PMWAIAAPM Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Was He Really Forced?

Tan Zhiyu paused all his work after the new year, and for the two films that were about to restart shooting, he paid the breach of contract fees and changed the lead roles.

He didn’t plan to go out but was prepared to work from home.

When they divorced, the land that Xing Yang gave him had increased exponentially in value, and this was something Xing Yang didn’t deny. He had already set his sights on that land with a few friends, and despite the real estate market being so sluggish, they were still able to reap some benefits. He gave his share to Tan Zhiyu, fearing that he would suffer without him by his side.

For the first time, Tan Zhiyu felt Xing Yang’s cunning; it was as if there was an entire maze hidden in the man’s heart, while he, Tan Zhiyu, was always at the center, enjoying it all.

He didn’t like this feeling; as an alpha, being manipulated by an omega was simply too ridiculous.

“Don’t leave me…” This was the phrase Tan Zhiyu had said the most while snuggling under the covers with Xing Yang.

Tan Zhiyu, who had always been like a child of heaven, could get everything he wanted since childhood, but now he was hiding under the covers, repeatedly begging a man who had once hurt him not to give up on him.

Xing Yang was actually regretting that he had turned his beloved into someone so emotionally fragile.

Even a child like Little Bao wouldn’t be afraid of abandonment, but Tan Zhiyu would.

As an omega husband, he might have been a bit too much of a failure.

So when Tan Zhiyu prepared to join the variety show “Will Love,” he didn’t oppose it. After all, his reputation was already in tatters; how much worse could it get?

“Will Love” was originally a scripted show featuring second-tier stars to hype up CPs. It involved installing cameras in the artists’ homes and, through post-editing, deliberately creating a CP atmosphere, garnering attention from the audience and better expanding the market.

Originally, the variety guests for this quarter had started airing two episodes, but the popularity was lukewarm.

Suddenly, the program team was contacted by Li Yue, inquiring if there was an open schedule, and Tan Zhiyu was prepared to participate.

The program team was startled, thinking they had misheard.

Tan Zhiyu’s marriage had been constantly in the news for the past six months, dominating hot search lists for several days without cooling down, while the “Will Love” program team had planned to switch to a new show after this quarter.

Suddenly, a celebrity of such high traffic appeared; even though the other protagonist was mired in negative news, the attention would definitely be unprecedented. The program team happily agreed, preparing to shoot and edit as quickly as possible.

On the first day of filming, the program host, Director Li, brought a camera to Butterfly Manor, and the request for the first episode’s interview was to record almost entirely live with no editing, to be streamed online for promotional hot topics.

“This Xing Yang is said to be very difficult to deal with online; many have fallen victim to him. He’s a notorious capitalist. Let us step into his life and begin the interview with him and Tan Zhiyu today!”

Director Li felt somewhat apprehensive as he ascended the stairs with the photographer.

Xing Yang’s reputation was vast; with a net worth of over a hundred billion, he could easily recruit long-time pop stars as alphas, making him someone not to be trifled with.

Moreover, Xing Yang’s photos had long been leaked online. His looks were average, with slightly upturned danfeng eyes that led to a portrayal as the emblem of selfishness and meanness, having been attacked for his appearance.

Even though Tan Zhiyu had posted hundreds of Weibo posts claiming that he and Xing Yang were truly in love, everyone still thought he had been hacked or threatened.

When Director Li knocked on Tan Zhiyu’s door, his heart felt particularly uneasy.

If they didn’t capture good footage, someone as high-profile as Tan Zhiyu could still feel threatened, let alone for a small variety show like theirs.

But the next second, when the door slowly opened.

Xing Yang, wearing an apron that concealed his slightly protruding pregnant belly, opened the door with a gentle smile, wearing a satin shirt and an oven mitt on one hand. Director Li thought he must have come to the wrong place, or perhaps he was dreaming.

Director Li pinched his thigh to ensure it wasn’t a dream.

Because at that moment, Xing Yang wasn’t just wearing an apron like a good husband at home; behind him was a man—Tan Zhiyu, with red eyes, his pajamas askew, his chest and abs clearly visible due to the improperly buttoned sleepwear, embracing Xing Yang from behind, obviously following him to answer the door.

Xing Yang used his free hand to wipe the tears of the loudly crying bundle behind him: “You are…”

“We are here for the filming of ‘Will Love’…”

Tan Zhiyu clearly hadn’t expected the filming crew to arrive so early. He sniffed, rubbing the remaining tears on Xing Yang’s sleepwear, and complained with a choked voice: “Why did you come so early? Why didn’t you notify us in advance?”

Director Li couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his brow: “Our first episode is live, to reflect your true circumstances…”

The main point was that there was a script, but Tan Zhiyu had refused it! They had to stage a surprise.

Xing Yang smiled: “It’s fine, you two can come in. He’s throwing a tantrum and probably doesn’t like having people around.”

Tan Zhiyu huffed and turned his head away, unconsciously kissing the side of Xing Yang’s face: “Not at all…”

Director Li changed his shoes, asking: “What happened?”

The camera followed them inside, capturing their home at a 360° angle.

Ever since the two reconciled and moved in together, Xing Yang had redecorated their home to be very warm. Even the bear that used to accompany Tan Zhiyu while sleeping had taken its position at the door as a guard, making the place particularly cozy.

The living room had floor-to-ceiling windows, and a vase of blooming red roses sat on the coffee table. In another room, a cat was meowing loudly.

“I’ve been trying to put Little Bao on a diet; he’s too fat and has heart problems. Just now, I gave him half a spoon of cat food, and now he’s probably cursing.” Xing Yang said somewhat abashedly.

Tan Zhiyu brought out two cups of fruit tea from the kitchen: “Just made.”

“Thank you…”

Director Li awkwardly accepted the fruit tea and sampled it. The predominant flavor was sweet apple, perfectly balanced with a refreshing tartness from the orange, making it particularly delectable. He couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows: “Delicious!”

“Of course, Boss Xing’s cooking is world-class…”

Before he could finish with the last three words, he suddenly remembered there was a camera behind him, more worried about saying something wrong that would get Xing Yang scolded.

He had never been this nervous before a camera; this was a first.

Director Li noticed his hesitation: “For our show, it’s just a daily sharing for you two, there’s no need to be too nervous.”

Before coming, he had prepared a few questions, but upon arrival, he decided to modify one.

Xing Yang’s slightly bulging belly actually made things somewhat inconvenient. After feeding Little Bao a cat treat from a side position, he came back.

The two sat on the couch together, and surprisingly, Xing Yang faced the camera without any signs of nervousness.

In front of the camera, Xing Yang wore a simple satin sleepwear, a rounded belly, and his relatively unstriking appearance made him blend in with the average man, while sitting next to him was Tan Zhiyu, with his foreign-hybrid eyebrows and captivating eyes, light skin glowing like it was radiant, along with his dark green irises, making them visually distinct.

Tan Zhiyu tightly held Xing Yang’s hand: “Don’t be afraid.”

Xing Yang smiled: “I’m not afraid.”

Director Li finished his fruit tea and confirmed they were ready before starting today’s formal inquiry.

Director Li: “Please introduce yourselves.”

Xing Yang’s voice was gentle, resonating with a hint of deep maturity: “I’m Xing Yang, Tan Zhiyu’s omega.”

Tan Zhiyu was succinct: “Xing Yang’s lover.”

Director Li inquired: “Just a quick aside, we noticed Mr. Tan’s eyes were red when we entered. Could you share the reason behind that?”

Although this question was sudden, Tan Zhiyu’s nose was still pink; he looked like an angel fallen to the mortal world sitting next to Xing Yang, frequently turning away to wipe his tears, making it hard not to notice.

Xing Yang looked somewhat helplessly at the man beside him and sighed lightly: “Can I say?”

Tan Zhiyu seemed to recall something sad, tears welling up in his eyes again. Xing Yang motioned for the cameraman not to shoot them, and the screen cut away to the rose flowers, with only Xing Yang’s voice soothing Tan Zhiyu repeatedly saying, “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Director Li had never seen such a scene.

Tan Zhiyu was known in the industry for being extremely dedicated; even when filming outdoor scenes in winter, repeating NG after NG without changing expression, but at this moment… he was crying?

But for what reason??

Director Li and the photographer exchanged glances, their lips twitching slightly.

Finally, they received Tan Zhiyu’s approval: “There’s nothing I can’t say.”

Xing Yang couldn’t help but laugh, quickly ruffling Tan Zhiyu’s hair while explaining to Director Li: “This morning he accompanied me for a prenatal checkup, and the situation wasn’t great. The doctor said I need to supplement nutrition, and he has been worried. After coming back, he wanted to cook for me, but the taste… I think it’s great, it’s just that he isn’t satisfied with it, which is why he is so emotional.”

Xing Yang’s words were enhanced with a touch of artistry; it was evident he was a man who had battled in the business world for many years.

He made it sound so pleasant that a failed dish was referred to as a masterpiece.

To be accurate, at the prenatal checkup in the morning, Zhou Jiaoyue discovered that Xing Yang wasn’t getting enough nutrition for his pregnancy and instructed him to eat more, even if he felt nauseous. After returning home, Tan Zhiyu wanted to show affection by cooking, but unfortunately, it turned out terrible; the egg pancakes had an overwhelming odor of eggs, making him feel utterly useless.

Not only could he not help Xing Yang cope with the discomforts of pregnancy, but he even failed at the seemingly simple task of cooking.

Xing Yang comforted him, saying it was fine, as he easily prepared a four-dish meal.

Tan Zhiyu felt defeated; he thought he was the most useless man in the world.

Xing Yang was suffering so much for their baby, but he still had to go back to the kitchen because of Tan Zhiyu’s inadequacies, plus reassuring him. This simply spiked Tan Zhiyu’s feelings of frustration; he was heartbroken for Boss Xing but angry at himself for being incompetent.

“Hey, who is about to cry again? Didn’t you say it was okay to talk?” Xing Yang quickly pulled out a tissue to wipe his tears.

Tan Zhiyu sniffled, mumbling: “I’m just mad at myself…”

The man’s red-rimmed eyes even made him forget about the camera’s existence. Xing Yang naturally leaned his shoulder over for him to rest against. Just as Tan Zhiyu was about to lean in, he noticed Director Li staring with wide eyes.

Wasn’t he supposed to be forced? How could this man suddenly be seeking comfort in his wife’s arms?

The program team had even prepared titles! They were ready to hype up the fact that Tan Zhiyu was being forced, but who was this sobbing man? This man snuggling into his wife for comfort, claiming he was forced?

Who would believe that??