Weimin Residential Area belonged to the old city district. Stepping out of the neighborhood, almost the entire street along the way was lined with small shops. Every morning, breakfast stalls would start boiling porridge and frying dough sticks, sending steam billowing into the air with a strong, lively everyday atmosphere.
After waking up early on one of the rare occasions he did, Wei Mingjue hurried from his grand estate to this dilapidated old district. Parking his car in a roadside space, he watched the many hurried pedestrians passing by on the street before instinctively glancing down at his watch.
It was 7:20 in the morning. Even though it was still over an hour away from normal office hours, this place was already bustling with activity. Pulling his seat back slightly, he reclined inside the cool, comfortable car to observe his surroundings while waiting for the person he wanted to see to appear.
Investigations showed that Zou Yuqing usually came to this street around 7:30 for breakfast before heading off to work part-time at the supermarket. However, he did not know which shop Zou Yuqing would patronize, given the various breakfast joints along the street, so he simply staked the place out.
Going straight to his house would be far too uninteresting; only by acting like a chance encounter could he catch Zou Yuqing’s amusing expressions. Perhaps already imagining how Zou Yuqing would look walking into a breakfast shop and seeing him, Wei Mingjue unconsciously curved the corners of his lips upward.
Seven minutes later, a familiar figure entered his field of vision. Zou Yuqing was wearing a casual athletic tracksuit, carrying a crossbody sports bag as he walked toward a shop selling flatbreads and dough sticks. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting down upon his sharp, well-defined profile and reflecting his warm smile.
Even with the air conditioning running inside the car, it still felt uncomfortably hot. Physical changes made Wei Mingjue’s gaze darken as he licked the corner of his mouth. He had never seen Zou Yuqing smile at him like that, and the thought left him feeling somewhat sullen.
After placing his order, Zou Yuqing stepped inside the shop. After calming himself for a moment, Wei Mingjue got out of the car, crossed the street, and headed into the exact same establishment.
“Two dough sticks and a bowl of savory tofu pudding.” Repeating the exact order Zou Yuqing had just made, Wei Mingjue paid and stepped inside the tiny breakfast shop.
The shop was small and run-down, its walls stained with grease and looking extremely oily. A crumpled business license hung right where anyone entering could see it at a glance, the characters somewhat blurred, perhaps worn down and obscured by years of kitchen smoke.
Wei Mingjue could not hide a frown of distaste, but the moment he caught sight of Zou Yuqing sitting with his back to him, drinking soy milk, a smile touched his lips once more. He walked over and took the seat directly across from him.
“What a coincidence. Are you eating breakfast here too?” Seeing that Zou Yuqing refused to look up while intently eating his breakfast and chatting with someone on his phone, Wei Mingjue gave a light cough and spoke up.
Sure enough, the person before him froze. The expression that had previously carried a trace of a smile suddenly vanished, replaced by the look of someone who had just encountered something deeply unpleasant, his brows knitting tightly together. “What are you doing here?”
“Eating breakfast, of course. What else would someone do at a breakfast shop?” Wei Mingjue watched Zou Yuqing’s reaction with amusement. Right now, Zou Yuqing looked just like a startled little deer. Oh no, comparing Zou Yuqing to a deer was far too gentle; right now, the person before him resembled a young tiger, glaring at him with clenched teeth and angry eyes.
Though whether a deer or a tiger, both were ultimately his prey.
“Then what about your breakfast?” Zou Yuqing did not believe him. Every time Wei Mingjue showed up, nothing good ever followed; he had lost his appetite entirely.
Just as he finished speaking, the shop owner brought over two dough sticks and a bowl of savory tofu pudding. Wei Mingjue shrugged, smiled, and pointed to the breakfast in front of him. “Isn’t it right here? Want some?”
Zou Yuqing pressed his lips together. Looking at that hypocritical, smiling face made his stomach churn. “I told you not to come looking for me.”
“I am not looking for you. I just happened to come here for breakfast and bumped into you. What is wrong? Did you think I came looking for you on purpose?” Wei Mingjue took a bite of a dough stick as he spoke. “This morning market is quite famous, you know. Am I not allowed to come here?”
This morning market is famous? Zou Yuqing refused to believe that for a second. Having lived here for so long, although this street was bustling, the customers were basically locals from the old district and regular patrons. He had never once seen Wei Mingjue appear in this neighborhood before.
Unwilling to waste any more words with Wei Mingjue, Zou Yuqing decided to just leave. But the moment he tried to stand up, he was pulled back down into his seat by Wei Mingjue.
“You haven’t even finished eating yet. Why are you rushing off? Are you really that wasteful?” Wei Mingjue released Zou Yuqing as he spoke. “Do not get so angry; your pheromones will slip out of your control. While I happen to like your scent, who can guarantee there are no other Omegas nearby?”
Omegas? Right now, the most dangerous person around was undoubtedly the smiling Alpha sitting right in front of him. Gritting his teeth, Zou Yuqing sat back down, wolfed down the remainder of his breakfast in a few quick bites, and stood up again. “Last time I am saying this: stop coming after me.”
“I cannot really guarantee that.” Wei Mingjue raised an eyebrow, watching Zou Yuqing’s retreating back as he continued, “Word on the street is that your older brother is about to get engaged to my younger brother. We are going to be family very soon.”
Zou Yuyang was getting engaged to Wei Mingyu? Zou Yuqing froze in his tracks. If they were going to get engaged, what did that make what he had suffered? When it all came down to it, out of this entire mess, only he was the victim left bearing psychological trauma.
“I am not family with Zou Yuyang, and I am certainly not going to be family with your Wei family.” With that, Zou Yuqing clenched his fists and walked out, bumping into a police officer right as he stepped through the doorway.
“Ouch, this kid is really a handful. Oh my! President Wei! What brings you here to eat breakfast?” The police officer, who had been clutching his shoulder and wailing the second before, turned his head, caught sight of Wei Mingjue inside the shop, and instantly plastered an ingratiating smile on his face. “Did something happen on your end? Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Nothing. Just came by for breakfast,” Wei Mingjue said, fading his smile away into an indifferent expression.
“Oh, I just saw young Zou talking to you earlier. Do you know him?” The police officer glanced back in the direction Zou Yuqing had left, then lowered his voice conspiratorially. “That kid Zou is a good person, just far too stubborn. Because he has a sick mother at home, he turns down every single Omega introduced to him. You tell me, what is the point of that? It is not like…”
“That is enough, Officer Zhang. I should get to work too. If anything comes up, I will contact you. And that extra dough stick I did not eat, you can have it.”
Wei Mingjue had no interest in local gossip; he already knew pretty much everything there was to know about Zou Yuqing. Standing up to straighten his suit jacket, Wei Mingjue walked out of the shop.
The customers who had been sitting inside eating breakfast could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Having a well-dressed Alpha sitting in the shop the entire time had kept everyone holding their breath, and the strange atmosphere surrounding them while Zou Yuqing was present had made them deeply curious yet too terrified to look in that direction. Even without releasing any pheromones, that man’s aura alone was enough to strike fear into ordinary people.
“Thank you, President Wei!” Officer Zhang beamed as he watched Wei Mingjue’s back. The moment the car across the street drove off, he dropped the smile, pulled out his phone, and sent a message to an unknown number: Wei Mingjue just came to our district. Seems like it has something to do with a college student from our neighborhood.