Bo Xiangzhou had a different opinion, “The Bo family is rich; there’s no need to be so frugal.”

“That money’s still not yours,” An Xun retorted, arms crossed. “Who knows, you might get paranoid again someday, suspecting that I’m cheating on you, and then it’s cold war time again. I’m warning you, I won’t be like last time. You can stay wherever you want, even under a bridge—I won’t shed a tear for you.”

“So heartless?”

“Less than you are.”

After shutting Bo Xiangzhou down, An Xun reached into his pocket and pulled out a small packet of jelly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Bo Xiangzhou glanced at him, “Are you still going to have dinner tonight?”

“Yes, I am.”

Bo Xiangzhou wanted to ask, “Can you still eat dinner after all that?” but remembering An Xun’s fluctuating appetite, he chose to keep his mouth shut.

An Xun gave him a sideways glance, huffed coldly, and didn’t ask questions he knew would humiliate him. He was aware that the alpha disapproved of his large appetite.

Though slightly annoyed, An Xun was naturally optimistic. Any displeasure quickly soothed by a reassuring voice within:

He and Bo Xiangzhou were just in a contractual relationship; Bo was responsible for providing the funds, and he for playing the obedient and loving partner. They were essentially business partners, so why should he care about a partner’s opinion?

How ridiculous.

He was talking to himself.

—

The car drove along an unfamiliar road. It was almost funny—born and raised in Jiang City, growing into adulthood and even hastily marrying, he had never left Jiang City. The farthest he’d ever gone was around the company and to the Jia He Estate.

Here he was, a Jiang City native of over twenty years, and yet he hadn’t explored even half of the city.

An Xun’s aura changed suddenly. Reflected in the car window, his face showed a hidden loneliness.

He seemed to be caught by the emotion in his own eyes, staring blankly for a long while.

At dusk, the streets bustled with traffic. The road got even more congested near a school, with orderly groups of students crossing the zebra crossing, parents in tow, exuding youthful exuberance.

Sitting in the car, An Xun watched a heartwarming scene unfold no more than five meters away, his eyes drifting to his own reflection, touched by an unknown feeling.

He leaned against the car window, exploring this emotion, when Bo Xiangzhou caught his gaze, their reflections mingling. Blinking, An Xun couldn’t tell if it was his shadow he was looking at or if it was actually Bo Xiangzhou.

“Got hungry again right after eating? Eat less junk,” Bo Xiangzhou remarked.

It took An Xun a minute to realize he was mistaken, thinking he was eyeing the snack stand opposite. But this time, An Xun didn’t retort, although he still wasn’t pleased with Bo Xiangzhou preaching to him like an elder.

He glanced at the navigation system, which showed they were quickly leaving the city center and heading towards the southern suburbs.

The southern suburbs were recognized as a backward area of Jiang City. Despite years of government support, there hadn’t been much improvement, and eventually, the focus shifted to the development of Jiang City as a whole. After all, with several top families in Jiang City, the small southern suburbs were somewhat insignificant.

An Xun propped his face, “You’re not going to sell me, are you?”

“Would I dare to sell you? Your backers are much stronger than mine,” Bo Xiangzhou said, holding the steering wheel with one hand and shaking a bottle of mineral water in front of An Xun.

An Xun obediently took the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and handed it back.

The air in the suburbs was fresher than in the city. Bo Xiangzhou drank a few sips and then lowered the car window. An Xun didn’t wait for any further actions, grabbing the bottle. His movement was so quick that Bo Xiangzhou didn’t have time to pull away, and the cap ended up awkwardly on the alpha’s hand.

Without thinking much of it, An Xun stealthily compared the size of their hands.

Omega hands are soft and warm, a fleeting warmth bringing forth images that shouldn’t exist, causing Bo Xiangzhou’s expression to stiffen for a second. Catching a glimpse of An Xun’s unconcerned face, his restless heart calmed down.

Was this what blooming old trees felt like?

Bo Xiangzhou couldn’t help but ask himself.

Bored, An Xun started to doze off, but they arrived just as he was about to fall asleep.

It was a leisure resort at the foot of an unnamed mountain in the southern suburbs. The resort’s architecture was detached from modernity, quaint and designed by a master calligrapher.

For a moment, An Xun wondered if he had traveled back in time.

But Bo Xiangzhou didn’t stop the car immediately; instead, he drove in the opposite direction of the resort.

An Xun patted him anxiously, “Aren’t we going to the resort to have fun?”

“Parking lot,” Bo Xiangzhou understood his mood.

The parking lot was more than two hundred meters away from the resort. An Xun wanted to play but didn’t want to walk even a step, dragging his feet behind. Bo Xiangzhou slowed down to wait for him, but he still lagged far behind.

Bo Xiangzhou grabbed his clothes and pulled him close, forcing the lazy fish to keep up with his pace.

Feeling like a document tucked under Bo Xiangzhou’s arm, An Xun grumbled and nitpicked, “What’s with those long legs of yours? No wonder no omega wants you. Can’t you walk a bit slower? I can’t keep up. Hey, you really don’t know how to be considerate, do you? You should have left me at the resort entrance and parked the car yourself. Now I have to suffer with you. Can’t you stop pretending to be deaf and answer me? Talking to a mute is exhausting… And the coat you picked for me is so ugly, it doesn’t match my outfit at all today.”

“If you say one more word, I won’t serve you food tonight,” Bo Xiangzhou had a headache from his chatter.

An Xun sped up, “If I die tonight, it will definitely be because you starved me to death.”

“Oh, right, what are we eating tonight? Can we not have seafood? I feel like I’m turning weak after having seafood several nights in a row…” An Xun was forced to cut his complaint short.

He saw An Xin, someone who shouldn’t be there.

At the entrance to the resort, two security guards stopped An Xin, who was not in his usual suit but dressed more modestly than usual. His hair was tousled by the wind, looking quite disheveled as he stood in the draft, his clothes fluttering, his proud demeanor shattered by the cold wind.

If not for his expensive attire, the scene somewhat resembled An Xin’s imagined downfall of the An family.

An Xin spotted him. An Xun, who was happily out after work to have fun, didn’t want to encounter bad luck. Before his temper could flare up, he ducked out from under Bo Xiangzhou’s arm and pushed the alpha forward.

He tugged on the back of Bo Xiangzhou’s suit and whispered, “Go for it, President Bo. I believe you can handle this perfectly. I’ll wait inside for you!”

Bo Xiangzhou grabbed him by the neck like lifting a rabbit, trapping him close, “Where do you think you’re hiding? Is it appropriate for one alpha and one omega to be alone together? What kind of lousy idea is that?”

“What about those two? Don’t they count as people?” An Xun pointed at the guards.

“You know there are two other people around? Let them handle this; don’t expect me to step in.” Bo Xiangzhou adjusted his coat and put the car keys into his spacious outer pocket, “Keep it safe, you’ll owe me if you lose it.”

“There’s no such thing as giving something away and then asking for it back. It’s your money either way, you can’t bear to buy another car and get a new key?” An Xun suddenly realized and volunteered, “If you’re too embarrassed, I can go for you, just give me some getaway money.”

“You sure that’s just ‘some’?” Bo Xiangzhou pinched his face, his large hand blocking his view.

An Xun replied, “Isn’t it just ‘some’ to you?”

An Xin intended to come over, confident that he had leverage over An Xun, who couldn’t easily refuse his request due to pretense. He would speak softly, pretend to agree reluctantly, and then follow him into the resort to meet Cheng Song.

His plans were clear in his mind. Straightening his disheveled appearance, he walked forward, facing Bo Xiangzhou’s cold, threatening gaze, his legs heavy as lead, rooted to the spot.

An Xin was shocked. When had Bo Xiangzhou and An Xun become so close? It had only been a few months since he had apologized and offered compensation for his mistakes with Liu Tang.

Were they still harboring malicious thoughts against him after all this time? Standing there, An Xin realized his mistake; it wasn’t An Xun who was hard to deal with, but Bo Xiangzhou.

Bo Xiangzhou seemed very protective of him, afraid he might get hurt.

Ever since he married Bo Xiangzhou, An Xin’s jealousy had grown. Remembering how An Xun used to endure silently in his presence, his jealousy subsided a bit.

His hands clenched inside his sleeves, so tight it seemed his knuckles might crack.

He bowed his head, and in that moment, he truly felt the disparity between him and An Xun.

After entering, An Xun peeled Bo Xiangzhou’s hand away and looked back a few times.

An Xin looked like an abandoned child, but nowhere near as disheveled as An Xun had been back then.

He had plenty of people to comfort him when he returned; An Xun had had no one.

“Feeling sympathetic?” Bo Xiangzhou poked his face.

He didn’t understand why the alpha liked his face so much, always pinching it wherever they went. An Xun grabbed Bo Xiangzhou’s hand, “Not at all.”

The alpha’s body warmth blocked some of the cold wind, the warmth from his fingertips melting into their hearts.

Bo Xiangzhou’s heart exploded with emotions, but his exterior remained utterly calm, “That’s good. I thought you were so heartless, forgetting the bullying once you talked to your kin, listening to his explanations and then continuing to get along amicably.”

“President Bo, I think I need to give you a serious introduction to myself. I am a young person of the new era, advocating equality for all beings.” An Xun stood tall.

“What about your [Nian Nian]?”

“Oh come on, I already told you I don’t like him!”

His voice mixed with the wind, drifting away.

The scenery at the resort was beautiful; the mountain wasn’t high, allowing a clear view to the top. Following the signs, they walked along a flat, safe stone path up the mountain to the mid-slope.

Several large lofts were located mid-slope, fully equipped.

According to Bo Xiangzhou, this was a project successfully developed by the Cheng family this year, and they were among the first batch of guests. Moreover, this was just the VIP service area; the regular service area was much larger and accessed through another southern gate.

Bo Xiangzhou led him into the first loft.

Inside, the loft was brightly lit, with large windows and a spacious sofa where Cheng Song and Sang Qi were playing cards. A long table was set in the middle, attendants roasting a suckling pig beside it.

An Xun asked, “Who’s that kid?”

Bo Xiangzhou looked at Qiao Qiao running around, “I forgot to introduce him on the wedding day, Sang Qi and his wife’s son.”

“I know that.” An Xun wasn’t dumb, he could obviously see that, “I meant what’s his name?”

“Sang Qiao, just call him Qiao Qiao.”

Qiao Qiao, picking up grapes he had accidentally knocked over, heard someone mention him and curiously looked their way, then trotted over happily.

Bo Xiangzhou squatted down to catch him, and Qiao Qiao loudly called out, “Uncle Bo,” then lifted the coat hem to wipe the grapes clean on the neat lining and offered them to his mouth.

Bo Xiangzhou smiled and took them, neither having the courage to eat nor to refuse. He shifted his attention, directing his gaze to An Xun.

Qiao Qiao’s omega father nearby reminded him, “Baby, say Uncle An.”

Qiao Qiao crisply called out, “Uncle An.”

He was as adorable as a sticky rice ball.

An Xun wanted to pinch his chubby cheeks, but that title…

Bo Xiangzhou corrected, “Qiao Qiao, call him brother.”

Cheng Song and Sang Qi nearby: “?”

Qiao Qiao, young and with little understanding of kinship titles, simply called out what he was told.

Qiao Qiao: “Hello, Brother.”

An Xun was pleased; brother sounded much better to his ears than uncle, which made him sound old.

Bo Xiangzhou coaxed Qiao Qiao a few more words, noticing the intense desire in An Xun’s eyes, he asked, “Qiao Qiao, do you want Brother to hold you for a bit?”