After Entering a Contract Marriage with a Disabled Alpha - Chapter 45.2

In a corner of the venue, some guests were curious as to why Qin Shen’s parents were not present.

“Didn’t Miss Qin return from abroad?”

“Not sure, but President Qin’s relationship with his parents has always been poor.”

“I see. Then what about Young Master Pei’s adoptive mother? Is she not coming to such an important occasion?”

Outsiders naturally did not understand the complex and tangled emotional history between Jiang He and Pei Yu.

“She’ll probably come.”

“I heard Pei Yu has a very good relationship with his adoptive mother; otherwise, he wouldn’t have worked so hard to cover her medical expenses.”

“I actually want to meet the woman who raised Master Pei to be so excellent. Compared to that Lin Shuxing who was just arrested, it seems education really is the most important thing.”

Having inadvertently overheard the conversation, Jiang He’s eyes were already rimmed with red, and crystal tears slid down from the corners of her eyes. She silently wiped them away. After a long period of careful nursing, her health had improved significantly—enough to support her attendance at the engagement banquet.

To bring honor to Pei Yu, Jiang He had cleaned herself up meticulously early that morning. She was slender with delicate features; even without expensive jewelry, her celadon-colored qipao highlighted her cold, elegant temperament slender waist, clear eyes, and graceful brows.

But after arriving and seeing Pei Yu as the center of attention, how could she dare step forward to talk to him? She had long ago lost the child who respected and loved her. He didn’t need her protection anymore; that Mr. Qin had taken Pei Yu from her hands and was looking after him many times better than she ever had.

A dense wave of guilt swept through her. Jiang He stood there, continuously wiping away the tears on her face. A waiter noticed and worriedly asked if she was in trouble. Jiang He shook her head and apologized, “No, just some personal matters.”

She picked up her bag from the armchair, preparing to pack up and leave, but her phone suddenly vibrated.

[Xiao Yu]: Mom, have you arrived? I don’t see you.

Jiang He’s heart skipped a beat, and her firm resolution to leave quietly was instantly overturned. She wanted to see Pei Yu.

“Mom, you’re here.” Pei Yu saw a familiar figure and walked over to greet her.

His call startled the surrounding guests. Everyone turned their heads, looking curiously at Pei Yu and his… adoptive mother.

“How is your health?” Pei Yu asked with a smile. The brilliant light from the crystal chandeliers poured down, making his smile shine radiantly.

“Much better, the medical staff at the hospital have been very caring,” Jiang He said softly. “Congratulations on your engagement to Mr. Qin today, Yu-yu. Mom used to imagine the scene of your engagement and wedding.”

“Back then, I subconsciously thought it would be with a girl. Now that you’ve differentiated into an Omega and formed a bond with Mr. Qin—seeing how well he treats you—I can finally rest easy.”

It had been a long time since Pei Yu heard the affectionate nickname “Yu-yu” from Jiang He; she had only called him that when he was very small.

“Qin Shen does treat me very well.” When Pei Yu mentioned Qin Shen, the smile on his face became even softer. It was a marked difference from his previous polite and slightly distant smile.

Jiang He’s heart stalled, a dull ache of bitterness rising within her. The current situation was entirely of her own making; who could she blame but herself?

“Yu-yu, I’m sorry.” Jiang He’s voice choked up. She knew she always owed Pei Yu an apology.

Images of the past decade flashed through her mind. The little Pei Yu in overalls with chubby cheeks who got a little red flower at school every week. The Pei Yu who was praised by teachers for his intelligence at every primary school exam. He loved her sweet and sour pork and ribs; and during the time she was ill, he had silently carried the burden of medical expenses on his young shoulders.

It felt as though a piece of her heart had been gouged out. Thinking of everything that had happened recently, Jiang He wanted nothing more than to slap herself. She desperately wanted to speak, to beg Pei Yu to forgive her, to ask if they could go back to the way things were.

But… reaching this point, if she said those things now, wouldn’t she just be forcing Pei Yu and hurting him all over again?

“It’s okay.” Pei Yu withdrew the soft, sunny smile and replaced it with a surface-level, polite one.

“This is the wedding ring your father gave me. If you don’t mind…” Jiang He moved to take off the ring on her hand, but Pei Yu pressed his hand down on hers.

“Mom, you said it yourself—this was left to you by Dad. You should keep it.” Pei Yu paused, then added, “Perhaps in the future, I will receive a ring from Qin Shen.”

Jiang He lowered her hand, looking sheepish. “That’s true.”

“Brother Pei, Grandpa wants you to come over for a moment to meet some relatives.” Qin Yiyang squeezed through the crowd. When he saw Jiang He, he paused slightly and greeted her in a low voice, “Hello, Auntie.”

Jiang He nodded. “Hello.”

Pei Yu: “Then I’ll head over first…”

With red eyes, Jiang He said, “In a few days, Mom will mail the things you left at home to you—the photo albums, sketchbooks, trophies…”

Pei Yu smiled faintly. “Okay, thank you, Mom.”

Jiang He wanted to say more, lingering on this moment of tenderness for a few silent seconds. She pursed her lips and gave a radiant smile: “Go ahead.”

Under Grandpa Qin’s introduction, Pei Yu met many members of the Qin side-branches, including Qin Yiyang’s parents. He was somewhat curious about this uncle who had stepped down early from competing with Qin Shen for power.

Upon meeting him, he began to understand. Qin Yiyang’s father acted quite casually; even with outsiders present, he was feeding his wife a small cake in one hand and juice in the other.

After a round of introductions, Pei Yu’s head was spinning. He knew the Qin family was large, but he hadn’t expected so many people; the various honorifics for elders were almost making him lose track.

“Young Master Pei…” A woman approached with a glass of champagne. Pei Yu blinked; he didn’t recognize her.

“I am Qin Fen’s mother. I heard that Qin Fen offended you several times at the bar and at school. The child is undisciplined, and I am truly sorry for that.” She bowed slightly.

Faced with an adult around Jiang He’s age, Pei Yu couldn’t accept such a grand gesture and quickly helped her up.

“Uh.” Pei Yu didn’t know what to say. His impression of Qin Fen was not good, but he couldn’t pretend he didn’t care just because an adult came to apologize.

“Of course, I’m not here to make excuses for him; I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” the woman said. “His father and I have decided to send Qin Fen abroad to study. As for Mr. Qin’s side, I hope Young Master Pei could conveniently say a few words… regarding the Deep Blue membership…”

Pei Yu: “I accept the apology, but I usually don’t ask about Qin Shen’s business matters. I’m afraid I can’t help you with that.”

“I see…” The woman exhaled slowly. “I have troubled Young Master Pei.”

After the woman left, Pei Yu once again faced the turn-based concern of various relatives.

“Pei Yu.”

A low, magnetic voice sounded by his ear. Qin Shen came over and took his hand. “Let’s go, it’s almost time.” Taking this chance, Pei Yu quickly escaped the overly enthusiastic relatives.

Melodious music filled the banquet hall. Qin Shuo took the stage to host, briefly thanking the guests for traveling to attend the engagement ceremony. Then came the most important part: the witnessing of the engagement.

An antique long table was set on the stage. Behind it, a massive LED screen lit up, showing the engagement contract written in brush and ink on the table. The contract was a festive red silk fabric with embroidered patterns symbolizing good fortune.

Engaged: Qin Shen, Pei Yu Brought together by fate, knowing each other through chance. Heaven and Earth as the matchmaker, with mutual consent and the approval of elders…

“Xiao Yu, A-Shen, come up and sign.” Qin Shuo waved his hand, calling them to the stage.

The focus of the entire room fell on the two protagonists. Pei Yu pushed Qin Shen slowly up and stood before the engagement contract. He and Qin Shen locked eyes, and amidst the guests’ anticipation, they joined hands and each wrote their names. Furthermore, they pressed their fingertips into the Longquan inkpad and left their fingerprints over their names.

The melodious music swelled again, and red rose petals began to fall from the ceiling like a flurry of snow—a sea of flowers. The entire venue was filled with the fragrance of roses; it was romantic to the extreme. Pei Yu blinked, watching the falling blossoms, his heart filled with a shock that words could not express.

He thought that after signing the contract, the ceremony would end.

“Next, will the two of you please exchange engagement rings.” At Qin Shuo’s nod, a cute flower boy walked onto the stage with unsteady steps, shyly handing the ring box to Qin Shen.

Pei Yu looked down. Taking the ring from Qin Shen, he felt the engraving on the inside and looked closely; it was the capital first letter of Qin Shen’s name. He was slightly surprised. “We have to exchange rings too?”

“Of course there are rings for an engagement ceremony.” Qin Shen smiled gently. “Didn’t Grandpa tell you?”

“No…” Pei Yu said.

Qin Shen continued, “Then did Grandpa tell you that after exchanging rings, you have to kiss?”

“Is… is that so?” Pei Yu blinked. His face grew hot as he lowered his head slightly to exchange rings with Qin Shen. The diamond rings were pushed onto each other’s middle fingers, their warm knuckles brushing. After the ring was on, Qin Shen squeezed Pei Yu’s slender, white finger.

Just as Qin Shen had said, he heard Grandpa Qin’s cheerful voice announcing: “Next, will Mr. Qin Shen and Mr. Pei Yu please kiss.”

With so many guests watching, Pei Yu felt nervous and reflexively clenched his fingertips. If they were to kiss in public… He lowered his gaze to Qin Shen in the wheelchair, assuming he would have to be the one to lean down and initiate.

Pei Yu’s heart beat more intensely, nearly thumping out of his chest. The kiss itself was fine; it was mostly about doing it in front of so many people and having to take the lead. Pei Yu took a deep breath, secretly resolving to kiss his Alpha.

Suddenly, a tall and imposing figure slowly stood up in front of him. Seeing this, Qin Shuo moved the wheelchair aside to make it easier for the photography and video teams to capture the moment.

“Qin Shen, you…” Pei Yu was at a loss. He had seen with his own eyes how painful Qin Shen’s physical therapy was—his shirt soaked with sweat, his legs convulsing, and him having to grit his teeth through the agony.

“Doesn’t it hurt?” Pei Yu saw the veins bulging on the side of Qin Shen’s neck from gritting his teeth so hard.

“It hurts a little.” The pain below his waist spread rapidly. Qin Shen could actually endure this familiar pain and even persist in walking for several minutes, but the pain didn’t worsen the longer he stood; rather, it hurt from the very first second he stood up. In just a few seconds, his back was dampened with sweat.

Yet, the corners of Qin Shen’s mouth remained slightly upturned as he strived to maintain his best image.

“Why stand up if it hurts?” Pei Yu’s eyes reddened slightly, and his heart tightened. Seeing Qin Shen gritting his teeth to endure, he felt terrible.

A dry, warm hand lifted his cheek. Qin Shen looked down at him. “It hurts, but more than the pain, I wanted to be standing by your side.”

Pei Yu’s eyes widened slightly, and a layer of warmth covered his lips. In his breath, besides the scent of rose petals, was the unique, intoxicating scent of cedar and mint belonging to Qin Shen.

His heart felt tingly and restless with emotion.

As they embraced in a deep kiss, Pei Yu stared at Qin Shen, a thin mist clouding his light brown eyes. He felt pained for Qin Shen. He also knew what Qin Shen longed for. Thus, he wrapped his arms around Qin Shen’s neck, feeling the tremors in Qin Shen’s body, and let himself drown in this tender, deep kiss.

Accompanied by the glow of camera flashes, the clicking sounds of reporters intensified.

Pei Yu had his first kiss with Qin Shen standing by his side.

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