Cheng Xiang: “???”
He picked up the phone, double-checked, and confirmed that it really was Shen Jiyuan calling. Was his hearing playing tricks on him? Otherwise, how could he have heard Shen Jiyuan say—
The voice on the other end: “You didn’t hear wrong. Don’t make me say it a second time.”
Cheng Xiang: “Shen Jiyuan, are you out of your mind?”
The world had clearly flipped upside down. Shen Jiyuan was calling in the middle of the night to ask for contraceptive pills.
Cheng Xiang was very confident in his own mental stability.
That meant Shen Jiyuan’s mental state must be the one that was off.
What could have triggered him? Some delayed shock from four years ago finally catching up, causing him to lose his mind today?
His astonishment was genuine and heartfelt.
Shen Jiyuan: “……”
Cheng Xiang was his only doctor friend and one of the few who knew about the events from four years ago. Even if he wasn’t emotionally or intellectually tactful and tended to make a fuss, Shen Jiyuan had to endure it.
Shen Jiyuan remained silent. After a few seconds, Cheng Xiang seemed to realize he was serious. His voice shifted from shock to disbelief. “You’re joking, right?”
“Contraceptives that prevent men from getting pregnant—do you really think that’s reasonable?”
Shen Jiyuan’s voice was low, calm: “If it’s possible for men to get pregnant, why can’t it be prevented?”
Cheng Xiang: “??”
Cheng Xiang: “Wait, bro?”
At that moment, Cheng Xiang was struck, finally understanding Shen Jiyuan’s mindset from four years ago.
Because he now felt like he himself should go see a psychiatrist.
Cheng Xiang’s confusion was overwhelming, and he didn’t even know where to start asking questions. His thoughts tangled, and finally, only one sentence came out:
“You… my dad used to always praise you for being chaste and self-disciplined.”
Back when they were students, Shen Jiyuan had always been the model child praised by their parents: calm, disciplined, no fights, no early romances, never bringing anything home except trophies.
Who would have thought? Shen Jiyuan had gone straight and… fathered a child! And now, judging by what he just said, he was worried about having another one?
Shen Jiyuan was truly the most outrageous among their circle! Calm and seemingly abstinent on the surface, but secretly burning with desire.
“……What exactly is going on in your head?” Shen Jiyuan ground his teeth and spoke low after a long pause: “Stop imagining things. She’s the only one for me.”
“From four years ago until now, it’s always been her.”
Fuming, he emphasized again: “I haven’t been messing around!”
“Shen Jiyuan, are you sane? You’re still with her?”
Cheng Xiang was completely confused. Shen Jiyuan had always been vague about the events from four years ago, so Cheng Xiang still didn’t fully understand what had happened back then. But one thing was clear:
Shen Jiyuan had gone abroad alone, had the child alone. At the hardest time in his life, the other person had abandoned him entirely.
“The situation back then was complicated. It can’t be explained in a sentence or two. Anyway, I also had my faults…”
“If she were really a good person, would she have left you to raise Shen Shu alone? Would she ignore you completely?”
Shen Jiyuan’s voice grew cold enough to freeze ice: “She’s not what you think. We’re about to be together.”
Cheng Xiang could speak, and Shen Jiyuan wouldn’t get angry—but if Cheng Xiang criticized Shi Qing, Shen Jiyuan couldn’t tolerate it. He hadn’t even met Shi Qing in person—how could Cheng Xiang know how exceptional she was?
And he didn’t even know how gentle she had been to him.
Over the past six months, Shi Qing had also helped care for Shen Shu, assisted him in countless ways. It was only after being with Shi Qing that he truly understood what happiness was.
Cheng Xiang could only laugh at how frustrated he was.
He couldn’t believe his longtime friend Shen Jiyuan, who had been so abstinent and calm, was actually such a hopeless romantic. Maybe he had been too naive about relationships from being removed from the world for so long.
Cheng Xiang didn’t want to say anything more, leaving only one remark that was half-mockery, half-blessing:
“Remember to send me an invitation when you get married.”
Shen Jiyuan quickly emphasized before Cheng Xiang could hang up in anger:
“Don’t forget the pills. I’ll come get them tomorrow.”
The line went silent—Cheng Xiang had hung up. Shen Jiyuan held the phone, exhaled deeply, and pressed it to his forehead.
The disapproval of a longtime friend cast a shadow over his heart.
In truth, if he stepped outside himself and considered it from Cheng Xiang’s perspective, he knew full well how baffling his actions must have seemed.
But he and Shi Qing had maintained this relationship for half a year, and Shi Qing had never once discussed the future with him.
She never talked about marriage, never asked about Shen Shu’s mother, and even when rumors circulated between their two companies, she never confirmed their relationship.
She had never publicly announced that he was her lover.
So what exactly were they now?
Lovers?
Shi Qing’s attitude had always been ambiguous, her thoughts as deep as the sea. Shen Jiyuan found it impossible to figure her out.
This awkward, undefined status gave him a hidden anxiety. In this relationship, he had always been pushed along; now that Shi Qing wasn’t moving forward, he didn’t know how to take initiative.
He could confirm that she liked him, but would she marry him? Or did she just want to maintain this underground relationship?
After Cheng Xiang’s cold words, Shen Jiyuan suddenly felt unsettled, unsure of himself.
Shen Jiyuan was a very traditional man.
Unlike some of the wealthy couples whose marriages were only appearances, his parents had always been loving and faithful. There had never been a third party in their relationship.
Shen Jiyuan had grown up in such an environment, where family and marriage were highly valued.
Once he could no longer ignore his feelings for Shi Qing, he seriously considered marriage and how to break the current stalemate.
He was not someone skilled at expressing himself; telling Shi Qing directly how he felt was harder than reaching the sky.
Perhaps, he thought, he didn’t need to say anything—just showing a little sincerity might be enough for Shi Qing to cross that boundary.
Shen Jiyuan wasn’t clueless.
Four years ago, there had already been a night like that. He knew that what could happen between him and Shi Qing was more than just what they had now.
It was precisely because Shi Qing had kept her promises and cherished him that they had never gone all the way.
As mentioned before, Shen Jiyuan was a very traditional man.
He naively believed that once a true connection had been established, their relationship would inevitably change.
At this point, he had completely abandoned any pointless pride from the past. In front of Shi Qing, he only wanted to earn a promise eagerly, to step into a new chapter of life.
Shen Jiyuan knew his body attracted Shi Qing, and he was willing to endure… once again.
As long as he showed his intention, Shi Qing certainly wouldn’t refuse.
Shen Jiyuan forcibly pushed aside the unease in his heart.
The next day, he put on a mask and sunglasses early and went to Cheng Xiang’s hospital to get the medicine he wanted.
But although he went in such a hurry, he waited a whole week before finally deciding to use it.
Summoning his courage, he casually invited Shi Qing to dinner.
Once their relationship had grown familiar, they often went out to eat together, so this invitation didn’t seem abrupt, and indeed, Shi Qing didn’t refuse.
Before leaving, Shen Jiyuan spent a long time picking out his clothes and perfume, meticulously grooming himself, then clipped a pill and placed it in his shirt pocket.
A small pill, yet it weighed heavily on his heart, making it almost impossible to take a step forward. Thinking about what would happen in a few hours made it hard for him to breathe.
This time, Shi Qing would treat him gently, right?
With a heart full of anxiety and hope, he arrived at the restaurant.
But things did not unfold as he had imagined.
The weather was getting cooler. Shi Qing wore a pure white long coat, her long black hair like a cascading waterfall, and every gesture of hers dazzled Shen Jiyuan, making it impossible for him to look away.
“Did you dress up specially today?” Shi Qing smiled as she studied him after sitting down. “This brooch—did I give it to you? And you changed your perfume too. Smells nice.”
His subtle attempt at appearing casual had been effortlessly seen through. Shen Jiyuan’s face slowly flushed, and Shi Qing’s casual praise made him panic.
“What’s the occasion that you dressed so well?”
She had noticed!
Shen Jiyuan’s heart jumped. He kept adjusting his glasses, trying to hide his flustered state.
He tried to speak calmly: “Men shouldn’t be praised with ‘pretty.’”
Shi Qing just looked at him with a smile.
Under her gaze, Shen Jiyuan’s eyes grew moist, long lashes drooping, heart racing. He began thinking about tonight again.
How could he word things to subtly show he was willing?
He didn’t want to appear too eager; if he took the initiative, it would be too shameful.
Ideally, Shi Qing would understand his intention, “force” him just a little, and he could resist slightly. That way, things would proceed naturally, and he could later remember it without feeling like a desperate playboy.
Shen Jiyuan always hoped that, at least in Shi Qing’s eyes, he appeared dignified and virtuous—not so easily attainable.
He gripped his coffee cup tightly, glancing at Shi Qing, searching for an opportunity.
However, while he hesitated, Shi Qing’s phone suddenly rang.
After answering the call, a faint apologetic expression appeared on her delicate face. “There’s an urgent matter at work. I have to go first.”
She added: “I ordered the dishes you like. Eat them before going back. Don’t skip meals—you’ll feel bad again.”
Shen Jiyuan watched her retreating figure disappear out the restaurant door, feeling a wave of confusion in his heart.