Pregnant With The Pup Of A Wealthy Old Man - Chapter 109

Chapter 109: Shen Xinting vs. Cen Jing

 

The relationship between Shen Xinting and Cen Jing grew even closer. Shen Xinting helped Cen Jing with meals, fetched water, collected homework, and even helped him clean the classroom and draw on the blackboard for bulletin boards.

 

However, Shen Xinting wasn’t very artistic. Every time he tried to help, he ended up creating more work, forcing Cen Jing to spend twice as much time completing tasks.

 

But Cen Jing never got upset. He was happy. If only things could stay this way forever.

 

In the second half of their third year of junior high, everyone was focused on intense revision. Shen Xinting and Cen Jing had less time to talk, but they still went out on weekends to watch movies or share a meal.

 

After the high school entrance exams, Shen Xinting’s family of five went on a trip. Wherever he went, he sent Cen Jing lots of photos and bought plenty of souvenirs.

 

On the first day of high school, he carried a backpack full of gifts, including signed works and figures from Cen Jing’s favorite comic authors.

 

“Jo Mu’s signature! And Liu Xi and Kong Jue’s figures!” Cen Jing hugged the gifts excitedly, his eyes sparkling with light so beautiful that it was hard to look away.

 

“You mentioned you liked Jo Mu before. I happened to pass by his signing event, so I queued up to get these.” Shen Xinting smiled. “As long as you like them.”

 

In truth, it wasn’t on the way. Halfway through the trip, Shen Xinting took a bus detour that added two or three hours just to buy the items.

 

“Thank you, I love them!” Cen Jing held his birthday gifts carefully, touching them repeatedly. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something. “Wait here!”

 

He turned back to his seat, rummaged through his bag, and then ran back to Shen Xinting with a small pouch.

 

“This is for you,” he said, his cheeks tinged red.

 

“What is it?” Shen Xinting’s heart nearly stopped at the sight of the shy Cen Jing. He looked so adorable, like a kitten seeking to please its owner, making Shen Xinting want to cuddle and pet him.

 

When he opened the pouch, he found a slightly rough-looking handmade plush toy inside.

 

“Did you… make this yourself?” Shen Xinting took out the toy and looked at Cen Jing in surprise.

 

Cen Jing pressed his lips together, his cheeks reddening even more.

 

“Yeah. You already have everything, so I didn’t know what to get you. I made this as a gift,” he said, lowering his head to look at the ugly little plush toy in Shen Xinting’s hands. He instantly regretted bringing it to school. “It’s ugly, isn’t it? If you don’t like it, I can order a custom one on Taobao next time. Just give this back—”

 

“I like it. I never said I didn’t!” Shen Xinting clutched the plush toy tightly, his expression as if he feared it would be taken away. “Once you give a gift, you can’t take it back. Since it’s mine now, it stays mine.”

 

“You… really like it?” Cen Jing asked doubtfully.

 

Shen Xinting nodded. “I like it.” Then he raised the toy and kissed it on its little mouth. “I like it so much I’ll even sleep with it tonight.”

 

Cen Jing: “…”

 

He turned his head away. By now, not only his cheeks but his ears and neck were bright red.

 

Idiot, who wants to sleep with you?

 

His heart raced as he thought to himself.

 

“But this toy doesn’t look much like me.” Shen Xinting studied the plush toy with stars in its eyes and a light blue outfit, gradually widening his eyes. “This is…”

 

“No talking!” Cen Jing glared at him. “I need to start morning reading. Go back to your seat!”

 

“Ah, okay.” Shen Xinting watched Cen Jing return to his desk, pull out his textbook with a flushed face, and straighten his back while reading, like a proud little kitten. His claws weren’t sharp, but they scratched at Shen Xinting’s heart.

 

Cen Jing peeked toward the doorway and saw Shen Xinting hadn’t left. His hands, gripping the book, paused for a moment. Then he hunched over, hiding his entire face behind the book.

 

Shen Xinting found it amusing. Cen Jing was adorable when shy, but he couldn’t tease him too much. After all, a kitten could ignore you if it got upset.

 

He poked the plush toy’s rosy cheek, smiled, and turned to leave.

 

Shen Xinting and Cen Jing weren’t in the same class. Shen Xinting was in Class Seven on the fourth floor, while Cen Jing was in Class Three on the second floor.

 

Despite being in different classes, they maintained their middle school routine. During breaks, Shen Xinting would buy lunch for Cen Jing, and they’d find a quiet spot to share their meals.

 

After evening self-study, Shen Xinting would walk Cen Jing to the school gate, only leaving after watching him get into a private car.

 

On weekends, they’d meet at a café to do homework. They also went to movies, shared meals, and even visited an internet café together once.

 

Cen Jing had a strict upbringing and rarely went to amusement parks, let alone internet cafés.

 

That day, Shen Xinting led him by the wrist into a café named “Fated to Meet You.”

 

Cen Jing knew that most people in internet cafés were boys who smoked and shouted while gaming.

 

But here, there wasn’t a trace of cigarette smoke, and it was quieter than he had imagined.

 

“How is it? Can you adapt?” Shen Xinting turned to him with concern.

 

Cen Jing smiled and nodded. “I’m fine.”

 

Hearing this, Shen Xinting’s lips curved into a smile. “Good. I spent over half a month searching for this place. The owner doesn’t like cigarette smells or noise. Smoking here results in fines.”

 

He pointed to a sensor on the wall. “See that? It’s a decibel meter. If the noise level exceeds the owner’s set limit, an alarm will go off.”

 

Cen Jing widened his eyes in surprise. “Wouldn’t this scare off customers?”

 

“It does turn some people away,” Shen Xinting joked. “Maybe the owner’s rich and runs the café for fun.”

 

“Come on, I’ll teach you how to play a shooting game today.” He led Cen Jing to the front desk, swiped their IDs, and took him to a small private room upstairs.

 

“What kind of shooting game? Is it fun?” Cen Jing asked, curious. “I haven’t played many games. During summer break, I practiced the ‘Glory of Kings’ game you mentioned.”

 

As he booted up the computer, Shen Xinting asked, “Did you learn how to play the amazing ‘Yao Yao’ I told you about?”

 

“Of course!” Cen Jing replied confidently. “I wasn’t familiar with it before, but next time, I’ll stay on your head the whole game to protect you.”

 

Shen Xinting laughed. “Great.”

 

“What are we playing?” Cen Jing asked as the computer booted up.

 

“‘Sniper King.’ It’s a game endorsed by your idol,” Shen Xinting said as he opened the page, only to be greeted by his dad’s face in military gear, holding a gun and staring at him.

 

Shen Xinting: “…”

 

It felt so familiar he almost pulled out his homework on instinct.

 

Cen Jing stared at the image of Shen’s dad, looking handsome and determined, and blinked slowly.

 

“Uncle Shen looks so cool.”

 

Shen Xinting frowned. “Am I not cool?”

 

“You are.” Seeing Shen Xinting’s sour expression, Cen Jing’s eyes curved as he smiled. “Uncle Shen may be married, but you’re different.”

 

Shen Xinting’s heart skipped a beat. He turned to Cen Jing. “What do you mean?”

 

Cen Jing didn’t answer. Instead, he smiled and said, “The game’s starting.”

 

Shen Xinting felt a pang of disappointment. His bad mood affected his gameplay, and he got taken out as soon as he landed.

 

“Let’s go again. I’ll make sure we win next time,” he said through gritted teeth.

 

“Okay.” Cen Jing smiled sweetly.

 

In the second round, Shen Xingting regained his form, leading Cen Jing to the final circle and achieving a “chicken dinner.”

 

During the game, he even caught two bots for Cen Jing to practice on. Cen Jing proved to be talented, managing to take down several enemies on his own after just a few rounds.

 

“Impressive!” Shen Xingting praised, giving him a thumbs-up after Cen Jing got his third kill.

 

“All thanks to my master’s teaching,” Cen Jing replied with a smile.

 

The two played in the internet cafe for over two hours. Afterward, they had dinner together, and Shen Xingting escorted Cen Jing home.

 

…

 

In their second year of high school, Shen Xingting and Cen Jing were placed in the same class, sitting front and back. This arrangement made Shen Xingting happy for a long time.

 

Their classmates, noticing how close the two were, initially teased them about being in a relationship. However, seeing that their interactions were limited to eating and doing assignments together, without even holding hands, they eventually lost interest and stopped paying attention.

 

In the first half of their third year, Cen Jing fell ill and was hospitalized. Shen Xingting skipped class to visit him, only to be deeply pained by the sight of the frail figure by the window.

 

At that moment, he finally realized the path he wanted for his future.

 

He decided to become a doctor—to take care of Cen Jing and ensure he could live a healthy, carefree life under the sun, free from envy.

 

Liu Huaijin, Shen Xingting’s godfather, was delighted to hear about his ambition and even offered to recommend him to his alma mater, Y University, to study medicine.

 

Shen Xingting refused. He said he wanted to apply to S University. While S University was one of the country’s best universities, it wasn’t particularly known for its medical school.

 

The medical school at S University was a newly established affiliated college. Given Shen Xingting’s grades, applying to such a nascent institution with unrefined faculty was seen as a waste of talent.

 

But Shen Xingting had already made up his mind. During the winter break, he bought numerous medical books and began studying independently. He hardly left the study throughout the break.

 

Still, he didn’t forget to send Cen Jing good morning and good night messages every day. Sometimes, they would video call, with Shen Xingting sharing amusing jokes from his reading.

 

Cen Jing listened quietly, occasionally smiling brightly at the funnier parts.

 

Shen Xingting loved seeing Cen Jing’s smile and wished for him to always be happy and content.

 

Shen Xingting thought their path together was set—to take the college entrance exams together, enroll in S University side by side, and, like most ordinary couples, embrace and kiss on the campus track.

 

But Cen Jing disappeared. A month before the exams, he vanished without warning.

 

Shen Xingting would never forget that day. Sitting in the back row, he stared at Cen Jing’s empty desk all morning.

 

He couldn’t focus on studying and kept sending messages to Cen Jing, but they went unanswered, as if thrown into the void.

 

Unable to sit idle, he asked the teacher about Cen Jing’s situation during the break, only to learn that Cen Jing had transferred schools.

 

“What?!” he asked in disbelief.

 

“I found it strange too,” the teacher said, “with the exams so close. But then I heard his family decided to move abroad, so he wouldn’t need to take the exams here.”

 

“Abroad?” Shen Xingting froze.

 

It couldn’t be true. Cen Jing wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye. They had promised to apply to S University together.

 

Shen Xingting couldn’t accept it. He left the office and decided to confront Cen Jing directly.

 

Skipping class, he hailed a cab to Cen Jing’s apartment complex. At the entrance, the dozing security guard didn’t notice as Shen Xingting quietly scaled the wall to get in.

 

Cen Jing lived on the 16th floor, and the elevator required a key card, which Shen Xingting didn’t have. He climbed the stairs instead.

 

Six minutes later, he stood, breathless, at Cen Jing’s door.

 

“Ding-dong—”

 

“Ding-dong—”

 

He rang the doorbell several times, but no one answered. Giving up, he started pounding on the door.

 

“Cen Jing?”

 

A neighbor, an elderly woman, peeked out cautiously, thinking it might be a debt collector. Seeing a young man, she relaxed and opened her door.

 

“Don’t bother, young man. They moved out yesterday,” she said.

 

Hearing this, Shen Xingting turned to her, asking urgently, “Moved? Do you know why?”

 

“Let me think…” The old woman tapped her cane, recalling slowly. “Something about treating an illness, I think.”

 

“Mom, who is it?” The woman’s daughter appeared, curious.

 

“Just a young man looking for the family next door,” the elderly woman replied.

 

The daughter, a gossip enthusiast, chimed in. “They moved out late last night, in such a rush they couldn’t even pack properly. I overheard a bit—it seemed their daughter’s condition worsened, and they were leaving the country for treatment.” She sighed, adding, “Such a shame. She was such a pretty girl.”

 

Condition worsened…

 

Shen Xingting’s face turned pale. “Auntie, the girl is my classmate. Do you know anything about her condition?”

 

“Not much,” the woman replied. “We just moved in, so we didn’t interact much. But it seemed serious. I caught a glimpse of her last night—she was in a wheelchair.”

 

“Are you okay, young man?” she asked, concerned by his pallor. “Do you need a doctor?”

 

Shen Xingting shook his head. “Thank you, but I’m fine.”

 

He turned to leave, his heart aching as if being crushed. Leaning against the wall in the stairwell, he stayed there for a long time before finally dragging himself out of the complex.

 

…

 

“Shen Xingting, let’s apply to S University together.”

 

“Okay.” Shen Xingting smiled at the girl in the white dress standing before him.

 

The scene shifted. The girl, holding a dirty dress, looked at him tearfully. “Shen Xingting, I have something to tell you. I’m actually a boy.”

 

“Don’t cry,” he said, his heart aching as he pulled her into his arms. “I’ve known all along.”

 

“You knew? And you still like me?”

 

Gently wiping her tears, he said, “I like Cen Jing—whether Cen Jing is a boy or a girl. As long as it’s you, I’ll always like you.”

 

“Shen Xingting, will you wait for me?” Cen Jing looked up at him.

 

“I will.”

 

Cen Jing smiled brightly. “Then wait for me. Wait for me to come back to you…”

 

“Shen Xingting, you have a call. Shen Xingting, you have a call…”

 

The ringing phone shattered the dream, erasing Cen Jing’s smile.

 

Frowning, Shen Xingting irritably grabbed the phone from his nightstand.

 

“Chairman Shen, where are you?” Li Jue’s voice boomed over the line. “The freshmen are registering today. Don’t tell me you forgot! If you don’t show up soon, the volunteers are going to leave. Do you want to work us all to death?!”

 

“I’m on my way.” Shen Xingting massaged his temples.

 

Ten minutes later, he was dressed, with his backpack slung over his shoulder.

 

“Xiao Jing, see you tonight,” he said to the clumsy handmade doll on his entryway cabinet before heading out.

 

—

 

Author’s note: The saddest part of the story turned out to be the extra chapter!!