DPT chapter 12

“We still have two and a half hours, that’s enough,” Zuo Chi said.

Ignoring Sheng Li’s sarcasm, he instructed the driver to take them to the church. However, when they arrived at the church’s entrance, he hesitated.

The church was quiet and solemn, its exterior made of red bricks with a grand porch and a magnificent domed roof. A towering cross stood at the top, exuding an aura of sanctity.

And he felt guilty. He was a traitor to their friendship.

As the photographer explained the history of the church, Zuo Chi changed his mind, “Let’s just take photos outside.”

“Huh?” the photographer exclaimed, “Outside is just a park… Oh, but there’s a small forest over there where we can take some shots.”

Sheng Li, already changed into a suit matching Zuo Chi’s, impatiently adjusted his tie, “Hurry up and get this over with.”

The photographer selected the scene and angle, but at the moment the shutter clicked, he felt a bit dazed. Was he taking couple photos or passport photos? The discomfort between the two almost overflowed from the screen.

“Is this… okay?” the photographer asked.

If this photo were attributed to him, would he still have a place in the industry?

Zuo Chi walked over, furrowing his brows slightly as he looked down, “Uncle and uncle will also see these photos. Can you cooperate a bit?”

Sheng Li snorted, “I’m not an actor.”

Zuo Chi remained silent, taking a small bouquet handed over by the assistant. The flowers were vintage roses with green leaves and white ribbons twined around them.

When the photographer lifted his camera, Zuo Chi suddenly made a move. He turned sideways, hands encircling Sheng Li’s collar, as if leaning into an Alpha’s embrace.

The petals of the bouquet brushed against Sheng Li’s nape, sending a shiver down his spine as if electrified.

Sheng Li could hear Zuo Chi’s breathing.

The Omega’s skin was fair, making the slight blush on his cheeks particularly enticing. His lashes were long, fluttering like wings…

No, this was Zuo Chi.

The instinctive action to embrace him lasted only a moment, and when Sheng Li snapped back to reality, he immediately withdrew his hand from Zuo Chi’s waist.

But his palm felt like it was burning, uncomfortably hot and nowhere to put it.

Zuo Chi asked the photographer, “How’s that?”

The photographer nodded, “Both of you are good-looking. The photos look like they’re from a drama series.”

Zuo Chi released his hand, and with the hand that wasn’t holding the bouquet, he gripped Sheng Li’s wrist, smiling faintly at the camera, “Take a few more.”

After the photographer took several shots, Sheng Li realized he had been led by Zuo Chi again?

It was like what Sheng Changyu said, he always obediently followed Zuo Chi’s commands whenever he wasn’t paying attention.

He shook off Zuo Chi’s hand, saying in a low voice, “That’s enough.”

“Then it’s done.” Zuo Chi tightened his fingers and said to the photographer, makeup artist, and assistant, “Thank you. It’s almost dinner time, what would you like to eat?”

“No need…”

Zuo Chi interrupted, “Don’t be polite, just ask my assistant for reimbursement.”

The photographer and others thanked him and promised to deliver the finished photos soon.

Zuo Chi went to the bathroom, washing off his makeup. Most cosmetics were waterproof, but he wiped them off mercilessly, causing a small patch of redness at the corners of his eyes.

He still preferred his unadorned appearance. He sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror.

When he came out of the bathroom, Sheng Li was nowhere to be seen.

The next day, the photographer shared all the original photos with Zuo Chi via a cloud storage link for him to choose. After two weeks, the completed couple photos were ready. The atmosphere created by color correction and retouching gave their awkwardness a different meaning – ambiguous, tugging, full of words unspoken.

Even Cheng Xiangwan praised the photos, saying they were well done and asked for the photographer’s contact information, saying he might want to take a couple of sets himself.

Zuo Chi asked who he was taking photos with.

Cheng Xiangwan said, “My next boyfriend.”

Zuo Chi: …

Zuo Chi carefully looked at the photos over and over again, creating a document in the cloud storage to save each one.

As the time for the engagement party approached, there were more and more trivial matters, but fortunately, most of the details were taken care of by Shu Qingyu, and Zuo Chi didn’t need to worry.

However, deciding on the list of invited friends became a difficult task. Zuo Chi and Sheng Li’s circles of friends overlapped highly, and most of their friends knew about their past relationship. He drafted a list and asked for Sheng Li’s opinion. Sheng Li crossed out the names of more than half the people on the list: “Are you inviting them to watch me make a fool of myself?”

In fact, gossip about them had never stopped since Zuo Chi differentiated.

Could an Alpha and an Omega be just friends? Many people didn’t believe it. They might not say anything openly, but behind their backs, they bet on when they would end up together.

Sheng Li shut those people up with his fists, feeling that they wouldn’t understand. He and Zuo Chi had known each other for so long; their feelings had long surpassed the constraints of gender.

But now they were about to get engaged. Even if it was fake, it made his past threats seem ridiculous.

Sheng Li: Since this engagement is for Sheng Changyu and the others to see, just invite people who are useful to them. You’re addicted to acting, do you need so many people to act with you?

But most of their friends were from wealthy families in S City. Zuo Chi calmly replied: If you don’t invite them, they’ll still find out from their elders. By then, they might even have opinions about us.

Sheng Li: You’re good at dealing with people. You have your own ideas, why ask me what to do then?

Through the phone screen, Zuo Chi couldn’t communicate normally with Sheng Li. He tried to hand the revised list to Shu Qingyu, but she looked at it coldly and asked, “Zuo Chi, who do you think the engagement banquet is for?”

“If it’s just to invite these people, would I need to make such a big deal out of it? Some people may not be useful now, but who knows in the future? In a few years, these spendthrifts you look down on might become the ones in power. It’s never bad to have more interactions.”

Zuo Chi also wanted to use Sheng Li’s words to shut her up: “You have your own thoughts, so why are you asking me?”

But he wasn’t Sheng Li; he didn’t even have the right to remain silent. “I understand,” he said.

Shu Qingyu glanced at him, “Don’t waste my time.”

After finally finalizing the invitation list, the revised outfits were sent to Zuo Chi again. Zuo Chi intended to give Sheng Li his outfit, but due to work, he was delayed. When he returned from a business trip to H City, he remembered the matter.

He called Sheng Li, but no one answered.

Exhausted from the trip, he planned to contact him later. However, as he got into the car, he felt the keys in his pocket and changed his mind, giving the driver Sheng Li’s address.

Sheng Li had moved out to live on his own once he started college, returning to the Sheng family home only once every few weeks. According to him, he and Sheng Changyu couldn’t get along, always arguing at home. Sheng Changyu thought he was disappointing and looked down on him, and Sheng Li resented Sheng Changyu’s constant interference in his life. After moving out, they saw each other less often, which actually improved their relationship somewhat.

Zuo Chi had been to Sheng Li’s villa many times and had even stayed overnight twice. But this time, he felt a bit uneasy.

He used the key Sheng Changyu had given him to open the door. The living room was generally clean and tidy, the carpet soft and comfortable, and there seemed to be a faint amber scent lingering in the air.

There were seven or eight bottles of alcohol on the dining table, half of them empty. Zuo Chi threw away the empty bottles and put the remaining ones in the wine cabinet.

He sat on the sofa waiting for Sheng Li to come back, initially scrolling through news on his phone without finding anything new, then idly hugging a cushion, and eventually falling asleep.

A loud bang from the door startled him awake. He opened his eyes and walked towards the entrance.

A beautiful Omega was holding Sheng Li’s arm. Seeing Zuo Chi, the Omega was momentarily stunned, “Who are you?”

Sheng Li had clearly drunk a lot, completely intoxicated. He squinted his eyes, barely able to make out a figure, “Who is it…”

He belatedly smelled the familiar blackcurrant scent and mumbled, “… smells so good.”

Zuo Chi’s eyes fixed on Sheng Li’s lips, which were less than ten centimeters from the back of the Omega’s neck.

Hearing Sheng Li praise another Omega’s scent in front of him, Zuo Chi felt a pang in his heart but managed to curl his lips into a smile, “I’m Sheng Li’s fiancé.”

The Omega naturally also smelled Zuo Chi’s scent but could discern that there was no Alpha mark on him. “I haven’t heard that Young Master Sheng has a fiancé.”

Zuo Chi tilted his head, “The engagement party is on the 15th of next month. If you need an invitation, I can give you one.”

The Omega opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Assistant Liu, who had just parked the car and walked in.

“Mr. Zuo.” Assistant Liu gave the Omega a look, “Young Master Sheng drank too much. We brought him back.”

Zuo Chi’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, “It’s not very gentlemanly for Sheng Li to have an Omega bring him home.”

Judging from Assistant Liu’s attitude, the Omega realized Zuo Chi was not to be trifled with and lowered his head in defense, “There’s nothing between me and Young Master Sheng. I, I just…”

Despite the Omega’s protests, Zuo Chi felt there was no point in making things difficult for him. He took a deep breath and took over Sheng Li, “Now that he’s home, you can leave.”

The Omega left without hesitation, while Assistant Liu hesitated, “Do you need help?”

“No,” Zuo Chi said, smelling the strong scent of alcohol and wrinkling his nose. “I’m here, so you can go home and rest early.”

Sheng Li, at 1.88 meters and well-muscled, wasn’t light. Zuo Chi struggled a bit as he carried him to the master bedroom on the second floor.

Especially since Sheng Li wasn’t cooperative, mumbling “another drink” while swaying left and right with his eyes closed.

Zuo Chi finally managed to throw him onto the bed, leaned over to take off his shoes, and covered him with a blanket. “It shouldn’t be cold…”

He went to the bathroom, dampened a face cloth with warm water, and gently wiped Sheng Li’s face.

The bedroom lights were off, but the curtains weren’t fully drawn, allowing streetlight to spill in, letting Zuo Chi clearly see that face.

He had met many people, and Sheng Li wasn’t the most handsome, but his face held an endless attraction for him, something he could never tire of. As soon as Sheng Li frowned, Zuo Chi’s heart would jump, and a smile from Sheng Li could make him lose all rationality.

Simply because he was Sheng Li.

Zuo Chi gently traced his brow, nose, and lips, wondering when this person would like him back, even just a little.