Why Not (Lily ABO) - Chapter 6
Shi Jing rubbed her temples, a headache brewing as she stared at the company’s National Day business trip schedule in her inbox. As a corporate drone, the National Day holiday was the longest break of the year, apart from the Lunar New Year. Her plans for a family road trip this year were clearly going down the drain. Then she considered the double overtime pay and travel allowance. “Oh well,” she thought, “making money is more important.” A bigger problem emerged: the trip was planned for four days, and Shi Xu usually went back to their hometown for National Day. What about Wan Yuan? The continuous reports of pet boarding deaths made Shi Jing highly resistant to leaving her cat at a kennel.
In the past, business trips were only a day or two, so she didn’t worry too much. But this four-day National Day trip felt like an act of evil capitalism.
“Good morning, Sister!”
As soon as Fu Shuyun stepped into the living room, she saw Shi Jing with a serious expression, staring at her phone, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed. It seemed like she was dealing with some trouble. Wan Yuan, meanwhile, was sprawled on the coffee table watching TV. Shi Jing alone was already captivating enough for Fu Shuyun, and with a cat, it was even better.
“Good morning. Come have breakfast.”
It was a simple bowl of preserved egg and lean pork congee, with a glass of milk beside it. Shi Jing hadn’t drunk milk since middle school because her mom forced her to have two cartons a day due to malnutrition, only stopping when she saw Shi Jing was healthy and developing well. She had truly drunk far too much. Now, the sight of milk made her feel nauseous. Just as she was thinking how to decline, Shi Jing spoke softly.
“Goat milk, coffee, or juice? Which do you prefer?”
Shi Jing got up and poured a small bowl of goat milk for Wan Yuan. Wan Yuan, who had been engrossed in watching TV, appeared instantly at its food bowl and began to enjoy its breakfast. The fact that cats are lactose intolerant and shouldn’t drink cow’s milk is practically a cardinal rule for all new cat owners. Fu Shuyun, who had never tried goat milk, felt an urge to try what the little cat loved but eventually shook her head.
Pouring herself a glass of juice, the pleasant breakfast passed. Fu Shuyun offered to do the dishes; after all, she had “stayed for free” last night, and doing nothing felt improper.
When Fu Shuyun finished tidying up and came out, she saw Shi Jing heading towards the balcony with clothes in her arms. She immediately thought of the bathrobe that had been soaked in her fluids. “Ahhh, how embarrassing!” She called out to Shi Jing, saying that the sheets she’d slept on all night and the used bath towel also needed washing, including that bathrobe. She tossed them all into the washing machine.
“That movie we couldn’t watch yesterday is now available online.”
With everything settled, the two sat on the living room sofa. Before Fu Shuyun could reply, Shi Jing had already picked up the remote control and started looking for the movie. Shi Jing wasn’t sure when she should take her back to school; if she brought it up, it might seem unwelcoming, like she was rushing her out. It just so happened that she had to go out in the afternoon, so she could drop Fu Shuyun off on the way. The timing was also perfect; they could even have lunch after the movie.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Fu Shuyun sent a message to Yun Yan. She hadn’t brought her dorm key, so she needed to make sure Yun Yan was in the dorm. Shi Jing’s home wasn’t far from the school, about a 20-minute drive. She suddenly thought of something, turned her head, and spoke to Shi Jing, who was concentrating on driving.
“If you have time, can I come to your place again?”
“My mom is allergic to cat fur, so I can’t keep a cat, but I really love them. Wan Yuan is so well-behaved; she doesn’t even hide when I take pictures of her.”
While she selfishly wanted more time with Shi Jing, her love for cats was genuine. Especially a cat that would expose its belly for rubs and not hide from photos—it was truly blissful to be with the person she liked and a cat.
“Sure, if you want to pet the cat, just message me, and I’ll pick you up.”
Shi Jing was beautiful and thoughtful, but Fu Shuyun wondered if she was like that with everyone. Being friendly wasn’t a bad thing, yet she still hoped to be the most special one. This was probably the unique possessiveness one felt for someone they truly liked.
After arriving at school, the two said their goodbyes. Fu Shuyun returned to her dorm, and Shi Jing drove to the tea house where she had arranged to meet a friend. Che Xiyao was Shi Jing’s classmate from middle school, high school, and university, practically a childhood friend. He was also one of the few people Shi Jing was close to. The two met at the tea house, chatted, and enjoyed tea. This time, Che Xiyao had specifically invited Shi Jing to confide in her while his wife was away on a business trip.
His wife was a Beta, had no estrus period, couldn’t smell pheromones, and couldn’t be marked. However, their relationship had always been very good and stable. They had been married for three years, and during their honeymoon phase, Che Xiyao voluntarily underwent a vasectomy because he was afraid of her getting pregnant. Now, constant urging from their families had caused a disagreement between them about having children. He wanted a few more years as a couple, but his wife thought he was seeing someone else.
“If I were her, I’d think the same.”
“It’s normal for two people to have friction in a relationship. You’re legal partners; you should discuss these things properly instead of hiding at the company working overtime.”
Che Xiyao knew this, of course. He had secretly undergone a vasectomy reversal surgery, planning to surprise his wife when she returned. But the WeChat messages he sent had fallen on deaf ears; she still posted on Moments, just ignored him. Now he understood how his wife felt being home alone.
“Sister Shi Jing, please save me! How do I win her over?”
“Book a flight now and go find her. There’s nothing that can’t be solved in bed.”
This was very Alpha…
In the end, Che Xiyao decided to grovel again, but this time it wasn’t a marriage proposal, but an apology. He would open his heart and tell her everything he felt, and together they would decide about having children. Determined, Che Xiyao immediately booked the earliest flight to go find his wife, promising to treat Shi Jing to dinner upon his return. Shi Jing wasn’t in a hurry to leave; she sat leisurely, sipping tea.
She suddenly found it quite amusing: a married person asking a single person how to appease his wife, and one actually daring to ask and the other daring to answer.
Her friends were all getting married, having babies, while she didn’t even know what s3x felt like, only using her hands or Alpha toys. A sense of frustration washed over her. Perhaps it was time to find a girlfriend. After so many years, she had matured a lot; she shouldn’t be so easily jealous anymore, she hoped.
Two months later, after getting together with Fu Shuyun, Shi Jing realized that after all these years of refinement, the vinegar in her “vinegar jar” had only become more sour!
Days passed uneventfully. Shi Jing was busy with work, and Fu Shuyun attended classes daily. After that particular day, their relationship grew better and better, and they chatted more and more. Fu Shuyun always shared interesting things with Shi Jing immediately. At first, her friends were very curious. In the past, Shi Jing never used her phone when eating hotpot and had no habit of taking photos, but now she was constantly looking at her phone and often taking pictures. After two or three meals, they had already gotten used to it and even joked, asking Fu Shuyun to bring Shi Jing to meet them.
Shi Xu, seeing all this, felt very uneasy, yet he never suspected that his rival in love was his own sister, Shi Jing. He didn’t mind many people liking Fu Shuyun, but now Fu Shuyun had someone she liked, and the situation was completely different. Since she still had time to eat with them every day, it proved that at least for now, she was still single, and he still had a chance.
Today was the day Fu Shuyun and Shi Jing had arranged to pet the cat. Fu Shuyun had only two classes in the afternoon. She went to a supermarket near the school earlier to buy groceries and waited at the school gate for Shi Jing to pick her up.
Seeing Shi Jing’s car stop in front of her, she was about to open the car door when she saw Shi Jing get out, walk over, take the things she was carrying, open the door for her, and then put all the groceries into the trunk. Fu Shuyun, after buckling her seatbelt, noticed that the passenger seat was still adjusted to how she had left it last time; even the seatback was in the most comfortable position.
This small discovery boosted her mood even further. Either her sister remembered her preference for the seat, or no one had sat in the passenger seat since then. Of course, she defaulted to the latter.
“Did you wait long? There was some traffic. I brought you some bubble tea.”
As soon as she spoke, a cup of bubble tea appeared in her hand. It was from a newly opened popular store that she had shared just yesterday, and today her sister had brought her bubble tea.
“I saw your share yesterday, so when the company ordered afternoon tea today, I got you a cup.”
“It’s actually quite good. We can try other things at the shop next time.”
They had known each other for almost a month, and this was the first time she had heard Shi Jing speak so many words in one breath, simply because she was already at the school gate when she arrived. Her sister was truly adorable.
“Thank you, Sister! You’re so kind! To repay you for the bubble tea, I’ll cook hotpot for you tonight!”