PTGWD Chapter23.1: New life

Father Lu’s pupils constricted, still in the motion of raising his glass to drink, almost unable to control his expression. Lu’s mother was even more surprised, her jaw dropping and her lips moving slightly, trying to say something several times, but in the end, she couldn’t utter a single word, only staring wide-eyed at Lu Jianchuan’s seemingly normal abdomen.

 

Lu Hejing looked confused, glancing between Lu Jianchuan and Fang Xingzhou, as if not understanding what he meant. Only Lu Heyin laughed first, teasingly saying, “Second brother, what are you talking about? You scared me to death, such a cold joke.”

 

But after she finished laughing, the dining table fell silent again, and no one picked up her words.

 

Lu Heyin felt a bit awkward, confusedly looking at her parents, discovering that they were both very serious, as if they took Lu Jianchuan’s cold joke seriously.

 

Lu Heyin: “No way… why is everyone so serious?”

 

Silence.

 

After a moment, Fang Xingzhou snapped out of his bewildered state, realizing that although Lu Jianchuan had said something absolutely impossible, his palms were unknowingly sweating, and he had gripped Lu Jianchuan’s right hand so tightly that it left clear red marks.

 

He took a shallow breath, smiled at Lu Heyin, his voice still a bit unnatural, and smoothed things over, saying, “It is quite a cold joke. He’s been saying these things a lot lately, don’t take it seriously.”

 

Lu Hejing also reacted, saying, “Where did Xiao Chuan¹nickname of LuJianChuan, Xiao=little=Little Chuan learn this joke? The weather is already cold enough, and now the dishes are going to freeze.”

 

Lu Jianchuan just smiled.

 

He leaned closer, wrapped his arm around Fang Xingzhou’s waist, and whispered in his ear, “Darling, I’m not joking.”

 

Fang Xingzhou’s body tensed bit by bit, his pupils shifting, and his gaze slowly landing on him.

 

“…What?”

 

“I’m not joking,” he repeated, “No schizophrenia, no delusional disorder, and no illegal surrogacy. I am carrying a new life, a genuine new life, right here in my belly.”

 

“……”

 

When Lu Jianchuan said these unbelievable words, his expression was so serious that it infected everyone at the dining table, leading to another round of silence. This time, even Lu Heyin was stunned, looking at her second brother’s belly with a puzzled expression, unsure if she was doubting herself or the world.

 

Fang Xingzhou turned his head, incredulously meeting Lu Jianchuan’s eyes.

 

Lu Jianchuan’s eyes told him that he was really seriously and solemnly talking about being pregnant.

 

Fang Xingzhou’s lips moved, and it took him a while to regain the ability to speak, his tone still relatively gentle, patient, “You are a man, you don’t have the biological structure for that.”

 

Lu Jianchuan nodded.

 

“Between us…” Fang Xingzhou paused briefly here, not being too explicit, “there is also no possibility of you getting pregnant.”

 

Nodded.

 

“Whether you have delusional disorder needs a professional check-up at the hospital. The patient himself is usually hard to notice.” He said softly, “Xiao Lu, you’ve just been under too much pressure lately. How about I go with you to check it out tomorrow?”

 

Lu Jianchuan stopped nodding this time, smiling with eyes curved like crescent moons, like a fox with a mischievous thought.

 

He released his arm around Fang Xingzhou, bent down to take a report from his bag, and handed it to the person beside him, saying, “Darling, you’ve been in clinical practice for too long, ignoring the progress of human technology. Of course, I can get pregnant, not just pregnant—anything that happens between us is possible because I will unconditionally fulfill all your wishes.”

 

This long, sticky, and mushy confession didn’t cause much of a stir at the dining table.

 

The atmosphere had slowly shifted away from the cold joke, and everyone was immersed in this news that felt like a meteor hitting the ground. Father Lu’s hand, holding the glass, trembled so much that half of it spilled on his clothes when he took a sip.

 

Fang Xingzhou also realized something was wrong, especially when he saw the familiar red seal on the first page of the report, his heart skipped a beat, and his normally steady hands that could perform sutures all day accidentally knocked over a bowl.

 

Lu Jianchuan’s quick eyes and hands caught the bowl just before it shattered, placed it back on the table, and then gripped his lover’s trembling hand, helping him hold the report steadily.

 

Unlike Lu Jianchuan’s poor English, this professional medical report in full English was something Fang Xingzhou could read quickly.

 

Confidential experiment… volunteer agreement… gene recombination… XY chromosome separation… external cultivation… male abdominal reconstruction… high-risk implantation… postoperative monitoring medical records… DNA report… gestational sac ultrasound…

 

The more Fang Xingzhou read the report, the more alarmed he became, breaking out in a cold sweat.

 

Fear surged like a tide. As a doctor, he knew how high the risk factor of each of these experiments was, almost like reshaping a person’s abdominal cavity from scratch, not to mention the potential incidents during the long months of pregnancy ahead. If any of them went wrong, he could not accept the consequences.

 

The last few pages of the report were the surgical risk disclosures, thousands of words densely packed, coldly describing the possible complications ahead, and Lu Jianchuan had signed his name casually below, scribbling with his terrible handwriting: “I am aware of all the risks and voluntarily accept the surgery, bearing all consequences myself.”

 

The next page was an attached ultrasound image.

 

Fingernails dug into Lu Jianchuan’s palm as Fang Xingzhou stared at the final image, as if trapped in a surreal dream, his vision filled only with that tiny dark shadow, unable to believe it was real and existing in his male lover’s abdomen.

 

A new life.

 

Belonging to him and Lu Jianchuan… a new life.

 

But he couldn’t feel any joy, his mind filled with complex anger. Even though Lu Jianchuan was sitting beside him now, proving the success of the surgery and that he had finally managed to conceive their creation, Fang Xingzhou couldn’t stop imagining Lu Jianchuan lying alone on the operating table, surrounded by blood, disinfectant, screaming heart monitors, and masked doctors like demons…

 

If anything had gone wrong, Lu Jianchuan might have left him forever at some unknown place and time, without him knowing.

 

This feeling was completely different from the time he brought a knife to the wedding banquet, ready to die with Lu Jianchuan.

 

He couldn’t help it, took deep breaths trying to calm down, but failed several times.

 

His expression became increasingly distorted. Ignoring Lu Jianchuan’s family present, he reached out to unbutton Lu Jianchuan’s shirt, trying to find the hidden scars.

 

Lu Jianchuan was stunned and immediately grabbed Fang Xingzhou’s hand, seeing his pale face, and belatedly realizing—

 

This report from the Experimental Research Institute might be too convincing.

 

A guilty conscience peaked instantly. He quietly tossed the report back into the bag, nervously hugged his lover tightly, cheek to cheek with him, and whispered, “It’s okay, darling, don’t be scared. These are all just to frighten people, it’s not that dangerous. I’m a city hero, I recovered in no time. Didn’t you help me get a tattoo? There’s nothing there, the scars have long healed.”

 

Fang Xingzhou pulled his hand out, grabbing Lu Jianchuan’s collar, and hoarsely questioned, “Why did you do something so dangerous? Why didn’t you discuss it with me?!”

 

Lu Jianchuan tightened his arms, sweating from his guilty conscience, and laughed dryly, saying, “It’s all my fault, really nothing happened, I’m fine now, right? Next time if we want a second child, I’ll definitely discuss it with you first.”

 

He said this, kissed his lips, then grabbed his hand and placed it on his belly.

 

“It’s scared by you. See,” Lu Jianchuan lowered his voice, “Isn’t it moving?”

 

The embryo inside was very competitive. The moment Fang Xingzhou’s hand touched it, it immediately gathered its energy and rolled with the same vigor as when it wanted to eat a feast a week ago, making Lu Jianchuan’s belly move slightly.

 

Fang Xingzhou’s heart skipped a beat.

 

He lowered his head, staring at that spot intently, his emotions slowly cooling down, replaced by a vacuum period after excessive fear, his brain a bit numb, looking at their intertwined hands in a daze.

 

The belly moved again, more obviously this time, a fake fetal movement created by Lu Jianchuan.

 

Fang Xingzhou took a deep breath, couldn’t help pressing his hand closer, an indescribable feeling surged in his heart, dispersing his rationality, making him forget to think—

 

Just developed into a gestational sac, it was impossible to create fetal movement.

 

“Did you feel it?” Lu Jianchuan asked in a low voice.

 

Fang Xingzhou’s face was blank, losing its usual sharpness, looking somewhat helpless and confused, and nodded.

 

Lu Jianchuan laughed, looking up at his stunned family across the table, and said, “As you can see, I’m done. Nothing major, let’s continue eating, the dishes are getting cold.”

 

The Lu family: “…”

 

Fang Xingzhou’s reaction had confirmed the truth, but they still felt bewildered. Lu Heyin pinched her elder brother’s arm hard, and Lu Hejing, in pain, shouted, snapping out of his daze, and asked, “Why did you pinch me?”

 

Lu Heyin, with a puzzled expression, “I’m not dreaming?”

 

Lu Jianchuan: “No, He Yin, you are very clear-headed now.”

 

“Men… pregnant?”

Lu Jianchuan, holding his wife who seemed out of it, pretended to be serious and said, “There’s nothing that can’t be done. It all depends on love and lack of love.”

Lu Heyin almost doubted her own worldview. She pondered this sentence for a few seconds, then couldn’t help but nod and look at the other suitable male in the house. She said to her older brother, “Second Brother seems to make a lot of sense.”

Lu Hejing slapped her on the back and, sweating nervously, said, “Why are you looking at me? It’s not a matter of can or can’t. I haven’t even found a partner yet.”

Lu Heyin seemed to have thought of something, stood up from her chair, leaned close to Lu Jianchuan, and whispered, “Which institution did you go to? Can you recommend it to me? My boyfriend has been wanting to get married and have kids with me lately. If he could have the baby, that would be great!”

Lu’s father coughed heavily.

Lu’s mother pulled her daughter back, still looking somewhat frightened, and said, “What nonsense are you talking about? Xiao Chuan must be… must be…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence.

Lu Jianchuan’s origin was the family’s biggest secret. If nothing went wrong, she and her husband would take this secret to their graves.

Lu Jianchuan was never her biological child. He was an entity that didn’t belong to the human world, powerful like a deity. The government had signed an agreement with the Lu family, allowing him to become a part of their family as the second young master in exchange for the protection of the Lu family’s business.

At first, she was terrified, having nightmares every night, fearing that the new “family member” would get angry and turn the Lu household into a bloody mess. But after ten years, her “second son” had always been gentle and polite, like her real child.

So when she heard this news, she didn’t think it was a bad joke like her daughter did. For a moment, she felt genuine joy, as if she was really going to have a grandchild.

She paused for a long time before completing her sentence, “He must have a confidentiality agreement for this. It’s not something the public can easily participate in.”

Lu’s father filled his glass with red wine. As the oldest and most traditional member of the family, he seemed to have accepted it better than expected. He raised his glass, only his voice a bit unnatural, and said, “No matter what, this is indeed good news. Let’s raise our glasses and congratulate Xiao Chuan… on being pregnant. Your mother and I are finally going to be grandparents.”

In this strange yet festive atmosphere, everyone followed suit and raised their glasses.

Lu Jianchuan’s glass was also filled with red wine but was replaced with orange juice by Fang Xingzhou.

Lu Heyin, after recovering from the initial shock, began to feel excited, “Congratulations, Second Brother! Congratulations, Xingzhou!”

Lu Hejing was still a bit slow, reluctantly saying, “… Congratulations.”

Lu’s mother looked at her second son’s belly with mixed feelings, saying, “Congratulations. I hope you have a smooth and safe pregnancy.”

Lu Jianchuan smiled and said, “Thank you, everyone.”

The clinking of glasses sounded crisp. Fang Xingzhou downed his full glass of red wine in one go, feeling it wasn’t enough, and poured another.

The alcohol dispelled the overly intense emotions. After two glasses, his ears turned red, but his expression remained sluggish as he mechanically thanked Lu’s father, “Thank you.”

Lu’s father smiled, “Thank you for what? Today is a good day. Stop staring and eat.”

Everyone picked up their chopsticks again. After the shocking news, their appetites seemed to have returned, and they resumed the family dinner, even naturally discussing the possibility of male pregnancy, pregnancy precautions, and parenting tips.

The meal lasted until after nine o’clock. Fang Xingzhou distributed the gifts he brought and left the Lu family with Lu Jianchuan.

Lu’s mother, still worried, followed them to the parking lot, afraid the two new fathers were unprepared for the pregnancy, and gave many early pregnancy checkup tips and supplement recommendations.

The two listened patiently, then took turns hugging her gently.

“Don’t worry, Mom,” Lu Jianchuan said. “I’ll take good care of myself. Zhouzhou is a doctor, and he will also supervise me.”

Lu’s mother turned to Fang Xingzhou, holding his hand.

“Xiao Zhou,” she hesitated, unsure if Fang Xingzhou knew Lu Jianchuan’s true identity, also concerned if their unconventional relationship could really endure.

She wanted him to know the truth but also feared it.

Many emotions churned in her heart, finally turning into one sentence:

“Please take good care of him.”

Fang Xingzhou said earnestly, “Don’t worry.”

Mother Lu smiled and nodded.

Since Fang Xingzhou had drunk, Lu Jianchuan drove back. His driving style was completely different from Fang Xingzhou’s, speeding out of the garage and racing onto the main road.
Before, Fang Xingzhou never stopped him from speeding.

But today, after less than a kilometer, he said, “Slow down.”

Lu Jianchuan received the order and immediately slowed down, still excited about not being found out. He muttered, “Honey, you drank a lot tonight. Were you too happy? Did you get drunk? My family really likes you. Mom and Dad gave me an extra key for you to come over anytime.”

Fang Xingzhou said nothing.

Lu Jianchuan thought he was too drunk and spoke more freely, “The egg in my belly is also very happy today, sleeping peacefully. It’s rare. Usually, it’s very troublesome, always fussing for food, greedy, stubborn, and disobedient. I don’t know who it takes after. Definitely not you. You were very well-behaved as a child, like a beautiful doll. I picked you out from the crowd at a glance.”

The person in the passenger seat still said nothing.

At the last red light before the highway, Lu Jianchuan stepped on the brake and stopped the car steadily, finally having time to look at his lover beside him.

Fang Xingzhou wasn’t drunk. He was staring at Lu Jianchuan’s belly, his pupils bright, with a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead.

Lu Jianchuan was slightly stunned.

“Zhouzhou?”

Fang Xingzhou reached out, touching that piece of skin through the soft sweater.

Lu Jianchuan laughed softly. When he laughed, his belly shook, as if responding to the touch, “Did you feel anything?”

Fang Xingzhou didn’t speak.

Lu Jianchuan patiently waited until the red light turned green, and he restarted the car, driving onto the highway in the heavy snow.

Fang Xingzhou kept his hand in that position, seemingly entranced.

Due to power restrictions, the streetlights on both sides of the highway were off, the surroundings pitch black. The car’s lights barely illuminated the swirling snowflakes ahead.

It seemed like only their small warm space remained in the world.

Listening to his lover’s intense heartbeat and heavy breathing, Lu Jianchuan felt overwhelmingly happy, even wanting to keep driving in the blizzard, carrying Fang Xingzhou and the growing child inside him.

“Zhouzhou…” he murmured, holding the cold hand on his belly.

Fang Xingzhou took a deep breath, leaning back in the passenger seat, seeming to finally regain his senses, and asked hoarsely, “Does it hurt?”

Lu Jianchuan blinked.

“What?”

“The surgery,” Fang Xingzhou said quietly, “Did it hurt?”

Lu Jianchuan was taken aback.

Sweetness seeped to the back of his tongue. He knew the surgery was a necessary lie, but he couldn’t help feeling both guilty and secretly enjoying this care.

After the great shock, his lover’s first concern was not the child in his belly, but him.

Lu Jianchuan’s eyes curved into a smile, and he said lightly, “Of course not. I fell asleep and woke up, and it was done. Don’t worry, I’m very healthy. Officer Li took me for a checkup last week, and everything was normal.”

Fang Xingzhou’s hand gripped the car door tightly, his nails breaking but feeling no pain, and he asked, “When exactly did it happen?”

Lu Jianchuan had long prepared an answer, suppressing his guilt, and whispered, “Two months ago, when you went to the capital for the medical forum.”

Hearing this, Fang Xingzhou felt a chill from his feet to his head. He closed his eyes to calm himself, almost unable to think of what to do if something had happened to Lu Jianchuan then.

“Because you didn’t want me to worry, you hid it from me?” He tried hard to control himself.
Lu Jianchuan: “… Yes.”

He shifted uncomfortably and said, “… There are deeper reasons too. Honey, you’ll know everything eventually. Just wait until the baby is born, okay?”

He drove with one hand, the other intertwining with Fang Xingzhou’s fingers, and said, “I love you. I just want a child of ours, to carry on our bloodline, to live long and healthy, even after we’re gone, our ashes turned to dust, nourishing trees. And he can live in this universe as proof of our love, forever, until the world’s end.”

Fang Xingzhou listened silently, then brought Lu Jianchuan’s hand to his lips, planting a kiss devoid of warmth, and said after a long pause:

“I love you too, Deer.”

 

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  nickname of LuJianChuan, Xiao=little=Little Chuan