Chapter 79

With a baby growing inside him, everything was suddenly different.

If surgery was still on the table, the child would have to be dealt with first.

Shen Yuan snapped at Qiao Hailou once, then fell silent. Qiao Hailou stopped joking too.

The air grew heavy.

Shen Yuan frowned, his lashes lowered, saying nothing. He sat up and wiped the coupling gel off with a tissue, which meant letting go of Qiao Hailou’s hand. He was trapped in a fog of shock and confusion. To be honest, he felt no real sense that there was a tiny life inside him. His body didn’t feel especially uncomfortable; when he touched his stomach, he couldn’t feel anything at all.

…Was there really a baby in his belly?

Knowing he’d caused a huge mess, Qiao Hailou didn’t dare make a sound. He barely dared to breathe, secretly watching Shen Yuan’s expression and every small movement.

Shen Yuan was lost. Qiao Hailou wasn’t doing much better.

In the past six months or so, his life had been completely turned upside down. Before meeting Shen Yuan, he’d always believed he’d live a wild life and die alone—and that didn’t sound so bad. Indulge himself while he could, and after he died, who cared if the world flooded.

But out of nowhere, he’d run into this little nemesis—immature, clueless, inconsiderate, spoiled to the bone—yet he just couldn’t leave him. He’d willingly lain down in the marriage grave he once scorned, ready to sleep there forever.

But… a child?

He’d written Shen Yuan into his life plan, sure—but children had never been part of it. Even knowing Shen Yuan’s body was a bit special, he’d never imagined it could result in a child. For a moment, all he felt was stunned. His first reaction… was actually a bit of happiness. This was his and Shen Yuan’s child.

Then came guilt and distress. Tricking Shen Yuan into marrying him was one thing. Getting him pregnant—there was no way to justify that.

Most importantly, he couldn’t tell whether Shen Yuan would want this child.

After thinking for a long time, Shen Yuan said to the doctor, “I can’t make a decision right now. Can I go back and think it over carefully?”

The doctor nodded quickly. “Of course, of course. There’s no need to rush. A new life deserves careful consideration.”

Shen Yuan got dressed, looking like he was stewing in anger. Without even glancing at Qiao Hailou, he brushed past him and walked out.

Qiao Hailou froze, then hurried after him. Normally sharp-minded and full of schemes, he was now at a complete loss, scratching his head in panic. This was entirely on him—there was no arguing his way out of it.

Shen Yuan walked fast, as if trying to shake something off.

Chasing him, Qiao Hailou coaxed softly, “Idiot, wait for me.”

Shen Yuan acted like he hadn’t heard a thing, charging forward like a red-eyed calf, wandering aimlessly—clearly not even heading toward the hospital exit.

Qiao Hailou’s heart skipped. He knew Shen Yuan was angry. And who wouldn’t be? Getting his belly knocked up out of nowhere—of course he’d be furious.

Qiao Hailou didn’t dare block him or grab him, but he was terrified Shen Yuan might trip if he walked that fast. He stayed close, gently pleading, “Idiot, slow down. This is my fault, all my fault. Don’t walk so fast… what if you fall? Don’t be mad—let’s talk it through properly and figure this out…”

At last, Shen Yuan stopped. He snapped at Qiao Hailou, “What do you mean, ‘figure this out’? You’re calling the baby in my belly ‘this’? Is that all it is—just ‘a thing’?”

If this were one of their usual arguments, they’d be evenly matched, trading blows. But now Qiao Hailou knew he was in the wrong and didn’t dare raise his voice. He explained carefully, “No, that’s not what I meant. I meant the fact that you’re pregnant—I didn’t mean the baby is ‘a thing’…”

Hearing the word “pregnant” only set Shen Yuan off more. “You’ve got the nerve to say that? This is all your fault!”

His eyes turned red with anger. “You knew how much I hate this! How much I dread this! I don’t want to be treated like a woman, like some kind of freak—and you still made me… made me…”

He couldn’t even bring himself to say the word “pregnant.”

Qiao Hailou knew exactly how sensitive this was for him. Shen Yuan had come in planning to have surgery, to remove the extra reproductive organs—never imagining there was already a little life inside him.

Qiao Hailou felt reluctant, yes, but the one he loved most was Shen Yuan. The embryo was only dear to him by extension. If Shen Yuan truly hated the idea, he would respect his decision. Qiao Hailou said, “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. It’s my fault. I—I didn’t mean to. Idiot, if you really don’t want it, then we won’t keep it.”

That only made Shen Yuan angrier. He lashed out hysterically, “That’s your child! You want to kill it? How can you be so cold-blooded? So heartless? You’re an irresponsible father! I hate fathers who won’t take responsibility for their children!”

Qiao Hailou’s head ached. “That’s not what I said… I just thought—you wouldn’t want it.”

Shen Yuan shot back, “I never said I didn’t want it! When did you ever hear me say that?”

“Then we’ll keep it,” Qiao Hailou said.

Shen Yuan glared at him, deeply wronged. “Of course it’s easy for you to say—you’re not the one with a baby stuffed in your belly. You just toss out a sentence and decide to keep it. I’m the one who has to suffer!”

Qiao Hailou faltered. “Th-then let’s talk it over properly—whether we keep the baby or not.”

Shen Yuan was too overwhelmed. “Stop pushing me!”

He paced in circles on the spot, like a trapped animal that had lost all sense of direction.

Qiao Hailou pulled him into an embrace, soothing him. “Calm down, Shen Yuan. Calm down.”

Finally, Shen Yuan stilled in his arms, clutching his back, sniffling. “I’m so scared… this is all your fault! You disaster of a man, you old bastard, you old pervert, you shameless lecher…”

Qiao Hailou took the abuse obediently. “Yes, yes, yes. Don’t be mad anymore—it’s bad for your health.”

Shen Yuan cried quietly for a while. Qiao Hailou felt his heart shatter. He wished he could go back two months and beat the hell out of his past self. How could he have been such a bastard? Shen Yuan already had so many hang-ups about his body. He was still so young, barely more than a kid—and Qiao Hailou had gone and gotten him pregnant.

Shen Yuan wiped his tears without ceremony on Qiao Hailou’s expensive clothes. Finally calming down, he sniffed and looked up at him, eyes rimmed red. “Let’s do some tests. Check if the baby is healthy. If it’s not healthy, we won’t keep it. If it is, then we’ll discuss it again.”

“I’ll listen to you,” Qiao Hailou said. “If you want it, we’ll keep it. If you don’t, we won’t.”

Shen Yuan glared at him. “You’re half responsible for creating this thing. You can’t dump all the responsibility on me—that puts all the pressure on me alone!”

Only then did Qiao Hailou realize. He hurried to say, “Right, right, I’ll take responsibility, of course I will. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself… If you’re angry, take it out on me, okay? Don’t bottle it up.”

Shen Yuan couldn’t be bothered to scold him anymore.

Qiao Hailou ran around, taking Shen Yuan for all the necessary tests. A man getting prenatal exams was unusual—the nurse initially thought there’d been a mistake and wouldn’t let them register. Qiao Hailou had to bring Dr. Hayward over to help. After a whole afternoon of running around, they finally finished every test.

As Shen Yuan calmed down, Qiao Hailou became overly nervous instead. Even walking down a single step, he kept an eye on Shen Yuan’s footing, afraid he might fall.

Worried, Shen Yuan said, “I didn’t even know. These days I’ve been running around, jumping, soaking in hot springs, drinking cooling herbal teas… What if the baby was fine at first, but I messed him up?”

“Spit it out!” Qiao Hailou snapped. “The results aren’t even out yet—don’t say things like that.”

“I don’t want to, I’m just preparing myself mentally,” Shen Yuan said gloomily. “I’ve had terrible luck my whole life. Nothing ever goes smoothly. I just wanted to have a surgery, and this happens… I really don’t know what to do.”

Qiao Hailou was frantic, helpless. All he could do was hold Shen Yuan and comfort him. No matter what, it felt wrong.

Right now, Qiao Hailou hated himself.

Before the doctors got off work, the report came back—

The baby was healthy. Genetic screening showed no problems. As for whether the arms and legs were fully formed, it was too early to tell.

The two newly minted dads both let out a sigh of relief—and then felt even more troubled.

Since the baby appeared healthy, keeping it became a real option. But they could still choose not to.

Holding Shen Yuan’s hand, Qiao Hailou said, “No rush. Let’s go back and think it through carefully.”

Shen Yuan snapped, “Do you really need to tell me that? Do you think I’m stupid? Of course I can’t just decide on a whim. I need to think it over properly before making a decision.”

“Right, right,” Qiao Hailou agreed.

He escorted Shen Yuan back to the hotel.

After dinner, they showered one after the other. They’d spent the whole day at the hospital and didn’t want to bring any germs back. Normally, the two of them were always bickering, but now they were both weighed down by the question of the baby. Neither had the mood to argue; from the moment they left the hospital, neither said a word.

Qiao Hailou let Shen Yuan shower first, then went himself. When he came out, he saw Shen Yuan lying on the bed, silently crying. Qiao Hailou was so startled his hands and feet went cold. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Calmly, Shen Yuan said, “When I was little, I really hated my mom. I hated that she was irresponsible—that she chased her dreams and didn’t even want her own child. She dumped me on Shen Xuanwen, then tossed me to my grandpa.”

Qiao Hailou said nothing.

He sat down beside him.

Tears kept pouring from Shen Yuan’s eyes. “What should I do now? I’ve already gotten my acceptance letter. I want to go to school—but I don’t want to be the kind of parent who abandons their own child.”

“I want this child—this child who shares my blood.”

“But if I go to school, even if I give birth to him, I won’t be able to stay by his side, watch him grow up, take care of him.”

“Wouldn’t that make me just like my mom?”

“But I can’t give up my dreams either. I worked so hard for so many years—I can’t just throw it all away.”

Qiao Hailou sighed. “You silly kid.”

Shen Yuan reflexively shot back through his tears, “You’re the silly one.”

Qiao Hailou held his hand and wiped his tears with a tissue. “What’s there to cry about? You think you can’t have both the fish and the bear’s paw—that’s not true. You can have both. Your situation isn’t the same as your mom’s. Shen Xuanwen is a piece of trash—do you think I am?”

“You think studying and staying with your child can’t be balanced—but that’s only if I don’t cooperate. Why can’t I take the child and stay with you while you study? You focus on school; I’ll take care of the baby. Problem solved. Tell me—aren’t you silly?”