ACBAM 84: Invitation

The next morning, when Gu Weiyang woke up, his head was still a little foggy.

It wasn’t until the memories of yesterday rushed into his mind, one after another, that Gu Weiyang sprang up from the bed with a sudden burst of energy, doing ten push-ups on the bed in excitement, feeling an endless surge of strength throughout his body.

After finishing his morning routine, Gu Weiyang glanced toward the master bedroom, guessing that Su Shijin had probably not woken up yet, so he changed clothes and went out for a morning jog.

After a 40-minute morning jog, Gu Weiyang went to the morning market to buy some breakfast, including egg pancakes and soy milk. He arrived home promptly at 7 o’clock.

Gu Weiyang knew that Dr. Su was still on vacation today and wouldn’t be going to work until next Monday.

He had thought that Su Shijin would still be asleep at this hour, but to his surprise, as soon as he entered with the breakfast, he saw the omega standing in front of the water dispenser on the first floor, drinking water with his head tilted back.

“Why are you up so early?” Gu Weiyang asked, a little surprised.

“Woke up, so I got up,” Su Shijin said, wiping the corner of his mouth before looking at him. “You went out for a run?”

“Yeah. Breakfast is on the table. I’ll head upstairs for a quick shower first.”

The weather in Jiang City was getting hotter in May. There were a few days when the temperature reached as high as 30 degrees. Every time Gu Weiyang finished his run, he was covered in sweat.

Worried that Su Shijin might smell the sweat on him, Gu Weiyang quickly ran upstairs before Su Shijin could approach, rushing into the bathroom to take a shower.

When he came downstairs, Gu Weiyang had changed into fresh clothes, sprayed some perfume, and smelled all fresh and pleasant, like a peacock proudly displaying its feathers. He walked over to Su Shijin’s side, gazing at him intently.

Su Shijin looked up with a confused expression, holding a baozi in his mouth: ?

Gu Weiyang desperately gestured with his eyes.

After a moment’s hesitation, Su Shijin awkwardly held out the half-eaten baozi towards Gu Weiyang, “Do you want to eat this? There are some on the table that I haven’t bitten into.”

Gu Weiyang chuckled, “Do I look like I’m trying to eat something directly from your mouth?”

Su Shijin frowned in confusion, “Then what else?”

The intense gaze just now was so heated it nearly scorched the baozi in his mouth. If it wasn’t to eat the baozi, then what else could it be?

Before Su Shijin could process his confusion, Gu Weiyang lowered his head and kissed him directly on the lips.

Su Shijin: ?

He quickly pushed at Gu Weiyang with his wrist, trying to avoid the kiss, “My mouth is all greasy!”

Gu Weiyang, with a smug look on his face, dodged Su Shijin’s attempts and licked his lips. “Tastes pretty good.”

It wasn’t clear whether he was talking about the flavor of the baozi or the taste of the kiss.

Su Shijin realized that when a person is utterly helpless, they really do end up laughing, just like he was now, laughing for no reason at all.

But what could he do? He had no way to deal with Gu Weiyang.

“Alright, let’s eat. After breakfast, you still have to go to work,” Su Shijin decided not to dwell on the kiss that smelled like little lobster baozi. He opened the paper bag and placed another baozi in front of him.

Gu Weiyang devoured a large baozi in three bites, and after swallowing, he asked, “Are you staying home today?”

Su Shijin nodded. “I plan to take out my summer clothes, I need to wash and air them out.”

Hearing this, Gu Weiyang grabbed another baozi and said, “I’ll hire a full-time housekeeper. From now on, these things can be left to her.”

Su Shijin hesitated for a moment before replying, “I’m not used to having other people in the house.”

Gu Weiyang immediately zeroed in on the key point. “So I don’t count as ‘other people’?”

Su Shijin knew what he was hoping to hear, and without showing any impatience, he answered good-naturedly, “You don’t count.”

Gu Weiyang was instantly delighted and ate two more baozi.

However, Gu Weiyang still wanted to hire a full-time housekeeper, preferably one with a nutritionist certification, who could adjust Su Shijin’s diet based on his health and deliver meals to him at lunchtime.

Gu Weiyang thought that Dr. Su seemed a bit too thin and he wanted to help him gain some weight and be healthier.

So, Gu Weiyang discussed the idea with Su Shijin, “How about this—let’s hire a full-time housekeeper with a nutritionist certification. They’ll come to work only Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. During that time, we won’t be home, so you won’t feel uncomfortable. Then, they can take care of your meals at lunchtime and deliver food to you.”

Gu Weiyang actually already had two regular housekeepers at his home but they only came once a week to clean the entire villa.

The new full-time housekeeper he was hiring would primarily be responsible for washing the clothes that the two of them changed out of, as well as preparing a nutritious lunch for Dr. Su every day. This wouldn’t conflict with the duties of the regular housekeepers who came once a week.

Su Shijin felt that as long as the housekeeper’s working hours didn’t overlap with his own time at home, there was no issue. After all, when he got off work and came home, he really didn’t want to deal with laundry or cleaning. Having a full-time housekeeper would make his life easier and more comfortable.

However, when it came to having meals delivered to him, he felt it wasn’t necessary.

“My lunchtime isn’t fixed, so there’s no need to have food delivered. I can just grab something nearby,” Su Shijin said.

Gu Weiyang asked, “What do you mean by ‘grabbing something’?”

Su Shijin thought for a moment. “There are quite a few shops around, like fast food joints, noodle shops, or meat sandwiches. It’s pretty easy to fill up.”

Gu Weiyang sighed, “It’s easy to fill up, but there’s no real nutrition. Look at how thin you are—it’s better to find a professional nutritionist to help with your diet.”

Su Shijin looked down at his body in confusion, “Am I really that thin?”

He felt like he was okay.

Gu Weiyang thought he was too thin. “Your arms are even slimmer than my wrists.”

“Not that exaggerated,” Su Shijin replied. He knew there was a size difference between them but it wasn’t because he ate too little. It was just that the body types of alphas and omegas naturally varied quite a bit.

Most alphas have tall and muscular builds, while omegas tend to be more slender.

This is natural and it’s not something that can be solved just by eating more.

“It’s just about adjusting your diet. Then, lunch can be placed in a thermal box and you can eat it whenever you have time during the day. How about that?” Gu Weiyang softly suggested to Su Shijin. “It’ll also save you the time of going out to queue for fast food. You’ll have a longer lunch break.”

Su Shijin wasn’t someone who refused advice. After careful consideration, he felt that Gu Weiyang made a valid point, and not wanting to let his good intentions go to waste, he nodded and agreed.

After breakfast, Gu Weiyang sent his request to a well-known housekeeping company he was familiar with, waiting for their response.

—

Today was Friday, and Gu Weiyang still had to go to work.

He had a video meeting in the morning, and in the afternoon, he needed to go on-site for a project. So it was pretty much impossible for him to avoid going to the office today.

When it was time to leave, Gu Weiyang put on his leather shoes and, holding his car keys, hesitated at the door, not wanting to leave. His eyes kept darting toward Su Shijin.

Su Shijin had just cut half a watermelon and was holding a spoon, preparing to watch the morning news. When he turned around, he was surprised to see Gu Weiyang still standing at the door. “Aren’t you leaving yet?”

Gu Weiyang awkwardly replied, “Aren’t you going to give me a kiss?”

He was silently requesting a kiss from Su Shijin.

Su Shijin placed the half watermelon on the coffee table, then walked over to him in his slippers. Slightly shy, he still stood on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Be careful on the road.”

Su Shijin had just eaten a bite of the watermelon so his lips were still sweet. Gu Weiyang licked his lips, feeling recharged and thoroughly satisfied, heading out the door to work with a burst of energy.

Su Shijin sat back on the living room sofa, holding half a watermelon, and continued watching the morning news.

Around 8 o’clock, Su Shijin received a message from Jian Lexin.

Jian Lexin didn’t know that Su Shijin had been away for the past two weeks. Su Shijin hadn’t told him, and because of how busy he had been with work during this time, Jian Lexin hadn’t reached out to Su Shijin to hang out.

But tomorrow, Jian Lexin had a rare two-day weekend, so he asked Su Shijin if he wanted to go shopping together.

[Jian Lexin: The weather is getting hotter, and I have no clothes to wear.] 

Jian Lexin said.

Su Shijin knew that Jian Lexin was exaggerating. His apartment wasn’t large but his walk-in closet was spacious. Inside, aside from the various suits and white shirts he wore for work, there were also plenty of stylish outfits he wore during his time off.

Jian Lexin didn’t have many hobbies, except for enjoying buying fashionable clothes and dressing himself up.

When he said he had no clothes to wear, it was really just that he didn’t have the specific clothes he wanted to wear.

Most of the time, if there weren’t weekend shifts at the animal hospital, Su Shijin would have accepted Jian Lexin’s invitation without hesitation.

Yet this time, Su Shijin hesitated.

First, he had been away from home for half a month and he needed to visit the Su family to check on his grandfather.

Second, he had just confirmed his feelings with Gu Weiyang and he had planned to spend the weekend with him, maybe going to the entertainment street to have some fun together.

Su Shijin calculated the time in his head. If he went to his grandfather’s house tonight, returned after lunch tomorrow to go shopping with Jian Lexin, and then spent Sunday with Gu Weiyang, it seemed like it could work.

However, Su Shijin wasn’t sure if Gu Weiyang would have time tonight, so he decided to send him a message to ask.

Fortunately, Gu Weiyang replied that he had time. Su Shijin breathed a sigh of relief and then replied to Jian Lexin: [How about Saturday afternoon? I actually have something I want to talk to you about.]

On the other side, Jian Lexin immediately became alert: [Sure, but what is it? Can’t you tell me now?]

The last time, Su Shijin hadn’t explained himself clearly, only mentioning that there was an agreement he needed Jian Lexin to take a look at. He had then handed him a marriage agreement, which had come as a huge shock.

So what could it be this time?!

[Jian Lexin: It’s not like you and Gu Weiyang are together now, right? Hahahahahaha.] 

Jian Lexin casually guessed, though he didn’t think that was very likely, and still laughed about it.

Su Shijin paused for a moment, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. How could he have guessed that?

After a while, seeing that Su Shijin hadn’t replied, Jian Lexin suddenly felt a sense of unease and sent a question mark.

[Jian Lexin: ?]

[Jian Lexin: Why aren’t you replying? Are you busy?]

[Jian Lexin: .]

[Jian Lexin: Don’t tell me I guessed it right?]

Su Shijin had originally planned to tell him in person, but seeing that Jian Lexin had already figured it out, he simply admitted it: [Mm.]

[Jian Lexin: ……]

[Jian Lexin: I don’t believe it.]

[Su Shijin: ?]

[Jian Lexin: Voice message 60″]

Su Shijin: ……

He stared at the 60-second voice message from Jian Lexin, hesitating for a long time before he could bring himself to press play.

Given Jian Lexin’s speaking speed, Su Shijin seriously suspected that he had just been read a mini-essay.

After hesitating for a while, Su Shijin converted the voice message to text and quickly scanned through it, extracting the key points.

In short, what Jian Lexin was trying to convey was: This is a lifelong commitment and he should think it through very carefully.

Su Shijin thought Jian Lexin’s advice made sense, so he replied: [But we already got our marriage certificate.]

…

This time, Jian Lexin on the other end of the phone took a long time to respond.