Chapter 16 – Invitation to Dinner
Novel Title: 长夏醒迟 (Long Summer, Late Awakening)
Author：麦香鸡呢 (McChicken)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 余炀 (Yu Yang -MC/Gong), 靳吾栖 (Jin Wuqi -ML/Shou)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
֍֍֍
A week later, Yu Yang suddenly received a call from an unfamiliar number. It was a woman’s voice.
“Hello, is this Mr. Yu Yang?”
“Yes, who is this?”
Yu Yang heard a slight laughter from the other end of the phone, with a hint of joy.
“I’m the person who accidentally bumped into your car before.”
It was the omega who had unexpectedly gone into heat. His assistant had mentioned yesterday that the police had concluded their investigation. So Yu Yang thought the matter was over. He hadn’t expected her to call him.
“Is there something you need from me?” Yu Yang asked.
“No, no. It’s just… I caused you inconvenience that day. And you even had your assistant take me to the hospital. I want to apologise to you in person and thank you. So could I invite you to dinner?”
“No need. You didn’t do it on purpose. Omegas in heat are very fragile. Taking you to the hospital was the right thing to do,” Yu Yang declined lightly. “Since everything has been sorted out, let’s just move on with our lives.”
The omega responded with some regret. But then, she politely said goodbye and hung up.
But the matter wasn’t over yet. When Yu Yang drove out of the underground garage in the evening, he saw a long-haired omega standing by the green bar near the exit.
She seemed to recognize Yu Yang’s licence plate and waved to him as he drove out.
Yu Yang stopped the car. He rolled down the window and looked at her without saying a word.
The omega seemed to realise that her actions were abrupt. She tidied her long hair and, though somewhat shy, still asked, “Are you Mr. Yu Yang? I would like to invite you to dinner.”
Since they were already halfway through this encounter, it would seem impolite to refuse further. Yu Yang got out of the car and opened the passenger door for her, saying, “Please.”
The omega thanked him and got into the car.
Unlike the surging pheromones during heat, the omega now exuded a calm and gentle fragrance. Yu Yang remembered that morning. He was clearly covered in omega pheromones, which Jin Wuxi could smell, yet he hadn’t asked anything. It seemed he didn’t care if Yu Yang was involved with other omegas. Nor did he care why Yu Yang had gone into a passive rut.
It’s true, what does Jin Wuqi care about? He can easily discard the sincerity of a young man. So how can he expect him to care about anything?
“Where shall we eat?” Yu Yang asked as he drove.
The omega seemed a little distracted. Her gaze lingered on Yu Yang’s profile for a while before hastily looking away, replying, “Anywhere is fine. Your choice.”
Yu Yang chose a restaurant he often went to. He hadn’t intended to let this omega treat or pay anyway.
***
To avoid making the atmosphere too awkward, Yu Yang chatted with the omega as they walked in. As they took their seats, Yu Yang noticed the restaurant manager not far away, meticulously adjusting his suit before walking towards the entrance with a dignified smile.
Looking back, Yu Yang saw Jin Wuqi and several alphas, mostly unfamiliar foreign faces, and one familiar person, Song Zhimu.
The external cooperation projects in City A have been significant recently, and Jin Wuqi must have played a significant role in them. With ample foreign corporate resources at his disposal, not to mention various conglomerates, even the government has been continuously extending olive branches to him. Take the media company Jin Wuqi acquired, for example; since merging under Jin Wuqi’s name, it has rapidly expanded its market in the entertainment and film industry. In the future, they just need to wait for a large number of cooperation opportunities to come knocking on their door.
Song Zhimu stood on Jin Wuqi’s left, looking attentive and caring, constantly turning his head to smile and talk to Jin Wuqi. Yu Yang had to admit that the scene was indeed pleasing to the eye. Coupled with Song Zhimu’s straightforward pursuit, it’s no wonder there were always news reports about their relationship.
The guests in the restaurant all turned their attention to that group of people. Yu Yang leaned back in his chair and glanced at the menu. When he looked up again, he met Jin Wuqi’s gaze.
Through the crowd and the lights, Jin Wuqi’s smile fell on Yu Yang’s face.
He naturally saw the omega with long hair opposite Yu Yang. But he showed no surprise or astonishment. He just smiled at Yu Yang and then walked towards the inner corridor under the guidance of the manager.
It’s strange that the omega across from Yu Yang, after subconsciously glancing at that group of people when they entered, never looked back again.
She even seemed a bit unnatural, keeping her head down and looking at the menu.
“You…”
“Shh.” The omega made a hushing gesture towards him. “My cousin is in there.”
“Who?”
“Song Zhimu,” the omega said quietly.
“Are you afraid of him?”
“I’m afraid. I’m afraid of my whole family,” the omega said, sounding somewhat irritated. “I was doing well as a reporter at the television station. But they insisted on arranging a marriage for me with an alpha I don’t even know.”
It’s too normal. Most heirs of big conglomerates have such a fate. They may seem glamorous. But in reality, they cannot control their own lives. They are all chips for interests, allocated as needed, mere commodities for exchange of fame and fortune, especially omegas, who are inherently disadvantaged.
Yu Yang has also experienced this kind of thing. When he had just graduated from college, his parents intended for him to date the omega daughter of a certain conglomerate. Yu Yang sat in the living room, nodded indifferently, and said, “It’s up to you to decide.”
His parents were surprised by his compliance. However, in the next moment, Yu Yang went to his room to pack his things. He then slammed the suitcase in front of them, saying while booking for a flight ticket on his phone, “Your decision is your business. Whether I agree or not is mine. If you insist on this, I can immediately cut off all relations with you. I don’t want any of your property or inheritance. Pretend you never had me. Get yourself another heir while you’re still young. Let him get married for you.”
Her parents were just testing Yu Yang’s attitude. Seeing this result, they didn’t bring it up again.
The omega in front of him is Lin Qihan. She was born beautiful and wealthy. She stayed abroad until graduating from university and then ran back to the country. Despite the elders’ opposition, she joined the television station. Due to family suppression, she is still a junior reporter and has not had any appearances in the news. But she still works happily.
She’s a pretty pure and unpretentious rich second-generation’s heir.
“Why insist on being a reporter?” Yu Yang asked as the dishes were served. They were eating and talking at the same time.
Lin Qihan shook her head. “It’s not that I have to be a reporter. It’s that I want to do what I like. Don’t you think that for something like a career, which accompanies you for a lifetime, if it’s something you don’t like, wouldn’t that be very painful?”
Yu Yang didn’t know about this. He didn’t have a career plan before going to college. When he wanted to seriously consider the future, the most important part of his life was missing. He gazed at the unformed future, feeling only powerless and bewildered. In the end, he entered his family’s company in a routine manner, working numbly day after day, completing everything that needed to be done.
His thoughts were different from Lin Qihan’s. He didn’t think a career had to be something you liked. Everyone has different responsibilities. And some people are born to bear things they’re not interested in. Not everyone is fortunate enough to do what they love. What Yu Yang cared about was who would be by his side in this long yet short life.
֍֍֍
*Author’s Note: For characters like Song Zhimu, Chen Antong, and Lin Qihan, you can’t really call them cannon fodder, right? They’re actually pretty good people. (?) – McChicken
֍֍֍
*Translator’s Note: ‘Cannon fodder’ is a term that originally referred to soldiers who are considered expendable and are sent into battle with little regard for their well-being. In a broader sense, it can refer to anyone who is used or sacrificed for a particular purpose without much concern for their welfare. In a novel, they are characters without significance or much impact on the storyline. -K
Next update: 2024.05.01
֍֍֍
