DPT chapter 10

It was a fierce kiss. Zuo Chi vented his frustration by biting Sheng Li’s lips, their teeth clashing, his tongue invading Sheng Li’s mouth, roughly stealing his breath. His right hand trembled uncontrollably, and eventually, he lost strength, unable to grip Sheng Li’s collar.

Sheng Li was completely stunned, letting Zuo Chi leave bite marks on his lips. The pain from the broken skin left his mind blank.

Saliva trickled down Sheng Li’s chin, his face flushed, the amber scent of his pheromones intensifying. Their heartbeats were unusually loud in the quiet surroundings.

It wasn’t until footsteps approached from behind that Sheng Li pushed Zuo Chi away. Angrily and awkwardly, he wanted to ask what Zuo Chi was doing, but seeing the moist, passionate look in Zuo Chi’s eyes, he couldn’t utter a word.

How could Zuo Chi show such a pitiful expression? It was he who had initiated this kiss out of nowhere.

Friends shouldn’t kiss…

Sheng Li’s chest heaved violently. He wiped his lips with a trembling hand, took two steps back, and fled.

Because Sheng Li left without a word, Sheng Changyu was furious, calling multiple times to reprimand his unruly son, but no one answered.

Sheng Changyu asked Zuo Chi to try: “If you call, he’ll definitely answer.”

Zuo Chi smiled bitterly, thinking Sheng Li was least likely to answer his call right now: “He might be busy.”

Acting on impulse, Zuo Chi had calmed down a lot on the way back from the garden. He didn’t regret it, but he didn’t know how to face Sheng Li either.

Sheng Changyu frowned: “What could he be busy with? He’s almost twenty-five and still goofing around…”

Li Mingchuan asked, “Xiao Chi, did you see Sheng Li when you went out for some air?”

Zuo Chi touched the shield patch on the back of his neck, ensuring no pheromones had leaked: “No.”

“Oh, don’t worry about him then.” Li Mingchuan didn’t think much of it, his gaze lingering on Zuo Chi’s flushed cheeks. He reached out to touch Zuo Chi’s forehead, surprised, “You have a fever.”

Zuo Chi froze, his first thought being, he had just kissed Sheng Li; could he transmit the virus to Sheng Li?

Back home, the family doctor examined Zuo Chi, prescribed antipyretics, and advised rest and avoiding overexertion.

After taking the medication, he lay under the covers and sweated profusely. Unable to stand it, he got up in the middle of the night to take a shower. The next morning, his fever had subsided, but his phone’s memo reminded him that his heat was approaching.

Perhaps due to his late differentiation, Zuo Chi’s heat always came on strong. Even with suppressants, he experienced gland pain and was easily affected by Alpha pheromones, which could trigger his rut. Thus, he was forced to work from home.

Zuo Chi stayed at home for three days, with enhanced inhibitors and painkillers by his side. Morning, noon, and evening, Aunt Chen would bring meals to his bedroom door. It wasn’t until his heat ended that he stepped out of his room.

Sometimes, Omegas have no privacy; both his family and company subordinates knew what Zuo Chi was going through.

When Zuo Chi went to the office on Friday, he could feel the occasional glances at the back of his neck. During lunch in the break room, he inadvertently overheard his subordinates talking about him.

A male Beta said, “Isn’t Manager Zuo about to get engaged? Why don’t we see an Alpha’s mark on him?”

A female Alpha responded, “Can’t you smell it? His scent is still the same as before, no trace of an Alpha.”

“What? So he went through this heat alone again?”

“I heard he even attended a video conference.”

“…”

While the subordinates only dared to gossip behind his back, Shu Qingyu directly confronted him at the dining table, asking why he didn’t seek Sheng Li’s help to get through his heat.

Zuo Chi awkwardly replied, “It’s not appropriate…”

A single kiss was enough to keep him up for several nights, tossing and turning, replaying it in his mind.

Shu Qingyu retorted, “He’s your future Alpha; there’s nothing inappropriate about it. It’s not like you’re getting a permanent mark now. Having an intended spouse and still using inhibitors to get through heat is what’s truly inappropriate.”

Noticing Zuo Lie watching the scene with amusement, Shu Qingyu, perhaps feeling embarrassed by Zuo Chi’s silence, stopped her scolding.

“You’re an Omega; you should learn to leverage and utilize your Omega advantages.”

Zuo Chi heard the same advice twice in one day, once from Shu Qingyu and once from Cheng Xiangwan.

When Cheng Xiangwan heard that Zuo Chi had forcefully kissed Sheng Li, he was ecstatic over the phone: “What was his reaction? Did he get hard?”

“…”

Zuo Chi said, “I didn’t notice…”

His heart was pounding out of his chest at the time; he had no energy left to notice anything else.

Cheng Xiangwan exclaimed, “How could you not notice! If he got hard, it means he’s not indifferent to you!”

Zuo Chi replied, “…It was just a kiss. He wouldn’t get hard from that, would he?”

“You never know,” Cheng Xiangwan said. “In my opinion, there’s no clear boundary between friendship and love. Sometimes, the transition happens in an instant. Who says friends can’t become lovers? Just because Sheng Li hasn’t thought of it that way doesn’t mean he has no interest. You need to guide him to see you as an Omega.”

Zuo Chi thought about it. Although Cheng Xiangwan could be unreliable at times, he was an expert at attracting Alphas. So he humbly asked for advice, “How do I guide him?”

Cheng Xiangwan replied, “Use your Omega advantages, lure him with your pheromones. Heat is such a great opportunity to develop a relationship beyond friendship.”

Zuo Chi frowned, “Are you telling me to sleep with him?”

Cheng Xiangwan said, “Don’t pretend you haven’t thought about it. Since you like him, you have nothing to lose by sleeping with him.”

Zuo Chi was silent for a few seconds. He had not only thought about it but had also dreamed about it many times.

Cheng Xiangwan, considering how Zuo Chi had taken years to muster the courage for just one kiss, said, “Uh… never mind. Taking it step by step is also fine. You’re almost engaged; you’ll have plenty of time to build your relationship. But you need to be proactive. Don’t just sit there. Send him a message to show you care.”

Zuo Chi opened his WeChat, staring at Sheng Li’s profile picture for a long time, unable to come up with a suitable opening line. Scrolling up, the last message was him asking Sheng Li when he was free to schedule a suit fitting, which Sheng Li hadn’t replied to.

Before that, it was Sheng Li’s message on the day at Qingyue City Grand Hotel, “Come find me after it’s over.”

No casual chats, no heart-to-heart talks. Their chat history was pathetically simple.

Where are you?

[Location] Come drink.

I’m downstairs at your company. Come down quickly.

[Link: 4 people, 3 missing 1] Available? Mahjong.

Wanna play a game?

…

Zuo Chi racked his brain for a topic, typing and deleting in the chat box repeatedly, but in the end, sent nothing.

It wasn’t because he couldn’t let go of his pride, nor because he feared no response, but because anything he said felt too deliberate.

Should he explain the kiss? How should he explain it? It was impulsive, but within that impulse was a crush nurtured over several years.

Should he just pretend nothing happened and move on? He was unwilling to do that. He wanted more than just a kiss.

Two days later, someone added Zuo Chi on WeChat. The verification message said it was a photographer wanting to discuss the photoshoot details.

Zuo Chi rarely took photos; apart from ID and graduation photos, he had hardly taken any. He originally thought he and Sheng Li would just stand together in suits and take a few pictures, with the background replaceable through photoshop.

As soon as the request was accepted, the photographer sent a bunch of sample photos, all of couples with different themes.

There were ones of them walking, chasing, and playing on the beach, wearing couple T-shirts, smiling brightly and looking extremely happy.

There were ones of them in a new home, watching movies and playing games in loungewear on the bed, holding hands and waltzing on the living room carpet, looking particularly warm.

There were ones of them camping on a lawn…

Looking at the photos, Zuo Chi had a thought: he also wanted to take such pictures with Sheng Li. That way, no matter what the outcome, he would have something to remember by.

Photographer: What do you think? Any ideas? I heard you and Mr. Sheng grew up together. Maybe consider taking photos on campus, from school uniforms to suits. How meaningful would that be?

Zuo Chi couldn’t help but feel tempted. However, they didn’t attend the same university, and high school graduation was already seven years ago.

Zuo Chi: But I’m about to turn twenty-five.

Photographer: Twenty-five is still very young. I’m confident in the effect of the shoot.

Zuo Chi wanted to see Sheng Li in a school uniform again: Alright.

Photographer: What about the other set? Do you want it to be more formal or more casual? Formal can be shot in a hall or manor, while casual can be done at a tourist spot or on the streets. Of course, we can also shoot in a studio. I’ve done many themed shoots; you can take a look for reference. [Online Drive Share]

Zuo Chi was dazzled by the options and finally chose the church as the shooting location.

The photographer asked some more questions, like if there were any elements representing special memories they wanted to include, aiming to design a unique couple’s photo shoot just for them.

Zuo Chi: …

Photographer: You two are in a relationship; there must be sweet moments, right?

Many of Zuo Chi’s profound memories involved Sheng Li, who had brought him joy countless times. But the sweetness the photographer referred to probably didn’t include his one-sided feelings.

They weren’t in a relationship. As someone seen by others as a “prospective groom,” Zuo Chi couldn’t bring himself to explain, so he made an excuse that he was busy and ended the conversation.

That evening, he received a call from Sheng Li. As soon as he answered, Sheng Li bluntly asked, “What photos are we taking?”

His tone wasn’t good: “Someone just added me on WeChat, saying a bunch of nonsense and telling me to come to school early the day after tomorrow for a couple’s photo shoot? What’s that about? Am I taking photos with you? Are you kidding me?”

Zuo Chi expected this reaction from Sheng Li. He gripped his phone and pretended not to care: “You said we could plan the engagement banquet without consulting you.”

“What does this have to do with the engagement banquet?” Sheng Li gritted his teeth. “Zuo Chi, to put your parents at ease, first you kiss me, now you want to take couple’s photos? You’re really dedicated.”