To Marry My Little Chestnut - Chapter 15

Zheng Tingyang’s body stiffened for half a second. Looking at Yu Yan’s shy, nervous expression, his Adam’s apple rolled slightly.

“Mm,” he responded lowly. He stood up straight and grazed Yu Yan’s cheek with his knuckle.

However, the person did not leave. Yu Yan stood at the doorway, appearing a bit restless with his heart drumming. When Zheng Tingyang looked down at him, Yu Yan took a deep breath.

“Good morning.” Zheng Tingyang reached out to pull him into an embrace and lightly kissed his forehead. An irrepressible smile danced in his dark eyes, as if something was overflowing.

The man’s voice was pleasant, creating a crisp, tingling sensation that drifted into Yu Yan’s ears and woke up the “sleepy bugs” in the little fish’s head. After Zheng Tingyang left the house, Yu Yan wrapped himself in a blanket and stood by the window to watch.

They lived on the twelfth floor, so people looked like small dots. When a familiar figure appeared, as if certain that Yu Yan would be standing at the window, a message arrived.

Zheng Tingyang: [If you’re sleepy, sleep a bit longer. I’ll come back early to accompany you after I finish my work.]

The Great Prophet (Yu Yan): [Okay. Cat spinning around JPG]

The Changxing Group began its bidding project meeting at ten o’clock. Because the land reclamation project had been executed beautifully and caught everyone’s eye, a tourism resort development project that Changxing Group intended to launch in Haicheng had been intercepted.

One piece of land and the development rights for an entire zone had to be re-bid. In Haicheng, no one dared to casually take over a project worth over a billion yuan. Their opponent, the Haoyang Group, had started in real estate development in Beijing.

Haicheng and Beijing were very close, sharing an upstream and downstream coastline. This time, half of the land development rights were in Beijing and half in Haicheng. Haoyang Group wanted to snatch the piece of land in Beijing, so the group needed to create a new bidding proposal and go to Beijing next week for the bidding.

Recently, the exchange rate had dropped since the opening of foreign futures, and many companies’ liquidity had been severely hit. Very few could compete with Changxing Group. However, for the past six months, the Haoyang Group had been run by their “Crown Prince,” who intended to take on a major project to show off in front of his father. This made the situation difficult.

Haoyang Group’s arrival was suspicious; even President Pei from the headquarters might find this matter hard to handle. Inside the meeting room, everyone’s mood was extremely suppressed.

Since Zheng Tingyang took over the Haicheng branch, he valued company efficiency and projects above all else. He was generous to subordinates with significant year-end bonuses, but he was also exceptionally strict. If there was a flaw in one’s work, he was often unwilling to give a second chance, issuing demotions or reassignments on the spot.

Amidst the stifling atmosphere, President Zheng took his seat, appearing to be in an unprecedentedly good mood. He arranged for Secretary Lin to adjust his schedule to personally participate in the bidding in Beijing next week. As the project team began their report, everyone braved through it with hearts pounding, feeling that President Zheng’s mind was even more unpredictable than an ancient emperor’s.

Sitting in the corner, Wen Qiao raised an eyebrow, feeling a secret joy as if she had caught onto President Zheng’s little secret. In this world, the only thing that could make a man cast aside interests and positions was likely romance. President Zheng was like a withered tree meeting spring; he was truly in a good mood.

For several days in a row, “Little Fish” became a “check-in monster” for morning kisses. Every morning, if he heard movement at the door, he would hurriedly scramble up to see Zheng Tingyang off to work.

His task while resting at home was to sleep well, eat well, and gain weight, gathering enough energy to wait for Zheng Tingyang to return home from work. His belly was gradually rounding. After passing five months, Yu Yan felt as though his little stomach was getting bigger by the day. Without the other father’s pheromones, the baby could only draw nutrients from his body. The baby grew fast, which made his body feel fatigued.

After insisting on “checking in” for kisses for three days, Yu Yan could no longer get out of bed. It felt as if someone was tugging at him, pressing him down and refusing to let him get up. Wrapped in his duvet, he gave up resistance, wanting to slack off just once, unaware that he had spoiled Zheng Tingyang over the last three days.

The secretary called once again to confirm if the meeting should be delayed, informing him that all the shareholders had arrived and politely asking when he would be present. Regarding this bidding for the coastal cultural tourism project, the high-level executives took it very seriously.

Zheng Tingyang sat by the door and took a deep breath. “You start the report first; I will listen over the phone.”

President Zheng was already fully dressed. His suit and tie were meticulous, his hair was styled back, and he wore a faint woody fragrance. Wearing a Bluetooth headset, he sat on the shoe rack by the door and stared at a certain person’s bedroom door, waiting for “Little Fish” to wake up in a daze and stumble into his arms for a sweet kiss.

He had given them for three days straight; why was he not giving one today?

Zheng Tingyang waited patiently. The meeting reached its mid-session break, and the clock hands already pointed to 10:30. The secretary said the second half of the meeting would involve a remote connection with President Pei in Beijing, and it might require his personal presence.

Zheng Tingyang knew he could no longer delay. If he waited any longer, there really would be no morning kiss today. He took a deep breath and said to the secretary, “I will be there in twenty minutes. Organize the minutes of the first half and send them to my email.”

Secretary Lin replied, “Understood.”

Half a minute later, Yu Yan’s bedroom door was pushed open. The mushroom humidifier by the bed was still puffing out a fine mist. The curtains were drawn tight, letting in no light; the room still looked like it was nighttime. A small, chestnut-like face was buried under a mountain of soft blankets. His beautiful brows were furrowed, and he did not sense someone approaching the bed at all.

Yu Yan’s cheeks were flushed from sleep, and he was hugging a small lamb plushie. He looked like a sleeping doll in a claw machine—the kind that could be picked up and teased at any moment. Zheng Tingyang leaned down and moved his face closer.

Yu Yan had a very sensitive nose. He caught the faint scent of the woody perfume. Though his eyes would not open, his head moved toward the scent first. He leaned in tentatively, his voice soft and clingy. “Tingyang?”

Only then did Yu Yan realize that, as a “wife,” he was supposed to see him off to work. How could he be late for even the distance from the bedroom to the front door? He felt quite useless.

His misty, deer-like eyes were filled with lingering sleepiness, looking as aggrieved as a lost fawn finding its herd. Static electricity caused several strands of his hair to stand up in the air, dancing with tiny crackles. He whimpered, unwilling to get up, and kicked away the blanket, intending to let the soles of his feet cool down to wake himself up so he could see him off.

Just as the blanket was kicked away, for some reason, it was tucked back around his feet, wrapping him up tightly. Sleepiness returned along with the warmth.

“Mm,” he let out a muddled, angry sound, his beautiful brows knitting together.

Subconsciously, he supported his lower abdomen, preparing to get out of bed. In his stumbling state, he only felt that he was still wrapped in the soft quilt. Instead of stepping on the floor, he was gathered back into the bed. He felt like he must be experiencing sleep paralysis.

I cannot get up. I cannot see Tingyang off.

Fine, then. I will sleep a little longer.

He happily wrapped himself back in the blanket, comforting himself for his laziness. “It is not that I do not want to get up, it is that the baby is too lazy.”

Even under the blanket, the bulge of his lower abdomen formed a curve. He looked like a beautiful, sensible cat being lazy; it was heart-clutchingly cute. Zheng Tingyang could not take it. He had originally just wanted to come in and look, but this scene had too great an impact on him.

How could someone be like a kitten, a puppy, and a fawn all at once? It was as if every cute thing in the world was associated with his little wife. President Zheng had an “illness”—a condition where he could not look away once he saw Yu Yan. After years of trying to cure it, it had only gotten worse, as if there were no medicine for it.

“Little Fish, I am going to work,” he leaned down and said softly.

Yu Yan gave a dazed “Mm,” but vaguely felt something was wrong. He tried to open his eyes and saw the man’s handsome face almost touching the tip of his nose. “Then, then be safe.”

It felt like there were too many dreams; Yu Yan could not quite distinguish reality from the dreamscape. To see Tingyang off, should he not walk to the door himself? Why did the person appear by his bedside? He could even clearly feel the man’s deep, slow breathing.

He blinked and tentatively moved his body forward, rubbing his nose against the man’s. With just that one move, a powerful, sturdy arm naturally wrapped around him, pulling his entire body into a full embrace.

“Are you not seeing me off today?” he murmured. His voice actually carried a hint of resentment.

Yu Yan’s soft lips leaned in, and Zheng Tingyang bent down to let him kiss him.

“Mm, I cannot get up. I am sorry.”

The soft lips pressed against his cheek. Zheng Tingyang played a trick, intentionally tilting his head so that the spot Yu Yan kissed was very close to the corner of his mouth. An Omega’s natural biological trait was that all their body scents were fragrant. If Zheng Tingyang could smell his pheromones, he would feel as if he were buried in a pile of sugar-roasted chestnuts. But since he could not smell them, he could only feel.

He felt that his lips had no scent, only a faint sweetness. He could feel that his wife must be very fragrant. So soft, so delicate—even the protruding pregnant belly felt like soft cotton. As Yu Yan leaned into his arms, Zheng Tingyang reached out to support his wife’s belly. His fair waist curved, and as the pajamas were pulled, the edge of his pure white underwear was revealed.

“I did not get a proper kiss. Do you want to kiss this side again?” Zheng Tingyang asked.

Yu Yan blinked indistinctly, his head already leaning over. “I do.”

Zheng Tingyang held his head and turned his cheek for him to kiss. “Is the baby making it hard for you to get up?”

Yu Yan shook his head, not wanting to blame his laziness on the unborn baby. “No.”

“Then do not get up in the future,” Zheng Tingyang stroked his face, his voice exceptionally tender. “I will come in and say good morning to you, okay? Or, if living like this is inconvenient and your belly is getting bigger, why don’t we move in together? It will be easier to take care of you. Is that okay, Little Fish?”

As he spoke, he raised his hand and meticulously tucked a stray hair behind Yu Yan’s ear. He earnestly cupped that soft, mochi-like face. “Is that okay?”

The man asked over and over, discussing it gently. Yu Yan’s head was in the man’s hands, and his words were in his ears. He was so dazed he could not tell north from south, nodding and humming “Okay.” Then, President Zheng tucked him in with satisfaction and left for work.

After a while, the little one in his belly started kicking. But Zheng Tingyang had already gone out. He was woken up by the kicking child in his stomach. His phone buzzed; Ning Yuan was asking if he could cover a shift today. Only then did he become more alert.

Come into the room for morning kisses in the future? Move in together?

Yu Yan suddenly snapped awake. He threw back the blanket and saw a pair of fuzzy woolen socks on his feet. His hair was sticking out in all directions like a hedgehog.

“!!”

It was not a dream. Move in together? What did this mean? Did it mean they would lie in the same bed in the future? But his sleeping posture had become very restless since he got pregnant. What would he do if he kept tossing and turning?

He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He quickly took a sip of the milk by the bed to calm his nerves. Just as he picked up the phone, Ning Yuan excitedly told him that the sculpture assignment was taking shape.

“Brother Yan, do you feel better? Otherwise, I will lock up the shop this afternoon. The mentor is having a meeting, and I cannot miss it,” Ning Yuan said.

“Cough, cough!” Yu Yan could not reply. He rushed into the bathroom and vomited all the milk he had just drunk.

The retching and nausea came on strong. Tears were forced out, his hands and feet felt numb, and his throat began to burn from stomach acid. By the time he realized what was happening, he could no longer stand and had to sit on the toilet to clear his head.

No way.

He patted his little belly in confusion. “Baby, are you starting to torment me now?”

How could morning sickness only start at five months of pregnancy?

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