It was lunchtime, and the secretarial office was deserted. She seized this quiet moment to approach the CEO about an urgent matter.

She glanced down at the ultrasound report again - six weeks pregnant. Taking a deep breath, she recalled their reckless night together last month.

After a business dinner, she'd escorted him back to his hotel. As she turned to leave, he'd pulled her into an embrace. Alcohol clouded their judgment, and one thing led to another.

They never spoke of it afterwards. It wasn't until she missed her period that she discovered the pregnancy.

She felt he had a right to know, as the other party involved. She wanted his input on the situation.

Steeling herself, she knocked. A deep voice responded, "Come in."

Su Muchen looked up as she entered. "Lunchtime. Is something wrong?"

Gu Fanxing met his gaze - his face chiseled and handsome, his bearing dignified. His piercing eyes locked with hers.

She pressed her lips together and slid the report across his desk. "Mr. Su, please take a look at this..."

Su Muchen noticed her hesitation. He picked up the paper, puzzled, then his brows furrowed as he scanned it.

"Is this yours?" he asked instinctively.

"Yes," Gu Fanxing replied meekly. "Last month, after Mr. Yu Peng's dinner, when I took you back to the hotel..."

She trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

Su Muchen remembered that night. He hadn't been completely drunk and recalled his actions. The alcohol had gone to his head, and seeing her slender figure walking away, in his haze he had mistaken her for...

Gu Fanxing watched him staring silently at the report, her heart racing.

"Mr. Su, you know I lead a proper life. That time with you was my first," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

She glanced at him before continuing, "I'm telling you this with no ulterior motives. As the other person involved, you should know. Also, I'm not sure what to do."

Su Muchen nodded slightly. Gu Fanxing couldn't decipher his meaning. But if he didn't speak up, how could she know his thoughts?

After a long pause, Su Muchen set down the paper and said, "Let's discuss this after work. For now, go have lunch." He pushed the report back to her.

Gu Fanxing agreed. They still had work in the afternoon, and talking now could affect her focus later.

She took the report, saying, "Alright, we'll talk after work then."

Su Muchen simply nodded again without looking at her.

Gu Fanxing sighed quietly and turned to leave. Perhaps distracted, she failed to notice someone entering as she reached the door. She collided head-on with the newcomer.

The report fluttered from her hand.

Looking up, she saw it was the chairman's wife - Su Muchen's mother. She hastily apologized, "Madam Chairman, I'm so sorry!"

Mrs. Su, an elegant woman in her fifties with a kindly demeanor, smiled gently. "It's alright," she said.

Then she glanced down at the report that had landed on her shoe.

Gu Fanxing noticed too and felt alarmed. She was about to bend down to retrieve it, but Mrs. Su was quicker, already picking it up.

Mrs. Su's eyes widened in surprise as she read the paper. She looked at Gu Fanxing and blurted out, "Secretary Gu, is this yours? Oh, I see your name on it."

Gu Fanxing's face flushed with embarrassment. She could only nod stiffly in response.

Su Muchen looked over, his expression unreadable as his eyes met his mother's.

Mrs. Su pondered for a moment, seeming to grasp the situation. She glanced between her son and Gu Fanxing, her tone barely containing her excitement, "This child... could it be my Muchen's?"

Gu Fanxing was taken aback by Mrs. Su's animated reaction.

Unsure how to respond, she kept her mouth shut.

Su Muchen stood and walked over to them, telling Gu Fanxing, "You can go now."

Gu Fanxing felt immensely relieved and was about to leave.

But Mrs. Su grabbed her wrist, leading her further into the office. She smiled, saying, "It seems I've guessed correctly. You two need to explain everything to me."

Seated on the sofa, Mrs. Su saw her son still standing and clicked her tongue. "What are you waiting for? Come sit down! This is wonderful news - we need to discuss your wedding plans. We can't delay with a baby on the way!"

Gu Fanxing felt dizzy. What was happening? Madam Chairman, aren't you jumping to conclusions?

Su Muchen sat down across from them with a resigned sigh. He looked at his mother and said, "This is between me and Secretary Gu. Mother, please don't interfere."

"If there was no child involved, I wouldn't meddle. But," Mrs. Su's eyes crinkled as she smiled, glancing at Gu Fanxing's belly, "now that Secretary Gu is pregnant, this concerns the future of our Su family. I can't stay out of it."

Seeing Su Muchen's darkening expression, Gu Fanxing mustered her courage and said, "Madam Chairman, um, Mr. Su and I... we didn't plan on getting married."

"Not getting married?" Mrs. Su's almond eyes flashed with anger as she turned to her son. "You got her pregnant and you're not going to take responsibility? What kind of man are you?" She leaned over and smacked his shoulder twice.

Gu Fanxing lowered her head and covered her face, unable to watch the CEO being scolded.

Su Muchen endured the hits silently, merely shooting Gu Fanxing a cold glance.

After a moment of contemplation, Mrs. Su checked the time and stood up. "Let's go have lunch first. When the civil affairs office opens this afternoon, you two will go register your marriage."

"What?" Gu Fanxing's eyes widened in shock. "Madam Chairman, this... this..."

"No more excuses," Mrs. Su clasped Gu Fanxing's hand, patting it gently as she spoke earnestly, "I know about your family situation. Don't worry about your mother's medical bills. Once you and Muchen are registered, I'll cover the costs."

It was an incredibly tempting offer.

Gu Fanxing came from a modest background. In high school, her father had an affair and divorced her mother. She and her mother had struggled to make ends meet, but her mother had persevered to put her through college. Just two years into her career, her mother fell ill with a strange disease, remaining in a coma and racking up expensive hospital bills.

If marrying Su Muchen meant she could afford treatment for her mother, why wouldn't she agree? How could she bear to lose her mother?

With this in mind, she nodded firmly at Mrs. Su, accepting the proposal without even looking at Su Muchen.