AMMSCF Chapter 25

Duan Baisui once harbored a sliver of hope, thinking maybe Zuo Nian hadn’t heard those hurtful words. But regrettably, Zuo Nian’s abnormal behavior and sorrow over the past two days had confirmed it for him. Zuo Nian had heard everything.

He didn’t want to run away from this issue. He felt the two of them could lay everything out and talk. He admitted to his own immaturity and coldness back then, but even more, he wanted to clarify how he felt about Zuo Nian now.

Zuo Nian stared at him blankly, a wave of despair and fear rising in his chest. Tears unknowingly fell again. It was a silent acknowledgment of what Duan Baisui had said.

“Can we talk?” Duan Baisui sat at the edge of the bed, his cool fingertip gently wiping away the tears on Zuo Nian’s face.

Zuo Nian raised his hand and covered his eyes with the back of it, saying, “I don’t want to hear it…”

He was too afraid. Afraid that Duan Baisui would say, Why don’t we just end things here?

His mind wasn’t sharp enough; he didn’t know how to handle a situation like this. His words were clumsy; he didn’t know how to defend himself, didn’t know how to express just how much he loved him. All he could do was deceive himself. As long as he didn’t hear it, there would still be room to turn things around.

“At that time, I didn’t have any thoughts of falling in love, and I didn’t understand what it meant to like someone. The better you treated me, the more pressure I felt,” Duan Baisui said to himself. “Our classmates said you were my child bride. Every time they teased me about it, it annoyed me so much. I didn’t want your whole life to revolve around me. Back then, I simply couldn’t respond to your feelings.”

These words were unbearably cruel to Zuo Nian. He couldn’t hold it in anymore and began to sob out loud.

“I was always so self-righteous. I thought you were still young, that you didn’t understand what real feelings were. I thought you were misled by the promise I made when we were little, that it made you think it was love. Maybe you just saw me as a Gege, and mistook that dependence for love.” Duan Baisui honestly laid bare his heart. “I thought one day, you’d realize I wasn’t that great. That one day, you’d meet someone you truly liked.”

“But I can tell the difference…” Zuo Nian sobbed. “I really do understand… If I only saw you as a brother, my heart wouldn’t race every time I saw you, I wouldn’t always dream about you, wanting to hug you, to kiss you… I do understand… Even you treat me like an idiot!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to lie to you…” Duan Baisui’s throat tightened. “But studying abroad wasn’t to avoid you. It was something I had planned long ago. I’ve never hated you. I just didn’t expect… you’d really wait for me for so long.”

“We agreed on it, didn’t we? Back then, we clearly made a promise…” Zuo Nian cried like a child. “I said I’d wait for you, no matter how long… So you forgot, didn’t you? Then why did you agree to marry me at that time?”

Why did he marry Zuo Nian?

Duan Baisui thought carefully. Back then, he was facing a forced match. The Bureau required him to go on a date with the Omega he had been paired with and confirm a relationship within a week. But he didn’t want to be arranged like that. He had met that Omega once. The two had no common topics. They sat in awkward silence, watching the coffee in front of them gradually go cold.

A marriage based solely on pheromone compatibility, Duan Baisui didn’t want that.

The Bureau kept pressuring him, and Duan Baisui was extremely annoyed.

It was then that Zuo Nian showed up at his door. Holding his medical report, he shyly said, “Gege, Nian Nian’s glands are already healed, and the grade is still A. A means it’s still pretty good…”

His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were bright. At first, Duan Baisui didn’t understand what he meant. He just thought Zuo Nian was there to give a health update, and sincerely said, “Congratulations.”

But the next second, Zuo Nian took out that cheap plastic ring, and said with heartfelt joy, “Gege, now… can you marry me?”

Duan Baisui was stunned. His first reaction was: that thing from when they were so young, Zuo Nian still remembered? And that ring… His expression grew complicated. He asked, “You still kept this?”

He saw a brief moment of surprise flash across Zuo Nian’s face. Then even his ears turned red as he replied, “Mm. It’s a token. The token you gave me.”

Duan Baisui couldn’t put into words how he felt at that moment. He had thought that eight years would be enough to blur Zuo Nian’s memory. He had thought Zuo Nian would understand that back then, they didn’t even grasp the meaning of marriage, so that promise had been absurd. But against all odds, Zuo Nian remembered it… for so many years.

He didn’t immediately agree to Zuo Nian’s “proposal”. Instead, he said he wanted to seriously think it over.

And in fact, he truly did consider it seriously.

He asked Xu Yi: Back then, when you married Duan Yan, was it because you’d known each other a long time, or because of the ninety-five percent high compatibility rate?

Xu Yi was quite surprised by his question and told him, “I married your father because of love and responsibility. I loved him deeply, and he loved me too. We were willing to take responsibility for each other’s lives. It had nothing to do with how long we had known each other or our compatibility rate. Even if your father were a Beta, I would still have chosen to spend my whole life with him.”

Duan Baisui felt troubled. He didn’t think he had ever met someone who made him throw everything aside, someone who made him lose his mind. He felt lost.

Until one day, at a friend’s gathering, he overheard a certain spoiled young master mocking his blind date.

That man said smugly, “Just a fool. What’s so hard to control?”

Someone nearby jeered, “Qi Yue, are you serious? A fool? Even that’s fine for you? You’ve been holding it in too long since coming back to the country, huh? You’re really not picky anymore.”

Qi Yue had his arms around two scantily dressed ducklings, laughing lewdly. “What do you guys know? That face—damn, it’s hot. If he’s an Omega, he’s probably good in bed too. Fools are easy to coax, easy to train in bed. However you want to play, just a few words and you’ve got them.”

The wine glass Duan Baisui held to his lips paused for a moment. A wave of displeasure surged in his chest.

“Whose Omega is it? Do I know them?” someone asked.

“Surname Zuo… called… Zuo Nian? I think that’s the name.”

Duan Baisui set his glass down.

Qi Yue, already drunk, gestured crudely, “That waist—this thin. And that ass…”

Amid a chorus of startled cries, Duan Baisui grabbed Qi Yue by the collar and threw a punch.

He rarely got into fights, but right now, the alcohol had gone to his head, and the person in front of him was being excessively noisy. It irritated him.

The incident that night caused quite a stir. Although the Qi family wasn’t as prominent as the Duan family, Qi Yue’s father was still a well-known figure in the business world. Beating someone’s son straight into the hospital without a word of warning, if the Qi family decided to make a scene, it might even land Duan Baisui in the news.

Duan Yan talked with him and asked why he had resorted to violence.

He said he just found Qi Yue unpleasant to look at.

Duan Yan chuckled. “You’re not someone that impulsive.”

Later, Duan Yan sought out several people who had been present that night and finally learned what had really happened.

In truth, neither side was in the right. Qi Yue’s father had once discussed a business collaboration with Xu Yi. He was a reasonable man, and in business circles, everyone crossed paths sooner or later. Besides, Qi Yue hadn’t suffered any major injuries. So in the end, the matter was quietly smoothed over.

It was also around that time that Duan Baisui found out Qi Yue was the grandson of Grandpa Zuo’s old comrade-in-arms. The two elders had once fought side by side and shared a bond forged through life-and-death experiences. After Qi Yue returned to the country, Zuo Changfeng brought up Zuo Nian in front of his old friend. Unexpectedly, the other party didn’t mind Zuo Nian’s condition at all and even quickly arranged a blind date dinner.

In front of others, Qi Yue acted refined and courteous. He was also gentlemanly and attentive toward Zuo Nian, making it hard for anyone to see his true nature.

And because of Zuo Nian’s good behavior and A-grade status, the Qi family didn’t care about his foolishness. The two elders hit it off immediately and were very eager to make this marriage happen.

Everyone knew it was a blind date. Everyone except Zuo Nian, who remained completely in the dark, thinking it was just his grandfather entertaining guests.

After learning that Duan Baisui had gotten into a fight, Zuo Nian even specially made soup and brought it to him. He asked with concern, “Gege, are you hurt anywhere?”

Looking at him, and recalling Qi Yue’s disgusting words and lewd expression, Duan Baisui suddenly realized: if it hadn’t been Qi Yue, there would still be Liu Yue, Zhou Yue, Wang Yue… For someone like Zuo Nian, it was truly hard to come across an Alpha who would treat him kindly.

He was so well-behaved. He wouldn’t cry, wouldn’t complain. Even if he was bullied, he would only endure it silently. If he ended up in a bad household, he really wouldn’t even have the ability to protect himself. He’d be ground down to death.

What’s more, Zuo Nian had already waited for him for so many years. He firmly believed in that promise, and Duan Baisui had indeed said he would protect him. He was the one who gave Zuo Nian hope. How could he break his word? Eight years. In those eight years, Zuo Nian hadn’t forgotten him for a single moment. With what kind of feelings had he been waiting?

Duan Baisui felt moved, and also a little ashamed.

“Gege, does your hand hurt? Nian Nian will put medicine on it for you.” Zuo Nian stared at the scrapes on his knuckles and got up to fetch the first aid kit.

Duan Baisui grabbed his hand and said seriously, “I’ve thought it through, about what you said last time.”

Zuo Nian was still a bit dazed. “Ah?”

“Let’s get married.”

Xu Yi said that marriage should come with love and responsibility. Then, just like he’d promised when they were young, he would take responsibility for the rest of Zuo Nian’s life.

He thought that would be all. But Zuo Nian was so pure, and his entire heart and soul were filled only with him. How could he possibly not be moved? What he felt for Zuo Nian now wasn’t just responsibility anymore. He liked him. He liked him very much.

“Is it really just to avoid the forced match?” Zuo Nian asked with a trembling voice.

“No.” Duan Baisui answered firmly, “At first, it was just about keeping a promise, taking responsibility for you…”

Zuo Nian threw himself at him like a madman and bit down on his shoulder. But he didn’t even bite hard. It didn’t hurt at all.

He sobbed, muffled, “Don’t say it anymore… bad Gege… wuwuwu…”

“But now, I really like you,” Duan Baisui said, gently stroking the back of his head to comfort him. “It’s the kind of liking an Alpha has for an Omega. The kind that wants to mark you. The kind that’s filled with longing.”

Zuo Nian thought he had misheard and asked in disbelief, “What?”

“I’m sorry. I guess I’m really slow and not good at expressing myself. But I’ve always thought you were really cute, really beautiful. Your pheromones smell so good. You always manage to catch my attention, make me start thinking about you uncontrollably… wanting to hold you, wanting to be close to you.” Duan Baisui’s voice was endlessly gentle. “I was a little upset when you didn’t tell me about your heat. But I know that it’s because I didn’t do well enough that you couldn’t trust me. I think… there’s still so much I need to learn. I don’t know… would you still be willing to give me a chance?”

Zuo Nian was dazed for a long time before he mumbled, “Is it real this time? You’re not just saying this to help me get through my heat, right?”

Duan Baisui leaned over and pecked his lips lightly. “If I’m lying, I’m a puppy.”

Zuo Nian’s sorrow turned into joy. His tears hadn’t even stopped yet, and now he wanted to laugh. So much so that he accidentally blew a snot bubble. Duan Baisui pulled out a wet tissue and gently wiped him clean, saying, “If there’s something I didn’t do well, you can tell me. We’re married now. We should communicate honestly. You can question me, get mad at me, or act spoiled with me. Whatever you want… I’m also liking someone for the first time, so I’m clumsy and dumb and always make you sad.”

Zuo Nian shook his head. “Gege isn’t dumb…”

“Then… can you forgive me?”

Zuo Nian looked at him with eyes red and swollen from crying. “Even though Nian Nian knows… not liking someone isn’t a crime… but Gege forgot our promise, and that really, really made me sad. I don’t want to forgive you yet…”

Duan Baisui’s throat tightened. He suddenly felt at a loss. Maybe he should do something—like get a new ring? Or formally propose to Zuo Nian all over again?

“You… you can ask me again later…” Zuo Nian’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “I’m not made of clay either… I have a temper, too…”

Duan Baisui brushed back his damp hair. “Alright. So if you’re mad right now… can I still kiss you?”

Zuo Nian’s damp lashes trembled. “Only on the cheek.”

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