TAO | Chapter 116

The man had a tall and upright frame. Even though time had etched its traces onto his face, it couldn’t hide his chiseled, handsome features.

He occasionally swung the golf club, hitting a ball now and then, while making casual small talk with Wei Xiaochi.

Wei Xiaochi wasn’t exactly quick-witted—he answered whatever he was asked, honestly and directly.

Usually, guests at the golf course either came to talk business or catch up with old friends. They rarely chatted with caddies.

Fortunately, this man’s questions weren’t tricky. Just small talk, mostly daily-life stuff. But the aura around him was so intense that it made Wei Xiaochi nervous—his palms kept sweating the whole time.

They only played for about half an hour before the man put the club back in the bag and said to Wei Xiaochi, “Let’s head back.”

“Okay.” Wei Xiaochi promptly stepped forward to take the bag, but the man beat him to it, lifting it with ease and striding ahead.

Wei Xiaochi followed behind, uneasy. He opened his mouth several times to offer to carry the bag but ended up hesitating and saying nothing.

He drove the man back to the VIP area in the golf cart, and before they even reached the lounge, he could already see Manager Yang standing at the door waiting.

The alpha, composed and dignified, got out of the cart and glanced back at Wei Xiaochi. “Do your job well.”

That single line carried a hint of elder-like care, which caught Wei Xiaochi off guard. He blanked for a moment, then instinctively nodded.

“The tea’s ready in the lounge,” Manager Yang came down the steps with a smile. “Just not sure if it’ll suit your taste.”

“No need,” the man said mildly. “I’ve got something to do this afternoon. I need to go.”

Manager Yang was smooth as ever and didn’t insist. “Then allow me to see you off.”

Wei Xiaochi turned to drive the cart back, when something red caught his eye—on the backseat sat a red velvet box. He quickly picked it up and hurried over. “Did you forget this?”

The man: “It’s for you.”

Wei Xiaochi blinked, sneaking a glance at Manager Yang, and politely declined, “Thank you, but our rules say we can’t accept gifts or tips.”

The man looked at him with calm, deep-set eyes. “Take it.”

Manager Yang, calm as ever, shot him a look. “He told you to take it, so take it. Rules are dead—people aren’t.”

Wei Xiaochi stood there holding the box, caught between manners and the situation.

Manager Yang smiled again. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

–

The golf course provided staff meals, but if you ate at the cafeteria, you didn’t get the meal allowance.

In the first month, Wei Xiaochi and Jiang Zhan brought their own lunches. After realizing the food here wasn’t bad, they started eating in the cafeteria this month.

Though they weren’t working the same golf path, they’d meet up at lunch.

It was buffet-style. After picking out food, they found a table. Wei Xiaochi pulled the velvet box from his pocket and pushed it toward Jiang Zhan, looking distressed.

“Someone gave me this this morning,” he said, frowning. “What do I do?”

Jiang Zhan, completely unbothered, said, “It’s fine. That was my dad.”

Wei Xiaochi’s eyes went wide. “Your dad?!”

Jiang Zhan opened the box, revealing a pair of watches, and clicked his tongue. “This taste screams my sister picked it.”

He took one out and buckled it onto Wei Xiaochi’s wrist—a complex tourbillon mechanical watch, detailed and elegant, the face set with thirty-eight diamonds.

The diamonds complemented the design perfectly—luxurious, but not showy.

Wei Xiaochi was still stunned. “That really was your dad? Why did he show up?”

Even though they’d spent over half an hour together, he hadn’t dared to stare too much at the man, so he hadn’t realized.

It had been nearly a year since he moved into Jiang Zhan’s complex. He hadn’t gone home for either Mid-Autumn or Spring Festival, spending them with Jiang Zhan’s family instead.

During that time, Jiang Zhan’s dad, Jiang Lü, had never come home. Jiang Zhan and Xu Wenyi didn’t seem to find that odd, so Wei Xiaochi never asked.

Jiang Zhan had mentioned before that his father was a regular soldier, stationed somewhere with confidentiality agreements, so he hadn’t shared much.

Jiang Zhan said, “It was him. My mom called this morning, said he got back from the unit—but he’s leaving again tonight.”

Wei Xiaochi felt his heart leap into his throat. “So he came… just to give us the watches?”

“What do you mean ‘just to give’?” Jiang Zhan’s gaze flickered. “He knows we’re together. And in the future, we’ll… you know. So while he’s back, he wanted to meet you.”

Wei Xiaochi’s ears immediately warmed. He buried his face in a spoonful of rice, but then shot his head up, suddenly remembering how dumb he must’ve looked earlier.

“I didn’t know he was your dad! I didn’t answer his questions properly at all!”

At first, Wei Xiaochi had thought the guy was a little odd—asking all kinds of personal questions. That had made him kind of wary. Now that he knew who it was, he couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.

Jiang Zhan frowned slightly. “What did he ask you?”

“Just stuff like my age, if the job was tiring, whether I was used to it, and how I did on the college entrance exam… I kind of brushed him off. Didn’t even tell him my exact score.”

His grades were basically the only thing he was proud of. If he’d known, he would’ve answered properly.

“If he came to see you, that already means he approves of us,” Jiang Zhan said, the corners of his lips lifting. He tapped the table. “I already told my mom—we’re moving out for college. She didn’t say anything.”

Wei Xiaochi scratched his head and muttered, “Oh… oh, okay.”

Jiang Zhan: “So when should we go house hunting?”

Wei Xiaochi: “…On our next day off, I guess.”

“What kind of place are we looking for?” Jiang Zhan looked awkward. “I remember you said before—you wanted a one-bedroom apartment. That was you, right?”

Wei Xiaochi stared at him. He looked up to find the alpha staring at him with blazing eyes, and suddenly he felt… completely powerless.

Wei Xiaochi tugged at the corner of his lips. “If you say so, then yeah.”

Jiang Zhan grunted. “Exactly. You said it.”

Wei Xiaochi: …

Alright. Whatever.

–

On their day off, the two of them met up with an agent to go house hunting.

These days, there were plenty of shady agents. Even though they clearly said over the phone they wanted a one-bedroom, the agent showed them three that matched… then two two-bedroom places.

“Those one-bedroom ones aren’t furnished very well. Besides, the rent difference is tiny. Just five or six hundred more per month.”

“Look at these two-bedroom ones—so much more space. You young people have lots of friends, lots of social stuff. What if someone needs to stay over one day?”

No matter how much the agent tried to talk them into it, Wei Xiaochi wasn’t moved. Five or six hundred might seem small, but per month that added up—six to seven thousand a year. Four years would mean over twenty thousand.

He only had about thirty thousand saved right now.

Jiang Zhan was even more decisive. “One-bedroom only. Don’t like big spaces.”

The agent was speechless.

Jiang Zhan decided this guy was useless and dropped him, finding a new agency instead.

When Jiang Tang heard about it, she gave Jiang Zhan a call.

“Don’t bother looking anymore. Once your acceptance letters came in, Mom and I bought a place near the school for you two. I’m having it fixed up now—just some light furnishing. You can move in a few days later.”

Jiang Zhan asked immediately, “How big?”

“Two-bedroom. Just for you two. Doesn’t need to be huge.” Jiang Tang raised a brow. “Why’re you asking?”

Hearing it was a two-bedroom, Jiang Zhan frowned. “We don’t need you to worry about it.”

“It’s two-bedroom, but I turned one into a study,” Jiang Tang said casually. “But hey, since you say you don’t need us to worry, I guess we won’t.”

Jiang Zhan had grown up pampered, with his fair share of spoiled habits. Cheap rentals had issues like moldy walls. But fancier places were too big and too expensive. He couldn’t decide.

Now that the family had given them a clean, stable place, he was honestly glad.

“I thought it over,” Jiang Zhan said stiffly. “I’ll count it as a loan. I’ll pay you back once I start working.”

Jiang Tang laughed so hard she had to bend over, then cleared her throat and said seriously, “How could we do that? It’s good that you two are working hard, but if your mom and I are out here buying places and decorating, wouldn’t that just be dragging you down?”

Jiang Zhan was momentarily speechless, then muttered, “I thought about it again. We’re family… dragging down is dragging down.”

That made Jiang Tang burst into laughter. “Jiang Lanlan, never thought I’d see the day!”

If this was the old Jiang Zhan, he would’ve lost it at a comment like that. But now, with a whole partner in tow, he wasn’t quite so arrogant anymore.

The vein on Jiang Zhan’s forehead throbbed. “Don’t call me Jiang Lanlan. Especially not in front of him.”

Jiang Tang gasped, feigning innocence. “Him? Who’s ‘him’? If you don’t say it, how would I know?”

Jiang Zhan: “None of your business!”

She knew he secretly called his little Omega “Chichi,” but he was too prideful to say it aloud. His phone had him saved as “Chichi,” but the name was masked to avoid getting caught.

Her dumb little brother was so cute it made her want to mess with him. “You know, I’ve got tons of your baby photos. I was thinking of showing them to Chichi.”

She even emphasized “Chichi.”

Jiang Zhan instantly exploded, gritting his teeth, “Jiang—Tang!”

Jiang Tang laughed out loud.

–

That evening, Xu Wenyi called Wei Xiaochi and invited him over for dinner.

Jiang Zhan had already told him about the two-bedroom place Xu Wenyi had bought. This dinner was probably her way of officially breaking the news, since Jiang Zhan had heard it from Jiang Tang.

It wasn’t his first time eating at the Jiang house, so while he was a little nervous, it wasn’t like the first time he came over.

Tonight, Xu Wenyi cooked herself, with Aunt Zhou helping out.

Wei Xiaochi sat beside Aunt Zhou snapping green beans. Meanwhile, the long-limbed alpha hovered behind him, trying to help—but there were only so many beans, and Wei Xiaochi wasn’t even halfway done.

Bored out of his mind, Jiang Zhan squatted behind him, staring at the omega’s translucent earlobes under the light. He’d randomly touch them, or poke at the red mole behind his ear.

Eventually, Aunt Zhou got annoyed and kicked them both out of the kitchen for being in the way. The two of them sat in the living room, exchanging helpless looks.

Jiang Zhan: “What’re you looking at me for? It wasn’t me who kicked us out.”

Okay, maybe not, but it was totally his fault they got kicked. Not like Wei Xiaochi could say that aloud, so he just looked away.

“Come closer,” Jiang Zhan suddenly said.

Wei Xiaochi gave him a look: ???

Jiang Zhan: “I think I saw another mole at your hairline. Come over, let me check.”

Seeing Jiang Zhan gearing up for another round of Find the Moles, Wei Xiaochi looked awkward. “C-Can we not?”

Jiang Zhan deadpanned, “Come here.”

Wei Xiaochi darted a glance at the kitchen, then leaned his head over. “Can you see now?”

Jiang Zhan brushed the hair behind his ear, eyes serious like he’d just discovered a hidden continent. “Yup, it’s a mole. Wait, I’ll take a picture.”

Wei Xiaochi: …

Has he never seen a mole before?

Unable to argue, he just lifted his hair and let Jiang Zhan take the photo.

…If anyone saw, how were they supposed to explain this?

–

After dinner, Xu Wenyi called the two of them into the study for a talk.

⸻

Author’s Note:

Later, the dog (Jiang Zhan) will hunt down every single mole on Chichi’s body 🐶💥

If all goes well, the next chapter will be the finale! There’ll be extras too~