AHDIBCB Chapter 45

The gazes of confrontation intertwined in the air, which was infused with the fragrance of cedar. Li Heng’s lips always held a faint smile. But in that smile, Yuan Yi could feel a subtle provocation.

To be more precise, it couldn’t exactly be called provocation; it could be said that it was the invisible sense of pressure that Li Heng exuded. However, that pressure strangely provoked Yuan Yi’s rebellious spirit.

Yuan Yi asked, “What if I just don’t wear it? I wonder what General Li will do?”

Li Heng said, “Then… we’ll just have to wait for another chance to see. I’ll have to give some face to my wife’s friend.”

After saying this, he was already planning to hang the dress back in the closet. But, not being able to taste the sweetness right in front of him, he couldn’t help but feel a little regretful, so he hesitated to make a move.

To his surprise, Yuan Yi unexpectedly took the dress from him and said, “Then I wish the general won’t regret it later.”

After saying that, he went into the bathroom with the dress. After washing up and changing, he came out.

A pure white figure. In an instant, it felt like the room was gently filled with the scent of golden-edged daphne.

Since Yuan Yi arrived here, his hair had not been cut and was now almost shoulder-length, flowing smoothly.

He showed no signs of shyness or hesitation. His skin was pale and smooth, and his eyes remained cold and detached. He stood by the bed and asked Li Heng, “Does it look good?”

Li Heng, feeling a rush of heat all over his body, really did feel a bit regretful. He narrowed his eyes, “You must have figured out that I can’t bear to bully you, huh?”

Yuan Yi smiled without speaking.

This nightdress even had pockets. Yuan Yi stuck both hands into them, satisfied as he watched Li Heng suffer a setback, then sat down on the chair to continue studying. To be honest, it was quite comfortable.

He didn’t even think about changing out of the dress.

Li Heng looked at his slender and delicate swan-like neck, fair arms and calves, and slightly rounded belly, then took a deep breath and said, “Wife, you’re so bold — you’ll have to repay this double in the future, you know?”

Yuan Yi said, “Oh, we’ll talk about the future when it comes.”

Li Heng saw him sitting with his legs crossed, shaking his foot after kicking off his slipper, and felt his blood rush straight to a certain part of his body.

But he couldn’t actually do anything, so he could only grit his teeth, pinch Yuan Yi’s cheek as he passed by, then resentfully went to take another shower.

This time, the shower lasted quite a while.

By the time Yuan Yi finished studying for the day, Li Heng still hadn’t come out. If it weren’t for the sound of running water inside, Yuan Yi would’ve suspected that there was a secret passage in the bathroom leading to the outside world.

Li Mian said, “Brother Yi, are you going to sleep?”

Yuan Yi lay down on the bed. “Mm. Wake me up a bit earlier tomorrow morning. Around five thirty.”

After saying that, he had Li Mian turn off the light.

The window still kept the starry sky theme. Though no lights were left on, the star-like speckles above cast a glow into the room.

It wasn’t very dark, but not bright either.

When Li Heng came out of the bathroom, this was the scene he saw.

Yuan Yi was sunk into the soft blue bedding, a ball of radiant white, like a pearl fallen into a sea of stars.

He always had the habit of sleeping on his side, hugging the quilt in his arms, as if seeking some kind of security. Only after falling asleep would he truly relax, returning to a face-up sleeping position.

Li Heng walked over quietly and gently touched Yuan Yi’s sleeping face; warm breaths lightly brushed against his hand.

He finally couldn’t help but touch Yuan Yi’s lower abdomen again—this time, not through the blanket.

Only a thin white nightdress lay between them; the sensation was incomparably real. Beneath his hand was the person he loved and the child they shared. A sense of fulfillment surged in him like a wave of heat stirring his heart.

But if he stayed any longer, the susceptibility period might truly arrive uninvited—and that would be terrible.

Li Heng almost forcibly made himself straighten up and quietly leave the bedroom.

But not long after, he came back again, quickly and briefly planting a kiss on Yuan Yi’s forehead.

There wasn’t a hint of hesitation, as if staying even half a second longer would make him lose control.

The room returned to silence once more.

The sound of rain outside seemed to have stopped, and Yuan Yi, in his dreams, inexplicably felt a sense of loss. He slowly opened his eyes and found that the side of the bed was empty.

It seemed that no one had slept there—it even lacked the usual faint scent of cedar he would smell when waking up.

He called for Li Mian and asked the time. Upon learning that it had just passed midnight, he asked, “Did the General leave because of some urgent matter?”

Li Mian said, “He did leave in a hurry, like something big happened, but I don’t know what it was. But I finally got evidence! Brother Yi, let me show you!”

Li Mian replayed the scene from half an hour earlier that he had witnessed and projected it onto the wall. Yuan Yi saw that Li Heng indeed hadn’t gone to bed tonight. He had left rather hastily, but in his rush, he had still come over to secretly kiss him once.

Li Mian said, “See, Brother Yi! I told you my master is a total pervert! Old lecher!”

Yuan Yi saw the “lecher’s” hand gently stroke his belly, and couldn’t hide the joy and comfort in his eyes.

A “lecher,” really?

Even if so, he was probably a rather patient kind of “lecher.”

Yuan Yi subconsciously touched his own forehead. “I’m going back to sleep. Change my wake-up time to six o’clock.”

Li Mian said, “Got it!” After a while, he added, “Brother Yi, what are you smiling about?”

Yuan Yi said with his eyes closed, “You saw wrong. I wasn’t smiling.”

Li Mian: “……”

Was that so? It had clearly seen someone’s lips curl just now! It was a robot—there was no way it could “see wrong.”

•  

At noon the next day, Yuan Yi was pondering whether to make hand-held lamb or stewed oxtail for dinner. For the first time, Li Heng sent him a text message via Li Mian, saying he had something going on tonight and wouldn’t be coming over.

After hearing this, Yuan Yi had Li Mian reply with a “Received,” and decided to change dinner to hot and sour noodles with a meat sandwich. The sandwich had to be filled with diced green peppers, and he wanted it with both lean and fatty meat—that combination was the most fragrant.

Professor Jian laughed and said, “That combo isn’t good to leave for too long before eating. How about Mom makes you something else?”

Yuan Yi thought for a moment. Suddenly saying he wouldn’t eat tonight might raise questions, so he said, “Mom, you made fish balls once before. They were delicious—can you make them again?”

He remembered that this involved putting a whole fresh fish into the smart cooker’s prep chamber, adding ingredients to the designated compartments, and just waiting for the fish balls to be made. It didn’t take too much time, and he really did like them—they could also be saved for the night.

Professor Jian said, “Of course, no problem. But Xiao Yi, did you know? All the things you’ve been liking to eat lately… they’re also Li Heng’s favorites. You two have very similar tastes.”

Yuan Yi looked at Professor Jian’s expression—lighthearted, cheerful, knowing…

He suddenly understood.

Previously, when Professor Jian mentioned Li Heng, there was always a trace of sorrow, and she rarely brought him up on her own. But the last two times she mentioned Li Heng, it was not only voluntary, but her tone was also very different from before.

Yuan Yi returned a similar smile: “Maybe the two little ones have tastes that are closer to Li Heng’s.”

Professor Jian nodded and said, “Very likely.”

The two shared a tacit understanding. After dinner, Professor Jian went to the yard to pull weeds. Yuan Yi had been studying all day and wanted to relax, so he followed along to do some simple tasks. He noticed that the house next door hadn’t turned on any lights and casually asked, “Mom, has Aunt Feng Lu gone out recently? I feel like I haven’t seen any lights on at her place for several days.”

Professor Jian said, “Your Aunt Feng Lu is on leave—she went to pick up your Aunt Xiao Ye.”

Since moving into the Li household three months ago, this was the first time Yuan Yi had heard of this person. Curious, he asked, “Is that Aunt Feng Lu’s partner?”

Professor Jian said, “Yes. Her name is Ye Huiwan, and like us, she’s also an omega. She and your Aunt Feng Lu have been married for many years but never had children. Maybe the psychological pressure was a bit much, and her health hasn’t been great recently. Your Aunt Feng Lu has also been busy with work, so she sent her back to her parents’ home to stay for a few months. Now she’s going to bring her back. The two places are quite far apart, so your Aunt Feng Lu might be staying over there for a few days before returning.”

Yuan Yi nodded. “Then do you know the reason they don’t have children? Logically speaking, infertility problems can almost all be solved nowadays.”

While pulling weeds, Professor Jian said, “That’s exactly what’s so troubling. All the tests show everything is normal, but still no results. Later they tried artificial insemination, but it never held. Your Aunt Xiao Ye used to cry a lot over this, and her eyes got so bad she had to have surgery twice. The doctors said it might be due to genetic incompatibility. But their relationship is very good, and your Aunt Feng Lu never thought not having children was a big deal. It’s just that some people are naturally fond of kids—your Aunt Xiao Ye seems to be one of them.”

Yuan Yi: “……”

The next morning, Yuan Yi got up early and heard voices coming from the courtyard. He was helping Li Mian change clothes when Ye Huiwan arrived with local specialties she had brought back, chatting casually with Professor Jian.

Yuan Yi thought about it and decided not to go out, in case it made her feel worse.

But then Professor Jian called out loudly, “Xiao Yi, your Aunt Xiao Ye brought you something delicious!”

Yuan Yi had no choice but to set Li Mian down to play on the side and came out to greet her: “Hello, Aunt Xiao Ye.”

Ye Huiwan was very petite, but very pretty—with light purple hair, like a porcelain doll—and her smile was extremely gentle. “Hello, Xiao Yi. I heard from your Aunt Feng Lu that you’re pregnant, so I brought you some handmade cheese from my hometown. I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

Yuan Yi accepted the large box and felt its hefty weight. “Thank you, Aunt Xiao Ye. I can use this in my sandwiches in the morning—it’s perfect.”

Professor Jian laughed and said, “Your Aunt Xiao Ye is a great cook too. You’ll know when you get the chance to try her food.”

Ye Huiwan said, “I was just telling Feng Lu that maybe we should do a barbecue in the yard tonight. Xiao Yi, do you like grilled meat? If you do, we can all do it together. More people makes it livelier. I have all the ingredients and a grill at my place—I can prepare everything.”

Yuan Yi said, “I’m fine with anything. But won’t it be too much trouble for you?”

Ye Huiwan smiled and said, “Not at all. I’d be more than happy to. Your Aunt Feng Lu is always busy, and this Professor Jian disappears once the school term starts. I do handcrafted design work and usually stay at home, so I’d love to get to know more people. So it’s settled—come eat at my place tonight?”

Yuan Yi said, “Alright. Just call me when you’re getting things ready—I can come over and help.”

Ye Huiwan said, “Sure, I’ll head back first then.”

Yuan Yi returned to the kitchen to store the cheese. Professor Jian said, “Your Aunt Feng Lu was one of your grandfather’s direct subordinates, so getting closer to them isn’t a bad thing.”

Yuan Yi nodded. “Got it, Mom.”

He looked thoughtfully at the beef steak he had originally planned to marinate.

Professor Jian asked, “What is it?”

Yuan Yi said, “Nothing. I was going to make it for dinner. Never mind, I’ll go ahead and marinate it anyway.”

That afternoon, Yuan Yi received a call—it was Ji Lan. Ji Lan said excitedly over the phone, “Xiao Yi, the method you told me really worked! I told Pei She that I was a little afraid of him, and he started telling me a bunch of stories about himself to help me understand him, especially about his time in the military, and then he said he would try to be gentler with me. I feel like I’m not as scared of him anymore.”

Yuan Yi found it a bit funny. It might not really be that his method worked—or at least, not entirely thanks to that method.

Some people not coming home last night might even have something to do with this.

He told Ji Lan, “It’s because you had the courage to say it that you got a good result. So what do you think of him now?”

Ji Lan said, “I feel like we can try getting along. Before, I mostly just got really nervous every time I saw him. Now I’m not so nervous anymore, and I suddenly feel like he’s actually quite nice. He looks really tall and fierce, but deep down he’s pretty gentle. My father also said he’s a very capable person.”

Yuan Yi said, “Then get along well and see how it goes. Finding a strong alpha isn’t a bad thing after all.”

Ji Lan giggled twice: “Did you wear the dress? If it’s comfortable, I’ll make you two more.”

Yuan Yi thought for a moment and said, “Alright.”

That night at the barbecue, Yuan Yi ate quite a bit. But at one point, while eating, he suddenly noticed Ye Huiwan looking at him with a look of envy, which made him feel rather uncomfortable when he got home.

When it comes to children, it’s really something that can’t be easily explained.

Thinking that way made him feel even more that it was no easy thing for the two little ones to have stayed. He instinctively reached out and touched his belly.

He rarely made this motion before, because at the beginning he couldn’t feel anything yet. But now his belly was noticeably protruding, and sometimes he just wanted to touch it. The feeling was truly amazing.

It was at this moment that Li Heng arrived. Because he came late and was worried Yuan Yi might be asleep, he moved very quietly. Yuan Yi was a bit lost in thought, and only reacted when Li Heng came in.

Seeing his gesture and sensing that his mood was lower than usual, Li Heng asked gently, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Yuan Yi said, “No. I went to Aunt Feng Lu’s house for a barbecue today.”

Li Heng said with certainty, “Aunt Xiao Ye came back, didn’t she?”

Yuan Yi nodded. “Ji Lan also called me this afternoon. Thank you.”

Though it was possible that Li Heng hadn’t done anything, and it was just that Pei She, after hearing Ji Lan’s words, decided to open up more, he felt that possibility was slim.

Li Heng said, “Thank me for what? My pretty wife in a skirt—of course I can’t enjoy the view for nothing. Alright, it’s late, go get some rest.”

“…No late-night snack today?”

“Didn’t you go to Aunt Xiao Ye’s for barbecue? You didn’t bring anything back for me?” After all, it was at someone else’s house, and the others didn’t know he was coming home.

“What are you saying? It’s not like we don’t have food at home,” Yuan Yi said. “I marinated some steaks. With the ventilation and air purification system in the house, using the small frying pan won’t be a problem at all.”

Yuan Yi had prepared the steaks, some noodle soup, and also had some washed vegetables ready for pan-frying.

But just as he connected the power, Li Heng said, “No need for electricity, let me show you something fun.”

Li Heng took out an energy coin, flipped the small frying pan over, and placed it in a groove on top. Then, he flipped the switch, and the surface of the pan quickly heated up.

Yuan Yi immediately found it interesting. He had used a small camping stove before, the kind that could be fitted with a gas canister. But he realized this one was much better. Such a tiny piece could have this kind of effect.

“How long can this last?”

“Fifty years, no problem.”

“How long?!” Yuan Yi was shocked.

“Fifty years. Otherwise, do you think something like this would be so expensive?” Li Heng said. “Right now, almost all the major powers are fighting over the blue gel energy.”

“Then isn’t Blue Gel Star very dangerous?” Yuan Yi put the steak and vegetables on the pan to fry. “But I heard Mom say that you have a good relationship with the king of Blue Gel Star. So, you…”

“Not yet, but starting tomorrow, I do have to leave to be busy for a while. I probably won’t be able to return before your school starts. Before I leave tonight, I’ll leave enough pheromones for you. During this time, no matter what you hear, just protect yourself and our child.”

“Alright, I understand.”

“After you finish eating, go to the study. I need to collect pheromones in a closed environment. You’ll need to stimulate me a bit.”

“Stimulate you how?”

“Let me bite you.”

“???”

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Hello everyone!! Sorry for the delay. I know you all looking forward for the updates. But sometimes unexpected happens. And my wedding is just around the corner. I hope to update as many as I can in the next few days. I will update regularly once everything settle downs. Thank you for your understanding!! Love you all!!