Chapter 112: Ch 112: The Only Exception

The sun hung high overhead, casting warm golden rays across the people resting beneath the trees. Soft patches of light shifted across the cool green grass whenever the breeze stirred the leaves above.

The air carried the faint scent of earth and distant flowers, and the quiet rustle of the trees mixed with the occasional bright laughter of a child. Under the shade, Shen Guoxing remained completely focused on Mo Yan, making faces and chatting softly in her soft, milky voice, entirely unaware of the steady gaze fixed on her from a short distance away.

Su Wanyan noticed the lovestruck expression on the little girl’s face and chuckled quietly under her breath. As they drew nearer she released Leilei’s hand and settled down on the grass beside Mo Xingxue, the cool blades brushing against her palms.

The movement finally caught Shen Guoxing’s attention. She turned toward Su Wanyan at once, eyes bright.

"Look!" she said proudly, pointing with both hands at the masterpiece she had drawn on her meimei’s face.

Su Wanyan took in the slightly clumsy cat whiskers and the neat black nose dot. The lines were uneven in places, clearly the work of small, determined fingers, but the overall effect was irresistibly adorable. She burst into fond laughter, shaking her head as she reached out and gently ruffled Shen Guoxing’s hair.

"You little artist," she teased.

The child immediately protested, batting at her hand with a dramatic pout, which only made Su Wanyan laugh harder. The sound was warm and free, blending with the soft rustle of leaves overhead.

Then Su Wanyan’s gaze shifted to the little girl still standing a short distance away, looking slightly awkward and uncertain. She smiled and gestured for her to come closer, her expression open and inviting.

That was when Shen Guoxing looked back.

Her eyes widened the moment she recognized one of her new playmates. What is she doing here? She wondered. Wasn’t she supposed to be playing with the others?

The thought lasted only a second. Shen Guoxing shrugged it off and broke into a bright, welcoming smile that lit up her entire face. She stood up at once and strode toward Leilei with the easy confidence of a child who had already decided they were friends.

Her small, warm hands closed around Leilei’s, and her thumb began unconsciously rubbing the back of Leilei’s knuckles in a gentle, restless motion—soft, absentminded, and completely natural.

Leilei’s eyes widened. Her heartbeat quickened again, loud and sudden in her ears.

It’s doing it again! She thought, bewildered. Why is it like this?!

Heat climbed from her neck all the way to her ears, painting her face a soft, deepening pink. She could feel the warmth of Shen Guoxing’s hands, the light pressure of that restless thumb, and it made her chest feel strangely full and fluttery.

Completely unaware of the effect she was having, Shen Guoxing greeted her cheerfully. "Hi! Come sit with us!"

However, she did not really give Leilei much of a choice. Still holding her hand, she was already pulling her toward the grassy spot, face full of pure joy at the chance to hang out with one of her new friends.

Leilei stumbled slightly but followed, her face now bright red—practically tomato-colored. Steam might as well have been rising from her head. She kept glancing at their joined hands, a small, satisfied smile tugging at her lips even while confusion still swirled in her eyes. She still had no idea why her body was reacting this way, only that the warmth of Shen Guoxing’s hand felt important somehow.

The two children settled onto the grass beneath the shade. Shen Guoxing immediately turned to show off her masterpiece, her free hand gesturing proudly toward the baby in the stroller.

"Look, here’s my meimei!" she announced, voice bright with pride.

Mo Yan stared at Leilei with a completely deadpan expression, as if silently saying, Yeah. That’s me. Her little face, still decorated with the slightly uneven cat whiskers and black nose, somehow managed to look both adorable and unimpressed at the same time.

Leilei looked at the painted face and the flat, unimpressed stare, and could not help laughing. "Haha!" She quickly covered her mouth when the baby’s eyes narrowed into a tiny glare. "She’s glaring at me," Leilei whispered, offering Mo Yan a silent peace sign and momentarily forgetting her own fluster..

Shen Guoxing watched the exchange with open amusement and laughed as well. "Nooo," she said, drawing the word out in her soft, milky voice. "How can our cute Mo Yan glare at someone?" She leaned closer to the stroller, eyes sparkling with mischief, and made a playful face at the baby.

In response Mo Yan let out an indignant stream of babbles and slammed one tiny hand down in protest, her expression somehow managing to look both offended and dignified.

Shen Guoxing and Leilei looked at each other. In that single shared glance they silently formed an alliance. The two of them began teasing the baby together, completely in sync, as though they had done this a thousand times before.

Soft laughter and gentle voices filled the cool shade of the trees. Mo Yan’s angry babbles grew louder, and the drool at the corner of her mouth intensified, but the two older children only laughed harder, continuing their gentle, coordinated teasing.

As the two children continued their gentle teasing of Mo Yan beneath the cool shade of the trees, the live barrage of course had opinions.

[....So—]

[Hm...]

[....Just say it, y’all.]

[I am aware that shipping children is weird... BUTT!]

[I get what you mean.. also, was the double T intentional?]

[Still.. shipping children are weird... TvT.]

[Exactlyyyyy.. but they do look like they would make a great couple.]

[We gotta make an exception, y’all.]

[Fr fr, their chemistry is off the charts. Also, did y’all see how Leilei was blushing earlier? SO CUTE!]

[YEAH! AND THAT WAS WHEN SHEN GUOXING HELD HER HAND!]

[THEY’RE SO CUTE, HOLY GUACAMOLE!]

While the chat wrestled with shipping ethics and pure, unfiltered adoration, Su Wanyan and Mo Xingxue watched the children with soft, doting smiles. The soft babbling of Mo Yan and the bright, overlapping laughter of the two older girls filled the quiet space with a warm, domestic peace.

"Hehe," Su Wanyan murmured, the sound low and fond. Without thinking, she rested her head against Mo Xingxue’s shoulder and smoothly slipped an arm around the omega’s waist. The movement was completely natural, as though she had done it a thousand times before—easy, familiar, and full of quiet trust.

Her gaze remained on the two little girls playing with the baby, the doting smile on her face slowly turning nostalgic. "We used to do this too in the past, no?" she asked, snuggling a little closer to Mo Xingxue’s neck. The warmth of her breath brushed against the omega’s skin, soft and intimate in the shaded afternoon air.

Mo Xingxue, however, was not listening to a single word.

Every bit of her attention was fixed on the warm weight of Su Wanyan’s head resting on her shoulder, the arm wrapped securely around her waist, and the sudden, terrifying proximity that made her worry Su Wanyan might actually hear the loud thudding of her heart. The gentle pressure of that arm, the way Su Wanyan’s body leaned into hers without hesitation—it all felt far too natural, far too close.

This dense flirt! Mo Xingxue thought, well aware that for Su Wanyan this was simply a normal way of showing affection to a close friend. The sweetness she had been feeling a moment earlier began to darken with a quiet, familiar ache.

Then her thoughts paused.

Although Su Wanyan was naturally affectionate, she had never hugged her other friends quite like this. Mo Xingxue also could not recall anyone else Su Wanyan had ever rested her head against so freely. Well.. maybe during the ten years we didn’t see each other she did, she reasoned, lips pressing together in quiet uncertainty.

Curiosity won.

"Yanyan," she called calmly, her voice carefully even.

Su Wanyan hummed softly in answer, still watching the children and lost in old memories. The sound vibrated lightly against Mo Xingxue’s shoulder.

Mo Xingxue hesitated, embarrassment and a faint thread of shame tightening her chest. Silence stretched between them, broken only by the soft rustle of leaves overhead as the breeze passed through and the distant laughter of the children.

Finally she gathered her courage.

"Have you ever leaned your head on someone other than me?"

Su Wanyan lifted her head just enough to look at her, then chuckled at the unexpected question. The sound was warm and unguarded. "That’s so random," she said, and settled back against Mo Xingxue’s shoulder again, as if the answer was already decided.

Mo Xingxue pouted and bounced her shoulder lightly to urge her. "Just answer the question," she said, a hint of coquettish insistence slipping into her voice despite her best efforts to keep it casual.

Su Wanyan chuckled once more and gently shook her head. "No," she admitted, voice quiet and completely sincere. "I feel uncomfortable resting my head on someone else’s shoulder."

Mo Xingxue had hoped for that answer, yet she still tilted her head slightly, needing more. "Uncomfortable? How come?" After all, Su Wanyan never shied away from ordinary physical affection with the people she cared about.

Su Wanyan laughed softly and nestled even closer, her breath brushing Mo Xingxue’s neck and sending a ticklish warmth through both the omega’s skin and her heart.

The arm around her waist tightened just a fraction—not possessive, just secure.

"Well," she began, voice quiet and completely sincere, "because they’re not you."

Mo Xingxue’s eyes widened.

The smile trying to rise on her lips became almost impossible to hide. A soft blush climbed from her neck to her cheeks and ears, warm and sudden. A heavy weight she had not fully realized she was carrying lifted from her chest, letting her breathe a little easier.

So she is conscious of me, she thought, a bright, unrestrained smile finally breaking free. That means I have a chance.. right?

Unaware of the quiet storm she had just caused, Su Wanyan continued to snuggle contentedly against Mo Xingxue’s neck, both arms wrapped firmly yet gently around the omega’s waist. In her mind, this was still nothing more than normal behavior between the closest of friends—warm, familiar, and safe.

Around them, the children continued their gentle teasing of Mo Yan, the baby’s indignant babbles rising and falling like a soft protest. The leaves whispered above, the sunlight shifted in golden patterns across the grass, and the afternoon held them all in its quiet, golden peace.

Mo Xingxue closed her eyes for a moment, letting the warmth of Su Wanyan’s presence settle deeper into her bones. The dense alpha might not understand the weight of her own words yet.. but for now, Mo Xingxue was content to hold onto them.

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Bruh, repetitive as shi, but hey! Also, do spill if y’all see any mistakes... I was nodding my head while I was revising this Chapter LMAO!