A Fatal Attraction from Lawyer A - Chapter 80

Gu Yuxi witnessed the true extent of Luo Panzhi’s shopping habits—a spectacle he hadn’t seen in all his thirty years. But Luo Panzhi spoke the truth: the man knew how to make money, so it was only natural that he knew how to spend it.

Unable to talk him out of it, Gu Yuxi simply chose to join in.

Inside the maternity store, there were many couples and pairs. There was an indescribable sense of happiness in being able to shop for baby supplies with one’s partner during pregnancy. Gu Yuxi watched as Luo Panzhi seriously selected baby bottles and diapers, feeling a deep sense of contentment.

Although they hadn’t had a traditional “dating” phase—their journey had been on fast-forward, including this child—the depth of their love for each other could not be measured by the mere year they had spent together.

“Do you think this is cute?” Standing before a shelf, Luo Panzhi spotted a rubber duck for baby baths. He held it up for Gu Yuxi to see.

Gu Yuxi looked at the man before him—dressed in a sharp suit yet holding a cute toy—and his eyes crinkled with a smile. “You are the cute one.”

Luo Panzhi arched an eyebrow. Seeing that Gu Yuxi seemed to be in a good mood and was even starting to praise him, he gathered that Gu was no longer angry. “So, should we buy it?”

“Buy it. If you like it, buy it. It’s your money; you decide.” Gu Yuxi took the small toy from Luo’s hand and gave it a squeeze, making it squeak. A ripple of tenderness spread through his eyes as he imagined the scene of the child being old enough to sit up and bathe. His lips curved into a faint smile.

Luo Panzhi’s gaze lingered on the upward curve of Gu’s lips, and his own mood brightened accordingly.

“What’s mine is yours.” He leaned in, wrapping an arm around Gu’s shoulder and smiling. “How about I hand all my cards over to you? You can give me a regular allowance.”

Gu Yuxi looked puzzled. “Then you’d be embarrassed when you go on business trips with no money. Based on your spending habits, would five hundred yuan a month be enough for you?”

“…” Luo Panzhi fell silent at the mention of five hundred yuan. “Five hundred a month?”

Seeing Luo’s look of disbelief, Gu Yuxi walked toward another aisle with the small toy in hand. “So, do you still want to hand them over?”

He didn’t actually need Luo Panzhi to surrender his finances to prove his devotion; he believed Luo’s heart was already with him, and money wasn’t required to demonstrate that. Moreover, given Luo’s status and frequent travels, Gu couldn’t let him face the embarrassment of being short on cash.

To him, financial independence between partners wasn’t a sign of distance. Furthermore, since both were career-oriented, it was unlikely that either would fully abandon their work for the home—unless one specifically chose to do so, in which case the other providing the funds would be a form of protective responsibility. Otherwise, a tacit understanding of mutual financial freedom was a sign of respect and trust.

“Well, do you want me to hand them over?” Luo Panzhi asked. Just then, he saw a small child dressed in a bear outfit charging toward them. He instinctively stepped sideways to shield Gu Yuxi.

“Hey, hey! Baby, don’t run! Careful not to hit anyone!”

A mother nearby, who was carrying another child, called out in a panic. Because of the distance, she couldn’t catch the playful and oblivious toddler. The boy, about two or three years old, didn’t notice the people in front of him and crashed right into them, landing hard on his bottom.

He began to wail in pain.

Luo Panzhi felt the impact against his leg, though it was harmless to him. Fortunately, he had blocked the child; had the boy run into Gu’s belly, it would have been painful.

He knelt on one knee to help the fallen child up. His expression wasn’t exactly stern, but he spoke seriously. “Little friend, do you know that you shouldn’t let go of your parents’ hands in crowded places?”

The little boy, eyes welling with tears from the fall, saw a tall, strange man before him. He wanted to cry but didn’t dare to; he pouted, tears swirling in his eyes. “I… I was playing.”

“What if I were to take you away right now?” Luo Panzhi stood up, making a show of lightly grabbing the bear hood on the boy’s clothes. “Then you might never find your mommy and daddy again.”

Luo wasn’t actually being mean, but to a small child, such a tall “uncle” looked quite intimidating. The boy immediately cried out, “Waaa… I want Mommy, Mommy…”

“Are you still going to run around everywhere?” Luo Panzhi leaned down to eye level and asked.

The boy shook his head while sobbing. “No.”

Luo Panzhi pointed to Gu Yuxi. “And do you know you almost hit this uncle? He has a baby in his belly. Do you know what would happen if you crashed into him?”

The boy wasn’t old enough to fully understand, but he pouted, afraid to cry. “…I want Mommy.”

Luo Panzhi continued patiently, “I know you want your mommy. But if you had hit the uncle just now, the baby in his belly might not have been able to find its daddy anymore. So, are you ever going to let go of your parents’ hands and run around again?”

The boy seemed to understand partially. He sobbed, “…I won’t let go of Mommy and Daddy’s hands.”

“Then apologize to the uncle, and you can go back to your mommy.” Luo Panzhi guided the boy toward Gu Yuxi.

With red eyes, the boy looked up piteously at Gu Yuxi in his overcoat. His gaze was drawn to the slight bulge of Gu’s stomach. Realizing something, he stood on his tiptoes and reached out to touch it. “Is the uncle’s baby in here?”

At the sound of that milky voice and the feel of the tiny hand on his stomach, Gu Yuxi couldn’t stay annoyed. Watching Luo Panzhi’s interaction with the child, he smiled. “Yes, the baby is in here.”

“My mommy had a baby in there before, too. It’s a little brother!” The boy seemed to find his courage and stopped crying. He said excitedly, “Is there a little brother in here too, Uncle?”

Luo Panzhi’s expression shifted. What do you mean, ‘brother’? It’s not a brother!

Just then, the mother arrived, breathless and looking a bit pale. She pulled the boy back and looked at the two men apologetically.

“I am so sorry! I hope he didn’t hurt you. He’s so naughty, and I was holding the little one so I couldn’t keep an eye on him. I’m so sorry for the trouble.”

Luo Panzhi noticed the mother looked exhausted and seemed to be alone. “It’s fine, just a small matter. The child’s safety is what’s important. Are you taking care of two children by yourself?”

“My husband is away on business, and there’s no one else at home to help. I just wanted to bring them out for a walk since it’s the weekend.” The mother quickly led the boy away. “Come on, let’s go home.”

Before leaving, the boy turned back to wave at the two “uncles.”

Luo Panzhi turned and gestured to a bodyguard standing nearby.

“Follow that mother. She doesn’t look well. Make sure she gets home safely,” Luo Panzhi instructed.

The bodyguard nodded and followed them.

When Luo Panzhi turned back to Gu Yuxi, he found the man staring at him with a smile. He felt a bit self-conscious and smiled back. “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing. I just think you are a truly good person.” Gu Yuxi thought of the image of Luo Panzhi kneeling to talk to the child so patiently and tenderly. He reached out to scratch Luo’s chin lightly. “You are going to be a wonderful father.”

Luo Panzhi chuckled. He caught Gu’s hand and tucked it back into his pocket. “Let’s go. Time to pay.”

The two left the maternity store and continued their leisurely stroll through the mall. They first stopped at a jewelry store to pick up a custom-ordered set of four “Longevity Locks.”

“My brother and Xiao Yu’s two sets of twins are having their one-month celebrations back-to-back. It’s been a whirlwind lately. Let’s go stay at the main house tomorrow and visit the babies.”

Gu Yuxi knew that both Chu Zuogu and Xiao Yu had twins, and he could imagine how exhausting that must be—especially with four infants at once.

He looked at the Longevity Locks, which were engraved with the characters for East, South, West, and North. Thinking of the naming convention, he mused, “Will our child have to have ‘Center’ (Zhong) in their name?”

He thought of this generation of the family. From the moment they were born, these five children were destined to carry the heavy responsibility of the Galaxy Group in the future. They would grow up together and face the future as one.

Luo Panzhi took the gift box from the clerk. “Why ‘Center’? Our little Omega princess can’t have such a masculine name. It has to be something soft and fluffy, like the nickname ‘Rongrong’.”

“It might not be a girl. What if it’s a boy?”

“Then it has to be a male Omega.”

Gu Yuxi was helpless against Luo Panzhi’s obsession. He supposed he would just have to let it be; whether the baby was a boy or a girl would ultimately be up to fate.

Inadvertently, Gu Yuxi’s eyes caught sight of a lingerie shop, and he stopped in his tracks. In the window, a male mannequin was dressed in a black shirt, over which was a black waist-cincher (corset). The cincher pulled in the waist tightly, and the back featured black lacing that followed the spine, sharply defining the curves of the upper body.

“What is it? Tired of walking?” Luo Panzhi thought Gu had stopped because he was fatigued, but then he followed Gu’s gaze to the black corset. His expression changed instantly.

An image flashed through his mind:

Gu Yuxi, with his back turned to Luo, slowly putting on this corset. His hands reaching back to tighten the laces, the movement pulling the muscles of his back and defining the curve of his waist, before finally putting on a suit jacket…

Luo Panzhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

So sexy.

Is my partner going to wear a corset for me?! Wuhu!

“I want to buy this,” Gu Yuxi said, patting Luo’s arm and pointing at the corset.

Luo Panzhi bit his lip to hide his growing grin, pretending to be calm so as not to spoil “the surprise.” He asked, “Why the sudden interest in a corset? You can’t wear it now. Don’t be in a rush; buy it after the baby is born.”

In his head, Luo was thinking: My partner wants to try something so seductive even while pregnant… if he tries it on and can’t fit, he’ll have to ask me for help… The more he thought, the faster his heart raced with excitement.

Gu Yuxi had no idea what Luo Panzhi was thinking. His expression remained calm. “I wasn’t planning on wearing it now.”

“…Eh?” Luo Panzhi’s fantasy shattered instantly. His smile vanished, and he blinked at Gu. “Then… why buy it?”

“I was thinking that if I wear a corset for a while during my workouts after giving birth, I should be able to restore my figure in a short time,” Gu Yuxi explained. “I used to wear one when I did heavy lifting at the gym. I don’t know where my old ones went, so I’ll buy two new ones.”

With that, he walked into the shop.

Luo Panzhi stood in place for a few seconds, his expression slowly crumbling. He looked up and took a deep breath, finally accepting the reality of his ruined fantasy. He dragged his heavy legs to follow Gu Yuxi inside.

Fitness…

His partner bought the corset for fitness.

Not to seduce him.

Is this what they call “reaping what you sow”?

Who was it that said he wouldn’t touch his partner until after the baby was born and the recovery month was over?

Was it Luo Panzhi? Was it him?

Oh, it was him.

Served him right.