Divorcing and Returning Home with My Child to Inherit a Billion-Dollar Fortune - Chapter 7

Those words were undoubtedly hurtful, and Lu Ming knew exactly how much spite they contained. He was not naturally a patient or reserved person, yet he was willing to offer all his sincerity and tolerance to face this marriage alongside Qi Ji. However, his good upbringing and kindness had been mistaken for ulterior motives. His original enthusiasm and proactivity felt as though they had been doused by a bucket of cold water, making him suddenly realize that a “parting on good terms” might only be his own one-sided fantasy.

From the moment they met, it had been the worst possible start. How could a terrible beginning ever lead to a good ending? Perhaps letting Qi Ji misunderstand was for the best; it at least unburdened Lu Ming.

Qi Ji remained where he was, feeling as if a sharp blade were piercing his heart. He felt as though he had lost something important, but his chaotic thoughts prevented him from processing it. The two stood in a tense standoff for a long time until Qi Ji’s figure began to sway. Lu Ming instinctively reached out to support him.

“Don’t touch me,” Qi Ji said softly, his voice devoid of emotion.

He was highly guarded. Lu Ming had worked hard just to open a small crack in his defenses, and now all that progress was lost. Lu Ming felt a sense of regret; living together from now on would likely be even more difficult. He only wanted this year to pass quickly. Once the child was born, they could both restart their lives.

“It is late. Get some rest,” Lu Ming said, his lips pressed thin and his face as calm as still water. He withdrew his gaze and turned to head upstairs.

After showering, Lu Ming lay in bed with his arms propped behind his head, staring at the ceiling without a hint of sleepiness. They had failed to perform the pheromone soothing again today, despite the doctor’s repeated warnings that it was beneficial for both the Omega’s hormones and the fetus’s development. He tossed and turned until his eyes were bloodshot. He checked his smartwatch: 1:00 AM.

Insomnia was agonizing. Lu Ming let out a low groan, rolled out of bed, and walked out of the room wearing only a pair of cotton lounge pants. Since he hadn’t eaten much for dinner, he decided to go downstairs and make a midnight snack. He wasn’t wearing shoes, so his footsteps were silent.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he noticed a faint, pale blue light emanating from the sofa, accompanied by the occasional “tap-tap-tap” of a keyboard. Lu Ming drew a sharp breath as a flicker of nameless anger rose within him. He strode over to Qi Ji in three quick steps.

It wasn’t until a shadow loomed over him that Qi Ji realized Lu Ming was standing there, staring at him. “Move aside. You are blocking my light.”

“Do you know what time it is? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I can’t sleep. I am handling some work,” Qi Ji replied, looking up. The half-naked Alpha before him possessed the physique of a male model with tight, well-defined muscles and broad, sturdy shoulders. The dim light traced the perfect contours of his body, radiating hormones that made Qi Ji’s heart race in the quiet night.

Qi Ji hurriedly looked down, took off his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his aching nose. Scenes of that night of intimacy flooded back like a tide; he realized he hadn’t forgotten a single detail. He felt his body grow hot, unaware that a flush had spread from his ears to his chest. He steadied himself to put his glasses back on and continue working, but suddenly his hand felt empty. Lu Ming had snatched the glasses away.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Qi Ji barked, his face reddening with anger. “Whether I sleep or not is none of your business!”

“I don’t care if you sleep, but my child needs to sleep. You are disturbing them.”

“Give my glasses back.”

“No.”

“Lu Ming, I am telling you one more time: give them back!”

“Oh? If you’re so capable, come and take them,” Lu Ming said with a roguish smile that made Qi Ji’s temper flare.

Qi Ji slammed his laptop shut and stood up to face Lu Ming. The two squared off like fighting roosters, staring each other down for half a minute. Taking advantage of a moment when Lu Ming was off guard, Qi Ji reached for the glasses. However, the boy’s reactions were lightning-fast; using his long reach, he held the glasses high above his head.

Qi Ji’s eyes turned red with fury. “You bastard!”

Truthfully, his insults carried no weight. To Lu Ming, the sight of him trembling with anger and the corners of his eyes flushed red looked more like he was acting spoiled. An Omega’s temper was truly something else; Lu Ming worried that if this continued, Qi Ji might actually cough up blood from pure rage.

He lowered his hand slightly. Qi Ji seized the opportunity to snatch the glasses back, giving Lu Ming a kick as he turned away. Lu Ming cried out in pain, hopping around before falling to the floor. “My leg! My leg is broken!”

Qi Ji rolled his eyes. “Serves you right.”

Lu Ming began rolling on the floor clutching his leg. Qi Ji finally grew concerned and stepped forward to check. “Which leg is broken?”

“The left one.”

“You idiot, I just kicked your right leg!”

“Oh, is that so? I never went to school, so I can’t tell left from right very well. It hurts! It hurts so much!”

Qi Ji actually believed him, convinced that he truly was illiterate. He knelt down, grabbed Lu Ming’s right leg, and pushed up the pant leg. He saw a bruise on the calf and carefully felt the bone. “It isn’t broken. Stop wailing.”

“Really?”

“Does it even hurt that much?” Qi Ji hadn’t used much strength; he hadn’t expected such a large Alpha to be so delicate.

“It hurts. It’s bruised, look!”

Qi Ji was speechless. “Wait here. I’ll get some medicinal oil.”

“Hurry up. I’m about to faint from the pain.” Lu Ming’s acting was quite convincing; his voice was weak and he bit his pale lower lip, a sight that would move anyone to pity.

Qi Ji hurried to the storage room. As soon as he was gone, Lu Ming sprang up and checked the fridge in the kitchen. There was no prepared food. Hearing movement outside and figuring Qi Ji was returning, Lu Ming sprinted back to the hall and collapsed on the floor, resuming his wailing.

After a while, Qi Ji hadn’t returned. Lu Ming, lying on his side with his arm as a pillow, was almost falling asleep, but his stomach was growling. He regretted his own scheme. “President Qi! President Qi! Why aren’t you back yet? If you don’t come soon, you’ll never see me again.”

“Tsk, shut up!” Qi Ji snapped, hurrying out of the storage room with a bottle of oil. The label on the pale green bottle had fallen off, making Qi Ji a bit uncertain. “I’m not entirely sure if this is liniment for bruises.”

“It looks like it. Give it to me!” Lu Ming didn’t care. He poured some into his hand; it felt cool and had a fresh scent. Based on Lu Ming’s experience, it was actually mosquito repellent.

Seeing him rub it carelessly on his leg, Qi Ji stared at him. “You have to massage it in!”

What is there to massage into mosquito repellent? Lu Ming thought. He let out a sigh. “I won’t massage it. Help me up so I can get something to eat.”

Qi Ji gave him a hand, pulling Lu Ming up from the floor. This was the first time they had been so close outside of the bedroom. Qi Ji could feel the weight of the Alpha’s firm arm muscles on his shoulder and a searing heat. Through his thin shirt, that heat spread across his shoulder like a damp water stain, saturating his entire body.

Lu Ming noticed the unusual redness in Qi Ji’s face and reached out to touch his forehead. The movement was so sudden that Qi Ji couldn’t dodge it.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Your forehead is so hot. Could you have a fever?” Lu Ming withdrew his hand, his expression grave.

“It’s just hot because you’re pressing against me without clothes on. It isn’t a fever.”

“Are you sure you aren’t uncomfortable?”

“I’m fine!”

“I’m not without clothes. I’m wearing pants.”

“You might as well take those off too. What’s the difference between this and streaking?” Qi Ji said with a look of disdain. He returned to the sofa and began wiping his glasses with a cloth.

Lu Ming actually tugged at the elastic waistband of his pants and looked down at himself. Was there really no difference? Did he have such a vivid imagination? Lu Ming looked back and saw that Qi Ji still didn’t intend to sleep. He said angrily, “This is bad for your body and bad for the child. In early pregnancy, you can’t drink, stay up late, be a picky eater, or get angry. President Qi, which of those have you followed?”

“Don’t worry,” Qi Ji said as he meticulously wiped his lenses, his emotions having returned to a state of calm. “I will give birth to your child and give it to you. As for me, stay out of my business.”

Lu Ming felt helpless. Qi Ji’s personality was awkward, stubborn, and prideful. Although he had reached the position of company president at the young age of twenty-six, he was incredibly rebellious in private. Lu Ming went to the kitchen and took out two boxes of handmade dumplings the helper had made—shrimp and cabbage-pork fillings. He boiled a pot with a mix of both. Once the dumplings floated to the surface, he scooped them into bowls with a seasoned broth.

At 2:00 AM, Qi Ji finally felt drowsy, just as Lu Ming brought out the two bowls of dumplings. “Eat some. It’s so late; you’ll feel terrible if you’re hungry.”

“Okay, thank you.” Qi Ji didn’t argue this time. He took the bowl and ate a dumpling, finding the taste delicious and the broth refreshing.

“Is it good?”

“It’s alright.”

If Qi Ji said it was “alright,” it meant it was delicious. A smile touched Lu Ming’s lips as he quickly polished off the forty or so dumplings in his bowl. He wiped his mouth with a tissue and looked at Qi Ji, his tone gentle as he urged, “Go to sleep after you finish, okay?”

Being coaxed to sleep by an Alpha six years his junior made Qi Ji feel a surge of embarrassment. “It’s not that I’m refusing to sleep. I just can’t sleep. There’s a difference!” He emphasized his point forcefully.

“Why can’t you sleep?” Lu Ming asked tentatively. When Qi Ji remained silent, he asked softly, “Is it because we fought?”

Qi Ji drew a sharp breath. His appetite vanished instantly, leaving two dumplings behind as he set down his chopsticks. Seeing him sitting there in a stalemate, Lu Ming was the first to rise and walk over to him. Before Qi Ji could figure out what he was doing, Lu Ming bent down and swept him into a bridal carry.

“What are you doing? Put me down!”

“I’m carrying you to sleep. Don’t struggle; if we fall, I’m not the one who will get hurt.”

“I told you to leave me alone!”

“I’m looking after my child, and my child needs to sleep.”

“Shut up!” Qi Ji barked in embarrassment.

Lu Ming carried him to the bed but didn’t leave immediately. He turned off the main light and hesitated for a moment before saying, “If you can’t sleep, why don’t we try pheromone soothing? It might help.”

Qi Ji didn’t look at him, his voice sounding muffled. “Go put some clothes on first. Don’t go wandering around half-naked!”

Lu Ming quickly ran back to his room, threw on a shirt, and hurried back. Practice makes perfect. On this second time entering Qi Ji’s bed, he no longer felt a psychological burden. He pulled the Omega into his arms and slowly began releasing his pheromones.

“President Qi, relax. Don’t overthink. The only thing you need to do right now is sleep.”

Under his soothing, Qi Ji’s tensed body gradually relaxed. Once his mind and body eased, his mental defenses became exceptionally fragile. Although he was told not to overthink, he couldn’t help but replay their earlier argument. He knew he was in the wrong. He could feel whether a person was being sincere or not.

“I’m sorry,” Qi Ji whispered. His voice was soft, like someone talking in their sleep, but Lu Ming heard it.

Support Divorcing and Returning Home with My Child to Inherit a Billion-Dollar Fortune