Chapter 90

Chapter 90

You Nan settled into Chen Mingzhou’s courtyard.

He made no fuss about going out, spending his days holding the child, watching 007 scamper wildly around the yard, pouncing on insects in the grass. Life was rather pleasant.

Three meals were delivered to him daily, and his every wish was granted. Aside from not having someone constantly by his side, his current life was hardly different from that in the palace.

You Nan felt content, desiring nothing.

After their reunion, 007 had reported the Energy Points from the system.

The protagonist shou and Fu Lingtan had contributed significantly, while Hang Minyu had appeared only sporadically, though his contributions had gradually increased in recent days.

This was an unusual phenomenon, but You Nan no longer paid much heed to Hang Minyu. He had no desire to understand why Hang Minyu had suddenly started giving him Energy Points.

You Nan sat by the bed, crafting a small bellyband for his son.

The child on the bed lay against his leg, his head pressed against his parent’s abdomen, breathing in the familiar, comforting scent.

The child was already wearing the small clothes You Nan had made and brought along when escaping the palace.

The garments You Nan made were two sizes too large for the child, enveloping him completely, even concealing his chubby, fair, lotus-root-like legs.

You Nan multitasked, dividing his attention between his needlework and the child.

He didn’t know what the child was dreaming about, but he noticed the little mouth suddenly twitch, smacking twice before a trickle of drool escaped from the corner of his lips.

You Nan couldn’t help but chuckle softly, quickly covering his mouth to stifle the sound.

His son possessed a strong sense of pride. Though young and unaware of many things, the child was incredibly sharp and observant.

He could discern whether adults were laughing at him or genuinely happy for him.

Chen Mingzhou visited a couple of times after that.

Holding the child, the man joked that since You Nan’s arrival, the child’s already healthy appetite had grown even larger, making him chubbier than before.

His expression and tone made the little one sense something was amiss.

Or perhaps Chen Mingzhou had little credibility with the child to begin with.

Before You Nan could react, the child in Chen Mingzhou’s arms suddenly peed on him.

Chen Mingzhou’s clothes were soaked and smelly.

Chen Mingzhou’s body stiffened instantly.

The image he wished to maintain in front of You Nan was ruined by his own son. Chen Mingzhou felt as though his son held a deep-seated grudge against him.

Stiff-armed, Chen Mingzhou gently placed the child back on the bed.

But just as he was about to set the child down, he suddenly remembered something, grabbed a clean diaper, spread it on the bed, and laid the child on it.

Chen Mingzhou was thoughtful, not wanting the child’s mess to soil You Nan’s bedding.

When the child lay flat on the bed, grinning with his newly emerged teeth, the man forced a smile.

This little one was truly a handful.

He looked up, his face now bearing a gentle smile, the epitome of a perfect gentleman.

"The child is quite mischievous. He probably doesn’t like my clothes today. I’ll go change."

Chen Mingzhou made an excuse.

You Nan looked at his face. It bore a striking resemblance to the now slightly older and more expressive child, and he thought of the man’s selfless help. An unbelievable idea crossed his mind.

Could it have been Chen Mingzhou that night?

You Nan nodded absently with an "mm" sound and quickly averted his gaze.

The man across from him didn’t seem to notice You Nan’s unease.

Chen Mingzhou left You Nan’s room and sighed silently where You Nan couldn’t see.

He was anxious.

He wasn't usually an indecisive person.

But when it came to matters involving You Nan, he couldn’t help but overthink.

He didn’t want You Nan to hate him.

The child was his and You Nan’s son. Back then, he had lost control without You Nan’s consent, hurting him and failing to stay by his side. He had also been deceived by his subordinates and hadn’t paid enough attention to You Nan, which led to You Nan being sent to Fu Lingtan in his place.

Chen Mingzhou didn’t know how You Nan had survived in Fu Lingtan’s hands. He must have suffered greatly.

The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.

He had failed You Nan.

That’s why he didn’t dare tell You Nan he was the child’s father. He was afraid You Nan would hate him.

But he was also a greedy man.

Chen Mingzhou knew he wasn’t a good person. He wanted You Nan to be with him but didn’t want You Nan to be angry with him.

So he gritted his teeth, playing up his resemblance to the child, often lingering around You Nan.

As if afraid You Nan wouldn’t notice the similarity between him and the child.

Chen Mingzhou couldn’t tell whether You Nan had noticed or not, and he didn’t dare guess.

He both hoped You Nan would notice and feared he would.

Torn by this contradiction, he didn’t dare approach You Nan to confirm it himself.

You Nan watched the man leave his room, then picked up the child, changed his soiled clothes, and placed them in a basin to wash later.

You Nan’s eyes sparkled as he looked at his son.

Their little one was very well-behaved. Though he couldn’t control his bodily instincts, he would whimper twice to signal when he needed to use the bathroom.

This situation had almost never happened before.

How could You Nan not see that this was his good, obedient child sticking up for him?

You Nan held the child, now changed into clean clothes and wiped clean, feeling his heart was full.

From the moment he first laid eyes on this child, he felt an unnatural sense of closeness that defied all logic.

It was as if they were not just family in this lifetime, but had been so for many lifetimes before.

Lying on the other side of the bed, far away from the annoying cat, 007 immediately opened his cat eyes upon hearing You Nan's words, watching him warily and suspiciously.

Did You Nan know something?

007 checked his system space again—the Memory Orbs from You Nan's two previous worlds were still safely stored.

Feeling slightly reassured, 007 lay back down.

After that day, You Nan saw less of Chen Mingzhou.

When the person delivering meals for him and the child arrived, You Nan naturally asked, "What has Chen Gongzi been up to lately? It’s been a while since I last saw him."

The servant immediately perked up—here it comes!

The servant said, "Our young master has been extremely busy these days, completely worn out. He’s lucky if he spends even one day out of three at home. Sometimes, he doesn’t even have time to eat. I wonder when he’ll finally get some rest."

Having spent considerable time in the Eastern Palace, You Nan easily recognized that the servant was praising Chen Mingzhou, while also trying to evoke sympathy and steer him toward showing concern.

You Nan pressed his lips together. "In that case, it’s best for the young master to rest properly."

The servant's head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at You Nan.

What’s going on? Did I say something wrong?

A cold sweat broke out on the servant’s forehead. Oh no, oh no...

"Young Master You," the servant stammered, then gritted his teeth and spoke honestly, "I was hoping you could talk some sense into our young master for us."

What kind of father would leave the child entirely to You Nan and become a hands-off manager?

You Nan nodded. "Is that so? Then I’ll talk to him when he returns."

You Nan had just said this at noon, and two hours later, the man who'd been absent for days reappeared before him.

Chen Mingzhou’s expression seemed uncomfortable, but he quickly composed himself. "I heard from a servant that you wanted to see me today."

You Nan remained seated in his chair, silent, keeping his eyes on Chen Mingzhou.

He wanted to give Chen Mingzhou a chance.

It was true that You Nan resented Chen Mingzhou for getting him with child and then disappearing without a trace, but he wasn’t heartless.

He had noticed Chen Mingzhou’s kindness toward the child and knew all about his attempts to make it up to him.

However, not everything could be judged in the same way—you had to take things case by case. Some things were good, others were not.

You Nan remembered Chen Mingzhou’s kindness and was grateful for it. He was willing to give Chen Mingzhou a chance to make things right, depending on whether Chen Mingzhou could seize it.

Seeing You Nan remain silent, Chen Mingzhou, who was usually calm and composed, started getting nervous.

When Chen Mingzhou met You Nan’s eyes, which seemed to see through everything, he suddenly felt a sense of clarity.

Choosing his words carefully, Chen Mingzhou slowly began, "You Nan, I’m sorry. Actually, I..."

"I was the one who was with you that night." Once the words were out, the rest flowed more smoothly. He glanced at the child playing energetically with a small drum on the bed. "The child is ours."

You Nan responded calmly, "Oh? What makes you bring this up now?"

Chen Mingzhou’s chest and back grew hot and sweaty, and he felt more nervous than ever. "I just... I know I was wrong. Keeping this from you wasn’t right. And I want you to be my real wife."

You Nan cut in and continued asking, "Is there anything else you’ve done that I don’t know about?"

Chen Mingzhou thought to himself, Way too much.

After careful consideration, he decided to share something embarrassing to make You Nan laugh.

"I once was a courtesan," Chen Mingzhou said.

You Nan was stunned. "What?"

Thinking he had captured You Nan’s interest, Chen Mingzhou continued directly, "At the Qichun Pavilion near South Lane, I was a courtesan to make a living. But You Nan, you have to believe me—I've never been with anyone else."

You Nan’s heart suddenly raced. "You're not Chen Liangren, are you?"

Chen Mingzhou went still for a second.

How could You Nan know?

He immediately realized his mistake, his eyelids twitching in alarm.

This is terrible, I’m done for. How could I have assumed You Nan didn’t know about "Chen Liangren"?

Without hesitation, Chen Mingzhou slid from the chair and knelt before You Nan, grabbing his hand and trying to make him hit him.

Chen Mingzhou was consumed with regret. "It’s me, Xiao Nan. I was wrong. It’s all my fault that you suffered so much, Xiao Nan..."

You Nan was stunned, feeling completely drained.

No wonder the protagonist shou had suddenly given him Energy Points. No wonder "Chen Mingzhou," someone who shouldn't be in this storyline, had appeared. So he was the main character all along.

So that’s how it was.

Hearing this revelation, You Nan felt both expected and yet surprising.

He yanked his hand back from Chen Mingzhou’s grasp, his voice turning cold. "Get out."

Chen Mingzhou didn’t move.

You Nan’s voice suddenly rose as he pushed Chen Mingzhou forcefully. "Get out! Just get out!"

Seeing You Nan’s distressed state, Chen Mingzhou didn’t dare push him further. Though his heart ached for him, he also felt a sense of relief.

Now that everything was out in the open, he no longer had to live in fear of You Nan finding out.

"Alright, I’ll go," Chen Mingzhou said, getting to his feet.

The moment he stepped out, the door slammed shut right behind him with such force that if he had been any slower, it would have hit his back.

Chen Mingzhou gritted his teeth, filled with remorse.

If only he had gone to meet the person himself that day and spared You Nan from taking his place.

Closing his eyes, Chen Mingzhou frowned, his heart aching with pain and sorrow, completely devastated.