Chapter 1: I’m 18, Married with a Child?

Chapter 1: I'm 18, Married with a Kid?

"Doctor, is he dead or not?"

Lu Hechi's consciousness was fuzzy, and the first thing he heard was that cold remark.

It felt like he'd been beaten up—his head was spinning, and his right arm ached.

"The patient has a fractured right arm and a mild concussion. No life-threatening injuries."

An unfamiliar middle-aged female voice answered.

"Tsk, tough bastard, isn't he."

Lu Hechi: "..."

That voice—why did it sound so familiar?

He forced his eyes open, straining with all his might, his vision slowly coming into focus.

The white ceiling of the hospital room, the sharp smell of disinfectant.

Lu Hechi turned his head and looked at the two women standing by the bed.

One was a female doctor in a white coat.

The other...

Lu Hechi squinted.

The girl looked very young, wearing a simple hoodie and jeans, tall and slender, with light makeup. The only thing off was her sour expression—she looked pretty full of herself.

That face was familiar too!

He mentally ran through everyone he'd ever known, from childhood to now, but still couldn't place her.

"Hey, you two beautiful ladies," Lu Hechi said hoarsely. "That 'he' you mentioned—are you talking about me?"

Lu Wentang's casual expression instantly froze.

She took two steps to the head of the bed, bent down, and her eyes went wide like she'd seen a ghost.

"Lu Hechi, you're calling me 'sis'?"

That voice, that tone, that face—

A thought hit Lu Hechi.

He blurted out in disbelief.

"Wait—you're Lu Wentang?!"

"Wait, how did you get so old? And you're a ninth-grader—why are you copying adults and wearing makeup? You..."

Lu Wentang cut him off, asking seriously, "Wait, first tell me—what year is it?"

"2018, why? I just took the college entrance exam."

Lu Wentang said nothing, slowly straightened up, and glanced at the doctor.

The doctor slowly turned to look back at her.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, then both turned to look at Lu Hechi.

"A chill ran down Lu Hechi's spine. "Don't look at me like that—it's freaking me out."

Ten minutes later, the doctor left, leaving just the two siblings in the room.

Lu Wentang sat back in the visitor's chair with her legs crossed, holding a big red apple and munching on it.

"First, you're twenty-five, not eighteen."

"Second, you got into a car accident yesterday—you fractured your arm and hit your head. The doctor said your memory loss is temporary, caused by a blood clot in your brain."

"Third, you're not just married—you've got a son too."

Lu Hechi felt like he was still unconscious. "Wait, wait, wait!"

His mouth dropped open in an O. "I'm a dude—how do I have a son?"

"Your husband gave birth to him." Lu Wentang said, her expression unchanged. "Your husband's Shen Lanxue, and your son's Shen Yixing. He's three, looks like his dad, and has your personality."

"You're not messing with me, right..."

Lu Hechi couldn't wrap his head around how a straight guy like him could've married a man.

This was way too insane!!!

"Messing with you?" Lu Wentang laughed. "Bro, face it. Your husband's gonna be here soon."

Lu Hechi: "!!!!"

Seeing the look of utter devastation on his face, Lu Wentang added, "Don't be like that. You chased him back then, loved him to death."

"..." Lu Hechi felt like he needed a minute to process this.

He was still eighteen in his head, and he instinctively knew his ninth-grade sister wouldn't lie to him.

So everything she said had to be true.

Lu Wentang tossed the apple core right into the trash can, stood up and grabbed her bag:

"Alright, I only got half a day off from my advisor—I gotta get back to class. When your husband shows up, you can talk to him yourself."

"Hey, I still got questions!"

"Bye, bro. Go find your husband if you need anything~"

The hospital room door shut with a crisp click.

Lu Hechi lay alone on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, one thought on his mind!

He'd woken up and gone from an eighteen-year-old high school grad to a twenty-five-year-old married man with a kid?

And he'd married a dude?

He looked down at himself.

His right arm was wrapped in a thick cast, he wore a hospital gown, his belly hadn't gotten bigger, and that certain part was still intact.

Phew, good.

Lu Hechi breathed a long sigh of relief.

But—

The most important thing was that the little girl had just said his husband was coming.

He had absolutely no idea who Shen Lanxue was!

As Lu Hechi's mind raced, he suddenly heard footsteps outside the door.

Leather shoes tapped against the hospital corridor floor, the pace hurried, and then came the sound of the door handle turning.

Lu Hechi held his breath without thinking.

The moment the door swung open, a faint scent of fir wood drifted in. His body relaxed instinctively at the familiar scent.

And then he saw him.

The man wore a dark gray suit, his long legs wrapped in tailored trousers.

He was tall and straight-backed, with eyes like a winter lake and features so striking they were almost hard to look at.

In his left hand, he carried a blue backpack; in his right, he held a chubby little dumpling of a kid.

The kid had a soft, round face, chubby-cheeked, with big, bright, dark eyes. The second he spotted Lu Hechi at the door, his eyes lit up.

His little legs kicked twice, as if trying to run over, but Shen Lanxue held him back, so he could only express his concern with words.

"Daddy, what happened? Did someone pick on you?"

Lu Hechi's racing heart skipped a beat.

Every thought in his head boiled down to one thing—

That's my son!!!

A wave of warmth surged through Lu Hechi's chest.

He cleared his throat, raised his voice to a higher pitch, and used the gentlest tone he'd ever used: "Little Star, come here, let Daddy see you."

Shen Yixing tilted his head upon hearing him speak: "Daddy, did you eat the evil queen's poisoned apple, and now you sound like a little duck?"

Lu Hechi: "..."

Is this really my own kid?

Lu Hechi tried to loosen his throat: "Daddy's throat is just too dry."

Shen Lanxue said nothing. He walked the little kid over to the bedside and placed the small backpack at the corner of the bed.

He let go of the kid's hand, reached over with his slender fingers, grabbed a clean disposable cup from the nightstand, poured some warm water, and handed it to him without a word.

His beautiful lake-like eyes showed no emotion.

Lu Hechi stared at the hand reaching out to him.

The fingers were long and well-defined, holding the disposable cup, with neatly trimmed nails and pale half-moons at the base.

His skin was very fair, with faint blue veins visible underneath.

...Kind of attractive.

That thought crossed Lu Hechi's mind, and then he clumsily reached out with his left hand for the cup.

He felt dizzy, his vision darkening, his body weak, and a dull ache deep in his bones.

Trembling, he raised his hand like a Parkinson's patient, his arm jerking in fits and starts.

Seeing this, Shen Lanxue used his free hand to support the back of Lu Hechi's head, helped him sit up slowly, then tilted the cup to his lips.

The fir wood scent wrapped around him.

Lu Hechi found it strange—he usually hated this kind of mushy, lovey-dovey stuff between guys.

But weirdly, when Shen Lanxue leaned in close, he didn't feel grossed out at all.

Thinking about how they were married and had a kid together, a weird awkwardness settled in his chest.

Still, with his help, Lu Hechi managed a few small sips of water.

He ducked his head, embarrassed, not sure what to call the guy.

Suddenly, Lu Wentang's voice echoed in his head—that girl going on and on about "your husband, your husband."

On a whim, he looked up, met Shen Lanxue's eyes, and said, "Thanks, honey."