The two women settled back onto the spacious sofa, the cushions sinking softly under their weight. Su Wanyan deliberately chose a spot with a safe distance between them, leaning against the armrest as if preparing for a potential surprise attack. She kept one eye half-open, watching Mo Xingxue with playful wariness, ready to dodge if those mischievous hands reached for her mouth again.

"What, are you scared?" Mo Xingxue asked, her lips curving into a knowing smile as she guessed exactly what Su Wanyan was thinking.

Su Wanyan smiled honestly. "Very."

The barrage exploded with delight.

[LOL, MO XINGXUE HAS YOU UNDER HER CONTROL, SU WANYAN!]

[It’s so funny seeing Su Wanyan keeping a safe distance from Mo Xingxue.]

[This pair is so cute, hope they’ll end up together.]

[Is it just me or does Su Wanyan look like she’s been tamed by Mo Xingxue?]

[What do you expect? That’s her omega after all.]

[You know ball, bro.]

[We need more alphas like her, for real.]

[Yeah, we need more whipped alphas.]

While the majority of comments were warm and affectionate, a few sour voices slipped through the cracks.

[She’s the first alpha to not have a backbone.]

[Bro, stand up. You’re a disgrace to us alphas.]

[Dang, a whipped alpha? What an embarrassment, lol.]

[She’s one of the reasons why people look down on us alphas now.]

[Smh, she was raised wrong by her parents.]

[For real, luckily I was raised the correct way. It brings me nightmares seeing alphas acting like this.]

Su Wanyan’s supporters, Mo Xingxue’s fans, and even neutral viewers quickly pushed back, fighting back fiercely.

[Speak for yourself, dickhead.]

[How is being whipped a disgrace? That just shows how much respect she has for omegas.]

[Nah, people look down on you because you’re short. Stop blaming Su Wanyan, shorty.]

[Your mom raised you wrong. If having respect and viewing other genders equally is "wrong," then we’d rather raise our children that way.]

[Yeah, instead of raising them "right" and ending up like you, I’d choose the wrong way.]

[Bro, don’t bundle us other alphas to the liked of y’all, please.]

[Damn right. It makes me sick.]

[Nah, y’all are just rotten.]

[That’s why y’all don’t have mates, lol!]

[Tell me you’re jealous and unemployed without telling me you’re one, they’ll go first.]

The two sides clashed fiercely in the comments, but the main characters remained blissfully unaware. Even if Su Wanyan could see them, she wouldn’t have given the haters a second glance.

"Okay," Su Wanyan said, shifting comfortably on the sofa. "My turn now."

"Huh? It’s my turn though?" Mo Xingxue questioned, one elegant eyebrow arching gracefully.

"No, it’s my turn," Su Wanyan objected, putting on an exaggeratedly annoyed pout, her lower lip jutting out dramatically.

Mo Xingxue smirked, a playful glint sparkling in her phoenix eyes. "Huh..." She trailed off knowingly. "Who was the last one to ask a question?" She already knew victory was hers.

Su Wanyan pursed her lips and gave her a dramatic side-eye. Mo Xingxue’s smirk widened triumphantly as she snapped her fingers with cool flair. "Exactly."

Su Wanyan grumbled under her breath, but inwardly she was more than happy to let Mo Xingxue take the lead. Whatever makes her happy, she thought, the playful annoyance on her face never quite reaching her eyes.

"Anyway," Mo Xingxue began, leaning forward slightly with teasing mischief dancing across her face, "what did you do on your birthdays?"

Su Wanyan’s smile remained bright, though a quiet depth lingered behind it. "I didn’t celebrate my birthdays," she said casually, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

"What?" Mo Xingxue’s eyes widened in genuine surprise, her posture straightening. "You didn’t celebrate your birthdays?"

Su Wanyan nodded, still smiling. "Yeah. For ten years straight."

Mo Xingxue stared at her, stunned into silence for a long moment. "Why?"

Su Wanyan’s smile softened further, warm and sincere like sunlight breaking through clouds. "Because I promised you I would only celebrate my birthday when I’m with you."

Mo Xingxue was shocked beyond words. "But.... I thought that was just a childish promise?"

Su Wanyan shifted closer and gently ruffled Mo Xingxue’s silky hair, her fingers lingering for a second with fond affection. She saw straight through the guilt swirling in those phoenix eyes. "Hey, it was my decision, okay?" She stopped ruffling and patted Mo Xingxue’s shoulder reassuringly. "Come on, cheer up for me, will ya?" Her voice was light and playful, trying to chase away the sudden heaviness in the air.

Mo Xingxue still looked guilty, her fingers twisting together in her lap. All this time, she had imagined Su Wanyan living freely—laughing with friends, blowing out candles, making new memories. The quiet truth that her childhood friend had kept such a simple, heartfelt promise for an entire decade made something deep in her chest ache warmly.

Su Wanyan sighed softly, her eyes filled with that familiar, doting tenderness. "Hey, look on the bright side." She patted both of Mo Xingxue’s shoulders now, her touch warm and grounding.

"We’ve finally met again! We can celebrate our birthdays together from now on!" She laughed wholeheartedly, the rich, genuine sound filling the sunlit living room and chasing away the lingering melancholy like morning mist.

Mo Xingxue stared at that dazzling smile and felt the darkness in her heart slowly ease. Yeah.... Yanyan’s right. The guilt remained, but a spark of hope bloomed brighter. I just have to make up for the lost time. I’ll always be present for Su Wanyan from now on.

Su Wanyan noticed the shift in Mo Xingxue’s mood and smiled even more tenderly. Glad she’s back to being happy again.

Meanwhile, the barrage was losing their minds.

[FUCK! PLEASE LORD, GIVE ME A WOMAN LIKE SU WANYAN!]

[That made me teary-eyed, not gonna lie.]

[For real, what kind of devotion is that?]

[Oh to have a lover like Su Wanyan.]

[She’s the standard, fr.]

[Imagine fulfilling your promise you made when you were still a kid.. fuck, there’s something wet below me.]

[Bro, that’s disgusting, but fr.]

[I wish I had a friend like Su Wanyan.]

[My wife, so that’s the reason why you don’t celebrate your birthdays? Don’t worry, I’ll accompany you to all your upcoming ones.]

[Upstairs, stop speaking nonsense and drink your meds.]

[YOU MOTHER EFFING PSYCHO, WHY DO YOU ALWAYS RUIN THE ATMOSPHERE?]

[So there are two types of banter flirting. One is Su Wanyan and Mo Xingxue messing around, and the other is these two.]

[Lol, so we all ship these two viewers now?]

Su Wanyan broke the comfortable silence. "Then it’s my turn, right?"

Mo Xingxue smiled softly. "Yeah."

"Who accompanied you during important moments?" Su Wanyan asked, her tone turning more serious and gentle.

Mo Xingxue pursed her lips thoughtfully. "If we’re talking about non-living things... probably our pictures from high school days and—"

"Wait, our pictures?" Su Wanyan cut in, genuine shock written across her face, eyes widening.

"Yeah," Mo Xingxue nodded, a soft blush touching her cheeks. "Our pictures."

Su Wanyan smiled, a bit apprehensive but deeply flattered. "Why though?"

Mo Xingxue answered without hesitation, her voice quiet and sincere. "That was the time I was genuinely really happy. So.. I gathered strength from our pictures."

Su Wanyan’s shock was palpable, but underneath it bloomed a quiet, warm flattery that made her chest feel full. "Wow..."

Mo Xingxue laughed at her reaction. "You’re that shocked?"

Su Wanyan nodded honestly. In truth, both she and the original owner had thought Mo Xingxue hated them. However, she wisely kept that part to herself.

"But if we’re talking about a person....." Mo Xingxue trailed off, her gaze drifting fondly to the stroller beside her. "Then this little ancestor is the answer." She smiled lightly at her sleeping daughter, pure maternal love softening her entire expression.

Su Wanyan smiled too, then turned playfully dramatic. "Dang, I lost to a baby." She clutched her chest with both hands, feigning heartbreak, and even closed her eyes for dramatic effect, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

Mo Xingxue burst into unrestrained laughter. "Ha.. the entertainment industry lost out," she said, still giggling. "I can’t believe we lost a drama queen to the medical industry. A shame, really." She clutched her own chest, using her impeccable acting skills to perfectly mirror Su Wanyan’s over-the-top performance.

Su Wanyan stopped acting and laughed along. "Hey, are you trying to show off?" She puffed her cheeks in mock annoyance.

Mo Xingxue’s eyes twinkled with mischief. "Maybe?"

The staff watching from the sidelines and the viewers at home couldn’t help but smile tenderly at the scene.

[Bro, if what they have isn’t love, then love simply doesn’t exist.]

[When they could’ve just say, "I love you," but instead they did these things.]

[Fuck, I’m so happy for them.]

[They living the dream, fr.]

[So.. when will you two get married?]

[Su Wanyan can’t. She’s already married to me.]

[Upstairs, stop with your delusions.]

[Fuck off, psycho!]

[Is this what they call toxic yuri?]

The peaceful afternoon felt warmer and brighter because of the two women’s easy, joyful interaction.