Chapter 113: Ch 113: Soft Confessions and Pinky Promises

A soft breeze drifted through the trees, gently stirring the hair of everyone resting in the shade.

Su Wanyan still lay with her head on Mo Xingxue’s shoulder, both arms wrapped around the omega in a firm yet gentle hold. The two of them remained quiet, lost in shared memories of their own childhood—days of running through forests just like this one, of whispered secrets and easy laughter.

The warmth of Su Wanyan’s body, the steady rhythm of her breathing, and the quiet security of her arms around Mo Xingxue’s waist created a soft, private world of their own. Neither of them spoke. After all, they didn’t need to.

Across from them, Leilei and Shen Guoxing sat in front of Mo Yan’s stroller. They had finally stopped teasing the baby after she let out one particularly angry babble that somehow managed to sound both offended and dignified.

Now Shen Guoxing was talking animatedly about games, her soft, milky voice bright with enthusiasm, while Leilei simply nodded and agreed with almost everything she said.

The two pairs—adults and children—were each wrapped in their own soft pink bubbles, completely unaware of how obvious it looked from the outside. The cameraman stood nearby, holding the camera and watching the tender scenes with a slightly awkward expression.

What am I even doing here? He wondered. He slowly lowered the camera (much to the viewers’ immediate rage) and stretched his sore shoulder with a quiet sigh. His gaze drifted to the baby in the stroller. Mo Yan was staring at her mothers and her jiejie with a long-suffering little sigh, as though she, too, felt like a third wheel. The cameraman nodded in quiet solidarity.

I feel you, lil Mo.... I feel you, he thought, before lifting the camera again once his stretch was finished.

Unaware of both her meimei’s silent judgment and the cameraman’s thoughts, Shen Guoxing continued talking. She tilted her face upward, watching the beautiful trees and the way their leaves danced in the breeze.

"Tag really is a fun sport," she said, voice full of sincere appreciation.

"Un," Leilei agreed. Her mind, however, was nowhere near the game. She wasn’t even looking at the ethereal forest around them.

Her eyes stayed fixed on Shen Guoxing, a small, soft smile playing on her lips. The afternoon light caught the edges of Shen Guoxing’s hair and the bright sparkle in her eyes, and Leilei found it almost impossible to look away.

"What are other fun games?" Shen Guoxing asked no one in particular. She tilted her head, crossed one arm, and rested her chin on her other hand in a thoughtful pose.

"Hm.... I haven’t tried hide-and-seek yet." Her brows knitted for a moment, then relaxed as she nodded to herself. "Eh, but I’m sure it’ll be fun!" Her face blossomed into a full, bright smile that seemed to light up the entire shaded circle.

Leilei’s own smile widened. Her eyes shone a little more, and her heart thudded harder against her chest. This time, though, she didn’t question the feeling. Even if she asked herself why, she knew she would never find a clear answer. So she simply let her heart do whatever it wanted.

"Un," she said again after a short pause.

Hearing that small "un" for what felt like the hundredth time, Shen Guoxing let out a bright, infectious laugh that could tickle anyone’s heart. The sound was pure and free, rising into the leaves above them.

"Haha! That was your thirty-eighth ’un,’ Leilei!" she declared, turning fully toward the other girl, eyes crinkling with pure joy.

Leilei didn’t even have time to feel embarrassed. She was too stunned by Shen Guoxing’s bright, radiant smile.

She’s so.. pretty, Leilei thought, her cheeks warming all over again. She quickly looked away and nodded. "Un."

Shen Guoxing laughed even harder, shaking her head. "You’re funny!"

Then she reached out and took both of Leilei’s hands. The little girl’s heart performed a complete backflip at the sudden contact.

Shen Guoxing examined the pale, slightly calloused, but warm hands with open curiosity, turning them gently in her own smaller ones. Then she smiled up at Leilei, the expression soft and completely sincere.

"I like you for that!" she said cheerfully, holding on tightly.

Leilei blinked. The blush that had been limited to her cheeks now spread down her neck and all the way to her ears, painting her face a soft, deepening pink. The warmth of Shen Guoxing’s hands, the easy way she held on, and the casual, bright declaration all tangled together in Leilei’s chest until she could barely think straight.

Shen Guoxing, noticing none of the unusual reactions, simply continued grinning at her. In her mind, this was just the natural way to talk to a new friend she already liked a lot.

How cute, Shen Guoxing thought, still holding those small hands without a care in the world. Leilei’s quiet "un"s, the way she always agreed, the shy little smiles—everything about her felt warm and easy to be around.

Meanwhile, Su Wanyan and Mo Xingxue, who had at some point turned their full attention to the children, both grinned.

"How natural," Su Wanyan murmured, referring to Shen Guoxing’s effortless way of holding hands, leaning close, and speaking with such open affection. I know she’s completely unaware of it, but.... Su Wanyan thought, before letting out a quiet, fond laugh. The sound was soft against Mo Xingxue’s shoulder.

"Agreed," Mo Xingxue nodded, absently playing with Su Wanyan’s right hand that rested in her lap. Her fingers traced the lines of the alpha’s palm with slow, unconscious care. A small smirk curved her lips.

"I wonder who she took after to become such a natural flirt." She was thinking of the countless times Su Wanyan had unknowingly leaned close, spoken with that same open warmth, or held her hand without realizing how it looked—or how it felt.

Hearing the comment, Su Wanyan considered it seriously. Hm, she’s right. She began wondering whether Shen Guoxing had inherited the trait from her biological mother or father—completely missing that Mo Xingxue was talking about her. After a moment she simply shrugged, the motion shifting the weight of her head against Mo Xingxue’s shoulder.

Eh, no point thinking about that, she decided, chuckling softly. She straightened up just enough to look directly into Mo Xingxue’s eyes. The afternoon light caught the edges of her golden-rimmed glasses, making them gleam faintly.

"Let’s not talk about her parents anymore," she said with a gentle smile. "Because what she has now doesn’t have anything to do with them." Then she settled back against Mo Xingxue’s shoulder, arms still wrapped loosely but securely around the omega’s waist.

Mo Xingxue blinked. What is she talking about? She looked down at the alpha, trying to figure out what was going on inside that dense head. After a full minute the realization finally hit.

Right. She’s dense, Mo Xingxue thought, resisting the urge to facepalm. A quiet, helpless fondness rose in her chest instead. She continued playing with Su Wanyan’s fingers, a small, thoughtful smile on her lips.

Unaware of Mo Xingxue’s thoughts, Su Wanyan continued watching the children with quiet amusement. The soft rustle of leaves created a peaceful backdrop to the little scene unfolding in front of them.

Just then Shen Guoxing reached out and touched Leilei’s forehead after noticing the lingering warmth on her face. She frowned and gently pulled her hand back. Still uncertain, she leaned forward and pressed her own forehead against Leilei’s in a careful, serious check.

Leilei let out a flustered little shriek. The sudden closeness made her heart race harder than ever. The warmth of Shen Guoxing’s skin, the soft brush of her hair, the serious look in her eyes—everything tangled together until Leilei could barely think.

She.. she can’t hear my heartbeat, right? she thought nervously, palms growing damp. If she hears it.... She’ll think I’m a weirdo!

Shen Guoxing ignored the strange reaction and continued checking the temperature with complete seriousness. Feeling the growing heat, she frowned more deeply, pulled away, and fixed Leilei with a stern look of disapproval.

Leilei stared blankly at that expression. Her heart dropped. It’s over.... Tears threatened to well up for reasons she didn’t fully understand. The afternoon light suddenly felt too bright, the soft grass under her hands too sharp.

Completely unaware of the spiral, Shen Guoxing kept her stern face and declared, "You’re burning up." She sighed and shook her head, the soft, milky quality of her voice somehow making the scolding sound more endearing than harsh.

"You had a fever all this time and you didn’t tell me?" She pouted and let out an angry little huff, cheeks puffed in genuine concern.

Leilei, who had been frantically trying to invent an explanation, paused. "Huh?"

Hearing (what she assumed was) Leilei playing dumb, Shen Guoxing pouted harder and huffed several times while trying to calm herself. "I said, why didn’t you tell me you had a fever? I kept asking you to do this and that when what you needed was rest!" Guilt mixed with the scolding, softening the edges of her voice even as she tried to sound firm.

Leilei blinked, processed the words, and suddenly burst into bright, relieved laughter. "Haha!" She clutched her stomach as every bit of tension drained away, the earlier panic melting into pure, breathless amusement. The sound of her laughter rose into the leaves above them, light and free.

Shen Guoxing shot her a mock glare. "What are you laughing at?!" She was thoroughly exasperated. I’m worrying over here and she’s just laughing.. tsk!

Without further warning she stretched out her hands and began tickling the already-laughing Leilei. Her fingers danced along Leilei’s sides with the determined energy of a child on a mission.

"St-stop!" Leilei gasped, but Shen Guoxing showed no mercy. She narrowed her eyes and kept attacking until Leilei collapsed onto the soft grass, giggling helplessly. The golden light shifted across them as they rolled slightly, leaves whispering overhead.

"I’ll only stop when you promise me you’ll tell me honestly when you’re sick next time!" Shen Guoxing declared, still not slowing down.

Leilei let out another burst of giggles and finally surrendered, breathless and bright-eyed. "I promise, I promise!"

Shen Guoxing immediately stopped and huffed, sitting back on her heels. "That’s what you get."

Leilei laughed as she tried to catch her breath, staring up at the unusually bright sky. The leaves above her framed patches of blue, and the soft grass felt cool against her back. Shen Guoxing settled down beside her and held out her pinky finger, the gesture small and solemn.

"Promise me you’ll tell, okay?" she asked, voice soft and gentle now, all the earlier sternness melted away.

Leilei turned her head, smiled, and hooked her own pinky around Shen Guoxing’s. The contact was warm and light. "I promise."

They tightened the hold on each other’s fingers and dissolved into soft, shared giggles. The sound was quiet and private, wrapping around them like another layer of the soft afternoon shade.

From a short distance away, Su Wanyan watched the entire exchange with her mouth hanging open.

"Xing’er was totally flirting," she said, pure disbelief in her voice. The words came out almost as a whisper, as if she couldn’t quite believe what she had just witnessed.

Mo Xingxue chuckled and hummed in agreement. She looked down at Su Wanyan’s hands still resting in her lap and thought quietly, How amusing that these two children who only met today have already taken a bigger leap in their relationship than we have.

She continued playing with Su Wanyan’s fingers, a small, thoughtful smile on her lips. The golden light continued to shift through the leaves, the breeze stirred their hair, and the soft laughter of the two little girls floated over the grass like a promise of something bright and new.

Around them, the forest remained peaceful. But under the shade of the old trees, two small pinkies stayed linked, one dense alpha remained blissfully unaware, and one omega held onto a quiet, growing hope.

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.....Hi, how y’all doin’? So, uh, you see.... I was feeling shitty last night, and I was getting lazy, so I was like, "Eh, I’ll update tomorrow!" and I WAS going to update earlier at 6 AM, but I just fell asleep at 4 AM during that time, so I was like, "I’ll do it later."

But then later came and I had to go to the hospital to get something checked, and after coming home, I drank the meds, doomscrolled, and passed out (side effects of the meds)... DON’T ATTACK ME, Y’ALL! I JUST WOKE UP! BUT HEY, AT LEAST Y’ALL WERE THE FIRST PEEPS I THOUGHT ABOUT WHEN I WOKE UP!