Married the Abandoned Puppy Alpha - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Selecting Formal Wear

You’re getting married to Shi Qingze?A message popped up in the three-person group chat.

He Xinglou was currently acting stealthily, hiding in the second bedroom. He glanced at the silent doorway before continuing to type:

[Now that I’ve calmed down, I regret it a little.]

In fact, he had started regretting it the moment Shi Qingze signed the papers this morning.

It was just that he had stormed out so aggressively and dropped such a string of harsh words; if he wimped out at the last second, he’d lose too much face.

Thus, He Xinglou endured in silence, keeping a cold face as he watched their two names appear side-by-side on the agreement.

Lin Shuyan: [It’s too late for regrets. The marriage agreement is signed. I bet my life Shi Qingze has already sent it to the lawyers to start the process.]

Song Xiao: [What are you afraid of? Didn’t you add a validity period? It’s only for a year anyway.]

Xinglou thought for a moment and felt this made sense: [True. It’s just a year; it’ll pass quickly.]

[…By the way, why do I feel like you two aren’t surprised by this news at all?]

At the other end of the chat, the two were sitting at the same cafe table, having afternoon tea.

They exchanged a look no way they were telling He Xinglou they had been discussing exactly this.

As the saying goes, “the authorities are muddled while the bystanders see clearly.” They saw the situation between Shi Qingze and He Xinglou very clearly.

Knowing He Xinglou had escaped the search last night, they met up at the cafe to compare notes and quickly deduced that He Xinglou had likely spent the night at Shi Qingze’s place.

Lin Shuyan replied first: [What’s there to be surprised about? This is called “rekindling a broken mirror.”]

Song Xiao immediately followed: [The lotus root is snapped, but the fibers remain connected.]

Lin Shuyan: [A sea of hate, a sky of love.]

Song Xiao: [Youthful secret crush.]

Xinglou felt he couldn’t defend himself and that every second felt like a year. He quickly turned off his communicator.

Just then, there were three restrained, light knocks at the door.

Shi Qingze was back from work.

“Brother, are you resting?”

Xinglou composed himself and answered loudly, “No, what is it?”

Shi Qingze’s voice carried a rare sense of difficulty: “There’s an urgent matter. I might need your help with something.”

Since Shi Qingze had been helping him since last night, He Xinglou hurried over to open the door upon hearing the request for help.

As Shi Qingze started to speak, his gaze fixed on He Xinglou’s clothes.

He was still wearing the pajamas Shi Qingze had prepared for him.

They were Shi Qingze’s own pajamas.

With Shi Qingze’s current physique, he could wrap He Xinglou entirely in a single hug.

His pajamas on He Xinglou were naturally loose and draped, revealing a large area of thin neck and collarbone. Even the sleeves were half a section too long, hiding his hands so only the fingertips peeked out.

Furthermore… seeing He Xinglou actually wearing these pajamas reminded Shi Qingze of something:

Yesterday, while he was losing control during his rut, he had held these very pajamas in his arms, attempting to “nest” with them.

Shi Qingze suddenly felt the rut he had just suppressed starting to resurge.

“Didn’t you have something to say?” Xinglou looked at him curiously.

Shi Qingze blinked rapidly twice and slowly moved his gaze back to He Xinglou’s face.

“How about you change clothes first, Brother? I’ll wait for you in the living room.”

He Xinglou paused, his face turning a bit embarrassed: “S-sorry. My clothes were taken to be washed and dried, so I haven’t changed back yet.”

As he spoke, he speculated: What does Shi Qingze mean? Does he think it’s improper or impolite for me to come out in pajamas?

Shi Qingze quickly explained: “I didn’t mean anything else, it’s just… we might need to head out in a bit.”

Going out? For what?

He Xinglou was full of doubt, but standing there chatting wasn’t getting them anywhere. He nodded briefly, closed the door, and changed.

When he came out again, Shi Qingze was sitting upright on the sofa, his eyes very bright.

“Tell me, what are we going out for?” He Xinglou sat on the sofa with fake composure. “What do you need help with?”

Shi Qingze spoke slowly: “I received a notice from the family this afternoon. There’s a family banquet organized for tomorrow night; we need to go back to the old mansion to see Grandfather.”

Go to the Shi family mansion? He Xinglou truly had no fondness for that place.

He asked tentatively: “You mean, you need me to go back with you?”

Shi Qingze smiled apologetically: “It concerns the inheritance rights. I want to beat the other branches of the family to it and finalize the wedding plans as soon as possible.”

He added: “Actually, family banquets are usually scheduled for the middle of the month, but Grandfather’s health hasn’t been great this month. He’s finally recovered, so the banquet was delayed. Sorry for not telling you sooner.”

Xinglou’s mind was a mess. He nodded perfunctorily: “You didn’t get much notice either.”

He thought for a moment and asked: “Who will be at the banquet?”

“Not many. Grandfather, my family, and the families of my uncles. Maybe they’ll bring assistants; I’m not sure about them.”

In other words, Shi Qingze’s father would be attending.

He Xinglou inevitably recalled the arrogant man he had met at the mansion two years ago.

If he went this time, would that man recognize him? Would he bring up the past again…

Before he could finish the thought, a pair of hands reached out, gently cupping his own in his palms.

He Xinglou looked up to see Shi Qingze watching him earnestly.

“Do you not want to go, Brother?”

Without waiting for He Xinglou’s reaction, Shi Qingze continued: “Then don’t go. I’ll go back alone tonight. We can inform them after we’ve registered the marriage.”

He seemed ready to settle the matter and began typing a reply on his communicator.

“No need!” Xinglou quickly pulled him back. “Since we’re in a partnership, we should do what needs to be done. I’ll go with you.”

Shi Qingze clearly didn’t believe him, offering comfort instead: “It’s okay. It was short notice anyway, and family banquets aren’t that formal. I’ve skipped them before when I didn’t want to go.”

He Xinglou explained awkwardly: “I really am willing to go. Just now I was… thinking about what I need to prepare for the banquet.”

His hesitation had only lasted two or three seconds; he didn’t know why Shi Qingze was so sharp as to see his resistance instantly.

He reiterated with his most sincere tone: “Let me go with you. The sooner we announce the marriage, the sooner the issue is resolved and we can have peace of mind.”

This reminded Shi Qingze of something.

He could wait for the marriage, but He Xinglou’s status as an illegal resident couldn’t wait. He needed to finish the process quickly to get He Xinglou’s household registration sorted.

Shi Qingze finally nodded: “Alright. Thank you, Brother.”

“Why be so polite?” Xinglou withdrew his hand and reached for the tea on the table. “Didn’t I say? We are in a partnership, so we need to have a ‘contractual spirit.'”

As for what to do after meeting that man at the Shi house, he’d deal with it when the time came.

He Xinglou then asked: “So, what did you plan on doing tonight?”

Shi Qingze looked at him with a faint smile.

Seeing him smile made He Xinglou feel uneasy, as if something was off.

Sure enough, he heard Shi Qingze propose: “Since you’ve agreed, Brother, let’s go get a custom formal suit made for you first.”

“…Now?”

Shi Qingze must have prepared his words long ago, his attitude sincere: “If it’s a custom suit, it takes at least a day to rush the job. If we go for measurements tonight, we can pick it up tomorrow afternoon.”

That seemed logical.

He Xinglou stood up: “Let’s go then. Let’s make it quick.”

He synchronized this news to the three-person group chat.

The first to reply was still the sharp-tongued Lin Shuyan: [Attending a banquet? I heard wealthy families love the “marriageable” style for Omegas. Do you want to buy some deep-V or off-the-shoulder clothes?]

He Xinglou: “…………”

He spitefully muted the group messages.

Only after doing all this did he realize he had ignored Shi Qingze for a long time in the car. He began to reflect: As a partner in a contract marriage, am I being a bit lazy?

When he turned his head, he saw that Shi Qingze was also quickly replying to messages while wearing headphones, as if he were in a meeting.

The next second He Xinglou looked over, Shi Qingze immediately noticed his gaze, stopped what he was doing, and looked back at him earnestly.

“Brother?”

It was as if whatever He Xinglou said next would be of vital importance to him.

He Xinglou shook his head and mouthed: “Keep working.”

Shi Qingze laughed, took off his headphones, and reached for He Xinglou’s hand.

Shi Qingze wasn’t driving himself this time, so both were in the back seat. He Xinglou noticed the driver looking at them through the rearview mirror.

This made him think the driver was a spy for the Shi family. Perhaps Shi Qingze was already starting to act the part.

Therefore, he didn’t resist and silently let Shi Qingze interlock their fingers.

…

Shi Qingze took him to the most famous custom formal wear shop on the Imperial Capital Star.

The store’s decor alone was exceptionally luxurious; even after nightfall, it was brilliantly lit, making this corner of the star as bright as day.

When He Xinglou worked odd jobs before, he passed by here often. At first, he thought it was a large hotel.

Busy delivering packages back then, he had cast a curious glance at the storefront window, only to see a grimy reflection of himself in the ultra-luxurious glass.

After that, he stopped looking whenever he passed by.

The two got out of the hover-car, and a doorman in a sharp suit came to welcome them inside. Two glasses of champagne were handed over without a second’s delay.

“Lee isn’t here today, so we might not be able to take measurements for both of you,” a young assistant said apologetically.

“Not here?” Shi Qingze turned to look at him. “Did he say when he’d be back?”

The assistant’s tone became even more respectful: “I’m very sorry, Mr. Shi. Lee left abruptly and didn’t inform us of his schedule.”

Listening to their conversation, He Xinglou was worried Shi Qingze would make things difficult for the employee. He said quickly: “We can just buy something off the rack that fits. It’s not like I’ll use it often anyway.”

Shi Qingze shook his head: “I’ll take the measurements for you.”

He Xinglou: “?” Did I hear that right?

But Shi Qingze had already turned back to the assistant: “Is that alright? I’ll borrow a fitting room and record the measurements and style for you later.”

The assistant nodded repeatedly, his smile becoming more sincere: “Of course, Mr. Shi. Shall we have the suit express-delivered as usual?”

Shi Qingze nodded casually: “As usual is fine. Lee knows what to do.”

The assistant replied with an “alright,” bowed sensibly, and withdrew.

He Xinglou felt this development was completely nonsensical: “They just left? It’s just the two of us here?”

Shi Qingze couldn’t help but laugh: “It’s fine. I’m well-acquainted with the owner, so they won’t make it difficult for us.”

Is being “difficult” the problem here??

He Xinglou’s face was written with total incomprehension: “They just… let a guest take their own measurements like that?”

What custom shop operated this way? Besides, couldn’t the assistant help with measurements? Why did Shi Qingze have to do it himself?

Or was the etiquette in interstellar clothing stores different from that of Earth?

He Xinglou changed his mind and decided it was reasonable this was an alien world, after all; they had ABO dynamics, so what was a little difference like this?

He brainwashed himself into accepting this turn of events, gave up thinking, and compromised: “Where’s the fitting room?”

Shi Qingze took his arm, his tone gentle: “I’ll lead you there, Brother.”

At that moment, a message arrived on his communicator: [To think you have the thick skin to try and get away with such a clumsy excuse.]

The sender was “Lee.”

Shi Qingze swept an inconspicuous glance around and replied briefly: [Turn off the cameras.]

“Shi Qingze.”

Upon hearing He Xinglou call him, Shi Qingze quickly turned off his communicator and walked into the fitting room.

Then, his breath hitched for a second, and his eyes darkened.

Xinglou had already turned his back to him and taken off his jacket. He was wearing only a thin shirt on his upper body and seemed to intend to continue undressing. The collar of the shirt was wide open and sliding down, revealing a section of his long, slender white neck.

Beneath the ends of his hair was that soft, fragile gland, currently covered by a suppressant patch used during heat cycles.

Three years had passed, and his “brother” was still so insensitive to physiological common sense that he didn’t know what it meant to expose the back of his neck to an Alpha.

“Brother?” Shi Qingze spoke, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible raspiness.

He walked over slowly: “Do you need my help?”

Hearing the voice behind him getting closer, He Xinglou felt a bit nervous, hesitating whether to button up the shirt or unbutton it completely.

He asked as if seeking help: “To take measurements, I shouldn’t need to strip completely, right?”