To Marry My Little Chestnut - Chapter 1

Beep.

At 11:30 PM, Zheng Tingyang returned home, carrying a faint scent of alcohol. Outside the window, heavy snow fell like shredded jade. He stood in the hallway after exiting the elevator for a moment until the chill on his body dissipated.

The lights were dim. A television played a cartoon on mute, and the fireplace flickered, sending the aroma of fresh tea and warmth toward him. He squinted at the doorway to steady himself as the alcohol seemed to kick in. The corners of his eyes were tinged red. He took off his suit jacket, draped it over his arm, and changed his shoes.

Hearing the movement, the person on the sofa lifted a blanket and instinctively tried to rise to greet him, the leather rustling softly.

Yu Yan was not fully awake, still drifting in a dream. A tuft of short hair stuck up at the back of his head, and the blanket slid down his smooth calves onto the floor. His movements were sluggish, much like the slow-moving rabbit in the cartoon.

The Omega had likely been crying before sleep; the corners of his eyes and the tip of his nose were flushed red. There was a thin layer of sweat on his thin neck and back, and his bangs clung to his forehead like a child who had forgotten a towel. Awakened from a poor sleep, his expression held a hint of grievance.

Sunk into the sofa, his shirt clung to his abdomen, revealing a prominent bulge. At five months pregnant, his discomfort was becoming more intense. Without an Alpha’s pheromones to soothe him, it was difficult to endure.

Sleep was shallow during pregnancy. The concentration of Omega pheromones in the room was gradually rising. The wood in the fireplace crackled as he slept fitfully.

He lifted his head slightly, trying to get off the sofa. An ill-fitting shirt button, strained by his pregnant belly and his restless sleeping position, suddenly popped off.

Yu Yan realized with a start that he was wearing his husband’s shirt. Beneath the blanket were more clothes he had “stolen” from the wardrobe, forming a small nest on the sofa to envelop himself. He propped himself up with one arm, his other palm cradling his belly, looking somewhat pitiful as he struggled to emerge from his nest.

On the floor lay two dried, white crumpled tissues, retaining a faint, musky scent.

His estrus during pregnancy was too painful. Today, unable to bear it any longer, he had taken his husband’s clothes from the closet just to catch a scent. Because his physical condition was poor, he had fallen asleep until now after dealing with his needs in the afternoon.

Wearing his husband’s shirt with used tissues on the floor, it was too late to take the clothes off.

His husband leaned against the doorframe, watching him quietly with eyes like deep pools. His tie was loosely undone by two buttons. He carried the oppressive, powerful aura of someone in a high position. However, when his gaze fell on Yu Yan’s bare feet touching the carpet, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

“I am sorry, I overslept.” The flush on Yu Yan’s face spread all the way to his collarbone.

As he hurriedly tried to stand, his vision went black, and he slumped back onto the sofa. The man stepped forward and reached him in an instant. “Slow down.”

Yu Yan was very sensitive. He noticed the slight frown on the man’s face and shamefully pulled the blanket tight to cover his protruding belly. He bit his lip like a little rabbit waiting for a lecture, his fingertips trembling uncontrollably. He murmured, “I am sorry, I broke your shirt.”

Zheng Tingyang knelt in front of him. He looked at the button that had popped off the belly, now lying quietly in the corner by a flower vase, and felt like laughing.

Yu Yan was a very thin Omega with slender limbs, but his belly had become noticeable after four months and was growing every day. Usually, his underwear was too small and had to be tucked under his belly. His navel looked somewhat pitifully exposed, as if it were a mouth gasping for air on behalf of his frail body.

“Are you angry?” Yu Yan asked.

“No,” he replied.

Yu Yan did not believe him. “But you looked unhappy. You frowned.” He reached out, wanting to touch the space between the man’s brows, but his hand stopped mid-air, not daring to move forward.

Despite being married for a while, he was still very afraid of Zheng Tingyang. He feared his touch would displease the man or that his contact would cross a line.

Zheng Tingyang leaned his forehead forward to touch Yu Yan’s fingertips. “Your back will ache if you sleep on the sofa. I remember putting socks on you before I left this morning.”

“Where are they now?” the husband asked.

Without the soothing effect of Alpha pheromones, an Omega’s constitution becomes very weak. They often run fevers, yet their hands and feet turn cold easily, feeling like small blocks of ice.

Yu Yan let out a soft sound, making a timid excuse. “I was confused from sleep.”

Zheng Tingyang held his feet to warm them, then pulled a pair of coral fleece socks from the living room drawer and put them on him. “Do not make excuses.”

Yu Yan lowered his gaze. “Okay. I am sorry.”

“Did the baby bother you again?” He lightly stroked Yu Yan’s belly.

Usually, Yu Yan was very sleepy and could not stay up until 11:00 PM to wait for him. Under the golden light, Yu Yan’s curls looked warm brown. His lips were pale, and the embarrassed flush on his face had faded into a sickly white. He looked like a very quiet doll.

“The baby moved. I wanted to tell you, to let you feel it.”

Zheng Tingyang’s Adam’s apple shifted. His rough palm stayed on the protruding belly for two seconds without stroking it. “Five months already.”

“Yes, five months.”

“Moving this early is not ideal,” the husband said, his breath carrying a faint scent of alcohol.

Yu Yan did not know what that meant and felt a bit dejected. He looked down at the gap where the shirt button had popped. The remaining buttons were still intact. Zheng Tingyang was always meticulous about his clothes; even the buttons had finely carved patterns that felt prickly against Yu Yan’s fingertips.

He wanted to ask if there was something wrong with the baby or if there was something wrong with him. But he could not bring himself to ask; he lacked the courage.

Zheng Tingyang knew he smelled of alcohol. He turned on the television, went to the bathroom to wash his face, and then entered the kitchen to heat up the late-night snack he had brought home.

Yu Yan stared at his toes in the new socks, feeling somewhat dazed.

The television was reporting on the new appointment of the CEO for the Haicheng branch of the Changhang Group. Zheng Tingyang’s face appeared on screen as he accepted questions from reporters about the city’s future plans with the government. When they first married, Zheng Tingyang was likely a Vice President.

His husband had been promoted. In such a short time, he was so impressive, Yu Yan thought.

“Could you please?”

“Hmm?” The man in the kitchen had just put on an apron. He had a great physique; he had worked heavy labor at the docks during high school and had maintained a good fitness habit for years. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and rolled-up sleeves that revealed clear muscle definition. Hearing the voice, he immediately stopped chopping vegetables. “What is it?”

“I want to go to the bathroom,” Yu Yan said quietly.

Zheng Tingyang squinted at him with a hint of confusion. “Are you afraid?”

Yu Yan took a deep breath, caught off guard by the question. “My legs are numb.”

He was a grown man; how could he be afraid of going to the bathroom? It was just that many things during pregnancy had changed his body. For example, as the baby grew, it began to press against his bladder. If he wanted to have a good night’s sleep, he could not drink milk in the evening. The numbness in his limbs was also a side effect of pregnancy that made him uncomfortable.

Zheng Tingyang put down what he was holding to support him. “I bought a lychee drink on the way back. I will make a bowl of steamed egg custard for you to eat before you sleep.”

“Okay,” Yu Yan said obediently. His appetite had been poor throughout the pregnancy, which was something he could not hide.

After using the bathroom, he slowly changed into his pajamas. The fleece onesie fit well today, but it might become too small by tomorrow. After all, his belly was growing quite fast.

Yu Yan was a very gentle Omega. By the time he came out of the bathroom, Zheng Tingyang had finished steaming the egg custard and had carried it to the bedroom for him.

“What is it?” Zheng Tingyang asked, noticing that Yu Yan seemed to have something on his mind.

Yu Yan’s face flushed, and his dark eyes dodged the man’s gaze. He stood before Zheng Tingyang, feeling at a loss.

“Do you need me to help you hold it?” the man teased with a light laugh.

“No!” Yu Yan explained hurriedly.

“Then what is wrong?”

Yu Yan reached out to embrace him. Because his belly was large, a gap remained between them. The moment his slender arms touched Zheng Tingyang, it felt as if sparks were flying. Zheng Tingyang’s body stiffened slightly, and then he heard Yu Yan say, “I did not say it earlier.”

“Welcome home.”

He was more than half a head shorter than the man. His soft hair brushed against the man’s chin, and his belly pressed lightly against him. His sweet voice drifted in the air like sweet soda. He moved slightly to adjust the hug, his belly rustling against the man.

Zheng Tingyang’s jaw tightened for a moment before he took a small step back to pull away. “There is no need to be so formal.”

“Oh.”

Yu Yan felt a bit disappointed. His eyes flickered as he supported his lower back and slowly moved toward the bedroom. “I thought you would like it.”

Zheng Tingyang did not answer. He took a beer from the fridge, finished it in one go, and tossed it into the trash with a clang. “There is news regarding your father’s case. He cannot be arrested across borders. As long as he does not return to the country, he will not go to prison.”

Yu Yan nodded. “Thank you for the trouble.”

Realizing his husband had no intention of hugging him back, he turned around dejectedly and slowly returned to the bedroom. His lips were pressed thin, and the “wine” in his dimples felt bitter.

Their marriage had started very simply. Yu Yan was a tool for alliance cultivated by the Yu family for years and was the old Master Yu’s final life-saving charm. The Yu family’s business was seized during a major investigation. Zheng Tingyang held a high position. The old man used Yu Yan to trade for a plane ticket to flee the country, leaving his son behind while he escaped.

Yu Yan was originally meant for someone else, but Zheng Tingyang intercepted him halfway and spent a night with him during his estrus. Zheng Tingyang was not an Alpha and could not mark him, but that night, he had still driven Yu Yan to distraction. After that night, Zheng Tingyang gave him two choices: stay with him or leave on his own.

Yu Yan was grateful to him for resolving the situation and helping him through his estrus, but he chose to live on his own. Three months later, a check-up revealed issues with the baby, and the doctors needed to contact the father for his medical history. When Yu Yan called, Zheng Tingyang was at the docks, but he arrived quickly.

Yu Yan did not quite understand how he managed to travel the 100 kilometers from the docks to the city hospital in only forty minutes. Zheng Tingyang asked if he wanted to terminate the pregnancy.

Yu Yan clutched the prenatal report and shook his head. “The baby has always been healthy. I plan to give birth and raise it myself. I am sorry to bother you, but could you cooperate and provide your medical history?”

Upon hearing the answer, Zheng Tingyang was stunned for a moment before he smiled. He knelt gentlemanly in front of Yu Yan and asked if he wanted to get married. The child needed a complete family, and Yu Yan needed a husband who could take care of him.

Yu Yan agreed. There was no prenuptial agreement or dramatic plot; they married for the sake of the child, which seemed like a perfectly valid reason. Yu Yan was very grateful that Zheng Tingyang did not hold his father’s actions against him and was even willing to marry him.

To be honest, they were not a good match. Yu Yan was once the pampered young master of the Yu family, an Omega like a delicate flower bud. Standing in the sunlight, he looked like a freshly bloomed jasmine, breathtakingly beautiful.

Zheng Tingyang was a Beta. He was a high school dropout, 185 cm tall, and an orphan who started from nothing. He had tanned skin from years of working outdoors. He worked for the chairman of the Changhang Chamber of Commerce and had blood on his hands. Although he looked gentle in a suit, he was like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

But now, Yu Yan was no longer a young master; he was just an ordinary person with no money. Zheng Tingyang was no longer a henchman; he was President Zheng.

It seemed they were always worlds apart. In the two months since they married, they had not even kissed. Even when Yu Yan had needs during his pregnancy estrus, he did not seek the man out. After tucking Yu Yan in, Zheng Tingyang whispered goodnight and thoughtfully turned on the small night light by the bed.

Closing the bedroom door, he went to the living room and picked up the tissues his wife had used. Looking at the dried marks, his mind went blank. He tried to sniff the air but could not detect a hint of pheromones. He brought the tissue close to his nose, the darkness in his pupils spreading with frustration.

He could not smell it. He would be a Beta for the rest of his life. He would never be able to smell his wife’s scent.

He crumpled the tissue tightly in his palm, his fingertips digging into the marks, attempting to touch the last remnants of Yu Yan’s moisture.

“Hello? President Zheng, the private psychiatric clinic is closed this late. If you want a consultation, come earlier tomorrow.” The voice on the other end of the phone was weary, clearly having been woken up.

Zheng Tingyang walked to the balcony and lit a cigarette. White smoke drifted from his mouth and nose, scattering into the winter night. He stared at the moon reflected in the glass atop a distant skyscraper. “Tell me, if I go in and take him now, does it count as marital coercion?”

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