The Unattainable Flower Pulled Down from the Pedestal by Universal Dislike – CH67

Chapter 67 (Extra)

The wet patch slowly spread downward, and Lin Song’an looked at Tan Ning in surprise. Tan Ning kept his lovely face steady, demanding, “Are you going to take them off or not?”

Lin Song’an took the showerhead from Tan Ning’s hand, placing it back on its holder. Then he stepped closer, and as the mist began to dissipate under the bathroom’s bright lights, he could clearly see the changes in Tan Ning’s expression.

“Why should I take them off?”

Tan Ning, now without a “weapon,” dropped his head.

When Lin Song’an wrapped his arms around him and held his slim wrist, Tan Ning mumbled, “You can go back to being clingy.”

Lin Song’an chuckled, pretending not to hear him. “What was that?”

“You can go back…to being clingy,” Tan Ning said quickly, as if worried Lin Song’an would actually hear.

Lin Song’an pulled him fully into his arms, murmuring, “Not annoyed by my clinginess anymore?”

Tan Ning stayed silent.

“Then, next time in front of Yan Wenqing, what are you going to call me?”

“My husband.”

“Say it again.”

Tan Ning looked deeply aggrieved, lowering his eyes and muttering like a whisper, “…this is my husband.”

“I’m not satisfied with just that anymore—let’s change it.”

Tan Ning started to get irritated. He didn’t like surrendering control to Lin Song’an, nor did he appreciate when Lin Song’an exerted his natural alpha presence, subtly compelling him to yield. Tan Ning turned his head away slightly, his lips barely curving downward in protest.

Lin Song’an knew he had to stop while he was ahead.

It was like waving a feathered toy at a cat—just a few playful swipes to spark the little cat’s curiosity were enough. If he went overboard, he’d get nothing but scratches for his trouble.

He gently lifted Tan Ning’s chin, tilting his face to meet his gaze, then leaned in and kissed him. His lips landed on Tan Ning’s forehead, then his nose; faint droplets from Tan Ning’s face clung to Lin Song’an’s lips.

With the air warm and the steam rising, Lin Song’an, worried Tan Ning might catch cold, lifted him up and carried him out of the bathroom, settling him gently under the covers.

Tan Ning noticed that the flowers in the vase beside the bed were wilting and would need replacing, but he didn’t plan to buy the same champagne-colored roses he’d given Fang Jin. Instead, he thought red roses, vibrant and full, with the language of passionate love, were more suited to Lin Song’an. He wrapped his arms around Lin Song’an’s shoulders, his hands running along the defined muscles on Lin Song’an’s shoulders and down his strong arms, before pressing him closer by the back of his neck.

Although Tan Ning hadn’t quite given in with words as Lin Song’an had wanted, he was glad Lin Song’an still accepted him.

The setting sun cast its rays over the distant woods, painting the leaves with a golden glow. As the breeze stirred the evening clouds and the birds returned to their nests, Tan Ning nudged Lin Song’an, saying he was thirsty. Lin Song’an released him, went to the kitchen, and returned with a glass of water.

When he re-entered the bedroom, their eyes met, and Tan Ning suddenly bolted upright, leaning over the side of the bed to urgently check the trash can. Then he looked back at Lin Song’an, horror-stricken: “Did you wear one just now?”

Lin Song’an froze.

They had just come out of their cold war, and once in bed, they had flared up like dry tinder, eager to make up for the past few days with little thought for precautions.

Back when Lin Song’an was still a level-nine alpha, he’d always kept a few in his car, his bag, and even in Tan Ning’s bag. But after the surgery to remove his gland, his rank was lower, and without those unpredictable impulses from heat cycles, they’d occasionally skipped protection. A few moments ago… it seemed they may have done just that…

Tan Ning stared at Lin Song’an, looking a little dazed.

Lin Song’an quickly sat next to him, bringing the glass of water to Tan Ning’s lips, coaxing him to take small sips as he reassured him, “It’s unlikely, Ning Ning. Don’t worry too much.”

Tan Ning’s delayed reaction turned to irritation. “I told you not to do that position. I hate it when I’m lying on my side, but you insisted.”

Lin Song’an let Tan Ning’s soft fists pound on him, willingly playing the scapegoat. Once Tan Ning had vented, Lin Song’an pulled him into his arms. “Who was it just now who was using the shower head on me, telling me to take off my pants? It’s true what they say: ‘Put on your pants, and you forget everything.’ Or actually, you didn’t even have pants on yet, and you’d already forgotten.”

Tan Ning puffed out his cheeks in an annoyed glare, while Lin Song’an laughed and patted his hair.

Seeing Tan Ning’s expression brought Lin Song’an back to their college days in that cramped car. He hadn’t wanted a casual relationship, yet he couldn’t resist Tan Ning’s presence. Sometimes he’d push things a little, making Tan Ning feel a bit of pain so he’d complain softly—at least they’d talk a little afterward instead of parting as strangers.

“Little Cat Tan,” Lin Song’an encircled Tan Ning, using his arm as a pillow and wrapping himself around him. Rubbing Tan Ning’s belly, he said with a grin, “What if there’s a little kitten in here?”

Tan Ning smacked his hand.

Lin Song’an whispered in his ear, “Just kidding, Ning Ning. With the residual pheromones I have now, the chances of you getting pregnant are very low.”

Hearing this, Tan Ning suddenly felt a pang of sadness. He looked down, fighting the stinging in his nose. Burrowing into Lin Song’an’s arms, he thought: if there was a little kitten, it might not be so bad.

But although he thought so, Tan Ning wasn’t quite prepared for the idea of a “little kitten.”

He soon brushed off the incident.

A month later, Tan Ning was so busy at the law firm that he hardly touched the ground. Two mergers he was working on were progressing far faster than expected, compressing about two weeks’ worth of work into just one. Yan Wenqing occasionally stepped in to help.

“Coconut iced latte,” Yan Wenqing set the coffee on Tan Ning’s desk.

“Thank you,” Tan Ning replied immediately.

Yan Wenqing asked casually, “Hasn’t Mr. Lin been picking you up after work much lately?”

Tan Ning paused. “He’s been on a business trip the past few days.”

“With you both being so busy, you must not see each other often?”

“Not really,” Tan Ning flipped through his files. “We try to stagger our schedules so that we’re not both busy at the same time. By the way, do you have the new rules for quarterly reports from the STAR Market? I couldn’t find them online.”

“I do—I’ll send it to you shortly.”

“Thanks.”

As Yan Wenqing watched Tan Ning concentrate on his work, noting his clean jawline and the few stray strands of long hair that didn’t hide his delicate, dark lashes, he felt drawn in by the quiet, almost magnetic energy Tan Ning projected.

“How did you meet Mr. Lin?”

“We were college classmates.”

“Was he also in law?”

“No, he studied finance.”

“So how did you two cross paths?”

Tan Ning wasn’t fond of people probing his personal life, particularly his relationship with Lin Song’an. Although he had been friendly with Yan Wenqing, Lin Song’an’s jealousy had made him more aware of certain subtleties. Yan Wenqing seemed to toe a line.

Tan Ning looked up at him. “I fell in love at first sight and chased him.”

Yan Wenqing was caught off guard, blinking in surprise before recovering with a smile. “So that’s how it was.”

Tan Ning returned his attention to his documents.

Realizing he’d overstayed his welcome, Yan Wenqing added, “I’ll send over the original regulation text shortly.”

No sooner had he left than a message from Lin Song’an appeared on Tan Ning’s phone. [Baby, I have a dinner party tonight. I promise not to drink, and I’ll be home by nine.]

Tan Ning’s mood soured immediately. He replied curtly, [Oh.]

He took a sip of the coconut latte, but a wave of nausea rose from his stomach. Rushing to the restroom, he couldn’t vomit despite multiple attempts, though the feeling persisted.

Thinking over what he’d eaten, he recalled it was blander than usual since he hadn’t had much appetite for the past few days.

Wait, no appetite, nausea…

An unsettling thought struck him.

After quickly getting permission from his supervisor, he grabbed his bag and drove to the hospital. An hour later, he held the test results in his hands.

It read: Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) 595 IU/L, 4 weeks pregnant.

Seeing the word “pregnant” filled his mind with question marks. How could he possibly be pregnant? Alphas and betas couldn’t conceive so easily. Betas didn’t even have fully developed reproductive organs, not to mention that Lin Song’an had removed his gland—he wasn’t even a top-tier alpha anymore! Yet Lin Song’an’s remaining 30% pheromones still had this kind of impact?

He held his forehead, struggling to process the idea of a new life within him.

With each step back to the doctor, he forced himself forward, listening as they explained early pregnancy precautions.

“When betas become pregnant, they may experience reactions similar to omegas, though they won’t crave pheromones as an omega would. But they might become especially attached to their mate.”

“What kind of attachment?” Tan Ning asked, strangely anxious.

“For instance, they may feel very down when alone, become emotional, or even experience skin hunger—unable to be without physical touch for even a moment.”

Tan Ning said, “Not me. At least, I won’t.”

Feeling disoriented, he returned home and tried to make himself dinner, but even the thought of food turned his stomach. The house felt hollow, as if he were the last person on earth, and his heart felt oddly empty, in need of Lin Song’an’s warmth.

He rarely felt this sentimental.

Tan Ning shook his head, taking off his jacket and heading to the bedroom.

He refused to believe he was a slave to his biology. He wasn’t going to succumb like the doctor had described.

Skin hunger? It was ridiculous.

Surely he could overcome it.

*

Lin Song’an checked the time, excusing himself once more to step away and send Tan Ning a message.

[Ning Ning, what did you have for dinner?]

Tan Ning didn’t reply.

Used to Tan Ning’s cool responses, he sent another: [The Ningjiang Building is having a fireworks show tonight. Want to go? I’ll come to get you, okay?]

At last, Tan Ning responded: [No.]

Lin Song’an chuckled. [Little Cat doesn’t like fireworks?]

[No.]

Lin Song’an’s grin widened as he teased, [Got it. Fireworks could set Little Cat’s tail on fire.]

Tan Ning didn’t reply right away. Just as Lin Song’an was about to pocket his phone and return to the event, a new message popped up.

[Lin Song’an, come home.]

Without hesitation, Lin Song’an made his way back, excusing himself from the gathering and giving his assistant some quick instructions before driving to the villa.

Tan Ning must have had some sort of issue. Maybe he’d fallen or hurt his hand; otherwise, he wouldn’t be upset enough to ask Lin Song’an to drop everything.

On most nights, even when he was out until late, Tan Ning rarely prompted him to return home. It was usually Lin Song’an himself who’d text, asking if Tan Ning was awake or if they could sleep together when he returned. Tan Ning’s response was usually, [I’ll wait for you, but don’t keep checking your phone; it’ll raise eyebrows.]

Most of the time, Tan Ning was still his usual cool and reserved self—a little cat with a frozen heart and steely resolve.

As soon as Lin Song’an stepped in the door, he looked around. Tan Ning wasn’t in the living room, so he changed his shoes and walked toward the bedroom, stopping in his tracks just before the door.

His clothes were scattered messily from the entrance of the walk-in closet on the right side, trailing into the bedroom.

For a moment, Lin Song’an thought they’d been robbed. Cautiously, he checked the small cabinets in the closet where his jewelry and accessories were stored. All his watches, each worth seven figures, were untouched and in their usual places.

Not a robbery?

Leaving the closet, Lin called, “Ning Ning.”

There was no response at first, then a faint sniffle came from the corner of the room.

Lin Song’an’s heart jolted, and he immediately walked over.

There, he found Tan Ning wrapped up in his suit jacket, cheeks flushed, amber eyes filled with unshed tears. Huddled within the pile of clothing, he clutched the suit jacket tightly, half his face buried in the collar, breathing heavily.

Lin Song’an was caught off guard, then quickly knelt before Tan Ning. “Ning Ning, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me.”

Tan Ning sobbed as he buried himself in Lin Song’an’s arms.

With his arms tightly wrapped around Lin’s waist, he pressed his face into Lin’s chest, sniffling, “Why did it take you so long to come home?”

“I—”

Lin Song’an gently lifted him out of the clothing pile, holding him so they faced each other. As he adjusted his grip under Tan Ning’s legs, he heard a panicked, “No, not like this!”

“What’s wrong?”

Tan Ning curled up in Lin Song’an’s arms, seeming shy and embarrassed. After a moment, he guided Lin Song’an’s hand to his stomach and whispered, “Lin Song’an, you’re going to have two cats to take care of.”

Lin Song’an blinked, not immediately comprehending.

The next second, he noticed a medical report on the nightstand with a doctor’s scrawl: Confirmed Pregnancy.

“Pregnant?”

Tan Ning nodded.

Lin Song’an was in shock, unable to process the news for a long time.

Tears fell from Tan Ning’s eyes as he sobbed, “It’s all your fault.”

Lin Song’an quickly comforted him, wiping his tears with his thumb. “It’s my fault, all my fault. Ning Ning, don’t cry.”

Seeing Tan Ning’s reaction, Lin Song’an first thought he might not want the child. Tan Ning was doing well at the law firm, adapting quickly to his work, and it was an ideal time to build experience. When they’d talked about kids in the past, Tan Ning had always seemed uninterested.

“Ning Ning, if you…” Lin Song’an hesitated, “if you don’t want the baby, we don’t have to…”

Tan Ning looked at him blankly, and suddenly tears spilled down his cheeks like a broken string of pearls.

Realizing his mistake, Lin Song’an hugged him tightly. “I was wrong; I didn’t mean that. I’m very happy—really happy. How could I not love a little kitten?”

Expecting Tan Ning to get angry, Lin Song’an was surprised when he simply sat back in the clothing pile, wiping his tears. No matter how Lin Song’an tried to hold him, he wouldn’t come out.

Lin Song’an informed Fang Jin about the pregnancy, then went to the kitchen to make Tan Ning a snack.

Tan Ning took only a couple of bites before stopping, saying he was sleepy and wanted to go to bed.

Holding Lin Song’an’s pajamas, he curled up under the blankets and quickly fell asleep. Lin Song’an tidied up the scattered clothes piece by piece and finally climbed into bed, gently embracing Tan Ning.

In the middle of the night, Lin Song’an suddenly felt a warm, damp sensation on his neck, followed by the light touch of someone undoing the buttons of his pajamas. Startled, he opened his eyes and caught the mischievous hand.

In the moonlight, Tan Ning blinked innocently, his light-colored eyes wide. He slipped his slender fingers into Lin Song’an’s pajamas, touching his shoulder and abs, pressing himself closely against him.

“No pajamas,” Tan Ning whispered.

He seemed like a different person, with no hint of his usual coolness.

Plastered to Lin Song’an, he softened his voice when he saw no reaction. “Husband, hold me.”