DPT chapter 7

In mid to late October, it had been raining for several days in a row, and the temperature had plummeted, as if summer had suddenly turned into winter. Zuo Chi wore a houndstooth sweater and loose jeans. He adjusted the anti-bite collar in front of the mirror. The collar had a metal layer inside, protecting the glands, while the outer layer was made of top-grade leather, accentuating his slender and fair neck.

This houndstooth sweater was also bought by Sheng Li. Once, after a quarrel with the actor he was dating at the time, intentionally seeking reconciliation, he took Zuo Chi to a mall to pick out a gift. Passing by a clothing store, Sheng Li went in and picked out a few pieces of clothing to buy. Zuo Chi thought they were for the actor, but Sheng Li said they were for him: “How would I know his size?”

Zuo Chi didn’t understand. “Why did you buy them for me?”

Sheng Li said, “They look very suitable for you. Ah Chi, you shouldn’t always dress so seriously. Change your style occasionally.”

It wasn’t just Sheng Li who had opinions on Zuo Chi’s attire. Originally, Zuo Chi wore suits and wool sweaters. Zuo Yi glanced at him and said he didn’t look like an Omega.

“We’re not going to a meeting today, but to visit the Sheng family,” Zuo Yi said. Both families should formally meet before the engagement banquet.

Shu Qingyu linked arms with Zuo Yi, her brows lightly furrowed, urging him to change his clothes quickly and not waste time.

When Zuo Chi came out after changing, Zuo Yi didn’t nitpick anymore, reminding him to bring the gift prepared for the elders of the Sheng family.

The weather was fine that day, with clear skies. The driver had been waiting outside for a while, opening the car door to welcome them. Zuo Yi sat in the front passenger seat, Zuo Chi in the middle of the back row, with Shu Qingyu on the left and Zuo Lie on the right. He felt extremely uncomfortable.

Shu Qingyu naturally had a bad expression towards the illegitimate child of an Omega outside, and Zuo Lie didn’t like this calculating cheap mother either. However, in front of Zuo Yi, they would reluctantly maintain a peaceful facade.

Zuo Yi talked about business matters, thinking about how Zuo Lie’s investment project had suffered losses again. After some education, he asked him to learn from Zuo Chi.

Zuo Lie was displeased in his heart, but he still said, “Yes, I’ll trouble my brother to guide me more.”

Zuo Yi then said, “Xiao Chi, help your younger brother more. The future development of the Zuo family depends on you two.”

When power is in Zuo Lie’s hands, what say will he have in the Zuo family? Zuo Chi knew this was just a polite remark. “Of course.”

The Sheng family mansion wasn’t far away, and they arrived in half an hour. The villa was in a new Chinese style, nestled among the mountains and waters, with beautiful surroundings, a spacious courtyard, and a gentle breeze, disturbing the green water of the pond. Sheng Changyu and Li Mingchuan were neatly dressed, showing the posture of the hosts, standing in front of the gate to greet them. Although Sheng Li also stood by, he shrugged his shoulders, with half of the drawstring of his hoodie stuffed inside, almost writing “reluctance” on his face.

It had been about half a month since they last parted ways in the office. Zuo Chi couldn’t help but look at Sheng Li.

Sheng Changyu and Zuo Yi exchanged pleasantries before turning to Zuo Chi. “Xiao Chi, it’s been a while. Why haven’t you come to visit us lately?”

In middle school and high school, Zuo Chi would occasionally go to Sheng Li’s house on weekends to do homework, and he was also familiar with Sheng Changyu and Li Mingchuan. Now that roles had changed, he wasn’t just Sheng Li’s friend but also his prospective partner. Zuo Chi felt a bit awkward. “I’ve been busy with work, but I’ll definitely come to see Uncle and Uncle more often in the future.”

Sheng Changyu nodded. “That’s a promise. Mingchuan and I have always liked you since you were a kid.”

Sheng Li sneered, then got a glare from Sheng Changyu. “What are you still standing there for? Come over and say hello to your uncle and aunt.”

Sheng Li didn’t like Zuo Yi and Shu Qingyu, the former ignoring his son’s business acumen just because Zuo Chi was an Omega, and the latter using Zuo Chi to solidify her position in the Zuo family. They couldn’t command his respect from the bottom of his heart. He greeted them with lukewarm politeness and didn’t spare a glance for Zuo Lie.

“This kid, it’s all our indulgence,” Sheng Changyu said disapprovingly to Sheng Li, “Let’s go inside and chat slowly.”

In the hall, the servants were already serving dishes. The dining area was slightly elevated, and folding screens surrounded the table and chairs, creating a semi-private space.

The landscape painting on the screen was still the work of a master. Zuo Yi praised it to give face, and Shu Qingyu echoed.

Both families took their seats, and Zuo Chi was seated next to Sheng Li.

The dishes on the table were lavish: red wine foie gras, salmon sashimi, Japanese-style smoked beef…

Sheng Changyu said, “We don’t know what you like to eat, so we hope it suits your taste.”

Zuo Yi exchanged a glance with Shu Qingyu, who took out two bottles of limited edition whisky from an exquisitely packaged gift box. “On such a good day, we should drink to celebrate.”

Zuo Chi stood up to help pour the drinks, his movements causing his sweater to ride up, revealing his slender waist, clearly visible from Sheng Li’s perspective.

When Zuo Chi reached out his hand to him, Sheng Li snapped out of his thoughts, “What?”

Zuo Chi said, “The glass.”

“Oh.” Sheng Li took the bottle straightforwardly. “I’ll pour.”

At the table, they discussed the details of the engagement banquet. Li Mingchuan said he had consulted a fortune teller who advised postponing the date of the engagement banquet by about two months.

Zuo Yi wasn’t very trusting of these things, but he wasn’t in a hurry for these two months either. “As long as you decide.”

Li Mingchuan said, “The fortune teller also looked at their eight characters and said they’re particularly compatible.”

Shu Qingyu followed up, “I also measured their pheromone compatibility. It’s over eighty percent.”

The pheromone compatibility between Alpha and Omega corresponds to their level of attraction. The lower the compatibility, the lower the probability of hormonal attraction between the two. Conversely, the higher the compatibility, the higher the probability of attraction. An over eighty percent compatibility is categorized as high.

Sheng Li listened to them talk about himself and Zuo Chi as if they were discussing two irrelevant tools, feeling quite annoyed and uncomfortable.

Since he graduated, Sheng Changyu had begun to reveal his desire to control his life, wanting him to get married, have children, and inherit the family business in an orderly manner. Marriage had to be with someone beneficial to the Sheng family, and at least one Alpha had to be born.

He didn’t want to go home at all, nor did he want to meet Zuo Chi’s family. But Sheng Changyu threatened to cut off all his financial resources if he didn’t cooperate.

If the marriage partner wasn’t Zuo Chi, he might have been a little more comfortable. Let alone imagining having children with Zuo Chi, he couldn’t even imagine kissing him.

They were best friends, brothers. How could he ever make a move on his own brother? Even if they were naked lying on a bed together, all they could do was chat under the covers.

Sheng Li started dating when he was in his teens, and he had lost count of his partners, but he didn’t believe in pure, eternal love. The mutual attraction between Alpha and Omega was fleeting; beautiful things had an expiration date.

But friendship lasted a lifetime. He didn’t want his relationship with Zuo Chi to sour.

He discreetly glanced at Zuo Chi, who was busy peeling a shrimp, his slender and fair hands slightly clumsy.

Thanks to genetic inheritance, Zuo Chi was handsome. Not the kind of breathtaking beauty at first glance, but his features were just right, coupled with a unique top student temperament, making him more and more attractive the more you looked at him.

However, in daily life, he was a bit clumsy, even unable to peel a shrimp properly.

Zuo Chi noticed a gaze seemingly sticking to him. He turned his head and met Sheng Li’s eyes, and with a “snap,” the shrimp and chopsticks he had just painstakingly peeled fell to the ground.

“Sorry.” Zuo Chi’s apology seemed to be directed at no one in particular.

The servants immediately brought him a new pair of chopsticks and handled the dropped shrimp.

Sheng Changyu said, “Sheng Li, help Xiao Chi peel two shrimp.”

With transparent gloves on, Sheng Li reluctantly peeled two shrimp and dropped them into Zuo Chi’s bowl. Seeing that Zuo Chi hadn’t eaten, he whispered, “Eat, do you want me to feed you?”

The meal lasted nearly two hours. In the afternoon, both families went to the nearest beach, a beautiful fishing spot. It was a good place for weekend leisure and dating.

The sea was blue, the waves rolled, the sand was fine, and the breeze was gentle, making people feel relaxed and comfortable.

The elders rented a fishing boat to go fishing. Sheng Li had no interest in fishing, so he rented a surfboard to go surfing. Shu Qingyu got seasick and didn’t board the boat; instead, she lay on a beach chair doing a spa.

Zuo Chi followed them onto the boat, but before the boat set off, he was asked to get off. The elders all wanted him to go surfing with Sheng Li.

He looked at the sea, locking onto the positions of several surfboards. He couldn’t see their faces, but judging solely by surfing proficiency, he determined that Sheng Li was on the black surfboard.

Several bikini-clad beauties passed by, stopping near Sheng Li’s direction, showing interest. One of them, a girl with brown wavy hair, was pushed forward by her friends, apparently wanting to get Sheng Li’s contact information.

Zuo Chi was already used to such scenes. He approached and watched as Sheng Li rode the waves back to shore, then politely rejected the girl with wavy hair.

“Sorry, I like guys,” Sheng Li said, wearing a wetsuit that accentuated his long, sturdy legs and alluring inverted triangle figure.

He turned and noticed Zuo Chi, raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and walked towards the sunshade with his surfboard.

Zuo Chi followed, trying to make conversation, “Is surfing fun?”

Sheng Li asked knowingly, “What? Do you want to learn?”

Zuo Chi replied, “Yes.”

Sheng Li scoffed, “You can’t even swim, and you want to learn surfing.”

Zuo Chi was good at all kinds of land sports, but he wasn’t comfortable in water. He wasn’t as bad as Sheng Li made it sound, but his swimming grades in university weren’t impressive.

He said, “I’ll just learn in shallow water.”

In the past, Sheng Li would have immediately volunteered to be Zuo Chi’s private coach, but he guessed that Sheng Changyu and the others had likely sent Zuo Chi over to find him, wanting them to spend time alone.

Sheng Changyu really wished he could pack him off to the Zuo family, which was utterly disgusting. After knowing Zuo Chi for so many years without any sparks flying, why bother now?

“Then go learn,” Sheng Li said, a roguish smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “I’m not obligated to teach you, right? There’s a coach at the surf shop over there, two thousand yuan for two hours. Very cheap.”

“You aren’t short on money, are you?”