Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Shang Huoyong glanced down at the pregnancy test Su Tinghe was holding and took it. It clearly showed two lines.

"What are we going to do?" Su Tinghe looked at Shang Huoyong, his eyes brimming with panic and uncertainty.

Shang Huoyong was stunned, unable to process the shocking news. His gaze shifted between Su Tinghe and the pregnancy test in his hand. After a while, he managed to regain some composure and asked calmly, "Are you telling me you're pregnant with our child?"

Su Tinghe nodded, grabbing Shang Huoyong's arm and explaining, "I know it sounds crazy, but I’m really carrying your child."

Shang Huoyong couldn’t grasp why Su Tinghe was so fixated on the idea of being pregnant. He was more concerned about Su Tinghe's mental state than the possibility of him being pregnant.

"You’re a guy. We even went to the hospital for a check-up last time," Shang Huoyong said sternly, his lips tightening.

"Shang Huoyong, you’ve got to believe me," Su Tinghe pleaded, his grip on Shang Huoyong's arm tightening. "You saw it yourself—there are two lines."

"It could be a mistake. Men just don’t get pregnant in this world," Shang Huoyong declared firmly, unmoved.

Su Tinghe let go of Shang Huoyong's hand, unable to explain that he wasn't from this world. He asked dejectedly, "What do I need to do to make you believe me?"

"How about this—I’ll get another test now, and we’ll go to the hospital tomorrow for a check-up, okay?" Shang Huoyong didn't want to upset Su Tinghe further, so he decided to go along with it for now.

"Okay," Su Tinghe replied, a flicker of hope finally lighting up his worried eyes.

Shang Huoyong initially thought of ordering online, but he worried Auntie Qin might see the delivery and ask too many questions. So, he decided to take Su Tinghe to a nearby pharmacy.

It wasn’t every day you saw two men buying a pregnancy test together. The pharmacy clerk recognized Su Tinghe from earlier and exclaimed, "Oh, you’re back! So, whose wife is expecting?"

Both Shang Huoyong and Su Tinghe answered simultaneously, "Mine."

"Both of you? That’s amazing! No wonder this handsome guy came twice today," the clerk said, packing the pregnancy test into a paper bag and handing it to them. "You two must be really close."

Su Tinghe forced an awkward smile and followed Shang Huoyong back home. Once home, Shang Huoyong watched as Su Tinghe took the test again.

Shang Huoyong had assumed the first test was a prank, but when the two lines appeared again, he could only say helplessly, "We’ll see what the hospital says tomorrow."

Su Tinghe remembered how Shang Huoyong had once said he didn’t like children at all, and he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. "Shang Huoyong, do you think I’m some kind of freak? Do you even want this baby?"

Shang Huoyong still didn't believe Su Tinghe was actually pregnant, but seeing how anxious he was, he pulled him into his arms and comforted him, "You’re not a freak. If you can carry this child, of course I’ll want it."

Su Tinghe felt slightly reassured and wrapped his arms around Shang Huoyong's neck. "I’ll definitely have this baby. You can’t just walk away from him."

Shang Huoyong kept reassuring Su Tinghe, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that Su Tinghe was seriously unwell.

For dinner, the kitchen prepared a dish of curry crab. As Su Tinghe reached for it with his chopsticks, Shang Huoyong knocked them away. Su Tinghe stared at him in confusion, and Shang Huoyong explained, "Crab’s too cold for you right now. Better avoid it."

Su Tinghe suddenly realized—pregnant people shouldn’t eat crab. Shang Huoyong’s fatherly instincts were surprisingly good. Su Tinghe patted his belly and nodded in agreement.

After dinner, Shang Huoyong urgently called the hospital. "Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake last time? His condition’s worse—he’s absolutely sure he’s pregnant."

Su Tinghe came to the study to find Shang Huoyong, who quickly hung up the phone upon seeing him. "The hospital is all set," Shang Huoyong said.

Su Tinghe nodded and asked, "What name do you want to give our child?"

Shang Huoyong maintained a calm exterior, though his pupils slightly dilated. He replied tactfully, "Isn’t that jumping the gun a little?"

"But naming a child is a serious matter. Shouldn’t we start thinking about it early?" Su Tinghe insisted.

"I think it’s fine to have your surname, Su," Shang Huoyong said dismissively. "Don’t overthink it. Being pregnant isn’t good for your mental health."

Shang Huoyong was worried that if things kept going like this, Su Tinghe might respond to the national call and already be planning for three children in his mind. The doctors from the hospital last time were clearly incompetent, as they had failed to detect any issues with Su Tinghe's brain.

Returning to the hospital, Su Tinghe was a bit nervous. Shang Huoyong accompanied him for the check-up and also told the doctor about the two lines on the pregnancy test. The doctor raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. When the test results came out, the doctor's expression became even more subtle.

Shang Huoyong immediately grew tense as well. Could it be that Su Tinghe's issue wasn't with his brain, but with his body?

"Please brace yourself. Even though this is really rare and beyond what science can explain right now, Su Tinghe is indeed pregnant."

It took Shang Huoyong a while to fully process the message that "Su Tinghe is indeed pregnant." Seeing that the doctor was just as surprised as he was, Shang Huoyong emphasized, "But he's a man."

"I know," the doctor said, "but there have been precedents of men getting pregnant. Do you want me to fill you in on them? For example, last year in the UK..."

Shang Huoyong interrupted him, "How far along is he?"

The doctor replied, "A little over two months."

This timing matched exactly with his last session of traditional Chinese medicine. Shang Huoyong asked, "Why didn't you find out last time?"

The doctor explained, "It might have been too early last time, so we didn't detect it."

Shang Huoyong had no objections and said flatly, "We just had sex two days ago."

The doctor's eyes popped open in shock, "What!"

Shang Huoyong remained expressionless and continued, "He also drank alcohol that day, although he said he vomited. Will that be a problem?"

"What!" The doctor's eyes widened in shock. "Even though it's a male pregnancy, it's usually best to avoid sex in the first three months, and drinking alcohol isn't recommended either. I recommend we do a full prenatal check-up for him."

Shang Huoyong instructed, "Please keep this under wraps."

The doctor repeatedly assured him that it would remain confidential. Fortunately, the prenatal check-up results weren't too bad. The baby in Su Tinghe's womb was healthy, though Su Tinghe's own health markers were a bit below normal.

Shang Huoyong quietly listened to the prenatal report and suddenly asked, "How's he going to give birth?"

"Right now, it has to be a C-section. He can't deliver vaginally."

"Will it harm his body?"

"Given the few cases we have, we'll do our best to minimize harm to the mother... or father."

Shang Huoyong didn't have any more questions, only asking the doctor to send him the limited case files. As they were leaving, the doctor asked Shang Huoyong, "Do we still need to see a psychiatrist?"

Shang Huoyong glanced at the doctor and retorted, "What do you think?"

On the way back, Shang Huoyong quickly glanced through the documents the doctor had sent him and then kept staring at Su Tinghe's belly.

Shang Huoyong was staring so hard that Su Tinghe stayed quiet, but simply placed Shang Huoyong's hand on his own belly.

At less than three months, there wasn't much of a bump, especially through clothing. Shang Huoyong couldn't feel anything.

Back at the villa, Su Tinghe changed into loose, lightweight pajamas and asked Shang Huoyong, "Do you still want to feel it?"

Shang Huoyong didn't speak but nodded. Su Tinghe lay back in Shang Huoyong's arms, lifted his shirt, and Shang Huoyong placed his hand on Su Tinghe's belly.

Su Tinghe had always been slim, so all Shang Huoyong felt was a flat stomach.

Shang Huoyong couldn't believe there was actually a child inside—his and Su Tinghe's child. This was even more unbelievable than the fact that he himself was a reincarnated soul.

He had once suspected that Su Tinghe, like him, was a reincarnated soul, or that Su Tinghe had been replaced by someone else. But the paternity test results that had just come out told him that Su Tinghe was indeed the child of Su's father.

In his past life, Su Tinghe had wanted to harm him, but in this life, Su Tinghe was carrying his child. How utterly absurd is that?

Su Tinghe looked up at Shang Huoyong, "You don’t really think I’m a monster, do you? I might even give birth to a little monster."

"No, don’t worry about it," Shang Huoyong pinched Su Tinghe's face, feeling that Su Tinghe was too skinny.

But that night, the one who told Su Tinghe not to worry ended up sleepless.

After a restless night, Shang Huoyong even wondered if his rebirth was just a vivid dream.

No matter what, in this life, Su Tinghe has not harmed him. The Su Tinghe from two different lives can’t be compared, especially since Su Tinghe is now pregnant with his child. He has the responsibility and obligation to take good care of Su Tinghe.

Is giving birth really safe for Su Tinghe?

Will Su Tinghe give birth to a boy or a girl?

Could it be twins? Maybe even a boy and a girl?

A man getting pregnant is downright shocking. Does the family have to keep it a secret?

Should we set up the nursery ahead of time?

Should baby clothes be prepared ahead of time?

Can Su Tinghe stay at a maternity center? Or maybe hire a postnatal nanny?

…………

All night, Shang Huoyong’s mind was racing with chaotic thoughts, but when Su Tinghe woke up, he mentioned there was a group variety show to film.

"Why are you going? They’re filming a group variety show for the TV series. I know that even without watching group variety shows, the producer never participates in the TV drama's group variety show," Shang Huoyong said.

"I’m not sure either. Not just the lead actors, but Ruan Xiting’s band is joining too. Zhang Shijing mentioned it might be because we all get along well, and fans online are eager to see us together," Su Tinghe added, "Plus, the contract’s already signed. If we back out, we’ll face a penalty."

Shang Huoyong didn't care: "Then just pay the fine. How can you go now? What if something happens?"

"Don’t make me pay the fine, just let me go, okay?" Su Tinghe pleaded with Shang Huoyong, "I heard raising a child is very expensive."

Shang Huoyong said seriously to Su Tinghe, "Our family is actually not short of money."

"But you don’t have a job now, we can’t just sit and eat through our savings," Su Tinghe looked at Shang Huoyong with grievance. Although he didn’t want to discourage Shang Huoyong, the fact was that Shang Huoyong was not producing anything now.

There were some things Shang Huoyong couldn't tell Su Tinghe. Looking at Su Tinghe's stubborn eyes, Shang Huoyong finally compromised, "Fine, go then."