The ceremony concluded, and the crown prince of the royal family stepped forward to deliver a few words.
The entire wedding was grand and magnificent, hailed by many as the wedding of the century.
The noon ceremony was completed flawlessly, with the couple exchanging rings.
In the evening, there was still a banquet to attend, and the two changed into different outfits.
The banquet was also held at the villa, but compared to the formal noon event, it was more relaxed, allowing guests to mingle freely.
The wedding setup in the hall had been cleared away, replaced by a dance floor.
After Qi Jing and Xia Ze performed the opening dance, a duet they could finally sit down and catch their breath.
So exhausting!
Who knew getting married could be this tiring?
Xia Ze leaned against Qi Jing, sipping his drink quietly. He had only taken a couple of bites of dessert when Ansem’s watchful gaze bore into him.
Xia Ze pretended not to notice. The event was nearly over, why go hungry now?
This third outfit could finally come off!
Qi Jing let him lean against him, taking a sip of wine, clearly relieved as well, though his eyes still sparkled with amusement.
“Congratulations once again to both of you,” the crown prince said as he approached. Though an Alpha, he took after his mother, the queen, with eyes as cunning as a fox.
The prince smiled. “Previously, Duke Dill and I were on another planet and couldn’t welcome the general’s spouse in time. My apologies.”
Xia Ze and Qi Jing stood up, naturally assuring him it was no trouble.
A flicker of admiration passed through the prince’s eyes before he continued, “And congratulations to General Qi as well. Once the two of you have a child or once Xia Ze is pregnant preparations for the final battle against Graves can officially begin.”
Graves the most notorious space pirate leader in the galaxy.
And the man who had killed Qi Jing’s father.
The prince chuckled. “You’re Xia Ze, right? Don’t misunderstand the general certainly didn’t marry you just to expedite this matter. He turned down countless noble Omegas on the capital planet, choosing only you. As long as you conceive quickly, he can fulfill his wish.”
Xia Ze felt something off about those words. Instinctively, he replied, “I know he didn’t marry me just to hurry his revenge. I’ll do my best to conceive soon.”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.
How could he possibly have a child? This was all part of the plan he and General Qi had agreed upon in a month, he would fake a pregnancy.
No matter what, on the surface, he would definitely “get pregnant.”
So there was nothing to worry about!
The only goal was to successfully send General Qi off to the battlefield.
The prince was momentarily speechless. When he glanced at Qi Jing, he didn’t dare say anything more.
Just then, others approached, steering the conversation toward lighter topics, asking about their honeymoon plans.
They had already chosen their destination, a D-class resort planet with unique landscapes, featuring many structures modeled after ancient Earth.
Though it lacked abundant greenery, it had oceans and sandy beaches.
That was where they were headed.
Originally, Xia Ze hadn’t been particularly excited about the trip, but after everything that had happened on the capital planet, a getaway sounded perfect.
Amid the clinking glasses and lively chatter of the banquet, only one person stood out in his gloom.
That was Colin, the dean of the Natural Sciences Academy.
Dean Colin felt like he’d been particularly unlucky lately.
It boiled down to three main points.
First, the seeds he had his eye on were bought by Qi Jing.
Second, he had seen pictures of the desert rose but couldn’t find it anywhere.
He had even approached the Dill family, but their heir, Dimoline, had no idea what a desert rose was.
And third the most devastating blow.
His ten rare roses!
They were all dying!
Not dead, but barely alive!
Those roses were already delicate to begin with. First, they suffered damage when moved to the Dier family.
Then as evidence stored at the military department, they took more damage.
By the time he brought them back to the Science Academy, they were already wilted.
Colin went through great pains just to keep these rare roses alive.
But by the looks of it, they probably wouldn’t last much longer anyway.
However, his frustration eased considerably when he arrived at Qi Jing and Xia Ze’s home.
Colin could tell Xia Ze had taken excellent care of the plants here, especially the moss on the large stone at the entrance. If he weren’t afraid of ruining the aesthetic, he would’ve scraped some off to take back.
Truth be told, he hadn’t even wanted to attend the wedding at first, but considering Xia Ze had helped him retrieve the roses, he decided to come.
Yet, even after hiding in a corner to drink in peace, he overheard people chatting about things on the StarNet, no less. The three of them kept chattering nonstop.
If he weren’t too annoyed to speak, he would’ve shooed them away.
“Have you seen StarNet? Oh my god, it’s flooded with discussions about the wedding!”
“Of course I have! I secretly posted a photo from the wedding, and it got more likes and comments than all my previous articles combined!”
“Look at this post they’re such a perfect match! Their future babies are definitely going to be gorgeous.”
“Some are even talking about the terrarium. Honestly, I’ve never seen such a beautiful plant decoration before.”
Terrarium?
Colin perked up.
“That terrarium is just chef’s kiss. I really want to gush about it with someone!”
“Same! People thought it was just a prop for the photoshoot, like something M Magazine provided, but no! It was a gift from Xia Ze to General Qi!”
“Ugh, a three-year-old gift!”
“I do have a question, though. How is a plant sent three years ago still alive now? Did it not need any maintenance for three whole years?”
“I heard something about it being an ‘eternal bottle’ or something, self-sustaining. Not sure about the details.”
“Anyway, it’s just too perfect. Turns out the ‘very important matter’ General Qi mentioned was about this!”
“Speaking of which, they’ve known each other for three years. No wonder General Qi never interacted with other Omegas, he’s got such Alpha integrity.”
A plant sent three years ago.
Still alive now.
No maintenance needed.
Eternal bottle?!
Self-sustaining?!
Dean Colin’s mind latched onto these keywords.
The three chatting ladies jumped when the old man suddenly appeared beside them.
“Who?! Where did you come from?!”
Luckily, one of them recognized Dean Colin and quickly said, “Dean Colin from the Natural Science Academy? What’s wrong?”
Colin urgently asked, “What was that ‘eternal bottle’ you mentioned just now?”
“N-no, it’s called a terrarium. The General’s wife said the ecological cycle inside isn’t perfected yet, so it’s just called a terrarium for now,” the young woman explained, though she didn’t know much beyond that.
Colin was thrilled.
The ecological cycle wasn’t perfected yet.
That meant Xia Ze was actively researching this!
After so much misfortune, he’d finally stumbled upon this incredible news.
Xia Ze truly was remarkable.
Colin immediately began searching for Xia Ze at the banquet.
Fortunately, as the guests of honor, he and Qi Jing were easy to spot, surrounded by people wherever they went.
To make up for keeping M Magazine waiting all day, the couple had agreed to a longer interview that evening.
The editor-in-chief of M Magazine was grinning from ear to ear.
What’s a little wait compared to all this? With behind-the-scenes footage and multiple interviews, they were overjoyed.
These magazine issues were bound to see a massive surge in sales!
As for her bonus need we even mention it?
Moreover, now that neither the General nor his wife would make things difficult, they boldly added a few more risqué questions.
Midway through the interview, the editor-in-chief asked, “Our readers are very curious have the two of you engaged in deeper forms of marking? Are you considering a lifelong bond?”
Not just the M Magazine staff, but even the guests who “coincidentally” passed by wanted to hear the answer!
Marking between Alphas and Omegas generally fell into three categories: temporary, deep, and lifelong.
A lifelong bond meant the pair could never truly separate.
Omegas would even develop a pheromone dependency on the Alpha who marked them though this type of bonding also made conception far more likely.
Unless a couple or even spouses shared an exceptionally strong bond, they wouldn’t pursue a lifelong mark. A deep mark was usually sufficient.
Still, everyone wondered: for a pair like General Qi and his wife, who had overcome countless obstacles to marry, had they engaged in deeper marking? Would they pursue a lifelong bond?
Qi Jing glanced at them and replied coolly, “No.”
No?
Many were disappointed.
What happened to their legendary romance?
Qi Jing added, “A lifelong bond is unfair to Omegas.”
This was the truth. After marking an Omega for life, an Alpha could, over time, detach and mark another.
But an Omega couldn’t. They would remain dependent on that one Alpha for life.
Unless they underwent gland removal surgery, an agonizing procedure that stripped them of their psychic sensitivity, reducing them to Betas. It was torture, both physically and mentally.
Qi Jing refused to entertain the idea of exerting that level of control over Xia Ze’s life.
Even hypothetically.
Xia Ze was a Beta, so the question didn’t truly apply to them.
The interviewer hadn’t expected this answer.
Hearing it, they couldn’t help but think, this was so like General Qi.
Xia Ze nodded emphatically in agreement. “Exactly. Omegas shouldn’t rush into lifelong bonds. They should always have the freedom to leave whenever they want. Don’t listen to those sweet-talking Alphas.”
His words drew laughter from the crowd.
Many Omegas nodded along.
Countless Omegas had been coaxed into lifelong bonds by scummy Alphas, only to regret it later.
Only the magazine editor looked like she wanted to cry.
This was supposed to be a spicy question! How did they turn it into a public service announcement?
Steeling herself, she blurted, “Then, one last request could the two of you share a kiss for the camera? At the wedding, you only kissed on the cheek, and many readers were disappointed.”
Huh?
A kiss?
Xia Ze instinctively glanced at Qi Jing.
How could they?
People had already teased them during the wedding ceremony, but Xia Ze had pretended not to hear.
Now this again?
Qi Jing noticed Xia Ze’s hesitation, the second time today.
“Kiss!”
“Yeah, give us a kiss!”
“You’re married, it’s no big deal.”
Xia Ze fidgeted, wanting to refuse, but what reason could he give?
Kissing was normal for married couples. Not doing it would seem strange.
Just as Qi Jing was about to speak, hurried footsteps interrupted him: “Xia Ze! Xia Ze! Is Qi Jing’s wife here?!”
Colin came running up in a flash: “Xia Ze! You made a terrarium? And the plants inside have survived for three years?!”
The sudden appearance of Dean Colin shattered everyone’s anticipation, drawing resentful glances from many.
Completely oblivious, Dean Colin even exclaimed excitedly: “Can I take a look?”
He had a hunch this was something extraordinary. Never before had he heard of plants surviving for three years without any care.
Xia Ze secretly sighed in relief and quickly responded: “Of course, but you’ll need to ask General Qi, it’s his possession now.”
As his words fell, someone murmured behind them: “Why hasn’t General Qi’s wife changed how he addresses him yet?”
Actually, the issue of titles had been discussed before. But… it seemed to have been glossed over somehow?
Yet with neither kisses nor changes in address, observant people might notice something amiss.
Pretending not to care, Xia Ze felt an arm wrap around his waist as Qi Jing declared: “Whatever my dear Zeze says goes.”
Zeze.
Xia Ze’s ears instantly turned red. General Qi’s voice was already captivating enough, those two syllables made his face burn.
The crowd around them erupted in awed murmurs.
Damn, that was sweet.
Leave it to General Qi to instantly dispel everyone’s doubts.
Xia Ze looked at Qi Jing with sparkling eyes and whispered: “I’ll listen to you.”
Qi Jing countered: “And who am I?”
After a brief hesitation, Xia Ze whispered again: “Husband?”
Qi Jing’s throat moved, momentarily speechless, only tightening his grip around Xia Ze’s waist.
Photographers from M Magazine and the wedding videographers clicked their shutters furiously, the cameramen wishing they could capture every angle.
Sob These two really know how to be in love.
Dean Colin found himself force-fed dog food and couldn’t help interjecting: “Alright you lovebirds, isn’t everything shared property between spouses? Just let me take a look. If you do, Xia Ze can pick any seeds he wants from the research institute.”
Then Colin added: “Two seeds.”
“Really?”
Now it was Xia Ze’s turn to get excited. That was the Natural Science Academy! Home to so many incredible seeds.
He wanted to plant climbing roses in the garden to create a floral wall, the academy’s seeds would be perfect.
Xia Ze had no objections to letting Dean Colin examine the terrarium to begin with, and now he was even more willing.
Glancing at Qi Jing, Xia Ze hesitated before saying: “Husband… should we let him see it?”
With so many people watching, Xia Ze couldn’t very well call him “General Qi” now.
And since he’d already said it once, what harm was there in saying it a few more times?
The editor-in-chief of M Magazine, however, clearly noticed the change in General Qi’s expression.
That look it was practically devouring.
Hehehehe.
The editor immediately jotted down notes and signaled the photographers to capture this moment!
Of course Qi Jing agreed, humming in affirmation while pulling Xia Ze closer: “We’ll go get it together.”
Though three years had passed, the terrarium remained unchanged. Still, Xia Ze wanted to trim some foliage, so it had been temporarily stored away.
