Chapter 21

Lin Si stood at the end of the entryway, staring at the closed door, feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt as if he had driven Lu Wei away.

But Lu Wei scared him so much he fell to the ground! And he didn’t even apologize!

After an unpleasant late-night conversation with his future neighbor, Lin Si sat on the sofa in a daze. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out why Lu Wei had come over in the middle of the night, let alone why he had stood silently by the sofa like a ghost, staring at him.

Scratching his head, Lin Si put on his coat and mask and went downstairs to buy groceries.

Compared to having everything delivered, Lin Si preferred going out himself.

His usual work made him feel somewhat disconnected from reality. Personally picking out vegetables and fruits gave him the sense that he was genuinely living his life.

Xijiang had developed its own plaza, separated from the residential area to maintain peace and quiet. The distance wasn’t too far, and Xijiang had even created a dedicated pathway for residents of the community.

The supermarket in the commercial plaza was quite large. However, since it was the holiday season, there weren’t as many shoppers as usual. Lin Si didn’t rush as he normally would.

A small shopping robot holding a basket followed Lin Si closely.

This was one of Xijiang’s unique robots, developed by a company under Lu Wei’s name. These robots were a common sight in the supermarkets and stores of Xijiang Plaza.

While Lin Si was halfway through his shopping, the No. 09 robot following behind him reminded, “It’s getting a bit heavy. Carrying it by hand might hurt your hands.”

Lin Si squinted his eyes and smiled, talking to himself, “What do you know, you little dummy? I’ve got two hands.”

“I’m not a little dummy, no, no, no!” the robot replied.

Lin Si was utterly charmed by its cuteness. He wanted to take a picture to share with Y but ended up texting Y first instead: [Have you had dinner yet?]

Y replied instantly: [Just got home.]

[Have you eaten?]

Lin Si completely forgot about taking a picture of the robot and focused on chatting with Y: [Not yet. I just woke up and am out buying groceries.]

Y: [Did you sleep all day?]

Lin Si: [Not really. I was busy with some things in the afternoon, got tired, and fell asleep. But now I’m starving—I haven’t eaten yet.]

With the phone resting under his chin, Lin Si asked, “Is there anything you like to eat?”

Y: [Why are you asking me?]

Lin Si replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world, “I could make it for you.”

He sounded like a couple casually deciding on dinner together.

Y: [I don’t have any particular favorites. Just pick what you like.]

Lin Si shrugged. “Alright, then I’ll get some chili peppers, potatoes, chicken breast…” He suddenly remembered the oven in the new apartment’s kitchen and added excitedly, “How about roasted sweet potatoes?”

Y: [Sure.]

Lin Si chuckled. Y then asked: [Aren’t you watching your weight?]

Lin Si picked out some creamy sweet potatoes and replied while walking, “It’s just a few days out of the year when I can indulge myself. I need to treat myself better.”

Y sent him a short 3-second voice message. It simply said, “Mm, eat more.”

After listening to it, Lin Si laughed out loud in the relatively empty supermarket.

Y seemed completely clueless about how to hold a conversation, let alone how to be romantic. He always came across a little clumsy.

But Lin Si liked it that way.

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The Next Day.

When the door opened, Lin Si was sitting on his bed, looking at the snow that hadn’t yet melted downstairs. All his long plush toys were piled against the pillow, making it very comfortable. He was holding up his ID to complete the real-name verification for a streaming app.

As the noise in the living room grew louder, he jumped off the bed, slowly opened the door, and peeked outside. He saw four people standing in the living room.

There was Lu Wei, Duan Yang, and a man and a woman Lin Si didn’t recognize.

Lin Si tugged at his clothes and stepped out. He didn’t appear particularly enthusiastic, just stood in place and looked at the four of them.

Lu Wei had taken off one glove and walked toward him, but stopped about a meter away. “Which room?”

“That one,” Lin Si pointed to the room on the right.

Lu Wei turned around and said, “Move it in.”

The unfamiliar man seemed to be someone specifically helping Lu Wei move. He carried the luggage into the room, then gave a slight bow. “Mr. Lu, is there anything else I need to do?”

“No need,” Lu Wei replied. “You two can leave. She’ll stay here.”

Lin Si couldn’t quite figure out who Lu Wei had asked to leave, but in the end, only the unfamiliar woman and Lu Wei remained at the door.

“Mr. Lu,” the woman, around forty years old, stood with her hands clasped together, looking earnest. She turned to Lin Si and nodded politely. “Mr. Lin, my name is Li Lifang. You can just call me Xiao Li. I’ll come here every afternoon to clean. If you need me to prepare dinner, you can contact me in advance.”

Lin Si frowned, looking at Li Lifang, then at Lu Wei, before finally pointing to his own room. “Shouldn’t we talk?”

“Talk about what?” Lu Wei asked.

“We’re going to live together. It’d be better to discuss some things upfront,” Lin Si said, feeling his frustration rising rapidly.

Lu Wei hesitated for half a second, as if reluctant to step into Lin Si’s room.

Lin Si sighed and pointed toward the balcony. “Let’s talk there.”

“You’d better have some sense of caution. Stepping out onto the balcony might get you photographed by paparazzi,” Lu Wei warned.

“I—” Lin Si choked on his words, stomping his foot in frustration.

Lu Wei glanced down at the movement and frowned when he saw Lin Si’s slippers, which had a ridiculous cartoon cat face on them.

“Are you going to talk or not?” Lin Si demanded.

Li Lifang, sensing the tension, took a few steps back. “Sirs, why don’t you talk in the living room? I’ll wait outside.”

With Li Lifang gone, Lin Si and Lu Wei finally had a moment to speak privately.

Lin Si took a deep breath, licking his lips before saying, “Why didn’t you tell me you were hiring a housekeeper?”

“What should I have said?” Lu Yan asked flatly.

“You could’ve asked me if I agreed!” Lin Si snapped. “I live here too, don’t I? Why wouldn’t you ask for my approval before hiring a housekeeper?”

Lu Yan looked at him skeptically, as if not believing what he was hearing. “You don’t need a housekeeper?”

“I don’t want one,” Lin Si said firmly. “I don’t like strangers in my home, and I don’t like anyone touching my things.”

Lu Wei stepped closer, and Lin Si felt as if the light and shadows were being pressed an inch closer to him.

“I don’t think either of us has the time to spend on tedious chores,” Lu Wei said. “I need her.”

It was the first time Lin Si had heard someone justify not wanting to do housework so confidently.

But since Lu Wei had put it this way, Lin Si couldn’t outright refuse. Feeling like a wronged little animal fiercely guarding his territory, he pointed to his room and said, “Then my room doesn’t need to be cleaned by her.”

“Fine,” Lu Wei agreed, lowering his gaze to meet Lin Si’s eyes. “Do you have any other strange requests? Get them all out now.”

“What’s strange about my request? You’re the one who made decisions without asking for my opinion—”

Lu Wei waited patiently for him to finish complaining. “State your requests.”

Lin Si felt that Lu Wei was the most inconsiderate person he’d ever met, someone who completely ignored others’ feelings, acted arbitrarily, and lacked basic empathy.

But Lin Si did have more things he wanted to settle upfront.

“You’re not allowed to bring any Omegas home,” Lin Si stated.

Lu Wei’s lips pressed into a thin line, his expression turning dangerous in a way that made Lin Si’s instincts scream at him to retreat.

Lin Si unconsciously took half a step back to maintain a safe distance and added, “Especially Deng Tian. Not allowed.”

Yesterday’s sun hadn’t melted the snow, and as the afternoon’s temperature dropped, snowflakes began falling again. From the living room window, the scene outside was a gentle scattering of white.

The floor heating kept the room at a cozy temperature, and Lin Si didn’t feel cold even in his loungewear. Yet the atmosphere around Lu Wei, who was less than a meter away, seemed to belong to a completely different climate.

“Why would I bring Deng Tian here?” Lu Wei’s voice was cold, his irritation palpable.

Lin Si could sense that Lu Wei was not only annoyed but perhaps genuinely angry.

Maybe Lu Wei was upset that Lin Si had stumbled upon a personal secret—something deeply private.

“I won’t tell anyone,” Lin Si assured him. “But you can’t bring him or any other Omega here to spend the night. Even with a regular roommate, not bringing Alphas or Omegas home is basic respect, right? That’s why I’m making this request…”

“I have nothing to do with Deng Tian,” Lu Wei interrupted.

Lin Si paused, lifting his chin slightly to meet Lu Wei’s gaze.

The warm, golden light in the living room made it hard for Lin Si to clearly see Lu Wei’s eyes, but he felt the space between them inexplicably shrink.

He wasn’t sure if it was his own excitement while speaking or Lu Wei’s subtle movements that had closed the distance.

When Lu Wei looked at him, he tilted his head slightly downward, and the only light in his eyes seemed to come from the outline of Lin Si’s figure.

Then, Lu Wei leaned his upper body toward Lin Si.

Lin Si saw his reflection growing larger in Lu Wei’s pupils and immediately took a step back. “What are you doing?”

Lu Wei’s voice was low, colder than usual. “What is wrong with you?”

Lin Si felt like he had been scolded.

But he wasn’t entirely sure if Lu Wei’s words were meant to be an insult.

Still, he couldn’t help thinking: it seemed Deng Tian wasn’t in Lu Wei’s favor anymore. Maybe Deng Tian had been banished for bragging too much about their connection.

Sigh, Lin Si thought. People should really learn to stay low-key.

Noticing Lin Si’s wandering thoughts, Lu Wei said, “Can you focus when you’re talking to someone?”

Snapping back to attention, Lin Si quickly retorted, “I wasn’t doing anything!”

“Do you have anything else to say?” Lu Wei sounded utterly drained, as if every word was a plea for this conversation to end.

“Yes, a few more things… three, three things,” Lin Si replied, holding up three fingers. “First, I want to use the kitchen. Second, no pets are allowed in the apartment. And lastly, as I mentioned during our phone call… you can’t… do that to me.”

“I’m not interested in you,” Lu Wei replied flatly before brushing past him, hurrying back to his own room like Lin Si was emitting some unbearable pheromones.

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Author’s Note: Just a little lovers’ quarrel! Don’t worry—it’s about to get sweet soon!

T/n: New chapter is up 🥰. If you want to support me buy me a Ko-Fi or go to my paypal page. Happy Reading 😄.