1122 - Chapter 20

This distance was far too dangerous.

Jiang Yi noticed something was off with Yan Nanchen’s mood, but upon hearing those words, he couldn’t help but turn his face away with a cold laugh. “Yan Nanchen, your specialty has always been the guilty party filing the suit first. It was like this five years ago, and it’s the same now. Let go.”

“I won’t let go.”

Then Jiang Yi saw Yan Nanchen start loosening his tie, and panic mixed with anger and embarrassment flashed in his eyes. He reached out to stop him, but that very movement gave Yan Nanchen the opening he needed.

Yan Nanchen pulled off his tie, grabbed Jiang Yi’s wrist much thinner than it had been five years ago and wrapped the tie around it, tying it into a tight knot.

Jiang Yi stared in shock, unable to believe what Yan Nanchen had just done. He tried to break free, but Yan Nanchen was standing between his legs, rendering him completely immobile. A wave of humiliation and fury surged through him.

“Yan Nanchen, have you lost your mind?!!”

His furious shout trembled at the end, his voice nearly breaking. Yan Nanchen met Jiang Yi’s furious gaze, his own light amber eyes flickering with distress. He stared, as if trying to make up for every second of longing he had endured over the past five years.

He seemed to have made Jiang Yi angry again.

But what if Jiang Yi ran away again?

Jiang Yi struggled against the restraint on his wrists. He never would have imagined Yan Nanchen would do something like this using a tie to tie his hands?! In the past, this was the kind of thing he would have done.

Perhaps the tie was too tight, or maybe it was because Yan Nanchen had him pinned between his legs while he sat on the desk, but the sheer humiliation of the position sent a scorching heat crawling up his spine.

He glared at Yan Nanchen, only to find the man had the audacity to look like he was about to cry. His lips trembled with anger. “Yan Nanchen, you’ve truly mastered the art of the guilty party filing the suit first. I’ll say it again, let go.”

The moment he finished speaking, just as he was about to shove Yan Nancchen away with his body, he was suddenly lifted off the desk, face-to-face, Yan Nanchen’s hands gripping his thighs. A startled gasp escaped him, and reflexively, he wrapped his arms around Yan Nanchen’s neck.

Then he realized his predicament his lower body was suspended in midair. If he didn’t hold onto Yan Nanchen, he had no doubt the man would drop him.

Ah!!!

Furious, he bit down hard on Yan Nanchen’s shoulder.

Yan Nanchen held Jiang Yi firmly in his arms, shifting so his own back was against the desk. The next second, Jiang Yi’s teeth sank into his shoulder hard. The pain of teeth breaking skin brought with it an indescribable sense of relief.

His eyes reddened from the pain. “Yi Yi, why are you marrying someone else? Have you really forgotten me?”

“Why should I remember someone who lied to me? What about you is worth remembering?” Jiang Yi’s bite wasn’t enough to vent his anger. He lifted his head and saw Yan Nanchen still daring to look like he was about to cry. He let out a bitter laugh. “You dare cry? Do you have any idea how I’ve lived these past five years?”

Fuming, he pulled his bound hands away from Yan Nanchen’s neck.

The moment he did, he felt Yan Nanchen tilt him backward, leaving his upper body suspended in the air. Panicked, he instinctively tried to grab onto Yan Nanchen again, but with his hands tied, he couldn’t react fast enough. Terrified, he could only squeeze his eyes shut.

Fortunately, a large hand pressed against his back, steadying him once more.

“Yi Yi, can you tell me how you’ve lived these past five years? Let me make it up to you, okay?”

Jiang Yi slowly opened his eyes, still shaken and panting heavily, his chest rising and falling as he glared at Yan Nanchen, utterly furious.

His hands were bound by a necktie, and his current position forced him to stay obediently in Yan Nanchen’s embrace, their distance once again reduced to an intimate closeness.

This was the most humiliating part.

Taking a deep breath, all the curses he wanted to hurl were already on the tip of his tongue. But under such shameful and inescapable circumstances, all his grievances surged up in that moment.

“How dare you treat me like this? I’m the one who’s been wronged the most.”

Seeing Jiang Yi’s tears, Yan Nanchen’s Adam’s apple bobbed as panic set in. He quickly turned and placed Jiang Yi back on the desk, then cupped his face to wipe away the tears. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was wrong. Baby, please don’t cry, okay?”

“Get lost. Who’s your baby?” Jiang Yi tried to dodge Yan Nanchen’s hands. “I already have a husband and a child. If you keep this up, I’ll call the police.”

No sooner had he spoken than Yan Nanchen pulled him into a tight embrace so tight that his arms were completely trapped against Yan Nanchen’s chest, leaving him unable to even struggle free with his legs.

“Yiyi, tell me how you’ve been these past five years, and I’ll let you go.”

Jiang Yi was livid. “Of course I’ve been doing great these past five years. After leaving you, I quickly found a new relationship, got married in a flash, got pregnant, and had a daughter. My family life is wonderful.”

“But you said you were wronged.” Yan Nanchen rested his head on Jiang Yi’s shoulder, his voice muffled. “Did he treat you badly?”

“My husband treats me incredibly well, a hundred, a thousand, a million times better than you.”

“Can he cook?”

“Of course. He took care of all my meals during my pregnancy and raised our baby single-handedly after she was born. He can do everything, far better than you.”

“Then is he gentle? Does he dote on you unconditionally?”

Jiang Yi thought to himself Chu Beiheng did treat him well, but not unconditionally. After all, they argued constantly, though never seriously. But how could the affection between close friends compare to the unconditional devotion of a partner?

He took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, he dotes on me unconditionally, tolerates me, cherishes me, and never scolds or deceives me.”

“Then why were you wronged?” Yan Nanchen tightened his embrace, his face twisted with conflict as he tried to remain calm and rational. The person in his arms was already someone else’s husband and father holding him like this was inappropriate.

But…

He was so jealous.

Jiang Yi’s tattoo was his, his mark was his so, why did he already belong to someone else?

Who was that person?

From an angle Jiang Yi couldn’t see, Yan Nanchen’s reddened eyes darkened with malice and envy.

Jiang Yi was left speechless by the question. He had been genuinely frightened earlier, he never expected Yan Nanchen to do this to him. Otherwise, his reason for returning wouldn’t have been to expose his past pitiful self to Yan Nanchen.

But now, it seemed Yan Nanchen wasn’t surrounded by Omegas as Chu Beiheng had claimed. Or perhaps, since this was the company, he couldn’t just keep an Omega around at all times.

“No, I misspoke. I’m not wronged. These past five years have been happy, how could I be wronged with a loving husband and an adorable daughter?”

Yan Nanchen released Jiang Yi, bracing his arms on either side of him, gazing at him intently.

After five years apart, this sudden proximity felt inexplicably ambiguous in the quiet. Then again, even long-distance couples meeting after a year would feel awkward, let alone five years.

Jiang Yi grew uncomfortable under the scrutiny and turned his face away, muttering under his breath, “I was happy. Really happy to be away from you.”

“Liar.”

Just as Jiang Yi was about to retort, Yan Nanchen’s fingers brushed against the corner of his eye, gently tracing his eyelid, his thumb grazing damp lashes wet with tears. “You can’t lie. You always avoid looking at me when you say things you don’t mean. You cried earlier because you felt wronged, didn’t you? Yi Yi, have you been suffering these five years? Was it because of me? Tell me was it?”

Perhaps it was Yan Nanchen’s voice, too tender, or his gaze, too affectionate, it all felt like a trap.

One misstep, and he’d fall right in.

Jiang Yi grew irritated. “Yes, yes, it was all because of you! Every time I thought of you these past five years, it felt like bad luck!”

“You thought of me?” Yan Nanchen’s eyes suddenly brightened, as if he had seized upon something sweet, instantly lifting his spirits. “Yi Yi, so I still have a place in your heart, don’t I?”

Jiang Yi: “…” What kind of selective hearing was this? “How could you possibly still have a place in my heart? I have a husband now. It wouldn’t be good if he misunderstood. Let me go, I’m going back to my hotel.”

With that, he slid off the desk.

But the moment his feet touched the ground, his legs gave way, and he nearly stumbled.

Yan Nanchen caught him swiftly, pulling him into his arms, his worried gaze lingering on Jiang Yi’s noticeably thinner face. “You’ve lost so much weight these past five years. Hasn’t he been taking care of you? If it were me, I’d never let you get this thin.”

Jiang Yi: “…” Why did that sound so manipulative, with a side of petty comparison? Once steady, he raised his bound wrists. “Untie me.”

Yan Nanchen looked at him reluctantly. “Are you leaving?”

He took Jiang Yi’s wrists and loosened the tie, noticing the faint redness. Since when had Jiang Yi become so delicate? Who was this husband of his? Was he treating him well?

“Yan Nanchen, I’ll remember this.” Jiang Yi snatched his hands back, flexing his wrists. Thinking of their current collaboration, he added coldly, “Hurry up and get the research institute to do their part.”

How dare he tie him up with a tie?

“I’ll take you back to the hotel.”

“No need. I’ll call a car.”

“Then I’ll carry you out.”

“Fine. Then I’ll trouble President Yan to escort me.”

Jiang Yi thought, Impressive. Truly impressive. He’d remember all of this. Tomorrow, he’d bring his assistant and bodyguards to the meeting. If he tried to take on Yan Nanchen alone now, he might lose.

An hour later, the two finally opened the conference room door.

Yan Nanchen’s assistant was waiting outside.

Jiang Yi: “!!!”

As if sensing his alarm, Yan Nanchen leaned in and whispered, “The room is soundproof. He didn’t hear anything.”

Jiang Yi shot him a withering look Who asked you to explain? Explaining just makes it worse.

Yan Nanchen smiled faintly and stepped back.

Yan Nanchen’s assistant finally saw his boss emerge and smiled politely. “President Jiang, to welcome you properly, we’ve arranged a banquet at Galaxy Hotel tonight. We sincerely hope you’ll honor us with your presence.”

He truly had no idea what had happened inside.

An hour should have been enough time for anything, right?

Jiang Yi: “…” He’d almost forgotten about this. So he’d have to see Yan Nanchen again tonight.

In the car.

It was the same black Maybach from five years ago, with the same woven grass flower bell ornament hanging from the mirror. As if nothing had changed at all.

“I’ll pick you up tonight.”

“Don’t act so familiar with me.”

“Aren’t we business partners now? It’s only natural I’d be concerned about you.” Yan Nanchen turned the steering wheel as they exited Galaxy Group, noticing from the corner of his eye Jiang Yi glancing at the ornament. “I never changed this. You gave it to me.”

Jiang Yi averted his gaze from the ornament to look out the window. “This collaboration is very important. I hope you’ll take it seriously and ensure there are no mistakes.”

“I’ve never let anyone else sit in this passenger seat either.”

Jiang Yi: “.”

“Everything at home is exactly the same as five years ago. Just like my love for you. Setting aside how I deceived you by pretending to be my brother, my feelings for you were never fake. I loved you just as much five years ago as I do now.”

Jiang Yi stared out the window, desperately trying not to be affected by these words. Who knew if this man didn’t have some Omega fluttering around him? Probably a gentleman by day, a scoundrel by night.

Yet unknowingly, his gaze lingered on the reflection of the driver in the window.

The hands on the steering wheel were long-fingered with prominent knuckles. The wristwatch peeking from the cuff exuded refined elegance. Yan Nanchen in his black shirt now carried a completely different kind of maturity compared to five years ago – the true contours of a grown man, both in demeanor and physique. Especially the physique.

Now he stood no chance of breaking free from Yan Nanchen’s strength, whereas five years ago he might have put up a fight.

“Jiang Yi, your marriage and children are your business. Loving you and being unable to let go is mine alone.” Yan Nanchen continued, “But if I find out that person treats you poorly, if I discover who he is, I won’t let him off. I’ll take you back no matter what.”

Jiang Yi: “President Yan, we live in a society governed by law.”

“Feel free to have your husband test that theory.” Yan Nanchen turned the steering wheel, glancing coolly at the rearview mirror. “An ex-boyfriend is still a boyfriend.”

Jiang Yi: “…” Why did this sound like “try me and die”?

So, had Chu Beiheng been dragged into this mess by him?

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