Married the Abandoned Puppy Alpha - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: He Is Smiling

The next morning, when He Xinglou opened the door, he saw Shi Qingze sleeping on the living room sofa again. He was wearing headphones, and his brow was furrowed, making him look very insecure.

Just as he was about to walk over, the person on the sofa snapped awake, his head whipping around to look in his direction.

So alert? And wasn’t he wearing headphones? He Xinglou was startled.

“Brother, where are you going?” Shi Qingze asked immediately upon opening his mouth.

“Nowhere,” He Xinglou said casually, approaching the sofa and frowning as he examined the bloodshot streaks in Shi Qingze’s eyes.

“Why are you sleeping here? Didn’t you go back to the bedroom?”

Shi Qingze seemed like he hadn’t fully woken up yet, so he didn’t answer, only shaking his head groggily.

Instead, he lifted his hand to check the time on his communicator: “Seven o’clock.”

“It’s still early. Do you want to sleep a bit longer?” Xinglou suggested.

“Can’t sleep anymore.” Shi Qingze shook his head again and sat up. “There are so many things to do.”

He was likely referring to going for the marriage registration today. Reminded of this, He Xinglou silently stopped trying to persuade him.

Shi Qingze was evidently quite anxious; he finished washing up in a few minutes and clumsily pulled on his clothes as he walked, his hair ending up as a messy bundle of weeds in his haste.

He Xinglou had never seen him look so flustered and couldn’t help but laugh: “The Galactic Marriage Registry doesn’t open until ten, right? There are still three hours.”

Shi Qingze’s eyes darted around: “I… I’m just a little nervous.”

“Nervous?” He Xinglou looked at him twice with surprise, then suddenly realized.

This was, after all, Shi Qingze’s first marriage a major life event. It was natural to be nervous.

As for him…

Xinglou suddenly realized the reality: he was actually getting married, and to a man.

Now he, too, was a bit at a loss, his heart rate involuntarily quickening a few beats.

He Xinglou couldn’t help but stand up: “Do I… do I need to do anything?”

He had only tidied himself up simply after waking up; he wasn’t even wearing formal clothes.

Then again, it was just a contract marriage. Did they need to wear formal clothes? What was the process? He Xinglou had agreed readily enough last night, but now that the time had come, he was completely in the dark.

Shi Qingze stopped what he was doing and suddenly walked toward him with quick steps.

“Don’t worry, I’ve arranged everything.” Shi Qingze raised his hand to He Xinglou’s cheek, rubbing it with his thumb as if to comfort him.

“Brother doesn’t need to do anything. Just follow me in a bit.”

He Xinglou was still hesitant: “But didn’t you say there were many things to do today?”

Hearing this, Shi Qingze laughed: “Those are the things I’m responsible for. For example… I’m going to make breakfast for my brother right now.”

Having said that, he turned and went back into the kitchen.

He Xinglou watched his back silently, feeling that since returning from the banquet, Shi Qingze had positioned himself as the household cook.

Besides, wasn’t time pressing? Why suddenly go cook? Was he trying to cook a meal to calm himself down?

But being under someone else’s roof, He Xinglou didn’t say much and could only sit back down on the sofa.

He noticed that the headphones Shi Qingze had left on the coffee table were still emitting a faint sound, so he picked them up curiously to listen.

It was just the white noise of rain to help with sleep.

Does Shi Qingze have trouble sleeping at night? He wondered.

“Brother, come eat quickly.” Shi Qingze had already turned around and brought out a steaming bowl.

He Xinglou quickly put down the headphones and walked to the dining table. Looking at it, his lip couldn’t help but twitch.

It was red bean soup and poached eggs.

“There’s no need for this ceremony…” After all, it was just a contract marriage.

Shi Qingze laughed softly: “None of the proper steps can be skipped.”

After witnessing his outburst at the Shi family banquet, He Xinglou knew that when this person was being stubborn, there was no reasoning with him. Since time was tight, it was better to ignore these details.

Therefore, he gave up thinking, sat down obediently, and began drinking the red bean soup face-to-face with Shi Qingze.

It really felt a bit like a newlywed couple.

The steam from the bowl rose up, making He Xinglou’s cheeks feel hot. Looking up again perhaps because the base color of the red bean soup was so vivid it seemed to have tinted Shi Qingze’s fair face with some rosy hues as well.

Shi Qingze was handsome, with a high bridge of the nose and deep brow bones. Noticing He Xinglou’s gaze, he looked up and smiled at him, his four upper and lower canine teeth white and sharp, like a puppy’s.

He Xinglou didn’t dare look any longer and focused on his food.

When the two of them went out, He Xinglou saw the luxury van parked downstairs and finally understood what Shi Qingze meant by “I’ve arranged everything.”

The interior of the vehicle was spacious, and several staff members were already waiting. A photographer was incessantly snapping photos of the two, while several drones were diligently filming.

Is this the scale of a wealthy marriage? Surely this isn’t going to end up in the gossip news…

He Xinglou didn’t like this feeling of being exposed before everyone and couldn’t help but hide a bit behind Shi Qingze’s back.

Shi Qingze’s hand immediately reached over to take his.

“Don’t be afraid, Brother. The final results won’t be leaked; they’re just for keeping as a memento.”

He Xinglou wasn’t fully pacified, but he was accustomed to enduring, so he nodded with lowered eyelashes.

The staff even did simple makeup and hair for both of them. He Xinglou was prioritized, so by the time he came out of the changing room in his formal attire, Shi Qingze was still being worked on by the makeup artist.

Just as he pulled back the curtain, Shi Qingze’s gaze immediately followed him, and he then showed a dazed expression.

The entire van fell silent for a moment.

He Xinglou was a bit nervous and couldn’t help but look for a mirror: “Is… is everything alright?”

The makeup artist was the first to react, smiling: “It’s perfect. You’re just so thin; you must eat more to nourish your body after the wedding.”

The photographer nearby teased: “We should remind Young Master Shi instead. An Omega needs to be meticulously cared for.”

Only then did Shi Qingze hurriedly turn his head back: “That goes without saying.”

Everyone laughed kindly.

Knowing he hadn’t made any mistakes, He Xinglou felt relieved and sat to the side, taking the itinerary handed to him by an assistant and studying it seriously.

Meanwhile, the makeup artist, who was carefully applying makeup, suddenly paused. She pulled a tissue from the side, handed it to Shi Qingze, and smiled at him with understanding and well-wishes.

“Thank you,” Shi Qingze said softly, quickly pressing the tissue against the corner of his eye.

“He is so beautiful. Anyone who possesses such an Omega would have the same reaction as you.”

“Only me.” Shi Qingze crumpled the tissue in his hand and refuted seriously with slightly red eyes, “Only I can have him.”

…Quite the protective one. The makeup artist wisely said no more.

Across from them, He Xinglou had already flipped to the design proposals for the wedding photos.

The assistant explained eagerly: “The Young Master has initially selected three locations: one is the Emerald Island of Planet Muxia, one is the Nebula Aurora in Eridanus, and the other is the Iris Forest of Planet Rhine. Which location do you prefer, Master He?”

He Xinglou wasn’t used to being addressed this way, and an unnatural expression appeared on his face.

He thought for a moment and asked: “All three of these places are outside the Capital Star. In terms of cost and time…”

The assistant immediately said: “Master, he needn’t worry. These are actually the honeymoon vacation spots selected by the Young Master. He has already arranged for leave and can take the photography team directly there at that time.”

How much of a spectacle would that be? And the prices marked next to the proposals are so expensive; the zeros after the Star Coins are endless.

He Xinglou, who had been poor for years, began to feel uneasy.

He considered this marriage to be merely a formality; the higher the expenses, the more it was a waste.

Therefore, he didn’t respond, flipping a few more pages until he saw a simple budget chart at the end of the design proposals.

“Oh, that…” the assistant quickly explained. “The process booklet covers over a dozen plans, but not all of them are within the Young Master’s selection range. For example, this one is just an alternative among alternatives.”

He Xinglou looked at it and recognized that the location for the plan in the image was near the registry office.

Since they had to go through with the process, better a short pain than a long one; they might as well get the photos done today.

He looked at the assistant: “Can I choose this plan?”

“This…” The assistant looked toward Shi Qingze hesitantly.

Shi Qingze had clearly heard the conversation and didn’t even turn his head: “Just do as Brother wishes.”

The assistant immediately nodded: “Okay, that’s fine. This place is very close, so we can just go there today. The schedule works out.”

He Xinglou finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Over there, Shi Qingze looked toward the sofa from the mirror and exchanged a look with the assistant. The assistant nodded imperceptibly, and only then did Shi Qingze curl his lips slightly and withdraw his gaze.

This small undercurrent went completely unnoticed by He Xinglou. He hadn’t yet adapted to the feeling of being surrounded and watched, so he tried to speak as little as possible, only following Shi Qingze out of the car and through a special channel to the registration counter.

The two registration photos were taken on the spot. Both of them had good foundations, and they passed the process smoothly in one go. Subsequently, the personal information on their communicators was changed to “Married.” Clicking on it would show their partner’s information.

Xinglou’s original profile had been empty besides his name, age, and gender, everything was blank. But now, after binding his partner’s information, the ID interface was instantly filled, all becoming information consistent with Shi Qingze’s.

It felt as though he suddenly had many more connections with this world.

He Xinglou looked at the updated information on the virtual screen, feeling a blurred sense of unreality.

“Now, Brother is free.” Shi Qingze’s voice called him back to reality.

He Xinglou froze: “What do you mean?”

Shi Qingze was smiling, seemingly very happy: “From now on, no more inspectors will come to cause Brother trouble. Brother… you can go wherever you want, do whatever you want. No one will ever stop you again.”

He Xinglou frowned slightly, feeling that Shi Qingze’s words were a bit strange, as if he were hinting at something.

He didn’t like the ambiguous feeling of words having hidden meanings, so he spoke straightforwardly: “Shi Qingze, we are in a partnership. Even if I have Capital Star residency now, I won’t go back on my word and ask you to directly dissolve the marriage.”

Shi Qingze didn’t speak, his light gray eyes watching quietly.

“Meaning… Brother won’t leave me?” he asked softly.

He Xinglou was a bit displeased: “You don’t need to test me with these words. One year is one year; not a day less. I said I would help you, and I certainly will.”

Only then did Shi Qingze’s brows relax, and he said in a soft voice: “I didn’t mean that. Brother, don’t misunderstand me.”

He Xinglou was a typical example of someone who responded to gentleness but not to force. After hearing this, most of his anger dissipated, but he still asked suspiciously, “Then why did you say those things just now?”

Shi Qingze’s gaze was also very soft: ” I’m simply happy for Brother. From now on, Brother can go to work properly too.”

Is that really it? He Xinglou looked into his eyes and felt that the other’s expression didn’t seem fake, so he began to reflect on whether he had overreacted.

Next was the process of taking the wedding photos.

Because the location was nearby, the group drove there on a tight schedule. However, as soon as they parked, He Xinglou felt something was wrong.

This plan hadn’t included example photos, and because he was dazed by the low price at the time, he hadn’t cared. Now that they arrived at the location, he discovered that it was actually an amusement park.

Back then, the place where he had abandoned Shi Qingze was also an amusement park.

Xinglou’s fingers curled involuntarily as he thought of that crying face he repeatedly saw in his dreams.

How… Did he choose such a place? Will Shi Qingze remember it too? Will he be sad because he remembers those things?

Xinglou’s heart hung in suspense as he instinctively looked for Shi Qingze.

“Brother.”

He Xinglou hurriedly followed the sound of the voice, only to see Shi Qingze standing by a carousel not far away, looking over with a bright smile.

The warm yellow decorative lights seemed to frame Shi Qingze with a soft golden edge. He was holding colorful balloons, and his eyes were bright, with no trace of gloom.

Xinglou stared at him blankly, feeling his heart filled with an unknown emotion, both sour and swollen.

He is smiling, He Xinglou thought to himself, etching the scene before him into his heart. He isn’t unhappy.

Those cold, bleak images from two years ago were all dispersed, replaced piece by piece by bright balloons, neon lights, and the sweet scent of candy.

He saw Shi Qingze walking over step by step and opening his arms to take him into a hug.

“Brother, I am very happy.” He heard the firm voice from beside his ear.

Shi Qingze let go of him slightly and asked with a smile: “What about you, Brother? Do you feel happy?”

He Xinglou thought to himself: It’s just going through the motions; why should I be happy? But looking at the other’s face overflowing with joy and happiness, for some reason, he also started to smile.

How strange. Just seeing Shi Qingze happy makes me feel happy.

Gold confetti and colored ribbons suddenly exploded. The assistant, the makeup artist, and the rest of the group cheered and laughed.

Every element that could be defined as “happiness” existed here. He Xinglou was so dazed it felt like being in a dream.

He heard Shi Qingze repeat it: “Brother, are you happy?”

Xinglou hesitated for a moment and then gently nodded.

So he saw the person before him smile even more brilliantly and lean in toward him.

Fireworks bloomed, the shutter clicked, and amidst cheers and blessings, they shared a gentle kiss.