After an Alluring Alpha Provokes an Unhinged Omega 87

Chapter 87: Home

In the night, the old streets of Jincheng were enveloped in the warm yellow halos of the streetlights. At seven in the evening, the small shops around the residential complex were still bustling with customers.

There was an old locust tree at the entrance of the complex, over a hundred years old. In the summer, the elderly liked to sit under the tree to cool off, but now that it was autumn and the night wind was bleak, there were few people around.

Jiang Mi was standing under the old locust tree, her eyes, exposed above her mask, occasionally looking towards the street entrance. Her gaze would occasionally land on the familiar hot pot restaurant opposite, and she would be lost in thought from time to time.

The autumn night was cool, and the glass windows of the street were covered with a thick layer of mist. The spicy aroma of the red oil hot pot base drifted with the night wind—she remembered that this place had originally been a breakfast shop. When she was in school and didn’t have time to cook, Jiang Youshu would always bring her here for soy milk and fried dough sticks.

At a little past seven, a black sedan silently slid to the side of the road, and Jiang Mi’s gaze refocused.

The back door opened, and a pair of brown, soft-soled short boots landed first, followed by slender, firm calves, and then the corner of a well-tailored dark gray coat.

Yan Wei bent down and got out of the car. The light from the streetlights brushed against her slightly curled, amber-colored long hair. Her gaze passed through the night and met Jiang Mi’s.

Jiang Mi looked at the person opposite her, the corners of her lips curving up. Her smile unconsciously widened. The surrounding lights were crisscrossed on her, becoming mottled, and they landed on her lotus-pink thin down jacket. For a moment, her eyes were exceptionally bright.

Then, she took a step forward from the shadow of the tree and, towards the approaching person, opened her arms.

Yan Wei had already crossed the street. The cool wind lifted the hem of her coat. Her steps were fast, and then she ran the last few steps!

The moment they embraced, they both wished they could pull the other into their own body. Jiang Mi took a deep breath—it seemed that they had really, really not seen each other for a long time.

Her palm gently rested on Yan Wei’s back, her fingertips tightening slightly. Yan Wei’s face was naturally buried in her neck. The edge of her mask brushed against Jiang Mi’s neck, a slight, itchy sensation, but Jiang Mi didn’t dodge, but instead held Yan Wei even tighter.

On the contrary, Yan Wei found it a nuisance, raised her hand, and pulled off her mask, using her warm lips to seek the warmth on Jiang Mi’s body, as if to confirm the reality.

Suddenly, for a moment, time seemed to have stopped.

After a long while, the two of them slowly separated. Jiang Mi held Yan Wei’s hand and walked towards the residential complex. From the entrance all the way in, the night was deep, and they were not afraid of being seen.

The car had long since passed them and was parked in front of the unit door.

By the time they had slowly walked downstairs, it was already ten minutes later.

Standing downstairs, Yan Wei’s fingertips unconsciously rubbed Jiang Mi’s knuckles. “Will I be disturbing you if I go up at this time?”

Hearing this, Jiang Mi laughed, her eyes curving as she looked at her. “This is the first time I’ve seen Teacher Yan back down.” Her voice carried a hint of a tease, and the streetlight sprinkled a thin layer of light on her eyelashes, making her eyes sparkle, as if they were holding stars.

Hearing this, Yan Wei’s expression paused, and a hint of an unnaturalness appeared in the shadow under her eyes.

She paused for a moment, then asked, “Tonight, how are you planning to sleep?”

Jiang Mi considerately picked up, “I know you’re definitely not used to staying at my place. I’ll book a room for you at a nearby hotel in a bit…”

“I’ve already booked it,” Yan Wei interrupted. She looked at Jiang Mi. “I was asking, how are you sleeping tonight?”

Jiang Mi was slightly taken aback. She thought carefully for a few seconds, and then a cunning smile appeared in her eyes. She leaned closer and said in a low voice, “How about I sneak out to find you tonight?”

Her breath gently brushed against Yan Wei’s ear and into her neck, raising a fine layer of a skin reaction. Yan Wei’s face turned to the side, but her eyes were filled with a satisfied expression. The corners of her lips curved up slightly. “Okay.”

Then, at Yan Wei’s signal, the driver took out more than a dozen exquisite gift boxes from the trunk.

Jiang Mi looked at the gifts that almost filled the trunk and her eyes widened in surprise. “…So many?”

She glanced at them. Most of them were jewelry gift boxes.

Yan Wei’s voice was calm. “I don’t know what Auntie likes, so I chose a few more.”

She paused. “You have some too.”

Jiang Mi looked at Yan Wei’s particularly soft profile under the lights, and a wave of warmth welled up in her heart. She reached out and hooked Yan Wei’s fingers, and in a particularly deliberate tone, she said, “President Yan, you’re being too polite. How much is your family worth?”

Yan Wei’s backhand held her fingers and gently squeezed them. “However much it is, it’s all yours.”

Jiang Mi said with a smile, “Then won’t I have a lot of money? I’ll be rich overnight?”

Yan Wei looked at the smile on her face, and the corners of her lips curved slightly, her voice faint, “Yes.”

As they spoke, the two of them walked upstairs.

The corridor of the residential complex was filled with the unique smell of dinner. An elevator had been installed on the side two years ago, but it was sometimes good and sometimes bad. Today, it couldn’t be used, so they had to take the stairs with Yan Wei.

The voice-activated lights in the corridor lit up step by step with their footsteps.

As Jiang Mi took out her key and turned the lock, she heard footsteps and talking from inside.

“They’re here, they’re here. They’re back.”

The door opened, and Jiang Youshu was standing in the entrance, wearing an apron, the smile lines at the corners of her eyes already impossible to hide. “You’re finally back!” Her gaze passed over Jiang Mi’s shoulder and landed on Yan Wei, pausing slightly, and a bright light of astonishment flashed in her eyes.

“Yan Wei, do you still remember me? Come in, come in.” She quickly wiped her hands on her apron, reached past Jiang Mi to pull Yan Wei, and said, “Pull,” but she didn’t really grab her, but just landed her hand on Yan Wei’s elbow with a sense of propriety.

“You look good on TV, but you’re even more beautiful in person—how is your face so small? You’re really beautiful, even more beautiful than when you were a child.”

Jiang Hu heard the sound and poked her head out from the kitchen, still holding a spatula. She leaned against the door frame, her gaze on Yan Wei for a moment, and said lazily, “Hello, I’m Jiang Hu.”

The corners of her lips curved up. “If you don’t mind, just call me ‘sister’ like Mimi does.”

In front of the other two in the room, this was the first time she and Yan Wei had met.

Jiang Mi let out a soft sneer. “Don’t mind her.”

Yan Wei nodded slightly, her voice a little softer than usual. “Hello, Auntie.”

After she finished speaking, she looked at Jiang Hu and said faintly, “Hello.”

Jiang Hu: “…”

Sure enough, you can’t get two different kinds of people out of the same bed.

Walking in, there were already new slippers placed at the entrance. Yan Wei’s gaze swept over the wall in the entrance, which was filled with family photos. In the photos, Jiang Mi still had a ponytail and was smiling brightly at the camera. Beside her were Jiang Youshu and Jiang Hu.

She was in a daze for a moment.

“Come in and sit!” Jiang Youshu was busy pouring water as soon as she entered, and the bottom of the cup made a sound as it hit the glass coffee table. “You sit first. Mimi said you like light food. I’ve stewed some yam and pork rib soup…”

“Auntie, no need to trouble yourself.” Yan Wei was suddenly a little awkward. She looked at the busy Jiang Youshu and inexplicably didn’t know how to respond.

Jiang Mi came forward and took the hot water cup from Jiang Youshu’s hand, handing it to Yan Wei. “It’s okay. Have some hot water to warm up.”

Jiang Hu was leaning against the kitchen door. “Mom has been talking about it since noon. She even said the cold bamboo shoots I bought were too strong.”

Jiang Youshu smiled. “You’re the one who talks too much. It was too strong. That shop usually puts in a lot of seasoning. I specially told you it was another one…”

Yan Wei held the warm teacup, and the rising steam briefly blurred her vision.

At this moment, in the living room, the evening news was on the TV. The aroma of the soup came from the kitchen, and Jiang Youshu’s talking and Jiang Mi and Jiang Hu’s laughter echoed in her ears—this lively, homey atmosphere made her feel strange, made her feel stiff all over. But very quickly, it was like a winter day gradually warming up.

She couldn’t distinguish this feeling.

She couldn’t explain this emotion.

She lowered her head and took a sip of hot water. The warmth spread on her tongue, and a corner of her heart suddenly trembled slightly. This strangeness made her want to get closer, and also subconsciously want to retreat.

Jiang Youshu quickly went into the kitchen. Jiang Mi pulled Yan Wei to the sofa and sat her down. “I’ll go and help. Can you sit for two minutes? I’ll be right back.”

Jiang Mi was treating herself like a child. Yan Wei suppressed the warmth in her heart and nodded. “Go ahead.”

Jiang Mi rolled up her sleeves and walked into the kitchen. Before she left, she glanced at Jiang Hu and said, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Jiang Hu had just come out of the kitchen and was about to sit on the sofa. Hearing this, she glared at Jiang Mi. “What am I going to say? That you were still wetting the bed at six?”

“Ah! I’ll kill you!” Jiang Mi turned her head. “Mom! Control her!”

Jiang Youshu’s protective voice immediately came from the kitchen. “Why do you always tease her? Yan Wei just came. What will she think of you two? Yan Wei, don’t mind them. There’s fruit on the table. Don’t be polite.”

Yan Wei replied, “Okay, Auntie.”

She paused slightly. “Thank you, Auntie.”

Jiang Mi took in Yan Wei’s reaction. She had really never seen Yan Wei look so awkward. She held back her laughter and turned, naturally picking up the green vegetables and rinsing them under the faucet.

The sound of the water was rushing. The soup was simmering on the stove, and Jiang Youshu was stir-frying. Her smile slowly widened.

Jiang Youshu turned and saw Jiang Mi’s appearance, and gently bumped her with her shoulder. “Wash it well. What are you so happy about?”

“Aren’t I washing it seriously?”

Jiang Youshu said in a low voice, “Did she come willingly?”

Jiang Mi said, “…Of course. What do you take me for? Can I force someone to come back?”

She paused slightly. “By the way, when I said I was bringing someone back, why didn’t you ask me anything?”

“If you think she’s a good person, what else is there for me to ask? A big star like her doesn’t look down on us.” Jiang Youshu said, “After you’ve finished washing these, you can go in. Don’t leave her alone.”

“Okay.” The warm water flowed in her hands, and Jiang Mi was so warm she was a little dizzy. “Lao Jiang, you’re my mom. It’s so great.”

Jiang Youshu laughed and gently slapped Jiang Mi on the shoulder. “I don’t know what you’re thinking all day. Alright, alright. I don’t need you here. You can go in.”

In the living room, Yan Wei and Jiang Hu were sitting on opposite ends of the sofa.

Yan Wei’s fingers were unconsciously rubbing the texture of the sofa armrest. Her gaze was on the TV. Jiang Hu was lazily leaning against a pillow. After a glance at each other, no one spoke.

Half an hour later.

The heat of the food was slowly rising on the dinner table. Jiang Mi naturally picked up a chopstick of refreshing bamboo shoots and placed them in Yan Wei’s bowl.

Seeing this, Jiang Hu deliberately dragged out her tone, “What about me? And Mom? Your heart is so biased.”

Jiang Mi threw her a sharp look, but her hand didn’t stop. She deftly served Jiang Youshu a dish, and only then did she raise an eyebrow at Jiang Hu. “Don’t you have hands?”

Jiang Youshu smiled, picked up her chopsticks, and pretended to lightly tap her two daughters on the forehead, her voice filled with a doting helplessness. “You two, be quiet and eat.”

Her gaze then turned gently to Yan Wei.

Yan Wei’s fingertips, holding the chopsticks, tightened almost imperceptibly, and a hint of an inexplicable sourness welled up.

Just then, another piece of stewed pork rib was added to her bowl.

She looked up and met Jiang Youshu’s gentle gaze. “Xiao Wei, you’re too thin. Eat more.”

Jiang Youshu’s tone was as normal as if Yan Wei were a junior she was already very close to. “This is the first time Mimi has brought someone home for dinner. These two are used to being noisy. Don’t mind them. You’ll get used to it.”

Jiang Youshu said, “You’ll get used to it.” Yan Wei’s eyes flickered.

Jiang Youshu’s voice became even softer. “You’ll definitely be reserved the first time. Next time you come, don’t treat yourself as a guest. Eat whatever you like. Just treat this as your own home.”

Yan Wei’s throat tightened slightly. She immediately looked up, and a hint of a flattered look flashed in her eyes. She said, “I don’t find it noisy.”

She seemed to feel that her expression was not enough and added, her voice much lower and softer than usual, “It’s very nice.”

The smile on Jiang Youshu’s face deepened, and the lines at the corners of her eyes smoothed out. “It’s good that it’s not noisy. It’s good that it’s not noisy. Then eat while it’s hot.”

She warmly invited her and pushed the yam and pork rib soup towards Yan Wei. “I don’t know if these dishes suit your taste. I heard from Mimi that you’re used to eating hot food. I specially made this soup today, and I also added some fresh mountain mushrooms. It’s very fresh. Try it and see if you like it.”

Hearing this, Yan Wei glanced at Jiang Mi. The latter smiled at her and said to Jiang Youshu, “Weiwei’s soup is also very delicious.”

“Is that so? Xiao Wei can cook?” Jiang Youshu was a little surprised.

Yan Wei put down her chopsticks. “A little. I’ll make it for you to try when I have a chance.”

Jiang Youshu immediately laughed. “Really? Then I’m so looking forward to it.” She saw Yan Wei put down her chopsticks. “Eat, eat.”

Yan Wei had thought that perhaps Jiang Youshu would mention the past, perhaps she would mention Mo Yun, but she hadn’t once.

She had rarely felt such warm kindness. Her gaze circled around—the taste of home-cooked food, the joys and sorrows of work, the upcoming weather, plain and trivial, so normal, but it made Yan Wei feel for the first time, clearly, what the taste of home was.

Jiang Mi was drinking the soup and watching Yan Wei deal with everything with a slight unfamiliarity. The smile in her eyes couldn’t be hidden. Her foot under the table was suddenly kicked lightly. She looked up and met Jiang Hu’s glancing gaze.

Her phone vibrated slightly. She looked down and saw that it was a message from Jiang Hu: [Ambitious. Can you put your saliva back?]

Jiang Mi’s fingertips flew as she typed a reply: [Why are you always against me!]

Jiang Hu: [This family has to have someone who sings a different tune to maintain the ecological balance. What do you know?]

Jiang Mi: [Tch.]

The atmosphere at the dinner table was very harmonious.

Jiang Youshu kept serving Yan Wei food, muttering, “This dried bamboo shoot and pork stew has been stewed for a long time. It’s very flavorful. Try it.”

“Have some more soup. You have to drink the soup while it’s hot.”

“You’re really too thin. Do all actors have to be so thin?”

Although Yan Wei didn’t talk much, she would always reply softly, “Thank you, Auntie,” and then try to eat the food that was piled up in her bowl.

Jiang Mi scooped a spoonful of tender steamed egg and placed it in Yan Wei’s bowl. “This is also delicious. Try it.”

Then, she deliberately snatched a piece of sweet and sour pork rib from under Jiang Hu’s chopsticks, quickly placed it on Yan Wei’s plate, and then winked triumphantly at Jiang Hu.

“…” Crazy.

Jiang Hu rolled her eyes at her, but didn’t say anything, and instead took another piece.

**

After dinner, the family gathered in the living room.

Jiang Youshu opened the gift Yan Wei had prepared. Seeing the top-quality pearl necklace with a warm luster in her hand, she took a light breath, her fingertips brushing over the round pearls, her tone filled with heartache. “This must be very expensive, right? How much did it cost? It’s not easy for you to earn money. You can’t be so extravagant in the future.”

Jiang Hu laughed from the side. “Mom, Teacher Yan is a movie queen. She can earn money.”

“Even if she can earn money, it’s still hard-earned money. Isn’t filming very hard?”

Jiang Youshu shook her head, her gaze on the necklace. “This must be very expensive.”

Hearing this, Yan Wei was slightly taken aback. This kind of loving reprimand was so unfamiliar to her.

She softened her voice, her tone carrying a rare frankness. “Auntie, earning money is for a better life. If you like it and are happy wearing it, then the money is well spent.”

She paused, looked up, and met Jiang Youshu’s gaze. A very faint curve appeared at the corner of her lips. “Didn’t you just say that I shouldn’t treat myself as a guest?”

Jiang Youshu was first taken aback, and then she couldn’t stop smiling. “Alright, alright. Then I’ll accept it.” She said, and looked at Jiang Mi beside her. “It seems I have some good fortune.”

Jiang Mi was also a little surprised by Yan Wei’s words, but at the same time, she was pleased and moved. She felt that Yan Wei was slowly accepting everything around her, accepting her family besides her.

This was a good thing.

Although Jiang Youshu was pained by the money Yan Wei had spent, she was still happy in her heart. She went to the kitchen to prepare fruit in a happy mood, and Jiang Mi also followed to help.

The sound of rushing water was rushing, slightly suppressing the conversation between mother and daughter.

Jiang Youshu was carefully washing the strawberries on one side and said to her daughter in a low voice, “Mimi, I’ve also seen some of the things online… that child, Yan Wei, must have had a hard time when she was young. Since you’ve chosen her, you have to be responsible for her and treat her with sincerity.”

She stopped her movements, turned to look at Jiang Mi, her gaze loving but solemn. “Of course, you also have to be good to yourself. When two people are together, you have to be each other’s support, you have to support each other. No matter what your careers are like in the future, don’t forget that the people you’re with are the most important.”

These words, not a single one was missed, floated into the ears of Yan Wei, who had just happened to walk to the kitchen door.

She was holding an empty water glass, and her footsteps stopped.

For the first time in her life, she felt that everything she had gone through in the past was worth it.

Time slowly passed, and it was almost ten at night. Jiang Youshu’s gaze moved between Yan Wei and Jiang Mi. “Tonight, Mimi will squeeze in with me. Xiao Wei, you can sleep in her room. The things in the room are all clean…”

Jiang Mi’s heart skipped a beat, but she pretended to be relaxed and said with a smile, “Mom, Yan Wei has already booked a hotel. It’s nearby. If she sleeps at home, she might not be able to rest well in a different environment.”

Hearing this, Jiang Youshu thought for a moment and nodded. “That’s true.”

She looked at the time. “You two haven’t rested much today. Then go to bed early. Come back tomorrow… you must come back. I’ve prepared a lot of dishes for tomorrow.”

Of course, Yan Wei agreed.

She heard Jiang Youshu’s gentle reminder, “It’s not safe at night. When you get to the hotel, let Mimi know. Or let Jiang Mi take you there.”

Yan Wei said, “No need, Auntie. The driver is downstairs.”

Hearing this, Jiang Youshu no longer insisted and asked Jiang Mi to see her downstairs.

The voice-activated lights in the corridor lit up again with their footsteps. Jiang Mi saw her downstairs, and a cold night wind blew.

Yan Wei suddenly turned and gently pulled Jiang Mi into her embrace. Her voice was by Jiang Mi’s ear, with a warm breath, “I’ll be waiting for you at the hotel.”

Jiang Mi hugged her back, her fingertips lightly squeezing the back of her coat.

“Okay.”

Yan Wei asked, “When will you come?”

Jiang Mi lowered her voice. “I’ll sneak out when they’re all asleep.”

***

Author’s Notes:

Jiang Hu: What’s so important that you have to sleep together?