MHWFYYTMDF Chapter38

Song Li felt that He Muyan had been exceptionally busy lately. It seemed like something went wrong with his company as he left early and returned late every day, often coming back in the dead of night.

On the rare occasions he accompanied him for breakfast, a seldom-seen tiredness washed over his face. Song Li had never seen He Muyan like this before; by all appearances, he must have encountered a truly difficult problem this time.

More than a week passed like this, and it was almost time for another prenatal checkup. He Muyan had originally promised to accompany him to the checkup no matter how busy he was, even deliberately picking a weekend.

Yet, when the day arrived early in the morning, he was hurriedly called away by another phone call.

Waking up to find no one beside him in bed, Song Li felt a surge of anger in his heart.

Frustrated beyond words, he threw himself back onto the bed, grabbed He Muyan’s pillow from beside him, and, imagining it was its owner, punched it fiercely several times.

Before he could finish venting, the phone beside him suddenly rang. Without even looking at the caller ID, Song Li answered directly with a gruff, “Hello?”

“Sister-in-law, good morning!”

A noisy yet familiar voice came through the phone. Song Li had developed an almost visceral reaction to the word “sister-in-law,” and that cynical, handsome face unconsciously floated before his eyes.

“Xiao Jiu.”

Lian Jiu chuckled softly. “Sister-in-law, are you up yet? I’m almost at your place. What time are we heading out?”

Song Li sat up, a bit dazed. “What are we heading out for? Where to?”

“For the prenatal checkup! Didn’t Brother Yan tell you?”

“No.”

Lian Jiu let out an “oh,” sounding completely nonchalant. “Brother Yan only mentioned it to me at the last minute too. He has stuff at the company today and can’t step away, so he asked me to take you for the prenatal checkup instead.”

Song Li sat back down. “I see…”

“Hurry up and get ready, Sister-in-law. We can head out as soon as I arrive.”

Song Li hung up the phone and let out a heavy sigh.

He really didn’t want to go.

When Lian Jiu rang the doorbell outside, Song Li had just finished changing and walked downstairs. He opened the door to see the kid wearing sunglasses and waving at him, “Good morning, Sister-in-law!”

Song Li sized him up. Surprisingly, the kid was dressed quite impeccably today, with his hair combed up and all those gaudy accessories removed from his body. He looked much cleaner and more refined, actually carrying the air of a young master from high society.

“Are you attending some formal occasion today?”

“You noticed, Sister-in-law?” Lian Jiu spread his arms to show off. “Handsome, right?”

“Quite handsome.”

Lian Jiu whistled smugly, flicking the tie on his chest. “Handsome as it is, these formal clothes are way too stiff and restrictive. If I weren’t attending a banquet tonight, I wouldn’t bother wearing this crap.”

Song Li asked curiously, “What banquet?”

“Isn’t it just…” Halfway through, Lian Jiu suddenly looked down at him and took off his sunglasses. “Sister-in-law, do you want to come with me?”

Song Li shook his head directly without hesitation. “I’m not going.”

“Don’t be so quick to refuse!” Lian Jiu hurriedly urged him. “Tonight’s banquet isn’t like the usual social functions. There won’t be any old fogies or old ladies, lots of young masters and ladies around our age will be there. We’ll just go to eat, drink, and check out handsome guys and pretty girls. Pure profit, no loss!”

Song Li still refused. “Sorry, I’m married.”

Lian Jiu clicked his tongue. “Sister-in-law, what kind of person do you take me for? You belong to Brother Yan. Even if you gave me courage a hundred times, I wouldn’t dare take you out to mess around either. Don’t worry, I’m just taking you along to have fun and expand your horizons. Look at you every day, just commuting between work and home. Brother Yan has been so busy lately with no time to accompany you; you’re practically growing mushrooms staying home all by yourself! Pregnant people shouldn’t be cooped up indoors all the time; you need to get out and move around more. It’s good for both you and the baby in your belly.”

Hearing him spout theory after theory, Song Li began to waver. “It really has been pretty boring at home lately…”

“Right?” Striking while the iron was hot, Lian Jiu leaned in and whispered, “Let me tell you a secret: Brother Yan used to attend banquets like tonight’s all the time. Don’t you want to see what kind of environment he lived in back then and get to know a bit more about his world?”

Lian Jiu’s words hit the nail on the head, striking Song Li right where it mattered. Lord knew how much he truly wanted to step into He Muyan’s world. This genuinely seemed like a good opportunity. Thinking about it this way, he stopped hesitating and nodded gently. “Then… after the checkup today, I’ll go check it out with you.”

“Nice!” Lian Jiu snapped his fingers and raised an eyebrow at him. “Rest assured, Sister-in-law. Tonight, I’m taking you through the doorway to a whole new world.”

Looking at his expression, Song Li suddenly wondered if agreeing to it so easily just now had been too impulsive.

Giving him no time to regret it, Lian Jiu drove him straight to the commercial street downtown after they left the hospital upon finishing the checkup. The car navigated through winding turns before finally stopping in front of a high-end menswear boutique.

Song Li looked up at the store’s sign. He recalled that several of He Muyan’s suits seemed to have been custom-made here, leaving him wondering what Lian Jiu was up to by bringing him to such a place.

Noticing his confusion, Lian Jiu chuckled and pointed at his outfit. “Sister-in-law, don’t take it the wrong way. You look amazing and can make anything work, but this outfit really isn’t suitable for where we’re going today. Let me get you changed into something more appropriate.”

Song Li looked down at himself. Since he had been in such a rush to leave today, he hadn’t bothered much with coordinating his clothes, simply choosing something comfortable and loose: a beige hoodie, light coffee-colored casual trousers, and white sneakers. Compared to the occasion, the outfit was indeed a little too plain.

Ever since getting pregnant, he seemed to have developed a soft spot for light-colored clothing. He Muyan had also mentioned that his fair skin suited light colors, buying him countless similar outfits every time they went out.

In just a short span of two months, his clothes had expanded from a tiny wardrobe to a full walk-in closet. With so many clothes and shoes, even if he changed into a new set every day, he wouldn’t finish going through them in a month.

“Sister-in-law, let’s head in.”

When in Rome, do as the Romans do, Song Li comforted himself while following Lian Jiu inside.

The store’s decor was lavish and opulent. Song Li glanced around, silently remarking to himself that if he hadn’t met He Muyan, he probably would never have set foot in a store like this in his entire life.

Lian Jiu seemed to be a frequent customer here as well. The pretty store assistants greeted him with “Mr. Lian” one after another, continuously recommending the latest arrivals in the store to him.

Taking off his sunglasses, Lian Jiu pushed Song Li from behind in front of them. “I’m not the one buying today, it’s for him. Pick an outfit that suits him, and get his hair styled as well while you’re at it. Nothing too over-the-top; it’s for a banquet tonight.”

“Oh, and another thing,” Lian Jiu added. “Use top-quality, purely natural products for the styling. My friend here has a sensitive body and gets allergies easily.”

Song Li gave him a glance, pleasantly surprised to find that the kid was actually rather considerate.

The store assistants agreed to everything and led Song Li aside to select clothes.

“May I ask how to address you, sir?”

“My last name is Song.”

“Mr. Song, you have a wonderful presence and very fair skin. For an evening banquet, you have to dress formally. A white suit just arrived at our store today, designed by the head designer at our headquarters and completely handmade. There are only two of these suits in the entire world. Shall I fetch it for you to try it on?”

When shopping, Song Li was always most terrified of overly enthusiastic service from store clerks. In these situations, he was easily led by the nose; no matter what the person beside him rambled on about, he would ultimately end up saying “okay.”

Sure enough, the clerk asked him to wait a moment and went off happily to fetch the outfit for him.

The suit was gorgeous; Song Li had felt so the moment they brought it out. The clerks offered to help him into it, but Song Li politely declined. He had already started showing a little lately, his stomach carrying a faint roundness, and he was worried that someone might notice.

Fortunately, the dimensions of this tailored suit were a tad large on him, and the waist wasn’t tight, which happened to conceal his belly just right.

Once he was dressed, he was pushed to sit in a chair nearby. Several people gathered around him, trimming his hair and doing his makeup; it took nearly half an hour before everything was wrapped up.

Song Li looked at the person in the mirror and didn’t even recognize himself at first glance.

All around him was a chorus of praise from the store assistants. Lian Jiu also walked in, and upon seeing his current appearance, his eyes froze in astonishment.

“Simply breathtaking, Sister-in-law.”

Song Li told him to stop calling him like that randomly.

Still coming back to his senses, Lian Jiu took out his phone and said, “If I snapped a photo of you looking like this and sent it to Brother Yan, do you reckon he’d pull off a high-speed teletransportation over here?”

Song Li reached out to stop him. “Don’t disturb him at work.”

Lian Jiu chuckled and put his phone away. “Just kidding, just kidding! But jokes aside, Sister-in-law, before bringing you here I really didn’t expect you to look this stunning. No wonder Brother Yan was so impatient to surreptitiously marry you and bring you home.”

Song Li felt his face burn at his words, thinking to himself that his Brother Yan certainly hadn’t married him because of that.

A crowd of people surrounded Song Li again, lavishing him with rainbow farts of praise. Although they were praising Song Li, Lian Jiu was even happier than he was, waving a hand grandly, “Let’s settle the bill.”

Hearing this, Song Li hurriedly pulled his arm and whispered to him, “This suit is a global limited edition, it’s bound to be extremely expensive.”

Lian Jiu scoffed, “It’s nothing! Just consider it my wedding gift to you and Brother Yan. What’s the big deal? I can still afford this little bit of money.”

These words truly sounded like something an arrogant, wealthy playboy would say.

Since he had put it that way, Song Li had nothing left to say.

After swiping the card, they walked out of the store to find that night had already fallen. Lian Jiu checked the time, “It’s about time. Sister-in-law, let me head out for the hotel right now.”

Sitting in the back seat, Song Li gazed out at the bustling nighttime streets. He had lived in this city for so many years, yet for the first time, he felt as though he had never truly managed to keep up with its relentless pace.

The venue for the banquet was in the main banquet hall of a five-star hotel. By the time they arrived, many people were already inside.

Tonight’s Song Li was far too eye-catching; even Lian Jiu beside him had his spotlight completely eclipsed. All along the way, people carrying wine glasses kept coming over to strike up a conversation with Song Li, but they were all brushed off by Lian Jiu in just a few words.

Having finally found a relatively quiet corner, Lian Jiu wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at Song Li, and said helplessly, “Sister-in-law, I suddenly regret bringing you here. Look at how many flies tried to swarm you along the way! If I fail to keep a close eye on you through a moment of carelessness, Brother Yan will skin me alive when we get back.”

Amused by his words, Song Li let out a smile, took a glass of juice from a passing waiter, and turned to look at the lively scene all around them.

As glasses were raised and toasts passed back and forth, sleeves fluttered with each movement. Everyone was dressed to perfection, mingling amid cheerful conversation and laughter. Yet, what kind of true faces lay behind their facades was something only they themselves knew.

This was the world He Muyan had always lived in.

Having helped fend off several glasses of wine for him, Lian Jiu looked at the men and women on the dance floor and felt an itch in his heart as well. Just as he was torn between how to go enjoy himself while simultaneously protecting Song Li from harassment, he suddenly spotted a familiar face across the dance floor.

His eyes lit up, and he immediately raised a hand to greet him, “Brother Gao, you came too!”

Hearing the name of the person he called out, Song Li’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively raised his head to look over.

Sure enough, he saw that familiar face that repelled him so much.

Gao Ming stood not far from them. He was tall, so even with many people surrounding him, his presence remained easily noticeable.

Hearing Lian Jiu calls him, Gao Ming also raised his head and looked over. The first person he laid eyes on, however, was not his good pal Lian Jiu but Song Li standing beside him.

It was just that Song Li seemed to be intentionally avoiding his gaze, not sparing a single glance in his direction from start to finish.

Gao Ming tightened his grip on his wine glass, ignored the noisy crowd beside him, and walked straight toward them.

“Xiao Jiu.”

Gao Ming came to a stop. Although he called out to Lian Jiu, his eyes remained firmly fixed on Song Li, brimming with undisguised fascination and fervent admiration.

“I didn’t hear that you were coming today, Brother Gao. If I’d known, I would’ve come over with you.” Lian Jiu said with a smile while clinking glasses with him.

Gao Ming gave a faint smile. “I was called over at the last minute by my family to accompany a young master from an uncle’s family for some fun.”

Lian Jiu let out an “Oh~” and winked at him. “What young master? Is he good-looking? You’re in for a treat tonight, Brother Gao.”

The corner of Gao Ming’s lips curled up as he looked toward Song Li beside him. “What good-looking or not? This sister-in-law of yours is the bright, full moon; that kid can only count as faint, flickering starlight at best.”

Lian Jiu nodded. “Brother Gao, praise him if you want, but you don’t have to be so poetic about it. Still, you also think Sister-in-law looks exceptionally breathtaking today, right? You know, Brother Yan really is something else; having such a natural beauty for a partner, yet keeping him all proper, honest, and quiet at home every day is such a tragic waste of good fortune.”

Gao Ming swirled the wine glass in his hand. “Muyan just has that kind of personality; he doesn’t understand anything about romance or passion.”

“That’s true too.”

Hearing the two of them openly commenting on and evaluating him right beside him made Song Li feel intensely uncomfortable. His expression turned cold as he set down his glass, saying to Lian Jiu beside him, “I’m going back first.”

Lian Jiu was taken aback. “What’s wrong, Sister-in-law? We just got here, and the fun hasn’t even started yet.”

Ignoring him, Song Li turned around to walk away.

Gao Ming looked at his retreating back and suddenly said with a smile, “Muyan must be very busy lately, right? He probably doesn’t even have time to accompany you. Well, it makes sense, that kid has really grown capable. Just a few little moves from him were enough to ruin several major deals of mine. He’s left me in a complete mess, utterly overwhelmed recently.”

Song Li’s footsteps halted, and he turned back to look at him. “Those are matters regarding your business. I am not aware of them.”

Gao Ming nodded, walked up to his side, and looked down at him. “Right, you aren’t aware. But there’s an idiom you definitely know: ‘A beauty can bring disaster, even driving brothers to turn against one another’.”

Song Li frowned, unsure of what he truly meant.

“Brother Gao.” Sensing that the atmosphere between them seemed off, Lian Jiu hurriedly stepped in to mediate. “What’s going on? We can talk things over calmly.”

Lian Jiu was breaking out in a cold sweat now. He knew what kind of person Gao Ming was; despite affectionately calling each other brothers on regular days, when Gao Ming became ruthless, he was the type to disregard everything.

Furthermore, judging by his tone just now, it seemed he and He Muyan had experienced some unpleasant friction recently. Lian Jiu was terrified that Gao Ming might lash out and drag Song Li into it in a fit of rage. Song Li was brought here by him today after all, if something truly happened to him here, He Muyan would genuinely skin him alive.

Fortunately, Gao Ming didn’t actually intend to make things too difficult for Song Li. After Lian Jiu finished speaking, Gao Ming’s expression returned to normal, and he let out a hearty laugh. Picking up a glass of wine nearby, he offered it to Song Li, “Look how nervous Xiao Song is! Brother Gao was just speaking offhandedly; don’t let me scare you. Now that you’re here, just enjoy yourself. Come, let Brother Gao toast to you.”

Song Li stared at the wine glass in his hand, caught in an awkward dilemma.

Lian Jiu beside him reacted even more strongly, immediately stepping in to block it for him, “Brother Gao, there’s something you might not know. Sister-in-law hasn’t been in great health recently and gets allergies easily. Look, didn’t Sister-in-law also refrain from drinking when we had dinner last time? If he drinks and ends up having an allergic reaction or something later, Brother Yan will be unhappy. Let’s just the two of us drink, no need to drag Sister-in-law into it. Sister-in-law, am I right?”

Song Li caught his signal and nodded.

“You can’t drink, huh?” Gao Ming raised an eyebrow. “That certainly takes away a lot of the fun.”

Song Li smiled faintly. “I’m not much of a drinker anyway.”

Gao Ming nodded, turned his head to glance around, and casually picked up a glass of juice to hand to him. “Then… juice instead of wine?”

Song Li didn’t actually want to share a drink with him, but refusing outright in a venue like this would be rather improper. After a moment’s thought, he accepted the juice and raised his glass to clink with his.

That should settle things, right? Lian Jiu let out a breath of relief beside them, saying with a laugh, “Alright, alright, now that everything’s cleared up, let’s not waste any more time here. Time to go have fun! Brother Gao, keep an eye on Sister-in-law for me, I, the Little White Dragon of the Waves, am off to party!”

With that, Lian Jiu eagerly set down his glass and wove through the crowd onto the dance floor. In no time at all, he was spotted hitting it off with a pretty girl; before even exchanging a few words, he was already dancing with his arm slung around her waist.

Song Li stared at him speechlessly, finally seeing for himself just how unreliable this kid could be. He had promised to bring him along to have some fun, only to abandon him and run off to enjoy himself.

Gao Ming chuckled beside him. “Xiao Jiu just has that kind of personality, always wild.”

Song Li gave a bitter smile and raised his hand to take another sip of juice.

While the two of them stood there chatting, people came over to strike up conversations from time to time, most of them approaching Song Li.

Song Li was dressed impeccably today and was a rare fresh face. The crowd partying here consisted of rich and influential young masters; someone who looked as clean and gorgeous as Song Li was naturally a prime target for them to pursue.

If Gao Ming hadn’t been standing right beside him like a pillar, someone likely would have been unable to hold back long ago.

Perhaps due to being unable to stay in a relatively enclosed environment for too long during pregnancy, staying in the banquet hall for a prolonged period made Song Li feel somewhat stifled. The air was thick with the sweet, cloying scents of various perfumes. He raised a hand to rub his forehead, his complexion turning noticeably pale.

Gao Ming watched his side profile from the side, his gaze growing increasingly greedy and burning.

“Xiao Song, are you feeling unwell? Let me take you to the side to rest.”

Song Li shook his head. Just as he was about to speak, a sudden wave of dizziness surged up violently. Unable to keep his footing for a moment, he swayed and almost tumbled to the ground.

A large hand caught his arm in the nick of time. Supporting him, Gao Ming let half of Song Li’s body rest against his own, lowering his head until his lips were almost brushing Song Li’s ear. “Xiao Song, what’s wrong?”

Feeling Gao Ming’s warm, humid breath brushing against his neck, Song Li felt intensely nauseated and repulsed, his head spinning wildly. He reached out to push him away, but his arms were soft and devoid of strength. Instead, Gao Ming grabbed his hand, whispering, “Let’s go. It’s too noisy here, I’ll take you somewhere quiet.”

Unable to utter a word, Song Li was led forward with a dizzy, muddled mind. He felt like a piece of driftwood drifting in the ocean; everything before his eyes spun, and the surrounding sounds drifted far and near, a clear sign that he was about to pass out.

The second before he completely losing consciousness, Song Li realized hind-sightedly that there was something wrong with the glass of juice Gao Ming had given him.

Inside the bustling banquet hall, the decadent music continued to play. Everyone was immersed in their own world, and no one noticed the figures of Gao Ming and Song Li quietly leaving from the corner.

After dancing a few songs with the girl he had just hit on, Lian Jiu came out to drink once he had enough fun, but after searching around, he couldn’t find Gao Ming and Song Li anywhere.

Grabbing a random person nearby, he asked, “Did you see the two people who were talking here just now? One of them was President Gao from Gao Investment.”

“Ah, you mean President Gao and that beauty beside him?” The person had clearly seen them, shaking his head with a “tsk-tsk”, “That President Gao really has great luck with lovers, managing to get his hands on such an absolute stunner. If President Gao hadn’t been watching over him, that little beauty would’ve fallen into a wolf’s den and been picked clean to the bone long ago… Ouch! Young Master Lian, why are you hitting people?!”

Lian Jiu glared at him. “Hitting you is the least I could do! Keep your mouth clean, that’s my sister-in-law.”

“What sister-in-law…”

“Cut the crap, I’m asking you where the two of them went!”

“Wasn’t I just about to tell you?” Feeling quite aggrieved, the person rubbed his struck head and pointed to the side. “I saw them heading over that way just now. That beauty was so delicate he couldn’t even walk on his own, so President Gao actually carried him away.”

Hearing him finish, Lian Jiu’s brows furrowed tightly.

Song Li was completely fine when he left earlier, so how could he suddenly be unable to walk on his own? Recalling the words Gao Ming had said earlier, a dreadful premonition suddenly flared up in his heart.

Damn it! It couldn’t be what he was thinking, right?

But Song Li was Brother Yan’s wife! No matter how desperate Gao Ming was, he shouldn’t entertain such a thought. Does he really not want to be brothers anymore?!

If Gao Ming truly lost his mind and did what he was imagining, then as for He Muyan’s side…

Just thinking about it caused Lian Jiu to break out into a cold sweat all over his body. Damn it! If he couldn’t guarantee Song Li’s safety today, tomorrow’s front-page news would probably feature him and Gao Ming lying dead on the streets!