Archive of Our Own

He once stepped on the clouds and tasted the feeling of being pampered by a lover. 

Li Chengxiu was a former cook of Shao Mansion in Beijing. Since he was twelve, he did odd jobs here and there to make ends meet. His mother was an alcoholic, and she needed to be taken care of, else she would start a rampage. His father ran off with some whore (that’s how his mother called her) somewhere. When he just got a better job as a full-time dishwasher in a big restaurant, his mother had an accident in a gambling house and passed away.

She left Li Chengxiu with quite a lot of debt.

He had to sell his house, but it wasn’t enough. A young chef in the restaurant felt bad for him; a thin, malnutritioned teenager who was supposed to spend his youth in school but had to work day in day out instead. He sent Li Chengxiu to his mother, who worked as a head maid of the Shao Family. She accepted Li Chengxiu as her own, and she put him to work in the kitchen.

Li Chengxiu was diligent and sensible. He didn’t talk much, and he wasn’t a fun person to be around, but he finished his job properly without any hitch. In addition, Li Chengxiu had a talent for cooking, so the cooks gladly taught him many dishes he had to master and the Shao family preferences.

His life was peaceful for a while until Shao Qun noticed him.

Shao Qun was the sole heir of the Shao family. He was two years younger than Li Chengxiu, and quite a rascal. However, it was this young master who put him back to school. Li Chengxiu didn’t know how he did it, but the next day Li Chengxiu went to the most prestigious school in the city with Shao Qun. 

As they grew up into adulthood, childhood friends become sweethearts. They secretly had rendezvous in Shao Qun’s room so many times. Under Shao Qun’s charm, he was burned like never before, and his heart was stolen by sweet, sweet words of the most perfect alpha he ever knew.

On Shao Qun’s twentieth birthday, Li Chengxiu took off his collar for him.

So, it wasn’t strange that he was shocked beyond reason when the Shao family announced the engagement of Shao Qun with Miss Qi Ming a few months later. Apparently, both of them had been betrothed since they were babies. As Minister Qi’s health worsened rapidly, his only wish was to see his daughter's wedding before he left this world.

The wedding was scheduled a month after the engagement.

Shao Wen, the eldest sister of Shao Qun used this chance to drive Li Chengxiu away. They were caught in the act and Shao Wen told Shao Qun to properly end things with him. Shao Qun said, there were no ‘things’ since the beginning.

“He is only a bedwarmer, Sister.”

Oh, how his heart was broken to pieces by that single sentence. The thing that he kept in his prayer, wasn’t taken seriously by the other party at all. 

“With his status, how come I take him seriously?”

“Seems like you still can think clearly. An omega without any background is not worthy of the Shao family, a cook no less!”

He knew his worth already, so the insult wasn’t as hurtful as Shao Wen’s next words, “Shao Qun, don’t take the Qi family lightly. Better end everything with your other lovers outside, I don’t want any trouble prior to the wedding.”

For years he accompanied Shao Qun, he thought he was the only one who could feel the alpha’s warmth. Apparently, it was only his wishful thinking.

He didn’t see it clearly from the start. So what if Shao Qun marked him? An alpha like Shao Qun had countless pursuers, each more beautiful and more suitable than him. Alphas could mark as many as they wanted, it was the omega that couldn’t be marked twice.

He left the Shao Mansion in an embarrassing manner. The head maid was so disappointed with him, the cooks stabbed him with their eyes, even the gardener gave him a nasty look. He was branded as ‘a shameless person who climbed the young master bed’.

He moved far away to Guangzhou.

He didn’t bring anything, except the rest of the money he had saved after paying off the debt. Fortunately, it was more than enough to buy a small house in a safe community. Although it was a bit old, the decorations and furniture were as good as new.

He didn’t know he was almost four months pregnant at that time. He started to work in a restaurant again. He had good skills and was very humble, so the owner didn’t hesitate to give him a better pay. It was by the end of the month when the owner’s wife pointed out his symptoms that he went to the hospital.

He stepped out of the clouds and fell to the earth.

The pregnancy was difficult without the alpha by his side. He spent long nights weeping as he tried to inhale as much pheromone as he could from the fake scenter. It helped, but it didn’t satisfy the omega inside him who craved for Shao Qun’s smells. His omega formed bonds with Shao Qun for seven years. It remembered the alpha very well. He often dreamed about their younger days where he nestled on Shao Qun's side. Every time he felt upset, Shao Qun naturally let out this earthy, calming scent until his own scent turned sweeter.

He always woke up with a deep heartache.

A month after he gave birth to an alpha son, Li Chengxiu decided to remove his gland completely. He didn’t have time to deal with sporadic heat and the longing for an alpha that would never be here. He needed to take care of his baby, and he had to work to make money.

“You won’t be able to bear any child, and your instinct will be completely gone. You won’t be able to smell alphas, omegas, or even betas ever again. Please reconsider it,”

Li Chengxiu thought, wasn’t it perfect? He wouldn’t be affected by ruts, heats, and he didn’t need to feel miserable all the time. 

“You always can remarry a beta. Contrary to what society believes, it’s not impossible for a marked omega to have a child with a beta. The chance is more than sixty percent,”

The doctor told Li Chengxiu to think about it again. Li Chengxiu pondered, why should he torture himself? Even if he married a beta, his omega would forever long for an alpha. What about his heat? Should he use fake alpha pheromones to deal with it for the rest of his life?

He didn’t want to marry anyone, nor did he want another child. He barely could support one. Li Chengxiu walked out, he didn’t want to talk to this doctor anymore.

“Hey, hey, wait!”

Li Chengxiu was stopped by a male nurse. His hands were grabbed, and a simple black card was stuffed into his hand.

“If, if you really want to do it, go to this place. Tell the receptionist that Adi sends you, okay?”

He didn’t understand why he was hugged, or why this beautiful blue-haired man cried on his shoulder.

“Your son is very handsome, I hope he grows up as strong and as kind as you,”

“Thank, thank you,”

“Good luck, Chengxiu,”

Li Chengxiu smiled tightly at Adi, wondering how the man knew his name. He forgot that Adi was the nurse who helped him hours during his delirious state before he went into labor.

Neither did he remember that at that time, he called Shao Qun’s name over and over in a sad, accusatory tone and poured his heart over the deception.

The young surgeon, Dr. Luo Yi, was a cold man. His moves were quick and efficient. No questions, no courtesy, he directly dragged Li Chengxiu to the operating table himself. In less than two hours, Li Chengxiu was already standing outside the underground clinic with a bandaged neck, a small bag of medicine, and a set of instructions.

He didn’t have to pay. Dr. Luo Yi took his gland as the payment. When the nurse helped Li Chengxiu to stand, he put the gland in a jar before adding it to the long list of rows of his eerie-looking collections on the wall. 

Li Chengxiu wondered how the cheerful Adi knew this scary man.

His recovery wasn’t smooth. After all, removing the gland was against the omega’s nature. For months, Li Chengxiu’s hormone was a wreck. He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, his stomach was cramped all the time. Furthermore, it felt like someone screaming and crying inside his head, and his body sluggishly adapted to the sudden stop of his cycle.

It was like cleaning the residual poison that seeped deep into your bones. 

No matter how hard it was, Li Chengxiu persevered. He took care of the baby, went to work, and ate his medicine. He was extremely tired, his complexion was worse, and his body was so thin like a paper.

There were several occasions where he passed out as soon as he arrived home. When the nanny was here, there was someone to help him to the couch and prepare a glass of water on the table.

But most of the time, he lay on the cold floor, alone for tens of minutes until his consciousness came back. In those fragile moments, Li Chengxiu grieved the warmth he once wrapped into. He blamed himself for being greedy. If he didn’t know how it feels, he wouldn't ever long for it.

He named the baby Li Qiuyi. Qiu [秋] from autumn, and Yi [怡] from joy. Li Qiuyi was his bundle of joy that was born in the autumn. 

Li Qiuyi needed more care than any other baby. Similar to Li Chengxiu in his pregnancy, he had to be surrounded by alpha pheromones constantly for several months until his own pheromone had stabilized. It would be best if Li Qiuyi could grow up absorbing his alpha father’s pheromone during his childhood, but Li Chengxiu didn’t have that luxury.

He felt bad for his son who had to smell the generic alpha fake scent from time to time, but he tried his best to find the closest match to Shao Qun’s scent in the pharmacy. He couldn’t smell them anymore, so he had to rely on the labels. 

Like most alphas, Li Qiuyi had a strong body and even stronger fists. Along with his thick, sharp-blade eyebrows, he looked very fierce. Especially when he frowned. It always made Li Chengxiu laugh, because that expression didn’t fit his son's milky, chubby cheeks that he loved to playfully pinch.

If there was one thing that Li Chengxiu regretted in his heart, it was why Li Qiuyi inherited most of his alpha father’s features. At age four, Li Qiuyi already looked like Shao Qun’s replica, except for his peach blossom eyes, which he got from Li Chengxiu. Clearly, Qiuyi was half his blood too, why couldn't he look more like him?

It was almost unfair.

But he didn’t dwell on it. It didn’t make him love Qiuyi less, either. He raised him as best as he could, and he taught him how to respect others. Qiuyi might look like his alpha father and act* like him as well, but he was different. He had the gentlest and purest soul Li Chengxiu ever knew, and he would make sure Qiuyi stayed that way.

Li Chengxiu was very grateful.

His son might not have his alpha father's love, but he was surrounded by people who showered him with affection. He was very popular in the restaurant where Li Chengxiu worked. The owner and his wife treated Qiuyi like their own grandson. Even his colleagues liked to spoil Qiuyi as well. When Li Chengxiu was busy, they didn't hesitate to help him accompanying the child for a while. 

*act here means he had some of Shao Qun's characteristics, like stubborn, domineering, protective, etc.

He didn’t prepare for a storm that was coming.

It started with the owner’s long-time friend visiting the restaurant. He was a businessman who owned a middle-sized construction company in Beijing. He came to the restaurant several times as he surveyed the area, lamenting how hard it was to enlarge the business in Beijing. 

Naturally, there was a day where Mr. Zhang, that’s how he was called, met Qiuyi. He took a liking to the child instantly. And one day, he even offered to go with the owner to pick Qiuyi from the kindergarten. Although he was a bit wary, Li Chengxiu was calmed by the presence of the owner. He thought nothing would go wrong under Qiuyi's ‘grandpa’ watch.

When he asked his son to narrate what Mr. Zhang did that day, Qiuyi said the ‘fox grandpa’ took some photos around the kindergarten, talked to the teachers, and walked across the street to take pictures of the community. He made small talks to the people around, stopped at a famous store to buy souvenirs, and asked people to take a picture of them in front of the town’s landmark. Basically, Mr. Zhang acted like a tourist, nothing unusual.

Li Chengxiu was relieved. Since the beginning, Mr. Zhang always brought a small camera with him. It wasn't weird. The owner said it was Mr. Zhang’s hobby.

However, a week after Mr. Zhang came back to Beijing, Shao Wen appeared at his door.

“Where’s the child?”

In his memory, Shao Wen was this strong, domineering alpha that could make him shiver with a glance. He never realized that the woman was only a few centimeters taller than him, with a build one size bigger than him. Why did she scare him so much? Did the pheromone has that big of influence on your senses?

“...”

“Anyway, I want you to let the child go. You know he is much smarter and brilliant than his peers, Shao family can provide him to become the best.”

Shao Wen looked around the house with a wrinkled face, “You can’t even give him a proper home, how come a Shao family child lived in this rotten house for years!”

“...”

Since he didn’t say anything, Shao Wen was getting impatient. She pulled out a blank cheque from her purse and gave it to Li Chengxiu.

“Just write as much as you want on it.”

He looked at the blank cheque and couldn’t help but want to laugh in anger. He gave it back to her and said, “Miss, Miss Shao, we, we aren’t worthy of your kindness. Qiuyi can’t, can’t join your mighty family, half of him was born from this lowly omega without any background.”

Shao Wen stared at him speechless. Her expressions slightly changed. Actually, she was letting out her pheromone to suppress him. Unfortunately, Li Chengxiu couldn’t feel it anymore, so he was totally unaffected.

“It’s, it’s better to let Miss, Miss Qi to give birth to a pure elite alpha son for the Shao family.”

Shao Wen’s pheromone got thicker, it could make another alpha want to submit. She raised her eyebrows high when Li Chengxiu didn’t budge.

“Qiuyi can’t, can’t compare to Miss Qi’s children at all,”

He slammed the door in front of Shao Wen, “Please don’t come again.”

He wasn’t surprised when Shao Qun came around a month after that. He didn’t directly come to his door, but he was visiting Li Qiuyi at the kindergarten often.

Each time he came, he brought different expensive gifts. Toys, books, snacks, clothes, all were imported from abroad. His son always told him about it with bright eyes, but sensible as he was, Qiuyi never accepted those gifts. He also never questioned who the tall uncle was.

Li Chengxiu suddenly felt sad. He brought the child to his lap and said, "If Yiyi likes them so much, you have to accept it,"

"No! Yiyi not.. want it. Yiyi..just..think they are amazing…"

"Don't, don't lie to dad," He kissed his son's head, "Dad, dad won't be angry at Yiyi if Yiyi accepts it."

"Really, really?!"

"Yes… it is bought for you after all,"

"Daddy, thank you! Mwah!"

Li Chengxiu laughed. If his son was happy, then so was he. As long as Qiuyi wasn't taken away from him, Li Chengxiu didn't care much. 

Although he was reluctant to admit it, Shao Qun was Qiuyi's alpha father after all. Blood was thicker than water, now that Shao Qun knew about Qiuyi's existence, he didn't want to forcefully cut Shao Qun's affection for Qiuyi. Furthermore, Li Qiuyi’s health would be better if he absorbed his alpha father's pheromone.

"But, but, Yiyi must not follow him if he wants to take you somewhere, okay? Tell dad first,"

"En! Yiyi is obedient!"

It didn't take long for Shao Qun to win Qiuyi's heart.

Every day, Qiuyi told Li Chengxiu how nice the uncle was, how delicious the snacks were, and how interesting the toys he got that day. One time, his son slipped; accidentally told him that he was happy that the other children were no longer mocking him fatherless.

It broke his heart. Li Chengxiu didn't know that Qiuyi had a hard time at kindergarten. His son was always cheerful. He knew Qiuyi didn't have many friends, but Qiuyi always said it was because the other kids were afraid of his fierce face.

Qiuyi was so young, yet he already knew how to not make him worried. Such a sensible child, it made his heart hurt.

"Yiyi shouldn't hide, hide this from dad. From now on, let's, let's be honest to each other, okay?"

Qiuyi hugged him with red eyes. His voice cracked when he whispered, 

"En,"

"Sorry, daddy, daddy didn't notice it earlier…"

"No… it's Yiyi… Yiyi is not, not obedient…"

They lay in bed all night, hugging each other with tears on their cheeks. Talking about his life in the simplest way a child could understand, Li Chengxiu narrated his whole life to Qiuyi.

He still concealed the hurtful part so he didn't traumatize the soon-to-be five years old child. 

"His name is Shao Qun,"

He told Qiuyi how he was a cook when he was younger. He met Qiuyi's alpha father and they went to school together, their days were full of laughter. Although Qiuyi's alpha father was always generous and pampering, he was also stubborn and domineering.

Looking back to those youthful days, he wasn't always miserable. He indeed had a good time in the Shao family mansion. He had good food, good pay, good friends, and a good lover. He didn’t resent it, nor that he felt sorrow. Every cloud had a silver lining or so they said.

"Yiyi can call him father from now on, if you wish to do so."

"En,"

Li Chengxiu rubbed the child’s reddish cheek, "Now, it’s Yiyi’s turn to be honest with dad."

On Qiuyi's fifth birthday, Shao Qun finally came to his door.

Li Chengxiu saw him standing in front of their house for who knows how long, lips cracked and reddish nose. He put Qiuyi down to enter the key and opened the door. Qiuyi ran to hug Shao Qun.

“Wow, so many gifts! Are they for me, uncle?”

Shao Qun handed the bags to the child, “Of course they are. Why did you come back so late?"

"We celebrated my birthday at the restaurant! Now I’m five years old!"

“A big boy!” Shao Qun praised, “I promised you a big cake on your birthday, did you forget?”

“Ah!” Qiuyi jumped excitedly, “Where is it, where is it? Does it have sparkler candles like on the tv too?”

Li Chengxiu turned on the lights and gave slippers to them. Shao Qun put the cake on the table and lit the candles up. Qiuyi was overwhelmed.

“Uncle, looking at it closely, it is a bit scary! I can’t blow it off!”

Shao Qun rubbed Qiuyi’s head as he took out the sparkler and patiently waited until the lights died out. He stuffed them into the empty bag and put a ‘5’ colorful candle from the box on top of the cake.

“Now, make a wish and blow it off!”

Qiuyi giggled. They cut the cake, opened the gifts, and spent some time together like an ordinary family of three. Li Chengxiu didn’t talk much the whole night until it was time for Shao Qun to leave.

Qiuyi was reluctant to let him go, but Li Chengxiu insisted it wasn’t appropriate for Shao Qun to stay the night. They sent Shao Qun to the gate. When Shao Qun almost got in the car, Qiuyi shouted.

“Thank you, Papa! Next birthday, let’s spend it together again!”

Shao Qun was stunned. He looked back at the excited child at the gate, his eyes teared up. 

“Okay,” he said, not aware of his hoarse voice. “Papa will definitely be there for your next birthdays.”

Shao Qun tried to catch Li Chengxiu’s eyes, but he already looked away.

Shao Qun came more and more often to their house.

Li Chengxiu didn’t want to fight with him, so he let him be. Furthermore, Qiuyi was very attached to Shao Qun. Shao Qun taught him many things and took him to many places around the city. Li Chengxiu was glad there was another person to take care of Qiuyi, so his son didn’t have to stay in the restaurant all day long. 

Until one day he found Shao Qun sitting on his couch while Qiuyi was still in school. Li Chengxiu left his work early because he didn’t feel well.

“How, how did you come in?”

“I have a spare key,”

Li Chengxiu had no interest on how Shao Qun got it, so he told him directly, “Please, please return it.”

Soon, he was pushed down on the couch with Shao Qun caging him from above. Li Chengxiu stared at his deep phoenix eyes, wondering why he didn’t cower already. Based on his memories, when Shao Qun’s pupils dilated like this, his omega body would tremble all over. The thick pheromone in the air, slicks began to drip, and the alpha’s soft cooing, coaxing him with a promising full-blown pleasure. He would definitely surrender in seconds.

Did it really happen? Or was it his imagination? He couldn’t tell, it was a long long time ago. 

“Chengxiu, I regret it. Let’s be together again, okay?”

Shao Qun was agitated when didn’t get any reaction from Li Chengxiu. He had released his pheromone for some time now, but it didn’t work on Li Chengxiu at the slightest. No reddish cheek, no accelerated heartbeats, no dilating pupils. The person beneath him looked completely unaffected. 

He was also confused why he couldn’t detect any scent from the omega for months. It frustrated his alpha when he didn’t receive any response from the omega that he marked.

“How strong is your inhibitor? You’ll ruin your body like this!”

He tried to reach Li Chengxiu’s neck, but his hand was slapped. Shao Qun stupefied as he was pushed aside.

“I, I don’t use any inhibitor.”

Li Chengxiu took off his shirt so Shao Qun could see the long line of white scar from the base of his head down to half of his spine. It looked so jarring on Li Chengxiu's beautiful back. Shao Qun's hands shook.

“What, what happens to you?”

“I removed my gland,” he said calmly as if he was talking about the weather. 

“You… why?” Shao Qun knew how painful the procedure was since his second sister had to do it as well. The gland was directly connected to the hormone and nervous systems, so it would definitely wreck your body. To this day, his second sister couldn't get out of bed since her surgery.

“It’s... inconvenient.”

Shao Qun stared at him deeply, before slamming the door and left.

Shao Qun didn't come for several months after that. 

But he gave Qiuyi a phone. Although the father and child didn’t meet as often, they were always communicating. Li Chengxiu was relieved that their personal matters didn’t affect Shao Qun’s relationship with Qiuyi.

When Shao Qun turned up at his door again, he looked haggard. 

“I applied for divorce. Chengxiu, I want to live with you."

Li Chengxiu looked at the paper Shao Qun stuffed into his hands, he didn’t understand. He gave it back to him.

“Shao, Shao Qun, alpha can’t live without omegas’ pheromones. You need Miss Qi."

The alphas’ biology was more complicated than omegas and betas. They needed an omega to keep them from being feral. That was why an alpha could mark as many omega as they wanted because their instinct couldn’t calm down without omega’s pheromone. Long time ago there was a law that an alpha could only mark one omega as their ‘mate’. However, with so many cases of alphas’ attacking people after losing their mate, the government removed the law.

“Then I will remove my gland too!”

“You, you will die,” Li Chengxiu stated. 

Alpha’s gland was connected to their brain and their vital system. It was embedded deep into their flesh, the position was varied. Some had it on their hips, some on the backs, some on the neck, some on the armpits, anywhere was possible. Alpha’s scent didn’t focus on the gland but spread out evenly from their skin.

“Chengxiu, I miss you so much,” Shao Qun whispered.

Li Chengxiu didn’t understand why Shao Qun was suddenly fascinated by him again after so many years. He sighed, “Shao Qun, you, you are married. You, you need Miss Qi, and, and she is your perfect match.”

Shao Qun looked at him bitterly, “She's not! I was wrong. I was young at that time, I was stupid. I made mistakes. You give me a chance to prove how true am I to you, trust me, okay?”

Li Chengxiu thought, would Shao Qun think that what he wanted was Miss Qi all along ten years later in the future? Would he think, his twenty-six years old was ridiculous for wanting an omega without a gland? Feelings changed, people’s hearts always fluctuated.

Shao Qun grabbed Li Chengxiu’s hands, “Chengxiu, do you remember when we were young? You made me a lunchbox every day and your classmates called you my little wife.”

"I brought you to the horse riding class secretly, and let you ride my horse. But you fell, there was so much blood. The doctor reprimanded me, he said how dare I let an omega riding a horse. If something happened to your body, could I take responsibility? I told him I would. I would be responsible for you for the rest of my life.**"

“When you got your first heat in the school, some people bullied you in the bathroom but I punched them all. I carried you on my back to the house, and you were crying. You said, you wanted to cook meals for me for a lifetime.***"

"Do you remember, Xiu Xiu?"

Of course, Li Chengxiu remembered. How come he forgot those sweet moments that touched his young heart. But they had grown up, they had their own separate lives. They worked well as co-parents for almost a year now, and it was better than what Li Chengxiu could hope for. With age comes wisdom. He learned, he couldn't afford Shao Qun's play. He shouldn't get entangled with Shao Qun anymore.

The youthful days were beautiful, but he and Shao Qun couldn't live in the past. They had to move forward.

“Shao, Shao Qun,” Li Chengxiu pulled his hands out of Shao Qun's softly, “Time had passed.”

**A husband’s oath on the wedding day (Japanese custom).

***Taken from 我要你做一辈子的饭给我吃。(I want you to cook meals for me for a lifetime=I want you to marry me). I want to cook meals for you for a lifetime=I want to marry you.

Shao Qun still pestered him for a few days after that, but eventually, a call from Beijing brought him back.

General Shao had fallen ill. 

Not long after that, Li Chengxiu heard Shao Qun reconciled with Miss Qi. They welcomed their third daughter, an alpha in less than a year. It was said that Miss Qi threw out a vase to the nurse when she heard she gave birth to another girl, again.

Miss Qi was a very popular actress. Her marriage with Shao Qun wasn't a secret. People always watched her moves, so the news about her outburst to the nurse was spread all over Weibo. However, it didn't stay long before the news was taken down.

Although the news was taken down, it didn't make the netizens stop gossiping. It had been said that the Shao family wasn't satisfied with her. The Shao family put the most importance on a son, while Miss Qi Ming gave birth to three daughters, two alphas and one omega so far. Netizen speculated, if she wasn't Minister Qi's only daughter, president Shao would have divorced her long ago.

Rumors spread out in the circle that the Shao Family was cursed with only one son for each generation. Some people got wind of Shao Qun's illegitimate son, and they couldn't wait to watch Miss Qi become a joke. The jealousy and envy in the entertainment industry were high, especially for entertainers with a strong background like Miss Qi. Other stars felt she didn’t work hard enough or she got a lot of opportunities based on her connections, not her ability.

People couldn't wait for the drama to unfold.

Not long after the third daughter had her full month, Shao Qun brought a son back to the Shao Family Mansion. It caused an uproar in the Beijing circle. Coincidentally, General Shao’s 70th birthday banquet would be held in three days.

Everyone wanted to come. They wouldn't miss a chance to see how the future Shao family’s heir looked like. Hopefully, they could see the other parent as well. To their delight, the alpha kid was very promising. Handsome? Ten out of ten. Smart? For sure. Potential future son-in-law? Absolutely. To their disappointment, there wasn't a mistress to be seen.

The son was called Shao Zheng, and people could see General Shao was pretty smitten with the gentle seven-year-old boy.  Sadly, the son didn't stay long in Beijing.  A week after General Shao's birthday, Shao Zheng left.

Since Li Chengxiu was promoted last year, he had more spare time. Sometimes, he opened Weibo to read the news. Today, in the business section, he saw an article about his son Qiuyi.

'General Shao 70th Birthday Banquet: Shao family’s future heir has been appointed?’

There was a photo of Qiuyi with a black bar covering his eyes. Li Chengxiu smiled, his son looked happy. As he brushed the screen softly, he recalled his last conversation with Shao Qun.

Two weeks ago, Shao Qun came to ask if he could bring Qiuyi to Beijing for a few days. He brought his lawyer and his assistant to Li Chengxiu’s house. Honestly, Li Chengxiu was a bit shocked.

Shao Qun told him he wanted legal joint custody of their child. Shao Qun gave him a bunch of papers to sign. Li Chengxiu signed it without any hesitation.

“Why didn’t you read it first? What if I deceived you?”

"You, you told me to trust you. I, I’ll trust you not, not to take Qiuyi away from me."

Shao Qun's nose was sour. He stared at the wall in a complicated mood. He waved his hand to his assistant, who started to explain the living arrangement to Li Chengxiu.

During school terms, Li Qiuyi would live with Li Chengxiu. He would spend winter holiday in Guangzhou, and summer holiday in Beijing. For the spring festival holiday, it would be alternate each year. If there was any important banquet or events related to Shao Family in the future, Qiuyi should come.

Furthermore, Shao Qun would be responsible for Li Qiuyi’s well-being, education, living condition, and anything related to child support. He would provide three hundred thousand yuan a month to Li Qiuyi. Additionally, he would give two hundred thousand yuan per month to Li Chengxiu as well.

Li Chengxiu rejected it. He told them clearly it wasn’t good for a child to have so much money. It would be better to save it for Qiuyi’s college fund. As for his part, Li Chengxiu didn’t need it. He could provide for himself. 

Shao Qun kept quiet.

Then, the lawyer told Li Chengxiu that Li Qiuyi would be added to the Shao family’s book records. However, the Shao family required the name ‘Li Qiuyi' to be changed to 'Shao Zheng'.

The room was tense for a moment, and Shao Qun didn’t dare to look at Li Chengxiu’s eyes at all. 

Li Chengxiu called him casually and said, "Did Qiuyi agree to this?"

"He didn't protest when he was called Shao Zheng by my dad on the phone."

Li Chengxiu let out a non-committal hum. Now that Li Qiuyi entered Shao family, it was inevitable for the child to follow Shao family’s rules. If Qiuyi agreed to it, Li Chengxiu didn’t have any right to protest. 

Shao Qun coughed, "If you don't like it, let's use Shao Qiuyi.”

"No, Shao Zheng sounds good."

Li Chengxiu replied. He pondered for a moment, he didn’t have any strength to fight Shao family. He knew his worth. As long as they agreed not to bother his life and let Qiuyi be comfortable, it was enough.

But his son would always be 'Li Qiuyi' in his heart.

After they signed the agreement and as Qiuyi grew up, Shao Qun came less and less. But he would never miss Li Qiuyi’s birthday.

In that old, small house, Shao Qun sat in the living room while the big and small person was busy preparing meals in the kitchen. Their chattering was so harmonious, and their cooking smelled amazing. Li Chengxiu made sweet and sour pork ribs, putting them in a small bowl, and told Qiuyi to give it to his papa.

Shao Qun took a bite, he praised how tasty it was. It made Qiuyi reveal his wide smile and run back excitedly to let Li Chengxiu know.

“Dad! Papa said he likes it very much!”

Li Chengxiu turned around, mouthed a ‘Thank you’ shyly to Shao Qun before carrying on with other dishes. It was hard for Shao Qun not to imagine this was his daily life.

People always wanted what they couldn’t have, he guessed.

As the year passed, they didn’t always celebrate Qiuyi’s birthday at home. Although the full meals and the sparkler candles on the birthday cake never changed, the occasion turned into family outings. They went to the beach, climbed the mountain, visited the hot springs, or spent some time in the amusement park.

Li Chengxiu always offered to take photos of Shao Qun with Qiuyi or asked someone to take pictures of the three of them. But he never took a picture of just both of them together. Nor did he ever let Shao Qun capture him alone.

He didn’t leave any gap for Shao Qun to set foot in.

"You will get married?!"

Li Chengxiu laughed at Shao Qun’s shocked face. Time flies, it had been ten years since Shao Qun first appear at his door and met Qiuyi. They were friends now, and sometimes they hang out to drink together like this.

"Um,” Li Chengxiu nodded, he didn't stutter anymore. “I've been seeing this beta woman for the past two years, and we think it's time to be serious."

Shao Qun frowned, “Have you told Qiuyi about this?"

“Actually, Yiyi was the one that told me to propose. He told me, he didn’t want me to spend the rest of my life alone."

"Oh."

"En.” Li Chengxiu poured more wine into Shao Qun’s glass, “So, if you aren’t busy, you shall come.” 

"Sure. Yeah. Yeah. I, of course, I’ll clear my schedule for your wedding."

Li Chengxiu’s eyes curved, a pleased smile appeared on his lips. He still looked as gentle as ever. Shao Qun finished his glass in one go, before asking for another bottle of wine.

"How is Jingyi's condition?"

Jingyi was Shao Qun's fifth and youngest child. He turned five years old this year. He was an omega and weak since birth. His beta dad, one of Shao Qun’s many lovers, turned out to be Miss Qi’s junior in the same entertainment company. He had been in poor health since the scandal spread in the media, so he couldn’t take care of Jingyi for some time.

Miss Qi was merciless and used her connections to block Jingyi’s dad everywhere. She accused Jingyi’s dad as a white-eyed wolf, a man who bites the hand that feeds him. Shao Qun couldn’t directly stop his own wife, but he didn’t like people meddling in his private life. 

Although not blatantly, Shao Qun supported and gave resources to Jingyi’s dad, so he could still have a good career to this day.

“He is getting better. Since the pheromone therapy last year, his health condition improves a lot.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Yeah. And my eldest daughter likes him a lot. She has been taking care of Jingyi after school.”

As they kept chatting, Shao Qun felt the world was spinning beneath his feet. He didn’t know if he was too drunk, or Li Chengxiu’s earliest statement finally hit his head.

Li Chengxiu would held a small wedding in his house. The house had long been renovated, it was a two-story building with a garage now. On the night before the wedding, he saw Shao Qun standing in front of the gate, looking up at his window for a long, long time. 

Even after he closed the curtain and turned off the light, Shao Qun was still there, smoking. 

Li Chengxiu couldn’t sleep well. Perhaps he was too nervous before his wedding day, so he woke up earlier than ever. He planned to clean up a little bit before people from the wedding planner come.

When he opened the door, he saw the alpha was still there. Leaning on the gate with eyes closed and so many cigarette butts beneath his feet, he looked so lonely. Li Chengxiu’s heart suddenly hurt. He ran to the gate and put his hand on Shao Qun’s forehead.

So cold, like touching ice.

“What are you doing here?”

"Chengxiu," Shao Qun hoarsely called. His scent had gone haywire for a while. If any people smelled it now, they would taste tears in the air. Such a bitter, sharp, regretful emotion that had been repressed for a long time, was finally released. It was enough to make anyone choke with feelings.

Except for Li Chengxiu.

“What happened, did you lose your room’s key?”

Shao Qun looked away, he couldn’t stand staring into Li Chengxiu’s bright, concerned eyes that didn’t have the slightest idea that he poured out his feelings all over the street.

If only you could smell my scents right now, would you give us a chance?

“Do you want to come in? Your body is so cold, I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

"Chengxiu, it's good you can't smell me right now, else…”

“Huh? Else what?”

Shao Qun almost choked, “Else, you'll feel how jealous I am of you."

“Eh? What, what are you talking about?”

Shao Qun forced a laugh, he couldn't resist the urge to pull the man into his arms, “Jealous of your beautiful bride!”

Jealous of her, who could marry you.

Li Chengxiu laughed as well when he warmly patted Shao Qun’s back, “Don’t joke around. Okay, you, you have to go back now. You need to sleep.”

Dont go, dont let me go, stay like this a while.

“Okay.”

Li Chengxiu got out of his arms. In an instant, the warmth in Shao Qun’s heart was gone.

“I’ll call a taxi for you.”

“Chengxiu,” Shao Qun wanted to tell him so many things. But in the end, he only said, “I’m cold.”

Li Chengxiu removed his brown, fluffy scarf with dog paws pattern which he knitted himself. He wrapped it carefully around Shao Qun’s neck.

“It will be warm after a while.”

Li Chengxiu liked his current life very much.

He had been working as Executive Chef for almost four years now. The restaurant was expanded, it had three other branches in other cities. The owner trusted him to hold some shares of the restaurant as well. 

His son had been admitted to the number one university in the country with a full score. Qiuyi had been rewarded with a full scholarship, but he told the university to give it to other brilliant students in need. Li Chengxiu was very proud of him.

His wife was wonderful, an independent woman who spent her life doing her best to help betas and omegas in society. She had the ambition to change the world’s perception of caste separation. Li Chengxiu gave her his full support. Their love wasn’t as passionate as burning wood, but it was there.

But once or twice, when he was going to sleep, he stared out of the window and his memory recalled that night. It was as if that man still standing at the gate, chainsmoking with eyes as deep as the sea looking up at him. He didn’t know why, but his heart would sting.

Then his wife wrapped her hand tight around him and he quickly forgot.

Outro:

President Shao had countless lovers, men and women, left and right. There was an open secret in the entertainment circle; if you wanted a generous ‘sponsor’, President Shao’s door was always open.

However, to climb his bed you had to fit specific requirements; fair skin, peach blossom eyes, small lips, and a beautiful back. Could cook well, didn't talk much, liked knitting, had a shy and gentle appearance.

The rumor said it was the depiction of President Shao’s sweetheart that he could never chase back.