Inside the ambulance, Lu Youze was still diligently playing the role of an unconscious patient until a calm yet inexplicably reassuring voice rang in his ears. Only then did he open his tightly shut eyes.

He first observed his surroundings without revealing any expression and found that the medical staff in the ambulance were all sitting far away, as if they had long known he was fine. None of them even glanced in his direction.

Lu Youze understood immediately. He withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the Alpha sitting beside him, expressionless.

“Youze.” Seeing that Lu Youze remained silent, Gu Xuanzhe looked at him with slight concern. “Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

Lu Youze was, after all, a pregnant Omega. If anything were to happen unexpectedly… Gu Xuanzhe frowned deeply. His tone was still indifferent, but there was an undeniable sense of worry and anxiety beneath it.

Perhaps because of the temporary mark, Lu Youze felt this emotion more directly and intensely. He even thought that Gu Xuanzhe’s cool gaze felt like a blazing fire, leaving him inexplicably parched.

After what had happened last night, Lu Youze no longer doubted Gu Xuanzhe’s feelings for him. He couldn’t help but glance at him again, his thoughts starting to wander.

Just how much did this man love Lu Youze? Enough to not even care about raising another man’s child?

Such a cold and domineering CEO, yet when it came to love, he was so humble.

How had he felt all this time, watching the person he adored being toyed with by someone else?

Lu Youze wasn’t an overly sentimental person, but perhaps because he now occupied this body, or maybe because Omegas in their marked state were especially sensitive, he found himself feeling unusually emotional. His gaze toward Gu Xuanzhe carried an unconscious hint of sympathy.

Gu Xuanzhe’s expression darkened even further, a storm brewing in his eyes.

Noticing this change, Lu Youze realized he had only made things worse.

“President Gu, don’t misunderstand, I—”

Before he could finish, Gu Xuanzhe pulled him into a tight embrace.

“Youze, don’t look at me like that.” Gu Xuanzhe rested his head on Lu Youze’s shoulder, his voice trembling slightly, his suppressed emotions resembling a wounded beast. “I beg you.”

A fierce predator revealing its vulnerability always evoked a certain heartache.

Lu Youze didn’t know why, but he felt a pang of discomfort in his heart. Almost instinctively, he returned the embrace, lightly patting Gu Xuanzhe’s back as if soothing a child.

Neither of them spoke again, and the atmosphere between them suddenly grew intimate.

The doctors and nurses in the ambulance, force-fed with this unexpected display of affection, could only awkwardly pretend to admire the nonexistent scenery outside.

The two remained in this position for an unknown amount of time before Lu Youze suddenly felt the arms around his waist tightening. Their bodies were pressed so closely together that his still-flat stomach was feeling uncomfortably compressed.

“President Gu, my stomach hurts,” he whispered.

Gu Xuanzhe snapped back to reality and hurriedly helped him sit properly, his voice turning even gentler. “Youze, I’m sorry. I lost control of my emotions just now.”

Then he turned coldly to the only male doctor in the ambulance. “Xiao He, check on Youze. He’s feeling unwell.”

Doctor Xiao He, who had suddenly been called upon, nearly rolled his eyes.

Oh, now you remember that there are doctors in this ambulance? That this is a medical vehicle and not your private love nest?

Still, as a responsible doctor who was sworn to save lives—and under the intense, almost murderous stare of President Gu—Doctor Xiao He stepped forward to examine Lu Youze.

“President Gu, please rest assured. Aside from mild malnutrition, Mr. Lu is physically fine.”

Gu Xuanzhe’s expression did not improve upon hearing this. Instead, the temperature around him seemed to plummet several degrees.

Doctor Xiao He, still clad in his white coat, shivered instinctively.

“Why is he malnourished?” Gu Xuanzhe’s voice was icy.

Ha! If it weren’t for the fact that Gu Xuanzhe was one of the hospital’s major investors, and if the hospital director hadn’t repeatedly warned him before departure not to offend their golden benefactor no matter what unreasonable demands he made, Doctor Xiao He would have laughed out loud.

Why is your Omega malnourished? Shouldn’t you, as his Alpha, know better?

Of course, these were just his internal thoughts. He would never dare voice them out loud.

Gu Xuanzhe subtly blocked Doctor Xiao He’s gaze, his aura oppressive.

The doctor could only pray that the hospital director wouldn’t receive a withdrawal-of-funding notice from the Gu Corporation tomorrow.

“President Gu, Mr. Lu may have experienced a loss of appetite due to pregnancy-related nausea,” Doctor Xiao He answered smoothly, pushing up his glasses as he took the opportunity to promote the hospital’s additional services. “Our hospital offers specially curated nutrition meals for expecting Omegas. You might want to consider them.”

As someone who had grown up in a world without ABO dynamics, Lu Youze still found it hard to accept words like “pregnancy-related nausea” being applied to himself. He didn’t even feel like he had any symptoms—if it weren’t for people constantly reminding him, he would have forgotten he was a “pregnant husband” entirely.

He suspected his malnutrition had less to do with pregnancy and more to do with the original Lu Youze’s circumstances—being vilified by the entire internet, abandoned by his beloved while carrying a stranger’s child… The original Lu Youze had already been heartbroken and suicidal. How could he have had any appetite?

At this moment, it was best to just go along with Doctor Xiao He’s words.

Lu Youze thought for a moment and chose to remain silent.

As the three conversed, the ambulance arrived at the hospital.

“Youze, there are probably a lot of reporters outside. You’ll have to endure this a little longer,” Gu Xuanzhe said softly.

Lu Youze understood that those reporters were likely arranged by Gu Xuanzhe himself, waiting outside in advance.

After giving Gu Xuanzhe an “OK” gesture, he very professionally lay back down, resuming his role as an unconscious patient.

“Xiao He, you know what to do, right?” Gu Xuanzhe turned to the doctor with a cold gaze.

“President Gu, please rest assured,” Doctor Xiao He replied. “Everyone in this ambulance has won performance awards at our hospital’s annual gala. They won’t let you down.”