Jiang Wan, naturally, agreed to Dou Ming’s invitation without any second thoughts.
What could be more proper than going to a classmate’s house for tutoring on the weekend?
He happily followed Dou Ming out of the mall and obediently sat on the back of Dou Ming’s ride—an old but well-maintained and shiny bicycle.
Dou Ming had ridden his bike here and was now going to give him a lift home.
Of course, Jiang Wan wouldn’t spoil the moment by suggesting that his driver could come pick them up, and they could just load the bike onto the car.
Wrapping his arms around Dou Ming’s slim waist, Jiang Wan, brimming with youthful energy, called out, “Let’s go!”
Dou Ming responded, stepping on the pedals, speeding down the main road like a gust of wind, moving as fast as lightning.
The autumn breeze brushed against Jiang Wan’s cheeks and shoulders, making him feel a bit cold. He instinctively moved closer, huddling behind Dou Ming. Dou Ming’s body radiated warmth, like a comforting fire, and Jiang Wan pressed his upper body against Dou Ming’s back to soak up the precious heat.
He closed his eyes, feeling content and thinking to himself how wonderful youth is.
After a while, they passed by a boutique, and Dou Ming stopped the bike, went inside, and bought a long, warm cashmere scarf.
Jiang Wan stood by the bike, stunned, as Dou Ming wrapped the scarf around him.
“You won’t feel cold once we get home.” Dou Ming said. He was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt, so he couldn’t take off his jacket to give Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan swallowed the thought of saying, “This scarf hasn’t been washed yet’, and instead, blinked joyfully, saying, “Thank you.”
Dou Ming ruffled Jiang Wan’s fluffy hair. “Come on, we’re almost there.”
Jiang Wan, holding back a complaint about how his hairstyle was now messed up, got back onto the bike.
As Dou Ming had said, they soon arrived.
It was an old building standing amidst the bustling city, part of a small neighborhood of similar houses, forming an urban village. The city’s vibrancy seemed to stop abruptly at an invisible wall that sealed these small houses in a silence of poverty.
Those who had the means had long since moved away from the old houses, while those who remained were clinging to the pride of the past. The neighbors didn’t talk much, as if afraid of bursting the bubble of some long-held dream.
Years ago, there were talks of demolishing these houses, but due to disputes over ownership, no work had ever started.
Dou Deli once came to borrow money from Jiang Wan, holding official documents approving the development of the property, claiming that the houses would soon be demolished and that each family would receive millions in compensation.
Jiang Wan, who had plenty of experts under his command, hadn’t noticed that the documents were fake. A year after lending the money, when his company came to collect the interest, they discovered that Dou Deli had already fled, and it became clear that they had been swindled.
When Jiang Wan’s subordinates asked for instructions on how to handle it, Jiang Wan had ridden in his family’s Maybach to observe the situation here himself.
At that time, a crowd of creditors had gathered in front of the small house, with fierce tattooed thugs pounding on the door, cursing up a storm. The young Alpha had stepped out at that moment, and the scent of cedar trees overwhelmed the crowd, making everyone take a step back, intimidated by the young man.
The noise and chaos immediately quieted, and amidst the sounds of cicadas and birds, the Alpha stepped aside and pointed to the inside of the house. “Will the furniture help to settle the debt?”
Everyone exchanged glances, too afraid to speak.
The young man’s overwhelming pheromones blanketed the scene, and his calm tone only made him seem more terrifying.
Everyone knew that the ocean is gentle right before a tsunami.
Facing such a powerful Alpha, it was better to err on the side of caution.
Surprisingly, the Alpha was actually so easygoing. He stood by the door, letting them line up and take the furniture equivalent to what they were owed.
“Interest rates can’t exceed 36%,” the Alpha had said seriously. “Anything beyond that is considered usury and isn’t protected by the law.”
Is this guy crazy? We’re charging interest at loan-shark rates, you know!
Though they cursed him silently, the thugs left quietly after collecting their dues, except for the tattooed thug who had been pounding on the door earlier.
The young Alpha looked inside. “There’s still a piano. You can take it.”
The tattooed man shook his head, raising his phone. “Boss says we’ll wait for a court ruling before taking anything from your house. Otherwise, it’d be considered violent debt collection.”
The Alpha gave him a surprised look, noticing his gaze kept darting to the side. Curiously, the Alpha followed his eyes to a black Maybach parked nearby.
Through the dark tinted windows, the Alpha and Omega locked eyes for the first time.
The bicycle came to a smooth stop in front of the small house. Dou Ming stood with one foot on the pedal and one foot on the ground, using his long leg to steady the bike. He turned to Jiang Wan and gestured, “We’re here.”
Jiang Wan looked up and met Dou Ming’s gaze, suddenly feeling a bit nervous.
He hopped off the back seat and curiously examined the small house, his face full of excitement, as if it were his first time visiting a classmate’s house, pretending like he had never seen this place before.
Dou Ming got off the bike, pulled out a key, and unlocked the heavy wooden door, pushing the bike inside.
Jiang Wan followed him into the house. It was a bit dark, but it wasn’t empty. In fact, there were quite a few furnishings. He looked around in surprise, and just then, the room lit up. Dou Ming had turned on the lights.
There were no crystal chandeliers, no leather sofas, and none of the items Jiang Wan’s subordinates had reported, like the Yamaha piano.
But all the essential furniture was neatly arranged, all made of wood, giving off a minimalist Japanese vibe.
Everything in sight was spotless.
Dou Ming parked the bike in the corner and took out a pair of clean cotton slippers from the shoe cabinet. “These are new.” he said, handing them to Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan noticed a carving knife and a smooth, polished piece of wood by the shoe cabinet.
As he changed into the slippers, he hesitated. “These,” he gestured around the room, “did you make all of this yourself?”
Dou Ming nodded. “The furniture was used to pay off my dad’s debts, so I bought some wood and made what we needed.”
Jiang Wan stepped closer, grabbing Dou Ming’s hands and examining them carefully. His fingers were rough, full of calluses. Jiang Wan’s heart ached a little as he inspected them. “You’ve got so many calluses on your hands. It must’ve been tough doing all that work.”
“It wasn’t so bad.” Dou Ming said, glancing down at their intertwined hands. Jiang Wan’s hands were soft and delicate, but if you looked closely, you could spot faint scars, now pale and barely visible, as if they could hide the pain of the past. “Does it hurt?” Dou Ming asked, gently rubbing the scars with his thumb.
Jiang Wan felt a bit ticklish and couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not some delicate princess. Your rough hands aren’t going to hurt me.”
A smile tugged at Dou Ming’s lips, his eyes full of warmth. “You didn’t seem surprised when you heard about my dad’s debts.”
“!” Jiang Wan quickly pulled his hand back, stuffing it awkwardly into his pocket. “Yeah.” he said, trying to sound nonchalant as he wandered around, suddenly acting very interested in the room’s decor. “It’s nothing surprising. People always say ‘Parents are the root of all problems.’ There are plenty of parents who cause trouble for their kids.”
“Is that so?” Dou Ming’s tone was one of sudden realization.
Jiang Wan nodded earnestly. “Yep, exactly. Irresponsible parents are all too common, so I’m used to it.”
“I see.” Dou Ming said, heading into the kitchen. “That’s good. I was worried for a long time about how to explain it to you.”
Jiang Wan let out a huge sigh of relief behind his back.
That was close!
“I’ll start cooking. We can study after we eat.” The sounds of pots and pans clattering echoed from the kitchen as Dou Ming began to cook. “There’s milk and juice in the fridge. I bought it yesterday. Do you want some?”
Jiang Wan’s heart skipped a beat. He walked over to the kitchen doorway, poking his fluffy head inside with a mischievous grin. “You specifically bought drinks yesterday?”
“Yeah.” Dou Ming was sitting on a small stool, picking out the wilted leaves from some vegetables. He looked up and said, “Not just drinks. I bought a lot of groceries, too.”
Jiang Wan stood in front of him, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. “So you knew I was coming yesterday?”
Dou Ming shook his head. “I had already decided that today I would invite you over.”
Jiang Wan crouched down, leaning in close to Dou Ming, his eyes twinkling as he stared at him. “Why were you so determined to invite me over?” He flashed a playful smile. “Are you that eager to help me improve?”
Dou Ming gave a soft “Mm” and said, “I remember your biology scores were really low.”
“So?”
Dou Ming’s brown eyes reflected Jiang Wan’s eager smile.
“Swapping saliva can also establish a temporary mark.” Dou Ming said seriously. “Do you remember that biology fact?”
