1122 - Chapter 33.1

“If anything comes up, call me,” Yan Nanchen stood at Jiang Yi’s doorstep, looking at him. “Even if nothing’s wrong, you can call anytime. I’ll be there at your beck and call.”

Ever since learning about his son Nian Nian’s existence, his heart had been filled with concern. Yet Jiang Yi didn’t seem inclined to discuss it further with him, even telling him not to leave tear stains on the cabinets in the future.

Just the word “future” was enough to make him happy all night.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so reluctant to leave. Maybe he could be a little shameless and stay to keep Jiang Yi company.

Right now, Jiang Yi just wanted Yan Nanchen to leave his house as soon as possible so he could cool down the heat coursing through his body. Holding the door, he was about to close it. “Nothing will happen. You should go.”

This was Qiao Qiao’s “beck and call” game. What was he playing at?

Just as he was about to shut the door, Yan Nanchen suddenly reached out and grabbed it.

It nearly got caught.

Jiang Yi glared at Yan Nanchen angrily. “Are you crazy? Why would you stick your hand out when I’m closing the door? Do you not want your hand anymore if it gets caught?”

Yan Nanchen held the door and pushed it open slightly. He took a step forward, meeting Jiang Yi’s furious gaze with a smile. “I knew you wouldn’t let it get caught, so I wasn’t afraid. I just wanted to say one more thing to you.”

“What is it?”

“I wanted to say ‘see you tomorrow.'”

Jiang Yi froze. “Don’t we say that every day?”

Yan Nanchen chuckled, his eyes reflecting Jiang Yi’s image. “It’s different today. Today is special. Yi Yi, see you tomorrow.”

This was a “see you tomorrow” filled with hope.

The beginning of something he longed for.

Jiang Yi seemed to understand what he meant and suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He cleared his throat and quickly muttered, “See you tomorrow,” before adding, “Can you go now?”

“You close the door first.” Yan Nanchen took in every subtle change in Jiang Yi’s expression, his smile deepening. “I want to watch you close it. I’ll leave after you do.”

Jiang Yi was exasperated by his clinginess and immediately shut the door.

The door slammed shut with a loud “bang.”

Just as Yan Nanchen was about to linger a little longer, the door suddenly opened again, surprise flickering in his eyes.

“You leave now.” Jiang Yi saw that Yan Nanchen was indeed still there. After closing the door, he had wondered if the man might be squatting outside his house. Even though the neighboring unit was vacant, it still wasn’t appropriate. “I’ll watch you go.”

Yan Nanchen’s eyes brightened. “You’re going to watch me leave?”

Hearing the inexplicable joy in Yan Nanchen’s tone, Jiang Yi felt an indescribable, strange sensation. “I don’t want you squatting outside my door like some stray dog.”

“I am your puppy, after all.”

Jiang Yi was momentarily speechless. He hadn’t realized before how shameless this man could be. His expression darkened. “Go now. Don’t loiter outside my door.”

“You close the door first. I’ll leave after you do.”

“You leave first. I’ll close it after you’re gone.”

“…”

After this exchange, the two stared at each other as if locked in a silent battle of wills.

Jiang Yi inexplicably felt his body heat up under Yan Nanchen’s gaze. Finally, unable to take it anymore, he slammed the door shut with another loud “bang” and leaned against it, his face full of disbelief.

Had he really just engaged in such a childish argument with Yan Nanchen over who should leave or close the door first? What was this, elementary school?

He couldn’t help but replay the events in his mind.

Kissing, and the fact that he had allowed Yan Nanchen to kiss every inch of his body. And then, he had even taken the initiative to kiss Yan Nanchen again. He subconsciously pressed his lips together. The fluttering heartbeat in his chest pounded against his ribs, as if declaring some undeniable truth.

That heartbeat was declaring a truth he both anticipated and feared.

These intimacies had undoubtedly shattered the psychological defenses he had painstakingly built over the past five years. He had imagined countless scenarios of reuniting with Yan Nanchen fights, arguments, struggles, he had thought of them all.

But he had never imagined it would be like this so effortlessly close.

Jiang Yi raised his hand and lightly smacked his own lips, muttering in frustration, “So weak!” Then he turned back to the peephole, wanting to see if Yan Nanchen had left. When he looked out, the hallway was empty.

Just as a pang of disappointment settled in his chest, he saw Yan Nanchen walk back into view. His eyes brightened.

Perhaps unaware that Jiang Yi was watching from behind the door, Yan Nanchen waved at it, smiled, and said softly, “See you tomorrow.”

Then he left.

Jiang Yi: “…” He fought to suppress the smile tugging at his lips, pressing them tightly together, but in the end, he couldn’t hold back. “So stupid.”

With that, he turned and walked back into the apartment, his gaze landing on the freshly prepared meal on the dining table.

He pulled out a chair and sat down, staring at the familiar dishes. A memory flickered in his mind as he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the tender braised beef with tomatoes. The familiar taste caught in his throat.

It was true that Yan Nanchen had deceived him for months under the guise of Chu Beiheng, but everything else he had done every single thing had been sincere. That was an objective fact Jiang Yi couldn’t deny.

The meticulousness of this privileged Alpha was something he still found hard to believe.

Back when they were together, Jiang Yi had lived alone and was often lazy clothes would pile up in the laundry basket for days before being washed, and he’d only fold them when he needed to wear them. His shirts would be ironed right before he put them on in the morning. Meals were always takeout; he barely ever stepped into the kitchen.

But after Yan Nanchen came into his life, clothes were silently washed, folded, and put away behind his back every evening. Even the next day’s suit, shirt, accessories, and dress shoes would be laid out for him. Yan Nanchen had a touch of OCD, too everything had to be spotless, not a single thing out of place.

If Jiang Yi made a mess, the most Yan Nanchen would do was sigh in resignation before tidying it up again.

Even earlier, while packing Qiao Qiao’s things, Yan Nanchen had taken the time to clean the entire apartment and still managed to cook him a meal.

Jiang Yi stuffed his mouth full of food, his eyes growing red. How did this man even manage his time? During the day, he was the CEO of Galaxy Group, yet at night, he’d come here to clean up after Jiang Yi’s mess without ever once criticizing him.

Even Chu Beiheng, back in M Country, had lost his temper over Jiang Yi’s habit of tossing clothes everywhere, leading to arguments even physical fights. That was the normal reaction.

But Yan Nanchen had never scolded him. He had embraced every single one of Jiang Yi’s flaws. Even now, Jiang Yi could still recall what Puppy had once told him:

“If you could do everything yourself, what would be left for me?”

“You relying on me, needing me for everything that’s the greatest fulfillment I could ever have as your lover.”

Jiang Yi finished every dish on the table, but in the end, he ate so much that he made himself sick and threw up violently in the bathroom.

Eventually, he collapsed onto the bed in a daze and called Chu Beiheng to ask if Qiao Qiao had been fussing. After learning that Qiao Qiao had been playing happily with her brothers and was about to go to sleep, he hung up the phone, hugged the blanket that carried Yan Nanchen’s pheromone scent, and drifted off into a hazy sleep.

The next day.

The sudden blaring of the alarm clock startled Jiang Yi awake from a pleasant dream.

He opened his eyes with a sense of resignation, staring blankly at the ceiling for a moment before the phone rang. Reaching out, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand and answered it without thinking, pressing it to his ear as he closed his eyes again, his voice thick with sleep.

“Hello?”

A soft, indulgent chuckle came from the other end. “Just woke up?”

Jiang Yi’s eyes flew open, and he bolted upright. He pulled the phone away and squinted at the caller ID his nearsightedness forcing him to bring it closer, only to see the contact name: [Dog puppy]. He sighed dramatically at the ceiling. It was Yan Nanchen.

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, my best Daddy! Are you a sleepyhead just waking up now? Qiao Qiao’s about to leave for school!”

Hearing his daughter’s sweet, childish voice, Jiang Yi finally put the phone back to his ear. “Daddy threw up last night and wasn’t feeling well, so I woke up a little late. Is your friend taking you to school today?”

He pushed the covers aside and sat on the edge of the bed to steady himself.

Over the years, he’d had more than a few incidents where he’d stood up too quickly and immediately collapsed. Now, he was cautious always sitting for a while after waking up to make sure he was fully alert before getting out of bed.

On the other end of the line, Yan Nanchen frowned at Jiang Yi’s words. “Why did you throw up last night? I told you to call me if you weren’t feeling well.”

Before Jiang Yi could explain, Chu Beiheng’s voice suddenly chimed in.

“Nanchen, you go pick up Jiang Yi. I’ll take the kids to school. He’s got a bad habit of standing up too fast used to pass out like a zombie all the time. I was always afraid he’d knock his head and make himself even dumber. His memory’s already bad enough, another hit and he’d really be hopeless.”

Jiang Yi’s temple twitched. “Chu Beiheng, I appreciate you.”

“Yi Yi, stay where you are. I’ll come get you.”

Jiang Yi was about to say it wasn’t necessary when the call abruptly ended, leaving only the dial tone in response. “…” He stared at the disconnected screen for two seconds before flopping back onto the bed just five more minutes of sleep.

Sometime later, he vaguely heard the doorbell ringing and groggily pushed himself up again. Sitting on the edge of the bed for a moment to gather himself, he finally slipped on his slippers and went to answer the door.

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