TAHDO Chapter 65

Liang Yan would probably never know just how much of a disaster his Alpha could create.

Ji Qiu was still clutching Liang Chen’s leg, sobbing his heart out , pitiful and ridiculous at the same time.

Meanwhile, the well-respected Dean Liang started to question himself again.

Maybe he really was blind.

He’d only just begun to think this kid was reliable
And this was what he got?

He didn’t even know where to start being angry.

Because from the very first word Ji Qiu blurted out, everything had already gone terribly wrong.

Calling him “Dad” straight out.

Then saying he already had a grandchild.

“……” Even Liang Chen himself hadn’t expected such a fastball. He hadn’t prepared any nitroglycerin or even nifedipine. Fortunately, he was in good health, so after taking several deep breaths, he was merely speechless rather than hospitalized.

Mother Liang, on the other hand, was completely frozen, staring blankly like her system had crashed.

“You… say that again.”

Liang Chen’s voice was icy.

Ji Qiu hesitated, then carefully asked, “Do you mean… from the word ‘Dad’, or from…”

The whole room remained silent.

Liang Yan looked at Ji Qiu with pity in his eyes, the kind of look that said, Is living really that bad?

But after a brief wave of despair and the sense that his life was over, Ji Qiu quickly adjusted.

As long as he was bold enough, Dean Liang’s anger couldn’t reach him!

Embarrassing himself in front of his partner’s family, did that even count as shameful?

No!

This was courage! Bravery! A fearless declaration!

If they were going to sort through everything one by one, it’d be worse. Better to rip the band-aid off all at once!

So, amid the heavy silence, he braced himself and continued, “I… Yan-Yan, he… he has my—”

“Dad, what he’s trying to say is true. I’m pregnant.”

Liang Yan finally lost patience and finished for him.

“It’s not Ji Qiu’s fault. I wasn’t careful during my heat.”

“It is my fault! I was the one who lost control!”

They both spoke at once then both fell silent.

The air turned even more awkward.

The hotpot on the table was still bubbling away, filling the room with a rich, tempting aroma.

Before Liang Chen could kick Ji Qiu out, the latter had already stood up in panic, then cautiously returned to his seat.

He met Liang Yan’s eyes and nearly crumbled under the sharp knives hidden in that gaze.

Liang Yan’s look said clearly: This is what you call following the plan?

Ji Qiu shot him back a confident look: Fortune favors the bold.

Liang Yan restrained himself from lashing out, his glare saying: Shut up and sit still.

Liang Chen slowly set his chopsticks down, the click against the porcelain plate ringing sharply.

At his age, Dean Liang considered himself successful — a stable career, a happy family.

He’d weathered storms and crises, faced every challenge calmly.

But now, looking at this much younger student of his, he suddenly felt completely in sync with his son’s frustration.

“Wife,” he said to Mother Liang.

She nodded mechanically, still not processing what she’d just heard.

“Turn up the fire. See if we can fit one more person in the pot.”

With a click, she obediently turned the knob, and the flames roared higher beneath the pot.

Liang Chen pointed at the bubbling broth. “Xiao Ji, are you jumping in yourself, or do you want me to push your head in?”

Even fearless Ji Qiu didn’t dare act cute in front of Liang Chen. He replied emotionally, “Okay, Uncle Liang.”

Liang Chen arched a cold eyebrow, letting out a chilling laugh. “What’s this? Not calling me Dad anymore?”

“…” Ji Qiu froze for a second, then quickly obeyed. “Dad!”

The shout was so loud Liang Chen nearly fainted on the spot.

He had mentally prepared himself for this possibility ever since learning about his son’s physiology and Ji Qiu’s pheromone compatibility.

An Alpha and Omega pair naturally carried an instinctive, primal bond. Despite modern medicine’s many safeguards, the higher the pheromone match, the more likely such things would happen.

Still—

Dean Liang could feel his blood pressure rising again.

That didn’t mean Ji Qiu could just grab his leg and start calling him “Dad”!

Mother Liang, surprisingly, was the first to recover. Seeing her husband’s dark face, she sighed. “Alright, it’s New Year’s. He came to spend it with us. Let’s all sit down and talk calmly…”

She placed a few slices of meat in his bowl and then brought out a bowl of sweet lily-ginkgo soup from the kitchen. “It’s cooled down a bit…..drink some, calm your temper.”

Liang Chen was still simmering, but he accepted it anyway, though his eyes never left the two across the table.

Ji Qiu finally behaved himself, the comical act from earlier was gone. Maybe that was his plan: break the ice crudely, force the subject out, and let the absurdity defuse the tension. In a way, it worked better than if Liang Chen had just scolded him outright.

“Eat,” Dean Liang said coldly after a sip of the sweet soup.

Ji Qiu obediently began dipping slices of meat for Liang Yan, all the things he liked. His cooking hadn’t improved much lately, but he’d become much better at small tasks: peeling shrimp, cracking crab, making porridge.

Liang Yan, who’d been silent until now, finally spoke. “We… had already planned to tell you before coming here.”

“When, exactly?” Liang Chen asked his son.

“About a month ago! It’s all my fault! Please don’t blame Yan-Yan!”

Ji Qiu blurted in panic.

“Did I ask you?” Liang Chen silenced him instantly.

Ji Qiu could only shrink back and obey.

“A month or two ago,” Liang Yan continued. “At the time… I didn’t let him mark me.”

“I just wanted him to collect samples for study, that’s how it happened.”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but Liang Chen understood perfectly.

Ji Qiu wanted to speak up, to defend Liang Yan and take all the blame.

Liang Chen glared at him. “One more word, and you won’t get another chance.”

Ji Qiu promptly shut up again.

Beyond the anger and shock, Liang Chen also felt a pang of sorrow.

As a father, the news had hit too suddenly, all his emotions were genuine.

But what position did he really have to be angry?

He knew his son’s condition, knew suppressants were risky. Spending a heat with one’s Alpha was only natural.

He understood of course he did.

An Omega’s fertility increased the higher their match with their Alpha; that’s why many Omegas chose compatible partners through official databases. Liang Yan wanted to continue school, become a doctor, Liang Chen had never stopped him.

And now, his son finally had an Alpha. That should’ve been good news.

Pregnancy couldn’t be blamed on the Alpha alone.

He knew all that.

But understanding it didn’t make it easier to accept. Liang Yan… was his only child.

He sighed inwardly. Maybe he wasn’t a good father after all, he hadn’t even known about the suppressant issue until late.

He looked again at Ji Qiu, who’d been silenced and was now dutifully tending the hotpot. Ji Qiu skewered shrimp, watched them change color, then peeled them carefully and placed them in Liang Yan’s bowl.

Liang Yan seemed used to it, eating a few before frowning and telling him to eat his own food first.

Ji Qiu smiled, still avoiding Liang Chen’s eyes, but continuing to look after Liang Yan attentively, gentle and meticulous.

Liang Chen finally exhaled. “Who else knows?”

“No one yet,” Ji Qiu said, dipping the last shrimp in ginger-vinegar sauce before adding it to Liang Yan’s bowl. “We came straight to tell you.”

No wonder he’d been interning early at the hospital, he’d already made plans.

Liang Chen’s rationality held, but the thought still annoyed him. “And your parents? You’re not planning to tell them?”

Ji Qiu froze, just as he was about to reply, his phone rang on the table.

He glanced at the caller ID and explained, “I was just about to bring that up. The person calling right now… is my mother.”

He pressed the answer button.

“Hello?”

Under the gaze of the other three people at the table, a voice came through from the other end.

It was a young-sounding woman’s voice on the other end, cheerful and bright:

“Yangyang? Qiutong said you’re not coming home for New Year. Why not?”

After a couple of seconds, another voice replaced hers. Lai Qiutong sighed helplessly:

“Xiao Qiu, Auntie insisted on calling you herself. She said she wouldn’t feel at ease unless she heard your voice… Don’t upset her today, okay? Just… go along with her for a bit.”

“Mm.” Ji Qiu replied softly. When the call was handed back, he sighed quietly.

“Mom, it’s me — Ji Yang.”

“The hospital’s really busy, so I can’t come home.”

“Yes, happy Spring Festival to you too.”

He didn’t hide anything about his family situation.

Later, Lai Qiutong chatted briefly again, saying that before the New Year she’d taken their mother to the doctor. Her condition had improved a lot, though she still often mistook Ji Qiu for Ji Yang, emotionally she was doing much better.

That New Year’s Eve dinner couldn’t really be called cheerful. When it came to their children, parents always ended up compromising in the end.

But since Director Liang still hadn’t completely cooled down, the two of them decided not to stay longer and prepared to leave.

“Wait.”

Director Liang, standing by the door, suddenly thought of something and stopped them.

Ji Qiu immediately froze, not daring to move.

Liang Yan, on the other hand, was calm. He glanced at Ji Qiu beside him and thought, Forget it. Straightforward is fine, it always works for him anyway.

And he didn’t even get dunked into the hotpot… pretty miraculous, actually.

Director Liang walked back into the bedroom under his wife’s puzzled gaze. After rummaging for a while, he came out again, still looking irritated.

He didn’t even want to look at Ji Qiu at first, but in the end, he gave a cold snort and said, “I understand your family’s situation. But that’s not my concern. Since you promised to take responsibility, then you make sure Yan-Yan doesn’t suffer, not even a little, ever.”

Ji Qiu nodded so hard it was almost frantic.

“As for your degree, if you need help, I’ll assist. If you run into any difficulties in life, tell me. That’s not a problem.” Director Liang wasn’t worried about Ji Qiu’s academics — after all, he’d personally picked him out as a student. “You’re certainly more capable than most. I might drop by from time to time to see how you’re doing. If I find you’ve fallen short anywhere… well, I won’t need to spell out the consequences.”

Ji Qiu nodded again, without a word of objection.

Director Liang still felt annoyed. “Yan-Yan likes you, and I’ve watched you over this past year. I’ll acknowledge it. He’s pregnant now….fine. It’s hard to guarantee nothing happens during a heat anyway.”

He paused, then tossed something at Ji Qiu. “But there are some things you’d better handle properly yourself.”

He turned away as soon as he threw it. He probably still needed time to fully accept everything.

Ji Qiu looked down and his heart leapt with joy.

It was a household registration book.

He nearly burst into tears of happiness, his body moving faster than his brain. He almost dropped to his knees again, grabbing at Director Liang’s leg.

“Dad—!”

The ever-elegant Director Liang kicked his proud student straight out the door.

“Shut up!!!”

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