Chapter 87
Lu Wanqing looked up, his gaze following Shu Ci.
The person in his line of sight walked back and forth on the carpet barefoot, drank a glass of water, and walked into the bathroom to dry his hair.
He knew Shu Ci’s habits; he didn’t like wearing slippers at home.
Because he hated rain, he also hated the feeling of wet hair. After a shower, he always wanted to dry it immediately.
Under his arrangement, the fireplace at home burned hot, and he had chosen the most comfortable brand of carpet so he could watch him do what he liked freely with peace of mind.
Only when those fair calves disappeared into the corridor leading to the bathroom did Lu Wanqing dial Cui You’s number.
“Old Lu.” Cui You’s voice lacked its usual playboy nonchalance, yet due to the tremor at the end, it hadn’t become completely steady either.
Lu Wanqing looked at the falling snow outside the window. “Is he okay?”
He vaguely knew that after Shen Ti proposed a divorce, Cui You hadn’t actively sought him out. If Shen Ti had found out about the pregnancy himself, he likely wouldn’t have volunteered the information, nor would he have messaged Shu Ci so cryptically.
“He fainted when I met him in the parking lot. I don’t know if there are specific issues yet; he’s undergoing checks now.”
Cui You was blocked outside the examination room, feeling incredibly remorseful.
“If I had known, I would have pestered him relentlessly these past few days, no matter what. I would have even shamelessly moved into the Shen house.”
Lu Wanqing thought about Shen Lin’s personality and couldn’t immediately say if that plan was feasible.
“Shen Ti asked Shu Ci for a sum of money.” Lu Wanqing didn’t waste words, cutting straight to the point. “I guess it’s to pay for your examination fees today.”
“What do you mean?” Cui You asked blankly.
“I don’t know if you are aware of his financial situation, but it seems that during Shen Lin’s campaign, for many special media relations and visits between various families, he likely invested all his personal connections and funds.”
Elections weren’t just about Shen Lin’s eloquence and image; chains of interest and economic support were the bedrock of a large portion of the votes and public opinion.
The Shen-Cui marriage alliance should have had the Cui family contributing this part for Shen Lin. Unknowingly, Shen Ti had taken it all upon himself.
The Cui family’s disdain for his abilities and complaints about his career were stubbornly rebutted by Shen Ti in this manner, without making a public scene.
And Cui You, troubled by various missions, had no opportunity to learn about this.
“He…” Cui You was stunned, his heart wrenching in pain. “Does he not even have money to see a doctor anymore? No, does he have to calculate things so clearly with me now?”
Lu Wanqing rarely interfered in his subordinates’ private matters, but considering Cui You was possibly the only reference for his own married life, he had to get serious.
“Do you think the Shen family wouldn’t give him money? His pride is just there; he’s unwilling to use it. Borrowing from Shu Ci is simply because the operation of the jewelry company they partnered in is currently under Shu Ci’s name, so it counts as using his own money.”
The sound of the hair dryer in the bathroom was very loud, but Lu Wanqing was still cautious, lowering his voice.
“Do you remember what Shu Ci said to choke you in the base cafeteria?”
Cui You: “…”
Only you remember Shu Ci’s words clearly, sir. Cui You didn’t dare say this out loud.
“Because of this marriage of yours, Shen Ti, like all Omegas, had to give up his life and pride.”
Whether it was the freedom Shu Ci wanted or the lifestyle he preferred, Lu Wanqing knew exactly what he desired.
He knew too well how dull and boring a life bound by senseless rules was, so he spared no effort to let Shu Ci do the things he liked.
It seemed not everyone was like him.
“He just wanted to find a bit of his own life, to regain his pride, yet he gets disliked and blamed by your family. Do you think that’s appropriate?”
Lu Wanqing paused. “Don’t be silent. Speak.”
The last two cold words made Cui You shiver, thinking he was back on the training ground. He instinctively clicked his heels together.
“Report! …Not appropriate.”
Shen Ti’s tenderness toward him was because he met his compatibility requirements; his dignity and grace toward his family were for the sake of the alliance.
But how could the Shen family lack pride?
He had blindly enjoyed the gentle comfort of home, forgetting that his partner was also a flesh-and-blood human, forgetting that everyone’s tolerance has a limit.
“Although it seems strange coming from me, but—Cui You, if you don’t have the right to voice an opinion in the Cui family, if you don’t have the courage to back him up and criticize your family for their wrongdoings, what good is it even if you shamelessly stick to his side?”
“The grievance Shen Ti feels isn’t just from you. Your apology and guilt alone cannot fill the bitterness he feels.”
Cui You opened his mouth but said nothing.
They often joked privately that Lu Wanqing was cold and boring, unable to even make small talk.
He never expected him to speak about domestic affairs with such deafening clarity, like a military briefing.
The doctor from the examination room pushed the door open. Cui You was about to step in to see Shen Ti when he saw Shen Ti meet his gaze and turn away.
His eyes darkened.
“Boss.” He looked at the tired and thin figure in the room, unconsciously calling him like Yu Xingxing did, as if seeking support.
“What should I do?”
On Lu Wanqing’s end, Shu Ci had finished drying his hair. He walked over with slow, swaying steps, pointed at his headset, and mouthed—
Do I need to leave?
Lu Wanqing shook his head, extended his long arm, and pulled him in. The bath towel in front of him slipped down a bit.
Shu Ci pressed his whole body into his embrace.
“It depends on how long you want to rely on your family,” Lu Wanqing closed the curtains, blocking the chill from the window frame for Shu Ci.
“I trained you so hard and let you undertake missions independently because I hoped you could shed the identity pushed upon you by your family. If you want to remain protected under the family’s wings forever, don’t think about the future.”
Shen Ti had the ability to work and raise himself and the child; he didn’t need to look at the Cui family’s expression. Conversely, the more Cui You relied on his family, the lower his status in the Cui family would be, and the more Shen Ti would have to compromise.
With Shu Ci beside him, he didn’t speak too plainly, intending to let Cui You realize it himself.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the call ended, he met that person’s sparkling eyes. “Something happened to Cui You, right?”
Lu Wanqing gently kissed the corner of his mouth.
“Not Cui You, it’s Shen Ti.” He had promised not to hide anything from him, and that went double for other people’s business. “Shen Ti is pregnant.”
???
Shu Ci’s eyes widened, his brain crashing for a moment. But he quickly figured out the purpose of that text message.
“He probably didn’t want his issues to affect me, so he didn’t say it directly.” Shu Ci sighed. “I’d better tell Shen Lin.”
He was concise: [Ah Ti is pregnant, and he’s short of money because of you. Brother-in-law, take good care of him!]
Shen Lin replied quickly: [Don’t worry, I’ve arranged people.]
[I won’t let him go with the Cui family at a time like this.]
The situation was dangerous, especially in his position.
He had already lost his closest loved ones; he would not allow anyone to use this child as a means to threaten him.
“It looks like if Cui You wants to see Ah Ti in the future, he’ll have to go to the Shen ancestral home.” Shu Ci relaxed, turning to look at Lu Wanqing’s deep gaze.
“By the way, why are you suddenly so invested in him? I thought you weren’t like Marshal He, getting involved in other people’s lives.”
Lu Wanqing shook his head and stopped Shu Ci’s words with a kiss.
After they bared their hearts on Dragon Spine Island, Shu Ci had told him a lot about his original life.
Learning that nurturing life was not his duty there, Lu Wanqing’s obsession with compatibility ratings had actually lessened significantly.
To Shu Ci, he was an intruder from outside. To blend in, he tried hard to play the role of an Omega, but Lu Wanqing couldn’t force him to violate his established values to accept a completely new maternal identity.
Granted, marking, knotting, and conception were the clearest and most direct ways to declare sovereignty, embody possession, and announce their relationship.
But did they really need to use these methods to prove their attraction and love?
He didn’t know.
He didn’t want Shu Ci to be hurt, nor did he want him to forcibly accept an identity against his worldview. So even if relief was difficult, he was willing to endure it for him.
At least this endurance was much better than the despairing suppression from before.
He could hug, could kiss, could feel the beating of his heart against his own. Perhaps that was enough.
Enough?
Clearly, it wasn’t.
“Lu Wanqing, get the f*ck out here.”
Shu Ci opened his eyes to see an empty bed. He almost immediately rolled out, followed the fluctuations of aura, and walked familiarly to the wardrobe in the guest bedroom.
“Count it yourself. How many times is it this month?”
In the half-month since arriving in the Seventh District, aside from eating, drinking, playing, and occasionally going out for business, they had been inseparable at home.
Within this month, Shen Lin had won the election.
Shen Ti quickly adjusted his state. After the campaign support team disbanded, he handed over his work and took over as Vice President of the Shen Group, managing marketing and PR while resting for the pregnancy.
Gu Yan, Gu Chuang, and Chen Gui were sentenced to death and life imprisonment in the first instance by the Supreme Court. They were about to reunite as a father-son group behind bars.
And Lu Wanqing, repeatedly taking advantage of when Shu Ci was asleep, locked himself in the closet in the middle of the night.
A full seven times.
Shu Ci couldn’t understand it. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the closet door and released a wisp of pheromones inside to seduce him.
Inside the closet was the sound of an Alpha thrashing violently.
Outside the closet was his coaxing tone: “Do you want it? Come out if you want it.”
There were many closets in this house, and Lu Wanqing hid in a different place almost every time, but he always took several pieces of Shu Ci’s clothing in with him.
When he came out, those shredded scraps of fabric were unpresentable.
The Alpha’s suppressed desire was evident.
“I have no clothes left to wear. Leave me at least one pair of damn pants!!!”
Shu Ci gritted his teeth and pulled open the closet door, seeing Lu Wanqing with scarlet eyes, crouching inside, muscles taut.
That appearance was like someone going through withdrawal, desperate and broken.
Shu Ci’s heart ached looking at him.
He squatted down, unbuttoned his collar, and exposed the back of his neck.
“Want to try? Lu Wanqing, I’m not afraid of death.”
I just don’t want you to suffer in hell alone.
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