My Fierce Beta Husband is Surprisingly Sweet | Chapter 83 | Vanished in the Rain | Novela.app

Spring returned to the world, and the students of Zhennan University flocked back to campus. The restaurant "Haochi" had been open for a few days, and both owners were beaming with joy. One of them, after many years, was once again basking in the nourishment of love. Whenever he had a spare moment, he would hold his phone, smiling as he sent voice messages. Every day, he would close the shop as soon as he arrived, no longer playing the part of the tireless striver. He would hang the "Closed" sign and wait with Li Zhenting for someone to pick them up. Since getting together with Xie Bing, she no longer allowed him to deliver food to her. Fearing he would be exhausted from running around after a long day, she suggested either coming to the shop to eat after she got off work or having dinner together at home. Xie Bing and Li Qingliu had spent the New Year together. On the balcony, they had lit the sparklers he had prepared for his intended confession, embracing amidst the drifting sparks. During an unexpected heat, Li Qingliu had received a temporary mark from Xie Bing. However, because Xie Bing lacked the necessary tools at the time, he had endured the period in a state of half-misery and half-bliss. As soon as the heat ended, he had dragged her straight to the Association to collect the documents they should have gotten long ago. Naturally, the two of them soon moved in together. Li Zhenting’s rice noodles were becoming increasingly popular with the locals. More and more people were coming to the shop to order; they either crowded in during the morning or swarmed the place in a massive wave right after work hours. It was only now that he fully felt the physical inconvenience of late-stage pregnancy. He wished he could just sit in one spot to get everything done. "It looks like I won't make it to eight months," he sighed, slumped in the chair Li Zi had bought for him, his legs spread wide and relaxed. Even Yuan Ye, who occasionally came to help on weekends, couldn't bear to watch. He often took it upon himself to persuade the customers, telling them the chef was busy and suggesting they try the Sichuan dishes on the other side of the shop instead. After entering his seventh month, Li Zhenting occasionally felt a tightening in his lower abdomen—bout after bout of contractions. The doctor said these were Braxton Hicks contractions and were perfectly normal. Furthermore, one child was already well-developed while the other was relatively smaller, likely losing out in the competition for nutrients. The doctor suggested he rest more and take appropriate supplements. Li Zi had given him an ultimatum: within two weeks, he had to stop working at the shop and stay home to recuperate properly. Lately, every few days, Li Zi would catch him while helping him bathe and make him try wearing a dilator. The sensation was incredibly uncomfortable, leaving Li Zhenting plagued by a constant, protruding ache that did nothing for his mood. Worst of all, Li Zi would make him wear it to sleep. Sometimes, even a slight movement of his body would startle him awake. Despite this, Li Zi did not give up. She simply reduced the duration and woke herself up an extra time during the night to remove the device while he was asleep. Although it was only being used in the preliminary stages to help Li Zhenting adapt more quickly for high-frequency use later on, neither of them expected that Li Zi’s current persistence would actually prove useful at a critical moment. *** On this particular day, a torrential rain fell, leaving very few pedestrians on the streets. Business was mediocre. Since it was Xie Bing’s scheduled day off from the hospital, Li Qingliu wanted to take the opportunity to go on a date with her, leaving Li Zhenting to run the shop alone. He even urged him, "Don't bother cooking today. Just go home early." Li Zhenting yawned and waved a hand at him. "Today is my last day on duty. I’m going to see it through to the end. You won't see me here tomorrow." "Then go and focus on your delivery. We'll come to your house to see the babies when the time comes." "The babies will definitely be cuter than you," Li Qingliu retorted, not forgetting to poke fun at him one last time before heading out, fully prepared for his date. As evening approached, Li Zhenting leaned lazily against the back of his chair to rest. The "Closed" sign was already hanging on the door. He had just checked his phone; Li Zi said she was working overtime and might be an hour late to pick him up. He had replied with an "OK." "Alright, you guys can head off early too. There's nothing much to do today anyway." The shop employees had been idle all day, so Li Zhenting simply let them off early. Soon, he was the only one left sitting in the shop. He stood up, stretched his muscles and bones, and decided to use this time to take inventory of the warehouse so he could instruct Li Qingliu on what to handle later. The warehouse connected directly to the back door, which opened onto another alleyway where the trash cans of various shops were usually lined up. Li Zhenting held his notebook, checking items against the shelves one by one, completely unaware of a dark shadow standing silently behind him. *** Yuan Ye had finished classes early today. Last weekend, he had accidentally left his student ID at "Haochi." He had originally planned to pick it up this coming weekend. But then he thought, Brother Zhenting is supposed to start his leave this week; if he went on the weekend, the man might not be there. He could use this as an excuse to see him one more time today. Carrying his backpack, he was in high spirits as he hailed a taxi and headed toward Zhennan University. On the way, he sent Li Zhenting a WeChat message: *Brother Zhenting! Are you still at the shop?* Li Zhenting replied: *I am. You coming over?* He replied: *Mm-hmm, school finished early today. I want to pick up my student ID.* Li Zhenting: *Sure, come on over. I’ll be at the shop for a while longer.* *Yes, lucky!* Yuan Ye thought gleefully. It was another day where he could hang out with Brother Zhenting. When he arrived at the entrance, he looked inside but didn't see anyone, which he found a bit strange. Walking further in, he saw his student ID on the cash register. He picked it up and tucked it into his pocket. *Where is Brother Zhenting?* Puzzled, he continued walking toward the back. The warehouse door was ajar. He called out softly, "Brother Zhenting, are you in there?" There was no response from inside. Yuan Ye had no choice but to pull out his phone to call him while pushing the door open. *Bzzz—* He heard the sound and looked down. Li Zhenting’s phone was vibrating on the floor. Beside it lay a dropped pen and notebook. A terrible premonition instantly clouded Yuan Ye’s heart. He snatched up Li Zhenting’s phone and scanned the surroundings. His gaze fixed on the back door. He rushed over, threw the back door open, and ran into the alley. In the distance, he saw a small car parked at the alley exit, its engine just turning over as it prepared to drive away. Something was wrong—only garbage trucks usually parked in a place like this! Yuan Ye sprinted toward the exit. By the time he reached it, he was met only with a cloud of exhaust fumes. *Zhen A-XXXXX...* Using those final seconds, he squinted his eyes and committed the license plate number to memory. The car turned a corner and quickly vanished from his sight. *** Elsewhere, Li Zi was in a meeting with Xun Xin and others when her phone rang. She gave the others an apologetic look and glanced down: *Yuan Ye? Why is he calling me at this time?* To avoid disrupting the meeting, she declined the call. Just as she was about to send a text to explain, Yuan Ye called again. It had to be an emergency. Li Zi stood up, left the conference room, and answered the call. As soon as the line connected, Yuan Ye’s frantic voice came through: "Sister Li Zi, something happened to Brother Zhenting! I think he’s been kidnapped!!!" The expression on her face froze. *** | Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 假性宫缩 | Braxton Hicks contractions | False labor contractions common in late pregnancy. | | 扩开器 | Dilator / Expander | In this context, a device used to prepare the body for childbirth. | | 暂时标记 | Temporary mark | A concept in Omegaverse where an Alpha bites an Omega to provide hormonal stability without a permanent bond. | | 圳A | Zhen A | License plate prefix for Shenzhen (Zhennan). | | 待产 | Awaiting delivery | The period of resting before giving birth. |