WRA CH53

Chapter 53: “Hubby, you wouldn’t hit the baby, right?”

Zhou Sicheng’s tongue was even more capable of executing its master’s will with precision than what was below his waist.

Possessing a strong awareness of service, after finishing, he thoughtfully pulled the covers up for Xiang Zhen, concealing the messy aftermath on his lower half.

“Keep playing on your phone.” Zhou Sicheng’s lips were flushed, his straight, prominent nose glistening with sweat. Pinching Xiang Zhen’s cheeks, which were red all the way to the corners of his eyes, he got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

His back looked exceptionally steady, but in reality, the arrow was already nocked on the bowstring; he couldn’t even spare the time to change the bedsheet for Xiang Zhen first.

Xiang Zhen lay there with his damp legs splayed, still so limp and soft he could barely close them.

As if retaliating against him playing the video out loud, Zhou Sicheng completely ignored the phone tossed to the side for the entire duration. With his soul practically sucked out of him, Xiang Zhen lay there listening to Sister Wang’s video loop automatically ten times.

Every time the robotic voice repeated the title, “What to do if your husband’s libido drops after you get pregnant”, Zhou Sicheng took a bite out of the flesh on his inner thigh.

Xiang Zhen was on the verge of a breakdown.

Slowly turning onto his side, Xiang Zhen reached down and touched the faint, barely-there teeth marks. Humiliated and furious, he unfollowed Sister Wang.

What Sister Wang talked about didn’t match his and his husband’s marital situation at all. Sister Li was much more reliable.

After a long time, Zhou Sicheng still hadn’t emerged from the bathroom. His legs feeling like jelly, Xiang Zhen scrambled up himself. He didn’t know where his clothes were folded—Zhou Sicheng usually laid them out for him to wear—so he could only go to the walk-in closet and pick out one of his husband’s dress shirts.

Zhou Sicheng’s shirt collection had suddenly become very colorful. Xiang Zhen put on a white one, then bent over, pulling open drawers everywhere to find a fresh bedsheet.

He found one and virtuously changed the sheets.

By the time Zhou Sicheng came out, the four-piece bedding set had already been replaced. “Wait for me to change it next time.”

Xiang Zhen: “You were too slow.”

Zhou Sicheng stroked his face: “My wife can even do chores. So cute.”

Xiang Zhen glared at him: “I know how to wash vegetables too.”

Zhou Sicheng: “Think carefully about how long it’s been since you last washed them.”

Xiang Zhen thought about it; indeed, Zhou Sicheng had taken over all the cooking later on. “I’ll wash them next time.”

Zhou Sicheng picked him up, letting him sit straddling his lap face-to-face, and said solemnly, “Zhenzhen, regarding the parts of the truth I hid during our blind date, I formally apologize to you.”

“I’m sorry. I was too arrogant.”

Xiang Zhen: “Hubby, I forgive you.”

A flash of profound sorrow flickered in the depths of Zhou Sicheng’s eyes, but he kept it hidden for the moment. “When you asked about my family background, I didn’t tell you my parents had passed away.”

“When Fan Hao approached you about it last time, it was because I deliberately had him make me sound pitiful.”

Xiang Zhen’s nose stung, and he rested his chin on Zhou Sicheng’s shoulder: “Hubby, actually, I lied to you too.”

“My parents have passed away as well. Auntie Guihua is just an auntie with no blood relation to me.”

Blood rushed to Zhou Sicheng’s head. What did he mean, no blood relation? He just poured his heart out, and Xiang Zhen dropped a bombshell of a secret in return!

Truth be told, he and Shen Ku had always had doubts about the blood relations in that family. How could a family of three have three completely different hair colors?! Li Guihua had black hair!

Xiang Zhen’s ancestors apparently had North American mixed heritage, giving him natural golden blonde hair. But what about Dou Manning, with his natural, slightly curly coffee-colored hair? What kind of mix was he?! Where did these hair color genes even come from? Were their ancestors calico cats?!

If it weren’t so impolite, Zhou Sicheng would have run a paternity test long ago.

Zhou Sicheng: “How did your parents pass away?”

Xiang Zhen blinked: “Natural aging.”

Zhou Sicheng massaged his temples. Excuse me, the average human lifespan exceeds seventy years. Xiang Zhen is only twenty and both his parents are dead. How is that natural aging?

Wait… could it be a congenital genetic disease?

This speculation filled Zhou Sicheng with immense reluctance, but given how extraordinarily unique Xiang Zhen’s ability to conceive was, he was terrified there might be other unexpected flaws in the genetic chain.

“Baobei, let’s go draw some blood tomorrow, just one vial, okay?”

Xiang Zhen pursed his lips. How did the topic circle back to drawing blood again? “No.”

Zhou Sicheng: “You and Dou Manning aren’t biological brothers?”

Xiang Zhen nodded: “Better than biological brothers.”

Zhou Sicheng: “Then what does his ability to get pregnant have to do with you? Why do you have to wait for him to get pregnant? Are you sure he can get pregnant?”

Xiang Zhen said proudly: “Only boys who can get pregnant are qualified to be Auntie Guihua’s children!”

Zhou Sicheng furrowed his brows deeply, because this sounded suspiciously like some underground genetic modification syndicate.

He really needed to launch a serious investigation into Li Guihua.

Zhou Sicheng undid a button on his shirt, sliding his hand inside to stroke Xiang Zhen’s belly.

Xiang Zhen: “Hubby, think of a name for the baby.”

Zhou Sicheng: “Do you like kids that much?”

Xiang Zhen: “Because this is my baby with you.”

The baby he had with his husband was a sunflower seed baby. Without a husband, he would at most produce delicious sunflower seeds—no different from growing leaves, nothing special.

From the expectant look in Xiang Zhen’s eyes, Zhou Sicheng understood that terminating the pregnancy was completely impossible, unless he wanted to push his wife away again.

He couldn’t do anything stupid that would make Xiang Zhen run away with the baby again.

“I hope he’s as cute as you are,” Zhou Sicheng said, staring at Xiang Zhen’s lower abdomen, a hint of strictness leaking into his tone.

Xiang Zhen caught it instantly, frowning at his husband: “Hubby, you wouldn’t hit the baby, would you?”

Zhou Sicheng felt no obligation to hide it: “I would.”

Xiang Zhen gasped, “I know he tormented you a bit, but he didn’t do it on purpose! It has nothing to do with him; it was all my fault.”

Hearing his wife defend their biological baby the same way he defended that rebellious son Xiao Kui Bao, Zhou Sicheng found it somewhat amusing. He always took the blame onto himself, but his intuition from battling Xiao Kui Bao told him that the fault definitely lay with the rebellious son.

Zhou Sicheng put on a stern face: “The moment he’s born, I’ll spank his bottom. When he grows up, I’ll cut off his funding chain.”

Holding his belly worriedly, Xiang Zhen opened his mouth to try and persuade him otherwise, but then suddenly remembered his husband driving a heavy freight truck, battered by the wind and sun. He remembered the desolate sight of Zhou Sicheng staring blankly at the missing-person poster when they unexpectedly reunited at the construction site.

If the baby’s bottom gets spanked, then so be it. Xiang Zhen asked softly, “What does cutting off the funding chain mean?”

Zhou Sicheng: “It means the moment he graduates from college, he’ll have to support himself.”

Xiang Zhen pondered deeply. “What if he doesn’t get into college?”

Zhou Sicheng had never considered this possibility; Xiang Zhen had stumped him.

Xiang Zhen, however, figured it out a step faster: “Hubby, you can just leave the BYD for the baby. He can drive for rideshares and inherit the family business.”

And from today onward, Lord Sunflower would start saving money to subsidize the sunflower seed baby’s rent. That way, he’d have a job, a place to live, and be a contributing youth to society. That would be enough.

Zhou Sicheng: “…”

Xiang Zhen was very forgiving: “I didn’t go to school, but I still made money, and I successfully found a husband. Our baby can do it too.”

Found a what???

Zhou Sicheng instantly changed his mind: “I will do everything in my power to uplift and support our child.”

Saying this, Zhou Sicheng immediately began making arrangements: “Before your bump starts showing, I’m going to host a banquet to introduce you to the group’s executives and my friends, okay? You invite your friends over too. We’ll hold an engagement ceremony.”

Xiang Zhen nodded: “Okay.”

He had been wanting to introduce his hubby to his friends for a long time anyway.

Although Yueyue and the others already knew who he was, they still hadn’t sat down for a meal together.

Zhou Sicheng: “Let’s invite Mother-in-Law over as well.”

Once she was on his turf, he absolutely had to pry some honest truth out of Li Guihua’s mouth.

Xiang Zhen: “Then you call and ask her.”

However, Li Guihua accurately sensed this was a trap and absolutely refused to go.

Li Guihua wasn’t afraid of being investigated. Back in the day, Senior Honeysuckle and Senior Golden Leopard had left behind a comprehensive set of Yao protection regulations. No matter how far-reaching Zhou Sicheng’s influence was, if Dou Manning hadn’t accidentally exposed his ID card, it would be impossible to find connections between Yao through the human system.

Zhou Sicheng increasingly realized the sheer stubbornness of this family.

…

The next day, Xiang Zhen called his friends one by one to invite them to his engagement banquet.

He invited Dou Manning last, saying with a hint of distress, “Manning, I don’t want to hide it from my hubby anymore.”

Zhou Sicheng seemed to be suffering from PTSD; at night, he would wake up after sleeping for just a short while, quietly watching over him as he kept vigil.

How could Xiang Zhen not notice the state of the person sharing his pillow?

Zhou Sicheng was worried he would disappear again, worried about whether the baby could be born safely.

Only by explaining the reasons clearly to him could Zhou Sicheng truly set his mind at ease and get a good night’s sleep.

If the sun didn’t set, it couldn’t rise full of energy the next day.

Xiang Zhen made his decision: “After the engagement banquet tomorrow, I’ll confess.”

He and Zhou Sicheng would be engaged in the traditional, folkloric sense, which meant they were a family now; he couldn’t keep secrets from his husband anymore.

Xiang Zhen: “I’ll try my best not to implicate you.”

Dou Manning said, “It’s fine by me, say whatever you want. But it’s best not to reveal your true form.”

Being able to accept that a wife is a Yao, versus seeing with your own eyes that your wife is a literal sunflower—the psychological impact was entirely different. This was heavily emphasized in the Guide to Adulthood written by Bai Qi.

Dou Manning: “Anyway, I’m planning to confess to Shen Ku too.”

Xiang Zhen: “You’re going to tell him too?”

Dou Manning said solemnly: “Because I saw he registered at the andrology department.”

Xiang Zhen asked, “Is it because his sperm quality is bad, so you can’t get pregnant? Zhou Sicheng said he was going to introduce a TCM doctor to him.”

Dou Manning: “No. He’s going to get a vasectomy. And he hasn’t been sleeping with me lately.”

Xiang Zhen let out a stunned “Ah,” hanging up the phone in a daze.

Judging by Shen Ku’s extreme overreaction, Zhou Sicheng must have felt even more anxiety internally than he let on.

That night, hugging his husband’s waist, Xiang Zhen secretly transferred a bit of sunlight power to Zhou Sicheng, allowing him to restore his energy even if he couldn’t sleep.

Zhou Sicheng’s villa itself could serve as a banquet hall, but he had never hosted guests here in the past, except for Fan Hao showing up uninvited.

There were designated venues for business dinners; as for private friends, Zhou Sicheng didn’t actually enjoy going out much.

Over the years, apart from Zhou Qingyun’s major birthdays, the thinly populated Zhou family hadn’t celebrated a single joyous occasion.

Zhou Sicheng’s engagement banquet could be considered the very first.

The butler took charge of the arrangements, completely transforming the villa overnight.

Unable to sleep, Zhou Sicheng simply went downstairs in the middle of the night to personally supervise and inspect the kitchen’s meal preparations.

In the past, he couldn’t make heads or tails of the kitchen; now, he was quite experienced.

His eyes lingered on the fruit and dessert menu, wanting to delete it so his wife wouldn’t be tempted, but then he remembered Xiang Zhen’s aggrieved little face when eating recently.

Forget it. Shouldn’t I let my wife be happy at his own engagement banquet?

The sky began to lighten.

Zhou Sicheng called Zhou Qingyun, who always woke up early: “Grandpa, I’m getting engaged today. I sincerely invite you to attend.”

Zhou Qingyun saw no sincerity whatsoever: “You little bastard!”

Zhou Sicheng: “I apologize. I decided this on short notice.”

“If you’re in a good mood, please come. If you’re going to have a long face, you don’t need to come, so you don’t scare my wife.”

Zhou Qingyun had completely run out of ideas regarding his grandson falling in love with a boy to the point of life and death—especially after Zhou Sicheng disgracefully drove a heavy freight truck for a month.

“Weren’t you hopelessly in love? Why is the engagement banquet so rushed?”

Zhou Sicheng chuckled: “You’ll understand later.”

He had absolutely no way of predicting the growth rate of the fetus in Xiang Zhen’s belly; the sooner, the better.

Hanging up the phone, Zhou Sicheng instructed Ye Yun and Shi Ting to stick close to Zhou Qingyun. If Zhou Qingyun’s expression soured even slightly, they were to escort him away to rest.

The banquet was scheduled for the evening. Zhou Sicheng had only invited the thirty-four executives who drank the coffee last time and nine friends. His main goal was to have the group’s executives officially recognize Xiang Zhen; after all, Xiang Zhen was about to become one of Zhoufu’s shareholders.

Several trusted aides harbored quite a few grievances regarding Zhou Sicheng transferring his equity. Because they didn’t have a marriage certificate, it was hard to guarantee they were entirely bound as one entity; Zhou Sicheng could lose his absolute control over Zhoufu.

There were plenty of CEOs who drafted prenuptial agreements to guard against their partners, or simply gave cash instead!

Zhou Sicheng couldn’t be bothered to explain. “You’ll understand once you see my wife.”

What use was a marriage certificate? His wife loved him deeply.

Xiang Zhen wasn’t too familiar with his colleagues from the bank yet, so he didn’t invite them, only inviting Yu Yueyue, Liu Xiaofang, and Sun Youzhi.

Yu Yueyue arrived exceptionally early: “Why didn’t you invite the other colleagues, so they all know you’re Zhou Sicheng’s wife! You’re a rank higher than Fan Hao!”

Xiang Zhen: “Didn’t the internet say not to send wedding invitations to colleagues you aren’t close with? They’d just spend a month’s salary purely on the red envelope.”

Though Xiang Zhen had no intention of collecting money.

Yu Yueyue: “This is different! Please, this is coming to Zhou Sicheng’s house for a banquet! Spending five hundred yuan for this is a total steal, okay?!”

The parting gifts they took back would probably be worth at least five thousand.

Xiang Zhen: “Yueyue, then make sure to eat plenty today.”

Yu Yueyue: “Will do! Zhenzhen, you go greet the others, I’m going to eat!”

Sun Youzhi presented his congratulatory gift. He finally understood why Feng Chujun had gone bankrupt so quickly, and why he had suddenly been promoted.

It was all because of this handsome, wealthy President Zhou standing before him.

He never could have imagined that the husband Xiang Zhen constantly talked about was Zhou Sicheng.

“Thank you, President Zhou. I will definitely work hard.” Sun Youzhi shook hands with Zhou Sicheng, who was now also a shareholder of the Nut Company.

Zhou Sicheng: “You’re too kind. Thank you for taking care of Zhenzhen at the company.”

Sun Youzhi: “It’s what I should do. I brought him out from our hometown, so I have to be responsible for him.”

Fan Hao coughed twice: “President Zhou, I took great care of Xiang Zhen at the company too.”

Zhou Sicheng: “Weren’t you just voluntarily watching the drama unfold?”

Dou Manning and Shen Ku arrived. Today, Shen Ku rarely wore a full suit.

Fan Hao naturally extended a hand: “Oh, Second Young Master Shen. What new projects are you busy with lately?”

Need to process a loan?

Shen Ku: “Not busy.”

Fan Hao shifted his gaze, noticing Shen Ku was holding hands with a beauty—it was none other than the one selling coffee at the construction site.

Xiang Zhen broke into a smile: “Manning, you’re here! Your clothes look so nice today!”

“Shen Ku bought them for me. Your clothes look nice too,” Dou Manning said.

Xiang Zhen said, “Manager Fan, thank you for taking me to the construction site, otherwise I never would have met Manning.”

Fan Hao: “You’re welcome. You’ll get to meet Second Young Master Shen’s wife sooner or later too.”

A black sedan pulled up, and two people stepped out.

Fan Hao introduced them to Xiang Zhen: “That’s Chu Ren, the CEO of Changsheng Media. When Feng Chujun threatened you last time, he was the one who helped your husband set a trap to bankrupt him.”

“The person next to him is his wife, Bai Qi. He rarely shows his face; even I’ve only seen him a few times.”

Holding Xiang Zhen’s hand with his left, Zhou Sicheng said, “President Chu, this is my spouse, Xiang Zhen.”

Chu Ren: “Hello, Mr. Xiang. I’m Chu Ren, and this is my spouse, Bai Qi.”

Bai Qi lazily lifted his eyes.

Xiang Zhen: “Oh!”

The three little Yao met just like that, completely unexpectedly.

Bai Qi had a somewhat aloof, unapproachable appearance, fitting Xiang Zhen’s imagination of a snake Yao perfectly.

But with so many people around right now, it was hard to openly acknowledge each other, so they could only pretend to hit it off immediately.

The three couples sat on the circular sofa. Looking around, Fan Hao sadly realized this looked like a session of “Wives’ Diplomacy.”

Zhou Sicheng and Shen Ku felt a sense of déjà vu regarding this scene, becoming instinctively vigilant.

With his eyes curved in a smile, Xiang Zhen asked Bai Qi: “Your hubby is the CEO of Changsheng Media? The dramas I love watching are all produced by Changsheng Media; the very first scene always shows your company’s name.”

Bai Qi: “He primarily works in the film and television industry.”

Xiang Zhen said enviously: “Then does that mean you don’t need to buy VIP memberships to watch all those dramas?”

Bai Qi paused for a second: “Right. I get to watch the final cuts in advance.”

Xiang Zhen grew even more envious: “I don’t have a VIP membership. I can only watch the first episode.”

In an instant, Zhou Sicheng became the focal point among all the CEOs.

Everyone’s eyes clearly projected condemnation:

[You don’t even have the money to buy your wife a VIP membership?]

Zhou Sicheng: “…”