After abruptly hanging up the phone, Jie Yushu remained silent for a long time.

Ever since he learned about the pregnancy, the complex emotions that had been lingering in his heart—an intertwining of joy and anxiety—vanished into the sea of consciousness at that moment, like a coral reef in shallow waters swept away by an underwater storm, leaving behind an endless expanse of emptiness.

As time passed, a sense of confusion and helplessness gradually emerged from this vast void.

Due to the hormonal changes during the pregnancy, Jie Yushu had become very sleepy lately. Sometimes, he would sleep for a long time and even find it hard to distinguish between dreams and reality.

He slowly raised his right hand to his face, staring at the chaotic patterns in his palm for a long time, before doing what he had done before—he squeezed it hard with his left hand.

He pressed down with great force, and pale fingerprints quickly appeared on his skin. The pain, however, felt dull, like a delay from a poor internet connection, as if it was separated by some barrier.

But it was indeed painful.

…So the call with Tao Fengche just now really happened and wasn’t just another segment from one of his nightmares.

But it felt worse than a nightmare.

Jie Yushu unconsciously curled the corners of his lips, his smile tinged with bitterness.

There was something he didn’t tell Tao Fengche that prompted him to make the call—a reason that had been haunting him for a while: he had been having nightmares. The plots in these dreams were bizarre and varied, with one common thread: Zhao Jiayang was in danger, facing a critical situation.

Now that he thought about it, perhaps those dreams weren’t nightmares but rather a form of telepathy between the unborn child and its biological father, offering a kind of early warning.

But he had never managed to grasp that.

However… could it be possible that Tao Fengche was lying?

A faint voice rose from the depths of Jie Yushu’s heart: Zhao Jiayang had grown tired of him, blacklisted his number, and went missing. Because he had previously brought him to the Tao family home, he was afraid Jie Yushu would pester him, so he instructed Tao Fengche to fabricate a lie to deflect any inquiries.

Lacking confidence, this voice grew fainter until it almost disappeared.

Jie Yushu laughed at himself, thinking that this notion was absurd—what kind of person was Zhao Jiayang? If he really wanted to sever ties, why go through such trouble?

Moreover, Zhao Jiayang was Tao Fengche’s uncle; it was impossible for the latter to utter such ominous words to curse him or joke about his safety.

…So, Zhao Jiayang really was no longer in this world.

This was a simple logic puzzle, and the result clearly surfaced in Jie Yushu’s mind. Yet, he remained in a daze for a long time before gradually accepting this conclusion.

The pain that had previously felt unreal, as if separated by a barrier, now surged back into his body a hundredfold. His heart ached as if undergoing open-heart surgery without anesthesia, being forcefully extracted from the flesh and immersed in a large cup of ice-cold lemonade to soak up the flavor, then taken out, wrung dry, and placed on a cutting board to be hacked at with a rusty dull knife.

Zhao Jiayang had always been generous with his lovers, but the apartment he gifted Jie Yushu, in terms of both location and size, was among the best. His stays at Jie Yushu’s were more frequent than those of others, and he often prepared small gifts for him with a sense of ceremony.

He even took Jie Yushu to the Tao family’s ancestral home to meet the young master of the Tao family, who was still in high school.

Jie Yushu was clear-headed enough not to mistake their relationship for a romantic one, yet sometimes he wondered if he held a special place in Zhao Jiayang’s heart.

Otherwise, why would he do those things?

Thus, he tried hard to cater to Zhao Jiayang’s preferences, striving to be more gentle and affectionate, hoping to win a little more of Zhao Jiayang’s favor. Yet, he found that no matter how hard he tried, he was merely one of Zhao Jiayang’s many lovers.

Even the cause of Zhao Jiayang’s death was something he learned from others.

…What did he mean to Zhao Jiayang?

The apartment was originally decorated in a minimalist style, with few pieces of furniture. Combined with the spacious interior, it looked decent, but living in it made it feel excessively empty and desolate.

In late October, Jingpu wasn’t cold enough to be unbearable, yet the heating in the room was turned on early. Jie Yushu, wearing loungewear, leaned back on the sofa, lost in thought for a while, before slowly pulling over a thin blanket from the side and draping it over himself, his gaze settling on his slightly protruding belly.

At first, he hadn’t even considered pregnancy; he thought he had simply gained weight and had increased his gym visits accordingly. Looking back now, he realized this child was indeed tenacious.

But unfortunately…

As the last rays of sunlight disappeared, Jie Yushu finally picked up his phone, turned off flight mode, and retrieved a number from his recent call log, pulling it out of the blacklist and dialing.

“Chen Jie, I’ve thought it over.” As soon as the call connected, Jie Yushu got straight to the point, “I’m not quitting anymore.”

The agent on the other end clearly paused for a moment. After a while, with an exaggerated sigh, familiar nagging began.

“Oh my God, you finally changed your mind! You really scared me before… Jie Yushu, Young Master Jie, can I call you Young Master? What on earth were you thinking? You called me before dawn to say you wanted to quit, wouldn’t tell me why, then immediately blocked my number and stopped replying to messages. Xiao Wang even came to find you at noon, but you wouldn’t open the door…”

“I’m not scolding you, but what on earth were you going through? Do you have any idea how much compensation you’d owe for breaking those contracts and endorsements? You don’t have a high education level, and you don’t have any relatives; that little money you earn wouldn’t even cover the fines. And what do you plan to do if you’re not in the entertainment industry? Even delivering packages, they’d think you’re too weak and slow…” She finished a long string of words in one breath, patted her chest, and repeated, “You really scared me. Even if this is over, don’t mention it again, understood?”

“Hmm.”

“By the way, hasn’t Mr. Zhao contacted you recently?” After getting a positive response, the agent let out a sigh of relief and changed the subject. “You’ve been with Mr. Zhao for so long; it’s normal for him to get a bit bored. But you should know, men often develop a sense of possessiveness. You were the one he promoted, so logically, he shouldn’t be so heartless. You need to work hard to keep his heart…”

“Leave that to me.” Jie Yushu could no longer listen and interrupted, “Let’s not talk about Mr. Zhao anymore.”

The agent was taken aback, pondering for a moment before tentatively asking, “Is it possible that Mr. Zhao…”

“I signed a confidentiality agreement.” Jie Yushu cut him off.

Though the agent was somewhat chatty, she wasn’t foolish enough to be oblivious to the circumstances, and quickly grasped the situation: “Okay, I understand. You don’t need to say any more.”

Jie Yushu gave a vague “mm” in response.

“But… what will you do now?” The agent spoke hesitantly, as if questioning Jie Yushu or murmuring to herself.

“What about me?” Jie Yushu smiled faintly, his tone surprisingly calm, “I’ll just continue living my life. The car I drive and the house I live in, though bought in full by Mr. Zhao, are all in my name. As for work… I’m still a potential A-lister; I’m not a rookie fresh out of the industry. If things get tough, I can work hard for a few years, and once I’ve made enough, I’ll quit.”

“That’s true.” The agent thought for a moment, “This job does pay quickly, but without Mr. Zhao’s protection, it won’t be as smooth as before. Some jobs you used to overlook will have to be accepted slowly. But thankfully, you’re sensible, and you’ve never fallen out with partners or offended anyone… but it will definitely be harder than before.”

“I’m aware of that.” Jie Yushu thought for a moment and suddenly smiled, “After all… who can’t live without whom? It’s just that life might be a bit tougher.”

He seemed to be asking her, yet also speaking to himself.

“Just as long as you know that. Let’s not discuss this anymore.” The agent was caught off guard and didn’t know how to respond, so she changed the topic: “Hey, what happened to you before? What suddenly got you down?”

“…Yeah.” Jie Yushu lowered his head, gently stroking his belly, “Just a moment of madness.”

“I have some personal matters at the beginning of next month, so if there are any gigs coming up, let’s try to avoid them. Thank you for your hard work, Chen Jie.”

“Okay.”

The agent, still worried, went over his upcoming work arrangements and said that her assistant would come to pick him up the next morning before reluctantly hanging up.

Jie Yushu didn’t hang up right away; he stared at the completely black screen of his phone.

For someone like him, the concept of home indeed felt too ethereal.

It was the money in his account that felt most tangible.

Outside, it was pitch black. Jie Yushu didn’t get up to turn on the lights but instead tightened the blanket draped over his belly.

“…I’m sorry.”

After a long time, a voice emerged softly in the room, so faint it seemed to scatter with the wind.

···

At the beginning of December, while Tao Fengche was scrolling through his phone during dinner, he suddenly froze.

“…Hmm?”

He moved his finger away from the “skip” option and opened the social media app to take a closer look, frowning — Jie Yushu announced a variety show, an outdoor competitive reality show.

… But didn’t he just finish an abortion surgery last month?

Although Tao Fengche didn’t accompany him, all the medical staff involved in the surgery were arranged by the Tao family. The lead surgeon reported after the operation that the patient’s health was not good and needed to recuperate.

But how could Jie Yushu… return to work so quickly, especially to take on such a high-intensity competitive variety show?

Though Tao Fengche wasn’t very interested in entertainment news, he couldn’t resist the fact that his classmate, Yan Yi, was a complete Jie Yushu anti fan. She would occasionally join her friends in bashing him, and over time, he ended up hearing enough to understand the gist.

According to Yan Yi, Jie Yushu was clueless. His acting was terrible, and on top of that, he was pretentious, always putting on airs. Besides making a brief appearance during promotional events, he spent most of his time on set just being a pretty face, contributing to one bad film after another.

Although Yan Yi’s opinions should be taken with a grain of salt, there was one thing Tao Fengche was sure of — Jie Yushu was definitely not a variety show star.

Yet here he was…

Tao Fengche stared at the promotional phrase “newly promoted first-rate permanent variety show” and felt a mix of emotions — before, with Zhao Jiayang backing him, Jie Yushu could maintain his high ground; now that his sponsor was gone, he had to do this to maintain his exposure and fame.

This was completely normal, but looking at the promotional photos, where Jie Yushu still looked much thinner and paler even after heavy post-production edits, made Tao Fengche’s heart soften.

He had previously told Jie Yushu that he could reach out to the Tao family for help if he needed anything. He didn’t expect this person to…

“Uncle Xu,” he suddenly spoke up.

“Yes, Young Master.”

“If you get the chance, please take care of him,” he gestured toward the phone screen.

Xu Song glanced over, and the smile in his eyes deepened: “Young master, you’re still soft-hearted.”

He was just Zhao Jiayang’s lover, someone they had only met once, yet seeing him down and out, he couldn’t help but lend a hand…Master Zhao below should be relieved.

“It’s just a small favor; if I can help, I will.” Tao Fengche knew Xu Song misunderstood, so he didn’t explain, casually scrolling through his phone and glancing at the date. “Just consider it a good deed.”

Xu Song didn’t miss that little gesture and asked, “Speaking of which, Young master, your birthday is coming up. This year is your coming-of-age ceremony. Are you planning to send out invitations or just invite a few friends to hang out?”

Tao Fengche thought for a moment and shook his head: “Neither. I just want to spend it alone at home.”

He didn’t want to turn a perfectly good birthday into a social event, pretending to get along with those people. As for gathering with friends… that could happen earlier or later, but for such an important moment as his eighteenth birthday, he wanted to spend it alone with Sui Yuesheng.

“By the way, my brother won’t have to go on a business trip then, right?” he asked nonchalantly.

“No, I checked Young master Sui’s work schedule, and unless something unexpected happens, that day should be quite free.”

Tao Fengche nodded subtly.

Xu Song noticed everything and teased, “Are you nervous?”

“Hmm?” Tao Fengche paused, and after a few seconds, he realized what Xu Song was asking, responding with a smile, “What would I be nervous about? I’m not an omega.”

There’s no heat period for an alpha’s eighteenth birthday; at most, he might feel a little dizzy. Tao Fengche was in excellent physical shape and felt no anxiety at all.

Xu Song chuckled: “What I mean is, have you thought about what your pheromones will be?”

“Well… there’s no point in thinking about it.” Tao Fengche shrugged, “That’s not something I can decide. I just have to go with the flow, right?”

He looked calm on the surface, but deep down, he was still anxious — what scent would accompany him for the rest of his life?

Would… it match well with Sui Yuesheng’s scent?

He felt a bit restless but still maintained an air of composure: “Alright, Uncle Xu, I need to eat now; I haven’t finished my homework. Let’s talk about it later.”

Tao Fengche put down his phone, picked up his bowl, and interrupted Xu Song’s unfinished words.