Yan Yi could not resist him, nor did he have the strength left to struggle against an Alpha.
Lu Shangjin’s palm rested against his slightly raised abdomen, moving carefully inch by inch as if afraid of hurting the Omega—or of waking the baby inside. Then suddenly, he felt a faint push against his palm.
Had the baby just kicked him?
The Alpha’s attention was immediately drawn to the spot under his hand. He lowered his head, concentrating as if trying to catch the next movement, hoping to see that little troublemaker stir again.
Yan Yi rarely saw Lu Shangjin look so focused. From this close distance, he could clearly see the tenderness in the Alpha’s slightly reddened eyes.
Lu Shangjin released a calming pheromone. Whether the baby was soothed by it or intimidated by the father’s presence, it soon stopped moving.
“Lu Yan is so well-behaved,” Lu Shangjin said softly, praising the baby.
Yan Yi quietly recalled that name. He had once written it down in a notebook—he remembered crossing it out later and replacing it with “Lu Yuan.”
It was a pity. Back then, he had thought he was only imagining things, longing for a child who had never come.
As he drifted into thought, he was suddenly lifted and placed onto the bed, soft pillows arranged behind his back.
Lu Shangjin sat at the bedside and patiently massaged his slightly swollen calves and feet.
“Baby, when you’re further along in your pregnancy, don’t just run off without saying anything. I worry about both of you,” Lu Shangjin said softly, lowering his gaze and forcing himself not to look at Yan Yi’s ring finger.
Yan Yi noticed his evasive gaze and looked down at his own hand.
“Does it hurt you that much?” he asked. He did not truly want to provoke him, yet the words still came out, almost deliberately.
The hands massaging his legs paused for a moment. Lu Shangjin did not look up and continued massaging his ankle.
“I do,” he said with a strained smile. “I heard removing a tattoo is very painful. Did you cry?”
Yan Yi said nothing, turning his head away. But he did not push him away, nor did he resist further.
“Go to the check-up tomorrow. Sleep early,” Lu Shangjin said, kissing his forehead before leaving to wish him goodnight.
Downstairs, he stood alone in the empty living room in a daze.
On his phone was a photo of Bei Rui Jing’s marriage certificate. His finger brushed over the red cover on the screen as he imagined a home that was not his own: Yan Yi coming to greet him after work, taking the roses and gifts he brought back; sitting at the table to eat even a couple of bites of the food he cooked; offering him a small smile of approval.
He had never felt such envy for a family before.
He sat on the sofa the entire night. The ashtray filled with cigarette butts.
By the time Yan Yi reached four months into the pregnancy, they went to Anfeiya Hospital for a check-up.
Looking at the formed little figure on the imaging screen, Lu Shangjin handed the doctor a card and leaned forward eagerly, asking about the baby’s sex.
The old doctor adjusted his glasses, glanced at him, and pushed the card back.
“Go home and take good care of your wife. Pay attention, and make sure his nutrition is sufficient.”
Yan Yi, sitting nearby, watched him. The calmness he had felt moments ago after seeing the baby turned cold. He asked warily, “So what, if it’s not an Alpha, you don’t want it?”
Lu Shangjin was wronged beyond words. He quickly wrapped an arm around Yan Yi’s shoulder. “Wife, how could I? Alpha status is low enough as it is.”
Yan Yi shook him off.
Ten minutes later, Lu Shangjin returned from the pharmacy with medication. As he turned a corner, he saw Yan Yi sitting on a bench in the lobby, talking to Xia Jing Tian.
They were chatting and laughing. Yan Yi even reached out and patted Xia Jing Tian’s head like an elder doting on a younger one.
Without a genetic bond, Yan Yi would never have fallen in love with him. Ninety-six percent compatibility—still, it was different.
Lu Shangjin thought he would be furious, as he always had been. But instead, a cold emptiness rose in his chest.
He forced himself to look indifferent. If forcibly keeping him only brought pain, then perhaps letting go would preserve a shred of dignity.
He turned to leave.
After only two steps, he turned back—without fully understanding why—and pulled Yan Yi into his arms, asking gently whether he wanted to pick out baby supplies later.
Xia Jing Tian leaned against the wall, smirking lightly. “Relax, bro. I’m not here to steal your partner. This is my hospital.”
Yan Yi gave a faint response and left first.
Lu Shangjin and Yan Yi spent two hours in a baby store. In the soft background music and the sight of other families holding children, Yan Yi carefully selected bibs by the shelf.
He smiled faintly while touching a small rabbit-eared bib. When he looked up, his expression was still soft.
Their eyes met.
Lu Shangjin’s face flushed immediately. He quickly looked away, his heart pounding in confusion.
They returned home with two large bags of baby supplies.
Yan Yi sorted everything neatly on the sofa while watching TV. Behind him, a large figure suddenly pressed close, arms wrapping around his abdomen.
“You look really good today,” Lu Shangjin murmured, kissing the back of his neck.
“What are you doing?” Yan Yi frowned, struggling—but he was pushed onto the sofa instead. The Alpha leaned over carefully, avoiding his abdomen, and kissed his face.
“I missed you…” Lu Shangjin sounded almost out of control. He had only intended to hug him, but the moment had spiraled. Yan Yan was too soft, too beautiful—it was impossible to hold back.
“Get off—!” Yan Yi shoved him away and kicked him hard in the shoulder. “Pervert.”
Lu Shangjin staggered back, holding his injured shoulder. “I just wanted to kiss you… I won’t do anything else, I swear…”
But the door was already shut upstairs.
Later, Lu Shangjin went into the bathroom, locked the door, and reached for suppressant medication—only to find his hand shaking uncontrollably.
He was going into heat and hadn’t even realized it. Good thing he had been pushed away; he was more afraid of hurting Yan Yi than anything else.
Yan Yi, meanwhile, locked himself in the bedroom, hugging the baby clothes. After a long while, he calmed down, then sat at the desk and fiddled with a wrinkled paper crane hanging from the lamp.
He wanted to resist Lu Shangjin’s touch—but he could not stop himself from being moved by him.
Everything Lu Shangjin was doing now… were things he had once promised.
He picked up a pen and, without thinking, traced the familiar English words along the scar on his ring finger.
Then he wiped it off fiercely with a wet tissue, scrubbing until his skin turned red and painful, refusing to leave even a trace.
Twenty-seven years old. He would not love him again.
But in the end, he could not sleep.
At midnight, he quietly got up and went downstairs.
Lu Shangjin’s bedroom door was slightly open. Inside, he was lying on the bed, struggling to open a bottle of water with one hand.
He was shirtless in a sleeveless vest. On his right shoulder were three deep, jagged scars—beneath them, faint bruising and fresh swelling.
Yan Yi frowned at the doorway.
Lu Shangjin startled when he noticed him and quickly covered his shoulder.
“You woke up? I’m fine. Go back to sleep…”
Yan Yi looked at him. “Your shoulder. When did that happen?”
“…Two years ago,” Lu Shangjin lied. “It’s just scars. Nothing serious.”
Yan Yi tossed a bag of bone-healing medicine at him.
“Keep lying.”
Lu Shangjin tried to brush it off, but Yan Yi turned to leave.
His hand was suddenly grabbed.
“Do you care about me?” Lu Shangjin asked hoarsely, pulling him into his lap despite resistance. “You feel sorry for me, don’t you?”
Yan Yi pulled his feet away coldly. “Stop acting. After you got what you wanted, you still think I’ll believe this? I don’t want to be discarded again.”
Lu Shangjin held him tighter despite the pain.
“You’re my wife…” he murmured into his shoulder, voice breaking slightly. “I’m the one who was wrong. You’ve suffered…”
But he knew words alone were not enough.
Yan Yi had never truly felt safe—not even now.