Expectant husbands were all like this.
Tong Xu: [Don’t get abstract with me. I’m not Song Mian—I’d freak.]
Lin Zhi: [Sigh.]
Lin Zhi reached for chestnuts next, only to find the pile he and Song Mian peeled was gone. The bag—empty!
Staring at the bottom of the empty bag, Lin Zhi paled. What—what had he done? He’d eaten all the good stuff—how about the baby?
He glanced at the next bunk. Song Mian sat on his bed, arms crossed, face blank, staring at him—who knew for how long. Pervert!
Lin Zhi snapped, in a sudden bad mood. “Why didn’t you remind me I’d finished the chestnuts while staring?”
Tong Xu and Zhu Muyun looked over.
Song Mian eyed Lin Zhi’s pampered, full-bellied tantrum vibe. “Why should I remind you? If I told you not to eat, would you stop?”
No.
Lin Zhi cradled the empty bag dejectedly. “I ate them all…”
Adorable.
Song Mian responded point-blank, “Want me to buy more? You can’t eat that much junk.”
Lin Zhi peeked up at him, eyes all wrinkly and pleading.
Song Mian’s features were sharp and cool, giving him a mature, reliable air—like someone who could handle anything. Back when Lin Zhi was doll-sized, Song Mian had taken on two guys without flinching, refusing to let them take his “body.” Not just tough—he solved problems fast!
But him?
He couldn’t. From noon till now—minus his nap—he’d been anxious nonstop. Better let Song Mian handle it!
Song Mian was the baby’s other dad anyway! And in Song Mian’s eyes, he was just a crybaby. No need to prove otherwise.
Lin Zhi’s expression turned serious. “Not at all.”
“Song Mian bro, you’ve been staring, just waiting for me to crack, right?”
Song Mian’s thin lips parted slightly. “Don’t paint me as such a villain.”
“As you wish, Song Mian bro. A crybaby like me can’t handle it.” Lin Zhi gravely pointed to the balcony. “Can we talk there?”
Song Mian’s eyelid twitched, but he followed Lin Zhi to the balcony without a fuss.
The topic was too embarrassing, so before they even started, Lin Zhi kept darting back inside to check on Tong Xu and Zhu Muyun.
Tong Xu couldn’t take it. “If it’s about whatever you messaged your phone, go wreck Song Mian instead.”
Zhu Muyun pushed up his glasses. “Zhizhi, if you hadn’t asked me, I really wouldn’t have been interested in this kind of thing.”
Lin Zhi felt relieved. After heading back to the balcony, Song Mian reached out and pinched both of his cheeks, forcing him to tilt his face up and look at Song Mian. “You blocked me, but you’re messaging other people?”
Lin Zhi said weakly, “I had no choice. Whenever I harass you, you just say things I don’t want to hear. Harassing them gives me different reactions.”
Song Mian fell silent.
He lowered his voice. “What did you want to say?”
Lin Zhi pushed at Song Mian’s wrists on either side. Song Mian released his face. Lin Zhi pulled out his phone from the pocket of his pajamas again and squeezed in close to Song Mian. “I knew you’d look at me like I’m an idiot, so I kept the evidence. Look at the evidence first.”
Song Mian probably knew what it was. He lowered his gaze and said nothing.
Lin Zhi opened his photo album. The most recent photos were ones he’d taken of various used pregnancy tests, swiping through them one by one. He explained, “Let me educate you: one dark line and one light line means I’m pregnant.”
Song Mian glanced at Lin Zhi, careful not to show any expression in his eyes. After Lin Zhi finished swiping through, he put his phone away. He grabbed Song Mian’s arm, his eyes full of fear as he stared into Song Mian’s calm gaze. His lips trembled. “Th-these are all from me! I-I’m a straight guy, and I’m pregnant with your baby!”
Suddenly, tears spilled from his eyes.
Song Mian stayed silent.
A cold wind blew past. Song Mian’s thumb wiped the tears from the corner of Lin Zhi’s eye. Lin Zhi, ever practical, said, “What do we do now? I don’t want an abortion.”
Song Mian didn’t respond.
“Song Mian, say something.” Lin Zhi shook his silent husband desperately.
Song Mian’s brows furrowed faintly with worry. He moved his lips. “It might not be accurate. We could get an ultrasound.”
Lin Zhi said, “You know less than I do. An ultrasound won’t detect it this early.”
Song Mian replied, “We can wait another two weeks and check then. You’re a man. You don’t have a uterus. You can’t carry a child.”
Lin Zhi insisted firmly, “It must be pretty deep. You didn’t poke it.”
Song Mian didn’t respond. Instead, he cupped Lin Zhi’s face again. “If you were the rabbit in those photos, how would you feel?”
Lin Zhi blinked in confusion. Now’s the time to talk about this? But seeing that Song Mian was serious, he answered, “Sad. I’m not fat. Even if I were a rabbit, I’d be a cute and handsome one.”
Song Mian said, “That rabbit was very cute.”
Lin Zhi replied sincerely, “It wasn’t cute.”
Song Mian’s gaze grew complicated. “You’d regret it.”
Lin Zhi tilted his face up but took Song Mian’s hand proactively. “Let’s not talk about that. Help me figure this out. I had no choice but to come to you. I don’t expect you to take responsibility. I just want to ask—what do we do now? I can’t raise a kid. I’m still a baby myself.”
Song Mian’s throat bobbed. He squeezed Lin Zhi’s hand. “Yeah, baby.”
“What do we do?” Lin Zhi’s face was full of worry.
Song Mian didn’t speak. His gaze fixed intently on Lin Zhi. Amid the panic and helplessness, Lin Zhi’s eyes were filled with complete trust in him. Song Mian’s eyes shifted slightly. With a hint of probing in his tone, he asked, “So, you’re planning to have me raise it?”
The worry on Lin Zhi’s face began to fade, but Song Mian’s last question made him a bit embarrassed.
Lin Zhi pulled his hand free from Song Mian’s grasp and rubbed his hands together. “We can’t put it like that. I-I want you to help me share the burden.”
Song Mian, as if devoid of emotional intelligence, pressed, “Share what burden?”
Lin Zhi listed them logically. “The cost of raising the kid—I don’t have money for that. And the kid’s education. Best if they grow up with a personality like yours, a big ice block. Super cool. And then—”
Lin Zhi looked up and saw the amusement in Song Mian’s eyes. He punched Song Mian in the chest.
“I’m serious! Why are you laughing?”
Lin Zhi’s every carrot wasn’t eaten in vain—his punch packed real strength. Song Mian rubbed his chest. “Go on.”
The sensitive Lin Zhi looked at him pitifully. “And my anxiety. I’m a straight guy, and I’m pregnant.”
Song Mian patted Lin Zhi’s head like he was soothing him. His dark eyes met Lin Zhi’s seriously. “I can handle all that. But Zhizhi, there’s one crucial thing right now.”
Lin Zhi had no idea.
He asked in confusion, “Besides a man getting pregnant, what else could there be?”
Song Mian’s voice grew low and husky. “Have you thought about our relationship?”
Lin Zhi had thought about it. “Brothers. Would you be okay with that?”
Song Mian didn’t say yes or no. He reached out and pinched Lin Zhi’s recently plumped-up cheek—it felt much better now. Song Mian analyzed, “So when the kid comes out later, you’ll say it’s you and your brother’s kid? Can a child be born from one person? What burdens would they face growing up in a single-parent family?”
Lin Zhi blinked. He hadn’t considered that.
After thinking for a few seconds, he said, “I’ll tell him his mom died.”
Song Mian paused.
He tried to stay calm. “You think people will believe you? Where’s the mom’s grave?”
Lin Zhi hadn’t considered any of this at all. He’d only thought about himself, not what the kid would face after birth. He-He really was a selfish dad!
Lin Zhi was even glad right now that he’d come to Song Mian.
He glanced back at the dorm room, then pulled Song Mian to the balcony corner and whispered, “So what do we say?”
Song Mian glanced at him, his tone flat. “You can’t say anything. If you want the kid but not me, once the kid’s born, they’ll be illegitimate.”
Lin Zhi’s eyes widened. R-Right!
“But I heard illegitimate kids have inheritance rights too.”
Song Mian looked into Lin Zhi’s sincere eyes and reminded him, “As long as you can give birth, all my assets go to them. But without a proper status, even if they inherit, they’re still illegitimate. Do you really want that for them?”
Lin Zhi’s face flushed red. What was Song Mian saying?
Still, Lin Zhi stayed clear-headed. “Money is important, but—but if it’s like Song Feng, having a big brother like you, my baby would be too pitiful! Can’t be illegitimate. So what do we do? I can’t trick someone into marriage, right?”
Song Mian pinched his cheek, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. “You want to trick someone into marriage?”
“I didn’t mean it! I’m just worried. Adopt them out to someone else? No way—we’re both alive and well. How could we give our baby away? How could my kid call someone else dad?”
Lin Zhi grew more anxious, racking his brain.
Seeing the timing was right, Song Mian spoke. His voice was like a god descending to Lin Zhi.
“I have an idea.”
Lin Zhi immediately let go, stars in his eyes. He grabbed Song Mian’s arm and pressed in extremely close, with no thought of keeping distance.
“What idea?”
Song Mian’s gaze sank as he stared into Lin Zhi’s eyes and stated his goal. “Marry me.”
Lin Zhi blinked blankly.
Song Mian curved his lips slightly, reasoning logically. “After marriage, the child won’t be illegitimate.”
Lin Zhi’s mind was a mess.
But—but!
“Who’s the dad? Do we tell the baby he has two dads?”
Song Mian didn’t care. “You can tell him I’m the mom, just looks like a guy. When they’re older, tell them I had a sex change.”
Holy crap!
Lin Zhi murmured, “Brother Song Mian, a-aren’t you sacrificing too much?”
