A Fatal Attraction from Lawyer A - Chapter 76

Gu Yuxi cried.

That muffled, repressed sob buried deep beneath the duvet acted like a hammer shattering Luo Panzhi’s resolve. His heart ached intensely; the last time he had seen Gu Yuxi cry like this was during the scare with the baby.

—If only I didn’t have this re-differentiation genetic defect.

Luo Panzhi’s hand froze on the covers. His eyes flickered with a bitter, complex mixture of guilt and sorrow.

Is it because of me? Was I too harsh? Did I put too much pressure on him? He wondered why the topic of re-differentiation had surfaced so suddenly.

For Gu Yuxi, this was something he had long since come to terms with. Even before Mo Wenbin was sentenced, Gu Yuxi never avoided the reality of his condition. Not even the massive public outcry regarding re-differentiation in the past had managed to make him show this kind of vulnerability.

So, what happened?

He looked at the lump under the duvet where Gu Yuxi was hiding. Despite his lingering anger, he couldn’t possibly ignore Gu Yuxi’s emotional state. Moreover, the man was pregnant—pregnancy naturally causes shifts in hormone levels that affect emotional stability. If he continued to be stubborn and harsh now, he would be a truly heartless bastard.

“What’s wrong?”

Gu Yuxi felt himself being pulled into a broad, warm embrace. Hearing Luo Panzhi’s voice, he finally snapped. His composure crumbled completely. He admitted it—he wasn’t as strong as he thought.

He buried his face in the pillow, tears soaking into the fabric. His hand gripped the corner of the pillow so tightly his knuckles turned white.

“…I feel terrible.”

Comments that used to be like passing clouds to him had suddenly pierced through his defenses. He couldn’t control himself.

Why? Why me? What did I do wrong?

His voice, trembling with suppressed sobs, tore at Luo Panzhi’s heart. In his mind, Gu Yuxi was never supposed to be this way, but pregnancy was quietly rewriting Gu Yuxi’s physical and emotional constitution. And Gu Yuxi was terrified by his own transformation.

While there was no rule saying an Alpha couldn’t cry, Gu Yuxi had been an Alpha for over a decade. He had faced everything with that identity—like a wall of copper and iron, with no time for hesitation or softness. Now, because of the pregnancy, he had been forced to stop everything.

Luo Panzhi suddenly realized he might have been too intense. Gu Yuxi had already chosen to stay home for his sake, yet Luo Panzhi had repeatedly projected his own fears onto him, creating a cycle of anxiety and insecurity.

Regret flooded his mind.

He pulled the duvet down and began kissing Gu Yuxi’s neck, accidentally tasting a salty tear that had rolled down. The guilt felt like a physical weight crushing his chest.

He had made Gu Yuxi cry. And worse, he had let him hide under a blanket to cry alone.

“Baby, turn around.”

Gu Yuxi didn’t move. He kept his face covered, not wanting to show how pathetic he looked. This wasn’t him—at least, it didn’t feel like him—but he was powerless against his own emotions.

“Leave me alone… go back to your work.”

Luo Panzhi heard the profound grievance in his voice. He felt even worse realizing he had spent the whole afternoon in the study. If that wasn’t the “cold treatment,” what was? He really had been too cruel.

“Is it because I was too mean?” Seeing the man wouldn’t turn over, he could only hold him tighter and coax him. “I won’t be that mean again, okay?”

“It’s my fault,” Gu Yuxi said. “I’m the butterfly effect. Ever since the genetic defect appeared in me, everything has been a set track that finally exploded this year. One link after another.”

“If I hadn’t met Mo Wenbin at the orphanage, I wouldn’t have differentiated into an Alpha because of him.”

“If I hadn’t hurt him after differentiating, he wouldn’t have held a grudge.”

“If I hadn’t joined the Galaxy Institute, no one would have known about re-differentiation.”

“If he hadn’t caused so many innocent people to suffer because of his grudge, it wouldn’t have turned into this. Even the zoonotic disease in L Continent is tied to it. And I am the first patient in the world.”

“Isn’t it all my fault?”

Gu Yuxi wasn’t an insecure person, but in this moment of vulnerability, he had fallen into a spiral of self-doubt and guilt.

“So, do you think meeting me was a mistake too?”

Gu Yuxi froze.

He felt Luo Panzhi’s large palm gently stroking his belly, accompanied by a voice as soothing as a lullaby.

“Do you think falling in love with me was a mistake?”

“Do you regret loving me?”

How could I? Gu Yuxi thought. He slowly turned over to face Luo Panzhi, looking up at him. “No. I have never regretted it.”

Luo Panzhi saw that Gu Yuxi’s eyes were swollen from crying. He wondered how long he had been at it—had he been crying in the bathroom at noon, too? He cursed himself internally.

He pulled the man into his arms and kissed his swollen eyelids. “If it’s as you say, and you hadn’t differentiated into an Alpha, we wouldn’t have met. We wouldn’t have fallen in love. We wouldn’t be arguing under the same blanket, where the last thing I see before sleep and the first thing I see when I wake is you.”

“I wouldn’t get to see this version of you, and I wouldn’t have the chance to love you and comfort you.”

“And in the future, there wouldn’t be a child named Rongrong.”

Gu Yuxi wiped his tears with the back of his hand and tucked his head into the crook of Luo Panzhi’s arm, listening in silence.

Luo Panzhi held him tight, kissing his cheek. “So, you can’t calculate things based on ‘ifs,’ because there are no ‘ifs.’ What’s making you sad right now is that I won’t let you do what you want to do. You feel capable but restricted, don’t you?”

Perhaps because Luo Panzhi’s tone was so gentle, Gu Yuxi felt like crying again. He pressed his eyes against Luo Panzhi’s arm to hide his face and gave a tearful “mm.”

“Tell me then, what do you want to do?” Luo Panzhi asked patiently. Feeling the dampness on his arm, he was overwhelmed with heartache.

“I want to help you.”

“Help me with what?”

“Help you resolve the pressure from the Health Bureau. If I give them my report, it directly proves that re-differentiation isn’t an infectious source, but a genetic issue.” Gu Yuxi decided his husband’s arm wasn’t enough, so he buried his face in Luo Panzhi’s chest instead.

The moment Gu Yuxi snuggled into his chest, Luo Panzhi realized all his anger had evaporated.

A pregnant Gu Yuxi made him both frustrated and itchy to discipline him, but he simply couldn’t withstand the heartache. He knew Gu Yuxi was an Alpha, but from the moment Gu Yuxi cried and begged to keep this child, Luo Panzhi knew his own responsibility had to be greater than that of a typical Alpha partner.

If he hadn’t forcibly marked Gu Yuxi, the man wouldn’t be suffering like this now. They could have been side-by-side in the corporation, drinking at a bar when tired, and spending the night together however they pleased.

Instead, Gu Yuxi was here with a large belly, struggling with emotional fluctuations he couldn’t control.

“I don’t want you to be so angry because of me. And I don’t want you to think the current me is different from before. I know you worry because I’m pregnant, but I’m still me. I still want to tell you…” Gu Yuxi looked up, his swollen eyes meeting Luo Panzhi’s. “Young Master Luo, with me here, you will definitely win this case.”

Luo Panzhi’s eyes reddened. He leaned down to kiss him. “I know. I’ve always known you’re incredible.”

How could he not know about Gu Yuxi’s career drive? He knew Gu Yuxi had only stopped working to ease his husband’s worries. Gu Yuxi had sacrificed a lot for him—including his pride as an Alpha.

“So, I want to give them the report.”

Luo Panzhi sighed softly. “Alright, I understand.” Since Gu Yuxi wanted to do this for him so badly, he would let it go. He couldn’t stand to see him cry anymore.

Gu Yuxi’s eyes brightened, and his mood improved. He used Luo Panzhi’s shirt to wipe his face. Though he hadn’t intended to cry, he found that a good cry actually felt quite relieving.

“Done crying?”

“Done.”

Luo Panzhi couldn’t help but laugh. He cupped Gu Yuxi’s face and frowned at the puffiness. “When did you start? Your eyes are so swollen.”

Gu Yuxi confessed, “When you said you wouldn’t eat the dumplings, I cried in the bathroom for a few minutes. Then after dinner while you were in the meeting and I was showering, I cried a bit more. And just now while I was trying to sleep.”

“Gu Yuxi, I’ve realized you really have a way of making me mad. Who told you to hide away and cry?” Luo Panzhi realized he had been too harsh today, neglecting Gu Yuxi’s emotions while he was buried in emergency meetings.

“You were speaking so loudly,” Gu Yuxi muttered, shrinking back.

Luo Panzhi pulled him back. Having been called out, he didn’t dare raise his voice again. He leaned in and whispered into his ear, “I’m sorry, Leader. Is this volume okay?”

The sudden proximity and warm breath made Gu Yuxi’s neck tingle. “You don’t have to be that quiet.”

“If you’re unhappy in the future, tell me directly. No hiding. What are you hiding from me for? Do you hear me? Close your eyes.” Luo Panzhi began to gently massage Gu Yuxi’s swollen eyelids with his fingertips.

Gu Yuxi closed his eyes and replied, “If you’re mean to me, I’ll be sad, so of course I’ll cry. I learned it from you.”

Luo Panzhi laughed helplessly. “Fine, it’s all my fault. Feel better now?”

“Mm, better,” Gu Yuxi smiled.

Luo Panzhi felt the curve of the smile beneath his fingers. It felt like someone had plucked a string in his heart. “I’ve really spoiled you.” But I do it willingly.

After a while of massaging, Gu Yuxi was almost asleep. Before drifting off, he remembered one more thing. “So… can you hold me tomorrow?”

“No,” Luo Panzhi said with sudden principle. “One thing at a time. Comforting you doesn’t mean I’m lifting the ‘no cuddling’ ban.”

Gu Yuxi snatched Luo Panzhi’s hand away, pulled the duvet over his head, and said crossly, “I’m going to sleep.”

Luo Panzhi patted the lump in the bed and laughed. “Sleep well. Don’t go ‘climbing’ on me in the middle of the night.”

Gu Yuxi: “…”

If crying doesn’t work, what will?