To Marry My Little Chestnut - Chapter 10

On a Tuesday workday, the City Center Hospital was not particularly crowded. Yu Yan had already completed his pheromone collection and blood draw at the Gland Department, and a nurse was helping him wrap his scarf.

“Why didn’t your husband come this time either?” The nurse frowned, checking the concentration levels from the pheromone collection. “Being this busy is not good. Many of your indicators are not at normal levels. We will need to communicate with your family to customize a surgical plan later on.”

Yu Yan let out a small “Ah,” his voice muffled by two layers of the scarf buried against his mouth. “He is busy. He had a meeting this morning.”

“Is it okay for me to eat breakfast now?” he asked, his eyes sparkling as he quickly changed the subject.

The nurse curled her lip, mentally scolding the Omega’s husband for being so unreliable. “Yes, go eat. Come back after breakfast to finish the rest of the tests!”

“Okay!” Yu Yan put on his gloves and waddled out of the clinic like a little penguin.

For an Omega’s prenatal check-up, the pheromones are tested in the morning and the results come out in the afternoon; it was a long process.

The night before, Zheng Tingyang had barely touched him before he started “blowing bubbles.” Today’s check-up would definitely involve discussing his pregnancy-induced heat. Zheng Tingyang was technically off today, but he had been in the study since morning for a meeting. Yu Yan had slipped out secretly for the check-up to avoid having the doctor say anything embarrassing in front of him.

He usually came to these appointments alone. Zheng Tingyang was busy, and spending a whole day at the hospital would waste his earning time; Yu Yan understood that.

However, since Zheng Tingyang would be coming to pick him up after the tests ended in the afternoon, Yu Yan happily clutched his report and headed downstairs to find a place for breakfast.

“That Omega has been coming here by himself since the start of his pregnancy.”

“He is so beautiful, it is quite pitiful…”

“Isn’t it? He looks a bit scatterbrained, too. I bet the other father is irresponsible. Tsk tsk, the world today—”

The nurses sighed as they watched the “little penguin” depart.

Stepping out of the hospital, Yu Yan noted how well the city planning was handled. Despite the heavy snow the night before, the roads were clean, with only small snowmen built by children lining the sidewalks.

He crossed the street to the snack alley opposite the hospital and pushed open a door. The shop’s Maneki-neko greeted him with a “Welcome!”

“Xiao Yu! Xiao Yu! Over here!”

Xiang Qian, sitting by the window, waved at him. The owner, who was serving food, greeted him warmly. “You are here! The usual, fresh out of the pot. Oh my, is your belly bigger again? Don’t eat too much; even though my oil is clean, you shouldn’t overdo it!”

This was a hotpot and fried chicken shop. In the South, a spicy pot paired with freshly fried chicken sprinkled with plum powder was a delight—crispy on the outside, succulent on the inside.

Xiang Qian was wearing a white sweater, his short hair neat. He looked like a scholarly student from ancient times, clear-eyed and bright. Ironically, he had spent his childhood copying Yu Yan’s homework. As the young master of the Xiang family, he had never stepped foot in a small shop like this until Yu Yan introduced him.

Watching the owner bring out the spicy pot and fried chicken along with some coconut juice to dull the heat, he couldn’t help but grumble, “Zheng Tingyang is really a piece of work. He didn’t even accompany you to the hospital?!”

Yu Yan rubbed his hands and unwrapped his scarf, his mouth watering at the scent of the spices. His appetite had been poor lately; everything tasted bland. Since becoming pregnant, he had developed a craving for spicy food. In the three months before they married, he used to come here once every two weeks. Now, he used his prenatal check-up leave as an excuse to visit “Xun Wei” for some spicy yams. Only when his mouth was numb from the spice did he feel satisfied.

This was also why he didn’t want Zheng Tingyang to come along.

“Does he not cook for you at home?” Xiang Qian watched him eat with such gusto that he wanted to scold someone. “Why have you lost so much weight while pregnant?”

Yu Yan replied, “He does! But… it is too healthy. He values this baby very much. It is just that I have too many cravings.”

Zheng Tingyang cooked three meals a day, but every meal was a medicinal tonic designed to replenish energy. Yu Yan truly couldn’t stomach it. Since they married, he had no time to sneak out for hotpot—except during his check-ups!

He absolutely loved coming to check-ups alone!

He could eat until his little belly was a size larger, and by the time he finished his afternoon tests and walked around, he would have digested enough that it wouldn’t be discovered. Yu Yan felt his mind had never been sharper. He lowered his head and continued eating.

He listened to Xiang Qian complain about family matters, but no matter what they discussed, Xiang Qian was most worried about him.

“Zheng Tingyang’s reputation in Haicheng is growing. He is a completely different person from who he was in high school. Do you know what people are saying about him?”

Yu Yan bit into a chicken leg and hurriedly checked the time. He had to be back by one o’clock. He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“They say he is a living King of Hell! My family’s company has been doing business with the Changxing Group lately. Damn—my father, that face-saving poser, is actually rushing to butter him up! He says Zheng Tingyang is incredible and has made a fortune. He uprooted Guangmao effortlessly. The new director in Haicheng, the one transferred from the capital, reportedly gave him a hundred-million-dollar land reclamation document privately before the bidding even started!”

Xiang Qian was a Beta and would eventually take over the family business. Yu Yan had never done business; he could only gather from the conversation that Zheng Tingyang was very powerful.

“He works very hard. He does it to support the family,” Yu Yan sighed.

“I am just afraid he will forget his roots. With his current status, he has as many admirers as he wants. Don’t wait until you have the baby only for him to have a woman on each arm!”

Yu Yan stuffed a shrimp ball into his mouth, but it was so hot it hurt. He coughed a few times. “I don’t think so.”

“Why wouldn’t he!”

Xiang Qian truly looked down on Zheng Tingyang. He had seen him from a distance at a banquet a few days ago; that level of grandeur was not something Yu Yan’s small frame could handle.

The two sat by the window. The steam from the hotpot fogged up the glass as snow began to fall outside. Soon, the snowflakes grew larger and the wind began to howl, shaking the young trees on the street. Snowplows began spreading salt on the ground.

Xiang Qian talked incessantly. “You are too easy to fool! Is eating this stuff even good for you? If Zheng Tingyang really valued the child and knew you were eating this, he would be furious!”

Yu Yan’s chopsticks fished out the last few pieces of yam. “How would he know? He is so busy. I’ve hidden it so well…”

Just as the words left his mouth, a Rolls-Royce that had been parked across the street for a long time opened its door. A man stepped out and walked toward the shop.

Knock, knock! The window was tapped from the outside. A man stood in the wind and snow, looking in through the glass. He gestured with his phone, indicating for Yu Yan to check his messages.

A curse nearly escaped Xiang Qian’s lips, but thinking of the baby in Yu Yan’s belly, he quickly pivoted. “I… I’ll be damned! You said he didn’t know! Is he here to catch you red-handed?!”

Yu Yan blinked, stunned. “…?”

He looked down at his phone. Ten minutes ago, just as the snow started, Zheng Tingyang had sent a message.

Zheng Tingyang: [It is snowing and the wind is strong. I am bringing you a coat. Am I interrupting?]

Before he could think about whether it was an interruption, he hurriedly gestured at the window for the man to come in. In a desperate attempt to hide the evidence, he swapped his messy plate with the one in front of Xiang Qian. He was so nervous he started hiccuping continuously, like a little goldfish blowing bubbles.

He had broken the rules against eating spicy or greasy food during pregnancy. Yu Yan’s face turned pale as his mind raced with questions. How did Zheng Tingyang know he was here? Did he see what Yu Yan was eating? Was he angry? Was he…

He was inside!!

Yu Yan thought that today might be the first time he had truly made his husband angry since their marriage. At that thought, he hiccuped again. He couldn’t stop.

The man was wearing a black trench coat, looking serious and immaculate from head to toe. However, he was carrying a long, goose-yellow down jacket. As he pushed open the door, the wind chime rang. The owner was helping another table but gestured for him to head further in.

Xiang Qian’s expression was just as strained. Facing his friend’s husband, who was also his father’s boss—how was he supposed to react? He had just been badmouthing the man a minute ago. He figured this was a confrontation.

Deciding to play the sacrificial lamb for his friend, he spoke up first. “I asked Xiao Yu to come eat with me! You… you… if you have a problem, take it up with me!”

Zheng Tingyang smiled and set down the down jacket, extending his hand. “Long time no see, Xiang Qian.”

The corner of Xiang Qian’s mouth twitched as he responded politely.

Yu Yan was too scared to speak up. On a small scale, he was being careless with his health; on a large scale, he was acting like he didn’t care about the baby. He could only manage a small defense: “I didn’t eat…”

Zheng Tingyang took a napkin and wiped Yu Yan’s mouth. “I apologize for interrupting your chat. It started snowing suddenly, and I saw he was wearing a short jacket. I was afraid he would catch a cold when he left the shop, so I brought a longer one. Please, continue eating. If it is inconvenient, I will wait in the car.”

Yu Yan: “…?”

Xiang Qian: “?”

The owner finished with the other table and walked over with a smile. “Xiao Zheng, you are here! If I knew you were coming, I would have prepared a clear broth for you. What would you like?”

Zheng Tingyang didn’t look at the menu. “A bowl of creme brulee. Make the caramel extra crispy.”

Yu Yan snapped his head up, looking at Zheng Tingyang in disbelief. That was the little dessert he always ate after a meal!

The owner joked, “Oh, the money you’ve deposited here… how long will it take for Xiao Yu to finish it all? Thanks to Xiao Yu, the shop is doing great. Xiao Yu, did you know? He was worried my coconut drinks weren’t healthy, so he has coconuts shipped from the tropics every month! My coconut water is the best on this street now!”

Zheng Tingyang didn’t argue. He just smiled thinly and quietly swapped Yu Yan’s plate back. “I will come pick you up when you are finished. The wind is strong and the ground is slippery, do you hear me?”

He wiped the corner of Yu Yan’s mouth and pinched his earlobe. “Wait until your sweat has cooled before you go outside.”

Yu Yan gave a dazed “Okay.” His mind felt like a ball of yarn that had been cut and tangled into a mess.

After delivering the coat, Zheng Tingyang went back to the car.

Xiang Qian took a deep breath. “Damn. Why is the Zheng Tingyang I just saw so different from the one I saw at the banquet a few days ago??”

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