Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Chen Zui continued his late-night snack, allowing his prey to lower its guard. In the darkness, the sounds of swallowing were incessant.

Ao Tian, understanding the situation, had already deactivated its visual perception.

After a while, Chen Zui made his move. After all, a midnight snack of just drinks wasn't enough to satisfy. His hand reached for his prey, which instantly tensed, its body rigid.

For this particular prey, Chen Zui had a favorite spot to savor.

His hand went straight there.

The flesh there was the softest, the most fragrant, tender, and juicy.

Chen Zui carefully observed the prey's reaction, ensuring it wouldn't suddenly awaken and bite him. Fortunately, the prey remained still.

So, he gently pulled the prey closer.

—

—

Lu Mingye was nearly consumed by craving. He anticipated and awaited the moment he could finally taste the food.

Fortunately, his feeder didn't keep him waiting long, gradually offering him the treat—his beloved rose-flavored delicacy.

It had been so long since he last tasted it that he ate slowly, savoring every nuance.

He drooled with eagerness, wetting the food. If this continued, the food would be soaked before he could properly enjoy it.

Lu Mingye held the food in his mouth, not rushing to swallow it whole. He reveled more in the process of having the food and the profound satisfaction it brought.

However, the feeder seemed a bit impatient, eager to feed him, so Lu Mingye cooperated and began to eat. There was no choice—after all, he was now a pregnant man who required care even for a midnight snack.

Yet, precisely because he was pregnant, he couldn't eat too much or too quickly. It was merely to appease his cravings.

The feeder understood this well. Despite his eagerness, his movements were careful and gentle, fully accommodating Lu Mingye’s condition.

Milk leaked out again, trickling down and wetting Chen Zui’s hand. Chen Zui glanced at his hand, then lifted it to Lu Mingye’s mouth.

Lu Mingye caught the scent of milk, but at that moment, he couldn't react.

Chen Zui observed the bullet comments above Lu Mingye’s head and, with a mischievous glint, deliberately brought his milk-coated finger to Lu Mingye’s mouth, ensuring he tasted his own milk.

The little avatar above Lu Mingye’s head covered its face in shame, then stomped its foot angrily: "Chen Zui, you bastard!"

So Chen Zui continued to feed him his favorite food, while repeatedly bringing the milk to his lips.

This midnight snack truly lasted a very long time.

—

The next day, Lu Mingye looked exceptionally well. The satisfied pregnant man wore a smile all day long.

From then on, Chen Zui would provide him with a midnight snack every few days, and by dawn, both would act as if nothing had happened, maintaining their usual charade.

Before they knew it, the New Year arrived. Lu Mingye’s belly had grown quite large, requiring him to support his lower back and move slowly when sitting down. Under Chen Zui’s care, his complexion was rosy, and his entire demeanor exuded a newfound gentleness.

The two began decorating with window paper-cuttings, couplets, and red “Fu” (fortune) characters.

With a baby on the way, they still wanted to preserve a sense of ritual, as if to let the child absorb some festive joy.

They pasted one red “Fu” character after another.

Chen Zui said, “Hang the ‘Fu’ upside down at the door.”

Lu Mingye, bundled up warmly, exhaled a puff of white breath before speaking. After sticking it on, he said cheerfully, “Good fortune has arrived~”

He smiled at Chen Zui.

The two busied themselves, and the house gradually felt like a true home. Chen Zui hung string lights throughout the yard.

After finishing, on a whim, they built a snowman in the yard. Chen Zui handled the heavy work, while Lu Mingye, in his condition, could only manage simpler tasks like attaching the snowman’s nose and eyes.

Ao Tian was green with envy—it wanted to play in the snow too.

Chen Zui, holding a shovel, said, “Doesn’t this snowman look just like you?”

Lu Mingye looked at the round, plump snowman and was about to reply when the baby in his belly suddenly kicked.

He cried out, “Aiyo!” instinctively reaching for Chen Zui, who immediately steadied him.

“The baby kicked me.”

“Must be the baby agreeing it looks like you too.”

Chen Zui put down the shovel and placed his hand on Lu Mingye’s belly. “Baby, isn’t this the cutest snowman in the world?”

Lu Mingye, who had initially felt a bit annoyed by the snowman’s chubby resemblance to himself, felt touched by Chen Zui’s words.

So he meant it was cute.

The baby kicked again, and the two exchanged a look of joyful surprise.

This New Year held special meaning for both of them. As the New Year’s bell rang, Chen Zui held the sleeping Lu Mingye in his arms, his hand resting gently on Lu Mingye’s belly.

An unprecedented sense of contentment and happiness brought tears to Chen Zui’s eyes beneath the flickering outdoor lights.

It turned out that when people are too happy, they really do want to cry.

—

"System successfully bound."

"The target’s bullet chat system has been destroyed."

An unfamiliar robotic voice echoed in Lu Mingye’s mind. He tried to open his eyes but couldn’t.

“Who are you?”

“I am Transmigration Bureau System 996. Actually, you’ve been deceived by this man named Chen Zui!”

Though mechanical, 996’s voice brimmed with frustration and anger. “He doesn’t love you at all. He approached you solely for a mission! Once your affection level toward him reaches 70%, his mission will be complete!”

This was intelligence they had worked hard to obtain. Even though this world was already compromised—after all, the male lead was now pregnant with Chen Zui’s child—there remained one final chance.

To reveal the truth to Lu Mingye, preventing his affection for Chen Zui from rising further, thus trapping Chen Zui in this world!

At the very least, it would mean something. The Dark Transmigration Bureau was filled with agents, and they had to use every possible method to stop them from altering too many worlds too quickly.

"It was all a lie!"

"...What did you say?"

Lu Mingye found it hard to believe—Chen Zui had been so good to him, and the love in his eyes when he looked at him was real!

But this strange voice that suddenly appeared in his head sounded so sure.

"This can't be true!"

"Anything's possible! Otherwise, why would he show up out of the blue and stick to you when you two had no connection at all? After all this time together, have you seen him interact with anyone else in this world? He only revolves around you!"

996, its tone impassioned, laid into him before saving the worst for last: "He has completed countless tasks before this world! You're not his first target—he's been with others before, even had children with them!"

To make Lu Mingye disappointed in Chen Zui, 996 didn't hesitate to lie.

"No... it can't be..."

Chen Zui looked at Lu Mingye, who was mumbling in his sleep, and saw that he was soaked with sweat, his face pale.

"Little Deer?"

"Impossible!" Lu Mingye's eyes flew open, his gaze locking onto Chen Zui with an icy coldness—colder than even during their most hostile moments.

Chen Zui froze for a second.

996 kept ranting in Lu Mingye's mind: "Don't refuse to believe it! Otherwise, with your awful personality, who would ever like you, let alone love you so much!"

Chen Zui, unaware of the floating text above Lu Mingye's head, asked worriedly, "Little Deer, what's wrong?"

Lu Mingye wanted to question him, but a sudden, sharp pain in his abdomen made him cry out. Clutching his stomach in agony, he was momentarily unable to speak.

Seeing this, Chen Zui immediately swept him up, wrapped him in a blanket, and hurried downstairs into the flyer at top speed.

As the flyer sped toward the hospital, Chen Zui kept a supporting hand on Lu Mingye's stomach.

"Follow my breathing."

Chen Zui coached Lu Mingye's breathing through deep breaths to ease the pain.

Lu Mingye followed his lead but kept his eyes locked on Chen Zui, trying to tell if he was for real, completely ignoring Ao Tian's nonstop talking in his head.

"If I die..."

Chen Zui frowned, dead serious. "Don't say such things. With me here, nothing will happen to you."

Lu Mingye gripped his clothes tightly, as if trying to tear into his flesh. "What gives you the right to say that? Who do you think you are?"

Sensing his hostility, Chen Zui focused on calming him, releasing soothing pheromones. "The baby is just excited to meet you. Everything will be fine."

Mention of the baby helped Lu Mingye calm down slightly—he couldn't let anything happen to the baby.

Chen Zui gently rubbed his back. "Both the baby and I will always be by your side."

Lu Mingye remembered what 996 said. "No one stays by anyone's side forever."

Chen Zui held his hand. "It's okay if you don't believe me. I'll prove it to you through my actions."

996: "He's lying to you! Believe me!"

Lu Mingye's face fell. This so-called system was clearly hostile toward Chen Zui, and its words weren't entirely trustworthy.

Lu Mingye had his own judgment. Initially, his emotions had gotten the best of him, overwhelming his pregnant body, but now he had cooled down.

At the hospital, examinations began immediately.

996: "Believe me."

As Lu Mingye underwent the checkup while putting up with 996's nagging, he retorted, "You want me to believe you? I heard you mention something about a floating text earlier. Show me what Chen Zui is thinking, and I'll believe you. If you can't even do that, why should I trust a worthless system like you?"

996: ...Can't I ever meet a normal host?!

Chen Zui waited outside, pacing worriedly in the hallway.

Ao Tian: "Bad news."

Chen Zui: "I know."

The floating text wasn't working—he hadn't seen it above Lu Mingye's head the entire way. Only the Transmigration Bureau could mess with it like this. They had previously tried with Shen Yanzhi without success, and now they were targeting Lu Mingye.

Chen Zui was itching for a cigarette again, though he had quit since Lu Mingye became pregnant.

Ao Tian: "That Transmigration Bureau just won't give up."

Chen Zui glanced at the tightly shut examination room door, recalling Lu Mingye's ice-cold look.

"The Bureau's system must've spilled the truth to Lu Mingye."

"Ah? Then our mission is going to fail?"

Chen Zui no longer cared about the mission. He only wanted Lu Mingye and the baby to be safe. Lu Mingye was someone he had loved across three different worlds, and now they had a child together—how could the mission compare to them?

"Sorry, Ao Tian, in this world—"

"It's fine. We said before that worst-case, we'd just do another world's mission. Besides—"

"Ao Tian, what I mean is—"

Chen Zui felt deeply guilty toward Ao Tian and wolf cub, but life was about making choices. "I can't go to another world, to pursue someone else and sleep with them."

He touched the ring on his pinky finger. "I can't do that."

After three worlds, he had fallen in love with his mission target, and his principles wouldn't allow betrayal or infidelity.

He could only abandon the mission, let wolf cub down, and forget about coming back to life. He would accept punishment—he couldn't sleep with someone else and then just waltz back to his lover.

Ao Tian: "About that... actually—"

The examination room door opened, and the doctor stepped out.

Chen Zui cut off Ao Tian and hurried over, peering inside. "How's he doing?"

Doctor: "He's in preterm labor, and the amniotic fluid has broken. We need to prepare for delivery."

Chen Zui's heart jumped to his throat. He grabbed the doctor's hand, his grip squeezing a bit too hard. "Doctor, is there any danger?"

The doctor naturally couldn't guarantee anything, only patting Chen Zui's shoulder. "Our hospital has the most advanced equipment. Go be with your partner now—I need to get things ready for delivery."

The doctor left.

Lu Mingye was also wheeled out of the examination room by a nurse.

Chen Zui: "How do you feel?"

Lu Mingye's gaze fell on Chen Zui's head, where a miniature, chubby, chibi-style Chen Zui appeared, looking really worried.

Lu Mingye: "I'm fine. You don’t need to be so nervous."

The alpha’s face was completely pale. He had never seen Chen Zui like this before—he refused to believe Chen Zui was acting just for the mission.

Chen Zui patted his head: "It’s good that you’re okay."

Lu Mingye stared at him and asked a question he would never have dared to ask on a normal day.

"Do you love me?"

This time, I’m going to see what’s in your heart.