CHAPTER 35

That night, Gaotu leaned back against the headboard while Wenlang sat at the edge of the bed, gently massaging his slightly swollen feet.

After a moment of quiet, Gaotu spoke.

"What should we name him?" he asked.

Wenlang paused and looked up at him. "Do you already have something in mind?" he asked. He knew Gaotu well, if he brought it up, he had definitely thought about it.

Gaotu nodded slightly. "Mn... I do."

Wenlang waited.

"Lele," Gaotu said.

"Lele?" Wenlang repeated.

"Mm," Gaotu nodded. "Double happiness." He rested his hand on his stomach. "It came to me today... when we were watching the kids play at the park."

Wenlang was quiet for a second, then a smile appeared. "Then let's call him Lele," he said. "I like it too."

He finished massaging and gently placed Gaotu's feet back under the blanket, tucking them in carefully. They were starting to get cold, and he didn't want him catching a chill.

Gaotu watched him, then added softly, "Then he'll take your surname."

Wenlang glanced up. "Shen Lele?" he said it slowly as if testing how it sounded.

Gaotu smiled. "Mmh."

Wenlang repeated it once more under his breath, a little softer this time.

"Shen Lele." Wenlang repeated softly. He reached out and placed his hand gently on Gaotu's round stomach. "Daddy is waiting for you," he said in a low voice, as if the baby could hear him.

Gaotu chuckled, watching him.

As if in response, there was a sudden, strong kick to Gaotu's rib cage.

"Ouch..." Gaotu winced, his hand pressing lightly against his side.

Wenlang's expression changed immediately. "What happened?"

"He kicked really hard this time," Gaotu said, letting out a breath. "Looks like someone already likes his name."

Wenlang let out a small sigh of relief, then leaned closer again, his hand still resting there.

"Be gentle with your father, okay?" he said softly.

~~~~~~

Days went by, blending into weeks. Most of the time, Gaotu stayed at home with Aunt Liu and Momo while Wenlang went to work. Someone else had temporarily taken over Gaotu's position as Wenlang's PA after he went on leave.

The day he finally agreed to take the leave; he had almost had an accident at work. It happened in the washroom. Gaotu hadn't seen the "cleaning ahead" sign, and he nearly slipped and fell. Luckily, the cleaner saw him in time and caught him before he hit the ground.

That incident left him shaken. In the end, he had no choice but to follow Wenlang's advice and take the leave. Even though he still wanted to continue working, mostly because he wanted to stay close to Wenlang, he couldn't risk something like that happening again. What if next time, no one was there to catch him?

So now, Wenlang was alone at work.

And today was one of those days the chairman showed up without warning.

The moment word spread that the chairman was in the building, employees scrambled to look busy. Papers were picked up, keyboards clicked louder than usual, and no sign of slacking could be seen when Shen Yu stepped inside.

But today, unlike every other time when he would head straight to the top floor without sparing anyone a glance, he went directly to the CEO's office.

The secret group chat the employees used for workplace gossip immediately exploded.

'What is he doing here?''He looks really angry, did they have a fight again?''Guys, is it because of the retrenchment I heard?'

After that message, the chat was flooded with crying emojis.

On the other side, father and son sat quietly, one waiting for the other to speak first.

In the end, it was Shen Yu who broke the silence.

He narrowed slightly, his posture rigid. "I just... heard from my assistant," he said slowly, voice flat. "Your omega is expecting."

Wenlang's expression remained neutral. He hadn't mentioned a word about it. Not once.

"You didn't think I should know?" Shen Yu continued, a sharp edge in his gaze. "There's already an heir on the way... and I only hear about it now?"

Wenlang looked down briefly, then met his father's gaze. "I didn't see the need to announce it yet," he said evenly. "It's still early, and... I wanted to handle things privately."

Shen Yu's brow furrowed. "Privately? Wenlang, this isn't just any news. This affects the family. How could you leave me in the dark?"

Wenlang leaned back, keeping his tone calm. "I didn't think it was necessary to worry you until things were more certain. Gaotu's health and the baby come first."

Shen Yu's jaw tightened, his hand clenching the armrest. "You always think you know better, don't you? Keeping me in the dark... That's exactly the problem between us."

Wenlang didn't argue. Instead, he remained silent. Shen Yu's expression changed slightly, as he leaned back again.

"So... this is real," Shen Yu finally said, more to himself than to Wenlang. "There really will be a next generation..."

"Mn," Wenlang replied, his voice low but firm.

"How far along is he?" he asked.

"Thirty-four weeks." Wenlang answered flatly. Shen Yu wanted to say something but stopped himself. After a few seconds he stood up buttoning his coat buttons and walked to the door. But before he stepped out, he spoke again.

"Since this is your private matter, I won't interfere with it," he said, "But... in future don't keep something this important from me."

"You now have your own family. I believe you know what this means."

Shen Yu finally opened the door, leaving the office as quietly as he had entered.

Outside, the tension broke instantly.

The group chat exploded again.

'He came out already??' 'What happened??' 'Is the company still alive??'

Inside the office, for a long moment, Wenlang sat there in silence, letting the weight of the conversation settle. Then, finally, he leaned back in his chair.

Then suddenly his phone buzzed on the desk. He glanced at it. Gaotu. The text was short:

"How was your meeting? Everything okay?"

Wenlang typed back almost immediately:

"Everything's fine. I'll be home early today."

A few moments later, another buzz.

"Alright. Lele was already starting to miss you."

He chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "Not so smooth," he murmured.

Thinking about Gaotu and his son brightened his mood, replacing the tension from earlier.

He looked at the time and immersed himself into work so that he could finish quickly.