Chapter 53

Chapter 53

During the period when Li Xi returned to the Li family for prenatal rest, Ying Zhiyu, no matter how busy he was, would return every day to the Li residence located at the LI Group headquarters.

Ying Zhiyu himself was researching the intricate connections between offspring "AO differentiation" and the carrier's "sense of security." He knew exactly how big a role parental emotions and the pregnant man's mood played in this process.

Therefore, even though Li Xi rarely, if ever, asked for anything, Ying Zhiyu placed the pregnant man's need for companionship during pregnancy on par with his studies and work, even prioritizing it more.

The child was their shared child, so the process of nurturing the child shouldn't belong to just one party.

Under the careful care of the Li family and the companionship of the young Alpha, Li Xi smoothly got through the mid-term of pregnancy once again.

The once-hectic life seemed to take on another layer of gentle hue.

His heart was very calm and very settled.

However, calm at home didn't mean the outside world was the same.

The news of Li Xi and Ying Zhiyu's marriage had already sparked a wave of discussion online.

Although public opinion at the time didn't become excessively extreme, and the overall response was mostly blessings, the previous news about Ying Zhiyu "abandoning his girlfriend" still brought some lasting negative effects.

One extreme group on the internet firmly believed in Ying Zhiyu's "jerk Alpha" image, considering any clarifications or legal statements as mere PR strategies.

Another emerging small group began "shipping the couple."

"Am I the only one who thinks Prince Xi's Alpha is super handsome? It seems even being a jerk has a looks threshold."

"They sued and still don't believe it? Spreading rumors is easy, debunking them takes effort. What jerk? Their family is very happy!"

"After seeing so many edited photos, is this raw photo really not photoshopped? He's so handsome!"

"This news is clearly from haters. They're just jealous and can't stand others doing well. Spreading fake news like this—if they weren't intentionally making him look bad, it'd be a miracle. How could they possibly beautify him?"

"This photo definitely isn't beautified. The lighting from above is harsh, but his handsomeness still stands out authoritatively."

"Facts prove that handsomeness is objective!"

"Omega True God His Highness and his pretty-faced, innocent college Alpha! If I were rich, I'd want a pretty-faced Alpha too!"

"Did no one notice? The legal statement was issued officially by the LI Group. What Prince Xi means is clear! He's backing his wrongly accused little Alpha!"

"Domineering, handsome O strongly pampering handsome little A! I'm dying of sweetness!"

LI's PR team never actually guided the public to ship the CP because both Li Xi and Ying Zhiyu knew that excessive attention leads to discussion.

Fame brings trouble.

In a way, it also makes it easier to make enemies in unseen, dark corners.

So, no matter how many people shipped the couple, Ying Zhiyu and Li Xi remained low-key and strictly kept Li Xi's pregnancy a secret from the public.

However, nothing stays hidden forever. As time passed, online speculation about Li Xi's pregnancy gradually increased.

Ying Zhiyu and Li Xi could sense that someone behind the scenes was still manipulating things.

To ensure safety, Li Xi, entering the late stage of pregnancy, hardly ever left the LI Group headquarters. But Ying Zhiyu still had to return to school, making outings unavoidable.

Li Xi was still haunted by the previous incident where Ying Zhiyu was attacked in the underground garage.

However, given Li Xi's personality, he wouldn't ask Ying Zhiyu to be trapped here with him.

You can't cage an Alpha.

Ying Zhiyu's world wasn't confined to LI. Li Xi knew this from the first time he heard the other explain the "ABO world origin theory" hypothesis.

Ying Zhiyu's ambitions indeed extended beyond just pheromones.

Research on "AO differentiation" wasn't solely for stabilizing societal gender ratios.

Pheromones represent a superior gene.

Or, to put it more precisely, offspring fully nourished by pheromones have more "complete" genes.

On the surface, the visible differences between Alphas, Omegas, and Betas are the "glands," while the invisible ones might include innate advantages in intelligence, physical strength, lifespan, etc.

This advantage should be shared among all three genders. At the very least, an unborn child shouldn't have their genetic quality determined by whether their parents are Alpha, Omega, or Beta.

So, the issue of "AO differentiation" is about researching how to nurture better natural genes.

In July, the capital entered its main flood season.

During this time, the capital was often hit by heavy rainstorms.

In the evening, when Ying Zhiyu left the laboratory at Biomedical University, a heavy rainstorm was raging outside. The entire sky was dark and oppressive, as if it were already late at night.

As soon as he got into the car, the driver turned to report to Ying Zhiyu: "Master Ying, several sections of the road back to LI headquarters have severe flooding. We might have to take a detour today."

Before Ying Zhiyu could nod, his phone rang.

He glanced down and answered.

Li Xi directly said on the other end: "The rain is too heavy, many places are flooded. If it's inconvenient, just go back to the home near the university district and have the bodyguards stay overnight too."

Ying Zhiyu, while on the phone, signaled the driver to still head back to LI headquarters.

He replied casually: "It's fine, just avoid the flooded sections."

Li Xi was silent for two seconds on the phone. Even in such a well-soundproofed luxury car, the sound of huge raindrops hitting the roof and windows was still audible.

Li Xi spoke: "...Ying Zhiyu, you don't have to travel back and forth every day just to accompany me."

Actually, Li Xi had wanted to say this for a while—he didn't want the Alpha to be so exhausted.

Traveling by helicopter was too high-profile, so Ying Zhiyu could only choose to commute daily by car or subway between LI headquarters and Biomedical University.

But now Ying Zhiyu was no longer a "nobody." The previous "jerk news" had fully exposed his face to the public.

Coupled with the current sensitive period where rumors were rampant about Li Xi being pregnant, having Ying Zhiyu take the subway was clearly unsafe and imprudent.

To stay at the Li residence, the Alpha had to get up before 6 a.m. every day. He often didn't return until 9 or 10 p.m., ate a quick dinner, and then had to leave again early the next morning.

Li Xi should've told Ying Zhiyu earlier that it would be better for him to come back once a week as before and live in his apartment near campus the rest of the time.

However, he's human too.

He also craves the presence of the Alpha, which is why he has delayed saying it until now.

But when Li Xi made it clear that he didn’t want Ying Zhiyu to make the exhausting commute,

Ying Zhiyu remained calm on the phone: "I'm not coming back just to keep someone company. I’m just coming home."

Accompanying someone seems like a sacrifice.

But going home is the most natural thing in the world.

Just like the little life growing in Li Xi’s womb, Li Xi isn’t having this child for Ying Zhiyu. The child came from their mutual desire, carrying the love and blessings of both parents.

Ying Zhiyu has always been like this.

To save on expenses in the pricey capital city, the rented home of Ying Zhiyu’s parents didn't have an extra room for their son, who had a dormitory at school.

Yet, for so many years, Ying Zhiyu has insisted on returning home every week.

Even if it’s just lying on the sofa in the living room for a few hours, then getting up in the middle of the night to help his parents make steamed buns and sell breakfast.

It’s true that Ying Zhiyu wants to go home to see his parents and sister and enjoy the warmth of family.

His sense of responsibility toward his family and his care for them are also genuine.

Hearing this, Li Xi dropped the subject of asking the Alpha to stay in the university town.

"Have the driver take it slow... be careful on the road."

Ying Zhiyu replied, "Okay."

Although the driver had avoided many flooded sections along the way, when Ying Zhiyu’s car reached the vicinity of the LI headquarters in the southern district, it was still blocked by a flooded road.

The driver stopped the car in front of the flooded area and turned to Ying Zhiyu: "Master Ying, driving through the water risks stalling the engine."

The driver had only driven half a tire's depth into the flooded section before backing out. Based on his experience, he judged that the deepest part ahead could cause the engine to stall.

At this point, they faced two choices: one was to take a detour and go around to the other side to return to the LI headquarters.

The other was to take a gamble and drive through the water, betting that the engine wouldn’t stall.

However, the first option would take too much time and wasn’t really necessary.

The second option, if the engine stalled in the deepest part of the water, would likely cause even more trouble.

Ying Zhiyu looked out from the rear window.

The rain was still heavy and was getting heavier.

In fact, once they passed this section, they would be almost at the LI headquarters. Ying Zhiyu could even see the towering LI headquarters building from the car.

He could simply get out here, walk along the elevated storefronts, and take the overpass to bypass this section. Apart from possibly getting drenched and looking a bit disheveled upon returning home, this was the best option.

Just as Ying Zhiyu was about to make a decision, another car pulled up beside theirs.

The window of the driver’s seat of a high-ground-clearance Mercedes G-Class SUV slowly rolled down, revealing a face that was somewhat unfamiliar yet oddly familiar.

When Ying Zhiyu looked past the driver’s seat to the passenger seat of the G-Class, he did a double-take.

No wonder it looked familiar.

It turned out that the driver of the Mercedes G-Class was Wen Xinrui, the Omega birth mother of Li Qin and Li Lv, and sitting in the passenger seat was Li Qin herself.

Wen Xinrui seemed to recognize the car Ying Zhiyu was in. Before Ying Zhiyu could roll down his window, she asked directly, "Hey, handsome, need a ride?"

Their G-Class had significantly higher ground clearance than the Maybach Ying Zhiyu was currently in. The water depth on the road ahead likely wouldn’t be a problem for them to drive through.

Ying Zhiyu rolled down his window and locked eyes with Li Qin in the passenger seat of the G-Class from a distance, greeting her proactively: "Eldest Sister."

Li Qin maintained her usual cold, businesslike expression: "I’m heading back too. Let’s go together."

Ying Zhiyu didn’t hesitate and replied straightforwardly: "Okay, thanks."

Hearing this, the bodyguard in the passenger seat of Ying Zhiyu’s car expressed concern: "Master Ying..."

After Li Songqian and Wen Xinrui divorced, the relationship between the Li family and the Wen family was complicated.

Moreover, Third Young Master Li Xi of the Li family and this former Omega matriarch of the Li family had never had any interaction or friendship.

If Ying Zhiyu were to get into Wen Xinrui’s car, the bodyguard certainly couldn’t follow...

Ying Zhiyu shook his head: "It’s fine."

Then, without hesitation, he opened the car door and got directly into the nearby G-Class.

If it were only Wen Xinrui, Ying Zhiyu, not fully understanding the Wen family or Wen Xinrui’s intentions, wouldn't dare to get into the car alone. But tonight, Li Qin was also in the car.

As long as Li Qin still wanted to compete for the inheritance rights of the LI Group, she would not openly do anything to Ying Zhiyu.

And she would definitely ensure Ying Zhiyu’s safety after he got into the car.

Ten minutes later, Wen Xinrui’s car stopped at the outskirts of the Li family’s garden villa.

Staff were already waiting at the entrance with umbrellas. Li Qin didn’t say much to Ying Zhiyu, getting out first and walking through the main gate of the Li residence.

Ying Zhiyu politely thanked Wen Xinrui, then also got out of the car. When he looked up, he found that the person holding the umbrella for him was—

Zhou Shen.

Ying Zhiyu was taken aback. The head butler of the Li family personally coming out to greet him?

Zhou Shen held a large umbrella, slightly bowed, and explained respectfully in a low voice: "Third Young Master is waiting for you at the entrance."

Ying Zhiyu paused again.

He quickly realized that his bodyguard must have reported the situation to Li Xi after he got into Wen Xinrui’s car.

Ying Zhiyu nodded: "Okay, let’s hurry back."

Night, strong wind, heavy rain.

Ying Zhiyu quickly followed Zhou Shen into the Li family’s garden villa.

From a distance, he could see Li Xi standing under the porch of the villa, wearing a thin black trench coat to cover his bulky waist and abdomen. Due to the heavy rain, the hem of his coat was splashed with rainwater.

But he simply stood there quietly, his gaze fixed intently on the figure of the Alpha walking through the storm from the gate.