Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Lin Ze ran to the bathroom with his clothes disheveled.

After vomiting, he found Li Xiujin standing at the door, staring at him.

Thinking he had killed the mood, Lin Ze apologized, "I feel much better now, Xiu Jin. We can continue..."

But Li Xiujin frowned and asked, "How long has this been going on?"

"Not long, not long..."

"Tell me the truth."

Lin Ze fell silent for a moment. "A month..."

Li Xiujin's expression darkened. He picked up his phone from the bedside table and ordered the family doctor to arrive within ten minutes.

Lin Ze hadn't expected him to make such a big deal out of it. "Xiu Jin, this has happened to me before. The doctor said it was caused by too much stress. It'll get better after a while. There's no need... no need to call a doctor..."

Li Xiujin picked him up and carried him back to bed. "Lie down and wait for the doctor."

Ten minutes later, the doctor arrived. First, he checked Lin Ze's pulse, then drew a tube of blood. Li Xiujin watched from the side, his face looking extremely grim. The doctor hurriedly explained, "This amount of blood has no effect on a person, no effect at all."

"The pulse indicates pregnancy, but a blood test is needed for a more accurate result. The test results should be ready in about two hours."

"Hurry it up," Li Xiujin ordered coldly.

"Yes, sir." The doctor left with the blood sample.

Lin Ze's fingertips trembled slightly as he stammered, "Xiu Jin, what the doctor just said... about pregnancy... is it true?"

Li Xiujin cupped his face and said in a low voice, "You've been suffering for so long. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I... I thought it was caused by my emotions..." Lin Ze felt guilty. He hadn't intentionally hidden it; he thought it was a recurring problem and hadn't taken it seriously himself.

Li Xiujin suddenly pulled him tightly into his arms and fell silent.

Lin Ze buried his face in his shoulder, his heart racing. Anxiety, fear, and happiness all mixed together, causing his entire body to tremble lightly.

An hour and a half later, the blood test report came out.

It confirmed he was pregnant.

Lin Ze held the report, his eyes slowly growing warm. He had thought he couldn't get pregnant... But amidst his joy, Lin Ze discovered that the pregnancy was already two months along.

Two months—that was around the time he had brought up divorce. Because he had mentioned divorce, Xiu Jin had roughly knotted him in his reproductive cavity. Later, there had been a few sporadic, rough encounters.

And during his rut, Xiu Jin had been even more forceful than when he was angry. Often, Lin Ze's reproductive cavity had been pounded until it ached...

"Xiu Jin, could there be something wrong with the baby..." After asking this, the happiness that had flushed Lin Ze's face slowly faded, leaving him pale.

Seeing the gestation period, Li Xiujin understood what he was worried about. He held Lin Ze tightly in his arms. "Don't overthink it. We'll go to the hospital tomorrow for a thorough check-up."

"Okay."

Suddenly discovering they had a child, Li Xiujin was afraid to do anything more. "Sleep."

Lin Ze closed his eyes but wasn't sleepy at all.

Li Xiujin couldn't sleep either. He nuzzled his head against Lin Ze's chest and couldn't help reaching out to touch Lin Ze's belly.

From frequently holding guns, Li Xiujin's fingertips and palms were rough with calluses. Sometimes, even a light touch on Lin Ze felt like sandpaper, making him shiver slightly. Now, he could feel Li Xiujin restraining his strength as he caressed his abdomen.

Li Xiujin realized that even this gentle touch seemed unbearable for Lin Ze, so he withdrew his hand and pressed his forehead against his. If Lin Ze hadn't been vomiting continuously, they might not have discovered the little life hidden inside.

The two slept for a few hours in an entwined position and went to the hospital early the next morning.

The hospital had already been cleared out. The most authoritative fertility professor in Country A received them.

"Mr. Lin is a rare case of AO duality, correct?" the professor asked.

"Yes."

"Alright, I understand. Now, come with me for a comprehensive examination." The professor gestured politely.

"Can I accompany him?"

"For things like blood tests, yes. But later, we'll need to go to the radiology department, where family members cannot enter."

"Okay."

So, Li Xiujin first accompanied Lin Ze for the blood draw. Seeing the medical staff insert the needle into his arm, Li Xiujin frowned slightly. Seeing Lin Ze looking accustomed to it made his heart ache even more. After the draw, he helped stop the bleeding.

Seeing him with downcast eyes, pressing on the needle mark with a pained expression, Lin Ze's anxious heart eased considerably. His face flushed slightly. "Xiu Jin, it's stopped bleeding..."

Even though he knew this small amount of blood posed no harm, Li Xiujin still cupped his face. "You need to eat more when we get home."

"Okay..."

Next, the two went for an ultrasound examination. A cool coupling gel was applied to his abdomen for lubrication. The ultrasound probe moved back and forth, scanning his abdomen, and the image on the display became increasingly complete.

Afterward, Lin Ze straightened his clothes and waited for the doctor to give him the report. But seeing the doctor's grave expression, Lin Ze grew nervous. "Excuse me, is there a problem?"

"No fetal heartbeat or embryonic bud detected."

"What does that mean?"

"Embryonic abnormality. It might have stopped developing."

Just then, Li Xiujin entered and grasped Lin Ze's icy hand. "Is the fetus dead?"

Lin Ze began to tremble slightly.

The doctor quickly explained, "We can't say that definitively yet. All of Mr. Lin's other indicators are normal. This ultrasound might have failed to detect the fetal heartbeat and embryonic bud due to his own physical condition. But that doesn't mean the pregnancy has truly stopped. We need to re-examine in a week to be sure."

"Please don't worry. Clinically, we've seen many such cases. The first check-up shows a problem, but upon re-examination, the baby is healthy."

The doctor tried his best to reassure them, but neither Li Xiujin nor Lin Ze's expressions improved.

It was already dark when they returned home. Li Xiujin handled a few urgent tasks, then returned to the bedroom. Lin Ze was curled up on the bed. Li Xiujin got into bed and hugged him from behind.

"Xiu Jin, I'm sorry," Lin Ze said softly. "I shouldn't have assumed based on past experience. I should have gotten checked earlier. That way..."

Li Xiujin turned his body around. Seeing him so full of guilt, he frowned. "This was something neither of us anticipated. It's not your fault. If we really must assign blame, I bear greater responsibility."

"It was me who lacked restraint."

Lin Ze shook his head frantically.

Li Xiujin cradled him carefully in his arms, "Your husband's sperm is top-grade in Country A. If the pregnancy really fails, it can only mean he isn't worthy to be our child."

"Don't overthink it."

"Mhm..."

Li Xiujin rested his forehead against Lin Ze's, originally intending to sleep like that, but upon seeing his rosy lips, he kissed them. Lin Ze held onto his shoulders, shyly responding, and soon felt something hard and hot pressed against him.

The two immediately separated. Li Xiujin's gaze grew dark, but he didn't dare do anything more. After licking the saliva from the corner of Lin Ze's mouth, he went to shower.

The following week was torturous for both of them.

Li Xiujin asked Fu Zhi if his wife had run into any problems during her pregnancy.

"My wife found out just a few days after getting pregnant, and the checkup showed everything was normal," Fu Zhi replied. "General, what's wrong? Is Colonel Lin pregnant?"

Li Xiujin clenched a cigarette between his teeth. He'd quit after marrying Lin Ze and now only clenched them, unlit, between his teeth.

"There probably won't be any major issues. You're so young and in such good health. Although Colonel Lin has a unique constitution, being studied for a year shows his body is superior to that of a normal person."

Li Xiujin sent him away.

"Pregnancy issues?" Yang Yu was wondering why the general suddenly asked this. "Have you forgotten? I was away on that trip with you. By the time I returned, my wife was already pregnant."

Li Xiujin almost forgot—they had been on a four-month business trip, and when they returned, Yang Yu's wife told him she was pregnant. Rubbing his temples, Li Xiujin actually suspected Yang Yu might have been cheated on.

Meanwhile, Lin Ze kept looking it up. Some sources said nothing would go wrong, while others said it might. Eventually, he concluded it was a fifty-fifty chance.

After finishing his class, Lin Ze looked down at his abdomen. The information was sensitive to the feelings of expectant parents, even including a reassuring note at the end: before the fetus takes shape, it's still just an embryo. But... Lin Ze gently touched his belly. If it really stopped developing, he would still feel sad, as if he had lost a real child.

Please, stay healthy, okay? Both your father and I are looking forward to your birth...

On the day of the re-examination, both Lin Ze and Li Xiujin looked visibly haggard.

This time, Li Xiujin didn't wait outside but accompanied Lin Ze throughout the entire process. As the instrument glided over Lin Ze's abdomen, Li Xiujin tightly held his hand... After the examination, Li Xiujin helped Lin Ze straighten his clothes, slipped an arm around his shoulders, and asked the doctor, "How is it?"

The doctor frowned, studying the report.

Silence. Li Xiujin felt Lin Ze's breathing grow lighter.

Lin Ze was emotionally vulnerable. Even though the child was only two months old, if something really went wrong, Lin Ze would be devastated. Li Xiujin wanted to cover Lin Ze's ears, to spare him from hearing bad news directly.

"After a careful look, the fetal heartbeat is strong and the embryo is developing normally. The child is fine."

Li Xiujin let out a sigh of relief, while Lin Ze whispered, "Can I see the report?"

The doctor handed it to him. Two black images faintly showed a gestational sac as small as a heart.

Lin Ze covered his eyes, which were growing hot. His and Xiu Jin's child was healthy... That was wonderful...

As they left the hospital, Li Xiujin suddenly scooped Lin Ze up in his arms. Lin Ze's cheeks flushed. "I can walk on my own..."

Pretending not to hear, Li Xiujin carried him back to the car and, upon arriving home, took him to the bedroom, gently placing him on the bed.

"I'll take care of the paperwork for your resignation tomorrow," Li Xiujin said. "From now on, don't do anything. Just focus on resting at home during your pregnancy."

But Lin Ze panicked, shaking his head. "Xiu Jin, I can't resign."

Li Xiujin frowned. "What if something dangerous happens?"

Lin Ze gently hugged his head, stroking his hair. He felt embarrassed, but he was even more afraid of having to stop working. "It won't. I'll take good care of myself..."

Li Xiujin was a very traditional alpha. Even before marrying Lin Ze, he had already planned it out: after marriage, he would earn money outside, while Lin Ze would be the homemaker, waiting for him to return from work and have his children. But in the end, Li Xiujin still respected his wishes.

Seeing he wasn't as forceful as last time, Lin Ze quietly sighed in relief. He might sound cold, but if spoken to gently, his attitude would soften... He was actually a considerate husband...

"Xiu Jin, are you exhausted?" Lin Ze noticed the dark circles under his eyes. Over the past week, whenever he couldn't sleep, Li Xiujin would stay awake with him. Lin Ze asked with concern.

More than exhaustion, he was pent up. Li Xiujin grunted and buried himself in Lin Ze's embrace, nuzzling his cheek against Lin Ze's pajamas before taking his nipple into his mouth to suckle. Lin Ze's cheeks flushed pink, trembling slightly, but he arched a little to make it easier for him...

Soon, he felt something massive pressing against his thigh. Separated for two weeks, and delayed another week because of the child—for someone with such strong desires who used to need it daily, it had been almost a month since he last touched him.

Lin Ze felt slightly ashamed. He was only two months pregnant, and Xiu Jin would have to endure for over another month...

Li Xiujin didn't dare do anything more either. After indulging in Lin Ze's embrace to his heart's content, he went to shower.

The next morning, Li Xiujin drove him to school, watching him enter the campus gate before heading to the military headquarters by car.

The child was healthy, and Lin Ze no longer seemed as listless as he had been the previous week. His fair complexion looked as if brushed with pink blush—white with a hint of rosiness, adding a touch of softness to his handsome features, making it hard to look away.

Lin Ze felt that after marrying Li Xiujin, his mood had gradually lightened. Now, when other teachers invited him to lunch, he wouldn't refuse but would agree cordially.

Sometimes, when teachers were passionately discussing something, Lin Ze would join in.

Today, they weren't talking about competitions but gossiping.

"I heard they only got married because of the child. After the wedding, he never returned home."

"What about the child? Doesn't he care for it either?"

"For these wealthy types, having a child isn't about love—it's just about wanting an heir. The child is born and immediately handed over to a nanny."

Lin Ze initially just participated, but gradually stopped his work to listen. He quickly pieced together the story: an omega celebrity and a wealthy businessman had a shotgun wedding, and not long after the child was born, the businessman was exposed for cheating.

Such gossip was common, and Lin Ze didn't pay much attention. But the phrase "just wanting an heir" etched itself deeply into his heart.

He had figured out the real reason Xiu Jin married him, but he didn't know why he wanted a child. Could it also be just for an heir?

Li Xiujin finished work before dark and drove home. After showering, he hugged Lin Ze, burying his face in Lin Ze's neck and inhaling his scent. Perhaps because of the pregnancy, Lin Ze now carried a faint, sweet milky fragrance, especially around his chest, where the scent was more pronounced. After obsessively sniffing, Li Xiujin took it into his mouth like a pacifier, and his lower abdomen quickly tightened...

Just as he was about to pull away and go shower, a hand gently stroked his head. He heard Lin Ze whisper a plea:

"Xiu Jin, after the child is born... can you give them a little love?"