MBBBA Chapter 20

On New Year’s Eve, Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt were all coming over for dinner.

At six in the morning, everyone was already busy.

Mom was in charge of shopping, Dad was the head chef, and Qiao Qiao helped out.

As for Zhang Peng, he was the utility player, ready to be used wherever needed.

“Hey, Xiao Zhang, can you check if this spring couplet is crooked?”

“Hey, Xiao Zhang, we’re short on bowls; can you run out and buy some more?”

“Hey, Xiao Zhang, wash these bean sprouts and set them aside; I’ll stir-fry them later.”

Zhang Peng was in and out, working so hard that he was sweating all over in no time.

Seeing how diligent he was, Su Ya decided to give him a break instead of making him do more.

“Xiao Qiao, take Xiao Zhang to the bathhouse, let him steam in the sauna, and get a spa treatment,” Su Ya said. “Leave the house to your dad and me.”

Qiao Qiao, who had been halfway through washing some bok choy, immediately dropped everything and darted off: “Got it!” he replied quickly.

Lao Qiao, busy stir-frying, had a face covered in greasy sweat. “Finish what you started!” he shouted after Qiao Qiao. “How many times have I told you, you need to finish what you start!”

But Qiao Qiao had already grabbed clean clothes and dragged Zhang Peng away.

“This kid…” Lao Qiao shook his head, flipping the wok and turning back into the house. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone standing by the door.

“Hello, Uncle,” the person greeted, retracting their distant gaze and addressing Lao Qiao.

Sensing the sweet scent typical of an omega, Lao Qiao cautiously responded, “Happy New Year.”

Qiao Qiao led Zhang Peng to a familiar bathhouse, where the boss’s wife recognized him and greeted him with a smile. “Back home for the New Year?”

Qiao Qiao nodded, sweet-talking, “Sister, we’d like a private room.”

The boss’s wife looked Zhang Peng up and down. Though the scent was a bit odd, she could tell he was an alpha.

“You two want one room?” she confirmed.

Qiao Qiao beamed, “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Oh.” The boss’s wife instructed a staff member to take them to their room.

As Qiao Qiao walked away, he overheard someone whispering, “AB couple, huh? Impressive.” Then, the boss’s wife scolded, “All of you, mind your own business and get back to work!”

Qiao Qiao shrugged.

Zhang Peng glanced back, memorizing the face of the staff member who had been gossiping, then asked Qiao Qiao, “Should we go somewhere else?”

Qiao Qiao replied, “No need. The masseuses here are pretty good.”

They took a bath, changed into robes, and each lay down on a massage table.

Two beta male masseuses came in to give them a massage.

The masseuses were skilled and didn’t talk much, allowing Zhang Peng to finally relax.

“Pengpeng,” Qiao Qiao began, “before we head home, I’ll take you to see my elementary school. Oh, a bit to the right, yes, thank you.”

He adjusted his position, resting his cheek on his arm, and continued, “There’s a small basketball court there. I’m not sure if it’s still around. When I was little, I heard that playing basketball could make you taller, so I went to play every day after school. At that time, I was the tallest kid in my class.”

Zhang Peng was about to say something, but Qiao Qiao quickly added, “I’m talking about normal people, okay? You, towering like the Tokyo Skytree, don’t count.”

Zhang Peng, humble as ever, said, “I’m not that tall. There are a lot of kids now who reach 1.8 meters in middle school.”

After differentiating into an alpha, Zhang Peng had grown a little more and was now just barely 1.9 meters tall.

Qiao Qiao said, “Kids today are better nourished, so they grow taller. When I was little, I ate so much, but I don’t know where it all went—I didn’t grow taller or wider.”

He felt too embarrassed to keep boasting about his height.

Zhang Peng was surprised. “You ate a lot? Your mom told me you were picky, that one time you refused to eat green peppers and stood on the windowsill with tears in your eyes, saying, ‘If you make me eat it, I’ll jump!’ But you were only on the first floor…”

Qiao Qiao felt a headache coming on. “Stop, stop!” He grumbled, “Why does my mom tell you everything?”

Zhang Peng laughed, “Once we got talking, she shared a lot of stories with me.”

They continued chatting about Qiao Qiao’s childhood.

After the spa, Qiao Qiao waved his hand and said, “This is my turf; I’ll pay the bill. No stealing the check.”

Zhang Peng showed him his empty Alipay balance. “All the money’s with you. You pay, I’m living off you.”

Qiao Qiao nodded, paid the bill, and suddenly felt the urge to pee. The boss’s wife called over a staff member to show him to the restroom.

The staff member, having been scolded earlier for gossiping, now walked silently, not daring to make a sound.

Zhang Peng watched the staff member’s back, ensuring he kept his mouth shut, before turning to the boss’s wife and asking, “Do you have any promotions going on? Like a raffle with a prize, maybe a teddy bear?”

The boss’s wife glanced at the unopened teddy bear behind the counter. It was a New Year’s gift she had bought for herself!

She shook her head, her eyes wary. Why? Are you planning to snatch my bear?

Zhang Peng pulled out a red envelope from his pocket, one he had prepared to give to Qiao Qiao’s relatives’ kids for the New Year.

He hadn’t visited any relatives yet, so he had quite a few left.

But he always kept a couple on him, just in case.

He pushed the red envelope toward the boss’s wife.

The boss’s wife eyed the thick envelope, seeming to understand something.

Zhang Peng said, “It’s New Year’s—there should be a raffle.”

If there wasn’t, well, money could make it happen.

The boss’s wife, quick to catch on, took the red envelope, felt its thickness, and happily stashed it in the drawer behind the counter. She beamed, “You’re right, Boss.”

When Qiao Qiao returned, he found Zhang Peng and the boss’s wife deep in conversation.

Qiao Qiao was puzzled.

Unless necessary, Zhang Peng was usually a reserved person, not one to engage much with strangers.

“What’s so fun to talk about?”

Zhang Peng turned, seeing Qiao Qiao back, and smiled, extending his hand.

Qiao Qiao naturally took it, holding tightly to Zhang Peng’s hand.

The boss’s wife suddenly felt as though the air was filled with a sweet strawberry scent, but her mouth tasted as sour as if she’d eaten a lemon.

She put on her best professional smile. “Xiao Qiao, you’re in luck today; you’ve won a prize.” She lifted the teddy bear from behind the counter. “Ta-da! Happy New Year!”

Qiao Qiao was thrilled. “Really? Really? I won a prize? I usually have such bad luck; how did I get so lucky today?”

He couldn’t believe it.

The boss’s wife thought, Your boyfriend went out of his way to make you happy—of course, you’re lucky today!

She smiled brightly. “Yes, Xiao Qiao, you’re very lucky.”

Qiao Qiao happily accepted the teddy bear and left in high spirits.

It wasn’t that he particularly liked the toy, but winning something on New Year’s Eve? What a good omen!

Besides, just the fact that he’d won made him happy.

He said to Zhang Peng, “It’s a good thing I paid. Otherwise, I might not have won.”

Zhang Peng smiled at him, nodding in agreement. “Yes, it’s all thanks to you.”

The boss’s wife watched the two walk away, counting the money in the red envelope she’d received.

It’s okay. No love, no teddy bear, but I’ve got money.

There was a whole five thousand yuan in the envelope.

The boss’s wife patted her chest to comfort herself.

The staff member who had been gossiping earlier cautiously approached. “Boss, when did the raffle start?”

The boss’s wife glanced at the staff member and then at the two customers, who were now just tiny dots in the distance.

That alpha customer had paid out of his own pocket to make his boyfriend happy—was it because this staff member’s gossiping had upset his boyfriend?

The boss’s wife frowned.

This time, the customer hadn’t made a fuss, but what if next time, when dealing with a more important guest, this staff member still couldn’t keep his mouth shut?

In their line of business, where they welcomed guests and saw them off, offending people was the worst thing they could do.

With that in mind, the boss’s wife told the staff member, “You don’t need to come in tomorrow.”

The staff member was stunned, wanting to say something, but the boss’s wife shook her head. “I’ll pay you everything you’re owed, but my shop is small and can’t afford to keep someone who talks about guests behind their backs.”

The staff member turned pale: I was just gossiping a bit—how did I end up losing my job?

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