My Fierce Beta Husband is Surprisingly Sweet | Chapter 40 | A Request from Home | Novela.app

Chapter 40 - A Request from Home "What are you two up to?" The door to Room 1308 creaked open as Hua Yi and Xie Bing returned from their afternoon errands. They paused at the threshold, eyeing the peculiar, heavy atmosphere hanging between Li Zi and Yu Tianwu. "Nothing much," Li Zi said, setting her phone aside with a faint, knowing smile. "Just realizing that our dormitory is about to become a little less crowded." Hua Yi’s eyebrows shot up, her expression shifting to one of keen interest. "Oh? Has your Beta boyfriend finally reached his limit with your busy schedule?" "No, that’s not it," Xie Bing interjected, nudging Hua Yi with her elbow to signal her lack of perception. "If Li Zi is the one saying it, she’s definitely not talking about herself." She turned her gaze toward the other bed. "It’s Tianwu, isn't it? Are you finally planning to fly the coop and live happily ever after with that secret boyfriend of yours?" "What do you mean 'secret'?" Yu Tianwu protested, her voice rising in mock indignation. "I never hid Yan-ge!" "Is that so?" Hua Yi countered, crossing her arms. "All we hear is 'Yan-ge' this and 'Yan-ge' that every single day. You spend half the night glued to your phone in a marathon of sweet nothings, yet months have passed and neither Xie Bing nor I have caught so much as a glimpse of the man." Yu Tianwu stood up and marched over to poke Hua Yi’s cheek. "You *have* seen him! We all had hot pot together that one time, remember?" Hua Yi caught the wandering hand and pinned it to her side with a smirk. "That doesn't count. The context has changed. Back then, he was just a friend; now, he’s the one stealing our roommate away." "Fine, fine! I’ll treat you all to dinner tonight, alright?" Yu Tianwu retracted her hand, huffing as she theatrically blew on her fingers. "Hmph. Just wait until I move out to live with him. You’ll probably miss me so much you won't know what to do with yourselves, and here you are being so uncivilized." "No one will miss you," Hua Yi teased, her voice deadpan. "It’ll finally be quiet in here." "Aaaah! Hua Yi, you absolute pig!" For some reason, the usually composed and mature Hua Yi took great pleasure in rattling Yu Tianwu’s cage, never stopping until the latter was on the verge of a breakdown. Just as Yu Tianwu looked ready to launch into a full-body physical assault to decry their "heartlessness," Xie Bing stepped in to mediate the chaos. "So, where are we eating? Should we head over to 'Haochi'?" "Heh, look at Xiao Bingbing, the model employee," Yu Tianwu giggled, her mood flipping instantly. "Always looking for ways to drum up business for her boss." "Still giggling? You’re the one who sounds like a little piglet," Hua Yi added. "Hua Yi! Prepare to meet your maker!" "Hua Yi, stop teasing her. And Tianwu, stop calling me 'Xiao Bingbing'! It’s nauseating!" Xie Bing cried out, though her words were lost in the scuffle as the three of them devolved into a tangled mess of limbs and laughter. Li Zi watched them from the sidelines, a gentle, slightly melancholic shake of her head the only sign of her internal thoughts. Looking at them now—so young, so vibrant, so blissfully unaware of the complexities the future held—it was hard to reconcile them with the versions of themselves she remembered from her past life. "Let's just go to Hao—" She started to speak, intending to end the dispute, when her phone vibrated in her hand. She glanced at the screen. *Dad?* Her roommates immediately went silent, their curiosity piqued as she answered. "Hello? Dad?" "Azi, good afternoon." "Good afternoon, Dad. Is something wrong?" "You just finished military training, didn't you? Are you exhausted? I heard a rumor that my daughter was chosen as a model representative." Noticing the gossiping glints in her roommates' eyes, Li Zi stood up and walked toward the balcony to gain some privacy. "I'm not tired, Dad. It was just luck; there were plenty of others who performed just as well, if not better." Back in the room, Yu Tianwu nudged Hua Yi’s waist. "Hey, I heard Li Zi’s dad is a doctor, right?" Before Hua Yi could answer, a voice filled with reverence cut in. "He’s not just a doctor," Xie Bing said, her eyes fixed on Li Zi’s retreating back. "Dr. Yan Yan is one of the most renowned neurosurgeons in the country. He’s a top-tier expert. Despite his relatively young age, his surgical success rates and patient recovery statistics are among the highest nationwide. He is the ultimate goal for many of us in the medical track." Xie Bing’s hands were still positioned to keep the other two from fighting, but her focus was entirely on the phone call. When she spoke of her idol, her eyes practically glowed. "Holy cow, Xiao Bingbing! You’re actually a fangirl of Li Zi’s dad!" Yu Tianwu exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. Xie Bing frowned, giving Yu Tianwu a sharp, disapproving look. "It’s not 'fangirling.' Dr. Yan deserves the utmost respect. Don't use such superficial terms to describe a professional of his caliber." "Alright, alright," Yu Tianwu muttered, properly chastened. On the other end of the line, Yan Yan’s voice carried a hint of hesitation. "Azi, are you free this evening?" "What is it, Dad?" Li Zi asked. "Do you remember Yuan Ye? The son of Auntie Yuan Tu and Uncle Xin Ji, who came to visit during the New Year?" Li Zi recalled a boy with a rather charming, lively personality. "I remember. Wasn't he planning to return to China for his studies?" "Exactly. His flight arrives in Zhennan City at five this afternoon. Could you possibly pick him up? The person his parents arranged to meet him had an emergency and can't make it. If you could just take him to dinner and drop him off at a hotel for the night, someone will be there to collect him tomorrow." Knowing how demanding university life could be, Yan Yan quickly added, "If it’s inconvenient, don't worry. I can see if your mother can pull someone from her office to go instead." Because he was perpetually buried in work, Yan Yan harbored a deep-seated guilt toward his only daughter, which manifested as a tendency to indulge her every whim. However, because they spent so little time together, he rarely had the chance to show that side of himself. His history with Li Zi’s mother, Li Shian, was the stuff of legends—childhood sweethearts who had committed to each other the moment they reached adulthood. In their youth, Li Shian had been a high-minded Alpha with a rebellious streak, her only passions being her music and her Omega partner. She had been content to play in her heavy metal band, ignoring her family’s business empire even when they cut off her financial support. Everything changed during their junior year of university. They had been living in a cramped, dilapidated rental. Yan Yan worked himself to the bone during his internship, while Li Shian coasted through a low-effort corporate placement just to get her credits. The turning point was a day of absolute horror: Li Shian received news that her parents had been killed in a car accident. When she rushed to the hospital to find Yan Yan, she found him not at his station, but in a hospital bed, his face deathly pale, clutching his abdomen in silent agony. He had collapsed at work. By the time his colleagues found him, he was hemorrhaging. The diagnosis was a miscarriage brought on by extreme exhaustion and a lack of rest. They hadn't even known they were expecting. In a single day, Li Shian’s world collapsed. She was forced to grow up instantly, discarding her dreams of music to step into the den of wolves that was her parents' company. She spent her days navigating treacherous boardrooms filled with rapacious elders who viewed her as a piece of meat to be divided, and her nights drinking until she retched bile at business banquets, only to rush home to comfort her grieving partner. It took years, and the help of friends like Yuan Tu and Xin Ji, for their lives to stabilize. When they finally married and Yan Yan became pregnant with Li Zi, they were terrified of another loss. Yet, when Li Zi was born, a career-defining promotion opportunity arose for Yan Yan. Li Shian had insisted he take it, promising to care for the baby herself. That lingering guilt over his absence during Li Zi’s early years meant that Yan Yan could never say no to her. Even when she chose to major in Psychology—ignoring both the medical path he favored and the business management path her mother hoped for—Yan Yan had been her shield. In her previous life, Li Zi had been a source of constant worry for him. Even as she reached middle age, alone and haunted by the past, he had never stopped calling, never stopped fretting over her health. Li Zi had never truly blamed him, but the weight of their shared tragedies had made it impossible for her to find peace. This time, she was determined to bridge the gap between her family and Li Zhenting. "It’s fine, Dad. I have time. Send me the flight details," Li Zi said softly. "Wonderful. Thank you, Azi." Yan Yan’s voice brightened significantly. He clearly wanted to chat longer, but a knock sounded at his door. "Director Yan, your patient is here," a voice called out. "Go to work, Dad," Li Zi urged. "I’ll take good care of Yuan Ye." "Take care of yourself, too. Don't overexert yourself." "I won't. Bye, Dad." "Bye, sweetheart." As soon as she hung up and turned around, she was met with the synchronized, unblinking stares of her three roommates. "What?" she asked, amused. "Li Zi... you’re so *obedient* when you talk to your dad," Yu Tianwu said, acting as if she were seeing a stranger. "Who knew our cold goddess was such a daddy's girl?" Li Zi rolled her eyes. "Don't talk nonsense." "Is your father asking you to meet someone? Does that mean you can't come to dinner?" Xie Bing asked, her gaze lingering on Li Zi’s phone with a strange, unreadable expression. Li Zi slipped the phone into her pocket and nodded. "Yeah. I’m already well-acquainted with Liu Yan anyway, so missing one meal won't hurt. You guys go ahead." "Oh well! Should we still go to Haochi?" Yu Tianwu asked, already pivoting back to the others. "I don't mind, as long as you're paying," Hua Yi shrugged. Yu Tianwu looked at Xie Bing, who seemed lost in thought. "Xiao Bingbing!" "Huh? Oh, right. Let's go. Brother Qing mentioned you the other day, saying it had been a while since he saw you." Xie Bing snapped back to reality and nodded. "Great! I’ll go tell Yan-ge. Sorry, Li Zi, but we’re off to feast without you!" *** **Glossary**