Why Not (Lily ABO) - Chapter 3

Taking her parents to the hotel and settling them in, the family then headed out for dinner. Shi Xu breathed a sigh of relief that they weren’t going straight home. Calling it “home” wasn’t quite accurate; it was merely a three-bedroom apartment Shi Jing had bought with her savings after starting work in A City. When her younger brother was admitted to A University, she, as the elder sister, offered him one of the rooms so he could stay there whenever he wasn’t in the dormitory. The other two rooms were the master bedroom and a study.

Shi Jing’s parents didn’t comment much. When Shi Jing graduated with her master’s degree, her father suggested she return to their hometown and join the family business directly. Although Shi Jing studied International Economics and Trade, which wasn’t entirely unrelated to the family’s construction and engineering business, she decided after much thought to stay in A City. With a recommendation letter from her professor, she stayed at the company where she interned, rejecting her father’s wish for her to inherit the family business. Last year, she exceeded her performance goals, bringing huge profits to the company, and was promoted by her former boss. Three years into her career, she successfully became a project manager. The work was exhausting and required frequent business trips, but fortunately, the salary was substantial, allowing her to accumulate wealth and establish a home in A City. Work hard for two more years, buy a bigger house, and then Mom and Dad won’t have to stay in a hotel when they visit, Shi Jing thought.

Shi Xu wasn’t so lucky. Because his sister didn’t study an engineering-related major, Shi Xu was pressured to enroll in A University’s Architecture Department. This directly resulted in him only having the opportunity to meet Fu Shuyun, the campus beauty of the Finance Department, in his sophomore year.

“Jing, when are you going to bring an Omega home? You’re 27 now, right?”

Here it comes—the timeless topic. It wasn’t that Shi Jing didn’t want to find someone; she genuinely wasn’t ready to date. She knew she was prone to jealousy. Even when she was just flirting with a senior and they hadn’t even defined the relationship, she couldn’t tolerate the senior’s other suitors, and it was precisely her jealous nature that led to the senior rejecting her. The senior told her she couldn’t accept a partner who was too possessive; everyone has their own social circle, and a romantic relationship is just one part of it. They could still be friends. But after the confession, the relationship rapidly cooled to the point where they weren’t even friends.

“Yeah, Sis. I wish you an early farewell to inhibitors.”

Speaking of Alpha inhibitors, normally, she wouldn’t need this since she didn’t have heat cycles. However, her work involved various social settings, and she had gotten into the habit of giving herself an inhibitor shot before events, just as a precaution. At least it prevented her from being consumed by lust and having uncontrollable things happen. She certainly didn’t want to wake up the next day being sued by an Omega.

“I’ll think about it. This fish is delicious, Mom and Dad, have more.”

Over the weekend, the two siblings spent time with their parents, eating, drinking, and sightseeing. On Monday, after seeing off her mother, Shi Jing thought about it and decided to lend her car to her father, as having a car would certainly be more convenient for his business. Taking the subway to work was also convenient. Sitting in the office, Shi Jing felt she had forgotten something. Scrolling through WeChat, she finally saw the messages Fu Shuyun had sent her yesterday. It was truly rude that she hadn’t replied in time. She clicked into the chat.

【Sister, I’m Fu Shuyun. You can just call me Shu Yun.】

【Oh, I forgot to mention, Shi Xu and I are just classmates, and we were only planning to have dinner together that day. Usually, it’s four or five of us together.】

【So, when will Sister take me out for that Japanese meal?】

This kid, she’s very quick to explain things. It had nothing to do with her, did it? Shi Jing didn’t even notice the smile on her face. This unnerved her colleagues in the office, who knew Shi Jing was usually very serious at work, only smiling when critiquing during meetings, which was essentially a “dagger hidden in a smile.” They dared not speak up, burying their heads in work, terrified of being called out for a private chat.

Considering her father had the car, she was busy with work on weekdays, and the other party had classes, she checked her father’s schedule. She decided to confirm the arrangements with Fu Shuyun first before notifying her younger brother, who valued looks over family.

【Sorry, I was quite busy over the weekend and forgot to reply.】

【Shu Yun, are you free this Saturday night? Dinner has a richer menu.】

【Don’t worry about Shi Xu; we’ll inform him after we’ve decided. Your availability is the priority.】

After sending the message, she immediately returned to her work. After all, Saturday was still a few days away; she just needed to let him know a day in advance to reserve his spot. A moment later, she received a message from her mother: safely home, and not forgetting to urge her to find a partner. Truly my mother, concerned about her lifelong happiness.

Fu Shuyun waited all day and finally received Shi Jing’s reply, but the very first sentence displeased her. Busy on the weekend? A date? Does she have a partner? Is it an Omega, a Beta, or maybe an Alpha? But she dragged Shi Xu home on Friday, so maybe it was a family matter? She realized she knew nothing about Shi Jing, only her name, and absolutely nothing about her romantic life.

If Sister already has a partner, I’ll just silently like her until this feeling fades.

Although she was very reluctant, she couldn’t suppress her affection for her and wished Shi Jing happiness.

Taking another look, Shi Xu was going too? Why couldn’t it be a date for just the two of them? So annoying. Angrily, she threw her phone back into the drawer and continued to listen to the counselor on the podium discussing the school’s arrangements. Suddenly, her eyes lit up: Weekend, the Architecture Department has a collective outing for study. Next week, the Finance Department…

Perfect! This Saturday. Anyway, Sister said her time was the priority. She couldn’t control Shi Xu’s absence. Thank you, school! Thank you, teachers! Thank you, Architecture Department! Her mood restored, Fu Shuyun happily opened the chat box with Shi Jing.

【Saturday night works for me! See you this Saturday, Sister!】

【Great, I’ll pick you up on Saturday. See you then.】

Unlike the previous day’s messages, Shi Jing replied very quickly this time. Yun Yan, sitting next to her, quietly watched Fu Shuyun’s mood fluctuate, unable to suppress her curiosity. She leaned over to see who Fu Shuyun was chatting with. Fu Shuyun didn’t hide it and generously showed Yun Yan, happily sharing the news.

“Yan Yan, I’m canceling our hot pot this Saturday. Sister is treating me to Japanese food.”

“Japanese food? A date with her sister is different, huh? Ditching your best friend and hot pot. Humph, women.”

Although she feigned disdain, she secretly hoped her best friend could be with the person she liked. What kind of person is she to captivate Fu Shuyun like this? Their fixed Saturday routine was to eat hot pot together at noon, then wander around, watch a movie, or just go back to the dorm to binge-watch shows. After much thought, since Fu Shuyun had plans and was leaving her aside, surely it wouldn’t hurt to follow her and take a look. Her curiosity wouldn’t allow her to wait until they were officially together.

“Yunyun~ How about… I walk you to the school gate on Saturday?”

“Huh? No need, right? Wouldn’t it be better to just lie in the dorm with the AC on and play on your phone? It’s so hot.”

Before she could finish, she saw Yun Yan pretending to wipe away tears, muttering about how her daughter had grown up and didn’t need her old mother anymore. Fu Shuyun found it funny but also heartwarming. She knew Yun Yan was worried about her and wanted to see who the person was. Just a glance at my sister should be fine.

“Okay then. But only to the school gate. You are not allowed to follow us!”

This was the first time since high school graduation that Fu Shuyun was so eagerly anticipating the weekend. The happiest part of her day was chatting with Shi Jing—even the most mundane daily exchanges made Fu Shuyun incredibly happy. Meanwhile, Shi Xu’s mood wasn’t so great upon learning the date was Saturday. It was supposed to be a treat for two, yet he couldn’t attend. Couldn’t she have chosen a time when he was free?

Author & Shi Jing & Fu Shuyun: No, she couldn’t.