The two of them quickly reached an agreement and eagerly began researching the marriage process—gathering their ID cards, household registration books, and certificates of no previous marriages.
Qiao Qiao’s household registration was still with his school. “Mine’s easy. I’ll apply at the household registration office tomorrow. I was planning to transfer it to my company soon anyway, so this kills two birds with one stone.” He had just graduated with a PhD this year, found a job, and hadn’t yet reported to the company; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been lounging at home all day, waiting for his boyfriend to feed him.
“But your household registration is still at home.” Qiao Qiao fretted for Zhang Peng.
They were halfway through their meal, and Qiao Qiao felt a bit thirsty, so he climbed out of bed and brought the mango and yogurt over to the bedside table.
The mango was freshly cut, with the juicy pieces neatly arranged in a plastic container. As soon as he opened it, a sweet fragrance filled the air.
There were two small forks in the container, and Qiao Qiao picked one up, skewered a piece of mango, and brought it to Zhang Peng’s mouth.
Zhang Peng opened his mouth, took the mango in, and swallowed it whole.
“I already got my hands on my mom’s household registration book.” Zhang Peng announced eagerly, his face full of pride.
Qiao Qiao took a sip of yogurt to calm his nerves. “Auntie is probably going to kill you.”
Zhang Peng shot him a sidelong glance. “Even though my parents don’t approve of us, they’re just saying that out of stubbornness. If your mom showed even the slightest interest in me, they’d have no objections.”
“Yeah, my mom…” Qiao Qiao sheepishly licked the yogurt from the corner of his lips. “Anyway, I’ll get my household registration when I go back to school. Why are you bringing up my mom? Let’s focus on the mango.”
He skewered another piece of mango and held it out to Zhang Peng.
“You eat.” Zhang Peng said as he cleaned up the empty bento boxes, his mind already working. “Once you get your household registration, we’ll get the certificate of no previous marriage.” He glanced at the blazing sun outside and thought, “I’ll head home this afternoon.”
“In such a rush?” Qiao Qiao playfully hooked his toes around Zhang Peng’s leg. “Did you manage to secure any investments for the company? I remember your schedule was packed these past few days.”
“Nope.” Zhang Peng replied. “Let’s take care of our business first.” He pulled out a stack of lottery tickets from his pocket and said with a flourish, “If all else fails, here’s our last hope.”
Qiao Qiao’s eyes sparkled with admiration. “I’ll have to cling to your leg, Peng Peng, and wait for the good life.” Whether it was the venture capital firms lacking vision or Zhang Peng simply heading in the wrong direction, Qiao Qiao wasn’t going to dampen his spirits at a time like this.
Propping his chin on his hand, Qiao Qiao’s eyes gleamed as if he was about to earn a billion yuan. Cheerfully, he said, “When we hit it big, we’ll buy a car and hire a driver. You’ll be busy socializing every day, and I’ll just sit in the car, going on shopping sprees.”
Zhang Peng pinched Qiao Qiao’s cheek. “Sure, I’ll be your workhorse.”
Qiao Qiao eagerly nodded.
Zhang Peng couldn’t help but laugh and teased, “Aren’t you worried about some vixen trying to cozy up to me during those social events?”
“You know.” Qiao Qiao said solemnly, “I don’t believe in divorce—only in widowing.”
Zhang Peng raised his hands in surrender. “If that ever happens, I’ll kick them so hard they won’t know where their head is.”
Qiao Qiao gave Zhang Peng a quick kiss on the lips. “Good boy, Peng Peng. You’ve earned your reward.”
“Since you’re heading home this afternoon, I’ll go back to school too.” Qiao Qiao said, checking the time and getting up to dress.
Zhang Peng hugged him from behind, resting his chin on Qiao Qiao’s shoulder, and softly whispered, “Xiao Qiao, I love you.”
“I love you too.” Qiao Qiao held onto the arms wrapped around his waist, feeling surrounded by the scent of cola, and was filled with happiness. “My Peng Peng’s scent, my love.” Who wouldn’t love the smell of cola? It was impossible. He was absolutely in love with the current Zhang Peng.
Zhang Peng, full of emotion, was about to confess his deepest feelings when Qiao Qiao interrupted him, reaching for his sensitive spot. Qiao Qiao immediately went weak, his eyes filling with tears.
Being an old married couple, they were naturally well-acquainted with each other’s sensitive points.
Qiao Qiao’s body trembled, caught between discomfort and pleasure, his brows furrowing as he closed his eyes. “Mmm~”
Zhang Peng offered a choice: “So, do you love me, or do you love cola?”
Qiao Qiao opened his eyes, savoring the lingering sensations, and with a look of yearning, said, “Don’t… stop…”
Zhang Peng: “.” He let go of Qiao Qiao and, in a grave tone, declared, “I’m mad now.”
“My life belongs to cola, and now that you smell like cola, my life belongs to you.” Qiao Qiao said as he clung to Zhang Peng, acting spoiled.
Though Zhang Peng’s position barely tied with that of cola, he still huffed coldly, feeling a bit annoyed.
Qiao Qiao tilted his head up and licked Zhang Peng’s Adam’s apple, whispering, “Husband, husband, I’m sorry. You’re my number one love, nothing compares to you.”
Zhang Peng shook his head in defeat and finally broke into a smile.
Qiao Qiao let go of him. “Alright, I need to get dressed.”
Zhang Peng gave Qiao Qiao’s neck a quick kiss. “Let me help you.”
Qiao Qiao refused, turning around to swat at him, but Zhang Peng caught his face and kissed him deeply.
After enough playfulness, they changed into their clothes, and by the time they checked the clock, it was already past three, almost four. Realizing they were running late, they hurried to the subway station and boarded trains going in opposite directions, heading to their respective destinations.
Qiao Qiao’s school was only about ten minutes away from the apartment they rented. After arriving at the school, he sent a WeChat message to Zhang Peng, telling him to let him know once he got the household registration book.
Zhang Peng replied, “Yes, ma’am.”
Qiao Qiao sent a series of stickers in response.
[Love you a thousand times over]
[Boyfriend, come here]
[Kiss your head off]
Zhang Peng shook his head with a smile, opened his favorites folder, and carefully selected a set of stickers to send back.
[Love you more each time I see you]
[Missing our little yellow bike]
[Tonight, let’s meet at ninety-eight]
“Excuse me, could you let me through?” a voice interrupted.
Zhang Peng snapped back to reality, quickly stepped aside to make way, and hurriedly typed a message: “Talk later, got to handle some business.”
[Business or handling me?]
[Call me husband, no more of this cheekiness]
As soon as Zhang Peng arrived home, he heard his parents in the middle of a heated debate. His father was saying, “Let the kids make their own decisions.” while his mother argued, “Adults need to provide them with some guidance.”
Zhang Peng stood at the doorway for a moment, seeing that they were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t even notice him. Finally, he had to interrupt, “Is Mom planning on having a second child? You two seem really into this education discussion.”
His mother, Liu, looked up and, upon seeing Zhang Peng, immediately lost her temper. “With a 27-year-old giant baby still at home, what’s the point of having another one?”
Old Zhang kept nudging her, signaling her to lower her voice and not make a fuss.
Liu shook off his hand. “So, what’s this about an omega? You’ve brought a romantic scandal right to our doorstep? Weren’t you head over heels for that Xiao Qiao before? Now you’ve forgotten all about him?”
Pointing at her son, Liu angrily accused him, “You scumbag!”
“Pfft.” Zhang Peng sincerely raised a middle finger to Jiang Wan’s mother for following through on her word and innocently looked at Liu. “Mom, I’m as henpecked as Dad. Do you really think it’s possible?”
Old Zhang muttered quietly, “How am I henpecked? You just make things up.”
Liu shot him a frosty glance and pulled out a feather duster and washboard from under the coffee table.
Old Zhang, as swift as the wind, immediately surrendered, falling to his knees. “I’m proud to be afraid of my wife!”
Liu nodded in satisfaction and then resumed interrogating her son. “Does Xiao Qiao know? I really want to hear what he has to say about this.”
Zhang Peng: “Please, don’t say anything. You’re my real mom—are you trying to make me kneel on durian?”
Liu: “So, you haven’t had a change of heart. Then what’s going on? A full ten million—I almost couldn’t believe my eyes.”
“Your mom was this close to chasing them out with a knife.” Old Zhang added, revealing the truth. “Who knows which irresponsible mother sent someone to give us money, saying it was a dowry for her son. Even though our family’s situation isn’t great after your entrepreneurial ventures drained our savings, we’re not so desperate that we’d sell our son for a few million. Are they looking for a live-in son-in-law?”
Zhang Peng nodded.
Liu rubbed her chin, clicking her tongue in disbelief. “Tell me everything in detail.”
Zhang Peng poured himself a cup of tea, cleared his throat, and then recounted everything in one go.
Liu was astonished and furious. “They picked the wrong family to mess with! They’re out of luck now. Trying to forcefully snatch a man? Do they even know who they’re dealing with? When I was on the streets, the Jiang family was still in diapers.”
Zhang Peng silently sipped his tea.
Old Zhang, equally surprised, began massaging his wife’s back with a flattering expression. “Which gang were you leading back in the day?”
Liu waved her hand dramatically. “I picked that up from TV. I just wanted to get some satisfaction.”
Old Zhang: “…” He quickly withdrew his hand and shot her a small look of disdain.
Zhang Peng continued sipping his tea.
With a loud slap on the coffee table, Liu declared, “Just you wait. Tomorrow, I’ll take care of that old witch.” Full of determination, she rolled up her sleeves. “For the sake of rooting out evil, charge!”
“Calm down.” Old Zhang said, wrapping his arms around her to restrain her. “You need to work on that temper of yours. Think about how generous that old witch was, throwing around ten million as a dowry.”
“Ten million to buy my son?” Liu’s eyebrows shot up.
To most people, this would seem like a tempting offer, but to them, it was obvious that this offer came with strings attached.
Old Zhang: “I’m saying that old witch has no sense. You’re a beautiful, magnanimous woman—why bother with a petty person like her?”
Liu “hmphed” but she didn’t rush out the door anymore.
Seeing that she had calmed down, Old Zhang let go of her and hesitantly said, “If she really files for an arranged marriage, given her son’s special circumstances, she might just force it through.”
Liu: “Aren’t there alpha volunteers at the center?”
Old Zhang fretted, “Our son is too outstanding. They’ve set their sights on him.”
Liu beamed, “It’s all because of our excellent genes.” Then she turned serious and asked Zhang Peng, “Do you have a plan? Although your mom is a god-tier assist who can scare people off, you’re too charming for your own good. If they’re dead set on you, the law and public opinion will side with the omega. Even if you cut ties with your parents, you’ll still have your little sweetheart to worry about. Speaking of which, where is your little sweetheart? With all this drama, shouldn’t you be making some grand vows together instead of running back home?”
Zhang Peng: “He’s considerate. He urged me to come back and be with you guys and went back to his school.”
“Did you two have a fight?” Liu frowned.
Zhang Peng offered her a cup of tea. “Can’t you just think that we’re doing well?”
Liu downed the tea in one gulp. “I barely see you three times a year, but you’re stuck to that little sweetheart all day. Now, out of the blue, you’re home—if something wasn’t up, I’d be surprised.”
How can I tell her that I came home to steal the household registration book?
Just as he was about to brush things off, Liu spoke again. “You’ve pawed that household registration book countless times—did you think I wouldn’t know? You’re rushing to get married because you don’t have the money for a proper proposal, aren’t you?”
“!” Zhang Peng silently moved further away from Liu, suspecting that his mother had a radar for scanning people’s minds.
Liu sneered, “You’ve touched that household registration book eight hundred times—did you think I wouldn’t notice? You’re planning to marry Xiao Qiao without anything to your name. No betrothal gifts, no gold, no house, no car—at least you should have a ring, right?”
Zhang Peng awkwardly replied, “I was planning to buy a ring tomorrow.” His financial situation was tight, so he could probably only afford a small diamond, which he was too embarrassed to mention.
Liu took out her phone, opened her bank app, and transferred 500,000 yuan to Zhang Peng’s account.
Zhang Peng: “!”
Old Zhang: “!”
Liu: “Use this for now. I’ll see which fund I can withdraw from and transfer more to you later.”
Old Zhang: “You told me that all our money went into our son’s startup, and you cut my allowance to 500 yuan a month, but here you are—”
Liu: “You just spend your allowance on cigarettes. Why should I give you more?”
Old Zhang fumed, “No way! You have to give me an explanation today, or I’ll… I’ll…”
“You’ll what?”
“I’ll never go to the square dance with you again.”
“Fine by me!”
Seeing his parents arguing passionately again, Zhang Peng quietly slipped into the bedroom, grabbed the household registration book, and ran out.
In the midst of Liu’s verbal barrage, Old Zhang caught a glimpse of Zhang Peng already putting on his shoes and shouted, “Son, leave your dad some money for cigarettes!”
Liu swatted Old Zhang with the feather duster. “Trying to reduce your retirement insurance burden? Next time I catch you smoking, I’ll smack you—every time I catch you, you’ll get it.”
Old Zhang, like the Monkey King trapped by the Buddha, was full of indignation. He whispered to Zhang Peng, who was watching the scene, “If you don’t help your dad today, don’t expect me to help you in the future.”
But Zhang Peng felt no sympathy for his dad’s plight. He didn’t smoke or drink, and his biggest hobby was spending time with Qiao Qiao.
At the thought of Qiao Qiao, Zhang Peng’s left eyelid started twitching like crazy, and a sudden unease crept over him.
He pulled out his phone and saw:
[Come to school ASAP, urgent!]
Qiao Qiao had sent this message half an hour ago.
Zhang Peng bolted toward the school.
────୨ৎ────
Be my Patron ~ Buy me Ko-Fi
────୨ৎ────
✨Be a part of the story – support my translations✨
✨Buy me some Ko-FI | Paypal to support my effort✨
✨✨Advance chapter at Patreon✨✨
