ACMS 64

Chapter 64: The Reason for the Contract

Even after walking out of Hualang Group’s building, Liang Shuling still felt dazed.

Before she left, Shen Hechuan had her sign an agreement, voluntarily giving up custody of Qiao Man.

Liang Shuling suddenly felt lost, and Qiao Le’s words—“Goodbye. Let’s never see each other again.”—kept echoing in her ears.

She was acutely aware that this time, she had truly lost both of her sons.

Whether it was Qiao Le, who had once cared for her, or little Qiao Man, who had babbled “mom” to her, neither had anything to do with her anymore.

Suddenly, her phone rang from inside her bag, snapping her back to reality. She quickly pulled it out.

The caller was Liu Feng, demanding to know where she had gone, his tone particularly harsh.

In truth, Liu Feng had always had a bad temper—Liang Shuling had known that from the very beginning. But in order to live the life she wanted, she had always endured it.

She hadn’t expected Liu Feng to return so quickly. Judging by his tone, things hadn’t gone well for him. Since she also hadn’t achieved her goal on this trip, she absolutely couldn’t let him know.

“It was too stuffy in the hotel, so I stepped out for some air,” Liang Shuling made up an excuse. “You’re back? I’ll head back right now.”

Liu Feng cursed over the phone. Liang Shuling didn’t dare hang up and waited until he got tired and hung up himself before she put the phone away.

She glanced back at the Hualang Group building, then hailed a car and left.

At the same time, on the top floor of the Hualang Group—

Qiao Le put away the agreement, then teased Shen Hechuan about what he had said to threaten Liang Shuling earlier. “President Shen, you really sounded like one of those domineering CEOs just now.”

“Only sounded like?” Shen Hechuan raised his eyebrows. “Aren’t I one?”

“No,” Qiao Le replied. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have stopped at just threatening her.”

Shen Hechuan’s smile faded. “I did want to go further.”

But he held back—for Qiao Le’s sake.

“Let it go,” Qiao Le didn’t want to dwell on it. “It’s done. From now on, we’ll just live our lives separately. No point wasting more energy on them.”

Seeing how at ease Qiao Le looked, Shen Hechuan knew he had truly let it go and finally relaxed himself.

Given Qiao Le’s current condition, he didn’t want him to waste energy on people who didn’t deserve it.

Two days later, Qiao Le received a call from his uncle. Liang Shuling had already returned to Hong Kong, and she’d asked him to let Qiao Le know that she wouldn’t bother them again.

Qiao Le had just finished a prenatal check-up. When he heard this, he simply responded with an “mm” and said he understood.

Liang Jiancheng then asked if he’d be coming home for the Lantern Festival. Qiao Le realized he hadn’t had the chance to tell them about the pregnancy yet. Since school hadn’t started yet either, he agreed to go.

After hanging up, Qiao Le said he’d be going back home for the Lantern Festival and asked Shen Hechuan if he had time to go with him.

“You’re going to tell your uncle and aunt about the babies?” Shen Hechuan asked.

“Yes, it’s better to tell them.” Qiao Le nodded. His uncle and aunt were his closest family, and he didn’t want to keep this from them. After all, he’d be bringing the babies back to visit in the future.

Naturally, Shen Hechuan wouldn’t let him go alone—he’d be worried if he did. He held Qiao Le’s hand and said, “I’ll go with you.”

“Okay.”

On the day of the Lantern Festival, Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan returned to Liuhe Town.

They didn’t bring Qiao Man along this time, as Wu Huilan and the others had taken him on a trip.

Both of Qiao Le’s older cousins had moved out already, so only Chen Li and Liang Jiancheng were home. Compared to the New Year, it felt much quieter.

Chen Li had already dried the sweet potato strips and packed a few boxes for them to take home—some for Wu Huilan and Fang Jiaxu as well.

During dinner, Liang Jiancheng opened a bottle of homemade rice wine. He poured a cup for Shen Hechuan and then went to pour one for Qiao Le.

Seeing this, Shen Hechuan reached out to stop him. “Lele won’t be drinking.”

“A little’s fine—it’s good for warming up,” Liang Jiancheng said as he held the wine. “Lele can handle it, don’t worry.”

Chen Li chimed in with a smile, “Just a little won’t hurt. Our homemade wine isn’t very strong—it won’t be a problem.”

Qiao Le really did have a decent tolerance, but things were different now.

He exchanged a glance with Shen Hechuan. Since they had come back to tell them about the pregnancy, there was no reason to hide it any longer.

Qiao Le cleared his throat and said tactfully, “Uncle, Auntie, it’s not really suitable for me to drink right now.”

“Why not?” Liang Jiancheng was puzzled.

Chen Li, being more observant, asked if he wasn’t feeling well.

“It’s not that. It’s just—” Qiao Le pinched Shen Hechuan lightly. Shen Hechuan got the message and said, “Alcohol consumption during pregnancy should be avoided.”

Chen Li, having gone through this herself, still didn’t quite catch what he meant. She just nodded, “Yes, you really shouldn’t drink during pregnancy.”

Liang Jiancheng was completely lost. “What’s that got to do with anything? Lele isn’t pregnant—”

“He is.”

Qiao Le rubbed his nose and said, “Uncle, Auntie, I’m pregnant. Over three months now.”

Clatter—

Chen Li’s chopsticks fell onto the table. Liang Jiancheng nearly dropped the wine bottle, but Shen Hechuan, sitting beside him, reacted quickly and steadied it before it shattered.

“What did you just say?” the two of them asked in unison. “Pregnant with what?”

“Pregnant. Over three months,” Shen Hechuan said.

“……”

The room fell dead silent. Of the four people at the table, two were completely frozen.

After a moment, Liang Jiancheng swallowed and looked confused. “How come I feel drunk already, and I haven’t even had a sip?”

“Drunk, my foot!” Chen Li snapped out of it and smacked him lightly. Then she turned to stare seriously at Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan. “What are you two talking about? That’s not something to joke about.”

“We’re not joking,” both of them replied.

Qiao Le explained, “We were actually going to tell you when we came home for New Year’s, but something came up, so it got delayed.”

Looking at Liang Jiancheng and Chen Li, he said sincerely, “Auntie, Uncle, you two are the people closest to me. Back when things were at their worst, you were the ones who supported me and helped me get through it. That’s why I didn’t want to hide this from you.”

His words moved the two elders. Liang Jiancheng, already an emotional man, grew teary-eyed again at Jo Le’s words. “Why say all that? We’re family—no need for polite talk.”

“Exactly, don’t say such distant things,” Chen Li added. “Just tell me, what exactly is going on? How can a boy be pregnant?”

Qiao Le repeated the doctor’s earlier explanation to them. After listening, Chen Li was still in disbelief. “That’s just too unbelievable. What did the OB say? Is it dangerous? Will giving birth affect your health?”

There was definitely risk—after all, male bodies didn’t have a natural birth canal.

But Qiao Le didn’t want them to worry, so he simply said that so far, all prenatal checkups had gone smoothly, and all the health indicators were within range.

“As long as you’re healthy, that’s good, that’s good,” Chen Li mumbled, her eyes dropping to Jo Le’s belly.

Qiao Le was wearing loose loungewear with a down vest over it, so there was no visible change in his shape—just a little more roundness to his face.

She could tell that since being with Shen Hechuan, Qiao Le had been very well cared for.

“Does your family know?” Chen Li asked Shen Hechuan.

“They do,” he replied.

Chen Li continued, “So you’ve decided to keep the baby?”

Jo Le nodded and dropped another bomb. “It’s two babies—twins.”

“Twins?!”

Chen Li and Liang Jiancheng were stunned. “Twins?”

“That’s just—”

Chen Li was at a loss for words, though her expression showed she was delighted. After the surprise came inevitable concern. “Two babies? Then how are you going to give birth? C-section?”

Liang Jiancheng remembered when Chen Li had severe bleeding giving birth to their second child, and now he grew nervous too. “Childbirth is no small matter, especially for someone like Lele. This is really risky. What did the doctor say?”

What they were worried about, Shen Hechuan had already thought through and begun preparing for.

He said, “There are foreign doctors with experience performing C-sections on male patients. We’re already in touch. When the time comes, we’ll either bring them here or go to them.”

Chen Li still wasn’t reassured. “Is it reliable?”

“Uncle, Auntie, don’t worry,” Qiao Le soothed them. “The doctor says my body’s in great shape, and the babies are developing well. There shouldn’t be any problems.”

Hearing this, Liang Jiancheng and Chen Li finally calmed a little and took some time to digest the bombshell.

Chen Li said, “Then no more wine for you. Have some coconut juice instead.”

She went to fetch a bottle, poured a glass just for Jo Le, and said, “This is a happy occasion—it deserves a little celebration.”

Everyone clinked glasses and took a sip. Chen Li then asked, “So after the babies are born, how are you going to take care of them? You’re both men—you don’t know the first thing about raising kids. I have to teach, so I can’t leave work. Are you going to hire a maternity nanny?”

Liang Jiancheng said, “One won’t be enough, right? It’s twins.”

“Don’t worry,” Shen Hechuan said. “We’ve already started looking for maternity help, and everything the babies need has been prepared.”

“That’s good.”

The rest of the conversation revolved around the babies. Chen Li and Liang Jiancheng’s reactions to the pregnancy were no different from Wu Huilan and the others: shock, followed by joy.

After dinner, it was still early, and Qiao Le suggested going for a walk. The village would have fireworks for the Lantern Festival.

Shen Hechuan agreed and brought him a coat and hat.

The Spring Festival had just passed, and the Lantern Festival was here. The village was strung up with colorful lights. Even though the streets weren’t crowded, they didn’t feel empty.

The two walked hand in hand. At some point, Shen Hechuan tucked Qiao Le’s hand into his coat pocket and interlaced their fingers.

Qiao Le’s family had moved to Yunjing City long ago. Back when Qiao Yong was still alive, they only returned during holidays, so Qiao Le wasn’t very familiar with the village or its people.

But ever since he got together with Shen Hechuan, he’d been coming back more often—several times in just a few months.

They chatted as they walked, occasionally running into familiar elders. They greeted him warmly, and Qiao Le responded with a smile.

When someone asked about Shen Hechuan’s identity, Qiao Le introduced him openly: “My husband.”

Upon hearing that, one elder complained about their own son: already over thirty and still unmarried, making the parents worry constantly.

As the elder grumbled, Qiao Le remembered the real reason Shen Hechuan had asked him to sign that contract. He couldn’t help but lower his head and chuckle.

Once the elder had left, Jo Le turned to Shen Hechuan and said, “You must’ve been pressured to get married like that too, huh?”

“More or less,” Shen Hechuan chuckled. “My family’s three golden elders took turns nagging.”

“So you were miserable and dragged me into a marriage agreement to deal with your family,” Qiao Le said, completely understanding. He remembered how the first time he visited, it felt like he was being rushed straight into the bridal chamber.

Thinking back to how Shen Hechuan had called him from a business trip, Qiao Le grew curious. “If I hadn’t accepted your request back then, would you have asked someone else?”

“No.”

“Why not?” Qiao Le asked, puzzled. “Weren’t you desperate to get married?”

A lot had happened over time, and Shen Hechuan realized he had never actually told Qiao Le how he felt—Qiao Le had always assumed the contract was just to deal with the pressure to marry.

Hearing his question, Shen Hechuan replied, “I wasn’t desperate to get married.”

“Huh?”

“I was desperate to marry you.”

Qiao Le froze.

“The contract was just an excuse,” Shen Hechuan said seriously, his eyes burning with sincere affection. “I came to you because I like you.”

Fireworks burst in the distance, casting vibrant colors across the sky behind Qiao Le.

Despite the loud explosions, he heard Shen Hechuan’s words loud and clear.

Shen Hechuan said: I like you.