To Marry My Little Chestnut - Chapter 18

Zheng Tingyang’s palm pressed down as he leaned over, causing the sofa to indent beneath his weight. Yu Yan looked up blankly, the starlight of the night reflecting in his eyes.

“The baby will surely be as well-behaved as you are when they are born.” Zheng Tingyang suddenly curled his lips into a smile. Since they were so close, he captured every minute expression on Yu Yan’s face.

Yu Yan did not understand how he was being “well-behaved.” He had struggled for a long time under his covers before making the decision to move in with his husband. He had not expected that Zheng Tingyang was merely teasing; the man seemed to have entirely forgotten the morning whispers and kisses used to coax him by the bedside.

Feeling a bit aggrieved, Yu Yan tried to push him away. His palms pressed against the man’s chest, but he could not move him. He spoke in a muffled voice, “I am going back to sleep.”

Zheng Tingyang had been abstinent for too long. Now that a precious treasure had delivered himself to his door with a small pillow, how could he let him go? His pupils wavered as he gripped Yu Yan’s wrist, leaning low against his lips. “You do not want the pillow anymore?”

“The pillow and I are going back to sleep together.” His childlike temper was mesmerizing.

A mist of grievance clouded Yu Yan’s heart. He had agonized in his bedroom for so long simply because he wanted to be closer to his husband. He had even worried that the large tail on the back of his onesie would make Zheng Tingyang uncomfortable when he turned over, so he had specially changed into a two-piece pajama set.

This resulted in the pajamas being unable to fully cover his pregnant belly; the slightest movement exposed his navel, and his pajama pants had to be tucked beneath his bump. He looked like a pregnant hamster who had spent a long time huddling on the sofa waiting.

Who would have thought the man had long forgotten the invitation to live together and was now mocking him for bringing a pillow? Pouting, Yu Yan pinched Zheng Tingyang’s finger with a bit of force. “Move aside. I am going back to sleep.”

Zheng Tingyang let his pinky finger be circled by Yu Yan. The occasional pressure felt as if it were being applied directly to his heart. He suddenly released Yu Yan slightly, only to clasp the back of his head and lean in for a kiss.

“Mm.”

Zheng Tingyang lifted his chin, his other arm encircling Yu Yan’s waist to prevent him from retreating. The kiss shifted between urgent and slow. At one point, he even accidentally bumped against Yu Yan’s teeth. Amidst the friction of their lips, Yu Yan’s breath hitched; he felt as though he had not yet woken up.

He thought a goodnight kiss would be like a morning kiss, just a simple peck. If he had known, he would have used strawberry-flavored toothpaste when he brushed his teeth.

The man’s hand slipped beneath the hem of his pajama top, stroking his entire back before finally resting on the curve of his abdomen. Zheng Tingyang touched his pregnant belly every day to feel the growth of the child, but Yu Yan noticed the palm felt larger today.

Yu Yan did not know how to react. His heart thundered. The more nervous he became, the more the back of his neck seemed to burn. He let out a soft moan and pushed against the man’s chest to escape, his breath ragged. “Good, goodnight!”

Zheng Tingyang licked his lips and turned his handsome face away. The sound of Yu Yan’s labored breathing reached his ears, sounding very much like someone sobbing after being bullied. He lightly bit Yu Yan’s earlobe, his Adam’s apple rolling. “Are you not taking me back with the pillow?”

“I was just waiting for you to say goodnight.”

Yu Yan’s courage failed him. He fled back to his bedroom, clutching the small pillow in front of his belly as a shield. He was still trembling with nerves as he closed the door. The sleepiness he had felt earlier seemed to have been kissed away.

His heart went thump, thump, thump. Leaning against the door, the dizziness from a lack of oxygen caused fireworks to explode in his mind. Yu Yan felt he was far too useless.

Little Yu Yan was also useless. If he had not run away quickly, Little Yu Yan might have “said hello” to Zheng Tingyang.

After calming down, he heard no movement outside. He quietly cracked the door open and saw the silhouette on the sofa. He whispered, “Tingyang?”

“Mm?” Zheng Tingyang turned around, propping himself up on his elbow on the sofa. “Do you need to be coaxed to sleep?”

“Will every goodnight be like this in the future? Can I wait for you in the bedroom? Sleeping on the sofa is uncomfortable.”

Zheng Tingyang raised an eyebrow slightly. “Alright. Does this count as an invitation?”

Yu Yan closed the door, unwilling to answer.

Back in bed and covered by the quilt, he could not calm Little Yu Yan down. Because his belly had grown, it was difficult to reach. He glanced at the bedside table. There were no more tissues. He had to endure it.

But when was the next heat cycle? He really wanted to be used by Tingyang so that he would not get this agitated over a mere kiss. Yu Yan touched his burning gland, complaining that his pheromones did not surge at the crucial moment to cloud his mind. That way, he could use his heat as an excuse for anything. Otherwise, he felt like a little pervert.

The pouting little fish lay on his side, his legs gripping the moon-shaped pillow. He felt very uncomfortable. Do all pregnant people feel like they want to blow bubbles after a kiss?

He dreamed again that night. He dreamed he had become a little demon of lust who sneaked into Zheng Tingyang’s bedroom every night to watch him sleep. Not only did he watch, but he also touched the man’s abdominal and chest muscles. Not only did he touch, but he also let Little Yu Yan say hello to him.

How did this dream turn him into such a creature?

He did not wake up naturally. At nine o’clock in the morning, a figure appeared by the bed, whispering instructions. “Little Fish?”

Yu Yan struggled to open his eyes. Zheng Tingyang pressed his forehead against Yu Yan’s. “Breakfast is in the microwave. If it does not taste good, order takeout. I am going to work now.”

He had come to collect his debt, the morning kiss. Yu Yan could not immediately detach himself from the dream and leaned in softly. “Okay.”

He gave a dazed kiss. “Be careful on the road.” Then, he flopped back into the blankets.

He slept until noon when stomach pain woke him. He did not dare drink milk and was forced to get up to eat porridge in the kitchen. The nausea seemed to have worsened. He forced himself to eat a little, but eventually had to find snacks and unwrap a milk tablet to suck on.

He wondered if morning sickness would become more severe in the later stages. He wanted to see a doctor and get some medication in advance.

When Xiang Qian found out, he agreed to help get the prescription. “Can you really get by without telling Zheng Tingyang how uncomfortable you are?”

Yu Yan said, “It is just the lack of pheromones causing trouble. I am afraid if he knows, he will be unhappy.”

During an Omega’s pregnancy, the lack of an Alpha’s pheromones makes everything harder. Morning sickness, backaches, edema, and fetal movements might become several times more severe than a normal Omega’s. And Zheng Tingyang was a Beta; he had no pheromones.

“Our relationship has just made some progress. I do not want to break it because of these small things. Besides, it is not that uncomfortable.” He rinsed his mouth. Eating snacks had made it worse, and he vomited again. “I found that it is only severe in the morning. He leaves for work, so he will not find out.”

Xiang Qian felt a chill in his heart. He quickly video-called Yu Yan and saw how pale his face was. “I am coming to take you to the doctor now. This is not a small matter.”

Yu Yan shook his head. “It is fine. Let me tell you, we kissed yesterday! I feel that in a few days, I can discuss sleeping together with him. I want to buy some pajamas that are not so childish. I have selected a few; I will send them to you to help me choose.”

Xiang Qian thought to himself that because Yu Yan feared catching a cold during pregnancy, he usually bought plush onesies. Most of them had cartoon patterns and looked far too childish, which he felt did not suit his current status as a wife.

Yu Yan added happily, “I also used my wages to buy him a flower yesterday. I used to feel that I earned less than him and that he carried too much of the household burden. I should buy more things for him from now on. During the next heat cycle, he will have to put in some effort!”

Xiang Qian looked at the photos sent in the chat and questioned, “Where did you find these pajamas?”

Yu Yan replied, “A recommendation online. Special Pajamas for After Marriage. They just do not look very warm; they can only be worn under the covers. What do you think? There are also some specifically for pregnancy.”

Xiang Qian said, “Trust me. If you want to keep the baby, do not wear those.”

Yu Yan thought, “?”

Xiang Qian was dressing up for a high school reunion. He had been notified weeks ago. Yu Yan had almost completely lost contact with their high school classmates, but several of Xiang Qian’s ex-boyfriends were in that class. He had sworn to dress beautifully and dazzle everyone.

Yu Yan helped him strategize and they finally decided on an outfit. Xiang Qian had a rich romantic history in high school and had been too busy in college to be seen. Yu Yan had little interest in such things. After rinsing his mouth in the bathroom, he obediently returned to bed to lie down.

Xiang Qian reminisced about his former boyfriends. “Liu Xiaolang inherited his family’s car dealership, but I heard his Alpha rank is not high. Huo Wei became a university teacher. Tsk, I never thought the person who was dead last in class could become a teacher. If I can hook up with an old flame, I will not have to go on blind dates with those idiots anymore.”

“Little Fish, I have to say, the one who turned out the most successful from high school is definitely Zheng Tingyang! It is a good thing you ended up with the best one, otherwise, I would not be at ease.”

Xiang Qian straightened his bowtie and showed off his new brooch to the camera. “I remember when Zheng Tingyang was in high school, he was beaten so badly by his foster father that he almost went blind. So many people at school mocked him for being in such a pathetic state. Now, he has transformed into President Zheng.”

“Anyway, I remember he did not even graduate from high school. You can become a big boss without a degree. When did that foster father of his pass away?” Xiang Qian clicked his tongue, unable to remember.

Yu Yan whispered, “Senior year.”

Xiang Qian asked, “Eh? How do you know?”

Yu Yan did not speak. Fragments of memory surfaced in his mind, vivid and bloody. A surge of nausea hit him, and he could not help but vomit again.

Xiang Qian was so focused on his reflection that he did not realize the person on the other end was gone. After calling out a few times with no response, he assumed Yu Yan had fallen asleep and hung up to head to the reunion.

In the bathroom, the overwhelming wave of nausea was more than he could bear. He could no longer stand by the sink and ended up crouching on the floor, vomiting into the toilet. The world spun. His vision blurred with bouts of dizziness.

The burning sensation in his throat occupied his nerves. His hands and feet began to go numb. He had not eaten breakfast and had vomited twice; his strength was gone, and it felt as if his soul was drifting away. He propped himself up, but the weight of his pregnant belly threatened to crush him. He bit his bloodless lips. When he stood up, he was like a leaf in the wind, trembling and on the verge of collapsing.

Hearing the phone ring again in the bedroom, his steps were weak. The moment before he fainted, he still instinctively protected his lower abdomen.

Ring, ring, ring!

At that moment, the meeting had just ended. Zheng Tingyang had his secretary arrange their itinerary, rescheduling the trip to Beijing for three days later with two tickets. He wanted to discuss it with Yu Yan and have him come along.

But the phone went unanswered for a long time. Was he taking a nap?

Zheng Tingyang habitually opened the security cameras when his calls were not answered after thirty seconds. The bedroom was empty. He narrowed his eyes and switched to the wide-angle view of the house layout. His pupils suddenly constricted.

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