1122 - Chapter 26

Yan Nanchen stared at the little girl in Chu Beiheng’s arms. Hearing those words, his eyes grew redder, and his clenched hands trembled uncontrollably from anger and sorrow, his entire body radiating intense grief.

He took a deep breath, his lips parting as he looked at Jiang Yi, his voice choked with emotion: “Yi Yi, this is my daughter, isn’t it?”

Jiang Yi frowned: “This is my daughter.”

“Jiang Yi, don’t lie to me. The doctor said your Sheehan’s syndrome developed around five years ago right after you gave birth to her, didn’t it?” Yan Nanchen gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay calm, but he realized he wasn’t as composed as he thought. He took a step forward: “Five years this child is five years old, isn’t she?”

Jiang Yi let out a cold laugh at his accusatory tone: “Yan Nanchen, what right do you have to question me?”

Perhaps it was because Yan Nanchen’s Alpha aura was too overpowering that indescribable pressure that Jiang Yi couldn’t help but take a step back.

“Waaah!” Qiao Qiao, who was usually bold, had never seen someone so fierce before. Terrified, she buried her face in Chu Beiheng’s chest and burst into tears: “Wuuu, so scary. I’m scared!”

Chu Beiheng swiftly steadied Jiang Yi. He glanced at Yan Nanchen, his expression unusually stern: “Nanchen, rein in your pheromones. Don’t scare the child, and Jiang Yi’s health can’t handle this.” Seeing the situation, he handed Qiao Qiao to Jiang Yi: “I’ll talk with Nanchen. You take Qiao Qiao outside first. Don’t come back unless I call you.”

No sooner had he spoken than he caught Yan Nanchen moving forward out of the corner of his eye. In an instant, Yan Nanchen grabbed him by the collar and landed a heavy punch on the corner of his mouth.

Chu Beiheng: “…” Damn, that punch is worth five million, he’s definitely claiming it.

Jiang Yi’s pupils constricted sharply. He quickly covered Qiao Qiao’s eyes, staring in disbelief at Yan Nanchen, who had just thrown a punch. As if recalling something, his eyes gradually reddened. He let out a soft, bitter laugh, thinking how absurd it now seemed that Chu Beiheng had once taught Qiao Qiao how to recognize her First Dad.

Qiao Qiao, look, this is your First Dad. Your First Dad isn’t scary.

Will First Dad scold people?

He will, but he doesn’t just scold anyone. Sometimes he might seem strict when he cares too much about someone.

Will First Dad hit people?

Of course not. Your First Dad might be strict, but he would never hit anyone. Hitting is wrong.

Will First Dad like Qiao Qiao?

Absolutely! You’re so cute and smart, if your First Dad saw you, he’d buy you the biggest Barbie doll in the world right away.

Yay!

“Wuuuu!”

Qiao Qiao’s frightened sobs trembled in the air, as if she didn’t even dare to cry out loud. She hid in her father’s arms, tiny hands clutching his clothes tightly, too afraid to lift her head.

Perhaps hearing the child’s terrified cries, Yan Nanchen froze in shock. He looked down at his own hand, fingers trembling slightly, as if he couldn’t believe he had just struck his own brother.

Fear flickered in his eyes as he instinctively glanced at Jiang Yi.

Only to meet Jiang Yi’s utterly disappointed gaze.

“Yan Nanchen, I never should have let Beiheng teach our daughter how to recognize her First Dad.” Jiang Yi gently patted his daughter’s back, his cold gaze fixed on Yan Nanchen. “I truly never imagined you could lose control like this.”

Yan Nanchen opened his mouth: “I—”

“Jiang Yi, take Qiao Qiao outside.” Chu Beiheng pressed his tongue against the sore spot where he’d been hit, his gaze fixed on Yan Nanchen as he cracked his knuckles. “Dear brother, let me tell you exactly what happened these past five years.”

Seeing Jiang Yi carrying the child away, Yan Nanchen immediately grabbed his hand as they passed each other, his pleading eyes attempting to stop him. “Yi Yi, I didn’t mean to. I was just too angry, I thought.”

Jiang Yi paused, glancing sideways at Yan Nanchen, his eyes reflecting an unconscious sorrow. “I underestimated your importance in my heart. Beiheng, add my share, don’t hold back.”

Perhaps he had let Yan Nanchen misunderstand his relationship with Chu Beiheng, but Yan Nanchen.

Didn’t seem to trust him enough either.

With that, he walked away without looking back.

“Yi Yi!!” Yan Nanchen tried to chase after him, only for Chu Beiheng to hook an arm around his neck from behind. At the same time, the door beeped shut.

Almost the moment it closed, the brothers began brawling without restraint, every punch thrown with full force.

Raised under their grandfather’s strict martial arts training, they knew each other’s moves intimately. Being twins, their coordination was nearly unbeatable.

Soon, both their handsome faces and torsos were bruised.

When two adult Alphas fought, they meant it.

Yan Nanchen swiftly hooked an arm around Chu Beiheng’s neck, trying to force his brother into submission. His cheek and lip were swollen, his eyes bloodshot as he pressed close to Chu Beiheng’s ear, voice hoarse:

“Why were you with him? Do you love Jiang Yi?”

The moment he spoke, Chu Beiheng gritted his teeth, seized the opening, and drove his elbow hard into Yan Nanchen’s stomach. In one fluid motion, he hooked an arm around his brother’s shoulder from behind, restraining him with all his strength as he roared furiously:

“Bullshit! Do I look like someone who’d steal another man’s partner?! Yan Nanchen, you’re the last person who gets to doubt him! If Dad hadn’t ordered me to stay by his side these five years, Jiang Yi wouldn’t have survived the night he gave birth!!!”

The force of Chu Beiheng’s shout left Yan Nanchen’s ears ringing.

“You know nothing! Dad was worried Jiang Yi would find out about your depression, so after getting Jiang Yi’s consent, he sent him abroad with me. If not for your condition, Dad would’ve made you follow him, because that child couldn’t be abandoned. Jiang Yi is surgery intolerant, and he’d only presented as an Omega for half a year, an abortion could’ve stripped him of his Omega status.”

“And yet, despite the heartbreak of your betrayal, he carried the pregnancy. His condition was terrible, he had severe morning sickness that lasted six months. Without an Alpha by his side, his pheromone concentration imbalance caused constant fevers. Worse, he developed insomnia so bad I’d often find him sitting in the living room at midnight. Eventually, I had no choice but to sneak back home to steal your clothes for him, hiding them under his pillow.”

Yan Nanchen stared at Chu Beiheng in disbelief. “You stole my clothes?”

“There’s no way around it. He needs you during his pregnancy, but he doesn’t want to see you. Just when I thought this trick was working, one night I went to check if he was sleeping properly. He was sitting by the bed, crying and asking me why I had put your clothes under his pillow.”

Yan Nanchen’s eyes flickered, his teeth clenched in self-reproach: “And then?”

“He was crying so hard. At that moment, I was almost certain, he was afraid of missing you more and more, afraid of what would happen if he got used to your scent on the clothes and then it faded, afraid that the clothes would make him long for you unbearably. Yet, he also hated you for deceiving him, hated you for not admitting you were Yan Nanchen. If you had, I’m a hundred percent sure he would have forgiven you.”

“The night he went into premature labor, I asked him.”

Premature labor?

Yan Nanchen froze.

Jiang Yi had gone into premature labor?

Jiang Yi, do you still love Yan Nanchen?

It was wrong of him to lie and deceive you using my identity, whether he was afraid of you discovering the truth or had other reasons. But setting that aside, just as ‘puppy,’ could you feel that his love was genuine?

If so, then let time prove it. Sincere love can break through well-intentioned lies. Let it prove that Yan Nanchen deceived you at first only because he wanted to present his best self to you. He didn’t want you to dislike him; he wanted you to see him as perfect from the start. Let time prove that beyond this lie, the love he gave you was the most perfect that he loved you with his life.

Jiang Yi, life isn’t perfect to begin with. All we can do is not let ourselves suffer. So, can you give him another chance? Give yourself another chance? A chance to let go, so neither of you is left with regrets.

Chu Beiheng’s eyes gradually reddened: “I could tell he wanted to forgive himself, but fate wouldn’t let him. When he suddenly developed high blood pressure, fell unconscious, and went into premature labor, he was completely out of it during the birth. There was massive hemorrhaging. I was the one who signed the critical condition notice. I signed your name.”

“He was revived, but then his heart stopped again.”

He could hardly continue. Losing his brother wasn’t something he should be the one to say, he shouldn’t have to. But the memory made tears stream uncontrollably down his face. He tilted his head back, taking a deep, shuddering breath, his lips trembling as he said, “Yan Nanchen, I really heard the sound of the heart monitor flatlining.”

Yan Nanchen stood motionless, tears falling without his realizing it.

“I was just following Dad’s orders to take care of him, but I’ve never seen anyone torture themselves the way he did. Why did he choose to run away? He should have stayed by your side to punish you, not himself.”

“He almost died. Just one breath away, and Jiang Yi would have been gone from this world forever.”

Yan Nanchen trembled violently, a chilling numbness rising from his feet. His heart ached as if torn apart, a delayed terror gripping him. His gaze fixed unseeingly on the window ahead, unaware that his face was already drenched in tears.

Suddenly, Chu Beiheng slammed him against the wall. The impact against his shoulders forced a pained grunt from him.

“What pain? What does your pain even amount to? Depression, or getting beaten up by me now, you deserve it all. Since when did our family produce an Alpha as spineless as you? You make mistakes, and the whole family has to bear the consequences for you. It’s because Dad spoiled you too much, and because Dad’s heart aches for Jiang Yi, worried that learning about your depression might distress him and affect the pregnancy.”

The thought of losing their first child still wrenched Chu Beiheng’s heart, let alone the agony Jiang Yi must have endured. The more he dwelled on it, the more he wanted to smash Yan Nanchen into the wall, his blows unrelenting: “Yan Nanchen, you better make up for everything you owe Jiang Yi with the life he’s fought so hard to keep.”

With that, he roughly released Yan Nanchen.

Tears streaming down his face, Yan Nanchen collapsed to the floor in a daze. He bent one knee, burying his face in his hands as broken sobs escaped him. “So it was always you taking care of him.”

“No shit,” Chu Beiheng replied coldly, touching his bruised cheek. Damn it, he’d need five million just to soothe his wounded pride.

“Did he ever mistake you for me?”

“Yes.”

Yan Nanchen slowly raised his head, stunned as he met his brother’s gaze.

“It was five years ago when I returned to the country. He handed me a test result, called me ‘husband,’ and said he was pregnant. Other than that, he never once confused me with you.” Chu Beiheng looked down at his brother slumped on the floor. “After giving birth, he got drunk once, crying and begging me to save a number for him. He wanted me to set it as his emergency contact.”

Chu Beiheng continued, voice thick with emotion, “He said to set ‘puppy’ as the emergency contact. I asked him who ‘puppy’ was, and he said it was Yan Nanchen. I laughed then I told him, ‘In your heart, Yan Nanchen must have wings, able to fly across oceans to reach you the moment you need him.’ Do you know what he said next?” His voice cracked, and he tilted his head back to steady himself.

Yan Nanchen wiped his tears, choking out, “What did he say?”

“He cried and insisted, ‘Puppy can do it.’ I flat-out told him it was impossible, and he ended up punching me.”

Yan Nanchen clutched his head, unable to hold back his anguished cries. Regret drowned out any trace of self-pity, how could he even claim to suffer? Jiang Yi had endured far worse.

An Omega going through an entire pregnancy without their Alpha by their side, how excruciating must that have been?

He hadn’t been there for any of it. Not the pregnancy, not even the child’s growth.

Leaning against the wall, Chu Beiheng watched his brother’s breakdown, recalling how he’d been the one left holding the bag. “Little brother, taking care of Jiang Yi for you cost me dearly. You owe me compensation emotional damages, physical damages, and childcare expenses.”

At the mention of childcare, Yan Nanchen’s sobs abruptly stopped. He looked up at Chu Beiheng. “Why did you teach my daughter to call you ‘First Dad’?”

“Tch, whose daughter? Did you raise her? Qiao Qiao was raised by me.” Hearing him say ‘my daughter,’ Chu Beiheng narrowed his eyes, only to wince as the movement tugged at his injured brow. “We were overseas, genius. A lone Omega with a daughter is an easy target. What if someone harassed them when I wasn’t around?”

Yan Nanchen felt a slight easing of the jealousy in his heart. He leaned against the wall to stand up and looked at Chu Beiheng: “Brother, what’s my daughter’s name?”

“Hmph, only call me ‘brother’ when you need something.” Chu Beiheng’s eyes flickered, pausing for two seconds before answering: “Jiang Nianqiao. ‘Nian’ as in remembrance, ‘Qiao’ as in moving house.”

Yan Nanchen smiled, then the smile turned to tears: “It’s such a beautiful name.”

“You’re crying too early.” Chu Beiheng kindly reminded him, walking over to his younger brother and deliberately slapping the exact spot on his abdomen where he’d punched earlier: “Save your energy for crying in a couple days.”

Yan Nanchen sucked in a sharp breath but endured it.

“Brother, thank you for taking care of Jiang Yi all these years. I’m sorry for misunderstanding you.” After steadying himself, he approached Chu Beiheng, feeling somewhat awkward about having mistaken his own brother for just being a substitute. He reached out to straighten the wrinkled clothes from their earlier fight: “Please don’t blame your younger brother for being immature.”

“Oh ho, call me ‘brother’ when you need something, and ‘sir’ when you need something big.” Chu Beiheng dodged the fawning hands with a look of disgust: “The damage is done. It’s useless now.”

“I’ll give you that commercial plot on Weihai Road that I just acquired.”

Chu Beiheng’s eyes visibly brightened. He coughed lightly: “Go on, what does your big brother need to help you with?”

“What does Qiao Qiao like?”

“That girl? She loves Barbie dolls most of all. She’d be even happier if you played with her. That’s all you need my help with?” Chu Beiheng thought this was too good to be true – just asking about Qiao Qiao’s preferences earned him prime real estate.

His little brother’s money was so easy to swindle.

“I want to win Jiang Yi back.” Yan Nanchen’s face bore two bruises – his lips swollen red and the corner of his eye turning purple – but it didn’t diminish his seriousness: “Can you help me manage Galaxy Group?”

Chu Beiheng turned and walked away immediately.

Yan Nanchen quickly grabbed his brother’s arm, then simply hugged him outright: “Brother, please. Jiang Yi is the love of my life, I can’t live without him.”

Chu Beiheng remained expressionless: “For you, all can be sacrificed for love. But for me, love is worthless and freedom isn’t for sacrificing. Let go.”

“Brother!!! I’m begging you, I’ll give you anything you want. Right now I can’t focus on work, I just want Jiang Yi back.” Yan Nanchen abandoned all pride – only his brother could help him now.

Chu Beiheng tried to shake off the clinging Yan Nanchen, but ultimately couldn’t. In despair, he looked up at the ceiling as if life had lost all meaning: “Did I owe you all in my past life that I have to be your workhorse in this one?”

“Brother, I swear, this time I’ll properly win Jiang Yi back. I’ll treat him right, love him right, cherish our daughter right. Just help me this once. Whatever you want in the future, just say the word and your little brother will help without hesitation.”

Chu Beiheng thought to himself – impossible. After these five years, he had no desires left.

It all finally dissolved into a sigh as he waved his hand: “Go chase him then. I’m giving Jiang Yi back to you.”

Tears welled up in Yan Nanchen’s eyes: “Thank you, brother.” With that, he rushed out the door to find Jiang Yi and the others.

Left alone in the room, the eldest brother wallowed in melancholy.

“What use is a piece of land to me anyway?”

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