A tall, handsome man stood still, his expression momentarily frozen.
“Dad…” Xiaoche nervously tugged at Ning Shu’s clothes, but he still bravely stood in front of him, his lips pressed together and his face full of hostility.
Li Yan stared intently at the young man, his expression fluctuating like the weather. He fixed his gaze on Xiao Che’s face, lost in thought.
Li Yan has been meticulous since he was young. Even as a teenager, he had become someone people were wary of, the notorious Young Master Li of the Li family. Otherwise, how could he have entered the company and made all those old-fashioned people obedient?
He naturally wouldn’t think he had any illegitimate children outside. After all, apart from Ning Shu, he had never touched anyone else. As for whether the young man would use his genes, Li Yan quickly denied this possibility.
When they make love, Li Yan always only liked to stay inside the other person’s body.
As for Liu Heng’s existence, he sent people to investigate many clues. There were many suspicions in his heart, but Li Yan only vaguely grasped some. After all, ordinary people would not think that there would be men in this world who could get pregnant and give birth.
But now the facts were laid bare before Li Yan. The baby in front of him, who looked exactly like him, was Ning Shu’s child…
Li Yan’s face was as dark as water.
Ning Shu didn’t know what the other person was thinking, his lips trembled. He regretted it a little, regretted saying it out loud. He hugged Xiao Che’s body in a panic, comforting him while saying, “Don’t be afraid… Daddy’s here.”
Xiao Che still glared at Li Yan with hostility. He felt for the first time that he was a burden, too weak to protect his father.
Li Yan naturally saw the young man’s eyes, and his gaze was filled with fear and anxiety.
A vein on his temple throbbed violently as he spoke in a low, menacing voice, “Are you afraid of me?”
Li Yan might have guessed why the young man left back then, and he vaguely remembered that period. Ning Shu’s physical discomfort made his face gradually turn cold.
During that time, he kept people locked inside the house. Every night, he would force the young man to do those things.
And Ning Shu felt a sense of resistance during that time. Her face was pale, as if she greatly disliked him.
Li Yan’s heart felt like it had been pierced by a sharp thorn at that moment, he just wanted to claim this person as his own.
He felt a pang of regret.
But he saw the young man looking at him with a wary, fearful expression, and anger flared in his chest once more.
There is still a chill.
Ning Shu was terrified, his regret went beyond words. He saw the stormy look on Li Yan’s face, but his remorse reached its peak. Why did he have to say this? Holding Xiao Che tightly, his lips trembled as he pleaded, “Li Yan, please forgive me…please forgive us…”
“Please, just do it for me.”
Li Yan’s entire face turned ashen. For a moment, he almost lost control of his emotions. His fists clenched tightly. Before him stood his own son, big and small, staring at him with an unfamiliar hostility in their eyes, their little faces taut with tension.
…born to him…
Li Yan’s entire body was stiff, and for the first time on his usually aloof and handsome face, Ning Shu saw an expression she couldn’t understand. After a while, Li Yan spoke, “Letting you go is impossible.”
He regained his former aloof expression and looked down at Ning Shu, saying, “You’ll never be able to leave me.”
“Leave me alone.”
…..
“Dad,” Ning Shu’s mind went blank. When he came to his senses, all he heard was Xiao Che calling him. Only then did he realize that Li Yan had left at some point.
He broke out in a cold sweat, as if he had received a pardon. Touching Xiao Che’s face and body, he murmured, “Dad’s okay… Dad will definitely protect you.”
Ning Shu would never forget, when she wanted to tell Li Yan that she was pregnant. Li Yan’s face was icy cold, and he said to the person on the phone, “I will kill him with my own hands.”
He seemed to slump, gazing at Xiaoche’s face, and suddenly a thought occurred to him…
The thought of taking Xiao Che away.
This time, he will go very far away.
Xiaoche didn’t speak, but just hugged the young man and said, “I want to grow up quickly.”
The Butler has been on edge these past few days. Even just by looking, he could tell the child Mr. Li brought back was his son. He just didn’t understand why the child also called Mr. Ning his father.
And, the young master is extremely resistant and hostile towards Mr. Li.
Ning Shu, however, felt much more at ease as long as Xiao Che was by his side. He was willing to endure any hardship, but the only thing that worried him now was what Li Yan would do to this child?
He touched Xiao Che’s little face and pursed his lips, saying, “Xiao Che, do you want to go with Dad?”
Xiaoche suddenly looked at him and nodded without any hesitation.
Ning Shu’s eyes welled up with a pang of sadness. Xiao Che followed beside him. He had suffered too much. He wasn’t a good father. He couldn’t give Xiao Che a good living environment and conditions, nor could he even give him a complete childhood.
He opened his mouth and said, “Even if we don’t go back, it doesn’t matter?”
Ning Shu knew that Xiao Che had a deep affection and attachment to Liu Heng’s family. However, if he took Xiao Che with him, he would no longer be able to return there.
Xiaoche said in a flat tone, “Back to Uncle Liu’s?”
Ning Shu’s throat was a little choked, and his eyes were slightly red as he said, “Yeah, Dad wants to take you to a place that’s even farther away.”
Xiao Che, without any surprise, said: “Wherever Dad goes, I go there.”
However, Ning Shu felt a twinge of pain and guilt seeing her son like this. Thinking back to Xiao Che’s words before, she couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed and ashamed on her face.
Xiao Che suddenly said, “Dad, so I am really your biological child, right?”
Ning Shu, biting back her shame, nodded. “Mm.”
Xiao Che’s eyes blinked not at all as he looked at him and asked, “Dad, did it hurt when you gave birth to me?”
Ning Shu met his eyes, which were very similar to Li Yan’s. For a moment, she was lost in thought and dazed. She shook her head and said, “It doesn’t hurt.”
Xiaoche pursed her lips, seeming to not quite believe his words.
He looked at Ning Shu again, wanting to say something, but he didn’t.
Ning Shu opened his mouth, he knew Xiao Che was precocious. And that face of Li Yan, it resembled Xiao Che so much, he felt a bit uneasy in his heart, afraid that this kind of thing would overturn Xiao Che’s worldview and… he moved his lips.
For a moment, there was an awkward silence. I didn’t know what to say.
Ning Shu widened her eyes in surprise, and after a long pause, she nodded and said, “….Yeah, he’s your dad too.”
But Xiaoche said coldly, “I don’t like him. He is bad to Dad.”
Ning Shu wanted to laugh, but he couldn’t. Li Yan was the same way; Xiao Che was probably a deeply unpleasant presence to him, and when Li Yan said it, he probably felt disgusted and repelled.
He touched Xiao Che’s face nervously again, confirming that his son was truly by his side and safe.
….
Li Yan ordered his subordinates to investigate many things.
“Mr. Li, we spent a lot of time and effort investigating, and we found some things, including photos.” The subordinate brought the things up.
The man sat in his seat, his facial expression shifting between different emotions.
He took out those things, and there were some photos on them. Some of them were of Ning Shu working in the restaurant. Her face was slightly swollen, her complexion pale, but she was still working hard.
Li Yan’s heart felt like it had been pierced by a needle.
His subordinate continued, “Mr. Ning has been unwell for some time now. And…” He hesitated and stammered, “Mr. Ning seems to be afraid of people touching his stomach, always being very careful….”
Li Yan’s face changed drastically when he saw Liu Heng standing with the young man.
The subordinate followed his gaze and started to get scared. His voice became much softer: “Mr. Ning has a very good relationship with this Liu Heng, and Mr. Ning often goes to his clinic…”
Li Yan stared intently at the photos, his expression extremely grim, his brow furrowed with rage.
Until he saw a photo of Qing in a coma, held by Liu Heng. Li Yan’s hand tightened even more.
Seeing Mr. Li’s expression, the subordinate was also taken aback. Mr. Li looked as if he were about to kill someone.
He licked his lips and said, “That’s all there is….”
Li Yan said in a tone devoid of warmth, “Get out.”
His gaze fell on those photographs, particularly the youthful pallor of his expression, eyes closed. As if, by closing them, he had fallen into an unending slumber.
Li Yan frowned, his whole body tensed suddenly, a hint of bloodshot eyes appearing in his gaze.
He looked over the photos again, carefully this time.
His face showed no emotion, but the restlessness and turmoil in his eyes betrayed his true feelings.
….
Ning Shu didn’t know where Li Yan had been these past few days, but for her and Xiao Che, it was a good thing.
but it is also a time bomb.
Xiaoche was even colder when he was at the Li family. He only spoke more when he was alone with Ningshu.
Ning Shu heard the sound of cars outside and knew that Li Yan was back.
His body tensed up, immediately becoming uneasy and apprehensive.
Xiaoche seemed to sense his emotions, pursing her lips and looking in the same direction with a wary expression.
When Li Yan entered the room, he saw the young man and his… son both wore expressions of wary unease as they looked at him.
The expression on his face stiffened involuntarily.
He walked over and said in a flat tone, “Take the young master down first.”