DPT chapter 45

This ring in front of him wasn’t the one Zuo Chi had put on when they got engaged.

That one was bought by Li Mingchuan, with a half-circle of diamonds on it. It was slightly loose on Zuo Chi’s middle finger. But this one now fit perfectly, shining brightly on Zuo Chi’s hand.

Sheng Li’s heart was pricked by this ring. His vision blurred, and he didn’t need a mirror to know how disheveled he looked.

Zuo Chi belonged to him.

Sheng Li thought, if only he had marked Zuo Chi during that time they were together physically, then he wouldn’t have to worry every day about Zuo Chi leaving him for someone else.

Actually, Zuo Chi was wrong when he accused Sheng Li of tracking him. It wasn’t Zuo Chi he hired private investigators to follow, it was Qin Xu. He didn’t know Qin Xu’s background and was afraid he might have ill intentions towards Zuo Chi, hence this desperate measure.

The private investigators sent photos, informing him that they had lunch together, behaved intimately, went into a jewelry store together, came out laughing, and even entered a hotel together, although Zuo Chi came out alone soon after.

Sheng Li couldn’t sit still anymore. He had to see Zuo Chi and make sure there was no one else’s scent on him to feel at ease.

But Zuo Chi said it was impossible between them.

When Zuo Chi said that, his expression was resolute, even with a hint of vindictiveness.

Sheng Li blinked, tears uncontrollably streaming down his face. “What about our engagement ring?”

“I threw it away,” Zuo Chi said. “A ring that doesn’t fit is useless to keep.”

The moment Sheng Li opened the velvet box, he knew the ring didn’t fit. But at that time, he thought the marriage was fake, the ring was just a tool, and giving the ring was just a formality. Whether it fit or not didn’t matter.

But seeing Zuo Chi wearing a ring given by someone else made him realize it was a symbol of ownership, and it hurt him to the point of suffocation.

Perhaps Zuo Chi didn’t throw away the ring, but him.

“I can buy you a new one. Let’s go buy a new one… let’s go buy a new one, okay? Let’s pick it out together,” Sheng Li pleaded.

Zuo Chi turned his hand, a mocking smile on his lips. “Do you think I care about a ring? This one was chosen by me and Qin Xu. I think it looks good.”

“How could you…” Half of Sheng Li’s face was covered in blood, mixed with tears, looking somewhat ridiculous, but his expression was pitiful, his voice trembling. “Zuo Chi, did you ever truly like me? Is there not even a tiny bit of affection left?”

Zuo Chi suppressed his smile, finding the question absurd. He had liked Sheng Li for so many years, but in Sheng Li’s eyes, it was only a tiny bit of affection.

Before, Sheng Li even blamed him for ruining their stable friendship for just a bit of affection.

If it was just a tiny bit of affection, would he risk having his dignity trampled on by Sheng Li time and time again? Would he gamble on the chance that Sheng Li might fall for him too? Would he endure such heart-wrenching pain and still not let go?

Zuo Chi asked, “Do you remember what birthday gift I gave you when you were eighteen?”

Sheng Li thought for a moment and stammered, “A bracelet.”

On his eighteenth birthday, he received many gifts from elders, friends, and admirers, and Zuo Chi’s gift was not particularly noticeable among so many valuable ones.

He was a bit disappointed when he opened the package, but since it was from Zuo Chi, he wore it for half a month.

Zuo Chi asked, “Is that bracelet still there?”

Sheng Li shook his head. He hadn’t thrown it away, but it had been more than seven years, and he didn’t know where it was anymore.

Zuo Chi guessed, “But every gift you gave me, I’ve kept it well. That bracelet was actually part of a couple’s bracelet. There were names engraved on the soles of the little figures hanging from the chain, and magnets inside. When the two little figures on the two chains touched each other, they would be attracted to each other. I gave you one bracelet, and I intended to wear the other one myself… Do you understand now?”

Couple’s bracelet.

“I gave you one bracelet, and I intended to wear the other one myself.”

Sheng Li processed what he had just heard, seeming to understand, but couldn’t believe it. “You liked me when you were eighteen?”

“Yeah. But that day you held someone else’s hand.” Zuo Chi’s voice was calm. “Just like you held someone else’s hand at the twenty-fifth birthday party.”

Zuo Chi didn’t mention the disappointment, confusion, sadness, and self-struggle he had experienced in his unrequited love. He just stated the facts. But Sheng Li felt a deep pain, a pain that he, after seven years, inflicted on Zuo Chi once again.

He dared not imagine how Zuo Chi had stayed by his side during these seven years, being hurt time and time again by him.

He didn’t understand before, but now seeing Zuo Chi with Qin Xu, he understood how painful unrequited love could be.

Sheng Li could hardly breathe. “I didn’t know, I didn’t know! Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I did, but you’d just run away faster,” Zuo Chi said.

“I won’t hold anyone else’s hand again.” Sheng Li’s voice was hoarse. “I swear! Zuo Chi, trust me one more time.”

He reached out to hold Zuo Chi’s hand, but when he looked down, he saw blood stains on his hand, so he recoiled, repeating, “Trust me one more time.”

A booming thunder echoed outside, a lightning bolt illuminating Zuo Chi’s face, making it ghostly pale.

Zuo Chi wondered why he had said all this to Sheng Li.

It was meaningless. Even if Sheng Li could empathize now, what had happened had already happened.

But he had to admit that, saying it out loud, a lot of the accumulated bitterness in his heart dissipated. He never thought he would ever confess his years of unrequited love, let alone in such a scene today.

He looked at Sheng Li and sighed, “Come in, wash your face and then go back, it’s going to rain soon.”

Zuo Chi was always accommodating to him. Sheng Li found many snippets in his memory: Whenever he didn’t understand something, Zuo Chi would patiently explain it to him. During their school days, when he skipped class to play games at the internet café, he would call Zuo Chi around eight or nine in the evening, saying he hadn’t finished his homework, and Zuo Chi would tutor him over the phone. Later, when he got drunk at a bar, he would have the bartender call Zuo Chi to come and take him home.

Just like now, even though Zuo Chi said cruel things, he still let him into the house.

Zuo Chi was too good to him. How could he have thought that such efforts were within the realm of friendship?

As Sheng Li walked in wearing slippers, a sour feeling surged in his heart. He looked around this house that he had previously thought was too small, not wanting to leave.

Zuo Chi reminded him, “The bathroom is over there.”

“Okay.” Sheng Li walked over to the mirror and saw the blotchy bloodstains and tear marks on his face.

Did he just talk to Zuo Chi with this face?

How embarrassing.

He wet a disposable face towel under the tap and slowly wiped his face clean.

Perhaps his prayers were answered, as the sound of rain came from outside. At first, it was just drizzling, but within a brief two minutes, the thunder resounded through the sky again, as if trying to shatter the entire building, followed by a downpour.

Zuo Chi stood by the living room window, observing the weather. Hearing footsteps, he turned his head. “There are umbrellas on the shelf above the shoe cabinet.”

“It’s dangerous to drive in heavy rain.” Sheng Li softened his tone. “Can’t I stay here for the night?”

“No.” Zuo Chi replied.

Sheng Li went to the entrance to find an umbrella.

Looking downstairs, Zuo Chi saw several cars passing by, all soaked. The entire world seemed particularly fragile under the attack of thunder and rain.

If something happened to Sheng Li, he couldn’t bear the responsibility. He took a step back. “You can sleep on the sofa bed in the home theater room.”

Sheng Li tried to negotiate. “Can I sleep on the floor in your bedroom?”

“The sofa bed in the home theater room.” Zuo Chi frowned. “Sleep if you want, but if you don’t, leave immediately.”

“I’ll sleep!” Sheng Li quickly agreed.

The sofa bed in the home theater room was not large, just as Sheng Li had estimated. If he lay on it, a portion of his legs would stick out, and it would be difficult to turn over.

Listening to the sound of the rain and smelling the lingering scent of blackcurrant in the room, thinking that Zuo Chi was sleeping just a wall away, Sheng Li felt restless and couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.

Knowing that Zuo Chi had liked him since seven years ago, looking back on some things, he realized he had been really foolish not to notice Zuo Chi’s feelings, thinking that Zuo Chi liked Omegas.

He couldn’t pinpoint when he started liking Zuo Chi. Perhaps it had been since they were kids, as Zuo Chi had always been different from others to him. He paid attention to everything Zuo Chi did, curious about what magazines Zuo Chi read, troubled when Zuo Chi smiled at others but not at him, and even followed Zuo Chi to learn taekwondo for three years.

Ah. Sheng Li remembered finding out that Zuo Chi was an Alpha in the third grade. Zuo Chi asked him not to tell anyone. He was happy that Zuo Chi was the first to tell him about his secondary gender, but also felt a bit uneasy.

“Why are you an Alpha?”

“Is being an Alpha not good?”

“It’s good. But it’s just…”

“Hmm?”

“You should drink more milk to grow taller.”

Perhaps without the arranged marriage, without canceling it, Sheng Li would never have understood his feelings for Zuo Chi. He had placed himself in a misconception, stubbornly insisting that they were just good friends.

He thought their relationship was brotherly, but he would never pay attention to Tai Xingyu, Xu Hui, or Xiang Yiqun the way he paid attention to Zuo Chi.

They should have been more than friends a long time ago. They had missed out on a lot of time for romance.

The more Sheng Li thought about it, the more regretful he felt. His drowsiness disappeared without a trace, so he simply turned on the projector and watched a movie. Worried about disturbing Zuo Chi’s sleep due to poor sound insulation, he muted it.

He picked a movie he hadn’t seen before from the browsing history. The two male leads in the movie grew up together, one became an Alpha, and the other an Omega, but their relationship remained close. Later, another male Alpha appeared, showing interest in the Omega, disrupting their peaceful relationship.

It was like a mirror image of him and Zuo Chi.

Sheng Li didn’t see the end of the movie; he didn’t care who the Omega in the movie ultimately chose.

If Zuo Chi could silently like him for so long, now it was his turn to taste the pain and suffering Zuo Chi had experienced. One year, two years, three years… seven years, or even longer, it didn’t matter. As long as Zuo Chi chose him in the end.