**Chapter 87**

On the way back to Shencheng, everyone in the studio was on high alert, as if a single lapse could cause them to lose the future heir of the He family.

They couldn’t possibly afford the cost if that ever happened.

Even Qin Mang had to pull the car over to the side of the road just to take a sip of water.

Only after she finished would she start the engine again.

Qin Mang herself felt nothing; she leaned back in the leather seat with languid, tired features. In the height of summer she wore a dark green camisole dress that outlined a slender waist, showing no sign of pregnancy.

Yet the test results were written in clear, unmistakable terms—

Positive.

Meng Ting muttered to himself, “Pregnant women aren’t supposed to turn on the air conditioning, are they?”

Qin Mang was always like a little stove; this season was when she felt hottest. Seeing Meng Ting in the front row actually about to adjust the AC, her red lips parted slightly and she said coolly,

“What, are you trying to bake me to death?”

“I would never dare.”

“You’re carrying the precious little one of the Qin and He families.”

Meng Ting hurriedly pledged her loyalty, “Don’t turn off the air conditioning. Or—Your Highness, would you like to cover yourself with a blanket?”

The air conditioning was set too low.

Qin Mang reluctantly took the thin blanket and covered a little of her calves.

She had slept too much today and couldn’t fall asleep.

Qin Mang thought for a moment, took out her phone, and sent He Lengji a WeChat message; she had originally intended to say it in person to be more formal.

But Qin Mang was never one to keep things bottled up.

Especially about something like this.

I just wanted to find someone to share it with.

Little Lion Howl Meow: [One good piece of news, one bad piece of news— which do you want to hear first?]

..

At this moment, on the way back to Huanhu Manor.

A black stretched Pullman glided through the street of lights.

He Lingji was about to conclude a business drinking engagement, his shirt buttons fastened with meticulous care, he followed closely

He loosened his tie and unbuttoned two shirt buttons, revealing a long, pale, impeccably elegant neck; even in the dim carriage, his aloof and indifferent aura could not be concealed.

Until the front-row secretary whispered, “Madam trended on social media today.”

“The topic is… pregnancy.”

Cong Zhen hesitated, “Do we need to handle it?”

After all, news of a pregnancy trending isn’t exactly good for an actress in the prime of her career.

If a great script comes along, it could easily be affected.

As far as Cong Zhen knew, her boss had no intention of having children.

So the pregnancy must have been entirely made up.

But when He Lengji heard the word “pregnant,” he froze for a moment before calmly opening his Weibo.

The trending topic #QinMangSuspectedPregnant# was right at the top.

Sitting at number one.

He Lengji clicked on Qin Mang’s related photos. The girl looked languid like a sleepy feline, her wrist delicate; compared to the last time they’d met, she seemed a little thinner.

Although it was only a suspicion.

But He Lengji inexplicably had a kind of premonition.

When he was about to call Qin Mang, his WeChat vibrated.

He saw the message from Qin Mang.

He Lengji’s gray-blue eyes dimmed for a moment, and he understood—

Just as expected.

Without rushing to reply, He Lengji glanced sideways toward the car window.

The night was accompanied by flickering, uncertain lights, like the rapid beating of his heart.

From Cong Zhen’s angle, he could faintly make out the tense line of his boss’s jaw.

Was it just his imagination?

Why did he feel like President He seemed a little nervous?

The next second.

Cong Zhen met the cold, bone-deep gaze of his own boss…

He was so frightened he instantly withdrew his prying eyes.

An illusion!

It must be an illusion!

Qin Mang waited about five minutes for He Lengji before receiving his message

Reply.

He Qingqing: [Bad news.]

Qin Mang glanced at He Lingji’s characteristically concise message, let out a soft hum, and suddenly grew a bit tsundere.

Who told him not to reply instantly.

Typed two equally noble and aloof characters

Little lion: Awooo meow: [Guess?]

He Qiongqiong: [I’m going to be a dad.]

And it’s not even a question mark, but a period.

What the—?!

How did he find out?

Could it be that all the staff around her had been infiltrated by him?

Qin Mang narrowed her affectionate eyes and cast a somewhat dangerous glance at the two accompanying her for the checkup—Meng Ting and A-Tong.

“Did you two tell He Lengji behind my back?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Such wonderful news should definitely be announced by you in person.”

Meng Ting and A Tong shook their heads at the same time.

They’d reach Shencheng in less than two hours—only a fool would tell President He in advance; wouldn’t that spoil the surprise?

Qin Mang believed it.

They wouldn’t dare do it in front of her; they’d have to act behind her back.

So how did He Lengji find out?

No, no, that’s not it.

That’s not the point—the point is…

Qin Mang furrowed her elegant brows, staring at those three words: “Bad news.”

What do you mean bad news? Having a baby by accident is clearly good news!

The bad news she wanted to say was—

Little Lion Aowu Meow: [Wrong answer]

[The bad news is you’re about to practice abstinence for a year]

He Qiongqiong: [Bad on top of bad.]

Little Lion Aowu Meow: [???]

He Qiongqiong: [I’m afraid of pregnancy; I need Mrs. He to come back and take care of me.]

Qin Mang laughed angrily.

Who’s taking care of whom.

And there’s more.

What the hell is pregnancy phobia?

She’s clearly the one who’s pregnant; she isn’t afraid at all.

Qin Mang opened her browser and typed: [Can men have pregnancy phobia?]

..

Later, Qin Mang experienced it firsthand.

Men

Fear of pregnancy is truly an illness.

And a very serious one.

Specifically, after He Lengji confirmed her pregnancy, he wouldn’t even let her leave the house.

In the end, Lady He took matters into her own hands.

She insisted that during pregnancy she still needed to move around a bit.

As she entered the second trimester, Qin Mang finally felt it was becoming real; the flat belly she had for three months at last showed a slight curve.

She rarely wore nightgowns, preferring smooth silk robes most of the time for easier application of oils and full-body care.

The more advanced the pregnancy, the more meticulous the care needed.

He Lengji arranged an entire skincare research team for her, dedicated to developing products suited to Qin Mang’s skin type and constitution.

Ten o’clock at night.

Qin Mang leaned against the soft pillow, her rose-tinted robe spread open, confidently insisting that He Lengji apply the essential oil.

to prevent long stretch marks.

She kept seeing plenty of posts about stretch marks during pregnancy.

So terrified she couldn’t sleep for several days.

Until He Lengji assembled a research team dedicated to her with the utmost speed, and then, just as quickly, developed a skincare oil that didn’t exist on the market.

Zero side effects.

Instead, it makes the skin even smoother.

Only a wall lamp was lit in the master bedroom.

The handsome, cool man moved lightly and with practiced ease, as if he had done it countless times.

Qin Mang watched him handle it with such familiarity; her delicate fingertips couldn’t resist reaching to touch He Lengji’s dark, damp short hair.

“He Lengji, do you not like the baby?”

“I do.”

“Those aren’t your true feelings.”

“Then use three thousand characters to explain in detail—how exactly do you like him?”

He Lengji had already finished applying the essential oil, slowly tightened the cap, nodded slightly, and accepted the accusation.

“You saw through me.”

“After all, I only love my wife.”

Qin Mang: “…

…”

That dog of a man broke the rules again!

She was just that easy to appease.

..

During Qin Mang’s pregnancy, she was so virtuous that even Mrs. He herself couldn’t touch her.

Qin Mang’s comment on this: Ridiculous!

[Wu Yuxi * Qin Yan Extra — “Tricking You”]

Qin Yan’s leg was a condition he was born with; there was no possibility of a cure, so he needed to use a wheelchair long-term, though it wasn’t completely useless.

So every month he would set aside a few days for targeted training.

All just to prevent his legs from atrophying and completely rotting away.

After all, the Qin family was notorious for their perfectionism and vanity — the legs could be crippled, but they couldn’t be ugly.

Especially since Qin Yan refused to greet his bride from a wheelchair, he chose to have surgery.

The surgery was extremely risky, with a very low chance of success. If it failed, his leg would be completely ruined—unable even to appear normal on the surface. If it succeeded, it still wouldn’t be like a normal person’s, but he would be able to stand within a short time.

No one knew.

Even Wu Yuxi was kept in the dark.

They assumed he had gone abroad on a long assignment, and even worried that when the wedding day arrived, the groom might not show up.

They never expected.

Qin Yan returned the day before the wedding.

And she was standing.

When she learned that Qin Yan had gone abroad for surgery, Wu Yuxi nearly cried so much she drenched his suit.

Until Qin Mang arrived.

Wu Yuxi, afraid she would cry along and disturb the baby, barely managed to stop herself.

But her fox-like eyes were swollen like walnuts.

As soon as Qin Yan stood up, she started crying again.

Qin Yan had originally planned to surprise her; in hindsight, it was nothing but a scare.

But Qin Yan had no regrets.

Night.

Wu Yuxi carefully followed the doctor’s instructions and applied the medicine to him, but was unwilling to say a word

She said that.

Qin Yan half-lifted her slim waist.

“Don’t move!”

Wu Yuxi was so scared she froze, refusing to sit on Qin Yan’s lap no matter what.

Qin Yan’s expression was warm and calm as he took her fingers in his: “Baby, I’m not that fragile.”

Wu Yuxi’s fingertips trembled slightly.

Her curled lashes drooped as she looked at the man’s long legs, pale as cold jade from years without sunlight; her voice still held a sob. “I don’t care whether you stand or not. All I care about is whether you can stay with me for a lifetime.”

Whether they married standing up or seated in a wheelchair didn’t matter.

As long as they were married.

“If I’d known… if I’d known, I wouldn’t have had a wedding.”

“I wanted to give you a grand, perfect wedding with no regrets. Everything other girls have, my girl will have too.”

The man’s pale, thin lips pressed against the woman’s brow, kissing away every one of her tears until they were clean.

……

The wedding went on as planned.

It was easy to imagine the scene when everyone saw the patriarch of the Qin family—rumored to have a Bodhisattva’s face and a marauder’s heart, yet plagued by disease and confined to a wheelchair for over a decade—rise to his feet.

The entire hall was stunned.

It suddenly felt like the power structure in Beicheng was about to be reshuffled.

Originally, although the Qin family was among the top-tier noble families in Beicheng, their head was known to be in poor health and passed away at some unknown time, and the other heir had married far away into Shencheng.

A few years later, the Qin family’s influence in the northern city was no longer something to fear.

Some who were clever had long been waiting for Qin Yan’s death so they could divvy up the Qin family’s resources.

And now—

He had both taken a wife and cured his leg ailment.

Are they dead or something? Can’t even wait for Qin Yan to die?

Qin Mang and He Lengji sat at the head table.

With elders from the Wu family and the He family present, there was no need for the two of them to greet the guests.

。

Qin Mang looked at the exquisitely made wedding candy boxes on the table.

On them was the wedding-theme logo of two foxes, hand-painted by Wu Yuxi.

The big white fox waved its fluffy tail, completely enclosing the small red fox within its own territory.

Before Qin Mang had even eaten any candy, her teeth started to ache.

Since Qin Mang became pregnant, she rarely attended public events, let alone worked—her whole family strongly opposed it.

Fortunately, she had recently taken on a steady stream of roles and attended many events with the goal of “supporting her husband,” so even if she took a year off, it wouldn’t affect her regular exposure.

Attending Little Uncle and Little Watermelon’s wedding was probably her most important engagement recently.

The wedding ceremony was very grand.

It was rare to see Little Uncle care so much about something.

“Finally married a young, delicate wife in his thirties—he really should cherish her.”

Qin Mang took the warm water that He Lengji handed her.

She slowly took a sip and sighed.

He even went behind everyone’s backs to have surgery done for his little wife’s sake.

Qin Mang’s gaze landed on the two people on the stage, her sharp eyes briefly flickering with worry.

Her young uncle had been standing for half an hour.

Are you really okay?

He Lengji pinched her fingertips, a smile on his thin lips, then changed the subject:

“Like it that much? Then shall we have another wedding?”

“I absolutely won’t have a second wedding.”

Qin Mang refused decisively; decent people don’t hold two wedding ceremonies.

Anyone who didn’t know might think they’d divorced and remarried.

At that moment, on stage.

Wu Yuxi in an immaculate white wedding dress, the long train almost filling the vast center of the stage.

As a young girl, Wu Yuxi once imagined what her wedding would look like; she pictured many scenes.

But the only two things that never changed were the trailing gown and… the person standing before her.

From the first stirrings of love until now.

Only him.

Before, Wu Yuxi always kept his head down to look at Qin Yan; now he had to lift his eyes to look at him.

He promised himself he wouldn’t cry today.

So the photos wouldn’t come out looking bad.

But the moment they locked eyes, she couldn’t help but feel her eyes grow red, and all the notes she’d prepared in advance flew from her mind.

Unconsciously, she spoke the words hidden deep in her heart—

“The last time I said I’d remarry when you were dead, I was actually lying.”

“If you die, I can’t live either.”

“So, for my sake, will you live on, okay?”

Qin Yan looked at his girl.

The man, who usually remained unmoved even if Mount Tai were to collapse, now had his eyes rimmed with a flush of color, which only made the little red mole at the center of his brow look all the more beguiling.

This wedding was what Wu Yuxi had longed for, but wasn’t it also what he had wished for.

Originally, Qin Yan had one foot in hell from the moment he was born; his short life could end at any time.

Yet this little girl, full of love, pulled him out of hell without reservation.

So, he said—

“Okay.”

Wu Yuxi knew that once Qin Yan said “yes,” he would definitely follow through.

..

It was drawing to a close.

Qin Mang looked around, feeling that something was off, until—the wedding was over.

Only after seeing off Mr. and Mrs. Wu did she finally react.

At his younger sister’s wedding, Wu Yuan—the brother—only showed up briefly and then left early.

*

[Wu Yuan * Qi Rong Side Story]

In a luxurious villa on the outskirts of Shencheng.

Qi Rong felt considerable regret.

She had principles—she never got involved with men who weren’t single.

No matter how good, no matter how tempting, absolutely not playing.

Her range of movement was confined to this bedroom.

At this moment the dark crimson

heavy curtains were drawn tightly shut, filling the room with the oppressive presence of an adult man.

Especially since Wu Yuan’s mood was still off.

As the handsome, cold man strode toward her step by step, Qi Rong still managed to calmly turn the tables: “I never touch men who already have someone.”

Wu Yuan unbuttoned his suit, his gaze cool and unflinching. “What a coincidence — I don’t have a partner.”

Qi Rong snorted: “That ‘suitable’ fiancée today—did you eat her?”

“She wasn’t.”

Wu Yuan’s patience had already completely vanished the moment he saw Qi Rong linked arm-in-arm with her new boyfriend, looking at him with unfamiliar eyes.

..

“Qi Rong, you’re really going to drive me crazy.”

Wu Yuan hadn’t expected that Qi Rong would break up so decisively, showing no regret, and even had a new boyfriend—exactly the type she liked.

Qi Rong stared at the chandelier rotating on the ceiling.

No fiancée?

Wu Yuan didn’t actually intend to imprison Qi Rong.

She was even given countless opportunities to leave.

Yet Qi Rong did not choose to go. She reluctantly let slip, “I haven’t gotten a new boyfriend; that’s my cousin.”

Just entering the entertainment industry—show him the world.

Wu Yuan, who had been restraining his emotions all this time, smiled for the first time.

He thought Qi Rong had given him up.

*

[Spin-off 1: Raising the Cub · Giving Birth]

On the day of Jingzhe.

Qin Mang made her move on her birthday.

At the time, she was still admiring the expanded gemstone collection room.

Because of He Lengji’s mountain of gems, the original room could no longer hold them.

Fortunately, the lakeside estate had more than one villa.

Across from the Flaming Lotus Pond stood another building that had been completely renovated to house Qin Mang’s gems and jewelry — essentially a large gemstone museum.

Even

the exterior had been altered; it was a major project.

To make pregnancy care easier, Qin Mang moved into the He family mansion in her late pregnancy, and it happened to be the time when the gemstone “museum” began construction.

Until her birthday.

It was completely finished.

From the outside it looked like a gigantic mountain-shaped gemstone ornament, translucent ice-blue, the walls made entirely of a special material newly developed by He Group, and from the outside it was breathtakingly beautiful.

Viewed from inside, it was even more upscale and luxurious.

The jewels were also sorted by type and level of rarity.

Simply sorting them consumed a great deal of manpower and resources, and among that manpower were gem appraisal experts.

Because Qin Mang had so many gems, their source could no longer be traced.

Last year on her birthday, He Lengji gave her a mountain of jewels.

This year on her birthday, He Lengji gave her another “mountain of gems” filled with precious stones.

“Do you like it?”

He Lengji supported Qin Mang as they walked a few laps inside the collection gallery.

Qin Mang was almost at full term and had been in a foul mood lately, but today she had, rare as it was, offered a smile: “I really…” like.

Before she finished.

Suddenly the expression on her pretty face froze, her cheeks flushing with shame:

“Waa waa waa, I-I-I…” Did I wet myself?

He Lengji reacted faster than she did.

He scooped her up horizontally and headed out, “She’s going into labor.”

He moved very quickly, but every step was steady.

Qin Mang hadn’t started feeling contractions yet, she bewilderedly grabbed the man’s shirt collar, “Ah?”

It’s about to happen already?

A top-tier medical team was following Qin Mang at all times, just in case.

After an examination, they decided there was still enough time to get to the hospital to give birth.

Shencheng’s largest private hospital was under the He family’s umbrella.

Until they were admitted to the hospital, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Only Qin Mang knew that the cold sweat in He Lengji’s palm

was a sign that he was not calm.

Before entering the delivery room.

He Lengji said to Qin Mang, “Just this one.”

Dr. Yuan, the obstetrics and gynecology expert personally invited by Madam He, smiled and said, “Wouldn’t it be better to have both a son and a daughter?”

He Lengji: “She’s afraid of the pain.”

This time it’s enough.

He Lingji would never let her suffer like this.

From beginning to end, the baby had never been part of He Lengji’s plans.

He only loved Qin Mang.

Perhaps because daughters dote on their mothers, Qin Mang was thin but the birth went very smoothly.

The baby weighed six pounds eight ounces—not too light, not too heavy, perfectly just right.

When the little one, who carried both their blood, was born.

He Lengji looked at the little baby’s crescent eyes, faintly resembling Qin Mang’s tender gaze, but when they opened, the color of the pupils had inherited his blue.

In the instant he met his daughter’s eyes, He Lengji was suddenly struck by the real feeling of being a father.

This is the flesh and blood offspring he shares with Qin Mang.

Looks like him, and also like Qin Mang.

As if a red thread had once again tightly bound him and Qin Mang together.

Never to be separated.

*

[Parenting Extra 2 · Naming]

Qin Mang was discharged early after giving birth.

In the afternoon, the sunlight was splendid. She was lazily leaning in the study’s chaise longue, idly swinging and passing the time.

In front of the desk.

He Lengji held a brush in hand, his handsome, icy face seeming to ponder some weighty matter.

Little did they know.

He was just naming the little baby at home.

A full three days.

Qin Mang watched him hold the pen and not write a single character.

She lazily moved forward, slipped her arm around his, leaned in to look, and indeed—

Still not a single character.

At this moment.

Rong Huayan learned that He Lengji was choosing a name for their baby daughter.

Rarely being so kind-hearted, he messaged proactively offering himself—

Rhy: [Can I give the little baby a name?]

Qin Mang happened to see He Lengji’s phone light up with the WeChat message.

She knew Rong Huaiyan: scion of a century-old noble family, learned in astronomy and geography, a master of poetry and song—versed in everything. His store of knowledge was definitely greater than theirs.

So she hooked He Lengji’s arm with her own and said, “I promise!”

He Lengji paused, suspecting Rong Huaiyan had ill intentions. “We’ll get it ourselves…”

Qin Mang snorted lightly, “You’re the one with writer’s block?”

“Hurry up and agree!”

Under his wife’s hawk-like gaze, He Lengji could only type four words—

“Tell me about it.”

Rhy: [Mu—thought, love. How about taking a reduplicated name, “Mumu.”]

“He Mumu.”

Qin Mang looked at the screen and thought this name was very nice.

Simple yet meaningful.

Before she could speak, she watched helplessly as He Lengji expressionlessly blocked Rong Huaiyan on WeChat.

Qin Mang: “???”

“What are you blocking Mr. Rong for? Isn’t that kind of flattering?”

He Lengji knew this dog had no good intentions:

“His son is called Rong Chaochao, and his daughter Rong Mumu — named to signify morning and evening.”

Qin Mang didn’t understand. “So?”

What does it have to do with their daughter’s name?

He Lengji snorted coldly, “Xie Yanli’s son is called Xie Xunzhao. That reclusive Master Yici in the northern city once hinted that twenty years ago it was ‘chao chao mu mu’ and twenty years later it would be ‘zhao zhao mu mu’, meaning the two families would be joined by marriage.”

So.

Twenty years later, the Rong Huaiyan family was missing a Mumu.

He Lengji’s expression was indifferent. Rong Huaiyan—what a dog—named his daughter ‘Mumu’. His sinister intentions were obvious. He had designs on his family’s little baby.

Qin Mang found it hard to put into words.

Completely unexpected,

there were actually quite a few tactics among these men.

..

At first Qin Mang thought He Lengji was emotionally distant about the baby, until He Lengji personally chose a name for their daughter.

Only then did Qin Mang realize.

He did not not love her; he was simply used to not showing his love in public.

When the sunlight was at its best, He Lengji finally put pen to paper.

A thin light spilled down.

Was cast onto the thin sheet of xuan paper on the desk, three flowing, calligraphic characters:

He Jinyao

Qin Mang murmured instinctively, “He, Jin, Yao.”

Because—

He Lingji’s indifferent voice was calm and certain: “My daughter deserves a life of splendor and carefree ease.”