Li Zi moved back into the dormitory.
Strangely, as soon as she returned, the frequency of reunions for the inhabitants of Room 1308 suddenly increased.
This was evident in Xie Bing, who spent less time in the library and began reviewing her lessons in the dorm, her overall state much more relaxed. Hua Yi, as always, chose to study in her room. It was Yu Tianwu who had become the most frequent traveler to the outside world; she spent every day surreptitiously staring at her phone, happily saying goodbye to everyone the moment she received a message.
Li Zi’s state was no different from usual. She still woke up early for morning runs, brought breakfast back for her roommates who slept in, and sat quietly in her room reading.
Only Xie Bing, who had recently returned to the dorm, noticed something was off. Li Zi seemed inexplicably restless.
When Li Zi found herself staring blankly at her phone in the bathroom once again, Xie Bing, who could see the movement inside, put down her book and walked over to knock on the door.
"Knock, knock. Little Pear, be a good girl and open the door. Open up quickly, I want to come in."
"Pfft."
The familiar nursery rhyme tune successfully snapped Li Zi back to reality. She put away her phone, washed her hands, and opened the door with a smile. "Please enter, Big Bad Wolf Xie."
Xie Bing walked to her side and asked, seemingly casually, "You’ve been dazed a lot lately. Did something happen?"
Li Zi was stunned for a moment. She didn't answer the question directly but instead asked, "If there was a goal you had to achieve no matter what, but you knew the process would be extremely difficult and might not even change anything in the end, would you still persist?"
Xie Bing hadn't expected Li Zi to suddenly ask such an abstract question. She furrowed her brows, her hand resting on the sink, tapping a few times as she thought. Then she looked up and said without hesitation, "I wouldn't give up."
"I haven't told you guys about my family situation, have I?"
"My hometown is in Daliang Mountain, Sichuan Province. You’ve probably heard of it; it was on the trending searches last year as one of the poorest regions in the country."
"I have no parents; I was raised by the village. The villagers were willing to look after me until I grew up, which was already more than enough. My grades were very good. My middle school principal said that if I could be sent to a key provincial high school outside the mountains, I might become a top scholar."
At this point, Xie Bing smiled. "The principal was just encouraging me out of kindness, of course. But I also knew that while I could stubbornly attend school during the compulsory education stage, where would I get the tuition for high school or even university?"
"But I really wanted to study—I wanted it so badly I was going crazy. I even went to kneel before the village chief... but no matter what, everyone had their own difficulties. So back then, I thought: am I really going to be sealed in these mountains for the rest of my life?"
"When I was in utter despair, someone appeared. He was a very famous expert in his field. I don't know where he learned about our village's situation, but he sponsored me."
"You know? He was completely out of place in Daliang Mountain. How should I describe it? He was like the brightest sliver of moonlight in the deep mountains at night. Gentle, kind, and incredibly beautiful. At that moment, I thought to myself: I will not let his expectations down. I will definitely walk out of these deep mountains and reach his side."
"Although..."
Although there was no follow-up, Xie Bing seemed to think of something, and her expression turned somber.
Li Zi did not press further. She simply turned around, looked at herself in the mirror, and said, "I hope our pursuits are all meaningful."
Outside the door, Hua Yi, who had been dragged over by Yu Tianwu to eavesdrop, looked at her with disdain and whispered, "What are you crying for?!"
Yu Tianwu sobbed, "Wuwu, I didn't know Bingbing was so pitiful before. My heart hurts for her."
Hua Yi patted her head somewhat helplessly and sighed. "Xie Bing wouldn't want to hear you call her pitiful."
Yu Tianwu sniffled twice, her eyes darting around. She poked Hua Yi’s waist and asked, "If it were you, how would you answer Li Zi’s question?"
"As a law student, one must always have the spirit of 'Though thousands upon thousands oppose me, I shall go forward.' If I believe something is right and just, I will naturally choose to persist."
Hua Yi’s righteous attitude moved Yu Tianwu so much that her eyes turned into stars.
Unable to stand that gaze, Hua Yi asked back, "What about you? If you knew that doing something would be fraught with difficulties and might not yield any results, would you still persist?"
"No. Giving up at the right time is also a wise choice."
To her surprise, Yu Tianwu answered almost without any hesitation. She sounded as if she were reciting words she had said countless times: "Smart people never pursue high risks for low rewards."
Her rare, cold expression even made Hua Yi feel a slight chill.
However, Yu Tianwu quickly returned to her usual self, grinning and making a face at her. "Let's not talk about these unhappy things. There's only one week left before the holidays. Why don't the four of us from 1308 have a pre-holiday meal? We can treat it as celebrating the New Year together!"
*
Under Yu Tianwu’s enthusiastic coordination, the residents of 1308 chose to have their meal at "Hao Chi" the day before the holidays began.
Why didn't they go to a better restaurant in the city? Yu Tianwu’s reason was: "I think the owner's Sichuan cuisine is the best in the world!"
All along the way, Yu Tianwu was still selling it hard: "Normally, I don't go to small shops like this to eat. It was just a while ago that a friend dragged me there. One bite and—bam! I was blown away!"
"The owner is very interesting, a bit sharp-tongued, but his skills are top-notch."
"Since there are many of us this time, I’m definitely going to order everything on the menu! My Spicy Chicken, Mapo Tofu, Mao Xue Wang, Stir-fried Large Intestine, Boiled Pork..."
Hua Yi reminded her, "Wipe your drool; it’s about to fall out."
The group of four were all high-level Alphas and great beauties. When they walked into "Hao Chi," they attracted the attention of all the diners.
Yu Tianwu, acting like the host, pulled her roommates toward a private booth. "Come, come, this way."
Li Qingliu, who was stir-frying in the back kitchen, heard the noise and came out carrying a dish. Seeing her, he began to tease, "Oh, isn't this the wealthy patron who said she wanted to pay a fortune to keep me a few days ago?"
As soon as he spoke, Yu Tianwu instantly received looks from her three roommates as if she were a pervert.
She quickly explained, "Boss, don't talk nonsense! I clearly said I wanted to hire you to be a chef at my house!"
Li Qingliu frowned, looking disappointed. "An Alpha's heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea. Are you dumping me already?"
The three roommates then looked at her as if she were a heartbreaker.
Yu Tianwu was about to go crazy. "Boss, stop joking! You're great! Very handsome! But you're really not my type!"
Seeing that he had truly teased her into a frenzy, Li Qingliu dropped the act. He was about to deliver the dish in his hand when he noticed a familiar face. "Eh? Aren't you Xiao Li’s partner?"
He was referring to Li Zi.
Li Zi responded, "Boss, I've come to patronize you again."
Yu Tianwu’s face was a giant question mark. She looked at Li Zi, then at Li Qingliu, and asked in confusion, "You two know each other? Li Zi has eaten here before? Why didn't I know?"
She felt betrayed, clutching her chest as she accused Li Zi, "Well, well, stinky Li Zi. You clearly knew I love Sichuan and Hunan cuisine, yet you didn't even recommend such a delicious shop to me. The love is gone; this roommate bond is a lie."
Li Zi was helpless. Just as she was about to explain, Xie Bing, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly stepped forward and stopped Yu Tianwu’s performance. "Alright, let's talk at the table. Let the boss deliver the food first."
Only then did the others notice the steaming hot soup dish in Li Qingliu’s hand. Yu Tianwu quickly said, "Boss, go ahead and get busy. We'll order for ourselves first."
Li Qingliu nodded, signaling them to make themselves at home, and walked away with the dish. After placing the bowl on the table and announcing the dish's name to the customers, he quietly pressed his scorched, aching fingers against his earlobes.
*
"Coming, coming! Here are your Spicy Chicken, Garlic White Pork, Boiled Pork Slices, Sautéed Lettuce, Fresh Chili Rabbit, and Tomato Egg Soup."
They had arrived a bit late, catching the tail end of the peak period, and they had ordered a table full of major dishes. Li Qingliu was busy non-stop, taking nearly forty minutes to serve all their food.
"Sorry, everyone. There were a lot of people just now, and I'm working alone, so the dishes came out a bit slowly."
The four of them expressed that they didn't mind. Looking at the table full of red, spicy dishes, their appetites were whetted. They picked up their chopsticks and began to feast. Seeing them eating happily, Li Qingliu silently withdrew.
"Hey, why do you think an Omega is out here running a shop alone? Even if he hired someone to help watch the shop, buying groceries, cooking, and managing the business all by himself must be so tiring. Where's his other half?"
Having satisfied her hunger, Yu Tianwu’s gossipy side emerged again. Indeed, Omegas of this age were usually already married; it was rare for one to come out and work independently.
"Stop speculating about other people's private lives and just eat." Hua Yi put a piece of ginger into her bowl, trying to shut her up.
"Didn't you see the back of the boss's neck? It's obvious he's had surgery..."
Although undergoing mark-removal surgery wasn't a very dangerous thing in this era, few people actually did it. The fact that the boss made no effort to hide the surgical scars on his nape allowed one to see his decisive character.
"Ah... I didn't notice." Yu Tianwu pulled a face and spat out a few peppercorns.
"Then the boss probably has a story. He must have met a scummy Alpha! Otherwise, with such good skills, if it were me, I'd be begging him every day to cook for me. How could anyone bear to break his heart?" she said righteously.
The others rolled their eyes.
"Actually, it's quite good. Modern society is much safer than before. There are almost no instances of Alphas forcing Omegas in public anymore, and suppressants are very advanced. Since the boss had the surgery and decided to open his own shop, he must want to start a new life. Why must he be in a relationship?" Xie Bing suddenly offered this opinion.
Seeing everyone look at her in surprise, she explained further, "I used to know an elder who was an Omega. She didn't find a partner and supported a household all by herself, living quite a good life. This shows we shouldn't underestimate Omegas; they are actually very strong."
After hearing this, Hua Yi and Yu Tianwu—who both possessed somewhat traditional Alpha mindsets—began to reflect on their perceptions.
Li Zi hadn't expected her to say such things and praised her, "You have a very open-minded perspective." Despite growing up in a closed-off mountain area, she hadn't been tainted by the outdated concepts of underdeveloped regions.
Xie Bing didn't think she had said anything particularly profound. She shook her head indifferently and continued eating.
The four were very satisfied with the flavor of the food, so they didn't eat very quickly, chatting leisurely as they dined.
Suddenly, however, the sound of a bowl shattering came from outside. It seemed a dispute had broken out. Someone was shouting loudly:
"If you don't give me the money, I'll wreck this shop today!"
Hearing this, they quickly put down their chopsticks and went out to look.
They saw that the other customers had mostly left. Li Qingliu, who had been clearing tables, stood with a rag in the middle of a pile of broken dishes. His face was deathly pale as he stared at the newcomer as if a nightmare had reappeared.
"Li Xin, you were the one who cheated first. We've been divorced for a long time."
"I don't owe you anything."
Li Xin was clearly an Alpha, appearing to be in her thirties. She had some looks but a face full of bitterness. She greedily scanned the small shop and said meaningfully, "Seems like your business is doing well. How much do you make a day? You haven't given me last year's alimony yet."
"You're shameless! Why should I keep giving you money?"
"You slut! You tricked me into being with you, and then after we got married, you couldn't even produce a single child. How many years of mine did you waste? A hen that can't lay eggs actually thinks he's something special. When you wanted the divorce, we agreed: divorce is fine, but you pay every year to compensate for my losses. Then you just ran away, didn't you? Well, I found you anyway."
Li Xin slowly approached Li Qingliu, her thick hand reaching out to grab his neck.
Li Qingliu’s entire body was stiff; he stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. He had clearly escaped this nightmare—why was he still not free? Why had he fallen for such a piece of trash in the first place? Now that he was entangled again, would he never be able to get rid of her for the rest of his life?
Li Xin looked with satisfaction at the Omega's face, which was filled with fear and despair. Just as she thought she could control him again, a hand suddenly thrust between her and Li Qingliu, brushing her arm aside and shielding him behind a protective back.
"Ms. Li, you're an Alpha, right? Don't you feel ashamed threatening an Omega in a public place?"
It was Xie Bing. She stood firmly between the two, blocking the woman's malicious gaze from Li Qingliu.
"This is our family business! Mind your own!" the woman barked, though she was a bit surprised.
"I divorced you a long time ago!" Li Qingliu clenched his fists, emphasizing again with a hoarse voice.
"Since you and Boss Li no longer have a marital relationship, your current behavior is intentional extortion. Furthermore..." Xie Bing glanced at the mess on the floor and said coldly, "For damaging another person's property, the one who should be paying is you."
"Exactly. According to your logic, the law stipulates that after a divorce, the party who should provide alimony is usually the Alpha. Your current behavior is the malicious solicitation of another's funds. If I call the police now, who do you think they'll side with?"
Hua Yi also stepped forward, stating the facts point by point. "It just so happens that I am in the legal profession. I can represent Boss Li in a lawsuit against you. I'm not sure if you also need a lawyer; I can tell you where to find one."
"However," she sneered, "no lawyer with a shred of conscience would take your case."
Li Zi and Yu Tianwu also stepped forward, showing their support.
Protected behind everyone, Li Qingliu listened to them speak up for him. He had never experienced being defended like this before, causing the walls he had spent years reinforcing to partially crumble.
If no one cared, he wouldn't feel aggrieved. But with people speaking for him, he could no longer maintain his facade of strength. A wave of heat rushed to his eyes. He held back the tears, looked up directly at that familiar face, and said word for word:
"That's right, Li Xin. If you dare come to harass me again, I will sue you."
Seeing that she could gain no advantage today and might even lose money, Li Xin retreated a few steps and threw out a parting threat: "Just you wait!" Then, she fled hurriedly under the angry glares of the group.
"Thank you. I've made a fool of myself in front of you," Li Qingliu said gratefully to Li Zi and the others, the breath he had been holding finally escaping his chest as the woman's figure disappeared. He bent down to pick up the broken pieces of the bowls.
"This meal is on me today. You came here to have a happy meal, but your mood was ruined by my private affairs."
He squatted on the ground, numbly gathering the porcelain shards, while tear after tear fell onto the floor.
Xie Bing looked at him and also squatted down to help him. "This isn't your fault."
Perhaps these words touched a soft spot in his heart, for Li Qingliu’s tears fell even harder. He tried to suppress his crying, pushing the vulnerability back down his throat, but the occasional sobs and whimpers that escaped were even more heartbreaking to hear.
Yu Tianwu couldn't stand the scene, so she went to the corner to get a broom, signaling for the two of them to stand up. "Alright, alright, hasn't that piece of trash already left? Everyone, be happy. Stop picking those up, you two. What if you cut your hands? Isn't there a broom? Move aside, move aside, let me sweep!"
Xie Bing helped the man up from the floor, but he gently gripped her arm, leaning his head against her shoulder. Soon, a warm dampness spread across her shoulder.
She hesitated for a moment, but she didn't push him away. Instead, she clumsily placed her hand on his back.
The other three looked at each other in silence. They quietly left the money on the table, helped straighten the chairs, and left the shop.
They left only Xie Bing and Li Qingliu behind.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
大良山 | Daliang Mountain | A mountainous region in Sichuan, often associated with poverty in literature.
好吃 | Hao Chi | Literally "Delicious" or "Good to Eat"; the name of the restaurant.
李清流 | Li Qingliu | The Omega owner of the restaurant.
李欣 | Li Xin | Li Qingliu's abusive Alpha ex-wife.
辣子鸡 | Spicy Chicken | A classic Sichuan dish with fried chicken and many dried chilies.
蒜泥白肉 | Garlic White Pork | Sliced cold pork with a spicy garlic sauce.
水煮肉片 | Boiled Pork Slices | Slices of pork poached in a spicy, numbing broth.
炝生菜 | Sautéed Lettuce | Lettuce flash-fried with dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns.
鲜椒兔 | Fresh Chili Rabbit | A spicy rabbit dish made with fresh green and red chilies.
虽千万人，吾往矣 | Though thousands upon thousands oppose me, I shall go forward | A famous quote from Mencius regarding moral courage.
