Lin Zhi held the steaming hot chestnuts in his hand. He couldn’t tough it out any longer—a guy like him was actually pregnant! The Romance Lifesaving System was so annoyed by that thought in its host’s mind that it temporarily fled.
Song Mian buckled his seatbelt and glanced at Lin Zhi. “Not eating?”
Lin Zhi clutched the chestnuts and sniffed them, his gaze resolute. “I’m being a selfless man!”
Song Mian sized up Lin Zhi.
These fragrant chestnuts—he wouldn’t eat a single one! Once the baby arrived, he’d know to save all the good stuff for the little one! He’d be a good dad, strong enough to shoulder a father’s responsibilities. Lin Zhi was certain he could raise the child on his own.
But damn, they smelled so good.
Lin Zhi didn’t even want to think about why he’d gotten pregnant; he was locked in a battle with the chestnuts! He even secretly blamed Song Mian a little—why’d he have to buy them? It was delaying class, too.
After they arrived at school, Song Mian parked the car and took the bag of chestnuts from Lin Zhi’s hands. Lin Zhi snatched it right back, acting stingy. “What are you doing?”
Song Mian peeled a few chestnuts without a word. Once they were done, he held one up to Lin Zhi’s mouth. “Eat up. You’re practically drooling.”
Lin Zhi pressed his lips together.
Song Mian teased threateningly, “If you don’t eat, I’ll kiss you.”
Lin Zhi ate it. Afterward, he turned his head toward the car window, hands no longer guarding the chestnuts, as if waiting for Song Mian to grab them. Song Mian didn’t, so Lin Zhi nudged the bag toward him on purpose.
Song Mian found it adorable again and didn’t disappoint. He took the bag and peeled them one by one. Peel one, feed one—Lin Zhi accepted them all without hesitation. By the time he was almost full, his face had gone pale.
What—what had he done?
Lin Zhi hurriedly unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. A gentle breeze cleared his head, leaving him full of regret. Was this version of himself really capable of raising a baby alone? Could he even bear to share his things with the child?
Song Mian was still holding the bag with more than half the chestnuts left.
Lin Zhi tugged at Song Mian’s sleeve and arm, probing softly, “Aren’t you going to ask me about it anymore?”
Song Mian knew exactly what he meant. “Would you tell me?”
Lin Zhi shook his head.
Song Mian fed him another peeled chestnut, and Lin Zhi bit it off in one go.
Song Mian rubbed Lin Zhi’s cheek. “Doesn’t affect your appetite at all. How long can someone who hides under the covers crying really hold out?”
Lin Zhi got mad!
But he didn’t argue back.
They perfectly missed the first afternoon class. The class monitor kindly reminded Lin Zhi that the professor had taken roll call. Lin Zhi rushed to find the professor, shamelessly using Song Mian as his excuse, claiming it was Song Mian’s doctor’s appointment that delayed him.
The professor didn’t buy it. “Song Mian looks perfectly fine to me.”
Lin Zhi pleaded earnestly, “He’s faking it. Professor, please don’t mark me absent. I was just a little late; I didn’t mean to skip. My usual scores are so low you couldn’t drag them lower anyway!”
The professor was speechless for a moment before crossing off Lin Zhi’s name. “No next time. Pay attention in class—no sleeping.”
“Got it, got it! Oh, and Song Mian’s too.” Lin Zhi didn’t forget his “perverted” bro.
The professor: “…”
After successfully getting his name scratched off, Lin Zhi returned to his seat. But the moment the professor started lecturing, drowsiness hit him hard, and he ended up slumped over his desk. Before drifting off, Lin Zhi told himself it was for the baby’s sake—this was just taking care of his body—so he slept even more soundly.
When he woke, Lin Zhi stretched lazily, and his jacket suddenly slipped off his back. Song Mian caught it just in time. Tilting his head, Lin Zhi locked eyes with Song Mian. He looked around—the classroom was empty except for the two of them.
“Where is everyone?” Lin Zhi asked blankly.
Song Mian put on the jacket and reminded him, “It’s seven now. You slept for over three hours.”
Lin Zhi was stunned.
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
Freshly awake, Lin Zhi’s cheeks were flushed, his eyes still a bit hazy—like he was ripe for teasing. Song Mian reached out and touched his face. “You were snoring. How could I bear to?”
Lin Zhi rubbed his face.
“Can I kiss you?”
Lin Zhi looked weirded out. “You’re actually asking me?”
Song Mian replied, “All told, I’ve only forcibly kissed you once—on the balcony. Sorry about that, prospective boyfriend.”
Lin Zhi’s face turned red. His mind was still foggy from sleep, so when Song Mian took his hand, he meekly followed like a little wife. He only remembered to pull away just before they reached the cafeteria.
After dinner, Lin Zhi and Song Mian returned to the dorm together. Soon after, seeing Lin Zhi hunched over his desk munching chestnuts and playing on his phone, Song Mian headed out again. He went to the pharmacy Lin Zhi had visited at noon and asked around.
The female clerk had a vivid memory of the man in the cap and blushed stammeringly as she told Song Mian that Lin Zhi had bought a pregnancy test.
Song Mian: “…”
As expected—no surprise at all.
The clerk couldn’t help but gossip about how unethical Lin Zhi was.
Song Mian explained on behalf of the prideful Lin Zhi, “It’s not his fault.”
The clerk’s enthusiasm cooled instantly. As Song Mian reached the door, he overheard her muttering, “Not his fault? So what, he bought it for you? Both so handsome, but total scumbags!”
Song Mian glanced back at her, and the chill shut her up. Back in the car, he pulled out a cigarette but didn’t light it. Instead, he opened a genetic report.
A rabbit’s genetic report—also Lin Zhi’s.
From freshman year, Song Mian had noticed Lin Zhi’s eyes resembled those of the rabbit he’d once kept: loved carrots, had little animal sleep cycles, and a hyper personality.
A human as a rabbit? Absurd. But Lin Zhi always stuck to him, munched carrots, acted just like one.
In a daze, Song Mian had seen Lin Zhi cut his hand while peeling an apple, so he’d collected the blood for testing: 22 pairs of chromosomes. The report concluded rabbit genetics.
Lin Zhi was a rabbit.
He’d been picked up by an orphanage at age five, then adopted by foster parents. Song Mian’s investigation showed his foster family treated him well. Everything after age five was traceable in detail. But before that? No records. Like he’d appeared out of thin air.
Still, Song Mian wasn’t sure if it was his rabbit. Rabbits turning human was ridiculous. And Lin Zhi didn’t even know he was one.
When Lin Zhi was doll-sized, Song Mian had tested him casually—no reaction. Whether Lin Zhi was a rabbit or his rabbit didn’t matter. What mattered was Lin Zhi.
Song Mian kept it to himself, telling no one—not even Butler Sun, who’d delivered the sample, knew the blood’s source.
But Lin Zhi had every rabbit trait, including pseudopregnancy. Males couldn’t get pregnant.
Song Mian’s phone buzzed: [Bring me a carrot.]
He stared at the screen, thought for a moment, then replied: [Sure. But do you think you’re pregnant?]
Lin Zhi fired off a bunch of handguns: [I’m not! Just asking for a carrot and you spread rumors?!]
[I won’t eat it!]
Song Mian closed his eyes. That level of guilt—who’d buy the denial?
Song Mian: [Okay.]
After sending, an exclamation mark appeared—message undelivered? Blocked.
Song Mian: “…”
Back at the dorm, Song Mian handed the carrot to Lin Zhi, who took it nervously. Song Mian pinched his cheeks—not too gently. “Unblock me.”
Lin Zhi whispered, “I’ll do it, but can you stop spreading rumors about me?”
Song Mian: “…”
“You—”
As Song Mian started to speak, Lin Zhi jumped up, covered his mouth, and pointed to Tong Xu washing up at the sink. Then he clasped his hands, begging Song Mian to give him face in the dorm.
Song Mian shut up and pressed, “Unblock me. Or I’ll kiss you right now.”
Lin Zhi obeyed meekly. “Fine, fine!”
Once unblocked, Lin Zhi went back to peeling chestnuts. Song Mian helped, and when their eyes met, Lin Zhi gave him a timid look. Song Mian didn’t let it slide. “One little threat and you stare like that? I threatened to kiss you this afternoon, and you still ate the ones I peeled?”
Lin Zhi looked down.
Pretend not to hear, pretend not to hear, pretend not to hear.
Once Song Mian finished peeling, Lin Zhi bolted!
He munched the carrot while Song Mian peeled chestnuts. When they were done, Lin Zhi took them back to his bunk, planning to research expectant husband knowledge. But! Tragically, there was only info on pregnant women—no expectant husbands!
“System bro, got any knowledge on expectant husbands?”
The Romance Lifesaving System actually did: [This system did missions in a childbirth world before. The knowledge is mostly universal for expectant husbands or wives. But there are differences—husbands are men, sturdier bodies, so frequent intimacy is fine after the fetus stabilizes. Wives are more delicate, so they need to take care!]
Lin Zhi’s face burned red. Useless info!
Propping his chin, he scrolled his phone absentmindedly. When Zhu Muyun returned and set down his bag to check his phone, Lin Zhi messaged him.
[Study god bro, wanna chat?]
Zhu Muyun: [Sure.]
Lin Zhi: [If a guy could get pregnant, would he get kidnapped to be some wife’s husband?]
Zhu Muyun: [Probably. In remote villages, they might keep it in-house. Just a guess though—what’s this about?]
Lin Zhi: [Feeling sentimental.]
Zhu Muyun adjusted his glasses, glanced at Lin Zhi, then typed: [No idea.]
Lin Zhi: [:sigh.]
Once Tong Xu finished his video call, Lin Zhi messaged him right away.
Lin Zhi: [Chat?]
Tong Xu: [About what?]
Lin Zhi: [Would you discriminate against a gay friend who’s pregnant?]
Tong Xu read it several times before replying: [Don’t mess around.]
Lin Zhi: [Not messing. Just sentimental—common for my type.]
