A Fatal Attraction from Lawyer A - Chapter 69

After dinner, the robot vacuum worked diligently across the living room floor. From the floating speakers beside the art-covered feature wall, a selection of lazy R&B music played, creating a cozy and comfortable atmosphere.

Gu Yuqi walked to the balcony and pressed the wall switch. As the sheer curtains glided open, he froze for a moment—it had started to snow.

“Are you cold?”

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a warm body pressed against his back. Gu Yuqi shook his head gently. “I’m not cold. Look, it’s snowing.”

His gaze fell upon the reflection in the window, capturing Luo Panzhi standing behind him wearing the plush dog ears. Gu reached up to stroke the fuzzy material, feeling a familiar itch of desire in his heart.

“Mhm, it’s going to get cold again with the snow.” Luo Panzhi rested his chin on Gu’s shoulder to make the ears easier to reach. He wrapped his arms around Gu Yuqi’s waist, using his forearms to measure the curve of the belly. He clicked his tongue. “Is this little guy absorbing everything you eat? Why is it that only the stomach is getting bigger? Seems we have a greedy little fatty on our hands.”

Just as the words left his mouth, a sudden kick thudded against his palm.

Gu Yuqi sucked in a breath. At the moment of the fetal movement, his reproductive cavity spasmed slightly. He frowned, looking down at the excitedly moving belly. “Luo Panzhi, he’s protesting. He’s angry that you called him a little fatty.”

“My apologies, my apologies,” Luo Panzhi whispered, gently stroking the belly to soothe the baby. “Big Dad didn’t mean it. But I still have to say, don’t eat too much—it’ll make things very hard for your Papa.”

As if in response, the belly was struck with another forceful kick.

Gu Yuqi felt as though the child had lunged with its head this time. Though it wasn’t as hard as the first kick, he laughed. “He’s still angry.”

“Is it just me, or is he quite fierce?” Luo Panzhi kept his hand on the belly, feeling the strength of the movements. “He probably has a lot of energy now that he’s full.”

“Have you thought of a name for him?”

Luo Panzhi shook his head. “Not yet. I’ve already decided on the gender, though.” He guided Gu Yuqi toward the sofa. “Don’t stand for too long. Let’s sit for a while.”

“Regardless of the gender, we should think of something. Maybe a nickname first?” Gu Yuqi sat down and reclined the sofa, letting out a relaxed sigh of relief.

Luo Panzhi lay down beside him, propping his head up with one hand while the other continued to feel the pregnant belly. “A nickname should be something interesting.”

“How about ‘Monkey’?” Gu Yuqi teased.

Luo Panzhi sat bolt upright, his eyes wide as if to say, Are you serious? “That isn’t the same concept as ‘Left-Look’ and ‘Right-Gaze’ (Zuo Gu and Panzhi’s names). My Omega princess cannot be called a monkey!”

“I’m just teasing.” Seeing Luo Panzhi nearly jump out of his skin, Gu Yuqi nudged Luo’s thigh with his knee, finding the reaction hilarious. “There’s no need to be so dramatic.”

Just as he was about to pull his leg back, Luo Panzhi caught him by the back of the knee.

“Have your legs cramped at all these past few days?” Luo Panzhi pulled Gu’s leg over his own lap, rolled up the trouser leg, and began kneading the calf. “Do they feel heavy?”

“No cramps. I’m fine,” Gu Yuqi said, watching him.

“I should still massage them, just in case they cramp in the middle of the night.” Luo Panzhi began the massage with practiced ease.

Gu Yuqi had a sudden inspiration. “In that case, let’s call the baby ‘Knead-Knead’ (Nie Nie).”

Luo Panzhi: “…Does it have to be that casual?”

“How is that casual? It’s a sentimental name inspired by Big Dad’s massage,” Gu Yuqi said with a straight face.

Luo Panzhi grimaced. If an Omega was named ‘Nie Nie,’ it wouldn’t be very ‘princess-like.’ “We have to use this name from childhood until they grow up. If they differentiate into an Omega, ‘Nie Nie’ isn’t very elegant, is it?”

“Then you do it, Mr. Luo.” Gu Yuqi made a polite ‘after you’ gesture.

Luo Panzhi thought deeply while massaging. His gaze accidentally drifted to the fine, downy snow outside. Remembering Gu Yuqi’s love for soft, fluffy things, he said, “Let’s call the baby ‘Fluffy’ (Rong Rong).”

“Would an Alpha or a Beta still be called something so cute?” Even as he asked, Gu Yuqi felt ‘Rong Rong’ was perfect. It matched the snow outside and the soft texture he loved.

Luo Panzhi looked at him gloomily. “Don’t you call me ‘Panpan’?”

Gu Yuqi smiled. “True. It’s very cute when I call you that.”

“Let’s settle on the nickname for now. We can take our time with the formal name after the birth.” Luo Panzhi switched to the other leg. “Papa’s legs are so long; my Omega princess’s legs will surely be long too. Yes, a princess must have long legs.”

Gu Yuqi ignored Luo Panzhi’s mutterings about his Omega obsession and opened his phone to shop for more dog ears. He planned to buy thirty pairs so Luo could wear a different style every day. Since the young CEO was willing to stay home and indulge him, he intended to enjoy it to the fullest.

Midway through his selection, Luo Panzhi’s work phone rang.

Luo Panzhi frowned, looking annoyed.

“Answer it. It might be an emergency,” Gu Yuqi said. He reached for the phone on the side table, but Luo Panzhi caught his hand before he could grab it.

“I told you not to keep putting pressure on your stomach.” Luo Panzhi walked around to pick up the phone himself. Seeing the caller ID, his expression darkened. “I might have to take a meeting.”

“Mhm,” Gu Yuqi nodded.

“I’m sorry. I really wanted to focus on being with you.” The phone continued to ring persistently.

Seeing Luo Panzhi looking so serious and apologetic, Gu Yuqi found it somewhat funny. “Are you underestimating me? Do I seem incapable of being independent? I am thirty years old, not three. Work is obviously important.”

Luo Panzhi stared at him. This was not at all what he had imagined. This man was not clingy in the slightest. Why did he have to be so independent even while pregnant? Couldn’t he show just a little bit of unhappiness or throw a small tantrum?

Luo Panzhi had specifically tricked his father into returning to the office so he could stay home. Was Yuqi really not upset at all by this interruption? Was he not going to get angry?

The “work comes first” and “I am independent” attitude left Luo Panzhi with a belly full of frustrated air.

Gu Yuqi pointed to the phone. “Aren’t you going to answer?”

Luo Panzhi hesitated, but the ringing wouldn’t stop—it was an emergency call from the international department. Seeing Gu Yuqi’s genuinely unbothered expression, he felt even more frustrated. “Stay put. If you’re bored, go find Xiao Pan. Don’t walk too fast. I’m going to the meeting!”

With an indignant huff, he ruffled Gu Yuqi’s hair before answering the call and heading into the study.

Gu Yuqi: “…?” He watched Luo Panzhi’s retreating back in confusion. Why did he get angry?

Luo Panzhi had walked away with the angriest of strides, only to close the study door with the utmost care.

Gu Yuqi watched the study door, lost in thought. Just then, his own phone rang. It was his friend, Qi Lin.

“Old Gu, why aren’t we bowling tonight?”

Gu Yuqi walked toward the foyer, wanting to check on the dog across the hall. “Luo Panzhi is back.”

Qi Lin laughed on the other end. “You really are henpecked—or I guess, ‘husband-pecked.’ The moment he’s back, you’re a good little boy. If Jian Wenxing tried to restrict me like that, I’d beat him to death.”

“Qi Lin, I’ve taken leave.”

“What?!” Qi Lin’s voice spiked. “Gu Yuqi, did he force you? This isn’t right. I know you’re five months pregnant, but the doctor said you’re stable and working is fine. Besides, your workload at Galaxy Group isn’t that heavy. How could you agree to this?”

Gu Yuqi held the phone away from his ear. He pushed open the door to the opposite apartment, where Xiao Pan came running and barking happily. “I wouldn’t have agreed before. But I saw how tired Luo Panzhi was—juggling me and the company. He flew back overnight without sleep just because he was worried about me. I began to wonder if I’ve been too strong and too independent—”

He stopped mid-sentence.

“Why did you stop?” Qi Lin asked. “Old Gu? Old Gu!”

Gu Yuqi was stunned for a moment, a sudden realization hitting him. “Qi Lin, do you think I care too much about my pride? Am I too stubborn?”

“Well, you are proud and stubborn,” Qi Lin sighed in relief. “So what kind of love potion did Luo Panzhi give you to make you give up work for the home?”

“Because he pushed away all his work just to be with me.”

Qi Lin went silent. The comparison was painful.

“Just now, he took an emergency call, but he kept looking at me as if he were afraid I’d be angry. When I told him I understood, he got mad instead.” Gu Yuqi watched the snow outside. “I think… he was waiting for me to be upset, and I wasn’t.”

“Old Gu, maybe he wants you to be upset. He cleared his schedule because he wants to show you that you are more important than work. He wants to feel that you depend on him.”

Gu Yuqi stared at the ceiling. It was true. Luo Panzhi was waiting for his reliance.

Gu was so used to being independent that he forgot they were partners now. Luo Panzhi could act spoiled or throw tantrums whenever he wanted, yet Gu was still saying things like “I am thirty, not three.” Luo Panzhi must have hated hearing that.

“Qi Lin… do you know how to act spoiled?”

There was a long silence. “I don’t. But Jian Wenxing does. If you want to learn, I can give you a few examples.”

“Does that kind of behavior really work?”

“It works so well it makes your heart melt, even when you know he’s a troublemaker,” Qi Lin admitted.

Gu Yuqi smiled. “Then tell me. I want to learn.”