Revisiting a familiar place, Lin Zhu’s feelings were very complicated.

Xiangshan Club.

The waiter led the way in front, and the four of them walked unhurriedly along the open-air corridor bridge. The two young people trailed half a step behind the elders.

The detailed information about the lifelong marking that Lin Zhu had printed out earlier was very thorough—so he knew that after an Omega is marked for life by an Alpha for the first time, they will fall into a state of sleepiness, weakness, and loss of appetite in the short term…

By the time they entered the private room and took their seats, Yan Ruoyun was already subconsciously raising his hand to cover his face, yawning several times.

Lin Zhu really couldn’t help it and turned his head to whisper:
“Ge, are you okay?”

The private room wasn’t large, so the sound of their voices couldn’t be hidden at all.

Hearing this, Pei Shurong’s heart stirred slightly, though her face retained a gentle and calm expression. She discreetly glanced at her son’s face, only to catch him nodding and half-covering his face to yawn again.

Looking completely exhausted.

The old man, Pei Yihe, was a Beta and couldn’t smell pheromones, but she was an Omega, and an Omega who had given birth. What could she possibly not understand?

“Xiao Lin, take a look and see what else you want to add.”

She gently closed the menu and handed it back to the blond youth. Waiting for him to take it with a constrained expression, she smiled and asked: “By the way, last night was the first time you two performed a lifelong marking, right?”

The ABO world was much more open about these topics, but Lin Zhu had just recently been caught in a private situation by the elders, so he had to endure the awkwardness, nodding and humming an ‘mm’ in response.

Before leaving the house, Yan Ruoyun had his defenses broken by a single sentence from the old man, but he quickly showed the calmness of a business elite handling a sudden situation, and indeed swallowed two pills with tea.

His level was truly much higher than Lin Zhu’s.

Because of the special nature of the ABO world, the pharmaceutical industry in this aspect was much more mature than in his original world. Not to mention the variety of brands, they had even developed a special contraceptive pill specifically for the first lifelong marking, which wouldn’t cause an extra burden on the Omega’s body.

Lin Zhu had done his homework thoroughly and bought exactly this type.

But no matter how much preparation he had done, there was no way to dispel the natural reaction of an Omega after being marked for life.

Yan Ruoyun’s appetite was small to begin with. By the time the waiter had finished serving all the dishes one after another, he had only tasted a bite or two of the light dishes before putting down his chopsticks.

Watching this made Lin Zhu secretly anxious.

During the meal, it was mostly Pei Shurong conversing with Lin Zhu.

She didn’t ask very deep questions; they were mostly everyday topics, creating an atmosphere of a freely dating couple meeting the parents.

Lin Zhu didn’t show it on his face, but in reality, his heart was in his throat. Yet he still had to feign calmness, completely unaware that in the eyes of the others… his world-weary aura had reached a new height.

He answered in turn:

“Yes, we first met here.”

“We’ve been together for three months, living together for two months.”

“I’m focusing on studying right now, planning to go to college.”

As soon as Lin Zhu finished speaking, Yan Ruoyun suddenly added: “His grades are quite good now. He often does past years’ real exam papers by himself, and his scores have been very stable. Getting into a good university won’t be a problem.”

He shared a study room with Lin Zhu, often helping his little boyfriend grade test papers. Once, he even made him call him ‘teacher’ in bed… It had to be said, that was truly thrilling.

…Ahem.

Yan Ruoyun snapped back to his senses in a second and calmly took a sip of water.

Pei Shurong didn’t linger on the matters of their relationship and cohabitation. Instead, she smoothly continued the topic, “Is that so? Then do you have any majors you’re interested in?”

Lin Zhu had discussed this topic with Yan Ruoyun a few days ago, but the other was his lover, not an elder.

For him, chatting openly about his future plans with an elder was a very novel experience.

“I’m more interested in Artificial Intelligence,” Lin Zhu pursed his lips and said somewhat bashfully.

“Artificial Intelligence?” Pei Shurong raised her eyebrows slightly. “That major has good prospects.”

“A University has the best professional level in this field, ranking at the top domestically,” the woman smiled and recommended. “Yunyun also graduated from A University. When there’s a long holiday, you can have him take you for a walk there to feel the atmosphere.”

Pei Shurong behaved very generously, giving Lin Zhu many relevant suggestions without once mentioning the blond youth’s family circumstances or scandalous past. She focused solely on him as a person, seemingly extremely satisfied with her son’s Alpha boyfriend.

…Yan Ruoyun’s mother is so gentle and kind.

Lin Zhu thought so, and then silently placed another chopstick full of the food Yan Ruoyun liked into his bowl. Under the man’s protesting gaze, he secretly squeezed the man’s finger under the table.

Be good, eat a little more.

His eyes conveyed this message, transmitting it 100% to the man beside him.

Yan Ruoyun subconsciously bit his lower lip lightly, then quickly let go, made a micro-expression of [I can’t do anything about you], and helplessly picked up his chopsticks to eat the food.

During their cohabitation…
However, the elders…
Pei Shurong and the old man sitting opposite them quickly exchanged a glance—this person accepting the Alpha’s discipline, looking reluctant but still complying, was this really their family’s Yunyun?

The two were Yan Ruoyun’s closest relatives and had watched him grow up with their own eyes. It was no exaggeration to say that they had never seen such a ‘delicate’ side to their child.

This ‘delicate’ didn’t refer to his behavior, but rather how he specifically relied on the blond youth in front of the Alpha…

For example, the man’s shoulders naturally leaning toward the blond youth, constantly watching him when the other spoke, and the small expressions inadvertently revealed when the youth put food in his bowl.

A shimmering light flowed in his eyes and brows.

As if he had been loved very well.

---

The dinner was coming to an end.

Lin Zhu left the table first to settle the bill.

Only three people remained in the private room.

Yan Ruoyun was wiping his hands with a wet wipe, speaking in a slightly subtle tone: “Mom, Grandpa… why were you so sudden today? You didn’t even call me.”

The old man narrowed his eyes, not pulling any punches when he spoke, directly exposing him: “How is it sudden? You’ve been laying the groundwork for so long, isn’t it just because you wanted to bring your little boyfriend home?”

“When you ended up in the hospital by accident before, he was the one who stayed with you, right? As soon as you were discharged, you hurriedly canceled the engagement; your dad told me.”

The old man waved his hand, feigning magnanimity: “As for the other minor details, I won’t bring them up.”

He continued: “Just last night, when you were drinking with me, you were sneaking peeks at your phone one moment, and asking me the next if I had any calcium supplements suitable for young people…”

“What, you’re almost thirty and still trying to grow taller?”

“Isn’t it just to show your attitude, that you cherish him so much, so you want us to treat him as a proper son-in-law.”

Yan Ruoyun fell silent: “…”

The old man’s words hit the nail on the head, every sentence striking the crucial point.

That was exactly what he was planning.

Actually, the family knew about his 100% pheromone compatibility with Lin Zhu, and they all encouraged him to try interacting with him. At worst, they could just make them a couple in name only.

There was no helping it. Even though Yan Ruoyun was a top-tier Omega, he suffered from a rare illness and could only accept an Alpha with extremely high compatibility to mark him…

Simply put—
Besides Lin Zhu, he had no other choice.

But Yan Ruoyun refused to accept his fate.

Back when he took the initiative to meet Lin Zhu, he was actually forced into it by Pei Shurong’s tears.

But Yan Ruoyun himself hadn’t expected that he and Lin Zhu would…

To him, Lin Zhu was no longer a rigid symbol on a document, but a flesh-and-blood little lover—the youth was always expressionless, looking world-weary and apathetic, but in fact, his inner thoughts were very rich. His earnest, diligent, and sincere heart was like a star.

Perhaps it was just as his family had said before.

Lin Zhu was a miracle.

And Yan Ruoyun had hopelessly fallen in love with this miracle.

At this moment, the old man snorted twice and added: “Alright, alright, the family all knows your intentions! Bring him home for a meal another day and discuss what to do in the future. Anyway, since you’re already marked for life, it won’t do not to get married.”

Hearing this, Yan Ruoyun’s thoughts were interrupted, and speechlessness and helplessness surged into his heart.

The tips of his ears slightly red, he supported his forehead and sighed: “…If you all knew I wanted to formally introduce Lin Zhu to the family, then why did you still pull this surprise attack today?”

Hearing this, Pei Shurong and the old man fell silent together.

After a long while, she finally answered:

“Actually, your grandpa guessed that you might be living with someone and told me privately. I really couldn’t hold back, so I came over right at mealtime, just wanting to meet the person… Who knew you’d still be resting right in the middle of the day? We really didn’t do it on purpose.”

She still spoke tactfully, replacing it with the word ‘resting’.

After finishing, Pei Shurong straightened her expression and said: “You’ve been marked for life, this is no small matter. Do you want me to go back and tell your dad and your grandparents, or will you find a time to tell them yourself?”

Yan Ruoyun quickly said: “I’ll tell them myself later.”

Before Pei Shurong could ask, he paused and confessed voluntarily: “Mom, Grandpa… Lin Zhu is still young. I want to wait until he finishes his college entrance exams before discussing marriage with him. Anyway, it’s only six or seven months away.”

Pei Yihe sharply pointed out the problem: “Have you discussed this with Xiao Lin? Is this how it’s decided for the future?”

“I haven’t talked to him about it yet.”

The midday sunlight was clear and bright, mixed with a hint of early winter’s laziness, glowing slightly white. Shining on a person’s body, it created an atmosphere similar to an overexposed photograph.

Yan Ruoyun sat by the window, looking like a pale photograph; only those grayish-green eyes were deep and profound.

“But I feel…”

The man’s eyes curved slightly, his tone certain:

“—That he also wants to be with me forever.”

Also?

Hearing this, Pei Shurong and her father exchanged a tacit glance, their eyes filled with shock.

This was clearly falling head over heels.

Pei Shurong just felt heavy-hearted.

At first, she worried about her son’s health issues, simply treating Lin Zhu as a lifesaver. Even if it was just a marriage of convenience, she wanted the youth to alleviate her son’s condition…

But now, realizing that Yan Ruoyun had truly given his heart to the youth, she couldn’t help but worry about their relationship.

As an Omega, she knew that in an AO relationship, the Omega is always the more restricted one.

Once there’s a problem in the relationship, an Alpha can easily walk away, but a lifelong-marked Omega has no choice. Either a gland removal surgery or a mark clearance surgery.

To make a long story short.

Just one sentence.

She was afraid that Yan Ruoyun wouldn’t have love in his heart, yet she was also afraid that he would love too quickly and too deeply, ending up hurting himself.

She suppressed the worries in her heart, smiled, and asked:

“Son, did Mom perform well today?”

---

Outside the door.

The hand Lin Zhu used to hold the door handle was incredibly stiff, as if every knuckle had been petrified, unable to exert any strength.

His expression was blank, his dark eyes like a bottomless dark pool. No matter what emotions were thrown into it, there would be no reaction.

In the overwhelming silence.

Lin Zhu suddenly heard his heart beat violently once, as if sighing and saying at the same time,

“They are so good.”

“—You are the only bad person.”

The next instant.

The system’s halting electronic voice sounded from the depths of his consciousness, reminding him: “Um… Host, getting married after the college entrance exams won’t work.”

It continued: “This key plot point requires fulfilling [Lifelong Marking], [Key Lines], and finally [Marriage Registration] to be complete. You’re still missing the last step.”

Lin Zhu lowered his eyes: “I know.”

In the original novel, the scumbag ex-husband took advantage of Yan Ruoyun’s vulnerability, marked him for life, and was kicked out of bed by the man when he woke up.

But the lifelong marking was already complete.

Due to suffering from a gland defect and technological limitations, Yan Ruoyun couldn’t even consider removal or clearance surgeries. Even the doctors advised against it, saying the risks were too great and the probability of safely getting off the operating table was extremely low.

Although it was called a lifelong mark, it actually only restricted the marked Omega. The Alpha, as the dominant party, could still mark other Omegas.

This matter couldn’t be hidden. The Yan family cut the Gordian knot and directly forced the marriage with a tough stance.

For no other reason than,
From beginning to end, it was Yan Ruoyun who couldn’t leave the only Alpha who could soothe him, not the other way around.

On this point alone, the Yan family had no leverage against the person.

What’s more, the other party’s reputation for being a playboy was well known, and his personality was like a piece of tough meat. The Yan family could only use their family background to suppress him, forcing him to stay loyal to Yan Ruoyun alone.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that the scumbag ex-husband in the original novel, feeling both humiliated and angry, treated Yan Ruoyun coldly after marriage, and even used his craving for pheromones to humiliate him in every possible way…

But now, everything had changed.

Under Yan Ruoyun’s influence, the Yan family elders’ impression of him probably wasn’t too bad, and they even harbored the sentiment of ‘love me, love my dog’, not rushing to bind the two together.

Yan Ruoyun’s considerations were actually very appropriate.

He was currently just a high school student in his senior year, precisely when he needed to focus on his studies.

Dating at this stage was already very inappropriate, so Yan Ruoyun attached great importance to his schoolwork in their daily life. He also took care to hide his relationship information, not wanting the outside world to affect his state.

Pondering this over, Lin Zhu couldn’t help but show a hint of a bitter smile.

There were too many things standing between him and Yan Ruoyun, too many to count—such as social status, life experience, and financial situation.

Yan Ruoyun was already the head of the Yan Corporation at a young age, while every penny he spent right now was not earned by himself.

Most importantly, there was a whole world between the two of them, separated by life and death… Yet Lin Zhu was powerless against this. He could only choose to follow the system’s instructions and play the designated role until the key plot point was completed.

An immense sense of powerlessness enveloped Lin Zhu.

Something like cotton fluff blocked his throat, making him unable to speak.

At this time, the system’s electronic voice popped out, comforting him repeatedly: “Host, it’s precisely because you know time is short that you must cherish every minute and every second right now!”

Inside the system space, the system stretched lazily, as if hinting at something: “Who knows, maybe when the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road; in the dark willows and bright flowers, another village will appear~.”

The blue light sphere huddled in the corner, not daring to make a sound.

Don’t ask, asking means being afraid of being electrocuted to death.

---

This lunch didn’t last very long.

After eating, the group got into the car.

Pei Shurong had the driver take the two home first. When they arrived, she even gave the two standing outside the car door a whole bunch of instructions.

Finally, the woman adjusted a slightly messy strand of hair at her temple and said softly: “Xiao Lin, next time I’ll pack some supplements and send them over to you two. Yunyun’s grandpa did scientific research all his life, and a lot of people send him things. They just sit at home, we can’t possibly finish eating them…”

Lin Zhu nodded repeatedly: “Thank you, Auntie.”

The old man sitting in the passenger seat also added: “Hurry back up, the wind is very strong.”

Lin Zhu didn’t move.

His expression was dazed for a moment.

The system had just given him a suggestion.

It told Lin Zhu to propose getting married early to confirm their relationship after going home. After all, they had just experienced a lifelong marking the night before, and there was a high probability the other party wouldn’t be able to refuse his earnest request.

This was probably the easiest path.

Lin Zhu wouldn’t even need to do much; his older lover, who harbored a somewhat overprotective desire toward him, would take the initiative to handle everything.

The more certain he was of this, the more tormented Lin Zhu felt.

So, he couldn’t move his feet. Instead, while the car hadn’t driven away yet, he suddenly spoke to the two elders inside the car window: “…Auntie, could you wait a moment?”

He invited the two upstairs.

When they left, it was four people.

When they returned, it was also four people.

Only this time, Lin Zhu didn’t sit on the same side of the sofa as Yan Ruoyun. Instead, he chose to sit alone on one side, took several deep breaths, and said to the two people opposite him:

“…I’m sorry, I accidentally overheard your conversation in the private room earlier, and I have some things I want to say to you too.”

His school bag was placed beside his hand.

Lin Zhu first took his wallet out of his bag, then pulled out the bank cards inside, spreading them out one by one on the coffee table, and stating the balance in each one by one.

The amounts kept adding up, resulting in a staggering figure.

Then Lin Zhu listed the real estate registered under his name, converted them into monetary values, and under the gaze of the six eyes opposite him, he paused and said honestly:

“All of the above do not truly belong to me.”

Then, he took out the past exam papers he had completed from his bag. With more than half the semester gone, they had already accumulated into a large stack. The red circles he had marked for wrong answers were exceptionally few.

Lin Zhu took another deep breath and continued: “These… are all I truly own. Actually, I’m just a high school student with slightly good grades. I have nothing else.”

Meeting the astonished gazes of the two, Lin Zhu gathered his courage. His eyes landed on Yan Ruoyun, his heart trembling slightly, and he spoke all the words he had drafted in his mind along the way.

“But… Ge, can we not wait until after graduation to get married? Can we do it right now?”

He couldn’t help but scratch his pant seam with his fingernails. He was so embarrassed by his own words, which sounded suspiciously like a poor boy scamming a rich girl, that his face turned entirely red, hot enough to boil an egg.

A ‘phoenix man’ would even say, ‘Although I have nothing, I have a heart that loves you.’ But he had never said anything to Yan Ruoyun.

No confession.

And never said that profound word.

It wasn’t until this second that Lin Zhu suddenly realized, perhaps it was precisely his intentional or unintentional restraint from saying that word…

He didn’t want to play another character while expressing the feelings that truly belonged to ‘Lin Zhu’ to Yan Ruoyun.

Lin Zhu forced himself not to look away.

The other two people present were somewhat stunned after hearing his words, especially Yan Ruoyun.

The man’s peach blossom eyes were wide open. He opened his mouth, losing his voice for a moment, and only managed to speak after coughing twice, “Lin Zhu, do you know what you’re saying?”

Lin Zhu was extremely nervous, his thumb almost scratching a loose thread from his high-quality pant seam. He bit the bullet and summarized simply: “I know, I want to…”

“—Get marwied to you.”

As soon as he finished speaking.

Lin Zhu’s expression stiffened, his eyes gradually dying.

The system laughed with a quack in his mind. Oh wait, it yelled out: “Host! Why did you have to stumble over your words at a proposal scene…! And in front of the parents!”

Hearing the system say the words ‘proposal scene’, Lin Zhu instantly felt an overwhelming sense of embarrassment.

As the saying goes,
When the awkwardness reaches its peak, you can’t feel awkward anymore.

For a moment, he even thought: What do other people prepare for their proposal scenes? Probably diamond rings, flowers, and unexpected surprises…

And him?

He performed a verbal split right then and there for everyone.

Right at this moment.

He saw the man also purse his lips, nod slightly, bury his chin into his loose turtleneck, and whisper in response,

“Little Dog Lin, I want to get marwied to you too.”

“…”

In the living room.

The other two quietly exchanged a look, nodded tacitly, and then both fell silent.

Bad news: Their child seems to have fallen hard for an Alpha, and is suspected of growing a ‘love brain’.

Good news: The Alpha has fallen hard too.

Pei Shurong thought of her first encounter with Lin Zhu at noon.

The blond youth was very tall. When he stood at the door with one hand resting on the frame, he gave off a strong sense of oppression, but his tone of voice was exceptionally polite and courteous.

Probably because young people have strong vitality, or perhaps the indoor heating was turned up high, on such a cold day, he was only wearing a light cotton loungewear set, exposing countless ambiguous marks.

Pei Shurong was instantly stunned.

Because she couldn’t believe that such passionate marks were left by her proud and arrogant son… one after another, dense and romantic.

It wasn’t until the delivery person came to deliver the medicine that her gaze followed their movements and landed on the blond youth’s hand.

The youth’s index and middle fingers were covered in many bite marks, mostly clustered around the middle knuckles and the base. The overlapping scars were incredibly fresh, causing the surrounding area to turn bruised and purple.

With just this glance.

Pei Shurong’s suspended heart suddenly dropped halfway.

…

And now, she suddenly understood why her child would choose to live with such a young Alpha in such a short time, and willingly allow himself to be marked for life by him…

Even,
Saying without thinking,

“Okay, let’s get marwied.”