TAHDO Chapter 66

Of course, it was impossible to get the marriage certificate during the New Year holidays. In fact, the two hadn’t even had time to watch the Spring Festival Gala before Director Liang kicked them out of the house.

But Ji Qiu held the household registration booklet like a fool who had just won the lottery, grinning from ear to ear. He wasn’t affected by any lingering tension instead, he was carefully flipping through the pages until he found the one with Liang Yan’s name.

Marital status: Unmarried.

Before long, that line would change and he would be the one tied to Liang Yan’s name. Just the thought made Ji Qiu’s lips curl up uncontrollably.

When Liang Yan turned to look at him, what he saw was pure idiocy.

He was still recovering from Ji Qiu’s outrageous stunt earlier.

Remembering the scene of Ji Qiu clinging to his father’s leg, Liang Yan couldn’t help but cover his face.

Luckily, there had been no outsiders present.

But thinking of the outcome, he had to admit — Ji Qiu had guts.

Stupid? Yes. Reckless? Absolutely. But he’d gambled on not being beaten to death by his father and he’d won.

Fortune favors the bold, indeed.

He was speechless in admiration.

Watching Ji Qiu still admiring the booklet from who knows what angle, Liang Yan finally couldn’t stand it anymore. He walked over, feeling embarrassed, and tried to snatch it away. “What’s so interesting? You’ve been staring at it forever.”

But when he tugged, he realized Ji Qiu was gripping it tight, no chance of getting it back easily.

“What, is this some kind of treasure?”

Ji Qiu beamed. “Yep. My treasure.”

Liang Yan was about to say more when he glanced at his phone and said, “My dad wants your WeChat.”

!!!

Ji Qiu froze, face full of panic.

“I already sent it to him,” Liang Yan added.

Ji Qiu stiffened. “…Okay.”

His mind began racing.

Was Director Liang still angry, planning to scold him over WeChat?

Or maybe he wanted to curse him out again?

Or he regretted it and wanted the booklet back?

No matter what it was, Ji Qiu braced himself.

He clutched the booklet tightly. Whatever storm came, he’d take it. But the booklet was not leaving his hands.

He only cursed that the Civil Affairs Bureau wasn’t open today!

Heart pounding, he pulled out his phone and saw the friend request:

“Heart as Still Water requests to add you.”

The profile picture was a lotus flower floating gracefully on a pond.

Ji Qiu twitched his mouth and hit “Accept.”

Facing him was one thing, being terrified was another.

After all, the fact that he had made it out of that house alive was already a miracle.

Just then, his phone vibrated. It was a message from “Heart as Still Water.” A red envelope.

During New Year, red envelopes had no limit and the system even attached random festive greetings.

[Heart as Still Water: (New Year’s Red Envelope – Wishing You Luck and Prosperity!)]

Ji Qiu blinked.

A moment later, Director Liang followed up with another message.

[Heart as Still Water: Note: Behave yourself.]
[Heart as Still Water: The previous one was automated. This is what I actually wanted to say.]

Liang Yan leaned over, saw the screen, and almost laughed.

Ji Qiu, still stunned, looked up. “Yan Yan! Yan Yan! Is this—”

Liang Yan’s lips curved faintly, but he hid it. “Just accept it.”

Ji Qiu suddenly paled. “Wait—your dad isn’t trying to pay me off to leave you, right?!”

After the ever-gentle Director Liang had literally kicked Ji Qiu out earlier, even the usually calm and collected Liang Yan couldn’t help but curse.

“—Idiot.”

Ji Qiu kept going dramatically, “Don’t worry, Yan Yan! No matter how much Uncle Liang gives me, I’ll never leave you! I won’t be bought!!”

Liang Yan didn’t even want to waste words. He just turned and walked ahead.

“Yan Yan, Yan Yan!!” Ji Qiu hurried after him. “I’ll accept it, I’ll accept it! Don’t be mad—hit me if you want—”

After being “rewarded” with a solid punch, Ji Qiu finally opened the red envelope.

It wasn’t a huge amount, just a lucky number.

But the meaning was clear.

No matter the anger, he’d still been accepted.

Liang Yan saw Ji Qiu’s dumbfounded face and rolled his eyes. “My dad gives me one every year too. It’s just a New Year’s gift.”

Honestly, how this guy managed to come up with such wild theories was beyond him.

Liang Yan shot him another glare, truly wondering what on earth was inside Ji Qiu’s head.

Feeling guilty, Ji Qiu began to pout and act cute.

All in all, things had gone surprisingly well today.

After Liang Yan’s mood had cooled, they started walking again. Soon, they reached downstairs.

As they walked, Liang Yan suddenly asked, “Wait a second. The ID you showed me last time, didn’t it say your secondary gender was Omega?”

“How’d you even register?”

Ji Qiu grinned proudly. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine soon!”

Liang Yan narrowed his eyes. “What did you do?”

Brimming with misplaced confidence, Ji Qiu put his hands on his hips and declared smugly, “Your husband came prepared!”

“…”

Liang Yan’s face turned red, and to cover his embarrassment, his tone went cold. “What did you just say?”

Ji Qiu realized he’d slipped again but at this point, what was one more? Testing the waters, he repeated, “I said, your husband—”

“AAAHHH—!”

His words were cut off by the sound of him yelping from the blows he’d earned. As he whimpered pitifully, he still managed to plead, “Then what should I call you instead, hubby—ow ow ow ow—!”

“…………”

Liang Yan grabbed his bag and smacked him again. “Say that one more time?!”

It was only then that Ji Qiu realized—
he’d stepped on the landmine again.

Before Liang Yan could flare up again, Ji Qiu quickly wrapped his arms around his waist and blurted out, practiced and panicked, “Yan Yan, I was wrong! Please listen, let me explain—just listen to me first!”

He had meant to say more, but when he caught a glimpse of the faint redness at the tips of Liang Yan’s ears, he decided for the sake of his own life, to stop while he was ahead.

After making enough of a scene, Ji Qiu finally quieted down, and Liang Yan lowered his hand, sighing. Ji Qiu fished an ID card out of his bag; on it, the secondary gender was still boldly marked Omega.

“I reported it lost at the police bureau!” Ji Qiu said proudly. “They’re already reissuing it. I came up with a reason to redo the secondary-gender test with the officer there, so when I pick it up in a few days—ta-da!—I’ll officially be an Alpha!”

Of course, Ji Qiu conveniently left out how, when the system still showed him registered as an Omega, he had put on his best pitiful act in front of the household registry officers so convincingly that not only did no one suspect him, they even pitied him a little.

Liang Yan thought for a moment. “When did you file the loss report?”

“Uh…” Ji Qiu hesitated. He realized that lying about the timing would only make things inconsistent, so he admitted, “The day I found out you were pregnant. When I went out to buy you food.”

Liang Yan recalled it, the shock on Ji Qiu’s face then, the fear that he would be rejected, the way he still bustled around taking care of everything, running far just to get his favorite meal.

And when he came back, he’d nervously asked whether Liang Yan was willing to marry him.

So he’d already made up his mind that day, keeping it to himself out of fear of rejection.

That was just like him.

Foolish. Timid.

But from the start, he had already thought all the way to the end.

Liang Yan’s heart softened, and his tone eased. “Alright. I’ll go with you when you pick it up.”

Ji Qiu, seeing he’d survived yet another crisis, let out a long breath, then clung back onto Liang Yan’s arm as they happily went upstairs together.

Since Liang Yan was still in the early stages of pregnancy, the morning sickness would hit him from time to time. He hadn’t eaten much of the hotpot earlier, so Mother Liang made him a bowl of light porridge, which finally soothed him a little.

Before they left, she poured the rest into a thermos and handed it to Ji Qiu, reminding him to feed Liang Yan later if he got hungry.

Ji Qiu turned on the TV, the lively Spring Festival Gala was still playing.

He went to the kitchen, poured out the leftover porridge, and tasted a spoonful. It was still warm, so he carried the bowl over to the living room.

Liang Yan sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the screen.

Just now, while Ji Qiu had been heating the porridge, a wave of nausea had hit again. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad, and he’d managed to hold it back.

Perhaps because of the pregnancy, irritability would sometimes creep up on him without warning.

When Ji Qiu came out of the kitchen, he found Liang Yan looking at him in silence.

He set the bowl down on the table. Though clumsy in many ways, Ji Qiu was always keenly attuned to Liang Yan’s moods. “What’s wrong?” he asked softly.

Liang Yan himself couldn’t explain it.

Nothing was wrong he was just suddenly restless, a little unhappy.

But saying it out loud would sound so petty, even to his own ears.

It wasn’t anything serious.

When he stayed silent, Ji Qiu grew more anxious and called his name again. “Yan Yan? What’s wrong? Tell me.”

Liang Yan pressed his lips together, gazing deeply at him.

Then he reached out, slowly tracing the lines of Ji Qiu’s face.

Ji Qiu didn’t understand why he was doing that, but he stayed still and let him.

Ji Qiu really was beautiful, his features too refined for an Alpha. Liang Yan’s fingertips brushed from his brow down to his jawline.

That lovely face was now filled with confusion and worry.

Liang Yan’s expression softened.

Pregnancy mood swings were such strange things.

He wanted to tell him, Hold me. Just hold me.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud.

The city strictly prohibited private fireworks; only on special occasions would the government launch an official display for celebration.

Liang Yan suddenly remembered not long ago, Ji Qiu had been the same as ever.

He had been standing on the bridge, watching the colorful reflections on the water, when his Alpha had come running toward him through the countdown, just to say Happy New Year right on time.

He never seemed to know what “romance” was, never tried to create it.

Yet he was always sincere, just like that night.

The countdown on TV ended; laughter and cheers erupted, the stage awash in bright red lights, the air festive and full of joy.

Outside, faint pops of fireworks echoed in the distance. Liang Yan instinctively turned toward the window, though he knew he wouldn’t see anything.

Ji Qiu followed his gaze, hesitating. “Yan Yan… once you’re feeling better, how about we go watch fireworks together next time? It’s too cold tonight, and you’re still not well enough to go out.”

Liang Yan shook his head. He’d never been that interested in fireworks anyway.

Still, he didn’t look away.

Though there were no bright colors lighting up the night sky, it was New Year’s Eve every household awake, televisions glowing. In that moment, the whole city seemed warm and alive.

What filled his eyes instead were the countless soft, golden lights of homes across the city—gentle and comforting.

And then, Ji Qiu’s arms wrapped around him from behind.

All the restless gloom melted away, replaced by quiet warmth. The world shrank down to the circle of that embrace.

Liang Yan instinctively leaned closer, his movements small but tender.

Sensing it, Ji Qiu tightened his arms just slightly, saying nothing more.

“…It’s nothing,” Liang Yan murmured at last.

Yes—just hold me.

Hold me, and I’ll be okay.

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