"Jiang Chizao” was changing clothes and touching up her makeup in the bathroom, while Shiye took off his jacket and waited outside.
He never expected the omega would take matters into her own hands. When she looked at him helplessly, her pitiful expression felt like a thousand little cats scratching at his heart, a mix of itchiness and pain that left him full of regret.
Originally, they hadn’t booked a private room because he was worried that the enclosed space would make the omega feel uneasy. Now, all he felt was regret.
His phone vibrated repeatedly; it was a call from “Jiang Chizao.” Shiye quickly answered.
“Xiao Ye Ge.”
Her voice was low and slightly teary, the vast emptiness of the surroundings accentuating her loneliness, making Shiye's heart ache: “What’s wrong?”
“Can you help me find a bag, one that’s opaque?” She took a gentle breath, her voice growing even softer. “My underwear is wet and uncomfortable….”
Shiye froze for a moment, finally realizing what “underwear” she was referring to. His face felt like it was on fire, and with one hand not knowing where to go, he forced himself to remain calm. “What size do you wear? I’ll go buy you one from the mall nearby.”
“Don’t leave me alone here!” Her voice tightened, as if afraid he would actually leave.
“I won’t go, I won’t go,” Shiye suddenly realized how dangerous it was to leave an almost half-naked omega in the restroom. He softened his voice: “I’m sorry. I’ll find you a bag and come back right away.”
He held his breath, and after a long moment, he heard her gently respond with an “mm.” He hung up and didn’t dare waste a second, rushing back to the hotel to ask the boss for a black plastic bag, then hurried back to send her a message.
Before long, “Jiang Chizao” came out wearing his windbreaker, the zipper pulled all the way up to her neck. The loose fit covered her backside, leaving only the edges of her shorts exposed, which made her long, pale legs look even longer.
She held a crumpled pile of clothes in her arms. As Shiye opened the plastic bag, he quickly tossed the clothes inside. Amidst the large white bundle, he could vaguely make out a light pink hue. His ears felt hot, and he averted his eyes.
“Jiang Chizao” seemed to relax after throwing the clothes in, tugging at the hem of her jacket. “Let’s go buy clothes.”
—
Not to mention Shiye, this was also Jiang Chicheng’s first time in a women’s underwear store.
He only had two pairs of underwear, both bought for him by Zhou Zhou. He didn’t even know his own size, and Zhou Zhou was nowhere to be found, so he had no choice but to muster the courage to go inside.
“Welcome!”
The receptionist was a middle-aged beta woman. She adjusted her glasses and was momentarily taken aback when she saw Jiang Chicheng. “This lady is…?”
Is she an alpha in super short shorts? An omega this tall? A beta this beautiful?
“Omega,” Shiye answered for him.
As soon as Jiang Chicheng stepped inside, he was dazzled by the array of styles and wandered off.
The saleswoman called out to him, “Hey, miss, don’t go that way! That’s the alpha section!”
Jiang Chicheng responded with an “oh,” rubbed his nose, turned around, and handed Shiye his half-finished milk tea. “You wait for me at the entrance.”
Shiye nodded and sat down on a bench outside.
The saleswoman led Jiang Chicheng to the omega section. At a glance, all he saw were cloying colors and styles that Jiang Chicheng didn’t like, but it didn’t matter since no one would see what was underneath anyway. He casually pointed to a pea-green set.
“What size do you wear?” the saleswoman asked.
Jiang Chicheng shrugged, “What size do you think I should wear?”
The saleswoman chuckled. “We can’t tell that, let’s measure your chest.”
She brought out a measuring tape, asked Jiang Chicheng to lift his arms, wrapped a long yellow tape around his chest, and then released it.
“109 centimeters,” the saleswoman looked at his height, then at his chest. “Hmm, you probably need an A cup.”
Jiang Chicheng shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced back at the person sitting at the entrance. Once he was sure Shiye couldn’t hear, he said, “I want a B cup.”
The saleswoman shook her head with a smile. “I know you little omegas love to look pretty, but bigger isn’t always better with underwear. The key is to be comfortable. If it’s too big or too small, you’ll regret it after wearing it all day.”
“I want a B cup.”
After years in this industry, the saleswoman understood his little thoughts well enough. She quietly suggested, “If you really want to appear fuller, you might want to try our thickened styles. An A cup can become a B+ instantly, and it won’t have any empty space. The effect is quite nice.”
Jiang Chicheng finally relented, “Then I’ll take the thickened one.”
“We also have super thick ones.”
“Give me the super thick ones.”
After trying on the underwear and looking in the mirror, Jiang Chicheng felt he looked a bit taller than Jiang Chizao from the side. Wearing it made him feel much more confident, and he was satisfied. He also asked for two more pairs, one white and one blue.
Shiye paid at checkout. One was 368, and after adding a zero for three pairs, it totaled 1100.
When Shiye offered to carry them, Jiang Chicheng refused. The underwear was a bit heavy, and he was afraid it would feel odd.
Buying clothes was comparatively much simpler. After browsing two stores, Jiang Chicheng wasn’t satisfied with any of them. Since the movie hadn’t started yet, they weren’t in a hurry. They chatted as they walked. "Jiang Chizao" was more talkative than he expected, never letting the conversation drop, and Shiye enjoyed the atmosphere.
Just as they were talking, "Jiang Chizao" suddenly ran a few steps ahead, leaned against the railing, as if he had discovered something interesting, and turned to shout, “Xiao Ye Ge! Xiao Ye Ge!”
Shiye quickly ran over. "Jiang Chizao" crouched down, holding onto the railing with both hands, his toes dangling outside as he excitedly pointed below. “Look at that old man!”
Shiye grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him back a bit, bending down to follow his finger's direction.
It was an old man in a wheelchair, with white hair, shouting something down below. He was so old that he couldn’t stand steadily, and his voice was almost hoarse; you had to listen closely to hear him.
“Xiulian, don’t leave me. I really love you. Give me one more chance, Xiulian, don’t go…”
Jiang Chicheng clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Being misunderstood by a loved one must be really hard. In the end, he’s lost his legs and voice, and all he got was a mouthful of emptiness. So pitiful.”
Shiye watched "Jiang Chizao" for a moment, chuckled, and stood up. “Shall we go help him?”
"Jiang Chizao"'s eyes lit up. “Really?!”
Shiye had already turned and headed toward the stairs. "Jiang Chizao" immediately got excited and followed him down. By the time Shiye reached the old man, he cupped his hands like a horn and shouted, “Xiulian!!!”
The old man was startled by the shout, clumsily twisting his body to look up at him. “Hey, young man, you…” He hadn’t even pulled out his reading glasses when he shouted again from the left, nearly causing his glasses to fall to the ground.
“Don’t leave him!!” Jiang Chicheng yelled even louder.
“He really loves you!!” Shiye added.
“Give him another chance!!” Jiang Chicheng shouted.
The loud voices almost attracted the attention of everyone in the mall, with only one stylishly coiffed elderly lady glancing over before quickly looking down and walking in the opposite direction.
Jiang Chicheng spotted something and slapped the old man on the head: “Old man! Is that Xiulian over there?”
The old man’s head buzzed from the slap as he reached for his glasses again. Shiye quickly took them from him and helped him put them on. “That one in the red dress.”
The old man nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, that’s her! Xiulian! Xiulian!”
The old woman was much more agile than the old man. Just as they were approaching the shopping mall entrance, Jiang Chicheng threw out a "I'm going down!" and dashed down the stairs.
He stood in front of the old woman like a wall, scaring her so much that she shuddered and retreated repeatedly. "W-What kind of person are you?"
"It doesn't matter what kind of person I am; what matters is the love you two share! You've been through so much together over the years. Why can't you give him another chance? You may have conflicts and misunderstandings, but as long as you love each other, there's no problem that can't be solved!"
As Jiang Chicheng spoke, he moved closer, half-pushing, half-dragging her onto the upward escalator.
The old woman was terrified. "N-No, you misunderstood..."
"Xiulian, Xiulian!"
Halfway up, they ran into Shiye, who was pushing the old man's wheelchair down. They watched helplessly as the old man called out for Xiulian, getting further away. Jiang Chicheng cursed and simply picked up the old woman, running down the escalator.
Once they were off the escalator, Shiye and Jiang Chicheng stood on either side, pressing on their shoulders, surrounding them.
Shiye said, "Xiulian, even if you have to part ways in the future, at least listen to what he has to say!"
Jiang Chicheng added, "At your age, every meeting counts. Think about your children; think about the good times you've had!"
Shiye said, "If you still love him, give him another chance!"
Jiang Chicheng urged, "Don't leave him!"
The two of them sounded like they were performing a duet, making the old woman look left and right before she finally stomped her foot in frustration. "Ah! I love him! Of course, I love him! I don't want to leave!"
The old man grabbed her hand. "Xiulian..."
"But if I stay, what about his wife?"
Jiang Chicheng and Shiye exchanged confused glances.
Shiye exclaimed, "Huh?"
Jiang Chicheng responded, "Huh?????"
Jiang Chicheng felt a deep sense of betrayal, like he had kindly fed someone donkey liver and lungs. He put his hands on his hips and said, "No way! Old man, you’re still sprightly at your age, and you’re still messing around with this nonsense..."
"Hold them down!"
A sharp, piercing female voice cut through the air of the shopping mall. Shiye looked up to see seven or eight bodyguards in black suddenly rush out from the corner, while a woman in a cheongsam stood at the entrance, clearly there to catch a mistress.
If they ran into her, there’d be no telling what would happen; they might not come out unscathed.
"Shit! Run!"
Shiye reacted first, grabbing "Jiang Chicheng" and sprinting towards the back exit of the mall. Of the eight people, seven chased after them, shouting, "Stop! Stop!"
No matter how many people there were, they couldn't outrun Shiye's speed. He pulled "Jiang Chicheng" from the mall to the street, then into an alley, finally turning into a dock.
By the time Jiang Chicheng realized what was happening, his right hand had already been firmly grasped in someone's palm.
That hand was warm and dry, with calluses from doing pull-ups, like a hard shell. The fingers were strong and well-defined, holding onto him as they ran. After a long time, the hand grew slightly sweaty, becoming soft and moist, almost like jelly.
Jiang Chicheng's heartbeat quickened, and his breathing became rapid. Apart from the sound of the rushing wind, all he could hear was the pounding of his heart.
His legs felt a little sore and numb as he focused on the back of the person in front of him, unable to distinguish whether his racing heart was from excitement or exhaustion, until they finally stopped at the dock, and Shiye released his hand.
The cool sea breeze blew across his sweaty palm, leaving it feeling empty and chilly.
Jiang Chicheng curled his fingers and looked up at the person beside him.
The dock was dimly lit, only a few stars outlining the figure of Shiye leaning against the railing. Sweat dripped from his forehead into his neck as he gasped for air, letting out a laugh. "What a mess this is."
"..."
"Jiang Chicheng" remained silent, but Shiye could sense he was looking at him. He involuntarily curled his fingers, still retaining some of the wet sensation.
"Looks like we won't make it to the movie," he glanced at his phone before shutting it off, turning his head to meet those light-colored eyes. "What are you thinking about?"
"I remembered... when I was at my grandmother's house, every time we went to the market, I loved eating the malt candy that cost fifty cents each. Later, when I got a bit older and returned to my parents, I told them I wanted to eat malt candy, but they wouldn't let me, saying it was junk food that would rot my teeth. They also said that I hadn’t had good food; once I tasted good food, I wouldn’t want to eat malt candy again."
The sea breeze ruffled his bangs, blocking his eyes. Jiang Chicheng lowered his gaze, leaning over the railing, staring at the boundless sea with a slightly gloomy expression.
Shiye pondered for a moment and asked, "When did you start liking malt candy?"
"I’ve always liked it."
Shiye turned over and leaned against the railing, propping his face on his elbows. "Let me tell you, I loved basking in the sun when I was a kid. When the sun got strong, everyone would run inside, but I would run outside. After one summer, they told me I got sunburned. But I wasn't upset at all; I only knew the sun felt warm and nice. So what they said didn’t matter; what I liked was the most important."
Jiang Chicheng turned to look at him, and at that moment, their eyes met. He could hear the rhythm of their heartbeats harmonizing with the crashing waves.
"So, if you like malt candy, just eat it. No one has the right to stop you from liking it."
Shiye smiled, his eyes crinkling, and reached out to ruffle Jiang Chicheng's hair. Jiang Chicheng hated it when others touched his head but didn’t mind when Shiye did. Under the night sky, he stared at him unabashedly, his eyes filled with intense heat.
Suddenly, Shiye said, "Hey? How about I call you 'Little Wheat' from now on?"
Jiang Chicheng turned away, crossing his arms and burying his face in his jacket. His hoarse voice came out through the fabric. "That doesn’t sound any more noble than 'Tudou'"
"Isn’t that what you like?"
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