The Flower Of The High Mountain Is Pregnant With The Son Of The Sand Sculpture Ceo Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Are You Pregnant?

The situation just now was far too “urgent” for Pei Yumin. Instinct had overridden his brain, and by the time he realized what he had said, it was too late—everything was over.

The more Pei Yumin thought about it, the more his scalp tingled. Finally, he buried his head in the steering wheel, wishing he could play dead and pretend the incident never happened.

Lu Shangyan’s breathing was light, but even without looking, Pei Yumin could feel Lu Shangyan’s scrutinizing gaze fixed on him. Time ticked by, second by agonizing second, as he nervously awaited his final verdict.

Just as he was suffering, believing Lu Shangyan intended to answer him with silence, he managed to calm himself down, deciding to avoid the topic for the time being. But just as he prepared to drive off again, Lu Shangyan suddenly spoke, “So you don’t want to be good brothers anymore.”

Pei Yumin inhaled sharply, afraid to exhale. Although he was looking straight ahead, his ears were entirely focused on Lu Shangyan, terrified of missing a single word.

A tiny flicker of hope ignited in his heart, but it was quickly extinguished by Lu Shangyan. “Then let’s be ‘blood’ brothers.”

He spoke earnestly, his tone full of praise for his own brilliant idea. “Let’s go swear an oath of brotherhood right now.”

Pei Yumin thought he had misheard and repeatedly rubbed his ears. Finally, he caught a glimpse of Lu Shangyan’s eyes, which were shining brightly, and his lips, which were pressed into a tight, straight line. Only then was he certain that Lu Shangyan was not joking.

He finally let out the breath he was holding, a heavy sigh filled with resignation.

Seeing his silence, Lu Shangyan looked at him with extreme sincerity and said, “I really do consider you a good friend now.”

Before, he was afraid that his own messy affairs would drag others down, so he was used to being a loner. Even if he had friends, they had gradually cut ties due to the “harassment” from those uncles, aunts, and cousins.

He had no family and no friends around him, and he hadn’t planned on making any new ones, let alone wanting a close, trustworthy friend like Pei Yumin.

He hadn’t dared before, and he feared trouble, but Pei Yumin had helped him time and again. Even after Chen Shuo caused such a prolonged fuss, Pei Yumin’s attitude toward him never changed. Therefore, he felt that Pei Yumin was a friend he could keep, and that Pei Yumin would absolutely not distance himself casually like those previous people.

Thinking this, his gaze on Pei Yumin grew firmer. He couldn’t help but add, “We can even find a peach garden and swear the oath there.”

Pei Yumin’s heart rose and fell, but he saw that Lu Shangyan was genuinely happy to have this so-called “friend”—it was the happiest he had seen Lu Shangyan during their time together.

So, whatever the situation, he accepted it. He said casually, “Fine, we’ll do whatever you want.”

Anyway, swearing an oath of brotherhood involved bowing to the heavens and earth. He could secretly place photos of his parents there and pretend they were getting married.

He quickly reassured himself, a smile returning to his face. “Once we’ve sworn the oath, we’ll be inseparable for life. Are you sure about this?”

Lu Shangyan nodded. “Of course I’m sure!”

“We’ll go after my final exams.”

He actually wanted to go in the next few days, but his schedule was complicated. The nearest peach garden was at the foot of a mountain, nearly two hours from the school. He worked part-time all day Saturday and Sunday and needed to study, and Pei Yumin worked on weekdays. Since neither of them could spare the time, they would have to wait until the summer break.

Pei Yumin was unaware that Lu Shangyan had already calculated the logistics several times. He was just relieved that the situation hadn’t reached an irreparable point.

Then, Lu Shangyan suddenly remembered something else. “Chen Shuo dropped out. Was that related to you?”

Pei Yumin knew he would eventually ask about this and immediately pulled out his prepared explanation. “You were roommates with him for several years, so you know how much he values face. Before, when you pinned him down in the dorm, he desperately tried to get revenge.”

“That day, I saw the situation across the road and immediately called the police. They were gathering a crowd and making public threats—that’s grounds for jail time! With so many witnesses, even though Chen Shuo’s family has some dirty money, they aren’t powerful enough to cover up everything. The police call instantly panicked them. They were terrified I would continue pressing charges and blow up the matter, affecting their lousy company.”

“That day, he relied on his mother being there to continue bullying you, with so many people watching. Yet, he got beaten up and failed to achieve anything. A person like him definitely can’t handle all the pointing and mocking. Him dropping out is a minor thing; if he can’t handle the pressure, he might do something even more heinous. So you must be extra careful during this time. Don’t go out alone anymore. If you go out, find me to accompany you.”

In the end, the young CEO, who truly was capable of covering up everything, couldn’t resist trying to gain a little extra benefit for himself.

Lu Shangyan understood Chen Shuo. That afternoon, he had used Zhao Jian’s phone to browse the school forum. Chen Shuo was indeed being heavily criticized and mocked. Some of the comments were too vile for Lu Shangyan to even read, let alone for the face-obsessed Chen Shuo.

Hearing Pei Yumin’s explanation, Lu Shangyan found it reasonable and didn’t press the matter further.

–

With the matter settled, especially after realizing that Pei Yumin’s inner thoughts aligned with his own, Lu Shangyan walked with a lighter step.

On Wednesday, he finished class early, so he spent extra time studying in the library. By 5:30 PM, he waited for Pei Yumin to pick him up at the school gate. Usually, at this time, he would take the bus to his part-time job or run home by himself.

However, two days ago, after hearing Lu Shangyan’s refusal, Pei Yumin had said righteously, “Good brothers should always consider each other and never be afraid of inconveniencing the other. I’m worried Chen Shuo might plot against you; I’m considering your safety. But you keep thinking you’re troubling me. That means you don’t sincerely treat me as a friend!”

He pursed his lips, looking serious and genuinely hurt. Then, assessing the situation, he made an appropriate concession. “At the very least, as long as I’m free, you have to let me accompany you. Otherwise, I won’t feel safe.”

So Lu Shangyan had no choice but to agree. What was strange was that after Pei Yumin received his updated daily schedule, he almost always claimed to be free. Lu Shangyan quickly grew accustomed to having Pei Yumin accompany him on the way to his next destination.

Lu Shangyan didn’t know how to interact with friends. Once Pei Yumin discovered this flaw, he began treating his “good friend” exactly like a “boyfriend” to dote on.

Pei Yumin messaged him, saying traffic was a bit heavy and he would be a few minutes late. Knowing which route Pei Yumin would take, Lu Shangyan crossed the road and started walking forward while waiting for him.

The area around the school was not bustling, and the road wasn’t particularly wide. Lu Shangyan had only walked a few steps when he heard someone call him from a small intersection. At first, he thought they were calling someone else. It wasn’t until the person tapped his ankle with a walking stick that he finally stopped.

The small intersection was only about three meters wide. An old man was sitting on a small stool on the right side of the intersection, perfectly shaded by a tree.

The man was neatly dressed and looked about seventy years old. He stared at Lu Shangyan for a moment, then suddenly smiled kindly. “Young man, come here and let me take your pulse.”

Lu Shangyan’s gaze shifted from the man’s face to the small table in front of him. On the table was a piece of paper with the large characters “Traditional Chinese Medicine Free Clinic” written in calligraphy. The writing below was messier, but since Lu Shangyan’s major was in medicine, he could vaguely make out a few terms.

The names of the herbs were correct, and the effects were mostly accurate, which lent the setup some authenticity.

“It’s free. I guarantee I won’t charge you any money.” The old man smiled warmly. “I only have this one table and no miraculous medicine to sell you. There will be no extra costs, don’t worry.”

“I used to work at the Municipal Central Hospital. After retiring, I couldn’t sit still, so I came out to set up a free clinic. Now that I’m old, I figure it’s a way to accumulate good karma.”

Lu Shangyan hesitated, standing there unsure whether to stay or leave.

The old man fixed his cloudy eyes on Lu Shangyan, scanning him up and down several times. Then he suddenly said, “Young man, have you been feeling constantly sleepy, tired, and lacking energy lately? Do you often feel nauseous and vomit when eating? Sometimes, food you could eat one moment, you can’t stand the next?”

Hearing this, Lu Shangyan pulled out the small stool from under the table and sat opposite him, extending his hand onto the table.

To be able to describe his symptoms in such detail just by looking at his face—this person was definitely not simple.

The old man narrowed his eyes as he took Lu Shangyan’s pulse. His expression grew increasingly serious. Finally, he sighed deeply and said, “What a pity, what a pity.”

Lu Shangyan broke out in a nervous sweat. “Am I sick?”

The old man shook his head. He lifted his slightly withered arm and pointed his index finger at Lu Shangyan’s lower abdomen. “You have a tumor growing here. You must have it removed quickly, or it will likely plague you for life.”

“More importantly, this tumor shows signs of spreading. It has already spread to your stomach, which is why you have a poor appetite and low spirits. It’s all this tumor’s doing.”

Lu Shangyan’s muscles tensed. Then he heard the old man say regretfully, “If you don’t remove it, you won’t last more than a few months. Young man, you need to make plans quickly.”

In an instant, Lu Shangyan felt intensely dizzy. When he recovered, he had already stumbled to the next intersection. Looking back, the old man had sadly packed up his stall and left.

His palms were slick with cold sweat, and his mind was blank, filled only with the words he had just heard. Pei Yumin honked the horn several times, but Lu Shangyan didn’t hear him, forcing Pei Yumin to roll down the window and call his name.

Lu Shangyan finally turned to look at him. Pei Yumin panicked immediately, quickly pulling the car over to the side of the road to let Lu Shangyan get in. “What’s wrong? Why is your face so pale and your lips so white? Are you hungry or feeling unwell?”

With a string of questions, Lu Shangyan didn’t know which one to answer. He just stared at Pei Yumin, completely distraught.

Pei Yumin grew extremely anxious. “It couldn’t be Chen Shuo came looking for you, could it?!”

He started to reach for his phone again.

But Lu Shangyan grabbed his wrist first, pulling him closer. He placed Pei Yumin’s hand on his own lower abdomen. “Do you feel it? It’s a bit large here.”

Seeing Lu Shangyan’s distressed expression, Pei Yumin tried to lighten the mood and joked, “What’s up? Are you pregnant?”

Lu Shangyan’s face didn’t improve much. He stared at Pei Yumin and said, “I have a tumor growing here. The doctor said I won’t live more than a few months.”