1122 - Chapter 27

In the lounge area next to the hotel lobby, Jiang Yi sat holding his daughter, soothing her for a long time before finally calming her down. Yet his own emotions remained unsettled or more accurately, uneasy.

He knew Chu Beiheng might have told Yan Nanchen everything about the past five years. But what if he did? What then?

He hadn’t returned to whimper, complain, or seek comfort from Yan Nanchen. When he came back, he’d even imagined a dramatic revenge soundtrack playing in his mind. His plan was to show that he had lived well these past five years that he didn’t need Yan Nanchen to be fine.

What surprised him was that Yan Nanchen didn’t seem as carefree as Chu Beiheng had described. This made it hard for him to maintain the cold, indifferent facade he’d intended. When they stood too close, he couldn’t stop the sting in his nose.

Perhaps it was this subconscious attachment, coupled with Yan Nanchen’s overwhelming presence, that made him want to resist yet rendered him powerless to do so.

And then, just moments ago, Yan Nanchen had impulsively hit Chu Beiheng.

He never should have dragged Chu Beiheng into this, letting Yan Nanchen misunderstand. Chu Beiheng had helped him so much over the years as a friend, a brother, and even as a mentor who both encouraged and challenged him during his darkest moments.

Leaning back in the chair, he hugged his daughter tighter and sighed, closing his eyes in regret.

He shouldn’t have fallen for Chu Beiheng’s provocation.

“Daddy, was that man who hit Uncle Beiheng, Qiao Qiao’s First Dad?”

Jiang Yi looked down to see his daughter clutching her water bottle, her teary eyes gazing up at him. He kissed her hair, guilt weighing on him as he soothed her. “Did it scare you? I’m sorry, sweetheart. Daddy shouldn’t have asked Uncle to bring you here. We’re both still sleepy, aren’t we?”

Qiao Qiao’s eyes were still red, her breath hitching from crying so hard earlier. But she reached up and patted her father’s chest. “Daddy, don’t be scared. Qiao Qiao is here. I’ll call the police.”

She immediately reached for her pocket, only to realize her Barbie phone wasn’t there. Her eyes widened, and fresh tears spilled over. “Waaah! I didn’t bring my phone! This is bad! I can’t call the police now! What if Uncle gets flattened?”

“Qiao Qiao wants to call the police to arrest me?”

At the voice behind them, Jiang Yi stiffened.

Qiao Qiao turned her head and gasped when she saw the man from earlier. She immediately ducked down, covering her face with her tiny hands. “Daddy, danger! The bad guy is here!”

Before Jiang Yi could turn around, he caught the scent of Violet Musk pheromones. Then Yan Nanchen appeared, kneeling on one knee in front of him.

One looking down, the other looking up.

One sitting, the other kneeling.

The moment their eyes met, time seemed to freeze.

Yan Nanchen knelt before Jiang Yi, and at this close distance, he could finally see his daughter clearly. At first glance, she resembled him, but up close, he realized she looked just like he had as a child though her nose and mouth were unmistakably Jiang Yi’s. She was a delicate, beautiful little thing curled in her father’s arms, dressed in a tiny dress and clutching her water bottle like a doll.

His eyes grew moist. Tearing his gaze away from his daughter, he saw Jiang Yi’s pale face still feverish, and no doubt further aggravated by what had just happened.

“Yi Yi, I know everything now. I was wrong to hit my brother earlier. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

Jiang Yi noticed the redness on Yan Nanchen’s cheek, the corner of his eye, and the corner of his lips from being punched. He frowned slightly, forcing himself to look away as he instinctively shielded his daughter with his arm. “Don’t come near me.”

Hearing Jiang Yi’s cold and resistant tone, Yan Nanchen gave a bitter smile. Perhaps accidentally touching his injured lip, his expression showed a hint of discomfort. Just as he touched the wound, he caught Jiang Yi’s worried gaze flickering toward him.

He chuckled softly, “It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt. I deserve it.”

The laugh was light, slightly hoarse, yet impossibly tender.

When Jiang Yi met Yan Nanchen’s eyes, he quickly averted his gaze as if burned, pretending to sound unaffected. “Who cares if it hurts? Where’s Chu Beiheng?” His heartbeat raced uncontrollably.

“My brother left. He probably can’t return to M Country for now.” Yan Nanchen’s gaze lingered on his daughter. Her round eyes were fixed on him warily, her little brows furrowed maybe angry or disliking him. She pointed her water bottle’s straw at him, pouting. The sight was unbearably adorable, and he couldn’t help staring.

His heart melted completely. This was his child.

The child Jiang Yi had worked so hard to bring into the world.

Qiao Qiao, seeing this man who might be her First Dad staring at her, angrily raised her water bottle and aimed the straw at him, growling fiercely, “Biang! You big bad guy! Raise your hands and surrender now!”

Jiang Yi quickly covered Qiao Qiao’s mouth, whispering, “Qiao Qiao, we’re in a public place. You can’t shout like that, it’s impolite and disturbs others.”

Just as he finished speaking, he caught sight of Yan Nanchen actually raising his hands in surrender and froze.

“I’m the bad guy. I surrender.” Yan Nanchen knelt on one knee, raising his hands beside his ears. His deep gaze locked onto Jiang Yi, reflecting his image. “Wife, I really know I was wrong. Can you give me a chance to explain? If you don’t want to hear it now, that’s fine. I can wait until you’re ready.”

The Regal International Hotel welcomed many guests daily, and the lounge wasn’t empty, yet Yan Nanchen acted as if no one else existed, kneeling to apologize to Jiang Yi just to humor their child.

That single word, “wife” instantly reddened Jiang Yi’s ears. The overwhelming, flustered sensation made him shift uncomfortably.

“I won’t listen to you!” Qiao Qiao pulled her dad’s hand away, glaring fiercely at Yan Nanchen. “You hit people that’s bad!” She waved her water bottle straw like a toy gun, repeatedly going “biang!”

Jiang Yi’s eyes flickered as he watched Yan Nanchen play along perfectly, clutching his chest and pretending to fall back as if actually shot, indulging in their daughter’s roleplay.

This privileged, proud Alpha, who once hid his identity to avoid Jiang Yi’s dislike, had spent nights pretending to be someone else showing a side completely opposite to his daytime arrogance.

One side was the untouchable, haughty Yan Nanchen; the other was the clingy, tender “puppy.”

Which one was the real Yan Nanchen? Didn’t it ever exhaust him?

Perhaps seeing Yan Nanchen sitting on the floor, wrinkling and dirtying his suit pants, Jiang Yi frowned. “Stop playing around, get up.”

Hearing her father’s stern tone, Qiao Qiao quickly closed the lid of her water bottle and looked up with a smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes. “Daddy, I helped you defeat the bad guy!”

“It’s fine.” Yan Nanchen braced himself against the nearby sofa to stand, but when he accidentally pulled at the spot on his abdomen where Chu Beiheng had punched him earlier, his expression faltered slightly.

Jiang Yi seemed to notice Yan Nanchen’s discomfort, his gaze lingering on his waist.

Sensing Jiang Yi’s eyes on him, Yan Nanchen clenched his teeth, suppressing the pain as he stood up with forced nonchalance. He brushed off his suit and smiled. “Just playing with the kid. As long as she’s happy.”

Jiang Yi was momentarily at a loss for words after all, there wasn’t much to say about playing with a child.

Just as he felt the atmosphere growing awkward and considered retreating upstairs, a hand pressed against his forehead. His eyes dropped to the suit now inches away, and his body stiffened again.

Yan Nanchen leaned one hand against the back of the sofa beside him while the other rested on Jiang Yi’s forehead. His expression darkened when he felt the lingering warmth. “Your fever still hasn’t gone down. Why did you leave the hospital? It’s not like I’d eat you alive.”

The sudden closeness made the words carry a hint of ambiguity.

“Chu Beiheng said Qiao Qiao was crying for me, so I came back.” Jiang Yi shifted away with Qiao Qiao in his arms, putting distance between them before standing up. “You should go. My assistant already declined Galaxy Group’s dinner invitation tonight, citing illness.”

“Then I should take care of you,” Yan Nanchen insisted, following him. “I can’t just leave you alone with a fever and a child to look after.”

“It’s fine, I can!”

“My brother has to return to take over Galaxy Group now. He won’t have time to take care of Qiao Qiao anymore.”

Jiang Yi had been about to say he could ask Chu Beiheng to watch Qiao Qiao, but Yan Nanchen cut him off. Startled, he looked at Yan Nanchen, suddenly recalling what Chu Beiheng had once told him, how he’d stubbornly pursued a Ph.D. just to avoid inheriting the family business, only to end up being tasked with helping raise a child these past five years, juggling studies, parenting, and worrying about him.

And now…

Had he really gone back to inherit after all?

“So now I have time.” Concerned that Jiang Yi might tire from holding the child, Yan Nanchen reached out to take Qiao Qiao.

Instead, his daughter crossed her little arms with a huff. “Hmph! I don’t want you to hold me!”

Yan Nanchen awkwardly withdrew his hand, realizing how poorly he’d behaved earlier in front of her. He lowered his voice apologetically. “Qiao Qiao, I wasn’t very polite just now. Did I scare you? Can you forgive First Dad?”

“You’re not my First Dad!” Qiao Qiao scrunched up her face, visibly upset. “My First Dad would never hit anyone. You can’t be him.”

Jiang Yi coughed lightly. “Qiao Qiao, speak gently.”

Hearing the warning in her father’s tone, Qiao Qiao buried her face in his chest, pouting. “But Uncle said we shouldn’t talk gently to bad guys. We have to be brave and loud to scare them away!”

At the mention of “Uncle,” Yan Nanchen’s eyes flickered with surprise and delight. “Qiao Qiao, is your uncle’s name Chu Beiheng?”

Qiao Qiao’s eyes darted around as if she suddenly remembered she had just called someone “First Dad.” She huffed, “No way! Chu Beiheng is my First Dad. The uncle is just Old Wang next door.”

Jiang Yi: “…” A vein throbbed at his temple. “Jiang Nianqiao.”

“Qiao Qiao, the uncle only asked you to call him ‘First Dad’ to protect you and Daddy, right?” Yan Nanchen gazed gently at his daughter, aware she still viewed him as a stranger. “But that won’t happen anymore. Now that you’re back with me, no one will dare bully you ever.”

Clutching her father’s clothes, Qiao Qiao peeked at Yan Nanchen. His face was identical to the uncle’s, no doubt about that. “So, even when Daddy goes to the supermarket, no bad guys will follow us secretly?”

Yan Nanchen’s heart clenched at her words, his eyes darkening as he turned to Jiang Yi. “You’ve been stalked before?”

Jiang Yi immediately covered his chatterbox daughter’s mouth. “No.”

Yan Nanchen’s face turned stormy, unable to fathom how Jiang Yi had survived these five years. He knew his brother had academic commitments and couldn’t always be home meaning Jiang Yi had often been without an Alpha’s protection.

Now, as an Omega with compromised health, if something really happened.

Kneeling down, he met his daughter’s eyes. “Qiao Qiao, here, no one dares bully you. No one can touch you. Because I’m your First Dad. Just say my name, and everyone will be afraid.”

Qiao Qiao tilted her head. “So you’re Yan Nanchen?”

Jiang Yi: “…”

Unfazed by being addressed so formally, Yan Nanchen nodded. “Yes, I’m Yan Nanchen.”

“You sound like some underworld boss. Are you a gangster?” Qiao Qiao asked gravely.

Jiang Yi stared at his daughter in shock. “Who taught you these things?” How does she even know this?

“Uncle said it!” Qiao Qiao looked up at her father. “If everyone’s scared of someone, they must be a gangster. So Yan Nanchen’s a gangster, right? People fear his name, that’s kinda cool.”

Jiang Yi massaged his temples, sensing danger in how easily his daughter was bonding with Yan Nanchen.

“Want to be friends?” Yan Nanchen extended his hand, his gaze reflecting both father and daughter. “I’ll protect you. Anytime, anywhere. I promise.”

Qiao Qiao’s tiny fingers twitched with temptation. She tentatively poked Yan Nanchen’s palm before recoiling, then glanced at her father for approval. “Daddy, can I make a new friend?”

Yan Nanchen, too, looked to Jiang Yi for permission.

Their identical pleading expressions made Jiang Yi feel like the villain for hesitating. He hadn’t expected things to unfold this way.

But…

His reason for returning was precisely to let Yan Nanchen know about their child.

With a soft “Mm,” he gave his consent.

Instantly, small hands clasped around larger ones.

Ever the social butterfly, Qiao Qiao shook Yan Nanchen’s hand vigorously. “Hi there! I’m Jiang Nianqiao. And you? How old are you?”

Cradling her tiny hand, Yan Nanchen smiled. “I’m Yan Nanchen, 27 years old. How about you?”

Qiao Qiao thought seriously for two seconds, then stretched out her hand: “I’m three years old this year.”

Jiang Yi: “…” Stop playing around, daughter.

Yan Nanchen quietly took in Jiang Yi’s expression without saying anything, merely smiling: “I see. Then from now on, I’ll be Qiao Qiao’s good friend.”

“Promise me again,” Qiao Qiao crossed her arms and lifted her chin.

Yan Nanchen gazed at Jiang Yi, speaking with sincere conviction: “Starting now, I promise to be at your beck and call.”

Perhaps the gaze was too intense, as Jiang Yi turned his face away uncomfortably, muttering softly: “I don’t believe it.”

“Let’s test it tonight!” Qiao Qiao, hearing her father’s words, got excited as if playing some fun game: “I’ll call tonight to test it out. Let’s see if he’ll appear right in front of us, okay Daddy?”

Yan Nanchen lowered his head with a smile, the corners of his lips curling: “Alright, welcome to test me. I’ll be at your beck and call.”

Jiang Yi said through gritted teeth: “No, don’t play.”

Stop playing around, daughter. Please.

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