TAHDO Chapter 67

The household registration office had been empty these past few days, and Ji Qiu spent every one of them clinging resentfully to Liang Yan, silently wondering when they could finally make it official.

The early pregnancy symptoms still hadn’t subsided, so Liang Yan didn’t go visiting relatives with his parents. Instead, he stayed in Qicheng with Ji Qiu, content to laze around the house in peace.

The couple planned to return only after the Lantern Festival. Director Liang, tactful yet firm, had said that if Ji Qiu wasn’t working, the two of them could temporarily stay at their house.

But since Liang Yan’s home was far from the affiliated hospital, they ended up spending just two or three cozy days together during the break.

One thing worth praising was that although Ji Qiu had zero talent for cooking, making porridge wasn’t exactly difficult. Plus, Liang Yan’s family had a ready-to-use clay pot. All Ji Qiu had to do was buy the ingredients and learn the right heat control,no matter what, it wouldn’t turn out inedible.

Thus, the clay pot at Liang Yan’s home became Ji Qiu’s new favorite. After all, dishes like chicken soup or fish soup were too hard for him and usually came from takeout shops. The porridge was his one chance to prove himself, and he enjoyed it thoroughly.

It even gave Ji Qiu the illusion that his status at home had suddenly risen.

But, of course, that was only an illusion.

Perhaps because big companies also celebrate New Year, the entire holiday passed quietly, no drama from KB. Both Director Liang and Yu Zhenghao said the same thing: the company was handling internal disputes and would make an official statement later.

Ji Qiu still didn’t manage to go home, but he caught up with Lai Qiutong over the phone. She said she’d be taking her mother for a follow-up hospital check the next day.

Due to the divorce, Ji’s mother was living with her new husband. Other than reacting strangely whenever Ji Yang was mentioned, her daily life was otherwise unaffected.

The two fell silent on the phone for a moment.

“Yan Yan…” Ji Qiu told Lai Qiutong about Liang Yan’s pregnancy. “He’s still dealing with morning sickness, but once things settle down here, I’ll handle it properly.”

“Liang Yan’s pregnant?” Lai Qiutong was stunned for a moment, then chuckled softly. “Congratulations.”

Her straightforward blessing actually made the usually thick-skinned Ji Qiu feel a little embarrassed.

“So that’s why you said you wanted to start your internship early?” Since she was also an Alpha and close to him, she quickly understood his intention. “That’s good.”

Ji Qiu hummed in agreement.

“Take good care of him. And talk things out, no matter what happens. KB’s lab has already been pulled out of the university, so spend more time with him. If things get too busy when classes resume, don’t push yourself, I can handle things for you.” Lai Qiutong, being a few years older, couldn’t help giving some extra advice. “After all, back then, I…”

Back then, I didn’t have the chance. And now, I never will.

She swallowed the rest of her words.

In the following days, the sofa became Liang Yan’s favorite spot, he could spend an entire day sitting or lying down with his knees hugged, watching TV or reading.

If Ji Qiu didn’t occasionally drag him up for a walk, Liang Yan would’ve felt like his vacation was slipping away meaninglessly. And after one particular phone call, Ji Qiu became even clingier though Liang Yan would still act confused at first, he never actually pushed him away.

He didn’t even know when he’d stopped resisting, or when he started unconsciously giving in.

Ji Qiu finally figured out the trick.

He could always sense Liang Yan’s moods, sometimes like that one night, he’d suddenly get quiet and down. But if Ji Qiu acted a little spoiled or hugged him, he’d cheer up quickly. And once that happened, Ji Qiu could mess around several times in a row without getting hit.
Of course, sometimes Liang Yan would get more irritable than usual but that had its perks too. After venting, he’d become even clingier.

Clingy!

What a word!

It was a word that didn’t fit Liang Yan’s character at all!

But Ji Qiu, gleefully masochistic, thought if it meant Liang Yan would stick to him more, a few more beatings were totally worth it.

He rubbed his hands together excitedly.

Pregnancy was roughly the same for all Omegas. Apart from emotional fluctuations, those with stronger constitutions had lighter symptoms and less morning sickness. After the early stage came the troublesome mid-term syndrome, which wouldn’t stabilize until around the seventh month.

Liang Yan was still in the first stage. Compared with others, he was doing quite well, the nausea wasn’t too bad, and as long as he ate properly, things were fine.

Unfortunately, the holiday didn’t last long. Ji Qiu soon had to return to work at the hospital.

Liang Yan refused Ji Qiu’s idea of hiring someone to look after him and said helplessly, “It’s not like you don’t come home every day. I wake up late anyway, I’ll just read or watch TV. What’s there to worry about?”

And besides, classes would start soon.

Only after several rounds of persuasion (and mild threats) did Ji Qiu give up on hiring help and instead spent every day staring at his phone.

Whenever Liang Yan asked what he was looking at, Ji Qiu would shyly reply, “Just checking when you’ll officially become my husband.”

“……” Naturally, that earned him another round of fresh bruises.

Amid the chaos, the eighth day of the lunar new year arrived. Ji Qiu had taken leave in advance, he didn’t want to waste a single day and dragged Liang Yan straight to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

It wasn’t a special date, but neither of them were superstitious. Ji Qiu was just impatient. Liang Yan couldn’t win against his persistence and woke up early, still half-asleep, watching Ji Qiu nervously fuss in front of the mirror.

“So anxious?” Liang Yan asked.

“Yes, very.” Ji Qiu’s face was solemn. “Before your parents get back while I still have the household booklet, we must strike while the iron’s hot!”

Still sleepy, Liang Yan rubbed his eyes, clutching the blanket. “We’re just getting the certificate and taking a photo. You’re not planning to hire a makeup artist too, are you?”

Ji Qiu looked at him seriously. “Do you have a good stylist to recommend?”

Liang Yan rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at him.

The blanket still carried his morning warmth and faint traces of his pheromones.

For a pregnant Omega, Alpha pheromones were the best natural comfort. Even though Liang Yan knew exactly where the scent came from and had even reached out to touch him earlier watching Ji Qiu nervously preen in the mirror still made him shrink shyly back under the blanket.

It was… very comfortable.

He squinted his eyes and dozed off again.

When Ji Qiu finally decided what to wear, he tapped the lump under the blanket as if going into battle. “Yan Yan, Yan Yan.”

No response.

“Yan Yan!”

Still no movement.

Summoning courage, Ji Qiu raised his voice: “Wifey? Time to go?”

Liang Yan finally opened his eyes and glared.

Ji Qiu took a deep breath and pounced. “Let’s go, hubby—!”

And promptly got kicked off the bed.

The weather was nice that day. When they arrived at the office early, there wasn’t even a line.

“Sis! We’re here to get married!” Ji Qiu beamed, handing over their documents.

It was the first workday after the holidays, and they were the first couple of the day. Seeing Ji Qiu’s bright face, the clerk smiled warmly. “No rush! Right away. This is your husband, right?”

She looked kindly at Liang Yan beside him.

Both were dressed sharply, Ji Qiu insisted on a white suit while Liang Yan, after a long silent stare, quietly chose black.

His pale skin and sleek figure made the black suit look even more elegant.

Ji Qiu, with a neat little bow tie, leaned close before leaving the house. “Yan Yan, help me with this.”

Liang Yan wasn’t used to such outfits either, but he carefully tied the bow for him.

The gesture wasn’t particularly special yet it lingered in Ji Qiu’s mind for a long, long time.

And Liang Yan, thinking of that moment, found himself just a little bit distracted.

“Yes! He’s my husband!” Ji Qiu’s voice rose in excitement, successfully snapping Liang Yan out of his thoughts.

The clerk smiled as she took the documents. “Alright, alright, congratulations to you and your Alpha hus— wait, you’re the Alpha?”

Then why are you in white and calling him your husband?!

Ji Qiu didn’t seem to notice anything wrong. “Yep, that’s right.”

“…” The clerk’s smile remained genuine, though she couldn’t help sneaking another glance at the cool, handsome Omega beside him. She was surprised but didn’t ask.

The entire process was actually very simple.

While the clerk adjusted the equipment, Ji Qiu took the chance to chat with Liang Yan.

“Please wait a bit! We’ll be ready soon!” the clerk called out cheerfully. Since the two had arrived so early and were the first couple of the day, things took a little longer.

Sitting side by side, Ji Qiu leaned in close to whisper in Liang Yan’s ear.

“Everyone at school still thinks we’re some kind of forbidden, star-crossed gay couple!”

Liang Yan, knowing Ji Qiu didn’t care about such talk, gave him a sidelong glance and rarely played along. “Yes. Gay.”

As soon as he said it, he nearly couldn’t suppress a smile.

It felt… nice.

The world only sees our appearance. They speculate, they doubt us.
But where no one can see, we’re already tightly bound together.

Starting today, our names will be written side by side.

And from now on, we’ll walk a long, long road together through so many things, hand in hand.

Just thinking about it filled him with quiet anticipation.

Ji Qiu was still talking about something.

Liang Yan’s gaze dropped to the simple little bow tie on his chest, and suddenly, words welled up inside him that he wanted to say.

“Ji Qiu,” he interrupted softly.

The chatterbox Alpha instantly fell silent.

Liang Yan seemed a little embarrassed, speaking in a low voice so no one else could hear, leaning closer.

“I never used to have any real concept of things like this,” he said slowly, hooking his pinky around Ji Qiu’s. “I couldn’t imagine who my partner would be, whether life together would be boring, what kind of future we’d have.”

He squinted slightly, glancing toward the clear winter sky; his eyes shimmered with warm light.

“But now I think if it’s you, I don’t mind spending even a boring lifetime together.”

And of course, Ji Qiu immediately glued himself to him again like sticky candy.

“Yan Yan, actually… there’s something I want to say too.”

Liang Yan turned to him. “Hm?”

Before he could react, something small slipped onto his finger.

“You mentioned it before. I’m making it up to you.”

Ji Qiu’s voice went soft.

“I don’t want you to look back on the day we got our marriage license and think it was just ordinary and dull—no different from any other day.”

“I’ll keep every promise I’ve made.”

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Author’s Note:
Too unromantic… Mama’s crying.

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