1122 - Chapter 29.1

Perhaps it had been too long since he had laughed like this, and the laughter ended up giving him a stitch in his side.

Jiang Yi’s laughter came to an abrupt halt as he clutched his chest, feeling the sharp pain between his ribs. He leaned against the headboard with a groan, “Damn it, I’ve got a stitch.”

Yan Nanchen’s eyes darkened instantly. He hurried to the bedside, helping Jiang Yi lie down before bending over to guide him, “Take a deep breath, hold it in, five seconds, 1, 2.”

“Pfft.” Jiang Yi couldn’t help but laugh at Yan Nanchen’s proximity, especially at the two tiny buns on his head. But the pain in his ribs made it a mix of amusement and agony. He quickly closed his eyes, “Step back, don’t make me laugh. It really hurts.”

Yan Nanchen sighed and turned around, “Fine. Count in your head take deep breaths, hold, then exhale. If you don’t do it now, it’ll hurt even more later.”

He continued instructing Jiang Yi to breathe deeply, hold, count down, and exhale.

Jiang Yi kept his eyes shut, trying not to look at Yan Nanchen’s absurd appearance. After several rounds, the pain in his ribs eased slightly, and he finally relaxed.

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah.”

But the moment he opened his eyes, Yan Nanchen turned back around. The two little buns on his head swayed with the cherry hair accessories, his overly rosy cheeks resembling a monkey’s rear, and the lipstick on his mouth this look was utterly out of place on such a tall, imposing Alpha. It was downright hilarious.

He couldn’t take it anymore.

Jiang Yi’s lips trembled as he pressed them tightly together, fighting to keep his smile from widening. Desperate to distract himself, he rolled off the bed and tossed the suit back to Yan Nanchen without looking at him.

“You should go wash that off.”

He hurried out of the bedroom, save me!!!

Is this even Yan Nanchen?!

Seeing Chu Beiheng like this was one thing, but on Yan Nanchen.

He couldn’t bear to look.

Noticing Jiang Yi’s near-fleeing figure, Yan Nanchen’s eyes softened with amusement. He followed him out, “What can I use to remove this? I don’t know how.”

Jiang Yi stepped into the living room to find Qiao Qiao’s makeup scattered everywhere. Kneeling down with a frown, he started tidying up, “Next time she plays, teach her to clean up her own toys. Don’t spoil her.”

“Got it. I’ll remind her next time,” Yan Nanchen said, crouching beside Jiang Yi to help, only for his hand to be stopped.

Jiang Yi froze for a second at the word “next time” before pushing Yan Nanchen’s hand away. The sight of his face nearly broke his composure. Struggling to keep a straight face, he grabbed a pack of makeup wipes and tossed them over, “Don’t clean up for her. Let her do it when she wakes up. Go wash your face first.”

At this close range, that makeup was unbearable.

Yan Nanchen fumbled to catch the wipes, staring at them in confusion, “Just wipe my face with these? Will it work?”

Jiang Yi met his clueless gaze paired with the ridiculous makeup and the tiny buns and lost it. His lips quivered, his eyebrows twitched, and finally, burying his face in his arm, he burst into laughter.

“You really look like an idiot. Yes, just wipe it directly on your face. Go on, wipe it. I can’t take it anymore if I keep watching. Stop making me laugh.”

Laughing so hard that he lost his balance, he fell backward and landed on his tailbone, sucking in a sharp breath from the pain.

The next second, strong hands pulled him up, and before he could react, he was lifted by his armpits and placed onto someone’s lap.

Yan Nanchen stretched his legs out flat, pulling Jiang Yi directly onto his lap. He looked up, meeting Jiang Yi’s stunned gaze, hands steadying his waist, concern written all over his face. “Did you hurt yourself anywhere? Did you land on your butt?”

Jiang Yi faced Yan Nanchen’s face again and internally screamed for help, immediately tilting his head back to avoid looking at him. He covered Yan Nanchen’s face with his hand. “Please, just take off the makeup.”

Unable to bear it any longer, he grabbed a makeup wipe from beside his leg, tore one out, and pressed it onto Yan Nanchen’s face, scrubbing haphazardly.

But halfway through, he suddenly realized, why was he being so intimate with Yan Nanchen?

His hand trembled, and he quickly spread the wipe flat over Yan Nanchen’s face as if it were scalding hot, trying to get off his lap. But a large hand gripped his waist, making him freeze, his lower back tensing instantly.

The makeup wipe slipped from Yan Nanchen’s face, revealing his now mostly clean, handsome features. Jiang Yi’s gaze collided with those deep, mesmerizing eyes, as if he had accidentally fallen into a whirlpool.

Yan Nanchen looked up. The fading sunlight outside the glass window brushed across his face, softening his usually intense gaze into something amber-warm, filled with tenderness, enough to drown in.

If only those two little buns on his head weren’t there, he’d be downright captivating.

“Yi Yi, making you laugh makes me happy. If it can bring you joy, then I don’t think this is embarrassing at all.” Yan Nanchen held the makeup wipe that had brought them closer, his other hand resting on Jiang Yi’s lower back. “I don’t expect you to forgive me. But as long as you don’t push me away, I’ll be happy.”

“Let me get closer to you, slowly. Okay?”

The Alpha’s voice was gentle.

Outside the high-rise Sea View Suite, the sunset painted the entire city in romantic shades of pink and purple, like an oil painting. The soft light streaming into the room became nothing more than a backdrop for the two of them.

Silently, Yan Nanchen released a faint trace of his pheromones, attempting to lure his Omega.

Then, smack.

Jiang Yi slapped his hand over Yan Nanchen’s face again.

“……”

Suppressing his body’s reaction, Jiang Yi mercilessly covered Yan Nanchen’s face with his palm before standing up from the man’s lap. “Keep your pheromones to yourself. Stop acting like you’re in heat around me. Did you really think I’d be so easy to tease now?”

His eyes caught sight of the packaging Qiao Qiao had torn open on the floor, and he bent down to pick it up.

The unintentional movement made his shirt ride up slightly, revealing a glimpse of his slender waist pale and distractingly eye-catching and the brief, tantalizing curve of his backside under the tailored trousers. It was like an invisible counterattack.

Yan Nanchen’s gaze followed the shift of fabric and the outline of that waist and hips. His waist seemed even slimmer than five years ago. His Adam’s apple bobbed before he forced himself to look away but his mind was already replaying his favorite parts of Jiang Yi’s body from back then.

The waist and hips.

To him, they were nothing short of lethally seductive.

“Yi Yi, would you like to have dinner together tonight? Let’s talk.”

Jiang Yi tossed the packaging bag into the nearby trash bin and walked to the bathroom to wash his hands. “What’s left to talk about? You already know everything, don’t you?” Suddenly remembering something, he pursed his lips.

Yan Nanchen stood up, frowning when he noticed Jiang Yi walking barefoot to the bathroom. “The floor is cold. Your fever hasn’t completely subsided yet, don’t walk barefoot, or you might catch another chill.”

He carried the slippers to the bathroom door for Jiang Yi to wear.

Just then, Jiang Yi stood at the bathroom doorway, looking at him hesitantly. “What’s wrong?” Yan Nanchen asked.

Seeing that Yan Nanchen seemed unaware, Jiang Yi put on the slippers casually. “Nothing.”

It seemed he hadn’t been told.

At that moment, Yan Nanchen reached out and pressed his palm against Jiang Yi’s forehead. The warmth of his hand lingered, and the faint scent of Violet Musk pheromones drifted close enough for Jiang Yi to catch. His body stiffened slightly.

“What are you doing?”

“The fever’s gone.” Yan Nanchen lowered his hand, his gaze dropping slightly as he took in Jiang Yi’s uneasy expression. “If you need my jacket, just let me know.”

Jiang Yi brushed past him, heading to the bedroom to check on Qiao Qiao. “I don’t need it,” he said calmly.

“Your pheromone concentration imbalance is because my pheromones aren’t with you. If you don’t want to see me, my belongings can temporarily help ease your discomfort.”

“I’ll be at Galaxy Group during this time. Even if I don’t want to see you, there’s no avoiding it.”

Yan Nanchen stood at the bedroom door, watching Jiang Yi sit by the bed and smooth out the hem of Qiao Qiao’s rolled-up shirt. His eyes lingered on Jiang Yi’s profile, unable to look away.

“Yi Yi, you left me for five years. What made you decide to come back?”

Was it because of him?

Jiang Yi noticed his daughter’s exposed belly as she slept and tugged her clothes down. Hearing Yan Nanchen’s question, he fell silent for a moment before lifting his gaze. “Because of the Secondary Differentiation Gene Detection Technology. This is something I have to complete, no matter what.”

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