1122 - Chapter 32

The two of them held each other like this, gazing into each other’s eyes without a single word, yet their expressions spoke volumes.

Perhaps there were too many things they wanted to say to each other, but neither knew where to begin. Rather than thinking about how to start, it was better to simply look at one another.

Or perhaps, To kiss.

Jiang Yi pressed his forehead against Yan Nanchen’s, then leaned forward slightly to nip at his lower lip. Raising his eyes to meet Yan Nanchen’s gaze, his amber-colored, moist pupils reflected the other’s image as he whispered softly:

“Puppy, kiss me.”

This hoarse request, tinged with the aftermath of tears, and the emotions shimmering in his eyes were like popping candy in soda, already fizzy and stimulating, but with the added burst of flavor from the candy, creating a double thrill.

Yan Nanchen’s eyes darkened a shade as his large hand cupped the back of Jiang Yi’s neck and pulled him into a kiss.

The kiss was fierce and urgent, as if they were racing against time like stumbling upon an oasis in the desert, like parched earth finally blessed with rain, as if trying to reclaim everything lost in those five years apart. They wanted to claim every drop of each other’s essence, leaving nothing behind.

The friction of their breaths, the rustle of their clothes, the intensity of their gazes, all of it heightened the tension in the air.

They only wanted to lose themselves in this trap where the other robbed them of all rational thought, hoping to numb the pain they had just endured, to drown their sorrows in a way that temporarily erased their grief.

The sweltering summer heat filled the room, the air conditioner left unused, the sheets crumpled beneath them.

Tears and sweat were the only proof they needed.

Slowly, Jiang Yi felt Yan Nanchen’s lips leave marks on every inch of his body, lingering especially long on the scar from his C-section along his abdomen.

“It tickles.”

Feeling a bit ticklish, he reached out to push Yan Nanchen’s head away, but his hand was suddenly caught and pinned above his head.

The tall, dominant Alpha physique loomed over him, yet the gaze looking down at him was impossibly tender, a gentleness and adoration that shattered all dominance, reserved only for him.

Yan Nanchen had no idea how much that coquettish “It tickles” sent shivers through his heart, as if teased by a feather.

Their eyes met again.

Jiang Yi’s gaze traveled downward from Yan Nanchen’s eyes, tracing the bridge of his nose before finally settling on his lips, his throat bobbing slightly.

Yan Nanchen couldn’t withstand such a look from Jiang Yi, but he also knew Jiang Yi’s body couldn’t handle his intensity right now. Brushing aside the damp strands of hair sticking to Jiang Yi’s forehead, he pressed a kiss there instead.

“Let’s stop here and rest, okay?”

“No.” Jiang Yi grasped Yan Nanchen’s hand, resting his cheek against his palm, his eyes downcast. “I’m still too sad right now. If we stop, I’ll just start thinking about Nian Nian again.”

In the past, whenever thoughts of Nian Nian crept up on him unexpectedly, if it was late at night, he could hide under the covers and cry. But if it was daytime, he had to suppress it making sure Qiao Qiao or Chu Beiheng wouldn’t notice, holding it in until nightfall, until sleep became impossible.

But now, it felt like the stubborn facade of strength he had built for himself had been torn apart. He had thought that even if he saw Yan Nanchen, he wouldn’t break that he could still hold himself together.

Yet that barrier was far thinner than he had imagined.

The moment he met Yan Nanchen’s gaze so full of nothing but him he couldn’t hold back anymore.

Just like when he first graduated and kept hitting walls while job hunting, he never felt wronged outside, but the moment he came home and saw his mother, he couldn’t hold back because he knew there was still someone at home who would care for and love him.

Later, when his mother was gone, he met puppy, and this dependency shifted to puppy.

How much he loved puppy was how much he relied on puppy, and how utterly shattered he was when this incident happened. The five years without puppy were pure torment.

Yan Nanchen’s heart softened at Jiang Yi’s coquettishness. Feeling the abnormal heat radiating from the cheek pressed against his palm and seeing Jiang Yi’s downcast eyes and despondent tone, he naturally understood what this child meant to Jiang Yi.

It also felt like surviving a disaster as if Jiang Yi had forgiven him.

But this forgiveness couldn’t absolve him of the debt he owed Jiang Yi.

He wrapped his arms around Jiang Yi, pulling him close, and whispered by his ear, “But you’re still running a fever. If you play until you’re drenched in sweat, you’ll feel uncomfortable. I just changed your clothes, if you sweat again, I’m worried you’ll catch a chill. Once you’re better, I’ll do whatever you say, okay?”

Hearing this, Jiang Yi lifted his eyes to give Yan Nanchen a slow, reproachful look. “Now you say sweating will make me catch a chill, why didn’t you stop earlier?”

Yan Nanchen was left speechless.

“Hypocritical, sanctimonious, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Jiang Yi couldn’t hold back his angry words, then turned his back to Yan Nanchen, refusing to speak further.

Then he heard Yan Nanchen chuckle softly behind him, a laugh brimming with endless indulgence and affection making his lower back tense before strong arms encircled him from behind.

“Yes, I’m hypocritical, sanctimonious, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You’re absolutely right.” Yan Nanchen pressed his lips to the nape of Jiang Yi’s neck, wanting to give him more of his alpha pheromones to help ease Jiang Yi’s pheromone concentration imbalance, tightening his embrace. “Right now, everything you say is right.”

“You deceived my feelings.”

“Yes, I used my brother’s identity to deceive your feelings. I admit my mistake.”

“You also made me present as an Omega.”

“Yes, it was my negligence in management that led to your unexpected presentation as an Omega. I admit my mistake.”

“And you marked me.”

“Yes, I shouldn’t have lacked self-control and marked you just because you acted spoiled. I admit my mistake.”

Jiang Yi was momentarily at a loss for words. Frowning, he turned back to face Yan Nanchen and continued his criticism, “You also got me pregnant.”

Seeing his frown, Yan Nanchen smoothed it with his thumb. “Yes, I shouldn’t have gotten you pregnant, shouldn’t have been absent while you were pregnant, shouldn’t have been unable to hold you when you were suffering and wronged, shouldn’t have lacked wings to fly to you the moment you needed me.”

“Are you mocking me?” Hearing the last line about lacking wings, Jiang Yi thought this must have come from Chu Beiheng had he even told him about the emergency contact incident? He felt inexplicably awkward but still glared at Yan Nanchen, acting as though even without reason, he was in the right.

Yan Nanchen smiled, taking in the flush at the base of Jiang Yi’s ears. “How would I dare laugh at you?”

Jiang Yi huffed and slapped a hand over Yan Nanchen’s mouth. “Aren’t you laughing right now? Do you think what I said is funny?”

“No, it’s not funny.” Yan Nanchen immediately grasped Jiang Yi’s hand, his expression serious. “Don’t hit me. Your hand will hurt, and my heart will ache.”

Jiang Yi: “…”

At that moment, he suddenly sat up as if remembering something and made to get out of bed. Before his feet could touch the floor, Yan Nanchen wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him back. Jiang Yi looked at Yan Nanchen in astonishment. “Why are you stopping me? Where’s Qiao Qiao?”

“I had my brother take her home.” Seeing Jiang Yi about to step barefoot onto the floor again, Yan Nanchen added, “I’ll get your slippers. You’re still running a fever, don’t go barefoot.”

Only then did Jiang Yi relax.

As Yan Nanchen got out of bed, the indentation in the mattress sprang back. Jiang Yi’s gaze lingered on Yan Nanchen’s disheveled and wrinkled black shirt. Perhaps because the air conditioning wasn’t on and they had just been intimate, the back of the shirt was soaked with sweat.

The damp fabric darkened, outlining the firm, muscular lines of his back seemingly even more solid than five years ago.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Jiang Yi forced himself to look away. He lowered his eyes and touched his nose, silently cursing himself for being so weak. He had vowed to return glamorously, like in those revenge dramas, to settle scores and focus on his career.

So how?

Had he started feeling aggrieved instead?

He hadn’t planned to let Yan Nanchen off so easily.

Yan Nanchen returned to the bedroom with slippers in hand and found Jiang Yi sitting on the bed, head bowed, looking thoroughly displeased. He walked over, tugged at his trousers, and knelt on one knee in front of Jiang Yi.

“What’s wrong? Did I upset you again?”

As he spoke, he slipped the slippers onto Jiang Yi’s feet.

The moment Yan Nanchen’s hand touched his foot, Jiang Yi recoiled as if burned. His eyes flickered. “It’s just slippers. I can put them on myself.”

He bent down, snatched the slippers from Yan Nanchen’s hand, placed them in front of himself, and quickly slipped them on before standing and striding out of the bedroom.

The house was too hot. They really needed to turn on the air conditioning.

Yan Nanchen remained kneeling, watching the fleeing figure. He chuckled softly, then braced a hand on his knee and stood. Fine, he’d keep chasing.

In the living room and by the entrance, gifts were piled high.

Jiang Yi, now wearing glasses, leaned against the shoe cabinet and glared sternly at the presents. “I explicitly told Chu Beiheng not to buy Qiao Qiao so many things. This house is about to burst. Spoiling her with everything isn’t good.”

Yan Nanchen stacked the large gift boxes, noting the numerous dresses Chu Beiheng had bought. He glanced up at Jiang Yi. “I bought her a lot of things too.”

“Did you think I’d praise you for that?” Jiang Yi retorted.

Meeting Jiang Yi’s interrogating gaze made even more severe and icy behind his glasses Yan Nanchen lowered his head and quietly continued tidying. “No, buying this much really isn’t good. The house is getting too crowded.”

They’d need a bigger place.

Jiang Yi picked up a Barbie doll gift box near his feet, examining the doll’s white gown. “When Qiao Qiao gets a little older, she might want to wear dresses like this herself.”

“That’s fine,” Yan Nanchen said immediately. “I’ll hire a designer and tailor to make custom dresses for her. She can have whatever she wants.”

Jiang Yi placed the gift box on the shoe cabinet and glanced sideways at Yan Nanchen. “In a hurry?”

Yan Nanchen nodded. “You’re right.”

Perhaps because the unspoken tension between them had finally been broken, Jiang Yi no longer maintained that self-imposed safe distance. He walked up to Yan Nanchen, hands behind his back, and leaned down to get closer to him.

The space between them vanished in an instant.

The weather was truly sweltering. Two grown men tidying up piles of gifts in this cramped space had worked up quite a sweat.

Jiang Yi, slightly bent at the waist, had his loose pajama collar hanging open. Beads of sweat trickled down his temples, tracing the sharp, handsome contours of his profile. His silver-framed glasses slid slightly down the bridge of his nose, and a drop of sweat gathered at the tip before falling onto Yan Nanchen’s lips.

“Yan Nanchen,” he called out, noticing the droplet on his lips.

Yan Nanchen’s gaze lingered on the faint sheen of sweat glistening on Jiang Yi’s pale neck before meeting his eyes. He licked the sweat off his lips and smirked. “I’m here.”

“You think I’m that easy to chase?”

“Not easy at all.”

“You think I’m easy to coax?”

“Not easy at all.”

“You think I have a good temper?”

“Very good.”

Jiang Yi chuckled. Still bent over, he pinched Yan Nanchen’s chin and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Alright, get lost.”

With that, he straightened up and leaned against the shoe cabinet, tilting his chin toward the door as if to say, Go on, scram.

Yan Nanchen, still holding an unpacked gift box, watched as the man lazily propped himself against the shoe cabinet, chin slightly raised like a haughty cat casually dismissing him.

He lowered his head with a quiet laugh, savoring the memory of that domineering kiss, his lips curling deeper. “Alright, I’ll leave once I finish cleaning up.”

No matter. He’d take his time winning back this stubborn, tsundere kitten.

As Jiang Yi watched Yan Nanchen efficiently gather their daughter’s scattered toys and clothes, he felt a little idle just standing there. Just as he was about to move his hand from the shoe cabinet, he spotted a key, the very one Yan Nanchen had given him a month ago as a gift. It was the key to the apartment he used to live in.

The next day, Yan Nanchen had asked if he’d seen the gift, and Jiang Yi had casually lied, saying he’d lost it and never even looked. Yet here it was, shamelessly lying on the shoe cabinet in plain sight anyone who didn’t see it must be blind.

Would Yan Nanchen notice? Maybe not.

He quickly turned his body, stealing a glance at Yan Nanchen, who was still busy tidying up, then hastily stuffed the key into the shoe cabinet in a feeble attempt to cover his tracks.

After completing this little act, he walked over to Yan Nanchen with feigned nonchalance, playing the role of a supervisor. He pointed toward the inner room. “Put all that stuff in there.”

Yan Nanchen caught every one of Jiang Yi’s furtive movements but chose not to expose the obvious lie. Instead, he kept working. When Jiang Yi pointed to the inner room, he assumed it must be Qiao Qiao’s bedroom.

“Can I go into our daughter’s room?”

The question made Jiang Yi laugh.

“You’ve already been in my room, haven’t you?”

Yan Nanchen grinned in response. “So that means I’m allowed everywhere. Got it. Thanks, baby.”

Jiang Yi’s face flushed instantly at the pet’s name. “Finish up and get lost!”

Yan Nanchen nodded, smiling gently. “Yes, baby.”

Jiang Yi: “…”

He absolutely wouldn’t be won over so easily.

Absolutely not.

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