Shocking! The Protagonist of the Mpreg Story Is a Straight Man - Chapter 28.1

Xue Xingqi’s posture was confident and calm. The invisible pressure he exerted actually rivaled that of his own father. Luo Xin felt a jolt of alarm and, indeed, found himself hesitant to act rashly.

He had known Xue Xingqi since childhood or rather, who in their circles didn’t know him? He was the quintessential “child of someone else’s family,” always appearing at cocktail parties polished, elegant, and proper. To Luo Xin, however, Xue Xingqi was merely boring boring to the point of being a total old fogey.

Wasn’t it true? People like them were born in Rome with endless wealth. Why bother working so hard? Luo Xin, who could never understand math problems, couldn’t wrap his head around it. He only knew that every time Xue Xingqi took first place, he would have a miserable month at home. Consequently, every time he saw him, he felt Xue Xingqi carried a high-and-mighty hypocrisy. He loathed him.

He loathed the Xue Xingqi who took foreign language classes while they were racing cars; he loathed the Xue Xingqi who revised business proposals while they partied all night. Yet, at this moment, Luo Xin had to admit: while they were squandering their years, Xue Xingqi had grown into an existence they could only look up to.

In their silent standoff, Xue Xingqi’s fearlessness was as familiar as it was irritating. Luo Xin curled his lip into a sarcastic sneer. “Do you think I’ll believe you just because you say so? Give me a break.”

It was a bluff born of weakness. Even Pei Nan could see that Luo Xin’s feigned composure lacked the bite of his usual arrogance.

“I can call your father right now. I imagine he hasn’t gone to sleep yet,” Xue Xingqi said, showing Luo Xin his phone screen. That private number stung Luo Xin’s eyes; he had never hated his own 20/20 vision more than he did now.

Luo Xin finally admitted that Xue Xingqi’s abilities far exceeded their imagination, and his power was much higher than estimated. While Luo Xin was just starting to touch group affairs, Xue Xingqi was already speaking directly to his father. This was what truly terrified Luo Xin. Eventually, Xue Xingqi would possess the power to topple the Luo family. It was terrifying.

Luo Xin’s pupils contracted, and for the first time, a look of fear appeared in his beautiful eyes.

“What do you want?”

“I said it from the start: you and your friends stay away from Pei Nan. If you can’t manage that, I believe both the law and your father can make sure you do.”

Luo Xin gritted his teeth, almost tasting blood. “Fine.”

He agreed, not sparing Pei Nan another glance. “I hope you keep your word too.”

Xue Xingqi watched Luo Xin disappear before signaling the bodyguards to disperse. Only then was Pei Nan able to step out from the protective circle.

“I didn’t mean to control you. I was worried you’d get emotional and start a fight with him. Although he looks thin, his grappling skills are quite good. You have a competition coming up; no matter how you look at it, you’d be the one losing out.”

Looking at Xue Xingqi explaining things so gently, Pei Nan felt a bit awkward. He rubbed his eyebrow and then his nose. “It’s fine, I know he’s strong.”

“Let’s head back. Chen Bin is still waiting for us,” Xue Xingqi changed the subject.

“Did he tell you?”

“Half and half. The hotel management noticed and worried about a conflict between guests, so they informed the manager, who then told me,” Xue Xingqi said calmly.

“Is this your family’s?” Pei Nan’s eyes widened.

Xue Xingqi smiled, wanting to pat his head but holding back for fear of startling him. “It’s under our group. Otherwise, do you think Luo Xin would leave so quietly? He isn’t the type to let things go. If you had gone to one of his family’s properties, I’m not sure I could have gotten you out.”

Though his lifestyle was worlds apart from that crowd, Xue Xingqi could guess their thoughts with 80% or 90% accuracy. Rumors of Luo Xin’s past antics were plenty just his penchant for cross-dressing had caused a stir, though people rarely brought it to the table out of respect for the Luo family.

“Come on, you’re way more capable than him. Surpassing his old man is just a matter of time,” Pei Nan countered with a pout. After these few encounters, Pei Nan had zero good feelings toward Luo Xin. He found it hard to believe that in the original book, he would eventually choose to live with such a person. No wonder he ran away in the end staying would have driven him mad with frustration.

Xue Xingqi knew nothing of these thoughts. He simply loved Pei Nan’s vivid expressions, let alone his blunt affirmation. Xue Xingqi had never felt so delighted by his own achievements; the once dull years of repetitive study were now illuminated by Pei Nan’s praise.

“Then I’ll take that as a blessing.”

“You must! From what you said earlier, their family history isn’t clean. Isn’t that a great leverage? Try to bring them down so Luo Xin can’t just do whatever he wants. He even drugged me once. If I hadn’t run, he might have succeeded last time.”

Pei Nan usually didn’t care for books and spent his time swimming. He was practically illiterate regarding business competition, so his words had a very “overbearing CEO” flavor to them.

Xue Xingqi was smiling as he listened to Pei Nan’s views, thinking about how to explain the relationship between history and leverage, and perhaps give a lesson on modern business tactics until he heard about the drugging. He nearly didn’t react in time.

He grabbed Pei Nan’s shoulders, forcing them both to stop. His expression was grave and serious. “You said Luo Xin drugged you? When did this happen? Did you have a check-up afterward? Any changes in your physical functions? Do you feel tired?”

Whatever drug Luo Xin used couldn’t be anything good. If Pei Nan’s body was ruined because of it, even toppling the Luo family wouldn’t bring back his health.

“I… I’m fine. I got checked,” Pei Nan said, looking at Xue Xingqi’s face so close to his. The thick, dark lashes were practically brushing against him. The other man’s anxiety was undisguised, making Pei Nan nervous too. He could clearly see his own flustered reflection in Xue Xingqi’s eyes and subconsciously licked his lips.

A flash of a rosy tongue Xue Xingqi straightened up and took a small step back. “Check again. I’m not at ease.”

Xue Xingqi’s distance allowed Pei Nan some fresh air. He exhaled, his body relaxing significantly. Seeing Xue Xingqi still waiting for an answer, he nodded repeatedly.

“Okay, okay, if you say we check, we check.”

Pei Nan didn’t really care; the System had long since cleared the toxins. He was currently free of pain, and even the development of his second set of organs had slowed down. The abdominal pain that had plagued him most of the summer had vanished the day the mission began, so he had forgotten to follow up. Taking the chance to observe things further was fine.

“I’ll arrange it. You just need to go. Don’t worry, your data won’t be leaked.” Xue Xingqi wanted to protect Pei Nan flawlessly.

“Alright. I didn’t expect to trouble you again so soon.” Pei Nan rubbed his nose, feeling quite embarrassed, but there was a question he wanted to ask. “Is there any way to report Luo Xin and have him punished? He was so practiced at targeting me; it definitely wasn’t his first time. Previous victims probably couldn’t protect themselves without outside help. If there’s a way, I want to try.”

Pei Nan spoke with difficulty, knowing he was being a bit demanding. Why should Xue Xingqi face a giant like the Luo family for others? It was a thankless task. The incident with Yang Fan last time had already been a pleasant surprise.

“I don’t want to lie to you, but the truth is, Luo Xin cleans up very well. He is very generous with money. Even if you and I wanted to seek justice for those people, they themselves might not be willing,” Xue Xingqi said. He had heard of Luo Xin’s reputation; the reason he hadn’t crashed yet was purely because he paid enough.

Pei Nan fell silent, helplessly accepting the truth. He hadn’t lived other people’s lives and couldn’t understand their choices, but he figured that if they had a choice, no one would choose to forgive the culprit who hurt them. “Then I hope everyone can live the life they want.”

Xue Xingqi couldn’t help but lean in and hug Pei Nan. “This isn’t your fault. Give me some time; perhaps there are others in this world who, like you, are willing to stand up.”

“That’s not your job.” Pei Nan’s voice was muffled against Xue Xingqi’s clothes. He had to lift his head to look at him. “Luo Xin will eventually pay for his actions.”

“You’re right.” Xue Xingqi looked at the light in Pei Nan’s eyes, willing to guard that light for a lifetime.

He had originally planned to tell Pei Nan after the party that someone was following him, but now he suddenly didn’t want to bring it up. It wasn’t because Pei Nan was kind, but because he worried that the more Sun Qi saw this version of Pei Nan, the harder it would be for him to let go.

He had investigated Sun Qi’s journey thoroughly. According to the man, it was a thrilling rainy night when he had collapsed by the road with a fever. It was Pei Nan, on his way home from school, who helped him up. So many people had hurried past, ignoring his desperate cries for help.

It was Pei Nan who dragged him under a tree, called the ambulance, and paid the fees. It was Pei Nan who did the good deed and left without a name. After Sun Qi recovered, he spent a long time searching, hanging around where he had fainted. Finally, one day after September, he found him.

Back then, Pei Nan had just finished military training clean, upright, and so excellent that Sun Qi felt inferior. He didn’t dare go up to say thank you, so he just followed him, waiting for a moment when he felt brave enough.

He had been following for nearly two months.

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