RBNR Ch23: Betrothal

Qin Bao got dressed and tidied up before heading home, feeling extremely anxious. Holding Feng Chengyu’s coat, he tiptoed inside, feeling guiltier than when he used to sneak back after a night of fun.

Disappearing from his own birthday party wasn’t exactly a reasonable thing to do, especially with another eye-catching person.

Qin Bao took out his phone and found that apart from two calls each from Mr. Qin and Ms. Rong, no one else had tried to contact him.

One call log showed a conversation lasting several seconds. He suddenly remembered that Feng Chengyu had taken his phone once last night, while he was lying on top of him, sweating and resting. Feng Chengyu had taken the phone from his suit pocket.

He vaguely remembered hearing some conversation but had no energy to pay attention to the details.

How had Feng Chengyu managed to bluff his way through?

Qin Bao was curious.

“Stop.”

The old man’s voice came unexpectedly.

Qin Bao froze and slowly turned around.

The old man was sitting in the living room drinking tea early in the morning, his gaze sharp. Qin Bao braced himself and greeted, “Grandpa… You’re up early enjoying tea. Why didn’t you take the pug for a walk?”

That pug was adept at pleasing people and would call Qin Bao “Bao Bao” whenever it saw him, regardless of propriety.

The old man scrutinized him for a while, his eyes lingering on the coat in his arms for a few seconds, then smiled kindly, “Last night, we called you to cut the cake, but you were nowhere to be found, so your father did it for you. Chengyu was also missing without a word. Tell me, were you two together last night?”

Qin Bao understood what his grandfather implied.

An Alpha and an Omega disappearing together, plus his current state—any fool could guess what they had been up to, especially with the coat as evidence.

If he had known, he would have left it in the room. Why did he bring it back…

Qin Bao couldn’t help but curl his toes, “…Yes.”

Hearing this indecent admission, the old man surprisingly didn’t use his cane or scold him. Instead, his smile grew even kinder, “So Chengyu brought you back?”

Qin Bao felt dazed, “No, he had urgent matters and left early. I came back on my own.”

“Good, good, he had things to attend to, and you were understanding.” The old man said, “Go upstairs and rest. I’ll have Mama Tao make you something nice to eat.”

The sun must have risen in the west today. Qin Bao walked upstairs, feeling like he was in an alternate universe or parallel world where everything seemed off.

No, things had been strange since Feng Chengyu arrived last night.

He was puzzled but couldn’t pinpoint why.

Whatever, a more open-minded household was better than being punished and having his ears pulled.

Returning to his room, Qin Bao went straight to the bathroom, filling the tub to soak in.

Feng Chengyu had cleaned him up last night, but he still felt uncomfortable, sore all over as if he had been in a fight. His waist even bore Feng Chengyu’s bruises.

Those hands were too strong, and it seemed the pent-up tension had made him lose control. His demeanor last night was completely different from his usually calm and elegant exterior. At the time, Qin Bao felt like he might be broken, almost overwhelmed.

So, Alphas should avoid wearing those watches with anesthetic features. Once they relax, they go all out. If he ever faced a real heat, it would be madness.

However, he had also bitten Feng Chengyu’s shoulder in a fit of frustrated passion, leaving teeth marks. Feng Chengyu had endured it without a flinch, only showing a bit of ticklishness when Qin Bao kissed his chest.

Remembering last night, Qin Bao couldn’t help but laugh.

He foolishly soaked in the tub for a while, almost falling asleep due to the night’s exertion and lying on the carpet until dawn.

He climbed into bed and had a comfortable sleep. When he woke up, it was already dark, and his whole body ached even more. Lazily, he reached for his phone to check if there were any missed calls from an unfamiliar number, possibly Feng Chengyu’s.

Feng Chengyu was indeed busy; there were no calls other than a few birthday wishes.

Unable to fall back asleep, Qin Bao began responding to his friends’ messages.

He first messaged Xu Tangzhou: [Got your gift, haven’t opened it yet. But your brother left so quickly, I didn’t even get to see him properly.]

Xu Tangzhou’s previous messages were all birthday wishes from the day before, with no new replies, likely because he was in class.

Feeling an uncontrollable excitement, Qin Bao sent another message: [I have something big to tell you. Are you free this weekend? I’ll come to Qinan to see you.]

Then he messaged Shan Yiming: [Got the ticket, see you then.]

Lastly, he opened other messages, most of which were just birthday wishes, and didn’t reply much.

He had posted the same photo from Flow on his Dingxin moments, which showed 99+ interactions. He clicked through the comments from friends and family until he saw one from Feng Chu.

Feng Chu commented: [Remember to seat me at the main table when you get married!]

Qin Bao: “…”

Condition worsening, how about you sit in the groom’s seat?

He clicked on Feng Chu’s profile, intending to ask about Feng Chengyu, and saw that Feng Chu had updated his photo album.

The latest picture was from Qin Bao’s birthday party, showing Feng Chengyu’s back.

The lights were dazzling, and Feng Chengyu had just arrived, his side profile not very clear.

Feng Chu captioned it: “Who says love can’t be destined or arranged by matchmakers? I declare that the CP I’ve shipped since childhood has come true!!”

Qin Bao was utterly confused.

The circle was small, and among his childhood friends, besides Tu Yisen, there were others who knew Feng Chu. He had seen familiar faces in each other’s social media circles.

Someone commented on Feng Chu’s post: [What? Your brother actually agreed? Help, I don’t want an arranged marriage!]

Qin Bao’s heart sank, feeling that something was wrong.

There was something off about the reserved seat for Feng Chengyu, and about Grandpa’s attitude towards their disappearance overnight.

Some images from deep in his memory were also flickering in and out.

It seemed like, at some point, there were children’s voices laughing and shouting.

“Qin Bao is a child bride!”

“Qin Bao has a betrothal!”

…

The person who commented on Feng Chu’s post was Huang Youqi. His family’s elders were in the Ministry of Education, and since he was a child, he was a smooth talker. Qin Bao and his group, including Tu Yisen, didn’t really like playing with him.

Qin Bao poked him: [What did you mean by your comment under Feng Chu’s post?]

They hadn’t spoken in a long time, and Huang Youqi responded quickly.

[!!! Supermodel!]

[Sorry, I’m abroad and couldn’t make it to your coming-of-age ceremony yesterday. Happy birthday!]

It was all fake pleasantries. Qin Bao had no time for small talk and called him directly.

“Bro-brother Bao?” Huang Youqi answered, a bit surprised. “What can I do for you?”

Qin Bao asked, “What did you mean by your comment? What betrothal?”

Huang Youqi understood, “Oh, don’t be shy. I won’t laugh at you. Even though you and Feng Chengyu were betrothed as children, it’s actually good that you ended up together. You’re well-matched. If it bothers you, I can delete the comment right now.”

Qin Bao’s temples throbbed, “Feng Chengyu and I? What nonsense are you talking about?”

Huang Youqi wasn’t sure if Qin Bao was just being stubborn or too prideful, so he said, “I get it, you don’t like others bringing it up. You even fought with Tu Yisen over this when we were little. But don’t worry, only we close friends know about your engagement. No one else will spread it. Besides, even if they did, it wouldn’t change anything for you two.”

Qin Bao’s breathing quickened, his anger almost deafening him to Huang Youqi’s words.

“To be honest, Brother Bao, my family also arranged something like this for me. But the other person is nowhere near as good as Feng Chengyu. They’re really ugly. If you two go through with this, my parents might arrange mine next…”

Qin Bao hung up the phone.

He rushed downstairs to find the living room empty. He ran to the garden, where he saw Mama Tao watering the boxwood.

“Oh my, you’re not even wearing shoes?”

Mama Tao dropped the hose and pulled him onto a softer surface.

Qin Bao’s face was pale, “Mama Tao, am I engaged to someone?”

“Why bring this up suddenly?” Mama Tao was unaware of what had happened yesterday, “Did someone say something to you?”

Qin Bao insisted, “Just tell me if it’s true.”

Mama Tao had no choice but to say, “There is such a thing, but I only heard about it. It seems to be with the Feng family.”

The Feng family could only mean Feng Chengyu’s family.

Qin Bao heard himself ask, “How was it arranged? Is it with someone named Feng Chengyu?”

Mama Tao nodded, “It was arranged when you were still in your mother’s womb. The old master and Feng Chengyu’s grandfather set it up. I started taking care of you when you were just a month old. The young master from the Feng family even came to see you.”

Qin Bao felt dizzy, “…”

Mama Tao said, “Xiao Bao, don’t worry. If you don’t like it, your parents will definitely support you. This isn’t the age for arranged marriages. You see, you’re the apple of your grandfather’s eye. He spoils you so much. If you truly don’t want it, he won’t force you.”

Qin Bao’s memories became clearer.

He remembered that there was indeed such an arrangement. When Tu Yisen called him a child bride, he had straddled Tu Yisen and punched him so hard that he broke one of Tu Yisen’s teeth.

Everyone was terrified. Tu Yisen’s mouth was full of blood, and Qin Bao was pulled away by adults who had rushed over.

Through his tear-filled eyes, Ms. Rong had squatted down to comfort him, “Bao, deep breaths, deep breaths. The kids were just joking. You are Mommy and Daddy’s treasure. How could there be a betrothal? You will always be Mommy and Daddy’s baby!”

Qin Bao turned and walked away.

He walked barefoot back to his room. Along the way, images replayed in his mind.

Feng Chu’s encouragement, Mr. Qin’s furrowed brow criticizing him, “What’s it look like moving in here?” Grandpa happily chewing on toffee, the flowers sent by Feng Chengyu…

And the specially reserved seat next to him, as well as the latecomer…

“You’ve grown up.”

Feng Chengyu touched his face.

“I will take responsibility.”

…

Qin Bao went into his room and opened the birthday gift Feng Chengyu had given him. Inside the silver box lay a daffodil-shaped brooch studded with diamonds.

Bulb flowers not only include lilies, tulips, and freesias, but also daffodils.

No wonder he was always baiting him, always so confident.

Why give such a gift?

Traveling such a long distance, he had come to unwrap Qin Bao himself.

It was like a slap in Qin Bao’s face.

He picked up the damn brooch and hurled it against the wall.

______

Author’s Note:

The kid is throwing a tantrum. With Brother Feng around, there won’t be any real suffering. It’s just a rowdy pre-marital love story.