In the Director’s Office of the Private Hospital, Wen Zisu sat behind the desk and watched as Su Ciyu paced back and forth in front of him somewhat anxiously.
After a good while, Su Ciyu finally stopped with a frown and sighed. “We should have sent her away to study right after the Temporary Mark back then. I thought they wouldn’t do anything.”
Wen Zisu said helplessly, “Didn’t you and Ya Ya discuss it and agree at the time? There’s no medicine for regret now. Besides, she’s always liked sticking to Shen Han. You probably couldn’t send her away anyway.”
Su Ciyu crossed her arms and walked over to lean against the desk. “But this won’t do. With her immature personality, how can she be with Shen Han? What if she matures later and doesn’t want it anymore? Breaking up then won’t be easy.”
Wen Zisu patted her thigh soothingly. “Why worry about the future now? Ya Ya is a child who values relationships deeply. She’s not as fickle as you say.”
Wen Zisu added, “I found it strange that she followed Shen Han so proactively before. Now that you say they’re together, it makes sense—she must have liked her even back then. Liking each other for so many years is a good thing to settle early. Their feelings will be more stable, and growing together afterward means they won’t easily leave each other. Think about it—we started dating in university, right? After all these years, are you still happy?”
Su Ciyu poked Wen Zisu. “Be serious. I’m not against it. I just feel she’s not fully committed. She says she hasn’t completely confirmed the relationship with Shen Han yet and won’t say she’s an omega.”
Wen Zisu guessed, “Is it because she hasn’t said she’s an omega that they haven’t confirmed it? After all, Shen Han probably wouldn’t accept a beta.”
Su Ciyu said, “…That’s possible.”
Wen Zisu continued, “Right? If they’re dating, then let them date. You’re worried about them breaking up, so we should downplay it and not interfere too much. If I’d known they were together that day, I wouldn’t have knocked on the car door. Thinking about it, I must have disturbed them… It’s actually good that they’ve settled it. Shen Han grew up under our watch, after all. No matter what, she’s a good kid.”
Su Ciyu rubbed her brow. “I’m just worried Shen Han might end up like her mom… But seeing her now, she probably got over that hurdle already.”
Wen Zisu shrugged casually. “Ya Ya is just spoiled a bit and has a simple mind. She absolutely won’t be like that one. Interfering too much would be worse. Anyway, with the Su Family as backup, they’ll never starve even if they stay together.”
Su Ciyu chuckled. “Only you always think so broadly…”
Wen Zisu took her hand, kissed it, and said affectionately, “We’ve weathered bigger storms. Now that the kids are grown, let them have their own blessings. She needs to experience things herself more.”
Even though the two had talked it through, when they handled the discharge and heard Su Mi say that Shen Han offered to help her with mental power treatment at an apartment near the school—which, without saying it outright, basically equaled cohabitation—they were still stunned for a long time.
Seeing their daughter’s awkward yet earnest explanation, her face almost red through, Wen Zisu quietly asked Su Ciyu, “Is this the lack of commitment you mentioned?”
She looked pretty willing. Definitely. To trigger a susceptible period outbreak, they must have gotten quite intimate already.
Su Ciyu: “…”
She closed her eyes briefly. “Alright, have your dad take you home later to pack your things.”
Su Mi: “…” Wait, they really agreed?
She stammered to clarify that it wasn’t moving out from home entirely. She just wouldn’t stay in the dorm during school days until the mental power repair was done, and she’d still come home on weekends…
Su Ciyu and Wen Zisu: Got it, got it, sure, sure.
Su Mi was speechless. She’d thought Su Ciyu and the others definitely wouldn’t approve much. Who knew their parenting style was so… open-minded?
Although the Original Plot had the same educational philosophy.
Su Mi couldn’t help feeling that Su Ciyu and the others being so permissive was one reason the Original Host ended up on the wrong path in the end.
If they’d been stricter, the Su Family might not have met that fate in the Original Plot.
After handling the discharge, Su Ciyu had to go to the company, so Wen Zisu drove Su Mi home.
On the way, he indirectly reminded her of some precautions when dealing with an alpha.
He even said tactfully that while he and Su Ciyu supported them openly, Su Mi was still studying, so she should be more careful usually.
Su Mi covered her face. “N-not at that stage yet.”
She felt like she was about to evaporate.
She shouldn’t have lost her head in lust, letting Shen Han cup her face and kiss her a few times, and deeply agreeing that Shen Han made a good point.
After all, if she wanted to try with her, how could she without some time together?
She’d even boasted that her parents were open-minded and it would be fine to tell them.
That put Shen Han at ease to go pack things at Southern Garden and move to the new place.
Lost her head in lust, Su Mi!
Su Mi was almost heartbroken over herself.
But what was settled was settled.
Su Mi went home, packed some simple daily necessities, played with her little brother for a bit, and once Shen Han sent the address, she drove off by herself.
On the drive to the apartment, Su Mi felt inexplicably anxious and regretful.
She had no experience, and the novels she’d read weren’t reliable references. She didn’t know what dating—or the trial phase of dating—should be like.
Was it too fast for her and Shen Han like this?
Recapping: The night she agreed to try, they kissed in the car for twenty or thirty minutes, until Shen Han injected a suppressant. She went home and had a susceptible period outbreak.
And the next day, they were moving in together.
Even under the guise of mental power treatment, everyone knew it was no different from cohabitation.
Shen Han must have thought about it for a long time. Ever since showing her the floor plans last time, she’d wanted to bring her out to live. She’d mentioned it a few times before, saying it wasn’t convenient at home.
But she’d agreed too quickly. Did that make her seem unreserved?
Su Mi recalled Shen Han asking her then, listing all sorts of high-sounding reasons.
But Shen Han had been so close, her freshly kissed lips still moist with her scent. Her beautiful eyes seemed full of anticipation, her words like loving murmurs or sincere pleas.
Su Mi vaguely felt that her defenses against Shen Han were rather low.
Just like that, she couldn’t resist at all. It was like being cornered; she stammered and agreed.
She even felt guilty toward Shen Han for already deceiving her about being an omega first, so she should make it up somehow. Not to mention she’d already agreed to date her. If she kept rejecting closeness, she’d be accused of avoiding her.
Even if Shen Han had all sorts of selfish motives, wasn’t she at fault too?
Shen Han wanted the best for her, worried about her health. She was her upright partner, with impeccable character—nothing wrong there.
Su Mi came up with all sorts of excuses for the matter and felt relieved.
She drove straight to the apartment.
It was a high-end apartment complex very close to the school, with a serene environment. Su Mi thought she’d be stopped, but the security scanned her license plate and let her through right away—probably registered by Shen Han.
She parked next to the outdoor elevator spot, dragged her suitcase, followed the unit number Shen Han gave her, and went upstairs.
After a long mental preparation, she stepped out of the elevator, found the door, scanned the Light Brain, and it opened.
Su Mi took a deep breath and poked her head in.
She first locked eyes with Mama Zhang inside.
Mama Zhang smiled warmly. “Miss Su, you’ve arrived.”
Su Mi: “…Mama Zhang?”
She was dazed for a moment, dragged her suitcase in, and closed the door.
Mama Zhang brought her slippers. She still had an apron on, clearly preparing to cook, and said proactively, “Miss hasn’t come yet. They said from Southern Garden it’d take about half an hour. I live nearby, and as soon as Miss said you’d be moving in later, I rushed to buy ingredients and make dinner. Come, let me show you around.”
This was the large flat Su Mi had preferred before, around two hundred square meters. Just the entry area was spacious. Su Mi followed Mama Zhang inside, listening to the introduction.
Ever since Su Mi picked this place, Mama Zhang had cleaned it regularly and meticulously. The interior had no extra decorations, completely different from the romantic pastoral style at Southern Garden.
Instead, it suited Shen Han’s style—modern and minimalist, with lots of open space. Mama Zhang said Shen Han instructed that if Su Mi had ideas for the empty spots, she could add whatever decorations she wanted to liven up the home.
Further in, it was a four-bedroom layout with two large suites, no distinction between primary and secondary bedrooms. One was a study, and another held some strange instruments for mental power treatment.
The two suites faced south side by side. Su Mi picked the one closer to the outside and dragged her suitcase in.
Mama Zhang glanced at the not-very-large suitcase. “If you’re staying long-term, is this enough? I prepared some basic daily necessities per Miss’s instructions, but I don’t know if they suit your habits.”
Su Mi said quickly, “Don’t trouble yourself. After class tomorrow, I’ll grab more essentials from the dorm. That’ll be enough.”
Mama Zhang explained a bit more about the house, checked the time—the soup was still simmering on the stove—and went back to cooking.
Su Mi unpacked her suitcase and arranged her clothes and daily items one by one.
The suite was large. Both bedrooms had similar floor-to-ceiling windows, the bathroom was spacious, and inside there was a large desk already set up with screens for Light Brain connection.
Su Mi washed her hands, came back out, and looked around the room, finding it amazing: she was just moving in like this.
“…”
She spaced out in the room for a bit, thinking it wouldn’t be good to stay cooped up with Shen Han coming. She opened the door and went out.
She picked a book from the study, hugged it to the living room, and leaned back on the sofa.
After all the fuss, it was already evening. The early autumn evening breeze carried coolness. The balcony glass door was open, letting in wind from the balcony with the fresh scent of the complex’s trees.
Mm… mixed with the aroma of cooking from the kitchen, wafting faintly and whetting Su Mi’s appetite.
Su Mi licked her lips, a bit hungry, and took a fruit from the coffee table to eat.
She hadn’t finished a chapter when the food was ready. Mama Zhang put it on the temperature-controlled plates on the dining table, tidied the kitchen, and went home for her own dinner.
Now only Su Mi remained in the house. She sat cross-legged on the sofa, absentmindedly reading.
It was very quiet inside and out. Occasionally, laughter from a little kid running downstairs could be heard, but soon their parents took them home, and all returned to tranquility.
Su Mi let the book fall on her lap, leaned back against the sofa, and looked at the balcony upside down.
The opposite building had dots of warm yellow lights coming on, and farther away was a stretch of pinkish-orange sunset.
The balcony only had a few pots of green plants whose names she didn’t know. It wasn’t cozy, lacked a lived-in feel, and even seemed stark and empty—no sense of home at all.
But she was here waiting for Shen Han to return.
A bit nervous and at a loss, but not feeling empty. More like being in a new world.
Like the blank spaces in a new house, or the beginning of her and Shen Han.
She didn’t know what it would end up like.
Though she had no experience and might not decorate it nicely.
But oddly, Su Mi… looked forward to it.
She stared blankly at the view outside, when a gust of wind blew in, carrying obvious chill.
Su Mi shivered, got up to close the balcony door, walked around indoors, then went to check the dining table.
All her favorite flavors. Maybe to celebrate the first day moving in, Mama Zhang made three dishes and a soup—two meats, one veggie, home-style.
She still couldn’t tell what flavors Shen Han liked.
As she looked, the sound of the Light Brain identification came from the door.
Click. The door opened.
Su Mi’s heart skipped a beat. She tamped down her nervousness, turned, and met the gaze of the tall figure standing in the doorway.
Shen Han smiled. “Hungry?”
Even after just a short time apart, being looked at by her still made Su Mi’s face heat up. She mumbled in response and walked over to take her suitcase.
Before she could grab the suitcase, her waist was encircled.
She looked up in a daze. Shen Han’s eyes shone brightly. She leaned in closer and said half-teasingly, “You like this… just like a lover welcoming me home.”
Su Mi: !!
Her face flushed crimson. She shyly raised a hand to pry Shen Han’s off, but it got caught instead. She was pushed back against the entry cabinet.
As she drew closer, Su Mi finally noticed from her perspective that Shen Han was wearing a rare black silver-patterned neck collar around her neck. It stood out prominently against her fair skin.
Neck collars were always a favorite accessory among Omegas. For them, it served as a marker of their gender, suppressed pheromone outbursts to prevent special situations, and doubled as a stylish fashion item.
But Alphas rarely wore them, let alone high-tier Alphas, who almost never struggled to control their pheromones.
Thus, Shen Han wearing this neck ring looked particularly out of place no matter how you sliced it, as if she were declaring herself an unstable Alpha or one with some issue in her gland.
Su Mi subconsciously reached out to touch it. Then she looked up to meet her gaze and asked, “What are you wearing this for?”
After saying that, she felt like she was asking a question she already knew the answer to.
Because the person in front of her slightly arched her back, lowered her head, and happily bumped noses with her. The answer she gave was simple.
“Want to kiss you.” Then Shen Han turned the statement into a question. “Can I?”
Su Mi: “……”
Her fingers pressed against the hard cabinet door behind her as Su Mi’s heart pounded non-stop. She said softly, “……Then, make it quick. I’m a bit hungry.”
The word “hungry” was swallowed up in Shen Han’s lips and teeth. She tilted her face and kissed her, her hand gently lifting Su Mi’s chin. Her slightly cool nose tip shifted ambiguously across her cheek along with the changing angle of the kiss.
