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Bonus chapter! Thank you for the donation! ^^
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Unaware of any scheme, President Lu was still hugging Pineapple and muttering drunkenly. Only when he noticed Pei Rong's expression soften out of the corner of his eye did he slowly let go. Pineapple immediately hopped behind Orange, licking its fur clean of the alcohol scent.
Lu Qin sat on the sofa, "taking a moment" to sober up, pinching the bridge of his tall nose with one hand.
If you're going to put on a show, you might as well go all the way.
Maybe Pei Rong would even bring him a cup of sobering tea?
Pei Rong glanced down at Lu Qin, then turned and went back to the bedroom, locking the door behind him.
Lu Qin: ???
Ignoring me just like that?
Good thing he'd had the quick wit to play pitiful—otherwise, coming home reeking of alcohol late at night wouldn't have ended with just being ignored. He'd probably have been kicked out of the house entirely.
He planned to sit for a while longer before heading upstairs.
Meanwhile, Pei Rong seized the chance to contact Jiang Yan and shared his plan.
Jiang Yan felt a headache coming on. "Did my dear Brother Pei really come up with this idea?"
Pei Rong: "We're just putting on a show for Lu Qin. No one else needs to know."
He just wanted to both indulge and punish Lu Qin a little—he had no intention of becoming the talk of the town himself.
Jiang Yan: "And how do you plan to wrap this up? That's Lu Qin we're talking about!"
A financial titan who could make companies rise or fall with a flick of his wrist.
Dr. Jiang felt a pang of sympathetic distress. He'd only seen plots about fake pregnancies in palace intrigue dramas or melodramatic rich-family soap operas. In those tangled webs of schemes, others used tricks to fight for favor, but their pure-hearted great beauty... well.
Jiang Yan: "So, is there anyone you particularly dislike right now?"
Pei Rong thought for a moment. "Not really, why?"
Jiang Yan: "We could use this chance to frame them for 'causing a miscarriage' by bumping into you. Damn, President Lu would probably dig up their ancestors' graves for generations."
Pei Rong: "Right now, I'm not too fond of you."
Jiang Yan: "You're no fun! Besides, if there's no 'miscarriage,' where are you going to get a baby nephew later?"
Pei Rong said mildly, "Isn't Dundun right here? One is enough—no need to be greedy."
Jiang Yan pictured himself holding a 20-jin Pei Dundun, telling Lu Qin, "Congratulations, President Lu, it's a boy! And he already knows how to say 'Daddy'!" He couldn't help but snicker at the image.
Pei Rong said, "Weren't you pretty good at talking nonsense in front of Lu Qin? Cat got your tongue now? You're a doctor—can't you just invent some new medical term to explain it to him?"
Jiang Yan understood: Pei Rong was still holding a grudge over that time he’d snitched to President Lu, and now he was determined to drag him down with him. "It's precisely because I'm a doctor that I have to respect science. What’s your idea, then?"
Pei Rong: "I think the term 'false pregnancy' sounds pretty good. Why don’t you go back and work with Dr. Wen to polish up the medical explanation?"
If a rabbit could develop a false pregnancy just from being petted a couple of times, then what Lu Qin had done went far beyond just a few touches—he’d crossed the line plenty.
Jiang Yan: "...Don’t talk about making things up like you’re presenting a paper for The Lancet. Do you think President Lu wouldn’t see through fabricated research?"
Besides, at most he could risk his life to go along with Pei Rong’s mischief—but how could he dare take this to Wen Zhenrui?
"Hello, Dr. Wen, as one of the most renowned obstetricians in the country, could you help provide a medical basis for false pregnancy in men?"
Pei Rong gently tapped the nightstand—two light, cheerful knocks. "Then how do you suggest we wrap this up?"
It took Jiang Yan a moment to process it, then it hit him.
This person had never intended to wrap things up properly at all—he was completely relying on his good looks to get away with murder, taking advantage of being spoiled, running wild without a care, utterly fearless!
If he could laze around for one more day, he’d take it.
Virgin Jiang Yan couldn’t help but wonder… Was it really worth going this far?
Pei Rong concluded decisively, "Get the materials ready. I’ll come by for them another day."
As he hung up, a knock came at the door—right on time.
Pei Rong lay in bed. "Come in."
Lu Qin had already changed into loungewear in the walk-in closet and washed his face, making sure he no longer smelled of alcohol. He used his fingerprint to unlock the door and stepped in calmly, as if the man who’d been hugging oranges and acting drunk downstairs moments ago wasn’t him.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Thinking about what was about to happen, Pei Rong replied peacefully, "Not too bad."
Lu Qin lifted Pei Rong’s calves onto his own thighs, massaging his calves gently. His thumb brushed over the marks there, and his gaze lingered slightly.
Nestled comfortably in the soft bedding, Pei Rong lazily half-closed his eyes, watching the handsome CEO. Even if he was a bear with a sweet tooth, he was still the best-looking bear in the forest.
But even the hardest-working little bee needs a break—this bear wouldn’t be getting any honey for the next three months.
Lu Qin reached out and laced his fingers with Pei Rong’s, then paused, sensing something off. He lifted their joined hands for a closer look: the diamond ring was gone, replaced by Dundun’s gold ring.
"Oh, right." Pei Rong opened the drawer, took out President Lu's diamond ring and put it on, then returned the gold ring to its place.
Lu Qin raised an eyebrow. "Disobeying me in secret?"
Pei Rong replied calmly, "First come, first served."
The diamond ring was so eye-catching—a massive stone sitting prominently on his finger. Even if he didn't go out during the day, he'd still feel embarrassed running into the housekeeper, Madame Jiang, or Lu's father in the villa.
Imagine everyone sitting around the table for a meal, and the moment you reach out to pick up food, your hand becomes the center of attention.
Madame Jiang, worried that a ring with a setting might accidentally scratch Dundun's tender skin, had even switched to wearing only a simple, slender jade band.
A smile flickered in Lu Qin's dark eyes. He helped Pei Rong remove the diamond ring and placed it back in the drawer. "Never mind, no need to keep switching. Just wear Dundun's for now. We'll buy a pair of plain bands for our wedding. You can wear this one on the red carpet."
Besides, this would also prevent Pei Rong from using the diamond ring like a blade in bed—it really hurt.
That night, Lu Qin got to hold his wife again, feeling utterly astonished.
Was playing the pity card really this effective?
He suddenly remembered that first night they met at Green Manor—he’d been drunk then too. He could recall about seventy or eighty percent of what he’d said, including the moment he’d set aside his pride and shown vulnerability in front of Pei Rong for the first time, admitting how difficult the withdrawal treatment had been.
The next morning, the manor manager had enthusiastically asked if he wanted to sign up for a membership card.
Looking back now, getting that membership card had probably been Boss Pei’s idea from the start. He himself had been too slow on the uptake.
Not only had the great beauty encouraged him to get the card, but a few days later, he’d even sent their son back to him.
And that time they’d dated at Pei Rong’s hometown? There’d been a fair amount of red wine involved then, too.
Tracing back even further, their very first meeting had begun with a glass of champagne passed to him from the hands of the great beauty himself.
