Chapter 42 On the Eve of Parting (Part Two) Making proper arrangements for everything…

These words surprised Pei Zhenwei. She didn't have the courage to face Huo Qi at all. Her crazy actions back then were because she felt she was about to die and didn't want to have any regrets. She swallowed hard. "No... I wasn't avoiding you. I just... I just..." Her voice trailed off. She looked into his eyes, made up her mind, and said, "I thought you didn't want to see me again. I'm sorry, I acted impulsively back then."

Hearing this, Huo Qi frowned even more deeply. "Sorry? Impulsive?" This meant he didn't want to take responsibility. He narrowed his eyes. "Did I say I didn't want to see you again? Are you going to give me the 'friend zone' card?"

Pei Zhenwei was pinned down by Huo Qi, his face suddenly close to hers, their breaths mingling. The Omega looked serious, as if waiting for her reply. "Huh?" she asked in confusion, her mind racing. His tone and eyes were filled with resentment. A few seconds later, she snapped out of her daze and understood the meaning behind his words.

“I don’t have glands anymore, I’ve become a Beta.” Her gaze no longer darted away, looking directly at him. Pei Zhenwei wasn’t oblivious. “You’ll feel terrible during your heat.” Her face flushed slightly, and she tilted her head slightly to one side. She had always liked Huo Qi, and the person she liked was “forcing” her to answer…

Huo Qi understood the meaning behind her words, and his expression softened. He rested his head on Pei Zhenwei's shoulder. "Isn't this better?" Without the interference of pheromones, he could perhaps understand her feelings more clearly. He could almost feel her strong heartbeat through his ear pressed against her shoulder.

Pei Zhenwei felt she was about to succumb to Huo Qi's teasing, but she felt she should do something. She slowly placed her hand on Huo Qi's waist and asked nervously, "Do you like me?"

"What do you think? If I don't like you, what are we doing now?" Huo Qi chuckled, finding Pei Zhenwei somewhat adorable. As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the hand on his waist tighten its grip, and in a dizzying moment, Pei Zhenwei was on top of him, her long hair lightly brushing against his face.

Pei Zhenwei first rubbed her nose against his nose, then slightly raised her eyelids to observe Huo Qi's expression. After finding that he did not resist, she gently touched his lips with hers, like a dragonfly skimming the water, and immediately moved away. Her breath gradually became hot, but she did not continue. Both of them were now in a state of extreme sobriety.

She felt a hand pressing down on the back of her head, applying slight pressure. Her lips covered his soft lips. Pei Zhen's eyes widened slightly, while Huo Qi had already closed his eyes. He parted his lips slightly and took the initiative to invade.

Pei Zhenwei, realizing what was happening, followed him, her heart filled with joy. She couldn't describe her excitement at that moment; after years of pursuing love, it seemed that she had finally received a response.

Huo Qi felt a warm tear fall on his cheek. He opened his eyes slightly and saw her trembling eyelashes and wet corners of her eyes. He wanted to raise his hand to wipe away her tears, but she grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers, raising it above her head.

Standing in front of the mirror, Xu Lingzhao looked down at the person tidying her clothes and felt that his face had become a little fuller. These days, they had been inseparable, and he had been smiling more and more.

The gaze of the person in front of him was too intense. Chu Jing straightened her collar, his face already slightly flushed. "Why...why are you staring at me?" He turned his head slightly to avoid her gaze.

Xu Lingzhao smiled and pulled him into her arms, giving him a deep kiss on the forehead. "I can't get enough of looking at you." She took his slender hand and led him outside. She thoughtfully opened the car door for him, and after they got in, she wiped the snowflakes off his face and played with his hand. "Tomorrow I'm taking the Planetary Army to find the Queen of Insects. Wait for me at home."

Chu Jing looked at her, his eyes flashing with worry and disappointment, "You'll come back safely, won't you?"

"Of course, your Alpha is the most powerful Alpha in the world." She smiled reassuringly at the person in front of her, her gaze turning to the ever-changing scenery outside the window. This was her third hometown, where she had met her lover and her closest friends.

"I love you." For some reason, Xu Lingzhao blurted out these three words. She only knew that she wanted to tell him these three words every day.

He looked up into her eyes, his gaze filled with dependence, and said, "I love you too."

Lu Qianxue stood at the entrance of the research institute, her eyes showing some weariness. The swirling snowflakes fell on her long hair. Footsteps sounded behind her. "Minister Lu, let me see you off." Jin Chenyu's gentle voice reached her ears. She turned slightly to look at the person walking towards her, and the two walked side by side.

"Give it to me." Lu Qianxue took the umbrella from his hand. The cold wind blew on her face. Her gaze drifted down to the face of the person beside her, but he looked up sharply and met her eyes. "Hmm? What's wrong?"

Lu Qianxue shook her head and raised her eyebrows slightly. She had been caught peeking. She had been in a lot of contact with Jin Chenyu these days, and she felt that the person beside her was the smartest Omega she had ever met. Her gaze was unconsciously drawn to him, and he was also one of the few people who had not been implicated.

"Minister Lu, we've arrived," Jin Chenyu reminded those who wanted to continue.

"Oh, okay." Lu Qianxue's thoughts were pulled back. Just as she was about to get into the car, she turned to him and said, "Didn't you have something to see the commander-in-chief? Shall we go together?"

Jin Chenyu was surprised that Lu Qianxue would invite him to go together. He nodded and sat down beside her. For some reason, he kept thinking about Xu Lingzhao. He felt a little disappointed when he learned that she had an Omega. However, he lowered his eyes. A powerful Alpha would have more than one Omega.

He thought it would take some effort to see her, but unexpectedly... He looked at Lu Qianxue's profile and said softly, "Thank you."

"It's nothing." Lu Qianxue looked into his bright eyes, and although she didn't know what he was thanking her for, she still responded.

After getting out of the car, Jin Chenyu looked at the decorations outside the door. This was the place to eat. He wisely said, "Then I'll wait for you in the lounge until you're done."

Lu Qianxue nodded and entered the private room under the guidance of the waiter. Xu Lingzhao and Chu Jing were already waiting inside. She sat down next to Xu Lingzhao and said, "You're even here earlier than me today."

"Of course, it wouldn't do to be late." Xu Lingzhao replied with a smile, toying with Chu Jingze's hand. "Jin Chenyu is here too?"

"Yes, he needs to talk to you." Lu Qianxue picked up the water glass on the table and took a small sip. "Your mental strength is so powerful." She leaned back with a sigh. "When can I have such powerful mental strength?"

Xu Lingzhao pretended to think, "Next life."

As the two joked around, the other three arrived one after another, and the five of them finally reunited. Chu Jing looked at them with some unease on his face. He leaned close to Xu Lingzhao's ear and said, "Should I go out first?"

Xu Lingzhao looked at him, her hand touching his waist. "No, eat some fruit." Her gaze shifted to Pei Zhenwei. "How are your glands?"

"That's all. Now I'm a Beta." Her tone was relaxed, without a trace of disappointment.

"Hmm, a Beta covered in Omeg pheromones," Xu Lingzhao teased.

"Huh? Is it very strong? I sprayed deodorant several times before I went out." Pei Zhen's eyes widened slightly. She tried to smell her sleeves but found that she couldn't smell any pheromones.

"It's so thick, as expected of you." He Zaining gently pushed her shoulder, but the next second, she was pushed back by Lu Qianxue. "You're not bad either."

The atmosphere gradually relaxed, and during the meal, they talked about their recent situations—their relationship situations—analyzing things with the same clarity and insight as when they were still students.

"That's right, you're not young anymore, you should start thinking about marriage." Xu Lingzhao popped a cherry into Chu Jingze's mouth, expressing her happiness that her friends all seemed to have found someone they liked. What surprised her slightly was that Lu Qianxue seemed to have a crush on Jin Chenyu. It seemed that, by some twist of fate, she had delayed Lu Qianxue's path to love.

"I need to use the restroom," Chu Jing said softly.

"Go on, the book is at the door." She watched Chu Jingze leave.

"The Waiting-for-Wife Stone." Lu Qianxue clicked her tongue and shook her head. She then changed the subject, "Tomorrow, are you planning to go alone or with us?"

"I'll go alone, it's too dangerous. By the way, I'm going to give you the position of commander-in-chief." Xu Lingzhao looked at Lu Qianxue as if she were talking about something very ordinary. Her words made the private room quiet down. After all these years, they all looked at Xu Lingzhao. After all these years, she had survived countless near-death experiences. She had finally waited for a peaceful life, but she said these words.

"Why? What happened?" Lu Qianxue's expression turned serious.

"I'm leaving for a while. I'll feel at ease leaving Pasifica in your care when I return." She smiled at everyone, not saying where she was going, and they didn't ask.

"When are you coming back?" Ling Qianzhu asked Xu Lingzhao.

"Maybe in a few days, maybe in a few years, maybe... never mind, we'll be back as soon as possible. Remember to think of me." She tried to sound relaxed, but the news, no matter how lightly she spoke, felt heavy because they had been through so much together.

"I'll take care of everything before I leave." Xu Lingzhao stood up and raised his glass. "To our eternity."

The clinking of wine glasses echoed in her ears. This was the downside of having such good eyesight; Xu Lingzhao saw their slightly reddened eyes. After downing her red wine in one gulp, she walked behind Pei Zhenwei and placed her hand on her shoulder. "You've suffered," she said, her palm covering the empty back of her neck.

Golden light spilled from her fingertips, and Pei Zhenwei felt a slight warmth on the back of her neck. An indescribable spiritual force entered from the back of her neck, and she seemed to know what Xu Lingzhao was going to do.

A few minutes later, she removed her hand from the back of her neck. "There'll be a surprise tomorrow morning."

"Thank you." Pei Zhenwei's voice was slightly choked. Xu Lingzhao patted her shoulder, "We don't talk about this between us."

"Don't cry, it's embarrassing." Xu Lingzhao's gaze swept across everyone's faces. "Hey, why has my darling been gone for so long? I'll go find him." With that, she opened the door and walked out, giving them time to compose themselves.

Outside the lounge corridor, Xu Lingzhao saw a person standing next to Chu Jingze, it was Jin Chenyu. She raised her eyebrows slightly and walked towards them.

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Author's Note: [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]