Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Cheng Yu'an curled up on the couch watching TV, feeling drowsy, his eyes gradually closing.

When he woke up again, he didn't know when he'd been carried to bed.

As usual, he was woken up in the morning for breakfast.

His belly was heavy now, making it hard to walk. Even the short walk to the bathroom was a struggle.

Pei Qingji helped him to the bathroom, but Cheng Yu'an wouldn't let him in to help, so Pei waited at the door.

As soon as Cheng Yu'an walked in, he was a bit surprised.

On the sink, his tooth cup was already filled with water, and a toothbrush with toothpaste squeezed onto it was resting on top.

His washbasin was also filled with water, with the face towel within reach beside it.

Pei Qingji had noticed that bending over to wash up was hard for him. At first, he'd wanted to help, but since Cheng Yu'an wouldn't allow it, he'd prepared everything for washing up first, then called him to get up.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Cheng Yu'an was helped back downstairs.

Sometimes their fingertips would brush unconsciously, and his body would stiffen involuntarily.

That morning, Pei Qingji had made pigeon congee.

"The master of the house got up early to cook this," the servant said with a smile as she brought the congee over.

"Ma'am, careful, it's hot."

Cheng Yu'an sat down and nodded.

Eating the congee in the morning warmed him up all over.

But after a few bites, he found it bland, his mouth feeling tasteless, and he wanted something else.

He wondered if he was being too picky.

In the past, he'd have been thrilled to eat pigeon congee...

The morning was pretty boring—just feeding the little rabbit, watching TV, taking a walk, and watering the flowers now and then.

At lunchtime, Pei Qingji, having noticed his recent tastes, switched to different dishes.

Cheng Yu'an tried a few bites of the cold cucumber salad.

Looking at the table full of dishes, he suddenly felt his mouth was completely tasteless, and he couldn't eat anything.

Cheng Yu'an suddenly had a craving for dessert.

But seeing how many dishes Pei had made for him, he forced himself to eat a few bites and hastily took some mouthfuls of rice.

Pei Qingji noticed and frowned slightly.

"If you can't eat, don't force it."

Guess these dishes didn't suit his taste either.

"What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you."

Cheng Yu'an instinctively wanted to say no, but his mouth really had no taste, so he said, "I want dessert."

Pei Qingji nodded and said, in a coaxing tone, "Can you eat a few more bites of rice? Eating too much of that isn't good for you."

When Cheng Yu'an heard that he wouldn't give it to him, he felt a surge of anger for no reason. His face went cold, and he turned away, refusing to look at him.

Pei Qingji let out a soft sigh. "I'll buy it for you. Just eat a few more bites, okay? I'll be back by the time you finish your meal."

Cheng Yu'an realized he'd lost his temper again.

He regretted it a bit.

About half an hour later, Pei Qingji drove back, having bought dessert from a shop Cheng Yu'an used to love.

When Cheng Yu'an saw the dessert, his mood inexplicably lifted a bit.

It was a small blueberry-flavored cake with raspberry jam filling.

Pei Qingji cut a small piece of the cake, put it on a plate, and handed him a fork.

"The cake's too cold, so don't eat too much—it's hard to digest. There's more for tomorrow."

Cheng Yu'an was in a much better mood now and didn't get angry at his words.

But when he took an eager bite of the small cake, he found it was just so-so.

It wasn't what he'd imagined.

Cheng Yu'an only had a few bites before stopping.

"Don't want any more?" Pei Qingji took the remaining cake and set it on the table nearby.

He didn't answer, but he thought it was wasteful and felt conflicted.

Pei Qingji seemed to read his thoughts and smiled. "This cake is naturally rich. It's normal to lose interest after a bite."

Cheng Yu'an felt a bit better after that.

Now he suddenly wanted something sour.

Cheng Yu'an felt he'd become really strange lately—his tastes kept changing, sometimes craving spicy, sometimes sour, sometimes sweet.

"Want something sour?" Pei Qingji didn't blame him; he asked gently instead.

"I'll make it for you."

He then went to the kitchen to make it without a single complaint, working willingly.

Cheng Yu'an felt a little uneasy.

It only took a few minutes to make.

He took a few bites—sweet and sour, just the flavor he liked.

It perfectly washed away the cloying cake taste in his mouth.

He ended up finishing the whole plate, and even Cheng Yu'an was a bit surprised, since he'd never eaten that much before.

And even after eating, he still wanted more—he felt hungry all the time, like his mouth was always craving something.

He had no idea what was going on with him.

"The baby's growing and taking more nutrients from you, so it's natural to feel hungrier. It's totally normal, don't worry."

Cheng Yu'an nodded, finally reassured.

He watched Pei Qingji, who'd been running around catering to his changing cravings, and went quiet.

"What else do you want to eat? I'll make it for you?"

Cheng Yu'an shook his head, saying he didn't want anything else.

He always only took a few bites, which felt wasteful, even though Pei Qingji always finished whatever he left.

Pei Qingji sat at the other end of the couch reading a book, while he sat on the couch watching TV.

He felt a dull ache at the back of his neck.

It was a pheromone issue; the doctor had said his hormones might be a bit unstable during this time.

Cheng Yu'an felt uncomfortable but could barely stand it, and he couldn't bring himself to ask for help.

He pressed the remote, planning to switch channels to distract himself.

Then, the next second, a familiar figure appeared in front of him.

"What's wrong? Your back sore? Let me rub it for you." Pei Qingji said, reaching out to rub his lower back.

The two of them were really close.

Cheng Yu'an's body tensed up; he could even smell the cedar-scented pheromones on him.

And just smelling those pheromones made his mood lift.

"You..." Cheng Yu'an looked up like he wanted to say something, but the words died in his throat, and he turned his head away.

"What were you going to say?"

"Nothing."

"You want my pheromones?" Pei Qingji seemed to sense something, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes.

Cheng Yu'an's face went cold, and reacting, he shot back, "Who wants your pheromones?"

"Alright, my bad, I misspoke." Pei Qingji immediately apologized.

"You feeling uncomfortable now? Want some of my pheromones?"

"No need."

"You sure?"

Pei Qingji's eyes sparkled with amusement: "You uncomfortable?"

Cheng Yu'an told a little lie, saying coldly, "I'm not uncomfortable."

But the very next second, a piece of clothing was draped over his shoulders.

This was Pei Qingji's; he'd taken off his jacket, leaving only his shirt underneath.

He instinctively tried to pull it off, but Pei Qingji stopped him.

"You're uncomfortable; having my clothes on will help a bit." The worry in Pei Qingji's eyes seemed real.

Cheng Yu'an pursed his lips but didn't take it off, and he could feel himself feeling a bit better.

But he really didn't want to keep his stuff on; it felt awkward and super uncomfortable, so he could only keep a cold face.

The stinging pain at the back of his neck eased up, quickly relieved.

"Don't sit so close to me."

Pei Qingji was a bit confused: "Why?"

"Okay."

Seeing that he didn't respond, Pei Qingji hadn't expected that his efforts to be attentive would now result in not being able to sit close, and his eyes showed a hint of disappointment.

"I won't bother you; can I just sit right here?" His voice unconsciously softened a few notches, sounding a bit hurt.

Cheng Yu'an knew he was doing it on purpose, and said coldly, "It'd be even better if you sat farther away."

His mind was clear now, not like that day when he wasn't thinking straight, so why make that face?

When the servants saw their master making that face at their mistress, they all widened their eyes in shock.

Not to mention they all knew the master was currently the hottest top-tier singer; if fans found out about this, they'd be blown away.

Let alone the master's attitude right now.

Cheng Yu'an sat on the couch watching TV, wearing his clothes, but the owner of those clothes was sitting at the other end of the couch, with enough space between them to fit several people.

And Pei Qingji's eager gaze was hard to ignore, like a devoted husband statue staring this way.

Unfortunately, the wife herself didn't even glance over.

Cheng Yu'an wanted to shower today.

The servants had gotten all his toiletries ready.

Pei Qingji suggested going in together, but of course, Cheng Yu'an firmly rejected that idea.

"Okay, I'll be outside; call me if you need anything."

I'm taking a shower, and he wants to come in and help? Is he addicted to helping? How can he even help with something like this?!

And when he refused, the latter's expression looked very disappointed.

Cheng Yu'an found it somewhat absurd, and more than anything, uncomfortable.

The bathroom heater was already on. He brushed his teeth and washed his face first. He had a bit of a belly, which made him a little clumsy, but he could still handle it himself.

However, when he got in the shower and tried to wash his back, Cheng Yuan realized he just couldn't reach it.

He tried a few times, but no luck.

The bathroom door was frosted, and he could see Pei Qingji's silhouette outside.

He pressed his lips together, stood on his tiptoes, and reached out, but he still couldn't get it.

Cheng Yuan glanced outside, hesitating.

If he asked him to come in, it'd be super awkward, but he needed someone's help.

Otherwise, he'd never be able to reach his back.

But he didn't want a servant to help, and he didn't want Pei Qingji to help either.

Cheng Yuan felt stuck.

Plus, he was completely naked, so it would be so awkward.

Time kept passing, but he couldn't stall forever. Being in the bathroom with the gas heater on for too long would make him lightheaded.

He glanced at the figure outside again. It seemed like he hadn't moved at all since Cheng Yuan went in.

Cheng Yuan pressed his lips together. At the last second, he gritted his teeth and shut his eyes.

"Um..."

He barely got two words out before stopping short, because he really didn't know how to ask.

In the end, he switched to calling his name.

"...Pei Qingji."

Pei Qingji immediately stepped forward and asked him through the bathroom door.

"I'm here."

Author's note:

None