There’re Always Paranoid Thoughts to Monopolize Me - Extra 20.2

Qin Ke had arrived at an opportune time. This meeting had the feel of a year-end summary, with reports from various departments taking up a considerable amount of time. When everything finally ended and people filed out of the conference room, the sky outside the floor-to-ceiling windows had already darkened, visible from several meters away beyond the white ceramic partitions.

This entire floor was Huo Jun’s work area. Even after leaving the conference room, no one dared to speak loudly. There were only one or two hushed discussions, with most people remaining silent.

However, as the leading few people turned the corner of the long corridor, their view suddenly opened up to a vast space with only a few people clearly visible – and the most eye-catching among them was probably the person who had fallen asleep on the soft, thick armrest of the sofa in the rest area to the right.

At the front of the line, several people stopped in unison.

Someone frowned and asked in a low voice, “Which department’s employee is this… coming here to sleep? Are they not afraid that Director Huo’s temper has improved recently?”

“She’s not from our department.”

“I don’t recognize her either. Doesn’t seem like we’ve seen her before.”

“She looks quite young, probably an intern?”

“How could an intern get access to this floor?”

“Regardless of which department she’s from, we should wake her up. Otherwise, if Mr. Huo comes out and gets angry, no department will escape unscathed.”

“You’re right. I’ll go.”

As they spoke, a capable-looking OL in her forties emerged from the group, walking over in her extremely light high heels.

She bent down. Perhaps due to the pretty sleeping face of the girl lying there and her slightly furrowed brow that seemed to indicate fatigue, a motherly instinct welled up inside her, and she unconsciously softened her touch as she reached out to shake her.

“Miss, miss…?”

Qin Ke opened her eyes groggily.

The crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and the light reflected off the white floor tiles dazzled Qin Ke, making her vision go white. Her mind was in a haze for a few seconds before rationality slowly returned.

“Why are you sleeping here? Are you an employee from one of the departments? How did you get up to this floor?”

“…Ah.”

Qin Ke rubbed her throbbing temples.

Early pregnancy was indeed a difficult thing—otherwise, with her self-discipline, even if she was tired, she wouldn’t have fallen asleep in a place like this.

Qin Ke stood up, “I…”

Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly heard someone among the loosely standing group not far away speak towards the direction they had come from.

“…Director Huo.”

“What are you all standing here for?”

A familiar voice approached from afar, only it carried a hint of coldness and seriousness that Qin Ke was not accustomed to.

Qin Ke was stunned for a moment, suddenly feeling a bit dazed.

It was indeed her first time visiting Huo Jun’s workplace. Used to the man at home who showed no signs of growing up and instead seemed to be getting more childish by the day, as if aging in reverse, hearing his work tone for the first time made her feel both amused and complex.

In the blink of an eye, she had accompanied him for so many years.

Perhaps this child was coming at the right time.

“…Miss??”

The lowered voice of the person beside her once again called Qin Ke back to her senses. After regaining consciousness, she couldn’t help but laugh at herself—why was she suddenly thinking so much? It seemed pregnancy really did amplify emotional fluctuations.

Thinking this, Qin Ke gave a faint smile to the other person.

“Thank you. But I’m not an employee of your company. I came to this floor to find someone.”

“How did you end up on this floor looking for someone? This floor’s work area all belongs to—”

The OL’s voice paused, suddenly realizing, “Are you here to see Director Huo?”

“Yes.”

Qin Ke nodded, her gaze passing over the person’s shoulder and falling on the group not far away.

It was at this moment that Huo Jun walked out from the long corridor.

Perhaps due to the telepathy developed from years of living together, as soon as he emerged from the group, Huo Jun looked up and their gazes met.

Huo Jun paused, suddenly coming to his senses, and quickly stepped forward, “Qin Qin?”

This intimate nickname made everyone, both those who were about to leave and those who remained standing, simultaneously stunned.

A few seconds later, everyone’s gazes fell on Qin Ke, one after another, carrying the same curiosity and scrutiny.

Huo Jun had already frowned with an displeased expression. “Why didn’t anyone notify me that you came to the company? … Have you been waiting for a long time?”

“I told your assistant not to disturb the meeting.”

Qin Ke hesitated for a moment, her gaze sweeping lightly over the people behind Huo Jun before returning to him. She lowered her voice, “There’s something I need to discuss with you, but it’s not convenient here. Let’s go to your office to talk.”

“Alright.”

Huo Jun agreed, instinctively shielding Qin Ke on the side closer to his embrace.

As the two walked away, the group behind them, with complex expressions, could still hear faint voices drifting back:

“Don’t come like this next time. If you have anything, you can have them notify me, and I’ll just go home…”

After the two figures faded from view, the group looked at each other, and one by one started walking towards the elevator.

“That was eye-opening.”

“Indeed, I never thought I’d live to hear Director Huo speak so gently.”

“It’s my first time seeing Madam Huo. She’s much younger and more innocent-looking than I imagined. I never understood before why some people jokingly called her the Da Ji of the Huo family, but after seeing her today, I finally get it.”

“Haha, looking at how Director Huo couldn’t take his eyes off her since he saw her, that description is quite accurate.”

“…..”

(TL: “妲己” (Dá Jǐ) is a famous figure from Chinese mythology and history, known as a beautiful but infamous consort during the Shang Dynasty.

She is often depicted as a seductress and is blamed for the downfall of the last Shang king, King Zhou (纣王), who was deeply infatuated with her. According to legend, Daji was either a mortal woman or a fox spirit (狐妖) who bewitched the king, leading him to commit cruel and tyrannical acts, which eventually caused the collapse of the Shang Dynasty.

In Chinese culture and folklore, Daji represents beauty coupled with treachery, and she is frequently used as a symbol of a destructive femme fatale.)

****

Inside Huo Jun’s office.

The man’s figure froze in place. It took him a while before he could open his mouth, struggling to find his voice. “…What did you say?”

Having accepted the information much earlier than a certain someone, Qin Ke appeared much calmer. Even her tone was steady as she calmly repeated.

“I’m pregnant.”

Huo Jun’s gaze and posture remained severely rigid, “Who…”

“If you dare ask whose it is, you’ll be sleeping on the floor from today onwards.”

Huo Jun finally came to his senses, his handsome face slightly contorted due to extreme surprise and seemingly mixed with other emotions like regret and resentment. “I always… How is this possible?”

Qin Ke felt a bit drowsy and leaned back against the sofa, her voice weary. “I’ve told you before. The contraception rate for that isn’t 100 percent.”

“…”

Huo Jun’s face turned ashen, and he remained silent.

Qin Ke observed his reaction. After a few seconds, she seemed unable to hold back a smile and asked softly, “Do you really dislike children that much?”

Huo Jun frowned. After a long silence, he walked over to sit beside Qin Ke, hugging the girl into his arms. With complex emotions, he embraced her from behind and said in a low voice. “I just don’t want another person to take away your attention from me. If we have a child… you definitely won’t love me the same as before.”

Qin Ke was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but smile.

“A child is a child, and you are you. You’re different—do you think I can’t distinguish even that?”

“…”

Huo Jun only tightened his arms further, hugging her closer, but didn’t say anything.

Qin Ke hesitated for a moment before saying softly, “If you really don’t want the child, then we can abort it.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Ke felt the person hugging her stiffen.

A few seconds later, she heard the person behind her say in a muffled, low voice. “But that wouldn’t be good for your health.”

Qin Ke thought for a moment, “Actually, theoretically speaking, both carrying a child for ten months and giving birth, and having an abortion, are harmful to the body.”

“…” Huo Jun’s voice became even lower. He buried his face next to the girl’s, gently nuzzling her soft long hair, seemingly a bit dejected, “I’m sorry, Qin Qin, it’s my fault…”

Qin Ke couldn’t help but laugh even more.

“What fault do you have? Is that delinquent condom that failed to fulfill its duty something you supervised the production of?”

Huo Jun clearly wasn’t in the mood to joke with her.

The silence in the office lasted for who knows how long before Qin Ke heard Huo Jun ask in a hoarse voice. “Then what about you, Qin Qin?”

“Hm? What about me?”

“This child, do you want to keep it?” Huo Jun sighed softly near her ear, “Huo Jingyan told me back then that I should ask for your opinion. Whether to become a mother or not is your right, you have the right to choose for yourself.…He was right, but I’ve always been too selfish to give you this choice.”

After a long while since Huo Jun finished speaking, Qin Ke finally moved. She gently pulled away Huo Jun’s arms that were embracing her and turned around to face him.

“Originally, I didn’t care either way. Having it or not, it didn’t seem to make much difference to me. My life wouldn’t change drastically because of the existence or absence of a child.”

“Is it different now?”

“…Yes.”

Qin Ke seemed a bit embarrassed. She laughed softly, “It’s amazing, Huo Jun.” She took Huo Jun’s hand and placed it on her lower abdomen, “When I think about a life growing little by little here, think about it having the blood of both you and me, think about how it might grow up to look half like you and half like me… This is the first time I’ve had such an imagination. And in this imagination, all those joys and sorrows I’ve never experienced before seem like miracles.”

Qin Ke paused, looking earnestly into Huo Jun’s eyes.

“Do you really not look forward to its arrival at all? If that’s true, then we’ll remove it, and never mention this again. But if you have the same expectation as I do, shall we give birth to it? Don’t you want to see what it looks like, who it resembles more?”

“…”

Huo Jun’s pupils trembled slightly. A few seconds later, he chuckled softly, his voice hoarse and tinged with helplessness.

Huo Jun leaned forward, hugging the girl in front of him tightly, and said with a wry smile next to her ear. “You’re being cunning with me, Qin Qin…”

“How am I being cunning?” Qin Ke blinked innocently. “Aren’t I giving you the choice?”

Huo Jun, close to her ear, sighed softly. “After you’ve said such things, how could I possibly – cruelly tell you that I don’t have the same expectations as you, and then ask you to remove what you’re looking forward to?”

Qin Ke lowered her eyes, smiling gently.

“Aren’t you the one being cunning? I don’t believe you don’t have any expectations at all, yet now you’re pushing all the thoughts of wanting to give birth to it onto me.”

“…”

Huo Jun didn’t respond.

He held Qin Ke, and they leaned against each other quietly. After who knows how long, when Qin Ke was almost falling asleep in Huo Jun’s arms, she finally heard a voice that seemed to come from far away.

“Qin Qin, do you think…it will be a boy or a girl?”

“I don’t know,” Qin Ke silently curved her lips. “Do you hope it’s a boy or a girl?”

“Hmm, a girl, I suppose.”

“…Why?”

“If it’s a boy, he might be very much like me. And thinking about having another man to make me jealous in the future, I find it quite unpleasant.”

“…”

Qin Ke laughed softly.

“Alright, then let’s hope it will be a girl.”