After resting at home for a day, Bai Yucheng felt much better. Lin Mei called in the afternoon, sounding cheerful. “Yucheng, Song Yan said he would pick up your medicine for you. Get some rest.”
“Mom, why are you helping him too?”
“You’re dating, aren’t you? Don’t keep everything bottled up. Your father and I have been worried about you since we moved.”
“I’m fine.”
Lin Mei sighed softly. “You’re my son. How could I not know your personality? Because of your differentiation, you can’t work at your old jewelry design studio anymore. And we’re all Alphas, so for you…”
“It’s not your fault,” Bai Yucheng said irritably. “Mom, please don’t blame yourselves.”
“Alright.”
“I don’t want to be a designer anymore anyway. My body can’t handle it. Being an assistant is fine.”
Lin Mei knew how much her son loved jewelry design. But after his differentiation, his sense of touch and pain had heightened. Polishing, cutting, and doing detailed work made him dizzy. The mix of sensations overwhelmed him, making it impossible to focus.
Gradually, Bai Yucheng began to hate his body, hate sitting at the workbench, hate the stones that needed crafting.
Watching him like this broke Lin Mei’s heart. She discussed it with Bai Li, and they decided to have their son change environments and come with them. After more than six months, Bai Yucheng seemed to have adjusted to his gender, but he still had some unresolved issues.
The other day, Song Yan called her to explain the situation. He earnestly expressed his willingness to take care of Bai Yucheng and asked for the doctor’s contact information. Lin Mei had a good impression of him, so she told him about Bai Yucheng’s circumstances.
Now Bai Yucheng had organized the files and saw the hand-drawn map Song Yan mentioned. It was originally sketched by a girl at the store to show directions to a friend. She loved drawing simple illustrations and cute things. When Bai Yucheng saw her that day, she was doodling in a small notebook.
After the marketing department’s redesign and the addition of some mineral guide plans, all that remained was to find suitable artists to refine it. Song Yan and his team were truly efficient.
Later, Song Yan returned with groceries—he was practically living here now, with parental approval. If he had a tail, Bai Yucheng thought it would be wagging up to the sky.
“I bought shrimp. Didn’t you say yesterday you wanted shrimp balls?” Song Yan took off his coat and hung it on the rack.
Seeing him in a suit carrying bags of groceries, Bai Yucheng found it rather strange. Usually, he wouldn’t carry anything extra. He couldn’t help but imagine Song Yan picking vegetables alongside elderly folks at the supermarket.
It was amusing, and Bai Yucheng let out a chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” Song Yan asked, puzzled as he removed his watch and placed it on the table.
“Nothing, just that you look a bit weird like this.”
“There’s nothing weird about it.” He rolled up his sleeves. “I’ll check the recipe first.”
Bai Yucheng sighed, “What recipe? I’ll do it.”
Seeing Bai Yucheng approach, Song Yan said nothing and opened the bag, pouring the shrimp into a basin. Noticing how much he’d bought, Bai Yucheng opened the cabinet to take out a prep tray. “Why did you buy so much?”
“There won’t be much left after making shrimp balls,” Song Yan grinned. “I want to eat too.”
“We’ll make enough to eat. No leftovers.” Bai Yucheng handed him scissors. “Cut off the shrimp heads first.”
“Do we need to add anything else?”
“Yes, some diced carrots and corn kernels would make it tastier.” He opened the other bags, looking for side ingredients.
They spent a long time busy in the kitchen, with Song Yan assisting Bai Yucheng. Although he succeeded with the seafood porridge earlier, Song Yan was very busy that day.
“Two flavors,” Bai Yucheng prepared the sauces and handed them over. “You didn’t sleep well yesterday, so go easy on the spicy one.”
“Alright.”
The atmosphere at the dinner table was pleasant. But Bai Yucheng wouldn’t be moved by such small gestures; he’d been through this before. Because of his parents’ gender, many people had high hopes for him, regardless of their own gender. However, after he presented as an Omega, everyone around him changed suddenly.
At first, it was normal for Song Yan to find this novel, but he’d probably tire of it within three months at most.
After recovering, Bai Yucheng’s work returned to normal. Summer activities began, and both Song Yan and Lu Qi were buried in work. With real-time adjustments to store performance and product quantities, along with next year’s plans, Bai Yucheng was also constantly busy.
Two months passed this way, and the weather began to cool.
During these two months, Song Yan essentially moved into Bai Yucheng’s home, but he slept in a separate room and never slept with Bai Yucheng again.
He’d been holding out for quite a while.
“Boss Yan, here’s next week’s schedule and the gift list.”
Song Yan nodded, “Good. I need to go to the purchasing department with Lu Qi in a bit. You go home first and wait for me. What do you want for dinner?”
“I’ll buy something.”
After leaving the office, Bai Yucheng packed up and clocked out. The two had developed a routine; Bai Yucheng was now accustomed to buying groceries after work and waiting for Song Yan to return home.
Why hadn’t Song Yan lost interest yet?
At home, Song Yan discussed new products and plans with Bai Yucheng, earnestly seeking his opinion. They looked at online mineral exhibitions together, sought out designers, and scouted for students still in school. They didn’t talk much about dating, but during breaks, Song Yan occasionally took Bai Yucheng to the movies. Knowing Bai Yucheng liked collecting beautiful cups, he also took him to browse various small, exquisite shops.
“I’m home!”
The sound of the door opening and Song Yan’s voice.
He changed his shoes and went straight to the kitchen, smiling when he saw Bai Yucheng, asking what delicious food they’d have tonight.
“I bought some grapes and hawthorn berries.”
“Then I’ll make grape juice.”
Bai Yucheng nodded. Seeing Song Yan wash his hands and take out the juicer, then set aside the hawthorn berries, he asked curiously, “How do you eat these?”
“We’ll coat them with sugar later. Let’s wash them first.”
“You know how to make that too.”
“My grandmother taught me before. We can do the same with grapes. Save a few.”
Song Yan obediently set to work, looking quite interested.
“By the way, I’m going to Dr. Li’s tomorrow morning.”
“Are you feeling unwell?” Song Yan tensed up, wiping his hands and walking to Bai Yucheng’s side. “Did you catch a cold from the recent temperature changes?”
“No, I’m almost out of my medication.”
“I can pick it up for you. You should avoid the hospital; it’s crowded and the air isn’t good.”
Bai Yucheng laughed, “I’m not a child anymore.”
“Alright, then I’ll have someone pick you up when you return to the office tomorrow.”
He was at a loss for words. Although Song Yan’s attentive care was thoughtful, it could become cloying over time. “I’ll come back on my own. Don’t try to manage everything for me.”
“Alright, alright.”
Song Yan deflated and went back to washing fruit—just like a big dog, Bai Yucheng thought sarcastically. Where was the CEO now?
After dinner, while Bai Yucheng coated the fruit with sugar, Song Yan watched curiously, clumsily trying to help. When they finished, Bai Yucheng set aside the successful ones and popped a failed attempt into his mouth.
“Mmm, sour.”
Seeing his scrunched-up face, Song Yan tried one too. “Wow, I overcooked mine. It’s awful.”
“Give me the sour ones. I want to eat some.”
“It’s too late. Don’t eat these anymore. We set up the projector yesterday, right? Let’s watch a movie.” Song Yan pulled him to the living room, settled him on the sofa, and happily went to pour tea and turn on the machine.
“I want to watch ‘The Cat Returns’,” Bai Yucheng said, pulling a small blanket over himself.
“Why that suddenly?” Song Yan asked, even as the opening credits appeared on screen.
Bai Yucheng smiled, “I just want to see something cute.”
Seeing him so docile, Song Yan sat beside him and said softly, “Yucheng, I want to kiss you.”
Bai Yucheng felt a bit uncomfortable but didn’t refuse.
Since their two intimate encounters, whenever Song Yan wanted to hold or kiss him, he would ask like this, then gently pull Bai Yucheng in for a kiss and embrace, doing nothing more.
Early the next morning, Bai Yucheng saw Dr. Li.
“Mr. Bai, congratulations! You’re two months pregnant!”
“What?!”
Dr. Li handed him the test results, sincerely congratulating him again. “The baby is very stable and is already two months along.”
Two months?? Bai Yucheng’s heart sank. That was from the first time he unexpectedly went into heat.
What was this situation?? Was this considered a one-shot hit??
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