Although Song Li’s constitution was not particularly strong, it could by no means be called frail; from childhood to adulthood, he had rarely even visited a hospital. Therefore, directly collapsing to the ground like this time was truly considered very serious for him.
Perhaps because he had been groggily dreaming the entire time, he was unconscious, and they were all nightmares about suddenly being diagnosed with some terminal illness, Song Li woke up drenched in a cold sweat. His first reaction was to ask the person beside him what was wrong with him.
His own hand was gripped by a large palm, and someone was gently comforting him by his ear, “You’re fine, don’t be nervous.”
Song Li gasped for breath. The piercing whiteness of his surroundings made him blink uncomfortably. When he opened his eyes again, he finally noticed who the person beside him was, and spoke with some surprise, “He Muyan?”
He Muyan leaned over to look at him with one hand gently stroking his hair, his gaze could almost be described as gentle as water.
“It’s me.”
Song Li was frightened out of his wits; he must still be in a dream; otherwise, how could he possibly see He Muyan showing such a mushy expression.
He reached out and slapped his own face hard; it hurt so much, it wasn’t a dream!
He Muyan caught his hand to stop him from moving around, his tone helpless yet doting, “What nonsense are you up to?”
He wasn’t up to any nonsense; the one up to nonsense is you, President He!
Song Li blinked frantically, wanting to see clearly what kind of monster had possessed President He; otherwise, how could he be so disgusting and mushy? Quickly return his ice-cold, wickedly charming, and wild President He!
“Y-You, y-you, I-what happened to me?”
“You suddenly fainted at school; it was your colleague who sent you here.”
Fainted? Song Li recalled a bit of his memory before fainting; he seemed to have suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous, dry heaving in the restroom for a long time, and then his eyes went black and he completely lost consciousness.
Looking up at the person beside the bed, he realized that he had been too shocked just now to properly take a good look at him. Now that he scrutinized him closely, he discovered that He Muyan seemed very exhausted. His complexion wasn’t very good, there was actually a ring of stubble on his chin, and he looked entirely travel-worn.
“Aren’t you still on a business trip abroad? Why did you suddenly come back?”
He Muyan touched his cheek, the slap Song Li had given himself just now already had a mark surfacing, “The matters were handled quite smoothly. The plane ticket had originally been booked for tomorrow morning, but last night, your colleague, Teacher Xu, suddenly called me using your phone and said that you had fainted at school. I didn’t think twice and immediately had Li Xiu change the flight.”
Although He Muyan spoke of it lightly, one could easily imagine that there must have been a whole ordeal in between. Looking at him apologetically, Song Li said, “I’m fine, maybe I just haven’t rested well lately. You didn’t need to go through so much trouble specifically for this.”
He Muyan shook his head instead, “On the contrary, I am very glad I rushed back in time.”
Song Li’s heart skipped a beat, and he asked subconsciously, “W-What’s wrong? Is there something wrong with my body?”
He Muyan’s hand, which had been caressing him, paused for a moment. He smiled and said, “There is a problem, but it’s not a bad one, it’s a good one.”
What does he mean by good problem and bad problem? Song Li had no idea what kind of tongue-twister He Muyan was uttering. Just hearing the words “there is a problem” almost made his heart stop, and he looked up at him with a pale face.
“Y-You should just tell me straight. At my age, my psychological endurance is still decent. Speak up, I can bear whatever cancer it is.”
He Muyan looked at him inexplicably, “What cancer?”
Seeing his reaction, Song Li let out a sigh of relief, “It’s not cancer? Well, that’s good, that’s good. As long as it’s not cancer, there’s still hope.”
Hearing clearly what he was murmuring, He Muyan felt a bit helpless. His large hand gently caressed the spot where his stomach was beneath the quilt. “Rest assured, it’s not an illness. But you might be scared when you hear it, so I don’t know how to tell you.”
His stroking motion was too gentle and cautious. Song Li felt that it must be a symptom related to his stomach. It was true that he had a chronic stomach condition for years, and it would hurt once every now and then, but never before had it hurt to the point of fainting like today.
He Muyan did not let him wonder for too long, lowering his voice as he continued, “Song Li, what I am about to tell you next is the truth. You know my personality; I am not someone who makes jokes or likes to talk nonsense. Therefore, after I say it, you must control your emotions well and not get too agitated. Your current condition cannot handle overly intense emotional fluctuations.”
Song Li blinked, his tense heart practically about to jump out of his mouth.
Good heavens, what kind of rare and intractable disease did he contract that could actually make He Muyan prepare him psychologically with such solemnity?
Song Li reached out to grip his wrist, letting out a long breath, “Go ahead and say it, I can bear it.”
He Muyan held his hand in return, staring intently into his eyes, “Song Li, you are pregnant.”
Song Li uttered an “huh,” not understanding.
Before He Muyan spoke, he had thought of several acute illnesses related to the stomach; including duodenal ulcer, gastric ulcer, gastric perforation, appendicitis, but not one was the correct answer.
He had no choice but to ask again, “What did you just say?”
He Muyan tightened his grip on his hand, “You are pregnant.”
Song Li’s body shuddered. He wanted to say, “He Muyan, what kind of joke are you playing?” But remembering what He Muyan had just said, he fell silent again.
He Muyan was not the type of person who was boring enough to play this kind of distasteful joke on him, today was not some unprincipled day like April Fools’ Day, and he had already confirmed just now that he wasn’t dreaming.
Then why did He Muyan say this kind of thing to him?
“Song Li.” Seeing that his eyes were blank and he was showing no reaction, He Muyan squeezed the palm of his hand in worry. “Did you hear what I said?”
Song Li turned his head and looked at his tense and cautious expression; he had never seen He Muyan like this before.
“He Muyan, I’m a man.”
He Muyan gave an “en”, “I know.”
“My dizziness and nausea aren’t because my stomach is upset, but because I-I’m pregnant?”
He Muyan continued to nod.
Song Li took a sharp breath. “I don’t believe it. Is there anything that can prove it?”
As if having anticipated this situation long ago, He Muyan released the hand holding his, took a stack of papers from the adjacent table, and handed them to him.
Song Li glanced at him, took them, and flipped through them hurriedly.
He had once helped a female colleague in the office look at a pregnancy check-up report, so he knew more or less about some of the landmark terminology and indicators. Flipping through it repeatedly, the various indicators inside indeed showed that the owner of this report was an expectant mother.
But the premise was that this had to be the report of a pregnant mother.
Flipping back to the first page of the report, he looked at the two words in the name column: Song Li.
It was clearly the name he had been called for over thirty years, but at this moment, it was so unfamiliar that it made his skin crawl.
Song Li’s hands shook uncontrollably as he looked up at He Muyan.
“He Muyan, am I a monster?”
He Muyan’s heart ached. He reached out and cupped his face. “You are not.”
Song Li’s tears fell all at once as if he could no longer hold back these emotions that were about to burst through the floodgates, sobbing breathlessly, “But… but how could I be pregnant? I’m a man…”
He Muyan pulled him into his arms, gently patting his back. “This is a gift from God to you. It proves that you are special.”
Song Li clutched his clothes tightly, shaking his head hard against his chest, “I don’t want it, I don’t want this kind of gift, I don’t like it. He Muyan, I’m scared…”
He Muyan kissed the top of his head, “Don’t be afraid. The doctor said it’s not good for you to be emotionally agitated right now. Song Li, let’s calm down first and take our time to plan things out thoroughly, alright?”
Song Li cried in his arms for a while, then suddenly seeming to think of something, he sat up abruptly and scrambled frantically to find the report beside him.
“The timing, the timing… eight and a half weeks. That’s two months!” Song Li looked up at him, a strange light flashing in his eyes. “He Muyan, it’s only been a little over two months. It’s still unstable, it can still be aborted!”
He Muyan’s hand resting on the quilt paused for a moment, then gently tightened.
“Song Li, you don’t want this child.”
Song Li answered without a second thought, “Of course. I’m a man, what does it mean for me to be carrying a child in my belly? We only just found out about it, so getting rid of it is completely possible. It won’t have much impact on my body.”
He was too emotionally agitated, and while saying those words, he failed to notice the faint grayness that flashed through He Muyan’s eyes. Only after a good while did He Muyan speak in a raspy voice, “This isn’t a trivial matter. You’ve been through too much of a shock right now, and your thoughts aren’t clear. It won’t be too late for us to decide what to do after you’ve carefully thought it over.”
He paused for a moment while looking into Song Li’s eyes, “Song Li, no matter what your final decision is, I will support you.”
Song Li looked at him, pursing his lips and nodding gently.
After being observed in the hospital for another half day, once the intravenous drip was finished, the doctor told them they could go home first. Song Li felt like he was a monster right now; it felt as if everyone in the world except He Muyan was looking at him with strange eyes. When the doctor came in with the nurses, he was even so frightened that he hid in He Muyan’s arms, not daring to look up even once.
He Muyan stroked his hair, comforting him in a low voice as if coaxing a child, “Rest assured, I’ve already greeted the doctor in advance. Only a few specific individuals involved in doing your check-up know about this matter. They won’t, and dare not, casually spread it outside.”
Song Li lay in his arms with a knitted brow, his expression dispirited, not even wanting to speak.
Even after returning home, Song Li still didn’t have much of a sense of reality. He Muyan led him to sit on the sofa, then squatted down to look at him, “How are you feeling now? Is there anywhere else you’re uncomfortable? Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I’ll have someone deliver food over.”
Song Li shifted his gaze and looked down at him. On the way back, He Muyan had asked after his well-being like this many times, but because his own mood was too low, he hadn’t given much of a response.
Thinking about it now, with He Muyan’s personality, making him go to this extent really wronged him too much.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t touched. Song Li forced his lips to curve into a smile, reaching out to touch his chin, “I’m fine. As for you, you’re all unshaven and scruffy, go take a shower quickly.”
He Muyan held his hand, squeezing it firmly, “Song Li, don’t put pressure on yourself. Let’s just let nature take its course.”
Let nature take its course.
Watching the silhouette of He Muyan rising and walking away, Song Li’s mind was still somewhat dazed.
If they let nature take its course, did that mean he was supposed to give birth to this child?
Song Li lowered his head to look at his stomach. It was perfectly flat, his lower abdomen still possessing a layer of thin, firm muscle; how did it look anything like a pregnant state?
But when that wave of nausea hit, making him dry heave uncontrollably, it still forced him to admit the fact that he possessed a malformed body.
Considering the current uniqueness of Song Li’s body, He Muyan didn’t dare order takeout and had Auntie Chen come over at breakneck speed to cook for them.
Based on past experience, he could tell that Auntie Chen’s cooking suited Song Li’s palate quite well.
It was just that, in the end, he had still underestimated the various strange physiological reactions of a pregnant person. Before he could even manage two bites of the dishes, Song Li ran to the restroom to vomit wildly.
The sound of dry heaving made He Muyan’s heart tighten. He wanted to follow him inside to check on his condition, but Song Li had deadbolted the door and wouldn’t let him in.
“Song Li.” He Muyan knocked on the door from outside, but other than the intermittent sounds of dry heaving, the person inside had absolutely no intention of opening the door for him at all.
He Muyan had no choice but to wait outside to send messages to Li Xiu while he waited, asking him what to do if morning sickness was exceptionally severe.
In the dead of night, Li Xiu looked at this question from his boss and snapped awake instantly. If he weren’t afraid of getting fired, he really would have sent a screen full of question marks over.
He searched Baidu for a bunch of methods that looked like they made sense and sent them to his boss while silently thinking to himself: What on earth is wrong with our boss? Whose belly did he knock up?
That shouldn’t be possible. Given his understanding of He Muyan, the man was absolutely not someone with such a chaotic private life. Furthermore, he was a married man now; with his “charming wife” at home, what reason could he possibly have to fool around outside?
Li Xiu was truly utterly baffled.
He Muyan looked over the things Li Xiu had sent him, memorizing a few methods he deemed reasonably reliable.
Right as he was researching, he heard a “click” sound, and the door in front of him was gently opened.
Song Li stood across from him, the corners of his eyes flushed crimson, and his complexion frighteningly pale. Standing there precariously, his entire being exuded a fragile sense of brokenness, looking truly somewhat pitiful.
He Muyan put away his phone and went to support him, “Are you feeling any better?”
Song Li shook his head and looked up at him, his eyes filled with panic=”He Muyan, why do I feel so awful? Is this normal? Is there something wrong with my body? A man getting pregnant violates the laws of nature, doesn’t it? I-I won’t die, will I?”
He Muyan’s grip on his arm tightened. He let out a sigh and pulled him into his arms, “Don’t overthink it. These are all normal pregnancy reactions. It’s the same when women get pregnant; some experience even more severe conditions than yours right now.”
Song Li couldn’t take in these comforting words. Shaking his head, he reached out and clutched the clothes on the man’s back.
He Muyan kissed the top of his head, “Do you want to go try eating something again?”
The mere thought of food made Song Li feel nauseous. He shook his head in resistance, “I’m not eating. I’m so tired, I want to go to sleep.”
Yet he clearly hadn’t managed even two bites just now and had vomited for such a long time. He Muyan was deeply worried that he would break his body down like this, but seeing him in this state, he really couldn’t bear to force him any further. He wiped at the flushed corner of his eye with his finger.
“Then we won’t eat. I’ll accompany you to sleep.”
Having said that, he bent down and scooped him up in his arms.
Song Li curled up in his embrace, his lowered eyelashes still carrying glistening teardrops.
The exhausting ordeal of this entire day had truly consumed a great deal of his energy. Song Li must have been exhausted as he fell asleep not long after his head hit the pillow.
He Muyan turned on his side to look at his sleeping face, lightly caressing his cheek with his fingers.
In the middle of the night, He Muyan was awakened by some subtle movements. He opened his eyes and subconsciously reached out to feel beside him.
There was no one there, and the bedding was cool to the touch.
Startled, He Muyan quickly sat up. It was only when he saw the faint yellow light filtering out from the bathroom that he let out a soft sigh of relief.
Getting out of bed, he put on his slippers and walked over to the bathroom door. The door was half-ajar, surprisingly unlocked. Just as he was about to push it open, he heard some faint sounds coming from inside.
His hand paused, and he listened carefully, tilting his ear to catch the sound.
Song Li seemed to be crying; it was a very suppressed, sobbing sound.
He Muyan had heard this kind of crying before. When he was a child, his grandmother had been diagnosed with lung cancer. In order not to make the family worry, she forced a smile in front of everyone during the day, but late at night when all was quiet, she would secretly hide in the restroom alone and cry; it was frightened, helpless, and panicked, carrying the kind of despair where half of one’s body had already plunged into the abyss yet could not break free.
It brought him the exact same feeling that the current Song Li gave him.
He Muyan lowered his eyelashes and gently pushed the door open.
Song Li was curled up in the corner beside the toilet with both hands hugging his knees and his face buried deeply between his legs. Because he was trying his best to suppress his crying, his entire body was trembling subtly.
He Muyan walked over, squatted down beside him, and reached out to grasp his bare feet resting on the floor.
“Why aren’t you wearing any shoes? The floor is so cold, what if you ruin your health from freezing?”
Song Li shook his head, shifting in an attempt to dodge his hands.
He Muyan didn’t let him move around randomly, holding those two feet so they rested on his own thighs. He reached out and gently pulled apart Song Li’s tightly locked arms, calling to him in a low voice, “Lili.”
Song Li let out a muffled “Mgh” and turned his face away, “Y-You go out…”
His voice was already quite raspy from crying.
He Muyan caught his chin, looking at his face, which was a messy, tear-stained sight under the light. A dull ache throbbed in his heart as his fingers caressed his lips, which had been bitten pale, “Don’t cry.”
Song Li lifted his head to look at him with grievance and confusion, “It’s all your fault.”
He Muyan kissed his damp eyelashes, “I’m sorry.”
Carrying him back to the bed, he gently laid him down. Song Li lay on his back, both hands instinctively resting over his lower abdomen.
He Muyan lay on his side next to him, his fingers brushing away the sweat-dampened hair on his forehead, “Sleep for a bit.”
Song Li shook his head, “I can’t sleep.”
He Muyan lightly patted his body, his voice low and mellow, “Do you want me to tell you a bedtime story?”
Song Li pulled at his lips and smiled faintly, “You even know how to tell stories?”
“I’ve always heard one or two.”
“Like what?”
He Muyan thought for a moment and spoke with some uncertainty, “The Little Match Girl, and also things like The Water Margin.”
Song Li couldn’t help but be thoroughly amused, his eyes narrowing into a smile, “President He, you’re so old-fashioned.”
Looking at his smiling face, He Muyan’s heart lightened up quite a bit as well, and he pinched his ear with his fingers, “What did you just call me?”
Song Li froze, suddenly realizing his slip-up. He stuck out his tongue and flipped over, “Nothing, you heard wrong.”
But how could He Muyan possibly let him off? He caught his shoulder and turned him back around with his large hand, “I didn’t hear wrong. What did you just call me?”
Being pinned beneath him, Song Li really couldn’t withstand his aura. With his face flushing and his body growing hot, he smiled and begged for mercy, “It’s nothing, just a nickname I gave you in private. I think you suit this title perfectly.”
He Muyan pulled a serious face, “Everyone at the company calls me that. You aren’t allowed to call me that.”
Song Li nodded perfunctorily, “Sure, sure, then I’ll change it.”
“Change it to what?”
No way. Song Li felt helpless, did he really have to be this aggressive? He thought for a while, truly at a loss for what to call him.
Smashing the pot since it was already cracked, he said resignedly, “I’ll just stick to calling you He Muyan then.”
In any case, he was the older one, so calling him directly by his full name wasn’t considered too impolite.
He Muyan was visibly unsatisfied, shaking his head, “No good.”
Song Li blinked, suddenly reaching out to pull the quilt, “I’m sleepy, I want to go to bed, mgh…”
A hand suddenly pinched his face. Song Li stared wide-eyed while protesting indistinctly, “Wha’ are you doin’?”
He Muyan actually rubbed his cheeks twice more with his hand, amusement dancing in his eyes, “Is your mood a bit better now?”
Song Li was stunned. Looking at the rare warmth and concern in He Muyan’s eyes, a faint, warm current washed through his heart.
He nuzzled his face gently against the man’s palm, “He Muyan, can you sometimes not be so gentle with me?”
The current Song Li was like a newly hatched chick in a nest; no matter where he was touched, he felt soft and defenseless, gentle and lovable.
He Muyan said in a husky voice, “Many people around me say I am cold-natured and emotionless. Only you would say I’m gentle.”
Song Li blinked. He was extremely gentle, alright? Compared to when they first met, it was simply night and day. He’s incredibly gentle, okay!
He Muyan asked him again, “Is it not good for me to treat you this way?”
Song Li was stumped by his question. How could he be embarrassed enough to answer this? If he said it was good, wouldn’t that be openly declaring his feelings to him? But if he said it wasn’t good, it would severely damage President He’s pride, and President He would be very unhappy.
After pondering for a long time, he simply buried his head straight into the embrace in front of him, “In short, don’t just do this whenever you feel like it. It’ll cause me to misunderstand.”
He Muyan was puzzled, “What is there to be misunderstood?”
Misunderstand, misunderstand… misunderstand that you like me.
Song Li naturally didn’t dare say these words to He Muyan, because he wasn’t sure what kind of response He Muyan would give upon hearing them.
Perhaps it would be silence and laughing it off, or perhaps it would be a stern, serious expression that directly pierced through his thoughts.
Either one was enough to make Song Li feel thoroughly humiliated. He didn’t want to take that risk, nor was there any need to.
After all, the way he and He Muyan were right now actually quite good; treating each other with mutual respect, experiencing marital harmony, each having their own life and work. They were just two people partnering up to live life together; they could get along perfectly fine even without the binding tie of affection.
Between two people, the one who falls in love first is bound to be the losing side. Whichever great figure uttered this maxim, it had to be said that it truly made a lot of sense.
Song Li wasn’t clear on exactly when he had fallen for He Muyan. Was it the sheer amazement of seeing him for the first time under the moonlight that night, or the business-like, serious, and rigid demeanor He Muyan showed on the day they went to register their marriage, or perhaps all the various minor details of their interactions during this period of time?
He Muyan’s conquest might have been unconscious, but his own descent, step by step, was entirely real.
Once you fall in love, you develop weaknesses and vulnerabilities. If it weren’t for having such a vulnerability, he wouldn’t be in this much pain and conflict when facing today’s situation.
Song Li’s hand unconsciously rested on his stomach. What was he supposed to do with this vulnerability now?
Considering that Song Li’s physical condition was rather unique during this period, He Muyan actually brought all of his work home. When Song Li went downstairs to pour some water and passed by the study, he heard him holding a video conference inside, so he curiously poked his head in to take a peek.
It was as if He Muyan had a radar installed on him; he immediately detected his presence and lifted his head to look over.
Song Li startled, pointing at the water cup in his hand and waving his hand to signal that he was fine.
He Muyan still muted the microphone with his mouse, stood up, and walked over.
At home, he basically always wore simple loungewear, and his hair wasn’t styled up with hair wax. His bangs fell down, half-concealing the sharp crest of his brows, making his entire person look devoid of the unapproachable aura he carried on ordinary days.
Song Li looked up at him, “I’m really fine. Did I interrupt your work like this? You should quickly go back to your meeting.”
He Muyan glanced at him without speaking. He reached out and touched the mug in his hand and furrowed his brow, “It’s cold.”
Song Li let out an “Ah”, “It’s not cold, it’s the room temperature that’s cold.”
He Muyan took the cup away and said solemnly, “You can only drink warm water right now. I’ll go pour it for you again.”
Looking at his silhouette, Song Li felt somewhat helpless.
Here it came again. He Muyan had been treating him this way for the past few days, keeping a constant watch over him as though he were a prisoner under guard. It wasn’t just the temperature of the water he drank that was strictly monitored, even every dish Auntie Chen prepared had to be personally inspected by him, one plate at a time. What was more, sometimes when he stayed in the restroom for just a fraction longer, the man would come over to knock on the door and check on him.
It was considerate, yes, but being meticulous to this degree was actually truly unnecessary.
To be frank, this level of care was genuinely overwhelming for Song Li. He had been home for barely two or three days, yet he was already starting to feel stifled.
At noon, Auntie Chen made the tomato and beef brisket stew that Song Li loved. Auntie Chen’s culinary skills were truly excellent; even though he still didn’t have much of an appetite, he still ate over half a bowl of rice. He had eaten little and vomited much these past few days, so he already looked visibly thinner by a good margin. To feel slightly stuffed from eating like today was honestly something he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
He Muyan looked very happy. After the meal, he brought him over to sit on the sofa, reaching out to gently rub circles over his belly, which bulged slightly after eating his fill.
Song Li looked at his profile. The pitch-black eyelashes fell down, making the tenderness in his eyes appear even more intense and full of lingering affection.
After watching for a moment, Song Li still averted his gaze. With He Muyan acting like this, how could he bear to say words about aborting the child at a time like this?
It was just that as time dragged on day by day like this, once the child slowly grew large inside his belly, everything by then would truly be too late.
These past few days, Song Li had been undergoing an intense psychological struggle. Although he had no idea why he was capable of becoming pregnant, he was, after all, a man through and through. The thought of a grown man carrying a child and eventually walking around with a swollen belly for everyone to see, was something society simply would not tolerate.
Song Li considered himself someone who wasn’t particularly strong psychologically. If such a thing really happened, he didn’t know what he would ultimately turn into; perhaps he really might go crazy because of it.
Fortunately, everything was just beginning right now. As long as he could make a decision and cut the knot quickly, he could prevent all the tragedies that might occur in the future.
He had truly thought about things of this nature for a long, long time. Yet all that determination and courage came crashing down completely under a single look He Muyan directed at him.
He Muyan looked forward to this little life in his belly. Whether it arose from a momentary sense of novelty or was dictated by an internal sense of responsibility, even though he hadn’t said anything, Song Li could feel that the man didn’t want him to abort this child.
Song Li thought that if he hadn’t fallen for He Muyan, would he not care so much about his thoughts, and would he not have this many misgivings and worries?
It was just that what was the point of making so many hypotheses now? Loving him meant he had already fallen. He liked watching the way He Muyan worked, liked listening to him speak, and liked his somewhat clumsy tenderness in certain aspects despite his lack of romantic flair.
Experiencing the taste of liking someone for the first time in his life, he didn’t want to lose the qualification to like He Muyan because of this matter.
Perhaps it was due to the pregnancy, but Song Li had been constantly lethargic recently. Having just eaten his fill, his eyelids began to fight before he had even leaned on the sofa for very long.
When his head fell, it was gently blocked by a large hand. He Muyan toyed his earlobe with his thumb as he asked in a low voice, “Are you sleepy again?”
Song Li forced his eyelids open, nuzzling his cheek against the man’s palm, “I’m sleepy.”
He Muyan then slid his hand under the bend of his knees, gently scooping him up horizontally, “I’ll take you to sleep.”
Leaning against his chest, Song Li said dazedly, “I’ve already slept for so long, why am I still sleepy?”
He Muyan chuckled softly over his head, “If you’re sleepy, just sleep. How you are right now is all part of normal pregnancy reactions.”
Even though several days had passed, Song Li was still not used to applying words like “pregnancy” and “gestational period” to himself, finding it extremely awkward.
Not wanting to protest to He Muyan, he simply closed his eyes and went to sleep.
This sleep was groggy. Amidst his dream, he felt an itch on his face as if something wet and soft was making trouble on his skin.
Song Li lifted a hand to brush it aside, opening his eyes in irritation, only to find himself staring into a pair of jet-black eyes at close range.
It was truly too close, startling him a little.
He Muyan lowered his head, his hair almost sweeping across the tip of Song Li’s nose, as he said in a husky voice, “You’re awake.”
Song Li blinked, “En, what’s wrong? Did I sleep for too long?”
He Muyan shook his head, “Not long, only two hours.”
Song Li let out an “Oh.” That was fine then. Yesterday during the day, he had slept for eight hours straight in one breath and couldn’t be woken up no matter what, which had given He Muyan quite a scare.
He Muyan had already sat up, returning to a normal distance from him.
Song Li yawned and reached out to scratch his face. A small spot on his left cheek was wet. He didn’t know if he was overthinking it, but he couldn’t help feeling that when he was sleeping groggily just now, that strange, tingling sensation was He Muyan secretly kissing him.
If he wanted to kiss him, he could just do it directly. Why did he have to do it stealthily while he was asleep? It was so distant of him.
Song Li’s face flushed. His body still carried the lingering sluggishness of just waking up, leaving him with no desire to get out of bed. He turned on his side within the quilt before pulling a pillow into his embrace and looked at the person sitting by the bedside.
“Are you all done with your work?”
He Muyan turned to look at him and saw that half of his face was buried in the pillow, with only one clear, bright eye visible, making him look like an innocent, unworldly child.
He couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle his hair, “Not yet. It’s just that something suddenly came up, so I might have to go out in a bit.”
He Muyan’s fingertips were covered with a layer of thin calluses. Pressing against his scalp, it made half of Song Li’s body tingle with comfort.
He half-closed his eyes in enjoyment, not paying much attention to the unusual expression on He Muyan’s face when saying these words.
“Alright, if you have things to do, go handle them quickly.”
He Muyan stared at him for a moment, then placed his large hand on his face again, pinching it gently, “Wait for me at home.”
Song Li nodded.
A bit of amusement appeared in He Muyan’s deep, dark eyes, “Good boy.”
Song Li was already as well-behaved as he could possibly be; he probably hadn’t even listened to his parents’ words this much when he was a child.
After He Muyan left, he really had nothing to do by himself. He curled up on the sofa and watched TV for a while. Just as he was growing drowsy, he suddenly heard the doorbell ring.
He snapped awake all at once, thinking dazedly whether He Muyan had returned, but on second thought, it was impossible for He Muyan to ring the doorbell.
Ever since they got married, he had been living in this house for quite a while, yet aside from He Muyan, himself, the secretary Li Xiu, and Auntie Chen, who handled the cooking, he had never seen anyone else come by.
Oh wait, that wasn’t right; his sister-in-law had also been here.
Thinking about it this way, the person ringing the doorbell right now couldn’t possibly be her again, could it? However, no matter who it was, they ought to be someone related to He Muyan; otherwise, the security guard wouldn’t have let them in.
Still full of questions, Song Li wrapped the blanket around himself and went to answer the door.
The moment the door opened, a very elegant and pleasant fragrance wafted past his nose; it was a rather crisp, woody scent profile, very similar to the perfume He Muyan usually liked to use.
Just as pleasant as the perfume was the beautiful young man standing at the doorway.
He was truly beautiful. His short, brown hair was soft and slightly curled, and his pupils were also light brown, resembling two pools of honey-colored amber. His face was no bigger than a palm, his porcelain-fair complexion tinged with a faint sickly pallor. The light-colored, thick plaid sweater hung loosely on his frame, exposing much of his collarbones and making him look especially delicate and slender.
It was Song Li’s first time seeing such a slender and beautiful boy. Unlike Xue Sang’s kind of cold and gorgeous, good looks, this person made one feel a strong desire to protect him at the very first sight.
While Song Li was observing him, the young man was similarly sizing him up surreptitiously. His beautiful brown eyes shifted up and down as he looked over him, and after a brief moment, he curled his lips into a smile. “Hello, may I ask if Muyan is at home?”
Song Li snapped out of it, feeling like his brain was a bit slow to react, “The Muyan you mentioned… is it He Muyan?”
The young man nodded, “Yes. Isn’t this place Muyan’s home? I haven’t been back in a long time. It wasn’t easy for me to finally return to the country recently, so as soon as the plane touched down, I rushed right over. Is Muyan not home right now?”
Hearing him refer to him as “Muyan” one after another, as well as this intentionally or unintentionally familiar tone, Song Li unconsciously furrowed his brows slightly. He let out a dry laugh, “He went out on business, and I don’t know when he’ll be back. Do you have an urgent matter with him? If it’s very urgent, you can give him a phone call.”
“He went out huh.” The young man nodded, lowering his head to ponder for a moment. His thick eyelashes lowered, catching the afterglow of the setting sun and casting a soft ring of pale golden light. A moment later, he lifted his head again with a smile, “Then may I come inside to wait for him?”
Although this person spoke in an inquiring tone, looking at his gaze and attitude, it clearly wasn’t his intention to seek approval. Song Li was silent for two seconds, but still stepped aside to make way, “Of course you can, please come in.”
“Thank you.”
The young man gave a nod and walked straight past his side.
Song Li watched his receding figure, feeling a sudden chill on his body for some reason. Tightening the thin blanket around himself, he closed the door and walked inside.
The young man walked into the living room and spotted the sofa in front of the television at a single glance. He walked over in delight: “This sofa set is still in use? Seriously, Muyan is unbelievable. When I chose this sofa back then, he even said he didn’t like it. Now that I think about it, he was clearly saying one thing while thinking another.”
Looking at the hand that kept caressing the back of the sofa, Song Li thought about how he had been curled up on it watching television until just a moment ago, and an unstoppable wave of awkward discomfort washed through his heart.
The young man then walked over to the side before looking up at an oil painting on the wall, “I picked out this painting too. I really like the artistic conception of this painting; it has a kind of isolated, fractured beauty.”
“And this ornament… ah, is that a sniper rifle model? So cool!”
The young man evaluated and observed nearly every iconic object in the living room before finally looking back at Song Li behind him as if suddenly realizing something, and apologized to him very sheepishly, “I’m so sorry. I haven’t been back in too long, and I didn’t expect that after so much time has passed, I’d still be able to see the things I was familiar with before. I got a bit overly excited for a moment; you won’t be angry, will you?”
Looking at his seemingly genuine and remorseful appearance, Song Li stiffly pulled the corners of his mouth, “It’s fine.”
The young man then smiled gently again before walking over to look at him, “I’m so sorry, I haven’t introduced myself to you yet. My name is Pei Yuan, and you?”
Pei Yuan? Pei Yuan… Xiao Yuan.
So that’s how it was. Song Li sneered knowingly in his heart, “Song Li.”
Pei Yuan nodded, putting on a thoughtful appearance, “Mr. Song huh. It seems I haven’t heard Muyan mention this name before.”
Song Li looked at him coldly, “Of course, you haven’t heard it. We’ve known each other for less than three months, and we just got our marriage certificate two weeks ago.”
Pei Yuan’s gaze shifted slightly when he said, “got our marriage certificate,” but overall, he didn’t appear very surprised. He smiled and said, “So, that’s how it is. Then I must first wish you a happy marriage.”
Song Li gave a polite nod, “Thank you.”
Both of them fell silent while quietly gazing at one another across the air.
A moment later, it was still Pei Yuan who broke the silence with a smile, “Aren’t you going to invite me to sit down and have a cup of tea?”
Song Li shrugged, pulling at the blanket on his body, “I believe you can also see that I’m not feeling very well physically right now, so it’s not really convenient for me to entertain guests.”
This was a very obvious order to leave. Pei Yuan also didn’t seem to expect that he would be this direct, letting out a helpless smile, “I only came over today to see an old friend, I didn’t mean anything else by it. You really don’t have to harbor such great hostility toward me.”
Song Li didn’t buy his act at all as he still remained cold, “You are He Muyan’s old friend, not mine. I have this attitude toward all strangers I’m not familiar with; there’s no hostility or lack thereof, it’s not worth it.”
“Is that so?” Pei Yuan also slowly put away the smile on his face. His beautiful face appeared somewhat harsh due to the coldness in his eyes, “Then I won’t disturb you further. Since your body is uncomfortable, you should quickly get some good rest, so that Muyan won’t worry.”
“You don’t need to trouble yourself over that.” Song Li smiled faintly, “He will take good care of me.”
Pei Yuan glanced at him, tilting his delicate chin up as he turned around to walk out.
“Oh, right.” When he reached the doorway, he paused once more and turned around with a smile. “Looking at you carefully, I have to say that you and I are actually quite similar. You really look like the kind of person Muyan would choose as his partner.”
Watching his retreating figure, Song Li felt an intense sense of disgust well up inside him.
![The Return of The Lord God[quick wear]](https://i2.wp.com/knoxt.space/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/007S8ZIlly1ghl04hyuxyj30hs0owwgu.jpg?resize=85,105 "The Return of The Lord God[quick wear]")
wandering On QG Chapter75