Li Yan received a scolding from Lao Yue. At home, he had grabbed a solid black umbrella with a large frame, one that was clearly of much better quality than Lao Yue’s broken one.
Lao Yue waved the big black umbrella as if to hit him, while Li Yan stepped back and said, “Your old umbrella leaks even when it’s open. You should be thanking me for replacing it. This one is at least a thousand times better than yours.”
Lao Yue snorted angrily. “What do you know, you brat? That umbrella has been with me for almost twenty years. I’m attached to it. How could this ever compare!”
“What!? Twenty years? If you keep using it, that umbrella’s going to be older than me!”
“So what if it’s older than you? I’m sentimental like that!” Lao Yue swung the umbrella through the air with a popping sound.
“Ah, alright, alright. I won’t eat beef noodles this month. Consider it my way of making up for it.” Li Yan backed up to the wall and waved his hands in defeat.
Only then did Lao Yue relent, taking a closer look at the large black umbrella Li Yan had brought. Seeing Li Yan get closer, Lao Yue put on a solemn expression as if he were mourning the loss of his beloved umbrella.
Li Yan didn’t know what to do with him. He squatted by the roadside and looked at the loose change in Lao Yue’s broken bowl. He let out a deep sigh before standing up and walking away.
Lao Yue watched his dejected figure retreat, then glanced at the high-quality black umbrella in his hand that looked even sturdier than his cane. He felt a twinge of guilt. Just as he was about to call out to Li Yan, he overheard a passerby sigh, “This month flew by so quickly; it’s already over.”
Realization hit Lao Yue—it was the last day of the month! If Li Yan wasn’t eating beef noodles this month, that meant he’d be eating them again tomorrow!
That brat!
After the rain, several more showers followed over the next few days. Once they passed, the weather changed abruptly, making it clear that summer was completely over.
Li Yan sneezed and sniffled at the gym. He was still worried about running into that group again, but then he thought: It wasn’t like the injury from the umbrella rib was his fault. Besides, he even braved the rain to take that guy to the hospital. Plus, with his leg injury, there was no way he’d have recovered quickly enough to be back at the gym.
It had only been a little over a week…
But Li Yan had seriously underestimated the Alpha’s ability to recover.
As soon as Li Yan walked into the basketball court, he saw Du Lin’s group playing an intense game. There didn’t seem to be any other team, so they were just practicing among themselves.
Instead of using the basketball court at University C, they had chosen to come all the way to the city gymnasium. Li Yan stood at the entrance, watching them. They glanced at him briefly before returning their focus to the game. He sighed with relief and sat down in his usual spot in the fourth row.
Just as he settled into his seat, Lin Sheng, who was standing farthest away behind his teammates, suddenly threw the basketball directly at Li Yan.
Li Yan’s heart skipped a beat as he quickly reached out to catch it. If the ball had hit him, the impact would’ve surely left him with a swollen face.
Thankfully, he just barely managed to catch it.
The other players were caught off guard by Lin Sheng’s action, including Du Lin. Du Lin froze for a moment before assuming he understood Lin Sheng’s intent. His gaze shifted furiously to Li Yan, who stood there dumbfounded, holding the basketball.
“You’re the one who injured Lin Sheng’s leg?!” Du Lin took a few steps toward him.
Realizing that Li Yan was the one who had crossed Lin Sheng and that he was just a Beta, the other players started closing in, eager to teach him a lesson.
“What?! Someone messed with our Lin-ge?”
“Is it that scrawny kid?”
“That Beta? He’s got some nerve!”
Spectators in the gym watched as the intimidating group of Alphas advanced on the poor Beta, but no one dared to intervene. After all, these Alphas appeared to be from wealthy or influential families.
Li Yan looked at them in a daze, his voice trembling. “It’s a misunderstanding… a misunderstanding…”
What should he do? Should he apologize and admit defeat? Would that even work?
Or should he run? But they were Alphas—how could he possibly outrun them!
Just as Li Yan felt completely stuck and unsure of what to do, Lin Sheng, standing at a distance, seemed to have seen enough and spoke up unhurriedly, “Come over and join us. You come here every day to watch, but have you ever even touched a basketball?”
Du Lin was caught off guard by the invitation. He turned to look at Lin Sheng, who maintained a calm expression. “That’s enough training for today. I’ll play with him for a bit.”
Du Lin quickly caught on, figuring that Lin Sheng wanted to use this as an excuse to ask for the piece of clothing, which had sentimental value tied to his ex-girlfriend. It clearly needed to be a private conversation.
Du Lin tricked the rest of the team into moving to a different location, suggesting they all go somewhere for some fun and relaxation.
Once the others had left, Li Yan stood there, still holding the ball in his hands, staring at Lin Sheng.
Lin Sheng said, “What are you standing there for? Come on. I’ll give you some free coaching today.”
Li Yan grimaced. Could he say he didn’t need it!
He walked slowly onto the basketball court, clutching the ball. The light brown floor gleamed under the bright lights.
He had expected Lin Sheng to use the opportunity to teach him a lesson, but to his surprise, Lin Sheng earnestly began coaching him. The sound of the basketball bouncing echoed loudly in the gym, and before long, Li Yan was drenched in sweat. After an hour, he finally scored a basket against Lin Sheng’s defense, though he suspected Lin Sheng had let him make the shot.
Panting heavily, Li Yan walked to the sidelines to rest.
Lin Sheng frowned. “Your stamina is terrible.”
Li Yan thought to himself: How could he possibly compare to these Alphas with their superhuman abilities?
With a shared common interest and Lin Sheng’s curiosity leading the way, a few one-on-one coaching sessions later, the two grew closer.
Naturally, as Li Yan got to know Lin Sheng better, he also became closer to Du Lin and the rest of their group.
Unbeknownst to Li Yan, all his living expenses were covered by Lu Lianning. The others, however, had already noticed and simply assumed he was a neglected young master from a wealthy family, overlooked because he was a Beta.
Since they were all university students themselves, they didn’t dwell too much on it and even felt some sympathy for him.
One day, after a training session, Du Lin invited Li Yan to join them for dinner. Lin Sheng stood nearby, watching him.
Li Yan forced a smile. “I have something to do. You all go ahead.”
After being turned down with the same excuse several times, Du Lin grew frustrated. “What’s the deal? Every time, you say you have something to do. What are you so busy with? Are you in a rush to scam someone!” The words slipped out before he could stop himself.
Lin Sheng elbowed him, and Du Lin looked embarrassed.
Although Lin Sheng didn’t say anything, his expression wasn’t pleased.
Li Yan was clearly not giving them any face.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Li Yan’s face. He knew his behavior wasn’t appropriate. Since moving to this city, he hadn’t made any friends besides Lao Yue, and that was why meeting Lin Sheng and his group made him genuinely happy.
Lin Sheng and the others were vibrant and full of energy, living with carefree confidence. Since they were in their prime, there was always a lot of noise whenever they were present, yet they somehow managed to chase away the gloom and numbness in Li Yan’s heart.
In the end, Li Yan agreed to go.
At dinner, everyone warmly welcomed their new friend. Feeling obligated to join in, Li Yan accepted a drink handed to him. He only drank half a glass but choked a little, realizing it had been a long time since he’d had alcohol.
Later, a few Omegas joined the group, and though not many dishes hadn’t yet arrived, the atmosphere was already lively.
Li Yan stood up, clinked his glass with the others, and announced that he needed to leave.
Sitting next to him, Lin Sheng’s expression soured. Before Du Lin could say anything, Lin Sheng turned to Li Yan and asked, “What do you mean?”
The alcohol had started to redden Li Yan’s face, maybe because he hadn’t drunk in so long. He refilled his glass and repeated, “Sorry, I really have to go.”
Lin Sheng studied his expression, recalling how Li Yan had rushed off the last time too. Testing his hunch, he asked, “What’s this about? Do you have a curfew?”
To his surprise, Li Yan nodded. “Yes, I need to be home by 7:30.”
As soon as he said that, the table erupted into laughter.
“Hahahaha! 7:30? Are you joking!”
Li Yan clutched his glass, looking slightly dazed. Amid the laughter, he appeared rather pitiful.
Lin Sheng was the only one not laughing. “Do you really have to be home that early? What happens if you’re late?”
Li Yan’s eyelashes fluttered, and he answered, “It used to be 8:00. But after I was late once, it got moved to 7:30. If I’m late again, it’ll be 7:00.”
Lin Sheng offered, “Then let me take you home.”
Li Yan shook his head. “No need.”
At that moment, Du Lin, sitting nearby, noticed something stuck to the back of Li Yan’s neck. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a blocker patch.
He felt irritated by Li Yan’s ungratefulness. Lin Sheng had offered him several ways to escape the awkward situation, but he refused them all. Overwhelmed by emotion, Du Lin reached out and attempted to rip off Li Yan’s blocker patch. “What’s a Beta doing with a blocker patch? Trying to be an Alpha, huh!”
Li Yan instantly reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, pressing the patch back down. But not before the scent of pheromones leaked out from under the half-peeled patch.
The room fell silent as if someone had hit pause.
Since Alpha pheromones repel each other, even though the scent was only released for a moment, the expressions of the Alphas present changed multiple times.
A Beta who had been marked.
The time between Du Lin tearing off the patch and Li Yan hastily slapping it back down was barely a second. Yet, that brief instant was enough for a strong burst of pheromones to escape. Given that Betas could never be fully marked, the effects of a temporary mark didn’t last as long as they would for Omegas.
It must have been a recent mark, and whoever did it had injected a large amount of pheromones into a Beta who couldn’t be fully marked.
Li Yan stood up in a panic and dashed out the door without a word of goodbye.
Someone tried to lighten the mood. “No wonder he’s in such a rush to get home. Someone’s waiting for him, keeping him on a tight leash. Haha.”
With Omegas in the room, they quickly opened the windows and turned up the air conditioning.
Du Lin was still in a daze, looking at Lin Sheng. “He… what…”
But before Du Lin could finish, Lin Sheng stood up and walked out the door.
Outside, Lin Sheng spotted Li Yan’s small figure disappearing around the corner. He chased after him and grabbed his arm. “Let me take you home. You’ve had too much to drink.”
Li Yan’s face was slightly flushed, but he stubbornly insisted, “I haven’t.”
Lin Sheng pulled out his phone and said, “It’s already 7:15. You’re not going to make it home in time. If I take you, you might just make it.”
The words seemed to hit a nerve. Li Yan inhaled sharply. “You’ve been drinking too. How can you drive?”
Lin Sheng replied, “I’ve called for a driver. He’ll be here soon.”
The two got into the car and neither of them spoke for a moment. Li Yan gave rough directions and then went quiet.
After a moment, Lin Sheng broke the silence. “So, you have an Alpha. It’s no big deal. A lot of Alphas and Betas are together these days.”
Li Yan had calmed down and realized he might have overreacted. Leaning his head against the cold window, he watched the city lights blur past. He muttered, “I’m just worried. Afraid of being late.”
“Keeping you on such a tight leash. He must really love you.” Lin Sheng squinted slightly as he stared at the back of Li Yan’s head.
Li Yan remained quiet for a while, feeling that he had probably said too much, his tongue loosened by alcohol.
After about five minutes, Li Yan spoke again. “You can drop me off here.”
Lin Sheng curled his lips into a faint smile, but in the dim light of the car, it didn’t look warm. “Afraid he’ll see?”
Li Yan’s answer was to directly open the car door.
He stepped out, turned around to politely thank Lin Sheng, and then closed the door.
But after taking just a few steps, Li Yan looked up and saw Lu Lianning’s car approaching.
As the Porsche and Bentley passed each other, Lin Sheng saw through the rearview mirror that the door of the black Bentley opened.
Li Yan bowed his head and got inside.
Inside the Bentley, the atmosphere was stifling. Li Yan shrank into the corner, trying to make himself as small as possible.
Lu Lianning said nothing, his face unreadable, but through the instincts Li Yan had honed after years of living with him, he could sense his displeasure.
Very displeased.
Li Yan felt incredibly unlucky. He hadn’t expected to run into Lu Lianning just as he was nearly home.
In fact, it was rare for Lu Lianning to return this early. When he was busy, he often didn’t come back until late at night, long after Li Yan had already fallen asleep.
When the car stopped, Lu Lianning stepped out first. Li Yan hesitated, stalling for time, but eventually followed. As soon as they entered the living room, Lu Lianning shrugged off his suit jacket and tossed it onto the sofa. He gave a brief glance to the butler, who immediately led the servants away.
Li Yan stood by the door to the living room like a pillar, staring at the floor in front of his feet.
Lu Lianning reached up, tugging at his tie before undoing two buttons. His gaze fixed on Li Yan as he said, “Come here.” His voice was flat, but Li Yan could sense a trace of coldness.
It was clear that Lu Lianning was angry. He didn’t even have the patience to wait until they reached the bedroom.
Li Yan shuffled forward. Once he was close enough, Lu Lianning grabbed him and pulled him closer, positioning him directly in front of his legs.
“Whose car did you just get out of?” Lu Lianning sat on the sofa, and Li Yan stood before him. Despite being seated, Lu Lianning’s intimidating presence made it feel as if he were towering over him. With his head bowed and hands clenched, Li Yan looked like a child made to stand in the corner as punishment.
“A friend’s…” Li Yan lowered his eyelids, avoiding eye contact with Lu Lianning.
Look at him, acting like this again. Lu Lianning watched Li Yan, whose downcast eyes made him seem particularly docile. His unremarkable features added to the impression of simplicity and honesty as if he were someone incapable of deceit.
But Lu Lianning knew his true nature.
He let out a mocking snort. “You’ve also been drinking. Must be nice, making new friends.”
Li Yan remained silent, his body trembling slightly.
“What are you so nervous about? I never said you couldn’t make friends.” Lu Lianning chuckled, then continued, “How did you meet? Tell me.”
He clearly wanted to finish his interrogation before settling the score.
Li Yan couldn’t exactly say they met through a scamming attempt, so he stammered, “He hurt his leg. I ran into him and took him to the hospital. That’s how we met.”
Lu Lianning’s smile deepened. “Oh, always ready to help others, aren’t you?” His hand reached under Li Yan’s shirt. “Well, I’m not happy right now. You’d better figure out a way to fix that.”
As Lu Lianning’s hand touched his waist, Li Yan instinctively stepped back, grabbing Lu Lianning’s wrist through his shirt. The flush from the alcohol had completely drained from his face. He anxiously reminded, “We… we did it yesterday.”
Lu Lianning didn’t withdraw his hand, nor did he apply any force. He simply allowed Li Yan to hold him through the fabric.
“Oh? And what if we did?” His gaze darkened, voice dropping to a chilling tone. “I gave you a day to rest. But if you can go out and have fun with your friends, it seems like you don’t need any rest.”
Li Yan took another step back, alarm flashing in his eyes. “No, I do need rest. My… my butt still hurts.”
The sight of Li Yan retreating only fueled Lu Lianning’s anger. He grabbed Li Yan by the shirt and yanked him back. Coldness flickered in his eyes, tinged with desire, as his voice dropped low. “Fine. Take off your pants. Let me check where it hurts.”
–
Lin Sheng received a call twenty minutes after sending three messages to his cousin.
He was smoking on the balcony, having just lit a cigarette, when he picked up the phone. “Ge, did you find any information on the person I asked about?”
“Ah Sheng1“Ah”: prefix used to indicate familiarity, my advice is to stay away from him.” Lin Zhe’s voice came through, muffled by some background noise. He seemed to move away from the commotion, and his voice became clearer.
“Why?”
“That guy was brought back by the current head of the Lu family years ago. There’s some kind of grudge between them. Ever since then, he’s been kept locked up. People say he was confined for so long that he became mentally unstable. By the time he was let out, he had trouble even speaking.” Lin Zhe hesitated, as if unsure of his own words. “It’s said that Lu Lianning values him a lot, but never takes him anywhere. Most people in our circle haven’t seen this Li Yan and don’t know much about him. Still, if Lu Lianning doesn’t care about him, why does he keep a close eye on him and control information so tightly that no one can find anything?”
Indeed, nothing could be found. What Lin Zhe provided were merely explanations for why nothing had been found. Li Yan’s family background, his social connections, how he became involved with Lu Lianning, and whether there was truly a grudge between them, all remained mysteries.
The cigarette in Lin Sheng’s hand had burned halfway, and ash fell onto his slipper, leaving a scorch mark.
He remained frozen as the entire cigarette burned down without him taking a single drag.
