The private car sped quietly down the long road toward Qianshui Lane.
Half-lidded eyes gazing out the window, Jiang Yun watched the scenery grow more and more unfamiliar. The world outside blurred as the side effects of the inhibitor dulled his thoughts, making them heavy and sluggish.
But even through the haze, he knew, there was still so much work waiting for him.
He had to report today’s incident to the Presidential Office.
He had to update the Intelligence Bureau on the latest progress.
The diplomats were waiting for his call, and so was Marshal Lu in the convalescent home.
And… what else?
He paused.
He couldn’t quite remember.
Maybe he was simply too tired. Even the thought of opening his communicator to message the twins and tell them he wouldn’t be home tonight felt impossible.
In this state, he couldn’t think clearly. So perhaps… he could stop forcing himself, just for a while.
He would wait until the fever of his heat subsided, until his body stopped aching, and only then…. then he could go back to work, back to everything waiting for him.
Jiang Yun shifted slightly, curling deeper into the corner of the seat until he was completely folded up on the sofa like cushion.
Qianshui Lane… He was on his way there now.
His memory had always been sharp, razor sharp, even. He still remembered the moment the twins were born, the day little Jiang Mu first called him “Dad,” and the exact score Lu Chao got on his first primary school exam.
But he couldn’t remember the last time he had gone to Qianshui Lane.
In truth, there were many things about Lu Huai he had forced himself not to remember. Seventeen years was a long time… Too long.
If not for the recent chain of events… if not for the two children… if Lu Chao hadn’t grown up looking so uncannily like his Alpha father. He would have forgotten Colonel Lu long ago.
The children. Right, he and Colonel Lu had two very adorable children.
He loved them deeply, both of them and yet, there were moments when he caught himself thinking, if only all Lu Huai had left behind were the silent, lifeless relics of the past…
Then perhaps, at the colonel’s funeral, beneath the pitying eyes of others, he could have grieved openly, tears falling behind a veil of mourning.
Perhaps he would have spent a year, two years or three or even locked in the quiet sorrow of remembrance.
But as time passed, those relics would have faded, their meaning dimming under the slow erosion of years. Memories, too, would have sunk into the deep river of time, their colors washed away.
He might have stopped opening the boxes that held Lu Huai’s belongings. Might have thought of him less and less.
He would have sold the house at No. 5 Qianshui Lane, met a new Alpha through his family’s introductions, and after a few tentative dates, stepped once again into marriage, starting a new life, a new chapter, as if reborn.
But fate had not allowed him such an easy erasure because that young colonel, gone far too soon, had left him two children.
Children who could cry and laugh, who spoke and clung to him, who called him “Dad” with shining eyes.
Jiang Yun’s mind drifted. He gave up fighting the exhaustion and let his eyelids fall completely.
His thoughts scattered like clouds, weightless and directionless.
The road ahead, shaded by rows of plane trees, looked like a strip of black silk gleaming faintly under the streetlights.
The private car glided silently forward, and the dust from the outer districts was immediately absorbed by the special road surface, leaving not a trace behind except the fleeting sweep of headlights.
Why had he and Lu Huai chosen to live there, all those years ago?
Qianshui Lane was in the southern part of the capital, while the military headquarters were at the far north. Married officers rarely chose to live so far away.
For those brief two months after their wedding, Lu Huai had crossed the entire capital every day, commuting between home and duty.
During rush hour, the roads were endlessly congested, he spent at least four hours on the journey each day, sleeping even less than he had before marriage.
And yet, he had spent a fortune on the house at No. 5 Qianshui Lane, a villa with a south-facing garden and a swimming pool, simply because…
Because his fiancée had loved it.
The thought made Jiang Yun’s chest tighten. His eyes snapped open, his voice hoarse, “Stop the car.”
He couldn’t go there.
He couldn’t go back to No. 5 Qianshui Lane.
Just the drive alone had already unearthed far too many things he should have forgotten.
He couldn’t… he mustn’t… go home.
The car’s AI responded promptly, steering to the curb, “Mr. Jiang, we’re almost there.”
Jiang Yun rubbed the space between his brows, waiting for his mind to clear a little before turning his gaze out the window. The car had stopped right in front of the neighboring house, No. 6 Qianshui Lane.
For a moment he sat there, dazed, his brief clarity already unraveling again as memories surged up uncontrollably.
He remembered…. Seventeen years ago, their neighbors had been an elderly couple, both nearing a hundred.
He remembered how, on the very first day he and Lu Huai moved into their marital home, the couple had come over to welcome them, bringing a large basket of homemade muffins.
Blueberry, he recalled.
He had eaten only a third before he was full. The rest, Lu Huai had finished, with two bites fed to him by Jiang Yun’s own hand.
Why did he still remember that?
Why couldn’t he forget such a small, ordinary thing, blueberry muffins, of all things?
Seventeen years. It had been seventeen years.
After moving away, he had lost all contact with the couple. The house at No. 5 had long stood empty; No. 6 now bore a “For Sale” sign.
In the garden of No. 6, the old woman, now frail and white-haired, leaned on her cane as she showed a young AO couple around her property.
“My favorite part has always been the garden,” she said softly. “When spring comes, the roses bloom everywhere, it’s beautiful… such a pity I won’t get to see it again.”
She sighed, “Once this house is sold, I’ll be moving south to live with my daughter.”
The Alpha held his Omega close, asking gently, “What do you think, darling? Do you like it here?”
The Omega nodded hesitantly, gaze wandering past the fence toward the neighboring house.
“Actually… I like that one better. Even though it looks abandoned, I can imagine how lovely it must have been when someone cared for it. Its owner must have had exquisite taste and must have loved it very much.”
The Alpha turned to the old woman, “Ma’am, do you happen to have your neighbor’s contact? I’d like to buy that property too. Price isn’t an issue.”
“Neighbor?” The old woman’s memory was failing, but she recalled that family vividly, “Oh, they moved away a long time ago.”
“Why would they move?” the Alpha asked curiously,“This is one of the most exclusive districts in the entire capital.”
The Omega tilted her head, “Wait….you said ‘he’? So only one person lived there?”
The old woman nodded with a sigh, “At first, there were two, a newly married couple, like you. But not long after the wedding, the husband passed away. The wife lived there alone for a while, then moved away, he never came back.”
The young Omega covered his mouth, eyes wide with sympathy, “How tragic…”
Her husband drew him into his arms, comforting her gently, “And after that?”
“After that,” the old woman murmured, “the young widow moved out and disappeared. I never saw him again.”
The evening breeze rustled the vines of unbloomed roses, carrying the faint promise of sweetness through the air.
“So many years have passed,” the old woman said softly. “I wonder how that Omega is doing now. I still remember them, you know, hand in hand, walking home together one snowy winter night. Such a beautiful, elegant pair…”
Inside the car, the scent of pheromones was growing thick, the air too heavy to breathe. Jiang Yun cracked the window open a sliver and injected another dose of suppressant.
The wind blew in, dispersing his scent and carrying the old woman’s words clearly to his ears.
He wasn’t sure if he had truly heard them, or if his mind was playing tricks.
The side effects were worsening; his eyelids grew heavier, his vision blurring and clearing in uneven waves.
In that flickering haze, the young Omega’s figure blurred into another and suddenly, the couple in the garden seemed to transform into two other figures: a young man and a soldier, standing in the same sunlight, laughing over their future.
He could smell the roses, see the spiral staircase, the flicker of the fireplace, the checkered wool rug, the white curtains fluttering in the breeze.
A student in his diplomatic academy uniform pulled along a tall young man in crisp military attire, wandering through the sunlit villa as they planned the life they were about to begin together.
“This is the master bedroom,” the Omega said brightly. “That’s Colonel Lu’s study. And here’s my baking room, where I’ll make little cakes! And this one, how about this one for the nursery?”
“The what?” Lu Huai raised an eyebrow, “Jiang Yun, what’s going on in that head of yours?”
“The nursery, Colonel,” Jiang Yun replied innocently.
“You’re still in school. You’re barely grown yourself.”
“Oh? Then you don’t want to have children with me, Colonel Lu?”
“I didn’t say that…”
“Then how many do you want?”
“…What?”
“I just need to know how many rooms to set aside for the babies.”
The colonel sighed, defeated. “How about this, once you stop calling me ‘Colonel,’ we can discuss that.”
The memory rippled and faded.
Why was he remembering all of this again?
Why couldn’t he stop?
No… he couldn’t go back. Not yet.
Seventeen years were still not enough.
Maybe in another seventeen,
when Jiang Mu and Lu Chao had grown, when they had families of their own, when he only saw them on holidays.
When he was old enough for his memories to blur and soften.
Perhaps then, he would finally forget those brief two months of newlywed bliss.
Perhaps then, he could return.
Just before sleep claimed him, Jiang Yun summoned what little clarity remained and whispered to the car’s AI, “Take me to the apartment.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
No propaganda here. Only coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Who can compare to Colonel Lu?Chapter 2 · He should be deadChapter 3 · How were we born?Chapter 4 · That’s where Colonel died..Chapter 5 · No one knows my pheromone than Colonel LuChapter 6 · Colonel Lu’s remainsChapter 7 · Heat is approachingChapter 8 · CheckmateChapter 9 · A dream liked married lifeChapter 10 · What might be his pregnancy be like?Chapter 11 · He thought he would be the father of two childrenChapter 12 · So we just hang Colonel Lu on the wall?Chapter 13 · Finally, I have something to say to my wifeChapter 14 · Why doesn’t Colonel Lu understandChapter 15 · He doesn’t Love MeChapter 16 · You’ll see him soonChapter 17 · So casual, so carelessChapter 18 Part 1 · He.. He’s looking at meChapter 18 Part 2 · He..He’s looking at meChapter 19 · Lu Huai is still aliveChapter 20 · Wait until I bring back your zombie Alpha dadChapter 21 · Long time no see, Jiang YunChapter 22 · I still have that qualificationChapter 23 · It still tastes sweet when you kiss itChapter 24 · He seems to have forgotten how to act cuteChapter 25 · The two unfortunate children were completely terrifiedChapter 26 · Please make yourself at home.Chapter 27 · Hello, UncleChapter 28 · Am I not your deceased husband?Chapter 29 · Don’t you love me anymore?Chapter 30 · Our home is No. 5, Qianshui RoadChapter 31 · Is he… here to keep him company?Chapter 32 · What exactly did Alpha bring me?Chapter 33 · Thanks a lot, brothers!Chapter 34 · Hi?Chapter 35 · I only let you take care of the child for one dayChapter 36 · Did you have thoughts when you ‘died’?Chapter 37 · Put a double bed in your homeChapter 38 · They both suffered heavy lossesChapter 39 · Welcome back to the Alphas’ arena.Chapter 40 · Why should I lower myself?Chapter 41 · I have learned that Colonel Lu Huai is still aliveChapter 42 · They are sensitive and vulnerableChapter 43 · He would also feel regret.Chapter 44 · When a child is quiet, they’re definitely up to somethingChapter 45 · Dad, you have such a good eye for choosing a husband!Chapter 46 · Who made it wear a colonel’s uniform?Chapter 47 · I love him very muchChapter 48 · Okay, I believe youChapter 49 · I remember you went pretty hard on him at the end.Chapter 50 · Colonel Lu, don’t be too fierceChapter 51 · To…make up for the regretChapter 52 · A perfect match!Chapter 53 · Colonel Lu, let’s get married!Chapter 54 · When will you finally learn to stop talking nonsense?Chapter 55 · My darlings, we’re homeChapter 56 · Babies, please stopChapter 57 · I’m about to enter my heat cycle, not my due dateChapter 58 · Is he complaining to his wife?Chapter 59 · The only lieChapter 60 · Colonel Lu, the babies are all crying.Chapter 61 · Dad, Colonel Lu bullied me.Chapter 62 · A large number of foreign ministersChapter 63 · Jiang Mu definitely likes handsome guys tooChapter 64 · First time bringing a partner to a major diplomatic occasionChapter 65 · You’re still as handsome as you were back thenChapter 66 · Bedtime Strategic PartnerChapter 67 · How can you be so good at threatening people?Chapter 68 · I’m waiting for youChapter 69 · I’ll stay by your side, from beginning to endChapter 70 · Can you handle Lu Chao’s… educational session for me?Chapter 71 · The First SpringChapter 72 · Extra 1Chapter 73 · Extra 2Chapter 74 · Extra 3Chapter 75 · Extra 4Chapter 76 · Extra 5Chapter 77 · Extra 6Chapter 78 · Extra 7Chapter 79 · Extra 8Chapter 80 · Extra 9