1122 - Chapter 18

“President Yan, please behave with dignity.” Jiang Yi said with a faint smile, effortlessly withdrawing his hand from Yan Nanchen’s grasp without changing his expression. He then glanced sideways at his assistant.

The assistant immediately understood his boss’s intention. With a subtle gesture behind his back, he signaled the two bodyguards following them to step forward.

The two tall, imposing bodyguards in black moved to Jiang Yi’s side in unison, their cold gazes fixed on the opposing company’s president.

This move inadvertently heightened the tension in the lobby, while also giving the onlookers a juicy piece of gossip to savor. What exactly was going on here?

Why did their President Yan look so heartbroken? And why was he grabbing the executive president’s hand? Could this be some kind of romantic entanglement?

Yan Nanchen slowly lowered his hand, still hovering in the air. He didn’t take offense at Jiang Yi’s words, he had indeed been too abrupt. Then, meeting Jiang Yi’s eyes, he found them utterly indifferent, as if he were nothing more than a stranger.

His heart felt as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer. Yes, he deserved this.

But…

He missed Jiang Yi so much.

Right now, it felt like a dream. Maybe because he dreamed of Jiang Yi every night, it had finally come true. If only he could touch him one more time, feel his warmth that would be enough.

Driven by this small desire, he extended his hand toward Jiang Yi and smiled. “President Jiang, it’s our first meeting. My name is Yan Nanchen.”

Yi Yi, I am Yan Nanchen.

Jiang Yi, having accompanied Director Duan through many high-profile situations, naturally wouldn’t compromise Galaxy Group’s reputation in matters of etiquette. He reached out and gave Yan Nanchen a brief handshake. “I’m Jiang Yi.”

Then he immediately withdrew his hand.

Internally, he scoffed at Yan Nanchen’s audacity. “First meeting”? Did Yan Nanchen really think that by introducing himself as if they’d never met, he could erase the past?

“Then, may I call you Yi Yi? It sounds more intimate.”

Jiang Yi: “…”

Everyone else: “!!!”

Seeing Jiang Yi remain silent, Yan Nanchen chuckled. “Then I’ll take that as your agreement.”

For the one he loved, lowering his pride and being shameless was nothing to be ashamed of. What truly shamed him was nearly losing his beloved forever. So this time, no matter what whether it meant overstepping or being presumptuous, he would pursue Jiang Yi.

Openly and honorably, under the name Yan Nanchen, he would win Jiang Yi back.

Thus, as the meeting proceeded, everyone except the two bosses wished they could leave the room. Their presence suddenly felt intrusive, as if they shouldn’t be there at all.

“The Secondary Differentiation Special Medicine has sparked significant backlash since its official entry into the European and American markets, with many questioning its safety and efficacy. However, after two years of extensive promotion by Galaxy Research Institute and Neptune Technologies, acceptance among these populations has gradually improved.”

“In recent years, secondary differentiation has become one of the most discussed genetic defect issues. The Secondary Differentiation Gene Defect remains a challenging field to conquer, primarily because current technology cannot fully detect whether a fetus carries this genetic defect during pregnancy.”

Jiang Yi continued presenting the key points of the meeting regarding advancements in secondary differentiation gene detection methods. Meanwhile, a certain distracted president stared at him unabashedly, his mind far from business matters.

Jiang Yi could feel the scorching gaze fixed on him from across the room. From the moment he stepped into Galaxy Group, those eyes hadn’t left him for a second, as if afraid people wouldn’t notice something between them.

He struggled to maintain his composure, forcing his attention onto the PowerPoint presentation.

The meeting dragged on. Perhaps the domestic temperature differed from what he was used to abroad, he hadn’t quite adjusted yet. Combined with the overly cold air conditioning in the conference room, his throat felt itchy and uncomfortable.

Unable to hold back, he lowered his head and coughed twice.

Yan Nanchen’s eyes darkened instantly upon hearing Jiang Yi cough. Noticing the man looked slightly unwell, he turned to his assistant and murmured, “Bring my thermos and the blanket from the lounge. Then raise the temperature by two degrees.”

The assistant assumed his boss felt chilly and carefully stood up, slipping out to adjust the central air conditioning to 27°C. Sigh, it’s getting stuffy in here. How could anyone be cold?

Only after giving these instructions did Yan Nanchen let his gaze return to Jiang Yi.

He stared openly at the man he’d been desperately longing for and searching all these years. Jiang Yi had grown noticeably thinner after presenting as an Omega, and now wore glasses? When did he develop nearsightedness? His vision used to be perfect, what happened?

Where had Jiang Yi been these past five years? Now he was Neptune International’s executive director had he been in M country all along?

No, according to his intel, this position had only been filled a year ago.

Had Jiang Yi sought out Duan Yizhou himself?

Then where had he been all this time? Why couldn’t Yan Nanchen find him anywhere? He’d even offered exorbitant rewards trying to get Agent J to reveal Jiang Yi’s location, only to be refused no, threatened.

Him: Can you tell me where the person in this photo is?

Agent J: I don’t do unethical jobs.

Him: Then how did you manage to take these recent photos? Don’t you know this behavior.

Agent J: Keep talking and I’ll stop selling to you.

Him: Wait, I won’t ask.

Agent J: Latest “Sweet Summer Beach” photo collection. 250 HD uncensored shots. Price: 200 million. Want it?

Him: Yes.

This lead had left him perpetually unsettled, but at least he knew Jiang Yi was doing well admiring night views, visiting century-old auditoriums, feeding pigeons in plazas, sunbathing on beaches.

These uncensored HD images proved Jiang Yi was living comfortably, which eased his anguish somewhat.

Calculating, he’d spent considerable sums over two years buying photos of Jiang Yi. This became his sole motivation to keep working, no earnings meant no photos, and without photos, he’d collapse into utter desolation.

Finally, heaven rewarded the persevering. Jiang Yi now sat right before him.

As the assistant returned stealthily with thermos and blanket, he froze upon seeing two silent tears tracing down his boss’s cheeks. His eyes widened in shock.

Following Yan Nanchen’s gaze to Director Jiang across the table, he thought: Is President Yan crying while looking at Director Jiang?

What could make such an iron-willed man weep so bitterly? A broken heart? So beneath that proud exterior beat such fragile glass?

Sliding the items under the table, he whispered, “President Yan, I’ve brought them.”

Yan Nanchen took the thermos and blanket handed to him by his assistant. Just as he was about to pass them to Jiang Yi, he noticed Jiang Yi pause at this point in his speech, turning slightly to look at the data on the screen, his eyes reddening.

From his angle, he could clearly see Jiang Yi’s face.

His hand froze mid-motion.

Jiang Yi took a deep breath and continued, “Five years ago, there was a case like this in M Country. The patient was a recessive member of the Secondary Differentiation Population. He was carrying twins and was told during pregnancy that there was a fifty percent chance the secondary differentiation gene would be passed on to the next generation. Despite genetic screening and thorough prenatal checkups, no secondary differentiation gene defect was detected in either child. Just when the expectant father thought they might be among the lucky five percent, the unexpected happened.”

“The twins were a boy and a girl. Shortly after birth, the older brother suddenly exhibited dominant secondary differentiation gene defect, a highly acute mutation disease. A newborn simply couldn’t endure such suffering. He left this world just eleven minutes after arriving.”

Suppressing the pain in his heart, Jiang Yi looked at everyone in the room, his slightly reddened eyes filled with conviction: “This is by no means an isolated case. Many such tragedies are happening around the world. F Continent is a prime example. Twenty-five years ago, a zoonotic disease triggered by secondary differentiation caused a severe decline in local birth rates, leading to a structural imbalance in the population and accelerated aging. It’s precisely these hereditary genetic mutations that have placed the entire world before such a dire challenge.”

“According to incomplete statistics, the Secondary Differentiation Population accounts for one percent of our country’s total population. To put that into perspective, for every hundred people you pass on the street, two could be part of this group. How terrifying is that ratio? Each year, nearly 350,000 families could lose their newborns to sudden dominant secondary differentiation, with a mortality rate of 99.9%.”

“Therefore, upgrading Secondary Differentiation Gene Detection Technology is an urgent necessity. As global leaders in medical research, Galaxy Group and Neptune Technology Group have both the responsibility and obligation to take action.”

Jiang Yi’s gaze settled on Yan Nanchen, his hand gripping the electronic pen tightly as he struggled to contain his turbulent emotions: “This is why I’m here to convey the critical importance of this issue to Galaxy Group.”

Perhaps because Yan Nanchen’s concerned gaze was too overwhelming, Jiang Yi seemed to choke on his words. After a brief pause, he continued, “Every year, 350,000 families are left heartbroken by the loss of their children, some even torn apart. These aren’t just cold statistics they represent tiny, precious lives drenched in blood.”

“President Yan, starting now, every second counts. This upgrade plan is imperative.”

Yan Nanchen stared at Jiang Yi, noticing how visibly distressed he seemed. For some reason, his own heart ached as well was Jiang Yi thinking of the child they’d lost before it could even be born?

The guilt weighed even heavier on him.

Perhaps influenced by the profound sorrow radiating from Jiang Yi, Galaxy Group’s executives seemed to feel the suffocating weight of these statistics. The Secondary Differentiation Population had indeed grown far too rapidly, especially over the past twenty-five years.

Thus, during the subsequent discussion, everyone unanimously agreed that upgrading the detection technology was an absolute necessity.

The meeting ended five hours later.

“Cough, cough!” After the meeting adjourned, Jiang Yi finally relaxed, only to feel a bit dizzy and lightheaded, his throat aching even more.

Just as he stood up to leave, a strong hand grasped his arm.

“Yi Yi.”

Jiang Yi remained standing, pulling his hand away without turning to look at Yan Nanchen. He hesitated for a moment before addressing his assistant and managers: “You all head back to the hotel first.”

Before the words could fully settle, Yan Nanchen’s voice came from behind: “I’ll take your President Jiang back later, don’t worry.”

Soon, only the two of them remained in the conference room.

Some clever soul had even closed the door behind them.

The spacious conference room fell into silence in an instant, as if even the air had frozen solid. Only the pheromones of the Alpha and Omega, untouched and unmerged for five years, collided like the Cowherd and Weaver Girl reunited, embracing each other with wild abandon.

Jiang Yi had imagined this day. After all, he had returned with no intention of running away again.

But now, he found himself at a loss for words. Should he get angry? That would be too childish, he had already lost his temper once, and doing so again would be pointless. Should he respond with indifference? He had come back precisely to resolve things.

To resolve the matter concerning their children.

When a warm blanket draped over his shoulders, followed by strong arms pulling him into a broad embrace from behind, his back pressed against a steady heartbeat so powerful it could be felt even through layers of clothing, and the Violet Musk of Alpha pheromones enveloped him tightly.

He froze.

“Yi Yi, I couldn’t find you. For five whole years, I searched everywhere, but you were nowhere to be found. I missed you so much, so, so much, so, so, so much, really, really, really, really missed you.”

“I know I was wrong. Lying was wrong, and I’ll never lie again. Yi Yi, please don’t abandon me, please, I beg you.”

Countless whispers of “I missed you” swirled around his ears, accompanied by repeated pleas of “don’t leave me.” The deep, choked voice was thick with sorrow, like a puppy abandoned by its owner heartbroken and aggrieved.

Or perhaps it was because this embrace was too familiar, this voice too familiar, this warmth too familiar, this pheromone too familiar everything was so painfully familiar, instantly dragging his memories back five years.

For five years, he had endured the agony of pregnancy alone, watched helplessly as his newborn child was taken from him, suffered the lingering effects of postpartum hemorrhage, and bore the torment of secondary differentiation flare-ups.

Didn’t he have the right to feel aggrieved too?

Jiang Yi’s eyes gradually reddened. Tilting his head back slightly, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his lips trembling faintly. “Yan Nanchen, what right do you have to feel aggrieved?”

Hearing the choked sob from the man in his arms, Yan Nanchen panicked and turned him around. When he saw Jiang Yi’s face, his body stiffened.

Jiang Yi was already crying, tears streaming down his face.

In that instant, Yan Nanchen’s heart shattered with unbearable pain.

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