DPT chapter 35

The next day was Saturday. Zuo Chi went to the Zuo family home. As he stepped through the familiar doors, he felt like a guest in the place he had lived for over twenty years, with no sense of belonging.

He brought gifts he had chosen in Milan, including a set of skincare products for Aunt Chen.

“What is this?” Aunt Chen leaned in to look. Upon recognizing the patterns on the packaging, she repeatedly declined, though she seemed pleased. “Oh dear, at my age, I don’t need such expensive skincare products.”

Zuo Chi smiled. “Take it, it’s a token of my appreciation.”

Shu Qingyu descended the stairs, wearing a light beige embroidered cheongsam. She accepted the gift bag Zuo Chi handed her without opening it or asking what it was. “You got back the day before yesterday?”

Zuo Chi wasn’t surprised she knew his flight schedule. “Yes.”

Shu Qingyu raised an eyebrow. “You seem to have enjoyed yourself. If you came back any later, do you think there’d still be a place for you in the Zuo family? Are you stupid? Just because your father asked you to step aside, you obediently complied? Don’t you know how to seize the opportunity to gain some benefits?”

Zuo Chi didn’t argue. “Where is Father?”

“He’s in the study.” Shu Qingyu raised her chin. “Bring the tea in, and remember to be respectful.”

Zuo Chi placed the teacup on a tray and carried it to the study door, knocking with one hand.

“Come in.” Zuo Yi’s desk was covered with a sheet of xuan paper, and he dipped a brush in the inkstone, his strokes flowing like clouds.

“Father, your tea.” Zuo Chi placed the tea with the tray on another desk.

“You’re back,” Zuo Yi noted.

“Yes.” Zuo Chi stood by, patiently waiting for him to finish his calligraphy before speaking. “I have something I want to discuss with you.”

Zuo Yi put down his brush, his gaze lingering on the newly completed calligraphy piece. “Speak.”

Zuo Chi looked him in the eye. “I want to cancel the engagement with the Sheng family.”

Zuo Yi finally looked up, his expression sharp. “Why?”

Zuo Chi took a deep breath. “Sheng Li and I have no feelings beyond friendship.”

Zuo Yi laughed, placing his hands on the desk and leaning back in his chair, scrutinizing Zuo Chi from head to toe. “That’s the worst reason. Don’t say you and Sheng Li have no feelings for each other. You should know that feelings have never been a necessary condition for marriage. Zuo Chi, you’re twenty-five. How can you be more naive than before? Do you think you have many choices? What right does a twenty-five-year-old Omega have to make demands in the marriage market? The engagement banquet has been held, and people in our circle know about your impending marriage to Sheng Li. Now you want to call it off? Where does that leave our family and the Sheng family’s reputation? What will others think of us if you go back on your word?”

Zuo Chi found it both laughable and tragic. Every word Zuo Yi said was within his consideration, even if he didn’t agree. He felt powerless to argue. “The current collaboration project with the Sheng family is stalled, and our funds are tight. Withdrawing now could mitigate the losses.”

Zuo Yi tapped his fingers on the desk. “What I want is not just to avoid losses.”

Zuo Chi knew he had found the key point and waited for the next statement.

“If you want to cancel the engagement with the Sheng family, it’s possible.” Zuo Yi set the xuan paper aside to dry, lifted the lid of the teacup, and blew on it gently. “Are you aware of the current situation with the Qin family?”

How did this involve the Qin family again? Zuo Chi frowned. “Isn’t Qin Rui still unconscious in the hospital?”

After Old Master Qin’s death, the Qin family had been turbulent for a while, with their stock prices plummeting. Now, the eldest of the Qin family had taken the chairman’s position, handling the company’s affairs. However, he was old, and his only Alpha son, Qin Rui, was bedridden, with others eyeing his position.

“Qin Rui can’t be relied upon.” Zuo Yi shook his head. “But the eldest Qin has another Alpha son, named Qin Xu. He returned to the country two weeks ago but hasn’t shown up at the Qin family’s gatherings yet.”

Zuo Chi understood. Even if he didn’t propose canceling the engagement with the Sheng family, Zuo Yi might have had the same idea. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know so much about the Qin family. He hadn’t heard of Qin Xu before, likely an illegitimate child of the eldest Qin born abroad. With Qin Rui’s incident, they brought him back.

Just like when Zuo Yi discovered he was an Omega, he immediately brought Zuo Lie back home.

What was this? If he couldn’t marry the older brother, he’d marry the second eldest brother? He hadn’t even met Qin Xu!

Zuo Chi felt a surge of frustration but tried to remain calm. “Will the Qin family accept him?”

Zuo Yi took a sip of tea, his tone meaningful. “That’s why the Qin family needs our help.”

“Zuo Chi, if you want to cancel the engagement with the Sheng family, you must agree to an engagement with Qin Xu. Apart from the Qin family, no other family would quickly agree to an alliance with an Omega who just broke off an engagement.”

Zuo Chi asked painfully, “What if Qin Rui wakes up?”

“The chances of Qin Rui waking up are very slim. If it weren’t, the eldest Qin wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to bring Qin Xu back.”

Zuo Chi thought about getting engaged to an Alpha he didn’t even know, and every cell in his body resisted. His hands, hanging by his sides, clenched into fists. He swallowed his dissatisfaction.

If it wasn’t Sheng Li, whether it was Qin Rui or Qin Xu, what difference did it make?

Could he still hope for a love marriage? Even if he could, after loving Sheng Li for so many years, could he really love someone else?

In the end, it was all about marrying someone he didn’t love. Who it was didn’t really matter.

Perhaps, as Zuo Yi said, marriage didn’t require love. Without love, he could avoid many troubles.

Zuo Chi’s fists relaxed. He said, “Alright, I agree to get engaged to Qin Xu.”

“Don’t you want to see his photo?” Zuo Yi wasn’t surprised. He entered “Qin Xu” into his phone’s browser, showing an existing Wikipedia entry. He turned the screen towards Zuo Chi. “Qin Xu is mixed-race. His mother is German. She dated Qin Yanren while studying in China, and when she found out he was married, she broke it off immediately. Qin Yanren only discovered Qin Xu’s existence long after their breakup. Qin Xu’s stepfather is also Chinese, so Qin Xu speaks Chinese.”

Zuo Chi wasn’t very interested; no matter what Qin Xu looked like, it wouldn’t influence his decision.

Zuo Yi asked, “Have you made up your mind?”

Ignoring the strange feeling in his chest, Zuo Chi replied, “Yes.”

“I will find the right time to discuss it with Sheng Changyu,” Zuo Yi said, then shifted the conversation to work, asking how much more time off Zuo Chi needed and suggesting he manage the newly opened branch office.

Zuo Chi didn’t refuse. He needed work to fill his life and requested another week off to buy new household items.

After leaving the study, he went to his old bedroom to pack up the remaining items.

He found the limited-edition sneakers Sheng Li had given him, regretting that he had never worn them.

There was also a slightly yellowed book with an autograph Sheng Li had gotten for him at a signing event—”Happy birthday, Ah Chi. Remember to smile more.”

…

Zuo Chi had treasured everything related to Sheng Li for years. This time, he finally threw them all into the trash.

With a “clang,” it felt like something hit his heart, leaving it battered and bruised.

As he walked out of the Zuo family home, Zuo Chi felt like a prisoner who had hoped for early release due to good behavior, only to find himself still trapped, just with shackles changed from his wrists to his ankles.

At least Sheng Li was temporarily freed from the arranged marriage. Perhaps this was the last memorable thing Zuo Chi could do for the person he liked.

He didn’t know how Zuo Yi discussed canceling the engagement with Sheng Changyu, nor did he care, but it likely wasn’t a pleasant conversation.

One day, Sheng Li messaged him, saying he had been called back to the Sheng family and scolded. If not for Li Mingchuan intervening, Sheng Changyu would have hit him.

Sheng Li sent a voice message, sounding aggrieved, as if waiting for Zuo Chi to comfort him.

Zuo Chi hovered his cursor over the input box, unsure of what to say.

Thinking of Sheng Changyu and Li Mingchuan, he felt awkward, wondering how he would face them if they met in public in the future.

The engagement had been a switch, with Sheng Li’s attitude making a 180-degree turn whether it was on or off. Sheng Li unilaterally assumed they had reverted to being friends and, after complaining, even invited Zuo Chi to go skiing.

Zuo Chi felt it was unsuitable to meet Sheng Li for a while, so he declined the skiing invitation, only for Sheng Li to invite him to play billiards a couple of days later.

He declined again, citing health reasons, his excuse clumsy and obvious.

Sometimes Sheng Li was smart, sometimes quite foolish, as he offered to visit: “Is your stomach acting up again? Do you have medicine at home? I’ll come over.”

“Don’t come over. I’ll be fine after a nap,” Zuo Chi replied before turning off his phone, ignoring Sheng Li’s reaction.

He recalled a frequently discussed question: Can you remain friends after truly loving someone?

There is no standard answer, but Zuo Chi believed that Sheng Li could switch so quickly because he didn’t have any Alpha-to-Omega feelings for him.

By early August, most people in their circle knew about the cancellation of his engagement to Sheng Li, and both the Zuo and Sheng families became topics of gossip. The official line was that the two families had mutually agreed to cancel the engagement, though people inevitably speculated about the reasons.

At this juncture, Zuo Yi certainly wouldn’t immediately announce cooperation with the Qin family. This allowed Zuo Chi some respite.

He could imagine how, after canceling the engagement with Sheng Li and quickly getting engaged to someone else, he would be seen as despicable.

An Omega desperate to marry. A product being resold because it wasn’t up to standard.

He even hoped Zuo Yi and the eldest Qin wouldn’t agree on cooperation terms, thus breaking his engagement to Qin Xu. Perhaps then, no Alpha would want to marry him, and he could find peace.

Unfortunately, reality didn’t go his way. In the second week of managing the branch office, a new friend request popped up on his WeChat, the verification message simply: “I’m Qin Xu.”