DPT chapter 4

When Zuo Chi arrived at the isolation room, his forehead was burning, his consciousness hazy, but his mind was full of Sheng Li. Scenes from those videos flooded his mind again, but with different protagonists. He lay embarrassed on the single bed, hands slipping into his pants, disregarding the presence of the doctor in the isolation room.

After the lust subsided slightly, he remembered how he felt lying on Sheng Li’s back, a mixture of excitement and regret.

Was fate playing a joke on him? The test report clearly stated he was an Alpha, could it be wrong? He had accepted being an “Alpha” for over a decade; he couldn’t accept that his body had reproductive organs. Thinking about going through heat every month, craving touch and possession, made him feel even more uncomfortable.

What would his father and mother think? What would his classmates think? What would Sheng Li think? Amidst all the negative emotions, Zuo Chi grasped onto a glimmer of hope—that differentiating into an Omega meant he could legitimately be with Sheng Li.

He stayed in the isolation room for three days. Everything changed after three days.

The atmosphere at home was heavy, his father, who had always been strict, began to ignore him, and his mother, Shu Qingyu, seemed heartbroken because he was an Omega. After a few days, his father brought in Zuo Lie and told Zuo Chi to call the unfamiliar young Alpha his little brother.

At school, Zuo Chi’s differentiation into an Omega became big news. Wherever Zuo Chi went, he was met with curious gazes. Due to the status of the Zuo family, people dared not speak ill of Zuo Chi in person, but there were whispers behind his back.

“Damn, I can’t imagine Zuo Chi as an Omega. He won first place in the thousand-meter race at the sports meet, so handsome.”

“I was in the same exam room as Zuo Chi, I was shocked. Zuo Chi looked so different from usual.”

“I heard the Zuo family took in a bastard, isn’t Zuo Chi miserable?”

…

During a physical education class, Zuo Chi continued to play basketball with his classmates and got into an argument with the opposing team.

The opposing player believed they shouldn’t have sent an Omega onto the court, especially one without scent blockers.

A crew-cut guy said, “Isn’t this using pheromones to disrupt our morale? Omegas should just sit on the sidelines and cheer. What’s the point of playing?”

“Pheromones can disrupt morale? is your self-control so weak?” Zuo Chi said coldly, “Even if I’m an Omega, I’m stronger than you. Dare to compare? Or are you afraid?”

Alphas were most sensitive to challenges. The crew-cut guy immediately agreed to a comparison of scores.

Zuo Chi won decisively, and the surrounding classmates cheered. The crew-cut guy couldn’t swallow his pride and left in embarrassment.

That night, the crew-cut guy and his friends were drinking beer at a barbecue restaurant outside the school, talking about what happened on the basketball court that day, “Zuo Chi might be a bit of a badass, but he’s just an Omega after all. He acts like he’s superior, but he’ll still end up being dominated during heat. You know what? Thinking about it, it’s kinda exciting. Taming this little wildcat would be interesting.”

His friend asked, “What? Are you getting ideas?”

The crew-cut guy said, “Zuo Chi’s not bad-looking. He exercises regularly, so he must have good stamina. And in my experience, the more upright someone seems during the day, the wilder they are in bed. If I could have him, I’d teach him a lesson and let him know that opposing an Alpha leads to no good…”

With a loud thud, a beer bottle fell to the ground behind them, shattered into pieces. The crew-cut guy turned to look and saw Sheng Li standing up, exuding an aura of anger, bloodshot eyes glaring.

Sheng Li approached, his face contorted, grabbed the crew-cut guy’s throat, and tightened his grip, “What did you just say?”

The crew-cut guy couldn’t breathe, veins bulging on his forehead, face flushed.

He suddenly remembered the rumors in school—the day Zuo Chi differentiated, it was Sheng Li who took him to the isolation room.

“Sheng Li.” Tai Xingyu frowned, trying to pry Sheng Li’s hand away, “Stop it before someone gets hurt.”

Thinking he was coming to mediate, the crew-cut guy relaxed, but as soon as Sheng Li released his grip, Tai Xingyu’s fist came down, knocking out one of his teeth.

Many students gathered around in the barbecue restaurant, and the owner was frantic, “Don’t fight in my shop.”

Sheng Li kicked the crew-cut guy’s knee, making him kneel on the ground, then pressed his face with his shoe while towering over him, his eyes filled with a terrifying glare.

“I’m giving the boss face here,” he grabbed the crew-cut guy’s collar, dragging him out of the barbecue restaurant, and gave him another beating by the roadside.

The crew-cut guy’s face was covered in bruises, too scared to retaliate. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t know Zuo Chi was yours. I shouldn’t have bragged or talked nonsense. I was just drunk…”

“If you still want to stay in school, I’ll give you a choice,” Sheng Li glared at him fiercely. “Go apologize to Zuo Chi.”

The crew-cut guy nodded repeatedly.

The next day, with a face full of injuries, the crew-cut guy found Zuo Chi to beg for forgiveness. Zuo Chi, puzzled, asked him what he wanted.

The crew-cut guy said, “Please ask Sheng Li not to bother me anymore.”

Zuo Chi asked, “He bothers you?”

The crew-cut guy replied, “Otherwise, who do you think beat me up?”

Zuo Chi understood and then turned to educate Sheng Li that public fighting wasn’t acceptable, though he felt a sweet warmth inside.

After differentiating, Zuo Chi tried his best to ignore the gossip around him, but his mood couldn’t help but be affected.

During that time, Sheng Li rarely went out with Xiang Yiqun, Tai Xingyu, Xu Hui, and others, nor did he flirt with other Omegas. Instead, he spent almost every day with Zuo Chi.

Sheng Li wasn’t good at comforting people, but he awkwardly and sincerely wanted Zuo Chi to be happy.

“Being an Omega isn’t so bad, you don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself. So what if Zuo Lie is an Alpha? He can’t fit into our circle now anyway.”

“Now that medical science is so advanced, suppressants can alleviate symptoms during heats. Maybe in a few years, technological advancements will make heats disappear altogether.”

“Who says Omegas can’t be together with other Omegas? Who made that rule? Don’t lose heart, out of ten thousand Omegas, there’s bound to be one who likes Omegas.”

“Whether you’re an Alpha or an Omega, you’re my lifelong brother. I’ll never change my opinion of you because of your secondary gender.”

Sheng Li’s words didn’t provide any comfort, but Zuo Chi appreciated Sheng Li’s care. He smiled at Sheng Li, who was momentarily dumbfounded, and Sheng Li tried even harder to make him laugh again.

Sheng Li was too good to him, and Zuo Chi couldn’t quite figure out when he had started to like Sheng Li. It was difficult for him to discern if there was any hint of love in Sheng Li’s kindness. There probably was, but they had been friends for so long that it was hard to make the transition.

He wasn’t the type to beat around the bush. In the past, he had hidden his feelings because he thought he was an Alpha, and two Alphas being together was too difficult. Now that he was an Omega, why not give himself a chance to change his relationship with Sheng Li?

Sheng Li had many Omegas around him, but they came and went, none of them were special. Was it possible that Sheng Li also liked him?

They had grown up together since childhood, knew each other inside out, knew where each other’s homes were, knew what dishes the other liked, coordinated perfectly on the basketball court, were the best partners in games… The more Zuo Chi thought about it, the more he felt that he and Sheng Li were naturally a pair.

He didn’t mind being the one to take the first step. He planned to confess to Sheng Li on his eighteenth birthday.

He had a famous designer design a pair of couple bracelets, simple in design with tiny figurines hanging from the chains. The figurines had their names engraved on the soles of their feet, and they contained magnets inside so that when they touched, they would be attracted to each other.

Then, on Sheng Li’s birthday, he went to a cake shop and, with the guidance of the baker, attempted to make a cake himself. Being wealthy heirs like them, they lacked nothing in terms of material possessions, so Zuo Chi thought that something he made with his heart would be the most meaningful.

Sheng Li’s eighteenth birthday was grand and solemn. The Sheng family first held a coming-of-age ceremony for him in advance. Sheng Changyu gave him a fully furnished villa, and on his birthday, Sheng Li held a party at the villa.

He loved the hustle and bustle, so he invited many people to the party. Due to the delay caused by making the cake, Zuo Chi arrived later. When he arrived, the living room was filled with rhythmic music, and people were already dancing.

Zuo Chi entered with the cake box, weaving through the crowd, searching for the birthday boy.

He saw Xiang Yiqun and Zhou Jing, “Where’s Sheng Li?”

“Sheng Li…” Xiang Yiqun gave a mysterious smile and looked around, “He was just dancing with someone.”

Zuo Chi was about to head upstairs when he caught sight of Sheng Li’s back. He was standing in a corner, seemingly talking to someone. Zuo Chi walked over, slipped, and stumbled, dropping the cake box.

“Ah-Chi!” Sheng Li turned around and walked over. There was spilled champagne on the floor, he frowned and immediately called the housekeeper to clean it up.

Zuo Chi hesitated, “The cake…”

The appearance of the cake must have been affected, but he had spent several hours making it, so it was a bit of a shame to throw it away.

“Did you buy it for me?” Sheng Li opened the box and glanced inside, probably seeing that the cake was deformed, “It’s okay, I ordered a six-layer cake.”

Zuo Chi “oh”ed and tightened his grip on the velvet box containing the bracelet in his coat pocket.

The six-layer cake looked upscale, with a soft cake body and smooth cream. Sheng Li cut the cake amidst the crowd.

There was a black swan on top of the cake. Someone joked and asked Sheng Li for that piece. Sheng Li raised an eyebrow, “You go aside, the best piece should be given to the most important person.”

“Oh, who’s that—” the crowd teased.

At that moment, there was still a hint of a smile on Zuo Chi’s lips. He liked seeing the person he liked being adored, liked seeing Sheng Li’s radiant and shining appearance, liked Sheng Li, so he thought Sheng Li was dazzling and radiant.

He stood close to Sheng Li, watching Sheng Li’s smiling eyes pass over him, then watched him extend his hand to a handsome Omega boy, and with a slight bend, gallantly invited him to come to his side.

The atmosphere at the party reached its climax, and Sheng Li’s classmates and friends clapped and cheered, creating a lively scene.

“Hug me!”

“Hugging isn’t enough, you gotta kiss too!”

…

Zuo Chi maintained a smile on his face, standing still amidst the excited crowd like an outsider. His eyes burned, but his heart felt as if it were encased in ice.

He got the answer before he could confess.