A Straight Man's Unexpected Pregnancy with the British Duke's Baby - Chapter 4

Hawthorne stared at Shi Yuan’s tightly closed door for a moment, then pulled out his phone and returned to his room to call his secretary.

“Have you looked into everything about the bar incident?”

The secretary replied, “Your Grace, we’ve already conducted an internal investigation. The drug was administered by a waiter at the bar. He recognized you and wanted to use this opportunity to climb the social ladder.”

Hawthorne frowned.

When he came to Cambridge to study, he had repeatedly emphasized to everyone who knew him that his identity as a duke was strictly confidential.

How could anyone have recognized him?

As if sensing his confusion, the secretary explained, “A while ago, Prince Arthur held his coming-of-age ceremony, and you attended. The waiter saw half of your profile in a news photo. Although it wasn’t clear, once someone notices you, it’s hard not to leave an impression.”

The waiter might not have known Hawthorne’s true identity, but anyone invited to the British prince’s coming-of-age ceremony was no ordinary person—let alone Hawthorne, who wasn’t just a regular guest but the sole godfather of the British Crown Prince and future king.

Hawthorne had originally thought that placing Shi Yuan in his own bar would guarantee safety, but he never expected such an incident could happen right under his nose—even if the root cause of this incident was himself.

But what if it happened again?

Where there’s a first time, there’s a second. What if Shi Yuan encountered a similar accident in the future?

If he hadn’t been lucky enough to run into Hawthorne that night, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

A wave of fear washed over Hawthorne as he instructed his secretary, “Allocate some funds from the family and set up an education fund.”

The bar wasn’t a good place. He had to find other sources of income for Shi Yuan.

After arranging everything with his secretary, Hawthorne felt quite satisfied.

Yes, as a China expert, this was the essence of his pursuit of Shi Yuan.

On the surface, it wasn’t about not pursuing him—it was about pursuing him slowly, gently, cleverly, and rhythmically. Tailor the pursuit to the situation, avoid blind pursuit, and instead pursue scientifically, precisely, efficiently, and strategically.

Most importantly, to win over a Chinese person, one must naturally use a Chinese approach.

–

After applying the ointment, Shi Yuan left the dormitory ahead of Hawthorne.

He checked the time, not daring to delay any longer, and hurried downstairs to head to the lab.

His butt still burned with pain from the ointment, making it impossible for Shi Yuan to ride his bike, so he had to wait for the bus.

But Cambridge buses were rarely on time. By the time Shi Yuan finally arrived at the lab, his partner had almost finished the experiment alone.

Hawthorne glanced at the wall clock and frowned at Shi Yuan. “Why are you late?”

He had left even earlier than Hawthorne.

Shi Yuan felt a bit guilty. “My bike broke down.”

Hawthorne: “You took the bus?”

Shi Yuan nodded.

Hawthorne understood.

Every Cambridge student knew the buses here were never on time, so he didn’t press further. He simply told Shi Yuan to stay later and make up the part of the experiment he was responsible for.

Shi Yuan took a deep breath.

It was hard to be alone in a room with a man he had just slept with the night before.

Couldn’t he consider how his butt felt?!

In the afternoon, after everyone else had left the lab, Hawthorne pulled a stool over and sat across from Shi Yuan with a pile of reagents.

“This experiment is a bit dangerous. I’ll watch you do it.” Hawthorne rolled up his sleeves, revealing two strong, muscular arms that rested directly on the table, creating a powerful visual impact for Shi Yuan.

These were the same arms that had tightly gripped his waist the night before…

Every time he tried to crawl out, those hands would pull him back!

Shi Yuan’s face flushed red, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

He immediately huffed and turned his head away from Hawthorne, focusing intently on his experiment for a full hour.

Hawthorne silently watched Shi Yuan’s profile.

This was what he loved most about Shi Yuan—his unwavering dedication to everything he did.

Even when Hawthorne deliberately tried to distract him with his charm, Shi Yuan remained completely focused.

An hour later, Shi Yuan handed the extracted crystals to Hawthorne for inspection. Hawthorne nodded and praised him sincerely, “Very well done.”

Before Shi Yuan could get too proud, Hawthorne added, “How are you going to get back without a bike? Maybe I could—”

Shi Yuan immediately panicked, “No, thanks!”

Fearing that Hawthorne might invite him to ride on the back of his bicycle, Shi Yuan quickly packed his bag and bid farewell, “Goodbye, senior. I still have to study tonight, so I won’t head back just yet.”

The college had recently established a new scholarship, and Shi Yuan was determined to study hard and secure the top-tier award by the end of the semester.

If he succeeded, he wouldn’t have to work part-time for the entire year.

Hawthorne tried one last time, “If you have any questions about your studies… you can ask me. I can tutor you privately.”

Shi Yuan couldn’t help but feel a flicker of excitement, his heart itching with temptation.

Under normal circumstances, he would have agreed without hesitation. The value of Hawthorne’s private tutoring was immense for an undergraduate like him.

But!

The moment he imagined being alone with Hawthorne in a room, he couldn’t help but recall everything that had happened in Hawthorne’s bedroom the night before. His mood instantly turned icy, and any thought of studying vanished.

So Shi Yuan repeatedly declined, shouldered his backpack, and headed straight to the library.

He was determined to win that scholarship.

He had secretly inquired about it and learned that the new scholarship was established by a wealthy individual of Asian descent, specifically for Asian students at Cambridge.

The conditions seemed tailor-made for him.

If he couldn’t secure it under these circumstances, he might as well have never come to Cambridge.

To demonstrate his resolve, Shi Yuan stopped working part-time at the bar for the next month and spent every day studying diligently in the library.

Although the bar job paid well, it still took up valuable study time. With Cambridge’s short semesters and heavy academic pressure, falling behind was all too easy.

Many of Shi Yuan’s classmates had been pushed to the brink of mental health issues because of this. He remained deeply cautious, carefully balancing part-time work and his studies.

But now, with this scholarship opportunity, Shi Yuan could motivate himself to study while also aiming for a substantial reward—a win-win situation.

Even if he didn’t end up winning the scholarship, he would only have lost a month. He could always work extra shifts during the Christmas break to make up for it.

For that month, the library became Shi Yuan’s second home. Gradually, he stopped dwelling on what had happened with Hawthorne.

Everything seemed to return to normal. However, as the final exams approached, perhaps due to an upset stomach or his intense, all-consuming study habits, Shi Yuan began experiencing bouts of nausea and vomiting.

He dismissed it as a minor inconvenience and didn’t pay it much mind.

After all, he hadn’t even complained when his six-pack abs had disappeared.

The nausea peaked on the day before the exam. Shi Yuan clung to a trash can, vomiting until he felt utterly drained.

He cleverly attributed it all to studying until he was sick.

Literally, studying until he vomited.

It’ll be fine once the exams are over, Shi Yuan thought hazily.

The final exams flew by in a flash, but Shi Yuan’s nausea didn’t improve; instead, it grew even worse.

Shi Yuan: “!”

If he weren’t a man, he’d almost suspect he was carrying Hawthorne’s child!

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