Chapter 33#
Sitting Straight Down#
——Marry into the family?!
Zhen Ye was stunned for a moment. Oh, right, he’d almost forgotten about that.
He was the sole omega heir in three generations of the Zhen family. According to Old Master Zhen’s traditions, when he grew up, he’d definitely have to find an alpha to marry into the family.
However, Rong Yu was his sugar daddy.
There was no way in this world a sugar daddy would marry into his family, right?
Zhen Yuzhen observed her grandson’s expression and noticed his delicate brows were slightly furrowed, as if he’d been caught off guard by the question. The old lady was a perceptive soul. She leaned back against the sofa, nodding in understanding:
“That alpha’s family is rich, so he’s not willing to marry into ours, is that it?”
Zhen Ye: “…Not exactly, it’s just hard to explain.”
After all, he’d never actually gone and asked the man. Although he knew that even if he did ask, the answer would be 99.99% impossible.
That remaining 0.01% would only happen if the heavens rained red rain, the world ended, and a completely desperate Mr. Rong threw himself into his arms.
Seeing Zhen Ye’s vague attitude, the old lady immediately tensed up her face and reasoned with him properly:
“That won’t do. If this alpha won’t marry into the family, then even if he’s perfect in every other way, you can’t have him. Sweetie, you know our family situation. Every omega in our family has a constitution that gets pregnant easily. If you married into someone else’s home and let them control you, you’d suffer terribly.”
“Later on, they’d pressure you into having litter after litter. Your whole life would be over before it even starts. Giving birth from your early twenties all the way to your forties or fifties — not only would you be ruined, you might even lose your life!”
The old lady got more and more agitated as she spoke. Imagining her precious grandson being controlled and used as a baby-making machine, her eyes reddened with urgency.
It was precisely because an omega ancestor of the Zhen family had suffered such hardships that this unwritten rule was established — regardless of family financial status, the whole family would save up a marriage fund for the children in advance, so the omegas could bring spouses into the family.
This way, they could firmly grasp economic power and reproductive rights, avoiding the miserable fate of being locked up and breeding until death.
Moreover, because of this tradition, the rabbit clan’s genes and culture had been passed down completely intact.
In short, the stubborn old lady had one final word: “Zhen Ye, I’m putting it out there today. Whether it’s this Rong fellow or any other alpha, if he won’t marry into our family, you absolutely cannot marry him—”
“Otherwise,” the old lady’s face turned fierce, “even if I have to die and come back as a ghost, I’ll return to smack some sense into you, you rotten little rabbit!”
With that, she smacked Zhen Ye on the head.
Zhen Ye let out an “ow” and clutched his head, dodging. “Don’t hit me! Realistically, this guy’s probably just playing around with me anyway. We’re definitely not going to get married. Don’t get anxious ahead of time.”
Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, Zhen Yuzhen finally relaxed a little. When the two sat down to eat, Zhen Yuzhen picked up her rice bowl and, from across the table, sniffed the A-alpha pheromone emanating from the little rabbit that was so strong it was almost overwhelming. She frowned:
“So, this Rong kid has such strong pheromones. He’s got a strong sex drive too, right?”
Based on Old Lady Zhen’s experience with countless alphas, pheromone intensity was absolutely highly correlated with sexual prowess.
Zhen Ye was shoveling rice into his mouth and nearly choked on the old lady’s bluntness. He quickly took a sip of water and mumbled, “…Not at all, I haven’t even done that with him yet.”
“You two are playing at being platonic?” Zhen Yuzhen was surprised.
“…”
Zhen Yuzhen began recalling the past. “Back in the day, your grandpa and I went to a hotel on the very first day we met…”
For the thousandth time, Zhen Ye was forced to listen to his grandmother’s romantic history. Honestly, he could recite it by heart.
When Zhen Ye finished washing the dishes and was about to say goodbye to his grandmother, Zhen Yuzhen grabbed his hand at the door and instructed him earnestly:
“Sweetie, you should try it out with that Mr. Rong as soon as possible. If he’s no good in bed, ditch him immediately, you hear?”
Zhen Ye couldn’t help but say, “You’re way too pragmatic. Can’t I just be attracted to his character?”
The old lady let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Oh, I know you too well. When you were in high school and came to stay with me on weekends, you used to hide all those filthy little magazines under the bed.”
Zhen Ye shot back without missing a beat, raising an eyebrow and grinning cheekily. “Well, quite a few of those I actually stole from your room.”
The old lady was utterly unflappable. “Oh? Then didn’t you see your grandpa in there too?”
Zhen Ye: “Huh??”
·
Zhen Ye then learned that his grandfather, after being discharged from the military in his youth, had worked for a while as an underwear model to make ends meet.
Back in their era, people communicated by letters. His grandmother saw the model’s contact information in the magazine and boldly sent a letter. One thing led to another, and the two of them got together.
According to the old lady, if a male was handsome enough, being poor actually counted as one of his advantages.
Extrapolating from this twisted logic, Rong Yu, being very wealthy, might have to be counted as a disadvantage.
Zhen Ye’s bizarre way of thinking was mostly inherited from his mother and grandmother. Reminded by his grandmother, he felt like reminiscing over his old stash of smutty books.
He rummaged around and actually found an explicit fan-magazine featuring the bioroid Owen.
Delighted, he hauled them all away.
Zhen Ye swiped his transit card and got on the bus. There happened to be no one in the back row, so he took out a magazine and glanced at it.
Actually, the covers of these publications were pretty proper. Only when you flipped inside did you see the content — a few glimpses here and there. Bondage, water torture, mirror-facing deep thrusts, riding position… all his favorites.
Found his roots again.
Wonderful.
Zhen Ye planned to save them for a serious appreciation session tonight, using them as a “self-service menu” to research eighteen different ways to devour the disabled Rong Yu.
Grandma was right. With alpha, if the other party turned out to be impotent, he could cut his losses in time and find a new bed partner.
Besides, Zhen Ye couldn’t even take suppressants anymore, so Mr. Rong, as his designated “dad,” needed to take responsibility. Although Rong Yu had refused on the surface, an alpha’s heart was like the deep sea — who knew if he was just being coy?
Zhen Ye didn’t care anyway.
If he didn’t eat, he’d find a way to enforce it himself.
— Hello there, Maocheng seed. Time to surrender.
…
Before long, the bus stopped. Zhen Ye got off and looked up. The sign for Maocheng Labor Market hung overhead.
He planned to find a patient and responsible caretaker auntie for his grandmother.
Actually, he’d always wanted to do this, but before, he’d been too strapped for cash to make it happen. Now that he had money, the first thing on his list was to give his grandmother a comfortable life.
But after meeting five or six aunties at the agency, Zhen Ye wasn’t quite satisfied with any of them.
He was more looking for someone with nursing experience.
So this matter had to be put on hold for the moment. He planned to look online.
Besides that, Zhen Ye had another task: he needed to quit his other job at the drinks shop.
Zhen Ye scrolled through his contacts, found the drinks shop owner’s number, and called. This boss owned four chain stores and rarely came to the shop, usually only checking on business mid-month and at the end of the month.
But he was extremely stingy and had a violent temper. Every time he visited a store, he’d bark orders and curse up a storm.
This time, Zhen Ye called him specifically, but the main purpose wasn’t to ask for his wages—
“What? You want to quit? What the hell is wrong with you workers these days? Suddenly calling it quits — are you going to compensate me for the losses of recruiting and training someone new?”
The boss’s tone was hard. “No way. At least work through the new year. Otherwise, I’m not paying you your wages.”
Zhen Ye said calmly, “I don’t want the wages.”
“Still no! It’s a huge hassle for me to find another experienced worker. You already ran that store’s business into the ground, and now I have to invest in more labor costs. You want to leave?” the boss snarled. “Then give back last month’s wages too.”
In the past, Zhen Ye might have swallowed his anger for the time being, then turned around to gather evidence and report him to the labor arbitration board.
But now, the 30 million yuan balance in his bank account gave him the confidence to tell the world to fuck off.
Zhen Ye didn’t give him the time of day. He sneered, “Boss Xu, I see you wear sunglasses all day. Turns out you’re not pretending to be blind — you really are blind. The store’s business is bad? Why don’t you go check the store manager’s pockets?”
The boss was stunned for a second, then erupted in fury. “You’re even making false accusations now! Li Zhong is my good buddy. How could he possibly be pulling tricks behind my back?”
Zhen Ye snorted. “Whether it’s true or not, just go take a look yourself and you’ll know, right?”
“Fine, fine, you wait!” Boss Xu gritted his teeth. “I’m driving over right now. If there’s something going on, I’ll pay you three months’ wages. If there isn’t, you’ll bow and apologize to Li Zhong immediately.”
The call ended.
The dark phone screen reflected Zhen Ye’s calm, unruffled eyes.
He raised an eyebrow, waved his hand towards the street, and hailed a bright yellow taxi.
At that moment, Li Zhong was in the drinks shop, making eyes at Chen Jie, one of the veteran staff.
Li Zhong liked to cop a feel off everyone, but he considered himself a righteous alpha. Anyone on his staff he groped, he’d give a little something in return.
“Xiao Chen, you’ve done well this month. At the end of the month, I’ll give you an extra 800 bonus, okay?” Li Zhong leered, placing his hand on Chen Jie’s waist.
Chen Jie twisted her waist away, walking to the side, and said with displeasure, “Only 800? Wasn’t the bonus 1000 before?”
“Hey, isn’t that because I have to give 200 to Xiao Zhen?” Li Zhong quickly walked over to soothe her.
Chen Jie shot him a glare and sneered, “Xiao Zhen, Xiao Zhen. Look at that pretentious little omega — does he even give you the time of day? You haven’t even touched his hand, have you?”
Li Zhong pulled her into his arms by force, comforting her. “Xiao Zhen’s just young and doesn’t know what’s good for him. How could he compare to you — you’re so generous, passionate, and beautiful?”
Chen Jie felt mollified. She pressed a hand against Li Zhong’s chest, not hard, and said, “Hmph, that’s more like it.”
Li Zhong was pleased. Seeing that she was appeased, he dug into his pocket and stuffed a handful of the loose bills he’d just collected into Chen Jie’s clothes.
Chen Jie rolled her eyes, thinking it was her due, and pocketed the money.
When Boss Xu walked into the store, Chen Jie happened to be lowering her head, buttoning her shirt as she came out. Without looking up, she said in a terrible tone, “If you want to order something, scan the code yourself.”
“Chen Hong, is this how you treat a customer?”
Boss Xu was already furious, and being treated with such disregard made him even angrier. “Where’s your store manager? Tell him to come out.”
“Boss, why are you here all of a sudden?” Chen Jie was startled, her expression shifting slightly. She quickly went to fetch Li Zhong.
Li Zhong was sitting in the back playing games on his phone. Chen Jie had to yank him several times before he got up, walking forward with his phone in hand, annoyed. “Hey, I’m busy. Stop pulling me. If there’s a customer, you handle it first—”
“Li Zhong, I’m checking the accounts.”
Boss Xu caught a glimpse of the game screen on Li Zhong’s phone, and his expression darkened.
Seeing the boss had arrived, Li Zhong’s face paled for a split second. But he quickly recomposed himself, putting on a warm, familiar air. “Old Xu, what wind blows you over here? Checking accounts? Go right ahead, don’t worry about it. With your brother here managing things for you, not a single cent will be off.”
“Alright, then open up the cash register system.”
Boss Xu started checking the accounts. The other two exchanged glances, both silently sighing in relief.
No one noticed that out on the street, a beautiful, slender young man had crouched down and was speaking softly to a child:
“Sweetie, do you still remember big brother?”
The little girl nodded emphatically. “I remember! You’re the gentle brother from the milk tea shop.”
Zhen Ye said quietly, “It’s big brother’s birthday tomorrow. Could I treat you to a milk tea?”
“Wow, really?” The elementary school student, carrying her backpack, was thrilled. “Then thank you, big brother! Happy birthday, big brother! Let me go tell my mom.”
“Okay.” Zhen Ye smiled softly, watching her run off.
Soon the little girl came back, and Zhen Ye gave her the money for the milk tea. The little girl looked at the ten-yuan bill in her hand, peeked into the store, and went inside.
Meanwhile, Boss Xu was pulling up the transaction records, carefully comparing dine-in and delivery orders. He couldn’t find any discrepancies.
Li Zhong wore a relaxed, self-satisfied expression. “Old Xu, there’s no problem with the accounts, right? I told you, there’s no way anything’s wrong.”
Seeing was believing. Boss Xu completely dismissed his suspicions and patted Li Zhong’s shoulder guiltily. “Sorry, brother. It was another staff member of yours who complained to me, so I came over. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
“Xiao Zhen?” Li Zhong’s gaze flickered. Suddenly, he caught sight of a tall, slender figure entering the store.
Hearing that it was Zhen Ye who had secretly reported him, a blazing rage immediately lit up Li Zhong’s eyes. He rounded on him, “Xiao Zhen, you stand right there. I’ve been way too nice to you, and you dare to make false accusations against me to the boss? I’ll have Old Xu fire you right now!”
Zhen Ye grabbed a chair and sat down leisurely, crossing his long legs. “Go ahead, fire me.”
Li Zhong was choked by his response. Just as he was about to threaten to dock his pay again, he heard the little girl beside them say, “Auntie, I want to order this large milk tea. Here’s the money.”
Chen Jie stole a glance at the boss, forcing a smile. “Little girl, ten yuan isn’t enough. This one costs 12. Go back and ask your grown-up for 2 more yuan.”
The little girl looked confused. “But last time I bought it with cash, it was 10 yuan.”
“Wha… what are you talking about? There’s no such promotion.” Cold sweat instantly beaded on Chen Jie’s face.
Suddenly, Boss Xu’s eyes flashed. He walked over and crouched down to ask, “Little one, that thing you just said — who told you about it?”
The little girl pointed. “That uncle over there! He said there’s a promotion on milk tea — pay in cash and get a discount. Everyone in my class knows!”
Boss Xu turned his head, his icy gaze landing on the ashen-faced Li Zhong.
Li Zhong plastered on a shaky, ingratiating smile. “Old Xu… haha, this is all a misunderstanding. Let me explain—”
“Li Zhong! I treated you like a brother, and you were lining your own pockets by stealing from me?! If I don’t beat you to death today, my surname isn’t Xu!”
In an instant, the furious boss charged forward, landing an uppercut right in Li Zhong’s face. In the blink of an eye, two broken teeth flew out of Li Zhong’s mouth, blood splattering noisily against the wall.
Chen Jie screamed in terror, “Someone’s getting beaten up! Someone’s getting beaten up!”
But as she scrambled to dodge, the loose bills in her pocket also spilled out.
Clearly, the two of them were in it together.
“Fine, the two of you — a pair of adulterous, married good-for-nothings — colluding together to steal my money! I’ll post this in your neighborhood group chat right now and let everyone know!” Boss Xu was so furious his face swelled to the color of pig’s liver.
“No! If my husband finds out, he’ll definitely divorce me!” Chen Jie was so terrified she lost all color, her legs giving out as she fell to her knees on the spot.
Click—
Off to the side, Zhen Ye stood with one hand in his pocket, holding up his phone with the other, snapping a photo of the ashamed and regretful expressions on Chen Jie’s and Li Zhong’s faces.
He saved this glorious moment, filing it away with the one he’d taken of He Junhua last time.
Then he took the little girl’s hand and said casually, “Come on, this place isn’t good. Big brother will take you somewhere more expensive.”
The little girl’s eyes went wide. “Anything, no matter how expensive?”
“Su~re,” Zhen Ye smiled, patting the two adorable cat ears on top of the little girl’s head, and said generously, “You can have whatever you want.”
— Today’s entire bill is on Young Master Zhen and a certain absentee “dad” of Young Master Zhen!
·
Zhen Ye treated the little girl to a hearty meal at McDonald’s, and incidentally treated his childhood self as well.
While he was eating fries, a staff member timidly came over to pitch a monthly meal card.
Zhen Ye had worked at McDonald’s back when he was abroad. He knew that selling these counted towards their performance, and they’d be docked pay if they didn’t sell enough. So he asked how many she had left to sell.
The staff member was stunned. “S-six left?”
Under the soft, warm lighting, the young man’s features were elegant and delicate. He gave a faint smile:
“Then I’ll buy six.”
The staff member was almost moved to tears, clasping her hands together in a prayer: Oh my god, all the good deeds I’ve done in my life have finally led me to meet an angel.
Zhen Ye gave two to the little girl, two to the staff member, and kept two for himself.
He walked out of McDonald’s, merging into the bustling currents of the mall. He bought himself clothes, from coats to shirts to socks — everything he needed.
Not very expensive brands.
But they were things he’d browsed online for a long time when autumn started, things he couldn’t bear to buy.
Finally, he had a huge pile of stuff in his hands, the bags cutting into his fingers.
It was almost evening when Du Rui called. “Is Young Master Zhen coming back now? I’ll have the driver come pick you up.”
Zhen Ye got into the Rong family’s luxury car, gliding through the bustling traffic and the molten gold of the city lights. Outside the window, the lights of street-side shops were soft and bright, the flowers in the display windows were delicate and dewy, and the fruit on the stalls was temptingly vibrant.
He felt like someone walking from a black-and-white silent film of the 1930s into a world of color. Everything, so unexpectedly, was staining his originally bleak field of vision with color.
He’d never noticed before that this world had color.
The things he used to pass by without ever lifting his head to look at suddenly seemed close enough to touch.
His long-numbed senses seemed to be quietly coming back to life.
The Maybach drove all the way into the green-shrouded estate, coming to a smooth stop in front of the main entrance. Zhen Ye grabbed his backpack and ran into the house, with the driver following behind carrying a dozen shopping bags.
Zhen Ye was panting slightly, his gaze searching aimlessly until it landed on the small sitting room by the fireplace. His eyes lit up, and he ran over to Rong Yu.
He stood in front of Rong Yu, his thin chest heaving slightly. “Mr. Rong, can I sit?”
Rong Yu set down the book in his hand and gave a gentle, indulgent answer. “Sit.”
The next second, this little rabbit, ignoring the sofa entirely, parted his legs and sat down directly on Rong Yu. His warm body suddenly pressed into the man’s embrace, his arms looping around the alpha’s neck as he lowered his head and nuzzled against his shoulder.
Rong Yu patted his back, soothing him like a child, stroking slowly from top to bottom. “What’s wrong?”
Zhen Ye buried his face deeply into the crook of his neck, as if confessing a sin. “Mr. Rong, I spent your money today.”
“Oh? How much did you spend?”
“A fortune. 789 yuan.”
Rong Yu’s expression was helpless. He gave a light pat to the perky rabbit butt. “You call that a fortune? Looks like I need to open a home economics class to teach you how to spend money.”
That light slap sent a shiver down Zhen Ye’s spine. He burrowed deeper into the man’s arms, his voice low. “Mr. Rong, do you know… I was in Paris for six years. Six whole years, and I always felt like I didn’t belong there.”
“I thought it was a cultural barrier keeping me from fitting in. Later, I came back to China, back to Maocheng, and I found that even though I could understand everything everyone was saying, I still felt like this place was foreign.”
“The doctor said it’s depression… that it’s the illness that’s made my sense of space and place feel blurred.”
“But today, I suddenly realized that’s not it…” His hand moved down, coming to rest at Rong Yu’s waist. His slender fingers were trembling involuntarily, crumpling the man’s silk shirt. “You gave me enough money, and I suddenly noticed that everything on the streets seemed to be strung with Christmas lights, all lit up.”
“I think I feel like this world is starting to accept me a little.”
In a state of bewilderment and wonder, he felt, for the first time, a city give him a sense of belonging.
What is belonging?
It’s not family. It’s not friends. It’s not any superficial social relationship. Like a skilled butcher carving an ox, it’s actually a person’s spending power and ability to consume in a certain place, at a certain time.
You can afford the food on the street, you can enjoy the coziness of a sidewalk café, you have the leisure to celebrate at festivals, and when you go home, you can pay the heating bill and sleep a warm, peaceful sleep.
Belonging is that.
You have the ability and the money to own it, so you belong to that environment.
Sometimes, the same world seen through the eyes of the poor and the rich is as different as heaven and earth.
One is a monotonous, dreary world where you’re afraid to look at the price tags.
The other is a rich, colorful world you can afford to enjoy.
“Mr. Rong…” The little rabbit’s voice, tinged with a nasal tone, was surprisingly soft tonight.
Rong Yu held him in the single armchair, his arm wrapped around the omega’s slender waist. He tilted his head and pressed his lips against the omega’s slightly damp temple in comfort. “Don’t you dare say thank you to me.”
“…How did you know what I was going to say?” The rabbit popped out of his embrace, his warm brown hair mussed, looking adorably dazed.
The older alpha turned his gaze, teasing him. “The moment your little rabbit tail twitches, I can guess.”
The rabbit, flustered and shameless, jumped off his lap. “I don’t even have a tail.”
“Maybe you’ll grow one someday.”
“No way.”
Zhen Ye hummed and hawed as he walked away. “I’m going to eat dinner now. You stay right there, don’t move. I’ll come back for another hug later.”
“Alright.” Rong Yu agreed readily, picked up his book, and continued reading.
Auntie Hu, the cook, poked her head out in the dining room, a face full of doting auntie smiles. Oh my, oh my, Young Master Zhen is just too sweet. He’s got our master so flustered he doesn’t even realize his book is upside down.
The dining room was open-plan. Zhen Ye sat on this side, swinging his legs as he ate dinner, while Rong Yu sat just one wall away, quietly listening to his movements.
The sound of him drinking soup was soft, very well-mannered. When he asked Auntie for more food, he always said “please” first.
He’d grown up in such a terrible environment, and yet he’d still turned out upright and strong. Far better than those pampered heirs of wealthy families.
But at this moment, recalling what Zhen Ye had just said, Rong Yu’s heart felt as though it were pierced by a needle, the pain winding through his chest.
He regretted it.
He regretted that back then, he hadn’t abandoned morality, abandoned the law, to fight He Yusheng for custody of Zhen Ye.
Even though at that time, he was barely even human, and rarely even conscious. But he still should have done everything in his power to give Zhen Ye more love.
He shouldn’t have used “I didn’t know” as an excuse.
He should have done better.
The man sat before the crackling fireplace, eyes lowered in thought. In his seemingly calm, deep gaze was a well-hidden trace of self-reproach.
As his emotions rippled silently, from within his immaculate, tidy cuffs, an inhuman branch slowly extended, growing long and trailing down to the floor, creeping along the carpet’s pattern towards the dining room.
Zhen Ye had already finished eating by then.
He stretched, then headed towards the small sitting room. As he stepped inside, he vaguely heard a rustling sound. But when he looked up, there was nothing there.
Only the beautiful alpha, waiting for him in silence, like a doll.
Zhen Ye’s brows curved into a smile, and he was about to walk over.
Just then, his backpack, which he’d thrown on the floor, seemed to be accidentally bumped by something. With a “pat,” it toppled over.
The magazines spilled out of the bag’s opening.
Zhen Ye’s smile vanished in an instant.
Wait, that was—
The man bent down, his slender hand picking up a booklet. Seeing the image on the cover of a bioroid with his back turned, tied up in ropes, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“A little book the little rabbit just bought? Seems related to your professional research.”
Then, his jade-pale fingers pinched the page.
And seriously flipped it open.