Volume One, Chapter Ten: It Was Common Knowledge That Ninth Master Had No Heirs

Li Qiuning’s habit of acting spoiled in front of caring elders was almost unconscious, but she worried it might seem improper. She lifted her eyes to gauge Ninth Master’s expression.

Qin Zhan was also looking at her. The woman in his arms was especially delicate and obedient, her slender waist fitting perfectly into his palm. His deep, opaque eyes were like massive black holes in the cosmos, greedily devouring everything around them—even light could not escape. Meeting such aggressive eyes, Li Qiuning felt an inexplicable weakness steal through her body.

“Let’s eat first,” Qin Zhan said, guiding her forward with a supportive hand at her slim waist, his gaze falling to the barely noticeable curve of her belly.

Li Qiuning nodded. Even before reaching the table, the aroma of the dishes already teased her senses. Yet, just as her appetite stirred, a wave of nausea rose up violently, forcing her to push Ninth Master aside and turn away, retching.

“It’s…nothing, Ninth Master, you go ahead…,” she tried to reassure him between the convulsions.

But once she started, she couldn’t stop. Seeing her face turn instantly pale, Qin Zhan immediately ordered someone to fetch the doctor.

He came to her side, steadying her with gentle hands. “The doctor will be here in a moment to take a look at you.”

Li Qiuning, overcome with discomfort, felt as if her stomach would turn inside out. Tears welled up in her eyes from the physical strain and finally spilled over. She struggled to hold back both sobs and retching, her red-rimmed eyes making her look utterly pitiable.

Qin Zhan’s heart ached at the sight. He helped her sit down and had someone bring over a waste bin.

Li Qiuning, frail and wan, leaned against him, the familiar scent of pinewood and a faint trace of ink drifting from his clothes. “Ninth Master, I don’t want to throw up anymore…” she whimpered, only to be overtaken by another bout of nausea.

She embodied fragility, tears staining his tailored suit, her voice soft and sticky-sweet, making it impossible not to feel sorry for her.

Qin Zhan brushed his fingers over her cheeks, wiping away her tears, his touch gentle. “Hold on a little longer—the doctor will be here very soon.”

The worse she felt, the more she clung to him, her small hands clutching at his clothes as she sobbed in his embrace, her eyes reddened like a frightened little rabbit.

“I can’t…hold on…” she choked out, though she was afraid of soiling his clothes and still wanted to be held close.

Qin Zhan simply lifted her onto his lap, his usually cold, dark eyes now uncharacteristically gentle. He patted her back softly. “If you can’t hold it in, just let it out. It’s all right.”

Outside, Secretary Zhang happened to peer in and was so shocked his expression changed completely. Was this man, who coddled a woman like a child, really their notoriously ruthless and domineering Ninth Master?

The same Ninth Master known for being merciless, cold, and unreasonable? Had he eaten something strange?

The doctor arrived swiftly.

Li Qiuning, still perched on Qin Zhan’s lap, trembled slightly at the sight of the white-coated physician. “No…no doctor…Ninth Master, please no…” she whimpered, burying her face in his chest in protest.

Seeing the white coat brought back memories of the cold indifference of those around her at the end of her previous life. She’d developed a shadow in her heart—who said doctors were always there to save lives?

Qin Zhan stroked her hair, soothing her anxiety and resistance. “I’m here. Let the doctor have a look.”

“Ninth Master, I can just take her pulse,” the elderly physician offered, puzzled by the girl’s fear.

Given how protective Ninth Master was of her, he had no doubt the man would do anything for her.

Qin Zhan took Li Qiuning’s hand and extended it, shielding her eyes with his other hand. “It’ll be over soon. Be good.”

She bit her lower lip, tears from her fright dampening his palm, but she nodded obediently, utterly compliant.

After examining her and asking a few questions about her pregnancy, the old doctor stepped back and replied, “Miss Li’s severe symptoms are mainly psychological. Do you not want this child?”

“The fetus releases certain hormones to stay, and the more the mother rejects the pregnancy, the stronger the reaction. Also, your body is very weak. If you don’t take care, it could endanger your life during childbirth.”

Li Qiuning abruptly asked, “What if I just have an abortion?”

Qin Zhan stared at her intently.

The old doctor shook his head. “Miss Li, your body is too frail. An abortion would harm you greatly, and it’s likely you wouldn’t be able to have children again in this lifetime.”

“I can’t recommend the procedure now, and as time passes, the risks only increase. Safely carrying the child to term may, in fact, be the least dangerous option.”

Li Qiuning looked at him in disbelief. She couldn’t abort? Did she really have to bear a child for someone else? Especially when the father was one of those five men.

She didn’t want to go through with it at all.

But when it came to matters of life and death, it seemed she had no choice.

Qin Zhan saw straight through her thoughts, standing unwaveringly behind her as always. “If you give birth, this will be your child—no one else’s.”

“I’ll raise him as my own, as if he were my own flesh and blood.”

Li Qiuning gazed in astonishment at the man who was willing to devote himself to her so completely. This kind of promise from Ninth Master was a pledge for life. “But…Ninth Master, does that mean you’ll never marry?”

“How can he be your own? That’s not right…”

Qin Zhan smiled faintly, his tone especially indulgent. “There’s nothing improper about it. Everyone knows I’m incapable.”

Rumor had it that years ago, Ninth Master had suffered an accident that left him impotent.

In other words, Qin Zhan would never be able to father his own children.

Li Qiuning pressed her lips together gently. For a man, becoming sterile was surely the most painful fate, and he couldn’t even enjoy intimacy. No wonder he always kept his distance from women—it wasn’t a matter of choice, but of necessity.

Only now, sitting on his lap, did she realize that perhaps she truly was just a junior under his protection—he had never regarded her with the feelings a man held for a woman.

“Ninth Master, don’t say that. Medical technology is improving all the time,” she tried to comfort him, but she knew she couldn’t presume to bind the child in her belly to him.

The old doctor had seen much in his long career, but this was a first. The woman was pregnant, but the child wasn’t his, and yet this distinguished man was willing to lower himself and raise the child as his own. And to top it off, the man was infertile, suffering from sexual dysfunction. Was he learning too much for his own good?

He broke into a cold sweat.

Qin Zhan fixed him with a stare. “She can’t keep food down. Think of something.”

The old doctor sighed inwardly—he was a doctor, not a chef. “You can have her try a variety of foods. Anything she reacts badly to, avoid in the future. Serve more of whatever she likes; the kitchen will know best. Most pregnant women crave sour or spicy things, but there are all sorts of peculiar preferences.”

Li Qiuning, feeling somewhat better, spoke up. “I want something to eat.”

She wiped her tears herself, her voice pitiful.