He lured her deep into his trap, using both overt and covert methods to seduce her.

My wife is pregnant; she's six weeks along.

When Fu Lu said those words, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, and a hint of unconcealed joy shone in his eyes.

When they brought Song Zhi to the hospital for a check-up last night, this unexpected surprise caught them off guard but filled them with joy.

"Song Xiaozhi is pregnant?" Zhou Yan's eyes widened, and the cigarette between his fingers almost slipped from his hand.

“Hmm.” Fu Lu nodded.

"Damn, you're going to be a dad?"

Zhou Yan was still incredulous as he looked the man in front of him, who was about to become a father, up and down.

Fu Lu raised an eyebrow: "Otherwise what? We're a legally married couple, isn't it normal to have a child?"

"Tsk tsk tsk,"

Zhou Yan shook his head and gave a thumbs up, "Among our group of brothers, you're the first to get married, and now you're going to be the first to become a father."

"You should hurry up and find a suitable person to marry,"

Fu Lu straightened his cuffs, his tone carrying the confidence of someone with experience, "Stop wasting your days playing around."

Zhou Yan smiled dismissively, sunlight streaming through the window casting dappled shadows on his handsome profile.

"I don't want to jump into the grave of marriage; being free is so much better."

"what ever."

Fu Lu stood up, straightened his suit, and said, "I need to go be with my wife; she needs to rest."

"Alright, alright," Zhou Yan gestured for people to stop, "You keep calling me 'wife,' as if you're afraid people won't know you're married."

"What?" Fu Lu looked at him with a half-smile, "Envious?"

Zhou Yan rolled her eyes: "It's not like anyone doesn't have a partner."

“You certainly don’t.” Fu Lu hit the nail on the head.

Zhou Yan was speechless for a moment before waving his hand and saying, "Fine, I won't argue with you. I'll leave now and not disturb your lovey-dovey time."

He had just stepped out of the hospital when his phone vibrated.

It was a WeChat message from Han Zhou.

[Brother Yan, is this your brother?]

A photo is attached below.

Zhou Yan opened the large image, and his brows instantly furrowed.

In the photo, Xu Ning is passionately kissing a strange girl in a corner of a bar. Under the dim light, their entangled figures are particularly jarring.

When was this filmed?

He replied quickly, his fingertips tapping crisply on the screen.

[I saw him at M2 bar with my friend last night. This guy's been getting pretty wild lately, huh?]

Zhou Yan didn't reply and exited the chat window.

He found Xu Ning's number in his contacts and dialed it three times, but no one answered.

The rising sun shone on his taut profile, outlining a cold and hard contour.

"You brat..."

He muttered a curse under his breath, turned and walked towards the parking lot. The black Land Rover drew a sharp arc in the twilight, heading straight for Xu Ning's apartment.

When the doorbell rang, Xu Ning was coming out of the bathroom, drying her wet hair.

"Brother? What brings you here?"

Xu Ning opened the door, her voice filled with barely concealed panic.

Water droplets slid down his bare upper body, leaving dark stains on the wooden floor.

Zhou Yan stood at the door, his gaze sweeping over him from head to toe like a sharp blade.

Xu Ning belatedly realized her lapse in composure, and her ears instantly burned.

"Wait, wait a minute."

He turned around hastily and almost tripped over his own slippers.

Zhou Yan walked straight into the apartment, his leather shoes making a dull sound on the floor.

He looked around the cramped one-bedroom apartment. Clothes were scattered on the sofa, beer cans were overturned on the coffee table, and the air was filled with a faint smell of tobacco and perfume.

With a "click," the lighter's flame shot up.

Zhou Yan leaned back on the sofa, the cigarette glowing between his fingers.

When Xu Ning emerged from the bedroom wearing a crumpled T-shirt, he exhaled a smoke ring and asked, "Where did you go last night?"

Xu Ning's hand, which was adjusting her collar, froze in mid-air: "N-no, I didn't go anywhere, I just stayed at home..."

Zhou Yan didn't say anything, he just tossed his phone onto the coffee table.

The screen lights up, displaying the WeChat message that was just sent.

"Check your phone," Zhou Yan said, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Xu Ning took out her phone with some confusion and opened the photo Zhou Yan had posted.

Upon seeing the photo, Xu Ning's face turned deathly pale.

"Brother, this...this is a misunderstanding!"

Xu Ning's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

Zhou Yan suddenly sprang to his feet and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

He punched Xu Ning in the face with such force that Xu Ning staggered backward and crashed into the shoe cabinet in the entryway with a loud bang.

The glass ornament wobbled and shattered on the ground, refracting countless fragments of light.

"You've got guts now, haven't you?" Zhou Yan's voice was as cold as ice.

The bedroom door was suddenly pushed open, and a girl in a slip dress rushed out: "Stop!"

She stood in front of Xu Ning, her heavy eye makeup smudged, revealing dark circles under her eyes.

Xu Ning's expression instantly twisted: "Get inside!"

He roughly pushed the girl away, and she fell to the ground, her pajama strap slipping down to reveal an ambiguous red mark on her collarbone.

Zhou Yan's gaze turned completely cold. He slowly rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms.

“Xu Ning,” each word seemed poisoned, “explain.”

Xu Ning's Adam's apple trembled violently, and in the end, he simply dragged the girl up and pushed her toward the bedroom.

"Go in."

The moment the bedroom door closed, Xu Ning leaned against the wall as if all her strength had been drained away.

He raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice hoarse: "She really was just my college classmate."

"Bringing a female classmate home for the night right after the start of the semester?"

Zhou Yan stared at Xu Ning with eyes as sharp as knives.

Xu Ning scratched his head in frustration: "Brother, it really is a misunderstanding..."

"Does Wei Yinuo know you're doing this outside?" Zhou Yan suddenly interrupted him.

The name struck Xu Ning like a heavy blow.

He looked up abruptly, a flicker of panic in his eyes: "Don't tell Yinuo!"

Her voice was filled with an unprecedented plea, "Her emotions have been very unstable lately. The doctor said she can't be stimulated."

"Xu Ning," Zhou Yan sneered, his knuckles white from clenching his fists, "how come I never noticed before that you're such a scumbag?"

"I lost a game of Truth or Dare last night!"

Xu Ning tried to explain urgently, but her voice trailed off under Zhou Yan's icy gaze, "I promise..."

Before he could finish speaking, another heavy punch landed on his abdomen.

Xu Ning groaned, hunched over against the wall, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

But he never raised his hand to block; he just bit his lower lip tightly.

Zhou Yan withdrew his hand, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger.

He glanced at Xu Ning one last time, then turned and slammed the door shut as he left, causing the picture frame on the wall to fall to the ground with a thud.

Xu Ning slowly slid down to the ground and buried her face in her palms.

The shards of glass in the picture frame reflected his distorted image, much like the mess his life was in now.

“Xu Ning…”

A girl's timid voice came from behind.

She walked barefoot through the mess on the ground, squatted down in front of him, and gently touched his swollen lips with trembling fingers.

"Does it hurt?"

Xu Ning turned her face away, only to see a tear fall onto her fair knee.

Then came the second one...

The third one...

She cried silently, only her shoulders trembling slightly.

"Why are you crying?" His voice was hoarse.

She looked up with tearful eyes, glistening teardrops still clinging to her eyelashes.

"My heart aches..."