Chapter 73: If they're not together, then I wish them a bright future...

Teng Zhuo is said to have fled to the African Union, a wanted notice issued jointly by several parties.

Upon returning to Ling City, Chen Huixing gave a brief public interview. He stood before the camera, his uniform impeccably trimmed, his epaulettes gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen under the bright light.

In a short period of time,

besides the situation at Linhe, the most frequent question from reporters was about the leaked pheromone matching report.

The reporters' inquiries were pointed, hinting at whether Chen Huixing had known about it from the beginning but had concealed it from the public.

Chen Huixing's face remained expressionless, the air of a superior still evident. Instead of simply saying "no comment," he concluded the interview by stating he would explain to everyone later.

After slamming the door to the deserted lounge, he ripped off his gloves and slammed them on the table, his brows etched with uncontrollable agitation. The leather seat slid half a meter from the kick, reverberating dully in the empty room.

Pei Jiqing hadn't guessed wrong. Returning to Ling City would put him and Shen Huixing at the center of the controversy.

Pei Jiqing went to Shen Xinze's place to retrieve Zhizhi; he hadn't seen his daughter in ages.

Zhizhi's figure darted out from the porch, her white skirt billowing in the evening breeze. Pei Jiqing squatted down hastily, his knees smacking against the gravel, but he ignored the pain and opened his arms to catch the tiny figure lunging towards him.

His daughter's face nestled against his neck, a child's soft warmth.

Pei Jiqing cupped his daughter's face in his hands, holding her close to him, his eyes welling up. "Daddy misses you so much, every day."

This was the reason Pei Jiqing hadn't wanted to die after being captured, and it also gave him a belated sense of fear.

Mu Xinbai and Shen Xinze exchanged a glance. "Where's big brother?"

Pei Jiqing unconsciously rubbed the back of his daughter's hand with his knuckles. "He's very busy right now. Thank you for taking care of Zhizhi during this time."

Shen Xinze said, "This is what we should do. Dad was very worried about you guys some time ago. I'm glad to see you're safe."

Pei Jiqing led his daughter out. Suddenly, in the distance, there was a muffled sound of a car door closing. The dark outline of the military vehicle blended into the twilight. Chen Huixing stepped out, his uniform standing straight. Zhizhi suddenly stood up in Pei Jiqing's arms, called out "Dad" in a baby voice, and the next second she slid down and ran towards Chen Huixing.

Chen Huixing bent down to catch his daughter, the front of his uniform wrinkled by Zhizhi's grip. As he lowered his head, his jawline softened slightly. His lips gently touched his daughter's milky cheek, and his palm caressed Zhizhi's soft hair. The last time they met, it only reached her shoulders, but now it could be tied into a pigtail. "How did you grow up so quickly?"

Zhizhi's small arms wrapped around Chen Huixing's neck, and she rubbed her face against him. "Father, I missed you too."

Her childish voice was soft and sweet, like melting marshmallows.

Chen Huixing pressed his face against his daughter's warm forehead and said, "I missed you too." His usually hard eyebrows softened a little.

Chen Huixing walked over and nodded to Chen Xinze and Mu Xinbai.

Chen Xinze was about to go forward to speak to Chen Huixing, but Mu Xinbai quickly pulled him back and winked at him.

He said to Pei Jiqing, "Let's have dinner together."

Pei Jiqing nodded.

When Chen Xinze sent them away, he said they would get together in a few days.

The meal was eaten peacefully. There was still an unfinished pudding on Zhizhi's seat, and the silver spoon was tilted in the creamy yellow dessert. She couldn't wait to look at the landscape pond outside the glass curtain wall. The little girl pressed her small hands against the cold glass, watching the water plants swaying as the koi swam by.

Chen Huixing said that someone would come to re-match their pheromones in a few days.

Pei Jiqing nodded. The Asian Alliance would not allow an uncontrolled Alpha to serve as a senior military official, so a shackle must be put on the beast's neck.

Pei Jiqing looked at him: "There should be a lot of people behind this this time." Chen

Huixing nodded: "The Pei family, Cen Yuean, and Lingyue Group."

Pei Jiqing remembered the kick Chen Huixing had given Yan Jiu. It was used with full force, which could have dislocated a person's internal organs.

As Chen Huixing looked up at Pei Jiqing, the overhead light cast a deep shadow across his brow. "Will you stay with the Pei family?"

This was the first time in years that the two had discussed this so openly, their tone as if discussing pruning an unwanted shrub in the garden.

Pei Jiqing's fingertips lifted the wine glass beside him. "You know what? I didn't want to kill them all. Qi Rongyin couldn't tolerate me before, so I thought I'd just leave."

The liquid in the glass swayed, reflecting the self-deprecating curve of Pei Jiqing's mouth. "I think Pei Liang's unwanted marriage was okay. It was a relief for me at the time. I truly loved you then."

The love was real, and the subsequent hatred was also real.

Pei Jiqing didn't say it out loud, but Chen Huixing knew it.

Chen Huixing: "I understand."

Pei Jiqing finished his drink and sliced his steak, the dark juices seeping out and spreading a small smear on the porcelain plate. "Do you want to completely overthrow Cen Yuean?" Chen

Huixing recalled the abruptly halted inauguration ceremony and the inexplicably leaked test report. His voice was calm, as if discussing someone else's affairs. "It's okay. I was actually very angry at the time. After the anger subsided, I suddenly wanted to ask you why."

He had been so close to the pinnacle of power, only to be pulled down from the altar at the last moment. The feeling of weightlessness had indeed made him very uncomfortable.

At the end of the meal, Pei Jiqing wiped his mouth and looked at Chen Huixing: "Will you tamper with the report in a few days?"

Chen Huixing said half-jokingly, half-seriously: "With so many eyes, it's a bit difficult."

The words were ambiguous, neither confirming nor denying.

But for Shen Huixing, prying open any of these processes was not impossible.

This was the end of the conversation.

There were some things that neither of them said too directly. The unfinished words were hanging in the air. It would be too serious to say them out loud. Even after the test, they still couldn't completely relax. It would be better to stop here. Pei Jiqing lowered his eyes

, glanced at his watch and said, "It's time for Zhizhi to go to bed." Chen Huixing took them back, and the driver drove the car. Zhizhi's sleep time has always been very regular. After nine o'clock, she began to yawn, and her little head drooped down little by little.

During the car ride, she curled up in Shen Huixing's arms and slept soundly.

When they arrived at the residence, Pei Jiqing took his daughter from Chen Huixing and was about to go upstairs. Suddenly, Chen Huixing called out, "Jiqing." Chen

Huixing put his arms around Pei Jiqing and Zhizhi, as if marking their possessions. He put his arm around Pei Jiqing's face and said that this was the last time. This hug did not carry Chen Huixing's usual dominance and possessiveness.

Pei Jiqing suddenly felt Chen Huixing's suppressed, almost sorrowful emotion, but Chen Huixing wouldn't cry. "Can I see our daughter more often in the future? And you, too?"

Pei Jiqing's heart skipped a beat. Zhizhi shifted unconsciously in his arms, and he said, "...Okay."

"Go up, good night."

Pei Jiqing let Chen Huixing hold him quietly for two minutes, perhaps even longer, before carrying his daughter upstairs.

Pei Jiqing had no idea how long Chen Huixing's car had been parked downstairs, or what he was thinking.

Pei Jiqing didn't know why they were in so much pain. It was painful when they loved, and it was also painful when they hated. Deception, questioning, compromise, every step was like walking on the edge of a knife. If they could really cut off all ties cleanly, no one would have to worry about it day and night.

Pei Jiqing got a promotion, and his boss patted him on the shoulder and said, "I'm optimistic about you."

A few days later, he and Shen Huixing received information from the ABO Association respectively. Many media outlets came that day, and Shen Huixing and Pei Jiqing were sampled separately. It

was a big scene. The result was announced by the president of the association himself, 30%.

The moment the president of the association read out the result, the sound of shutter clicks in the audience suddenly rang out like a rainstorm.

Pei Jiqing and Shen Huixing were not sitting together. There were three rows of seats and countless pairs of prying eyes between them. Even making eye contact became a luxury.

The moment he heard the result, Pei Jiqing did not feel the expected sense of relief. Instead, a strange emptiness arose in his chest.

The flashing cameras in the audience were like countless prying pupils, and he didn't know whose decent collapse would be broadcast live to the world.

As Chen Huixing stood up, all cameras immediately turned to focus on him. He explained to the cameras that he and Pei Jiqing were unaware of the situation, his voice steady, as if he were reading a report.

The Pei family had faked the pheromone test report simply to defraud him of a large sum of money. He had already reported it to the police. They were happily married, so they hadn't noticed anything was amiss, though marriages always have their struggles. They had separated amicably last year and would raise their children together.

When discussing marital friction, his overly gentle words formed a subtle contrast with his stoic military persona.

Chen Huixing spouted a flood of high-sounding official rhetoric he'd never used before, about responsibility and accountability, every word sounding like a standard answer ripped from a government speech script.

"I wish Jiqing all the best in the future, and a bright future."

This was the first time in years that Chen Huixing had addressed his omega in public in this way, and it seemed filled with immense warmth.

Pei Jiqing looked at Chen Huixing, rose respectfully, and smiled, bowing slightly to the flashing cameras.

Chen Huixing decided to let him go.

When this farce ended, Chen Huixing left first, fearing that he would lose control of himself.

Pei Jiqing sat alone at the end. He remembered how scared he was when he married Shen Huixing. He was afraid that this was all a dream. Later, he almost lost himself and had a big dream.

This dream finally ended completely today, a few years later.

Cen Yuean's voice sounded behind him: "Are you sad or happy?"

Pei Jiqing looked back at Cen Yuean and stood up: "What does it have to do with you? Why, you are surprised to see me back alive, right?"

Cen Yuean: "Why should I be surprised? However, if you and Chen Huixing are like this, those old guys will definitely let Chen Huixing re-match with an Omega with a good pheromone match. They need him and are afraid of him. What's the difference between him and a breeding male dog?" Pei

Jiqing took out his mobile phone, pressed the send button, and showed the screen to Cen Yuean in full. Just one glance made Cen Yuean's face change.

Pei Jiqing took his phone away slowly, as if he was enjoying the whole process of his opponent's defeat. "This is my gift to Chen Huixing for promotion. Cen Yuean, you have already climbed to this position, but you are still being beaten by Chen Huixing. If you are not capable enough, you should give up your position and go home to take care of your son."

This is also good, Pei Jiqing thought. Since they are not together, I wish him a bright future.