Chapter 56: Always Like Baby
Originally, Ye Zhile planned to give New Year gifts to everyone around him on the first day of the New Year. As a result, due to his physical condition, he couldn’t get up and dragged it out until the second day to hand them out. Leng Xingtu was the first to give him a return gift. After eating breakfast, he sat on the sofa to open it. It was a highly valuable watch. The watch was very refined, not rugged and grand like an Alpha’s. He wore it on his wrist and took a picture for Leng Xingtu.
Ye Zhile: [Image] Looks so good! I like it!
Leng Xingtu: [Image] I also like the brooch you gave me! Muah!
Ye Zhile smiled and continued to open the New Year gifts from his Big Brother and Second Brother. A small diamond crown, and another large gift which he had Uncle Xu help him open. It was a mechanical puppet given by his Second Brother, as tall as his shoulder.
Ye Zhile was overjoyed, sending photos one by one to give his feedback.
Recently, the Supreme Leader’s Ministry was very busy. It was probably Rhea Star stirring up trouble again. The Supreme Leader had gone to the Ministry early in the morning. After eating lunch and watching the news report on the war situation, Ye Zhile suddenly had a whim to make some pastries to bring to the adult.
Ye Zhile immediately got to work. He had now learned how to make pineapple pastry cakes, but eating them frequently could get tiring. He asked the auntie to teach him to make a kind of soft and glutinous cake.
In the end, Ye Zhile and the auntie made blueberry sandwich cakes. He packed them up and headed to the Supreme Leader’s Ministry.
Translator’s Note: Ming Xi addresses Ye Zhile as xiao saosao (小嫂嫂), which literally translates to “little sister-in-law”. In Chinese culture, friends often refer to their buddy’s wife/spouse playfully as saozi (sister-in-law). Here, he adds “little” because Ye Zhile is quite young.
Although Ye Zhile had only been to the Supreme Leader’s Ministry once, he had taken a good tour around that day. Later, after delivering the food, he planned to go to the Ministry’s cafeteria to eat something delicious!
Carrying the food box, Ye Zhile arrived at the Supreme Leader’s office. Just as he was about to knock, he heard someone mention his name inside. His face full of confusion, he listened closely and it seemed to be Ming Xi’s voice.
“I wonder who it was that, the day before getting the marriage certificate with xiao saosao, swore so adamantly that he didn’t like Omegas. Even when Yuanqing said your rut was uncontrollable because of xiao saosao, you still remained stubborn!” Ming Xi crossed his arms and asked him, “Then do you like xiao saosao now?”
Hearing this, Ji Shuohan raised his head. Ming Xi raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me after all this time, your kindness towards him is only out of responsibility? Not even a little bit of like?”
“How great is xiao saosao, young and beautiful. Although your marriage was Minister Ye picking a formidable shield for xiao saosao, and a compromise you made so Minister Ye would have no worries behind…”
“Why do you have so much to say? Did you come here to gossip or talk business?” The look Ji Shuohan cast towards him was like a sharp blade.
“Talk business, talk business. I was just curious, you’re already thirty and your heart has never been moved…” Ming Xi put on a ‘for your own good’ look. “You better put some heart into it, otherwise you’ll regret it later…”
Ye Zhile didn’t hear the end, and that box of pastries was never delivered to the adult. He returned to the Leader’s Manor and shared the pastries with everyone to eat together.
Afterward, Ye Zhile returned to his room and sat there just like that until it was dark.
He finally understood where the feeling of things not being quite right came from. Why the adult clearly said he liked him, but being good to him felt more like a task. It turned out it really was a task—no, more accurately, a responsibility.
Why he said he liked him, yet occasionally showed coldness and distance. Perhaps taking care of him also made him feel annoyed…
So it turned out the adult didn’t like Omegas. They only got married because his Father was worried about him and wanted to find him a strong backing, and the adult only did it so his Father could feel at ease and head to the Federation for negotiations without any worries.
So, was it just his own unrequited affection?…
Ye Zhile gave a light laugh, not knowing how to wrap things up. If he had known, he wouldn’t have gone to deliver any pastries, and even insisted on standing by the door eavesdropping. He was truly finding trouble for himself… Clearly, everyone was doing it for his own good…
But Ye Zhile still felt so incredibly sad. Was all that kindness really just an act?
Ye Zhile raised his head and blinked. He stayed in his room the entire time. When the servants called him for dinner, he didn’t respond, remaining like this until Ji Shuohan came back.
“Why aren’t you eating dinner?” Ji Shuohan came in, wanting to gather the person into his embrace, but Ye Zhile dodged him.
Ye Zhile said, “I’m not hungry.”
Ji Shuohan felt he was acting strange. “What’s wrong?”
Ye Zhile lowered his eyes and pursed his lips. “Does My Lord like me?”
“I like you,” Ji Shuohan said without hesitation. Ye Zhile asked again, “Do you like me now, or did you like me from the very beginning?”
Ji Shuohan fell silent. The light in Ye Zhile’s eyes dimmed instantly. He took a deep breath and said, “My Father is a soldier. He will always be loyal to the people of the Empire. So My Lord doesn’t need to worry that my Father won’t go to the negotiations because of me, and you don’t need to force yourself to marry me.”
“Ye Zhile…” Ji Shuohan was just about to explain to him when an emergency call came through. The Supreme Leader’s Ministry was too busy recently, mostly with war-related matters, so Ji Shuohan couldn’t just ignore it. “In short, it’s not what you think. I will explain it to you later.”
Saying that, Ji Shuohan answered the phone and hurried out, heading straight for the study.
After saying his piece, Ye Zhile felt much lighter inside. He lay on the bed, recalling the day they got their marriage certificate. He had asked the adult why they were getting married, and the adult had said they were very compatible, and that he liked him very much.
At the time, Ye Zhile believed it to be true and was happy for a long time. Thinking about it now, he was truly hopelessly stupid.
Ji Shuohan didn’t return for a long time, and Ye Zhile didn’t wait for him. Feeling sleepy, he just went to sleep. So by the time Ji Shuohan returned, the person had already fallen asleep. Helpless, he also went to sleep.
The next day, Ji Shuohan went to the Supreme Leader’s Ministry very early. Ye Zhile woke up late, so the two of them just missed each other.
Ye Zhile stayed at home. He watched the news reporting the wars breaking out one after another in various places, and saw families who had just reunited now scattering in all directions. His Father was busy deploying strategic plans. The Military Department and the Supreme Leader’s Ministry held a joint press conference, which the Supreme Leader and others attended.
He watched the Supreme Leader speak with assurance and composure, remaining unflustered and handling things with ease when facing questions from alien diplomats and reporters. Ye Zhile understood that he couldn’t get entangled in those minor issues, because the Supreme Leader had much greater things to do.
When Ji Shuohan returned that evening, he originally thought the teenager was still throwing a tantrum and was preparing to explain properly and coax him. However, he saw the teenager sitting at the dining table, greeting him with a radiant smile as soon as he saw him. “My Lord is back? Let’s eat.”
Ji Shuohan was stunned for a moment. He walked over, seeing the teenager acting as if nothing had happened. But he still needed to explain things clearly. Ji Shuohan sat down and pulled Ye Zhile’s hand over. “I heard from Adjutant Wei that you came to the Ministry yesterday. Why didn’t you come in?”
“I was afraid you were busy…” Ye Zhile said. He tried to withdraw his hand, but Ji Shuohan held onto it. “I don’t know what you heard yesterday, but I want to explain it to you.”
Ye Zhile looked up, listening to him speak. “Our marriage in the beginning was indeed because of your Father. He hoped you could have a good home. Accurately speaking, he was afraid he wouldn’t make it back alive and hoped to give you a sanctuary. So in the beginning, I didn’t have… those kinds of thoughts about you.”
Hearing this, when he heard the part about his Father being afraid of not making it back alive, Ye Zhile’s eye sockets instantly moistened. He quickly lowered his eyes. “I know…”
“I haven’t finished speaking. What do you know?” Ji Shuohan gave a light laugh. “In the beginning, it was indeed out of responsibility towards you. I felt I had an obligation to take good care of you, to live up to the promise made to your Father. But Ye Zhile, you are a very kind and cute person. That’s why I like you. Do you understand?”
After listening, tears spilled from Ye Zhile’s eyes. He pushed away the man gazing gently at him and accused, “So My Lord was lying to me all along, saying you liked me, when in fact it wasn’t liking at all, and you answered so naturally… wu…”
Ji Shuohan pulled the person into his embrace, reaching out to wipe away his tears. “If I didn’t say that, you wouldn’t have married me.”
“I would have…” Ye Zhile pouted, unable to hide the grievance in the depths of his eyes. “I would listen to Dad and Father’s words, even if My Lord didn’t like me…”
“Zhile…” Hearing this made Ji Shuohan’s heart clench. He held Ye Zhile in his arms to comfort him.
Ye Zhile felt incredibly wronged, both shy and annoyed. He glared at Ji Shuohan. Ji Shuohan found this pampered and willful little appearance of his endearing.
Ye Zhile wiped his tears, resting both hands on Ji Shuohan’s shoulders. He asked softly, “So My Lord likes me now, right?…”
Ji Shuohan hugged his waist, gently meeting those red, crystal-clear eyes. He said, “I will always like Baby.”
Ye Zhile pursed his lips, his eyes curving into crescents. He hugged Ji Shuohan, his head nestling against his shoulder.
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