Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"Looking back on the things I've done. I was trying to be someone. I played my part, kept you in the dark. Now let me show you the shape of my heart" -Hua Sheng-

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When happiness overflowed beyond measure, everything seemed brighter, softer, almost unreal in its beauty. Even when something terrible suddenly came into sight, somehow, happiness still won the fight.

That was exactly how Shen Lele felt right now.

He couldn’t stop smiling.

His hand clung tightly to Hua Sheng’s arm, refusing to let go, even though the Omega had only just woken up from a critical condition. He was still lying in a hospital bed with IV lines attached to him and bandages wrapped tightly around his chest.

Nearby, Shen Wenlang was still weeping like a madman, sputtering out apologies through heavy sobs. From the moment he had rushed Lele to the ER, he had been hysterically chanting that he would end his own life if Lele didn't make it. As it turned out, his son had stabilized almost instantly under emergency care.

Lele, however, barely reacted to Wenlang’s breakdown. He just kept smiling. Even he hummed softly to himself, completely lost in his own bliss. His happiness pheromones stirred restlessly, filling the entire hospital room with the scent of lilies.

Meanwhile, Gao Tu stood nearby with his arms crossed, expression unreadable, unsure how he was supposed to react now that his eldest son was suddenly fine.

It was all because Hua Sheng hadn’t stopped releasing his healing pheromones for Lele the entire time they were in the hospital. The Enigma stayed glued to Lele’s side—more accurately, he was forced to stay. The second Lele had opened his eyes, he had snatched Hua Sheng’s hand. It was a silent, fierce command: Don't you dare leave me again.

"You guys should just go home. I want to mate with Hua Sheng."

That's the first thing Lele said after waking up; kicking his parents out.

Hua Sheng let out an awkward, pained grimace, while Gao Tu immediately reached over and pinched Lele’s ear.

"Have some manners!"

"O-ow! Just go, Papa! I'm fine now."

"You—"

"Papa, I’m a Dominant Omega now." Lele spoke with shimmering pride, his smirk widening. "You heard what the doctor said, right?"

Gao Tu let out a long, weary sigh, eventually nodding with a faint, resigned smile.

When the doctor had performed a re-examination, he had called it a medical miracle. Lele’s vitals were perfectly stable; he only needed rest to heal his physical wounds. But the real shocker was his secondary gender. Lele was no longer a Recessive. His blood work now identified him as a Dominant Omega. In a desperate bid to save his life, he had been marked, inheriting 30% of Hua Sheng’s power in the process.

"This brat marked you without permission!" Shen Wenlang hissed, pointing a trembling finger at Hua Sheng in a fit of rage.

Lele barked back instantly. "So what?! Be grateful! I recovered right away and became dominant too! Now, I want to mate with Hua Sheng, so please, Dad—go home."

"YOU ARE MARRYING WANG JUN IN THREE WEEKS!"

Tsk. Hua Sheng scoffed inwardly. He opened his mouth to speak, but Lele beat him to the punch.

"Why would I marry Wang Jun when I’ve already formed a bond with Hua Sheng?! That wedding venue would be for me and Hua Sheng!"

Gao Tu sighed again, the weight of the world on his shoulders. "You have to explain everything to Jun. To his entire family."

"Yeah, chill," Lele smirked again. "I’ll be the one to tell Jun our engagement is off."

"Lele, my identity—"

"Don't worry," Lele interrupted, looking at Hua Sheng. I won’t expose who you are. All that matters is that we’re getting married."

"I DO NOT APPR—"

Before Shen Wenlang could finish yelling, Gao Tu covered his mouth. His explosive emotions were instantly smothered as his Omega released calming pheromones, silently telling his husband to shut up.

Then Gao Tu turned toward Hua Sheng, changing the subject.

"Why do you look like this, Sheng?"

Honestly, the sight of Hua Sheng still felt strange. Gao Tu couldn’t help but feel uneasy looking at Hua Sheng, he looked exactly like a sixteen-year-old boy. Thin frame. Big round eyes. Even his Adam’s apple barely showed. To make matters worse, his skin was so pale that soft pink flushed naturally across his cheeks, looking unfairly youthful—almost baby-like.

"If you get married looking like this, it won’t be ethical, people will think you’re underage. Lele could literally go to jail."

"GAO TU, WHY ARE YOU AGREEING TO THI—"

"Shh! Quiet, Wenlang!" Gao Tu snapped, now tugging his husband’s ear. "Can’t you see the mark on our son’s neck?"

Hua Sheng chuckled softly and addressed the concern about his appearance. "It’s a strategy. So Lele would remember." His gaze softened as it shifted to Lele. "If I used my actual form for my age, Lele wouldn't recognize me at all. I wouldn't even feel familiar to him."

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE FAMILIAR WHEN YOU DISAPPEARED FOR TWELVE YEARS! YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARD!!" Lele playfully swiped at Hua Sheng’s forehead before tightening his grip on his arm. "If you ever leave again, I will hunt you down until the day I die!"

"I'm right here!" Hua Sheng huffed with a laugh, gently stroking Lele's hand. "I’m not going anywhere. I’ve prepared everything."

Watching them, Gao Tu offered a genuine smile. After delivering a final round of parental advice, After giving enough advice, he grabbed Wenlang’s arm and dragged him toward the door. The older couple finally left the room.

"Wait, Tu Er...! I still can't accept this!"

"Then what are you gonna do?" Gao Tu sighed, stopping in the hospital corridor. "You saw the mark on Lele’s neck yourself. They’ve already formed a bond."

"It can be broken! Lele just needs to mate and form a new bond with someone else. Just like your mother broke the mark with your father."

"Don't be insane, Wenlang."

"An Enigma won't die just because he’s cheated on! Lele should—"

"CAN’T YOU FEEL HIS PHEROMONES?!" Gao Tu finally screamed. "Since the day Lele presented, his happiness pheromones have never been this powerful! As his biological father, you should be able to smell that!"

Shen Wenlang froze, the weight of Gao Tu’s words finally sinking in.

"I don't care if your pride is bruised because he’s marrying Hua Sheng. I care about my son’s happiness."

"But Jun—"

"The Hua family is more powerful. They can handle the fallout if the Wangs get angry. Besides, HS Group has nothing to do with Decon Automotive anyway."

"I refuse to be in-laws with Shaoyou!" Wenlang spat. "He keeps threatening to withdraw 55% of the X Holding shares from HS Group!"

"What are you even talking about?!" Gao Tu groaned. "Didn’t you read the latest financial report? The biggest shareholders now are you and me! X Holding only owns eighteen percent of HS Group! This is why you need to actually attend the finance meetings instead of leaving everything to Zhu!"

"But he keeps bragging that HS Group stands for 'Hua and Shen.' He says Hua Yong’s name is right there!"

"Good grief, you built the company yourself, Wenlang!! HS stands for Highest Science Group. Not Hua and Sheng!!" Gao Tu was at his wits' end. Was his Alpha’s intelligence fading with age? Ever since Lele’s accident, Wenlang had been a mess, unable to focus on anything else.

Gao Tu took a deep breath. "Lele is an adult. Stop trying to micro-manage his life. He deserves to be happy with whoever he's destined to be with."

"I just don't—"

"I know you can feel it. That scent of lily of the valley is overwhelming. It’s making me feel giddy just standing here," Gao Tu said with a proud smile.

For years, the emotions Lele released most often were anger, disappointment, and sadness. Gao Tu would trade anything to keep this version of Lele.

Shen Wenlang finally slumped in defeat. He could smell it too. The scent of Lele’s happiness was flooding the entire floor. And somehow, it washed away his anger toward himself for recklessly shooting his son, even his resentment toward the godson he once cherished.

But still...

"Come on. Let’s go home," Gao Tu said softly, linking arms with him. "Let them stay together so Lele can recover faster. You haven’t slept all night either."

And so, hand in hand, they finally walked toward the hospital exit.

Unfortunately—

The moment they reached the lobby downstairs, they ran straight into Shen Zhu and Wang Jun.

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Inside the luxury hospital room, Hua Sheng stayed by Shen Lele’s bedside the entire time.

"I’m sleepy…" Lele murmured softly.

The lingering effects of anaesthesia from the emergency procedure still weighed heavily on him. On top of that, Hua Sheng’s pheromones flowed through their joined hands, relaxing his body until drowsiness slowly swallowed him whole.

Hua Sheng smiled, stroking Lele’s hand tenderly. "Then sleep."

"You’ll leave later," Lele muttered quietly, his voice tinged with unease. "What if this is all just a dream?"

"No, Lele." Hua Sheng’s voice softened immediately. "I’m here. When you wake up, I’ll still be here."

"Liar."

Something flickered painfully across Hua Sheng’s face. His smile turned bittersweet, heavy with guilt, as though he could finally understand the trauma buried deep inside his Omega.

He had lied for far too long.

"I’m not going anywhere. I promise."

Lele huffed immediately, visibly unhappy with that last word. "Last time you said that, you disappeared for twelve years."

"The last time you said that, you disappeared for twelve years."

Hua Sheng’s chest tightened.

"What do I have to do for you to forgive me?" he asked softly. His hand moved to caress Lele’s cheek, his gaze overflowing with regret. "Do I have to cut off my pinky finger or something?"

"Not like that…"

“I’m so sorry I disappeared for so long. But I swear, I’ve only ever stayed loyal to one flavor."  Then, suddenly, a teasing smile tugged at his lips. "Unlike you. You’re always choosing all kinds of flavors."

Lele immediately flashed back to the ice cream flavors he had picked out recently. His cheeks burned crimson. "W-well... I like all ice cream flavors! That doesn't mean I want to cheat!" He pouted. "If you had stayed, I never would have looked at anyone else!"

"I know, and that's okay." He didn’t blame him. Hua Sheng felt no regret when Lele was dating Jun. It's his fate after all, and Hua Sheng accepted it. Gently, he brought Lele’s hand to his lips and kissed it. "You deserved to be happy with anyone. I'm just lucky I wasn't too late to steal you back."

For a moment, they enjoyed the silence. Basking in the comfort of each other’s presence. Until Lele suddenly mumbled,

"Your hands are so warm..." He felt a pleasant heat spreading through his body. "Just like the person in my dreams."

"Ever since you left, I’ve been climbing mountains. Looking for you... looking for your scent. That smell only exists in the mountains. I thought maybe we’d run into each other..." Lele’s voice trailed off, his gaze drifted. "When I fell that time... I hallucinated seeing you. And ever since, you've been in every dream."

Hua Sheng cursed himself silently, tightening his grip to offer more warmth. "Forget the mountains! Whenever you want my pheromones, I’ll give them to you. I’m right here."

"Mhm. I think I’m supposed to be in heat..." Lele groaned, feeling his body temperature spike and a dull ache throb in his lower abdomen.

Hua Sheng nodded. He had sensed it the moment Lele woke up. "Your seductive pheromones keep leaking out. Please stop thinking about it and sleep first. I’ll call a nurse so they can give you something to help you slee—”

"We should be mating."

"Yeah, yeah…" Hua Sheng chuckled softly. "Later. We’ll mate later."

"Now."

Hua Sheng let out another helpless laugh.

"You’re still injured, Lele."

"Who says? I’m fine now! Besides, this is a private room, there’s a bed right there. We can do it now." Somehow, the Omega’s expression had shifted into a look of pure, hungry desire. His hand, which had been holding Hua Sheng’s, began to wander down toward Hua Sheng's trousers. "I want to see what you're packing."

"Go to sleep, love..."

"Ugh. What kind of cheesy nickname is that?" Lele’s words were sharp, but his face told a different story. He was blushing furiously. "Say it again."

"Love..." Hua Sheng chuckled again. "Go to sleep. Once you’re stronger, we’ll—"

"SHEN LELE!" / "GEGE!"

The hospital door burst open with a bang. Shen Zhu and Wang Jun charged in, breathless and looking absolutely livid.

Hua Sheng immediately stood up to shield Lele, while Lele, still half-reclined, didn't seem bothered at all. "What are you guys even doing here?" he huffed. "Go home. I want some alone time with my mate."

"Are you seriously mating with him?!" Jun demanded, storming toward the bed. "We’re supposed to be getting married and—"

"Sorry, Jun," Lele cut him off bluntly. "The engagement is off. I already have a mate."

"WHAT THE HELL?! Not long ago you were accusing me of cheating with your assistant! And now you’re—"

"Ssh... you're loud." Another interruption. "I’m sorry for accusing you. And I’m sorry the engagement has to end. I’ve been marked. Look."

The Omega tilted his head, revealing the glowing mark on his neck as his attracting pheromones flared. The symbol of an edelweiss was etched clearly into his skin.

Wang Jun froze. His boiling rage collided with the sheer waves of love and happiness radiating from Lele. It was overwhelming. Lele had never smelled this inviting before; it made Jun’s blood sing with a desperate, unwanted longing.

"Shen Lele belongs to me." Hua Sheng declared coldly, noticing the way Jun was staring at his Omega. "You should leave. He needs rest, and he’s safe with me."

Until that moment, Wang Jun had been so focused on Lele that he hadn't really looked at the person who had marked his ex-fiancé. Now that he did, he was stunned. The guy looked like a kid.

"YOU—" The Alpha’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. "HOW OLD ARE YOU?! AREN'T YOU STILL IN SCHOOL?!"

Shen Zhu was equally bewildered. When he had met Hua Sheng at the corporate party two months ago, the man looked completely different from the teenager standing before him now.

Hua Sheng clicked his tongue. He couldn't exactly reveal his secret identity in front of a crowd. It was his own fault for not shifting back yet.

"Shen Lele! You let yourself get marked by a brat?! Is this the kid you told me asked you out?!"

"He’s not a kid. We’re the same age," Lele replied simply, a sudden smile playing on his lips. "He just has a serious baby face."

"Liar!" Jun barked. "You shouldn't be with a minor, Lele!"

"Good lord, he’s not a minor. He’s 28. Sheng, just show him your ID."

Hua Sheng obliged, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. Luckily, he had taken his ID photo when he was 17, and his current 16-year-old disguise wasn't far off from that look. And of course, Hua Sheng's ID card has been manipulated and only says Alpha as the Elites pretend.

Jun stared at the card in disbelief, his eyes darting back and forth between the ID and Hua Sheng. He couldn't wrap his head around it. How could this youthful-looking guy be into a rugged, muscular, and often foul-mouthed man like Shen Lele? Jun had honestly thought he was the only one who could put up with such a headstrong Omega.

"You should just be with Ma Hian. I won't even be mad if you end up with him. You guys are a great match," Lele said cheerfully, even letting out a small laugh. "Besides, you prefer Betas anyway. If you're in rut with a Beta, you don't have to hold back or use inhibitors. Betas won't get pregnant."

Jun was reeling. Just a few days ago, Lele was screaming at him, accusing him of an affair with Ma Hian, and now he was playing matchmaker?

Shen Zhu, who had been staring intently at Hua Sheng, was also speechless, still trying to process the absurdity of the situation.

"We agreed to do this, and our engagement was supposed to lead to marriage! My family—"

"You said back then you didn't even want to see your family again," Lele reminded him, cutting through Jun’s desperate rambling. "Since when did you care about them? You said that dinner a few days ago was the last time you'd ever see them. Besides, remember our agreement when we started dating? We only dated to shut our families up because this jerk over here had run off to god-knows-where," Lele shot a playful, pointed look at Hua Sheng before turning serious again for Jun. "There was never any love between us."

"I love you!"

"Shen Lele is mine!" Hua Sheng snapped, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy register. He didn't want to hear declarations of love from anyone else toward his mate. "He doesn't need your love. He wants me. Get out. You too, Zhu. Papa Gao Tu has already given us his blessing. You aren't needed here."

Shen Zhu shivered as Hua Sheng released a wave of intimidating pheromones. This wasn't just a standard Alpha pressure. While Jun assumed it was just an S-Class Alpha, Zhu realised with a sinking heart that Hua Sheng was something much, much more.

The two finally left, though they were drowning in disappointment. Wang Jun, especially, felt the sting of losing the last four years of his life spent with Lele. But no matter how angry he felt, there was nothing he could do. Lele had already been marked, and so until he died, he would belong only to Hua Sheng.

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After being discharged from the hospital two days later, Shen Lele immediately dragged Hua Sheng back to his apartment to continue the mating they had put off. Of course, only after taking Enigmasave so that mating is done safely. Lele still had one day left before his heat cycle ended that month. After all, his heat naturally lasted four days.

Hua Sheng, naturally, agreed without hesitation. With a surge of intent, he prepared to shift his physical form back into that of his true self, the formidable, fiercely masculine, and profoundly dignified twenty-eight-year-old man. But before the transformation could take hold, Lele reached out, his fingers desperately tangling in Hua Sheng's hair to pull him down, arresting the change completely.

"Please... stay just like this," Lele whispered fervently against his lips, breaking their breathless kiss for a mere second. "Age with me, year by year, as the time naturally rolls by. Right by my side. I want to witness your growth. I need to be there for every single moment you grow up."

Hua Sheng understood exactly what Shen Lele wanted. He gave in to his Omega’s desperate plea, pulling him into another deep embrace despite their obvious physical contrast. Trapped in his sixteen-year-old form, Hua Sheng looked much smaller and slimmer beside Shen Lele, who had always been tall, broad, and heavily built since adolescence.

"Easy, my love… be patient,” Hua Sheng chuckled softly.

He hurriedly helped remove Lele’s clothes. Meanwhile, his own shirt had already been half-ruined after Lele impatiently yanked at it earlier.

Lele responded to every touch, every brush of warmth, every ounce of attention Hua Sheng gave him. Lele refused to remain passive; he reached down blindly, his fingers wrapping firmly around Hua Sheng's length to gauge his arousal.

"So this is what you looked like at sixteen huh?" Lele teased, grin widening. "How adorable."

Hua Sheng’s trousers were unceremoniously discarded, exposing his fully erect length, pointing upward with a slight, hesitant curve. Lele took immense, teasing pleasure in manipulating it, his fingers sliding along the sensitive shaft.

"Ukh..! Don't underestimate me," Hua Sheng hissed through gritted teeth. In retaliation, he pinched Lele’s sensitive nipple hard enough to make him gasp. "I haven't even begun knotting yet."

"Ahh.. then put it inside me right now," Lele begged, his hips twitching upward.

"Wait, let me prepare you first..."

Lele let out a breathless, mocking laugh, his golden eyes wild. "I'm not a virgin anymore, Sheng. It's not going to hurt. My own slick is far superior to whatever artificial lubricant you brought along."

Hua Sheng fell silent, offering no verbal retort to Lele's provocative teasing. Instead, he simply parted the Omega's long legs further, burying his hands between them to relentlessly manipulate his slick, swollen anatomy. Brushing aside Lele's front length, he laid bare the delicate, highly aroused anatomy beneath, fully opened and blooming like the wet petals of an exquisite lily. The scent radiating from the heat slick was blindingly intoxicating.

"Akkh... what are you—"

Without warning, Hua Sheng slid his fingers inside.

One.

Two.

Then a third. They slid into the hyper-lubricated channel with incredible, seamless ease, buried to the knuckles.

"Am I too loose? Do you hate it?" Lele whimpered, a sudden flash of vulnerability crossing his face.

"Elastic," Hua Sheng corrected him immediately, his voice thick with burgeoning lust. "An Omega's body is supposed to be exactly like this. You are incredibly elastic, Lele."

The Omega continued to groan, his fingers digging into the mattress. "If you hadn't disappeared... it would definitely be so tight. My very first tightness should have belonged to you, Sheng—aakhh!"

Hua Sheng scoffed softly. He began to stroke his own length rapidly, coating it in Lele's abundant slick to ensure maximum lubrication before aligning the heavy head directly against Lele's trembling entrance. "I don't need to be your first. All that matters is that I am with you forever."

With one smooth, heavy thrust, he buried himself completely inside. Lele choked on a gasp of pure, unadulterated ecstasy, his entire body locking up at the sheer fullness of the invasion.

"Forever. Just like this. This is more than enough..."

"Hhhhh... look at you, sweet-talking me," Lele chuckled breathlessly, wrapping his massive arms around Hua Sheng's slighter back, pulling him down into a crushing embrace. "Besides me... who else have you done this with?"

"No one," Hua Sheng vowed fiercely. He silenced Lele's mouth with a deep, punishing kiss, bruising his lips, sucking and devouring him whole. "You are my absolute first, and you will be my eternal last. Everything I am belongs solely to you."

Lele's eyes flew wide open. Before he could even begin to process the weight of that confession, Hua Sheng began to move. The Enigma established a devastating pace, drawing nearly all the way out before plunging back in, his shaft hammering mercilessly against Lele’s deep, sensitive cervix with staggering power.

"Akkhh.. ahh! You've really never been with anyone? Akhh—even during your ruts, you endured them all alone?"

"Yes. You—ahhh—are the first and—ahhh—the absolute last!" Hua Sheng gasped out his answers in perfect sync with his movements. He drove into Lele's slick channel with a rhythm that was fiercely persistent. It wasn't overly brutal, nor was it slow; every single plunge was executed with calculated, devastating precision.

Shen Lele completely lost his mind as the relentless onslaught intensified, shattering his consciousness into absolute euphoria. Hua Sheng had not lied about suppressing his carnal instincts for twenty-eight agonizing years. The Enigma had truly, desperately anticipated this exact moment for his entire life, and the sheer force of his backed-up passion was overwhelming.

Lele's upper body was ruthlessly worshipped. Hua Sheng moved up to suckle on his flushed nipples, alternating between them, biting down hard enough to leave dark marks. He savored every inch of his Omega's magnificent flesh. Soon, Lele began to writhe and thrash wildly beneath him; each time Hua Sheng slammed deep into his core while simultaneously pinching his aching chest, it sent a violent jolt straight to his loins, driving him dangerously close to the edge.

"Akhh.. Sheng... I'm going to come—aahh!!"

"Together, my love...."

It didn't take long. With a final, agonizingly deep thrust, Hua Sheng's knot swelled, and they both surrendered to a blinding, simultaneous release, fluids spilling out in a hot rush.

Lele lay panting heavily, sucking in massive gulps of air to stabilize his racing heart. Yet, looking up, he noticed Hua Sheng wasn't out of breath at all. The Enigma was breathing with absolute calmness, his chest rising and falling evenly.

Lele clicked his tongue in mock irritation. "You're not even out of breath."

"Am I supposed to be?"

"Tsk! Perks of being an Enigma, I guess. And why did you pull out to finish?!" Lele suddenly reached down, his large hand wrapping around Hua Sheng's semi-hard length, squeezing it with fierce possessiveness. "Do you have a problem with my womb, huh?"

"Ukhh—it's not like that..."

Lele's grip tightened aggressively. Guided by pure instinct, he pulled Hua Sheng down and shoved the wet length straight into his mouth, taking him deep down his throat.

"Akh.. Lele!"

The Omega was an absolute master of oral pleasure. To him, it was as effortless and second-nature as smoking a cigarette—and Lele was an incredibly heavy smoker.

Hua Sheng was instantly stripped of his composure, his breath hitching violently as the overwhelming sensation pushed him straight back to the brink of ejaculation. He gripped the back of Lele's head, helpless against the expert swirling of the Omega's tongue, until he finally unraveled, a second wave of thick release coating Lele's throat.

"Oh, so you can lose your breath," Lele taunted, spitting out the excess fluid with a wicked grin. "Put it back inside me. I am nowhere near satisfied."

Hua Sheng’s expression darkened into a predatory smirk. "Those are my words, love. I'm the one who hasn't had enough."

Without another word, they plunged back into the abyss of their shared heat, their bodies tangling fiercely as they continued to play their wicked, passionate games well into the next morning.

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The moment Hua Sheng informed his parents that he had finally mated with Lele and that they were getting married immediately, Shaoyou wasted no time. He instantly called for a family gathering at his magnificent mansion—a grand estate Lele hadn’t set foot in for over a decade. But now, he was finally crossing its threshold again, walking hand-in-hand with the person he loved more than life itself.

"Welcome home~!!"

Shaoyou greeted them with pure, unbridled enthusiasm, throwing his arms wide open. His joyful, triumphant pheromones flared into the air, instantly mingling with Lele’s own sweet scent. Beside him, Hua Yong stood with an unexpectedly friendly smile. Nothing like the smug, annoyingly arrogant image Hua Sheng had always painted whenever he talked about him.

But before Lele could even step forward to return Shaoyou’s embrace, Hua Sheng moved like lightning. He intercepted them to grab his Papa’s arm and dragged him forcefully to another room.

"Gosh, Sheng! What is wrong with you?!" Shaoyou clicked his tongue dramatically, already sounding offended. "And why are you STILL looking like this?!"

Hua Sheng stopped walking and immediately grabbed Shaoyou by the shoulders.  His expression darkened with intensity.

“Promise me that you are not allowed to say anything that hurts Lele."

Shaoyou blinked.

“What?”

“Never call him a low-ranking Omega again. Don’t ask him questions that make him feel ashamed of himself. Don’t say anything that lowers his self-worth.” His grip tightened. The concern in Hua Sheng’s voice was painfully obvious. "Please."

Shaoyou immediately froze. But then he snorted. "Oh, come on—alright, alright! I already feel bad about that! Besides, Lele’s a dominant Omega now and—”

"That’s beside the point!" Hua Sheng cut him off instantly. "Whatever he is now, NEVER say those things again! You have to promise me!"

"Yes, I promise! Now stop whining and acting like a petulant child, Sheng! Change your appearance back to normal."

"No way. Lele said he likes me best like this."

Shaoyou froze, utterly stunned, before letting out a sharp scoff. "This look makes absolutely no sense. If you want to look young like Hua Yong, at least shift into your twenty-five-year-old self."

"Lele likes me exactly like this."

"Why is everything 'Lele says' this and 'Lele likes' that?!"

"Because he is my Omega! He last saw me when I looked like this, and he explicitly asked me to stay this way so we can grow up together year by year. My physical body will start aging naturally from next year onward."

Shaoyou’s jaw dropped, completely bewildered by the sheer absurdity of the idea. "YYou seriously plan to get married looking like THIS?!! Are you out of your mind, Hua Sheng?!"

"What’s wrong with it? This face matches the photo on my ID card. Everyone can just assume I have an incredible baby face." Hua Sheng smirked arrogantly. "Besides, my shift isn't nearly as drastic as Hua Yong’s. Look in the mirror, Papa—your own husband makes far less sense. The man is fifty years old but walks around with the face of a twenty-year-old!"

Shaoyou was completely cleared out of arguments. Whatever, he thought to himself. The only thing that truly mattered was that Hua Sheng was getting married and would finally provide him with grandchildren. He could finally breathe easy.

"And another thing—you need to apologize to Wenlang," Hua Sheng added, causing Shaoyou to flinch in sheer disgust. "Apologize? For what?"

"You lied straight to his face, claiming you were going to pull fifty-five percent of X Holding’s shares from HS Group. You even threatened to seize the intellectual property rights to the HS Group name just because it was short of 'Hua' and 'Sheng'. Seriously, Papa? That is completely insane!"

Shaoyou frowned for a split second before bursting into a fierce, mocking laugh. "WAIT, HE ACTUALLY BELIEVED THAT IDIOTIC THREAT?!?!"

"Yes, he did! He went into such a blind rage that he literally shot at me."

The laughter died instantly. Shaoyou’s face darkened.

"…He what? He shot you?" A dangerous glint flickered in his eyes. "Oh, I need to teach him another lesson—"

"GOSH, STOP IT!" Hua Sheng groaned immediately. "Why do you two still fight like cats and dogs? You’re both fifty-five already!"

"He’s the one who always starts it! And it’s his own fault for being stupid enough to swallow my threats wholesale," Shaoyou huffed, though a smirk returned to his lips. "If he insults you or humiliates our family, I’m not staying quiet!"

"Oh really? But somehow you're insulting Lele is okay?”

Shaoyou clicked his tongue.  "That'sbecause Wenlang was the one meddling and blocking your path to Lele in the first place! If he had just made things easy from the start, there would have been no need for harsh words. I have never actually hated Lele."

Shaoyou pouted, shifting his weight as his legs began to ache from standing so long. "Let’s get back to the living room. Everything is perfectly fine now anyway. You two have mated and you’re getting married. Just don't forget to make some babies!"

The mere mention of the word "babies" sent a fierce blush crawling up Hua Sheng’s neck. He hadn’t even given it any thought, but remembering how they had engaged in dozens of rounds of unprotected, raw sex during Lele’s heat just a few days prior, conception seemed like an absolute certainty.

The two of them finally stepped back into the grand living room, heading toward Lele and Hua Yong. But as they approached, Hua Sheng froze.

Was he seeing things correctly?

Because his Omega and his own father were currently sitting on the plush sofa, chatting away so closely that their shoulders were literally pressed together.

"WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TWO DOING?!"

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Moments earlier, Shen Lele had been preparing to step forward and hug Shaoyou, but Hua Sheng had swooped in out of nowhere. He had practically dragged his Papa out of the room in a frantic rush, leaving the remaining two men standing in the grand hall like statues.

Hua Yong turned, intending to follow them, but Lele’s voice suddenly halted him in his tracks.

"Papa Yong, how on earth do you manage to stay this breathtakingly beautiful and remarkably slender?"

The Enigma turned back, a smug, highly satisfied smile gracing his flawless features as he arched an eyebrow. "Your memories finally return, and the first thing you want to discuss is my beauty routine?"

Lele shrugged his massive shoulders with easy nonchalance. "Am I not allowed to ask?"

"Of course you are. Come, sit down. I'll share my secrets with you."

Lele happily followed Hua Yong over to the sprawling sofa in the center of the ground-floor living room. Maidservants immediately serving delicate pastries and poured premium tea into porcelain cups, while the soft, elegant strains of classical music drifted beautifully from a vintage vinyl player in the corner.

Once Lele had seated himself—positioning his large frame incredibly close to the older man—Hua Yong leaned in to enlighten him.

"The absolute first rule to maintaining eternal beauty, of course, is having a husband handsome as Sheng Shaoyou."

Lele nodded along solemnly, soaking in the words. “Okay, but besides that? There’s gotta be some special skincare or something.”

"You're right. The other essential treatment is ensuring you possess an absolute mountain of wealth. And, crucially, you must intimately understand your husband’s deepest desires. Mr. Sheng has always adored seeing me looking youthful, dressed in vibrant clothes, with a flawless face. So, I will always present myself exactly this way. To hell with what anyone else thinks or how confused they get."

"Wow~ that makes sense." Lele’s eyes practically sparkled with unbridled awe. "When someone loves their husband that much, I guess it really makes you wanna take care of yourself and stay pretty. Like you, you’ve seriously stayed young and gorgeous all this time."

"You could easily achieve the same result if you wanted to."

"Me?" Lele burst out laughing, waving his hand dismissively. "No need. Besides, my face isn't built to be delicate and pretty like yours. I much prefer being called handsome. People admit I’m handsome, Hua Sheng does too."

"Who said I was talking about your face?" Hua Yong let out a sly, incredibly wicked smirk. "I am talking about true, untainted youth. I mean, wouldn't you like to be a virgin again?"

The final word hit Lele like a lightning bolt, making his eyes widen with intense curiosity. "I’ve actually been dying to talk about that! That jerk Hua Sheng disappeared for too long, so my first time ended up being with someone else!" He frowned hard. "But is that even scientifically possible?"

"Of course it is." Hua Sheng lifted his teacup and sipped it before continuing, "What isn't possible in this advanced day? We can literally engineer pheromones to alter biological blood types now."

Lele’s mouth slowly dropped open. "Can it really restore everything? Make it as tight and pristine as if it had never been touched??"

"Precisely. Your hymen will be completely reconstructed, and you will bleed all over again the next time you have sex. Shengfang and Shinsa work with specialists who modify Alpha tissue for exclusive Omegas. We also have ways to reconstruct hymens And even create artificial Omega organs."

Shen Lele's mind was utterly blown. Absolutely speechless. He had never given a single damn about science or medicine before, completely oblivious to the fact that technology had evolved to such a terrifyingly advanced degree.

"Did Hua Sheng play a part in researching this?"

Hua Yong nodded smoothly. "For roughly twelve long years. The research divisions at Shengfang and Shinsa cover vast ground, but our primary focus has always been the refinement and mass production of our specific pheromone drug."

"Drug?"

"Enigma pheromone drug."

"WHAT?!"

Hua Yong blinked rapidly in surprise, matching Lele's stunned stare.

"I assumed you already knew. Is your brain still short-circuiting from the accident?" Hua Yong teased, letting out a soft chuckle.

Shen Lele's brain raced at a million miles an hour, frantically piecing together his future father-in-law's words. When the realisation finally clicked, his heart hammered violently against his ribs.

Are you kidding me?! Papa Yong is an Enigma too?!

"I don't care what your actual classification is, I am always going to consider you an Omega!" Lele declared with fierce, unshakeable conviction.

He utterly refused to view the stunningly elegant man in front of him as an Alpha, let alone an Enigma. Hua Yong was simply far too beautiful to carry a title usually reserved for biological monsters.

"Well, think whatever pleases you. I’m gonna keep looking like this and calling myself an Omega anyway.” Hua Yong laughed, his expression softened faintly. “For Shaoyou’s pride.”

Lele nodded in deep understanding. It all made perfect sense now. Shaoyou was the one who had actually carried and given birth to Hua Sheng. It had taken him twenty-eight years to finally grasp the truth, but it perfectly explained why Shaoyou was so fiercely, almost insanely protective over Hua Sheng. An Omega—especially an exclusive one—would always possess a primal, unparalleled protectiveness over the child they carried in their own womb compared to anything else on earth.

"So, where can I find this genius doctor? I wanna meet them! If possible, right now." Lele pressed on, his excitement reignited. Restoring his body to a completely pristine state—as if he had never belonged to anyone else—was a spectacular plan. He had deeply regretted losing his purity to someone who wasn't Hua Sheng. His intact body deserved to belong solely to his fated mate.

"Oh, here is her contact card. She is one of Cai Hong’s top proteges, and she is currently stationed at our facility in Japan."

Lele immediately leaned entirely against Hua Yong, their heads huddled together as they synced the doctor’s contact information between their phones. But before they could finish, a booming, furious voice shattered the intimate atmosphere.

"WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TWO DOING?!"

It was Sheng Shaoyou.

His tone was thick with unmistakable jealousy. He marched across the room with heavy, stomping footsteps, storming straight toward the couch and wedging his body directly into the small space between Lele and his husband.

"I hate HuaLang!"

"What?" Lele blinked, utterly baffled by his future Alpha father-in-law’s outburst. "What’s HuaLang?"

"Your face!" Shaoyou huffed, reaching out to give Lele's cheek a hard, albeit affectionate, pinch. "Tsk! Why do you have to look so much like Wenlang? Why couldn't you have taken after Gao Tu instead?!"

Hua Yong burst into a melodious laugh at his husband's childish display of jealousy. Since the dawn of time, the only human being capable of instantly lighting a fire under Shaoyou’s insecure nature was none other than Shen Wenlang. To this day, Shaoyou would still fly into a furious rage if anyone reminded him that Wenlang and Hua Yong had shared a kiss in their youth.

Hua Sheng let out a heavy groan, stepping forward and immediately pulling Lele securely into his own embrace, guiding him to sit on the opposite sofa, facing Hua Yong and Shaoyou.

"Lele, you should stay away from professional scammers like Hua Yong." 

Hua Yong scoffed instantly. "Oh look at yourself. You tricked Lele too by pretending to dress like a hormonal teenager." 

Lele couldn't help but chuckle softly. He leaned in and pressed a sweet, adoring kiss directly against his Enigma's cheek.

Across from them, Shaoyou followed suit, melting instantly as he began to cuddle and pamper his own Enigma.

A profound sense of warmth settled over the room. How incredibly blessed this family was, each of them bound to a partner of absolute, terrifying strength—yet wrapped in a physical form that was endlessly gentle, elegant, and breathtakingly beautiful.

.

.

.

.

.

The day before the wedding, Lele and Sheng were strictly forbidden from seeing each other so they could focus entirely on their own preparations. They were also grounded at home and required to be accompanied by family members at all times.

Naturally, both pairs of parents took this as the perfect opportunity to do some last-minute bonding with the newlyweds-to-be.

"Tsk, stop crying, Wenlang. Your eyes are gonna be all puffy! It’s going to look terrible in the wedding photos tomorrow!" Gao Tu snapped as he watched his Alpha weeping while clinging to Shen Lele. Even so, the old Omega’s heart was secretly overflowing with emotion.

Lele, meanwhile, let out an annoyed huff. "How long is this gonna continue exactly…?"

"You promised I could hug you all day!" Wenlang cried between sniffles, tightening his arms immediately. "Hic… my son isn’t a little kid anymore…"

"Well, obviously!" Lele laughed helplessly. "Stop looking at me like I’m still a child. For God’s sake, I’m almost thirty, Dad!"

But instead of calming down, Wenlang somehow got even worse. Like a parent about to lose custody of their child forever, he started kissing Lele all over the face without mercy. To him, Lele was still the little boy he had once lost for three years. The child he had failed to protect. The child he still couldn’t stop blaming himself over.

Even now, Wenlang still hadn’t fully forgiven himself for not fighting harder to find Gao Tu back then.

"Your scent smells mixed with Hua Sheng now…" Wenlang sniffled miserably.

"Duh, I already mated with Hua Sheng! Plus, he had his rut a few days ago and we totally did it!" Lele explained casually while wiping his dad’s snot off his own cheek. "Alright, cut the drama. Papa, come get your husband!"

Gao Tu let out a soft chuckle at that and immediately hauled Wenlang away from Lele.

"When he was in rut, you were completely fine, right?"

"Dad, c'mon…! if something had happened to me, I wouldn't be sitting here right now!" Lele grumbled, finally able to sit back in peace without Wenlang suffocating him. "Stop stressing about what goes on in the bedroom between me and Hua Sheng. He’s already got everything handled."

Wenlang had no choice but to bite his tongue, though he kept a tight grip on Lele's hand. Oh, he really still wasn't ready to accept that his boy had already mated and was getting married—and to his own godson, no less.

Truth be told, Shaoyou and Wenlang had already made peace.

Well, sort of.

Shaoyou felt like he never had a problem with Wenlang in the first place, but Wenlang firmly believed Shaoyou was the root of all their family drama. Luckily, their two sons were mature and big-hearted enough to force a reconciliation between the two old Alphas.

Later that night, when everyone was fast asleep—scratch that, when everyone should have been fast asleep—Lele was still wide awake.

He lay sprawled across his bed while aggressively spamming messages in his group chat, threatening all his close friends to show up at tomorrow’s wedding. Or else, he would personally show up with his mafia family and terrorize them.

Suddenly, his bedroom door creaked open.

It was Gao Tu.

"What's up, Papa?" Lele frowned, sitting up in bed

Gao Tu walked over to him. "Are you nervous?"

"Not at all," Lele answered instantly. "Why would I be nervous?"

"Hmm... Looks like you’re really ready to become Hua Lele..."

"Wait, what??"

"Your name is going to change.... for the third time..."

Lele went quiet for a long moment, staring at his Papa’s gentle, aging face. The wrinkles were showing clearly now, and his dimples only made his cheeks look more hollowed out.

Shen Lele had always admired Hua Yong—forever young, forever beautiful. Perfect. But somehow, he had always loved Gao Tu more. Because Gao Tu had always been real. Honest. Warm. The one who raised him. Protected him. Stayed beside him. No matter how old Lele got, no matter what changed, Gao Tu was still the very first person Lele would always run to whenever he needed anything: comfort, advice, or home.

"I’m still Lele, Pa..." he said softly, reaching out to squeeze his papa's hand. "Even if my name changes to Hua Lele, I'm still Lele. The name you gave me. I’m not changing."

Gao Tu squeezed his hand back. "You will change. You'll become more mature. Better. More responsible for the consequences of your choices. You won't be the little Lele I used to know anymore."

Shen Lele laughed softly. Then suddenly leaned forward and hugged him. Feeling how his papa's muscular frame—built from years of intense training since his youth now softened with age.

"I’m not little Lele anymore," he said quietly against Gao Tu’s shoulder. "But I’m still the Lele who runs to Papa whenever I need answers. I still need you."

"Mhm..." Gao Tu nestled comfortably into the embrace. "When you were a baby, you constantly wanted to be carried everywhere. You followed me everywhere. You even followed me into the bathroom. Back then, you were only brave at home; the second you met anyone else, you’d start crying..."

"Well, back then I couldn't do anything... I was still weak little Gao Lele. Sickly. Poor. I only had Papa."

Gao Tu’s shoulders trembled slightly in his son's embrace. He was trying very hard not to cry again.

“It feels like yesterday…”

"Here we go again." Lele laughed helplessly. "Papa, I'm literally twenty-eight."

"True..." Gao Tu chuckled through his tears before grumbling, "And you're about to make babies of your own. Please stop smoking, Lele! Chain-smoking is going to make it harder for you to get pregnant later!"

Lele huffed but answered playfully anyway, "Yeah, yeah, nagging as usual."

There was a bittersweet pang in the middle of that warm embrace, but it was also filled with an overwhelming wave of emotion. Gao Tu couldn't help but get swept up in the sentimentality. "To be honest, watching you get married makes me way sadder than when Shen Zhu married Xinhao..."

Speaking of his younger brother, Zhu had been working his butt off for the past week helping to distribute the wedding invitations. After coming to terms with the situation and receiving his parents' resigned blessing, Zhu finally gave his full support—not like he had a choice anyway, since Lele was already marked. He had also been hugging Lele non-stop, acting like the little snot-nosed kid Lele used to babysit back in the day. If Xinhao and his own child hadn’t teased him mercilessly, Zhu had apparently planned to follow Lele around all day to cash in on the ridiculous “one free wish” voucher he gave Lele back in elementary school.

"Please, go home! Stop following me around all day. I’m already suffocating from Dad hugging me nonstop. I don’t need you joining in too.” Lele laughed with a smirk. "But I’ll save that voucher for another time. Thanks, Zhu Didi~"

Remembering the faces of Shen Zhu and his family, and how they had showered him with love and congratulations for his big day tomorrow, made happiness burst uncontrollably inside Lele. His pheromones quietly bloomed.

"Turns out you were right, Papa..." he whispered, tightening his arms around Gao Tu. "You were totally right about that miracle..."

"...Miracle?"

Lele pulled back from the hug, but kept his hands resting on Gao Tu’s shoulders. "You told me once that there are miracles in this world that can change destiny. And it’s true. That miracle found its way to me; Hua Sheng finally came back to marry me."

Gao Tu smiled widely, suddenly remembering the words he had spoken over a decade ago—words of comfort he gave Lele after his very first painful heat.

"And you were right, about how I had to suffer first. I practically had to die first," Lele chuckled, a bright smile still plastered across his face. "Is the fate of an Omega really that cursed?"

"No! Hey, absolutely not!" Gao Tu immediately cupped Lele's face in his hands. "Everything that happens in this world is arranged by God; nothing is cursed. There are only consequences for the choices we make. You chose to be with Hua Sheng, so God will arrange a way for you to be with him, along with all the consequences that come with it."

Lele smiled warmly, leaning into his Papa’s wrinkled hands on his cheeks. "You're right…"

"One thing you need to remember, Lele, I have never once regretted giving birth to you. Don’t you ever make me say I regret it again!"

Lele smiled weakly. "Even if you regretted it, it wouldn’t really be a big de—"

"SHEN LELE!"

Gao Tu suddenly snapped, and then the floodgates burst. The tears he had been holding back finally poured down his face in torrents. "Don’t you ever dare make me say that again! Even if time were turned back, I would still choose to give birth to you! I am so proud to have you. I am so proud to be your parent. No one could ever regret having you, Lele…"

"Okay, okay… Papa, please don't cry. I hate seeing you like this," Lele chuckled softly, wiping Gao Tu’s tears away. "Let Dad do all the crying at the wedding tomorrow. You have to smile. You have to be happy for me."

Gao Tu sniffled. “…Okay.”

They fell into another warm hug, exchanging affectionate kisses on each other's cheeks.

.

Meanwhile, over at the Hua family mansion, things were very different.

There were no tearful emotional breakdowns. No dramatic crying. No overwhelming sentimental chaos like what had been happening at Shen Lele’s house.

Everything was calm, quiet, and completely under control.

Though if anyone was secretly panicking, It was Hua Sheng.

Ironically, he seemed far more nervous than Shen Lele. He had already called his future husband earlier that night to say goodnight before they were forced to sleep separately, yet somehow, he still couldn’t sleep.

Maybe it was because it had been ages since he last slept in Hua Yong’s sprawling mansion. The last time he stayed here, he was only fifteen, and now he was back in a body that didn't look much different.

The mansion itself hadn’t changed much. Everything still looked exactly the same. The polished floors. The towering ceilings. The faint smell of expensive tea and old wood. Only the workers had changed. Many of the old staff had retired over the years, replaced by newer faces.

The young Enigma decided to try on his wedding suit one more time, just to reassure himself that choosing ivory white for tomorrow’s reception wasn't a mistake. He stood in front of the mirror, carefully fixing the collar, silently reassuring himself that choosing ivory white for tomorrow’s reception hadn’t been a mistake.

“You already look handsome~”

Shaoyou’s amused voice suddenly drifted through the room.

The bedroom door had opened without Hua Sheng even noticing. Sheng Shaoyou stood there, leaning casually against the doorway with his usual dramatic confidence.

"I told you before, you inherited my good looks," he continued proudly, folding his arms. “No matter what you wear, you’ll still be handsome.”

Hua Sheng immediately clicked his tongue, though his cheeks turned so pink. "What are you doing, Pa?"

"I came to check if you’d gone to sleep. Since you’re still awake, come watch documentaries upstairs with Hua Yong."

The third floor was his parents' private sanctuary.

"The three of us haven't had a proper chat all day; you've been so busy on your own," Shaoyou said cheerfully.

Hua Sheng hesitated for a second before nodding. He changed back into his pajamas and followed Shaoyou up to the home theater on the third floor.

Hua Yong was already waiting, practically surrounded by an assortment of snacks. The moment Hua Sheng entered, they immediately told him to sit in the middle—which felt weird. Because normally, Shaoyou always occupied that spot whenever the three of them sat together.

"Seriously?" Hua Sheng sighed while sitting down more comfortably. "Which age are we watching this time? Are you two seriously not bored yet?”

Because honestly, he had lost count of how many times he’d caught his parents rewatching documentaries of him from infancy to age five. Always the same recordings. Always replayed. And strangely—the footage never went past age five.

"Actually, I'm fed up. But Mr. Sheng insisted," Hua Yong drawled, earning a playful nudge from Shaoyou.

"Oh sure, blame me, even though you’ve been setting all of this up since this afternoon. You’re such a tsundere!"

Hua Yong huffed, a light blush dusting his cheeks, and Hua Sheng couldn't help but smile too.

"Let's start from the video of the day you were born," Shaoyou said, starting the tape. "Have you ever actually watched this one, Sheng? Wenlang was the one filming."

"Why Wenlang, Pa?"

"Because—"

"Mr. Sheng was in a coma. He didn't wake up for a whole day. And I was ready to kill myself," Hua Yong interjected, his expression completely blank

"Ayong!" Shaoyou instantly smacked his lips lightly. "Don’t say it like that."

“That was the reality,” Hua Yong answered without changing expression. "If Mr. Sheng left…I would’ve gone too."

For a moment, the room fell quieter.

Hua Sheng sighed softly. He knew his parents' past by heart now—how his birth had nearly killed Shaoyou after he suffered severe, repeated hemorrhaging. It was only recently that he finally understood why Hua Yong had chosen to get a vasectomy; he couldn't stand the thought of Shaoyou going through another pregnancy that might land him in a coma again.

Even though medical research had advanced significantly by now and Alpha pregnancies were widely successful, the trauma of seeing Shaoyou on the brink of death still haunted Hua Yong to this day.

The documentary began. Tiny footage flickered across the screen.

Hua Sheng—only one hour old. Unbelievably tiny. Fragile.

He had been born prematurely at eight months, weighing a mere 2.2 kilograms. It was an emergency delivery; Shaoyou’s body simply couldn't carry the baby a day longer. On the day of his birth, neither Shaoyou nor Hua Yong appeared in the video. There were only the muffled sounds of Wenlang's voice and the tiny whimpers of baby Hua Sheng as the nurses tended to him inside the incubator.

Then the documentary jumped ahead. Five-week-old Hua Sheng.

Shaoyou and Hua Yong finally appeared on screen. Taking turns holding him carefully. Giving calming pheromones. Feeding formula.

The camera mostly focused on the baby—still exceptionally small but significantly cuter and plumper. He rarely cried. In fact, baby Hua Sheng hadn't even cried when he was first taken out of the operating room. Whenever he did fuss, he would instantly quiet down the moment he was kissed and pressed against Shaoyou's chest, the Alpha's calming pheromones acting like an instant lullaby.

Then, suddenly—

"Hua Yong, he pooped."

Shaoyou’s blunt word in the video shattered the quiet atmosphere of the home theater, and the real-life Shaoyou burst out laughing.

"Hmm... so Mr. Sheng smelled it?"

"Yes, hurry up and take him. Give him back to me once he's clean. I need to wash my hands."

"Don't you want to try changing his diaper?"

"Ew, hell no."

The home theater erupted in laughter. Even Hua Yong looked mildly amused. Meanwhile, Hua Sheng only rolled his eyes.

He knew all too well that his Papa was easily grossed out. From infancy up until he was a toddler, Hua Sheng was almost never handled by Shaoyou; he was mostly cared for by professional nannies and maids who had been hired well in advance during the pregnancy.

Sheng Shaoyou would only hold Hua Sheng to cuddle him and give him soothing pheromones, and even then, the baby had to be completely clean and freshly scented. If the baby wet himself, pooped, or suddenly spit up, Shaoyou would instantly pass him off to a nanny. Even the task of bottle-feeding him formula every two hours was mostly left to Hua Yong.

The footage shifted again. Now Hua Yong was changing baby Hua Sheng’s diaper. The camera zoomed in on him who was whining dramatically. Tiny hands waving. Little legs kicking.

"Tsk, quiet down, you smelly baby," the on-screen Hua Yong grumbled, wrinkling his nose even as his hands expertly discarded the soiled diaper and cleaned up his son. Beside him, a professional nanny kept a watchful eye, offering quiet instructions.

Suddenly, a hilarious sequence on screen sent Sheng Shaoyou into another fit of laughter, and this time, Hua Sheng couldn't help but crack up too.

"W-wait! Did you just pee on me?!"

The video showed baby Hua Sheng letting out a tiny giggle as he unleashed a powerful pee right to a fresh diaper that was about to be put on. The spray shot up with immense force, hitting Hua Yong squarely in the face.

"You little brat! Just you wait!!"

Wenlang’s booming laughter thundered behind the camera. The footage zoomed shamelessly into Hua Yong’s soaked expression.

"Just think of it as a facial serum! It's gonna make your skin even more glowing!"

"Shut up, Wenlang. I'll kill you later."

The real-life Hua Yong grumbled under his breath as he watched the scene unfold. Reaching over, he smacked Hua Sheng lightly on the side of the head when his son refused to stop laughing.

"Now you know why I hate you, Sheng."

"Hey, don't talk like that," Shaoyou scolded lightly, his laughter finally dying down. "No parent actually hates their own child!"

The video skipped forward again, showing a slightly older baby Hua Sheng starting his solid food phase.

"Yum... nom nom..."

"Yes, very good, Young Master..."

Of course, the one doing the actual spoon-feeding was the nanny. Shaoyou and Hua Yong were merely standing by to ensure the eight-month-old focused on eating instead of throwing his food around.

From the moment he was born, Hua Yong had meticulously planned his son's nutrition, even hiring a wet nurse to provide specialised Omega milk since Shaoyou couldn't provide it. That barrier hadn't stopped the baby from getting maximum nutrients, turning him into a healthy-chubby little thing.

Baby Hua Sheng had never been a picky eater. Guided by professional pediatricians and premium chefs, he always ate heartily and cheerfully, even if he managed to get food absolutely everywhere.

“Next time feed him more neatly,” Shaoyou instructed the nanny. “If he starts playing with food, stop immediately. And bathe him afterwards. Don’t let him smell fishy!”

"Yes, Mr. Sheng." 

Shaoyou's on-screen face twisted in a look of mild disgust as he watched baby Hua Sheng smash food all over his own face. Sometimes, once he was full, the baby would dramatically spit his food everywhere. Adorable... but definitely smelly, Shaoyou had thought.

“Oh~ Mr. Sheng doesn’t wanna bathe Peanut yourself?” 

A teasing question came from Hua Yong—who was holding the camera this time around, causing the real-life Hua Sheng to click his tongue in annoyance.

Of course, Sheng Shaoyou, an S-Class Alpha, wanted nothing to do with it. The idea of him feeding or bathing a baby was almost laughable; he had never even imagined giving birth in the first place. Even now, Shaoyou remained a proud traditional Alpha with deeply ingrained patriarchal values.

“I pay caretakers well for a reason,” Shaoyou answered immediately. "Stop trying to make me do their job, Ayong."

The video eventually transitioned to Hua Sheng at one-year-old. He was starting to babble his first words and learning to take his first steps. Shaoyou and Hua Yong had never missed a single milestone.

"Peanut, come here... try walking to Papa...!"

"Pa...pa... pa..."

"Yes... good boy. Say it again, Pa-pa...!"

"Papapapapapa..."

The baby happily crawled with intense speed toward his Papa. Slowly, using Shaoyou’s thigh for leverage, he pulled himself up into a standing position, balancing his chubby, rolls-laden arms like little pieces of bread.

Shaoyou took a few steps back, coaxing the baby to walk forward.

One step.

Two steps.

Until on the fifth step, baby Hua Sheng tumbled onto the soft play mat, instantly scrambling on all fours to reach Shaoyou.

"Papa..!"

"There you go! My precious little Peanut~"

Hua Yong’s deep, adoring chuckle could be heard in the background, causing the camera footage to wobble slightly.

"Look over there, look at Dad! Call him... 'Da-dy'!"  Shaoyou pointed toward the lens.

Baby Hua Sheng turned his head right on cue, letting out a toothy giggle that revealed his only two front teeth.

"Yongyong...!"

"Da-dy! Try saying... 'Da-dy'!"

"Yongyongyong..."

The baby was fully facing the camera now, taking awkward, wobbly steps forward while still babbling randomly. His oversized diaper looked bigger than his entire head.

"Yongyong..!" 

"Yes... Come here, Sheng.." Hua Yong’s recorded voice sounded incredibly soft and gentle as he slowly pulled the camera back to encourage the baby to walk a bit longer.

"Yong.. yong.. yong!"

"Call him 'Daddy', baby..." Shaoyou laughed off-camera, still trying to correct his pronunciation, but the baby just unleashed a stream of completely incoherent babble.

"Wuv Yong! Wuv Yong...!" 

Then, with a delighted squeal, baby Hua Sheng plopped down onto the mat and crawled into Hua Yong’s waiting arms, where he was immediately scooped up into a tight hug.

"I wuv Ayong!"

"Yeah, I loves you too, Hua Sheng."

Hua Yong's voice rang out from the video, earning an excited shriek from real-life Shaoyou. His enthusiasm echoed throughout the home theater.

"AAAAA!! THAT'S FUCKING CUTE! PAUSE IT!! PAUSE IT RIGHT THERE!!"

Sheng Shaoyou had lost count of how many times he had watched the documentary. Yet every viewing left him just as emotional as the first. Seeing his husband and son preserved in those cherished memories brought a wave of nostalgia crashing over him, warm enough to ache. God, he loved his family so much it almost hurt.

"Come on, Yong! You should hug Hua Sheng and say that to him again right now~"

"Not a chance," Hua Yong replied dryly, looking away as if he couldn't be bothered.

Shaoyou sighed in mild disappointment but kept a warm smile on his face. "Tsk, why are you still so shy around your own son?" He turned his head to the side and realised Hua Sheng had already fallen asleep against his shoulder, no idea when it happened.

"Well... Looks like the groom's already knocked out. So much for recreating that scene." Shaoyou chuckled softly.

"Good." Hua Yong muttered. "He needs his rest. He's getting married tomorrow, and then he’ll finally stop bothering us."

"Exactly! Since Hua Sheng is getting married tomorrow, this is officially our very last night as a core family. Tomorrow, this boy will have a family of his own, under a completely different household registry," Shaoyou snorted softly while caressing the cheek of his sleeping son. "He's getting married looking like this... I'm really not ready to let him go..."

"Tsk. You still spoil him entirely too much!" Hua Yong grumbled, he reached over to gently brush Shaoyou’s hand away from Hua Sheng's face.

"He is my son, and I have every right to spoil him," Shaoyou stated firmly with a wink. "And you're allowed to spoil him too. Drop the tsundere act already."

Hua Yong let out a long sigh and finally nodded in surrender. Then, without another word, he bent down and pulled Hua Sheng onto his back in one smooth motion.

"I'll take him to his room," he said quietly.

Maybe—just maybe—this would be the last time Hua Yong ever carried his son to bed.

Years ago, when Hua Sheng was still a child and constantly begged to sleep beside Shaoyou, Hua Yong had no choice but to indulge him. He would let the boy curl up against his Alpha until he drifted off, then quietly carry him back to his own room.

And tonight, he was doing it one last time.

Half-asleep on his father's back, Hua Sheng suddenly murmured,

"I love you... Dad..."

Shaoyou nearly let out a delighted shriek. He almost rushed over to pinch Hua Sheng's cheeks if Hua Yong hadn't stopped him with a single warning glare.

"Hm."

Hua Yong's reply was quiet and brief. His voice remained as calm as ever, but the warmth in his eyes softened his entire expression.

"I love you too, Sheng."

.

.

.

.

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To be continued.