Chapter 15: You said on the show before that you'd give me a football team of kids...

The recording of the show was quickly scheduled.

The time was quickly set, coinciding with the release of Qingyu Technology's new drug. To fit the theme, this episode focused on Qingyu Technology's newly developed pheromone drug.

The new drug is a cheaper and more practical omega inhibitor. Upon its release, it received widespread acclaim, being hailed as a high-quality inhibitor accessible to even the most vulnerable.

Online, it was a hot topic, with comments flooding the screen with messages like "Thank you Qingyu for saving my wallet" and "Qingyu Technology allows every poor omega to walk out of the pharmacy with dignity."

The news report had barely centered on the boxes of medicine in the glass case when they were snapped up.

The drug was selling like hotcakes, quickly earning the moniker "The Light of the Common People."

The person in charge of Qingyu Technology was Wei Ji's godfather.

On the equity disclosure section of Qingyu Technology's official website, Wei Ji's name was listed after the legal representative, with the adoptive father-son relationship indicated in parentheses.

At the product launch, he sat next to the chairman, his black shirt unbuttoned to the third button. The glare from his watch made the directors frown.

Qingyu Technology's stock price surged in the first week of the product's release, and Wei Ji's net worth naturally followed suit.

Paparazzi had previously photographed him after a banquet, one hand in his pocket, leaning against a matte black Koenigsegg, smoking, a lit cigarette twirling between his fingers. His profile was melancholic, a fierceness and tenderness seemingly woven into the scar at the corner of his eye.

Before him stood the most expensive neon in the entire Asian Union. That day, the report shot into the top three of the Omega trending topics. Wei Ji's irreverent image made him the dream Alpha of the new generation of Asian Omegas.

The previous incumbent was Chen Huixing.

In group photos of the board of directors, Wei Ji was always seen leaning loosely on the armrest of a leather sofa, the crease of his silver-gray suit collar carelessly dipping into the shadows, making him even more eye-catching than the elderly man in the main seat.

This medication is even available in downtown pharmacies.

This is truly significant.

Meanwhile, the "Honey Talk Star Chef" program also invited several Omegas to share their experiences with substandard medication during their estrus period.

A male Omega named Abei, wearing a blue sweater, shared how, out of ignorance, he bought inhibitors on the cheap during his estrus period, resulting in a fever of 39 degrees Celsius and vomiting blood. A female Omega, Linlin, wearing a floral dress, explained that she had taken inhibitors, which caused her to suffer from vomiting and diarrhea during her estrus period.

Drug damage caused by substandard inhibitors is a daily occurrence. Cheap, large quantities of inhibitors can easily lead to serious side effects, while high-quality inhibitors are naturally very expensive.

"Honey Talk Star Chef" is, of course, all about cooking.

Wei Ji was quite cooperative, wearing a cartoon apron provided by the program team, tied over his gunmetal gray shirt, adding a touch of humor and humour.

He also cooperated well when asked to cook on the show, picking up a knife and peeling onions and chopping carrots with great skill.

He was making a stew, and

Pei Jiqing needed to work with him.

When recording the program, Pei Jiqing needed to help him cut vegetables and ask questions in the form of chatting.

Pei Jiqing still had many years of professional ethics. When he saw several questions when holding the script, he skipped them.

For example, why did he make this dish? Pei Jiqing directly passed it.

This stew is very common in the downtown area. No matter how fast the world develops, there will always be poor people.

The slum market always bundles rotten vegetable sticks into boxes and sells them. They are boiled in a pot with curry blocks, and no other flavor can be tasted. What's more, there are now various high-tech meal replacements. People there can't afford any exquisite dishes. They stew nutritious food, add seasonings, and the whole family can have a good meal.

But Pei Jiqing didn't expect that if no one from Wei Ji asked him, he could speak on his own.

"This is what downtown seems to smell like." Wei Ji sprinkled a handful of black pepper into the boiling creamy soup, and the onion skins clinging to the edge of the iron pot curled up and sank. "We used to buy some supermarket meat that was about to expire, some cheap vegetables, and expired curry cubes from the convenience store - cook them together and it would be a delicious meal."

Pei Jiqing skipped several questions about Wei Ji's experience. Huacai, who was not far away, kept giving him hints with the question board.

The little girl was about to jump up.

He crossed out the question "Tell me about your life in downtown" in the script again. Huacai continued to jump behind the glass with the new question board. He turned his head to reach the pepper jar and handed it to Wei Ji, pretending not to see it.

Anyway, the rhythm of the show had collapsed, so it didn't matter.

After picking and choosing, Pei Jiqing finally asked Wei Ji a question, which was why he developed this medicine.

This question was still relatively safe.

Wei Ji began, "My ex-lover was very young when he first went into heat. That year, I carried him to many pharmacies, but in the end, I could only buy low-quality suppressants. We were broke at the time, and the cheapest suppressants at the pharmacy were enough to buy three days' worth of food."

From the moment Wei Ji mentioned his lover, Pei Jiqing had a bad feeling.

"Because he used low-quality suppressants, he became seriously ill. At the time, I was so poor, and he suffered a lot. Later, I felt that if even the safety of drugs couldn't be guaranteed, Omegas would inevitably suffer more physical pain than Alphas in society."

Pei Jiqing recalled the time when he was at his most distressed, eating fever-reducing tablets as if they were food.

As Wei Ji finished speaking, the guests around him were all deeply moved, their eyes twinkling. Seven or eight cries of tissues could be heard from the audience.

A nearby board with the question "Remember your first love" was about to burst through the glass partition, and Pei Jiqing felt like removing his headset and heading offstage.

The camera suddenly cut to the guests, revealing the Omega boy wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

There were Omegas of both sexes present.

They were already regular guests, completely captivated by Wei Ji, their eyes twinkling.

A female Omega guest named Ah Ci said, "Mr. Wei, could I ask your ex-lover if you're still together?"

Wei Ji shook his head regretfully and said, "No."

Pei Jiqing's eyes twitched. He'd thought he could make it through the entire show, but it seemed he'd overestimated himself. He could now crack a walnut with the force of a mineral water bottle cap.

During intermission, Pei Jiqing fiddled with his host card, mute. The director cut to him, and he looked grim.

The makeup artist tried to touch up, but he was frozen in place with a glare.

The guests nearby also noticed something was wrong with Pei Jiqing; for the host, he'd been surprisingly the quietest person throughout the entire show.

Later, the dish was ready, steam rising from the stew pot. The two of them stared side by side at the bubbling broth. Wei Ji suddenly scooped up a spoonful and blew on it. The spoon curved and rested on Pei Jiqing's pursed lips.

Pei Jiqing didn't move.

Wei Jizhan said, "It's delicious."

A guest on the side said, "Boss Wei, Brother Pei has a family. If you do this, the executive will be jealous."

Wei Ji hummed and said, "I was inconsiderate, but since Jiqing and her husband have such a good relationship, she shouldn't mind."

Pei Jiqing: "...Why don't we invite some guests to come up and try Mr. Wei's cooking." After

a few guests came on stage, this part was skipped directly.

When the show was finally coming to an end, when the lights came on, Pei Jiqing slammed the door and went into the lounge. Huacai chased him in and said, "Brother Pei, did you take drugs today?"

She spoke innocently, not noticing anything at all.

Lao Yu came in with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, took Huacai away, reached into his chest pocket and took out a wrinkled soft cigarette, and asked Pei Jiqing if he wanted a cigarette.

Pei Jiqing said, "No need."

Lao Yu sneered, "I saw you smoking secretly on the rooftop once, so don't pretend."

Pei Jiqing untied his tie, and Lao Yu threw the cigarette into his palm. As the flame from the lighter licked the cigarette, the sound of a door being slammed shut was heard, mixed with the voice of Lao Yu in the corridor saying, "Brother Pei, get some rest." Pei Jiqing pinched the cigarette with great force, and as the bitter taste of nicotine spread across his Adam's apple, Wei Ji's words, "We're not together anymore," replayed in his mind

. He closed his eyes.

What exactly did Wei Ji want to do

? Could he continue to live a normal life?

When he got home, Pei Jiqing felt completely exhausted both physically and mentally. He opened the door to find Liang Yi at home, bringing flowers and Mu Xinbai.

Mu Xinbai was wearing a dark green windbreaker. He had a cool temperament, fair and translucent skin, and dressed in an unconventional way. He looked much better than before.

Liang Yi suggested taking Mu Xinbai out for a walk.

Pei Jiqing greeted Mu Xinbai, "Long time no see."

Mu Xinbai nodded.

Liang Yi touched her apron and tied it around her waist, saying that she would personally cook for them today. Liang Yi wanted to cook, so Pei Jiqing helped him.

Pei Jiqing and Liang Yi had some space to talk quietly.

Leaning against the countertop, peeling garlic, Pei Jiqing said, "Xinze actually wants you to bring the person out."

Liang Yi sighed and said, "He has to be brave even if he doesn't dare. If Huixing knew about this, he'd definitely skin him alive. He's only afraid of his eldest brother in this world."

Pei Jiqing suddenly felt a pang of pain in his flesh, wondering if their family was just so strict. If Chen Huixing found out about all the things he'd done to deceive him, wouldn't he just skin him alive too?

Pei Jiqing: "...But my husband is pretty good to Xinze. He just wants him to be more obedient."

Liang Yi sighed and said, "What good? That kid wants everyone to live by his standards, but there is no such thing in the world. He can't tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes. He wanted to kill his own relatives and kick Xinze out before, saying that he should learn a lesson. I told him to kick me out too if he wants to kick Xinze out, so he gave up."

Pei Jiqing imagined that Chen Huixing had his luggage packed up and thrown out, leaving him to fend for himself, so he blocked the way to confession in his mind.

"Do you know why I came today?"

Pei Jiqing shook his head.

Liang Yi said, "I know something happened in the military. Huixing must be very busy recently."

Pei Jiqing said that he was indeed very busy.

"I'm here today to advise him to be merciful. No matter how high Huixing's position, he's still old. Even if this is a time for a blood transfusion, some people can't be pushed to the brink of death, otherwise they will hurt themselves. He's not alone, and he has to consider you."

Pei Jiqing didn't quite understand, but he understood the interests involved. He said, "It's okay with me."

Liang Yi shook his head, looking at him with an unprecedented seriousness.

Chen Huixing returned home from work and opened the door. Pei Jiqing popped his head out of the kitchen and went to meet him. He was about to say something when Pei Huixing put his briefcase down and put his arm around his waist. His habitual kiss landed on Pei Jiqing's cheekbone, wiping off the flour on his face.

Mu Xinbai turned around and happened to see this scene.

Pei Jiqing quickly patted his back, nudged Chen Huixing, and said, "Daddy's here."

Pei Jiqing felt that Chen Huixing was deliberately retaliating for his insistence that he hug him and kiss him every day when he returned home, even though an S-rank Alpha wouldn't have noticed that no one else was in the room.

Chen Huixing's kiss was incredibly thoughtful.

Pei Jiqing then introduced Chen Huixing as Mu Xinbai, Xinze's...lover.

Pei Jiqing changed the name to something more reasonable, since Chen Huixing still didn't know that Chen Xinze had forced him to do so.

Mu Xinbai was very polite. He nodded to Chen Huixing and said, "Excuse me."

Chen Huixing took off his tie and said, "Where is he?"

Liang Yi said, "Your brother said you didn't invite him."

Chen Huixing said, "That's a problem."

The family was having dinner together when Liang Yi suddenly said, "Huixing, I told Jiqing before when you were going to have a child, and Jiqing said you had no plans to have one." Chen

Huixing looked at Pei Jiqing and said, "Haven't you always wanted one?"

Pei Jiqing was afraid that he would say something shocking, so he quickly tried to change the subject, "Yes, yes, today's food is delicious."

"You said on the show before that you would give me a football team of kids."

Pei Jiqing remembered that he had said on a show once that I would give my husband a football team of kids. After all, my husband is an S-level Alpha with such excellent genes. It would be a shame not to pass them on.

He wanted to cover his face. He couldn't imagine the scene of Chen Huixing watching his meaningless show in the military office with an expressionless face.