Cherish

'Is he really your boyfriend?'

Back in the Dormitory, Lin Yan shut the door and put on the air of a full tribunal. 'Confession earns leniency, resistance earns severity. If you don't tell the truth, I'll keep you up all night.'

'No.' Shi Qi was blunt. 'He's just a friend.'

'...' Lin Yan had been ready to grind this out until dawn and was instantly dumbfounded. 'That straightforward?'

'I wasn't planning to hide it from you.'

To cut off the pressure from home for good, he had to wait at least until a year from now, when he had truly become a Beta, before he could tell Shi An and the others the truth. Until then, to avoid accidents, the fewer people who knew he and Shang Sui were pretending to be a couple, the better.

But Lin Yan knew him too well. There was no need to keep it from him.

As Shi Qi spoke, he grabbed his pajamas and got ready to shower. When he turned his head, Lin Yan looked deeply moved. 'Wuwuwu. Good baby. All these years of raising you with such bitter toil were not in vain, feeding you one Inhibitor after another, one Isolation Agent after another...'

Shi Qi said, 'Alright. Enough. Stop.'

Lin Yan: .

Lin Yan put away the theatrics and asked seriously instead, 'But what exactly is going on here? How did you end up finding him to be your boyfriend?'

Shi Qi stopped walking and started explaining it to Lin Yan.

He only told the part about pretending to be a couple. Since Shang Sui had already left Huijian Restaurant, he left out that stretch entirely. Lin Yan's expressions were a spectacle from start to finish, and in the end he sighed. 'I thought your rebellious phase ended after high school. Turns out it only just started.'

Then Lin Yan changed tack and gave a thumbs-up. 'But I support you. For freedom, everything else can be cast aside. Honestly, pretending to date really is a pretty good idea.'

'Hey, Shi Qi, do you remember back in high school when we talked about what kind of Alpha we liked?'

Lin Yan and Shi Qi had gone to the same School from childhood on. In high school they were placed straight into the same class and became desk mates.

Adolescence naturally bred curiosity about the opposite sex. Whenever they drifted during class, Lin Yan would often drag Shi Qi into a chat.

'I told you then that you liked the ones who didn't look like good people, and you wouldn't admit it. You had no idea that every time we watched a movie or anime, you'd fall for the villain. I observed everything.' After declaring this smugly, Lin Yan thought of the chaos Shang Sui had stirred up today. 'Was I wrong? That Alpha today looked like he had eight hundred schemes in him at one glance.'

Shi Qi, well practiced in exposing Lin Yan right back, said, 'Compared with that, there's something I remember more clearly.'

'What?'

'One time in your second year you forgot your Inhibitor, and that athlete who was chasing you happened to corner you.'

Lin Yan fell silent for a moment, feeling only that the memory was too awful to revisit. 'That day really was dangerous.'

Because of Heat Phase, Lin Yan's mind had been burning too hot to stay clear, and he had been tangling with that Alpha. If something had really happened, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Luckily, Shi Qi had dropped from the sky and kicked the guy several meters away in one blow.

Shi Qi had not only driven off the Alpha harassing him, he had slapped an Inhibitor straight into Lin Yan's hand. 'Can you fight for yourself? If not, I'll do it for you.'

Thinking back to the way Lin Yan had looked at him with tears in his eyes, Shi Qi laughed. 'You threw your arms around me and cried, asking why I took so long, saying you were scared all by yourself. And by sheer bad luck, our homeroom teacher walked past and saw it. The next day he asked whether we were dating in secret.'

'...'

'Then he said it wasn't good for one Omega to date another Omega, lectured us for half an hour, and moved our seats apart.'

Lin Yan was a little embarrassed. 'You remember that clearly.'

Shi Qi said, 'Because you were very funny.'

At that, neither of them could help laughing.

'Right, what does Shang Sui do?' Lin Yan asked, curious.

Shi Qi paused, thinking how lucky it was that Shang Sui had changed jobs. Otherwise, if he said he had been a paid companion... though that was not impossible, it still sounded less than respectable.

'Qin Shuhe's teaching assistant.'

'So he does art? No wonder he's so flamboyantly... no, what I mean is, to become a teaching assistant at Meiyan Academy that young, he really has a bright future.'

At that, even Shi Qi felt it was rather remarkable.

Everything before had happened too fast. He had not had the chance to ask Shang Sui in detail about changing jobs. Qin Shuhe's mouth was unreliable, but their School was one of the top Meiyan Academy institutions in the country. If Shang Sui could get in just by saying he would, then his ability was probably exceptional.

If that was the case, why had he gone to Huijian Restaurant to work as a waiter?

...Oh. Huijian Restaurant paid well. Going in to make a quick haul did make a certain kind of sense.

'If he helped you this much, you should at least treat him to a meal, right?' Lin Yan's voice cut through Shi Qi's thoughts. 'Honestly, even feasting for three days straight wouldn't be enough to repay a favor like this.'

From Shi Qi's description, Shang Sui had not known him long, and he did not seem to have bad intentions, but...

Would an Alpha really help an Omega and ask for nothing in return?

Sometimes the things that showed no price at all were the most expensive.

'Treating him to a meal definitely isn't enough, but for now I can't think of how to repay him either.' Shi Qi thought for a long time, then made the call. 'I'll deal with it later.'

-

Before leaving for vacation, Yu Wan made a special trip to Shang Sui's place to see how he had been doing.

Yu Wan was a well-known ballet dancer. Even with age on her, she was still tall, slender, straight-backed, and beautiful. A great deal of Shang Sui's looks came from her.

Unlike a few months ago, the house had gradually filled with more touches.

Throw pillows in different colors lay scattered over the sofa. Fresh, lush flowers stood in a vase on the island counter. Shang Sui had directly replaced the plain dining table and coffee table with a new set, and the soft long-pile rug was so comfortable it made people want to walk barefoot over it.

'I didn't expect you to stay.'

Seeing him browsing long-pile sofas of all different shapes on his phone, and finally placing an order for a pink one, Yu Wan said it with some surprise.

She knew Shang Sui had always been like this, with a slight touch of compulsiveness.

He liked everything around him to be pretty. Now that he had the mind to dress up the house, it meant he intended to live here for a long time.

She had originally thought Shang Sui would stay abroad, or drift from place to place after returning home; after all, that was how he had spent the year after graduation. She had not expected him not only to stay in Capital City, but also agree to go to the School as Xie Professor's teaching assistant.

Yu Wan asked curiously, 'Have you run into something interesting lately?'

She had only said it in passing, but Shang Sui put away his phone and gave a quiet sound of assent.

Yu Wan's expression shifted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only smiled at him.

Seeing that, Shang Sui brought up his own affairs first. 'Right. I still have one Psychological Assessment left this year. I'm planning to find time to do it before the end of the year.'

Compared with ordinary Alphas, Alphas with a Special Sensitivity Period were more aggressive and more extreme, and some also had latent issues such as psychopathic tendencies.

To avoid accidents, Alphas with a Special Sensitivity Period had to undergo regular Psychological Assessment. If the results were abnormal, they would be monitored or isolated. There had to be at least three Psychological Assessment sessions a year, either at designated institutions or through a licensed doctor contacted privately. Shang Sui had a private doctor of his own.

'Ah, then should I go with you—'

'No need. Stop worrying blindly all day long,' Shang Sui cut in. 'I only mentioned it in passing. You and my dad can go enjoy yourselves without worry. If you forget your own names, don't come back.'

Yu Wan was silent for a moment, then laughed. 'You can't play to that extent either.'

But because of that joke, she relaxed quite a bit.

Ever since they had found out Shang Sui had a Special Sensitivity Period, every single time she could not help worrying, not only because a Special Sensitivity Period itself was so hard to endure, but also because of... certain things in the past. She and her husband Shang Yao had always carried guilt and always felt they owed Shang Sui something.

At that point, Shang Sui glanced at a new message he had received, stood up, and said to Yu Wan, 'I've got something to do, so I'm heading out first, alright? Stay here by yourself for a while.'

Then he added, in that irritatingly glib way of his, 'Don't stand on ceremony. Just treat it like your own home.'

'...I will. Thank you.'

Before he left, Yu Wan still could not help calling after him. 'Xiao Sui.'

When he turned back and looked at her with a trace of puzzlement, Yu Wan could not quite say what she was feeling.

Whether it was simply his nature or something else, Shang Sui sometimes looked hollow, as if nothing could stir his interest.

In the end, Yu Wan only said softly, 'If you come across something that interests you, treat it well.'

'Of course,' Shang Sui said with a smile as well. 'I'll treasure it.'

-

When Shi Qi saw Shang Sui at the hospital, she waved at him.

They had agreed to come and get a Compatibility Report. Once they had it, Shi Qi would formally announce to her family that she had found a boyfriend.

Even if this boyfriend had appeared rather suddenly and did not sound especially convincing, Shi Qi was prepared to act first and explain later. Whether her family believed it or not could come after.

Shi Qi had also made a second plan. If her Compatibility Index with Shang Sui was too low, then she would go straight to the script of 'love no matter the cost' and answer Shi An's pressure with rebellion.

Most of the people coming to check Compatibility Index were Alphas and Omegas intending to marry. Shi Qi saw several sweet young couples walk past arm in arm. In an atmosphere so full of happiness and sugar, she felt a little awkward and took the initiative to find something to talk about.

'As Qin Shuhe's teaching assistant, what kind of painting do you teach?'

'Oil painting.' Shang Sui looked amused. 'You don't know your friend's major?'

Shi Qi shook her head. 'The only time I was ever curious about him was when I wanted to know what support he'd pick in this round to screw me over again.'

The corner of Shang Sui's mouth lifted before he could help it, and he was just about to speak.

'Number 119—'

The broadcast called them just then. Shi Qi had been about to say something too, when the nurse asked, 'Is number 119 here?'

That way of calling numbers made Shi Qi raise her hand on reflex. The two of them were striking and looked well matched, and the nurse said with a bright smile, 'It's you two, right? Come on.'

Before the testing began, Shang Sui said, 'If there's a chance, I'll show you my paintings.'

Shi Qi's eyes lit at once, and she nodded immediately.

...

...

After the test was over, they still had to wait a while before getting the full Compatibility Report. Shang Sui went downstairs to buy drinks, and Shi Qi sat alone on the long bench waiting.

At that moment, the pinned group chat began popping up messages one after another without pause, and Shi Qi lifted a hand to tap it open.

Shi An knew Shi Qi often ignored WeChat messages, so she had made her pin the family group chat. It was utter chaos inside now; even Jiang Li, who normally hardly spoke, had surfaced.

Shi An: [Xiao Qi! When did you get a boyfriend???!]

Shi Qi looked at the line in surprise.

17: [How did you find out?]

Shi An: [I just heard it from Auntie Fu. Fu Siyue went home and cried all night, cried his Sensitivity Period into coming early, then kept crying for another three days.]

Shi An: [Sigh, that child...]

Shi An: [He actually liked you from the time you were little.]

Shi Qi felt not the slightest pity.

17: [Stop crying. Cry too much and you'll cry your good fortune away.]

Shi An: [...]

Jiang Li: [.]

Jiang Yoning, fearless as Shi Qi, sent an earthshaking burst of laughter.

Jiang Yoning: [hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!]

Plans could not keep up with change. Shi Qi simply moved up the step of informing her family and replied to the message about the 'boyfriend.'

17: [Right. I'm doing a Compatibility Report with him right now.]

17: [I'll tell you the result when it's out.]

That left even Jiang Yoning unable to laugh. She and Shi An sent a flood of question marks together and started pressing Shi Qi about how she had met him, how she could start dating without a word, and why she had not told the family earlier when they had been urging her to marry, and so on.

Shi Qi looked at the questions that kept appearing and felt her head splitting in two. She had not gone over a script with Shang Sui yet, and for some of it she did not even know how to answer.

At that moment Shi An asked: [What does your boyfriend do?]

That one she could answer.

17: [He's a teaching assistant at Meiyan Academy.]

Shi An hesitated. [A teaching assistant? ...Baby, you spend money freely. Can he afford to keep you?]

17: [I don't need him to keep me. I'll be able to make my own money later.]

Thinking of something, Shi Qi added another line.

17: [I can keep him too.]

Jiang Li, who had not said a word until now: [?]

Shi An was even more horrified. What Shi Qi had said did not sound like her at all; it sounded more like a rich beauty being cheated out of both money and heart by a pretty-boy escort. That kind of trashy soap-opera plot did not fit their youngest child no matter how one looked at it.

After the shock passed, Shi An asked with deep suspicion: [Shi Qi, tell me honestly. You didn't just grab someone at random to fool me, did you?]

You are pretty clever.

Though the person had not been found at random.

Shi Qi was just about to reply when a clean, magnetic voice interrupted her.

'Here. The peach soda you wanted.'

The fingers that came into view wore a snake-bone Ring, making the joints look sharper and the skin fairer still.

Above them was an arm unmistakably belonging to an Alpha, long and solid.

Still holding the drink out to her, Shang Sui curled his fingertip and used one hand to hook open the can tab for her.

'Thanks.'

Shi Qi held his gaze for a moment, took the can in its bright-colored packaging, then lowered her head to type a reply.

17: [Why would I lie to you.]

17: [Whether he has money or not doesn't matter. When you're in love, even water tastes full enough.]