taken back to the doctor’s office.
When he saw the medical report that had been issued, Qin Huai’s mouth dropped open in shock. He truly had not expected that the one time he had been with Shen Yuzhi a month ago would actually result in a pregnancy.
Clutching the thin pregnancy test slip, Qin Huai felt a whirlwind of emotions. He could not describe his feelings; he did not know if he was happy or sad. He stared at his phone, unsure whether he should tell Shen Yuzhi. This was an incredibly unexpected event. Their relationship was far different from what it had been years ago, and there were too many cracks and misunderstandings between them. If he wanted to repair those fissures, the time required would be far more than he could imagine.
Just as Qin Huai stood at the hospital entrance, struggling with his dilemma, the Cheng family’s driver arrived to pick him up. Still stunned and acting like a wooden statue, Qin Huai got into the car and was driven to Shen Yuzhi’s villa.
Seeing the familiar villa, Qin Huai felt a sense of trance. He had left this place over a month ago. At the time, this place felt like a nightmare, but now, recalling it, he felt a faint sense of shyness. He touched his stomach and walked slowly into the villa. The decor was exactly as it had been before; nothing had changed. Every corner was filled with Shen Yuzhi’s scent. Even the familiar pheromones lingered, causing Qin Huai to relax involuntarily as he leaned into the sofa.
Qin Huai pondered whether to hide this from Shen Yuzhi. However, he felt that because he had only been with Shen Yuzhi that one time, the child was definitely his. As the father, Shen Yuzhi had the right to know of the child’s existence.
Thinking of this, Qin Huai took a few deep breaths, as if to steel his nerves. He resolved that the moment he saw Shen Yuzhi, he would tell him everything without keeping any secrets.
But when he truly saw Shen Yuzhi standing before him in casual loungewear, Qin Huai could not help but feel his heart skip a beat. Such a handsome man—he had not changed much from a few years ago, and it only made Qin Huai feel more infatuated.
“How were the results? Is there something wrong with your health?”
Seeing Qin Huai’s expression, Shen Yuzhi frowned slightly, walked to his side, and asked softly. After a moment of hesitation, Qin Huai stuttered and told him the truth.
“I… I… I am pregnant.”
As soon as these words left Qin Huai’s lips, Shen Yuzhi’s expression froze. He seemed to think for a few seconds before returning to his usual composure. However, Qin Huai had caught every detail of his reaction, and for a moment, he was at a total loss, stiffening on the sofa, not knowing what to say or do.
“Is this from that night, one month ago, when you were supposed to marry Ling Feng?”
Hearing Shen Yuzhi’s question, Qin Huai hung his head, his face flushing crimson, and he nodded. Deep inside, Shen Yuzhi was exhilarated; he never expected that their one night together would lead to a child.
“Now that you are pregnant, stop working for a while. Working so hard at the Cheng family will only make your health worse. I will help you apply for more leave.”
Upon hearing Shen Yuzhi offer his help, Qin Huai’s heart began to race violently. Even after trying to calm himself down repeatedly, it had no effect. His body was even trembling slightly from joy.
“Thank you, Young Master Shen. But it is fine; it is still early before the birth, so I can definitely still work.”
Even so, Qin Huai still wanted to return to the Shen Group to work diligently and seize control of the company’s lifelines. After all, his original intention in coming to this company was to reclaim everything that had belonged to his mother; he could not give up just because of a child.