Chapter 36.2

The carefree youth’s demeanor made Qi Jing’s teeth itch with frustration.

His eyes drifted to that special Gabriel rose, the unanswered question still lingering.

Who exactly was the one using those petals?

Just as Xia Ze finished organizing the greenhouse, he suddenly remembered the plant testing: “It’s been about a week, hasn’t it? Shouldn’t we collect the report from the testing center?”

Qi Jing had some understanding of this and said, “They should send you a message in advance. You can go pick it up after receiving the notification.”

Xia Ze checked again and saw the status was still “Under Testing.”

So slow.

Speaking of the Green Plant Testing Center, Qi Jing had more to say.

Since he was going to the battlefield, household matters needed to be properly arranged.

Originally, he had planned for the extremely rare Desert Rose to secure the child’s protection under the Natural Science Academy.

Though that wasn’t necessary now, other arrangements still had to be made.

Qi Jing said, “Remember the Green Plant Mall I mentioned before? It’s full of shops selling all kinds of plant seeds.”

Of course Xia Ze remembered!

He had always wanted to go there to buy more seeds and work hard on planting while General Qi was away, earning money to upgrade to a bigger greenhouse!

“Are we going now?” Xia Ze nodded eagerly.

Qi Jing chuckled. “We just got back. Let’s rest first. We’ll go tomorrow afternoon.”

Life had been so enjoyable lately traveling, buying flower seeds, pure happiness!

Xia Ze continued happily turning the soil for his plants with a smile.

Noticing this, Qi Jing teased mischievously, “In a while, we’ll have to pretend you’re pregnant. Are you prepared?”

The smile instantly vanished from Xia Ze’s face.

Let’s not talk about this, we can still be friends!

Xia Ze covered his ears. “No rush, let’s wait. The boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge!”

Qi Jing couldn’t help but laugh again. He was about to ruffle the boy’s hair but stopped himself abruptly.

No.

That might scare him.

Old Qi, who happened to walk by, saw this and became even more convinced the two were having a lovers’ quarrel.

Frowning worriedly, Old Qi thought this never happened before.

Did something occur during their trip?

They definitely needed more opportunities to bond.

That night, Xia Ze followed his usual routine and headed to the room on the right side of the second floor to rest. But the moment he pushed the door open, he froze.

Where was the bed?

The bed was gone.

The room had been completely transformed into his workspace.

And a very luxurious one at that.

The table for crafting miniature landscape plant bottles had been replaced with a much larger, wider one, equipped with specialized lighting to illuminate every detail.

If this were just a workspace, Xia Ze would absolutely love it.

But the problem was this was supposed to be a bedroom.

Where was his bed?! His wardrobe?!

While Xia Ze stood bewildered, Qi Jing in the left room was equally stunned, speechlessly looking toward Old Qi downstairs.

Old Qi gave him a meaningful gesture, making Qi Jing sigh and rub his forehead.

This wasn’t his doing, he couldn’t be blamed.

Qi Jing cleared his throat. “Old Qi, rearranged our rooms for us.”

To be precise, merged them into one.

It was one thing for pre-wedding couples to sleep separately, but after the marriage ceremony, continuing to use separate rooms really didn’t seem appropriate.

Qi Jing’s formerly cool-toned room now incorporated many of Xia Ze’s belongings, making it warm and cozy clearly lived-in. Their clothes shared one wardrobe, though neatly organized, the lines between “yours” and “mine” had blurred.

But the most eye-catching feature was undoubtedly the bed.

The over-two-meter-wide bed looked exceptionally soft, with bedding that combined both their styles.

It seemed Old Qi had put in considerable effort during their week-long trip.

For some reason, Qi Jing’s mood lifted slightly.

Xia Ze scratched his head awkwardly.

What was he supposed to say?

That as an Omega, he couldn’t share a room?

But as long as boundaries were respected, maybe it would be fine.

With the right room clearly uninhabitable now such a meticulously designed workspace couldn’t have been easy to set up, there was little choice.

The left room was arranged too comfortably, with its plush bed looking incredibly inviting for sleep.

Xia Ze hesitated at the threshold. Just as Qi Jing was about to speak up and have the neighboring room restored to its original state, Xia Ze sighed and said, “Let’s just stay here. It’s not like we’ll be living here for long anyway, we’ll make do.”

The faint smile on Qi Jing’s lips faded instantly.

Not living here for long.

Making do.

Every single sign indicated that the child had never intended to stay here for long.

Qi Jing irritably closed his eyes for a moment. “It’s fine, I’ll be leaving soon.”

That wasn’t what he meant!

Xia Ze quickly explained, “What I meant was, once you achieve a swift victory, I’ll leave. That’s what ‘not too long’ refers to.”

Qi Jing took a deep breath and pushed the door open. “Come on, let’s sleep.”

S-sleep?!

Xia Ze was genuinely terrified. When his gaze landed on Qi Jing’s fingertips, he instinctively clamped his mouth shut.

Ahhhh were they really going to sleep together?!

But if they didn’t, rumors would spread again, and it would affect the military’s progress.

Xia Ze had never felt so burdened by being an Omega. If only he were a Beta, he wouldn’t have to agonize over this!!!

This wasn’t the first time Xia Ze had stayed in this room, nor was it the first time he’d shared it with Qi Jing.

The bed had even been smaller before.

But today, no matter how he looked at it, everything felt awkward.

“I’ll go shower first, I’ll be quick!”

Uncle Qi had acted too efficiently the bathroom in the adjacent room had already been converted into a flower-growing area. What a headache.

Fresh out of the shower, Xia Ze stood in his pajamas, his gaze lingering for a moment on General Qi’s half-bare torso.

Such beautiful muscles.

Such defined lines.

Xia Ze was practically mesmerized. What man wouldn’t want to train his body like that?

Qi Jing walked up to him and lowered his head. “What’s wrong?”

Xia Ze shook his head, but even after Qi Jing entered the bathroom, his eyes remained fixed on the other man’s abs.

If he had abs like that, he’d truly have no regrets in life.

By the time General Qi emerged from the bathroom in his pajamas, Xia Ze was still lost in thought.

Even after the lights were turned off, Xia Ze glanced sideways. This was the first time he’d been fully conscious while sharing a bed with General Qi. It wasn’t exactly awkward just that one thing kept nagging at his mind.

With his heightened spiritual senses, Qi Jing naturally noticed the child’s gaze. When Xia Ze looked over for the fifth time, Qi Jing opened his eyes and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“Your abs,” Xia Ze blurted out, then flushed crimson.

Why had he told the truth?!

Qi Jing, however, curved his lips slightly. Considering the kid’s unconventional thought process, he still asked, “What about them?”

Since they were already on the topic, Xia Ze answered earnestly, “Can you teach me how to train my abs? I want an eight-pack too.”

Qi Jing pictured the kid with an eight-pack and nearly blacked out. Taking another deep breath, he said, “Stop overthinking it.”

“I’m not overthinking it,” Xia Ze turned onto his side. “If I trained every day, could I get abs like yours?”

Qi Jing paused. “Like mine how?”

Xia Ze faltered.

How was he supposed to describe that?

Lying side by side, Qi Jing reached for Xia Ze’s wrist, the first time in a week. “Want to touch them?”

He could TOUCH them?!

Xia Ze immediately tried to pull his hand back, but he couldn’t move at all.

Qi Jing leaned closer, his voice almost hypnotic. “How will you know if it’s what you want if you don’t feel it?”

That, made perfect sense!

The moment Xia Ze’s fingertips made contact with those abs, the electrifying sensation made him yank his hand back.

No, no, no touching.

He couldn’t forget!

He was an Omega.

If what happened that night repeated itself, he’d really end up pregnant.

Then it wouldn’t just be about feeling abs anymore.

Just thinking about that night made his head spin.

Xia Ze curled into himself like an ostrich, determined not to succumb to the temptation beside him.

No, absolutely not!

He was an Omega, a different gender from Alphas.

So he couldn’t go around touching people.

Qi Jing released his grip and said calmly, “I’m going to get some water.”

Stiffly descending the stairs, Qi Jing stood in the night breeze for a long while before finally calming down.

It was just a one-second touch of those abs.

Yet it had provoked such an intense reaction.

The trouble he’d stirred up himself now he had to cool off in the night air.

When Qi Jing returned to the room, the carefree child was already asleep. Beautiful children looked even more enchanting in sleep, making one want to hold them close.

And Qi Jing did exactly that.

As the familiar floral scent from the child reached him, the heat Qi Jing had just suppressed surged up again.

With an impassive expression, Qi Jing let go.

There would be no sleep tonight.

Day eight.

Eight days, and the flowers were beginning to wilt.

The succulents had only lost a bit of moisture.

What kind of miraculous plants were these?

Just what kind of monster had cultivated them!

Early in the morning, the green plant testing center was crowded with people outside one of the examination rooms.

Anyone in the industry would be stunned to see this gathering.

All of them were intently studying five plants.

Each of these individuals was a heavyweight in the botanical field.

Their assembly here was truly peculiar.

Colin nodded in satisfaction. These plants bore the unmistakable mark of Xia Ze’s work. He had known Xia Ze was skilled, but not to this extent.

Good. His strong recommendation hadn’t been in vain.

Two of the four senior researchers from the Natural Sciences Academy were also present, marveling at the five plants. They asked the testing center’s director, “Will the test results be released today? Will that mysterious master come to collect them?”

The director was so stressed he was nearly tearing his hair out.

You call others masters? Look at your own status!

The testing center’s director had initially been pleased by the arrival of such distinguished figures. But as more and more arrived, his delight turned to panic.

Offending even one of them could mean the end of his testing center.

Cautiously, the director replied, “The test results for the flowers are mostly complete, and we’ll certainly notify the botanist. But we can’t say for certain if he’ll come to collect them. Last time, his driver delivered them.”

Meaning: the flower test results would be ready, but whether the person would come was another matter.

The truth was, all these distinguished guests at the testing center were lying in wait for the owner of these plants.

Some represented major noble houses, others powerful merchant guilds.

There were also those who, moved by admiration, wished to take the botanist as a disciple.

But many quietly dismissed that idea.

Someone capable of cultivating plants like this, what need would they have to become anyone’s disciple?

None whatsoever.

Only Colin, who understood the situation, chuckled to himself.

Give it up!

That person is closest to me all of you can step aside!

With that thought, Colin directly contacted Xia Ze.

While you’re all still guessing who this master is, I already have his contact information!

Xia Ze received two messages, one from Dean Colin and another from the testing center.

One asked when he might be free to visit the Natural Sciences Academy.

The other informed him that the test results were ready for collection today and requested his personal presence.

Unfortunately, he had time for neither.

Because he had an appointment with General Qi today, they were going to the Botanical Emporium!

The Botanical Emporium, as the name suggested, was the place to be.

There, one could find the most comprehensive selection of seeds in the entire galaxy, especially common varieties, available in whatever quantity desired.

There were all sorts of exotic green plants available for sale there. I heard there were hundreds of shops inside, and every store location had to be fiercely competed for.

Xia Ze excitedly said to Qi Jing, “Back on the garbage planet, we couldn’t buy any seeds at all. Now it’s great, I’m going to bring back plenty when we return!”

Qi Jing didn’t respond to this, only saying, “Things will be better from now on.”

Xia Ze nodded absentmindedly, his heart already flying into the shopping mall.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Green Plant Mall, the entire building was designed to resemble a giant tree. Inside were countless shops, and even before approaching, the greenery from the stores gave the tree-shaped structure the genuine aura of living plants.

What an incredible design.

Xia Ze walked in and discovered there were fifty floors in total, with shops arranged from small to large as you went up.

The lower floors mostly had small shops, while the higher you went, the larger the stores became, and the more precious the plants were.

Xia Ze had originally planned to browse slowly, but unexpectedly, everyone who entered received an electronic screen.

It displayed everything available in each shop just click on what you wanted to buy and pick it up at a designated location.

So convenient!

Xia Ze scrolled through the options.

Chamomiles in various colors, white crystal daisies, sunflowers, baby’s breath, sunflowers, dahlias, and more.

Too many to take in all at once.

“If we plant these flowers together in the garden, it would look absolutely beautiful.”

“Didn’t we also order shrub roses from Dean Colin? They’d pair perfectly then we could have a flower wall at home! A flower wall with a swing!”

Xia Ze hadn’t forgotten about the flower wall project. He was already working on the design to figure out the best planting arrangement.

Seeing him completely absorbed in selecting seeds, Qi Jing guided him by the shoulders into the elevator.

The elevator stopped at the fiftieth floor, the very top of the Green Plant Mall.

The top floor had only six shops, each with considerable space.

Compared to the lower levels, it was much quieter here, but every plant on display was more exquisite.

Xia Ze looked around in sheer delight.

Plants they were simply wonderful.

This world couldn’t exist without greenery!

Qi Jing walked straight into Shop 506. Before they could approach, the manager eagerly came forward: “General, General’s wife, you’ve arrived.”

Xia Ze noticed how excited the manager seemed and gave General Qi a puzzled look.

How could he not be excited?

Ever since General Qi purchased this shop, he’d only ordered some seeds and done nothing else with it.

No business operations, no hiring of skilled botanists like other plant shops just left it completely idle.

Though salaries were still paid, the staff had been on edge, fearing they might lose their jobs any day.

Moreover, among the six shops on the fiftieth floor, their 506 had the worst performance. If this continued, the shop would really have to close!

They’d been anxiously waiting for the General and his wife to finish their wedding and honeymoon and now they’d finally arrived!

Xia Ze knew General Qi owned a plant shop, but he hadn’t realized it was being left completely unattended. What a waste.

To run a shop in the Green Plant Mall, you needed some competitive spirit otherwise it was just throwing money away.

Xia Ze nodded in agreement, but Qi Jing said, “From now on, this shop is yours to manage. Is that alright?”

“Any profits will be yours, and any losses will be mine.”

Did he hear that right?

Xia Ze’s face was full of question marks.

Profits his to keep, losses covered by General Qi?

Could such a good deal really exist?

This was all part of Qi Jing’s long-prepared plan. Whether it was building connections with the Natural Science Academy or securing this shop in the Green Plant Mall, everything was meant to establish Xia Ze’s foundation on the capital planet.

Since he wasn’t on the main planet, he had to make all these arrangements himself.

He refused to let the child suffer even the slightest grievance.

All 506 employees looked at the general’s wife with envy.

This kind of generosity it was truly enviable.

They all wanted a husband like this too.

The shops in the Green Plant Commercial Building weren’t cheap, let alone one on the 50th floor.

And General Qi’s attitude made it clear, he was fully backing this venture. No matter how things went, her husband had the money to cover it.

Xia Ze was also overwhelmed by this extravagant gift.

Running a shop wasn’t an issue, he’d done it before.

But was such a large store really being handed over to him?

What if he lost money?

Qi Jing smiled and added, “After we got married, have you ever checked your account balance?”

Huh?

Why would he need to look at that?

Unfamiliar with this era’s marriage laws, Xia Ze hesitantly opened his communicator, only to be stunned by the balance displayed.

This wasn’t the first time he’d seen such a long string of numbers.

But the first time had been in General Qi’s account.

Now it was their joint marital account?!

Didn’t General Qi worry he might run off with his astronomical savings?!

Their conversation left everyone around them wide-eyed.

Though the shared account feature existed for married couples now, most people didn’t enable it.

Especially when there was a huge wealth disparity, it was practically a given not to activate it.

Yet General Qi had turned it on?

Without any reservations?

Who wouldn’t want a husband like that?

Author: athena