Chapter 146: Marriage Certificate

Chapter 146: Marriage Certificate

He had explored every inch of Song Yuqing, measured him with his hands, with his body—how could he not know?

Pei Huai gazed at the ring that matched Song Yuqing’s, a faint smile curling his lips once more.

Song Yuqing acknowledged him, willing to let him encircle his finger.

“Qingqing, I love you, do you know that?” The anticipation in the alpha’s eyes was practically spilling over.

The alpha rested his large head on Song Yuqing’s knees, looking up at him, never having felt such happiness before.

Song Yuqing’s ring-adorned hand casually covered Pei Huai’s face, preventing him from nuzzling too closely. “Mm.”

“I know.”

Mei Qiu didn’t quite understand why the evil stepdad hadn’t been smacked by Mama yet, tilting its head as it watched the two kissing on the sofa.

The next second, Song Yuqing’s long fingers covered the kitten’s eyes, his fingertips trembling slightly from Pei Huai’s sudden movement.

His other elbow jabbed Pei Huai’s solid chest with a hint of warning, forcefully ending the abrupt kiss.

Song Yuqing’s breath was slightly unsteady, his voice low. “What are you doing?”

Pei Huai licked his lips as if savoring the sensation, his gaze fixed intently on Song Yuqing—bold and straightforward. His voice was hoarse and deep. “Kissing you.”

“I’m leaving soon. I want to get my fill.”

“At the very least, let me serve you one more time before I go.”

Song Yuqing: “…”

Song Yuqing pushed against the alpha’s firm, powerful waist, catching his breath as he spoke. “Don’t kiss me here.”

Song Yuqing wasn’t as thick-skinned as Pei Huai. Even if Mei Qiu was just a cat, it was still a living being.

He didn’t want to do anything in front of Mei Qiu that the kitten wouldn’t understand.

Song Yuqing pushed Pei Huai away and walked toward his room. Before he had taken two steps, the alpha scooped him up again, his voice low. “Wait for me.”

The roses that had been used to decorate the room were no longer fresh and vibrant, mercilessly crushed and ground down. The tender petals moaned under the calloused fingertips, their juices mingling with broken fibers, seeping out and dyeing the spaces between fingers.

The liquid was thick and slick, emitting a nearly decadent, overwhelmingly rich rose scent.

Perhaps the rose, having weathered frost and snow and grown thorns all over, never imagined it would be treated so roughly.

Never thought an alpha would claim it so desperately, even if it meant being pricked until bloodied.

Fingers adorned with rings intertwined, gripping and sinking deep into each other’s palms. “Qingqing…”

“Qingqing.”

Pei Huai stared at Song Yuqing’s face, his fingers, his beautiful body, entranced over and over, sinking deeper each time.

The next morning, Pei Huai kissed Song Yuqing’s cheek. “I’m leaving.”

“Qingqing, wait for me to return.”

Song Yuqing had always been a light sleeper. Hearing Pei Huai’s voice, he frowned slightly and spoke without hesitation. “Get lost.”

His thin lips parted, letting out a hint of irritation.

Pei Huai didn’t mind being scolded.

“I’m really leaving.”

Song Yuqing raised his hand, making it plain that if Pei Huai said one more word, that slap would land on his face.

The alpha began moving quietly again until the room fell silent, returning to tranquility.

Only then did Song Yuqing open his eyes, staring at the white ceiling like it was endless snow. He lay dazed for a moment,

before noticing the ring on his finger.

Mei Qiu pushed open the slightly ajar door and jumped onto the bed. Song Yuqing finally came back to himself, pulling the kitten into his arms. Both man and cat fell asleep again.

Sunlight streamed in, flooding the room with quiet warmth that slowly spread.

Pei Huai left the Central Military District and headed for the border between Westland and Xinzhou.

Since Srilan and Xinzhou did not share a border, Srilan would need to pass through Westland to launch a war against Xinzhou, or else Srilan could only attempt sneak attacks on Xinzhou’s ports.

Launching amphibious assaults along Xinzhou’s long coastline via naval power was also feasible, but it carried high risks, was vulnerable to weather and ocean conditions, and made large-scale troop deployment difficult.

It wouldn’t be easy to breach. According to the information Song Yuqing had obtained, Srilan’s robots were primarily designed for land combat.

The final deployment placed Pei Huai and Qi Ran at the border between Westland and Xinzhou.

The coastline was assigned to the navy, with Gu Ling also receiving orders to provide support in the Azure District.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jinshi continued ensuring smooth traffic at the port. The Xiao family had made their fortune in shipping, making him ideally suited for this responsibility.

With the initial stages of the campaign set, Song Yuqing found himself with some free time.

One day, Song Yuqing and Qi Zhengqing went to get their marriage license.

Qi Zhengqing’s gaze fell on the ring on Song Yuqing’s finger. He gripped the ring in his coat pocket but ultimately didn’t take it out.

The alpha’s large hand enveloped Song Yuqing’s, the ring on Song Yuqing’s ring finger digging uncomfortably into Qi Zhengqing’s palm.

Song Yuqing also felt the hardness against his finger and tried to withdraw his hand, but Qi Zhengqing held on firmly.

The alpha seemed to be wordlessly asserting that no matter who Song Yuqing was with, he would always occupy a place in his heart. He would possess Song Yuqing—he was the rightful alpha.

Qi Zhengqing looked down at the marriage certificate, at the photo of him and Song Yuqing standing together. He put both certificates away.

“I’m going to lock them up,” Qi Zhengqing said, his fingers brushing over the photo of Song Yuqing on the certificate.

This was him and Song Yuqing.

The marriage was between him and Song Yuqing—not him and anyone else, and it could never be him and anyone else.

Song Yuqing looked at Qi Zhengqing. “You’ll lock them up? What if I need to use them?”

Qi Zhengqing’s controlling nature was fully revealed at this moment. “You won’t need them. We won’t divorce, and we won’t have children. You won’t need them. I’ll hold onto them.”

Song Yuqing would only ever be a widower—divorce wasn't an option.

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing did not continue fighting over it with Qi Zhengqing; he truly had no real use for the marriage certificate anyway. "Fine, you keep it."

Qi Zhengqing: "Should I move back to live with you, or will you come with me to the Economic Zone?"

Song Yuqing: "That won't be necessary."

This time, Qi Zhengqing did not back down because of Song Yuqing's refusal. "This time it's different. There's no one around you; I can't let you live alone."

The war had just begun, and the people around Song Yuqing were all at their posts, unable to leave their duties arbitrarily.

For Srilan, this was also an opportunity. If they could directly cause Song Yuqing's death, Hurst would not let this chance slip.

Song Yuqing: "You're too tense. I can protect myself."

Without waiting for Song Yuqing to consider further, Qi Zhengqing made the decision directly. "I'll come to accompany you."

Song Yuqing had nothing more to say. If Qi Zhengqing didn’t find it troublesome, then so be it.

Over the next three months, Qi Zhengqing dealt with six groups of people attempting to assassinate Song Yuqing, all of whom were sent to prison by him.

As Song Yuqing flipped through the records, he felt that these people from Srilan had no sense of honor.

He had never seen anything like it—so quick to resort to assassination.

If every continent were like Srilan, engaging in assassinations for no reason, then the Four Continents would never know peace. They’d just assassinate anyone capable of leading an entire continent.

The Four Continents would be plunged into chaos.

But...

Song Yuqing still called Tan Shu over, instructing his people to eliminate a few individuals from Srilan while gathering intelligence.

Those on the list were mostly the next generation of Srilan’s upper-class families, who could wield some influence over the political landscape.

Srilan was different from Xinzhou. While on the surface Xinzhou appeared to be a balance between the parliament, military, and aristocratic families, in reality, power was firmly in Song Yuqing’s hands.

Thus, Srilan’s objective was clear: to eliminate Song Yuqing.

However, Srilan was truly a place where multiple forces kept each other in check. The upper-class families held nearly one-third of the decision-making power due to their wealth.

War was a massive money drain.

This further elevated the status of these people.

Tan Shu glanced at the list, his lips quirking slightly. "This one, and this one—I remember they were Alphas you met during the competition."

Tan Shu hadn’t accompanied Song Yuqing to that competition, but he knew Song Yuqing’s every move.

Song Yuqing nodded.

He briefly explained why these individuals were chosen. "They practically have 'sucker' written on their foreheads."

They were constantly flaunting their luxury watches, holding forth about their wealth and high social status.

System 88: "Is it possible that those bastard Alphas were displaying their strength, hoping you’d notice them?"

Their eyes were glued to Song Yuqing, practically begging him to notice their wealth and come running.

After all, at the time, Song Yuqing was seen in their eyes as nothing more than a trophy hanging off some Alpha's arm.

Song Yuqing glanced up at System 88 and asked, "Are they actually wealthy?"

System 88: "Yes, the kind whose families own actual mines."

Song Yuqing lowered his gaze, his expression turning cold, and said lightly, "Then they’re the ones."

Tan Shu smiled. Song Yuqing’s methods were always unexpected and novel, and he found it quite appealing.

"I’ll make the arrangements."

In less than a month, Srilan was thrown into utter chaos. Several heirs were assassinated one after another, all completely bewildered.

What? Since when did assassinations target minor players like us?

—Check the bounty board.

—Holy shit, I’m caught in the crossfire here! What’s this about retaliation against Srilan because Hurst led multiple assassination attempts against Song Yuqing? Why not just assassinate Hurst directly?

—Hurst, that lunatic, is well-protected. Assassination attempts are useless.

—You might not believe it, but my wife put a bounty on my head. I’m still living the dream.

—Exactly. If Song Yuqing didn’t target others but went after me, it means he remembers me. It means he loves me.

—I propose a marriage alliance. Let’s stop fighting.

—Get lost. Would Song Yuqing even look at you? He was cold back then, and he’s even colder now.

—This paparazzi angle… if I didn’t know better, I’d think it was taken by Song Yuqing’s dream Alpha. If Song Yuqing wore a skirt, even the space between his legs would be photographed.

—It’s that cold, dismissive look. Back then, he almost bumped into me and nearly got me hard.

—Dude, where did you dream that up? If he bumped into another Alpha’s arms, I’d definitely know.

—Let’s just fight. The spoils of defeating Xinzhou would be its beautiful councilor. How satisfying would that be?

—Wow, new perspective. If you talk about Xinzhou’s money, I’m not interested. But if it’s Song Yuqing, I really want him.

—Fun fact: there’s only one Song Yuqing.

—So what? Snatch him back and then may the best man win. It’s vengeance for destroying our country. After taking him from another Alpha, I’d capture all those bastard Alphas around Song Yuqing and kill them one by one in front of him.

—Honestly, I really want to know what expression would appear on Song Yuqing’s face. Would he cry angrily, his eyes reddening at the corners? Or would he be so traumatized that he throws up, left feeble and vulnerable for me to fuck?

—Fuck, talking about being scared into vomiting… I want to get Song Yuqing pregnant. A pregnant man would be so kissable—an aloof widower carrying the child of a blood enemy.

Although it was just a brief glimpse during the competition back then, and Song Yuqing didn’t even give them a second glance, these people never lost interest in him over the years.

Every year, they anticipated Song Yuqing’s appearance at the competition, but he never set foot in Srilan again.

They could only follow Song Yuqing through major media outlets.

However, Srilan’s media did not portray Song Yuqing positively.

They labeled him as autocratic, authoritarian, a great threat to Srilan, and claimed that a Beta holding power would disrupt order.

There were also those orchestrating narratives about Song Yuqing's personal life.

This included Srilan's military campaign against Xinzhou, which was packaged as an act of righteousness—portraying Srilan as the virtuous side that took action against Xinzhou to seek justice for the "weak" Westland Continent.

The wounded next generation of elite upper-class figures speculated online about why Song Yuqing remembered them, and fantasized about how to claim Song Yuqing as their prize after capturing him.

Meanwhile, their families were pressuring Hurst. They didn’t care how Hurst carried out his work, but they would not tolerate any actions that harmed their interests.

Their personal interests took precedence over the interests of Srilan.

Su Quan also confronted Hurst with a stone-faced, cold expression, demanding an explanation, "I already said—I want Song Yuqing. I don’t want him dead. I want him alive."