UNCLTRD chapter 5

Yang Shao told Yang Tao to go play while he packed his school bag. A young child’s school bag looked like a trash bin. If it wasn’t cleaned for two days, it would be a mess inside.

When Yang Shao picked up the paper gun with rubber bands, he clicked his tongue. “Yang Tao, didn’t I tell you not to bring this to school?”

Yang Tao heard and rushed out of the room, bouncing, “I grabbed the wrong one.”

He hadn’t planned to bring it to school anyway. He hadn’t played with it at school or let his classmates play with it, so it wasn’t a lie.

Seeing Yang Tao’s smooth answer, Yang Shao didn’t push the issue and waved his hand. “Go wash up. It’s almost bedtime.”

….

The next afternoon, Yang Shao received a message from Agent Qian, asking him to bring some documents back to the insurance company. Yang Shao was getting a bit impatient but still didn’t show any displeasure since it was for the money.

When he arrived at the insurance company just after lunch break, Qian led him into an empty meeting room. They initially talked about the compensation, and this time, Qian finally gave him the compensation amount.

It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. When there was no money, every penny counted, and Yang Shao wasn’t picky about the amount.

After signing the papers, Agent Qian pulled out another document. “Mr. Yang, if you want, you can take a look at some other projects. Insurance is just a precaution for unexpected situations. Fortunately, you had insurance last time. Although the payout wasn’t much, it’s better than nothing.”

If the money hadn’t been in his pocket, Yang Shao would have been fuming. These salespeople wouldn’t miss any opportunity to get a contract signed. It was really annoying.

Looking at the time, Yang Shao realized he had to leave or he’d miss picking up Yang Tao from school. He smiled awkwardly. “It’s almost time for my son to finish school, so I won’t have time to listen to your new projects.”

Agent Qian wasn’t in a rush. “We can talk next time. If you have other matters, Mr. Yang, I won’t keep you.”

“Alright, don’t bother sending me off.”

As the meeting room door opened, Yang Shao quickly walked out, colliding with a staff member who was coming from the opposite direction.

“Ouch!” The staff member cried out as the documents in his arms scattered all over the floor, and he staggered backward.

Yang Shao reacted quickly, supporting the person, then bent down to help pick up the papers. “Sorry about that.”

Agent Qian rushed over to help as well, since Yang Shao was a client and his arm was still injured. “Mr. Yang, are you alright?”

The small accident was enough to draw attention. As Yang Shao finished picking up the documents, he tried to leave, unaware of the man who had been watching him from the staircase.

That day, Chen Qiusu hadn’t made any appointments with the hospital. He had timed it to pick up Yang Tao from school. Seeing the time was about right, he asked the driver to go ahead and start the car, while he took the stairs down to the lobby.

Just as he reached the corner of the stairs, the commotion below made him stop. He glanced at the scattered papers and the two people standing in the lobby. Just as he was about to continue down, he froze.

Memories from five years ago flooded his mind.

He might not have known the person’s name, their background, or why he couldn’t mark him, but he would always remember the person’s appearance and the impatience that could never be hidden between his brows.

Chen Qiusu wanted to call out to him, but he didn’t know what to say. Before he could speak, the person turned and left the company without a glance.

Agent Qian handed the documents he had picked up to a colleague, intending to continue with his work, but was suddenly stopped by a cold voice.

“Wait a minute.”

Agent Qian jumped in surprise and turned around. “Boss…”

He followed Chen Qiusu back into the meeting room. Though unsure of what had happened, he still obeyed his boss’s orders and began flipping through Yang Shao’s files.

“This guy is really annoying,” Agent Qian said. “He bought insurance from us before, and recently had an accident. I’ve been following the contract, telling him we can’t compensate much, but he keeps pestering me. I had to report to our team leader to give him some compensation.”

Yang Shao, Beta…

When Chen Qiusu saw the gender section, his mind blanked. How could he be a Beta… But it made sense. If he was a Beta, then everything that had puzzled him over the years made sense.

Yang Shao had disappeared suddenly. Although Chen Qiusu hadn’t been able to find him, he had looked. Even though he couldn’t mark him, they had spent so many days and nights together. An omega who had a high chance of pregnancy—what would a single omega do with an unplanned pregnancy? No matter what, he had to find him first.

But from the start, his direction had been wrong. He had been searching for an Omega with a tobacco scent, which was why he couldn’t find anyone in that bar.

He didn’t have a good impression of Yang Shao. The heat had come on suddenly that night, and Yang Shao’s appearance seemed too coincidental. Yang Shao’s background was unclear, and Chen Qiusu couldn’t confirm whether he was someone his cousin had sent.

Unable to find him, the matter was left unfinished, but it had always been a thorn in Chen Qiusu’s heart.

“These street-level commoners are the most troublesome, always playing the victim and saying how hard their lives are, with a child, demanding compensation.”

Chen Qiusu suddenly looked up at Agent Qian. “How old is his child?”

Everyone in the company was afraid of Chen Qiusu, and Agent Qian was no exception. He answered cautiously, “About five or six years old. He’s a single father. He doesn’t seem to have a good temper… probably drove his wife away.”

Chen Qiusu’s throat felt tight. A Beta… Yang Shao was a Beta. For a Beta to get pregnant, it would require medical intervention. Natural conception was almost impossible. Even if he had a five- or six-year-old child, it had nothing to do with him.

At this thought, Chen Qiusu stopped thinking about finding Yang Shao. If he was already married and had a child, his sudden appearance would only disturb Yang Shao’s peaceful life.

A feeling of emptiness settled in Chen Qiusu’s chest as he silently placed Yang Shao’s file back on his desk. He had seen Yang Shao with his arm in a sling earlier. He wasn’t sure what kind of accident had happened.

“Let’s pay him as we promised,” he muttered.

With that, he stood up and left, leaving a confused Agent Qian behind. What did the boss mean? Did he want to follow the contract? Following the contract meant no compensation at all. Had Yang Shao offended the boss?

Chen Qiusu wandered out of the company, his thoughts scattered. The bustling street made it hard for him to focus. After a while, he finally spotted the driver waiting on the side of the road.

“Boss, Mrs. Chen called. Grandma is in the hospital.”

Chen Qiusu’s heart sank. His grandmother had always seemed strong, but age could make anything uncertain. “Take me to the hospital.”

At the hospital’s entrance, Chen Qiusu paused by the car door, bending down to speak to the driver. “Go to XX Commercial Center. There’s a boy named Yang Tao, around five or six years old. If he’s waiting for me, tell him to go home today.”

After giving instructions, Chen Qiusu rushed to the ward. As he entered, his family surrounded the hospital bed.

“Grandma?” Chen Qiusu pushed through the crowd. She was wearing a hospital gown, and her condition seemed much worse than before.

The doctor instructed that she needed rest, and the relatives gradually left the room.

“How did she end up in the hospital? What did the doctor say?”

His cousin interjected, “Well, isn’t it because they were talking about your situation? That’s what got Grandma so worked up. Elderly people should avoid emotional fluctuations.”

Grandma waved her hand, beckoning Chen Qiusu closer. He leaned in, and her frail hand gripped his gently. “Qiusu, I’m already half in the grave. My biggest wish is to see you get married and have children. If I can’t see my great-grandchild, I won’t rest in peace.”

…..

After school, Yang Tao was usually most delighted when his father came to pick him up. But that day, his heart was in turmoil. How would he explain things to his father if they ran into Chen Qiusu?

Before reaching the usual bench where they met, Yang Tao stretched his neck and widened his round eyes, carefully searching for Chen Qiusu. Yet, after a thorough look, he saw no sign of him.

From the moment he saw his father, Yang Tao called out “Daddy” but didn’t say another word. He was distracted the entire way home, as if looking for someone.

Yang Shao knew his son too well. Yang Tao was a chatterbox; his silence was unusual. “What’s wrong with you today? Did someone bully you at school?”

Not far off was the bench where Chen Qiusu often sat. It was empty. Yang Tao secretly let out a sigh of relief, finally paying attention to his father’s words.

“No, I’m just thinking about what kind of haircut I should get today.”

“You’re quite the little show-off. Why don’t you ask the barber to dye it for you?”

Knowing his father was joking, Yang Tao, now out of the woods, was back to being hyperactive, hopping and skipping as he walked. “Don’t waste money on that. Save it for paying off the mortgage.”

In the past, Yang Shao had tried cutting Yang Tao’s hair himself, but his skills were subpar. A haircut at the barber’s cost only eight yuan for kids. Professional tasks were better left to professionals, and the eight yuan was well-earned.

While waiting for Yang Tao, Yang Shao, bored, stepped outside the barber shop to smoke.

Next door was a lottery shop. The shop’s advertisement was particularly enticing: “Winning ten million is easier than earning ten million.”

“Daddy!” Yang Tao ran out after his haircut, eager to find his father, only to see him staring at the sign. “What’s written there?”

Yang Shao casually lied, “It says if you buy a ticket, you’ll win ten million.”

Yang Tao didn’t have a concept of what ten million meant, but he knew it was a lot of money. Like a little round potato, his eyes lit up. “Then let’s buy one!”

You shouldn’t lie to kids. Yang Shao wanted to laugh but had already been dragged into the shop by Yang Tao.

Neither of them had bought a lottery ticket before and didn’t know the process. In the end, Yang Tao chose a set of numbers and bought five tickets for ten yuan, receiving the lottery slip from the shopkeeper.

“Daddy, put the lottery in my bag. I have good luck, so we’ll definitely win.”

Yang Shao found it both amusing and pathetic. He didn’t expect to actually win, but when backed into a corner, people cling to even the faintest hopes.

“Make sure you keep it safe. Don’t lose it before the results are announced.”