Chapter 83: Not Alone Anymore

Chapter 83

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Jiang Li stood quietly in the mall’s parking lot, his attention fixed on the screen of his phone as a small smile lingered on his lips. The evening air was cool against his skin, and the noise of cars moving in and out of the parking area surrounded him, but he barely noticed any of it. His mind was still occupied by the phone call he had received earlier, particularly by the way Shen Yu had called him.

"LiLi."

The nickname continued playing inside his mind like a repeating mantra, and no matter how many times he remembered it, Jiang Li didn’t think he would ever grow tired of hearing it. There had been something so natural about the way Shen Yu had said it, as though the name had always belonged to him.

He lowered his phone slightly, the smile on his lips growing softer when he suddenly heard a familiar voice calling his name.

"Xiao Li! Baby..."

Jiang Li recognized the voice before he even turned around. His eyes widened, and the moment he spun around, he was immediately pulled into a warm embrace.

The familiar scent of another omega’s pheromones surrounded him, soft and comforting, and Jiang Li froze for a brief moment as his mind caught up with what his eyes were seeing.

It really was her.

"Guo Xue..." he whispered, his eyes widening even further.

Guo Xue grinned brightly as she held onto him, her almond-shaped eyes filled with excitement. She looked almost exactly as Jiang Li remembered, although seeing her again after so long made the passage of time feel strangely unreal.

A few seconds later, Guo Chen and Luo Xin approached the two omegas, both of them wearing amused expressions as they watched the reunion.

Guo Xue finally pulled back enough to look at Jiang Li properly, her eyes moving over his face with open curiosity. She stared at him for a few seconds before her eyes widened.

"Wait... you’ve grown so much! It’s been so long."

Her gaze then moved toward his hair, and she suddenly gasped softly.

"You finally got the blond hair you’ve always wanted!" she exclaimed, reaching toward his hair as though she needed to make sure it was real. "It’s like I’m looking at a completely different person."

Jiang Li smiled shyly, his fingers instinctively brushing through the blond strands. He had always wanted this hair, but hearing Guo Xue mention it made the change feel more meaningful.

Guo Chen finally reached them and chuckled.

"See? I told you, Li’er, that XueXue missed you. You thought I was kidding."

Jiang Li became speechless for a moment. He looked between the three people standing around him, unsure of what to say.

His old neighborhood held far too many painful memories. There were more than enough bad memories there to make his chest tighten whenever he thought about returning. Yet, despite everything that had happened, there were still people he missed.

People he had once loved.

People he had never believed he would see again.

Guo Xue was one of them.

She still lived in the very same neighborhood that Jiang Li had spent so much time trying to escape. Because of that, he had convinced himself that perhaps he would never be able to see her again.

Yet she was standing in front of him now, smiling as brightly as she always had.

"I missed you too, Jiejie," Jiang Li murmured.

He hugged her again, this time holding her even tighter.

Guo Xue’s smile widened immediately.

"Awwn... when did you become so emotional?" she teased, gently patting his back. Then she pulled away slightly and stared at his face. Her almond-shaped eyes suddenly widened. "Wait... are you crying?"

Jiang Li quickly wiped beneath his eyes, embarrassed that the tears had appeared so easily.

Guo Chen grinned and playfully nudged Luo Xin’s shoulder.

"Maybe it’s because he’s not alone anymore. He has little Jiang Li now."

Jiang Li’s face immediately flushed.

"Guo Chen!"

Luo Xin rolled her eyes at him.

"Why are you always so annoying?"

Guo Chen only grinned wider, clearly accustomed to hearing those exact words from her.

Guo Xue, however, was staring at Jiang Li with growing curiosity.

"Wait... really?"

Her gaze dropped toward his stomach before returning to his honey-brown eyes.

Guo Chen crossed his arms.

"I thought I told you that, Xue’er."

"Well, I didn’t believe you," she replied without hesitation.

She looked at Jiang Li again, who was now staring down at the ground with his cheeks burning.

"Who’s the baby daddy?"

The question came so naturally that Jiang Li almost choked on his own breath.

Guo Chen and Luo Xin exchanged a knowing look.

"It’s that Shen guy," Guo Chen answered.

"The name is Shen Yu, Guo Chen," Luo Xin corrected immediately.

Jiang Li listened to them talking about him and Shen Yu, unable to stop the small smile that formed on his face.

Sometimes sorrow could blind a person to the happiness already surrounding them. When Jiang Li had been crying alone in his apartment, drowning in his worries about Shen Yu and everything that had happened between them, he had forgotten something important.

He wasn’t alone.

He had people who cared about him.

He had friends who would stand beside him even when he couldn’t see the light for himself.

He had Guo Chen, Luo Xin, and now Guo Xue standing around him, talking about his life as though they had never been separated.

The realization warmed his chest.

Jiang Li stepped closer to them, listening as Guo Xue continued asking questions about Shen Yu while Guo Chen answered with far too much enthusiasm.

Eventually, Jiang Li’s stomach gave a quiet growl.

He looked down for a moment before rubbing his stomach with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"I’m hungry... and tired. Why are we still standing here?"

The conversation immediately stopped.

Everyone looked at him.

Then their eyes dropped toward his stomach.

The baby bump had become much more noticeable beneath his clothes, especially now that he was standing directly beneath the bright lights of the mall.

Luo Xin immediately sighed.

"Then let’s go. You should have said sooner that you were tired."

They began walking farther into the mall together, their footsteps blending into the constant sound of shoppers moving around them.

The first place they went was the restaurant located inside the mall.

Jiang Li and Guo Xue ordered glass noodles with shrimp, while Guo Chen chose kung pao chicken with rice. Luo Xin insisted she wasn’t hungry and ordered only tea, although everyone knew she would probably end up stealing food from someone else’s plate.

After eating, they decided to get rice cakes as a little treat before continuing through the mall.

The four of them walked together, talking and laughing as they passed different stores. Jiang Li found himself smiling more than he had in days. The familiar teasing from Guo Chen, Guo Xue’s endless questions, and Luo Xin’s exasperated responses created a warmth he hadn’t realized he had been missing.

Then they passed a baby store.

Jiang Li’s steps slowed.

His gaze drifted toward the display window.

He had seen this store before.

The memory returned immediately.

That day with Shen Yu.

The day he had stood outside this very store, unsure whether Shen Yu would accept the child he was carrying. At the time, the future had felt frighteningly uncertain. He had wondered whether Shen Yu would look at Beanie and see an unwanted responsibility.

Now, so much had changed.

Days really did pass quickly.

Guo Xue noticed him touching his stomach while staring through the glass.

A soft smile appeared on her face.

"As this little one’s auntie, I should buy the baby something, right?"

Guo Chen immediately nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.

"Exactly!"

Jiang Li shook his head quickly.

"You don’t have to, Jiejie."

"Nonsense."

Before he could protest again, Guo Xue grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the entrance.

"Come on!"

Jiang Li laughed helplessly as he followed her inside.

The store was warm and bright, filled with rows of tiny clothes, blankets, toys, and baby supplies. Everything seemed impossibly small, and simply looking at the little clothes made Jiang Li’s heart soften.

Guo Xue looked around excitedly.

"What’s the little one’s gender?"

Her gaze moved between two displays. One was filled with blue items traditionally meant for boys, while the other contained pink clothes and accessories.

"I don’t know yet," Jiang Li admitted. "But Shen Yu said he wants us to find out the gender at the baby shower."

Guo Chen and Guo Xue both made an exaggerated "Awwn" at exactly the same time.

Jiang Li’s cheeks turned red.

"You two..."

They ignored his embarrassment and continued shopping.

By the time they were finished, they had bought Beanie several teddy bears, gender-neutral clothes, blankets, and several other little things that Jiang Li could barely carry himself.

When they finally left the store, Luo Xin suddenly announced that she was craving ice cream.

"What flavor do you want, Li’er?" Guo Chen asked. He was already preparing to buy it.

"It’s obvious. Blue bubblegum," Luo Xin answered for him.

Jiang Li smiled when he remembered something Shen Yu had said earlier.

"No," he said, surprising everyone. "I’d like mint and chocolate."

Guo Chen and Luo Xin both stared at him.

Their eyes widened almost simultaneously.

"What? Why?" Luo Xin asked.

Jiang Li shrugged innocently.

"I want to try what XinXin always eats."

Guo Chen narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Since when?"

Jiang Li looked at him with a small, playful smile.

"Since now, Chen’er."