AHDIBCB Chapter 49

That day, Yuan Yi’s mood was unusually bright. Even though he couldn’t see Li Heng, he once again genuinely felt how much that man cared for him. His expression still looked cold and aloof, but inside, his heart was filled with sunshine. No matter how far apart they were, he knew Li Heng was watching over him and thinking of him.

In contrast, Cao Yuran was completely different. The first thing he did after returning home was to burn those two pieces of clothing. He burned them calmly, with little expression on his face.

At that moment, Luo Qizheng was not home, only the butler was there. Seeing him staring blankly at the flames, the butler worriedly asked, “Madam, are you alright?”

Cao Yuran turned his head, smiled faintly, “I’m fine, what could be wrong with me? Has the commander said when he’ll be back tonight?”

The butler replied, “No specific time yet. But the commander said he’d probably be late; he has a last-minute meeting. He also said you don’t need to wait for him for dinner tonight. Whatever you want to eat, just say the word, and I’ll have it prepared at any time.”

Cao Yuran said, “Then just make a bowl of vegetarian noodles.”

The butler lightly frowned, “Madam, you’re not alone anymore—there’s a baby growing inside you, and it needs proper nutrition. The commander sent a batch of seafood this morning, it’s all being kept in the pond. How about some fish porridge with a few steamed dishes? You don’t like greasy food, so we can make it light. There’s also venison and pigeon. The kitchen has made pigeon soup; if you don’t want seafood or venison, how about noodles cooked in pigeon soup, accompanied by a few light and tasty side dishes?”

Cao Yuran lowered his head, his voice gentle: “Looks like I really am an outsider—I can’t even order you around.”

The butler immediately bent at the waist. “Apologies, Madam. I overstepped. I’ll go prepare the vegetarian noodles.”

Cao Yuran watched as the butler walked away. The living room was now left with just one living person—him.

The Luo family’s house was massive. There was an indoor garden and a forested yard spanning thousands of square meters. The indoor garden was filled with all kinds of exotic plants and rare flowers, and even housed quite a few birds. But he didn’t like it at all.

Despite the size of the Luo household, there were only six living people in total.

Luo Qizheng, himself, and the butler. The remaining three were the chefs, who he barely saw unless he specifically sought them out.

Though it looked like there was a lot of activity outside, most of it was done by robots. Even inside the house, there were a few that just stood around, unmoving. If he wasn’t constantly alert, it would be all too easy to find himself being watched without even knowing.

Cao Yuran picked up a mealworm with tweezers and used it to tease the two birds in the cage.

There was one male and one female bird in the cage now. Originally, there had been another female—she even laid an egg after being brought home—but died shortly afterward. The remaining pair often fought. Luo Qizheng had said he’d buy two more female birds, but Cao Yuran hadn’t allowed it.

He held the worm out to tease the male bird but didn’t let it eat. Then he teased the female bird with it as well, also keeping it just out of reach. The two birds bounced and fluttered after the worm, their tempers slowly building. Finally, when Cao Yuran dropped the worm between them, the two birds began pecking at each other.

Cao Yuran watched as the birds’ bright feathers were pecked off by each other, and finally threw the still-wriggling mealworm to the bottom of the cage. The smart birdcage detected the new weight, assumed it was bird droppings, and automatically activated the flushing system, washing the worm into the waste collection compartment.

The birds didn’t get the worm and were doused with a good amount of water. Cao Yuran stared at them with a blank expression for a while before finally walking away slowly.

At dinnertime, as expected, there was only a bowl of plain noodles on the table. But he only took a few bites before putting his chopsticks down.

The butler hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something. But recalling what this new master had said earlier, he ultimately held his tongue.

That night, when Luo Qizheng returned home, he saw Cao Yuran sitting on the bed playing with a Rubik’s Cube. He kept turning it in his hands, but his gaze wasn’t really on it. He didn’t even seem to notice Luo Qizheng entering the room.

As Luo Qizheng changed his clothes, he said, “Old Lin told me you barely ate again tonight, and you burned those two sets of clothes. You won’t be needing them anymore?”

Cao Yuran frowned. “I don’t think that plan worked at all. Yuan Yi didn’t fall for it one bit. I even switched from the experimental class to the parallel one for nothing—he’s the one who ended up transferring into the experimental class instead.”

Luo Qizheng chuckled. “Maybe it didn’t work this time, but it’s not like it’ll never work. He’s bound to slip up eventually. And honestly, that experimental class is pretty intense. Transferring out is better for you and the baby.”

Easy for you to say when you’re not the one making sacrifices.

Cao Yuran had worked so hard to get into that experimental class, and now he’d been moved out just like that.

The most frustrating part? Yuan Yi actually transferred back in.

Then what was the point of him going to Class Two? And to think, if he said he truly just wanted to be friends with Yuan Yi, at this point, it would sound like a joke.

A wave of suffocating frustration welled up in Cao Yuran’s chest, but he didn’t dare show any anger toward the man in front of him. He could only mutter, “You told me to provoke Yuan Yi as much as possible, to see if we could force Li Heng to show up, or at least get Yuan Yi to act irrationally. That way, if the Li family or the Jian family tries to protect him, you’d have leverage against them. But did you ever think about how unsafe that is for me and the baby? You saw the video of Yuan Yi hitting Zhou Xingran — he’s not the kind of person who’s afraid to cause trouble.”

Luo Qizheng said, “Of course I thought about that. I care about your and the baby’s safety — why else would I have people send food to the house every day and assign protection to watch over you? But Cao Yuran, ask yourself: do you even care? Since you got pregnant, you haven’t eaten a single proper meal. Is it really that you’ve lost your appetite, or are you still thinking about Li Heng and don’t want this child at all?”

Pain flickered in Cao Yuran’s eyes. “I already married you. What’s the point of you always harping on this? You’re the one who wants to find out whether Li Heng is still alive — not me. I’ve never even thought there was a future between us.”

Back when he learned that his compatibility match with Li Heng was extremely high, he had been overjoyed. Even if Li Heng had died, he had never hesitated about marrying him posthumously.

But his family had completely rejected the idea — worse than that, they even…

The moment he thought about that night when someone close to him had forcibly triggered his heat, Cao Yuran felt a wave of icy cold spread through his body, like he could suffocate at any second.

Luo Qizheng’s expression turned dark. “Since you know you’re already mine, then treat the baby better. Remember, even if you make it so that this child can’t be born into this world, I can still make you pregnant again. If once doesn’t work, then twice. If twice doesn’t work, then ten times, a hundred times. One day, you will bear me a child. Also, I have some good news for you.”

Cao Yuran gripped the Rubik’s Cube so tightly that his fingertips turned white. His voice tensed unconsciously. “What news?”

At that moment, Luo Qizheng reached out and gently stroked the back of Cao Yuran’s neck, his tone slow and deliberate. “Li Heng is indeed still alive. Darling, you’ve really done me a huge favor this time. I hadn’t been able to confirm it before, but now I can say with absolute certainty — he’s in Xingdu. So? Knowing that your savior and longtime crush is still alive — aren’t you thrilled?”

Cao Yuran: “……”

Luo Qizheng took off his communicator and placed it on the bedside table. He bent down and kissed Cao Yuran’s pale lips. “Be good and wait for me. Your older brother’s future still depends on me putting in a good word for him with the Second Hall.”

Cao Yuran numbly nodded. Only when he heard the bathroom door close did his eyes grow icily cold.

The communicator behind him felt like a blade, stabbing into his back with searing pain.

At the Li residence, Yuan Yi knocked his head lightly, trying to shake off the brain fog from studying too hard. He put down his pen and got up to stretch.

His belly was getting more and more noticeable. He wasn’t even four months along yet, but it already looked like some people’s bellies at nearly five months.

He could clearly feel that his movements were gradually becoming clumsier.

“Li Mian, are you still filming me every day?”

“Of course I am!” Li Mian chirped. “Master said he doesn’t want to miss a single moment of the babies’ development. I’ve got to keep a full record for him. Why do you ask all of a sudden, Brother Yi?”

“Because I just realized… I might be growing a double chin.”

Yuan Yi looked at himself in the mirror. It wasn’t obvious if he didn’t lower his head too much, but if he did — yep, there it was. All that rich food hadn’t gone to waste.

“That’s what you call a double chin?” Li Mian floated over to take a closer look. “Trust me, Brother Yi, you could still outshine the most top-tier omega celebrities any day!”

“That’s not quite the point.”

“Huh? What’s not?”

“Cao Yuran strutted right up to me in a custom piece Ji Lan designed for me and started acting out a show. There’s no way he did that just because he was bored. What do you think his goal was?”

“Isn’t it just to drive a wedge between you and Ji Lan?”

“I think it’s more than that. If all he wanted was to sow discord, there are plenty of better ways to do it. Besides, last semester he admitted himself that he doesn’t even like his husband. But a few days ago they were playing the loving couple like no tomorrow. Something about that feels off. It’s obvious he’s trying to provoke me. He’s got feelings for your master.”

“…I can swear on my master’s behalf — in his heart, there’s only you!”

“No need to say it. I already know. But he’s out here trying to provoke me while I’m all rosy-cheeked and glowing, and he’s the one looking pale and sickly. It doesn’t look right. I don’t want anyone taking that and running to complain to the Emperor.”

“Hmm… you might actually have a point.”

“Right?”

Yuan Yi thought of the donkey meat sandwiches and felt a sense of comfort.

After returning home, he noticed there were more of those sandwiches again. Though the packaging looked different from before, once opened, they were exactly the same. He knew right away it was Li Heng’s doing.

And the more he felt Li Heng’s care, the more he wanted to do something for him in return. Right now, the best way to help Li Heng was to take good care of himself and the babies. That meant he had to be on guard against Cao Yuran and his husband.

Everything Cao Yuran had done recently clearly seemed like an attempt to provoke him. But why?

It couldn’t be that he wanted to reenact the Empress Wang scenario¹.

Li Mian said, “It’s not impossible. That’s exactly how things play out in dramas! If he really tries to frame you, then Master won’t be able to just stay in the shadows anymore. Either way, I think you’d better be careful, Brother Yi. He’s only carrying one baby, and he’s still all skinny. You’ve got two in there, and if he really bumps into you and hurts you, we’d be at a huge loss. Look how well you’ve been taking care of your pregnancy—rosy lips, bright eyes, glowing skin. Our babies are going to be strong and healthy for sure.”

Yuan Yi glanced at himself in the mirror.

Right now, he was wearing a dress. Technically, it was just an oversized T-shirt — another one Ji Lan had made for him later on.

He’d resisted a little at first, but then figured there was no need. It was comfortable, didn’t constrict his belly, and was good for the babies and for him. That was all that mattered.

Looking at himself now, he really did look a bit like the pampered young master of a rich landowning family, stuffed full and round.

Yuan Yi pinched his chin. “I guess I’m not really Professor Jian’s type.”

Li Mian replied, “But isn’t this exactly what pregnancy is supposed to be like? Eat well, sleep well. You can’t go out of your way to make yourself or the babies suffer.”

Yuan Yi silently agreed — but it seemed that was exactly what Cao Yuran had chosen to do.

If Cao Yuran hadn’t lied to him from the beginning, then their pregnancies should have started around the same time—Cao Yuran might have even been earlier.

Cao Yuran had already married into the Luo family before Yuan Yi came to the Li household, and since it was a natural pregnancy, he wouldn’t have needed to go through any special prenatal preparation. But looking at him now, even if it was just a single pregnancy, he was far too thin compared to a normal omega at this stage. His belly had only just started to show—it was barely enough to tell that he was pregnant.

And because of that, Yuan Yi now had two guesses:

The first was that this man didn’t like the child he was carrying at all. After all, he had personally admitted he didn’t love Luo Qizheng. So, by extension, he likely didn’t want the baby either and might never have intended for it to be born.

The second was what Li Mian had mentioned—he wanted to stage an incident, to intentionally frame someone. Just like those palace intrigue dramas, where someone first weakens their pregnancy, then deliberately creates a confrontation to cause a miscarriage…

But the second scenario still felt like an overinterpretation, even if it did have some logic. Unless the situation was truly extreme—like something between Li Heng and Luo Qizheng, or if the power struggle between the major players had reached a boiling point—it probably wouldn’t come to that.

The first theory, though, seemed much more likely.

Although an alpha’s lifelong mark on an omega could have a strong influence, it wasn’t enough to make someone go from not loving to loving in such a short time. If the mark were really that powerful, then back when Yuan Yi and Cao Yuran first met, Cao Yuran would have already fallen for Luo Qizheng.

But he didn’t.

Which meant a lifelong mark could influence feelings, but not completely override them.

So what were those two up to? Could it be that Cao Yuran was actually cooperating with Luo Qizheng in this whole act? Were they trying to use this to lure Li Heng out?

Thinking along these lines, although it was clear that Li Heng had precisely calculated the timing—Cao Yuran appeared wearing that jumpsuit, and shortly after, someone released those cleaning robots—so in theory, outsiders wouldn’t think he deliberately targeted Cao Yuran…

But even if outsiders didn’t think so, Cao Yuran and Luo Qizheng certainly wouldn’t see it that way…

Who could respond that quickly, and even control that many city cleaning robots? First, the person had to hold a certain status. And in this situation, there were only two people who had both the motive and the means to carry out such a counterattack.

One was Pei She, because the incident involved Ji Lan, and Pei She was currently pursuing him.

The other was Li Heng, because the outfit had originally been designed for him—and Li Heng was his husband.

But to pull something like this off in such a short amount of time, it had to be someone deeply familiar with this place. Pei She wasn’t even a native of Xingdu—how could he have thought of such a method? The one familiar with this place was Li Heng!

Damn it! Luo Qizheng must’ve figured out that Li Heng is still alive! And if he knows, then it’s as good as Second Highness knowing!

So now that Second Highness knows, how can he quickly use this information to force Li Heng into the open?

That could only mean… high treason!

Yuan Yi suddenly exclaimed, “Li Mian! Quickly delete all the records related to your master from this entire period!”

Li Mian asked, “Why? If I do that, I won’t be able to show them to the master later.”

Yuan Yi said urgently, “There’s no time to explain! Hurry! And tell Li Qin to wipe down anything in the house that might retain your master’s fingerprints!”

Li Mian sprang into action.

Strictly speaking, it should have prioritized Li Heng’s instructions upon discovering he was alive. But before leaving, Li Heng had told it clearly: if Yuan Yi ever had an emergency, it was to obey him.

So it began deleting everything Yuan Yi had requested—including parts where Li Heng wasn’t physically present but had been mentioned. Anything that might reveal Li Heng was still alive, even remotely, was erased.

Li Qin also began thoroughly cleaning the house again.

But just then, the heavy hum of a large aircraft hovering outside echoed through the area.

Yuan Yi urged them both to move even faster, then grabbed one of Li Heng’s coats and threw it on before heading outside.

At that moment, he heard a set of synchronized but layered footsteps coming from downstairs, followed by a completely unfamiliar voice.

The person said, “Professor Jian, apologies for the late hour. By the order of His Majesty, we are here to escort General Li Heng to the palace to meet with the Emperor.”

Professor Jian said coldly, “General, what is the meaning of this? How could Li Heng possibly be in my home?”

The man replied, “We received a report that General Li Heng isn’t dead, but is instead in hiding, secretly colluding with others in a plot that threatens the peace of Star City. The Emperor himself ordered a search. Please don’t make it difficult for my men. Everyone—search upstairs! Leave no corner unchecked!”

Professor Jian’s face darkened with fury. Yuan Yi reached out to steady her, gently patting her hand.

A total of sixty people began searching at once, and the house was soon turned upside down.

After several minutes, someone called out, “Captain! We found something!”

The lead officer turned to Professor Jian and Yuan Yi and said, “Would the two of you please come upstairs and take a look?”

A soldier pointed to a cabinet containing new, oversized clothes. “These sizes clearly belong to an alpha. They also carry a strong scent of cedar pheromones—and they’re this season’s new arrivals.”

Yuan Yi said calmly, “The pheromones are from the scent diffusers I used. The clothes are mine. I’m an omega, pregnant, and without my husband by my side. Can’t I wear oversized, scented clothing just for comfort?”

The captain turned to one of his men. “Anything else?”

One of the soldiers stepped forward, holding a small robot. “Sir, we found this unit hidden on the top shelf of the cabinet.”

The captain took the robot and connected it to his communicator, checking its contents. “You’ve been using this to study?”

Yuan Yi nodded, “Yes.”

The captain smiled and asked, “Then, madam, can you explain why there are several days last month with no record of it assisting you at all?”

Yuan Yi replied calmly, “Isn’t taking breaks a normal part of balancing work and rest?”

The captain said, “That’s not the issue. Madam, do you know what level system it’s running now?”

Yuan Yi said, “It was a little tutor my husband once used. But I’m a medical student—I don’t really understand this.”

The captain said, “That’s strange, because it’s equipped with the highest-level system. If you don’t know who upgraded it, then who did? Bring the wife of the former Wolf-class captain here at once—let him personally explain to the Emperor.”

He smiled and added, “I heard Marshal Jian once gave you the original pheromone of Li Heng. Who knows how long this trip will take this time. For the sake of the children’s healthy development, I suggest you bring all the pheromone you have with you.”

Yuan Yi thought for a moment and only took out the unfinished bottle the hospital had given him.

Then someone in the study said, “Captain, there are still two safes here that haven’t been checked.”

The captain noticed Yuan Yi’s barely perceptible frown, beckoned, and said, “Take them both away together.”