Married the Abandoned Puppy Alpha - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Another Rainy Night

After returning to the Imperial Capital Star, Shi Qingze became even busier.

Since he had to wake up early every day for meetings, he didn’t have the heart to make He Xinglou move from the second bedroom to sleep with him. Consequently, in his own free time, He Xinglou thought about the stone tablet inscriptions he had helped Shi Qingze crack and simply submitted his resume to the archaeology department of the Institute of Cultural Relics.

After all, when it came to Ancient Earth civilization, his major was a perfect match. During the interview, because He Xinglou deciphered the contents of several space chips, the Director was stunned on the spot, calling him a genius and hiring him immediately.

Life moved onto the right track with incredible smoothness. In his fourth year in this world, He Xinglou finally possessed a stable and fulfilling job.

The two would kiss each other in the morning before heading to their respective jobs. By the time He Xinglou finished work, Shi Qingze’s hovercar was usually already parked downstairs, just waiting for him to come out.

Thus, the fact that “He Xinglou has a husband who loves him very much” was not a secret at the Institute.

To He Xinglou’s surprise, Old Master Shi actually came to the Institute to see him once.

The Director of the Institute immediately went out to receive him, bowing and scraping behind the Old Master. However, the Old Master operated his own wheelchair, his mind entirely focused on chatting with He Xinglou and discussing textual materials.

When he went home and told Shi Qingze about this, Shi Qingze pursed his lips and smiled for a long time.

Under He Xinglou’s constant prompting, Shi Qingze finally explained: “That was Grandfather backing you up; he was afraid you’d be bullied again in a strange place. Didn’t Grandfather promise? He would never let Brother be Brother?”

Seeing He Xinglou suddenly burst into tears, Shi Qingze became flustered.

“It’s nothing.” He Xinglou quickly brought his emotions under control. “This weekend, let’s go see Grandfather again.”

It was from this moment that he changed the way he addressed Old Master Shi.

…

On the weekend, He Xinglou finally had some free time and went out to meet his close friends.

“I knew you two would reconcile, I just didn’t expect your willpower to be so weak.” After hearing the story of what had happened recently, Lin Shuyan expressed his calmness.

Song Xiao also agreed: “Back in the secret room, the way he looked at you wasn’t innocent at all.”

“Not really…” Xinglou recalled, but the secret room back then was so dark, and he was so flustered that he hadn’t clearly seen Shi Qingze’s expression.

“Speaking of that secret room,” Song Xiao cleared his throat twice, “your former blind date is looking for you.”

Blind date? He Xinglou searched his mind for a good while before remembering that baby-faced Alpha named Fang Chi.

“What is he looking for me for?” He Xinglou really didn’t have a good impression of him.

Song Xiao was also in a difficult position and shrugged: “He seems to have been searching for his childhood friend lately. I’ve seen the news too, saying that Shen Yuze has disappeared recently, and no one knows his whereabouts.”

On the day he was set up for the car accident, Shen Yuze had come to help. He Xinglou frowned: “Could something have happened? Do we need to call the police?”

Lin Shuyan also remembered the Omega who lent a hand that day and shook his head: “It shouldn’t be an accident. Otherwise, given his fame, his manager would have called the police long ago.”

Then he’s intentionally hiding from Fang Chi, He Xinglou thought to himself.

“Fang Chi said Shen Yuze likes you a lot. After playing together that time, he went back and mentioned you several times, so he wanted to ask if you knew the situation,” Song Xiao explained.

He Xinglou replied slowly: “That’s probably not a good idea. What if Shen Yuze just doesn’t want to see him?”

But after saying that, he remembered the scene of Shen Yuze appearing at the hospital entrance. That Omega was a good kid; it was just that his taste in people wasn’t very good.

Moreover, Shen Yuze was a public figure after all. He had shown his face for He Xinglou’s sake last time; he didn’t know if the kid had been scolded by his manager upon returning.

Thinking of this, He Xinglou changed his tune: “I’ll try asking first. As for Fang Chi’s side, it depends on whether Shen Yuze is willing to make contact.”

Song Xiao finally let out a sigh of relief and pressed his palms together toward him: “Great, that way that kid Fang Chi won’t come to bother me anymore.”

When he returned home, Shi Qingze unexpectedly brought up the same matter.

“Fang Chi is getting engaged?” Xinglou looked at him in shock.

Shi Qingze paused, his teeth gritted slightly: “Yes. Getting engaged to a blind date he’s only met once.”

He wore a lingering expression of fear: “If I hadn’t happened to be with him that day, and happened to see that his blind date’s name was yours, perhaps the person he would be looking for now would be Brother.”

He Xinglou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “It wouldn’t have mattered even if he looked for me; I had a bad impression of him from the very start.”

Only then was Shi Qingze slightly coaxed into a better mood.

“What about me?” he suddenly asked.

He Xinglou was busy connecting Song Xiao’s news with Shi Qingze’s intelligence and didn’t react: “You what?”

Shi Qingze blinked: “Back in the secret room, what was Brother’s impression of me?”

Xinglou froze.

Shi Qingze smiled meaningfully: “I remember at that time, the watch Brother was wearing kept ringing. Was it because you were scared? Or was it because… you saw me?”

As expected, this guy still remembers that damn watch!

He Xinglou fought back, refusing to be outdone: “Fang Chi said your watch was also ringing very loudly. Was it because you saw me?”

To his surprise, Shi Qingze admitted it directly.

“Yes. I wanted to see Brother so much that even if it was just a matching name, I had to come and take a look.”

Xinglou covered his face, signaling his defeat.

He tried to pull the topic back: “Weren’t Fang Chi’s childhood friends also at the secret room that day? If Fang Chi gets engaged, what will he do?”

Shi Qingze recalled: “Shen Yuze? Because Fang Chi isn’t the heir to the Fang family, his family seems to have always disagreed with him being with Fang Chi. He returned to the Imperial Capital Star behind his family’s back. With Fang Chi getting engaged this time, he should have given up hope.”

He Xinglou listened, speechless: “There’s only one heir per family. Why is everyone fixated on that position? Does everyone else just stop living?”

Shi Qingze let out a muffled laugh.

However, with this, He Xinglou had a good grasp of the whole situation.

He considered for a moment and then sent a message to Shen Yuze: [Are you okay?]

A reply came back quickly, the tone wary: [Did Fang Chi beg you to find me? Or did he ask Shi Qingze?]

Xinglou rubbed his nose, feeling a bit guilty.

[Fang Chi is indeed asking people to find you, but I won’t contact him. You can rest assured.]

The other end of the communicator was silent for a long time before finally seeming to make a decision: [Can I talk to you?]

…

A coffee shop.

He Xinglou smiled apologetically: “Sorry, this is the only place nearby I’m somewhat familiar with.”

Clearly, the waiters at the coffee shop already recognized his face. As soon as they saw He Xinglou meeting someone again, gossipy glances were immediately cast over.

Across from him, Shen Yuze was so preoccupied with his worries that he had no time to notice anything else. He just held the steaming coffee with both hands; suddenly, his eyes reddened, and a tear fell into the cup.

History repeated itself. He Xinglou saw several passersby secretly taking photos out of the corner of his eye, and could vaguely hear things like “He made another Omega cry.”

Xinglou shifted his gaze uncomfortably, feeling bad in his heart as well.

He took out a tissue and handed it over: “I heard you’ve been out of touch with Fang Chi lately. How have you been? Are there any problems with your daily life?”

Shen Yuze shook his head: “I’m fine. I’m staying at my manager’s house. Don’t worry.”

He Xinglou asked tentatively: “If there’s anything making you unhappy, why don’t you tell me about it?”

Shen Yuze gave a tragic smile: “You must have heard the news of Fang Chi’s engagement already.”

Once the floodgates were opened, the words that followed could be spoken naturally.

“I grew up with Fang Chi since I was seven. After he differentiated into an Alpha, I prayed every day that I would differentiate into an Omega, so that we could be bound together forever.”

Xinglou’s fingers moved slightly; he suddenly remembered Shi Qingze saying the same thing.

“Isn’t it only natural for an Alpha and an Omega to be together? But I miscalculated one thing there are so many Omegas in the world; Fang Chi wouldn’t necessarily fall in love with me.”

He Xinglou could only advise him: “Perhaps the person truly suited for you isn’t him.”

“I don’t care about that!” Shen Yuze became agitated. “Liking someone is just liking someone. What does suitability have to do with it? I thought as long as I stayed by Fang Chi’s side long enough, as long as I was always with him, he would one day turn back and look at me.”

“But unfortunately, I lost the bet.”

The words he spoke were so similar to Shi Qingze’s, and both happened to have the character “Ze” in their names. Listening to his confession, He Xinglou could always think of the younger Shi Qingze.

He Xinglou felt even worse: “If his engagement partner is someone he’s only met once, then I don’t think he’s truly in love with them.”

“They are just taking what they each need,” Shen Yuze said, looking despondent. “He would rather choose an Omega with whom he only has a relationship of interest than choose me. Am I really that bad?”

Xinglou felt ashamed hearing this he himself had once had the same thought as Fang Chi. If he had also signed a contract marriage with an Alpha he had just met back then, what would Shi Qingze have done?

Would he have been as lost and pained as Shen Yuze?

He hit Xinglou’s breathing hitch twice. He urgently felt the desire to help the other and hurriedly asked: “Is there anything I can do for you? I can accompany you during this time.”

Shen Yuze’s weeping paused for a moment. He looked up with tearful eyes, staring at him in surprise.

Only then did He Xinglou realize their relationship wasn’t quite familiar enough for that. He quickly added: “I mean… if you need it.”

“Yuze, Xiao Ze, Fang Chi cannot be used to measure your value as a person. Regardless of whether he likes you or not, even I have heard of your professional achievements. You are an excellent person. Perhaps your existence has a more significant meaning for many more people.”

Shen Yuze stared blankly at the coffee cup in front of him. After thinking for a long time, he shook his head painfully: “Perhaps my obsession is too strong, but if my existence has no meaning to that specific person, I might… I really find it hard to hold on.”

He looked at He Xinglou with some envy: “When I heard the news of you and Shi Qingze getting married, I was actually very envious. I heard Song Xiao talk about your story, and I thought, “If only Fang Chi and I could have an ending like that.”

“But now, it’s all over.”

Xinglou’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he couldn’t say a single word.

“Alright, no need to look so sad for me.” Shen Yuze forced a small smile.

Was that really the expression I was wearing? He Xinglou touched his own cheek in realization.

“Not everyone who bravely pursues love gets a good ending. I think… when Shi Qingze came to your side regardless of everything, he must have been like me, prepared to burn his bridges.”

Shen Yuze looked up at him, sighing with emotion: “But I know, Xinglou, you are a very good person. That’s why Shi Qingze’s efforts were seen by you, and why you cherish him.”

…

After saying goodbye to Shen Yuze, He Xinglou was just about to head home when he received a message from Shi Qingze.

[Sorry Brother, Grandfather has passed away, so I can’t come to pick you up for the time being.]

He Xinglou’s heart suddenly sank. He felt as if his consciousness was about to be pulled away; the long-lost symptoms of emotional dissociation were threatening to reappear.

But he quickly bit the tip of his tongue, forcing his sanity back into place.

[I’m coming right now.] He replied quickly to the communicator.

Xinglou hurriedly hailed a car and rushed toward the sanatorium.

It was raining outside. Both the night view and the rain slid across the car window. This was the first time since He Xinglou was born that he faced the separation of death.

Just a few days ago, the Old Master had forced himself to go to his workplace to back him up. At that time… why hadn’t he spoken to him more?

Just the thought of this brought a sharp pain to He Xinglou’s heart.

At the entrance of the sanatorium, he saw a crowd dressed in all black, and Shi Qingze surrounded in the center.

The rain continued to fall incessantly. Heavy water droplets hung from Shi Qingze’s shoulders, looking as if they were about to crush him.

Even though He Xinglou was so sad just now that he wanted to cry out loud, the moment he saw that silhouette, he calmed down instantly the most pained person right now was his lover.

“Shi Qingze!” Xinglou shouted and ran quickly into the rain.

He saw Shi Qingze turn back stiffly, his eyes full of bewilderment, as if he had been abandoned by the entire world.

He finally understood why, when they reunited in the slums, Shi Qingze had looked at him with such a pained expression.

People who love each other share thick and thin, remain loyal, and hope the other can live better than themselves.

So this time, it was He Xinglou’s turn to catch all of the other’s emotions. He walked over and wrapped Shi Qingze firmly in his embrace.