Chapter 50: About Our Engagement—I Want to Break It Off

Xie Li reached out and took the bag from her hands, glancing inside. Two insulated lunch boxes were stacked together, with a bag of iced mung bean soup tucked beside them, a layer of condensation already beading on the bag's outer wall.

"Let's go eat in the car." Jin Zhaoye took Xie Li's hand, fingers sliding between hers, and led her out.

Her car was parked in the temporary lot outside the tent area, only a few minutes' walk away.

At the car, Jin Zhaoye opened the passenger door, leaned in to slide the seat back, then stepped aside, one hand on the door, the other making a welcoming gesture.

Xie Li climbed in holding the paper bag. The seat had been pushed far back, leaving plenty of room—her long legs could stretch out without restraint.

Jin Zhaoye shut the door, walked around to the driver's side, started the car, and turned on the air conditioning.

Cool air poured from the vents, instantly dispersing the summer heat clinging to both of them.

Jin Zhaoye switched on the overhead reading light, took the bag from Xie Li, pulled out the insulated boxes, opened them, and set them on the dashboard.

One box was packed with a full portion of white rice, pressed down tight as if terrified Xie Li wouldn't have enough to eat. The other held several homestyle dishes—tomato scrambled eggs, beef stir-fried with wild peppers, stir-fried baby bok choy—each one looking appetizing.

Xie Li tilted her head, watching her bustle about. Under the warm yellow light, Jin Zhaoye's profile looked even gentler, so gentle it was hard to look away. A woman this wonderful was her girlfriend—what did she have to feel inferior about?

"Since I brought mung bean soup, I didn't pack any other soup." Jin Zhaoye looked up and met Xie Li's somewhat dazed gaze. "Why do you keep staring at me? Do you want to eat first, or have some iced mung bean soup to whet your appetite?"

After asking, she made the decision for her: "Never mind, drink the soup first. I made it specially for you—it won't taste as good once it's not cold anymore."

Xie Li took the soup and sipped. The beans had been cooked until soft and sandy, the sweetness just right, wonderfully refreshing against the heat.

"It's really good." Xie Li gulped down a big mouthful and mumbled, "Did you cook it?"

"In your dreams." Jin Zhaoye pulled out a tissue and wiped the corner of her mouth. "Your big sister can't even finish her work—when would I find time to specially make you mung bean soup? My family's housekeeper made it. Her cooking is excellent; I've drunk her mung bean soup since I was little."

"You're the one who said you made it specially for me, so I just asked offhand." Xie Li muttered, finishing the soup in a few gulps, then picked up the lunch box and shoveled in a mouthful of rice. It was still warm, the texture just right.

"Oh right, have you eaten?"

"Yes, I ate before coming to find you."

"Answering that fast—something's fishy." Xie Li picked up a bite of tomato egg and held it to Jin Zhaoye's lips. "You definitely haven't eaten. Ah—open up."

Jin Zhaoye shot her a reproachful look. "Don't feed me like that, it's so mushy."

Xie Li tilted her head at her. "Don't tell me you want me to chew it up and feed you mouth-to-mouth—that would be disgusting."

"You really are disgusting, Xie Li." Jin Zhaoye swatted her, somewhat grossed out by the image she'd conjured, then resignedly parted her lips and took the bite of tomato egg into her mouth, chewing slowly.

Xie Li fed her a chopstickful of rice next, and Jin Zhaoye obediently opened her mouth for that too.

After swallowing, she nodded. "Tomatoes grown on the ecological farm—the taste seems decent? Try the beef, see if you can tell any difference."

Xie Li tried a piece of beef. The meat was very tender, carrying the sour-spicy flavor of the wild peppers. She chewed, swallowed, and took another piece. "Doesn't seem different—just tastes like beef, though maybe a bit more tender?"

"Mm, it's beef cultivated from stem cells after all. It never went through a cow's life, so being more tender is normal," Jin Zhaoye explained.

Xie Li nodded and fed her a piece of beef as well. Jin Zhaoye bent her head and ate it, and just like that, bite by bite, the two of them finished the meal together.

Afterward, Jin Zhaoye packed up the boxes, stuffed them back into the paper bag, and set it on the back seat. Xie Li sank into her seat, lulled drowsy by the cool air.

Jin Zhaoye wiped her hands with a disinfectant wipe, moving slowly, finger by finger, as if deliberately stretching out their time together.

She turned to study Xie Li's profile, her gaze sliding from the faintly sun-reddened cheeks to the moist lips, suppressing the urge to kiss her, and asked as if making small talk: "What did you do at the base today?"

Xie Li reached over and took her hand, tracing circles on the back of it with her fingertip.

Eyes closed, her voice a little muffled, she said, "Hauled bricks. Hauled bricks all day. At lunch I ran into Fatty Auntie and Liu Zhaoyang at the canteen, and we agreed to head out of the base together tomorrow to scavenge for supplies."

"Why go out? Just the few of you?"

"I need to earn contribution points." Xie Li opened her eyes to look at her. "With contribution points I can rent a room instead of living in a tent."

Jin Zhaoye raised an old topic again: "Why won't you come live at my place?"

Xie Li hesitated a while before telling the truth: "Because the way I am now, I don't quite measure up to you. I don't want to move into your home like this, and I don't want your mothers to look down on me."

"Becoming the base commander is out of the question—that's Fu Yunsheng's position. But even if I can't be commander, I still have to stand at a sufficient height, don't I? A height where I can stand shoulder to shoulder with you?"

Heartache crept into Jin Zhaoye's eyes. She leaned over and pulled Xie Li into her arms, breathing in the cool lime-and-mint scent on her.

"Don't belittle yourself. You're not unworthy of me."

Xie Li laughed. "Fine, I'm worthy of you. I'm super worthy. We're a super match, a match made in heaven."

Jin Zhaoye patted her lightly on the back. "I'm being serious with you—stop joking around."

She pulled back a little, looked into Xie Li's eyes, her expression earnest: "My partner doesn't need to be strong or good at fighting, and doesn't need high status. It only matters that I like her—do you understand? All those things you mentioned, I already have myself."

Xie Li nodded. "Okay, I got it. I won't take risks. You know how much stuff I have in my space—if I don't take it out and use it soon, it'll all expire. I'm taking them out on fieldwork to find a chance to bring the stuff out and trade it for contribution points."

Knowing she had good judgment, Jin Zhaoye didn't press further. The two of them held each other quietly in the car, savoring the rare peace.

The car's vents sent out comfortable cool air; the temperature was just right, so that even holding each other wasn't hot—though twisting sideways to embrace left both of them sitting rather awkwardly.

Xie Li let go first. "Come here, sit on my lap."

Jin Zhaoye glanced out the window. Hardly anyone was moving around the temporary lot. She switched off the reading light, climbed over the center console, and settled onto Xie Li's lap.

The two of them pressed together, bodies flush, leaving not a sliver of space.

Xie Li wrapped an arm around her waist, anchoring her firmly in her embrace, and the scent of their pheromones gradually filled the cabin.

"I showered today." Xie Li tilted her head up, eyes smiling. "I'm all fragrant. Want to kiss me?"

Jin Zhaoye lowered her head and captured Xie Li's lips, the tip of her tongue slipping out to wet them little by little.

"You were fragrant yesterday too," she murmured against her lips. "Not stinky at all. Even sweaty you weren't stinky—it was all lime and mint. I really like it."

Xie Li chuckled low, tilted her head to a new angle, and kissed her again. "You love me that much? You don't even mind my sweat."

"I like your scent," Jin Zhaoye said, her voice pressed low.

Her lips slid down from the corner of Xie Li's mouth to her collarbone, parted, and took that thin stretch of skin in, applying a bit of force.

"Hey hey hey—"

Xie Li tipped her head back, but it was too late to stop her. The faint sting on her collarbone told her a mark had definitely been left.

"I bathe in the public bathhouse—everyone's going to see it."

"I'll be gentler." Jin Zhaoye's lips stayed pressed to her collarbone, laughter in her voice. "It'll fade by tomorrow, for sure."

"Jin Zhaoye..."

"Mm." Jin Zhaoye hummed, her lips still lingering on Xie Li's collarbone with no intention of leaving.

Xie Li's arm tightened around her waist. "Stop kissing. If you keep going I'm going to—"

Jin Zhaoye lifted her head and pecked the corner of her mouth provocatively. "Going to what?"

Xie Li buried her face in the open collar of her shirt, nose rubbing against her collarbone, and said pitifully, "We can't do anything right now anyway. Stop kissing me—it hurts."

Pinned by her, Jin Zhaoye couldn't move for a moment and had no choice but to nestle obediently in Xie Li's arms, holding her tight, feeling the other's equally racing heartbeat.

The temperature in the car seemed to have climbed considerably. Cool air was still pouring out, yet a fine sheen of sweat broke out over both of them.

Jin Zhaoye coughed lightly and said meaningfully, "This car has blackout curtains. They can block everything."

Xie Li turned and looked around the cabin, then reached out and pulled all the curtains shut—front, back, left, right. That done, she held her hand out to Jin Zhaoye. "Wipe it for me."

Jin Zhaoye pulled out a wet wipe and carefully cleaned Xie Li's hand, just as she'd done earlier—finger by finger, missing not an inch of skin.

Once her hand was clean, Xie Li's slightly damp palm slid under the hem of Jin Zhaoye's shirt.

Skin met skin, and both of them drew a soft breath.

The shirt hem tucked into her waistband was pulled free. Xie Li's palm caressed her taut waist, the thin calluses on her fingertips grazing back and forth over the woman's defined abs.

"It seems... rougher than before." Jin Zhaoye's voice pressed against Xie Li's neck, her breath scalding, raising goosebumps wherever it touched the skin.

As she spoke, her lips kept grazing Xie Li's neck, barely there.

"I hauled bricks all day without gloves. Does it scratch?"

"No—it feels even better."

Xie Li laughed. Her palm flipped, and two small plastic packets appeared in her hand.

"Put them on me."

Jin Zhaoye took them, tore one open, drew out the transparent film inside, and slipped it over Xie Li's fingertips.

"Lift up a bit." Xie Li held her waist with one arm, directing in a husky voice.

Jin Zhaoye wrapped her arms around her neck, braced her waist, and hovered briefly off her lap.

Xie Li seized the moment to act, and Jin Zhaoye's breathing grew heavy.

"Cold?" Xie Li asked, muffled, nibbling her earlobe.

"Not cold."

"You just shivered."

Flustered, Jin Zhaoye bit back, making Xie Li hiss softly, her teeth sinking into flesh and leaving a shallow imprint.

Xie Li winced, her wrist pressing deeper, and Jin Zhaoye shivered again.

In that cabin, the two of them traded bite for bite and thrust for thrust, like two children roughhousing, neither willing to concede first.

The jeep began to rock gently along with their tussling.

From a short distance away, the noisy voices of the tent area drifted in through the window gaps—someone chatting about the contribution points they'd earned today, someone discussing where to go work tomorrow.

Those voices blended together, neatly covering the ambiguous sounds inside the cabin that no outsider should hear.

A long while later, the car stopped shaking.

Jin Zhaoye lay flushed red against Xie Li's chest, forehead tucked into the hollow of her neck, fine beads of sweat covering her cheeks.

Her waist had gone soft and limp; her whole body exuded a bone-deep languor.

"Shouldn't you be heading home?" Xie Li asked by her ear, voice a little hoarse.

"Mm," Jin Zhaoye answered reluctantly.

After a bit more tenderness, Xie Li patted her lightly on the back. "Be good—get up and tidy yourself."

Only after lingering in her arms a while longer did Jin Zhaoye reluctantly rise from Xie Li's lap, bracing on her shoulders and easing back.

As she withdrew—perhaps it was an illusion—there seemed to be a muffled sound like a cork being pulled from a bottle.

Both of them froze at the same time.

"Ahem..." Xie Li cleared her throat, peeled the plastic film off her fingers, grabbed several tissues to wipe her slick hand, then pulled a few more to give Jin Zhaoye a quick wipe-down.

"Your pants are a bit wet. Want to change?"

"Forget it—it's dark, no one can tell. I'll change when I get home." Jin Zhaoye frowned, padded the spot with tissue, and pulled her pants back on properly.

"Wait in the car. I'll bring Xiaobao over to you." With that, Xie Li pushed the door open and got out.

The moment the door opened, the long-accumulated sultry air inside the cabin surged out like an unsealed spirit, tangling with the muggy heat outside, heady enough to make one dizzy.

Xie Li steadied herself, waved back at Jin Zhaoye in the driver's seat, then walked off without looking back.

Jin Zhaoye sat in the car, watching her figure gradually swallowed by the night.

She counted the seconds in her head. Somewhere past six hundred, Xie Li reappeared in her view.

Carrying Xiaobao, Xie Li walked up to the car and habitually reached for the passenger door. Her fingertips touched the handle, then paused.

Thinking of what had just happened on that seat, and the warmth and traces that hadn't yet faded, Xie Li withdrew her hand, shifted her steps, opened the rear door, set the little girl on the back seat, and pulled the seatbelt over to buckle her in.

Jin Zhaoye turned to look at her. A few strands of streetlight leaked through the window and fell on her face, illuminating her reluctance to part with perfect clarity.

"She's asleep." Xie Li kept her voice very low, afraid of waking the child. Straightening up, she looked at Jin Zhaoye and added, "Drive slowly."

"Mm."

Xie Li shut the door and waved. "Hurry back. I'm going back to sleep too."

Jin Zhaoye's gaze followed her. "Tomorrow when you go out—about how long until you're back?"

Xie Li thought about it. "Shouldn't be long. First trip out, we definitely won't go far. Two or three days at most and I'll be back."

"Okay. When you're back, come find me at the research institute. If you don't know where it is, ask anyone on patrol—they all know."

Xie Li nodded, stepped back two paces, and waved again.

Jin Zhaoye rolled down the window and waved back, then stepped on the gas. The car slowly pulled out of the lot and headed toward home.

Xie Li watched the taillights recede, standing where she was for a while. The night wind blew down from the mountain forest, scattering the traces of Jin Zhaoye's scent on her.

She pulled up her collar and sniffed, confirming Jin Zhaoye's smell was mostly gone, then turned and walked back.

Most of the survivors in the tent area were already asleep; only a few streetlights remained lit.

Xie Li unzipped her tent and ducked inside.

The others in the tent were all asleep. Moving quietly, Xie Li lay down in the empty spot beside Lan Ran.

Lan Ran rolled over and whispered, "Back from fooling around?"

In the darkness, Xie Li rolled her eyes and shot back: "You're the one fooling around. Going on a date with my own girlfriend isn't fooling around. Go to sleep."

Tch, so what if you have a girlfriend. Lan Ran grumbled sourly to herself, rolled over sourly, and sourly closed her eyes to sleep.

...

The car drove into the villa district. Still some distance off, Jin Zhaoye spotted a car parked in front of her own villa.

Her brows knit. She pulled into the garage and killed the engine.

She sprayed some blocker on herself, flipped down the vanity mirror to check—her cheeks still carried a flush—so she sat in the car and waited a while longer.

Once the lingering redness in her eyes had completely faded, she got out, walked around to the back seat, and lifted Xiaobao out.

The little girl was fast asleep, slumped soft against her shoulder, small hands naturally looped around her neck, her whole body giving off a milky sweetness that melted the heart.

Crossing the small front garden and pushing open the front door, the voices in the living room immediately reached her.

Jin Zhaoye changed her shoes and looked down at her clothes. Not much different from before she'd gone out—except for a few not-too-obvious damp marks on her pants.

She straightened her collar, buttoned the top two buttons, adjusted her hold to use Xiaobao as a shield in front of her, and strode inward.

The living room was brightly lit. Lin Luo and Jin Xiting sat together; across from them, Fu Yunsheng occupied the single sofa.

"Yeye's back." Lin Luo stood up, her eyes nervously sweeping over her daughter, terrified she'd come home covered in traces of her tryst and get caught red-handed by Fu Yunsheng.

Fu Yunsheng's gaze turned toward her too.

"Mommy, you all keep talking. I'll put her in her room first." Jin Zhaoye boosted Xiaobao up, using the child as a shield, passed the people in the living room, and went upstairs.

On the second floor, Jin Zhaoye laid Xiaobao on her little bed, tucked her in, and left a nightlight on.

Back in her own room, she shut the door, locked it, went into the walk-in closet, and changed clothes.

Dressed afresh, she stood before the full-length mirror and checked carefully. Confirming nothing could be seen, Jin Zhaoye opened the bedroom door and went downstairs.

Hearing her footsteps, everyone in the living room looked over.

Jin Zhaoye walked over with a normal expression and sat beside her two mothers. Wang-ma quickly brought tea.

Fu Yunsheng spoke first: "It's nothing important, really. I heard you were back and thought I'd come confirm you'd arrived home safely. Seeing you back at the base safe and sound puts my mind at ease."

Jin Zhaoye lifted her teacup, took a sip, and went straight for the zero-frame opener: "Ah Yun, there's something I want to tell you. About our engagement—I want to break it off."

The living room fell eerily silent for several seconds; for a moment, no one responded.

A flash of astonishment crossed Fu Yunsheng's face, lasting less than a second before she suppressed it. She turned and gave Jin Xiting an unreadable look.

"Auntie Jin, is this your family's intention?"

The implication was clear: was breaking the engagement Jin Zhaoye's idea alone, or did the Jin family want to cut ties with the Fu family?

"This is the first I've heard of it too." Jin Xiting smiled at her daughter. "Yeye, things are fine—why suddenly want to break off the engagement?"

Jin Zhaoye sensed her mother's hand behind her back give her a poke. She knew what her mother was thinking, but since the words were already out, she might as well lay it all bare.

"Ah Yun and I were never a good match. She's found someone she likes now too, so breaking off the engagement works out perfectly for everyone."

Fu Yunsheng knew she meant Bai Jingning and Shen Huaijin. A trace of embarrassment crossed her face—but inwardly she was secretly pleased.

Jin Zhaoye had always been lukewarm toward her, and she'd found Jin Zhaoye boring. She hadn't expected Jin Zhaoye to care about her this much—to get jealous over the appearance of other Omegas.

So Jin Zhaoye did like her after all; her personality was just too reserved to show it before.

"Ah Ye, there's nothing between me and her," Fu Yunsheng explained.

"Our two families have cooperated for years. Right now I still need Auntie Jin's help managing the base, and your aunt's family at the northern base is also highly valued by my mother. Don't bring up breaking the engagement again. The position of my fiancée will always be yours—no one can shake your status."

Jin Zhaoye's lips moved, but before she could speak, Jin Xiting pressed down on her hand and stood. "Ah Yun, you should head back first. I'll have a good talk with Yeye—she's probably just momentarily confused."

"Fine, Auntie Jin. I won't disturb you any longer, then."

Fu Yunsheng stood and smiled at Jin Zhaoye. "Ah Ye, people at our height are never bound by romance. From the moment we were born, we were destined to be together. Don't be foolish, all right?"

Jin Zhaoye watched her retreating back expressionlessly, inwardly vexed—her assessment of Fu Yunsheng had apparently been off.

She'd assumed that with no feelings between them, after breaking the engagement they could still be friends as before.

Now it seemed Fu Yunsheng had no intention of giving up her as a fiancée.

She rubbed her brow with a headache. Really, she hated these arrogant, self-important Alphas—whether they liked them or not, they wanted to claim every Omega at their side as their own.

So annoying.

Jin Zhaoye closed her eyes and slumped dejectedly into the sofa.

The living room fell quiet again. Lin Luo looked at her daughter with concern.

"All right, tell us—what's going on?" Jin Xiting sat beside her, her tone gentle, without much blame. "Why didn't you discuss it with Mom before announcing you wanted to call off the engagement?"

Jin Zhaoye's lashes trembled faintly. She ignored her mother's question—the usually calm and rational her, for once, acting petulant.

"Yeye?" Jin Xiting called again.

"Mom, breaking off the engagement—I'd already decided long ago."

"Is it because of that little lover of yours in the quarantine zone?" Lin Luo cut in.