Married the Abandoned Puppy Alpha - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Inheritance Rights

Marriage? Did he mean it in the way He Xinglou thought he did?

For a moment, He Xinglou felt like he was either trapped in a nightmare or that Shi Qingze was simply babbling whatever crossed his mind.

They had just been arguing to the point of no return practically a public severance of ties—and now Shi Qingze was proposing to him?

What kind of logic was this?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He violently shook off the hand gripping his wrist: “I think the fever from your rut has scrambled your brain.”

But before he could turn to leave, Shi Qingze pulled a suppressant injection from his pocket and, without a second thought, plunged it into the inner side of his own arm.

The needle went in and was yanked out just as crudely. Shi Qingze’s movements were reckless; the wound quickly began to seep blood, which trickled slowly down his arm.

The trail of red was startling.

“Now my rut is suppressed. I am calm, and I am sober.”

Perhaps worried that He Xinglou would run away, Shi Qingze kept his gaze fixed on him throughout the process, completely indifferent to his own injury.

He slowly repeated: “Marry me, Brother.”

“It’s a contract marriage anyway. Why is he acceptable, but I’m not?”

Even in the dim, murky alley, the determination in Shi Qingze’s eyes was piercingly clear, making it impossible for He Xinglou to say anything more harsh.

He instinctively began fumbling through his clothes, trying to find something for disinfection or bandaging, only to realize he was empty-handed and didn’t even have a single pocket.

After a moment of frantic searching, he snapped back to reality they were in a busy commercial district; surely there was a pharmacy nearby.

He composed himself: “We’ll talk about this later. Let’s go to a pharmacy and get you patched up first.”

Shi Qingze stood his ground: “If we let things end inconclusively today, you won’t give me another chance next time, Brother.”

He smiled thinly: “Let’s just go back into the cafe. I won’t take up too much of your time.”

The blood on his arm had already begun to drip from his fingertips onto the pavement. He Xinglou stared at the red spots on the ground.

He had no choice but to follow along: “Fine. I promise.”

…

They had been arguing outside for quite a while, and Luo Qingzhe had long since departed. However, neither of them could stomach the gossiping stares from the staff, so they found an out-of-sight, quiet corner to sit down.

Shi Qingze used a napkin from the table to wipe away the blood, then pressed it directly onto the wound without so much as a flinch.

He Xinglou couldn’t help but remind him: “It’ll get infected easily that way.”

Shi Qingze shook his head and tapped his communicator, seemingly sending a file.

A second later, He Xinglou’s own communicator chimed. He opened the message and immediately felt a headache coming on.

Clearly, the file Shi Qingze had just sent was prepared specifically for him. It opened with four large characters: PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT.

He had no idea how Shi Qingze had even gotten his contact information.

He Xinglou didn’t scroll down: “I refuse.”

“Shi Qingze, do you even know what your status is right now?” He leaned back into his chair, exhausted.

“As a candidate for the heir of the Shi family, your marriage is no longer just your business; it concerns the future of the entire family. I imagine your parents would never allow you to decide on a marriage partner so arbitrarily.”

Shi Qingze couldn’t help but laugh: “You sound just like my father, Brother.”

Xinglou froze, realizing he had just repeated the exact words Shi Yaoran had used to mock him back then.

“I told you, I am completely different from that blind date of yours. In the two years we were apart, it’s not like I haven’t grown.”

Did Xinglou size him up skeptically? No, you haven’t.

Looking at how he had just harmed himself, he felt the kid was even more willful and childish than before.

Shi Qingze pulled up the agreement on his own communicator and projected it onto the table for He Xinglou.

“I already said, I refuse,” He Xinglou said helplessly.

This time, however, Shi Qingze was exceptionally persistent. He looked up, meeting his eyes earnestly: “Didn’t you promise to hear me out just now?”

He Xinglou said decisively: “No matter what you say, this isn’t up for discussion. There’s no point in struggling for a result that’s already been decided.”

“You really are… frighteningly rational, Brother,” Shi Qingze sighed.

Then, his tone shifted: “But the reason you’re so eager to cut me off could it be because you’re actually unsure of yourself? Are you afraid you might actually be moved by the conditions I’m offering?”

How could that be?

He Xinglou considered his life experience from before he crossed over to now to be vastly superior to Shi Qingze’s. How could he be easily persuaded by this kid?

But he quickly calmed down and realized this was likely a provocation.

The phrase “reverse psychology doesn’t work on me” was on the tip of his tongue, but when he looked over, he saw Shi Qingze looking down, quietly dabbing at his wound.

The overhead lights filtered through his eyelashes, casting fuzzy shadows under his eyes. The scratch on his face was still visible, and now there was a new gash on his arm.

Since their reunion, Shi Qingze was always getting hurt.

But then again, in the past, Shi Qingze was always getting hurt because of him.

Xinglou’s heart twinged, and his voice softened: “Fine, speak. I’m listening.”

Only then did Shi Qingze’s lips curve into a smile: “I’m satisfied as long as you’re willing to give me this chance.”

More weird talk, He Xinglou thought.

Shi Qingze’s expression then turned serious: “Since you mentioned the matter of the Shi family heir, I’ll start my explanation there. My proposal for a contract marriage actually comes from my own calculations.”

“The Shi family is still headed by my grandfather. He hasn’t let the second generation take power because they did far too many outrageous things while fighting over the inheritance.”

The lure of the gossip lightened the pressure of the proposal; He Xinglou felt a stir of curiosity.

“When you were kidnapped…”

Shi Qingze nodded: “That was the handy work of my uncles. Too bad for them they couldn’t kill me on the spot and let me escape. Shi Yaoran… my father immediately contacted the media to blow the whole thing up so that even my grandfather was alerted.”

Calling the media before the police when your own child is kidnapped—that act alone was enough to chill one’s heart.

At the same time, He Xinglou remembered something else.

The day he was brought to the Shi house, Shi Qingze’s father had sneered: “The news was reporting the disappearance of the Shi family’s youngest son every day; the whole Imperial Capital Star was in an uproar. Yet you never intended to send him back, did you? You just wanted to use him for more! You spent all of Qingze’s pre-differentiation subsidies, didn’t you?!”

He Xinglou wanted to say that between school and part-time jobs, he barely had time to breathe, let alone watch the news. But the Shi family had pinned the crime on him instantly, and no explanation would satisfy them.

Furthermore, regarding the subsidies… When he first picked up Shi Qingze, he did have those thoughts. That was his original sin. He couldn’t bring it up to Shi Qingze, nor did he dare pray for his forgiveness.

He had been defenseless back then, forced to endure the verbal onslaught of the crowd.

The thought of having to face those people again through a contract marriage made his mood turn even gloomier.

“And then?” He Xinglou pushed, wanting him to finish the story.

“Grandfather obviously knew about their schemes. He was furious. While he sent people to find me, he warned my father and uncles: anyone involved in internal strife would be disqualified from the inheritance. The moment I returned to the family, Grandfather began the liquidation.”

Shi Qingze’s expression turned mocking: “My ‘dear’ father and uncles worked half their lives only to end up with nothing because of a lost child. They all became outcasts.”

“Since then, Grandfather has remained in charge. The heir search skipped the second generation and moved straight to the grandchildren.”

Shi Qingze took a sip of tea: “But Grandfather is seriously ill now and lacks the energy to manage the family’s vast affairs. So, he called a family meeting and announced the trial for the next heir.”

“Whoever can prove their family is the ‘happiest’ will be the next successor of the Shi family.”

He Xinglou couldn’t help but chuckle: “That sounds like a fairy tale. Like the child who grows a flower in a pot becomes the king.”

“What fairy tale is that?” Shi Qingze asked, his curiosity piqued.

Xinglou realized he had accidentally referenced a story from his original world.

“Nothing,” he said, looking down to hide his slip. “I just think your grandfather’s test is a bit… arbitrary.”

Shi Qingze shook his head: “No one in the family supports such a childish trial except him, but he’s stubborn. Anyone who wants that seat has no choice but to obey.”

“Now, to the main point,” Shi Qingze said with a smile.

“To prove they have the ‘happiest’ family, my cousins are all frantically scouting for people to marry. The funniest part is that because of this requirement, all the previously arranged business marriages are void. If I want to become the heir, I need to choose a marriage partner for myself.”

He Xinglou’s finger twitched slightly: “So, you chose me?”

“I didn’t ‘choose’ you, Brother.” Shi Qingze looked at him intently. “We are each getting what we need.”

“Aren’t you in a rush to go on blind dates to find a suitable partner so you can get your residency on the Imperial Capital Star? And I happen to have a similar, pressing problem.”

He Xinglou felt a dull tightness in his chest.

Looking back at everything that had happened since their reunion, he wasn’t sure anymore when did Shi Qingze start planning this?

Zero contact for two years, and then suddenly he’s stalking him… was Shi Qingze aiming for him from the very beginning?

“I didn’t realize you had such a strong obsession with becoming the Shi family heir,” he said casually, only to realize it sounded a bit like a cold taunt.

But as he considered how to walk it back, Shi Qingze accepted the statement quite naturally.

Aside from that one moment of loss of control in the alley, Shi Qingze was mostly composed and gentle, appearing to have everything under control.

He said: “Now, can you consider this agreement, Brother?”

He Xinglou thought for a long time before finally opening the file again.

“I need to read the terms of the agreement before I decide.”

Shi Qingze accepted this submissively: “Of course. I’m willing to change any terms you want. After all… becoming the heir is a life-altering matter for my future. Everything else can be compromised, can’t it?”

Xinglou raised his eyes slowly, taking a deep, long look at the young man across from him.

It seemed he was wrong; in the two years they were apart, Shi Qingze really had grown a lot.

The wealthy family had plated him in the cold armor of a strategic player. He looked, through and through, like a member of the Shi family now.

But because of that, He Xinglou felt this proposal was actually worth considering.

He had used Shi Qingze once; now it was Shi Qingze’s turn to use him. They’d be even.

Besides, it wasn’t as if he gained nothing.

He Xinglou thought for a moment: “I’ll finish reading the terms as soon as possible. I’ll give you an answer by tomorrow.”

“No need to be in such a rush. My competitors are still in the ‘scouting’ phase; I’m already way ahead of the curve,” Shi Qingze laughed.

Then, as if remembering something, he added casually: “By the way, you’re my only optimal candidate, Brother. I can’t let anything happen to you. To avoid any unnecessary trouble before you make your decision, you should stay at my place tonight.”

He Xinglou: “…Huh?”

The topic had shifted far too quickly.

Shi Qingze’s eyes crinkled slightly, his long lashes making his gaze look soft: “After all, it’s just… a precaution. We’re both just getting what we need.”