PTGWD Chapter 52: Peeling

That day, they didn’t go anywhere, stayed in the bedroom the entire time.

After an excessively long period of control, Lu Jianchuan finally got what he wanted, frantically claiming the reward he had been waiting for, until late into the night.

The embryo in his belly was also unusually well-behaved, not disturbing its fathers’ intimate moment. It slept soundly from day to night, focusing on converting the newly absorbed nutrients into its own energy, growing rapidly inside the amniotic sac.

Fang Xingzhou was too exhausted to notice that Lu Jianchuan’s belly had grown wildly in the dim light. He almost passed out, then spent the night dreaming about the intern “Xiao Wang,” peeling onions, and Venus flytraps, occasionally interspersed with inexplicable, incomprehensible complaints.

The next morning, he woke up from the chaotic dreams.

Lu Jianchuan was still lying beside him on the pillow, breathing heavily, but the blanket was inexplicably bulging in a large mound. The cool morning breeze chilled Fang Xingzhou’s arm.

He frowned slightly and touched Lu Jianchuan’s forehead, finding him slightly feverish.

—A low-grade fever for a human, but for a monster, or perhaps not an abnormal body temperature.

This action disturbed Lu Jianchuan’s pleasant dream. He unconsciously grabbed his lover’s wrist, mumbled something, and tried to turn over but failed. He could only lie in the same position, slowly sinking back into deep sleep.

Fang Xingzhou quietly lifted a corner of the blanket.

…Under the blanket, Lu Jianchuan’s abdomen had swollen to a terrifying size, as if he were carrying quintuplets about to be born. The skin was stretched to near-transparency, with blood vessels clearly visible. In the morning light, a dark shadow could vaguely be seen rotating inside…

Fang Xingzhou’s breath hitched, his heart pounding as he stared at the horrifyingly large belly. It took him half a minute to calm his emotions.

Then, he leaned down and placed an extremely gentle kiss on the belly.

The shadow inside sensed him and quickly moved closer, pressing against the already precarious belly, seemingly eager for a touch.

Fang Xingzhou heard Lu Jianchuan murmur uneasily in his sleep.

He leaned closer to the baby, his lips almost touching the belly, and whispered very softly, “You’re making him uncomfortable. Can you make yourself a little smaller?”

“I know you can do it, baby. You’re the most amazing little monster in the world.”

The shadow inside the belly trembled with excitement.

After devouring the blind Eunice, its understanding of human language had significantly improved. It was smug from its father’s praise, happily shaking inside. A few seconds later, it began to shrink rapidly, soon returning to the size of a normal human pregnancy, looking like eight months along.

Fang Xingzhou smiled faintly.

The belly no longer looked like it was about to burst, and Lu Jianchuan’s furrowed brow relaxed.

Fang Xingzhou kissed both the big monster and the little monster, then got out of bed. He immediately felt a cool liquid dripping down and couldn’t help but pause.

Lu Jianchuan always strictly adhered to the courtesy and gentleness expected of a human partner, rarely… Perhaps they had indeed been too exhausted last night.

Fang Xingzhou went into the bathroom, staying longer than usual. By the time he came out, it was almost time for work.

Lu Jianchuan was still lying in bed, not having moved an inch.

Let him rest a few more days, Fang Xingzhou thought, looking at him. As for how to peel off the intern’s disguise, he needed to choose the right moment…

He closed all the doors and windows in the house, ensuring no creature could sneak inside, and reinstalled the camera, aiming it at the sleeping figure on the bed before leaving for work.

Then, he watched on the screen as Lu Jianchuan slept from morning to noon. During that time, he groggily got up to drink some water, stared at the camera for a few seconds, then sent Fang Xingzhou a voice message, his words slightly slurred: “Honey, you went to work? I miss you so much… Oh, did I forget to clean you up last night? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere today? If you’re not feeling well, don’t push yourself. Let me know if you need anything, and I’ll bring it to the hospital.”

Fang Xingzhou was about to reply when he saw Lu Jianchuan yawn on the screen, holding his belly and leaning back against the headboard, looking uncomfortable.

Then, he slid back under the blanket in that position, falling into a second round of deep sleep, still clutching the phone that hadn’t received a reply.

For the rest of the afternoon, he didn’t move at all, so still that Fang Xingzhou began to wonder if the camera was broken.

As soon as he got off work, Fang Xingzhou rushed home, his expression tense. He strode up to the second floor and found that the camera wasn’t broken—Lu Jianchuan really hadn’t moved at all.

The belly had returned to its terrifying size, and the shadow inside had grown even larger than in the morning. Fang Xingzhou remembered what Yan Xin had said—the embryo’s rapid development could affect the host.

His heart sank.

He quickly and professionally checked Lu Jianchuan’s vital signs, confirming that he was perfectly healthy and simply in a deep sleep. He let out a slow sigh of relief and sent a voice call request in the “Meat Market Discount Group.”

Soon, Li Xuan and Yan Xin both answered almost simultaneously.

Fang Xingzhou: “Good evening. There’s some information we might need to discuss.”

Yan Xin asked nervously, “What’s wrong? Did Mr. Lu have any reactions after eating and returning?”

Li Xuan took a deep breath: “My heart skips a beat every time I see your call now, ugh.”

Fang Xingzhou turned on the bedside lamp, looking at Lu Jianchuan’s deep sleep. For some reason, he inexplicably felt that Lu Jianchuan was in a comfortable, safe state, not experiencing any issues but simply recharging himself and the baby.

He chose his words carefully, trying to be as objective as possible: “The day before yesterday, when we returned from the seaside, he was still in good spirits and had a strong appetite. But after falling asleep last night, he hasn’t woken up much, and his belly keeps growing. Have you detected any magnetic field changes?”

Li Xuan said, “The magnetic field on Xiangxing Street has been fluctuating. Since last night, many small animals have been attracted. I thought Mr. Lu had transformed back into his true form to aid digestion.”

Yan Xin: “Aside from the lethargy, are there any other symptoms? Like a pale complexion, rapid weight loss, the belly constantly churning as if something is about to tear through—”

Yan Xin sounded like he was describing a horror movie scene.

Fang Xingzhou looked at the belly.

Although it was exaggeratedly large, the baby was relatively quiet, likely asleep along with its host.

Fang Xingzhou: “None of that.”

Yan Xin asked a few more detailed questions, and after some discussion, he cautiously concluded: “It’s probably digestion. As long as Mr. Lu can maintain his human form, it means he still has control over himself and the embryo.”

Fang Xingzhou: “How long will he sleep?”

Yan Xin: “It’s hard to say. We don’t know much about the monster he devoured, so we can’t judge. If he hasn’t woken up by tomorrow, I’d like to come take a look.”

Fang Xingzhou agreed, placing his hand on the warm belly, still feeling uneasy. He couldn’t help but frown slightly and asked, “When will he give birth?”

Yan Xin: “…Good question.”

The three in the group chat fell into silence.

After a moment, Li Xuan sighed and said, “By the way, that giant clam has been active near the beach these past two days, but it seems unable to venture too far from the ocean. You and Lu Jianchuan should be careful and avoid going near water.”

Fang Xingzhou: “Okay, thank you. If he hasn’t woken up by tomorrow, I’ll contact Dr. Yan.”

Yan Xin worriedly gave a few more instructions, and the three ended the call.

Fang Xingzhou looked down at his lover, who was sleeping soundly on the bed, and couldn’t help but place his hand on the round belly. The embryo inside sensed his touch and woke up briefly, perhaps feeling guilty, and tried to shrink itself a bit more.

But by the time Fang Xingzhou finished dinner and tidied up the house, the belly had returned to its exaggerated size, rising and falling steadily with Lu Jianchuan’s breathing.

Fang Xingzhou even wondered if something accidentally bumped into Lu Jianchuan’s belly, the thin, stretched skin might instantly burst, prematurely ending what already seemed like a precarious pregnancy.

So, he didn’t dare to sleep in the same bed with Lu Jianchuan and spent the night on the couch instead.

It was a night full of dreams.

He woke up before 5:30 a.m., unable to sleep anymore. Fang Xingzhou got up from the couch, pulled open the curtains, and looked at the still-sleeping figure in the faint morning light. He noticed that three pupil-less crimson eyes had somehow appeared on Lu Jianchuan’s forehead, curiously darting around, seemingly fascinated by the outside world.

But as soon as they met Fang Xingzhou’s gaze, the three eyes froze and quickly disappeared, as if the terrifying sight had been an illusion.

Fang Xingzhou immediately lifted the blanket.

Sure enough, the eyes had moved to the belly, not yet retracted into the body, and he caught them red-handed.

The belly wriggled in a heart-stopping manner, the crimson eyes blinking innocently, squeezing out three dark green tears in an attempt to evoke Fang Xingzhou’s paternal affection.

Fang Xingzhou: “…”

He looked away and silently counted to three in his mind.

Three, two, one…

When he looked back at the belly, the eyes were gone. The embryo was eerily quiet, perhaps cowering inside the amniotic sac, afraid that its father would be repulsed by its ugliness.

Fang Xingzhou gently stroked the belly, comforting the little monster, then unbuttoned Lu Jianchuan’s pajamas to check if he was still in human form.

Soon, his pupils slightly contracted, his gaze fixed on Lu Jianchuan’s right hand.

Where a human hand should have been, there was now a segment of…

As soon as Fang Xingzhou’s eyes caught the intricate, beautiful patterns, a sharp pain shot through his eyes. A primal human fear surged through him, and uncontrollable tears streamed down, washing over his retinas, making it impossible to see clearly.

He desperately tried to make out what it was, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t. In the blur, he reached out and touched something boneless, cold, and slimy, like a snake but softer, resembling some kind of sea creature…

His heart pounded wildly. Fang Xingzhou tightly gripped the tentacle, closed his eyes, and felt it inch by inch. When he reached the closed mouthparts, he pried them open, revealing sharp teeth that were absolutely not human, trying to find more details.

After feeling it for a while, his brain grew hotter, and he couldn’t help but lean down, his breath scorching. He opened his mouth, biting down hard on the tentacle, trying to taste the blood inside.

But the soft tentacle had an unexpectedly tough outer layer, impossible to bite through. So, he licked it instead, swallowing the mucus, tasting the familiar eerie fragrance and a faint seafood-like scent…

The person on the bed let out a soft, lazy hum, and the other human hand grabbed Fang Xingzhou’s wrist.

“Honey…” Lu Jianchuan murmured, about to wake up at this critical moment.

Fang Xingzhou took a deep breath, hesitating for two seconds between continuing and stopping.

In those two seconds, Lu Jianchuan’s eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Fang Xingzhou spat out the unknown object, trying to calm himself.

As Lu Jianchuan woke up, the tentacle began to disappear unconsciously, turning back into a human hand, still holding Fang Xingzhou’s.

…An indescribable silence followed.

Lu Jianchuan stared blankly at Fang Xingzhou, unaware that part of his true form had emerged in his sleep. He nervously tightened his grip, intertwining his fingers with his lover’s, and asked, “…Baby, why are you crying?”

Fang Xingzhou wiped his still-streaming tears. His eyes were in excruciating pain, and he couldn’t even fully open them. He even wondered if what he was shedding now wasn’t tears but blood.

He remained quiet for a moment.

“I thought I was about to become a widow,” he said as calmly as possible. “You’ve been asleep for two days. I was considering whether to call an ambulance.”

Lu Jianchuan’s eyes widened: “?!”

He held his belly, sitting up abruptly in bed, and grabbed his phone from the nightstand to check the date.

…A day had disappeared.

Lu Jianchuan was stunned for a while, then reluctantly turned his gaze to his lover. Seeing his red eyes, his heart ached, and he couldn’t help but pull Fang Xingzhou into his arms, gently patting his back, his voice hoarse and pained: “Don’t be scared, baby. I just… just ate too much and overslept. Don’t cry, don’t cry. If you keep crying, my heart will break.”

As he spoke, he pressed his cold palm against Fang Xingzhou’s eyes.

A miracle happened.

The pain in his eyes quickly subsided, his injured retinas returned to normal, and the tears stopped, leaving only dampness on his eyelashes.

Fang Xingzhou hugged Lu Jianchuan back, pressed against his exaggerated belly, and slowly exhaled. His mind was filled with the strange taste he had just experienced and the beautiful patterns his retinas had captured.

Lu Jianchuan had uncontrollably reverted to his true form without realizing it… It meant his human body had reached its limit and could no longer sustain the growing little monster.

Yet, even at this point, the man before him insisted on pretending to be an ordinary human. Did he lack confidence in their love? Or… had he done something he was afraid Fang Xingzhou would discover?

A gentle kiss landed on the corner of Fang Xingzhou’s lips. Lu Jianchuan was still earnestly soothing his lover’s emotions, softly whispering comforting words. Fang Xingzhou took two deep breaths, pressing his eyes against Lu Jianchuan’s shoulder, letting the fabric absorb the excess moisture. He said hoarsely, “Come to the hospital with me in a few days for another check-up.”

Lu Jianchuan, utterly disoriented by Fang Xingzhou’s tears, naturally had no objections. “Okay, whatever you say.”

Fang Xingzhou added, “Like last time, go as a male. I’ll inform my colleagues in advance, so you don’t have to worry about affecting my work.”

Like last time…

Lu Jianchuan: “!!!”

“What?” He looked down in shock, meeting Fang Xingzhou’s still-red eyes.