Mistaken ‘O’ is a Crazy Gorgeous Boss - Chapter 57.1

This form of address is common in marriage and frequently appears in bestselling books about maintaining marital relationships.

Yet, between Qu Zhen and Shen Zhikou, it was exceptionally rare.

Qu Zhen only vaguely remembered the first time she used this term, it was the night she and Shen Zhikou went to get their marriage certificate. She got drunk after just a sip of alcohol, clinging to Shen Zhikou and insisting on a review, even blurting out “wife” on her own.

Sticky, sweet, and utterly unlike her usual self.

Her thoughts were thrown into disarray by this sweet bombshell, and Qu Zhen’s cheeks flushed faintly as she responded softly, “Mm.”

It felt as though a little rabbit were thumping wildly in her chest. She knew she should do something at that moment.

Since Shen Zhikou was sitting in a chair, Qu Zhen slowly knelt down, meeting her gaze from a lower angle. Then, she took Shen Zhikou’s hand and kissed the left hand that had just been adorned with a painted heart, her voice softer and gentler than usual.

“Wife.”

The corners of Shen Zhikou’s lips lifted slightly. She stroked the little alpha’s flushed cheek and used the bouquet to block the moonlight filtering through the gap in the curtains.

“Mm,” she replied, her voice clearly laced with amusement. “Blocking the light for my shy little wife. Don’t you want to kiss?”

Qu Zhen didn’t hesitate.

The omega’s lips were no longer swollen, and her mouth tasted sweet. Qu Zhen’s kiss was brief and restrained, nothing like the thorough exploration during her estrus cycle.

After pulling away, her thumb brushed the corner of Shen Zhikou’s lips, her gaze shifting slightly. “Much better than yesterday, but we still need to be a little more restrained.”

“Okay,” Shen Zhikou teased her intentionally. “I’ll listen to whatever my wife says.”

Qu Zhen felt dizzy and overwhelmed. “Sister.”

“Your face is red.” Shen Zhikou pressed the back of her hand against Qu Zhen’s cheek. “Zhenzhen is so shy.”

The pure white bellflowers accentuated Qu Zhen’s increasingly flushed face, making her look like a ripe cherry tomato.

She didn’t want to be like this.

But she couldn’t find a solution.

“Mm,” Qu Zhen looked up at her, admitting honestly, “Just a little shy, not extremely shy. And I’m only like this in front of you. When I’m at work or with friends, I’m not like this at all.”

At work, she was more serious, still gentle but guarded and distant. With friends, she was more cheerful, but that was the extent of it. This side of her was reserved solely for Shen Zhikou, as if it belonged entirely to her.

“I think it’s because I like you, Sister,” Qu Zhen said, holding her hand. “This bouquet of bellflowers is…”

“It’s-” Shen Zhikou paused, “flowers for my wife.”

“Logically speaking, after the first time going through estrus, during the remaining two days of observation, the omega should stay by the alpha’s side at all times. But I wasn’t with you this afternoon, that was my negligence. I should be the one apologizing to you.”

She handed the exquisitely wrapped bouquet to her wife, whom she cherished deeply. “Zhenzhen, will you accept these flowers and forgive my negligence?”

After being apart for an afternoon, Qu Zhen received a bouquet of pure white bellflowers. Bellflowers symbolize eternal love, sincere and unchanging affection. While apologizing, Shen Zhikou was also expressing her feelings.

“It wasn’t negligence,” Qu Zhen said, taking the flowers and speaking earnestly. “We were apart because work was busy. It’s not your fault, Sister.”

With a rare touch of childishness, she added, “It’s all the fault of those wretched capitalists!”

A glimmer of amusement shone in Shen Zhikou’s eyes. “Today’s hug count is still zero.”

Qu Zhen understood immediately. She set the bouquet down on the edge of the table, lifted Shen Zhikou from the chair, and carried her straight out of the master bedroom, placing her gently on the soft sofa cushions.

The two gazed quietly at each other before sharing a brief, tender kiss. After a five-minute embrace, Qu Zhen released Shen Zhikou and, pulling out a silk scarf from somewhere, covered her eyes, tying a loose bow at the back of her head.

“Wait for me a moment, sister. I have a gift for you.”

The main light in the living room went out, leaving only the fluorescent glow from the water dispenser. The silk scarf was thin and could easily be removed, blurring the world before Shen Zhikou’s eyes. Her hands unconsciously tightened, yet her voice remained steady.

“Alright, I won’t take it off.”

Qu Zhen walked to the TV cabinet, opened the bottom drawer, and retrieved a pale blue box. After removing the lid and setting it aside, she carefully adjusted everything inside before returning to sit beside Shen Zhikou.

“Sister, it’s ready.”

The delicate silk scarf drifted down. Shen Zhikou opened her eyes, and the blurred surroundings slowly sharpened under the light. At the center of the coffee table was a cluster of starlike brightness. She blinked, and the image grew clearer, her gaze settling on the glowing object.

It was a lily-of-the-valley star night light.

The crystal lily-of-the-valley inside was exquisitely lifelike and translucent, unlike any mass-produced version. Above the glass dome, a ring of shimmering stars glowed, with the lily-of-the-valley blooming beneath a starry night sky. Along the wooden base of the glass, Shen Zhikou’s name was engraved in English.

“I’ve always wanted to give you a gift. After observing for a long time, I chose this.” Qu Zhen glanced at her. “The pumpkin night light in the bedroom has just the right brightness, so I used it as a reference to create this exclusive lily-of-the-valley star night light for you.”

Every component had been meticulously selected to ensure the highest quality. From conception to completion, the process of bringing it to life had taken her nearly half a month.

She felt a hint of nervousness. “My hands are clumsy, and this is my first time making something like this. What do you think, sister? If there’s anything you don’t like, I can make adjustments.”

The lily-of-the-valley star night light cast a warm glow, softening Shen Zhikou’s heart further. A faint scent of lily-of-the-valley drifted from her glands.

“When I was away on business, every time you said goodnight, you weren’t actually going to sleep, were you? You were squeezing in time to work on this, right?”

“Yes. Work has been very busy these past two weeks, and I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.”

In Shen Zhikou’s mind, she could vividly picture her young alpha working diligently into the night.

Her little one would press her soft lips together, the dimple on her right cheek appearing from time to time. Her bright, almond-shaped eyes would focus intently on the components, her waist-length hair flowing smoothly over her shoulders. From any angle, the sight was enough to soften, or even stir one’s heart.

“You’ve worked hard.” She turned and kissed the corner of Qu Zhen’s lips. “I love it. Thank you, Zhenzhen.”

“As long as you like it, sister.” Qu Zhen smiled warmly. “Shall we place this night light at the corner of the hallway leading to the bathroom? Is that alright, sister?”

Shen Zhikou shook her head.

Qu Zhen’s nerves immediately tightened.

“Put this by the bedside and replace the pumpkin night light.” She made no attempt to hide her preference. “Whether to place it at the corner of the hallway is up to you.”

“Okay.”

Qu Zhen was so happy that she even proactively pulled Shen Zhikou onto her lap, gently pecking kisses on her lips. The soft lips, already tinged with cherry blossom pink, deepened to a rouge hue under her kisses. She pulled away just in time, letting her kisses trail down to her chin, but stopped when she reached the neckline hidden beneath her inner wear.

Her voice was muffled: “The hickeys haven’t faded yet.”

She couldn’t add new ones, or else her sister would have to keep wearing high-necked tops.

“The bad puppy during her sensitive period left so many bite marks,” Shen Zhikou teased her with a straight face. “It might take another two or three days for them to fade.”

“Yeah.” Qu Zhen accepted all her teasing. “Qu Zhen during her sensitive period was too naughty and went too far.”

“But she’s very smart. She learned everything from the materials I sent her.”

A glimmer of mischief flashed in Shen Zhikou’s eyes as she hinted, “In her teacher’s eyes, she must be a very diligent and good student.”

Night had fallen over Haicheng, and the bright moon cast its silvery glow. The succulent pots on the balcony bathed in the long-awaited moonlight, their pink leaves looking even more plump and lustrous.

As her rationality wavered, Qu Zhen suddenly remembered that she had once mentioned Z in front of Shen Zhikou.

During their first attempt at a more intimate form of comfort, Shen Zhikou had asked her why she wanted to sit on her lap. She had explained that she had sought advice from a friend, and Shen Zhikou hadn’t shown any unusual reaction at the time.

Had she really not connected her to Qiye Zhenzhen?

Qu Zhen asked, “Sister, where did you get those learning materials from?”

“Frosty Cheats the Crabapple sent them to me,” Shen Zhikou replied without batting an eye. “Besides the ones I sent you, I have many others. Frosty Cheats the Crabapple said that if you’re going to put on a show, you have to go all out. If someone keeps pestering you, just tell them I’m an alpha with certain shortcomings and am still working hard to learn.”

“She’s very thorough in her considerations.”

Qu Zhen easily trusted her Omega, or perhaps in their warm little home, she subconsciously felt that the person closest to her wouldn’t lie to her.

She gazed at her steadily and slowly began to recount a past event: “When I was in second grade, I transferred to another school as a sort of transfer student. One day during the second week of school, after the dismissal bell rang, I went to the teacher’s office to hand in the homework I had left at home the day before. When I returned to the classroom to retrieve my forgotten water bottle, a classmate I barely interacted with ran back to tell me that my mom was waiting for me under the locust tree at the south gate.”

“Back then, my mom would pick me up from school every day. She usually waited by the north gate. I was confused and asked him why it was the south gate. He told me that it was because it was going to rain that day, and my mom hadn’t brought an umbrella. Going home from the south gate would be faster.” She continued, “There were indeed signs of rain at the time, so I believed him. I hurried to the locust tree at the south gate with my backpack, waiting for my mom to come and take me home.”

Shen Zhikou sensed something amiss, her voice turning cold. “And then?”

“Then I waited for a long time. The rain soaked my school uniform, but my mom never came to pick me up.” Qu Zhen paused. “I was really worried my mom wouldn’t be able to find me, so I stayed put and didn’t wander off. Luckily, a teacher returning from the bus station noticed me. She let me get in her car to take shelter from the rain, and since I remembered my mom’s phone number, she called her. That’s when we found out that classmate had lied to me and also lied to my mom. He told my mom I had already gone home with another classmate under their umbrella, which was why we couldn’t find each other.”

“After I got back, I had a fever for two days. That classmate called to apologize, saying it was a prank they came up with because they wanted to have fun, and they promised they would never lie to me again.”

Shen Zhikou tightened her arm around Qu Zhen’s waist, resting her head against her shoulder, her eyes dark and unreadable.

“That was their fault. They shouldn’t just apologize, they should face consequences.”

“Yeah.” Qu Zhen leaned closer. “The homeroom teacher made them clean the classroom and playground for a week and write me apology letters.”

“Did you forgive them?”

Qu Zhen intertwined their fingers. “At the time, I was really upset and angry because I hadn’t done anything wrong. When they apologized in the office, they seemed genuinely sorry and their attitude was sincere. Plus, with so many teachers watching, I couldn’t just refuse to reconcile. So, I forgave them.”

“But ever since then, I haven’t liked people who lie to me, and I don’t like lies.”

The short locust tree offered little shelter from the wind and rain, and the downpour drenched young Qu Zhen, turning her white school uniform into a soaked raincoat. As the fierce wind blew, she shivered, crouching on the ground with teary eyes, curled up into a small ball, feeling as insignificant as a grain of sand in the vast world.

She was scared, worried, sad, and helpless, all these negative emotions and the terrible situation were caused by a single lie. After standing in the rain for about half an hour, she was finally found by a teacher who happened to pass by.

Emerging from the memory, Qu Zhen’s almond-shaped eyes sparkled as she asked hopefully, “Sister, will you ever lie to me?”

Meeting her lover’s gaze, even with a heart as hard as stone, Shen Zhikou found it difficult to honestly say she would.

She knew all too well that in Qu Zhen’s twenty-two years of life, she herself was the biggest lie that had ever existed in it.

Despite that, she still chose to say, “No.”

Qu Zhen smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons, and kissed the corner of Shen Zhikou’s eye, as if sealing a pinky promise. “I’ll remember that.”

“Zhenzhen.”

“Hmm?”

Shen Zhikou looked at her intently. “If one day you find out I’ve lied to you, will you forgive me?”

“But you just said you wouldn’t lie to me.” Qu Zhen asked again, “What kind of lie would it be?”

“Many, many things.”

Qu Zhen knew how soft-hearted she was. After thinking for a moment, she assumed the lies Shen Zhikou mentioned would, at most, be white lies.

“Yes, I would forgive you, Sister.”