After the crew gradually left, the once lively set was now left with only Lu Youze and Gu Xuanze. Lu Youze had to make a great effort to suppress his anger and not explode in front of everyone, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t furious.

“Gu Xuanze, what the hell is wrong with you?” Lu Youze stepped forward, glaring angrily at him.

Gu Xuanze didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he grabbed Lu Youze’s arm once again and forcibly led him to his private dressing room.

He pulled out Lu Youze’s casual clothes from the wardrobe and handed them to him. “Change into these first.”

Lu Youze was about to speak but couldn’t help sneezing several times. While he felt uncomfortable, Gu Xuanze’s frown deepened.

Health is the foundation of everything, and a cold could affect the filming schedule—changing clothes should come first.

After Lu Youze changed, Gu Xuanze grabbed a towel from the side and started drying his hair. Seeing this, most of Lu Youze’s anger dissipated.

“Ah Ze.” Lu Youze grasped Gu Xuanze’s wrist as he dried his hair, his tone somewhat placating. “I’m not that weak, I don’t need a stunt double. If the media finds out about your little outburst earlier, who knows how they’ll report it?”

“Let them write whatever they want,” Gu Xuanze replied coldly. “I don’t care.”

“What are you so mad about?” Lu Youze was starting to get impatient. He had been holding back his own frustration over the stunt double issue all day. “I should be the one angry here. What’s with all these stunt doubles? Gu Xuanze, do you really think that little of me?”

Gu Xuanze’s hand, which was drying Lu Youze’s hair, stiffened for a moment. More than anger, he felt helpless. “Youze, do you even realize that you’re pregnant? The things you could do before, you can’t do now. Especially wire work—it’s too dangerous. There’s no room for negotiation. You must use a stunt double.”

Gu Xuanze regretted choosing this martial arts drama for Lu Youze back when they picked the script. At the time, he thought it suited Lu Youze perfectly, but he had completely overlooked this crucial detail. That was his mistake, and he was trying his best to make up for it.

Lu Youze often forgot about his pregnancy—he simply didn’t have the mindset that men could get pregnant. Besides, at only two months along, he wasn’t even showing yet. He glanced down at his abdomen, thinking that in a few months, he’d have to walk around with a big belly…

“Then I’ll just get rid of it.” Lu Youze spoke with a certain coldness.

The thought had crossed his mind before, but he had never made a final decision—until now.

“What?” Gu Xuanze had been trying his best to keep his emotions in check, but Lu Youze’s words still caused him to lose control. His voice even trembled slightly. “Youze, what did you just say?”

“I said I don’t want this child,” Lu Youze repeated expressionlessly, though he couldn’t help but feel puzzled—Gu Xuanze’s reaction seemed excessively intense.

Lu Youze had thought about this for a long time. This wasn’t an impulsive decision. The child’s father was an unknown scumbag, and the baby wasn’t a product of love. From the very beginning, its existence had never been a blessing.

To put it bluntly, and perhaps cruelly, he felt no attachment to the child. It was more of a hindrance than anything else. He wasn’t even showing yet, and it was already affecting his work. In a few months, he wouldn’t even be able to act properly.

For a moment, Gu Xuanze’s expression darkened, but he quickly hid all his emotions beneath the shadows of his bangs.

“Youze, the child is innocent,” Gu Xuanze said, keeping his emotions in check. He was afraid that if he revealed too much, his secret would come to light. He knew he had no right to demand anything or place blame, but hearing Lu Youze say he wanted to abandon the baby ignited a nameless rage inside him.

He knew that rage was directed at himself—he had always been a coward, running away from the truth.

“Ah Ze, everyone already knows how this child came to be. If it’s born, the truth will come out, and people will talk,” Lu Youze analyzed the situation rationally—perhaps too rationally, to the point of seeming cold. He furrowed his brows and continued, “Besides, I’m not ready to be a father.”

Right now, his priority was his career. Even though male pregnancy wasn’t uncommon in this world, he wasn’t mentally prepared to have a child with some bastard he didn’t even know.

If it were for Gu Xuanze, maybe he’d consider it.

No one was expecting this child. He didn’t know if he’d grow to resent the baby. Rather than having a future where the child asked, If you hated me so much, why did you even give birth to me?—it was better to end things now.

“Youze, I won’t let this child suffer,” Gu Xuanze said, his expression unreadable. “He has you and me. He’ll have a happy family.”

Lu Youze glanced at Gu Xuanze. It was only at moments like these that the all-powerful CEO seemed a little naive.

“Ah Ze, stop lying to yourself,” Lu Youze’s gaze turned cold. “As long as I stay in the entertainment industry, this child will always be a topic of gossip.”

Gu Xuanze fell silent. Just when Lu Youze thought the conversation was over, he spoke again.

“Youze,” Gu Xuanze’s voice was deep, as if he was suppressing something, “Do you hate him?”

Lu Youze knew who “him” referred to—the child’s father. He had no memories of that night, but the original owner of this body must have hated him to the core.

“I just look down on him,” Lu Youze said, undisguised disgust on his face. “A piece of trash who took advantage of someone vulnerable.”

Gu Xuanze lowered his head, his bangs casting a shadow over his eyes, hiding his emotions completely.

“Maybe…” Gu Xuanze hesitated, swallowing back whatever he was about to say. Then he continued, “Youze, I won’t agree to aborting this child.”

Lu Youze grew irritated. This child had nothing to do with Gu Xuanze, so why was he so insistent?

“Ah Ze, get this straight—this is not your child!”

Even though he had no recollection of it, his body had undoubtedly been violated by some scumbag whose face he didn’t even know. Gu Xuanze might not care now because they were still in the honeymoon phase, but what about in the future?

“I don’t care,” Gu Xuanze said as he pulled Lu Youze into an embrace, as if trying to merge him into his own flesh and blood. “Youze, trust me. I’ll love this child.”

“Ah Ze, do you really want me to spell it out?”

“Then, what do you plan to do?” Gu Xuanze asked. The always disciplined and composed CEO could feel himself losing control. “Are you going to track down that scumbag?”

Lu Youze looked confused. “Why would I do that?”

Gu Xuanze didn’t answer immediately. He pressed his fingers against his temples, trying to suppress the storm inside him. Then, he softened his tone slightly.

“If you’re still mad about the stunt double, I apologize. But there’s no room for discussion when it comes to wire work. It’s too dangerous.”

“So, didn’t I just say it earlier? I’ll find a time to get rid of the child!”

“You need both parties’ consent—that is, both parents of the child—to have an abortion!” Gu Xuanze said expressionlessly. “Or have you even forgotten that?”

If Gu Xuanze hadn’t mentioned it, Lu Youze really wouldn’t have known. No one had ever told him. Now he understood why, in the original novel, the proud and arrogant Lu Youze had kept this child who didn’t belong to Yu Li for so long. Maybe it was because of this rule—before he had time to make arrangements, something happened, leaving the child behind.

Before Lu Youze could speak, Gu Xuanze grabbed his wrist again, pulling him back into his arms.

The powerful CEO wasn’t used to yielding to others, but in front of this person, none of that mattered.

“Just take it as me begging you. Please, don’t make me worry, okay?”

Gu Xuanze, who was always so proud and indifferent, would only show this side of himself in front of him.

If it were anything other than acting, Lu Youze might have compromised. But this was the first drama he had entered after transmigrating into this world, and it was also his first project after his comeback from being blacklisted. The audience’s expectations were high, and everything about this production—the script, the director, the actors, even the crew—was top-notch in the industry. He didn’t want his personal matters to ruin everyone’s hard work.

Most importantly… Lu Youze glanced at Gu Xuanze. Over the past few days, Gu Xuanhao had hinted at it multiple times, both openly and subtly. He wasn’t stupid—he understood that this drama had been specially arranged for him by Gu Xuanze.

To Lu Youze, this felt like a token of their relationship, and he wanted to perform it in his best possible state.

“I’ll be careful,” Lu Youze said, not wanting this to strain their relationship. He tried once more to end the conversation. “Ah Ze, let’s stop here.”

“Youze, the contract clearly states that as long as it’s within reason, we have the right to require you to use a stunt double for dangerous scenes,” Gu Xuanze finally resorted to this measure. He hadn’t wanted to, but Lu Youze’s stubbornness was making him panic. Back then, Lu Youze had abandoned all his principles for Yu Li’s sake with just one sentence. But now, even though they were already lovers, Lu Youze wouldn’t even take a single step back for him. Was it because he didn’t love him enough? Jealousy and insecurity made him uneasy.

“You were willing to give up acting for Yu Li back then, so why is it that when all I’m asking is for you to avoid danger, you won’t even consider it?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Gu Xuanze regretted it.

When he drafted the contract, he had indeed included a loophole just in case. But now that they were in a relationship, using something like this against Lu Youze felt humiliating. Pressuring him with a contract—it wasn’t any different from the night he had taken advantage of his vulnerability. Gu Xuanze’s face paled, and he hurriedly tried to explain, “Youze, that’s not what I meant. I just—”

“Enough.” Lu Youze’s face was cold. “I don’t even want to see you today. Tonight, I’m sleeping in Youxi’s room.”

With that, he left the dressing room without even sparing Gu Xuanze another glance.

Gu Xuanze felt a chill wash over him, as if he had been the one soaking in the water for half an hour instead.

He sat on the sofa, weak and exhausted, covering his face with one hand, refusing to recall the look Lu Youze had given him before he left.

That cold, emotionless gaze—it was like being dragged back into the past.

He had been too happy recently, and he had let it get to his head.

“Youze…” He murmured the name softly, his suppressed emotions on the verge of breaking free. Slowly, he clenched his fists, as if trying to grasp something.

“What can I do to hold you tightly in my hands—without hurting you?”