Chapter 16

After lowering his pants to his hips, Pei Siyue tapped Ruan Shuyang’s ribs with his finger. “Pull your top up to here.”

Blushing, Ruan Shuyang pulled his shirt up to his ribs, revealing a sliver of pale, delicate waistline.

Ruan Shuyang was very slim, his waist barely more than a thin layer of skin. When he lay down, his skin clung to his body, faintly revealing the outline of his ribs.

A large expanse of smooth, pale skin was exposed, looking more tempting than a sweet cream puff.

Pei Siyue swallowed, his voice unconsciously lowering. “Bear with it.”

Then Ruan Shuyang felt something cool and slippery drip onto his stomach. His previous ultrasound experience told him this was coupling gel, essential for the procedure—without it, the probe wouldn’t provide a clear image.

After applying the gel, the probe pressed against Ruan Shuyang’s abdomen. Pei Siyue sat intently before the machine, the screen’s cold light illuminating his face. The sharp, perfect contours of his profile made him appear exceptionally stern.

Ruan Shuyang watched for a moment before turning away, his heartbeat inexplicably quickening.

After a moment, Pei Siyue rose from the screen, retrieved several tissues from nearby, and placed them on Ruan Shuyang’s abdomen.

“No urine. Can’t see anything.”

Urine?

Ruan Shuyang froze, belatedly recalling that during his last ultrasound, there had been urine present. He’d even used the restroom afterward.

He’d deliberately cut back on fluids since the afternoon for tonight’s dinner, worried about bathroom breaks, and had gone before leaving. Now, his bladder was indeed empty.

He asked foolishly, “Then… what should we do?”

Pei Siyue stood by the bed, looking down at him. After a moment, he offered no explanation but leaned forward gently to wipe his belly.

Only then did Ruan Shuyang remember he’d forgotten to wipe his stomach. His face flushed even redder as he fumbled for tissues, stammering, “I… I forgot earlier. I can do it myself.”

“It’s fine,” Pei Siyue simply said. “You can’t see it.”

As he wiped his stomach, Pei Siyue added, “You can either hold it in or get an intra-cavity ultrasound.”

Ruan Shuyang was confused. “What’s an intra-cavity ultrasound?”

Pei Siyue looked at him, his gaze deepening. “Prone position. Insertion.”

Prone position?

Ruan Shuyang mentally pictured it—something like bending over?

His fair face flushed even redder. There was no way he could assume that posture in front of Pei Siyue.

“I’ll just hold it in.”

“Alright. Sit up first.”

Pei Siyue tossed the used tissue into the trash, instructed someone to bring water, and when he looked up again, Ruan Shuyang was already sitting on the bed, his clothes covering his stomach once more.

It also concealed that slender, pale stretch of waist.

A few minutes later, Jiang Wu knocked and brought in the items. Ruan Shuyang saw a black box and a large glass bottle filled with water.

Pei Siyue gestured for Ruan Shuyang to sit at the desk opposite him and placed the water in front of him.

“To hold your urine, you need to drink a sufficient amount of water quickly, then wait thirty minutes to an hour.”

Ruan Shuyang eyed the enormous bottle of water, worried it might burst his stomach if he drank it all. But for the sake of the ultrasound treatment, he obediently drank it down.

The water was truly immense. By the end, he felt so bloated he nearly burst. Setting the glass bottle down, he clutched his mouth, afraid the water might surge back up.

After finishing the water, he sat down on the chair with difficulty, feeling his stomach stretched round.

Pei Siyue looked at his lips—now exceptionally soft and moist, a pale pink—and his large eyes, glistening with moisture as if from the discomfort of being so full. His usually cool voice took on a hoarse edge: “If sitting is uncomfortable, you can lie down on the bed.”

Ruan Shuyang shook his head. “No need.”

It wasn’t unbearable, just a bit too full. Plus, whether it was because he’d seen Pei Siyue or not, the sour ache in his stomach seemed a bit more intense than it had been during the day. Still, it was tolerable.

Seeing this, Pei Siyue didn’t try to dissuade him. Instead, he pushed the black box toward Ruan Shuyang.

“I prepared this for you.”

Ruan Shuyang opened the box and saw inside the various suppressants, barrier patches, and blocking sprays Pei Siyue had mentioned last time. He said “Thanks” and accepted them.

Then he heard Pei Siyue ask, “From yesterday until now, besides the stomachache, has anything else felt different from usual?”

“Nothing else.” Ruan Shuyang replied, then seemed to remember something. Immediately flushing with embarrassment, he whispered, “You can’t keep asking me about the Mark’s sensations.”

After he spoke, he heard Pei Siyue’s low chuckle.

Pei Siyue, seated across from him, looked at him with a faint smile. His voice softened as he soothed, “I won’t ask.”

Pei Siyue paused before adding, “Don’t be upset.”

Ruan Shuyang felt like he was being treated like a child, which made him a bit embarrassed. He lowered his head and murmured, “When you ask those things, I… I find it hard to answer…”

It was just so embarrassing.

Pei Siyue agreed, “Alright, I won’t ask now.”

Just not now. He hadn’t said he wouldn’t ask later.

But Ruan Shuyang clearly didn’t catch the hidden meaning in those words.

The situation was extremely strange. He had come to the banquet with Pei Siming, but Pei Siming had vanished without a trace. He ended up on the third floor getting examined alongside Pei Siyue.

Ruan Shuyang pondered for several minutes, unconsciously shifting his body before freezing in place.

It had been twenty minutes since he drank the water.

He… felt it coming.

His lower abdomen slowly swelled as the water rapidly filled his bladder. Now, any movement made him feel liquid sloshing inside.

He dared not move, afraid of leaking.

Another ten minutes passed. It felt like a water balloon inside his stomach, now fully inflated. Every movement caused it to slosh around, making him worry it might burst at any moment.

He was struggling to hold it in. He tried to discuss it with Pei Siyue: “I think I’ve reached my limit.”

As he spoke, he shifted his hips uncomfortably, unaware that his movements had been noticed by someone across from him.

Seeing Ruan Shuyang unconsciously squirming in his chair, Pei Siyue knew the time was nearly right. Still, he stood up, walked over to Ruan Shuyang, and whispered, “Let me take a look.”

Look? How exactly?

Ruan Shuyang froze, unable to react, before feeling Pei Siyue’s hand gently press against his lower abdomen.

“Ugh—”

Ruan Shuyang whimpered softly in discomfort.

How… how cruel. How could he press there?

Ruan Shuyang felt utterly humiliated.

Pei Siyue withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened, simply saying, “Should be fine now. Lie down on the bed.”

Ruan Shuyang lay back down on the bed. This position wasn’t easy for him, especially with the water balloon fully inflated.

Lying flat put even more pressure on his lower abdomen, making him so uncomfortable his eyes reddened.

To speed things up, he proactively lifted his shirt and pulled down his pants, waiting for Pei Siyue to squeeze out the coupling agent.

Probably from the discomfort, Ruan Shuyang’s eyes were red-rimmed, a damp mist gathering in his large, clear eyes. A few strands of hair clung to his pale cheek, his expression utterly pitiful.

Pei Siyue looked down for a few seconds, noticing the faint scent of lily of the valley beginning to fill the room, stirring a restless feeling.

He dripped the coupling agent onto Ruan Shuyang’s slender belly once more, murmuring, “Bear with it.”

This time, endurance was truly required. When the probe pressed against the watery bulge, Ruan Shuyang closed his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed, enduring the strange sensation of the probe sliding back and forth. By the end, he couldn’t hold back any longer and whispered, “Is it done yet?”

He was nearly bursting.

Pei Siyue studied the screen for another moment before mercifully declaring, “We’re done.”

This time, Ruan Shuyang grabbed tissues from the bedside table himself and wiped himself off quickly. After pulling his pants back on, he looked at Pei Siyue, hesitating to speak.

Pei Siyue pointed to a door behind him. “There’s a bathroom in the break room.”

Ruan Shuyang dashed to the restroom in the lounge, flushed the toilet, and exhaled in relief. After washing his hands, he emerged from the bathroom and returned to the lounge.

When he’d rushed in earlier, he’d been in a hurry. After finishing up and stepping out of the bathroom into the lounge, he sensed the lingering pheromones. Only then did it dawn on him that this seemed to be Pei Siyue’s private lounge—there were no other pheromones present.

The bathroom he’d just used also appeared to belong to Pei Siyue.

His face flushed as he walked out, trying his best not to show his embarrassment.

After stepping out, Pei Siyue beckoned him over, pulling out a chair beside him and gesturing for him to sit.

Once seated, Ruan Shuyang heard Pei Siyue tell him, “It’s likely due to the pheromone stimulation. Your reproductive cavity is developing, and this growth comes with normal developmental pains. It’s like the leg pain you felt during your second growth spurt—just normal growing pains.”

Relieved to hear it was normal, Ruan Shuyang whispered, “Thank you, Mr. Pei.”

Pei Siyue shut down the computer and equipment, asking him, “Is it very painful?”

Ruan Shuyang: “A little, but it’s manageable.”

Being near Pei Siyue meant his body was inevitably affected by the other’s pheromones. The pain felt slightly more intense than during the day, though it remained bearable.

Pei Siyue placed his hand on Ruan Shuyang’s lower abdomen, his voice soft and gentle. “Let me warm it for you.” ”

Ruan Shuyang froze, about to refuse, but Pei Siyue’s hand was already on his lower abdomen.

Pei Siyue’s hand was warm. Placed on Ruan Shuyang’s belly—exposed to the air and coated with the cool coupling agent—it gently massaged him. The sensation was so comforting it made refusal impossible.

Ruan Shuyang heard Pei Siyue continue, “There isn’t a perfect solution for normal growing pains. If it hurts too much, you can consider taking painkillers. If you can tolerate it, heat packs or gentle massage are usually used for relief.”

He noticed Pei Siyue’s movements grew firmer as he massaged his stomach. The gentle pressure and the warmth radiating from his palm truly felt soothing.

“It’s not too painful,” he murmured softly. “No need for painkillers.”

“Alright,” Pei Siyue replied. “Then I’ll just massage it.”

He spoke patiently as he massaged Ruan Shuyang’s stomach.

Ruan Shuyang felt a slight sting in his nose.

Since his mother passed away, this was the first time someone had cared for him so thoughtfully, massaging his stomach without complaint.

No matter what Pei Siming said about Pei Siyue, no matter if Pei Siyue had done things that embarrassed or annoyed him, he truly believed Pei Siyue was a very, very good person.