MBBBA Chapter 18

Zhang Peng mentally calculated that he and Qiao Qiao had started living together just half a month after they began dating.

Could he really tell Su Ya the truth about this?

Putting himself in the shoes of a worried mother, he imagined it: raising a tender, precious son for over twenty years, only to have a pig swoop in and snatch him away the moment she looked away.

His blood pressure started to rise.

Zhang Peng didn’t dare to tell the truth, and Su Ya could tell.

Su Ya’s temples throbbed as she thought to herself, You little brat. She barely managed to swallow back the “little rascal” that was on the tip of her tongue.

What’s done is done—what else could she do?

With young people being so open these days, all she could do was try to be understanding.

Su Ya finally said, “Never mind. Since you’ve been living together for so long, isn’t it time to start thinking about getting married?”

Zhang Peng quickly mentioned their wedding plans.

They’d only just bought a car, registered in Qiao Qiao’s name.

They would look for a house after the New Year—such a big purchase needed to be carefully selected.

They wouldn’t spare any expense on the wedding: all the attire would be custom-made, the wedding cars would be Benz at the very least, and the banquet would be the best they could afford.

The honeymoon might have to wait a little, as both of them were in the early stages of their careers and couldn’t take too much time off.

Su Ya’s expression softened. At least this brat has some sense.

Zhang Peng finally won his mother-in-law’s approval, and Qiao Qiao had also finished his heart-to-heart with his dad.

It was getting late—time to sleep.

Qiao Qiao made a show of preparing the guest room.

Su Ya commented, “We didn’t air out any extra blankets, so figure it out yourselves.”

What did she mean by that?

Qiao Qiao looked at his mom.

She just ignored him and went off to do her skincare routine.

Zhang Peng pulled Qiao Qiao into the latter’s room. “Auntie meant I don’t need to sleep in the guest room.”

Qiao Qiao squeezed Zhang Peng’s chest muscles. “Not bad today, huh?” He puckered his lips. “Come on, give me a kiss as a reward.”

Zhang Peng leaned down and gave him a quick peck, urging him to go shower.

Qiao Qiao pouted. “I forgot to bring the condoms—mmph mmph mmph—”

Zhang Peng clamped a hand over his mouth. “Your parents are right next door.”

Qiao Qiao shrugged. He had been hoping to drag Zhang Peng into the shower with him!

They each took their turns in the bathroom and then got into bed.

At first, Zhang Peng kept a clear boundary, worried that Qiao Qiao might try something at night, which would be overheard by the parents next door and ruin the good impression they’d made.

But before long, they naturally ended up snuggled together.

They were so used to each other’s presence that they both fell asleep quickly.

It had been a long day, and they didn’t have the energy to do much else.

The next morning, Lao Qiao finished cooking breakfast and went upstairs to wake them. He knocked on the door, but there was no response, so he gently pushed it open to take a peek. Qiao Qiao had kicked off the blanket, his shirt hiked up to expose a pale, soft belly, sprawled out and taking up three-quarters of the bed.

Zhang Peng, on the other hand, was curled up on the edge of the bed, buried under the blanket, looking quite pitiful.

Lao Qiao shook his head. He knew his son had poor sleep habits, and it seemed this hadn’t changed even as he approached thirty—likely because Zhang Peng spoiled him.

Even though the room was air-conditioned, Lao Qiao worried his son might catch a cold. He was about to go in and cover him up when he saw Zhang Peng, still half-asleep, expertly pull the blanket away from himself and gently drape it over Qiao Qiao.

Lao Qiao smiled knowingly, closed the door, and went downstairs, humming a little tune.

Su Ya returned from her morning exercise and saw that only Lao Qiao was there. She asked where the kids were.

“They’re sleeping soundly. I didn’t have the heart to wake them.” Lao Qiao replied.

Su Ya said, “We should wake them up. Didn’t your sister say she was coming?”

Lao Qiao smacked his forehead. “I forgot.” He hurried upstairs to wake them.

It wouldn’t do for the kids to still be sleeping when relatives arrived.

Lao Qiao had just reached the top of the stairs when the doorbell rang. Su Ya answered it, and it was indeed Qiao Qiao’s aunt. She opened the door.

“Should I change my shoes?” the aunt asked.

“No need, just come in.” Su Ya replied.

“I don’t want to leave big footprints on your clean floors.”

“There’s no need to be so polite. But alright, I’ll get you some slippers.”

After some pleasantries, Su Ya served tea and brought out some nuts and New Year’s snacks.

The aunt asked, “Where’s Lao Qiao and Xiao Qiao?”

“They’ll be down in a moment.” Su Ya said, before calling upstairs, “Your aunt is here, Xiao Qiao! Are you still in bed?”

The aunt chuckled. “Sleeping in, huh?”

Su Ya smiled too. “That’s right.”

“These young people nowadays.” the aunt said, shaking her head. She scooted closer to Su Ya, her expression brightening with excitement. “Isn’t Xiao Qiao graduating this year?”

“He’s been working for a while now. Why?”

“I found a match for him!” The aunt beamed. “You kept telling me that Xiao Qiao’s partner wasn’t reliable, so I kept an eye out! This one’s from N City, has three properties, earns 300,000 yuan a year, and is eager to get married! I think they’d be a perfect match for your Xiao Qiao.”

Just then, the sound of slippers descending the stairs caught the aunt’s attention, and she looked up to see an unfamiliar alpha coming down. She froze in surprise.

Su Ya noticed her expression and knew things were about to get awkward. It must have been Zhang Peng who came down!

“That’s old news.” Su Ya said, not missing a beat. “Xiao Qiao has a great partner and brought him home this year.”

Zhang Peng, standing behind Su Ya, smiled and greeted, “Hello, Auntie.”

It was only then that Su Ya seemed to notice his presence. She smiled and pulled Zhang Peng to her side. “Look, this is him.”

“He seems very nice.” the aunt quickly adjusted her tone, walking over to give Zhang Peng a once-over. “He’s quite handsome.” She nudged Su Ya playfully, her tone turning natural and easy. “You see, you complained to me for nothing. I actually believed you! Turns out you’ve been doting on your future son-in-law all along.”

Su Ya felt a bit guilty but introduced them anyway. “This is Qiao Qiao’s aunt.”

Zhang Peng smiled, feeling at ease, and said, “Hello, Auntie.”

His tone was gentle, but it made the aunt feel uneasy, causing the hair on her arms to stand on end.

Why did this kid feel so intimidating?

She rubbed her arms, trying to shake off the chill.

The aunt, who had come all this way to play matchmaker, now had to go back and inform the other family that the match wouldn’t be happening.

Su Ya invited her to stay for lunch, but the aunt declined. Su Ya could only escort her to the door.

Qiao Qiao and Zhang Peng were still having breakfast, so the aunt leaned in close to Su Ya and whispered, “Xiao Qiao’s partner is an alpha? Why didn’t you mention it before? Is that what you were unhappy about?”

Su Ya waved her hand dismissively. Now that she had accepted Zhang Peng, even though she still had some concerns about the whole alpha-beta dynamic, she wouldn’t go around broadcasting them.

She smiled and said, “I have no complaints about him.”

The aunt couldn’t help but advise, “We’re just an ordinary beta family. None of us really understand alphas or their habits. An AB pairing—well, I shouldn’t say much, but you and Lao Qiao need to be careful. Xiao Qiao spent so many years in school; his personality might be a bit naive. You can’t afford to make any mistakes.”

Su Ya nodded. “They’re both good kids. Don’t worry.”

“I heard there’s an omega living across the street?” The aunt’s tone was almost conspiratorial, as if she were talking about a vixen. “Take my advice and keep an eye on things. Don’t let them run into each other.”

Su Ya thought about mentioning last night’s incident with the omega’s sudden heat but decided against it. That would only give her aunt even more to talk about.

Instead, she gently hinted for her to leave. “Didn’t you say you had plans with some friends?”

The aunt nodded quickly. “Yes, I should get going. See you at the New Year’s dinner.”

Su Ya waved goodbye and finally saw her out the door.

As she was about to close it, she noticed the door across the street opening.

The omega her aunt had just mentioned appeared in the doorway, looking pale and fragile, with a sharp chin and a delicate, pitiable appearance.

Rumor had it that this omega’s husband didn’t treat him well, rarely coming home and only being around during his heat. This time, his heat had come early, and his husband wasn’t there, leading to last night’s incident.

These rumors flitted through Su Ya’s mind, but she had no interest in digging deeper.

She gave the omega a friendly smile before closing the door.

The omega didn’t move but continued to stare at the closed door of the Qiao family, taking a deep breath as if trying to catch a lingering whiff of alpha pheromones from behind the door.

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