My Fierce Beta Husband is Surprisingly Sweet | Chapter 62 | A Promise of Family | Novela.app

"Bang!" At the sound, Li Zi whipped her head toward the door. Li Zhenting stood there, his face deathly pale, eyes burning with a mixture of smoldering rage and the agonizing sting of betrayal. *Damn it, he definitely misunderstood.* Li Zi hurriedly called out to him, "It’s not what you—" Before she could finish, the man hurled the items in his hands aside and bolted out the door. "Wait!" Panicked, Li Zi scrambled to give chase, but she was held back by an equally shocked Yuan Ye. "Is that him?!" *That’s the person I’ve been looking for!* "He’s my partner. We’ll talk later; I have to go explain things to him. Stay here." Li Zi pried his hand off her arm and rushed out, still in her slippers. Li Zhenting was frantically stabbing at the elevator button, his entire body trembling. *Come on, damn elevator, hurry up.* *I don’t want them to see me looking this pathetic.* *Why? Why did this happen? Why was that Omega in our home? Didn't you say I was your treasure?* *Was it all a lie?* His heart, which had been lifted to the heavens recently, had suddenly plummeted to the earth. Having long since shed its armor under her tender care, it was now utterly unprepared for such a blow. The pain was terrifying. Li Zhenting saw his own wretched reflection in the brushed steel of the elevator panel. In just those few seconds, the man in the mirror had already begun sobbing uncontrollably, tears of grievance streaming down his face, manifesting his internal collapse. "Brother Ting! Wait!" Li Zi caught up quickly, reaching out to grab him. Seeing that the elevator hadn't arrived, Li Zhenting simply bypassed her and sprinted toward the emergency stairwell. That tear-streaked face flashed past Li Zi’s eyes, causing her to falter for a split second and lose her chance to catch him. Li Zhenting charged down the stairs, his mind consumed by the single thought of escaping this place. Li Zi shouted from above, "Brother Ting! Listen to my explanation first!" "Slow down! Don't fall!" "It’s not what it looked like!" He didn't stop. Li Zi’s temper flared slightly, and she barked out a sharp command: "Li Zhenting, stop right there! Did you hear me?" The man’s figure froze instantly. His body had bypassed his thoughts, choosing to obey Li Zi’s command instinctively. Yet, his heart felt even more miserable. *Li Zhenting, can you stop being so pathetic? Even after this, you still listen to her?* Seeing him stop, Li Zi hurried down, taking the steps two at a time until she had him pinned in a corner. "Done running?" She panted, frowning as she looked at him. Li Zhenting turned his face away, biting his lip in defiance, refusing to meet her gaze. "What are you running for? That’s your home," Li Zi said helplessly, reaching out to turn his head back toward her. "You actually remember it’s our home!" Struck where it hurt, Li Zhenting’s voice rose an octave. "How... how could you mess around in our home? That’s *my* home!" He pushed her away resentfully, his tone thick with the pain of betrayal. "That’s why I told you to listen! I wasn't 'messing around.' That’s the son of my parents' friends—a younger brother named Yuan Ye. He came back from abroad to study, ran away from home today, and I found him. I’m just letting him stay at the house temporarily." "Just now, he was just expressing his gratitude and wanted to give me a hug. That’s a normal social grace abroad! Besides, he likes boys!" Li Zi reached out to wipe the tears from his face, but he swatted her hand away again. "I... I don't believe you! That man is clearly your fiancé!" "Huh?" Li Zi narrowed her eyes. "Where would I get a fiancé? Why do you think he’s my fiancé?" "Two years ago, during New Year's, your mother said so at your front door!" In his agitation, Li Zhenting accidentally revealed his past eavesdropping. Li Zi finally understood. "You were there? Why didn't you just ask me? No wonder you were acting so strange back then." Li Zhenting pressed his lips together stubbornly, refusing to answer. "Li Zhenting, do you really trust me that little?" Li Zi’s temper began to simmer. "Am I the kind of person to two-time? Keep a fiancé at home and a lover on the side? Would I run myself ragged for that lover, and renovate a home just to comfort him?" "Is that really how you see me?" Li Zhenting didn't understand why, when he was clearly the one in the right, he was the one being scolded. Perhaps because he had been pampered lately, he found the courage to pour out the insecurities he had hidden for so long. "But you didn't refuse back then! What was I supposed to think?" "Your parents don't even know about our relationship. They definitely want you to find an Omega." "I know I’m not good enough for you, but I just love you. I love you so much I barely recognize myself anymore." "I know I’m just a thug with no real career. My family has no money, and now I’m practically an orphan. I couldn't focus on school, I have no education—I didn't even go to university. I don't even know what I have that could possibly attract you. What do I have that allows me to stand beside you?" "Even if it’s just my body and my face... I’m five years older than you. In a few years, I’ll be thirty, while you’ll be in your prime. What do I have to keep you?" "You’re so outstanding, so good... Why do I love you so much? *Ugh—*" The man was a mess of grievance and anger—angry at Li Zi, but hating his own inadequacy even more. He buried his face in Li Zi’s shoulder, confessing his love resentfully: "Can you stop being so good? I don't want to find myself loving you more every single day." As they argued, the atmosphere suddenly shifted. Feeling the rhythmic thudding of his head against her shoulder, Li Zi felt an urge to facepalm. She pinned him against the wall, lifted his chin, and said seriously, "You must, and can only, love me. That is non-negotiable." "When I love someone, I don't need them to be 'outstanding.' Being outstanding is a requirement one sets for oneself. I only get angry, sad, or worried because of the person named Li Zhenting. I love every single one of his strengths and his flaws." "But you have to tell me—what exactly do I have to do for you to feel at peace? So you’ll stop thinking about all this nonsense and just live our lives together?" Stunned by Li Zi’s rare, direct confession, Li Zhenting blurted out the thought that had been circling his mind lately. "I want to have your child. I want to form a real family with you." "Marriage is fine. A child is not." Li Zi’s answer was decisive. "Why? Why not a child?" Li Zhenting couldn't understand at all. "If we can get married, why can't we have a child? I want to bear a child for you. I want a little Li Zi. Besides, if we don't have a child, your parents probably won't accept me!" "...I’ll handle my parents. It won't be an issue." Li Zi avoided his primary question. "Is it that you don't want a child, or you don't want *me* to have your child?" Li Zhenting couldn't help but suspect the latter. "You’ve never shown that you dislike children, and you’ve never said you wanted to be child-free. If you just don't want me to be the one, I understand even less. How am I supposed to accept that without a reason?" "Li Zi, I want a complete home." He lowered his eyes. "If you’re like this, I can only assume you don't want my child because you look down on me." "..." The two fell into a silent standoff. Li Zhenting thought to himself: *This time, I must stand my ground. I can't let her off just because she coaxes me a little.* He peeked anxiously at Li Zi’s expression. The longer she remained silent, the more his resolve wavered. *Maybe I shouldn't push for an answer? Can't I just play dumb and keep things as they are?* However, Li Zi didn't make him wait much longer this time. She took a deep breath, as if making a difficult decision. Her gaze was complex as she looked at Li Zhenting, yet it seemed as though she was looking through him at something else. "If I refuse, will you just find another way to get pregnant later anyway?" "...I can't deny that." Li Zhenting felt a bit guilty; he truly might have done such a thing. "I... I don't look down on you. And I would never look down on our child," she said with some difficulty. "Then why?" Li Zhenting pressed. "I... you can think of it as a very vivid dream I once had. Everything in the dream was very close to reality. In that dream, you got pregnant without my knowledge. I was busy with work and you kept it from me. Later... you died because of that child. A hemorrhage. They couldn't save you." Li Zi spoke vaguely, but the fear and pain in her eyes were exceptionally real. Though Li Zhenting found the reason somewhat absurd, he was moved by the depth of emotion behind it. He leaned into her. "But that was just a dream. So many things in reality are already different from it, aren't they? This time, with you knowing about it, maybe nothing will go wrong?" "I swear, I’ll be good. I won't let any accidents happen." The longing in his eyes was so dazzling that Li Zi wavered for a moment. "Protecting you should be my responsibility." "Exactly. So, if we’re both careful, nothing will happen. Azi, this is my only wish. I want your child." He tried to act spoiled, leaning in to kiss Li Zi’s beautifully shaped, thin lips. Li Zi let him lick and nibble at her lips like a puppy, merely staring at him with a heavy gaze, her mind still weighing the possibilities. Seeing his chance, Li Zhenting’s mind sharpened. He continued, "Besides, when did I die in your dream? We can just avoid that specific time!" Li Zi felt helpless. "You think you can just pick the timing?" "To be honest, if you agree, I want to get pregnant right now." The man was rarely this persistent. Li Zi, who had grown accustomed to pampering him in this life, finally softened her heart. "Fine. But you have to listen to me in everything. And you must stay by my side; no running off." Li Zhenting’s eyes lit up. He had never been as happy as he was at this moment. He leaped into Li Zi’s arms excitedly. "I love you so much, Azi!" Li Zi was nearly knocked onto her backside by the impact. Her heart was a whirlwind of emotions. She had tried so hard to prevent this, even hesitating as a child whether to approach Li Zhenting again or to stop him from falling in love with her to avoid the tragedy. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to help herself; she couldn't accept the possibility of Li Zhenting loving someone else. And now, she had even agreed to the very thing she feared most. The world was truly unpredictable. Her sense of irony deepened when they returned home and Yuan Ye excitedly came over to claim Li Zhenting as his "sworn brother," leaving Li Zhenting looking utterly bewildered. So many things in this life were identical to the last, yet so many new and unexpected situations had arisen. Since so much had changed, could they truly escape that disaster? Perhaps she could even intervene in the affairs of Tian Wu and the other two, to see if their regrets could be avoided as well. ***