Chapter 20

After dinner, it was getting late.

Zhiyu’s parents needed to be up at midnight to prep the shop, so he set down his bowl and suggested sending Li Xi home first.

His parents never restricted his movements.

Zhiyu had been bright and sensible since he was a kid. Everything he’d achieved was the result of his own effort. His parents had long understood they couldn’t help much—what they could do was avoid holding him back.

So even if they were worried, they would never interfere with his choices.

Before they left, his mother found an excuse to pull him into the bedroom.

Zhiyu stood by the door, watching her bend over the nightstand drawer and pull out an ordinary wooden envelope.

She carefully opened it and tipped out a red passbook and a gold bank card.

Zhiyu’s brows moved faintly.

His mother walked over with them. “Our Zhiyu’s grown up now—you even brought an Omega home.”

She pushed both the passbook and the card into his hands.

“Mom,” he frowned.

But she didn’t let him speak. “These are your scholarship winnings from over the years, your competition prizes, plus the stipends and payment your school and advisor gave you. I don’t really understand all that stuff—I just saved everything for you.”

She only had a high school education.

But from the moment Zhiyu, at twelve years old, applied for a patent on his own, convinced his recovering father to stop doing construction work, persuaded both parents to take out a loan to buy the shop—and then worked his way all the way into a top university—

She knew her son wasn’t meant to stay ordinary. One day he would soar.

She’d always been proud of him—smart, capable, filial, steady. And now he’d brought an Omega home. It should’ve been a happy milestone.

Even if things didn’t go exactly the way she imagined, she’d clearly been preparing for this day for a long time.

“Don’t feel pressured. Mr. Li comes from a well-off family, but we’re not doing poorly anymore.”

She patted his arm. “This money was originally for your future—marriage, a house. But that’s the future. Life happens now. Since you’re dating, and dating someone with such a good background, you should have some money on hand.”

“There’s three million in the fixed-deposit account, and there’s more in the card. Use it however you need.”

Zhiyu frowned again, clutching the passbook and card. “Mom…”

He’d intended to save that money for his parents—so they could buy a home or expand the shop someday.

But she smiled, and in that smile was the same soft charm he’d inherited.

“I know what you’re thinking. But the debts are long paid off. Your dad, your sister, and I are all earning now. You just take care of yourself. Don’t worry about us.”

Then, as someone who’d lived through it, she gently added, “And don’t neglect someone you’re dating. Get him something nice.”

When Zhiyu stepped out, Li Xi was sitting on the couch watching the news with his father. His sister was washing dishes in the kitchen.

Hearing the door, Li Xi immediately looked toward him.

Zhiyu smiled and mouthed, Give me two minutes.

Li Xi nodded almost imperceptibly.

Zhiyu went into the kitchen.

Ying Zhi-yan had been listening for movement outside, so as soon as he walked in, she turned.

“Why aren’t you out there chatting with your idol?” he teased.

She smacked him with a glare. “You brat. How long have you been sneaking around with him? And you still have the nerve to laugh!”

She wasn’t clueless—she didn’t bombard him with questions now. Li Xi was still in their home. Hospitality came first.

“Was I awful today?” she asked in frustration. “I dropped a bowl the moment he walked in. I must’ve looked so stupid.”

Zhiyu helped dry the dishes. “He won’t care.”

And when it came to chores, Li Xi wasn’t the type to judge.

“Don’t want to talk to him?” Zhiyu asked.

She shook her head quickly. “No. I have zero mental preparation. If I look at him now, I’ll just embarrass myself again.”

“My fault,” Zhiyu said. “Next time.”

There would be plenty of chances.

He started toward the door but paused. “Jie, what about your gift?”

His sister froze. The usually sharp Zhi-yan looked oddly blank.

He sighed internally. The power of an “idol” really was terrifying.

“You bought a gift for Li Xi, right? Did you give it to him?”

She nibbled her lip. “I… didn’t know he was the one you were bringing home. My gift is probably too cheap for him…”

She’d bought a fragrance set with scented candles—nothing extravagant—and now it felt embarrassingly plain.

Zhiyu shrugged honestly. “If we’re talking about price, anything you buy will feel cheap to him.”

Li Xi lacked nothing—and had seen everything.

“But,” he added, “you’re my sister. Your gift means something different.”

A bit later, Zhiyu stood at the entryway with Li Xi, holding the fragrance gift.

Li Xi gave a slight bow at the door, thanking them for the meal.

It startled his family, who scrambled to help him up but didn’t dare touch him. Thankfully, he straightened quickly, returning to his usual cool composure.

Zhiyu told his parents he wouldn’t be staying home that night.

Li Xi headed out first. Zhiyu followed, only to have his father tug his arm.

With a serious expression, the elder Ying cupped a hand by his mouth and whispered, “An Alpha needs to have boundaries—and take responsibility.”

Zhiyu chuckled. “Got it.” Then he left.

—

The northern edge of the city wasn’t as lively as the capital’s center.

People slept early; the building was silent except for their footsteps.

Zhiyu had just asked, “Did you get in touch with Panda?”

Before Li Xi could answer, Zhiyu’s phone chimed loudly in the dim stairwell.

Li Xi swallowed back his words and simply said, “Mm. Check it.”

Zhiyu unlocked the screen and saw a transfer notification—

[Ying Zhi-yan: 15000 yuan.
Note: If you’re ever broke, tell your sister. A stingy Alpha won’t get a wife!]

Zhiyu huffed a quiet laugh and immediately returned the money.

[I have money.]

The moment he sent it, “whoosh”—the money came back again.

He stopped walking, ready to send it back, only to discover he’d been blocked.

“…”

Li Xi noticed he’d paused. “What happened?”

He hadn’t even tried to look at Zhiyu’s screen—he had a strong sense of privacy.

Zhiyu rubbed his forehead. “My sister blocked me.”

He didn’t explain further, and they continued down the stairs.

After exiting the building, they headed to meet up with Panda.

On the way, Li Xi glanced at him a few times. Zhiyu seemed lost in thought, offering no reaction.

Once in the car, strapped in, the road gradually rolling beneath them, Li Xi finally couldn’t hold it in.

“What did your family say?”

Zhiyu turned back to him, relaxed, as if he hadn’t been spaced out just moments ago.

“Curious?”

He threw the question back at him with a faintly teasing air.

Li Xi pressed his lips together and didn’t answer.

The passing streetlights cast shifting shadows over Zhiyu’s handsome young face as he quietly watched him.

Li Xi looked away expressionlessly.

Zhiyu smiled, looked at him a little longer, then said slowly—

“Nothing much. Just give them some time.”

Digesting how to interact naturally and harmoniously with a crown prince whose family had a throne to inherit.

Li Xi remained silent in the car, and Zhiyu didn’t say anything either, returning his gaze to the swiftly passing streets of the old city.

This wasn’t how it had been in his past life.

Back then, three years into their marriage, Zhiyu’s family only learned that he and Li Xi were married.

He recalled thinking at the time—it might have been because they’d sensed his indifferent attitude toward Li Xi?

His family, including his sister, hadn’t “fawned” over Li Xi like they did this time.

That dinner wasn’t even at the Ying household. Everyone ate quietly, polite but distant.

On the drive back from the northern district to the city center, Zhiyu compared his past life with this one.

He realized that so many things seemed to hinge entirely on how he approached situations—and that subtle change had produced a massive ripple effect.

Li Xi was different. His family was different. Everything was different.

When the car pulled into the underground garage beneath Li Xi’s expansive penthouse in the city center, less than half an hour remained before September 9th ended.

Li Xi unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out first.

Zhiyu followed into the elevator.

The penthouse had its own private elevator. Li Xi lived on the seventy-seventh floor. The three floors below were gifts from Li Songqian for their wedding.

The apartment hadn’t yet been renovated, so they were staying in Li Xi’s usual top-floor unit.

From the elevator’s underground level to the seventy-seventh floor, Li Xi didn’t say a word.

Zhiyu studied the tense profile of the third prince under the elevator lights, guessing that his earlier words, combined with being slightly distracted, might have caused a small misunderstanding.

He stepped closer. “Don’t worry, they…”

Before he could finish, the elevator dinged.

Seventy-seventh floor. Zhiyu moved to exit.

But as he did, Li Xi grabbed his arm, and the familiar scent of his pheromones swept over him.

One hand gripped Zhiyu’s left wrist; the other tugged at his collar, pressing him against the elevator wall.

Zhiyu raised a brow in surprise and tilted his head slightly.

Li Xi’s lips brushed the corner of his mouth.

Whether it was Zhiyu’s slight attempt to dodge that sparked the reaction, the third prince’s expression darkened in a way Zhiyu couldn’t quite read.

“I’m not worried,” Li Xi murmured, eyes fixed intently on the handsome Alpha in front of him.

He knew Zhiyu’s parents had always been honest, principled people. Winning their approval might not be easy, and Zhiyu was so dutiful…

But so what?

Even if they didn’t agree, even if he was obedient, Zhiyu could only ever be his.

The elevator doors opened and closed again. Being a private lift, no one outside could control it—they remained on the seventy-seventh floor.

Zhiyu leaned against the wall, watching Li Xi’s red lips so close, staring at him.

The last gift before the birthday ended?

A faint, almost imperceptible smile flickered in his eyes. He reached up, wrapped his arms around the other, and kissed him back.