Married the Abandoned Puppy Alpha - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Stars and Sea

“Are you crazy?” He Xinglou sat up with a violent start, hurriedly checking the coordinates on his communicator.

The coordinates had long since left the orbit of the Imperial Capital Star and were flying toward a location he found somewhat familiar.

Planet Muxia.

He Xinglou remembered that this was the place Shi Qingze’s assistant had shown him on the day they registered their marriage, saying it had the most beautiful islands in the galaxy.

Was this arranged long ago?

He Xinglou was utterly confused. Turning around, he found Shi Qingze still smiling, as if He Xinglou were the one being unreasonable.

Due to the effect of the sleeping pills, he had slept very deeply; the fact that he hadn’t woken up even while being moved onto the starship made it hard not to suspect that Shi Qingze had deliberately planned this excursion.

He Xinglou knit his brows tightly: “Shi Qingze, what exactly are you trying to do?”

“Do you not want the heir position anymore? What about the wedding? And your physical condition don’t you still need to stabilize? Besides, weren’t the issues with your company urgent to handle?”

“We’re not doing the wedding,” Shi Qingze answered briefly.

Xinglou grew increasingly angry, unable to stop himself from scolding: “I really don’t want to argue with you about this again, but why are you being so childish, doing whatever pops into your head?”

“I am already twenty years old. Stop using the word ‘childish’ to describe me.”

As Shi Qingze spoke, he handed over a plate of fruit; inside were all the varieties He Xinglou had eaten the most in the hospital ward.

“Brother always treats me like a child. That’s the real problem, isn’t it?”

“If you’re not a child, then take responsibility for yourself,” He Xinglou said with a cold face. “By only responding passively, it’s impossible to get the inheritance rights.”

“Mm.” Shi Qingze gave a perfunctory response, then added, “Even if I don’t get the inheritance rights, once the one-year period expires, the agreement will be considered terminated anyway. Would that satisfy Brother?”

Talking as if I really only came here to scam a residency permit and then leave. He Xinglou was almost moved to a cold laugh by anger.

He breathed deeply, trying hard to calm his emotions before replying: “To be fair, you helped me get the permit, so I ought to spare no effort in helping you fight for the inheritance. This isn’t about whether I’m satisfied; it’s about whether the final result is satisfactory for both of us.”

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Shi Qingze actually chuckled twice: “Thinking so much about my future, how very kind of you.”

He Xinglou sensed the emotion in his words and couldn’t help but scrutinize him a few more times.

Is this… yet another thing he’s angry about?

But as for what exactly he was angry about, or what Shi Qingze actually wanted, He Xinglou had no way to ask.

Or perhaps, he vaguely had the answer in his heart but didn’t want to touch it easily, fearing that once the truth was uncovered, it would be something he couldn’t face.

Pale starlight projected into the cabin, carving the reflections of the two people onto the metal floor. Although they sat far apart, the projections had their heads leaning against each other, looking as if they were about to kiss at any moment.

He Xinglou looked down at the two shadows and suddenly stood up, moving even further away.

But just then, the starship turned in its cosmic orbit. The angle of the starlight shifted, and the shadows elongated; surprisingly, they pressed close together intimately once again.

He Xinglou was speechless. He simply stopped looking, cursing himself inwardly for acting just as childishly a moment ago.

Then he heard Shi Qingze laugh slowly again: “Brother is always thinking of escaping, but your shadow seems more honest than you.”

Only then did He Xinglou notice that Shi Qingze’s gaze had also been fixed on those two projections.

Even after making eye contact, Shi Qingze leaned his body slightly, making the two shadows form a kissing silhouette.

This person seemed exceptionally bold today. He Xinglou clenched his fists but didn’t move.

“Tell me, what are your actual plans? Stop keeping me in the dark and acting on your own; it does no good. I completely don’t understand you right now.”

Shi Qingze heard the displeasure in his voice. After a moment of silence, he said: “They aren’t good to you, so it’s better not to have contact with them anymore.”

It took a moment for He Xinglou to realize he was talking about the people of the Shi family.

It was true; nothing good ever happened when meeting the Shi family. After dealing with them, He Xinglou felt physically and mentally exhausted, even needing medication to maintain emotional stability. Even if Shi Qingze could stand up for him, the attacks and harm he received were real; he wouldn’t feel better just because someone else took revenge.

But none of that was important.

“What matters is your position as heir,” He Xinglou said calmly. “Don’t make a joke of your own future.”

Shi Qingze smiled: “I am, however, very devout toward Brother.”

He Xinglou choked, looking at him as if looking at a madman.

Seemingly worried about making him too angry, Shi Qingze finally straightened his attitude and spoke properly: “As for the Shi family side, I will handle it. Taking Brother away from the Imperial Capital Star now is also to prevent those people from acting out of desperation and doing something excessive again.”

“As for work, it can be handled anywhere.”

“Then your”

Shi Qingze didn’t let him finish. He stepped forward directly, took He Xinglou’s hand, and pressed it against the top of his own head, like a pet seeking favor.

“Brother can check me. I’m already completely fine.”

He Xinglou had no way to deal with this “impenetrable” attitude.

He thought it over and still felt it was improper: “If you leave without saying goodbye like this, what if you really lose the qualification for the heir selection?”

Shi Qingze said nonchalantly: “Then there’s nothing to be done. But our agreement will still end in a year; Brother doesn’t need to worry.”

“I’m not worried about that”

“Alright, we’re almost there.”

After saying that, Shi Qingze started walking toward the cockpit. Xinglou called out to him several times but couldn’t get him back; he wanted to give chase, but Shi Qingze beat him to it, closing the door and blocking him inside the room.

This refusal to communicate was so obvious it made He Xinglou even more suspicious.

He thought for a moment and raised his hand, intending to send a message to his two friends, only to see that all signals on his communicator had been cut; its current function was no different from a compass.

He checked the equipment in the room; none had a signal.

The entire starship was like a lonely island in space.

A cold sweat broke out on He Xinglou Shi Qingze who had clearly severed all his connections with the outside world.

By the time the starship landed and Shi Qingze returned to the cabin, he was met with He Xinglou’s exceptionally guarded expression.

Shi Qingze laughed helplessly: “No need to be so wary of me. It really is just a simple vacation.”

“How long are we staying?” He asked Xinglou.

Shi Qingze went silent again.

This wasn’t a difficult question to answer, but since he couldn’t give a clear deadline, it meant… Shi Qingze likely had no intention of letting him go back at all.

He Xinglou tried to calm himself down: “Did I do something wrong? Or say something wrong?”

Shi Qingze, on the contrary, seemed to find his answer inconceivable: “Why think that way? As if I were punishing Brother.”

Is it not a punishment? He Xinglou raised an eyebrow at him silently.

The two faced off for a moment until Shi Qingze looked away first, saying slowly: “It’s only because Brother wants to leave.”

He had said “escape” and “leave” several times today. Xinglou finally realized, was this the reason Shi Qingze had started acting on impulse again today?

“When did I ever say I wanted to leave?” He felt he was being framed.

Shi Qingze shook his head: “Sometimes, the way Brother looks at me is very distant, as if you’ve long since looked through me toward a much further place. Ever since three years ago, I’ve wanted to ask: What are you looking at? What are you anticipating? Could it be that you really are hoping for a parallel world to take you away from here, never to see me again?”

Now, He Xinglou finally understood if wanting to return to his original world counted, he did indeed want to leave Shi Qingze.

Perhaps his guilty expression was caught by Shi Qingze; he heard a faint sigh from the doorway.

Shi Qingze dropped the subject: “Let’s go down first. Even if Brother insists on staying on the starship, without my command, the ship won’t take you back.”

This was a direct declaration that He Xinglou would be kept here and allowed to go nowhere.

Having no choice, He Xinglou followed him off the starship. The moment his feet touched the ground, he felt the oncoming sea breeze.

The entire field of vision was filled with an overwhelming blue. The sky and the sea were so clear they contained not a single impurity. The golden coast looked like a gold rim inlaid on a thick blue canvas, and they were walking right on that rim. The gold and azure seemed to melt into their eyes, threatening to dye their irises the same colors.

“Tonight, there will be a meteor shower,” Shi Qingze suddenly said. “The sun will set soon. Let’s watch it together.”

He avoided the argument they just had, acting as if they truly were just here for a vacation.

He Xinglou couldn’t get any answers out of him now, so he nodded and agreed for the time being.

The hotel they checked into was in the middle of the sea. Each villa floated independently; no one would disturb them.

Recalling the unobstructed path they took, He Xinglou asked: “You arranged this long ago?”

Shi Qingze didn’t hide it: “I originally planned for the honeymoon to be here; I just moved the time forward a bit.”

He Xinglou had seen the price for this island project before, but because there were too many zeros, he couldn’t remember the exact figure at all.

“…Why spend so much money?” He said gloomily. “It’s just a contract marriage.”

“Mentioning the agreement again.” Shi Qingze’s tone was listless, as if he were tired of it.

“For Brother, it’s a contract marriage, but for me”

Shi Qingze leaned sideways against the railing. The wind poured into the collar of his shirt, revealing a bit of his chest. The sea wind howled, and his bangs kept fluttering between his eyes, making it impossible for He Xinglou to see his gaze clearly.

“Haven’t you known all along? My thoughts.” He spoke the truth directly.

The truth that He Xinglou had been avoiding was about to be completely uncovered, leaving him nowhere to hide.

Xinglou dodged his gaze in a panic: “Why bring this up all of a sudden?”

“Do I need to speak more clearly?” Shi Qingze sighed as if admitting defeat. “I really want to be married to you.”

“Brother, stop deceiving yourself. You’d rather believe I entered a contract marriage for the inheritance than believe I truly love you.”

He shrugged, appearing quite helpless: “Originally, I didn’t plan on going this far.”

Which step? Trapping me on this island planet? It’s practically like…

Just thinking of that implication made He Xinglou feel extremely embarrassed; he really couldn’t bring himself to ask.

“But I couldn’t bear it anymore. Brother always turns a blind eye to my sincerity. You clearly promised to stay by my side, yet time and again, you want to leave.”

“The things I said the day we fell from the sky were all from the heart.” Shi Qingze looked at him with exceptional seriousness. “I’ve liked you since three years ago. You couldn’t be completely unaware, right? Those photos in the communicator didn’t you see them all?”

He Xinglou froze: “You knew?”

“Rather, I let you see them on purpose.” Shi Qingze curled his lip. “But Brother is habitually self-deceiving. Even after seeing those photos, you still kept talking about wanting me to differentiate into an Omega.”

“How could I possibly differentiate into an Omega?” He suppressed something with great effort, gritting his teeth. “As early as the day I met you, I was thinking about marking you.”

He Xinglou instinctively wanted to escape again: “I’m going back to my room first”

But just as he turned around, a scorching chest pressed close.

Shi Qingze gathered him into his arms from behind with force: “No escaping this time.”

“Tell me, Brother. Why exactly do you want to leave me? Is being with me not good? What is it you actually want?”

Xinglou’s body was stiff, and he could barely control the trembling in his voice: “I don’t want anything.”

Shi Qingze buried his head in the crook of his neck, shaking it stubbornly.

“Whatever you want, I will give you. If you want to take revenge on the Shi family, I am willing to be your weapon. Do you hate someone? Do you have a wish?”

Seeing that this person had crawled into a dead end, He Xinglou said helplessly: “I’m telling the truth. I don’t want any of that. I’ve long since forgotten those matters with the Shi family.”

Shi Qingze was silent for a moment, then whispered: “Then if Brother doesn’t want anything, can’t you just want me?”

“We’re back to how we were before. There’s only you and me here. There won’t be anyone else. We can still live relying on each other just like before. Is that not okay?”

A fire-red setting sun dropped toward the horizon. Gulls circled overhead. He Xinglou didn’t answer immediately; he only turned his head and saw a dolphin leap from the water.

This scene was very similar to the islands He Xinglou had seen on TV as a child, but when he snapped back to reality, an unfamiliar celestial body rose from the horizon not at all the appearance of a bright moon.

The world had long since changed.

He steadied his mind and said: “On the day we reunited, I made it very clear, Shi Qingze. Time is the only thing you can’t go back to. No matter how much you try to imitate it, the time that has passed can never return.”

“Neither of us are who we were three years ago. When we both had nothing, I was willing to stay by your side. But now you have a better future; why can’t I choose the life I want?”

“What do you mean ‘better future’?” Shi Qingze suddenly grew agitated, stepping back and questioning him. “Since three years ago, I have only wanted to be with my brother! If I can’t do that, how can this be called a better future?!”

“Don’t be so willful,” He Xinglou answered softly. “Why must you bind your life to mine? Maybe it’s impossible for us to… impossible”

A brilliant light illuminated He Xinglou’s face. His words stopped abruptly as he looked up at the sky with a dazed expression.

It was the meteor shower.

Countless diamond-like stars descended from above, suddenly falling like rain.

Perhaps because he was facing such magnificent beauty, He Xinglou couldn’t speak the words of finality.

A vague thought came to him: aside from this day, he might never be with anyone else, and he might never have the chance to see such a beautiful sight again.

Only at this moment, with Shi Qingze by his side, could this perfect scenery be complete.

Feelings like this… could they be called “liking”?

Xinglou felt his heart being pulled, one end connected to the blue planet deep in his memory, the other entangled with Shi Qingze, who was surrounded by the stars.

He should have known all along. Three years ago, he couldn’t make this choice.

Because just thinking about never seeing Shi Qingze again made him almost want to shed tears.

“You’re so eager to fight for the inheritance for me. Is it really to fulfill our agreement, or is it because you have a guilty conscience?” he heard Shi Qingze ask suddenly.

Xinglou looked at him blankly, the glint of water in his eyes fully exposed.

He saw Shi Qingze panic for a split second, seemingly nervous about why he was crying, but then he seemed to suddenly understand something and burst into laughter.

“I understand.”

He Xinglou was bewildered: “…What?”

“Since Brother even wants to escape from his own heart, then I’ll just have to be the one to make you see clearly.”

Before He Xinglou could understand the meaning of these words, Shi Qingze had already stepped quickly toward him, cupping the back of his neck and pressing his lips against his.