To Marry My Little Chestnut - Chapter 30

When they arrived home, Zheng Tingyang acted just as he always did, helping Yu Yan take off his coat, changing him into his pajamas, and then heading to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Back at the office, Yu Yan had sensed the confusion and shock from the other employees regarding his identity. Was it because they had never imagined their President Zheng’s spouse would be an Omega like him?

“I always thought President Zheng and Vice President Xiao were a pair. Who knew his wife’s belly was already this big?”

“Didn’t Vice President Xiao transfer from the Beijing headquarters just for President Zheng? It’s only the second day, and the wife already showed up at the door to mark his territory.”

“Tsk tsk, to think President Zheng would actually marry an O. He’s pretty, but how do they even get through the heat periods?”

“Vice President Xiao is a Beta. I heard those two have known each other for a long time. This whole business with Haoyang Group was their joint handiwork. Xiao is very impressive.”

Yu Yan had overheard these snippets outside the breakroom while Zheng Tingyang was away in a meeting that evening. These words were merely post-dinner entertainment for the staff, as there wasn’t much gossip surrounding President Zheng to begin with.

Vice President Xiao… that must be Xiao Kai.

Vice President Xiao transferred from Beijing just for Tingyang? Yu Yan had never heard Tingyang mention this person.

While bathing that night, he soaked quietly in the bathtub. A lingering sense of melancholy clouded his mind—perhaps it was the overthinking that came with pregnancy, or perhaps the weight of his father’s passing. Overall, he was not happy.

As the water ripples danced, he looked at his misty, naked reflection in the mirror. He stood up slowly to observe his own body. His fair skin was flushed red from the hot soak. He didn’t have a sturdy build or impressive muscles. If it weren’t for this baby, his waist would be very slender. Tingyang would probably like a waist like that.

The scent of his gland’s pheromones, which his father and everyone around him had praised since childhood, was supposed to be his guarantee of being loved after marriage. But… Tingyang could not smell them.

So, what did Tingyang like about him?

Tingyang was someone who sought retribution for every grievance. Could it be that because of his foster father’s death—and the fact that Yu Yan had once trampled on Tingyang’s dignity—Tingyang had married him, slept with him, and hated him all at once?

Yu Yan patted his face in front of the mirror, his eyes rimmed with red. He wondered: if it weren’t for this child, would Tingyang… have married him at all? What exactly was this ambiguous thing between them?

He looked at his face in the mirror, his fingers reaching into the water to touch the “little fish” that wanted to blow bubbles. He felt his thoughts were becoming problematic; the pregnancy had caused his mind to wander too far.

He had to see his father. He had to settle things, even if it was just talking to a corpse.

Father, you should be very satisfied with my husband. He has money, power, and everything else. It is just a pity you aren’t alive to enjoy the pleasure of being a parasite.

Once he returned, he also wanted to find out exactly why Tingyang married him. If it was for the child, he would still try his best… to see if he could make Tingyang like him just a little bit. To see if Tingyang could stop retaliating against him and stop hating the seventeen-year-old version of himself.

“Mm…” The little fish blew bubbles.

White body wash spilled onto his palm and floated in the tub. Yu Yan’s breathing grew uneven as he submerged himself in the water with a splash. He felt a bit despicable, actually trying to rely on a child to hold onto this marriage. Who was Vice President Xiao? Was he prettier than him? Was he a Beta? Did he look more enticing in bed than him?

Yu Yan didn’t know, but he knew this Vice President Xiao had accompanied Tingyang for many years—during the years when Tingyang had nothing.

Across the mirrored wall.

Zheng Tingyang stood before the bedroom wardrobe, his dark gaze fixed firmly on Yu Yan as he pleasured himself in the bathtub. He stood very close—so close that if he simply broke through this layer, he could snatch the person from the tub.

The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His hand moved in sync with Yu Yan’s. Seeing Yu Yan finally lean against the edge of the tub, exhausted, he felt a desperate urge to rush in and break him.

The restlessness roiling inside him was anger.

Does Yu Yan think he can leave me just because he knows his father is dead?

He had done everything perfectly; legally speaking, his hands were clean. Yet, Yu Yan had bought a plane ticket for the day after tomorrow.

Yu Yan claimed to enjoy his closeness, yet he was taking care of his pregnancy needs himself in the bathtub. Did he treat him as non-existent, or was he unwilling to let him touch him? Or was it because he couldn’t mark him, so Yu Yan couldn’t feel pleasure?

Marking! Marking! Why wouldn’t the heavens let him become an Alpha!

Zheng Tingyang’s teeth felt itchy; he crushed several candies one by one. This sweetness couldn’t fill the void in his heart. No marking, no permanent knotting. He, Zheng Tingyang, had built himself up from nothing and could crush his enemies like ants, so why! Why was Yu Yan the only one he couldn’t reach!

Zheng Tingyang’s bloodshot eyes were filled with possessiveness and the madness of the unobtainable. Was Yu Yan faking it those few days, or was that triple-beaded accessory actually uncomfortable?

Zheng Tingyang slowly knelt on the floor, pressing himself against the one-way mirror, peering at the person inside. “Xiao Yu, why are you going to see him?”

“He’s already dead.”

“Even his ashes are scattered. Why are you leaving? Why are you lying to me?”

Zheng Tingyang let out a low groan, calling his name as he watched him. Yu Yan, why won’t you get closer to me?

Across a mirror, seen through the haze, a faint ghostly light revealed a face like a peach blossom.

“Xiao Yu, you’ve been soaking for too long. Do you want to come out?” Zheng Tingyang knocked gently on the door from outside.

Yu Yan walked slowly out of the bathtub, wrapped in a towel, his legs still a bit weak. Handling things himself outside of a heat period was quite taxing, and his hands felt sore and uncomfortable. He opened the door, and Zheng Tingyang, already changed into loungewear, looked at him with a gentle expression. “Is it too hot? Your face is so red.”

Yu Yan gave a guilty hum and pressed his cheek against him. “A little bit.”

“I’ve been busy with work lately. If you feel uncomfortable, you must tell me immediately.” He took the hairdryer to dry Yu Yan’s hair.

Yu Yan bit his lip, the flush on his fair face yet to fade. “Okay.”

“I’ve arranged for yellow croaker to be air-lifted the day after tomorrow. Oh…” Zheng Tingyang combed his hair, sounding a bit annoyed. “I almost forgot. You’re going to Xiang Qian’s place the day after tomorrow. Should I cook it for you to take along?”

Yu Yan shook his head. “No need. I… I’ll eat it when I get back.”

Zheng Tingyang nodded. “Alright.”

At night, Zheng Tingyang applied stretch mark oil to his abdomen as usual. Yu Yan lay on the bed, lifting his pajama top to reveal his belly. The faint scent of the oil quietly filled the air as Zheng Tingyang put on his socks and tidied everything up.

Zheng Tingyang then held an early childhood education book and read to him. He is a very good husband, Yu Yan thought.

By the time the story was finished, the child in his belly had stopped fussing and went still. He supported his belly and lay on his side, a crescent moon pillow tucked between his legs to support his waist. Zheng Tingyang leaned down and pressed his cheek close. “Goodnight?”

Yu Yan tilted his head slightly and gave him a “mwah” on the cheek. “Goodnight!”

They slept holding hands, as they always had since returning from Beijing.

Yu Yan quietly opened his eyes, looking at the man’s profile in the darkness. He felt that Tingyang was the gentlest person in the world. Those who said he was vengeful or cold-hearted must have been the ones who forced Tingyang to become that way.

The Tingyang in his memory wasn’t like that. He was kind, considerate, and the best husband.

Would my husband kill my father?

If that were truly the case… then it was Father who pushed him to it, forcibly tearing them apart when they were seventeen. Father’s only wish was for him to marry a rich man. He had to tell his father that he had succeeded. His Tingyang worked very hard to become wealthy, and he would work even harder in the future to hold onto his husband’s heart.

He would become exactly what his father expected.

Yu Yan pursed his lips and nuzzled his head into Zheng Tingyang’s chest, contentedly breathing in the scent of his body wash.

The little ball of a person arched his belly and slowly fell into a deep sleep in the man’s arms. Zheng Tingyang’s eyes, like dark pits, opened in the night.

He liked to admire Yu Yan’s face and everything about him after he was fast asleep. He would just watch quietly, kiss him, and then possess him after he was dazed by sleep.

When Yu Yan woke up, he remembered nothing and would simply think the clothes weren’t good enough because they left his skin red. How could his Xiao Yu be so naive?

If he left the carefully constructed utopia Zheng Tingyang had built, Xiao Yu would have no oxygen; he wouldn’t be able to survive. He couldn’t let Yu Yan leave like this.

Yu Yan could forget about stepping a single inch out of his palm.

The next day. Heavy rain poured outside.

Yu Yan sent 1,000 yuan to Ning Yuan. After all, Ning Yuan had covered his shifts for so long, he had to show his gratitude. Furthermore, since he wouldn’t be able to go to work for a while, he had set aside some money for his plane ticket and accommodation.

He didn’t pack many clothes, just his marriage certificate and some documents regarding divorce inquiries into a folder. “Xiao Qian? It’s fine, I can find it myself. Is this the address? Okay…”

Xiang Qian sounded worried over the phone. “Maybe I shouldn’t have sent you that video…”

Yu Yan had asked Xiang Qian to look into Xiao Kai. Abroad, this person was quite famous—a figure akin to a god on the financial streets of Country P.

“Xiao Kai is indeed unmarried. And that video from before doesn’t necessarily prove anything. After all, Zheng Tingyang and you weren’t married then. So… maybe they’ve already broken it off?”

The video Xiang Qian sent him was the only piece of gossip about this Vice President Xiao over all these years. It was captured by reporters in Beijing a year ago. Xiao Kai was seen getting out of a luxury car in a fluster, his tie disheveled. As the camera zoomed in, the car window rolled down a crack, revealing the upper half of a man’s face—it was Zheng Tingyang.

Even though the reporters didn’t identify the person in the car, Yu Yan could see clearly.

Xiao Kai, who got out of the car, was a very handsome mixed-race man, tall and slender. A suit on him looked both lazy and noble, his every gesture filled with masculine charm. In the video, his tie was loosened just right, obviously having been undone by someone. What had happened in that car?

Yu Yan bit his lip, watching the video over and over again. Finally, he said to Xiang Qian with a lack of confidence, “But he… looks much better than me.”

Xiang Qian acted as if he were facing a great enemy. “Bullshit! Zheng Tingyang actually didn’t clean up these affairs and even changed him to be the legal representative of your family’s company? Why? He’s clearly gone crazy wanting a side piece, taking advantage of your good temper to trample all over you.”

Yu Yan pondered for a moment and wiped his eyes. “If he didn’t like me, he would tell me directly. I know Tingyang.”

Xiang Qian: “You’ve gone crazy too. No, I’m going abroad with you. Wait, I’m booking my ticket now. If your father’s death really has something to do with him, I won’t let him off! He can’t bully people like this!”

Yu Yan asked, “Then what about your cooperation with Tingyang?”

Xiang Qian: “My dear friend, I am also someone willing to risk everything for a friend, okay? At worst, my old man will beat my ass into a pulp.”

Yu Yan laughed through his tears. “Xiang Qian, I just want to go and take a look, nothing else.”

The dead cannot come back to life, nor can they speak. Whatever blood feuds existed felt very far away to him. He was just a bit confused; after living for over twenty years, his life seemed finally ready to sprout. He wanted to see what kind of end a man like his father met. Did his father, who treated him like a commodity for so many years, feel even a fraction of the pain Yu Yan had felt when he died?

Xiang Qian wouldn’t let the video go. “Did you look at the divorce documents I sent you? If you divorce now, you can split the assets, and then…”

Xiang Qian had immediately sent divorce documents via courier, telling him how to make a clean break.

Yu Yan didn’t intend to divorce. “Wait until I get back. I want to have a talk with Tingyang. Actually, I am very bad too. I might even be worse than him.”

Xiang Qian felt they weren’t on the same wavelength. “He already moved his mistress into the same company as himself, what is there left to talk about?”

Xiao Kai had only recently taken up his position at the Haicheng branch.

Yu Yan folded the documents, took his ID, and prepared to set off with his small backpack. He wore the clothes Zheng Tingyang had prepared for him that morning, with a scarf and white earmuffs. His belly was getting bigger and bigger; when he wore an oversized down jacket, it felt snug around his waist, and his crossbody bag sat right on top of his belly.

He hadn’t looked closely at the divorce materials Xiang Qian sent him, leaving them on the bedroom table after confirming he had all his identification.

Zheng Tingyang: [Have you set off?] Great Prophet: [Not yet, almost. I’m getting very slow at putting on shoes now.]

He sat at the shoe rack by the door and sent a photo from a top-down perspective. In the photo, his little belly blocked most of the view, looking a bit comical.

Xiang Qian called him: “Xiao Yu, I’m almost done packing. See you at the airport in a bit.” Yu Yan: “I have to go, my car is here.” Xiang Qian: “OK.”

Yu Yan walked out of the neighborhood and saw the car he called parked by the roadside. After getting in, he gave the last four digits of his number. The driver looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen him. He settled in properly. “Hello, may I open the window?”

The scent in the car was very faint, somewhat like the lychee drink he would have before bed, making him feel a bit lightheaded. The driver looked back from the front seat and said apologetically, “The route to the airport involves the highway, so I won’t open the windows in winter. Are you carsick?”

Yu Yan shook his head and didn’t press the matter. He just took out his phone to re-watch the video Xiang Qian gave him, his heart still feeling a bit sour and jealous. He understood it wasn’t easy for Tingyang to be alone; it was impossible for him not to have had lovers by his side for all these years…

When he got back, he would definitely ask properly and make things clear. If Tingyang liked him, he wanted to ask if Tingyang could keep his distance from others for his sake—he could get jealous too. If Tingyang didn’t like him, he would try his best to make it work. His father was already dead; he still wanted to experience a relationship based on love. If it truly, truly was only for the child, then… he had never expected much anyway. His job at the flower shop could support both him and the baby just fine.

The car got on the highway. Yu Yan was drowsy from carsickness. It was a one-hour drive. The sun had just set when he departed.

The steady car finally stopped under a streetlight. Yu Yan woke up with a bit of an ache in his back, mumbling, “Master, are we there?”

The driver had already stepped out and was standing quietly by the car. He rubbed his eyes, trying to struggle awake from his dream. The car door was suddenly pulled open. A man stood outside, leaning in slightly to reveal half his face, which looked dangerous under the light.

Xiang Qian’s urgent calls kept coming, ringing incessantly in the empty car.

Yu Yan was stunned. His hair was messy against his forehead from just waking up, his scarf hanging loosely over his shoulders, his eyes full of confusion. He blinked and saw the face clearly.

Zheng Tingyang supported himself against the car roof with one hand, his gaze gentle as if filled with infinite tenderness, yet hidden within was a madness bordering on frenzy. Zheng Tingyang curled his lips slightly. “Xiao Yu, we’re home.”

“Get out of the car.”

He gave a soft laugh. “Don’t bother running. You cannot run away anyway.”

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