A Fatal Attraction from Lawyer A - Chapter 84

The corner booth of the bar was dimly lit. Luo Panzhi held his glass by the rim, letting his hand hang naturally by his side as he gazed at the man who had started avoiding his eyes. Without a word, he began walking toward Gu Yuxi.

An Alpha dressed in a crisp suit stood out sharply against the club environment, not to mention his stunningly handsome features. However, the aura radiating from him was so grim that he looked as though he had come to settle a bloody vendetta.

The moment Gu Yuxi saw Luo Panzhi, his scalp went numb. He tilted his head, casting a desperate, pleading glance toward Qi Lin.

Qi Lin merely shrugged, giving him a look that said, “You’re on your own.”

When a hand finally rested on the back of his chair and a wave of body heat radiated behind him, Gu Yuxi’s body stiffened completely. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that slender, well-defined hand. The ring on Luo’s ring finger was unmistakable, and the faint veins on the back of the hand pulsed slightly—a silent warning that radiated pure pressure.

Gu Yuxi subconsciously swallowed.

The scent of Luo Panzhi’s Oolong Brandy pheromones brushed past his nose. The glass in Gu’s hand was gently tapped by the man behind him. A crisp clink echoed in his ear, vibrating through his nerves even amidst the loud music.

“Working overtime?”

Gu Yuxi’s hand trembled ever so slightly. He didn’t turn around, but his guilt was palpable. “…Panpan, I—”

“Working overtime at a bar?”

Gu Yuxi was speechless. He couldn’t find a single plausible excuse; he never expected to be caught red-handed like this.

Luo Panzhi leaned down, one hand bracing against the chair. He stared at the seated Gu Yuxi and hooked his finger into the man’s collar, peering down at the clothes beneath the overcoat. Sensing the thinness of the fabric, his gaze darkened instantly.

“Lawyer Gu, you certainly know how to pick a place to work. You even changed your clothes. Who gave you permission to take off your sweater? Don’t you know it’s snowing outside?”

Detecting the severity in Luo’s tone, Gu Yuxi stole a glance at him, saw his somber expression, and quickly looked away again. “Weren’t you supposed to be in Country F? Why didn’t you go?”

“You sound very happy that I’m supposed to be away.” Luo Panzhi finally realized why this man had been so “obedient” recently. He had been so insistent on Luo returning to the office just so he could sneak out and play.

“I’m not,” Gu Yuxi said, his expression becoming solemn. “How could I be happy? I’ve missed you from the moment you left.”

Luo Panzhi let out a cold, disbelieving laugh. “Right. You missed the idea of me being away so nobody could stop you from pulling an all-nighter at a bar or heading to the bowling alley with a big belly, right?”

Gu Yuxi: “…When you put it that way.”

But please don’t be so direct, Gu thought, leave me some dignity.

Across from them, Qi Lin became a silent spectator. Feeling melancholic in the face of such a display of affection, he refilled his glass with whiskey and downed it.

“You actually dared to say ‘When you put it that way’?” Luo Panzhi felt like his chest was going to explode from anger. He stood up straight and took a deep breath, grabbing Gu Yuxi by the collar. “Home. Now.”

“But I haven’t finished—” Gu Yuxi started to say “drinking,” but he swallowed the word when he saw Luo’s face, which was as cold as ice.

“You drank alcohol?! Gu Yuxi, you dared to drink?!” Luo Panzhi’s face went completely black as he looked at the pale yellow liquid in the glass. He tugged at his own tie, feeling suffocated by rage.

Don’t get angry, don’t get angry, he told himself. Wifey is pregnant; they get disobedient sometimes. I’m used to it. Long live understanding!

…Argh! Understanding my ass! He’s pregnant and he dares to drink?!

Gu Yuxi quickly lifted the bottle of “Tian Di Yi Hao” vinegar from the floor like a piece of evidence. “No, it’s apple cider vinegar. I didn’t drink alcohol. You told me not to, so I didn’t.”

Luo Panzhi looked down at the man holding up a bottle of vinegar to prove his innocence. He almost wanted to laugh. “What, do you want me to praise you for being so clever as to drink vinegar in a bar? Oh, how brilliant.”

He offered a round of expressionless, sarcastic applause.

Gu Yuxi put the vinegar down, his smile both sweet and awkward. “There’s no need for praise.” He reached out to stop Luo’s clapping. So embarrassing. This is so humiliating.

Qi Lin couldn’t help but laugh at their interaction, though he hid a trace of loneliness in his eyes as he finished the rest of his whiskey.

“I never said you couldn’t come to a bar, but do you think this environment is suitable for you right now?” Luo Panzhi gestured to the deafening music, exasperated. “Gu Yuxi, aren’t you afraid our child will come out knowing how to rave?”

Gu Yuxi could only smile at the serious Luo Panzhi. He asked tentatively, “That would be… okay?”

Luo Panzhi remained expressionless. “Okay? You think our little princess should be out clubbing in the middle of the night?!”

Gu Yuxi pulled Luo Panzhi down to sit beside him. “Panpan, we are democratic parents. Clubbing isn’t illegal. As long as you don’t do anything wrong, meeting friends and having a small drink is fine.”

Luo Panzhi nearly laughed out of pure frustration. He didn’t want to stay here another second. This man hadn’t given him a single moment of peace since the pregnancy began. “Home,” he repeated, pulling him up without another word.

Gu Yuxi looked at Qi Lin for help, engaging in a small-scale tug-of-war with Luo as he tried to grab his vinegar. “Wait, let me finish the vinegar with Qi Lin? We haven’t caught up in so long. Besides, Qi Lin has been drinking; it’s not safe for him to call a cab alone. I’ll drive him home.”

Luo Panzhi knew they were long-time friends and he wouldn’t take his anger out on Qi Lin. But hearing that Gu wanted to drive, he laughed in frustration. “You think Lawyer Qi needs a pregnant man to drive him? I’ve already called a designated driver—’Driver Jian’—so you don’t need to worry about him. Worry about yourself. Let’s go.”

At the mention of “Driver Jian,” Qi Lin’s eyes flickered, and his grip on his glass tightened. After a moment, he looked at Luo Panzhi and said, “Thank you.”

Luo Panzhi nodded politely, then said to Qi Lin while pulling Gu Yuxi away, “I’m taking Yuxi home first. In a few days, I’ll have my assistant send you two bottles of single malt—a ’55 and a ’62.”

Gu Yuxi’s eyes widened. “You never told me about those!”

Single malt—the Rolls-Royce of whiskey.

Qi Lin nodded with a smile, his love for fine spirits winning out. “Take him away.”

Gu Yuxi: “…” Alcohol over friends. Qi Lin chose the alcohol.

Well, he probably would have made the same choice.

Outside the bar street, neon lights twinkled through the falling snow.

“Achoo—!”

“That’s what you get for taking off your sweater,” Luo Panzhi grumbled. He opened his tote bag—the “treasure bag” he always carried for Gu—and pulled out a knit beanie, shoving it onto Gu’s head.

In the doorway of the bar, the sight of a grumpy Alpha carefully putting a hat on another Alpha drew several curious looks from passersby.

Gu Yuxi realized that Luo Panzhi was still carrying that bag for him. Even though he was furious, his first instinct was still to make sure Gu didn’t catch a cold. He suddenly felt like he really was a handful.

“Baby, are you angry?” Gu Yuxi asked as Luo tucked his ears into the hat.

“I am very angry,” Luo Panzhi said coolly. “Because you actively wished for me to leave, lied to me about working overtime, all just to come out and play. You feel like I’m a burden, like I’m controlling you, don’t you?”

Gu Yuxi felt a wave of genuine guilt. It wasn’t just about the bar anymore; it was about the deception.

“You don’t like me hovering? You think I’m annoying?” Luo Panzhi pulled out a hand warmer and pressed it into Gu’s palm, holding his hand tightly. “If you don’t like it, you can just say so. Then I’ll know what to do.”

“It’s not that I don’t like it,” Gu Yuxi whispered.

“Then why hide it?” Luo Panzhi pulled Gu’s coat tighter. “I never said you couldn’t see your friends. If you had told me you wanted to chat with Qi Lin, I wouldn’t have said no. Why did you assume I’d be a tyrant?”

Gu Yuxi shook his head. “I didn’t.”

“Am I not good enough to you?” Luo Panzhi slid Gu’s cold hand inside his own suit jacket, pressing it against his warm, firm abdomen. “Do I not cherish you? Do I scold you for no reason?”

“No,” Gu Yuxi murmured, feeling the warmth of Luo’s body through his shirt.

“Then why lie? You know what makes me angriest. You keep pushing the limits of how much I can worry about you. My love for you isn’t without boundaries, Gu Yuxi. My boundary is that you must be safe and sound. Do not lie to me about your well-being.” Luo Panzhi pulled Gu closer by the collar, his deep eyes locking onto his. “If you truly push me too far, I won’t be soft-hearted.”

Gu Yuxi looked into those bottomless eyes and realized his mistake. He lowered his gaze. “Panpan, I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

“You only say that. You’ll do it again.”

“Hubby, I really mean it this time.”

“I don’t hear any sincerity. You said that last time, too.”

Gu Yuxi felt a pang of hurt at the lack of trust. “I promise I will never hide anything from you again! I mean it!”

Luo Panzhi sighed at the sudden change in Gu’s tone—from guilty to stubbornly defensive. “Gu Yuxi, be reasonable. Why are you the one getting angry now?”

“I’m not…” Gu Yuxi muttered, his pride stinging. “So what if you can talk louder? I’m tired. I’m going to the car.”

He tried to walk away, but Luo Panzhi grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him back. “Don’t think I’m just going to let this go. Don’t think I have no way of handling you.”

Gu Yuxi was caught off guard. “You’re… you’re manhandling me?”

“Because you did something wrong and you have a bad attitude about it,” Luo Panzhi said firmly.

People were passing by, and while arguments outside bars weren’t rare, they still drew stares. Being lectured and held by the collar in public made Gu Yuxi’s pride as a thirty-year-old man crumble. His eyes began to sting.

“…You’re being mean to me.”

Seeing Gu’s eyes turn red, Luo Panzhi immediately let go of the collar. He let out a helpless laugh. “I’m not being mean. I’m stating facts. Was it wrong to lie to me?”

“It was wrong,” Gu Yuxi said, biting his lip. “But you shouldn’t talk to me like that in front of everyone. I’m going to sleep at Qi Lin’s house tonight.”

He turned back toward the bar. Luo Panzhi, terrified that his wife was actually going to run away with the baby, immediately pulled him back into a hug.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have scolded you in public. Let’s just go home. We can talk at home.”

Forget the lecture for now, Luo thought. It’s too cold out here.