Chapter 83 – Extra: Shen Ning × Lu Fengge
Shen Ning put on his slippers.
Lu Fengge said, “Not going barefoot anymore?”
Shen Ning replied, “The floor’s hot.”
“That’s nonsense.” Lu Fengge bent down and placed Shen Ning’s shoes neatly into the shoe cabinet.
Shen Ning tested the waters. “You’re not planning to turn on the underfloor heating even in summer, are you?”
Lu Fengge said with a straight face, “I’m considering it.”
Shen Ning said, “Be careful—you might not even become the richest man yet before the media reports you as extravagantly decadent, like the aristocrats and great clans of the Western Jin.”
Lu Fengge laughed. “Using solar energy to heat some water in summer counts as decadence?”
Shen Ning nodded. “Yes.”
Lu Fengge said, “Then how about I be a bit more frugal—no air-conditioning for you. You can come to my office at the company to cool off.”
Shen Ning refused flatly. “No.”
Lu Fengge liked hugging people far too much. Who knew—at the office he might hold him while working. Morals really were in decline.
The second false pregnancy meant absolutely nothing to Shen Ning. If Lu Fengge didn’t mention it every day, he would have forgotten about it entirely.
By the time the third false pregnancy was pointed out by Lu Fengge, Shen Ning almost felt he was deliberately picking a fight.
His Chinese was very good now. He had no interest in arguing with Lu Fengge just to prove himself. After quietly watching Lu Fengge fuss over him for a while, he simply lay down and went to sleep.
Lu Fengge dragged him to the hospital for another ultrasound. Shen Ning said unhappily, “The saying goes, things don’t happen more than three times. This is the last time. You promised me—you’ll go again after this.”
Every time was a waste of time. Lu Fengge was so busy; Shen Ning didn’t want him dragging him to the hospital whenever he had a moment free. A hospital wasn’t exactly a date spot.
Lu Fengge was overly tense. Shen Ning even felt like the chief physician was watching for entertainment.
Shen Ning was very good at using common sayings and ancient proverbs to prop himself up. Lu Fengge knew his temperament well and never contradicted Shen Ning’s faith in old sayings on the spot—he’d think of another approach next time.
“All right,” Lu Fengge said. “The last time.”
Naturally, the hospital visit came up empty again.
When they reached the parking lot, Lu Fengge circled the car to check it, then glanced inside before opening the door and letting Shen Ning get in.
Shen Ning said, “Lu Fengge, you actually want it to be real, don’t you? Otherwise why do you take it so seriously every time? You say you don’t want kids, but your actions are very honest.”
Lu Fengge replied, “Do you think I care about the child? I care about you.”
Shen Ning used provocation. “I don’t believe you—unless next time you hold back and don’t go to the hospital.”
“Hold back for one month, and that’s keeping your promise. Two months, that’s caring about me. Three months—and I’ll believe you really, really love me.”
Lu Fengge couldn’t help wondering whether Shen Ning’s logic was so unconventional because his linguistics were a mishmash.
But it was still best to do as he said.
Lu Fengge reminded himself not to slack off and looked at Shen Ning. “Fine.”
Shen Ning said, “I’ve had three false pregnancies already. That seems pretty rare. Maybe this is just how it’ll be for my whole life.”
Lu Fengge replied, “Doesn’t matter. Best if there aren’t even false pregnancies.”
Shen Ning looked up and saw the tenderness and deep affection flowing in Lu Fengge’s eyes. It was as if an electric current spread through his chest. His fingertips trembled slightly. He unfastened his seatbelt, braced himself on the backrest on Lu Fengge’s side, straightened up, and leaned in to kiss him first.
Lu Fengge supported his waist. After a while, Shen Ning got tired, swung one long leg over, sat on Lu Fengge’s lap, and focused on kissing him.
After the kiss, Shen Ning was panting. He rested his chin on Lu Fengge’s shoulder. “Our second kiss was also in a car.”
Lu Fengge stroked his delicate cheek. “That wasn’t the second.”
Shen Ning said, “The ones on the bed don’t count.”
Kisses on the bed were driven by desire; kisses off the bed were driven by affection—arising from feeling, stopping at propriety.
Lu Fengge asked, “Why don’t they count?”
Shen Ning said, “Control yourself. Keep this kiss pure.”
Then he added, “I’m going to confess to you while I’m clear-headed.”
Lu Fengge had once forced him to say he liked him in bed. But words said in bed—how could they carry the weight of what he was about to say now?
“Lu Fengge, I like you.”
Lu Fengge had always known he could wait for this proud peony to bloom—but spring hadn’t even arrived yet, and Shen Ning had already bloomed for him.
“I don’t want to go to my meeting this afternoon anymore.”
“Huh?”
…
A month later, Lu Fengge went on a business trip to the southern coast, passing through multiple special economic zones and provincial capitals. All told, he’d be away for forty days.
Shen Ning thought: he was someone whose husband could be away for a whole year while he lived just fine—what was forty days?
Yet on the fifteenth day, Shen Ning went to Harbor City to host an auction and met Lu Fengge during a layover.
On the twenty-eighth day, he went south again for an exhibition—and met Lu Fengge once more.
Jobs he usually didn’t attend personally suddenly became important.
The third meeting gave Shen Ning and Lu Fengge a chance to spend the night together.
The next morning, however, Lu Fengge suspected he might be having another false pregnancy.
Shen Ning was rushing to catch a flight and ignored him. “What did you promise me?”
Lu Fengge had no tools on hand, and sending Shen Ning to the hospital wasn’t feasible. He could only say, “Test as soon as you get home and tell me the result.”
“All right, all right,” Shen Ning replied.
After he got home, Lu Fengge called three more times to urge him. Only then did Shen Ning lazily find a pregnancy test.
This was what “the emperor is far away” meant.
Shen Ning looked at the two lines. “Congratulations, Doctor Lu. You’re right again—Mr. Shen is falsely pregnant once more.”
Lu Fengge said, “Watch your diet. Don’t eat cold or raw foods.”
Shen Ning said, “You’re not allowed to pump hot water into the floor.”
No sooner had he said it than he felt the floor begin to warm.
“Spring is still cold,” Lu Fengge said. “Can’t be careless.”
Shen Ning practiced calligraphy in the study, stepping on the warm floor. For some reason, after a while his hand felt a little sore. He put down the brush, planning to rest early. When he walked out, he saw Aunt Liu in the living room holding the landline phone, nodding repeatedly and saying “Mm,” “Okay.”
Seeing Shen Ning, Aunt Liu said, “It’s Mr. Lu calling. Do you want to say a few words?”
Shen Ning walked over and took the warm receiver. Had Lu Fengge been instructing Aunt Liu for a whole hour?
“Whether it’s you or me, we’re both experienced,” Shen Ning said. “Lu Fengge, calm down a bit.”
“Mm,” Lu Fengge responded.
Shen Ning narrowed his eyes, his inky lashes like flower sepals. “Go to bed early tonight. I guarantee that when you come back, I won’t be missing a single strand of hair.”
That promise carried some credibility, and Lu Fengge finally relaxed a little.
Lu Fengge’s business trip was delayed by another ten days before he returned home. For the first time, Shen Ning went through a false pregnancy without anyone supervising him—free, yet a little lonely.
Objectively speaking, Lu Fengge hadn’t been controlling at all.
Around then, there was a minor issue with the French business. Shen Ning flew to France to deal with it and only returned a week later.
When the plane landed at Nan Cheng International Airport, there was some turbulence due to the weather. Shen Ning, after a long time, felt slightly unwell.
He took the VIP passage and hadn’t gone far before he saw Lu Fengge waiting.
They hadn’t seen each other for a full month. Shen Ning put down his briefcase and went over to hug him.
Lu Fengge wrapped an arm around his waist. If Shen Ning hadn’t come back, he would’ve gone to France himself. “Did you eat on the plane?”
From the moment the plane hit turbulence mid-flight, Shen Ning hadn’t had the appetite to eat for six hours. Only now, stepping onto home soil and into Lu Fengge’s arms, did he feel hunger.
“I’m hungry. I want sweet-and-sour pork.”
Crispy pork coated in sweet-and-sour sauce, with northeastern rice.
Lu Fengge took him to a northeastern restaurant near the airport and ordered several hearty dishes.
As soon as Shen Ning sat down, he opened his chopsticks and started eating the cucumber salad that came out immediately.
Lu Fengge pulled out the chair beside him and made enough space to crouch down. “Want me to take off your shoes?”
Shen Ning was wearing white sheepskin shoes. Hearing that, he tucked his feet under the chair. “This isn’t home.”
Lu Fengge said, “I thought you’d be eager to reconnect with the earth the moment you got back.”
Shen Ning said, “This is a second-floor private room, not the ground floor.”
Lu Fengge asked, “Tired from walking? Want me to massage you?”
“VIPs don’t have to walk much in the airport. I think you know that.” Shen Ning tapped the table. “Sit properly.”
Lu Fengge sat down and took the hand Shen Ning wasn’t using for chopsticks.
“Was everything smooth in France?”
“More or less. It’s just that no one spoke Chinese—I was suffocating.” Shen Ning turned to look at him. “How about I recite a poem for you?”
Lu Fengge laughed. “Reciting while eating—won’t your mouth get tired?”
The dishes arrived just then. Lu Fengge turned the sweet-and-sour pork toward Shen Ning. “Eat first. Recite later tonight.”
Shen Ning took a mouthful of rice. He understood now—since Lu Fengge had received so many of his trashy love poems before, he wasn’t very excited about hearing poetry.
But this time, he had truly memorized and understood a wonderful piece—from the Book of Songs.
When someone focused on eating, they ate very quickly. Lu Fengge kept serving food to Shen Ning, and accidentally tried to get him to eat another bite of tender fish belly after he was already full.
Shen Ning immediately felt slightly nauseous and pushed his chopsticks away. “I’m done.”
Lu Fengge swept up the unfinished food on Shen Ning’s plate. “Let’s go. I’ve booked the chief physician for you.”
Shen Ning rubbed his full belly—rice took up space, making it look slightly round. “Going to the hospital right after eating? The ultrasound will find a plate of sweet-and-sour pork.”
“It won’t affect anything,” Lu Fengge said.
Shen Ning leaned back in the chair. Full, and with Lu Fengge beside him, he grew drowsy. With heavy eyelids, he said, “Didn’t we agree? If you could hold back for three months and not check with an ultrasound, letting the false pregnancy fade naturally, I’d believe you really love me.”
Lu Fengge guessed he hadn’t slept well on the plane. The weather on that flight hadn’t been great. Softening, he said, “Then let’s go home and rest first. We’ll go tomorrow.”
Shen Ning replied reluctantly, “All right.”
Unfortunately, on the way home, there was a rear-end collision ahead. Lu Fengge braked sharply once. Shen Ning immediately frowned and covered his mouth.
“I’m sorry—are you okay?” Lu Fengge asked.
“I’m fine. Just ate too much,” Shen Ning said.
Five minutes later, he realized they weren’t heading home, but onto the familiar road—to the hospital.
“The hospital’s closer,” Lu Fengge said. “We’ll get you some digestive tablets.”
He reproached himself. Shen Ning might have been unaccustomed to the food abroad, maybe his appetite had suffered—he’d even lost some weight. He shouldn’t have let him eat so much as soon as he got back; it wasn’t good for his stomach.
Ten minutes later, Shen Ning learned another saying: since we’re already here.
Lying on the examination bed, he said sheepishly to the chief physician, “I just ate a bit too much.”
The chief physician soothed him. “Don’t worry. It won’t affect anything.”
Lu Fengge had accompanied him three times already and had learned to read the images himself. Once the probe touched Shen Ning’s skin, he could immediately tell which organ was being shown.
He held Shen Ning’s hand and looked at the screen. Up to this moment, he was still relatively calm.
A short separation was like a honeymoon. Before that “honeymoon,” confirming it was a false pregnancy would mean they wouldn’t need to hold back.
The next second, Lu Fengge thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
There seemed to be something extra in Shen Ning’s abdomen.
He held his breath and didn’t disturb the physician.
Even a seasoned doctor needed to look several times from different angles before daring to reach a conclusion and inform the family.
After several rounds of observation, combined with the faint excitement on the physician’s face, Lu Fengge guessed the result.
Shen Ning was carrying their child.
In an instant, a full outline of plans flashed through Lu Fengge’s mind—from caring for his wife to raising a child.
He would devote himself to educating the child he shared with Shen Ning. He didn’t need them to become a prodigy—at the very least, their growth shouldn’t trouble Shen Ning—
“There are two gestational sacs,” the physician said.
Lu Fengge’s plan screeched to a halt.
His mind went blank for a moment. Instinctively, he looked at Shen Ning’s belly.
Shen Ning was just as shocked. “It’s not like I intentionally got pregnant with two at once. Why are you looking at me like that?”
The physician added fuel to the fire. “It’s already been three months. President Lu, you brought him in fifty days later than usual this time—were you being careless?”
Lu Fengge closed his eyes. He had let Shen Ning unknowingly carry twins for three months. From now on, if he ever went on another solo business trip, he’d be an idiot.
Shen Ning bounced up from the bed, incredulously touching his stomach. He’d never heard of peonies blooming as twin flowers.
Peonies had large blossoms; a single branch could display peerless beauty. If a garden ever produced twin peonies, it would surely be fenced off and monitored to ensure they survived the entire blooming season safely.
After a second of panic, Lu Fengge regained his composure and said to the physician, “Upgrade the entire hospital. Import the most expensive equipment. No budget limit.”
Joy fell from the sky. The physician beamed. “Rest assured, President Lu. We’ll have it done within a month.”
“Mr. Shen has already passed the unstable first trimester. Both sacs are very healthy—no need to be overly anxious.”
The moment Lu Fengge heard “three months,” anxiety surged. This was exactly what Shen Ning had meant by things don’t happen more than three times. He’d been enthusiastic about checking during false pregnancies, yet during a real one, he’d hidden it so thoroughly.
Lu Fengge looked at Shen Ning.
Shen Ning blinked. He’d already said—it wasn’t on purpose.
