ACMS 43

[Shocking News! Blood flows like a river as men surnamed S and Q share a room at Linjiang Complex, resulting in a miscarriage! Is this the collapse of morals or the distortion of human nature!?]

This is way too terrifying!!

This kind of situation would make headlines no matter which hospital it was sent to!!

Just picturing the scene made Qiao Le’s face turn green.

Holding his belly, he shuddered at the thought: Baby, Daddy really managed to save your little life this time!

Shen Hechuan was caught off guard as Qiao Le suddenly shoved him, tumbling to the side of the bed, nearly falling off.

He propped himself up with one hand, looking toward the panicked Qiao Le. “What’s wrong?”

Qiao Le answered seriously, “I just remembered we have a rehearsal tomorrow morning. We can’t do it tonight—it’ll affect my performance.”

Shen Hechuan: “……”

He wanted to say that it’s not like he needed Qiao Le to use his mouth, but since Qiao Le put it that way, he didn’t push. He picked up his clothes and got dressed. Seeing Qiao Le holding his belly with both hands, he asked with concern, “Does your stomach hurt?”

Qiao Le’s hands froze for a moment, then he casually let go. “No.”

He began buttoning up his shirt, even fastening the very top one, then said, “You took my clothes off, so my stomach’s just a little cold.”

Hearing that, Shen Hechuan reached under Qiao Le’s shirt, pressing his warm palm against his stomach. “How about now? Still cold?”

His palm rested right over Qiao Le’s navel—warm and comforting.

Qiao Le suddenly had the illusion that Shen Hechuan was feeling the baby in his belly.

That sensation was strange and subtle. Without thinking, he placed his hand over Shen Hechuan’s and looked up at him. “Shen Hechuan.”

“Hmm?” Shen Hechuan lowered his gaze to meet his eyes. “What is it?”

Qiao Le licked his lips. “You said earlier, if I could have a baby, then you’d want one. Were you serious?”

Shen Hechuan was still warming his stomach. When Qiao Le’s hand covered his, he flipped his palm over to interlace their fingers.

Hearing Qiao Le’s question, he nodded. “Yeah, I meant it.”

“But I’m a guy,” Qiao Le reminded him. “If I really could get pregnant, don’t you think that’s kind of terrifying?”

“Not at all,” Shen Hechuan replied calmly, like it was the most normal thing in the world. “If you can have a baby, that’s perfect—saves us from having to adopt after graduation.”

Qiao Le: “……”

Shen Hechuan’s ability to accept things was frightening.

It left Qiao Le even more unsure of what to say—tell him he can have kids, but he doesn’t want to?

His face was full of conflict, but Shen Hechuan misunderstood, thinking he was troubled. He leaned down and gave him a quick kiss. “It’s okay. If you can’t have one, we just won’t have kids.”

Qiao Le: “……”

Now you’re comforting me?

Qiao Le couldn’t help but laugh, giving him a speechless look. “Thanks, I guess.”

“No need to thank me.” Shen Hechuan withdrew his hand from under Qiao Le’s shirt. “Go to bed early—I’ll wake you up tomorrow.”

Qiao Le had been really sleepy lately, so Shen Hechuan had taken over alarm duty.

Qiao Le obediently lay down, placing both hands over his belly. “What time are you coming to school on New Year’s Day?”

“In the evening,” Shen Hechuan replied. He had received an invitation to Yunjing University’s anniversary event a while ago, but a friend from abroad happened to be visiting that day, so he had to go pick them up.

“I won’t miss your performance. Don’t worry.”

“It’s just a choir number,” Qiao Le said casually. “There’ll be so many people you might not even spot me.”

“I will.”

No matter how many people there were, Shen Hechuan would spot him in an instant.

“Go to sleep.”

“Okay.”

The lights went out, and the room was plunged into darkness.

Qiao Le lay there with his eyes open. He was tired, but his mind just wouldn’t let him sleep.

Today really deserved to be logged as a major life event.

Confusion, shock, helplessness, anxiety—every kind of emotion flooded his heart. The last time he’d felt this lost was when his father had gotten into trouble.

Qiao Le sighed silently.

He was probably doomed to a sleepless night.

The next morning, Qiao Le got out of bed with dark circles under his eyes. When he dragged himself into the bathroom, Shen Hechuan had already squeezed toothpaste onto his toothbrush.

The main bathroom had a big vanity, so the two of them could stand side-by-side without it being cramped.

Shen Hechuan had already brushed his teeth and was now changing clothes outside.

Qiao Le listlessly brushed his teeth, and midway through he suddenly felt nauseous. He leaned over the sink and retched. “Urgh—”

He dry-heaved a few times but didn’t throw up anything—just foamy bubbles from his mouth.

But the squeezing in his stomach was extremely uncomfortable.

Hearing the sound from outside, Shen Hechuan quickly put down his clothes and rushed in. “What’s wrong? Why are you throwing up?”

Qiao Le clutched the sink with one hand and waved the other at him. “It’s nothing—”

He rinsed his mouth and felt a bit better. “Brushed for too long, made me nauseous.”

Shen Hechuan glanced into the sink and saw faint traces of red in the foam—probably bleeding gums. “Open your mouth. Let me take a look.”

Qiao Le opened his mouth. Shen Hechuan peered in and saw some gum inflammation, but nothing serious.

He grabbed a tissue and wiped the foam from the corner of Qiao Le’s mouth. “What were you thinking about, zoning out even while brushing your teeth?”

Qiao Le hadn’t been thinking about anything. It was just a pregnancy symptom.

“Nothing really, just nervous about the choir tomorrow. Forgot I was brushing.” He casually made up an excuse and reached for the towel behind Shen Hechuan.

“I got it.” Shen Hechuan took the towel, dampened it, wrung it out, and wiped Qiao Le’s face for him.

Eyes closed, Qiao Le muttered, “You’re treating me like Xiao Man.”

Shen Hechuan gently wiped his face, then rinsed the towel and put it back. “Wrong. Xiao Man can wash his own face.”

Qiao Le: “……” So I’m even worse than Xiao Man, huh.

After washing up and changing, they went out for breakfast.

The kindergarten required arrival by 7:30 a.m., and Aunt Yang had already taken Qiao Man out. It was just the two of them left at home.

Qiao Le hadn’t had much of an appetite lately, but luckily Aunt Yang made light breakfasts.

After eating, Shen Hechuan asked if Qiao Le wanted to drive himself or have him drive.

Qiao Le wanted to drive—he had just gotten his license and had a new car, and his hands were itching to use it.

But as a freshman, showing up to school in such a flashy car wasn’t exactly low-key. In the end, Shen Hechuan drove him instead, since it was cold and windy, and riding a scooter would’ve been unwise.

At school, Qiao Le headed to the main auditorium for rehearsal, where he ran into Chen Hao.

Chen Hao’s class was doing a dance medley. Qiao Le watched for a bit, found it interesting, and recorded a video to send to Shen Hechuan.

Shen Hechuan messaged him back, saying he’d booked a room at a hotel near the school and told Qiao Le to go rest there after class.

Qiao Le replied with an emoji, and they chatted a bit before it was his class’s turn to rehearse.

After the rehearsal, Qiao Le stepped off the stage and found that Chen Hao hadn’t left yet—and had even brought him a drink.

“Did you record me during rehearsal just now?” Chen Hao asked. “Send me a copy, would you? I want to show it to my parents since they can’t make it tomorrow.”

Qiao Le sent him the video and casually asked, “Is your aunt coming?”

“Yeah,” Chen Hao forwarded the video. “She said she wants to see my handsome dance moves in person and also record a full video for my dad.”

Qiao Le nodded and didn’t say anything else.

He hadn’t seen Jiang Hong again since their meeting at the Chen household, though they occasionally chatted on WeChat.

“Is your boyfriend coming?” Chen Hao asked. “You’ve got a performance—he wouldn’t miss it, right?”

Qiao Le replied, “He’s coming.”

“Good. Be sure to introduce us then,” Chen Hao said. “I didn’t even get a clear look at him last time.”

“Sure.”

“Oh right, I heard a bunch of officials and big-name company reps are coming to the gala this time,” Chen Hao gossiped, sharing what he’d heard. “Even the boss of Hualang is supposedly attending. You know Hualang Group, right? The number one leading enterprise in Yunjing.”

Qiao Le: “…Yeah, I know.”

Chen Hao didn’t notice his subtle expression and kept going, “I heard our school’s political science building and the new library were both funded by Hualang. Their boss is actually our alumni—a total powerhouse. My dad’s mentioned him a few times before.”

Qiao Le: “…”

That very powerhouse was helping him squeeze toothpaste and wash his face this morning.

Listening to Chen Hao praise Shen Hechuan so highly, Qiao Le actually felt a little proud.

Chen Hao spoke with an admiring glow in his eyes: “Man, if I could just meet him, shake his hand, I’d brag about it to my dad for the next year.”

Qiao Le lowered his head and smiled faintly. “…You’ll probably get your chance.”

The two continued chatting as they walked, parting ways at the fork in the path.

—

New Year’s Day.

The school anniversary festival began at noon. Qiao Le went to the club room early to meet Su Qiao and change into the outfit she had prepared for him.

Su Qiao and the others all had specific cosplay characters, but Qiao Le didn’t. She’d gotten him a black military uniform.

A double-breasted black military coat, paired with a white dress shirt and black tie, topped off with knee-high black boots.

The moment Qiao Le walked out of the changing room, Su Qiao’s eyes lit up—she knew right then that her money had been well spent!

She pulled him to the mirror to do his makeup and hair.

Qiao Le already had great features, so she only needed to do light makeup to enhance his look, and finally placed a white wig on his head.

In the mirror, Qiao Le stood tall and striking—handsome and commanding. The kind of look that would stop any passerby in their tracks.

While he was adjusting his collar, Su Qiao sneakily snapped a few photos and sent them to Shen Hechuan on WeChat.

Shen Hechuan enlarged the photos and stared at them for a while before replying.

[Shen: Got any more?]

Su Qiao sent a few more pictures and even a short video.

[Shen: Where’s the outfit from?]

[Lifelong Devotion to Ironworking Wang Tiesheng: Bought it!]

[Shen: I want it.]

[Lifelong Devotion: Cousin, that set was expensive…]

[Shen: How much?]

Su Qiao named a price. Shen Hechuan transferred the money immediately.

Su Qiao did a happy twirl on the spot, tapped “receive payment,” and quickly typed:

[Lifelong Devotion: Thank you, cousin! I actually prepared a few more sets for Brother Le. Want them too?]

[Shen: Send them.]

Su Qiao sent two more outfit photos. As soon as Shen Hechuan opened them, his gaze paused—

Because one of them was… women’s clothing.

Su Qiao had sneakily prepared a set of women’s cosplay for Qiao Le. With his long legs, fair skin, and tall figure, she knew he’d totally rock a cool goddess look—but the weather was too cold to wear it now.

If Shen Hechuan wanted it, she was happy to give it as a gift!

[Shen: How much?]

[Lifelong Devotion: Free! Just a token to support your love!]

She was more than willing to contribute to her cousin’s romantic success.

Too bad she’d probably never get to see Qiao Le in women’s clothing herself.

“What are you sighing about?” Qiao Le walked over and saw her looking regretful. “Something wrong?”

Su Qiao quickly put away her phone. “No, no. Are you ready? Let’s go set up the booth! With you here, I’m sure we’ll be super popular today!”

“Let’s go.”

Just as Su Qiao predicted, with Qiao Le’s presence, their club booth immediately drew a crowd. And once he started bartending, the whole area was swarmed.

Su Qiao passed out flyers until her hand cramped, and the number of people scanning their club’s QR code kept rising.

She and her bestie exchanged a glance, eyes sparkling: This is a win!

—

Meanwhile, Shen Hechuan welcomed an old friend he hadn’t seen in years.

The man was mixed Chinese-Russian, and greeted him with a big hug and a laugh. “Long time no see, Hechuan.”

“Long time no see, David.” Shen Hechuan smiled, patting his shoulder, then greeted the woman beside him. “Good to see you too, sister-in-law.”

David’s wife, Lu Qian, also Chinese, smiled back. “Good to see you.”

“Where’s your partner?” David looked around. “Didn’t you say you were married? I don’t see him.”

“He has an event at his university today,” Shen Hechuan replied. “I’ll bring him along next time we have dinner.”

David said, “I still can’t believe you got married. When I heard the news, I was shocked. Back in Y Country, we all thought you were committed to bachelorhood.”

After graduating, Shen Hechuan had spent two years studying abroad in Y Country, where he met David.

“I thought I was, too.” Shen Hechuan smiled—if he hadn’t met Qiao Le.

“You said he’s at the university—he’s a teacher? Or a student?” David rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “If he’s a student, isn’t that a bit… young?”

Shen Hechuan was completely calm: “A student. He’s thirteen years younger than me.”

David and Lu Qian exchanged a glance. David looked surprised. “That’s really unexpected. I’m very curious what kind of person he is.”

“There’ll be a chance,” Shen Hechuan said. “How about we eat something first?”

It was only around three in the afternoon, but David and Lu Qian hadn’t eaten much on the plane, so they had no objections.

The three of them got in the car, and the driver took them to the restaurant that had been reserved ahead of time.

Shen Hechuan had already arranged for some signature dishes to be prepared. Once they entered the private room, he let David and Lu Qian order whatever else they wanted. They chatted as they waited for the food.

It had been years since they last met, and each talked about their recent lives. The food arrived quickly.

Shen Hechuan reached out to stop Lu Qian and said, “This place’s plum-glazed pork knuckle is their signature dish. Try—”

Before he could finish, Lu Qian suddenly turned her head and covered her mouth, dry heaving twice. David immediately reached out to pat her back.

Seeing this, Shen Hechuan stood up and walked over. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

Lu Qian was still retching. Watching her, Shen Hechuan suddenly felt that she looked a lot like Qiao Le that morning when he was dry heaving while brushing his teeth.

“It’s alright, don’t worry,” David said. “She’s pregnant.”

Shen Hechuan, who had just been thinking about Qiao Le, didn’t immediately register the words. “Pregnant?”

Lu Qian had calmed down. She took the water David handed her and rinsed her mouth, then said, “I’m pregnant.”

“Pregnant?” Shen Hechuan finally understood. “I see. Congratulations to both of you.”

Speaking of his wife’s pregnancy, David beamed. “It’s been more than three months now. The symptoms aren’t as bad anymore. The first two months were rough—she couldn’t keep anything down, couldn’t go near any kind of meat. I was so worried I felt like I’d go bald.”

Even though he said that, the happiness in his voice was unmistakable.

Lu Qian also smiled. “Lately I haven’t had much appetite. The food is great, but I’m afraid I can’t enjoy it—sorry to waste your thoughtfulness.”

“Don’t say that, it’s a joyous occasion,” Shen Hechuan replied. “Is there anything else you’d like to eat? I can have the kitchen make it.”

“I just want a bit of sweet soup. I already ordered some, so no need to trouble them,” Lu Qian said.

“No need to trouble them,” David echoed. “After we finish eating, I’ll take her back to the hotel to rest. If we stay any longer, I’m afraid she’ll fall asleep.”

Lu Qian gave him a glare. “Sleepiness is part of the symptoms—I’m not doing it on purpose.”

David quickly coaxed her, “Yes, yes, I know. I’m just concerned about you and the baby.”

Seeing that there was really nothing serious, Shen Hechuan turned to go back to his seat—but then paused mid-step.

No appetite. Craving sweets. Sleepiness. Dry heaving.

He had seen every one of those in Qiao Le recently. Could it be—

The thought surfaced, and Shen Hechuan instantly denied it.

What was he even thinking? Qiao Le was a man. How could he possibly be pregnant?

But setting aside gender, Qiao Le’s symptoms were exactly the same as Lu Qian’s. Nearly identical.

I must be out of my mind.

Shen Hechuan shook his head and returned to his seat, only to hear David and Lu Qian talking about whether they hoped for a boy or a girl.

The familiar topic made Shen Hechuan recall what Qiao Le had said the night before last.

—“Shen Hechuan, do you like kids?”

—“Would you ever want to have a child?”

—“If you suddenly had a child…”

—“If I could have a child, would you really want it?”

—“If I really could give birth, wouldn’t that scare you?”

Qiao Le’s recent strange behavior, those tentative questions, and that moment when he pushed Shen Hechuan away and instinctively protected his belly—

In that moment, an absurd and utterly implausible idea surfaced in Shen Hechuan’s mind. It shouldn’t have existed, but he couldn’t suppress it.

Qiao Le wouldn’t test him like that for no reason—unless he was hiding something.

That guess, so fierce it felt like it might tear through his chest, left Shen Hechuan stunned for a moment. It wasn’t until David called his name that he came back to himself.

“Hechuan, are you okay?” David asked.

Am I okay?

Shen Hechuan thought, I’m fine—but I want to know what’s going on with Qiao Le.

Even though he knew this suspicion was irrational, he couldn’t help wanting to confirm it.

He quickly said to the couple, “I’m stepping out to make a call,” then left the room with his phone.

Outside, he called Qiao Le, wanting to ask if his guess was right—but Qiao Le didn’t pick up either of the two times he called.

He figured Qiao Le must still be busy—but he couldn’t wait any longer.

He remembered Judy mentioning she ran into Qiao Le at the hospital. He called her and asked where exactly she saw him.

Judy thought for a moment and said, “In the hospital garden. If I’m not mistaken, the obstetrics department was right behind it.”

Obstetrics.

But Qiao Le had said he was taking Fang Jiaxu to get his stomach checked—so why would he come out of obstetrics?

Unless they weren’t there for stomach issues at all, but for—

The suspicion in his heart grew stronger. Shen Hechuan had to take deep breaths just to steady his shaking hands.

After hanging up on Judy, he called the head of Lihua Hospital.

“Help me check something. Two days ago, did someone named Qiao Le have an appointment in your obstetrics department?”

“I’m waiting for your reply—send it to me as soon as possible. Don’t tell anyone else, send it to me directly.”

He gave them Qiao Le’s basic information. After hanging up, he considered calling Qiao Le again—but without confirmation, he was afraid everything might still be just a wild guess.

After thinking it over, he forced himself to calm down and went back to the private room.

As he waited, Shen Hechuan’s mind was a mess. He lost focus multiple times while talking with David. David noticed and asked if something urgent had come up.

Shen Hechuan said, honestly, that he was waiting on something important.

Just as he said that, his phone screen lit up. A WeChat message came through.

Shen Hechuan opened it immediately. The message included a file named “Qiao Le 20XX.12.30”.

…There really was something.

Shen Hechuan didn’t open it right away.

In that moment, he actually felt a little afraid—afraid that he might be right.

He tapped the file open. At the top was Qiao Le’s name, birthdate, and other basic details—proving it was indeed his medical record.

His eyes moved down the report, and when he saw the test results, his gaze froze. His pupils shrank slightly.

Black and white, indisputable.

Qiao Le really was pregnant.