His thoughts remained elsewhere—on the facility, on the stolen samples, on the fact that someone had prepared pregnancies months in advance and waited until now to reveal them.

And beneath all of it, another thought remained persistent despite his attempts to suppress it.

Su Wan. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The memory of her standing in the corridor returned again with uncomfortable clarity: injured, exhausted, still pale from blood loss, yet speaking to him as though they stood across a negotiation table instead of inside a collapsing situation.

You really do want to get rid of me.

The accusation itself bothered him less than the fact that part of her genuinely believed it.

That realization unsettled him more than it should have.

He reached the guest wing reserved for the three women and stopped outside the final room at the end of the corridor.

Two guards stood outside the door.

"She has refused examination since arriving," one of them reported quietly. "She also refused sedation."

Lu Shaohan’s gaze shifted briefly toward the closed door.

"She requested you specifically, President Lu."

Of course she had.

He remained silent for a moment before finally saying, "Open it."

One of the guards stepped forward immediately and unlocked the door.

The room inside was softly lit and quieter than expected. Heavy curtains muted the daylight, leaving the atmosphere calm despite the tension surrounding it. Chen Ru sat near the window rather than the bed, one hand resting lightly against the curve of her stomach.

She looked up the moment he entered, not startled or nervous but clearly prepared. That alone sharpened his attention further.

The guards closed the door behind him, leaving the two of them alone.

For several moments neither spoke.

Chen Ru observed him carefully, her composure far steadier than someone trapped inside the Lu Residence should have been.

She was beautiful in a restrained way, elegant rather than striking, and there was discipline in the way she held herself despite the visible strain of pregnancy.

"You came quickly," she said at last, her voice soft but measured.

Lu Shaohan did not move further into the room immediately. "You refused an examination."

"I refused uncertainty."

The answer came smoothly enough to suggest she had already prepared it.

Lu Shaohan’s gaze sharpened slightly. "You seem very aware of your position."

A faint smile touched her lips, though it carried no warmth. "A woman carrying a possible Lu heir would have to be."

Possible. Not confirmed. The careful wording did not escape him.

"You said you would speak once you received assurance."

Chen Ru’s fingers rested more firmly against her abdomen before relaxing again. "Yes."

"And what exactly do you want assurance of?"

This time she held his gaze directly before answering. "That once this child is verified, neither of us will quietly disappear."

The room fell silent again, because there it was—not greed, not ambition, but fear, controlled carefully beneath composure yet real enough once exposed.

Lu Shaohan studied her for several moments. "Who told you that would happen?"

Chen Ru’s expression shifted very slightly—no panic, but clear caution.

"That’s not the kind of fear people invent on their own," he continued quietly.

Her gaze lowered briefly before lifting again. "You already know this situation didn’t begin with me."

No denial. No confirmation. But enough.

Lu Shaohan finally stepped further into the room. "And yet you still came here."

This time Chen Ru’s composure thinned slightly around the edges. "Because by the time I understood what I was part of..." She paused softly. "It was already too late."

Lu Shaohan remained still after her words settled into the room.

The sentence lingered between them with an uncomfortable weight. By the time I understood what I was part of... it was already too late. It did not sound entirely rehearsed, yet it also did not feel completely honest. There was truth inside it, but not all of it, and he could hear that much clearly.

Chen Ru lowered her gaze briefly to her stomach, her fingers moving slowly against the fabric of her dress as though the motion helped steady her thoughts.

Outside the room the residence remained quiet, but it was no longer the ordinary silence of wealth and discipline. It carried pressure now, as though something unseen had begun moving through every corridor.

When Chen Ru spoke again her voice had changed, growing softer and more careful. "I know what people like your family do when complications appear."

Lu Shaohan’s expression did not shift. "And what exactly do you think my family does?"

Her eyes lifted toward him once more. There was restraint in them, but also caution sharpened by experience rather than imagination. "They preserve themselves first. They protect the main bloodline, the main marriage, the main successor." Her fingers tightened faintly over her stomach before relaxing again. "Everyone else becomes negotiable."

Lu Shaohan watched her quietly. She understood hierarchy—not perfectly, but enough. Enough to know exactly where danger lived inside families like his.

"And you don’t intend to become negotiable," he said.

A faint silence followed. Then Chen Ru answered with honesty that had not been present earlier. "No."

The word settled cleanly between them—neither emotional nor dramatic, but simply true.

She slowly straightened in her seat despite the visible heaviness of her pregnancy.

The movement seemed less about comfort and more about maintaining composure, as though she understood instinctively that any sign of weakness inside this house could become permanent very quickly.

"If this child truly belongs to the Lu family," she continued carefully, "then I want protection established formally."

Lu Shaohan’s gaze sharpened slightly at the wording. Formally. Not financially, not privately—legally.

He remained silent, allowing her to go on.

Chen Ru held his gaze steadily now, though the restraint in her posture had tightened. "I do not want to become a hidden arrangement. I will not allow my child to exist unofficially while another heir is publicly acknowledged."

The room grew quieter around the statement, because the conversation had now crossed its real threshold. This was no longer fear speaking. It was positioning.