Chapter 8, Chapter 8: Charge towards Peach Pie! Even a little bit of...
Pei Qing went to the kitchen; the oven was still running, showing one minute left.
Against the warm yellow background, each little pastry is plump and white, and a sweet aroma of peach and honey wafts out, it seems to be a peach pie?
Next to the oven was a plate of round, golden-yellow cookies, emitting an enticing caramel aroma.
Pei Qing couldn't resist sneaking a bite. It was so delicious! The crumbly biscuit bits melted in her mouth—it was amazing!
She then remembered that she had come to the kitchen for a serious reason, so she quickly found a large tray. There was a cup of black tea that Shen Rong'an had brewed to entertain her on the table. Pei Qing tested the temperature; it was scalding hot.
"Ding-dong!" The oven finished baking and sounded the alarm. Pei Qing opened the oven and took out the peach pie. The crust was crisp and golden, and the filling was full. The light pink jam inside could be clearly seen through the thin and crispy crust.
Pei Qian didn't dare to delay. She arranged the desserts and hot tea one by one and went into the bedroom, placing them on the bedside table.
Shen Rongan lay quietly on the bed, his cheeks flushed with an unnatural redness, his eyes closed, and his lips pale and chapped. Pei Qing called to him softly, "Shen Rongan, get up and drink some hot water, come on."
Pei Qian helped him sit up against the headboard, poured him a cup of hot tea, and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you sick?"
Shen Rong'an held the teacup and took small sips, her slender white fingers resting on the reddish-brown cup, making her appear even more delicate, her knuckles tinged with a faint pink.
Upon hearing this, he lowered his head in embarrassment, the blush spreading to his neck, his voice barely audible, "Yes, it was a temporary heat wave that was forcibly triggered..."
"Huh? Who is it, so shameless—" Pei Qing hadn't finished speaking when she saw Shen Rong'an quickly glance at her and then lower his head. Only then did she realize that this shameless person was none other than herself.
She's the only Alpha in the neighborhood who's in her vulnerable period... It's so embarrassing! There's nothing she can do; she likes staying home, and all her friends are either Alphas or Bs. She doesn't even remember the effects of an Alpha in her vulnerable period on an Omega!
"Haha, ha," Pei Qing chuckled dryly, "Um, how about I go first?"
"It's okay, I'm much better now. Actually, your pheromones have been suppressed quite well. Maybe I'm also approaching my peak, so..." Shen Rong'an waved his hands repeatedly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, my immune system isn't very sensitive during its peak season, and I completely forgot about it. I'm so sorry, I'll definitely be more careful next time." She was hoping to come over every now and then to get some good food, and she hoped she hadn't left any psychological scars on him...
"Have some dessert, this is my specialty," Shen Rong'an said, handing a plate of peach pie to Pei Qing.
"Thank you! I'll start eating now!"
Just as Pei Qing had predicted, the peach pie was delicious—no, it was incredibly delicious. The peach pieces were large and sweet, and the jam was sweet and sour, creating a wonderfully layered flavor. She devoured almost half the plate in one go.
Shen Rong'an smiled gently, his eyes filled with vulnerability and sorrow. Although Pei Qing was not sensitive to emotions, his sadness was so vivid that even someone as oblivious as her could feel it.
She swallowed the biscuit in her mouth and took a big gulp of black tea to rinse her mouth. "Hmm, maybe there's something you can try telling me. Although I may not be able to help you much, I'm a good listener, and some things will feel better if you talk about them."
Shen Rong'an remained silent for nearly a quarter of an hour before his long, fine eyelashes, like butterfly wings, slowly lifted. He smiled, but the smile seemed to carry a hint of bitterness.
"I... let me think about how to say it..."
"It's okay, take your time."
"...My partner and I grew up together and got to know each other. Although she was a bit taciturn, she was a very good person and cared for me a lot. One day when we were adults, driven by passion, she marked me, and then we naturally became partners."
Pei Qian's eyes gleamed with gossip, but unfortunately she didn't have any melon seeds in her pocket this time. What a pity! She picked up a small plate full of cookies and ate them while listening.
"You sound like a loving couple. So, why are you living here alone now, your partner?"
Shen Rong'an sighed and continued, "The first few years were indeed very good, but unfortunately..."
"She betrayed you?"
"No, no, to be precise, it was I who betrayed her."
"Oh?" Shen Rong'an doesn't seem like that kind of person. Pei Qing frowned in confusion.
“It’s not an emotional issue,” Shen Rong’an explained, seemingly sensing what she was thinking.
“We… In the year that followed, she fell ill, became irritable and easily angered, and several times, even tried to kill me,” the male O said, his body suddenly trembling. Pei Qing grabbed his arm reassuringly, and he gradually calmed down.
"...She was going to kill me. I was scared, I wavered, and I ran away. I was too cowardly, too timid. She had been so good to me, yet I ran away when she needed help the most..."
Shen Rong'an covered his face with his hands, large tears falling through his fingers, his thin back collapsing as if all his strength had been drained.
"Ah..." Pei Qing wasn't good at comforting people, and she didn't know what to say. She could only pat his back gently. She racked her brains trying to find the right words, and after thinking for a long time, she could only manage to say, "Oh, it's okay, she shouldn't blame you, after all—"
Before she could finish speaking, she felt a weight in her arms, and something wet and soft pressed against her neck, dripping with slightly hot liquid.
"..." Pei Qing's body stiffened, remaining in one position without daring to change, her hands hanging at her sides, her fingertips trembling.
The soft sobs lingered in her ears, and Pei Qing's heart suddenly skipped a beat. She raised her left hand and then lowered it, finally gently placing it on the man's supple waist.
"Hmm...she definitely won't blame you, don't cry." Pei Qing didn't even know what she was saying; it was all jumbled up.
"Huh? It seems to be somewhat useful." Pei Qing's eyes lit up. The sobbing beside her gradually subsided, and the person buried in her arms slowly raised their head. Their forehead was wet, and their eyes, red from crying, made them look even more like a rabbit. Their soft face was streaked with tears, making them look extremely pitiful.
The male O's moist lips parted slightly, his voice hoarse with a heavy nasal tone and a sob, "Really? She... she won't blame me...?"
Pei Qian had no idea whether her partner would blame her. She just made it up on the spot. The most important thing right now was to stop the person from crying and get up on her as soon as possible. "Really, really, she definitely won't blame you. Okay, okay, get up now."
"That's good, that's wonderful..." Shen Rong'an lay down again, his eyes filled with sorrow and something Pei Qing couldn't understand.
Only after Shen Rong'an's condition gradually stabilized did Pei Qing have time to glance at the constantly vibrating terminal. Youdu had returned and asked her where she was.
"Um, someone from my family is coming home, so I have to go. Let's exchange contact information. If you're not feeling well, just let me know." I can't just leave this mess unattended since I'm the one who caused it.
Besides, she didn't want her long-term meal ticket to be in trouble.
"Your family? Is it your partner?" Shen Rong'an's eyes remained gentle, as if it were just a casual question.
"Ah, no, to be precise, he's my landlord." Pei Qing scratched his head.
Hearing the answer he wanted, the male O's eyes softened even more, almost to the point of being watery. "I see."
It seems I wasn't late this time, he thought.
Finally, after Shen Rong'an's repeated requests and some feigned excuses, Pei Qing left with the remaining snacks, looking quite embarrassed.
"I'm back!" Pei Qing said as she changed her shoes and entered the house, carrying a large bag of spoils.
"Oh, so you finally decided to come back? I thought you were lost in your honeymoon and wouldn't be coming back."
Yudu glanced at the half-open door across the way, and the person's cold face, completely different from the warm one just moments before, flashed by. Their eyes met, like two sharp blades of opposite directions.
"Ha," Yudu suddenly laughed, taking the snacks from the entryway and closing the door to shut out all the glitz and grit. "What would you like to eat tonight? I'll make it for you."
"It's already evening?" Pei Qing checked the time and realized it was indeed past five in the afternoon. Time really flies.
"What else can you do? All you can do is cook rice porridge." Pei Qing's gaze was innocent; she didn't mean to mock her.
"Tch! What? Can't I learn if I don't know how?" Yudu picked up a cookie and walked towards the refrigerator. He was a little hungry, so he drank some nutritional fluid to tide him over. He opened the refrigerator.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Pei Qing hurriedly tried to stop him, but it was too late. With a "crash," a bunch of empty nutrient solution bottles fell out, stunning Youdu.
"No way! Just two days?! You've already used up an entire refrigerator full of nutrient solution?!" Yudu yelled in despair, clutching his head.
"Haha, well, I was really, really hungry the night before last, and then I accidentally drank it all..." Pei Qing looked left and right, but wouldn't look at him, and whistled with her hands behind her back.
"Never mind, it's just a little nutrient solution. It's nothing."
Although he said he was fine, Yudo looked like he was about to die.
"I've made up my mind! I'll go find a job tomorrow, and then earn money to pay the rent and the cost of the nutrient solution!" Pei Qing raised her fist, making a solemn vow.
"Whatever, just pay it back." Yudu pulled out a bag of rice from somewhere and slowly walked into the kitchen to cook porridge.
For dinner, the two of us had rice porridge and some biscuits—an odd combination, but it tasted pretty good.
After dinner, the two lay side by side on the sofa.
Pei Qing suddenly realized something, "Youdu, I just realized I never knew what your secondary gender is!"
But judging from his lack of discomfort these past few days, he probably isn't an omega, right? She really didn't want to make another blunder like today.
"Hmm, let me think," Yudu said, scratching his head.
"You need to think about this kind of thing?" Pei Qing glanced at him sideways, thinking that if she didn't want to tell him, there was no need to say it.
“Oh dear, I should be considered an Omega, but I had gland removal surgery before,” Yudo said, brushing aside the hair on the side of his neck, revealing a faint scar where the glands used to be.
"So I guess I should be considered a B now, since I can barely smell pheromones or anything like that."
Glandular surgery removal?! She remembers that surgery being very painful, right? And why would she need surgery in the first place?
Could it be something sad? Pei Qian thought it best not to ask.
"Oh, I see. Well, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that my neighbor is an Omega, and I'm an Alpha, so I thought I should be careful about these things..." Pei Qing racked her brains to explain.
"Haha, it's okay. I think I'm much better off now than before. At least I don't have to be bothered by the heat every week."
Yu Du seemed completely unconcerned, which put Pei Qing at ease. After all, she still owed money to someone, and what if they got upset and kicked her out?
Yudu's personality is quite interesting. He speaks in a cheeky and sassy way, and aside from his flirtatious and provocative manner, he's quite to Pei Qing's liking.
Although they were nominally creditor and debtor, they got along like friends.
Pei Qing is no longer worried about whether Youdu will sell her; she's staying here comfortably.
After all, if she could sell them, she would have done so long ago. She believed that apart from these organs, she had nothing of value on her body.
Since she was already there, she figured she might as well make the best of it. Although Pei Qing still thought about making money to go to other planets after paying off her debts, she was no longer as eager as before.
"By the way, Pei Qing, have you decided what kind of job you want? Or should I introduce you to one?" You Du felt he still needed to ask, just in case this idiot accidentally sold himself off again.
“Oh, I saw an advertisement across the street that advertised for cleaners the other day, and I’m thinking of going to check it out in the next few days.” Pei Qing crossed her arms and placed them under her head.
Yudu licked his slightly sharp canines near his lips inside his mouth. "Really? Are you sure you can do it?"
"No, it's just a cleaning job. Why can't I do it? I've done similar housekeeping jobs before." This was a skill that Pei Qing learned unintentionally when she went out to earn extra money while still in the welfare center.
Yudu looked at Pei Qing's utterly clueless face, raised an eyebrow and smiled. It seemed she really had no idea what the cleaners here did.
Of course, his quirky sense of humor prevented him from telling Pei Qing, since some things can only be accepted by seeing them with one's own eyes.
"Whatever you want, go and see for yourself. If you can do it, then you're pretty capable."
A note from the author:
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Family members, these two chapters have covered most of the main storyline, so there shouldn't be anything particularly unclear, right? (wringing hands guiltily)
"A married man is clean! It's just a perverse sense of humor..."
Even passersby were completely clean!
Just a heads-up, a new background character might appear tomorrow or the day after!
Also, I went a bit too far with the polishing these past few days and got a scolding from the editor, so I might have to go a little more into the storyline for the next few days ORZ
Finally... I'm begging for your favorites and comments!!!
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