Chapter 44: Nan Zhi returns!
After that day, He Yu Shen became busy again, while Nan Yi wondered when to retrieve the test results.
His painting had been somewhat distracted recently, only finishing this week's work on the last day.
He kept recalling that fleeting glimpse of a face at the hospital entrance, convinced he couldn't have been mistaken.
He decided to go home and see for himself.
Nan Yi left in the afternoon. The sun was warm when he departed, but by the time he reached home, there was a light drizzle.
"Is this the residence, madam?"
Nan Yi nodded and stepped out of the car.
The house had been renovated. The duplex entrance seemed much taller, and two stone lions now flanked the door.
He remembered they weren't there the day he left.
It seems Nan Zhi Min's recent business ventures had been fruitful, amassing quite a fortune.
The driver, seeing him alight, hurriedly followed with an umbrella, though the drizzle was too light to really matter.
Nan Yi had bought numerous gifts, spending most of his savings. Thankfully, his salary would be paid in another half month.
"Madam, let me help you with that."
Xiao Wang, holding the umbrella, offered to take some items from Nan Yi.
Nan Yi smiled and gently shook his head.
He didn't invite Xiao Wang inside. Selfishly, he didn't want an outsider to witness him being despised.
An additional swimming pool and fish pond now grace the courtyard, a testament to Nan Zhaimin's ever-quirky taste.
The house echoed with laughter and chatter. As Nan Yi ascended the two steps to the living room, he froze upon taking in the scene inside.
Besides Nan Zhaimin, Xu Fang, and his half-sister who's an omega, there was one more person.
It was the long-lost Nan Zhi.
That face, lively and innocent, resembling his own, made Nan Yi's expression change.
It was indeed Nan Zhi he had seen at the hospital. He hadn't been mistaken.
His steps felt as though they were weighed down with lead, making his entrance heavy.
"Oh, when did Little Yi return?"
The sharp voice of Xu Fang, who was the first to notice Nan Yi, chimed in.
At her words, everyone's gaze turned towards the entrance.
"What bad luck!" The sixteen-year-old Nan Xin, with evident disdain, spoke openly, truly lacking Xu Fang's pretense of civility.
Nan Yi walked into the room, handing his gifts to a nearby servant.
Moments passed and still, no one accepted them, even the servant seemed to ignore Nan Yi.
"Why are you back?" Nan Zhaimin's face darkened, his tone devoid of the joy of a child's return, only disdain.
Nan Yi simply remained silent, placing the gifts he brought on a chair.
"Brother's back." Nan Zhi exclaimed with a smile, even standing up excitedly.
Nan Yi slightly furrowed his brows, casting a glance at his twin brother.
"I asked you why you're back. Did He Shao kick you out?"
Nan Zhaimin waited impatiently for a response from the emotionless Nan Yi.
"Oh! Does this mean they'll take back our plot of land? We've already built and sold houses there. What will we do?" Xu Fang voiced her concern.
"Brother is so handsome. How could He Shao bear to chase him away? Did you, by any chance, offend him, brother?"
Nan Zhi's words took Nan Zhaimin by surprise.
"What! You dared to cross He Yushen? Do you realize the consequences? Our Nan family won't have a place in City A anymore!"
In less than ten minutes of his arrival, Nan Yi had been falsely accused.
Everyone was concerned about whether He Yushen had grown tired of him, yet no one mentioned a word about any injustice he might have faced as the substitute groom.
Fortunately, Nan Yi had grown accustomed to such treatment and just gazed indifferently at the group.
The care and warmth he yearned for would never come from his kin.
"Brother, you must explain."
Nan Zhi was anxious, even pulling out his phone and presenting it to Nan Yi.
With a stern face, Nan Zhaimin sat in the primary seat, stating, "If you were half as considerate as your brother, I wouldn't be this worried."
"Master, Nan Yi is understanding too. He even brought us gifts upon his return. If only he were a regular Omega. Now, discarded as an inferior Omega, I wonder who would still want him."
"Such cheap gifts and you dare bring them home? Even our housemaid wouldn't fancy them."
Nan Xin walked to the pile of gifts, flicking them with two fingers, her face full of disdain.
"If this is called being considerate, when I marry Mr. Yin, I'll prepare bird's nest soup for you daily."
"Haha, sure."
From the moment he entered, Nan Yi hadn't even had the chance to sit down; it felt like he was specifically here to be insulted.
Nan Yi typed [I'm leaving now] before turning to leave.
"Ah! Brother, you just came back and you're leaving already?"
"Brother, if you can't handle He Shao, perhaps we can switch places. After all, I am a high-quality Omega. Maybe He Shao might prefer someone like me."
Nan Yi's hand was grasped, a strong force preventing him from turning.
His breath hitched, and he looked at Nan Zhi in disbelief.
He typed angrily, telling Nan Zhi that He Yushen had already marked him.
But after glancing at the message, Nan Zhi remained silent.
Nan Yi's expression darkened, his irritation suddenly flaring.
[He hasn't grown tired of me]
[And he would never take a liking to you]
"Exactly! How did we overlook that? Initially, wasn't He Shao interested in marrying little Zhi?"
Xu Fang's eyes sparkled with greed, having already benefited from He Yushen's land.
If she could gain more advantages from He Yushen, would she not effortlessly secure a place in high society?
Nan Zhaimin, however, furrowed his brows and said coldly, "No."
"Why?" Xu Fang was puzzled. Knowing Nan Zhaimin's insatiable greed, how could he possibly pass up such an opportunity?
"Besides, that Alpha from Yushi associated with little Zhi..."
"Aunt Fang! Still hoping for that villa on the south side?" Nan Zhi interrupted with a smile.
"What do you know? Do you even realize how we acquired that piece of land?" Nan Zhaimin retorted, casting a displeased glance at Xu Fang.
Nan Yi's face turned somewhat pale. He knew that piece of land was the price for selling himself.
Even after He Yushen discovered he was a pretender, Nan Zhaimin still took the land and gave him to He Yushen.
Not wanting to hear any more, he shrugged off the hand holding him and stormed out of the Nan residence.
Once again, he was starkly reminded: This was the Nan family's home, not his.
On a drizzly winter day, the warmth from the car's heater enveloped Xiao Wang, who was almost dozing off in the passenger seat while scrolling through a fantasy novel.
After yawning thrice, he set his phone aside intending to sleep but noticed Nan Yi, who had just entered the house not more than half an hour ago, was now exiting.
Even though he had just come from indoors, his face appeared chilled, with reddened cheeks.
Xiao Wang hadn't anticipated Nan Yi leaving so soon. With his drowsiness now waned, he pulled the car forward so its door aligned with Nan Yi.
Without hesitation, the figure beside the stone lion got into the car.
"Madam, are you intending to return home?"
Nan Yi nodded in affirmation.
Until the car drove off, no one had come out of that door guarded by two stone lions.
It took Nan Yi a long while to compose himself, his heart racing in a mix of anger and panic.
An indescribable feeling.
Initially, he had hoped for Nan Zhi to show up soon, so he could leave the ill-tempered alpha.
But now, he felt unsettled at Nan Zhi's sudden appearance.
He didn't want to leave He Yushen anymore, let alone hand over the alpha who had marked him.
Since he was marked, that alpha was his.
Nan Yi recognized it - he had unwittingly fallen for He Yushen.