"Idol?"
Li Qingliu muttered the word to himself as he prepped the ingredients. "Xie Bing’s idol? What kind of person is he?"
He realized he was running low on chilies. Reaching into the refrigerator, he pulled out a handful of facing-heaven peppers and began to slice them.
Chopping had long since become muscle memory for him. His hands moved mechanically, but his thoughts were drifting elsewhere.
*Li Zi’s father? Li Zi is Li Zhenting’s girlfriend. She clearly comes from a good family; her father certainly wouldn't be from the same world as someone like me.*
*I, Li Qingliu, am just a divorced restaurant chef who’s had marking removal surgery.*
"Ah!"
He hissed in pain and lifted his hand. Bright red blood seeped from his index finger.
*Good grief, how long has it been since I last cut myself? I’m being far too careless today.*
*Stop thinking about it.*
Li Qingliu shook his head, fished a bandage out of a drawer to wrap his finger, and lowered his head to finish the prep work quickly.
"It’s here, it’s here! Your feast has arrived!"
He pushed open the door to the private room, calling out as he set the dishes down in front of Yu Tianwu and the others.
"Spicy chicken and the cabbage are up first. The rest will be out in a moment."
"Thanks, Boss!"
Yu Tianwu’s eyes lit up. She picked up her chopsticks and piled several pieces of chicken into Liu Yan’s bowl. "Yan-ge, try this quickly. It’s delicious."
Hua Yi couldn't be bothered to watch their public display of affection. She didn't even look in their direction, instead gesturing for Xie Bing to start eating.
"It seems some people have completely forgotten they’re supposed to be hosting us today. Fine, we’ll just eat by ourselves."
Hearing this, Liu Yan quickly nudged Yu Tianwu. "This isn't very polite of us."
"Oh, don't worry. They aren't that petty; they just want to tease me. You don't need to worry, Yan-ge."
"Exactly. If we’re going to be annoyed, it’s at this woman. You don't need to mind us."
Seeing his discomfort, Hua Yi explained, "We have a great relationship. Let’s just enjoy the food and not overthink things."
"Alright..."
This was Liu Yan’s first time having a meal with a group of girls, and he was incredibly nervous throughout, terrified of doing something wrong. Usually, he hung around with a bunch of rough guys where manners didn't matter. But Yu Tianwu’s roommates were all highly educated; their speech and behavior were worlds apart from the people he usually encountered, putting him under immense pressure.
*Is this what Li-ge felt like when he was with Li Zi?* He suddenly understood why Li-ge was always so afraid of meeting Li Zi’s parents.
After they had been eating for a while, during a lull in the conversation, Hua Yi took the initiative to speak to Liu Yan.
"Brother Liu Yan, I can call you that, right?"
"That... you can call me whatever you like. Just my name is fine too," Liu Yan replied, setting down his chopsticks tentatively.
"We’re younger than you, so 'Brother' is more polite. You’re friends with Li Zi’s boyfriend, right? So you’re also from the same hometown as Li Zi?"
"Yes, we’ve all known each other since we were kids."
"I see. I remember Tianwu saying you came to Zhennan City to bring your father for medical treatment. Is your father doing okay?" Hua Yi asked, her tone casual as if just making small talk.
"He’s already finished his treatment and gone home."
"Then, Brother Liu Yan, won't you need to look after your family often? Living here with Tianwu must be a lot of pressure. Does your father know about your relationship with her?"
"Uh... not yet," Liu Yan answered with some difficulty. He never expected a girl who had only recently become an adult to be so intimidating.
"Will he support a 'Double A' relationship? How will you explain your reason for moving here to your family?"
"I’ll explain it to them properly..."
Every question she asked struck at the heart of Liu Yan and Yu Tianwu’s relationship—issues he hadn't fully figured out himself. The nerves he had managed to settle tightened once again.
"Hey, hey, hey, we’re eating! Hua Yi, don't bully Yan-ge." Seeing things going south, Yu Tianwu quickly cut in. "I feel like I’m being interrogated by my mom about my future spouse. Honestly, Xiao Yiyi, are you trying to become a mother without the labor pains?"
Hua Yi rolled her eyes at her ungrateful friend. "I was just asking. Don't mind me."
She dropped the subject, but Liu Yan fell into thought for a moment before suddenly answering her string of questions.
"My father is the only elder left in my family. He’s a very good man. Regarding my relationship with Tianwu, I believe he will understand. When I move here, my younger sister will be at home to keep him company, and Li-ge and the others will check in on him often. So, there’s no need to worry too much about that."
He paused, then continued, "Even though I never imagined I would fall in love with another Alpha, since I’ve chosen to be with Tianwu, I’ll just solve the other problems one by one."
Listening silently, Xie Bing couldn't help but shoot Yu Tianwu a look that said, *You really did find a good man.*
Yu Tianwu didn't notice. She just stared blankly at Liu Yan’s serious face, remembering the things Li Zi had said to her earlier today.
***
"Li-ge."
Li Zhenting stretched as he walked into the shop. Tang Jiu and the others looked up from their work to greet him.
"Yeah. Has everything been smooth these past two days?" he asked Tang Jiu.
"The shop is fine. Li-ge, it’s been so long now—do you think those people won't come back?" Tang Jiu took a towel from the wall and wiped his hands, sounding hesitant.
"I’m not sure. After all, we don't even know what their goal was. It’s better to be cautious."
Since the incident, they had replaced many things in the shop and taken the opportunity to phase out some old equipment. They had even replaced the iron gate with a sturdy security door. It looked like they were prepared for anything, but in reality, such measures only stopped honest people, not those with true malice.
"Keep an eye on the shop for me. I have to go to the sanatorium today." Li Zhenting tidied the scattered bills on the counter and tucked them into a drawer, giving Tang Jiu his instructions.
"Sure. Is something wrong with the old lady?"
"No, I just have some questions for my grandmother." He ran his fingers over the wooden surface of the counter, his expression unreadable to Tang Jiu.
"Oh... alright then. Don't worry, Li-ge, go ahead."
Though everything seemed normal, Tang Jiu couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about him.
At five in the afternoon, a motorcycle pulled up outside the gates of the Qingshan Sanatorium, about an hour’s drive from Xi’an Street.
Li Zhenting hadn't chosen to take a taxi this time. He had pulled his old favorite bike out of the garage and ridden it to the outskirts. Since he’d started getting busy with the shop, he rarely had the chance to ride around. Years ago, he had even used this bike to pick up Li Zi from school. However, the combination of a motorcycle and a muscular guy at a high school gate was far too conspicuous; after only two rides, Li Zi had refused to use it as a means of transportation to school ever again.
He had regretfully tucked his "baby" away.
Today, he had inexplicably begun to miss the feeling of flying freely in the wind. He had spent nearly half an hour cleaning the motorcycle and checking if its components were still functional.
*Click.*
He parked in the outdoor lot, locked the bike, and walked into the facility.
In truth, Li Zhenting had visited his grandmother not long ago. No one expected him to show up at the sanatorium again so soon. He headed straight for her room, merely nodding in greeting to the people he recognized along the way.
Reaching her door, he raised his hand to push it open but hesitated. He took a breath and knocked instead.
*Knock, knock.*
"Come in," his grandmother’s weary voice called from inside.
He lowered his head, pressed the handle, and entered. "Grandmother, it’s me."
"Zhenting? What are you doing here?" Upon seeing him, a smile immediately broke across her face. She gestured for him to sit by her bed.
Li Zhenting remained standing, looking her straight in the eye. "Grandmother, when my differentiation results came out, you were very surprised. I didn't ask you why back then."
"Now, I want to know why."
The old woman’s smile froze. Her expression flattened. "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"
"I went to the hospital for a check-up a couple of days ago. The doctor said I was originally supposed to be an Omega."
He spoke each word deliberately, watching as the old woman’s eyes widened.
"As I thought... I knew it couldn't be right," she murmured, her true thoughts slipping out.
"As you thought?" Li Zhenting caught those words instantly. He stepped closer, pressing for more. "Grandmother, when I was a kid and begged to find my parents, you coaxed me by saying they were both Betas who died in a car accident long ago. I stopped pestering you about them after that. But now, my original differentiation result and your reaction are telling me that you’re still hiding everything from me. Why?"
"Who exactly were my parents? Are they still alive?"
Her grandson was already a man capable of holding up his own corner of the sky. Now, his eyes were red as he asked her these questions once more, just as he had when he was a child.
The old woman avoided his gaze again, looking out the window at some indeterminate point. She said firmly, "They are dead."
"But why?" The voice of the child she loved began to tremble behind her. "Why, exactly?"
"Were my parents that shameful? You never want to mention them. Or am I actually just some unwanted child you picked up off the street, and that’s why you say these things?"
"No, Zhenting, you are my grandson!" The old woman finally turned around, responding anxiously. "You aren't an orphan without parents. You are a child of our family."
Seeing her resolve waver, Li Zhenting looked at her with renewed hope, wishing she would reveal more.
But she didn't. Her stance remained as unyielding as a rock; no matter how he pried, it wouldn't budge.
"Forget it."
A massive wave of exhaustion washed over him. Li Zhenting’s shoulders slumped. Disappointed, he turned to leave.
"Zhenting, is having your grandmother not enough? Have I still not done well enough?" the old woman asked softly, clutching her blanket.
He froze for a moment but ultimately didn't answer, walking straight out.
The roar of an engine echoed along a mountain road in the outskirts.
Li Zhenting pressed his lips together, constantly increasing the motorcycle’s speed, wanting nothing more than for his thoughts to scatter in the wind.
He hadn't been alone like this for a long time. Usually, he was either thinking about the shop or worrying about Li Zi.
He knew he was often immature. Under his grandmother’s worried gaze, he had gone out looking for trouble as a kid, fighting every day. His grandmother was already exhausted from raising him, yet he had pestered her, knowing how difficult it was for her, crying and screaming for his parents.
He had been bent on running away, living a reckless life without any plan, which had led to his grandmother suffering a brain hemorrhage from overwork. It was only with the help of the person he loved that he could provide her with a comfortable life in her later years.
He had opened a so-called repair shop, a group of guys called him "Boss," and he was with Li Zi. To many, it seemed he was living a perfectly fulfilled life.
But he knew he wasn't. If he didn't know where he came from, how could he find where he belonged?
How could someone unwanted even by their own parents find a true sense of self-worth?
He knew he should be less insecure, less difficult. He shouldn't get blindly jealous in front of Li Zi every time he heard the slightest rumor; that only left his inferiority complex completely exposed.
But he couldn't help it.
He also wanted to know why he had become such a twisted person.
And now, he had even interrogated his frail grandmother and lost his temper with her.
*Li Zhenting, you’re really regressing as you get older.*
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
朝天椒 | Facing-heaven peppers | A type of small, hot chili pepper that grows pointing upwards.
双A | Double A | A romantic relationship between two Alphas in the ABO setting.
分化 | Differentiation | The biological process in the ABO setting where a person develops their secondary gender (Alpha, Beta, or Omega).
标记祛除手术 | Marking removal surgery | A surgical procedure to remove the scent mark left by an Alpha on an Omega.
清山疗养院 | Qingshan Sanatorium | The nursing home/care facility where Li Zhenting's grandmother lives.
希安街 | Xi’an Street | The street where Li Zhenting’s repair shop is located.
越活越回去 | Regressing as one gets older | A Chinese idiom meaning to act more childishly or lose wisdom/capability as one ages.
