That Means You’re the Child’s Real Father!
“Find him?” Su Jingyang clenched his teeth, his voice seeming to be squeezed straight out of his throat, filled with resentment. “Why the hell would I find him? I never want to see him again in this lifetime. I’m sworn enemies with him! Even if I did meet him, I’d rip out his tendons, flay his skin, and drink his blood!!!”
Of course, Su Jingyang was speaking in anger. The innocent person in the dream probably wanted to do the same to him.
Su Jingyang was grateful that they hadn’t been able to see each other’s faces in the dream. Otherwise, if they ran into each other in reality, the hatred and conflict would be far worse!
Rong Ci froze for a moment. The arm wrapped around Su Jingyang’s waist tightened slightly. Warm breath brushed against Su Jingyang’s ear as he asked in an unreadable tone, “You hate him that much?”
Rong Ci had more or less guessed it. Just like himself, Su Jingyang hadn’t entered that spring dream willingly. From his tone just now, Rong Ci could hear deep resentment. Su Jingyang truly didn’t want to see the person from the dream.
As a result, Rong Ci almost instantly changed his mind about telling Su Jingyang the truth.
This guy’s temper was stubborn and hard as nails. He had only just become a little more compliant because of his physical condition. If he learned the truth now and his resentment flared up again, the barely stabilized situation would surely be thrown into complete chaos, creating even more obstacles between them.
It would be better… to wait.
Once this cold-hearted person was willing to admit that he had some feelings for him, Rong Ci could find a chance to explain everything. That would be more stable.
“Hate him? How could I not hate?! Hey, why do I feel like you’ve been acting weird ever since I woke up? You didn’t do something to me while I was asleep, did you?” Su Jingyang mulled it over and figured Rong Ci still had reservations about the child in his belly.
Without waiting for him to respond, he hurriedly added, “Even though I hate and detest him, for certain reasons, I must keep this child. Don’t get any ideas, you hear?”
Rong Ci fell silent for a moment, then asked instead, “Jingyang, is your home very far away?”
“Far. Very far. Far beyond what you can imagine.” Su Jingyang thought for a bit, then added, “And I’m the only one who can go back. I can’t take you with me. That’s why I kept telling you not to provoke me. It’s for your own good. Once I go home, you won’t be able to find me anymore.”
Rong Ci followed up immediately, “If you go home alone in the future, who will take care of the child? Will you abandon him?”
“The child…?” Su Jingyang froze for a moment. That question actually stumped him. He had never really considered it.
Right!!!
Who would take care of the child in the future?!
He hated that damn dog system to death, but once the child was born, responsibility came with it.
Su Jingyang stayed silent for a long time. Rong Ci spoke softly by his ear, “Marry me. Leave the child behind. After you leave, I’ll do my best to raise him.”
…Had this guy gone crazy from being driven by him, or was he possessed by a ghost?!
Su Jingyang couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to turn his head to look at Rong Ci’s expression, only for Rong Ci to press his face back with a hand the moment it shifted even slightly, not letting him look.
Su Jingyang was shocked. “You… really want to be my child’s stepfather?”
Earlier, his gaze had been cold enough to kill, yet now he was unbelievably calm and even making such a huge concession. He had to be brewing something big…
Su Jingyang slowed his speech deliberately. “Actually… I don’t have to leave the child with you. I still have Ah Li. Ah Li will help me.”
Su Jingyang hesitated as he said this. Raising a child wasn’t as simple as adding another bowl and pair of chopsticks to the table. On top of that, Ah Li’s situation with the Crown Prince was still unclear. Su Jingyang really couldn’t guarantee what the future would look like.
Rong Ci could hear that he was wavering. He continued patiently, “Look at it this way. I like you this much. I’m very wealthy. I won’t stop you from going home. I can raise your child so you won’t have any worries. Given your situation, isn’t marrying me the best option? Wouldn’t it be a waste not to?”
Su Jingyang’s eyes rolled as he unconsciously bit at his sleeve, tangled in hesitation, and saying nothing.
Something felt off, yet everything also seemed to make sense.
Before, he had refused Rong Ci for two reasons. One was fear that if things went wrong with Rong Ci, he wouldn’t be able to go home. The other was fear of owing an emotional debt. That was why he stubbornly refused to be with him. Now though, if he was keeping the child and Rong Ci was willing to raise it, then entrusting the child to him really did make him an excellent choice.
“You won’t use the child to threaten me later, will you?” Su Jingyang was still doubtful. Rong Ci was deep and calculating. This sudden gentleness, not only accepting the child but willingly letting himself be used, felt like a trap waiting ahead.
“Don’t worry,” Rong Ci replied. “I won’t use him to threaten you. I can swear a blood oath.”
Without warning, Su Jingyang suddenly flipped around in Rong Ci’s arms and reached out to grab his bottom. Rong Ci’s breath hitched. He seized Su Jingyang’s hand and pinned him tightly against his chest, his pupils darkening. “What are you groping around for? Don’t want to live?”
Su Jingyang’s eyes were sharp and alert as he lifted his face from Rong Ci’s chest and squinted at him. “I’m checking if your wolf tail is wagging! Your sudden change is so drastic, something’s definitely off! If you’re really willing to accept this child, there’s only one possibility. That is…… you’re the child’s real father!”
Rong Ci’s expression froze instantly. He only felt the situation was very much not good.
Had this idiot actually become perceptive for once and noticed something?!
Su Jingyang wore an expression like he’d seen through everything and let out a cold laugh. “So this is just your delaying tactic! You can’t accept the child, but you know that if you forced me to abort it, we’d be completely done. So you plan to sweet-talk me first and get me in your hands, right?! Right??!”
“……” Faced with his rapid-fire questioning, Rong Ci couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth from twitching twice.
He had overestimated his intelligence. That was just scaring himself.
Rong Ci met his gaze, expression unchanged, and followed his logic. “You can understand it that way. I want there to still be room between us. So I’m willing to step back and raise your child. In exchange, until the day you return home, you belong to me.”
Sure enough, once it was framed as a transaction, Su Jingyang looked noticeably more at ease.
“…Then let me say this upfront. We’re using each other, each getting what we want. When I leave in the future, you can’t stop me, and you can’t say I was heartless.”
“That’s only natural,” Rong Ci said, cupping his face and lowering his head to kiss the corner of his mouth. “I won’t stop you.”
Su Jingyang pushed him away and stared at him. “You’d better keep your word.”
Rong Ci’s eyes flickered slightly, his lips curving. “Of course. So, does that mean you’ve agreed to marry me?”
Su Jingyang’s face turned serious. “Something this big obviously needs time for me to think about. Who knows, I might wake up tomorrow with a sudden flash of inspiration, see through your sinister plot, and pull myself back from the brink in time.”
“Mm, you really are meticulous,” Rong Ci said, forcing down a laugh as he nodded solemnly in agreement. He then messed up Su Jingyang’s soft hair and said gently, “Then hurry up and sleep. Make your brain smarter. Think it through and answer me later.”
“Then I’m sleeping. Don’t bother me again,” Su Jingyang said. His mind was a mess, but he was too sluggish to think clearly. He was simply too tired. Before long, heavy sleepiness overtook him. His eyelids fluttered twice, and he fell asleep leaning against Rong Ci’s chest.
Su Jingyang fell asleep quickly, but Rong Ci rarely slept that night.
Looking at the peaceful sleeping face in his arms, Rong Ci’s hand gently rested on Su Jingyang’s still-flat lower abdomen. Something seemed to boil endlessly in his chest. Heat spread through his limbs and bones, even the temperature of his fingertips becoming scorching.
Once upon a time, neither love nor offspring were things he so desired. Now, however, the person he loved lay in his arms, carrying his flesh and blood. The feeling was so beautiful it made his heart tremble.
How could he ever be willing to lose all of this in the future?
Rong Ci’s eyes were deep and changing. He kissed the top of Su Jingyang’s head, closed his eyes, and silently curved his lips.
Of course, he would first keep the person locked by his side. As for later… there would be plenty of ways to make him stay.
Su Jingyang didn’t give Rong Ci an answer the next day either. He leaned against the window, staring blankly at the trees swaying in the wind. It felt as though once he started wavering, one foot had already stepped off a cliff. Agreeing would be jumping straight into the abyss. Yet if he didn’t take that step, there was nowhere left to retreat. He couldn’t exactly abort the child now.
Rong Ci didn’t rush him. He had been away from Rongcheng for some time and had matters to attend to, so he let Su Jingyang struggle with it on his own.
Since Rong Ci didn’t bring it up, Su Jingyang acted as though nothing was happening. Under Rong Hua’s lead, he wandered around outside all day. Su Jingyang noticed that whenever Rong Hua went out, a large empty space naturally formed around her. Pedestrians avoided her as though she were some venomous beast, leaving him clicking his tongue in amazement.
Su Jingyang had briefly considered running away when Rong Hua wasn’t paying attention, but he dismissed the idea almost immediately. His identity token had been confiscated by Rong Ci. The city gates were guarded strictly by the Yulin Guards, with thorough inspections for entry and exit. There was no way he could escape, so he stopped bothering.
Rong Hua was sharp. How could she not know what Su Jingyang was doing by loitering near the city gates? She smiled and said, “Little fool, do you know why those Yulin Guards always bow when they see us?”
Su Jingyang replied, “Because you’re the Saintess of the Rong clan?”
“No, no, no.” Rong Hua wagged her finger at him. “They’re the backbone protecting Rongcheng. Their discipline is extremely strict. They would never waste time stopping to bow just for me.”
Su Jingyang said in surprise, “Then it can’t possibly be me, right?”
Rong Hua laughed brightly and draped an arm over his shoulders. “Of course it’s you, my City Lord’s wife. Rong Ci sent out your portrait on the second day after you arrived. Anyone in the Rong clan with even a bit of status knows the City Lord is going to marry you. Tell me, if you tried to charge out of the city now, do you think you’d succeed, hm?”
“…………” F*ck. Since when had he already become the City Lord’s wife??? Had he agreed to that???
When Su Jingyang returned to Shuitian Yise, he immediately spotted Rong Ci waiting at the hall entrance. Dressed in black with his hair bound, he stood tall and jade-like. A casual smile curved his red lips, his handsome face made even more dazzling under the sunlight.
Su Jingyang was not swayed by his looks at all. He immediately stiffened his face and shot him a glare.
Rong Ci’s dark eyes shimmered as he looked at him. “What’s wrong? Weren’t you happy when you went out?”
Su Jingyang ignored him and walked straight inside. Rong Ci matched his pace and naturally wrapped an arm around his waist, looking at his profile as he said warmly, “It was bound to happen sooner or later. I just did it ahead of time so they could recognize your face.”
“You know exactly why I’m angry, yet you’re pretending not to?” Su Jingyang snorted heavily. “Letting everyone recognize me so the whole city can keep an eye on me, right?”
Outside, Su Jingyang usually saw Rong Ci alone and couldn’t feel his authority as City Lord. Only after coming here did he truly realize that Rong Ci stood at the center of power. With a single order, escape was impossible.
“I wanted them to know your status so they wouldn’t unknowingly slight you,” Rong Ci said.
“Just keep pretending, you big-tailed wolf.”
After entering the room, Su Jingyang sat down and immediately flopped onto the table. Rong Ci poured him a cup of tea and handed it over. Su Jingyang propped himself up slightly and took it.
Rong Ci’s long fingers tapped lightly on the table. After a moment, he looked at him and said calmly, “By the way, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Su Jingyang sensed a shift in his tone. His hand paused mid-sip. He lifted his face and stared at him without blinking. “What?”
“The physician who came to check your pulse today said…” Rong Ci fell silent expressionlessly for a moment, his gaze drifting aside before he continued coolly. “What you’re carrying may be twins.”
Author’s Note:
I need to tell everyone something. You can probably tell from my update times that I’ve been staying up late a lot recently. I’ve actually had small health issues on and off before, but a few days ago, I suddenly started feeling a strange discomfort in my chest. It wasn’t pain, but I couldn’t quite describe the sensation. Because it felt unusual, I panicked a little. I couldn’t finish writing yesterday, so I didn’t update. Today I went to see a doctor, but they didn’t find anything specific, just gave me some medicine and told me not to stay up late.
I write very slowly, my typing speed is slow, and I tend to overthink things. Writing four or five thousand words normally takes me at least five to six hours. When I get stuck, it can take even longer, and before I know it, it’s already past midnight. I’ll still try to update daily in the future, but I’ll prioritize my health. I may reduce chapter length as needed, or update however much I manage to write.
If I really can’t write and need to skip an update, I’ll post a notice above the 【Synopsis】. Please make sure to check it, and don’t stay up too late waiting. In the future, if I haven’t updated by eleven o’clock, just come back the next day.
PS: If the chapter is shorter, the plot definitely won’t progress much. If it feels slow, you can save up a few days to read at once, or wait until the story is finished.
0 Comments