Chapter 105: Ch 105: A Home for Tomorrow

While Su Wanyan and the other alphas continued working under the relentless sun, their arms gradually growing heavier with fatigue, Su Wanyan finally completed her tilling after one hour and twenty-three minutes. She straightened slowly, surveying the even, turned earth with quiet satisfaction. Then she lowered herself to a crouch and rested one hand against the soil she had just finished.

A soft tingling sensation traveled up her fingers—most likely the residual effect of Verdant Stewardship. She smiled as she examined the texture, the color, the way the dark earth crumbled cleanly between her fingers. After a few more moments of careful inspection she stood again and calmly brushed the fine soil from her palms.

She glanced across the remaining plots and a small smirk formed. Qin Yuran had taken clear second place and was still progressing steadily. Zhao Yichen was slowly closing the gap as well. Gu Chengze, however, was fully occupied with cursing under his breath while digging out large stones and countless small pebbles that kept appearing in his section.

Su Wanyan gave a gentle shake of her head. Haha. This is going to be fun, she thought, the plans she had already begun forming still turning quietly in her mind. She bent down, gathered the hoe and shovel, and began walking at an unhurried pace back toward the staff area. There was no need to rush; no one else would finish tilling for quite some time yet.

I really am a cheat, she thought with an inward chuckle, bowing her head slightly, and silently thanking the mistaken system that had given her the tickets. Speaking of that system.... I wonder what happened to it? A thoughtful expression crossed her face as she continued the leisurely walk, arms loosely crossed.

Then she looked up and noticed Mo Xingxue waiting near the staff members. Instantly every thought of taking her time vanished. Su Wanyan’s face lit up with a bright smile and she broke into a jog.

"Xuexue!" she called, her warm, clear voice carrying easily across the field.

Mo Xingxue looked up and saw Su Wanyan waving with both arms and running toward her. Haha. She really is like a golden retriever, Mo Xingxue thought, unable to stop the fond smile that spread across her own face. She began walking forward to meet her alpha halfway.

Seeing that, Su Wanyan sped up a little more, determined not to make Mo Xingxue walk any farther than necessary.

When she finally reached them, Su Wanyan set the tools down carefully, then, without warning, gently lifted Mo Xingxue off the ground. The omega’s eyes widened in surprise; her hands flew to Su Wanyan’s shoulders for balance.

"I did it, Xuexue!" Su Wanyan announced brightly, twirling them around, and laughing at the startled expression on Mo Xingxue’s face.

Mo Xingxue shot her a mock glare the moment she heard the laughter. "Put me down, Yanyan," she ordered, reaching with her right hand to pinch Su Wanyan’s left cheek.

"Ouch!" Su Wanyan cried, though the pinch barely hurt. She stopped spinning and held still, perfectly willing to play along if it meant keeping Mo Xingxue entertained.

Mo Xingxue immediately recognized the act. She pouted—an expression so cute that several viewers later admitted they had screenshot the moment—and then used both hands to squish and reshape Su Wanyan’s face as though it were soft playdough. She molded it into one ridiculous shape after another and laughed freely at the results.

The watching guests suddenly gasped. Even a good-natured alpha, they believed, would eventually take offense at being treated like a toy on live camera. Alphas, after all, usually possessed a strong instinct to protect their public image.

"Are you going to put me down or not?" Mo Xingxue asked again, still cheerfully squishing Su Wanyan’s cheeks into new shapes.

The guests, the staff, and the live chat all felt cold sweat form along their backs on Mo Xingxue’s behalf. I hope Su Wanyan doesn’t say anything hurtful or get physical, many of them thought, watching the pair with growing anxiety.

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Su Wanyan’s face—now flushed red from all the enthusiastic squishing and shaping—only broke into a soft chuckle.

There was no embarrassment, no flicker of irritation, only pure joy. Carefully, almost reverently, she lowered Mo Xingxue back to the ground and immediately wrapped her arms around her.

"Hehe," Su Wanyan breathed, resting her cheek against Mo Xingxue’s hair.

Mo Xingxue returned the embrace without hesitation. Her hand rose to gently ruffle Su Wanyan’s hair. "Good job," she said, voice low and warm.

The simple praise made Su Wanyan sway them both from side to side like an overexcited puppy. Mo Xingxue laughed at the reaction, and the two remained locked in the hug as though they had completely forgotten the cameras, the staff, and the other guests standing only a few meters away.

Surely they didn’t forget, right? Most of the onlookers thought, watching the openly affectionate pair with a mixture of amusement and secondhand embarrassment.

However, several more minutes passed, and the hug showed no sign of ending. Finally one of the staff members cleared her throat with deliberate volume.

The sound broke the spell. Su Wanyan and Mo Xingxue separated at once and turned toward the group, looking mildly surprised.

"Since when were you guys here?" Su Wanyan asked with a playful grin.

The staff members and the remaining guests felt their eyelids twitch. They shot her matching mock glares. Su Wanyan only laughed and shrugged the looks off. Mo Xingxue, watching the exchange, stepped slightly in front of her alpha. The familiar icy expression settled over her features as she fixed the others with a cold stare that clearly conveyed, "Fix your attitudes before I twist your necks."

The staff and guests immediately found fascinating things to look at in the opposite direction.

One of the staff members cleared her throat again, this time more politely, and walked forward. "This is your prize, Teacher Su," she said, holding out a small stack of tickets marked with "20 points." Su Wanyan accepted them with a respectful bow and a bright smile. Next the staff member handed over a large eco bag filled with cooking ingredients. Su Wanyan took that as well, bowing once more.

Then she turned to Mo Xingxue. With both hands she presented the points as though offering a treasure, and bowed so deeply her upper body was nearly parallel to the ground.

"This is my wages, my queen," she declared in an exaggerated, theatrical tone.

Mo Xingxue could not hold back her laughter at the antics. Su Wanyan shot her a wink in response, which only made the omega laugh harder.

"Thank you, oh dear alpha," Mo Xingxue said, accepting the tickets with mock solemnity.

Su Wanyan straightened and beamed at her.

The live chat, watching every second, could not contain itself.

[They are so puppy love coded!]

[I’m so full because of all these dog foods.]

[LMAO, ME TOO! I EVEN THINK I MIGHT GET DIABETES AT THIS RATE!]

[Watching them right now.... I can definitely say they’re the hallway couple in high school.]

[Excuse me for my poor knowledge about this, but what is a "hallway couple"?]

[Oh, no worries! Basically, it’s the couple in high school that would block the hallway and they’re all over each other (kissing, hugging, etc).]

[Thank you! But now that you point that out....]

[HELP! THEY REALLY ARE LIKE THAT!]

While the barrage continued assigning them new nicknames and teasing them mercilessly about being a hallway couple, the man who had been quietly observing the entire scene finally approached.

His usual cold expression was firmly in place. He stopped directly in front of the pair. Once he had their attention he simply tilted his head toward the path leading away from the field.

"Follow me," he said, already turning and walking at a leisurely pace.

Su Wanyan and Mo Xingxue exchanged a brief look of mild confusion, then shrugged. They waved casually to the remaining guests and staff before falling into step behind the man.

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After walking for a full twenty minutes along the quiet village paths, the three of them finally came to a stop in front of one of the larger houses. The man glanced back over his shoulder to confirm they had kept pace, then turned his full attention to the building in front of them.

The house stood a little taller and broader than most of its neighbors. Its sturdy brick walls had been coated in a fresh layer of cream-colored paint that still showed only the faintest traces of age.

A sloping tiled roof sheltered the entire structure, the neat rows of tiles free of rust or missing pieces. Wide windows framed in polished wood reflected the soft afternoon sunlight, while behind the glass, lace curtains swayed gently in the light breeze.

A spacious front porch stretched across the entrance, furnished with a pair of solid wooden benches and several healthy potted plants that added quiet warmth to the otherwise simple exterior.

The yard itself had been neatly swept. Flowering shrubs bordered the edges, and a few fruit trees cast cool, shifting patches of shade across the packed-earth path that led to the front door.

Though it lacked the grandeur of any city villa, the house was noticeably larger and better maintained than the surrounding village homes. Its walls were solid, its paint carefully kept, and every corner spoke of years of steady care rather than any recent, flashy renovation.

Su Wanyan let out a low, appreciative whistle as she took in the exterior. She nodded slowly, clearly pleased. Beside her, Mo Xingxue also nodded, already beginning to imagine quiet domestic scenes unfolding inside if this became the house they chose.

"This is a house left by a wealthy merchant here in our village," the man said simply. He drew a set of keys from his pocket and stepped up to the front door. With a practiced turn of the lock, the door swung open. He stepped aside and gestured for them to follow.

Su Wanyan smiled. Without hesitation she reached over and smoothly took Mo Xingxue’s hand in hers, the gesture easy and natural, as though the two of them were simply a couple choosing a home for their family.

Mo Xingxue’s fingers tightened gently around hers in return. For a moment the two looked at each other. Their eyes met, soft amusement passing between them, and both chuckled quietly before stepping forward together to follow the man inside.

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Y’ALL I’M SO SORRY IT’S LATE! I was so effing sleepy that I directly fell asleep on my desk... AGAIN! Anyway, I finished revising this at 6 AM, but as I re-read it, I realized I completely forgot about Lin Xuanyu’s existence so I quickly revised it all again LMAO. Anyway, that’s all. Thank yew for listening to my explanation LMAO.

(Also, I was listening to the bare minimum as I was drafting this, writing this, and rewriting this... just a lil TMI before I go LMAO!)