AMBTICBPIB Chapter 69

Gu Jin and his friends only realized it was Chu Yi’s birthday when they saw it trending online.

Gu Jin immediately called Shen Jin to complain, “Why didn’t you tell us it was Chu Yi’s birthday?” They were so close to Chu Yi, yet he hadn’t mentioned it.

Though they had missed the actual day, Gu Jin and his friends still wanted to celebrate Chu Yi’s birthday properly.

However, they had previously promised Shen Jin not to invite Chu Yi out again. Whenever Gu Jin brought it up, Shen Jin refused.

The places they could take Chu Yi were too limited.

So the group decided to visit Chu Yi instead.

The next day, Gu Jin and his friends canceled all their plans. They had a far more important matter at hand.

Four luxury cars pulled up to the Shen family villa, and four handsome men emerged.

Chu Yi remarked, “Gu Jin-ge and the others look like a boy band when they stand together—so cool!”

After catching Shen Jin’s gaze, Chu Yi grinned sheepishly. “But you’re the coolest, of course.”

When Gu Jin and the others entered, they found Shen Jin looking unusually cheerful.

“So happy to see us?” Gu Jin asked.

Shen Jin rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed.

But their attention was immediately drawn to Chu Yi.

Having not seen Chu Yi in a long time, Gu Jin and the others had missed him dearly.

The last time they’d seen Chu Yi, his stomach had been flat. Now, his pregnancy was unmistakably visible.

This finally explained why Shen Jin had forbidden them from taking Chu Yi out. Even they felt an instinctive urge to protect him.

Before entering, they had all made sure they didn’t smell of cigarettes.

Gu Jin gazed at Chu Yi. “Chu Yi, you’ve become even more beautiful. You look even better than last time.”

Chu Yi’s cheeks had filled out, his skin was fair and delicate, and his limbs remained slender. Dressed in loose clothing, he sat with a graceful curve, but this only enhanced his natural beauty.

Zhou Tingshen, He Zhuo, and Li Cheng all agreed with Gu Jin. “He’s definitely become much more beautiful.”

Hearing the compliments, Chu Yi smiled shyly. Shen Jin cast a sidelong glance at Gu Jin.

Gu Jin chuckled inwardly. *Is Shen Jin jealous?*

To make up for Chu Yi’s missed birthday, Gu Jin and the others had brought numerous gifts. Chu Yi’s hands ached from receiving them all.

The housekeeper brought out fruit to serve the guests. Gu Jin pushed the platter toward Chu Yi. “You should eat more fruit.”

Everyone eagerly sampled Uncle Wen’s cooking once again.

Zhou Tingshen remarked, “Chu Yi is doing so well now. Uncle Wen deserves at least half the credit. His cooking is just too delicious.”

“Yes, Uncle Wen’s cooking is amazing,” Chu Yi agreed, then added, “Shen Jin’s cooking is also delicious.”

Gu Jin looked genuinely surprised. “Shen Jin can cook?”

It was understandable why they were so astonished. Shen Jin hardly seemed like the type to set foot in a kitchen.

Yet Shen Jin’s Chu Yi was exceptionally well-cared for. Whenever Chu Yi craved something in the middle of the night, it was Shen Jin who prepared it.

Sometimes Chu Yi wanted a simple fried egg, other times garlic vermicelli noodles with shrimp, and occasionally even *jianbing guozi* (Chinese savory crepes).

It was always the same: in the middle of the night, Chu Yi would suddenly crave something he rarely ate.

But no matter what he wanted, Shen Jin would put on an apron, roll up his sleeves, and make it for him. Even the crispy fried dough sticks for his *jianbing guozi* were freshly fried by Shen Jin.

Whatever he cooked, Shen Jin made it look, smell, and taste perfect.

Occasionally, when Uncle Wen woke up and saw the light on in the living room, he would go to investigate. He’d find Chu Yi bent over, eating something in the kitchen, while Shen Jin sat beside him, watching with a tender expression.

Though Shen Jin was an excellent cook, only Chu Yi got to enjoy his culinary skills.

Watching Chu Yi proudly praise Shen Jin’s cooking made Gu Jin and the others envious. After all, who could resist a treasure like Chu Yi?

After finishing his meal, Chu Yi leaned against Shen Jin and yawned while the men chatted. Shen Jin immediately let him lie down with his head in his lap.

Resting his head on Shen Jin’s lap was a comfortable and relaxing position. Before long, Chu Yi fell asleep amidst the murmur of conversation.

The men abruptly stopped talking when they noticed Chu Yi had fallen asleep. Seeing him asleep, Gu Jin and the others quietly left.

Chu Yi slept for over an hour. When he woke up, he found Gu Jin and the others gone. The living room was empty, and as usual, a small blanket had been draped over him.

Looking up, he saw Shen Jin leaning back on the sofa with his eyes closed. He wondered when Shen Jin had fallen asleep.

Generally, when looking up at someone, the perspective is unflattering—even the most attractive person looks awkward from this angle. But Shen Jin was an exception; he looked just as handsome from below.

Chu Yi climbed off Shen Jin’s legs and leaned closer.

Shen Jin was sleeping soundly. Chu Yi watched him for a long time, but he didn’t stir.

Once again, Chu Yi found himself captivated by Shen Jin’s features. Even at this close range, Shen Jin’s skin was flawless, without a single blemish. His gaze drifted to Shen Jin’s eyelashes—long and slightly curled.

As his eyes wandered further, Chu Yi’s gaze settled on Shen Jin’s lips. They were beautifully shaped, perfect for kissing.

Chu Yi glanced around furtively. Everyone seemed busy; there wasn’t a soul in sight.

He gently kissed Shen Jin’s lips, then glanced at him. Shen Jin remained asleep, his utterly defenseless posture undeniably alluring.

Chu Yi leaned in for another kiss. This time, he noticed Shen Jin’s eyelashes flutter and felt his lips twitch. Shen Jin was waking up.

Shen Jin opened his eyes. “Why did you stop?”

Chu Yi’s face flushed, but he retorted with feigned indignation, “You’re awake now!”

Shen Jin seemed genuinely regretful. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have woken up. I should have pretended to sleep a little longer.”

In truth, Shen Jin had been aware the moment Chu Yi rose from his lap. He knew Chu Yi was watching him, and a small sense of smug satisfaction bloomed in his heart. Especially when Chu Yi stole those secret kisses—though he hadn’t seen them, he could vividly imagine Chu Yi’s cautious, adorable demeanor.

The thought proved too tempting to resist.

Chu Yi abruptly changed the subject. “When did Gu Jin and the others leave?”

“They left while you were asleep,” Shen Jin replied.

“Oh,” Chu Yi murmured.

Shen Jin gazed at him, his lashes fluttering slightly. He recalled the image of his little one stealing kisses earlier, a ticklish warmth spreading through his heart. He pulled Chu Yi into his arms and pressed his lips against his.

This wasn’t a kiss, but rather a gentle, tender touch of lips—a series of soft, lingering brushes. Chu Yi giggled, his laughter bubbling up between the kisses.

The other servants bustling about the villa heard Chu Yi’s laughter, as well as Shen Jin’s.

Such laughter had become increasingly frequent and hearty within the villa.

Everyone felt that the villa would become even livelier once the baby arrived. But the current cheerful atmosphere was already wonderful; everyone loved it.

As the two chatted and laughed, Chu Yi’s phone vibrated several times on the table.

After checking his phone, Chu Yi frowned. Noticing his change in expression, Shen Jin asked, “What’s wrong?”

Chu Yi handed the phone to Shen Jin. “They sent me a message.”

After reading the message, Shen Jin understood who Chu Yi meant by “they”: the Chu Family.

Wherever Shen Jin went, Chu Yi was always by his side, and Shen Jin cherished Chu Yi dearly.

By now, everyone knew how much Shen Jin doted on Chu Yi. At the last banquet, keen-eyed guests had noticed that Chu Yi’s stomach looked slightly different from usual, suggesting he might be pregnant.

However, no one dared to mention it. If they were wrong, Shen Jin’s wrath would be unbearable.

Later, someone learned from Shen Jin’s friends that Chu Yi was indeed pregnant. Since Shen Jin’s friends had confirmed it, it was as good as Shen Jin’s tacit approval.

Chu Chengxu and Liu Meihan learned about Chu Yi’s pregnancy from others.

They thought this was the perfect opportunity to reconnect with Chu Yi and rebuild their relationship.

For some time, Chu Chengxu had been trying to make a comeback, but it proved far more difficult than he imagined. He faced obstacles at every turn, and his regret for siding so firmly with Shen Chunhan grew with each setback.

Just as Chu Chengxu was brooding over his failures, news of Chu Yi’s pregnancy reached him.

Liu Meihan reasoned that Chu Yi, being pregnant, might not be fully aware of all the precautions he should take. She drafted a series of lengthy text messages filled with concern, each message resembling a short essay. Every word and phrase seemed carefully crafted to convey genuine care and empathy. Before sending them, Liu Meihan meticulously reviewed each message one last time.

Chu Yi didn’t even finish reading the first message.

Belated concern was worth less than grass.

Shen Jin asked, “Do you want to reply?” He quickly scanned all the messages, detecting no genuine concern—only perfunctory, template-like platitudes.

Chu Yi shook his head. The Chu Family had long ceased to matter to him.

Shen Jin deleted all the messages and blacklisted the number. “Don’t worry about any of this. Just leave it to me.”

He was worried that Chu Yi would be upset if he saw the messages.

When he looked up, he saw Chu Yi had already gone to help Uncle Wen wrap dumplings. Chu Yi had mentioned wanting dumplings at noon, so they were having dumplings for dinner.

Chu Yi couldn’t wrap them himself, but he helped arrange the dumplings neatly. Aunt Wu rolled out the wrappers incredibly fast, and Chu Yi watched in amazement as she produced ten perfectly round wrappers in one go.

Chu Yi clapped enthusiastically. “Aunt Wu, you’re amazing!”

His overflowing emotional support spurred Aunt Wu to roll the wrappers even faster.

Uncle Wen wrapped the dumplings with remarkable speed, shaping a perfect dumpling almost every second. Chu Yi arranged the plump, white dumplings in neat rows, but even his quick hands couldn’t keep up with Uncle Wen’s pace.

Seeing that Chu Yi remained unaffected, Shen Jin felt relieved.

A while later, Chu Yi tiptoed over to Shen Jin and, before he could react, swiftly smeared something across his face.

Two white finger marks appeared on Shen Jin’s cheek.

Chu Yi burst into laughter.