After My Ex-Husband Sent Me to Prison, I Married His Brother - Chapter 11

No one knew how long Zhou Linze had been standing outside, but from a glance, there were several cigarette butts at his feet—some still glowing red.

Judging by the number of cigarettes, he had gone through at least half a pack, maybe even more.

Maybe he heard something, or maybe he just sensed it—

Zhou Linze slowly turned around. The moonlight spilled across his high-bridged nose, making his face look even more defined and striking.

Their eyes met. Neither of them spoke, as if a vast, invisible distance had opened between them.

In the end, Zhou Linze was the one who broke the silence. He took a step forward.
“Why did you lie to my brother just now?”

From the way Lin Yihuan had spoken earlier, it was obvious she was terrified he would tell Zhou Jifeng what happened at the Zhou family estate that day.

He didn’t understand her.

And Lin Yihuan didn’t understand him either.

“Do you want everyone to know that, in desperation, I begged you to help me get pregnant?”

This wasn’t some joke.

If word got out, it wouldn’t just involve her and the Zhou family—it could even drag in her own mother and younger brother!

After all, Zhou Linze was Zhou Jifeng’s full-blooded younger brother.

Even though she was already divorced from Zhou Jifeng, if she turned around and got pregnant with her ex-husband’s younger brother’s child—that kind of scandal, who could accept or understand it?

All she’d get in return would be whispers behind her back and cruel judgment.

And it wouldn’t just be her—Zhou Linze would be caught in the mess too, becoming everyone’s target.

What would his parents think? His brother? The whole Zhou family and all their friends and relatives?

Lin Yihuan didn’t want that.

And more importantly—she didn’t want to drag Zhou Linze down with her.

“You helped me, and I’m truly grateful,” she said sincerely. “But as for our arrangement… I hope you won’t tell anyone.”

The last cigarette between Zhou Linze’s fingers burned down to the end, almost scorching his skin.

Startled by the heat, he looked down, dropped it, and crushed it with his shoe. Then he looked back up.

“Lin Yihuan, you were the one who said you regretted it. That’s the only reason I helped you!”

“Yes, I wasn’t lying.”

Zhou Linze stepped closer—so close she could feel his warm breath brushing against her ear.

He stared straight into her eyes, not blinking once.

He wanted to confirm that she was telling the truth.

After a long pause, he finally exhaled and stepped back slightly.

“To prevent something like today from happening again—my brother suddenly showing up—you need to move to a place I choose.”

Lin Yihuan froze. “I can just lock the door—”

“Then why didn’t you lock it today?!”

“…”

“You said it yourself, this was a mutual agreement. Since I’m the father of your baby, I have the right to take the necessary steps to protect my child and make sure they’re born safely!”

His tone was firm—so much so that Lin Yihuan, a lawyer, was left speechless.

Technically, it was just a verbal agreement, and in legal terms, something like this wouldn’t even hold up in court.

“I…”

“If something happens to the baby, all my efforts would’ve been for nothing,” Zhou Linze raised an eyebrow. “Or what—if there’s an accident, are you willing to give me another one?”

She didn’t know why—

But those words suddenly pulled her memory back to that day at the Zhou family estate.

When he was on top of her, she hadn’t just been nervous—she was also deeply afraid of the unknown.

But he had been gentled the whole time.

Every time he noticed her wince in pain, he’d lower his head and kiss her gently to soothe her.

Even though she was the one who asked for this, she kept flinching away on instinct. Still, he never lost his patience. He simply rubbed her back with the pads of his fingers and asked hoarsely, “Are you okay?”

Of course she said yes.

Because back then, she believed that was the only path left for her.