Extra 2: Daily Life
(1)
When Hua Tang arrived in Kyoto, Qi Wei sent a driver to pick him up.
Qi Zhao was busy with a major bidding for a new energy project, a joint venture with the state, and Qi Wei naturally prioritized it. Many companies wanted a piece of this pie, so it was a crucial bid.
Qi Zhao’s public persona was still that of an alpha, because Yang Shou and his team had just wrapped up their operation and were still cleaning up the aftermath, so they hadn’t had time to publicly announce the truth yet.
—It was truly thanks to Qi Zhao that they caught them.
That underground organization had been eyeing S-ranks for a long time, and a super S-rank was even more desirable.
As mentioned before, besides high-ranking alphas and omegas, they were also interested in the glands of betas who had undergone secondary differentiation into alphas or omegas.
And in their eyes, Qi Zhao was not only a secondary alpha, but also an A-rank, and he was close to Qi Wei, his weakness.
He was a highly valuable target, a juicy piece of meat.
Of course, some more rational members had wondered if it was a trap, but coincidentally, Qi Zhao had been widely believed to be a potential S-rank alpha, so…
Everyone understood the principle of “the bigger the risk, the greater the reward.”
Especially since this organization wasn’t new to taking risks. They had both successes and failures, ending up in jail. Gambling on Qi Zhao was no different from gambling on anyone else.
And then they were caught in the net.
After all, there hadn’t been a super S-rank alpha before, and now, not only was there one, but his condition was also stabilizing.
After Qi Zhao and Qi Wei won the bid and finished exchanging pleasantries with their “friendly competitors,” Qi Zhao received a message from Ming Jingsong.
A simple “OK,” yet it finally put Qi Zhao’s heart at ease.
He smiled and looked at Qi Wei, taking his hand. “Teacher Ming and the others are done.”
Qi Zhao, thinking of what he had seen, his throat tightening slightly, “Those people can finally go home now.”
Qi Wei held his hand tightly, then released it, pulling him into an embrace and getting into the car with him, right in front of everyone. “I’ve had Nan Yangsha and the others draft a rescue and support plan. If you want, we can visit them at the hospital later.”
“…No,” Qi Zhao said softly, “it’s probably better for them to have less attention right now.”
Qi Wei, looking at the person so moved by the suffering of strangers, his heart softening, couldn’t even feel a twinge of jealousy.
His Ah Zhao was truly too good.
Qi Wei lowered his head and kissed his forehead gently. “Then shall we go find Hua Tang?”
Qi Zhao chuckled softly, changing the subject to lighten the mood. “Let’s go, he’s probably complaining about us being too busy to even meet him.”
Hua Tang did complain, and to their faces.
When he saw Qi Zhao and Qi Wei, since Qi Wei had withdrawn his oppressive alpha aura, he didn’t feel any pressure, just thinking that Qi Wei was even more handsome in person and… somewhat different?
Hua Tang didn’t know how to describe it, but his first words to Qi Zhao were, “Brother Qi, you’re truly a big shot now. Do I have to make an appointment to see you in the future? If so, will mentioning my name get me any special treatment?”
Qi Zhao smiled. “It’s just that you chose a bad time to visit. We’re in the middle of a bidding. If you had come earlier, we wouldn’t even have time to come out, and you would have had to enjoy your meal alone, sadly.”
He paused slightly. “I don’t need to introduce him; you know him. This is Qi Wei.”
Qi Zhao glanced at Qi Wei as he spoke, and meeting Qi Wei’s gaze, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Ouch,” Hua Tang stepped back, clutching his cheek, and said, “Your lovey-dovey aura is blinding me.”
Hua Tang had met Qi Wei abroad before, and he wasn’t afraid of him, not then, not now.
If Qi Wei made him feel intimidated, then he wasn’t truly in love with Qi Zhao.
Because he shouldn’t make Qi Zhao’s friends fear him.
And it was true. Qi Wei wasn’t offended by the teasing, but rather, smiled, his expression gentle and refined, as usual, but his words made Hua Tang speechless. “Thank you for your compliment.”
Hua Tang: “…”
So this was how a super S-rank alpha acted!
But he wasn’t surprised.
He had called Qi Zhao not long ago, and halfway through their conversation, he had heard an alpha’s voice in the background, very close.
Judging from his extensive experience with novels and movies, Hua Tang figured that Qi Wei had probably put his arm around Qi Zhao and whispered, “Ah Zhao, who’s calling you so late?”
It sounded like a simple question, but it was clearly checking up on him.
And Qi Zhao had patiently explained to Qi Wei before continuing their conversation.
He knew that alphas were possessive, so he was just being patient.
After all…
He had seen Qi Wei take the wet towel offered by the waiter and carefully wipe Qi Zhao’s hands, then pour him a glass of water and hold it to his lips, a perfect image of a doting alpha.
Hua Tang thought that if Qi Zhao’s love for Qi Wei was even slightly less, they would have already broken up because of the alpha’s controlling behavior.
And… Qi Wei must also love Qi Zhao very much. Otherwise, an alpha of his rank wouldn’t tolerate his partner joking so intimately with a friend.
Hua Tang didn’t stay in Kyoto for long. Qi Zhao and Qi Wei spent two days with him, taking him to some famous spots in the city. It was supposed to be a trip for their guest, but with Hua Tang taking pictures of them, it somehow turned into a photoshoot for the couple and their photographer.
When it was time for him to leave, Hua Tang said to Qi Zhao, “Actually, I have something I wanted to tell you in person.”
Qi Zhao tilted his head slightly, and Hua Tang said with a slightly embarrassed smile, “I met a mixed-race alpha abroad recently. He’s not high-ranking, but he treats me very well. I think… if things go well between us, I might settle down abroad.”
Qi Zhao was slightly stunned. “…Didn’t you always want to return to Z Country?”
Hua Tang shrugged. “I went back to my hometown before coming here, and my parents are still the same. They still think I’m a disgrace, so there’s no point in me staying there and making things worse.”
Hua Tang’s parents were an alpha and an omega. Although their ranks weren’t high, they were both C-rank, so normally, their child would be either an alpha or an omega. Hua Tang being a beta was considered a disgrace by some people with deep-rooted ABO prejudices.
—Qi Mu, after Qi Wense was born, also felt that his youthful choices were wrong, so he resented Qi Zhao. If it weren’t for Qi Zhao’s own excellence, he would have been marginalized.
Qi Zhao frowned slightly, about to say something, when Hua Tang said, “Don’t offer to help me. Our country is so big, surely I know that if I don’t go looking for trouble, they won’t bother me, right? To be honest, I’m just being a bit lovesick.”
He said sincerely, “Besides, I’ve been abroad for so long, and I’ve built my foundation there. Returning now would be troublesome.”
Since he had already made up his mind, Qi Zhao didn’t say anything more.
He just respected Hua Tang’s decision and happily saw him off at the airport, making plans for their next meeting, what to eat and where to go.
On their way back, Qi Zhao leaned against Qi Wei’s shoulder and exhaled softly.
Qi Wei lowered his eyes, and Qi Zhao looked up at him, smiling faintly. “I know that every President has been trying to lessen the impact of the ABO hierarchy, but it’s like murder being illegal, yet people still kill. Betas are at the bottom of the social ladder, and some prejudice is unavoidable.”
There were people who discriminated against betas, and there were those who didn’t. He had met both kinds.
He just found the prejudice disheartening.
But that was human nature; it wasn’t something that could be changed by laws alone.
(2)
After much effort, Yan Shuang finally won over Tang Huaiyuan’s younger sister, Tang Su, and held a small engagement party among their friends.
Pei Lechuan also came.
When she saw them, she raised her glass from a distance in a toast.
Her smile was familiar to Qi Zhao, so he looked at Qi Wei.
Qi Wei had asked Pei Lechuan to look after him abroad.
Qi Wei also raised his glass in return, then turned his head, meeting Qi Zhao’s gaze.
He lowered his head slightly. “What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing,” Qi Zhao smiled, “I was just thinking that you must have used up all your connections just to pursue someone.”
Qi Wei held his hand, gently caressing the two rings on his left ring finger, his eyes smiling. He didn’t deny it. “Yes, it was the most worthwhile thing I’ve ever done.”
Qi Zhao paused slightly, his ears feeling a little warm.
Later, during dinner, the overly excited Yan Shuang couldn’t help but ask them, “Are you two really not planning to have a wedding or anything?”
Their marriage license had already been approved, Qi Zhao’s beta status publicly announced with an official statement claiming it was part of an operation to combat underground trafficking organizations. There were no negative reactions online; in fact, Qi Corp’s reputation had even improved because of this.
But Qi Zhao and Qi Wei hadn’t mentioned anything about a wedding.
“No,” Qi Zhao said, slightly exasperated, “just seeing your engagement party today is already giving me a headache. I’d rather spend that time reviewing project proposals…”
“Ouch.”
“That’s scary.”
“I told you he was a workaholic!”
“…”
Qi Zhao paused. “I’m not a workaholic.”
He just thought it was a waste of time.
Even if he didn’t review proposals, traveling with Qi Wei, riding motorcycles, even just staying home and cuddling, was better than being busy with a wedding, with no time to even look at each other.
—That was Qi Zhao’s opinion.
Qi Wei raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression full of pride as he spoke for Qi Zhao. “So what if we review proposals? We’ll do it together, twenty-four hours a day, inseparable.”
“…”
Someone couldn’t help but curse. “Fuck, Yan Shuang, you shouldn’t have asked!”
