The man stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, his long hair cascading down his back. His chin was tilted up slightly, his cool, sharp gaze sweeping over the room full of “kids.”
With his aloof and haughty demeanor, he looked like a deity who had accidentally graced the mortal realm with his presence.
Yu Siyuan clearly hadn’t expected him to show up. Startled, he tried to scramble to his feet, but he had forgotten he was sitting in a beanbag chair. Instead of standing up, he only sank deeper into the plush cushion.
That single clumsy struggle almost broke Xiao Shuqing’s poker face.
Suppressing a smile, the professor walked straight over to the Alpha.
He dropped down onto one knee, looking up into the boy’s eyes, and said, “Didn’t you say you were coming to a class reunion? So, you left me home all alone just to come out and flirt with random Omegas? You aren’t even wearing your wedding ring. Yu Siyuan, I’m going to be cross with you if this keeps up.”
The boy blinked dully. His gaze traveled slowly from Xiao Shuqing’s sharp jawline down to his own hand, which the older man had gently taken into his.
Finally, his eyes locked onto the diamond ring on Xiao Shuqing’s left ring finger.
Reaching into his collar, Yu Siyuan pulled out a silver chain, carefully cupping the small silver band dangling at the bottom.
His dark eyes fixed earnestly on the professor as he mumbled, “The ring, I am wearing it.”
Xiao Shuqing froze.
It had been a week since they registered their marriage, and his own ring had been sitting in his wallet the entire time, completely unworn. He had assumed Yu Siyuan had done the same. He never expected the kid to custom-order a necklace just to loop the ring through it so he could wear it right over his heart.
The older man reached around the Alpha’s neck, deftly unhooking the clasp to remove the necklace.
Then, under the boy’s watchful gaze, he took his hand and slipped the ring securely back onto his ring finger.
“Wear it like this from now on, alright? We’re legally married, and I am your Omega. Don’t make me feel neglected, okay?”
Yu Siyuan looked down at his hand. Under the professor’s gentle touch, his fingertips trembled uncontrollably. His fingers slowly curled inward, closing tightly around Xiao Shuqing’s palm.
He squeezed a tiny, fragile word from his throat: “Wife.”
It was merely a title, and the two of them didn’t even share a real marital relationship. In fact, Xiao Shuqing had spent his afternoon negotiating the finer points of their prenuptial agreement with a lawyer.
Yet, in that moment, Yu Siyuan looked as though he had been relying on him for a lifetime.
His voice was soft and shaky, carrying a faint, nasal quality, as if he were pouring out every ounce of his pent-up grievances to the only person who mattered.
“I’m sorry.” The boy whispered, keeping his eyes lowered.
“Mhm.” Xiao Shuqing murmured softly in response.
He turned to sweep his gaze across the room one last time, letting his eyes linger with deliberate weight on the Omega named Ah Jing, before turning back to Yu Siyuan. “I’m in a very bad mood today. Are you going to come home and comfort me?”
“Ah. Y-Yes, of course.”
“Let’s go then. Let’s go home.”
“Okay.”
They drove back in silence.
Streetlights flashed past the windows one by one, casting alternating patterns of light and shadow across the car’s interior.
Yu Siyuan sat perfectly still in the passenger seat. Seemingly aware that he had caused trouble, he kept his head down, not daring to utter a single word.
Tsk. Right back to square one, Xiao Shuqing thought. He had reverted entirely to the timid, skittish little rabbit from their very first meeting, long ears figuratively drooping in defeat.
Recalling what had happened back at the lounge, Xiao Shuqing still couldn’t fight back a smile.
At the time, he had been entirely prepared to lead the kid out of the room. The boy’s prompt had already left the seat when his face suddenly fell for some inexplicable reason. Stammering, he told Xiao Shuqing that he still had some loose ends to tie up and asked him to wait outside.
Then, he practically welded himself back onto that beanbag chair, refusing to budge no matter how hard anyone pulled.
It wasn’t until Xiao Shuqing stepped outside that he received two consecutive texts:
Yu Siyuan: I’m sorry, Professor Xiao. I didn’t wear my height-increasing insoles today.
Yu Siyuan: I’m a little bit short. [Duck wiping away tears.jpg]
Holding his phone in the hallway, the corners of Xiao Shuqing’s mouth had curved up uncontrollably. Meanwhile, the student working the front desk had stared at him, his expression one of absolute, unadulterated terror.
Once they arrived home, they stepped through the front door together.
Seeing his masters return, the massive dog sat at the entrance, panting happily with its tongue out as its thick tail thudded back and forth against the floor.
After changing into his slippers, Xiao Shuqing handed Yu Siyuan a glass of warm water. He then tapped the seat next to him at the dining table, signaling the boy to sit.
“Is there anything you want to tell me about what happened today?”
The kid sat down sheepishly, his fingers nervously tracing the rim of the glass. Shifting his gaze around the room to avoid eye contact, he squeezed out a sentence: “In the future, I’ll make sure to wear my insoles before I leave the house.”
Xiao Shuqing simply stared at him, remaining silent.
Yu Siyuan swallowed hard. “The truth is, I didn’t want to go to the reunion in the first place. I’m sorry for not going to the law firm with you.”
The older man let out a soft, helpless sigh. “Siyuan, you can tell me whatever is on your mind. What you like, what you don’t like—you can say it all out loud. You didn’t need to force yourself into another environment that made you uncomfortable just because you wanted an excuse to skip the law firm.”
Xiao Shuqing knew that because he was a professor, he often carried an aura that made him seem unapproachable. But still, how could someone actually force themselves to attend a reunion they absolutely dreaded, all just to back up a flimsy excuse?
Had he never learned how to lie? Even elementary schoolers knew how to do that nowadays.
Yet, the moment his eyes met those clear, slightly reddened eyes, all his intended lectures dissolved completely.
Forget it. He really doesn’t know how to lie.
Sighing, Xiao Shuqing adjusted his glasses. “I apologize. If you felt too intimidated to express your thoughts to me, that’s my failing. Even though this is a marriage of convenience, there are many ways for us to navigate it. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together in the future, and I want our dynamic to be comfortable for both of us. I might look a bit aloof on the surface, but I’m really not that terrifying. You don’t need to be so afraid of me.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the Alpha blurted out frantically, “Professor Xiao is very gentle. I know that.”
Xiao Shuqing blinked in surprise.
“During our first meeting, you didn’t scold me,” Yu Siyuan rushed on. “You even gave me tissues to clean myself up. I was so late that day, and I felt terribly sorry.”
“And the second time, when we met my uncle, you came over to help me. You even texted me to warn me beforehand, even though you didn’t have to do any of that.”
“And today, Fu Bao told me he practically tricked you into coming, but you were so good to me. I, I called you my wife, and you actually went along with it.”
The boy counted down every single kind thing the professor had ever done for him. Finally, he sniffled, his watery eyes gazing up with absolute sincerity. “Professor Xiao is incredibly gentle. I’m really not afraid of you. Truly.”
For a moment, Xiao Shuqing found himself at a complete loss for words.
During their first meeting, he had only handed over the tissues because the kid looked so thoroughly miserable and disheveled. The second time, when he stepped in to ward off the unwanted suitor, it was purely out of spite because the father-son duo had been talking trash in the restroom. It was nothing more than petty retaliation.
As for today.
“Siyuan, we registered our marriage. Technically, I am your wife. If you call me that in public, of course I’m going to go along with it.”
The Alpha lowered his head, a tiny, muffled noise escaping his nose. “Mhm.”
His entire demeanor softened even further.
After their little chat, Yu Siyuan finished off his glass of water. Noting the boy’s complexion, Xiao Shuqing asked, “Are you hungry? Did you eat well tonight?”
The boy blinked. “Yes, I ate a lot. Fu Bao said we paid good money for the venue, so we had to get our money’s worth. He kept piling food onto my plate.” He looked down, gently patting his stomach. “I’m stuffed.”
If only I had some hawthorn berry candy at home. Xiao Shuqing thought fondly. I could have fed him one to help him digest.
“Alright, go take a shower. It’s already nine o’clock,” he said.
Turning around, he pulled a piece of dried meat from a container and tossed it to the large dog resting obediently on the floor. Receiving an unexpected midnight snack, Saisa wagged his tail furiously, rubbing his heavy body against Xiao Shuqing’s legs.
“Awoo. Woof!”
“Hush. Keep it down, you’ll wake the neighbors.”
“Whimper.”
By the time Yu Siyuan emerged from the bathroom, Xiao Shuqing had just finished a cigarette on the balcony and was opening the window to air out the room.
“All done?” Xiao Shuqing asked, turning around at the sound of the door.
The boy nodded, stepping out onto the balcony. He had changed into the matching light-green pajama set they had purchased together, the color making his fair skin look even softer and more delicate. Because he hadn’t dried his hair thoroughly, a few stray droplets of water were still clinging to the tips of his hair. He looked as fresh and clean as a young scallion shoot.
“Professor Xiao, are you in a bad mood?” Yu Siyuan asked, his eyes falling on the ashtray by the windowsill.
Xiao Shuqing averted his gaze slightly, shaking his head. “No. My cravings just kicked in, so I wanted a quick smoke. If I were actually in a bad mood, I’d be smoking and drinking.”
The boy pressed his lips together, walking over to stand right beside him. He tilted his head back to look at the older man. “Then, the night before we got married, you were in a very bad mood, weren’t you?”
Xiao Shuqing caught his breath.
Then, a soft, breathy chuckle escaped his lips.
If he hadn’t known for a fact that Yu Siyuan had absolutely no romantic interest in Omegas, he would have genuinely believed the boy was flirting with him.
But.
That night, he truly had been in a wretched mood.
“But the fireworks were beautiful,” he said, turning his head to offer a faint, gentle smile. “I don’t think I ever told you this before—thank you for being willing to marry me.”
“Ah, marrying Professor Xiao made me really happy too.”
“Mhm.”
Perhaps emotions were simply harder to keep in check under the cover of night, or perhaps the events and conversations of the day had finally shattered the lingering wall of ice between them. Slowly, Yu Siyuan began to speak of his past with “Ah Jing.”
“When I was twelve, I was a first-year student at H City No. 1 Middle School. That year, my father got into a car accident. The driver fled the scene. My father spent three days in the ICU, but in the end, they couldn’t save him. We were left with a mountain of medical debt. That period of time was incredibly dark. There wasn’t much family we could rely on. My dad had to earn money all by himself while constantly running back and forth to the police station to look for the driver. Back then, the Skynet surveillance system wasn’t fully established, and there weren’t nearly as many cameras as there are now. They just couldn’t find the driver. My dad was frantic, his workload was crushing, and eventually, he fell ill from the sheer exhaustion.”
The boy’s voice was very quiet. His tone was relatively calm, yet beneath that “calmness” lay a subtle, barely perceptible tremor.
Xiao Shuqing stared at the boy’s hand hanging limply by his side. His own fingers twitched slightly.
Before he slipped his hands into his pockets.
“What happened next?” he asked softly.
“Later, someone came forward with a lead. They said they had accidentally crossed paths with the driver in a small county while away on a business trip. They reported it to the police, and that was how we finally caught the hit-and-run driver.”
“And the person who provided that lead was connected to Ah Jing?”
“Yes. It was his father.”
With just a few sentences, Xiao Shuqing smoothly pieced together the overall sequence of events.
To put it simply: it was a classic case of repayment for a kindness gone completely misunderstood.
“When did you find out? High school?”
“The second semester of my freshman year. I was the class academic representative. I saw his father’s name when I was collecting the registration forms for a student competition.”
The second semester of freshman year.
Right around sixteen or seventeen years old—the exact age when Alphas and Omegas began undergoing their secondary gender differentiation, displaying unprecedented curiosity and anticipation toward courtship.
In such a restless, hormone-driven stage of life, for an Alpha to suddenly start showing immense favor toward an Omega in his class.
Xiao Shuqing didn’t even need to be told to know what must have followed: it undoubtedly caused a massive uproar.
Particularly when this specific Alpha was timid, skittish, and introverted while the Omega he was pursuing was revered as the untouchable, elite prize of the entire class.
It must have been an absolute disaster.
Bullying, isolation, and ridicule would have followed in relentless succession. In fact, it was highly likely that the other Alphas in the class spread malicious rumors to entirely strip him of his competitive standing in the social hierarchy.
Xiao Shuqing suddenly recalled the two text messages Yu Siyuan had sent him earlier:
I’m sorry, Professor Xiao. I didn’t wear my height-increasing insoles today.
I’m a little bit short.
Looking at the submissive, downcast boy standing before him now, a sudden realization washed over him: all of this deep-seated insecurity and stubborn fixation had likely stemmed from a disaster he had brought upon himself out of pure, innocent kindness.
Insecurity was never something a person was born with.
“Professor Xiao, did I do something wrong?”
The gentle boy, perhaps catching the sound of the professor’s quiet sigh, hung his head in dejection.
The older man’s fingers twitched once more.
This time, without a shred of hesitation, he reached out and gently rested his hand on the boy’s head.
“No. You did wonderfully.”
“It was everyone else who wasn’t good enough.”