Chapter 71: The Other Half

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: The Other Half

"Wanwan?" Aunt Liu walked to the door and knocked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Zhang Yun’s face went pale with fright. She instinctively turned and stumbled away.

Aunt Liu’s frown deepened. She knocked a few more times, more insistently, but still, no one answered.

Her heart sank. She turned to Liu Xiangju with a dark expression and said, "Go find Song Feng right now. Wait for him at the gate of his unit. You need to tell him about this yourself. I don’t want him hearing gossip about you two from someone else."

"Mom, I... I’ll go right now. Don’t be angry," Liu Xiangju said, her face crestfallen.

Aunt Liu was furious at her daughter’s stammering and hesitation. Her brow knitted tightly. "You’d better be sure no one saw you go meet Liu Lang. Otherwise, when the rumors start spreading, you can bet Song Feng will be furious. I think you’ve completely lost your mind..."

"Mom, really, no one saw me. I was careful the whole way. Absolutely no one saw me. I have my reputation to think about, after all."

Her mother’s words made Liu Xiangju nervous as well.

She tried her best to remember, but the more she thought about it, the less certain she was whether anyone had seen her go to meet Liu Lang.

But Liu Xiangju didn’t dare say so. Her heart pounding with anxiety, she turned and ran off to find Song Feng.

Aunt Liu kept knocking. After a long moment with no answer, she left, frowning.

Aunt Liu had been gone for no more than two minutes.

Lu Zhengchuan came to open the door. Outside, he saw people from the family compound coming and going on their way home from work. They all greeted him, and after a quick hello, they moved on. He assumed someone had knocked by mistake and didn’t pay it much mind.

He closed the courtyard gate, turned, and went into the kitchen to carry the basin of hot water he had prepared into the bedroom.

Su Wan was writing a research report requested by Dean Xu from the institute. Once she finished and submitted it, her tasks for the institute would be more or less complete.

"How about a foot soak first?" Lu Zhengchuan rolled up his sleeves, squatted down, and reached for her socks.

Su Wan was startled and instinctively pulled her feet back. "It’s okay, I can do it myself."

"I wasn’t joking when I told you to judge me by my actions."

Lu Zhengchuan looked up at her, his sharp features now softened with a look of earnestness, as if washing her feet was a matter of utmost seriousness.

Su Wan’s heart couldn’t help but speed up, and she froze.

In that brief pause, she lost her chance to react. She felt a cool sensation on the soles of her feet as he slipped off her shoes and socks.

Lately at the research institute, she had to do a lot of walking, so she naturally wore cloth shoes.

Even though it was a bit hot for them in the summer, she had to endure it for the sake of her research progress.

"...You."

Before Su Wan could finish her shocked protest, Lu Zhengchuan released her ankle, letting it slip into the warm water of the foot basin.

What was even more startling was that Lu Zhengchuan actually began to massage her fair, delicate feet with his large, bronze-colored hands.

Even through the water, Su Wan could see the stark color contrast between their skin, and her cheeks couldn’t help but flush red.

Her toes curled instinctively, but it didn’t stop Lu Zhengchuan’s large hands from kneading every part of her feet.

Her fair feet slowly turned red; whether from the heat of the water or from shyness, she couldn’t tell.

"...Th-that’s enough." Su Wan endured it as long as she could, her hands gripping the sides of the stool so tightly her fingers turned red. It took all her willpower to suppress the strange, ticklish sensation.

"Alright." Lu Zhengchuan’s voice was also a little hoarse. When he looked up and saw the reddish tint at the corners of her eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably.

He took a towel and gently dried Su Wan’s feet. Before she could put her feet into her slippers, he scooped her up into his arms and placed her on the bed.

The moment her body touched the bed, Su Wan instinctively grabbed the thin blanket and pulled it over herself, her ears burning red as she turned her back to him.

Lu Zhengchuan bent down, picked up the foot basin, and turned to leave the room.

An unknown amount of time passed, but Su Wan’s turbulent emotions had yet to calm down. She closed her eyes, trying to push certain thoughts away.

Suddenly, she felt a warmth behind her—someone was there.

Su Wan barely needed to turn around to know who it was. The nervousness she felt the first time they shared a bed was gone; instead, she felt herself relax.

However, she had relaxed too soon. When she felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist, Su Wan’s face instantly flushed red.

Fortunately, he had blown out the kerosene lamp when he came in.

"Lu Zhengchuan, what are you doing?" There was a tremor in Su Wan’s voice she herself didn’t even notice.

"Wanwan, I’ve read up on it. It’s normal to have... reactions during pregnancy. It’s the baby putting pressure on you. I’ll help you," Lu Zhengchuan murmured, his well-defined chest pressing close against her back.

Su Wan’s whole body went limp. She opened her eyes to see his sexy face, her cheeks scalding hot. She looked away uncomfortably. "I’m fine, just a little tired."

"Is your belly uncomfortable?" Lu Zhengchuan pressed, his gaze fixed on her.

How could Su Wan possibly discuss such a thing with him? She bit her lip and said, "It’s not uncomfortable. You should go wash up. I really don’t need any help right now."

"Wanwan, this is only natural. We’re husband and wife; anything that happens between us is normal. Besides, I just want to be close to you. Don’t you want to be close to me?"

"...Is this also part of your so-called ’changed behavior’?" Su Wan couldn’t handle his blatant discussion of marital intimacy.

"Of course," Lu Zhengchuan said with perfect conviction. "I think the reason we’re so distant is that we aren’t intimate enough."

"Look at any other man—don’t they all rush home, eager to hold their wife?" As he spoke, Lu Zhengchuan glanced at her belly with a hint of regret. "If I hadn’t been so... potent and gotten you pregnant on the very first time, you wouldn’t have to endure this for so long..."

This time, before Lu Zhengchuan could finish, Su Wan shot her hand out and covered his mouth.

Su Wan’s heart pounded, terrified of what other bold declarations he might make. Her face was beet red, and she felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest.

Her whole body was burning with embarrassment, and she was even starting to sweat.

But in the moonlight, seeing the sweat trickling down Lu Zhengchuan’s cheeks and neck, Su Wan suddenly found him unbelievably sexy.

"You’re the one who made the baby, so you can just wait until after the baby is born," Su Wan couldn’t resist kicking his shin lightly.

Lu Zhengchuan immediately took the opportunity to press his leg over her lower body.

He had almost her entire body pinned down.

He propped up his upper body so there was no pressure on her stomach. Lying on his side, he gently stroked her pregnant belly with his large hand. "When are you going to come out, little one? Be born soon, and don’t give your mommy a hard time. It’s tough for her to carry you, you know?"

For the first time, Su Wan felt a sense of fatherly love from him, and the presence of a true partner.

It was as if her reason for marrying him had aligned with this moment. From the very beginning, she had simply wanted to find a responsible man to build a life with.

And the man beside her, in this moment, had become that person.

"What is it?" Lu Zhengchuan felt her gaze on him and asked, puzzled.