After Being Deceived, I Married Someone Else and Had Children Chapter 100

Gu Heng, full of affection and tenderness, couldn’t hold Zuo Shihuan close enough. He even lifted him onto his lap, reaching out to wipe the tears at the corners of his eyes, only for the stubborn, shy Zuo Shihuan to block his hand.

So Gu Heng had no choice but to press a kiss to Zuo Shihuan’s wrist instead.

Seeing Zuo Shihuan lower his head, his ears growing redder by the second, Gu Heng chuckled softly. Love surged in his chest, fierce and overflowing, he almost wanted to shrink Zuo Shihuan down and keep him in the palm of his hand.

Hearing Gu Heng’s laugh, Zuo Shihuan stiffened, teeth itching with the urge to bite him. Yet with his emotions in turmoil, he couldn’t stop the tears that kept falling, humiliatingly.

Whether Gu Heng was simply laughing or mocking him, Zuo Shihuan bit his lip hard, trying to hold back his tears. Even when arguing, he looked fragile and pathetic.

Who cries in the middle of an argument?

He hadn’t even started, and already he’d lost the upper hand.

He bit his lip again, but his nose stung, and finally, he gave up and buried his head into Gu Heng’s neck, eyes red as he muttered hoarsely, “What, what’s so funny?”

“I’m just really happy,” Gu Heng said, lowering his gaze with a soft smile. His eyes, dark and bright like a starry night, were filled with love and tenderness, and a trace of aching guilt.

He’d made someone as strong and composed as Zuo Shihuan cry. He really was terrible.

Gu Heng pressed a kiss to Zuo Shihuan’s forehead. His heart ached, yet it also brimmed with sweet joy at Zuo Shihuan’s wish to protect him.

Zuo Shihuan felt the heat where he’d been kissed, a flush creeping across his cheeks. Shifting awkwardly, he muttered, “Put me down already. Gu Heng, don’t hold me like this, aren’t I heavy?”

Gu Heng tightened his arm around Zuo Shihuan’s waist, smiling brightly. “You’re not heavy.”

Zuo Shihuan scolded in embarrassment, “I’m a grown Alpha, I weigh over a hundred pounds! How could I not be heavy? Let me down.”

But Gu Heng refused, playfully whining, “No way, Shihuan, you’re not getting away from me.”

Then, right in front of him, he kissed Zuo Shihuan on the lips.

Zuo Shihuan froze. His light brown eyes blinked, a flash of flustered heat passing through them. Face red, he stammered, “Don’t, don’t keep doing that…”

Gu Heng’s smile deepened, his voice low and teasing. “Doing what?”

Zuo Shihuan’s breath hitched. Looking up at that smiling face, he was both angry and helpless. “You just can’t keep doing this, making a mess of me, confusing me, always giving me a hit and then a sweet, so I can’t ever do anything about you.”

Gu Heng’s smile faded slightly. Grinding his teeth, he said, “The one who really can’t do anything is me. I just want you to treat me well, to put me first… just like I do for you.”

Zuo Shihuan frowned slightly, retorting, “I do treat you well! And yet you still accuse me of seeing you as an outsider, of not treating you as well as others, that’s ridiculous!”

He reached out and poked Gu Heng’s forehead, his expression a mix of exasperation and helpless affection. “You’re the one I really can’t deal with. Do you think you’re invincible? You got hurt at the engagement banquet yesterday. If I didn’t force you to rest, would you really have gone to the Zuo family?”

Looking troubled, Zuo Shihuan met Gu Heng’s eyes, speaking earnestly, frustration clear in his voice. “How can I possibly feel at ease dealing with the Zuo family when I know you might get hurt there? Just the thought of it makes me…”

“But I feel the same way, Shihuan.”

Gu Heng’s expression darkened as he wrapped his arms around Zuo Shihuan, drawing close with a mixture of grievance and longing in his eyes. “The thought of you leaving my sight,  even if you’re at the Zuo family, it’s not as if danger couldn’t still find you. Anyway, I don’t agree. Even if you try to push me away, I’ll shamelessly stick to you no matter what!”

Zuo Shihuan’s tone grew serious. “You do know the Zuo family isn’t something ordinary people can handle, right?”

Gu Heng smiled. “Then you don’t want me to just knock on their door openly and deliver myself there, do you?”

Zuo Shihuan narrowed his eyes, feeling threatened.

Gu Heng’s smile widened, but there was nothing soft about the look in his eyes. Sharp and unyielding, his determination glinted beneath the amusement.

He was perfectly capable of proving, with action, that if Zuo Shihuan dared to shake him off and return to the Zuo family, Gu Heng would be waiting at their doorstep the very next day.

Zuo Shihuan clenched his teeth in anger. “You are not allowed to go to the Zuo family!”

Gu Heng laughed with stubborn confidence. “Why not? Even Yu Lizhu went there. As your official boyfriend, can’t I at least pay a visit to my partner’s family?”

Zuo Shihuan flared up. “You know that’s not what I meant! If you go to the Zuo family, my father will definitely have someone shoot you, maybe he’d even do it himself out of sheer fury!”

“Oh, just bullets.” Gu Heng stretched out the word, meeting Zuo Shihuan’s eyes with a crooked smile. “I can dodge. I won’t die.”

Zuo Shihuan was choked into silence, staring at him for a long while, unable to change Gu Heng’s mind. At last, he clenched his fists, exhaled sharply, and said through gritted teeth,

“Gu Heng, what do you want?”

“I want you to love me. And to believe in me.”

Gu Heng’s dark eyes were deep and serious, each word bitten out clearly. His lips curved faintly as if smiling, but there was no real laughter in his gaze,  only a fierce, consuming love that seemed like a bottomless vortex, mixed with greed, desire, possessiveness, and an undercurrent of deep insecurity.

It made him want to possess Zuo Shihuan completely.

To mark him.

Not just his body and mind, he wanted more, endlessly more.

The hollow ache in his chest could never be filled, driving him to near-madness, though he dared not show a trace of it.

“If… if I didn’t love you…” Zuo Shihuan’s face burned; he wasn’t good with love talk, but he forced the words out despite his irritation and embarrassment. “I wouldn’t have eloped with you, would I? I must’ve lost my mind to love you like this!”

When he finally finished, his face felt hot enough to smoke. His light brown eyes were wet and red from shame and anger, darting sidelong glances at Gu Heng, resisting the urge to bite this b*stard to death.

He always had to force him to say “I love you” before he’d be satisfied.

And yes, that was exactly what Gu Heng wanted.

He always wanted to hear it, over and over. How could he not crave Zuo Shihuan’s unique, exclusive love?

He was greedy, insecure,  he knew that. He needed to keep confirming, again and again, that Zuo Shihuan loved him.

Gu Heng knew he wasn’t a good man. He’d never asked for love before. So many people had confessed to him, only to be met with his disdain.

He had never thought that something as intangible and uncertain as love could make him long for it so desperately,  as though it had seized him by the throat.

If one day Zuo Shihuan were to abandon him,  stop loving him, 

The very thought made Gu Heng feel as though invisible hands were choking him, his throat dry and tight, his breath caught, his heart withering into dust.

Even if he could give Zuo Shihuan his heart, his life, he was still terrified, terrified that someone else might love Zuo Shihuan as much as he did.

Especially when Zuo Shihuan showed even the faintest intention of leaving him.

“How I wish you had really eloped with me, Shihuan.”

Gu Heng’s face was calm, but the storm raging inside him roared with sorrow and fury. His dark eyes fixed on the weary, dispirited Zuo Shihuan.

“But you said you were going back. You say you love me,  and yet you’re still going back to the Zuo family.”

Zuo Shihuan froze. He couldn’t deny it. His heart softened, wavered, then firmed again. He looked at Gu Heng with gentle, pleading guilt in his light brown eyes. “Once I settle things with the Zuo family, I’ll come to you right away. So… Gu Heng, can you trust me enough to let me go back?”

“I can.”

“I promise I’ll be quick, huh?”

Zuo Shihuan blinked in shock, not quite believing what he’d just heard. He had been bracing himself for more resistance, ready to make further promises. 

“What, do I not look like the generous type?” Gu Heng’s lips lifted briefly, then fell again. His tone was calm. “I always planned to let you go back. It’s just that…”

He gave a bitter, self-mocking smile. “I can’t stand the thought of you going back for someone else. But I’m not cruel enough to make you watch your friends suffer because of you, and still force you to stay. Besides, even if I disagreed, even if I dragged you away, I couldn’t take your heart. You’d still be thinking about saving them.”

Zuo Shihuan looked at Gu Heng’s jealous, uneasy expression, exasperated yet deeply pained.

“If it were you who got caught by my father, I’d go save you too, Gu Heng…”

Zuo Shihuan sighed, lifted his gaze, and asked softly, “Are you really that uneasy?”

Gu Heng’s eyes darkened. “How do I know you won’t go and never come back? Even if there’s only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, I can’t take that risk.”

Zuo Shihuan’s heart melted completely at the sight of Gu Heng’s quiet, wounded restraint. He cupped Gu Heng’s face in both hands and coaxed gently, “How could I leave? You’ve already taken me, my heart and everything.”

Gu Heng’s gaze trembled slightly, but his voice came out hoarse. “What if your father, Zuo Zoujian, locks you away? The world’s huge, how would I find you?”

Zuo Shihuan sighed helplessly. “No matter what kind of man my father is, he wouldn’t do that. And what good would it do him? He wants an Alpha heir who can fight for power and profit, not a decoration no one knows exists.”

Still, Gu Heng said nothing.

Zuo Shihuan sighed helplessly, heart aching a little. “Gu Heng, then what do you want to do?”

Gu Heng’s eyes flickered. “I need to make some preparations.”

Zuo Shihuan frowned slightly. “What kind of preparations?”

A dark light passed through Gu Heng’s black eyes before he looked at Zuo Shihuan again and calmly explained, “Just some small preparations, things that will let me contact you at any time, locate you, and protect you… You’ll know when the time comes.”

What he meant was to install trackers, locators, and various protective devices on Zuo Shihuan.

That way, the moment something happened to Zuo Shihuan, he would immediately know and rush to the Zuo household to rescue him, or perhaps he wouldn’t even need to.

Gu Heng’s gaze sharpened. His thin lips moved silently, bang.

He wouldn’t even need to go save Zuo Shihuan himself; the devices he planted on him could, with remote control, blow any would-be attacker into a spray of blood.

The only concern was that it might frighten Zuo Shihuan.

Frowning tightly, Gu Heng began to think over what kind of weaponized devices he should have Zuo Shihuan carry.

If the embedded locators and miniature weapons didn’t require cutting through skin and drawing blood, something that would hurt Zuo Shihuan and be unacceptable to most people, Gu Heng really would have implanted some of them in him.

Even so, there were still plenty of options once he ruled out those more invasive gadgets.

The key issue was that the Zuo family were already one of the Federation’s top arms manufacturers, experts in crafting weapons and mechs. When the time came, Gu Heng would need to choose more discreet, non-metal devices, ones subtle enough to escape the Zuo family’s notice.

Although Gu Heng admitted that the Zuo family’s technology was quite good by Federation standards, it still lagged behind the Empire’s. In terms of stealth and espionage weaponry, no civilian arms manufacturer could compare with the Empire’s classified military departments.

However, given Zuo Shihuan’s keen perception, Gu Heng had to make sure every trace of Imperial origin was scrubbed from the devices, otherwise, if Zuo Shihuan discovered them, that would be real trouble.

But that would mean deceiving him again.

Gu Heng frowned deeper. How he wished he could just tell the truth, stop lying, stop hiding, and stand before Zuo Shihuan without a single secret.

If only… he were a Federation Alpha to begin with.

A trace of mocking envy passed through his eyes.

He couldn’t care less about the Imperial subordinates who revered and obeyed him, those who would, even when the Crown Prince threw a tantrum and eloped, willingly work overnight to cover up his tracks and handle the aftermath.

Being an ordinary Federation citizen suddenly seemed far better.

Gu Heng actually envied any random person in the Federation, no matter their class, their job, their status. Any of them lived freer and more honestly than him, an Imperial prince forced to deceive the man he loved.

It looked like he had everything that came with being an Imperial prince, but none of it was what he truly wanted.

Before meeting Zuo Shihuan, he’d been like a cold-blooded monster, walking among crowds yet forever alone.

But the truth was, he was an Imperial, raised by the Empire itself, a prince molded by its hand.

He couldn’t erase the Empire’s mark on him. To truly betray the Empire and defect to the Federation was impossible, and besides, deep down, Gu Heng held nothing but contempt for the Federation that had already once betrayed the Empire.

If only Zuo Shihuan were an Imperial instead…

That thought rose again, the impulse to take Zuo Shihuan back to the Empire. But with the matter of Yu Lizhu unresolved, even if he forcibly brought Zuo Shihuan home, with his stubborn and loyal nature, he would definitely resist, and would risk everything to return to the Federation to save his family.

So truly… it would’ve been best if Zuo Shihuan had been born an Imperial from the start.

Suppressing that thought, Gu Heng looked at him seriously and asked solemnly, “Until I can completely guarantee your safety, I won’t let you return to the Zuo household… Shihuan, can you accept that?”

Zuo Shihuan slowly nodded, fingers interlaced nervously. “I can accept it. But, Gu Heng… are you planning to put something on me?”

In the past, the Zuo family had also equipped him with an alarm device, if he were ever in danger, he could press it, and the family’s private guards would track his location and rescue him.

At the engagement banquet, the setting had been too formal for obvious devices, so the alarm had been disguised as a spare button sewn inside his suit jacket.

When he decided to elope with Gu Heng, he had secretly torn off that “button” and thrown it away, just to delay the guards’ pursuit for as long as possible.

He hadn’t expected to actually escape this long without being captured.

Though Zuo Shihuan now knew a little of Gu Heng’s true identity and background, he was still astonished by the extent of Gu Heng’s abilities, he had no idea what methods Gu Heng had used to hide from the Zuo family’s reach.

Still, if Gu Heng was truly this worried about his safety, Zuo Shihuan thought he could accept a few of the small devices Gu Heng wanted to give him.

He frowned slightly, then relaxed and asked, “If that’s the case, I’ll cooperate with you. But Gu Heng, those devices you’re getting…”

Sensing Zuo Shihuan’s unease, Gu Heng thought he was worried about possible side effects.

He immediately reassured him, “Shihuan, don’t worry. I won’t use anything that could hurt you. They’ll just be small, convenient things you can carry with you.”

Zuo Shihuan shook his head, pressing his lips together. “That’s not what I’m worried about. I trust you wouldn’t harm me, but…”

Gu Heng blinked. “But what?”

Zuo Shihuan looked up, worry clouding his gaze. “Those devices of yours, they come from your secret identity in the Federation, don’t they? But Gu Heng, you eloped with me and haven’t reported to your superiors… is that really okay?”

Gu Heng had thought Zuo Shihuan was worried about something else, but it turned out he was worrying about him.

About the consequences his undercover Federation identity might suffer because he’d kidnapped a groom and fled.

It wasn’t a small problem, but it wasn’t a big one, either.

It was enough to give his Imperial subordinates headaches. Under normal circumstances, the several false Federation identities he used shouldn’t have caused any trouble, but then he had barged into the Zuo family’s engagement banquet and stolen their Alpha heir…

Even Gu Heng himself was fully aware how sensitive and precarious his Federation identity would become after this, and how much attention it would attract from the Federation’s various powers.

He could, of course, simply “shed his tail like a gecko”, dispose of those fake identities and return to the Empire. But if he chose to stay in the Federation for Zuo Shihuan’s sake…

Then this Federation identity couldn’t just be discarded, it would have to be maintained.

And that would be far from easy.

But Gu Heng didn’t want Zuo Shihuan to worry about such things because of him, so he said calmly, “It’s fine. I don’t need to report to any superior. As for equipment and weapons, I can make them myself.”

In truth, he didn’t have any real superiors in the Federation. The so-called higher-up he had contact with at the Federation’s Secret Investigation Bureau was an Imperial agent from the start, and they barely communicated.

After all, Gu Heng hadn’t planned to stay long when he first came to the Federation, just to use their resources to investigate a few things before leaving. His “investigator” identity was merely an unofficial, off-the-record cover.

Zuo Shihuan still looked uneasy. “Are you sure that’s okay? If you don’t report back, won’t there be any punishment?”

Gu Heng reassured him with a helpless smile. “No. They have no authority over me. This isn’t an official mission, it’s my personal affair.”

Zuo Shihuan frowned, hesitating. “I hope so. I’m worried that when I return to the Zuo family, my father, Zuo Zoujian, will find out who you really are and pressure the Federation government…”

That wasn’t impossible.

Gu Heng wasn’t naïve enough to think that after publicly snatching a bridegroom and humiliating the Zuo family, Zuo Shihuan’s father would just let him off, or that the Federation’s officials would have the integrity to shield him from Zuo family pressure.

Given his current fabricated identity, he was nothing more than a small fry before the mighty Zuo family. He didn’t even need them to act personally; someone would surely volunteer to tie him up and present him to them.

Seeing the deepening worry in Zuo Shihuan’s eyes, as if Gu Heng had turned into some poor, pitiful fugitive abandoned by all, Gu Heng couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“Really, it’s fine. Shihuan, trust me. If I can take you out of the Zuo household, then I certainly have ways to deal with whatever the Zuo family throws at me.”

But Zuo Shihuan’s anxious look didn’t ease one bit.

Gu Heng felt both moved and helpless. He pulled Zuo Shihuan into his arms, rubbing his face affectionately against his cheek for a moment before lowering his gaze. His dark eyes curved with a faint smile, yet held a trace of dim sorrow. “Instead of worrying about that… why don’t we just cherish the time we still have together, and think about our date this afternoon?”

Zuo Shihuan blinked, startled. “A… a date?” he murmured nervously.

Gu Heng chuckled, eyes gleaming. “Of course. Did you forget? We’re going on a date this afternoon. Even if you’ve decided to return to the Zuo family, it’s not today, is it?”

Zuo Shihuan hurriedly said, “Definitely not today.”

“Then that’s settled,” Gu Heng said with a faint smile. “Before you go back, while we still have the chance, let’s go on that date. Once you’re home, I won’t be able to see you so freely anymore…”

He showed a restrained, pained expression and gave a dry, bitter smile. “Or… do you not want to go on a date with me, Shihuan?”

Zuo Shihuan’s heart softened instantly. “Of course not! Gu Heng, whenever you want to go on a date, wherever you want to go, it’s fine with me.”

Gu Heng’s smile returned. “Then it’s settled. You said it yourself, remember.”

Zuo Shihuan recalled that Gu Heng had mentioned going out this afternoon, something about shopping for furniture, perhaps.

He had never gone on a date with Gu Heng before. The last time they met at a mall, it had turned into a disaster, he’d thought Gu Heng was meeting someone else, while Gu Heng, jealous and misunderstanding, thought the same of him.

At first Gu Heng had seemed reserved and proud, but it hadn’t taken long for him to turn into someone who got jealous over everything, jealous of his half-sister, that Omega, jealous of Yu Lizhu…

And he was so good at acting spoiled.

Who would’ve thought that Gu Heng, when being coquettish, could be so hard to resist, that refusing him would feel downright cruel?

Zuo Shihuan could only smile helplessly, a quiet warmth stirring in his chest as he began to look forward, just a little, to the idea of their date.

But there was still one unresolved matter that kept him from focusing on it.

The call from Yu Lizhu earlier, and how Gu Heng had made her cry, still weighed on his mind.

How could he go on a date with his boyfriend when his friend was upset and crying?

Even if Yu Lizhu’s troubles weren’t his fault, even if she was at the Yu household instead of trapped by the Zuos, Zuo Shihuan couldn’t just ignore her.

If the situation were reversed, if he were the one unwell and his friend ignored him, he’d feel awful. So, putting himself in her shoes, he couldn’t stop worrying about Yu Lizhu back at the Zuo estate.

But there was another problem, Gu Heng.

He probably wouldn’t approve.

Zuo Shihuan could only hope that someday, Gu Heng and Yu Lizhu would get along, or at least stop fighting every time they saw each other.

After a moment’s hesitation, Zuo Shihuan gathered his courage and said, “Before our date… I want to call Yu Lizhu, just to see how she’s doing.”

Gu Heng’s brow tightened instinctively. He swallowed his irritation and forced out through gritted teeth, “Fine. Go ahead, call.”

Zuo Shihuan looked at him with concern. “Gu Heng, are you really okay with it?”

Gu Heng smiled stiffly, his jaw tight. “What could possibly be wrong? Since Yu Lizhu is your friend, I’ll be generous and forgive her for her… uncouth words earlier.”

Zuo Shihuan hesitated, but decided against saying anything more, better not to spark another argument between them.

No matter whom he defended, the other would take it as favoritism. It was better to say nothing at all, and let them sort it out between themselves.

Zuo Shihuan felt utterly drained.

He didn’t even hope for Gu Heng and Yu Lizhu to get along harmoniously, he’d be satisfied if they could just talk less and argue less.

Before leaving, Zuo Shihuan lowered his head affectionately, brushing against Gu Heng’s warm, soft lips. The two shared a tender kiss that lasted for over ten minutes. He stroked Gu Heng’s hair several times, and when he saw the faint flush on Gu Heng’s face and the curve of his smiling lips, his own mood lightened.

Unable to help a soft laugh, Zuo Shihuan thought Gu Heng was both bad and easy to coax. After confirming several times that Gu Heng’s mood was good and he harbored no dissatisfaction, Zuo Shihuan finally said a little reluctantly, “Then I’ll go make the call. After that, I’ll come back so we can go on our date.”

A flicker of displeasure crossed Gu Heng’s eyes, but he still nodded and said, “Alright.”

Only because it was Zuo Shihuan asking.

Just as Zuo Shihuan was about to leave, something occurred to him. He hesitated for a moment, then turned back and asked, “I heard what happened earlier, when you and Yu Lizhu were arguing… Gu Heng, Ji Shenwen is your friend, right?”

Gu Heng nodded without much thought, revealing a bit of the truth. “Sort of. I’ve known Ji Shenwen for a few years, we met back in school, so you could say we’re friends.”

Zuo Shihuan looked at him earnestly. “Since you’re friends, you must have his contact information, don’t you?”

Gu Heng frowned slightly but answered, “I do.” By now, he more or less understood what this was about.

Zuo Shihuan looked a bit uneasy. He sighed and said, “Could you help me explain things to Ji Shenwen? Yu Lizhu and I didn’t mean to keep him in the dark. Please tell him I’m sorry. I knew about her keeping it from him, and I even helped her.”

Gu Heng interrupted, “Got it. I’ll tell him for you.”

But Zuo Shihuan’s expression turned serious. Looking at Gu Heng’s casual attitude, he said, “Not just tell him, you have to explain it clearly and sincerely apologize for me. Gu Heng, you don’t want your friend to break up with Yu Lizhu over this, right?”

Gu Heng almost wanted to laugh coldly.

He would love for Ji Shenwen to break up with that Omega, Yu Lizhu, as soon as possible, then she wouldn’t have an excuse to stick to Zuo Shihuan all day long like a third wheel.

Even when she had issues with Ji Shenwen, somehow it ended up involving Zuo Shihuan too.

Seriously, she was ruining his time alone with Zuo Shihuan!

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