I'm Pregnant With My Arch-Nemesis's Child - Chapter 2

That was a bit much.

Chi Yuan narrowed his eyes, intending to see if Lu Huai was joking, but he was met with the other man’s mocking, impassive expression.

It seemed he had no choice but to dance.

Even though he had known all along that Lu Huai would not be kind enough to let him off the hook—especially after he had deliberately increased the number of drinks earlier—he was not about to lose face now.

That was impossible. Chi Yuan chuckled, his bright, phoenix-like eyes lifting slightly. “A failed romance has left you brooding and unable to let go for two years, and now, you only ask for such a trivial favor? Is there anything I cannot handle?”

The comment was sharp. Everyone in the room knew these two were former romantic rivals, and they all fell silent, watching intently to see how Lu Huai would respond.

Vindictive as ever, Chi Yuan. Truly, it is you.

Lu Huai lowered his eyes, appearing indifferent to Chi Yuan’s jab. He simply said, “Please.”

It felt like punching cotton. Chi Yuan gritted his teeth inwardly, though he kept a smile on his face.

The people around them had intended to intervene, but the back-and-forth between the two left no room for negotiation. They could only watch as Chi Yuan unbuttoned the first three buttons of his shirt, struggling to suppress the excitement of watching the drama unfold.

“That is enough.” Seeing that Chi Yuan intended to undo more, Lu Huai suddenly seemed to lose interest and raised his voice to stop him. “You may begin.”

A storm was brewing in Lu Huai’s stomach; the pain ticked away with every passing second, exacerbated by the stinging words just spoken. Lu Huai lowered his eyes and smirked to himself, unsure of who was truly being tortured.

Chi Yuan ignored him. Perhaps feeling that his dignity was already compromised, he decided to be even more daring. He did not know why, but whenever he was in front of Lu Huai, he always felt this urge to throw caution to the wind.

He unbuttoned the shirt to the bottom. Amidst the colorful, atmospheric lighting, his smooth muscular lines were like a blank canvas waiting to be painted. Chi Yuan wore a reckless, wild smile, his eyes locked onto Lu Huai.

“I hope you find this satisfying.”

Lu Huai, who had been half-closing his eyes, slowly opened them but said nothing.

His usually calm gaze rested lightly on Chi Yuan, not with interest or hidden meaning, but with a sense of profound weariness. Chi Yuan felt that Lu Huai was restraining himself, suppressing a deep desire to simply walk away.

Chi Yuan frowned in displeasure, feeling a sudden flare of anger.

Amidst the gasps of the onlookers, Chi Yuan suppressed his rage, walked up to Lu Huai with a smirk, and forced the other man to focus his entire field of vision solely on him.

Lu Huai did not take a single extra look at the spring scenery before him. He simply lowered his head to connect his phone to the Bluetooth speaker. His fingertips paused when he saw a certain song, but he made his choice as if he had made a decision in his heart.

The explosive dance music blasted from the central speakers, filling every corner of the room with perfect clarity.

Suit Thug.

The song was a perfect match for Chi Yuan’s outfit, but his expression soured. He did not know if Lu Huai had done it on purpose, but seeing the other man’s indifferent demeanor, he decided against asking and looking foolish.

However, Lu Huai expecting to sit back and watch the show was a bit delusional.

Chi Yuan kept perfect time with the beat. He held a wine glass between his teeth, standing with an imposing presence just half a meter away from Lu Huai. His shadow blocked the overhead light that had been making Lu Huai dizzy, his red tongue contrasting against the white liquor in the glass.

With just one look, Lu Huai could not pull his eyes away.

Chi Yuan’s movements were clean, alluring but not vulgar. Every beat fell perfectly in rhythm, matching the racing heartbeats of everyone in the room.

His narrow, phoenix eyes locked onto Lu Huai. Suddenly, Chi Yuan stepped closer. The glass remained steady between his teeth. He reached out to brush Lu Huai’s bowtie, and without warning, he pressed the edge of the glass firmly against his own lips. The magnificent color spread from Lu Huai’s chin, the wine spilling and flowing until it soaked his entire body.

As the music reached its final, climactic note, Chi Yuan looked Lu Huai up and down with a wicked glint in his eyes, laughing as he tossed the glass aside.

“I have managed to get you all wet, Manager Lu,” Chi Yuan said. “It really is quite tempting. Surely someone as magnanimous as you will not hold this against me?”

Lu Huai’s white shirt was completely soaked, clinging to his skin. His muscular lines were visible, revealing a lean and powerful physique. His body was indeed quite impressive.

The ice-cold wine poured down, and Lu Huai’s first reaction was the cold. The sudden drop in temperature irritated his already aching stomach, and he instinctively frowned. But the arrogant little fox in front of him was just too beautiful to look away from. Lu Huai’s gaze remained locked on him, his lashes heavy with complex, unspoken emotions.

The surrounding crowd was noisy and boisterous. Chi Yuan furrowed his brows, but the person he was watching showed no reaction at all.

He did not know if Lu Huai simply did not care about him.

Lu Huai watched the man in front of him suddenly change his expression. He calmly withdrew his gaze and looked down at his own cufflinks, using the posture to hide his hunched figure.

The glass of alcohol he had just downed was now doing its work. Lu Huai curled his lips slightly, knowing that if he did not leave now, he would make a fool of himself in public. But after making Chi Yuan lose so much face, leaving without a word would make him far too easy a target for hatred.

He had not intended to provoke him.

Others often remarked that Manager Lu was flawless in his social interactions, but only Lu Huai knew that he could never control his emotions when facing Chi Yuan. Then again, perhaps it was just that he had been away for two years and had grown rusty.

Lu Huai did not want to think about it anymore. Seeing the other man’s sour expression, he knew he had no standing to try to appease him. He endured the pain as he stood up, his hand hovering briefly before dropping to his side. He lowered his eyes, not taking another look at the man with the smirk on his lips.

“I have matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave.”

With that, Lu Huai turned and walked away, leaving Chi Yuan clenching his fists in disbelief.

As Lu Huai had suspected, Chi Yuan was currently fueled by rage. He felt that this man had become even more insufferable since returning from abroad. At the very least, before, he had put on a mask and dealt with him with false pretenses, but now, he did not even care about outward civility. He just threw down a sentence and left. Had his social graces been eaten by a dog?

Just as he was about to lash out, his phone gave a soft chime. Chi Yuan grabbed his hair, trying to suppress his irritability as he looked down. The name “Fang Qiming” stood out prominently on the bright screen, followed by a short line of text: Chi Yuan, when are you coming back? I have something to say.

It was cold, without a hint of warmth. A whirlwind of complex thoughts surged through Chi Yuan’s mind. In the end, he only scoffed, dropping all the pretenses he had held in front of the others. That was normal, he thought. He and Fang Qiming had been in a cold war for quite a while; what kind of tone could he expect from him?

Chi Yuan turned off the screen and looked up, but Lu Huai was already gone. He bit his lip and, with a sense of reluctance, turned to Cheng Ye, who was still watching the show.

“Qiming is looking for me. I am heading back.”

Having seen enough of the drama, Cheng Ye naturally had no objections. He hurriedly pushed Chi Yuan toward the door. “Go, go! Do you think I do not know how easily your partner gets angry?”

Chi Yuan laughed in spite of himself. He gave a faint sound of agreement, waved his hand, and walked out.

He had been delayed for a while, so naturally, Lu Huai was nowhere to be found.

Chi Yuan searched his surroundings, and once certain he could not catch up, he did not head back immediately as he had told Cheng Ye. Instead, he leaned against his car. On his phone screen was a designated driver service he had not yet called; he had given his own driver the day off and would never humiliate himself by calling him back.

Chi Yuan irritably ran his hand through his hair and rolled down the window. He reached into his pocket for a cigarette box, hesitated for a long time, and finally pulled one out. Because Fang Qiming could not stand the smell of smoke, he had quit, but sometimes, when he was overwhelmed, he could not help it. Although the result was always that true love conquers all, this time was clearly different.

He did not want to hold back anymore.

With the cigarette in his mouth, Chi Yuan frowned deeply. It had been so long since he smoked that his hand trembled while trying to light it, and his thumb was nearly burned by the flame.

He felt that the song Lu Huai had chosen was just adding fuel to the fire. If he was not so certain that Lu Huai had just returned, he would have suspected that his rival was monitoring his relationship. How else could he be so good at stepping on every one of his landmines?

Two years ago, he had danced a song to win a smile from Fang Qiming. Now, he and Fang Qiming were in an unprecedented cold war, and Lu Huai had cruelly used that same song to make him feel the contrast between then and now.

Lu Huai, that man, is really…

“Pah!”

Choked by the smoke, Chi Yuan spat it out. The thumb that had nearly been burned earlier accurately pinched out the cigarette, leaving a red, irritated patch on his skin.

Chi Yuan rested his head against the window, his memories drifting away with a long exhale.

“Why are you dressed like this?” Cheng Ye asked, looking at Chi Yuan’s sparkling clothes with surprise. “Are you doing performance art?”

“Do you have any taste?” Chi Yuan slapped Cheng Ye’s wandering hand away. “This is my secret weapon for my dazzling debut tonight!”

Cheng Ye nodded thoughtfully. “It is certainly quite dazzling.”

He rubbed his reddened hand but could not help himself. “Are you sure it is a secret weapon and not some strange, embarrassing disaster?”

“Get lost! You do not understand!”

Seeing Lu Huai walk in, Chi Yuan immediately lost interest in talking to Cheng Ye.

Doesn’t he like to compete with me in everything, even dating? This time, I will definitely win!

Cheng Ye was about to ask who “he” was when he saw Lu Huai enter. He closed his mouth, took the initiative to hide, and helped Chi Yuan close the door as he ducked into the room.

Fortunately, Lu Huai did not seem to notice them.

Fang Qiming arrived at the perfect moment. All the lights in the venue went out according to Chi Yuan’s instructions. Once everyone was quiet, a single spotlight shone down on him.

The explosive music kicked in. Chi Yuan pulled his hat down, revealing his sharp jawline and the faint silhouette of his side profile.

The drums beat, and the colors unfolded.

Even though he was on stage, Chi Yuan immediately shot a look of triumph at the stunned Lu Huai.

Every muscle was controlled to perfection. Chi Yuan moved with the rhythm, and the transparent glass wall in front of him was filled with various colored liquors. When the light hit them, the intoxicating colors made everyone dizzy.

But no one was willing to look away.

Without a suit, he was still a thug.

The laser-lit outfit gathered all the colors of the world, yet none were as dazzling as the person freely performing before them.

No one could say if it was the rapid rhythm of the music that made them restless, or the sexy, moving body before their eyes.

With the final heavy beat, Chi Yuan dropped to his knees. His sharp, phoenix-like eyes carried an innate elegance, a mix of unbreakable arrogance and a willingness to submit by kneeling.

The extreme contrast was breathtaking.

Perhaps no one could easily forget that night’s Chi Yuan, Lu Huai included.