DPT chapter 5

In theory, Zuo Chi’s secret crush on Sheng Li should have ended when Sheng Li turned eighteen. His cake went bad, the carefully prepared couple bracelet was dismantled, and he only sent out the half with Sheng Li’s name, throwing the other half into the trash. He should have learned to be a qualified, restrained friend, rather than foolishly yearning to be Sheng Li’s Omega.

But the excellent Zuo Chi couldn’t learn that over the following years.

He could control himself from bothering Sheng Li, but whenever Sheng Li appeared in his sight, he couldn’t control himself from paying attention. He could bless Sheng Li being with others, but no matter how many times, his heart still ached.

The handsome guy who got the Black Swan cake was just a passing guest in Sheng Li’s rich love history. Later on, when Zuo Chi mentioned it again, Sheng Li couldn’t even remember his name, only recalling the day Zuo Chi dropped a cake.

But perhaps he would never know that the cake was handmade by Zuo Chi, nor would he know he missed more than just one cake.

After high school graduation, Zuo Chi and Sheng Li didn’t attend the same university. Zuo Chi performed well, maintaining steady performance in the college entrance exam, while Sheng Li was casual about his studies on normal days. In order to avoid being sent abroad, he worked hard in the last semester of his senior year. Zuo Chi was delighted when he received his acceptance letter, not because he was admitted to one of the top universities in the country, but because he had the chance to get away from Sheng Li.

He was naive. During the four years of college, Sheng Li often skipped class to drive to find him. Sometimes they ate together, sometimes they drank, sometimes they just met.

The college circle was wider, and many people didn’t know about their relationship. Seeing an extraordinary Alpha waiting outside the classroom for Zuo Chi to finish class, they assumed Sheng Li was his boyfriend.

In their second year of college, the school held an anniversary celebration, and Zuo Chi was rehearsing in the auditorium. Sheng Li came to find him again, casually stopping a guy and saying, “Excuse me, find Zuo Chi for me.”

The guy was Zuo Chi’s classmate, who had seen Sheng Li a few times, so he shouted, “Zuo Chi, your boyfriend is here to see you.”

Sheng Li burst into laughter at the words, “What are you talking about? Zuo Chi is my best friend. Don’t tarnish our revolutionary friendship.”

Tarnish.

It turned out his affection for Sheng Li was a tarnish on their friendship.

Zuo Chi walked over enthusiastically, but happened to overhear this comment. He thought Sheng Li was cruel, always unintentionally shattering his fantasies without leaving any room. Yet Sheng Li was also innocent; after all, it wasn’t his fault if a friend coveted him.

Everything could only be blamed on Zuo Chi himself.

While Sheng Li came to the school to find Zuo Chi, he also didn’t forget to meet Omegas who caught his eye. Sheng Li didn’t have any particular preference for Omegas; among those he dated, some were hot and unrestrained, while others were pure and reserved. Zuo Chi couldn’t guess which type Sheng Li liked the most. Perhaps he liked them all, or perhaps he didn’t like any. Even if he did like them, it only represented a momentary interest.

If profound love were compared to a gemstone, all Sheng Li could offer were worthless stones. Despite their beautiful appearance, they were ultimately not sparkling gemstones, destined to be cheap and dim.

Sometimes Zuo Chi felt he was being foolish. But he was too young when he met Sheng Li, and Sheng Li’s name unknowingly took root in his life. As he grew older, exhausted by his studies and various courses, he found it difficult to spare energy for others and difficult to develop an interest in others.

Being an Omega who harbored intentions toward Sheng Li, as a friend, was like a time bomb ticking next to him, waiting to explode one day.

That day finally came.

Regardless of Sheng Li’s answer, news of the alliance between the left and Sheng families soon spread. After returning from Qingyue City Grand Hotel, Zuo Chi received several messages of condolences. Since Zuo Chi’s and Sheng Li’s circles of friends overlapped to a large extent, most of Zuo Chi’s friends were also Sheng Li’s friends, so everyone’s reaction was disbelief, wanting to confirm the truth with him.

Zuo Chi calmly replied one by one: it’s true, but it’s a business marriage.

When he said this, others usually fell silent. Only Cheng Xiangwan called directly, “I thought you were going to secretly love him forever. Regardless of the business marriage, why don’t you just seize the opportunity to solidify your marital relationship?”

Cheng Xiangwan was a very special friend to Zuo Chi. He was Zuo Chi’s former boyfriend. When they were together, Zuo Chi wasn’t sure about his feelings, but people in their circle matured early, and fourteen or fifteen was the peak time for early romance. Cheng Xiangwan was a senior Omega who was a year ahead of them, handsome and pure, attracting many Alphas to vie for his affection.

Zuo Chi and Cheng Xiangwan were both in the student council, and they were basically in charge of every school event, so they were close for a while. But whether he pursued Cheng Xiangwan or not was because of Sheng Li.

One day, Sheng Li suddenly remarked how attractive Cheng Xiangwan was and asked Zuo Chi if he thought so too.

Hearing Sheng Li praise Cheng Xiangwan, Zuo Chi felt a pang in his heart, but he still nodded.

“Tsk, what’s with that expression?” Sheng Li hooked his neck, “You can rest assured, I won’t snatch away anyone you like. But he’s so popular, if you don’t make a move, someone else might snatch him away. Do you want me to give you some ideas?”

Zuo Chi agreed. He was competitive by nature and pursued things seriously. Within two months, Cheng Xiangwan became his boyfriend.

They dated for half a semester, and before Cheng Xiangwan graduated, Zuo Chi broke up with him.

One second, Cheng Xiangwan sweetly called him “Xiao Chi”, and the next second, Cheng Xiangwan flipped, “Hey, Zuo Chi, did you think I really liked you?”

Later, Zuo Chi discovered that Cheng Xiangwan wasn’t as innocent as most people thought. Alphas saw him as prey, but in Cheng Xiangwan’s eyes, Alphas were the real prey. He just needed to play along, and Alphas would give him everything he wanted.

At that time, Cheng Xiangwan’s disguise wasn’t that deep, so he cared about Zuo Chi not liking him and felt embarrassed and angry.

When Zuo Chi was in his senior year of high school and differentiated, Cheng Xiangwan heard about it and “comforted” him on WeChat with a hint of schadenfreude.

Zuo Chi asked, “How did you know?”

Cheng Xiangwan replied, “I recently met an Alpha, the same grade as you, and he told me.”

Zuo Chi said, “I heard your boyfriend is your direct senior.”

“Broke up two weeks ago,” Cheng Xiangwan responded.

Cheng Xiangwan continued, “I always felt you and Sheng Li were weird before. Now that I know you’re an Omega, it makes sense.”

Zuo Chi sighed, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Cheng Xiangwan retorted, “I know better than anyone if it’s nonsense.”

Perhaps because Cheng Xiangwan was the first person to figure out Zuo Chi’s feelings for Sheng Li, and he had also exposed his true self in front of Zuo Chi, they became friends.

Cheng Xiangwan said over the phone, “The heavens have sent you an opportunity. Be proactive; you must win him over this time!”

“If he knows I like him, we can’t even be friends anymore,” Zuo Chi sighed. He had been regretting it a bit these days. Actually, if on that day, Shu Qingyu had mentioned marrying someone other than Sheng Li, Zuo Chi would still have agreed. He had long prepared to sacrifice his own marriage, but it wouldn’t be fair to Sheng Li.

“Why are you so pessimistic? Can’t he like you back? If you like him, what’s the point of being just friends?” Cheng Xiangwan said impatiently. “If one day, he meets someone he genuinely wants to be with, are you sure you can still be just friends with him? There are only two paths, either you get him, or someone else does. Regardless of the outcome, you can’t remain friends.”

Zuo Chi chuckled softly, “Why are you more anxious than me?”

“How can I not be anxious? It’s been several years; I’ve had a bunch of boyfriends, and you’re still playing the secret admirer,” Cheng Xiangwan said.

There was some noise in the background on the phone, and Zuo Chi asked, “Where are you?”

“At a bar,” Cheng Xiangwan said. “By the way, I have a performance tonight; do you want to come?”

Zuo Chi closed the file, rubbed his forehead. It had been a long time since he relaxed. “Okay.”

Zuo Chi instructed the driver to navigate to the bar according to the address Cheng Xiangwan sent.

It was a newly opened bar, and it was bustling with activity due to its opening event. Even before eight o’clock, there were already many people.

Zuo Chi messaged Cheng Xiangwan: I’ve arrived.

Soon, a figure wrapped in a denim jacket with long, dark hair came out. “Xiao Chi.”

Zuo Chi hesitated, not entirely sure, “Cheng Xiangwan?”

Cheng Xiangwan was naturally attractive, even more charming after light makeup. His skin was fair, his eyes always moist, his eyelashes long and curly, his nose straight, and his lips beautiful.

Zuo Chi reached out, his fingers brushing his hair ends, “A wig?”

“Yeah,” Cheng Xiangwan smiled, “Very realistic, right?”

Zuo Chi puzzled, “Why are you wearing a wig?”

“Let’s go in first; you’ll know later,” Cheng Xiangwan said, leading Zuo Chi inside to a booth and calling a bartender to order. He accompanied Zuo Chi for a drink until someone came to call him to prepare.

At exactly nine o’clock, the bar performance began. Cheng Xiangwan took off his jacket, revealing only a white skirt underneath. Amidst the cheering of the crowd, he held onto the pole with both hands and slowly moved around it, his body soft, his eyes filled with wind and mist, his movements sexy and enticing, like a fairy fallen to earth.

After the performance ended, many people came forward to ask Cheng Xiangwan for his contact information. Perhaps not finding a satisfactory prey, Cheng Xiangwan smiled apologetically, “Sorry, I’m taken.”

Then he walked straight towards Zuo Chi.

Zuo Chi: “…”

Following Cheng Xiangwan were a few other people, led by an Alpha named Zhang Xiaoyun, a well-known second generation in their circle.

“Oh, isn’t this Zuo Chi?” Zhang Xiaoyun clearly had some alcohol, and the bottom half of his face was flushed, extending to his neck. His eyes wandered between Zuo Chi and Cheng Xiangwan, smiling lewdly.

“Aren’t you supposed to be engaged to Sheng Li soon? How come you still have time to come here for fun?”