Le Mei's period was five days late, and it had scared her to death.
With her heart pounding in her chest and panic setting in, she hurried to a pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test on her way back to her uncle's house.
Once home, she locked herself in her room,
holding the freshly used pregnancy test in her hand, her mind in complete turmoil as her fingers trembled involuntarily.
"Sigh~"
Le Mei let out a heavy breath, her brow furrowing in irritation.
How could she have been so foolish~
She remembered that he seemed to have worn a condom that night, but somewhere along the line, something must have slipped up. Could it have been that time the next morning?
Did he wear one? Or didn't he?
Le Mei shook her head; her memories were scattered fragments, and she just couldn't remember clearly.
Fortunately, it was only one line, and she let out a sigh of relief.
It was only the fifth day; her period had to be late by over a week to confirm whether she was actually pregnant, so she couldn't lower her guard just yet!
Le Mei tossed the evidence of her test into the trash can, tied up the garbage bag, and prepared to take it down with her later.
Today, she had come back to her uncle's place to pack up her belongings and move into the apartment she had rented.
Her uncle's apartment was seventy-nine square meters, a compact two-bedroom layout.
Her small room had been converted from a utility closet, barely large enough to fit a 1.2-meter-wide bed. There was no air conditioning, only a ceiling fan spinning lazily overhead.
In late September in Modu, the weather was still quite muggy.
After packing up her clothes in that cramped room, fine beads of sweat covered Le Mei's forehead, and she was drenched as if she had just stepped out of a steamer.
Just then, Xiang Nan's tall and rather lean figure leaned lazily against the doorframe, speaking to Le Mei in an indifferent tone:
"Sis, my mom is looking for you! Go to her bedroom."
Le Mei let out a soft "Oh,"
then wiped the beads of sweat continuously welling up on her forehead with a tissue, stood up, and walked out.
Xiang Nan, always quick-eyed, let his gaze wander around the room. Inadvertently, his eyes landed on the garbage bag by the door.In an instant, something inside the trash bag instantly caught his eye, making him blurt out, "What the hell?"
Xiang Nan squatted down and took a closer look. It really was *that* kind of thing!
He recalled the other day when his sister had downed a bottle of wine and completely passed out. At the time, Huo Qi had bent down, patted her face, and called out, "Hey!" Without a word, she had hooked her arm around Huo Qi's neck and kissed him wildly. It was utterly reckless!
Xiang Nan had expected that a humiliated and furious Huo Qi would beat her up, but instead, Huo Qi had told everyone in the private room to get out.
Of course Xiang Nan hadn't left. He stood at the door of the private room, pushing it open a crack and peeking inside.
The scene inside had made his blood race. The two of them had been passionately kissing! They had kissed for about ten minutes!
Later, Xiang Nan had hidden far away, crouching behind a tall potted plant, and watched with his own eyes as Huo Qi carried her into the elevator and went upstairs. Upstairs had the rest areas—which were no different from a hotel!
Could it be? They... hehe, something was definitely going on!
That night, Xiang Nan had sent a message to Le Mei, but she hadn't replied until the next morning. The more Xiang Nan thought about it, the more he felt it was possible.
He stealthily opened the trash bag and hid the pregnancy test strip in his pants pocket.
A bold plan began to sprout from the bottom of his heart!
Huo Qi was the Crown Prince of Modu, with towering power and bottomless wealth. If he became his brother-in-law, wouldn't he be set for life? Whenever trouble struck, someone would have his back; whenever he needed money, someone would shell out. From then on, he would reach the pinnacle of life...
Thinking of this, the corners of Xiang Nan's mouth curled up slightly.
He secretly took a photo of the test strip. As a computer science major, editing photos was no trouble at all for him. He edited the single line originally shown on the test strip into two lines, making it look completely convincing!Xiang Nan pulled strings and called in favors, inquiring everywhere for Huo Qi’s mobile number. Finally, after spending five hundred yuan, he obtained it from a waitress at one of Modu’s most high-end bars.
With that, he sent Huo Qi a text message, attached with a photo.
***
After the commotion at the pool hall ended, Huo Qi hadn't taken the initiative to get Le Mei’s contact information. Although he knew Ji Rao had her WeChat, he would never be the type to actively add someone, let alone a woman who was only a one-night stand.
The only female contact in his WeChat was his own mother, Ms. Zhong Meilin.
He just found it quite strange that he hadn't received any transaction notifications for the past few days. She had been so eager to take his card that day, yet she hadn't swiped it once since—could she have lost it? If she wasn’t after his looks and wasn’t after his money, what was she after?
Could it be…
Huo Qi reached out a hand, fingers long and jade-like, and subconsciously touched his own chest. He hooked his collar with his fingers and cast his gaze downward.
The few red marks on his pectoral muscles had yet to fade. These weren't scratches—they were planted by someone!
A realization flashed through Huo Qi’s mind.
Could it be… that she lusted after his body?
*Buzz, buzz, buzz…*
The phone in his pocket vibrated. Huo Qi opened the message. The moment he saw the content, his pupils constricted violently! His hand shook uncontrollably, nearly dropping the phone to the floor.
[Hello, brother-in-law. Smile.jpg. It seems my sister is pregnant.jpg.]
Attached was a photo of a pregnancy test—two lines.
"What’s wrong?" Ji Rao asked, curious to see Huo Qi looking so uncharacteristically pale.
Huo Qi looked shaken. He was still so young, only nineteen, and hadn’t even been in a real relationship yet. And now… he was suddenly a father.
That woman! She had acted so cool and detached the other day, but now she’d gone and gotten herself caught! Too embarrassed to tell him directly, she’d even sent her brother to relay the news.
Huo Qi lifted his eyes, meeting Ji Rao’s puzzled gaze, and asked, word by word, "Can you get a prize on the first try?"
"Huh?" Ji Rao was inexperienced and didn't realize the "prize" Huo Qi was talking about had nothing to do with the lottery. "Do you even need to buy lottery tickets?"
"Forget it! Asking you is a waste of time."
Huo Qi took a long stride, his tall, athletic frame collapsing carelessly into the sofa. His thumb tapped rhythmically against his phone screen.
*Baidu search: Can you get pregnant on the first time?*
Huo Qi patiently read through the results, line by line. The more he read, the tighter his brows knitted together; the answer was already self-evident.
He only had himself to blame for being too impulsive that night. But… at the very beginning, she had been the one to pin him to the bed and force him to kiss her. Later, he had turned the tables on her and made her cry. And after that, there was no stopping him…
Besides, he hadn't worn anything that morning…
It must have been that time in the morning!
Huo Qi was certain.
For the Huo family, this was momentous news. If it were a boy, he would be the Huo family’s first grandson, a treasure to everyone. But he couldn't make this public. The Huo Group was vast and influential, and they had plenty of enemies. If some malicious person caught wind of it and put his child—boy or girl—in danger, the loss would be far too great.
The memory of the blood-stained sheets flashed through his mind. Huo Qi was even more convinced that they had both been each other’s first. The girl was pure and innocent; since she had given herself to him, he had to take responsibility.
Although he didn't like her at all!
But for the sake of the "child," he would have to make do. He only wanted the child. The position of wife in his heart was reserved for only one person; no one could ever replace her.