AHDIBCB Chapter 44

When preparing dinner again, Yuan Yi directly doubled the amount of ingredients.

Professor Jian helped out a bit in the kitchen while chatting with him. Seeing this, he casually laughed and said, “Making so much today?”

Yuan Yi didn’t know exactly what Professor Jian had guessed, so he said, “Lately I’ve been getting hungry very quickly. The instant meals I bought before tasted pretty good when I first started eating them, but after eating too much, they got a bit cloying, so I switched back to eating homemade food.”

Professor Jian said, “It’s indeed about the time when you can eat a lot. When I was pregnant with Li Heng, I could eat up to six meals a day at most. But it was really amazing — even after eating, I never felt like I couldn’t digest it. Also, I don’t know if it was because he had such a strong ability to absorb nutrients or something, but I didn’t gain much weight back then, and he grew quite big.”

Yuan Yi thought about it — if it could be like that, it would actually be pretty good, so that after giving birth he wouldn’t have to worry about losing weight.

He always felt that later on, he was probably going to put on quite a bit of weight…

The tomatoes on the plate hadn’t even been stewed yet, and he already wanted to eat them raw. There was also sausage, and roast chicken…

He had rarely eaten so much meat before, but now if he didn’t eat it, he would crave it terribly. During the day, if he suddenly thought of something he wanted to eat but didn’t get to eat it, he would end up restless at night, feeling like he had to get it into his mouth and mind before he could settle down — it was simply laughable and frustrating.

Maybe he should roast some pork jerky and make some beef jerky to have around for chewing on.

After dinner, Yuan Yi packed the untouched half of the meal into a thermal container and took it upstairs. For now, he was living on the east side of the third floor, while Professor Jian and Principal Li lived in the middle-west side of the second floor. The third-floor kitchen wasn’t as fully equipped as the one on the first floor, but heating up some food or making simple drinks was easy enough. Still, Yuan Yi felt that putting the food into the thermal container would taste better than letting it go cold and reheating it later, so he directly carried the thermal container back to his bedroom.

For two people’s portion, he figured it should be enough for one alpha.

When Li Mian saw him put down the thermal container, he floated over and said, “Wow, Brother Yi, you’re treating the master better and better.”

Yuan Yi said, “Really? Then tell me, what’s the chance that your master won’t divorce me and we’ll grow old together?”

Li Mian answered without even thinking, “Of course it’s one hundred percent! Brother Yi, you don’t even know — back when the master could only secretly come here, he was already starting to get handsy with you. I used to have evidence, but Xuan Ying deleted it all. It wouldn’t let me keep it.”

Yuan Yi caught the key point. “Handsy? What do you mean?”

Li Mian, looking like a thief, floated over to the window to peek out, then floated over to the closet door to listen carefully, and then swooshed back, “Aiya, he used to keep touching you! He would touch your head, touch your face, touch your hands while you were asleep — he even touched your belly! He’s so pervy!”

Yuan Yi: “…”

Yuan Yi said speechlessly, “The way you’re saying it makes him sound like a pervert.”

Li Mian hugged his head and cried out, “Oh my god, oh my god! You’re only realizing that now? The master has always been a total pervert! Brother Yi, have you ever seen anyone who can stay awake for four whole days and nights and still act totally normal? His physical strength and mental power are freakishly good, you know!”

Well… he really didn’t know.

He knew that alpha males had very strong explosive power, and alpha females had very strong endurance. But staying awake for four days and four nights and still acting like a normal person…

Li Mian added, “And during those four days and nights, it wasn’t just resting or playing around — it was intense training or studying. Tell me, isn’t he a total pervert! And which alpha at his age hasn’t dated yet? Only him. I think he became a pervert from holding it all in!”

Although that may be true, Yuan Yi said, “Li Mian, if you keep going like this, you really might end up getting thrown into the warehouse to rust.”

Li Mian instantly floated over and hugged Yuan Yi’s arm, rubbing his little head against him, “No way, Brother Yi! Everything I’m telling you is true. If the master really tries to throw me into the warehouse, you have to stop him. I can do a lot of things! I can even tutor you! Don’t be fooled — right now the master can tutor you, but once he goes back, he’ll get busy.”

Yuan Yi picked it up and placed it onto the table, “Stop acting cute. By the way, do you know what your master likes to eat?”

Li Mian answered without even thinking, “Of course! Beef! He loves beef the most. He likes other kinds of meat too, but his favorite is beef. As for vegetables, he seems to eat all kinds but doesn’t have anything he especially likes.”

Why did this sound so familiar?

Yuan Yi asked, “Do all alphas like to eat beef?”

Why did Principal Li love it, He Yanwu love it, and Li Heng also love it?

Li Mian said, “Of course not. It’s just that the master really loves it. Principal Li likes it too, but not as much as the master.”

Then it seemed they could get along on this point — he had also been really craving meat lately.

That night, when Li Heng came over and saw there was homemade food, fruits, and that the food was still warm, he washed up and came to eat.

Sure enough, the first thing he finished eating was the braised beef with tomatoes, and only then did he move on to other dishes.

Yuan Yi had already eaten earlier, but seeing Li Heng eat so deliciously made him hungry again. But all this had been prepared for Li Heng, and there was only one pair of chopsticks, so he felt a bit embarrassed to say anything. After thinking about it, he went and got a bottle of milk.

At that moment, Li Heng suddenly tore off a chicken drumstick for him. “Isn’t it still an hour and a half before you go to sleep? Eating one should be fine to digest.”

Yuan Yi said, “I only saved you half a chicken, and you’re giving me a drumstick? Forget it, you eat it.”

Li Heng smiled and directly brought the drumstick up to his lips, letting it lightly touch his mouth, leaving a bit of oily moisture there. “You’re saying it so pitifully, someone who didn’t know might think I can’t afford to feed you. Hurry up and eat. You’re sitting this close to me — you think I can’t tell you want to eat? Tomorrow I’ll buy a few more chickens.”

Yuan Yi thought about how it had already touched his own mouth — it didn’t really make sense to give it back to Li Heng to eat — so he took it and ate it himself.

Somehow, it tasted even better than the food he had during dinner, which made him feel very annoyed.

At that moment, Li Heng said, “Come on, let’s go wash our hands. I’ll get you something.”

Yuan Yi didn’t really understand, but since he had been eating the drumstick with his hands without chopsticks, he did need to wash up. After washing, he was led into the study by Li Heng.

Li Heng opened a safe hidden behind the bookshelf. This wasn’t the safe that Professor Jian had given him the key to before.

This safe was a purely electronic lock, and it was a bit bigger than the other one. Without the owner’s hint, you’d never even think there was a safe there.

It just looked like a row of books…

Li Heng said, “Mom should have already given you the key to the other safe, but the things in there are a bit troublesome to cash out. Later, when you go to school and raise the child, you’ll need to spend money, so you can use what’s in here.”

Inside were strip-shaped, round, and flower-shaped objects. They didn’t look like money at all — they looked more like some kind of flowing oil sealed inside a crystal shell.

Yuan Yi felt they resembled some knick-knacks he had seen from classmates when he was younger, but he knew they weren’t that. They should also be a kind of “money.”

“Energy coins?”

“That’s right. Looks like you’ve seen them before?”

“On the internet.”

In the original owner’s memory, there was no actual item, but after Yuan Yi arrived, he had looked into the basic rules of this world and had come across information about this thing.

The local currency in circulation wasn’t the same as this. This energy coin was actually a very precious, interstellar universal energy source.

Li Heng pulled out a strip of energy about the size of a cigar. “With this one strip, buying a mid-sized, top-brand aircraft wouldn’t be a problem. There’s an energy coin exchange center in the city — you can take strip-shaped ones like this and exchange them for cash, which can be transferred into your account. As for the small ones — the round ones and flower-shaped ones — generally, larger shopping malls will accept them.”

Yuan Yi took it and examined it carefully. “When I left the Zhou family, Zhou Tandai gave me some cash, and Mom also gave me some pocket money, so I don’t need this for now.”

Li Heng grabbed Yuan Yi’s hand and without hesitation registered his fingerprint on the safe. “Then just take it yourself when you need it. Wife, say something, anything.”

“Say what?”

“Anything’s fine, it just needs to recognize your voice.”

Yuan Yi asked, “Is this the kind of energy that got used up the most during the interstellar wars?”

Li Heng confirmed his biometric data and nodded. “That’s right. It’s done now. As for my salary, that’s just a small amount.”

“These aren’t from your salary? Then where did all these come from?”

“I have other businesses. The Sirius ship travels between different planets — there’s a lot that can be done. I have people under me who handle it for me. If you really want to know the details, then let me—”

“Alright, alright, I get it, you don’t need to say it,” Yuan Yi cut him off — otherwise it would be the same routine again: either getting his head or face rubbed, or being made to call him “husband.” He could almost recite it by now!

“Wife, you really don’t give me even the slightest chance.”

“It’s because you always do things in such unconventional ways that I don’t dare to trust you.”

“Alright, we’ll take it slow,” Li Heng said, tilting his chin toward the bedroom. “Go get back to your work.”

Yuan Yi went out and continued attending his online class, wearing headphones to listen. There were built-in earbuds available here — a small embedded surgery would allow their use — but he hadn’t done it yet. For now, he was still more used to using external headphones.

Li Heng saw him quickly getting into the zone and smiled with a soft sigh. At that moment, Xuan Ying asked doubtfully, “General, could it be that there’s actually a problem with your approach? Madam really doesn’t seem to like your current way of pursuing him? Madam seems to be the rational and gentle type — if you push him too hard, is there a chance it could backfire?”

Leaning against his desk, Li Heng said without even thinking, “Interactions between people are themselves a kind of warfare. Whoever holds the dominant position, whoever’s charm can more deeply affect and attract the other — that’s a contest of emotions and cognition. But there’s a prerequisite — you must first make the other person notice you. My wife is too calm, exactly as you said — rational. Probably because he lost too much and gained too little in the past, so he finds it hard to easily give his true feelings. Emotionally, he’s the type to respond to change with no change, using stillness to counter movement. Tell me, if you wanted to dye a piece of ice with color, what would you do?”

Xuan Ying said, “You have to melt it into water first. Subordinate understands your meaning.”

At this time, Li Mian muttered quietly, “All that silver-tongued talk — in the end, isn’t it just because you want to do this and that with my Brother Yi”

Li Heng glanced at it, “You’re right — but so what? You little brat, if you dare say even one more word of nonsense to Yuan Yi, forget about the warehouse — I’ll have Xuan Ying send you straight to the afterlife.”

Li Mian immediately didn’t dare to speak anymore. It flew over and plunged headfirst into Yuan Yi’s arms, “Wuwuwuwuwu…”

Yuan Yi patted its little curls and took off one side of his earphones. “Got scolded by your master again?”

Li Mian had just wanted to complain, but caught a glimpse of Li Heng coming over from the corner of his eye, and quickly said, “No, no, how could the master scold me when he’s so good! Brother Yi, I misunderstood the master in the past — he really, really loves you! I feel so ashamed and guilty for the mistakes I made before, wuwuwuwuwu…”

Yuan Yi: “…” You two are really a pair of drama kings.

He grabbed Li Mian and put it onto the table. “Since you’re feeling guilty, why don’t you go clean up the trash your master just left after eating?”

Li Mian froze, pointing at itself with a little finger, “Ah? You want me to clean up?”

Yuan Yi said, “Yeah. Didn’t you just say you felt ashamed and guilty? Then go do something to make up for it.”

Li Mian: “…” It’s over. Brother Yi seems to have learned bad habits.

Turning around, it saw its master standing there, with an expression that was almost a smile. “My wife has already spoken. Why aren’t you going yet?”

Li Mian: “Oh.”

The little robot hung its head, shoulders slumped in defeat, walking out with the demeanor of someone heading to the guillotine. But it still got the work done efficiently, stacking the plates and bowls by size, then calling the cleaning robot to take them away.

Yuan Yi watched, finding it amusing. “Li Mian.”

Li Mian instantly spun around, transforming into a little bundle of energy, “Brother Yi, did you call me for something?”

Yuan Yi said, “Come over and help me out, quiz me on a few knowledge points.”

Li Mian: “Got it!”

The bedroom was soon filled with the sounds of studying. Li Heng saw this and returned to the study, opening another safe. From inside, he selected a piece of raw stone and began his second round of carving.

For the second image of the two children, he chose a different kind of stone to carve.

•  

When Yuan Yi woke up the next day, as usual, he didn’t see Li Heng, but he saw a pair of small stone-carved fetuses on the nightstand. They were a little bigger than the previous “green bean-sized” ones, but still relatively small — about the size of a large soybean. The stone appeared to be something like hibiscus stone, a bit pinkish, but Yuan Yi couldn’t quite tell exactly what it was. He played with them for a while before putting them away, then answered a phone call.

The call was from Ji Lan, who had previously promised to make him some clothes. He asked when he was free and if it was convenient for him to deliver them.

Yuan Yi was just thinking of making beef jerky and pork jerky to share with him, so upon hearing that, he scheduled for the afternoon.

When Ji Lan came over this time, he brought a large box of raspberry jam small cakes. Yuan Yi made two cups of fruit tea to pair with it. Ji Lan sat in the pavilion and smiled, saying, “There’s a noticeable change this time. You’ve gained weight since the last time I saw you.”

Yuan Yi: “I’m already thinking about the next meal before finishing this one. It’s really hard not to gain weight.”

Ji Lan nodded, “But it’s not that you’ve gained weight, it’s that your belly has gotten bigger. It’s obvious that you’re pregnant. Just in time, the clothes I brought, you can wear them.”

Ji Lan took out a packaging box from a large fabric bag. When the box was opened, there were three sets of clothes inside. Two of the sets were ones Yuan Yi had chosen after Ji Lan showed him the designs. One set was a basic short-sleeve shirt with overalls, and the other set was a jumpsuit, a loose fit with a slightly workwear-style pant. The colors were also light: one was sky blue, and the other was light gray.

But at the very bottom, there was one more set. No, to be precise, it was just one piece.

Ji Lan opened it and said, “Hehe, this one is for you to wear at home.”

Yuan Yi was a bit speechless and said, “A skirt? Are you sure this is for me?”

It was a sleeveless mid-length piece, probably reaching the knee, pure white, a bit puffed, with a small round collar, very simple, and it looked very neat at first glance.

Ji Lan nodded, “Yes, yes. Why else would I say it’s for wearing at home? Actually, you could wear it outside too. Nowadays, many omega and beta men wear skirts when they’re pregnant. It’s basically just a robe. My design is meant to be worn at home or outside. Although pants are comfortable too, these two sets I made are adjustable for a looser fit. But when you’re pregnant, the most comfortable option is still this skirt. You won’t believe it—wear it at night, it’s really super comfortable, much better than pants. My dad suggested it to me. He said when he was pregnant with me, he wore it too. It was great!”

Yuan Yi: “……”

Let him wear this at night? That’s worse than having him bump into a wall. If Li Heng saw him wearing this, it would definitely give him some thoughts, even if he didn’t have any before.

But he couldn’t disregard Ji Lan’s kindness, so he thanked him and kept it.

Ji Lan said, “When I’m pregnant, I also want to make this kind of skirt to wear.”

Yuan Yi asked in confusion, “Why wait until you’re pregnant? As long as it makes you happy, you can wear it now.”

Ji Lan said, “Oh right! Then I’ll make one just like this when I go back. I’ll make one just like yours.”

Yuan Yi nodded, “That’s fine.”

Ji Lan ate a small cake, then suddenly hesitated, as if wanting to say something but stopping himself. Yuan Yi asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ji Lan said, “There’s something I think I should tell you. It’s about Cao Yuran. He’s so strange. Every time he contacts me, somehow, he always shifts the topic to you. And when he heard I was making clothes to give to you, he asked me when I’d be seeing you. He wants to come with me to see you as well. But I remember you told me about him last time, so I didn’t invite him.”

Yuan Yi said, “It’s good that you didn’t invite him. The issue with Aminanka still doesn’t have a final conclusion, so unless it’s someone I’m really close with, I don’t plan on meeting. It’s better to be cautious.”

Ji Lan nodded, “I think so too. My dad also said that this is a crucial time for you, so you should be extra careful. There’s also something else, actually, I’d like to hear your opinion on.”

“Mm?”

“Cheng Siming contacted me again. He said he wants to get back together, and he also said that the guy from the finance department used pheromone stimulants to induce his heat and that’s why he temporarily marked the other person.”

“…Do you believe that?”

“It’s not that I believe it, it’s just that we’ve been together since middle school.”

“If he didn’t have the willpower to avoid such a situation the first time, he won’t have it the next time either. Ji Lan, don’t go back to him. Besides, if it was really a mistake that he marked the other person, why did he wait so long to explain it to you?”

“Yes, my dad said the same thing. But there’s one thing that’s troublesome, which is that recently, an alpha general did a genetic match, and it matched with me. He’s been coming to find me often, and it’s been making me really scared.”

“Alive?”

“Ah?” Ji Lan was stunned for a moment before realizing what Yuan Yi meant, and then bitterly smiled. “Yes, alive. They don’t only do genetic matching when someone has died. Actually, General Li should have been urged by the higher-ups to do it, but he’s strong enough to just ignore it when it matched with him, and since the Emperor didn’t say anything, no one dared to speak up. But others can’t do that.”

“So, you mean, you might be forced?”

“I can’t rule out that possibility. That person is a strong general under the crown prince, and my father also finds it hard to refuse him. If I accept Cheng Siming and marry him, I won’t have to worry about this anymore. But I feel a little uneasy about it.”

“But with Cheng Siming’s background, aren’t you worried that accepting him now might offend that person? What’s his name?”

“Pei She.”

“Then you say you’re afraid of him because of something disrespectful he did to you? Or…?”

“Not exactly. I just think he looks really tall and fierce.”

“…Well, why don’t you just tell him you’re scared and ask him to be gentler? If that doesn’t work, then we can think of another way.”

“Would that work? I always feel like he could kill me with just one finger.”

“How would you know if you haven’t tried? Every test God gives you is because He trusts that you can solve it. So don’t be afraid, just try it first.”

“Well… okay! I’ll try.”

“Mm. Don’t be upset, I baked some pork jerky today, both honey glazed and spicy, and I made quite a bit of beef jerky too. It should be about ready by now. I’ll go get it and you can try it to see if you like it. If you do, I’ll bring more for you to take home later, and also give some to Uncle.”

Ji Lan finally turned his worry into joy: “Then I’ll take more of the honey glazed ones.”

Yuan Yi naturally agreed without hesitation.

That night, Yuan Yi divided the remaining beef jerky and pork jerky into small portions, sealed them in bags, and placed them in the bedroom. Hearing Li Heng arrive, he habitually went into the bathroom first, then turned around, glanced at the bathroom door, and asked, “Li Heng, do you know a person named Pei She?”

Li Heng asked, “Are you asking for Ji Lan?”

Yuan Yi replied, “Ji Lan told me that person is very fierce.”

Li Heng smiled with a hint of indulgence. “A lot of omegas think military people are fierce when they first meet them. Speaking of which, wife, you’ve never been afraid of me from the start.”

Yuan Yi said, “Why would I be afraid of you? I don’t owe you anything. You still haven’t told me, what’s that person like?”

Li Heng said, “Could you help me rub my back?”

Yuan Yi: “…”

Reluctant, but thinking of Ji Lan, Yuan Yi still took the towel. “General Li Heng really learned well at taking advantage of the situation.”

Li Heng said, “Classmates and comrades would help each other out too. Wife, don’t be so petty.”

Yuan Yi asked, “Which classmates or comrades are alpha and omega helping each other rub backs?”

Li Heng chuckled deeply, “In my house. Alright, I’m not teasing you anymore. Pei She is someone who looks a bit fierce, or rather, has a heavy killing aura. His job is to guard not humans, but giant savage beasts. Weaklings can’t even guard such places. Honestly speaking, his ability, future, and character are all good. Did Ji Lan not mention Cheng Siming to you?”

“You know him too?”

“Didn’t he move on to someone else? If it weren’t for Pei She matching with Ji Lan, he wouldn’t have gone back to him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cheng Siming is aligned with the Luo family. The Luo family’s superior is the Second Prince. The Second Prince wants to stop the Ji family from marrying into the Pei family.”

“Then what about you? Who’s your superior?”

“Me? My superior is only my wife.”

Smack!

Yuan Yi directly slapped the towel across his face. “You wash yourself!”

“Dear! I forgot to take my clothes!”

“Li Mian, go.”

“Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, Brother Yi, if I go now, I’ll never see tomorrow’s sun again. Please let me go,” Li Mian cried out, hurriedly running into the study.

Yuan Yi didn’t care. Not long after, Li Heng came out wrapped only in a towel, heading off to find some clothes.

Yuan Yi suddenly realized something was wrong, but it was already too late.

Li Heng was holding the white dress he had hung in the closet. “Wife, is this the new one you bought? Can you wear it to sleep tonight? I want to see. If you agree, I’ll make sure Pei She absolutely respects Ji Lan’s wishes.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No, I’m just negotiating with you.”

Yuan Yi: “…”

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Hello everyone!!! I hope you have been doing well. Thanks for your love and support! My exams are starting from this Friday and I may not be available for next 10-15 days. I’ll try to stick to the schedule as much as possible, but if I couldn’t, I’ll definitely make it up in the near future. Thanks for your understanding!!! Wish me a good luck!! Love you all! See ya!!