TAO | Chapter 90

The smile on Jiang Zhan’s lips froze. He instinctively tightened his grip on Wei Xiaochi’s hand and leaned in, face to face, locking eyes.

Jiang Zhan’s voice turned slightly hoarse. “What’s wrong?”

Seeing Wei Xiaochi unhappy made him panic inside.

Wei Xiaochi shook his head. “Nothing.”

He tugged at his shirt nervously and said in a soft voice, “There’s still a bit more than ten days until summer break. If your parents aren’t home… then I’ll just crash at your place for now. Once the break starts, I’ll find a job that includes housing, and when school starts again, I can live on campus.”

He looked up at Jiang Zhan with caution in his eyes. “When are your parents coming back?”

A sharp ache struck Jiang Zhan’s chest—it was like his heart had been hurled into the sky, only to come crashing down.

Right then, it hit him clearly: the boy standing in front of him didn’t have a home anymore. He’d already cut ties with his family.

But Jiang Zhan didn’t have the strength yet to offer real stability to this confused, lost Omega. All he could do was let him stay in a house bought by his parents and spend money that wasn’t his.

And that—was exactly what Wei Xiaochi was so unsettled about.

Jiang Zhan had grown up rich, raised in a family that was open-minded, full of love, comfort, and warmth. A lot of things had been handed to him since birth, so to him, it all seemed natural, a given.

But not for Wei Xiaochi. He was terrified to leave home. Terrified to live in Jiang Zhan’s house. Terrified of meeting Jiang Zhan’s parents.

Even though Wei Dongjia didn’t like him, he was still his legal guardian, still had a duty to raise him. Jiang Zhan’s parents didn’t.

Wei Xiaochi had never even met them. He didn’t know what they’d think of him. Getting kicked out of his own house and moving into someone else’s… it still felt like being an unwelcome guest.

That’s why he feared facing Jiang Zhan’s parents, scared his presence might annoy them.

He hadn’t wanted things to get this bad. He’d meant to talk things out calmly with Wei Dongjia today. But now that it had come to this… he didn’t know what to do.

If Jiang Zhan’s parents came back, where was he supposed to go? Where could he find a cheap place to rent?

All those practical questions crammed into his head, not even giving him the time to feel sad about being kicked out.

It was like Wei Xiaochi had reverted overnight back to that quiet, careful boy—always afraid of bothering anyone, even breathing lightly so he wouldn’t be a burden.

Jiang Zhan’s throat tightened painfully. He let go of Wei Xiaochi’s hand and gently cupped his face.

“If you really don’t want to stay at my place,” Jiang Zhan whispered close, “then we’ll find somewhere new.”

His chin rested against the crown of Wei Xiaochi’s head, his voice awkward, stiff, and low, like he was trying to hold something back. “Don’t be sad.”

Wei Xiaochi’s eyes suddenly burned.

He was a coward—timid and unsure—but he rarely cried.

He remembered the worst fight in his family growing up. It was when he was just a little kid, and Shen Yueran had come home to pack her things, preparing to divorce Wei Dongjia.

Before that, she hadn’t been back in over two weeks. Wei Xiaochi missed her so much that he clung to her waist and cried nonstop.

At the time, he didn’t really understand what “divorce” meant, but he had a vague sense that his mom was leaving and wouldn’t be coming back. So he cried and cried.

Just like today, Madam Wei stood nearby, throwing all kinds of nasty insults at Shen Yueran. Eventually, the two of them got into a physical fight, and Wei Dongjia exploded, hitting Shen Yueran.

She went completely wild, kicking and biting him. A man who’d been waiting outside rushed in and knocked Wei Dongjia down with one punch.

They fought. Right in front of him. Wei Xiaochi was scared out of his mind, sobbing on the floor.

When Shen Yueran left with that man, Madam Wei looked down at the crying child and smacked him across the face—twice.

“Cry cry cry, that’s all you do! That shameless mother of yours brought her side piece in here to beat your dad, and you’ve got the nerve to cry? What are you crying for, a funeral?”

Wei Xiaochi was so frightened, he didn’t dare cry anymore. That day, he learned a bitter truth: in front of people who don’t like you, crying only makes you more annoying.

So he stopped crying. He stopped showing how he felt. Whenever something bothered him, he bottled it up, slowly digesting the pain by himself.

He avoided the people who didn’t like him. As far away as he could get.

That was his way of protecting himself—lessons carved deep from past experience.

His vision blurred. Jiang Zhan kissed his eyes, one kiss after another, voice a mess of panic.

“Don’t be sad. We’ll be okay. We’ll be better.”

Wei Xiaochi’s face stayed clean, but the moment he tilted his head back, something warm slipped from the corner of his eye.

Jiang Zhan froze.

A soft, persistent ache bloomed in his chest and spread through his whole body. He held Wei Xiaochi tightly, and in that moment, he suddenly understood the depth of his confusion and fear.

Right now, he still didn’t have the power to give Wei Xiaochi the safety he needed—to help him walk away from his family without hesitation.

The Jiang family had money, sure, but that money was earned by his parents. Just like Wei Xiaochi had said, he couldn’t use it to support him.

And in that moment, Jiang Zhan grew up a little.

—

Jiang Zhan didn’t bring Wei Xiaochi back to his house. Instead, they headed to Jianghuai Road.

The Jiang family had a small apartment there. Not big by their standards—a two-bedroom flat a little over ninety square meters.

It had an open-concept kitchen, and the spacious living room was split in two by a stylish sliding screen. One side was a lounge area, the other a study.

A massive floor-to-ceiling window faced bustling Jianghuai Avenue, offering a view of the city’s most beautiful nighttime lights.

Jiang Zhan couldn’t remember why the family had bought this place. Maybe just as an investment. These days, prices here had soared so high that even upper-class professionals found it hard to afford.

The apartment smelled faintly of air freshener. Jiang Zhan didn’t like the scent much, so he opened all the windows in the living room.

“I checked with my sister—no one cleans here regularly. A housekeeper comes every two weeks. They were just here a few days ago. No one’s gonna find out you’re staying here.”

The alpha turned to look at Wei Xiaochi. The hot wind rushed in, and the sharp light poured through the window, casting his chiseled features into a soft halo.

Jiang Zhan looked like he was hiding his precious treasure away in a golden house. But really, he just didn’t want Wei Xiaochi to worry about where he’d live.

Wei Xiaochi’s reluctance to stay at Jiang’s house all stemmed from one thing: what if Jiang Zhan’s parents suddenly showed up? How would he explain?

Early relationship + kicked out of the house—either one could tank his image in the eyes of any parent.

Jiang Zhan said, “You stay here for now. I’ll figure the rest out.”

Wei Xiaochi nodded. “Okay.”

At least, he could get through the final exams. Once school let out for summer break, things would be easier.

Jiang Zhan pulled him to the window. “I stayed here a couple nights before. At night, the view down there is amazing. If you’re tired from studying, you can come stand here and look out.”

He wrapped his arms around Wei Xiaochi from behind, resting his head on his shoulder.

“In a bit, let’s hit the supermarket to get daily stuff. I’ve gotta hand out flyers this afternoon, but when I’m back, we’ll keep going with tutoring.”

Lately, Wei Xiaochi had been helping Jiang Zhan study. Jiang Zhan never refused, and though he wasn’t super enthusiastic, he never slacked off either. But studying had never been his thing—he just didn’t take the initiative.

Today was the first time.

Wei Xiaochi lifted his head and looked at him.

The alpha’s eyes caught the light, glowing with a soft warmth like melted honey. Wei Xiaochi stared, stunned for a moment—his heart filled with something sweet, like he’d just tasted candy.

—

Author’s Note:

Doggie’s grown up—Chi Chi’s tears leveled him up to version 2.0.

Don’t worry, though! His tsundere vibes aren’t going anywhere. He just won’t be the kind of tsundere that hurts Chi Chi or makes people uncomfortable anymore.

So if you’re into tsundere semes, rest easy. At his core, he’s still the same Doggie—just one who’ll fight the world for Chi Chi outside, and still be the same bashful big dog behind closed doors.