Why Not (Lily ABO) - Chapter 3
After taking her parents to the hotel and settling them in, the family set off for dinner, much to Shi Xu’s relief that they weren’t going straight home. Calling it “home” wasn’t entirely accurate, though; it was simply a small three-bedroom apartment Shi Jing had bought with her savings after starting work in A City. When she heard her brother was accepted into A University, she, as his older sister, offered him one of the rooms so he could stay there when not in the dorms. The other two rooms were the master bedroom and a study.
Shi Jing’s parents didn’t say much. When Shi Jing graduated with her master’s degree, her father suggested she return home and join the family business directly. Shi Jing had studied international economics and trade, and while the family ran an engineering firm, it wasn’t completely unrelated. After much consideration, Shi Jing decided to stay and work in A City, remaining with her internship company thanks to her teacher’s recommendation letter, and declining her father’s wish for her to inherit the family business. Last year, she exceeded her performance targets, bringing in huge profits for the company, and was promoted by her former boss. After three years, she successfully became a project manager. The job was tiring and required frequent business trips, but fortunately, the salary was substantial. She had saved a good sum of money and made a home for herself in A City. “Work hard for two more years, get a bigger house, and then Mom and Dad won’t have to stay in a hotel when they visit,” Shi Jing thought.
Shi Xu wasn’t so lucky. Because his sister hadn’t studied engineering, Shi Xu was pressured into enrolling in A University’s architecture department, which directly led to him only getting the chance to meet Fu Shuyun, the finance department’s beauty, in his sophomore year.
“Jing, when are you bringing an Omega home? You’re 27 now, aren’t you?”
Here it came, the unchanging topic. It wasn’t that Shi Jing didn’t want to find someone; it was that she genuinely didn’t want to be in a relationship. She knew she was prone to jealousy. Even when she was just flirting with a senior, before they had even officially started dating, she couldn’t stand the senior’s other suitors. It was precisely because of her “vinegar essence” personality that the senior rejected her. The senior told her she couldn’t accept someone too possessive; everyone had their own social circle, and romance was just one part of it. They could still be friends. But after the confession, their relationship quickly cooled to the point where they weren’t even friends.
“Yeah, Sister, I wish you an early recovery from inhibitor reliance.”
Speaking of Alpha inhibitors, normally, one wouldn’t need them without an estrus period. However, work inevitably involved various social settings, and she had grown accustomed to giving herself an inhibitor shot before events, just as a precaution. At least it prevented her from being overcome by desire and doing something uncontrollable; she certainly didn’t want to wake up the next day and be sued by an Omega.
“I’ll consider it. This fish is good, Mom and Dad, eat more.”
Over the weekend, the two siblings spent their time with their parents, eating, drinking, and having fun. On Monday, after seeing their mother off, Shi Jing thought about it and decided to give the car to her father, as it was definitely more convenient to have a car. Taking the subway to work was also very convenient. Sitting in her office, Shi Jing kept feeling like she had forgotten something. She scrolled down WeChat and finally saw the message Fu Shuyun had sent her yesterday. How rude of her not to reply promptly! She tapped on the chat box.
[Sister, I’m Fu Shuyun! You can just call me Shuyun.]
[Oh, I forgot to mention, Shi Xu and I are just classmates. We just happened to be going to dinner together that day. Usually, it’s four or five of us.]
[So, when will sister take me for Japanese food?]
This child, she explained herself very promptly, even though it had nothing to do with her, did it? Shi Jing didn’t even notice the smile on her face. This made her colleagues in the office nervous. Shi Jing was usually very serious at work, only smiling when reviewing or critiquing, which was practically a smile hiding a dagger. No one dared to speak, heads bowed, working diligently, afraid of being called out for a private chat.
She thought for a moment: her dad had the car now, she was busy with work on weekdays, and the other person had classes. After confirming her father’s schedule, she opened WeChat and, after some consideration, decided to confirm the plans with Fu Shuyun first before notifying her brother, who abandoned his family for a pretty face.
[Sorry, I was busy over the weekend and forgot to reply.]
[Shuyun, do you have plans for this Saturday evening? The dishes are more varied in the evening.]
[No need to consider Shi Xu; we’ll just tell him once we’ve decided, based on your availability.]
She sent the message, then turned back to her work. Anyway, Saturday was still a few days away; she’d just give them a heads-up and make a reservation a day beforehand. A while later, she received a message from her mother, who had arrived home safely, and didn’t forget to tell her to find a partner. As expected of a mother, concerned about her lifelong happiness.
Fu Shuyun waited a day and finally received Shi Jing’s reply, but the first sentence immediately made her unhappy: busy over the weekend? A date? Does she have a partner? Is it an Omega or a Beta, or perhaps an Alpha? But she dragged Shi Xu home on Friday, so maybe something came up at home? It was only then that she realized she knew nothing about Shi Jing, only her name, and absolutely nothing about her emotional life.
If her sister already had a partner, then she would just quietly like her until this feeling ran its course.
Even though she was unwilling, she couldn’t stop liking her and wished Shi Jing happiness.
She looked again. Shi Xu was going too? Why wasn’t it just the two of them? So annoying. She angrily threw her phone back into the drawer and continued to listen to the counselor lecture about the school’s arrangements at the podium. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. This weekend, the architecture department was having a collective off-campus study trip. Next week, the finance department…
Perfect! This Saturday it is. Anyway, sister said it would be according to her time. Shi Xu not being there wasn’t something she could control. Thank you, school! Thank you, teachers! Thank you, architecture department! Fu Shuyun’s mood recovered, and she happily opened her chat with Shi Jing.
[Saturday evening works for me! See you Saturday, Sister!]
[Okay, I’ll pick you both up on Saturday. See you Saturday.]
Unlike yesterday’s message, Shi Jing replied very quickly this time. Yun Yan, sitting next to her, quietly watched Fu Shuyun’s mood fluctuate, unable to suppress her gossip-loving heart. She leaned over to see who Fu Shuyun was chatting with. Fu Shuyun not only didn’t hide it but openly showed Yun Yan, happily sharing.
“Yan Yan, I’m canceling hotpot on Saturday. Sister is treating me to Japanese food.”
“Japanese food? When sister asks you out, it’s different, isn’t it? Ditching your best friend and hotpot, hmph, woman.”
Though she grumbled, deep down she still hoped her best friend could be with the person she liked. What kind of person was this, to completely captivate Fu Shuyun like this? Their fixed Saturday routine was to have hotpot together at noon, then walk around in the afternoon, watch a movie, or just go back to the dorm to binge-watch shows. After thinking it over, since Fu Shuyun had plans that left her out, there was no harm in going along to take a look, right? Her curiosity wouldn’t allow her to wait until they were actually together to find out.
“Yunyun~ Saturday… can I walk you to the school gate?”
“Huh? No need, isn’t it better to lie in the dorm with the AC on and play on your phone? It’s so hot.”
Before she could finish, she saw Yun Yan pretending to wipe away tears, muttering about her daughter growing up and not needing her old mother anymore. It was funny but also heartwarming. She knew Yun Yan was worried and wanted to see who the person was. If it was just to see her sister at the school gate, it wasn’t a big deal.
“Alright then. But only to the school gate, no following us!”
This was the first time Fu Shuyun had looked forward to the weekend so much since graduating high school. Her happiest moments each day were chatting with Shi Jing, even if it was just the most ordinary daily conversation, it made Fu Shuyun incredibly happy. On the other side, Shi Xu’s mood wasn’t so great after learning they had arranged for Saturday. Even though it was a treat for two people, he couldn’t attend. Couldn’t they have chosen a time when he was free?
Author Shi Jing & Fu Shuyun: No.