Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Bai Chen swore he had never delivered such lines before.

...In fact, he had never received a script with romantic scenes.

At most, he had played the role of a devoted second lead, always gazing from afar at the main couple, close yet unreachable.

So, when he said these words, whether genuine or feigned, he subconsciously infused a bit of his own emotions.

Hold me, kiss me, and...

These often come together.

After saying this, Bai Chen's face turned red, though he feigned calm, his eyes darting around to check if the girls behind him had left.

The girls: Ahhh!!! Ahhh!!!

No matter how slowly or deliberately they moved, they eventually walked past.

In the distance, their excited chatter still lingered.

"Did you hear that? If I were an Alpha, I'd be so turned on right now, thank you!"

"Wuwuwu, how can there be such a cute Omega! It's even more heart-fluttering than Chen Chen's wife!"

"I'm dead! These days, other people's fairy-tale romances always make my heart race! My head is about to explode! I! Can't! Live!!!"

"Eh? But don't you think this voice sounds familiar too?"

Bai Chen: ...

Why haven't you dropped your suspicions yet!!!

Indeed, the most perceptive people in the world are fans when they're shipping couples.

Originally planning to step away quickly, he now didn't dare to move recklessly. The footsteps finally faded into the distance, and Bai Chen resisted the urge to peek, whispering softly to Xie Yilin, "Have they left?"

Xie Yilin didn't respond.

Bai Chen waited for a while, but Xie Yilin remained silent. He looked up in confusion, only to see the deep night, Xie Yilin silent, his silhouette blending into the shadows under the swaying trees.

He seemed less cold now, but still felt hard to approach. Like a long storm finally ceasing, brushing the snow off a statue, revealing the hard rock beneath, still unyielding and steadfast.

But clearly, something had indeed changed.

Xie Yilin still hadn't let go of him.

The night breeze picked up, autumn approaching, the lush leaves rustling. After the initial chill, the warmth slowly spread—transmitted from the tightly pressed bodies, gradually heating up.

Just right.

It was such a night, just the right warmth.

Not too cold, not too hot, soothing to the depths of the heart.

For a moment, Bai Chen didn't want to separate either.

...He had always liked hugs.

The deep yearning within could only be slightly eased through physical closeness. The daily three-minute agreement seemed like a joke, but the Alpha consistently and firmly upheld it, sometimes even exceeding it.

Bai Chen realized then that Xie Yilin wasn’t as cold as he seemed.

How could someone truly cold, violent, and cruel—someone who enjoys killing—only ask if it mattered to him when Bai Chen asked for a hug?

There was no refusal, no mockery, no... misunderstanding at all.

Instead, Xie Yilin accepted the request.

Even now... the Alpha’s arms wrapped around him, their breaths mingling.

Bai Chen thought, *This is really wonderful.*

He could put off ordering that simulated boyfriend pillow a little longer.

The Omega closed his eyes, savoring the embrace. Meanwhile, Xie Yilin finally... responded.

A huge vortex churned in the sea, a storm brewed in his gray eyes, and heavy clouds gathered, turning into deep restraint between his brows. He struggled to control himself, his reason teetering on the edge, ready to collapse at any moment.

The hazy light lingered around them, the soft orange glow gently highlighting the Omega’s beautiful features. The distance that could be closed with a slight bow of the head felt unreachable now.

Xie Yilin held Bai Chen tightly.

His dark eyes fixed on Bai Chen’s face.

...Bai Chen noticed nothing.

The Omega was lost in the comfort of the embrace.

A close, inseparable embrace that filled him with satisfaction and security.

Then, he nuzzled closer.

It was as if a switch had been flipped.

The fragile restraint collapsed. As if bewitched, the Alpha leaned in closer—

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

The smartwatch on his wrist buzzed suddenly, startling them both.

Bai Chen, as if waking from a dream, tried to step back but found the Alpha still holding him tightly. He raised his head slightly, his brow brushing against something warm—

The Omega froze.

That seemed... it seemed to be...

He wasn’t sure.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

The smartwatch persistently buzzed. Bai Chen quickly dismissed the extra thoughts in his mind, opened the smartwatch, and a virtual light quickly popped up. The name noted was...

"...Mom???"

Bai Yinyi hadn’t planned to contact her son.

***

The planet housing the special sanatorium is quite remote, sparsely populated, but boasts a unique geothermal hot spring that is very beneficial to her health, which is why she's lived there for years.

The planet's atmosphere is perpetually agitated by nuclear magnetic storms, leading to poor network connectivity and challenging communications.

The sanatorium is equipped with just one emergency communication satellite.

...Typically, using it comes with hefty communication fees.

Bai Yinyi is aware her son works tirelessly, so she keeps a tight rein on her expenses—as long as the child is fine, what wouldn't parents endure?

However...

This doesn't cover suddenly marrying the Crown Prince of the Empire!!!

Startled by a young girl in the restaurant, she nearly had a heart attack!

And then, it turned out to be her own son!

Bai Chen, an Omega and an actor by profession, just turned twenty-two this year... and he bears a striking resemblance to Bai Yinyi, a likeness unmatched across the entire empire.

Mother Bai was instantly ready to book a ticket to the capital planet to personally ask Bai Chen what was going on.

But, as previously noted, due to nuclear magnetic storms and the planet's remoteness, there's only one monthly passenger flight. The last one departed just three days prior.

So, for now, she's stuck.

Her only option is to make a call.

The sanatorium also relayed the live broadcast of the National Day ceremony. Publicly, everyone witnessed Bai Chen and Xie Yilin in matching formal attire.

Their intimacy and the ambiguous atmosphere clearly hinted at their relationship.

Under the scrutinizing eyes of her sanatorium friends, Mother Bai's feelings were indescribably mixed.

So, right after the ceremony, assuming her son was free, she hastily sneaked into the dean's office and slapped down her membership card: "Get me on satellite communication! I've got the money!"

The old dean: "..."

Alright, this might be a royal in-law, bear with it, bear with it!

Once connected, Mother Bai regained her composure.

She calmly inquired, "Son, how have you been lately?"

...On the other end of the communication, Bai Chen's face turned a bit pale.

It's over.

Last night, Song Lei asked him if he had told his mother about this, and today Mother Bai came over—does she know? How does she know? Wasn't the sanatorium's network poor, and the signal bad?

He thought that after some time, when the variety show was finished, he would take some time to go to the sanatorium and carefully consider how to explain.

But now, all plans are disrupted.

This made him even more guilty.

Bai Chen gestured to Xie Yilin, deliberately walking a few steps away, standing by the swing set in the small park.

After making sure that His Highness the Crown Prince did not know who he was talking to and could not hear what he was saying, he lowered his voice and vaguely said, "I'm fine... Mom, how have you been recently? Is your health okay?"

Yeah, they're definitely mother and son, both with killer acting chops!

"Mom, I'm fine," Bai Yinyi said in her usual calm tone. She asked gently, with a hint of concern, "Is work keeping you busy?"

"...Nah, not really."

"Have you been eating okay?"

"...Yeah, yeah."

"Are you and His Highness getting along okay?"

"...Yeah, we're good."

Wait, what?!

Bai Chen: ...Wait, what???

Crap, I fell for it again!!!

He suddenly panicked, stammering, "Mom, what did you say? I didn't catch that. Is the connection bad again?"

Bai Yinyi: "..."

She scoffed and got straight to the point, "You've been on a variety show lately, huh?"

"When you're free, let me know. We'll grab a bite, just the two of us."

So, she's gonna settle the score later?

Then, the call suddenly ended.

The little Omega's face fell.

He hung his head and trudged back to Xie Yilin, looking sullen.

Xie Yilin had been keeping an eye on him the whole time.

He couldn't hear the conversation or see who was calling, but the Omega's nervousness was obvious when the call started. And after the call, Bai Chen's mood swings were pretty obvious.

His fingers tensed, and a curious glint appeared in his eyes.

The Alpha casually moved closer, asking, "What's up?"

"...It's nothing, really."

Bai Chen's smile was obviously fake.

Not as sweet as usual. Even his dimple disappeared.

Like a sweet orange temporarily deprived of sunlight and shrouded in shadow, Bai Chen said listlessly, "Your Highness, where are we going?"

To be honest, he wasn't in the mood to go out and have fun for now.

He just wanted to find a place to calm down and think about how to explain things to Bai Yinyi.

Should he bluff, bluff, or bluff?

Meanwhile, although he knew that Bai Chen and the others had slipped away, Song Lei, the agent, still feeling a bit uneasy, sent Bai Chen a message right then.

"Buzz."

His phone buzzed briefly.

Bai Chen checked his phone.

Song Lei's first message: "Where did you run off to? At least give me a heads-up on your location so I can pick you up. Seriously, Bai Chen, you've changed since marrying His Highness. You've been acting like this?"

Song Lei's second message: "Look, I get you're in the honeymoon phase and not really listening, but you really need to think carefully. You can't let love blind you; you've got to think about yourself too..."

...And there was a third message.

"Your mom just called, asking what's up. I was too embarrassed to admit I had no clue. You better handle this carefully and explain it properly to her!"

Bai Chen: ...

Even off the capital planet, Bai Mom's reputation still holds strong, scaring Song Lei so much he forgot his punctuation.

Before he could respond, Song Lei sent another message.

"Bai Chen! Big news! The show's adding a guest star next episode! Guess who it is!"

"Someone connected to you, who also had a thing for you..."

Bai Chen paused mid-step.

Then he suddenly stopped, turned, and locked eyes with Xie Yilin.

The Omega tilted his head, his expression serious, like he was wrestling with a tough question.

Xie Yilin frowned slightly.

He hadn't heard the conversation or seen Song Lei's messages—he had no idea what was bothering Bai Chen.

But seeing the little sweet orange lose its sunshine and fall into shadow was enough to tug at anyone's heartstrings.

Even he... felt a pang.

Bai Chen pursed his lips, looking unusually solemn and serious, like he was about to drop some heavy news. For the first time, he looked completely earnest, his usual smile nowhere to be seen.

The man's cool gray eyes calmly watched him.

But his fingers, hanging at his sides, subtly tensed.

Then the Omega spoke: "Your Highness."

"We've got a problem!"

"We need to mark each other again!"

Author's note: Rounding off, this counts as a kiss, right? Bold and unapologetic! Thick, thick, thick double arrows—the main couple is 1V1, each other's only, and the supporting characters are just tools!

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Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines or irrigated nutrient solution for me from 2021-08-24 10:48:05~2021-08-25 10:04:10~

Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Bai Zena, Cheng Jun 1 each;

Thank you to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Star Sauce 106 bottles; Cheng Jun 96 bottles; A Cat 30 bottles; Zhu Yu 20 bottles; 19389529 14 bottles; Black and White Fur Balls, Yuzu Milk Green, KKKKaaa, 34815098, 47818083 10 bottles each; Wen Yu 8 bottles; A Little Fox Demon, 42279875, Pi 5 bottles each; Huan Yu 4 bottles; Shu Ben Yan You, Mo Yin 3 bottles each; Zhi Li Zhi, Ya Xi, Bai Zena 2 bottles each; San Qi., Not Eating Grapes Eating Cherries, Man Zhi, Digging into Jinjiang's Long Bankruptcy, Summer Starlight, Bai Mu Qin Jiu, 22365657 1 bottle each;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!