Xie Bing rarely went home, except for the Qingming Festival.
She had long grown used to spending holidays alone. In the past, she would occasionally celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival or the New Year with her neighbor, Xie Yun, but ever since she had walked out of the mountains, she never wanted to go back frequently.
Whether people called her a "white-eyed wolf" or said she had forgotten her roots, she didn't care. She believed her parents would have wanted her to live the life she yearned for.
However, upon learning that Xie Bing was spending the holiday alone at school, Li Qingliu was deeply surprised. He asked why she wasn't with her family; it was only after knowing her for nearly a year that Li Qingliu finally learned about Xie Bing’s family situation.
He stuffed the Mid-Autumn red envelope, which he had intended to give her before the holiday, back into his pocket. After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke to the seemingly indifferent Xie Bing. "As it happens, I’m alone too. Why don't the two of us join up and spend the Mid-Autumn Festival together?"
He stole a glance at Xie Bing’s expression. Seeing the surprise on her face, he immediately added, "If you don't mind, that is."
It was rare for Li Qingliu to be this nervous. He was clearly just inviting his employee to spend a holiday together, so why was his heart racing?
Xie Bing adjusted her glasses. She didn't answer him directly; it was impossible to tell what she was thinking as she simply stared at Li Qingliu in silence.
Being stared at by a girl with such an unreadable gaze felt like being under the incandescent lights of an operating table. It seemed to illuminate all the turbulent undercurrents in Li Qingliu’s heart.
Just as he was about to cough and change the subject, Xie Bing suddenly smiled. "I haven't spent Mid-Autumn with anyone in a long time," she said. "Thank you for the invitation, Brother Qing. I’m very happy."
Li Qingliu felt a wave of relief. He quickly followed up, "Since you call me 'Brother,' I definitely have to treat you well. My shop won't be open tomorrow. Let's go out and have a nice meal."
"Alright, I’ll follow your lead."
***
The next day.
Li Qingliu dug out a white shirt and a pair of jeans he hadn't worn in ages. Usually, he wouldn't wear clothes that soiled easily to the shop to avoid the hassle of washing them.
Facing the mirror, he fussed with his bangs and even sprayed some mousse to hold them in place. Looking at his usually unkempt reflection, his gaze drifted to the cosmetics on the dressing table, and he hesitated.
It had been a long time. Ever since he decided to divorce that woman, he had stopped treating himself like an Omega. His disappointment in love and in himself had led him to nearly give up on pursuing any future relationship; naturally, he had no heart to maintain his appearance.
But now, his heart seemed to have come back to life.
He thought of how Xie Bing had defended him, how her roommates had confronted that person, and every little detail of his time with Xie Bing over these past few days.
Li Qingliu finally made up his mind. He picked up his razor and shaved his face clean. After washing up, he applied some moisturizer, put on a bit of foundation, and lightly defined his eyebrows.
The person in the mirror looked brand new. He gave himself a thumbs-up. "Li Qingliu, keep it up. You can do this."
Xie Bing was still wearing her usual attire. She had simply washed her hair before arriving at their meeting spot—the front of the shop.
The people in her dormitory group chat were still asking how she was spending the day. Her fingers moved as she replied: *Don't worry, I have someone to spend it with. Enjoy your reunions with your families.*
A familiar voice sounded beside her. "Xiao Xie, you’re here. How long have you been waiting?"
Hearing him, Xie Bing immediately looked up. "Brother Qing—"
Upon seeing his appearance, her eyes widened slightly, and she even blinked a few times in disbelief. "So this is what you actually look like, Brother Qing. You’re quite handsome. Why don't you usually..."
Li Qingliu’s face flushed slightly. He shifted his feet awkwardly. "Well, I’m usually cooped up in the kitchen, right? There was no need to be so meticulous."
Xie Bing didn't ask the question: *Then why today?*
She simply continued to praise him. "You really look great. You should take care of yourself more often, Brother Qing. If Tianwu sees you next time, she’ll definitely be speechless."
After all, Yu Tianwu had once guessed that Li Qingliu was thirty-five years old.
The two of them spent a long time wandering the pedestrian street. During this time, Li Qingliu’s long-buried passion for shopping was ignited. Forgetting himself for a moment, he pulled Xie Bing into several clothing stores, trying on outfit after outfit. Because Xie Bing didn't show any signs of refusal—and instead kept saying that every set looked perfect on him—he almost couldn't stop.
It wasn't until his stomach began to protest that he realized they had passed lunchtime.
He hurriedly apologized, "It’s so late already. You must be hungry, right? I was too self-indulgent today..."
"No, I’m quite happy. I’ve never gone shopping with anyone before."
Xie Bing was helping him carry several shopping bags. Sitting on a waiting bench, she comforted him with a smile. "Is there anything else you want to buy, Brother Qing? Since we’re out, we can look around more."
"No, this is plenty. I don't usually spend money like this... Let's just go eat."
Li Qingliu really hadn't expected to lose his composure like this in front of a junior. Now, he only wanted to reclaim his dignity as a mature older brother.
Hearing him say this, Xie Bing stood up, carrying Li Qingliu’s spoils as they walked out together.
They both had a wonderful day. After dinner, they even stepped into a dessert shop by the road to try the owner’s "innovative" mooncake flavors. They were so shocked by the mint and cilantro flavors that they could only stare at each other and force themselves to swallow.
Under the cover of night, they walked along the riverside park. Vendors were selling sky lanterns, and many students and children were gathered in the open space to release them.
Li Qingliu felt a spark of interest. He asked Xie Bing, "Have you ever released one of these?"
Xie Bing shook her head. "This is my first time seeing one. This is a sky lantern? What is it for?"
"You expand the paper, light the fuel inside, and let it go with the wind so it can float up. When people release these, they usually like to write down or silently recite their beautiful wishes. If it launches successfully, the wish will come true."
"Let's release one too!"
He ran over excitedly, pulling out money to buy one, wanting to give Xie Bing her first experience with a sky lantern.
*A beautiful wish?*
Xie Bing didn't refuse, following his lead and helping him set it up.
As the sky lantern was lit and the warm red glow illuminated their faces, Li Qingliu said, "Time to make a wish."
He closed his eyes.
Xie Bing closed her eyes as well.
*I hope I won't fail my past efforts, and I won't fail that person’s sponsorship. I want to walk the path I’ve planned and reach his side.*
Li Qingliu thought: *If this really works, then I hope this girl in front of me gets exactly what she wishes for.*
***
Yu Tianwu felt an extreme sense of reluctance when saying goodbye to Liu Yan.
Even after arriving at her front door, she was still complaining to Liu Yan on WeChat: *Waaaah, Brother Yan, how could you abandon me to go back for the holiday by yourself? I’m heartbroken.*
Liu Yan replied helplessly: *Aren't you going home too? My father isn't in good health, so I have to go home for the festival. Besides, I need to talk to him about going to Zhennan City.*
*Fine. [Pouting Cat Face.jpg]*
She truly would have preferred to spend the holiday with Liu Yan.
Yu Tianwu lived in a villa district with excellent privacy protection. The residents here were either wealthy or influential, and many were the homes of popular celebrities.
She pushed open the door. Unsurprisingly, no one was home. Facing the cold air of the house, she said casually, "I’m back."
Then, she walked through the silence into her room.
*Brother Yan, I miss you!*
She lay on her bed and continued messaging Liu Yan.
*Hugs, I miss you too.*
*By the way, look at the handmade mooncakes my dad made.*
[Photo]
*Ah, that’s amazing! He even knows how to make mooncakes!*
*It’s alright, actually. It’s just that when my sister and I were little, we always clamored for them, but the family didn't have spare money to buy any. Dad figured out how to make something similar for us.*
As expected of Brother Yan—even his family stories were so warm.
Yu Tianwu pouted: *I want to eat them tooooo. [Staring Expectantly]*
*I’ll bring you some next time I have the chance. Your family prepared mooncakes too, right? What flavors do they have?*
*Like hell they did,* Yu Tianwu thought privately.
But she replied: *Of course! We have lotus seed paste with egg yolk, crayfish, red bean, five-nut, strawberry—everything. They’re super delicious!*
*It feels like some weird flavors snuck in there...*
Liu Yan sent a "confused man" meme.
*Hahahaha.*
Yu Tianwu brushed it off.
In the evening, Yu Tianwu’s parents actually returned one after the other.
The three of them sat at the table eating takeout ordered from a hotel. The dining table was exceptionally quiet.
Finally, Yu Tianwu’s mother spoke. "Your father and I both have schedules tomorrow and the day after. For convenience, we won't be coming back."
"Okay," Yu Tianwu replied, nodding as she silently picked at her food.
"By the way, you’re about to start your junior year. Have you thought about what kind of job you want? Why don't you come to our film set to learn? I have a serious drama starting production then. Stop thinking about drawing all day; how much money can that actually make?"
"If you enter the entertainment industry, with the connections your father and I have, what resources couldn't you get?"
Here it came again.
Yu Tianwu tried her best to maintain a smile. "I’ll think about it some more."
"Just keep stalling. I’ll see how you manage to establish yourself in society with your drawings when the time comes."
Faced with this kind of rhetoric from her parents, Yu Tianwu didn't want to argue. She knew that debating was meaningless.
"Also, you should start considering your life’s major milestones. Do you remember Director Zhang? When you have time, ask his son out and spend more time together."
"High-quality Omegas usually have their partners settled by this time. Hurry up and don't make us worry."
"There’s also CEO Xu’s Omega son; he’s also your age."
In her mother's mouth, both Yu Tianwu and other Omegas sounded like cold tools. It was best to find someone to marry quickly, to have their value squeezed out as soon as possible, and ideally to achieve a mutually beneficial business cooperation.
This wasn't the first time she had heard her parents speak this way, but this time, she couldn't quite suppress the feeling in her heart. For the first time in years, she talked back:
"I don't want to talk about these things right now."
With a *clack*, her father, who hadn't spoken at all, suddenly slammed his chopsticks heavily onto the table.
She instinctively shuddered.
"Then what do you want to do? Date a Beta? Or date an Alpha?"
"You still haven't cut off those rebellious thoughts?"
"I don't!" Yu Tianwu answered immediately.
"I gave up those ideas long ago. I just want to play for a few more years. I’m just afraid that once I settle down, I’ll have to behave myself."
She forced herself to stay calm, putting on the facade of a pleasure-seeking youth, but her hands resting on her knees were trembling uncontrollably.
"It better be that way," her father said coldly.
"Alright, let's continue eating. Let's not talk about this. Tianwu, you too—even though you’re still a student and it’s fine to play around, you must take what we say to heart."
"Mom and Dad are doing this for your own good."
Seeing the stagnant atmosphere, Yu Tianwu’s mother tried to smooth things over.
"I know."
Yu Tianwu forced a curl of her lips. She lifted her chopsticks and stiffly stuffed rice into her mouth. Even though the food was a delicacy from a five-star hotel, it was impossible to swallow.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 清明节 | Qingming Festival | Also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day. |
| 中秋节 | Mid-Autumn Festival | A major traditional festival involving mooncakes and family reunions. |
| 孔明灯 | Sky lantern / Kongming lantern | A small hot air balloon made of paper with an opening at the bottom where a small fire is suspended. |
| 圳南市 | Zhennan City | A fictional or specific city name in the story. |
| 正剧 | Serious drama | Refers to high-quality, realistic, or historical television productions as opposed to idol dramas. |
| 资源 | Resources / Connections | In the entertainment industry context, refers to roles, endorsements, and networking opportunities. |
| 资助 | Sponsorship / Financial aid | Refers to the support Xie Bing received to pursue her education. |
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My Fierce Beta Husband is Surprisingly Sweet | Chapter 47 | Mid-Autumn Wishes | Novela.app | Novela.app
