During the New Year’s Day holiday, Li Zi received a notification from her university.
Her application for the postgraduate recommendation had been approved; the official announcement would be released alongside the other students' results in due time. This meant that as long as she completed the second semester of her junior year and submitted her thesis on time, she would officially enter her postgraduate studies in her senior year, with Xun Xin as her supervisor.
By this time, Li Zhenting was about five months into his pregnancy. His belly began to change day by day, swelling like a balloon being blown up.
His daily life was manageable; as long as he was careful not to overexert himself or make overly large movements, he could still manage a full day’s work at the shop. However, the monthly "disorder period" had become an ordeal.
While Li Zi was out at work, he lay on their bed, surrounded by piles of her clothes. He buried himself within the nest he had built from her garments, constantly drawing in the scent that brought him peace of mind.
Because of the size of his belly, he had been forced to change his usual sleeping posture to lying on his side. After lying there for a while, his waist began to ache. Yet, at this moment, the most painful thing was the heat constantly surging through his body. Due to his physical state, even reaching out his hand felt like a struggle.
The entire previous night had been a blur.
The room had been filled with his own unconscious, incoherent murmurs. Li Zi, trying to be mindful of his condition, found herself in a difficult position, especially when he scolded her with a tearful voice: "You bastard... how can you tease me like this?"
When Li Zi loosened her grip slightly to give him some space, his face would change within a minute.
"The baby..."
Finally, because his thighs could no longer withstand the pressure and began to protest, and his waist was aching unbearably, the pregnant man finally fell asleep from exhaustion. Even as his consciousness drifted into darkness, he still held onto Li Zi, refusing to let her go.
"Don't go... just stay like this..."
Li Zi had no choice but to stop her attempt to get a wet wipe. She gently took him into her arms, maintaining a posture from behind that gave him a sense of security.
Li Zhenting fell asleep, but his thighs still twitched with reflexive cramps from overexertion.
It wasn't that Li Zi didn't want to stay with him during this special period, but there was an urgent matter at the studio that required her presence in the morning. She could only take the afternoon off to go home.
When Li Zhenting saw her putting on her clothes to head out that morning, his brain—governed by the disorder period—instantly stalled. Without even bothering to put on his own clothes, he supported his belly and moved to wrap his arms around Li Zi’s waist.
"Where are you going? Do you not want us anymore?"
With his soft belly pressed against her back, Li Zi’s movements halted. She turned around and looked at the fragile, willful expression on his handsome face—a look never seen under normal circumstances. She coaxed him: "How could I not want you? Don't think such nonsense. Be good and rest well. I’m just going out to handle some work; I’ll be back in a bit."
She cupped Li Zhenting’s face, using her fingers to wipe away the tears brought on by his anxiety.
"No crying, and no overthinking. If you're tired, go back to sleep. I'll be back by the time you wake up."
"I don't want to. If you leave, I'll be scared."
He shook his head, his eyes filled with the magnified panic of the heat.
"What is there to be scared of? Silly man. You and the baby stay safely at home; nothing will happen. Just wait for me to come back."
Seeing that reasoning was ineffective, Li Zi had no choice but to release her pheromones, using a two-pronged approach to soothe him. Only then did Li Zhenting reluctantly return to the covers. With his belly bulging, he clutched the quilt and watched her leave with a pitiful gaze, no longer speaking to make her stay.
However, those eyes nearly made Li Zi impulsively skip work.
*No, Li Zi, stay calm. This is just a symptom of his heat.*
She hardened her heart and left with her bag.
Li Zhenting took a nap, but Li Zi still hadn't returned. After he woke up, he pulled out all her clothes and arranged them around himself. His tall frame curled into a ball as he muttered grievances in a low voice.
"Liar. You said you'd be back when I woke up."
"You're not here at all. Big liar."
"I feel awful... my gland is getting hot again. I want Li Zi..."
Although he had already experienced four heat cycles, he would likely still feel ashamed for a long time once he regained his senses, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge his behavior during this special period.
*Click.*
Li Zi returned with lunch. The apartment was silent. She placed the food on the dining table and softly pushed open the bedroom door. "Baby, are you still sleeping?"
As it turned out, the room was filled with her clothes as far as the eye could see.
*Is he nesting?*
Li Zi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
She walked over. The person on the bed was clearly excited, yet he suppressed himself, stubbornly refusing to turn around out of anger.
"I'm back."
She reached out and squeezed the back of the man's neck.
Only then did he turn around indignantly and throw himself into her arms. "You lied to me. I didn't see you when I woke up."
"How could you lie to a pregnant man?"
Li Zi nodded repeatedly. "Mhm, I was wrong. I should have come back sooner."
"Don't be angry, baby. Haven't I returned now?"
"How was your morning? Any discomfort?"
When the cool and elegant woman used such a soft voice to hold him and admit her fault, Li Zhenting’s resolve immediately crumbled. He vented his insecurity without reservation:
"Azhi, I was scared... and I feel so uncomfortable..."
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
As they embraced, his belly suddenly moved. Li Zi clearly felt something kick her. Li Zhenting felt it too. Both of them froze in shock, staring at his rounded stomach.
"Did the baby move?"
Just as the words left her mouth, several small imprints surfaced on his skin. Li Zhenting cried out, "Ah!"
"The baby is kicking me!"
In that instant, he completely forgot all his own needs, focusing entirely on his belly, experiencing the first interaction with the new life within him. He took Li Zi’s hand and placed it on his stomach. "Azhi, did you see that?"
"I saw it."
The two of them stared at the same spot with silly, nervous intensity, waiting for the next contact with their unborn child.
***
The relationship between Li Qingliu and Xie Bing had been very subtle lately.
One person thought their actions had gone unnoticed, while the other was constantly pondering the meaning of that kiss. But perhaps because he was starting to lose confidence, the frequency of Li Qingliu’s WeChat messages to Xie Bing suddenly dropped.
Previously, there was a routine of "good morning," "good afternoon," and "good night." He would share his daily observations and occasionally send photos of his new recipe experiments to ask for Xie Bing’s opinion. If Xie Bing said it looked good, she would find that very dish in her lunchbox that evening.
Although the lunchboxes were still being provided, Xie Bing just felt that something was off, and the feeling made her very uncomfortable.
She was a direct person. Upon noticing Li Qingliu avoiding her gaze once again, she caught hold of him and asked:
"Brother Qing, you've been very strange lately."
"Huh? What's strange? I'm not!"
Li Qingliu flinched like a startled rabbit, trying to hop away, but he was held firmly in place.
"Ah, haha... Xiao Xie, are you overthinking things?"
"I'm not."
Xie Bing shook her head, her tone certain. "Ever since that time you brought me my ID badge, you've been somewhat avoiding me."
"Did I do something wrong? I rarely interact with people like this. If I've done something incorrect, you can tell me."
"I don't want to make you angry without even knowing why."
Being exposed so ruthlessly sent a wave of panic through Li Qingliu’s heart. But when he saw Xie Bing’s bewildered expression, his heart began to soften again.
"I'm not angry. How could I ever be angry with you?" He sighed and patted the hand Xie Bing was using to hold him. "It's my own problem."
"Is it because of that kiss?"
Xie Bing frowned; it was the only thing she could think of.
"!!! You know? You were awake then?"
Li Qingliu’s face turned pale instantly. "I'm sorry... I... I'm not a pervert. Please don't think I'm disgusting. I just..."
*I like you.* Could he actually say those words?
"I don't think you're disgusting." Xie Bing didn't understand why he would say that.
"You don't hate it?" Li Qingliu’s eyes widened as a spark of joy began to sprout. "Then, does that mean you..."
*Like me?*
"But why did you do that, Brother Qing? And why have you been avoiding me?" Xie Bing still looked puzzled.
This expression was like a bucket of cold water poured over Li Qingliu, who had almost thought they were of one mind.
*Xiao Xie doesn't understand? She hasn't thought about it in that way at all?*
The girl who always presented herself with such maturity was actually emotionally unawakened?
Li Qingliu had not expected this at all. He stared blankly at the confusion in Xie Bing’s eyes as another kind of desire frantically climbed into his heart.
*Could I be the first person to lead her into experiencing these feelings?*
*She doesn't hate it... so does that mean I have a great chance?*
In a rush of impulsive heat, Li Qingliu reached back and grabbed Xie Bing’s arm. With a flushed face, he said to her:
"You don't have a shift tomorrow night, right? Let's go out for dinner together."
"I'll give you the answer then."
