After The Straight Guy Mistakenly Hooked Up With A Strict, Old-Fashioned Daddy, He Ended Up Pregnant - Chapter 4

Chen Zao finished drinking the water in big gulps. Seeing that Qin Er’s expression was a bit dark, he felt strange, wondering what he had done wrong.

However, he couldn’t think of anything no matter how hard he tried. So he put down the glass: “Well, Big Brother, I’m going back to sleep now. Good night.”

Qin Er said in a flat tone: “Mm.”

Chen Zao raised an eyebrow, gathered his clothes, and walked to the foyer. Reaching the doorway, he turned back: “Big Brother, what time do you get off work tomorrow?”

“Why?”

“I borrowed your bathroom, so of course I need to treat you to a meal.”

“No need.”

“No way, I must treat you to a meal.” Chen Zao squeezed his voice into a high pitch, acting spoiled: “Big Brother, pretty please~”

From Qin Er’s perspective, he could see a large expanse of skin on the girl’s chest, bearing a maiden’s youthfulness and scent.

His Adam’s apple bobbed: “Off work at five. Twenty minutes to get home.”

“Hooray! Then I’ll wait for you here. See you tomorrow, bye-bye~” Chen Zao blinked, stepped out, and pulled the door shut.

“Yes!” Chen Zao clenched his fist. “Successfully infiltrated enemy lines!”

On the other side of the door, Qin Er took a deep breath, then went back to the bathroom to take a look.

It looked like a battle had taken place: the floor outside the shower was covered in water stains, and plenty of water droplets were splashed onto the edges of the vanity counter.

Qin Er put on rubber gloves, cleaned the bathroom inside and out, wiped every drop of water dry, and arranged those jars and bottles neatly back in their original order. Only then did he sigh with relief.

Checking the time, it was already eleven o’clock at night.

He took off the rubber gloves, washed his hands thoroughly, used hand soap to remove the smell of rubber, and returned to the living room. Seeing the water glass the girl had used, he took it to the kitchen to wash it, dried it with a towel, and set it out to air dry.

Only after finishing all these chores did he return to his room to rest.

Since it was summer vacation and he had nothing to do, Chen Zao slept until the afternoon the next day.

Scrolling through a food delivery app, he couldn’t find anything he felt like eating, so he simply opened a pack of instant noodles and prepared them with hot water.

While waiting for the noodles, he made a call to Chen Meng.

“Sis, I’ve successfully set up a date with Qin Er.”

Chen Meng was applying a sheet mask; hearing this, she peeled it right off: “You succeeded? That fast?!”

Chen Zao: “I was actually about to give up, but then…”

He recounted the sequence of events. Chen Meng clicked her tongue: “As expected, he really is a beast.”

“Oh, right, he didn’t realize you’re a man, did he?”

“Don’t worry, he didn’t. It was just a back view, he couldn’t tell.”

“That’s good then.”

“By the way, Zaozao,” Chen Meng’s smile suddenly faded as she looked at Chen Zao’s complexion through the screen.

“I saw the social post Uncle posted.”

Chen Zao looked at her sluggishly: “Mm.”

Speaking of this, Chen Meng began venting endlessly: “Did that Wang Lan put a spell on Uncle or something? How did she cast such a spell over him?!”

“Wang Lan coaxes him and pleases him in everything she does, and that’s just what Chen Huanyu likes.”

Chen Zao felt a bit annoyed. He twisted open a bottle of mineral water and took several gulps.

As the cold water hit his stomach, his stomach began to throb with pain again.

“My advice: start grabbing money from Chen Huanyu right now. Otherwise, when Chen Huanyu dies, all the money will end up in Wang Lan’s hands, and you’ll be at a huge loss! Half of your family’s real estate belonged to Auntie, after all.”

“Mm, I know. I won’t let Wang Lan get her way.”

Thinking of his deceased mother, Chen Zao squeezed the bottle in his hand so tightly his knuckles turned white: “Ever since he betrayed the vows he made to my mom, he ceased to be my father.”

Chen Meng sighed: “I miss Auntie so much. What a gentle woman she was. When I was little, she used to cook for me all the time—Auntie’s food was the absolute best.”

Chen Zao’s eyes reddened. He turned his face away, not wanting his condition to be captured on camera.

Mom’s food was delicious, but he would never get to eat it again.

His stomach pain grew worse. Chen Zao closed his phone, rushed over to the sink, and unbidden acid began rising up his throat.

Wave after wave surged up from his stomach. Hunching his back, Chen Zao leaned over the sink and dry-heaved, bringing up a little bit of stomach acid.

He rested for a moment, turned on the tap, washed his face vigorously, and rinsed his mouth several times before finally catching his breath.

…

During the evening rush hour, Qin Er unhurriedly changed his clothes while several colleagues discussed where to gather for dinner tonight.

Seeing Qin Er, they initially wanted to invite him, but knowing he had always refused to attend various social dinners, they let the matter drop.

Ignoring everyone’s gazes, Qin Er walked into the elevator. The elevator descended, stopping floor by floor as people entered and left.

When the elevator doors opened again, Qin Er saw Qin Nan, who was being scolded severely.

Qin Nan had mistakenly written an order for glycerin enemas as a nebulized treatment. After being caught, he was chewed out for several rounds.

The superior doctor recognized Qin Er and knew Qin Nan was his nephew. After giving a few final stern reminders, the doctor shut his mouth and left.

Qin Nan entered the elevator hanging his head in dejection: “Little Uncle.”

Qin Er stood in the middle of the elevator with a powerful aura. Qin Nan stood shrinkingly against the wall: “It was an accident this time. It won’t happen next time, I promise.”

“Last time, when you ordered potassium chloride as a direct IV push, you said the exact same thing.”

“…”

Qin Nan felt awkward: “Then I’ll try my best to minimize these accidents.”

“Little Uncle, you’ve been top of the class since childhood, and studying medicine comes so easy to you. Is there any secret you could share with me?”

Qin Er looked straight ahead indifferently: “Use your brain.”

“…” Being indirectly called brainless, Qin Nan felt thoroughly ashamed: “Got it, Little Uncle.”

“Oh, right,” Qin Nan perked up again: “I’m going on a date in a bit. Lili is coming to the hospital to find me. Little Uncle, why don’t we all eat dinner together?”

Qin Er replied coldly: “Not going.”

“Aww, Little Uncle, you should be a bit more lively! Staying alone all day—don’t you get bored? Eating together is much more fun.”

Two people.

Qin Er lowered his eyes, suddenly thinking of a certain person.

Seeing Qin Er remain silent, Qin Nan thought he was hesitating: “How about it? Want to join us?”

With a beep, the elevator doors opened. Qin Er dropped two words: “Not going,” and walked out.

…

The traffic on the way home today was a bit congested, so Qin Er arrived at the residential complex ten minutes later than usual.

He took the elevator upstairs, watching the floor numbers count up from one. For some reason, his heartbeat thudded against his eardrums.

Yet when he stepped out of the elevator and saw the scene before him, he froze.

The girl was sitting outside his front door, hugging her knees, her face buried against them.

Hearing Qin Er’s footsteps, the girl looked up. Her small face was actually covered in sweat and tear tracks, deathly pale.

“Big Brother.” Her voice trembled, yet she smiled and said: “Big Brother, you’re here. Let’s go eat dinner.”

Chen Zao stood up, but because he had been sitting for too long, his legs were numb. Stumbling slightly, he grabbed Qin Er’s arm.

Qin Er paused, not pulling his hand back: “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing! What are we eating? Big Brother, can you eat spicy food?” Chen Zao pulled out his phone to search for nearby restaurants.

Qin Er’s gaze shifted downward, landing on the girl’s other hand pressing firmly against her abdomen.

His stomach was hurting like crazy, making it impossible for Chen Zao to straighten his back. Chen Zao tried his best to endure it, terrified of disrupting his plan.

Then he heard Qin Er’s cold voice: “Follow me inside.”

Chen Zao looked up and saw Qin Er opening his front door, gesturing toward him.

“Me? Go in?” He pointed at himself.

Qin Er said nothing and walked straight inside, but left the door wide open—the meaning was obvious.

Chen Zao was a bit dazed. Clutching his stomach, he walked inside slowly and closed the door.

He walked over to the sofa, his eyes following Qin Er. He watched Qin Er retrieve a blanket from the bedroom and hand it to him, then pull out a hot water bottle from under the TV console, fill it with hot water, and hand it over: “Press it against your stomach.”

Chen Zao dazedly did as told, then stared as Qin Er poured a glass of warm water and brought over two pills.

He finally couldn’t help asking: “How did you know?”

Qin Er glanced at him, seemingly finding the question laughable: “I am a doctor.”

“…” Oh, right, a doctor. No wonder he noticed.

Chen Zao held the warm water, squeezing his voice soft: “So Big Brother is a doctor! You’re so amazing, realizing I was sick right away.”

Qin Er retrieved a change of clothes from his bedroom and told him: “I’ll take a shower first. We’ll have porridge for dinner.”

Chen Zao was stunned once again. It took him a moment to process that Qin Er meant he was going to cook porridge for him.

His belly felt nice and warm, and the stomach pain had eased compared to before. Chen Zao lowered his head, staring at the water glass and pills in his hands, feelings growing somewhat complex inside him.

He opened his mouth, took the medicine, swallowed it down with water, and leaned against the sofa to rest.

Taking advantage of the time Qin Er was showering, he surveyed the decor here. The whole place looked extremely minimalist and cold; every piece of furniture was arranged meticulously, making it impossible for even a speck of dust to land on them.

Does Qin Er have mysophobia? Chen Zao wondered.

He stood up, walking around to look at the apartment. His gaze landed on an office desk in the living room.

Various medical books and anatomical charts were neatly arranged, but right in the center of the desk sat an antique pocket watch that looked quite old.

This was something entirely out of place here. Everything else was spotless, yet this pocket watch bore distinct traces of grime and wear.

Looking closely, its hands weren’t moving either, meaning the watch was completely useless. Yet Qin Er actually displayed it on his desk—this was far too unusual.

Just as he was pondering, the bathroom door opened. Chen Zao turned back to see Qin Er coming out dressed in a black silk pajama set.

The man had a sturdy build and cool, fair skin, making those pair of phoenix eyes appear all the colder. Seeing Chen Zao standing in front of the desk, he informed him: “Don’t touch the things here.”

“…Oh.” Chen Zao pouted and walked back, watching Qin Er enter the kitchen.

He followed behind the man and was stunned to see beakers and test tubes on the kitchen counter. Pointing at them, he asked: “Are you doing experiments in the kitchen?”

Qin Er: “…”

He picked up a measuring cup, put rice inside: “Cooking.”

Cooking??

It was the first time Chen Zao had ever seen anyone cook like this. He stood rooted on the spot, brain-storming for a good while.

Could this be Qin Er’s way of attracting a girl’s attention? Unique enough—no wonder he could be a homewrecker.

Chen Zao snorted internally. Now that his stomach pain had subsided, he took off the blanket, puffed out his padded chest, and walked up to Qin Er’s side.

Leaning both hands on the kitchen counter, he struck an S-shaped posture: “Big Brother, do you need help?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Qin Er caught sight of a large expanse of white and looked over.

The girl’s skin was astonishingly pale, her arms slender—looking as though a light squeeze could shatter her bones. Her rear was perked up, and her pink puffy dress flared open like a flower.

Qin Er felt something surging inside his body, his gaze unbiddenly sticking to her. Right at that moment, Chen Zao turned around, turning his back to him: “Since Big Brother doesn’t need help, I’ll be going then.”

“…”

Chen Zao curled his lips into a smirk with his back turned, knowing full well that this old pervert Qin Er had taken a fancy to his body. He purposefully wouldn’t let Qin Er see it, teasing him just like this.

Just two steps away, a voice came from behind: “Come back.”

Chen Zao turned his head, his peach-blossom eyes curving with triumphant humor: “What for?”

Qin Er stepped aside to make space: “Chop the vegetables.”

…

Ten minutes later, Qin Er picked up a piece of winter melon chopped into uneven, jagged chunks: “…”

Chen Zao shrugged awkwardly: “Well… I don’t cook often.”

Not “not often”—he had never cooked at all.

Chen Zao bit his lip in embarrassment. He had originally wanted to use cooking as an opportunity to draw closer to him; who knew winter melon was so hard to slice?

Qin Er frowned tightly; these chunks of winter melon almost drove his obsessive-compulsive disorder crazy. He told Chen Zao to step aside and cut them again himself.

Chen Zao stared at him curiously, watching Qin Er pick up the chef’s knife like a scalpel, neatly slicing the winter melon into uniform, thin pieces.

After slicing, the man pulled out a ruler to measure—the thickness was a uniform two millimeters across the board.

Chen Zao was utterly shocked. Refusing to believe it, he took the ruler and measured piece after piece—they really were all two millimeters!

Qin Er actually had some serious skill!

Looking at Chen Zao’s dazed appearance, Qin Er tugged at the corner of his mouth. Not expecting him to be of any help, he began rinsing the rice.

Seeing the man pour in a lot of water, Chen Zao realized after the fact: “Big Brother, are you making porridge?”

Qin Er: “Mm.”

It wouldn’t be made specifically for me, right? A strange sensation welled up in Chen Zao’s heart.

Deciding not to get in the way in the kitchen, he walked back to the living room and sat quietly, glancing at Qin Er from time to time while taking a sip of water.

The stove was lit, and the contents of the pot began bubbling. Qin Er came out and handed a box of stomach medication to Chen Zao: “Three times a day. Eat light meals for the next few days.”

“Oh.” Chen Zao hesitantly took it, becoming even more convinced of his earlier guess.

So Qin Er really had cooked porridge just for him.

Chen Zao touched his belly—it didn’t hurt anymore. Ever since he developed stomach problems, he had never told anyone about it. When his stomach hurt, no one ever noticed his abnormality, and Chen Zao had grown used to it.

Yet Qin Er had noticed.

Staring at the pill box in his hand, Chen Zao felt an indescribable emotion swirling in his heart.

A delicious aroma floated out from the kitchen—the food was ready.

On the table sat a pot of light white rice porridge, alongside minced pork stir-fried with winter melon—very suitable for someone with stomach troubles.

The two sat facing each other, neither speaking. Chen Zao bit his chopsticks, trying hard to think of a topic, when he suddenly heard Qin Er ask: “Medical history.”

“Ah?”

“How many years have you had stomach issues?”

Unsure if it was due to the authoritative presence of his medical profession, when Qin Er asked like that, Chen Zao obediently answered: “Five years.”

Qin Er spoke in an unhurried tone: “Find time to get an endoscopy and colonoscopy to rule out malignant changes.”

“Ah? Is it that serious?”

“Just ruling it out.”

“Oh.”

“Eat three meals a day regularly.”

“But I don’t know how to cook.” Chen Zao’s eyes darted around, blinking twice: “How about this, Big Brother—can I come over to your place to leech meals every day?”

Qin Er: “No.”

“Ah, please, Big Brother! Otherwise I can only order delivery. I really don’t know how to cook—even dogs wouldn’t eat what I make!”

Chen Zao carried his bowl and chopsticks over to sit right beside Qin Er, his bare long legs intentionally or unintentionally brushing against the fabric of the man’s suit trousers.

Qin Er looked down, seeing the other person’s toes—each one white with a touch of pink, round and full like small sweet buns, even the toe joints blushing a soft pink.

At this moment, those toes were restlessly hooking around his pant leg, practically making a move to reach inside.

What a flirt.

Seducing him from the very first day they met.

Thinking of the girl’s Golden Ratio body, Qin Er felt increasingly hot and restless, his breathing growing heavy as he said raspy: “Except on days I’m on night shift, any time is fine.”

“Hooray! Thank you, Big Brother—Big Brother is the best!”

“Do you call other people that too?”

“How could I?” Chen Zao cupped his cheeks, “I only call Qin Er ‘Big Brother’.”

Qin Er’s heart felt as though it had been lightly scratched by something, intensely itchy.

The girl stood up, her fragrance wafting over and brushing right past the tip of his nose. Qin Er closed his eyes, intending to breathe it in, but she slipped away.

Chen Zao sat back in his original spot, looking at him with a trace of pride.

He was going to tease Qin Er just like this, leaving him utterly unable to resist!

Qin Er stared at him with deep eyes, suddenly letting out a soft laugh and suppressing the corners of his mouth: “Eat.”

Chen Zao lowered his head and took a sip of porridge. Unsure if it was an illusion, he found the porridge extraordinarily delicious—could it be because Qin Er had measured the water level down to the precise decimal point?

The porridge was fragrant, soft, and smooth, warming his stomach comfortably as he drank it down.

Chen Zao took another bite of the winter melon with minced pork—savory, aromatic, and easy to digest, pairing wonderfully with the porridge.

Eating happily, his eyes crinkled into crescent moons. Suddenly remembering something, he asked Qin Er: “Big Brother, was that pocket watch on your desk a gift from someone?”

Qin Er’s hand froze instantly.

Seeing this reaction, Chen Zao felt all the more that something was up: “The hands don’t even move anymore… aren’t you going to fix it?”

“Can’t find a place that can repair it.” Qin Er said expressionlessly: “Don’t ask about it again in the future.”

“…Oh.” Chen Zao said softly.

It seemed Qin Er treasured this watch immensely, to the point he wouldn’t even let anyone ask about it.

After finishing the meal, Chen Zao volunteered to wash the dishes. Qin Er stood to the side, watching him wash attentively. After a long while, there were still lots of grease stains left, so Qin Er stopped him.

Chen Zao could only step aside sullenly, watching Qin Er scrub the dishes over and over until the surface was so clean it could reflect their faces.

He was absolute certain: Qin Er had mysophobia, and a severe case of it at that.

“Well, Big Brother, let’s exchange contact info!” Chen Zao pulled out his phone, “I’m going to be leeching meals often in the future, after all.”

Qin Er glanced at him, felt his pockets, and realized his phone wasn’t on him. He turned around to go to the study to fetch it. Chen Zao took this chance to snap a photo of the pocket watch.

When the man came out, Chen Zao scanned his WeChat, waving his phone at him: “I pinned Big Brother to the top of my chat list!”

Qin Er looked down, seeing the new contact appearing in his phone—the profile picture was a white cat wearing a bow tie.

Almost everyone added on his WeChat were colleagues from the hospital. Even when chatting, it was all work-related, strictly business every day. But today, with an added cat avatar, Qin Er felt that something was somehow different.

“Well, good night~” The girl gave him a radiant smile, turned around, and left, her back bouncing playfully like a colorful butterfly.

Qin Er watched her close the door and indifferently withdrew his gaze.

…

Chen Zao ran back home. The very first thing he did was strip off the wig and dress—they were heavy to death.

He dashed into the bathroom, showered, returned to his bedroom, and threw himself onto the soft bed, finally letting go of the day’s exhaustion.

College students nowadays were way too fragile—Chen Zao had only chopped a few vegetables and washed a few dishes, yet he felt as exhausted as if he had carried hundreds of bags of cement at the docks.

However, his stomach today wasn’t like before; it felt full, experiencing an unprecedented level of comfort.

Chen Zao held up his phone, looking at Qin Er’s WeChat profile picture.

Originally, his goal coming here was to seduce Qin Er into his hands. Yet Qin Er had given him medicine and cooked porridge for him, leaving his conscience feeling a bit guilty instead.

Thinking this, his hand suddenly slipped, and the phone dropped right onto his face, as if ringing an alarm bell.

No! Chen Zao, you can’t be soft-hearted! These are all Qin Er’s tactics to seduce women! He’s the male homewrecker who cuckolded you!

Chen Zao sat up abruptly and wiped his face to wake himself up.

He absolutely could not feel sympathy. Who knows how Qin Er and Lili might be laughing at him behind his back? If he fell for it, he’d truly become a laughingstock.

However, Chen Zao didn’t want to owe Qin Er anything. He sent the photo of the pocket watch over to Chen Meng.

10-Days [Chen Zao]: 【Sis, have you seen this kind of watch abroad?】

After sending it, Chen Zao picked out a dress from his wardrobe, holding it up against himself in front of the full-length mirror—short enough, sexy enough.

Before long, the phone on the bed vibrated twice. Chen Zao immediately pounced over to look.

Mengmeng: 【I have. There are plenty of antique shops in Chinatown. What’s up?】

10-Days: 【Can you help me ask around if there’s anyone who can restore this kind of watch?】

Mengmeng: 【Why don’t you just buy him a new one?】

10-Days: 【This is Qin Er’s watch. He looks like he treasures it a lot, so buying a new one definitely won’t work.】

Mengmeng: 【Oh, so you’re asking on Qin Er’s behalf.】

10-Days: 【I want to speed up the progress of winning Qin Er over. This pocket watch must be an important item. If I can restore it, Qin Er will definitely see me in a whole new light.】

Mengmeng: 【Alright, I’ll help you ask around and give you an answer tomorrow.】

10-Days: 【Thanks, Sis!】

Chen Zao tossed his phone onto the bed and quickly began changing into the dress.

Qin Er was currently in his study discussing a patient’s surgical plan with Shen Muxin when the phone on his desk vibrated, a cat avatar popping up.

Wanwan: 【Thank you Big Brother for cooking for me! To repay you, I have a gift for you~】

Wanwan: 【Image】

Not knowing what Chen Wan was up to, Qin Er tapped into the chat box. Seeing the thumbnail, his body shuddered.

The girl was wearing a black feather strap minidress, looking vividly like a black swan. She knelt on the bed with her legs slightly parted, the black hem of the dress forming a striking contrast against her pale white skin.

And in the middle, a corner of black fabric appeared in the photo. The bright white light shone upon her, coating her entire body in a halo of light, looking like an exquisite work of art.

The image was recalled just two seconds after being sent.

Wanwan: [Oh my, I accidentally exposed myself! Big Brother is not allowed to look!]

However, Qin Er’s super memory and speed were no joke—in just those brief two seconds, he had committed the girl’s image to memory.

Wanwan: [Big Brother, you didn’t see it, right? (Cat peeking out)]

Wanwan: [Hmph! Big Brother definitely didn’t see it, my hand speed is super fast! (Proud cat)]

The girl actually thought she could fool him with an innocent act, when in reality, he had seen right through her long ago.

This kind of self-righteous seduction tactic was clumsy in the extreme.

Qin Er let out a chuckle, without even realizing himself that he had smiled.

Lying on the bed, Chen Zao waited somewhat nervously for the man to reply.

He didn’t know how much time had passed—so long that Chen Zao was getting impatient, wanting to go knock on the man’s door directly to ask him what he thought—when his phone rang.

Chen Zao swiped open WeChat instantly.

QE: 【Didn’t see it, send it again】