Two years into their marriage, An Xun increasingly felt his body couldn’t keep up. Despite taking all the prescribed supplements, his weakness was most likely due to indulging in the gentle tactics of his alpha, almost leading to kidney deficiency.

Although this was his own wild guess, he felt it was pretty accurate. Previously, he could endure a whole night with just a bit of dizziness, but now, a whole night could knock him out.

…The older one gets, the more enduring one becomes, unfortunately for him, the younger one.

After giving An Xun a back rub, Bo Xiangzhou kissed him on the lips. “Baby, I’m off to work.”

“Mhm, bring me some thumb-sized pan-fried buns when you come back.” An Xun fell back into a deep sleep, sending a message to ask for leave only after his nap.

The leader, not daring to offend him, despite the arrogant simplicity of the “asking for leave” message, nodded and bowed, even offering a string of blessings due to his identity.

Life-marked omegas often miss their alphas intensely after deep talks about life. However, Bo Xiangzhou’s obsession with work meant he was off to work the next day after their intimate moments, leaving An Xun to lie alone at home.

What a crappy alpha! Was this how he loved him?

An Xun, for the nth time, grabbed his phone to curse at Bo Xiangzhou, his anger fueled further by the sight of a rhythmically moving trash bin toy.

No time for him and not even using standard protection! It left him with a sore back and shaky legs.

He expertly massaged himself, and after easing the soreness, he went downstairs to meet with visitors.

He had anticipated the An family would come to him. With numerous customer complaints and claims, the An family needed to pay five times the damages, a huge amount that not only ruined their reputation but also posed a huge financial challenge.

The Bo family, to protect themselves, had distanced themselves from him.

Everything seemed logical, except this was a complete setup.

Cheng Song and Bo Xiangzhou had collaborated to trap the An family, and thanks to An Xin’s lack of brains, the old fox An Zhi Cheng was caught.

Now humbled, An Zhi Cheng was low-key, and even Chen Xiang, usually heavily made-up, had toned down her arrogance, wearing just lipstick, her eyes tired.

An Xin didn’t come, likely scolded by An Zhi Cheng and in a mood.

An Xun was straightforward. “There’s no need to involve me in An family matters. At home, they listen to me; at the company, they listen to him. If you have business, go to the Bo family. If he doesn’t want to see you, I suppose I can help arrange a meeting.”

Chen Xiang, not good with words and usually off-putting, was stopped by An Zhi Cheng, who said, “Xun, dad knows he owes you a lot over the years. Before coming here, dad has reflected and will definitely make it up to you, compensating for the past.”

An Zhi Cheng, nearly fifty, still looked youthful, always carried an air of superiority, and An Xun had always found him hypocritical.

His seemingly sincere and awakening words, paired with a sorrowful gaze, only he knew how genuine they were.

Talking with his head held high was tiring, so An Xun asked them to sit and had the butler serve tea.

An Xun, concerned, said, “Mr. An, first, I really can’t do anything about this situation. Second, our relationship isn’t as close as you say. By law and blood, you are my father, but—I don’t acknowledge that. Instead of begging me, why don’t you have your beloved son plead with Cheng Song?”

Halfway through their plan, Cheng Song ditched them. Now, under pressure from his family to meet prospective partners, he had recently taken a liking to a charming young master. It seemed likely he would choose him, foster a relationship over a few months, and if compatible, they would marry.

An Xin seeking Cheng Song’s help was impossible; it would only further tarnish the An family’s reputation.

An Xun’s words were biting, and An Zhi Cheng, seeing his self-made empire about to crumble, set aside his pride to plead, “Xun, I was wrong in the past, I’ve changed now. Considering that the An family raised you for over a decade, please help us this once.”

He knew An Xun held a precious place in Bo Xiangzhou’s heart, his request would surely be granted. Unable to sway Bo Xiangzhou’s decision, he sought the most convenient yet challenging path.

An Xun, leaning on the sofa arm, face in hand, said, “I can’t. I’ve already helped once during our marriage union. Aunt Chen agreed then that marrying into the Bo family meant severing ties with you—”

Chen Xiang hurriedly shook her head, panic in her eyes like never before. “No, you remembered it wrong, Xun. How could we sever ties with you? After all, you lived with us for so many years. Even if I’m not your biological mother, I’ve grown fond of you.”

An Xun was frustrated, regretting agreeing to meet them. While he saw the scenario he wanted, it also brought him a heap of problems. “Fine, even if I remembered wrong, even if our families are still connected, no matter how sincere you sound, I won’t help again. The marriage alliance was your idea to gain the Bo family’s help. I knew nothing about it until you sold me out on the night of signing the contract. What do you take me for?”

“You didn’t treat me as a person for the first eighteen years. Once you saw I was doing well, you kept showing up, acting like loving parents. What do I owe you? I’ve paid back your measly money long ago. After I got married, did you ever ask about me? Oh, you did ask how Bo Xiangzhou was feeling today, whether it was good or bad, and if bad, was it my fault.”

“Talking to you is really exhausting. You’re forcing me to make things clear and cut ties completely. Let me tell you, Bo Xiangzhou and I agreed, he told me not to get involved, and if I did, it would upset him.”

An Xun patted his stomach, “To put it bluntly, I’m pregnant, three months along. Now is a critical time. I need to ensure that my opinions align with Bo Xiangzhou’s before the baby is born. We can’t afford to argue. What if the baby dies from stress?”

An Zhi Cheng tried to speak, but An Xun, clutching his belly and furrowing his brows, blocked his words.

Leaving a “take good rest” behind, An Zhi Cheng departed, whether he sought Bo Xiangzhou, An Xun didn’t know.

In the evening, Bo Xiangzhou returned, and An Xun, lying in the backyard, bounced up to greet him. As usual, he went to kiss him but Bo Xiangzhou turned his face away.

“Are you disgusted with me for eating spicy strips?”

“It’s not that.”

An Xun twisted his body to look behind him. “Where are my thumb-sized pan-fried buns?”

“In Uncle Lin’s hands.”

“Good performance, very obedient.” An Xun’s face was stern. “But I still want to say, why do you think you can be disgusted with me?”

“There’s no disgust.” Bo Xiangzhou embraced him, hand on his belly, chuckling, “Isn’t it because I’m afraid of pressing our three-month-old treasure?”

An Xun was shocked. “He found you? You met him? He believed my bluff?”

“More than that, he even thought of names for the child.”

“He has no right to name them, nor does he weigh his own worth. He’s only dreaming of good things.”

After dinner, An Xun’s belly looked genuinely three months pregnant. Bo Xiangzhou joked, “Baby, I remember our child is only three months along, but your belly looks four or five months.”

An Xun immediately played along, weak and teary-eyed, “Husband, you must believe me, you’re my only alpha, but why this belly is so big, I don’t know either. Husband, don’t you remember? That day, three months ago, you and I…”

An Xun bit his lip and glanced at him shyly, too perfectly coy. Bo Xiangzhou couldn’t continue the act. “No more fussing, baby. Does your back still hurt?”

An Xun, getting into his role, “It hurts, every day of this pregnancy my back hurts, and I really want my husband, but the doctor said no, not for another month.”

Bo Xiangzhou’s throat moved slightly, and An Xun feigned shyness, “If husband can’t wait, I can… I can find other ways.”

“What ways?”

An Xun whispered two words in his ear. That night, they were busy until midnight before falling asleep, and the next day, An Xun could barely lift his arms at work.

But he was still cheekily happy, like he had opened a new door to the world, using the baby as an excuse for everything, even saving him the effort of making up reasons.

Without Bo family support, the An family quickly declared bankruptcy, only three months after An Xun was asked for help.

An Xun couldn’t describe his happiness; his restrained soul declared its release at that moment.

In his joy, he accidentally spilled beer, drowning Bo Xiangzhou’s precious laptop.

He tried to salvage it but failed, and with tears, he drank the remaining beer, facing Bo Xiangzhou’s judgment, once again pulling out the pregnancy card.

Before falling asleep, he only remembered Bo Xiangzhou’s vigorous actions, the sweat beads on his forehead extremely sexy.

The next day, he crawled out of bed to go to work.

The company arranged a full-body check-up for the staff. An Xun confidently believed in his health, convinced he could live to 108. The moment he received his medical report, he was stunned.

He really wasn’t sick; he actually was carrying a ball in his belly.

…He was really pregnant.

How could he be pregnant with protection?

His expression mixed with endless regret and a hint of breakdown. A few times, he had taken the initiative without protection because the location wasn’t the bedroom, and it was too troublesome to go back for it, so he just went ahead.

An Xun returned home weeping. He shouldn’t have played the stupid game of pretending to be pregnant, shouldn’t have been so lucky.