An Unexpected Pregnancy with the Fake Husband's Child [Completed]

C19. Talk Something Over.

Chapter 19

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T/Note: This chapter picks up directly where the first chapter left off, not being a flashback to an earlier point in time.
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When Shen Minglou returned to Qin Zhichen's home, it was still raining.

The rain was even heavier than when he had gone to the hospital earlier. Uncle Qin held an umbrella over him, cautioning, "Be careful, the rain might make the ground slippery."

Shen Minglou had taken off his glasses and nodded, replying amidst the cacophony of rain, "Alright, thank you."

Uncle Qin led him inside the house, folded the umbrella, and smiled at Shen Minglou, "I'll make you some ginger soup later to prevent you from catching a cold."

"Okay," Shen Minglou tightened the plastic bag containing medicine in his hand, "I'll go upstairs to put things away first."

"I'll bring it up for you later. It's still early, and you can rest after drinking it," Uncle Qin said kindly. "When you wake up, Young Master will also be back from work, and you can have dinner together."

"Thank you," Shen Minglou replied.

In his room, Shen Minglou found Qin Zhichen's cat lying on his bed, sleeping. It opened its eyes briefly upon hearing the door open, then continued to doze off.

He placed the medicine on his desk and set aside the wire-rimmed glasses. His eyesight had almost fully recovered, and he no longer needed corrective lenses.

The one year of their contractual marriage had passed by quickly. He had worried about facing numerous difficulties during this year, but it had turned out to be uneventful. Everyone had been going about their work as usual.

Qin Zhichen was gradually taking over Mountain River as per the contract, and Shen Minglou had completed his tasks as requested. In a few days, the entire company would be in his possession.

The people who used to be around him had all left. Zhou Yuxian had started working at You Xing's company. Everything seemed to have returned to normalcy.

*

Sitting on his bed, Shen Minglou retrieved the red marriage certificate and the contract they had signed a year ago from the cabinet by his bedside. He still felt uneasy, despite the approaching divorce.

He should have felt relieved, with the burden on his heart lifting - in five days, two houses and millions in liquid assets would be his, and the pressure from the Shen family would cease, while he and the Qin family could draw a clear line between them.

It should have been like that.

...Shen Minglou placed the vivid-red marriage certificate back in the cabinet and lay down on the bed, staring at the warm, white ceiling.

Why did he still feel a sense of inexplicable panic?

Qin Zhichen's cat was startled by Shen Minglou's movements as he lay down on the bed. It stood up and nudged Shen Minglou, seeking to be held, meowing softly.

"Don't meow," Shen Minglou stroked the cat's soft fur and played with its ears.

This was the same Ragdoll cat Qin Zhichen had mentioned, named Yogurt, now almost five years old.

When Shen Minglou had moved into Qin Zhichen's house a year ago, the cat had ignored him, choosing to sleep on Qin Zhichen's bed or play with its toys downstairs. Their relationship had been quite aloof.

Qin Zhichen had once tried to bring the cat to Shen Minglou for some petting, but the cat had been uninterested and even hissed at him, leading to an awkward situation.