Chapter 82 – Extra: Shen Ning × Lu Fengge
The more Father Shen thought about it, the angrier he became.
“Lu Fengge, come to the study with me. Ningning, sit here and catch your breath.”
Lu Fengge’s gaze flicked between his father-in-law and Shen Ning. He hurried a step closer to Shen Ning and patted his back to help him breathe more smoothly.
He had countless questions he wanted to ask Shen Ning, but his father-in-law had summoned him—he couldn’t just ignore that. For a moment, he was torn.
Shen Ning said, “My dad’s calling you.”
“Alright.” Lu Fengge picked up an orange from the table and stuffed it into Shen Ning’s hand, then wrapped his big hand around Shen Ning’s and squeezed lightly. “I’ll talk with Dad in the study for a bit.”
Father Shen went into the study first. After Lu Fengge entered, he casually shut the door behind him.
“Well done, Lu Fengge!”
Father Shen paced the study twice in fury. “It was because I trusted you that I let Ningning enter an arranged marriage with you; because I trusted you that I let Ningning write to you, persuading him to go to Hong Kong to stay with you. What did you promise me back then? You said you would never bully him—did those words fall into a latrine?”
He comes back and his son is already pregnant. If he were told it was all because of overwhelming love, he wouldn’t believe a word of it. As Ningning’s father, he knew exactly what nonsense his son had written in those letters. What kind of emotional foundation did these two have to be nurturing the next generation? Had Lu Fengge really learned bad habits in Hong Kong? He remembered Lu Fengge had a playboy friend who believed in “marry a wife to produce a legitimate heir, play around outside as you like as long as you don’t produce illegitimate children.”
Faced with the head-on scolding, Lu Fengge behaved himself, unable to defend himself. It was Shen Ning who had used “repaying a favor” to provoke him—but the words “repay a favor” had first come out of his own mouth.
He had started it. No matter why he’d said such things back then, he had betrayed Father Shen’s trust. What was more, after saying it, several times he’d failed to rein in his emotions under Shen Ning’s counterattacks, effectively confirming the matter.
“Dad, I’m sorry.”
“What use is saying sorry to me?” Father Shen scolded. He walked to the desk and saw his son’s calligraphy spread out on it, a wool carpet underfoot, and a wastebasket as messy as when Ningning had just been learning at home.
Calling it a wastebasket was just a figure of speech. In reality, it was a large wooden rack. Finished calligraphy pieces were stacked on it like sliced potatoes left to dry—upper layers for drying, lower layers for storage.
The wooden rack was very new, clearly made after Lu Fengge returned. The paper Shen Ning used for calligraphy had also become higher-end.
This study seemed to be entirely used by Shen Ning. Lu Fengge had been back for twenty days and hadn’t left a single trace.
Father Shen’s anger was suddenly doused with a ladle of water.
Lu Fengge said, “I’ll do whatever you ask of me. But right now, I want to take Ningning to the hospital first. Please allow it.”
Shen Ning pressed his ear to the study door, listening. He had actually learned he was pregnant yesterday—he’d used an imported pregnancy test.
The first positive result was usually a false pregnancy; that was common knowledge. So it wasn’t urgent. Shen Ning hadn’t decided whether to tell Lu Fengge yet. After all, they weren’t that close—it could be saved for a heated argument.
When Shen Ning argued with Lu Fengge, he could perform above his usual level. After each argument, he felt his practical spoken Chinese had undergone a qualitative leap.
But Lu Fengge refused to argue with him now. Shen Ning wasn’t interested in arguing with strangers online either; other people couldn’t stir the passion that made an illiterate person rack his brains searching for debating points.
Lu Fengge seemed to have been scolded a little too badly. Shen Ning knocked on the door.
“Not going to the hospital.”
Lu Fengge: “……”
Father Shen: “Can’t you invite the doctor to the house?”
Lu Fengge understood instantly. “I understand.”
Shen Ning twisted the door open. “Dad, don’t worry about me. No one can bully me. Just don’t scold him anymore.”
Father Shen thought: I’ve only scolded him for a short while since coming in—already protecting him?
Lu Fengge asked carefully, “Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Are—are you pregnant?”
Whether he was or not couldn’t be seen with the naked eye. Shouldn’t they go to the hospital to confirm?
Shen Ning walked to the wooden rack, lifted several layers of xuan paper, and pulled out a pregnancy test stick.
“I’ve confirmed it. It’s definitely a false pregnancy. No need to go to the hospital. Just wait for the symptoms to disappear naturally.”
Lu Fengge took it, unsure when Shen Ning had tested. The two faint lines were still visible.
“I’ll have the family doctor come over, okay?”
Shen Ning said, “Are you an idiot? At twenty-two days you can’t find out anything.”
Father Shen’s head throbbed. So it really was the second day after Lu Fengge returned. Back when they’d arranged the marriage, he’d already had misgivings—afraid of tying together two people without feelings, ending up resenting each other. Both sides had agreed that if they couldn’t develop feelings, they’d separate. After all, two men couldn’t get married legally anyway; they could leave anytime.
Shen Ning patted his dad’s shoulder. “Dad, you’re a bit like Lord Ye who loved dragons.”
After saying that, he smugly curved the corner of his eyes, glancing at Lu Fengge, waiting for him to praise his apt application.
How could Lu Fengge dare agree openly? Just like the gossip magazines said—he was afraid of his father-in-law.
Father Shen looked at his son. Fine—young people had their own ways of living.
“If you’re pregnant, pay attention to your body. Remember to wear shoes to keep warm, especially non-slip soles.”
Shen Ning said carelessly, “Let’s talk about it if I’m really pregnant.”
With a false pregnancy, even a fall wouldn’t cause a miscarriage.
Seeing Shen Ning’s nonchalant attitude, Lu Fengge worried instinctively. With Father Shen present, he barely maintained a composed demeanor.
Father Shen spoke for him: “If you don’t take it seriously, I’ll have your mother come manage you.”
Shen Ning immediately jumped behind Lu Fengge, hiding his bare feet, fingers tugging lightly at the back hem of Lu Fengge’s shirt.
No—his mother was very into health preservation. She absolutely couldn’t find out he went barefoot every day at the Lu house.
Lu Fengge got the hint. “I’ll take good care of Ningning. No need to trouble Mom.”
Shen Ning: “That’s right.”
Father Shen could see that Shen Ning lived very freely at the Lu house—no one could control him anymore.
Lu Fengge, what’s wrong with you? So commanding outside, yet no authority at home at all?
Seeing his son doing well, Father Shen’s purpose for this trip was achieved.
“Dad still has to go on a business trip to North City. If you feel unwell, remember to say it—don’t hold it in. Take care of—Lu Fengge, take good care of Ningning.”
Lu Fengge: “Yes.”
After seeing Father Shen off at the airport, Shen Ning and Lu Fengge returned along the same route.
Before starting the car, Lu Fengge looked at Shen Ning worriedly. “Will you throw up in the car?”
Shen Ning: “No.”
Lu Fengge still drove very slowly. But the road wasn’t that smooth—recent years had seen frequent widening projects and sewage pipe installations, so the car jolted every so often.
Lu Fengge had never in his life been this attentive to someone’s expression.
False-pregnancy reactions could last anywhere from one to three months. Shen Ning teased, “Are you going to read my face like this for three months?”
Lu Fengge said, “Why not a lifetime?”
Shen Ning paused, then finished his thought. “You only did it once, yet you’ll serve me for three months for nothing—do you think it’s a loss?”
Lu Fengge said, “How could taking care of my wife ever be a loss?”
Shen Ning’s cheeks warmed. After a while, he said, “I’ll try not to let you take care of me for nothing.”
Lu Fengge took a moment to react. “No need—”
Shen Ning: “You don’t want the child I’ll give you?”
That would call for an argument.
Lu Fengge could only say, “I do.”
Luckily, the probability of pregnancy was very low… or so he thought. But he wasn’t sure anymore, because he’d only done it once—yet Shen Ning had a false pregnancy, which didn’t match the textbook.
Lu Fengge said carefully, “I hope the child is born in a situation with love.”
Shen Ning: “I do have love.”
Lu Fengge: “I mean love for me.”
Shen Ning: “……” Maybe a little.
Lu Fengge pressed on. “Is there a little?”
Shen Ning blinked and answered in a cultured way, “Groundless.”
Lu Fengge: “Speak like a human.”
Shen Ning: “A little. How could I have a child for a man I don’t like? I’m not waterlogged in the brain.”
Lu Fengge felt that perhaps being scolded by his father-in-law had stirred Shen Ning’s compassion.
He hoped Father Shen would come scold him every day, instructing him on how to take care of Ningning.
Lu Fengge: “So there was already a little before we slept together?”
Then there should be a bit more now.
Shen Ning: “There’s more now. The freer I am, the more I love you.”
Lu Fengge: “……”
Shen Ning was lucky. His false-pregnancy reaction didn’t last long, and the symptoms weren’t obvious—the most obvious symptom existed in Lu Fengge’s mouth.
A month later, his hormone levels returned to normal. See? There really was no need to care so much.
Lu Fengge, however, drew the opposite conclusion: false pregnancy must be treated exactly like real pregnancy—meticulous care from body to mind—so that Shen Ning could recover completely once it ended.
He even wrote work notes.
A very thick notebook, neatly categorized, with key sections like Pregnancy Care Guide, Key Points for Identifying False Pregnancy Reactions, Other False Pregnancy Case References, and so on.
For a while, Shen Ning often saw Lu Fengge hugging that notebook before bed, reading and comparing it to him. He found it inexplicable.
They slept together now, of course, and naturally did that sort of thing too—good for cultivating feelings.
Until one morning, just after Shen Ning woke up, his husband brought over a lancet and said solemnly, “I suspect your false pregnancy. I need to take a drop of blood from your fingertip.”
Shen Ning pulled his hand back under the blanket. “Since when did I even know I was pregnant? You just want to stab me.”
Lu Fengge said, “I’m ninety percent sure.”
Shen Ning: “Even if you test it, so what? Not knowing is easier.”
Lu Fengge: “After a period of false pregnancy, you need to go to the hospital to confirm it’s not a real pregnancy. During this time you—”
Shen Ning: “I want to go barefoot.”
Lu Fengge objected. “It’s autumn now—not like summer. In autumn you need to keep your feet warm, especially during a false pregnancy. Otherwise in winter your feet will be cold no matter how much you cover them.”
Shen Ning asked suspiciously, “When did you communicate with my mom?”
Lu Fengge caught his finger and kissed it. “I’m very skilled. It won’t hurt.”
Shen Ning: “Don’t believe it.”
“Really. I tried it on myself.” Lu Fengge held out his own hand. All ten fingertips had faint needle marks. He’d experimented on himself to find the least painful pressure and least sensitive spot.
Shen Ning froze, unable to find words to refuse.
Lu Fengge disinfected his fingertip, pressed the lancet lightly, and before Shen Ning could react, it was over.
Blood tests were extremely precise. Following the instructions, Lu Fengge waited ten minutes and saw the red line representing hormone levels.
Very high—indicating pregnancy.
Lu Fengge said, “False pregnancy should be treated as real pregnancy. From today on—”
Shen Ning: “I’m not your subordinate. Are you holding a morning meeting?”
Just from his tone, Lu Fengge knew this was tricky. The next sentence would be barefoot freedom again.
Lu Fengge: “Fine. I’ll lay carpets.”
Shen Ning was still dissatisfied. “You can’t stop me from directly connecting with Mother Earth.”
Lu Fengge closed his eyes briefly. “Alright, let’s not talk about that first. Our little sister is coming back to the country today. I’ll accompany you to stay at your parents’ place for a few days.”
Because Shen Ning was in Nan Cheng, the Shen family spent several months of the year there as well.
Shen Ning happily got out of bed. His sister had found a boyfriend and was bringing him home today to meet the parents. As her older brother, he needed to carefully observe his prospective brother-in-law’s character.
“Remember to help me observe too.”
Lu Fengge: “Okay.”
After Shen Ning finished breakfast, Lu Fengge accompanied him back to the Shen house. As soon as they left the Lu residence, he messaged the butler to pry up all the floors and install underfloor heating.
This villa was rather old and didn’t have underfloor heating. Shen Ning liked this kind of old ceramic tile and wouldn’t allow it to be knocked out, so Lu Fengge had left it untouched.
He had reached the limit of tolerating barefoot freedom.
He even added an extra instruction: “Try to keep the original tiles.”
Shen Ning stayed at home for half a month. When he returned to the Lu house, he didn’t notice anything unusual at first.
Until he kicked off his shoes and, out of habit, went to admire Lu Fengge’s helpless expression—only to find the other man completely calm.
The soles of his feet touched the floor. Warm. Thoughtful.
Shen Ning: “……”
