How to Catch an A

CHAPTER 5

IN WHICH TODAY'S PUPPY NEEDS A CUDDLE

58


"Xin Xin is here. Hurry up. Change your shoes and come in."

"Hello, Auntie."
 

"Come, come, Xin Xin. Try this ox bone soup. It's delicious."
 

"Okay. Thank you, Auntie."
 

Zhen Xin stands up, holding a bowl, to grab some dishes. The hem of his shirt sways and nearly brushes the tableware at the edge of the table. Liang Ren, sitting beside him, instinctively reaches out to hold the corner of Zhen Xin's shirt. He quietly lets go of his grip when Zhen Xinyi backs away, and Puppy Xin Xin remains unaware of Liang Ren's subtle and gentle actions.

Just like all those years of thoughtfulnes that nourished him silently.

"What is the purpose of your visit this time? Did he explain it to you?"

Zhen Xin, holding a bowl of clean grapes, is sitting with Mommy Liang on the sofa after they finished eating. He becomes anxious and nervous when she suddenly opens her mouth. He looks over with wide open eyes, like a scared puppy.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Zhen Xin tries to smile but he's too tense. "Please tell me. As long as I can do it, I won't refuse."
 

"I do need your help." Seeing the apprehension on Zhen Xin's face, Mommy Liang can't help covering her mouth as she laughs. "I mainly want to ask about your wedding with Ren Ren. You two have been together for so long, you should have a plan. Your relationship will be more secure if you have a formal marriage certificate and establish a family..."

"I, I, I..."

Zhen Xin falls into a fluttter, his mind filling with excitement and panic. While he is undoubtedly delighted that the elders still regarded him and Liang Ren as sweethearts, he is also terrified that their separation will be revealed. As a result, he can only fumble and ends up speaking incoherently.

"I'll take care of it."

Liang Ren, who suddenly appears out of nowhere, stands across the back of the couch and puts his hands on Zhen Xin's shoulders.

"Let's hold the wedding at the end of the year."

Eh?

Zhen Xin looks at Mommy Liang in perplex, then up at Liang Ren who has started discussing about the specifics of the wedding.

Puppy Xin Xin: ૮ ⚆ﻌ⚆ა


59


"What do you mean by getting married at the end of the year?" Zhen Xin has just taken a shower. He sits on the edge of the bed in soft cotton pajamas. "I don't understand what you mean."

Liang Ren's face is still as stern as before, but his wet hair just after a shower doesn't make him look any less so.

"My parents are pressing me to get married and settle down quickly, but I'm not interested, so I just pulled you as a a shield."

"That's not appropriate." Zhen Xin's pretty face bunches up. "Your parents are looking forward to your marriage, you shouldn't have lied to them..."

Liang Ren cuts short his lecture, "I don't have any hope for marriage."

Pain stabs Zhen Xin's heart once again. Fighting the intolerable embarassment, he still tries his best to point out, "Your family is well-connected. You can definitely find a suitable partner..."

Zhen Xin lowers his eyes. He knows that Liang Ren is now in the prime of his life. He will definitely be able to find an excellent match.

But the man says, "I've been hurt in love and have a pessimistic view of marriage."

"Oh," Zhen Xin croaks. He, the culprit, hugs the pillow and dares not speak.

He falls into silence, so does Liang Ren. Goosebumps breaks out Zhen Xin's skin as the victim relentlessly stares at the suspect.

"So you want me to play this charade with you... until when?" Zhen Xin pinches and twists the corners of the pillow. He knows best that there are no secrets that time does not reveal. If you tell a lie, you will end up telling more lies. Just like him in the beginning. "What will you do when Uncle and Auntie want a grandchild in the future?"

Liang Ren is also shocked, but after a long time, he just snorts coldly.

"You don't have to worry about it."

This beta is really quite hard to figure out. He is extremely smart in ordinary days, but now he is like a piece of wood.

He has brought the puppy back to his bed, how can he let him run away again?

So stupid.


60


Zhen Xin wakes up with a start.

He dreamed of the wedding ceremony. He was wearing an exquisite wedding dress, standing next to Liang Ren and receiving the blessings of his relatives and friends.

But Zhen Xin wasn't happy at all. He has had this dream too many times, to the point where he can almost foresee everything that would happen next.

As always, the kiss that he was about to receive from his groom was interrupted by a sharp voice.

"He's a dirty beta!"

In the dream, everything shatters and explodes with the sound, and all the beautiful scenery turns into fragments, leaving him covered in cuts and bruises.

He startles awake just like he has countless times before, panicking and wrapping himself tightly in his blanket as if it could bring him some relief.
 

"Mm……"
 

Before Zhen Xin could react to the movement beside him, someone has already grabbed his shoulders. Liang Ren sits up, turns on the bedside lamp, and asks groggily, "What's wrong? Why are you trying to steal the blanket in the middle of the night? Are you trying to claim the bed?"

"Brother Ren..." Zhen Xin nestled into Liang Ren's arms, trying to wake him up. "I really wanted to tell you that I'm a beta, but you were too kind to me. I'm so afraid that if I tell you the truth, you will... you won't want me."

That's why I was terrified.

That's why I got bogged down deeper and deeper.

That's why I balked and evaded.

"Let go." But Liang Ren only gets hugged even tighter. Out of breath, he tries to pry the clingy puppy off.

"Brother Ren..."

Teardrops still cling on Zhen Xin's eyelashes. He looks so obedient and miserable that Liang Ren can't help but laugh angrily.

"If you use more strength, I'm going to be strangled to death." Liang Ren looks at Zhen Xin, feeling that this person is cute. "Forget it..."

Liang Ren sighs, then yanks the wretched puppy's paw.

"It's also because I'm a fool." Liang Ren watches Zhen Xin's face turn pale, and continues, "I knew you were a little liar who couldn't stop talking nonsense, but you still entranced me. After you kicked me, I was so angry for years, but now I can't let go when I see the culprit."

"Then...then what do you think of me now?" The pathetic look on Zhen Xin's face resurfaces. "Are you going to take revenge on me? But there's nothing I can do to make it up to you."

He has always been inferior to Liang Ren in all aspects, and any compensation he could offer falls far short of what is needed.

Holding the sushi roll puppy in his arms, Liang Ren stares at the wet eyes, and says in a straightforward and sincere way, "I haven't forgiven you, and I still can't swallow that anger. So don't think of running away. You have to be where I can see you at my disposal."

He pinches the puppy's face.

"If I want to pinch you, I can pinch you."

He gently smacks the puppy's fanny.

"If I want to touch you, I can touch you."

Finally, he hugs the puppy in his chest.

If I want to love you, I will love you.

61


"It is a great honor to be able to take part in Mr. Liang Ren's and..."

On the stage, Zhen Xin stands in a daze when he hears his name.

His hazy dream has actually become a reality. He is now wearing a wedding dress, standing in the spotlight. He is really married.

Everything has progressed surprisingly fast, as if a tape that was once cut off is reconnected and fast-forwarded to the part where it should have been.

"Teacher Zhen, I wish you a hundred years of conjugal bliss and a lovely baby on the way." Feng Fan hugs the bouquet and leans against the table with his left foot on his right foot. He can't hold his liquor well. After a few drinks, his speech has already become slurred. "Wonderful. The sweethearts... finally get married."

"You're drunk." Zhen Xin steadies the person. The smart but stupid omega leans heavily on his shoulders. "I'll help you to go to rest."

"Teacher Zhen..." Feng Fan sobs. "It's so hard to love someone..."

Zhen Xin looks over somewhere and sees Li Duoyu still exchanging toasts with Liang Ren.

"Congratulations." Li Duoyu, the best man, holds his wine glass with a flushed face. "You two have dawdled. If you've married from the very beginning, you would have been hugging your cubs by now."

"No need to worry about me," Liang Ren returns, looking at the stupid puppy who is tightly entangled with Feng Fan. "Take care of your ownself."

He is an alpha in a serious relationship!
 

——————

"From now on, you will continue to live here with me."

Liang Ren opens the door of their former marital home. Because of the wedding, the furnishings inside are colorful, rustic and festive.

"Ok."

Tired all day, Zhen Xin now feels disoriented and drowsy.

"Stupid to death." The stupid puppy gets picked up by the neck. "Don't fall down by yourself."

"Brother Ren..." Zhen Xin affectionately calls his husband. "Are we really married?"

"No." Liang Ren carries the person into the bedroom and prepares to wash the stinky puppy. "It's all balls."

"Ah..." Zhen Xin begins to feel sad again. "But I will treat it as the real thing."

The sound of water echoes in the bathroom. Liang Ren scolds the stupid dog while washing his head.

"Stupid pup."

It's real from the start.


62


Hey, wherever can you find someone who only knows how to sleep on their wedding day?

Zhen Xin is about to faint from anger.

He actually slept till half past five. It's almost dawn outside. Whoever spends their wedding night like this? What a waste.

Agonizing, Zhen Xin rolls over under the quilt, and then drills into the arms of the person next to him, feeling a little happy again.

His husband really has not chuck him under the bed, but let him sleep on it.

Zhen Xin secretly snuggles up and boldly kisses the corner of Liang Ren's mouth.

If, and it's a big if, if he behaves well, can he then possibly win Liang Ren's forgiveness and try to start anew?

Anyway, the wood is already made into a boat. Whether it's all a pretence or the real thing, he is now Liang Ren's partner, and no one can steal him away.

The thought buoys Zhen Xin's spirits. He gingerly gets up to sneak out of the bed.

He wants to behave well from day one, and he's going to start by making breakfast for his husband!

——————
 

As it turns out, there isn't even a botle of cooking oil in the kitchen.

They have been busy working, either eating in the company cafeteria or dining out. Afterwards, they get caught up in the wedding preparations. Only now does he realize that they don't have anything to eat at home.

Nevermind. There's no point making a heart-shaped breakfast if he has no ingredients. Might as well go back and cuddle.

Dejected, Zhen Xin is just about to return to the bedroom when Liang Ren gives him a shock.

"Zhen Xin!"

"Aaah!"

As soon as Zhen Xin turns around, he sees Liang Ren standing by the door of the kitchen. His face is full of anxiety, and even the collar of his coat is crooked. He looks as if he's in a hurry.

"What are you doing? Where are you going so early in the morning?"

"I just, just want to..."

Make breakfast.

But Liang Ren throws the silly puppy on his shoulders, cutting off his explanation.

"I don't care what you want to do..."

Back on the bed, Zhen Xin stares blankly at the person oppressing him.

"You are not allowed to go anywhere without my consent."

Zhen Xin blinks nervously.

Ho, so exciting.

Liang Ren looks at Zhen Xin's ignorant face and frowns. "Scared?"

Zhen Xin attacks Liang Ren's mouth, hugging him tightly, refusing to let go.

Scared, my fart. He's a villain, remember?


63


"Zhen Xin, let's have dinner together after work."

"No, no, today is my husband's birthday. I'm taking half a day off."

So many months have passed in the blink of an eye. It has been nearly a year since he and Liang Ren reunited. Today is July 6th, Liang Ren's birthday.
 

Shortly after they got married, Liang Ren kept ordering him not to leave him, but now that he is busy with business trips, he leaves him alone at home. Not that he minds. He doesn't make a fuss and just obediently waits.

——————

In those few years they've been together, Liang Ren celebrated his birthday for him.

He used to be a stray puppy that no one cared about. He never had a special celebration for his birthday.

No one cared about him, and he himself didn't think that birthdays were a big deal until he met Liang Ren.

It was his luck to meet Liang Ren.

It was Liang Ren who taught him how to be a positive person and how to live in sunshine.

And his greater luck is meeting him again after losing him.

Liang Ren is really the best person in the world for him, and he will never find anyone who loves him more than Liang Ren.

【Boarding the plane. Don't work overtime today. 】

Zhen Xin smiles when he reads Liang Ren's message.

【Ok. Love you, husband! 】

He may talk tough, but he's soft-hearted. He just loves him to death!


64


Zhen Xin comes home early with the fresh ingredients he bought.

Since Liang Ren doesn't like having too many people at home, they just call in cleaning service every week instead of hiring a live-in housekeeper.
Zhen Xin would sometimes fall in a trance, feeling as if the years of separation never existed.
 

It's a pity that the water that has been spilled will never be recovered. They did have a rift, and now even if he desperately tries his best to make amends, tirelessly confessing his love day and night, sneaking hugs and kisses whenever he could, the resentment in Liang Ren's heart could not be completely eliminated.

It can't be helped. Whoever cast him to play the big villain?

The braised beef brisket in the casserole smells delicious. Zhen Xin puts the other dishes in the microwave oven to keep them warm for a while, then skips his way to the living room to set it up.

He has bought balloons earlier, planning to stuck them on the wall to spell out "happy birthday".

For this occasion, he also made an electronic photo album of their wedding photos to be projected on the wall.

As he blows up the balloons, he hypes himself, "Come on, come on! Husband won't think it's tacky."

But what can he do? He only knows such tacky things.

He is, after all, a village puppy through and through.

——————

"How do I connect this to the computer?"

Zhen Xin fiddles with the laptop, muttering to himself.

In a hurry to leave work today, he only remembers to take the flash drive where he saved the files and has forgotten to bring home his own laptop. Fortunately, there is still a usable one at home, so it's not a problem.

Liang Ren's laptop isn't password-protected, so Zhen Xin opens it easily.

He happily inserts the flash drive and opens the video player, but accidentally resumes playback from where it left off last time.

"I love you so much."

Liang Ren's voice jumps out of the speaker. Startled, Zhen Xin subconsciously slams the screen shut.

He swallows subconsciously.

Fear and anxiety envelope him in an instant, suffocating him.

Has Liang Ren found someone else to love during those years?

Although this makes him appear selfish and narrow-minded, he can never accept this terrible truth at all.

Zhen Xin dawdles for a full three minutes before turning on the computer again.

He will not resign to his fate. Even if Liang Ren really likes someone else, he will never give in.

He is the one Liang Ren married, it just proves that the other person is the loser, not worth fearing.

Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath, and finally clicks the play button.

"I don't care about your past. Whether you are an omega or not, you are my beloved Little One."

Zhen Xin's tears fall on the keyboard. He reaches out to wipe his face in a panic, but the man on the screen is still looking at him tenderly.
 

"No matter what kind of person you are, you are my most beloved... I am very honored that you chose me to spend the rest of your life with. In the future, we will definitely create happiness together. You didn't have a family in the past, but I will be your family from now on. "

The alpha's smile in the video is so warm and kind, and his younger face is sticky with sweetness.

Zhen Xin is already howling at this point.

The video keeps playing, showing bits and pieces of their past frame by frame.

"What's with all these showy things..." When Liang Ren returns home, he sees the colorful balloons stuck on the wall. He purses his lips, feigning indifference, but he is startled by the yowling Zhen Xin. "What's wrong? Why did you put up the balloons like this?"

"Brother Ren, I..." The puppy tearfully flings himself into his husband's arms. "I really love you so much."

"Sweet talks all day long." Liang Ren sullenly wipes away the puppy's tears. "What's the matter? Tell me properly."

"I am just a plain and ordinary beta," Zhen Xin sniffs. "I'm also very bad, with many tricks up my sleeve. I always wanted to live a good life, but what I want the most is someone who loves me..."

The puppy presses its wet face against Liang Ren's.

"You know what? I can't smell your pheromone. You told me it smells like grapefruit, so I'd go buy grapefruits and smell them secretly..." His mind is in a jumble, and he is almost talking nonsense as he pours out all his grievances over the years. "I really hope that I am really worthy of your love, but I am not."

Alpha, who has been silently hugging the puppy all this time, opens his mouth.

"You are."

After all, he has always been his beloved little pup.

ending.

little follow-up

——————

"Then, husband, you forgive me, right?"

Alpha, who has just finished eating the puppy cake is still cold and detached. He gives the puppy a cold kiss and a cold hug.

"I won't forgive you," Liang Ren says seriously. "We're not done with each other in this lifetime."

"Okay, okay."

The puppy clings harder!