Contract Husband-to-Be (ABO)

A short story written on a whim, 30,000 words in total. The entire story has been drafted and will be updated twice daily, ending on February 16.

No rankings or paid chapters. It's suited for reading in one sitting or casually browsing before bed. Feel free to leave a paw print and add it to your favorites.

Jiang Chen (Beta) is a student in an unpopular major at Imperial First University. To cover his tuition and housing costs, his friend comes up with a terrible idea that barely counts as a suggestion: apply to be a gestational carrier for the heir of the Chi Yi family and collect a generous allowance.

Zhan Xinghan (Alpha) is thirty-eight this year and one of the most sought-after older bachelors in the empire. He isn't unmarried because he doesn't want to marry. His powerful bloodline makes it difficult for him to have children, and solving that problem takes priority over marriage.

He has been entrusting agencies to select gestational carriers since he was eighteen. After twenty years of searching, he has found only... one.

Zhan Xinghan coldly tells the Beta sitting before the monitoring pod, who is unexpectedly quite handsome, "Put away all your delusions. We'll sign a one-year contract. When it expires, you take the money and leave. The child stays with me. We will have nothing more to do with each other."

Jiang Chen rubs his eyes and waits for his mind to slowly catch up before asking, "Can we at least live separately?"

Zhan Xinghan: "...?"

Tropes:

Pregnant first, fall in love later; pregnancy and childcare.

An Alpha who says one thing but means another and is obsessed with saving face x a calm, rational, looks-loving Beta bottom.

The story is silly and lighthearted. The setting isn't meant to be realistic, so please don't overthink it.

P.S. The story takes place in an ABO interstellar setting. Please don't compare it to real life. The author does not support any form of surrogacy.

Theme: The real winner has success in both career and love