ACMS 40

Chapter 40: Exam Results

—Who does practice exams for their driving test right after sleeping with their husband?

—Qiao Le.

Watching how fast Qiao Le was tapping through the questions, Shen Hechuan looked at him with a hint of helplessness. “…Not sleepy?”

“I have an exam tomorrow,” Qiao Le said. “I’ll finish one more set and go to sleep. You go back and rest.”

Shen Hechuan didn’t return to the master bedroom. Instead, he laid down right beside Qiao Le. Qiao Le glanced at him, distracted, but said nothing.

The two of them silently avoided bringing up the topic.

“Want to go out for a bit?” Shen Hechuan asked. “Clear your mind.”

Qiao Le: “Where to?”

Shen Hechuan said, “The place Pei Wenjing mentioned last time wasn’t bad.”

“Sure,” Qiao Le said as he kept answering questions. “But wait until I get my driver’s license first.”

Lately, he had classes and driving lessons to attend, barely any time left to go out and have fun.

Plus, the university’s centennial celebration was coming up. His class had a big choir performance planned, and he’d been roped in to make up the numbers, which meant choir practice on top of everything else—he was swamped.

After finishing one round of questions, his test score came out as 98.

Satisfied, Qiao Le put down his phone and said to Shen Hechuan, “I worked it out—if everything goes well, I can get my license in just over a month. I’ll drive you around then.”

“Okay.” Shen Hechuan pulled the blanket up for him. “Sleep.”

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

Shen Hechuan reached over and turned off the light. The room fell into darkness.

—

The next day, Qiao Le had breakfast and went straight to the testing center. He passed the first part of the driving test with ease.

He messaged Shen Hechuan with the good news, and in return, Shen Hechuan transferred him 50,000 yuan as a congratulatory gift for passing the first hurdle.

[Qiao Lelele: Isn’t this too much?]

[Qiao Lelele: reaches out.jpg]

[Shen Hechuan: A gift freely given.]

Qiao Le accepted it without hesitation and sent him a bear sticker to say thanks.

[Qiao Lelele: Thanks boss.jpg]

[Qiao Lelele: I’m taking the second test in two weeks.]

Shen Hechuan immediately understood and transferred another 50,000 yuan, with a note that said “early congratulations.”

There were four parts to the driving test. Qiao Le did the math—he could earn 200,000 yuan in total.

Which meant the money he’d recently spent custom-ordering cufflinks and a brooch for Shen Hechuan was already earned back.

Was this what it felt like to cling to someone rich?

Qiao Le felt like he was floating. He added a little star in front of Shen Hechuan’s contact name and sent another bear sticker, this time one making a heart.

Shen Hechuan long-pressed it and saved it to his favorites.

After leaving the test center, Qiao Le headed straight back to school.

He didn’t have class that morning, but he’d promised Su Qiao he’d drop by her anime club.

Back in high school, he used to love watching anime. Later, he got too busy and gradually lost interest. Even now, when he had some free time, he only watched occasionally—mostly with Qiao Man.

When he arrived at the anime club room, he saw several club members dressed as characters he actually recognized.

Su Qiao lit up when she saw him and quickly pulled him over to introduce him to everyone.

There weren’t many members. According to Su Qiao, the club was newly formed by a bunch of like-minded “bros” who enjoyed this stuff together.

They went around doing introductions. Su Qiao’s friends had already heard about him, and one of them immediately exclaimed, “Finally seeing you in person—you’re even more handsome than Qiao Qiao described!”

Su Qiao asked if he wanted to join their club. Qiao Le politely declined—he’d only promised to visit, not to join.

Between options, he was more interested in sports or tech clubs.

Still, he agreed that if Su Qiao ever needed help, he’d come by whenever he had time.

“You said it,” Su Qiao said immediately. “We’ve got a booth at the school celebration fair. You better come help represent us!”

Yunjing University’s centennial celebration was set for New Year’s Day. Aside from the fair, there’d also be a big gala in the evening. His class was performing a choir number.

Su Qiao was planning to use the event to recruit more members, determined to grow the club bigger and stronger.

Qiao Le didn’t mind helping out, but he wasn’t sure what she wanted him to do. “What can I help with?”

“You just wear our costume and stand there—that’s enough. I’ll get the outfit ready for you. And of course—”

Su Qiao hesitated, then added a bit shyly, “If you had a special talent or something unique to show off, that would be perfect!”

A talent?

Qiao Le thought for a moment. “Does bartending count?”

Su Qiao: “!!”

She exchanged glances with the other club members, and they all turned to him in unison. “Of course it counts!”

“You mean like that fancy bartending with tricks?” Su Qiao made a few hand motions. “The really cool kind?”

Qiao Le nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.”

He’d learned a lot of bartending skills during his time working at the bar this past year.

Su Qiao was thrilled. “Then I’ll go get the tools. What do you need?”

“I’ll handle that,” Qiao Le said. Fang Jiaxu had a lot of bartending tools—he could just borrow a set. No need to buy new ones.

“Perfect!” Su Qiao nodded enthusiastically. She wasn’t familiar with bartending, and was worried she’d get the wrong stuff. “What about the outfit? Any preferences?”

“Nope, just go with whatever you’ve planned.” Qiao Le was happy to cooperate.

“Great! It’s settled then.” Su Qiao leaned in and whispered, “Thanks, sister-in-law.”

Qiao Le: “…You’re welcome.”

By the time he left the anime club, it was nearly noon. Just then, he got a call from Chen Hao, who said he’d brought over a jacket for him.

They agreed to meet at the cafeteria in the west courtyard. Chen Hao would take a while to get there, so Qiao Le asked what he wanted to eat and bought lunch for both of them in advance.

While waiting for him, Qiao Le sent a message to Shen Hechuan, asking if he’d eaten yet.

At that moment, Shen Hechuan was at the company cafeteria.

He took a picture of his lunch and sent it to Qiao Le. Just as the message went through, he looked up—and saw Judy standing not far away. Judging by her expression, she’d probably seen him taking the photo.

Both of them immediately thought of that message Judy had retracted back then.

Judy: “…” Awkward.

“Something you need?” Shen Hechuan asked.

Judy quickly shook her head. “Nope, enjoy your meal.”

Then she picked up her tray, turned a corner, and headed downstairs.

Once she reached the first floor, she glanced back upstairs and clicked her tongue twice.

She’d suspected the boss was in a relationship the first time she saw him take a lunch photo. Turned out she’d guessed right.

It hadn’t even been that long—and the boss was already engaged.

If that’s not “an old house catching fire,” what is?

Qiao Le got the photo from Shen Hechuan and remembered him saying before that the company cafeteria food was pretty good, so he asked another question out of curiosity.

[Qiao Lelele: Is the food good today?]

[☆Shen Hechuan: Not bad. Want to try it?]

[Qiao Lelele: Can someone who doesn’t work there eat there too?]

[☆Shen Hechuan: Employees’ family members can.]

Qiao Le lowered his head and smiled before replying, “Sure.”

They didn’t chat much more before Chen Hao arrived.

Chen Hao had ridden over on a bicycle. As he sat down, he picked up a drink from the table. “Is this for me?”

Qiao Le: “Mm.”

Chen Hao took a big sip, said, “Tastes good,” then handed two bags to Qiao Le.

Qiao Le took them and found that one of the bags held his clothes, while the other contained two boxes of pastries. He looked up at Chen Hao. “What’s this…?”

“Our family’s chef made them—specialties from Shen City,” Chen Hao said.

“You even brought me pastries?” Qiao Le took out one of the boxes, just as Chen Hao added, “I hadn’t thought of it either. My aunt reminded me.”

It was Jiang Hong.

Qiao Le’s hand paused as he opened the box. “Your aunt?”

“Yeah,” Chen Hao said. “She saw I was bringing your coat and told me I could bring you some local pastries too—let you try something new.”

Hearing that, warmth rose in Qiao Le’s chest.

He had saved Jiang Hong’s number last night, but had gone straight to his exam this morning and hadn’t added her on WeChat yet.

The pastries tasted great—the crust was crisp and flaky, while the filling was soft and glutinous.

Qiao Le ate two.

After lunch, Chen Hao had plans to meet a friend to buy a computer. He asked if Qiao Le wanted to come along, but Qiao Le had class that afternoon and didn’t go with him.

After they parted, Qiao Le added Jiang Hong on WeChat using her number and messaged her that he’d received the pastries.

He asked for her bank info and transferred her the money.

The moment the system confirmed the transfer, Qiao Le felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

With that, all his debts were finally cleared—including those owed to relatives, which his uncle and aunt had stepped in to handle.

Although it was cold in November, the sun was shining brightly.

Standing in the warm sunlight, a clear smile on his face, Qiao Le raised his phone and took a picture of the sky.

The sky was clear, not a single cloud in sight.

He sent the photo to Shen Hechuan.

[☆Shen Hechuan: Got one I can look at instead?]

Qiao Le clicked his tongue—so demanding.

Still, he switched his phone to selfie mode, took a picture, and sent it over.

He stood in the shade of a tree, golden light filtering through the leaves and falling in dappled shadows on his face. His smile was bright and full of energy.

Shen Hechuan stared at the photo for a long while, then saved it, setting it as both his phone wallpaper and the background of their chat.

—

After passing the written test, whenever Qiao Le didn’t have class, he would go practice driving. Once he’d logged enough hours, he took the second part of the exam—and passed that smoothly too.

He trained fast and tested fast. In less than two months, he was already up for part three.

The morning of the part three exam, Qiao Le woke up feeling especially drowsy—even though he’d gone to bed early the night before.

Not only had the alarm failed to wake him, when Shen Hechuan tried to get him up, he even tried to burrow back under the covers.

Seeing that he could barely open his eyes, Shen Hechuan caught him as he leaned to the side and asked worriedly, “Why are you so sleepy? Have you been overdoing it lately?”

They’d slept together last night—or rather, ever since Shen Hechuan first stayed over in Qiao Le’s room, they’d been sharing a bed every night.

Lately, Qiao Le had been going to sleep fairly early, but still always seemed exhausted.

“Spring fatigue, autumn drowsiness, winter hibernation,” Qiao Le replied casually. “Guess it’s time to hibernate.”

After breakfast, the two of them took Qiao Man out with them.

At the test site, Qiao Man clenched his fists and cheered him on, “Go, brother!”

Shen Hechuan added, “Don’t be nervous, just do what you normally do.”

“I’m not nervous at all,” Qiao Le said. “Just wait for the good news~”

He went into the waiting area and found a seat. The room was heated, which only made him sleepier.

On top of that, he felt a bit queasy—like he was mildly nauseous. He figured it was just because he’d eaten too fast that morning and his stomach was having trouble adjusting, so he didn’t think much of it.

What he didn’t expect was that the nausea worsened during the test. The heavy smell inside the car made it worse, and he even started to taste acid in his mouth.

Could it be motion sickness?

No way.

Qiao Le quickly ruled that out—he’d never gotten carsick before, not even during training.

Maybe it was just his body protesting from too much stress lately.

Or maybe the car just smelled really bad.

Despite the discomfort, Qiao Le still managed to finish part three of the test smoothly. Then he took part four—and passed that too. He’d officially gotten his driver’s license.

After leaving the testing center, he called Shen Hechuan, who came to pick him up shortly after.

As soon as he got in the car, Shen Hechuan noticed something was off about his complexion. He reached out and touched his face. “Why do you look so pale?”

“Do I?” Qiao Le touched his own face. “It’s not that bad, probably just the smell in the car. I felt a little carsick. I’ll be fine after some rest.”

Shen Hechuan wasn’t reassured. “Anywhere else feeling off? Want to go to the hospital?”

Qiao Le laughed at him. “Don’t make a fuss. I told you, the smell in the car made me feel like throwing up—it’ll pass.”

From the back seat, Qiao Man stuck his head forward with concern. “If big brother isn’t feeling well, he should go to the hospital.”

“I’m fine.” Qiao Le patted him, then turned to Shen Hechuan. “Didn’t we say we’d go home for lunch? Don’t keep the old man waiting.”

The Shen family already knew about his driving test and had told them to come back to Pengshan No.1 Residence afterwards—they wanted to throw a small celebration.

Seeing a bit of color return to his face, Shen Hechuan relaxed slightly. “Okay. But if you feel worse later, we’re going to the hospital.”

“Got it, got it.” Qiao Le said, “Shen Hechuan, you’re really naggy.”

Shen Hechuan gave him a look but didn’t argue.

When they got back to Pengshan No.1 Residence, it was just in time for lunch. The family had already prepared a meal.

As soon as Qiao Le stepped into the dining room, he saw a giant banner on the screen: Warm congratulations to Lele for receiving a national-level certificate!

Qiao Le: “…”

A national-level certificate… for a driver’s license. He suddenly felt like his head was glowing with holy light.

Well… not technically wrong.

To celebrate Qiao Le getting his license, Wu Huilan had the chef make a big meal with all of Qiao Le’s favorite dishes.

Normally, Qiao Le would’ve eaten a lot. But today, he didn’t have much of an appetite—even seeing his favorite foods, he barely picked up his chopsticks.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Hechuan noticed his distracted state. “Still not feeling well?”

“No.” Qiao Le shook his head.

Shen Zhenghe asked with concern, “Lele, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

The others also looked at him worriedly. Qiao Le briefly explained the exam situation. “I just need a bit of rest.”

“Loss of appetite is no small matter. Is there anything you feel like eating? I’ll have someone make it,” Wu Huilan asked.

Qiao Le thought for a moment. “Something sweet, with soup.”

Wu Huilan asked someone to make a light sweet soup for him. After drinking a bowl, Qiao Le felt a bit better.

After the meal, Wu Huilan gave Qiao Le a box to celebrate him getting his license. When he opened it, he saw a car key.

The Porsche logo was printed on it.

Qiao Le looked at her. “Auntie—”

“Eh!” Wu Huilan cut him off. “Today is a happy day to celebrate your license, so don’t say anything I won’t like to hear.”

Qiao Le swallowed his words and changed to, “Thank you, Auntie.”

Wu Huilan smiled in satisfaction. “That’s better.”

They stayed at home until evening before heading back. Qiao Man didn’t have school the next day, so he stayed behind to keep the elders company.

When they arrived at Linjiang Complex, the car drove into the underground garage. Qiao Le opened the door and got out.

Shen Hechuan got out and called him over. He stood in front of Qiao Le. “Give me your hand.”

“Hm?” Qiao Le didn’t understand but held out his palm.

Shen Hechuan placed a car key into his hand. Qiao Le was stunned. “This is…”

“A key.” Shen Hechuan held his shoulder and turned him halfway around. “It’s yours.”

Qiao Le saw a black Mercedes parked ahead—brand new, not the one Shen Hechuan usually drove.

He caught on quickly. “You bought it?”

“Yeah,” Shen Hechuan said. “To celebrate your license.”

Qiao Le: “…”

Never in his dreams did he imagine getting two car on the day he got his license.

He blinked. “Aren’t you being a bit extravagant? Didn’t you say I could just try driving your car?”

“Extravagant?” Shen Hechuan didn’t care. “I can earn it back—no need to worry. Besides, a gift should be new.”

Besides, a gift should be new.

That sentence struck a soft spot in Qiao Le’s heart.

He looked at Shen Hechuan and laughed quietly. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Wanna try it?” Shen Hechuan asked again.

“Sure.”

The moment the engine started, Qiao Le was thrilled. Shen Hechuan sat in the passenger seat, watching his eager expression, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Qiao Le drove a round trip, and by the time they returned to the garage, half an hour had passed.

He ran his fingers over the steering wheel, reluctant to stop. But it was too late, and he had signed up for a tech club group event the next morning.

Seeing his reluctance, Shen Hechuan suggested, “Next time, you drive me?”

Qiao Le agreed without hesitation. “Deal.”

They locked the car and went upstairs. Qiao Le placed the two car keys in the entryway drawer, then called out to Shen Hechuan, who was walking ahead.

“Hm?”

Shen Hechuan turned around and was suddenly tackled by Qiao Le, who hugged him tightly.

Qiao Le wrapped his arms around his neck and tilted his head up to kiss his chin. Shen Hechuan held his waist and lowered his head to kiss him back.

They stumbled inside, their lips never parting.

Shen Hechuan pinned him to the sofa. The two began undressing each other. After briefly separating, they kissed again impatiently.

Qiao Le arched his back, clutching Shen Hechuan’s short hair, breathing heavily, his nose glistening with sweat.

Kneeling between Qiao Le’s legs, Shen Hechuan undid his belt and let it drop onto the carpet with a heavy thud.

He leaned down to kiss Qiao Le, strong arms pinning his hands above his head.

Just as they were immersed in the moment, a sudden, urgent phone ringtone broke the spell.

Shen Hechuan’s hand paused while unwrapping something, frowning.

Qiao Le propped himself up on his elbow. “I think it’s your phone.”

“Leave it,” Shen Hechuan said, tearing open the wrapper, bending down to continue.

But the phone kept ringing.

“Go answer it. I’ll go shower,” Qiao Le nudged him, getting off the sofa and picking up his pants.

Shen Hechuan’s gaze followed the pale line of his back downward, finally stopping at his narrow waist—still marked with red from his grip earlier.

They had already been intimate before and had shared a bed for some time now. Qiao Le wasn’t bothered by his gaze. He put on his pants and picked up both their clothes.

The phone rang again. Shen Hechuan watched Qiao Le walk into the bathroom before heading over barefoot to pick up the call.

Qiao Le tossed his clothes into the laundry bin, grabbed pajamas from the bedroom, and went to shower. While brushing his teeth afterward, the nausea he’d felt during the day returned.

He spat out the foam and rinsed several times before it eased slightly.

Could it be gastritis?

Qiao Le thought about it. He’d been eating regularly and hygienically these days—nothing that should’ve upset his stomach.

Probably just the exam car’s smell.

He chalked it up to that, put away his toothbrush and cup, and left the bathroom.

Shen Hechuan was busy with a work meeting in the study. Qiao Le didn’t disturb him and just sent a message saying he was going to bed.

In the days that followed, Qiao Le continued to feel nauseous—worsening even.

Along with that, he felt increasingly fatigued and drained.

He thought it might be a stomach problem and decided to get it checked out at the hospital.

But what he didn’t expect was that when the test results came out, he was completely stunned.

The diagnosis—

He was pregnant.