Call Me the Matchmaker Egg

Chapter Fifty

If he were at home, Ye Nanxun would drink a glass of juice or red wine while soaking in the bath, eat some fruit or snacks, and lounge in a tub full of hot water while watching the news or cartoons.

Yan Beiyou had told him to treat this place like his own home and make himself comfortable.

That was what he said, but Ye Nanxun was not familiar enough with him to that extent.

Still, simply soaking in the hot water felt wonderfully comfortable, washing away the day's exhaustion.

After leaving the bathroom, stepping into fluffy slippers, and changing into cotton pajamas, Ye Nanxun made sure the Mushroom Egg that had been placed on the bed earlier was unharmed. Then, holding a soft dry towel, he gently dried his half-damp long hair.

Little Dragon's barking came from outside the door. Ye Nanxun hurried over and opened it. The Mushroom Egg, which had been lying quietly on the bed as though asleep, rolled off the bed with a rumble.

It landed on the soft carpet with a thud and rolled out through the doorway right before Ye Nanxun's eyes.

Letting out a startled cry, Ye Nanxun forgot all about drying his hair. Clutching the towel, he ran out after it, keeping his eyes fixed on the Mushroom Egg as it rolled farther and farther away.

"Wait, where are you going?"

The omega was a little flustered. Although the Mushroom Egg would usually move about restlessly, it had never been this disobedient and rolled away on its own before.

His slim, flexible waist bent down as Ye Nanxun reached several times to grab the Mushroom Egg. Just as his fingers were about to touch it, the Mushroom Egg suddenly sped up again.

Ye Nanxun was getting annoyed. Lowering his gaze to the towel still in his hand, he quickened his pace from a jog to a run, his eyes locked tightly on the Mushroom Egg.

The naughty Mushroom Egg suddenly sprang up from the floor with a whoosh.

Spreading the towel open between his hands, Ye Nanxun pounced.

A large hand reached out and steadily caught the Mushroom Egg in midair.

Ye Nanxun's hair towel failed to catch the Mushroom Egg. By the time he saw Yan Beiyou, it was already too late. His body pitched forward, and his fluffy slipper slipped from beneath his smooth sole. He reflexively shut his eyes.

The entire fall and collision took only a second.

The violent impact and pain he had expected never came.

When Ye Nanxun was little, he had seen many fun, adorable picture books and cartoons. There were clouds as soft and bouncy as cotton candy, and one could fly into the sky with a balloon in hand and travel around the world.

Later, when he grew up, he learned that clouds were not cotton candy. They were neither soft nor bouncy, merely masses formed by tiny water droplets and ice crystals.

When a balloon rose high into the sky, the falling atmospheric pressure would make it expand continuously until it finally burst into fragments.

Ye Nanxun felt as though he had somehow stumbled into the world of childhood cartoons.

In cartoons, a little character's feet would slip, sending slippers flying everywhere.

Adults, struck to pieces by reality, were left bruised and battered, their bones aching.

But the cartoon character crashed into a handful of rose fragrance carrying the warmth of sunlight. An invisible force gently bounced his body, like refreshing sweet-and-sour jelly or a fluffy, soft cloud.

Ye Nanxun froze for a moment. He had clearly crashed into Yan Beiyou, headfirst into the alpha's arms.

Why did it not hurt at all?

The rose fragrance lingering beneath his nose was real, but had the sensation of being caught by an invisible force just now really happened too?

"The towel smells nice." The alpha seemed to chuckle softly.

"Mr. Yan, are you all right?"

The towel that had first been used to dry his hair and later to catch the naughty Mushroom Egg had not caught the egg at all. Instead, it had caught a tall, handsome alpha.

Ye Nanxun clutched both ends of the entire towel, while the middle covered Yan Beiyou's head and face.

Ye Nanxun hurriedly released his hands, and the towel fell from the alpha's head and face.

Bit by bit, a handsome face with a faint smile was revealed.

Slightly messy short black hair, a smooth forehead, captivating eyes, a high nose bridge...

Too close.

Even closer than when they had danced on New Year's Eve.

Yan Beiyou's eyelashes were long and black, not curled but naturally drooping. The gaze behind them was indistinct, like tree shadows gently swaying in sunlight.

Even the omega who prided himself on his composure could not help being stunned for a moment. Ye Nanxun tried to shift his gaze away from the alpha's as naturally as possible.

As his gaze lowered, he caught sight of their chests pressed tightly together.

The room was very warm. Having just bathed, Ye Nanxun wore only a loose, thin satin pajama top, its collar slightly open to reveal his beautifully shaped collarbones and a stretch of fair, dewy chest.

Yan Beiyou had probably returned not long ago. His coat hung from a hook nearby, and he wore a thin, breathable black shirt on his upper body.

The warmth and sensation of their skin pressed against each other through two thin layers of fabric, unclear and hazy.

Yan Beiyou said, "I'm fine."

Ye Nanxun stepped back, attempting to silently put some distance between them.

The force around his lower back stopped him.

One of the alpha's hands held the Mushroom Egg, while the other had wrapped around the omega's waist when he pounced over.

The cuffs of his black shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing muscular, smoothly defined forearms. Veins stood out faintly beneath his skin, and his dry, scorching palm held the omega's slim yet supple lower back tightly.

Yan Beiyou quickly released the hand around Ye Nanxun's lower back.

Holding the towel, Ye Nanxun backed away a step. One slipper was still on his foot, while the other had flown off somewhere.

The humidity and temperature in the house were always maintained at their most comfortable levels, yet the air now inexplicably felt several degrees more stifling.

Could there be anything more embarrassing than this?

His ears reddened, and the toes of his bare foot curled uncontrollably against the floor.

Ye Nanxun gave an awkward laugh. Lowering his head to look for his slipper, he found that the Mushroom Egg, which had remained quiet in the alpha's hand, suddenly began causing trouble again without warning, rolling toward the omega's retreating foot.

"Ah—"

His sole, which had just landed on the floor, slipped over the Mushroom Egg's smooth shell, and the omega's whole body tipped backward.

The alpha who had just released the omega's lower back caught Ye Nanxun again.

This time, he dropped to one knee and caught him with both hands.

One hand wrapped around Ye Nanxun's lower back while the other cradled the back of his head. Yan Beiyou guided Ye Nanxun down to sit on the floor.

They looked at each other, then burst out laughing at the same time, breaking the awkwardness.

Yan Beiyou said, "Was this little thing messing with you like that just now?"

Ye Nanxun nodded vigorously. He could now be certain that the Mushroom Egg had done it on purpose.

Yan Beiyou laughed and said, "I'll teach it a lesson for you."

The Mushroom Egg, having committed its "crime," silently rolled at a slow pace toward the space behind the sofa.

"Little Dragon!" the alpha called.

"Woof—"

The little yellow dog scampered on its short legs, hopping and bounding toward the Mushroom Egg.