“Qin Huai, come home with me. The evidence you have gathered at the company is not yet enough to prove anything. I will provide you with more detailed data.”
Hearing Shen Yuzhi’s words, which sounded no different from a threat, Qin Huai felt unhappy. He leaned back in his chair and deliberately remained silent, refusing to answer.
“Speak, Qin Huai.” After waiting for a moment, Shen Yuzhi could not help but ask again. Qin Huai, however, remained silent, pondering how he should proceed.
Now that Shen Yuzhi knew he was at the company, he realized that if Shen Yuzhi were to storm over, he would have nowhere to hide.
“I do not want to go back with you. I only want to use my own strength to bring down the Cheng family from here.”
Qin Huai sighed and slowly revealed his true thoughts. He had been struggling with this for days, unsure of how to talk to Shen Yuzhi. Yet, he knew in his heart that his primary goal was to dismantle the entire Cheng family. Things like the child were currently secondary to that objective.
After saying this, Qin Huai hung up the phone. No matter how many times Shen Yuzhi called back, Qin Huai ignored him.
Finally, losing patience, Shen Yuzhi drove directly to the Shen Group building before Qin Huai had a chance to leave. He blocked Qin Huai right at the entrance of his office. The surrounding colleagues chirped and gossiped as if they were watching a show, but they all fell silent, terrified by the sharp, sweeping gaze Shen Yuzhi cast toward them.
“Why are you here?” Qin Huai asked, still in a bad mood, facing the visibly furious Shen Yuzhi.
Usually, he would have been afraid of Shen Yuzhi in this state, but based on how Shen Yuzhi had been behaving over the past few days, he suddenly felt there was nothing to worry about.
“What do you mean, why am I here? Qin Huai, naturally, I am here to take you home. I have been waiting for you, but no matter how I looked for you, you ignored me. I called you so many times, but you never picked up; I sent so many messages, but you never replied. Today, I finally got through to your office line, and you were still so cold. Why are you so angry?”
Shen Yuzhi was unexpectedly gentle. The long string of words left Qin Huai frozen in place, eyes wide with astonishment. This was the first time he had heard such tender words come from Shen Yuzhi’s mouth.
“You…” Qin Huai opened his mouth, but words failed him.
Of course, Qin Huai knew that Shen Yuzhi must have been anxious about not being able to reach him, especially since he had already gone to the Song villa once. But he really could not go home with Shen Yuzhi right now; matters were too critical. He had spent so long collecting evidence, and he had finally gathered quite a bit. If he were suddenly locked away in that villa by Shen Yuzhi, would all that evidence not go to waste?
“Just come back with me. I promise that this time I will not lock you up; I will only let you rest quietly in the villa. You can take your work back there to process.”
This time, Shen Yuzhi’s gaze was different from before. He stared into Qin Huai’s eyes with a pitiful, sincere look. He could not tell if it was their argument or the rumors about Shen Yuzhi and Ji Sui that had caused this change.
“You really will not let me be locked in that villa, right? You have to promise me that no matter what, you will not lock me in there alone!”
Qin Huai gathered his courage and shouted at Shen Yuzhi.
Shen Yuzhi closed the office door and pressed Qin Huai against it. With their foreheads and noses touching, the atmosphere suddenly became intimate. Qin Huai tried to speak, but Shen Yuzhi blocked his mouth with a kiss, rendering him unable to utter a sound. Shen Yuzhi was not satisfied; he reached out and pulled Qin Huai tightly into his arms, as if he feared Qin Huai might run away.
It was only when Qin Huai was out of breath and had no strength left that he finally pushed Shen Yuzhi away. Qin Huai wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth, looking at the man in front of him with shock. He really did not know what kind of madness had taken hold of Shen Yuzhi today; why was he so different from usual?
“I promise you; I promise you everything. I will definitely not lock you in there alone again. I will be with you.”
Shen Yuzhi’s gentle and affectionate words felt like a confession to Qin Huai. Qin Huai was dazed for a moment, yet he still felt a lingering resistance toward the villa. Seeing this, Shen Yuzhi softened his approach. He opened the office door, swept Qin Huai up into his arms, and walked toward the elevator.
This completely panicked Qin Huai. He kicked his legs, trying to struggle out of Shen Yuzhi’s embrace, but he was held even tighter.
“Let me go! Let me go! What are you doing? Hurry up and let me go!”
Inside the elevator, Qin Huai continued to struggle, striking Shen Yuzhi’s chest hard. However, he was instantly calmed by the release of Shen Yuzhi’s pheromones. Upon smelling that familiar scent, Qin Huai went completely still. He buried his face in Shen Yuzhi’s shoulder and sniffed, seemingly venting all the grievances he had held for so many days. After all, Qin Huai had been pregnant for a long time and had not felt an alpha’s pheromones, so he naturally felt insecure. Shen Yuzhi gently rubbed his back to soothe him.
Only when they walked out of the Shen Group lobby did Qin Huai regain his senses and begin to struggle again.
“I still do not want to go with you! Let me go!”
He shouted loudly, disregarding his image. Fortunately, it was work hours and there were few people around, so no one noticed them. Shen Yuzhi carried Qin Huai all the way to the parking lot and stuffed him into the car, finally achieving a moment of peace.
After they were on the road, the car was filled with the rich scent of Shen Yuzhi’s mountain pine and snow. Qin Huai could not help but relax, eventually drifting off to sleep. When they arrived and Shen Yuzhi reached to carry him out, he discovered Qin Huai was already awake. Just as Qin Huai was about to push him away to flee, Shen Yuzhi gripped his wrist and pulled him back into his arms.
They caused a scene in front of the villa, but Qin Huai still could not break free from Shen Yuzhi’s control.
“Stop making a scene! You have a child in your stomach; be careful not to hurt the baby!” Shen Yuzhi roared.
Qin Huai was stunned. Meanwhile, Ji Sui suddenly appeared next to the villa. He had happened to see Shen Yuzhi’s car on the road and followed it here. He had just parked his car when he heard Shen Yuzhi mention the child. Ji Sui sharpened his focus, surprised that Qin Huai was truly pregnant with Shen Yuzhi’s child.
He squinted his eyes, smiled, and approached them, greeting them warmly.
“I did not expect to run into you here, Yuzhi.”
Unexpectedly, Ji Sui bypassed Qin Huai entirely and smiled at Shen Yuzhi. His expression seemed to imply that he did not see Qin Huai at all. Qin Huai, however, did not care in the slightest; he shook off Shen Yuzhi’s hand and walked toward the villa, leaving the two of them standing outside looking at each other. Shen Yuzhi, naturally, did not want to see Ji Sui either. Without saying a word, he followed Qin Huai into the villa.
Ji Sui stood outside, unmoving, watching their backs with a smile.
Returning to the familiar villa, Qin Huai could not help but take a deep breath. The familiar scent made his body and mind feel much more comfortable. Qin Huai sat on the sofa, inhaling contentedly, and subconsciously began to stroke his abdomen, which had not yet begun to show.
The Shen Yuzhi who had brought Qin Huai into the villa now wore a cold, somber expression, completely unlike the gentleness he had displayed at the company. Qin Huai looked at him in surprise, having no idea what this man was up to.
“How have you been these past few days?” Shen Yuzhi’s first sentence was surprisingly unexpected. Qin Huai opened his mouth in surprise.
After thinking for a long time, he answered, “Not bad, I suppose.”
After all, with Song Zhe by his side, he had been as comfortable as could be. Hearing the reply, Shen Yuzhi nodded in satisfaction, a trace of happiness appearing on his face.
Qin Huai still could not understand why Shen Yuzhi had changed his face again. Could it be that he truly intended to deceive him into the villa just to imprison him? Qin Huai silently opened his chat window with Song Zhe and sent an emoji, just in case he needed to have an argument with Shen Yuzhi later.
To be honest, it had been a long time since Shen Yuzhi and Qin Huai had sat together so peacefully. Sitting face to face now, Qin Huai could not help but think back to many years ago. But looking at Shen Yuzhi’s ice-cold face, Qin Huai sighed again. So many years had passed; things were no longer what they used to be.
“I am tired. I want to rest.” Qin Huai closed his eyes, leaning back on the sofa in exhaustion.
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Yuzhi leaned over, picked Qin Huai up once more, and carried him upstairs. They returned to the room where they had once been intimate, the bedroom that was so familiar to Qin Huai.
Looking at everything here, Qin Huai could not help but tear up. Fearing that Shen Yuzhi would see, he quickly wiped away his tears and lay on the bed. After the turmoil of the past few days, he was no longer sure what to think of Shen Yuzhi; he did not know why the man would do so much for him. Qin Huai was always afraid: if Shen Yuzhi were to suddenly leave him one day, what would he do?
The scent of Shen Yuzhi was even stronger on the bed, pulling Qin Huai back to reality. He buried his entire face in the pillow, pulled the quilt over himself, and inhaled deeply.
“You sleep first. I will call you when dinner is ready.”
After dropping these words, Shen Yuzhi left, leaving Qin Huai alone in the empty room.