CHAPTER 4: CHAPTER 4: PRESIDENT FORREST’S AZOOSPERMIA

"Pfft... Cough, cough." Zinnia choked.

She looked so guilty that Jenson’s eyes grew darker. "Speak!"

Zinnia quickly put down her water glass. "Am I capable of immaculate conception, or are you so gifted you can father a child from across the room? When have you ever been careless with protection?"

Her tone inevitably carried a hint of bitterness and annoyance by the end.

"Sharp-tongued," Jenson chuckled.

But he probably agreed she couldn’t be pregnant, as he didn’t pursue the topic.

The man knelt on one knee by the bed, held her ankle, and opened the first-aid kit.

Zinnia didn’t refuse. She knew his personality and understood she couldn’t win a battle of wills against him.

As a husband, he doesn’t love me, but as a brother, he’s practically perfect.

He placed her right foot on his knee, holding her pale ankle as he used a pair of tweezers dipped in iodine to clean the wound.

Even an act like this was performed with an aristocratic and composed air.

She gazed at him, feeling as if she had returned to fourteen years ago. He had carried her home, covered in blood, and she, in a state of traumatic shock, had refused to let any doctors near her.

Back then, the young man had squatted in front of her bed just like this, gently treating her wounds.

"Don’t be afraid, Zinnia. Brother will protect you. I won’t let you get hurt again, okay?"

They hadn’t shared such intimate warmth in a very long time.

The coldness that had defined their relationship for the past four years was more than enough to prove he didn’t love her.

Jenson finished tying the gauze, then pulled something out of the first-aid kit and tossed it to Zinnia.

"Go test it."

It was a pregnancy test.

Zinnia pursed her lips. "I didn’t eat anything this afternoon. It’s just an upset stomach..."

"Go test it!" the man interrupted her.

He’s so afraid of me getting pregnant. Of course, he refused to have a child with me before, and now that Crystal Sutton is back, it’s even more impossible.

Zinnia picked up the pregnancy test and dragged her weary body into the bathroom.

Five minutes later, she came out and handed the test to Jenson.

"One line. I’m not pregnant. You can relax now, right?"

Her tone was mocking. Jenson’s gaze swept over the test, his voice cold.

"It’s for the best."

He really didn’t want me to be pregnant. Sleeping with me was probably already an act of reluctance on his part; in his eyes, having a baby with me would be utterly improper. Even if I did get pregnant, he would just see it as the product of sin, a bastard.

"I’m sleeping in the study. You’d better reflect on your actions," Jenson said before turning and leaving.

Zinnia’s gaze fell on the pregnancy test in the trash can. Her legs went weak, and she collapsed onto the bed.

「The next day」

When Zinnia woke up, the room was already bright with daylight.

She shifted slightly, and her ear brushed against the pillow. She immediately felt something was there and raised her hand, her fingers finding the earring.

She looked at her reflection in the dressing table mirror. The diamonds were set in the shape of a gardenia, with two small, pale pink pearls forming the stamen.

It’s back.

Zinnia felt a wave of complex emotions.

Her phone rang. She searched for it and saw that her purse had also been brought back.

It was Yara Fairchild.

"Zinnia, are you okay?"

"Hmm?"

"The trending topic. I sent it to you, go take a look."

A WeChat notification chimed. Zinnia opened it and saw the headline.

#Forrest Scion’s Triumphant Return with Beautiful Artist#

Opening the link, a sub-headline speculated that President Forrest was accompanying his girlfriend’s parents on an overseas trip and that wedding bells were near.

Zinnia looked at the photo. Pictured with Jenson and Crystal Sutton was a middle-aged couple. The woman, wearing sunglasses, sat gracefully in a wheelchair being pushed by Jenson. Crystal accompanied the middle-aged man. The four of them walking together certainly looked like a family. However, the couple wasn’t Crystal’s parents. Zinnia recognized them as the Sterlings, Jenson’s godparents.

But clueless netizens took the story at face value, all clamoring for the wedding of the century.

"All these fans are shipping them, but do they have any idea they’re eating up a sweet lie that’s full of crap? And a ’beautiful artist’? Have they never seen a real artist before!"

Crystal played the violin, and the Suttons had been willing to splash out money to hold a few solo concerts for her in foreign concert halls.

Yara Fairchild was still ranting angrily. Zinnia closed the webpage and stopped looking, silently listening to her friend vent.

"Anyone with enough money can book a concert hall. Only an amateur would praise her as some ’new-generation violin artist.’ She bought two million followers and now she’s so full of herself she doesn’t know which way is up. My dear Zinnia has a genuine five or six million followers. Has she ever been that arrogant?"

Zinnia had an anonymous account online that she used for fun, never taking it seriously, but Yara was very proud of it.

Zinnia laughed and removed the earring with one hand.

"Well, Jenson loves his ’green tea.’ There’s nothing I can do about it. I’m done playing along."

"What do you mean, you’re done playing along?"

"I’m going to divorce him. Can I stay at your place for a few days?"

Yara Fairchild knew exactly how much Jenson meant to Zinnia. She used to think that the world could end before Zinnia would ever give up on him.

The news was too big to handle. THUD. Her phone fell from her hand.

After finishing breakfast, Zinnia went into the study.

She printed out the divorce agreement. Then, she also gathered her digital resume, performance videos, various award certificates, and recent dance practice logs, sending them to Alaric Hawthorne to submit on her behalf.

Leaving the study, she began to pack.

She only took a few outfits for each season before Yara Fairchild arrived to pick her up.

As she got into the car, Zinnia looked back one last time at the villa bathed in the morning light, her eyes stinging.

Yara squeezed her hand. "Don’t look back at that scumbag! That’s a lifetime of bad luck!"

Zinnia squeezed back. "You’re right. I’ll look forward. The next one will be better behaved."

Just then, Zinnia’s phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number. They were at a red light, and Yara glanced over, exclaiming in surprise.

"Rose Lowell? Isn’t that Crystal Sutton’s agent? What does she want with you?"

"She wants to commission a song."

"For Crystal Sutton? Wow, offering a million right off the bat."

"Mhm..." Zinnia nodded, then casually dragged Rose Lowell’s number into her blacklist.

Yara laughed heartily. "With Crystal Sutton’s half-baked talent? As if she deserves a song from you!"

Zinnia dropped her luggage at Yara’s apartment and took a taxi to Stellar Group.

The Forrest Group’s century-old foundation was like an old aircraft carrier, its flaws becoming evident and reforms difficult. Eight years ago, Jenson Forrest had decisively split off Stellar Group from the Forrest Group, injecting it with fresh blood. Under his leadership, Stellar surged ahead. Its rate of expansion was astonishing, and it had long since left the Forrest Group far behind. The Forrest Group was now in the hands of Jenson’s father, Patrick Forrest, while Jenson presided over Stellar Group, having far surpassed his predecessor. Although people called him the crown prince of the Forrest Group, the parent company now relied on him to steer its course.

A year ago, to help the young couple nurture their relationship, Grandma Forrest had arranged for Zinnia to work as a junior clerk in the president’s office at Stellar Group.

The president’s office was quite lively today. The secretary, Ms. Levin, was pregnant and resigning, so she was handing out celebratory candies.

Zinnia took a piece of candy and offered her congratulations.

Back at her desk, she began drafting her resignation letter.

Ms. Levin saw her and asked in surprise, "Lawrence, are you pregnant too?"

Everyone looked over. Beautiful women always attracted attention.

When Zinnia first started, her beauty and poise attracted many suitors. Jenson had been sullen for days after seeing her desk piled high with roses. Zinnia put a stop to it by announcing she was married, but no one knew her husband was Jenson Forrest.

"No, I’m resigning for other reasons."

"Oh. Well, when are you two planning to have kids? Then again, you’re still young..."

"I’d like to, though. The sooner you have them, the sooner you recover. But alas..." Zinnia replied offhandedly as she typed.

Unexpectedly, Ms. Levin was an expert at reading between the lines. "Your husband can’t perform?"

"Not exactly. He’s quite capable, it’s just all ineffective output."

Ms. Levin was shocked.

"Your husband has infertility issues! Oh my, bad breath *and* infertility? How can you stand it! Lawrence, a girl has to know when to cut her losses..."

Previously, Ms. Levin had seen a couple kissing in the parking garage. The woman’s figure resembled Zinnia, so she asked if Zinnia’s husband had come to pick her up. Zinnia had simply said that she and her husband had never kissed, which somehow led to an office rumor that her husband had severe bad breath. Zinnia never got a chance to explain. Great, now "infertility" was added to the list. Honestly, Ms. Levin’s reading comprehension skills were top-notch.

Zinnia pictured Jenson’s noble, aloof face paired with this new reputation and couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

"It’s working hours! Does nobody have anything to do? Stellar doesn’t pay idlers!"

Zinnia turned her head to see Jenson’s stone-cold expression, and her smile froze.

The one who had spoken was Timothy Cohen. He knew Zinnia’s identity, and after shouting, he shot a cautious glance at the president, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Ms. Levin turned pale. Why does the president’s aura suddenly match the male lead from our gossip?

Worried that Ms. Levin was frightened, Zinnia was about to step in when Jenson spoke.

"For your hard work, have a goodwill bonus distributed. We’ll consider it me sharing in your good fortune."

He instructed Timothy Cohen, and a delighted Ms. Levin hurriedly thanked him. The tense atmosphere vanished, but the man’s cold gaze landed on Zinnia.

"Assistant Lawrence, come in." He entered his office.

"Oh my, President Forrest is as charming as ever," Ms. Levin said, nudging Zinnia. "You’re so beautiful. Why not ditch your infertile husband and go after President Forrest?"

"Lawrence can’t. She’s been right under President Forrest’s nose for a year. If he was going to make a move, wouldn’t he have done it by now?"

"Don’t you guys read the news? President Forrest and Miss Sutton are already an item."

"President Forrest must be in love. Sharing in Ms. Levin’s good fortune is probably because he and Miss Sutton are planning to have a baby, right?"

Zinnia laughed at herself. Sometimes, the casual remarks of strangers cut the deepest. A year? I’ve been in his orbit for much longer than that. Legend has it that when I was just three days old, Jenson came with Old Madam Forrest to the hospital to visit. He even held me, and I supposedly peed on him. By that count, I’ve been in his orbit for twenty-two years. If he doesn’t love me, he doesn’t love me. It will never happen in this lifetime.

After printing her resignation letter, Zinnia walked into the office.

The man sat behind his desk reviewing a document, exuding a noble, distant air. Hearing her footsteps, he spoke without even looking up, his voice cold.

"Is this how you reflect?"

Before his words had faded, Zinnia placed two documents on the desk in front of him.

One was a divorce agreement, the other a letter of resignation.

"President Forrest, I’ll need your signature on both of these. Thank you."