Shocking! The Protagonist of the Mpreg Story Is a Straight Man - Chapter 26

The qualifying trials, which the school had been promoting for half a month, finally began on a bright and sunny day.

As the name suggests, the qualifying trials were held to select the representatives from within the school first. The competition strictly followed formal tournament regulations, adhering to the principles of fairness, justice, and transparency to showcase the process to all teachers and students. To train the athletes’ adaptability and reaction speed, Jinti University not only opened attendance to its own faculty and students but also allowed students from their friendly rival, Jinti University, to watch the matches via reservation.

This news stirred up quite a ripple. The excitement-loving college students felt they had finally found an event worth attending. They began spontaneously creating support materials. Usually, everyone was quiet and low-key, but once this competition came out, people realized just how energetic the school’s cheerleading squads were especially the support groups for the “star athletes,” which featured all sorts of creative fan gear.

As Xue Xingqi walked along the path, he heard countless voices praising Pei Nan.

Beautiful young men and women formed long queues in front of the gymnasium. Small fans and banners printed with Pei Nan’s handsome face were held over their heads to block the sun.

Many girls enthusiastically recommended items to the passing Xue Xingqi. “Student, do you support Pei Nan? Take a banner inside with you, it’s free.”

They held several different designs in their hands. Xue Xingqi felt a bit tempted and was just about to reach out and take one when a female voice exclaimed in surprise, “Xue-shen? Are you here specifically to support Nan-nan too?! Our Nan-nan is just too amazing!”

The first half of her sentence was a question to Xue Xingqi, but by the second half, she was already jumping for joy with her friends. They knew it talented people always attract other talented people! Those sour rumors from people saying Pei Nan was just a “pretty boy” with no real skill would surely shatter today like bubbles in the sunlight!

Xue Xingqi gave a gentle smile. “Yes, he is very amazing. I’m here to support him.”

“Xue-shen, what do you think of our support banners?” the girls chirped as they shared their designs.

The four or five headshots were looks of Pei Nan that Xue Xingqi hadn’t seen before. Fortunately, the expressions were familiar focused, quiet eyes, like a lake hidden deep in a forest. If one didn’t look closely, they might never discover the eternal flames burning beneath the water.

Inundated with private thoughts, he felt a selfish desire to keep that lake for himself, to embrace those flames.

“They are exquisite and well-designed, but printing them privately is a copyright infringement,” Xue Xingqi felt compelled to remind them to be mindful of boundaries.

“We got authorization! Nan-nan is so nice; we sent the photos for him to see and he agreed. He even told us he liked them very much!”

“Especially toward girls, Nan-nan is such a gentleman. He’s so much better than those smelly jocks.”

“Right, right! And Nan-nan smells so nice, he never has that sweaty gym odor.”

Xue Xingqi maintained his polite smile, but he couldn’t help sighing inwardly. Pei Nan’s weakness for being soft-hearted toward girls would probably never change. He hoped the people he was soft for would be worthy of his sincere heart.

Otherwise, with that personality, who knows how many creeps he might attract?

Xue Xingqi took one of each banner and entered the venue first, leaving the people in the queue looking on in envy.

He headed straight for the locker room. Pei Nan’s event wouldn’t start for at least an hour. Right now, the athletes were either warming up or taking it easy. Rather than soaking in the water, Pei Nan preferred to sit quietly in the lounge at this time.

As Xue Xingqi walked through the slightly noisy corridor, his heart suddenly began to feel nervous.

The closer he got to the locker room, the faster his heart beat.

When he spotted Pei Nan’s back at the locker room entrance, he couldn’t help but pause. The other man was walking away from him, appearing to be headed to the restroom. Xue Xingqi thought for a moment and decided to retreat to a corner; he would wait for Pei Nan to return and then pretend he had just arrived.

Leaning against the wall, he recalled Pei Nan’s somewhat indifferent attitude toward him over the past few days.

To call it “ignoring” would be an exaggeration. Pei Nan would reply to his messages and return his calls. He had even returned calls two or three times during breaks in training. Later on, Xue Xingqi didn’t send as many messages, unsure if that was what Pei Nan intended.

Today, when he said he was coming to cheer him on, Pei Nan hadn’t refused and even reserved the best seat for him.

Thinking of this, Xue Xingqi suppressed his restless heart.

Fortunately, Pei Nan didn’t know what Xue Xingqi was thinking. If he did, he would surely mock him Xue Xingqi was the one who led the meetings to decide the race schedule and venue layout. Since they were “insiders,” how could he not leave a VIP seat for the hardworking management staff? Even if he didn’t, Chen Bin would have reserved the best spot for Xue Xingqi.

After Pei Nan finished in the restroom, he bent over to wash his hands. Out of the corner of his eye, a dark shadow flashed past, so fast that Pei Nan thought he was hallucinating.

“No way, am I really this nervous?”

He shook his head and walked out slowly.

Xue Xingqi stood waiting for Pei Nan. After a moment, he heard a light set of footsteps. They didn’t sound like Pei Nan’s, so he didn’t pay them much mind. Only when the footsteps stopped did he look up, and that single glance made him narrow his eyes.

He watched the person expertly check left and right before pulling a silicone finger from their pocket. They pressed it lightly against the fingerprint lock, and the door clicked open immediately. The person straightened up and walked inside composedly.

Xue Xingqi had originally planned to tell Pei Nan after the qualifying trials were over to ask how he wanted to handle it. Now that this person dared to show up again, it seemed the warning he had given wasn’t heavy enough.

He pulled out his phone and sent a message, then quickly burst through the door. Just as the person was clutching Pei Nan’s clothes and pressing them to their face in a daze, Xue Xingqi pinned them ruthlessly to the ground. He held the person’s head down. “Don’t move! Otherwise, I won’t be able to control my strength.”

“Who are you?!” Sun Qi cried out in shock and rage.

“I should be asking who you are and what you’re doing here,” Xue Xingqi’s recording function was back online. “Voyeurism, stalking, breaking and entering with lewd intent—is there anything you, Sun Qi, don’t dare to do?”

“You’re talking nonsense! I was just… I was just passing by… I didn’t do anything!”

Sun Qi struggled, his face flushing red. Under Xue Xingqi’s suppression, he had almost no power to fight back; his struggling was futile. He breathed with difficulty, using all his strength to argue for himself.

“You still dare to deny it? That time we went to the guesthouse, didn’t you steal a fish?!”

Sun Qi looked at Xue Xingqi in shock, accusing him in a tone filled with extreme hatred. “So it was you! If I have bad intentions, are you some kind of good person? You were the one who found people to threaten me, even forcing me to move! I lived in the neighborhood next to Pei Nan for over ten years what right do you have to tell me to move?!”

“Besides, I never disturbed Pei Nan’s normal life! You’re the one with bad intentions. Isn’t everything you’re doing just because you want to be with Pei Nan?!”

Pei Nan had walked near the locker room, wondering why the door was open, when he heard: “Isn’t everything you’re doing just because you want to be with Pei Nan?” This interrogation was deafening. Pei Nan stood frozen in place; he suddenly didn’t dare listen to the rest and turned to run away.

Inside the locker room, the accusations continued.

“You say I’m the one disturbing Pei Nan’s life?! Bah!” Sun Qi spat, though due to his position, he could only spit on the floor.

Xue Xingqi was almost amused by his twisted logic. “First, Pei Nan and I are friends. I have never done anything to hurt him. Second, your actions violate public security regulations just like today, using someone else’s fingerprint to unlock a door is a crime anywhere. Third, you say you haven’t disturbed his life? Even if you didn’t at first, are you not disturbing it now?”

“Human greed grows step by step. Maybe at first you just wanted to look at him from afar. But later, you wanted to be closer. Once closer, you wanted more contact. After more contact, you became even more unwilling to let go. At that point, what would you have done?”

“Your behavior is escalating. Did you have Pei Nan’s fingerprint before? You didn’t. Why do you have it now? Because you developed evil thoughts that morality and law do not allow. These thoughts urged and bewitched you day and night, forcing you to slide into a more dangerous abyss.”

Taking advantage of Sun Qi’s stunned silence, Xue Xingqi quickly tied him up with his hands behind his back. The man couldn’t move an inch. After being pulled into a sitting position by Xue Xingqi, his expression remained dazed.

Xue Xingqi gave him a cold look, and once certain he couldn’t resist, he called someone to handle the situation.

You can tell Pei Nan to come back now.

Receiving the message, Chen Bin nudged his “Dad” Nan. “The race is starting soon, are you going back to the locker room?”

“Not going.” Pei Nan answered almost without thinking. He swallowed, afraid of seeing something he shouldn’t in the locker room.

His mother, Ms. Zhu Yun, looked worried. “Nan-nan, is everything okay?”

419, perched on Zhu Yun’s shoulder, also gave him some attention. “Host, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I’m going to warm up. Remember to cheer for me later.”

After Pei Nan left, Zhu Yun started chatting with Chen Bin. In her eyes, these kids weren’t experienced enough; whatever was going on was written all over their faces. If she didn’t fish for some info, she really wouldn’t be doing her job as a mother.

“Auntie was on a business trip recently and just got back, so I haven’t had time to chat with Nan-nan. Tell me about what’s been happening with him lately. I can tell you two have a great relationship.”

Chen Bin, practically glowing from Ms. Zhu Yun’s validation, blurted out, “Nan-ge’s best friend is Xue-shen. I’m just a tag-along for the two of them, hehe.”

Zhu Yun became interested. Young people aren’t easily impressed; who exactly was this “Xue-shen”? He sounded like he had some real skills.

Xue Xingqi had no idea he was about to be introduced to Pei Nan’s mother in this way. Having learned from Chen Bin that Pei Nan wasn’t coming back, he focused on dealing with Sun Qi, finally rushing back just as the athletes were being announced.

Right before Pei Nan went on stage, he specifically glanced at the spectator stands.

Ms. Zhu Yun waved her arms enthusiastically. Xue Xingqi was next to her holding a banner, and Chen Bin was like a jumping monkey. Cheers came from all corners of the stands. To his left, a group of girls occupied the best seats, shouting encouragement. In the past, Pei Nan would have found this very cool, but today, for some reason, he felt a slight chill down his spine.

“Lately, I’ve been having more and more hallucinations,” Pei Nan muttered to himself.

He stood before his lane, performing his preparation movements according to muscle memory. The surrounding noise gradually faded. His vision held only the blue in front of him. His focused eyes gazed at the water, aiming for the perfect entry point.

At the signal, Pei Nan dove out like a vigorous fish, taking the lead immediately.

Chen Bin couldn’t help but howl, “Go Dad Nan!!”

Xue Xingqi watched Pei Nan tensely, his fingers crumpling the banner.

Zhu Yun observed the two boys’ vastly different reactions and let out a light laugh. Her gaze returned to the pool. Pei Nan was already pushing off the wall for the return lap. In the 400-meter freestyle, half the race had passed in the blink of an eye.

“Pei Nan, add oil! Pei Nan, add oil!”

A rhythmic cheering chant rose from the stands. Everyone watched with wide eyes, waiting for Pei Nan’s result. The clicking of cameras almost never stopped. When they saw him actually reach out and touch the wall, the audience erupted in a celebratory roar even more excited than the athlete himself.

“Pei Nan, you’re the best!”

“Pei Nan, we love you!”

“Nan-nan fly with peace of mind, the Pumpkins will always follow!”

At the same time, camera flashes nearly blinded the entire arena.

Pei Nan’s exceptionally gifted face was truly a darling of the lens. Every angle was near perfect; even the universally feared “death angles” were conquered by his resilient good looks.

The crowd’s passion intensified as he emerged from the water. Eight distinct abdominal muscles were neatly aligned; his chest muscles, swollen and flushed after intense exercise, made his collarbones stand out. Unfortunately, his perfect “inverted triangle” physique was only visible for a few moments before he threw on a towel, leaving only his long, fair, and powerful legs exposed.

“Pumpkins? Is that the fan name?” Zhu Yun pursed her lips. “Hearing it actually makes me hungry.”

“Auntie, we’re having a group dinner later. Would you like to join us?” Chen Bin invited warmly.

“I’ll pass. It’s you young people’s turf. Have fun and just stay safe.”

“Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ll look after Pei Nan,” Xue Xingqi said with a gentle smile.

Zhu Yun thought highly of Xue Xingqi. “Then Auntie will thank you in advance.”

Pei Nan walked over draped in his towel and hugged his mother first. “Is your son amazing or what?”

“Amazing. You’re the best, you’re Mama’s pride.” Zhu Yun grabbed Pei Nan’s head and gave him a kiss. “No matter what, Mama loves you most.”

Pei Nan blushed in embarrassment and groaned, “Ma—you’re out in public I need to save face!”

He could hear the teasing “oohs” and “ahhs” from the stands, and many people were taking photos and videos.

“They’re just jealous they don’t have a mother like me. Alright, you have plans later, so Mama will go home and wait for you. Tell me what you want to eat, I’ll order delivery.”

Pei Nan had actually held a tiny bit of hope that his mom might cook.

“Forget it, I’ll make something when I get home. What do you want to eat? Just buy the ingredients.”

“Oh, I’d feel so bad,” Zhu Yun said, her eyes crinkling with joy. “I want to eat pumpkin.”

Pei Nan huffed. “I knew I should only listen to half of what you say. Alright, I need to go get my award.”

He took a quick look at Xue Xingqi. When the other man opened his arms for a hug, Pei Nan hesitated for a moment but hugged him anyway. He intended it to be a brief touch-and-release, but he was held by the waist by Xue Xingqi, who maintained the embrace and wouldn’t let go. This angered him, and he hissed into Xue Xingqi’s ear, “Let go, that’s enough.”

Adhering to the principle of fairness, Pei Nan didn’t play favorites between his two friends and gave Chen Bin a hug as well before heading back.

Xue Xingqi watched Pei Nan’s retreating figure with a smile, savoring the feeling of the hug, unnoticed by Zhu Yun’s thoughtful gaze.

Support