YPHC Chapter 78

Jiang Nan’an was slightly taken aback: “How did you…”

 

“How did I get here, or how did I know?” Yan Jie chuckled:

 

“I grew wings and flew here because I missed you, and I’ve been keeping an eye on Weibo because I didn’t want to miss anything about you. I watched the press conference too. Those jerks have no shame, just bullying people. Our baby stood up to them so well. You absolutely can’t tolerate this kind of thing-revenge should be immediate. That kind of production team and people with no sense of boundaries deserve to be scolded! Has Sister Hong gotten you justice for this? I don’t really understand how things work in your entertainment circle, but if it’s difficult to handle openly, I’ll take matters into my own hands for you and secretly get back at them later.”

 

“It’s still being handled.”

 

Jiang Nan’an quietly inhaled Yan Jie’s scent. The tension that had been building in his heart for most of the day suddenly seemed to ease significantly, and the inexplicable fatigue and helplessness that had washed over him while walking downstairs earlier also dissipated considerably.

 

“Then let’s not think about it anymore. Come on, wash your hands and eat. I’ll reheat the food.”

 

Yan Jie kissed Jiang Nan’an’s hair again and was about to release him, but saw that Jiang Nan’an didn’t seem to want to move. He just continued leaning against him, his head resting on Yan Jie’s shoulder, softly saying:

 

“…Wait a moment.”

 

So Yan Jie said nothing more and just quietly let him lean against him.

 

Jiang Nan’an found it difficult to describe the feeling he had when he opened the door and saw the lights and food in his home, when he saw Yan Jie walking toward him to embrace him.

 

It was as if a drifting small island had suddenly reached shore.

 

It was as if a lonely tree growing on a hilltop finally welcomed a gardener one day, and the gardener not only built a small house under the tree to live there and keep it company, but also watered and fertilized it daily, talking to it.

 

Was this feeling what’s called “security”?

 

Jiang Nan’an gripped the fabric at Yan Jie’s waist, as if gently hugging him, and only let go after a long while.

 

Looking down, he saw that the two pieces of fabric had been crumpled in his grip.

 

“Feeling better now?”

 

“Mm.”

 

Yan Jie curved his eyes at him in a smile and raised his hand to ruffle the top of his head:

 

“Wash your hands and eat.”

 

Yan Jie knew that Jiang Nan’an might not be in a good mood when he returned today, so he had prepared a table full of his favorite dishes to comfort him.

 

While choosing tableware, Yan Jie noticed that Jiang Nan’an didn’t take his usual tiny bowl that resembled one used for feeding cats, but instead actively chose a slightly larger one for his rice. After finishing one bowl, he even asked for another small half bowl.

 

For a chef, this is the highest level of praise.

 

“You look really hungry? What did you eat for lunch today?” Yan Jie had already finished his own meal and spent the remaining time admiring Teacher Jiang’s eating manner.

 

“Didn’t eat.”

 

“What?!”

 

“Didn’t have time.”

 

“Sigh…”

 

Missing meals here and there while working, occasionally making do with bread and energy bars-even having a company nutritionist doesn’t help. Over time, this would inevitably lead to health problems.

 

Yan Jie was terribly worried and was about to pick up his chopsticks to give his baby a few more pieces of ribs for nourishment when his phone on the table suddenly rang.

 

Glancing at it, he saw it was Fat Fish.

 

Since they had nothing to hide when talking, he directly put it on speaker: “What’s up?”

 

“Hello?” Fat Fish’s voice came through the speaker, so loud it was almost jarring:

 

“Yan, can you please persuade your lordship at home to let people live in peace and cause fewer incidents?? Let me tell you, today I originally had a candlelight dinner planned with my wife, but what happened? She told me she wasn’t going! And now! She’s still in the room with three phones and two computers going all out, organizing her sisters to argue with haters online! I can’t even get a word in with her, she has no time to pay attention to me!”

 

Hearing this, Jiang Nan’an was slightly taken aback, looking at the phone, then at Yan Jie.

 

Yan Jie picked up a piece of rib for him to eat in peace, then put down his chopsticks and started arguing with Fat Fish:

 

“She’s not paying attention to you? Hasn’t it been like this for years? Can’t you look at your own problems?! Have you taken good care of your wife all these years? Have you served her properly? Let me tell you, your wife protecting my baby makes her a hero! Your wife is great! You come here complaining about my baby, you’re rotten fish and shrimp, you’re bad!”

 

“Get lost, get lost, get lost, what kind of righteous official are you pretending to be? Like a damn elementary school kid!”

 

Fat Fish was utterly disgusted:

 

“Enough of this! I’m going to peel apples.”

 

“What, you come to vent and then want to run? How are we calculating the emotional damage compensation for my baby?”

 

“Go to hell!”

 

“Hey, I have the speaker on, you know, my baby heard everything you just said. He’s hurt by my brother’s criticism and is about to cry, thinking he’s being excluded by a clique. Hurry up, apologize and explain that’s not what you meant.”

 

“?” Jiang Nan’an, who was focused on eating ribs, raised an eyebrow slightly.

 

Fat Fish was even more confused.

 

What kind of person is this? Putting a phone call on speaker?? Have you considered your brother’s feelings???

 

“Ahem…” But regardless, even if it was a half-joking complaint, criticizing your brother’s partner on the phone was indeed inappropriate, so Fat Fish cleared his throat and apologized sincerely:

 

“I’m sorry, Teacher Jiang, I was just bantering with Old Spring. I was complaining to him because my wife is ignoring me, just joking around, I didn’t mean to blame you.”

 

Jiang Nan’an uncertainly shifted his gaze to Yan Jie, who nodded at him with smiling eyes.

 

“Oh,” Jiang Nan’an himself didn’t really care about such things; he was used to being criticized, and Fat Fish’s few words didn’t even count as “offensive” to him:

 

“It’s fine.”

 

After a pause, he added:

 

“I hope your wife pays attention to you soon.”

 

With these words, Yan Jie burst into uproarious laughter, so happy he almost flipped the roof.

 

Fat Fish hadn’t expected to receive such a blessing, and was caught between laughing and crying. After chatting with Yan Jie for a bit more, he hung up and obediently went to peel apples for his wife.

 

After the call ended, Jiang Nan’an’s newly added half bowl of rice was empty again. Yan Jie looked at him:

 

“Are you full? Do you want me to get you a bowl of soup?”

 

Jiang Nan’an thought for a moment, then nodded.

 

So Yan Jie went back to the kitchen to get him a bowl of egg drop soup. When he returned, he noticed his phone had lit up again.

 

It was a WeChat message from Fat Fish.

 

Fat Fish: [Image]

 

Fat Fish: Look at this!

 

Yan Jie opened the image to look and made a sound of surprise, then handed the phone to Jiang Nan’an.

 

Jiang Nan’an took the phone, puzzled, and saw it was a photo, obviously taken secretly. The subject was a woman wearing a face mask and a bathrobe, with a huge computer screen in front of her, a laptop set up beside it, and three phones arranged in a row next to the keyboard.

 

“I told you before, Fat Fish’s wife has been your fan for many years. She seems quite influential too. What do you call it? A major fan?” Yan Jie explained beside him.

 

Jiang Nan’an nodded, his gaze falling on the largest computer screen, which showed a Weibo user’s personal page. The ID there did look somewhat familiar-“In Xiao Shan’s Arms.”

 

Jiang Nan’an slightly raised his eyebrows and handed the phone back to Yan Jie.

 

Yan Jie took it back, clearly also noticing the ID on the computer screen, and immediately recorded a voice message to send: “Fat Fish, tell Qiao to change her name, she’s not allowed to be in my baby’s arms.”

 

Fat Fish’s reply came back quickly:

 

“Get lost! Don’t be so possessive about someone else’s wife’s username!!”

 

–

 

After enjoying a good dinner, Jiang Nan’an felt much better, at least no longer having the jumbled thoughts he had while walking alone in the residential complex.

 

Later that night, he took a bath, dried his hair, and then leaned back in bed reading a book with the bedside lamp on. Yan Jie had borrowed his computer to play a few games in the study, and later came over too.

 

“What are you reading, baby?”

 

Jiang Nan’an showed Yan Jie the cover of the book, which had four large characters-“A Brief History of Time.”

 

Jiang Nan’an had a study with a very large bookcase that occupied two entire walls, all filled with books, making for an impressive sight.

 

When Yan Jie borrowed the computer earlier, with Jiang Nan’an’s permission, he had browsed through the bookshelf and discovered that he read many diverse books-from domestic to world literature, from history to art, from ancient to contemporary, from philosophy to physics. He had explored every field, and there was no apparent preference, as if he just read whatever he got his hands on, rejecting nothing.

 

The books he had read and hadn’t read were also easy to distinguish, because he liked to take notes, writing directly in the books. There were many, many index tabs inserted between the pages, which was truly impressive.

 

“You like reading books so much?” Yan Jie leaned against him and glanced at the pages, but it was no use; seeing those tadpole-like characters made him drowsy.

 

“Mm.”

 

“Why?” Yan Jie looked at him.

 

For him, compared to books, Teacher Jiang was much more attractive.

 

“Because there are jade-like beauties and houses of gold.”

 

Teacher Jiang made a deadpan joke, successfully making Yan Jie laugh.

 

He leaned over and kissed the tip of Jiang Nan’an’s ear:

 

“Look at how studious my baby is. It’s late, let’s sleep. You can continue reading tomorrow.”

 

“Mm, let me finish this sentence.”

 

Jiang Nan’an held a fountain pen and was earnestly writing notes on the page. Yan Jie didn’t rush him and lay down himself.

 

Two minutes later, Jiang Nan’an capped his pen, closed the book, turned off the bedside lamp, and found Yan Jie in the dark. He proactively lay in his arms, as if it were a natural habit.

 

Yan Jie closed his eyes, his lips curving slightly upward, and held Jiang Nan’an a bit tighter.

 

The bedroom was very quiet, with only the occasional sound of wind passing outside the window.

 

Yan Jie was truly tired today. In the morning, there was something at home, and he had followed his father to the company twice. In the afternoon, he rushed to catch a flight to Shanghai, then spent the evening busy cleaning the house and cooking. Now with his eyes closed, he felt only drowsiness.

 

But just as he was drifting into sleep, he suddenly heard Jiang Nan’an softly say:

 

“Yan Jie.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Didn’t say goodnight.”

 

Yan Jie chuckled:

 

“Goodnight, baby.”

 

After saying this, a moment later, he heard Jiang Nan’an ask:

 

“Aren’t you going to kiss me?”

 

Well.

 

Hearing this, Yan Jie thought he had already started dreaming, and it took him a moment to realize it was real.

 

Yan Jie couldn’t help but laugh.

 

He lowered his head to kiss the corner of Jiang Nan’an’s lips, then asked softly:

 

“Better now?”

 

“…”

 

Jiang Nan’an didn’t answer.

 

After a brief contemplation, he gently raised his chin and pressed his lips against Yan Jie’s again.

 

Yan Jie closed his eyes, enjoying Jiang Nan’an’s rare initiative in kissing.

 

The kiss was gentle and quiet. Yan Jie’s heart melted completely, but what he didn’t expect was that this wasn’t the end.

 

Because in the next second, he noticed Jiang Nan’an tentatively using the tip of his tongue to lightly lick the seam of his lips.

 

Yan Jie’s breath trembled in that instant, and his previous drowsiness was immediately banished to the far corners of the sky.

 

He restrained his impulses and allowed Jiang Nan’an to kiss him, responding slowly to his rhythm, like a silent guide.

 

Jiang Nan’an seemed to be learning the techniques Yan Jie usually used when kissing, but he wasn’t learning very well. His kisses were very light and slow, with a perceptible awkwardness and inexperience.

 

The kiss wasn’t skilled or excellent, but Yan Jie’s emotions were still easily stirred, his heartbeat deafening.

 

Each of his attempts in the kiss, each pause, was like the tail tip of a small animal brushing past during exploration, teasing Yan Jie until his entire being felt like it was about to catch fire.

 

They kissed quietly like this for a long time, until Jiang Nan’an became somewhat tired, until Yan Jie finally couldn’t endure anymore. He turned over to press him down, holding his chin to kiss him again.

 

The desire that had been restrained for so long poured out in this moment, making the kiss seem somewhat urgent.

 

The room was momentarily filled with the sound of fabric rubbing, occasionally someone would let out a stifled moan, further stirring one’s heartbeat and passion.

 

Late at night, embracing and kissing the person you like, no one could control certain things from quietly happening.

 

Yan Jie’s breathing was somewhat heavy. He forcibly ended the kiss and looked down at Jiang Nan’an’s vague outline in the darkness.

 

“What do you want to do to me?”

 

He heard Jiang Nan’an’s voice, very soft and somewhat hoarse.

 

This question with an obvious answer made Yan Jie chuckle:

 

“What do you think?”

 

He lowered his head to kiss Jiang Nan’an’s moist lips again:

 

“It’s too uncomfortable, will you touch me?”

 

“…” Jiang Nan’an didn’t speak or move, and Yan Jie thought he was unwilling.

 

This was fine. He ruffled Jiang Nan’an’s hair and made to get up:

 

“Let’s sleep, I’ll go take a shower.”

 

But Jiang Nan’an hooked his neck, not letting him leave.

 

“Hmm?” Yan Jie raised an eyebrow slightly.

 

Jiang Nan’an looked directly into his eyes in the darkness, asking:

 

“Do you like me?”

 

“Of course.” Yan Jie curved his eyes:

 

“I love you, baby.”

 

“…”

 

Jiang Nan’an seemed to exhale very, very lightly. When he spoke again, his voice was much softer, like a feather brushing against Yan Jie’s heart:

 

“Then, do what you want to do.”

 

He raised his hand, gently brushing Yan Jie’s lips with his fingertips, his eyebrows slightly raised, like his words, with an upturned ending:

 

“…I’m yours.”

 

 

#

 

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)