Chapter 118: Ch 118: Hidden Boxes and Shared Roof

As the two continued to cuddle beneath the shade, still deep in their trip down memory lane, soft laughter floated between them.

They were talking about the time Mo Xingxue had dared Su Wanyan to jump across a narrow stream—and how Su Wanyan had nearly fallen in. The memory was still vivid: the slick stones, the sudden rush of cold water against skin, the way Mo Xingxue’s laughter had echoed through the trees while Su Wanyan scrambled to keep her balance.

"Hey, in my defense," Su Wanyan said, still keeping her arms wrapped protectively around the omega like a warm cocoon against the breeze, "the edge was slippery." Her voice carried a faint note of lingering injustice, as if the years had not dulled the embarrassment.

Mo Xingxue laughed in open amusement and shook her head at the weak excuse. The sound was bright and free, vibrating lightly against Su Wanyan’s chest. "You do remember that I jumped over it first before daring you, right?"

Su Wanyan’s face immediately heated. The memory of Mo Xingxue landing lightly on the other side, turning back with a challenging smile, and the way Su Wanyan’s own pride had refused to let her back down rushed back with painful clarity.

"That was confidential information, Xuexue!" she protested, thoroughly embarrassed by the reveal. She pouted and buried her face against the top of Mo Xingxue’s head once more, inhaling the familiar snow-lotus scent that clung to her hair.

Mo Xingxue only laughed harder. The soft strands of her hair brushed against Su Wanyan’s cheek. "Are you asking me to coax you right now?" she teased, thoroughly entertained by the alpha’s behavior. How cute, she thought, the quiet fondness rising warm in her chest.

Su Wanyan stayed silent after the question. The blush that had started on her cheeks spread down her neck and all the way to her ears, painting her skin a soft, deepening pink. When no answer came, Mo Xingxue began lightly tickling her sides. The touch was playful and precise, finding the spots that always made Su Wanyan squirm.

"Answer me," she said, still laughing softly. The demand was gentle, but the tickling continued without mercy.

Su Wanyan tried to dodge the teasing hands, but with both of her own arms occupied in holding the omega, there was nowhere to escape. The soft grass pressed against her legs, and the dappled light shifted across them as she twisted. Finally she gave up, the fight draining out of her in a long, resigned breath.

"So what if I am?" she muttered, the words muffled against Mo Xingxue’s hair.

Hearing the expected admission, Mo Xingxue burst into bright laughter that sounded like soft bells. "I knew it~"

She pulled back just enough to wrap her arms around Su Wanyan’s neck instead. The shift brought them closer, faces nearly touching. Mo Xingxue’s snow-lotus pheromones began to leak out, curling gently around the alpha in a soft, comforting cloud.

The scent was clean and cool, like winter air and quiet strength, wrapping around Su Wanyan with the same care as the arms now resting against her shoulders. Then she patted Su Wanyan’s back the way one would soothe a child—slow, steady, and full of quiet amusement.

"There, there," she said, though the amusement in her voice was unmistakable. The words were soft, but the smile behind them was bright.

Su Wanyan pouted, but after a moment she returned the hug, arms circling Mo Xingxue’s waist once more. She buried her face against the omega’s neck and inhaled deeply. The snow-lotus scent filled her senses, familiar and grounding.

Her perfume is really good, Su Wanyan thought. It smells exactly like her pheromones.

Feeling the ticklish warmth of Su Wanyan’s breath against her neck, Mo Xingxue smiled and shook her head in quiet fondness. What a big baby, she thought, continuing to pat the alpha’s back. The steady rhythm of her hand matched the quiet beat of her own heart.

They stayed like that for a full minute before Mo Xingxue finally pulled back and settled comfortably into Su Wanyan’s arms again, returning to the warm, grounding embrace.

The soft forest around them continued its quiet rhythm—leaves whispering, light shifting, distant birds calling—while the two of them remained wrapped in their own small world of shared warmth and old memories.

Su Wanyan then turned toward the cameraman standing nearby and fixed the lens with a watery-eyed stare that clearly said, please forget what you just saw. The expression was equal parts pleading and resigned, the look of an alpha who knew she had just been thoroughly reduced to a pouting child on live broadcast.

The barrage, of course, had opinions.

[She’s so cute!]

[How can an alpha be as cute as her?!]

[She gives off golden retriever energy so much, I can’t even—]

[Wdym "gives off"? Su Wanyan IS a golden retriever! Just look at her and her owner.]

[The legendary figure of the medical field being reduced to a dog is unreal, LMAO TvT!]

[Golden retriever that, golden retriever this—but dare I say it’s more like "Big Baby Wanyan"?]

[OHH, ACTUALLY! YEAH, YOU RIGHT!]

[Fr fr, just look at her. If that’s not being a big baby, I don’t know what is.]

[Y’all, call me crazy but... babies have to drink milk, right?]

[...Duh! What are they supposed to feed on? Steak?]

[Wait, no, just hear me out for a sec!]

[...Okay, continue.]

[Thank you! So, babies have to drink milk, right? And Su Wanyan is a "big baby", right?]

[Right... I still don’t know where you’r—GASP!]

[Have you realized it? That’s right! Following that logic, Su Wanyan has to drink milk! AND! I can lend mine if she wants~]

[WOMP WOMP WOMP! THAT’S THE SOUND OF THE POLICE. RUN!]

While the barrage continued its chaotic spiral, Mo Xingxue and Su Wanyan remained completely unaware, still lost in their shared memories.

"Do you remember when we were kids and you always hit your feet against the tree roots while running?" Mo Xingxue asked, laughing at the image of little Su Wanyan charging full speed ahead only to go flying and tumble across the grass.

The memory was still vivid—the sudden loss of balance, the blur of green, and the way Su Wanyan would sit up covered in dirt with a determined expression that said she was going to try again immediately.

Su Wanyan grimaced. "Don’t even," she muttered, vividly recalling how she had ended up covered head to toe in dirt and grass. The original owner had it tough, she thought, shaking her head in defeat. The soft grass beneath them now felt almost like an echo of those old falls.

Then a much more important memory surfaced.

"Xuexue!" she called suddenly, the word bright with sudden energy.

Mo Xingxue only hummed in reply, showing she was listening. The sound vibrated lightly against Su Wanyan’s chest.

Su Wanyan’s face brightened. "Do you remember the box we hid under that tree?" Excitement colored every word. The memory of small hands digging in the soft earth, the careful placement of a wooden box, and the solemn promise spoken under the leaves rose clear and warm.

Mo Xingxue looked up from where she had been resting against Su Wanyan and nodded. "Yeah. The one we promised to open together when we grew up?" She was already certain that was the box Su Wanyan meant.

Watching the alpha’s smile widen and her eyes curve into happy crescents put her in an even better mood. The soft light through the leaves caught the edges of Su Wanyan’s expression, making it even brighter.

"Yeah, that one!" Su Wanyan confirmed, her voice bright enough to echo softly through the trees. The excitement in her tone was pure and unguarded.

Mo Xingxue chuckled. "As far as I remember, I don’t think it’s been dug up yet." After all, her parents had never assigned anyone to maintain that part of the forest, and they themselves rarely set foot there. Still.. it had already been eleven months since she was kicked out of the estate. She couldn’t be completely sure. The thought brought a faint shadow to her eyes.

"Ah." She suddenly pulled back a little from the embrace so she could look at Su Wanyan properly. The loss of contact was brief but noticeable. "How will we be able to get the box?" She didn’t need to explain further. With Su Wanyan she never did. They knew each other far too well for that.

Su Wanyan blinked at the quiet worry, then broke into a bright, mysterious smile and winked. "You don’t have to worry about that. I have my ways." The confidence in her voice was steady and reassuring.

Mo Xingxue studied her for a moment, then simply nodded. "If you say so." She settled comfortably back into Su Wanyan’s arms, the warm, familiar weight of the alpha’s hold returning like a quiet promise.

As Mo Xingxue adjusted her position, another old promise rose in Su Wanyan’s mind. The memory was soft and bright—two small children sitting side by side under the same trees, speaking with the absolute certainty only children possessed.

"Oh—do you remember when we promised we’d live in the same house?" she asked, the question completely innocent. The words carried no weight of expectation, only quiet nostalgia.

Mo Xingxue’s eyes widened. She looked up from Su Wanyan’s hands. "I forgot," she admitted, a flicker of distress crossing her face. Another promise I broke, she thought, heavy regret settling in her gaze. The soft forest light suddenly felt a little colder.

Su Wanyan’s sharp senses caught the small change immediately. She pursed her lips and hugged Mo Xingxue tighter, the arms around the omega firm and protective. The soft snow-lotus scent mixed with the forest air between them.

"Stop overthinking!" she said with a soft laugh. "If we haven’t done it in the past, then all we have to do is do it right now in the present." The words were simple, but the certainty behind them was solid and warm.

Mo Xingxue paused, then slowly nodded. "Yeah.. present," she murmured, still a little dazed by the simple logic. The heavy regret began to loosen its hold.

Su Wanyan smiled. "Yeah. So.. would you like to move in with me?" Her eyes were open and expectant, bright with quiet hope. The question hung in the soft air between them, simple and enormous at the same time.

Mo Xingxue looked at that face and opened her mouth to decline—only for the refusal to stick in her throat. Su Wanyan was currently giving her the most pitiful, teary-eyed stare. The expression was pure and devastating, the look of an alpha who had already decided the answer and was simply waiting for the omega to catch up. Within seconds Mo Xingxue’s resistance crumbled.

".....Sure. We’ll move in with you," she said at last, a bright smile blooming on her face. The words carried quiet certainty, and the inclusion of Mo Yan was natural and unspoken.

Su Wanyan’s own smile turned radiant. She hugged the woman in her arms even tighter and began swaying them both gently from side to side. The soft grass pressed against them as they moved. "Thank you, Xuexue!" she exclaimed, planting a series of quick, happy kisses on the top of Mo Xingxue’s head. Each one was light and full of pure joy.

"Stop!" Mo Xingxue protested, though there was no real force behind the word. The corners of her mouth were already curving upward despite her best efforts.

The two of them continued their soft, playful back-and-forth beneath the trees. The golden light shifted across them, the leaves whispered overhead, and the quiet promise of a shared roof settled into the soft afternoon like another layer of the forest shade—familiar, steady, and quietly precious.

Far away in a modern office, Mo Fangyue suddenly shivered. She looked around her empty office with a frown, the air-conditioning humming steadily overhead.

"What could it be?" the heir muttered, completely unaware of how many new projects Su Wanyan was about to send her way.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Mah bed is calling for meh...