A Fatal Attraction from Lawyer A - Chapter 74

The moment Luo Panzhi saw Gu Yuxi’s eyes close and his face go deathly pale, his mind went blank. Driven by sheer instinct, he caught the man before he hit the ground and swept him up into his arms, rushing into the house.

He laid Gu Yuxi on the bed, stripped off his shoes and socks, and gently patted his cheek. He checked Gu Yuxi’s pupils and found that he had completely lost consciousness; his body was cold to the touch.

Suddenly struck by a possibility, Luo Panzhi yanked open the nightstand drawer and pulled out a glucose meter. He inserted a test strip and used the lancing device to draw a single drop of blood from Gu Yuxi’s finger.

Seconds later, the screen flashed: 2.6 mmol/L.

Luo Panzhi’s face darkened instantly. It was a blackout caused by hypoglycemia—low blood sugar. The neutralization test required fasting, and they had clearly drawn a significant amount of blood. This man hadn’t eaten a bite of breakfast.

He took a deep breath to stifle his temper, gently rubbing the tiny needle mark on Gu Yuxi’s fingertip before stowing the meter away. He went to the bathroom to wash his hands, removed his watch, and then retrieved the medical kit from the living room.

Back in the bedroom, he sat on the edge of the bed and donned disposable gloves, disinfecting them with hand sanitizer. He drew a dose of glucose into a syringe, tapping it to squeeze out the air bubbles.

Carefully, he pulled Gu Yuxi’s arm from beneath the covers. When he saw the needle mark from the hospital draw, a flare of indignation crossed his face. He gently pulled the sleeve down and moved to the other side of the bed.

Finding a vein with practiced ease, he calmly injected the glucose.

He sealed the waste in a biohazard bag; the entire process was surgical and efficient, taking less than three minutes.

After washing up again, Luo Panzhi lay down beside Gu Yuxi, staring at the man whose complexion had yet to regain its color. From the moment Gu Yuxi fainted, the wall of restraint Luo Panzhi had built once again crumbled. He truly could not bear this.

He carefully pressed his forehead against Gu Yuxi’s arm. As he exhaled, his eyes finally brimmed with tears.

“Gu Yuxi, I am truly angry this time. How dare you lie to me? Don’t think you’re going to coax your way out of this so easily.”

“…Then I’ll just have to coax you slowly.”

Luo Panzhi froze. Before he could look up, he felt a hand brush against his hair—a weak, sluggish movement from someone who had just regained consciousness.

He lifted his head to meet Gu Yuxi’s still-pale gaze. For a fleeting second, his heart softened, but he quickly masked his emotions. He sat up and turned his back to the bed, his face set in a blank, unreadable mask.

This required a serious reprimand. He could not afford to be soft-hearted.

Gu Yuxi had actually woken up while the needle was still in his arm, but his body felt like lead, so he had remained silent, watching Luo Panzhi work. Luo Panzhi’s movements had been professional and methodical. But the moment the man had pressed his head against his arm and choked back a sob, Gu Yuxi felt a wave of regret and heartache.

There is no such thing as perfect empathy in this world, even when it comes to love.

He felt he didn’t love Luo Panzhi enough, because Luo Panzhi’s love was so intense it made Gu Yuxi feel like he was the man’s entire universe. He had known this would make Luo Panzhi angry, yet he had gambled on a “what if,” vastly underestimating how much he mattered to his husband.

To see Luo Panzhi snap at Presidents Chu and Luo—it was clear just how deep the fury went.

Seeing Luo Panzhi sitting with his back turned, Gu Yuxi reached out a pinky finger and hooked it around Luo Panzhi’s hand. “Husband… I won’t take matters into my own hands like that again. I’m sorry.”

Luo Panzhi felt the cool touch of that pinky finger tugging at him. The voice was so weak from the low blood sugar that the submission in it was enough to make anyone yield.

He didn’t pull away, but he didn’t turn around either. “Gu Yuxi, so you do know I’m your husband? I thought you didn’t need me anymore.”

Hearing the sharp edge of anger, Gu Yuxi tossed back the duvet to sit up and hug him.

Luo Panzhi caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and his expression snapped. “I dare you to try sitting up.”

Gu Yuxi: “…” He silently pulled the covers back up and lay down, shaking his head with a faint, wry smile. He really couldn’t afford to provoke him further.

Luo Panzhi let out a cold laugh at his sudden obedience. “Now you know how to listen? I think you won’t be happy until you’ve angered me to death so you can inherit my estate. From the day you got pregnant until now, has there been a single day where you haven’t kept me on edge?”

Gu Yuxi hummed a soft “mm” in reflection. He reached out to pat Luo Panzhi’s back. “It seems so. Husband, you’ve worked hard.”

“Acting spoiled won’t work right now.” Luo Panzhi shifted away from the hand. “Starting today, if you ever do something this dangerous again, I will stop talking to you. I don’t want to live every day in fear because of you. When I got that call saying you were at the Institute, my heart nearly stopped.”

“I’m happy to be playful with you usually because I want you to be happy, but that doesn’t mean I’m incapable of being angry. You didn’t tell me. You colluded with my Big Dad to trick me. I am angry—furious.”

“Gu Yuxi, can’t you love yourself a little more? No one is asking you to be a martyr. You don’t need to be noble. Just stay alive, stay healthy, and love yourself. Is that so hard?”

Gu Yuxi listened intently. He finally understood why Luo Panzhi hated being called by his full name, because he was starting to hate it too. Being called by his full name meant he was being judged.

It was a heavy, uncomfortable feeling. And he couldn’t even argue, because he had messed up. He thought he was solving a problem for Luo Panzhi, failing to realize that to Luo Panzhi, he was the only thing that mattered.

“Gu Yuxi, did you hear me?” Luo Panzhi turned back when he got no reply, only to see Gu Yuxi’s eyes were rimmed with red. His heart gave a little jolt.

Then, a loud gurgle echoed in the quiet room.

Gu Yuxi looked at him with watery eyes, looking quite wronged. “I heard you, Panpan. But I’m so hungry. I haven’t had breakfast.”

Luo Panzhi’s resolve wavered into a helpless compromise. He stood up. “I’ll go make you breakfast.”

“I want dumplings. No green onions.”

Luo Panzhi let out a dry laugh. He leaned against the doorframe and looked at the man lying comfortably in bed, already ordering off a menu. “Gu Yuxi, I’ve realized it now—you truly are my ancestor.”

Gu Yuxi frowned at the use of his full name again. “I know I was wrong. I won’t do it again. Stop calling me that.”

Luo Panzhi smirked. “What, does it sting? Do you like the taste of it?”

Gu Yuxi shook his head. “No.”

“Then you know how I feel when you do it to me.” Luo Panzhi crossed his arms.

“You’re being very mean,” Gu Yuxi said truthfully. He pulled the duvet over his head and added in a muffled voice, “I don’t like this Luo Panzhi at all. He’s scary.”

To be honest, being roared at in front of everyone at the Institute had bruised his ego a bit. He was thirty years old, after all. But since it was his own lack of consideration that caused this, he knew he had to take it.

Luo Panzhi was exasperated. He walked back to the bed and yanked the duvet down, kneeling over Gu Yuxi with his arms braced on either side of the man’s shoulders. “Say that again. Who don’t you like?”

Gu Yuxi looked up at the strong, solid arms pinning him in. It felt like a fortress of safety. He wrapped his arms around Luo Panzhi’s back. “I love you. I just don’t like it when you’re mad at me.”

“Do I want to be mad? Who provoked me?” Luo Panzhi pinched his nose. “It was Gu Yuxi who provoked me. Do you think I enjoy being angry with you?”

“If you don’t enjoy it, then stop. Stress makes you age faster.” Gu Yuxi patted the man’s chest and smiled, his eyes curving into crescents. “Husband, please stop being angry, okay?”

Luo Panzhi’s expression vanished. He scrambled off the bed immediately. His sternness had almost been obliterated by that one smile; it was maddening how well this man knew how to play him.

“Gu Yuxi, this isn’t over. From today until you can truly articulate why I was so scared, I’m not touching you.”

Gu Yuxi froze. He watched Luo Panzhi walk out of the room, feeling as though he’d been struck by lightning. “You can’t do that! Luo Panzhi, as a lawyer, I’m telling you: if a couple is unable to engage in intimacy due to certain causes, it can be viewed as an ‘irretrievable breakdown’ of the marriage. If one party insists on divorce and mediation fails, a court will grant it!”

Luo Panzhi’s voice drifted in from the living room: “Then I suppose we are currently in the ‘mediation’ phase, Lawyer Gu. I hope you remember this lesson well.”

Gu Yuxi realized the “no hugging” rule was a serious threat. He threw off the covers and hurried into the kitchen. He found Luo Panzhi already in an apron, raiding the fridge.

“I know I was wrong. I knew you’d be mad, I just didn’t realize you’d be this mad.”

“Hmph. Knowing the law and breaking it makes the crime worse. You need to learn.”

“But what if I want you?”

“Hold it in,” Luo Panzhi said, glancing at Gu Yuxi’s feet. Seeing he was wearing slippers, he looked away and pointed at the kitchen threshold. “This is a restricted zone. Dogs and Gu Yuxi are not allowed.”

“You’re insulting me.”

Luo Panzhi pulled the onions out of the fridge. “Correct. I am.”

Gu Yuxi frowned at the onions. “I don’t want those.”

“They’re for me.”

“Oh.”

Gu Yuxi watched him, trying to think of a way to bridge the gap. In the kitchen, Luo Panzhi was a whirlwind of efficiency—mincing pork, seasoning the filling, and kneading dough from scratch.

Gu Yuxi leaned against the doorframe. “I know how to fold dumplings. Can I help?”

“No,” Luo Panzhi replied coldly.

“Can I watch the pot for you?”

“No need. I have eyes.”

Gu Yuxi rested his face against the wood of the doorframe, watching the busy man who refused to look up. He sighed. “Baby?”

“Speak if you have something to say.”

“Panpan.”

“Say it.”

“Husband.”

“Speak.”

“Big Brother…”

Luo Panzhi’s hand slipped, nearly ruining a dumpling wrapper. He looked up, exasperated. “What now? Just say it.”

Gu Yuxi looked at him with puppy-dog eyes. “Are you really not going to hold me tonight?”

“I’m serious. Calling me ‘Brother,’ ‘Daddy,’ or ‘Grandpa’ won’t help.” Luo Panzhi went back to his work. If he gave in now, he’d have no bottom line left.

“Fine. Then when you fall asleep, I’ll just climb on top of you myself,” Gu Yuxi declared, turning on his heel to leave.

Luo Panzhi’s head snapped up. He stared at Gu Yuxi’s retreating back in utter disbelief. “Gu Yuxi! If you do that, I’m sleeping in the study!!”

“Then I’ll just go to the study and sleep with you there.”

Luo Panzhi slammed a dumpling wrapper onto the cutting board. He was fuming, his lips trembling with a mix of indignation and helplessness.

He knew he couldn’t actually do anything to the man. This man had become far too disobedient since getting pregnant!