Song Chengxu ultimately led Song Chengfeng and the other three to a club he owned in the city center.
The club had just recently opened and operated on a membership basis. Anyone able to frequent this place was either immensely wealthy or held high social status. Song Chengxu had the waitstaff open a VIP private room and brought out years of his cherished personal reserve wine to save face for his younger brother.
“Brother, hiding your true wealth like this.” Song Chengfeng cheered with delight upon seeing the fine wine on the table.
Wen Yu had originally intended to wait on the first floor until they finished, but Shen Yuqing chimed in from the side, telling him to come along, so Wen Yu ended up entering with them.
This marked the first time Wen Yu participated in a gathering among Fu Chen and his peers. Previously, he had always been left sitting on the ground floor writing homework while waiting for them to finish.
“You boys aren’t kids anymore. Surely none of you are still virgins, right?” Song Chengxu raised an eyebrow, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. “Do you want me to call a few Omegas over?”
“Call them for these two; I certainly don’t need any.” Song Chengfeng chuckled smugly. “If my boyfriend caught wind of me coming out to run wild, I’d be terrified he’d settle scores with me.”
Song Chengxu flashed a crooked grin. “Not bad, little brother! You’ve got the exact flair I had back in my younger days!”
“I’ll pass,” Ji Chen said.
Song Chengxu offered a lopsided smile. “What’s this? Our little Chen has also been taken?”
“No, no!” Ji Chen glanced nervously toward Wen Yu, who was staring blankly at the floor. “It’s just that I’m not really fond of these things.”
Shen Yuqing, however, absorbed every subtle glance Ji Chen instinctively cast. Interlocking his fingers together, his gaze darkened.
Fu Chen had remained silent the entire time, prompting Song Chengxu to turn his attention toward him. “What about Xiao Chen? Want some company?”
“No need.” Catching sight of Shen Yuqing, who suddenly wore an expression as if something had dawned on him, Fu Chen raised an eyebrow slightly. “Having one person at home already trying to help carry on the family line is annoying enough.”
As these words dropped, the room plunged into an eerie, instantaneous silence.
Each person harbored their own hidden thoughts. Song Chengfeng swept his gaze around with an amused glint in his eye, taking in Fu Chen’s expressionless face, Ji Chen’s stunned look, Song Chengxu’s surprise, and Wen Yu raising his head with furrowed brows directed at Fu Chen.
Meanwhile, Shen Yuqing’s facial features remained as placid as ever, so Song Chengfeng naturally failed to notice his slightly clenched fists.
“Xiao Chen has a partner too?” Song Chengxu asked in astonishment. After all, Fu Chen didn’t look like the type to engage in early romance, nor did he look like someone who would ever date any Omega. Merely imagining Fu Chen interacting with an Omega filled Song Chengxu with an inexplicable sense of discordance.
“An engagement is just the start; before long, they’ll probably be husband and wife.” Song Chengfeng chimed in, stirring up trouble just to watch the spectacle, while Fu Chen surprisingly refrained from uttering a word of denial.
Song Chengfeng mentally deduced that this must be affection developing over time.
Even though Ji Chen refused to admit it, Song Chengfeng had long since advised Ji Chen to rein in his lingering feelings for Wen Yu. Even if Fu Chen harbored zero interest in Wen Yu or outright despised him, how could one covet a friend’s engaged partner? Besides, with Wen Yu possessing a face like that, Fu Chen might just change his mind one day and develop genuine feelings.
He never expected his casual words to turn into reality.
Back then, Song Chengfeng had only said it offhand, never truly anticipating that Fu Chen would actually fall for Wen Yu.
After all, Fu Chen never seemed like the kind of person capable of liking anyone.
In the past, whenever they discussed Omegas, Fu Chen always listened with a completely blank expression and never offered any opinions. Throughout such a vibrant adolescent period, Fu Chen consistently projected absolute disinterest in Omegas. Song Chengfeng had even subtly probed Fu Chen’s stance on Betas, and had even asked about Alphas.
Fu Chen still offered zero reaction.
Song Chengfeng had long stopped doubting; he simply assumed Fu Chen was asexual.
Never would he have guessed that an arranged marriage could actually produce true love.
Hearing the news of Fu Chen’s engagement left Song Chengxu mildly surprised. Having previously been buried up to his ears in work over a project day in and day out, he had remained completely oblivious to major developments within City A’s upper circles, never imagining Fu Chen would get engaged so early.
“Xiao Chen is actually engaged already.” Song Chengxu remarked with a hint of emotion. “You can legally register for marriage at eighteen. Are you planning to tie the knot right after graduation?”
Under the Alliance’s newly enacted legislation from the previous two years, Alphas, Omegas, and Betas could register their marriage upon turning eighteen, and university students who married early even received extra course credits. Consequently, getting engaged during high school was hardly uncommon, though for a household like the Fu family, Song Chengxu assumed they would carefully vet candidates for several more years before arranging Fu Chen’s marriage.
“Of course not.” Fu Chen replied lazily, casting a casual glance at Wen Yu before shifting his eyes toward Shen Yuqing. “Just playing around. Once I get bored of playing, I’ll toss him aside.”
Song Chengxu let out an ambiguous chuckle. Since this was, after all, a matter concerning the Fu family, he kept his comments to himself.
Shen Yuqing’s expression, however, turned exceedingly grim. Standing up abruptly, he announced, “I am stepping out to use the restroom,” and promptly left the private room.
Watching Shen Yuqing walk away with a complexion bordering on green, Fu Chen felt a wave of profound satisfaction wash through his entire body.
Crooking a finger at Wen Yu, Fu Chen commanded, “You, come here.”
Wen Yu stared at him in silence for a few seconds before walking over. Standing right in front of Fu Chen with lowered gaze, Wen Yu asked, “What is it?”
Fu Chen’s features lacked their usual cold rigidity. Though his expression remained equally blank, it was clear his mood at the moment was remarkably pleasant.
Reaching out to grab Wen Yu’s arm, he gave a sharp yank, pulling Wen Yu straight down into his lap.
Startled by the sudden movement, Wen Yu instinctively grabbed onto Fu Chen’s shoulders. Meeting the playful amusement in Fu Chen’s narrow eyes with wide, stark bewilderment in his own black-and-white eyes, Wen Yu whispered in a voice audible only to the two of them, “What are you trying to do?”
Instead of answering, Fu Chen wrapped his left arm securely around Wen Yu’s waist while using his right hand to fiddle with his phone. Fu Chen’s hands were large, and Wen Yu’s waist was exceptionally slender, allowing Fu Chen to lock him firmly in place with effortless ease. Wen Yu attempted a brief struggle, only to discover he couldn’t budge an inch while sitting on Fu Chen’s lap.
The physical stats of an Alpha creature were truly monstrous.
Song Chengfeng laughed uproariously. “Fu Chen, you’ve changed. You actually possess worldly desires now.”
Ji Chen picked up a glass of wine with a wretched expression and began gulping it down.
Song Chengxu offered a quiet smile without speaking, having roughly guessed who Wen Yu was.
Upon re-entering the room, Shen Yuqing was greeted by the sight of Wen Yu sitting on Fu Chen’s lap, holding a wine glass and feeding him a drink. Fu Chen held Wen Yu’s hand as he drank, lifting his gaze to lock a provocative look onto Shen Yuqing standing by the doorway.
Shen Yuqing stared fixedly at Fu Chen and Wen Yu with dark, profound eyes. Following Fu Chen’s line of sight, Wen Yu collided with Shen Yuqing’s gaze. His pupils contracted slightly as the realization of what prompted Fu Chen’s bizarre behavior hit him.
A sudden wave of panic flared in Wen Yu’s chest upon meeting Shen Yuqing’s gaze. Unsure of what exactly was making him so restless, he instinctively looked away.
“He’s already seen us. Enough is enough, right?” Wen Yu murmured in a detached tone meant only for Fu Chen’s ears. “Can you let me down now?”
Pinching Wen Yu’s chin to force him back into eye contact, Fu Chen flashed a malicious smile and articulated two words deliberately, one by one. “No way.”
The fine wine provided by Song Chengxu ultimately vanished down their throats, leaving virtually none behind. Ji Chen drank in morose silence without uttering a word while Song Chengfeng muttered something to him on the side. Meanwhile, Song Chengxu engaged in idle chatter with Shen Yuqing. Shen Yuqing, who typically detested drinking, shockingly downed a considerable amount tonight.
As for Fu Chen, he kept Wen Yu cradled in his arms, having him feed him drink after drink. Wen Yu complied in silence, while Fu Chen’s mood visibly soared.
“How on earth did you manage to seduce Shen Yuqing?” Fu Chen asked Wen Yu with genuine curiosity, his hand still resting on Wen Yu’s slender waist. “Usually acting so sanctimonious and upright, yet I never expected he’d actually fancy trash like you.”
“Didn’t I tell you before, I cast a love parasite curse.” Wen Yu replied smoothly, maintaining a deadpan expression and an even tone.
Fu Chen let out a low chuckle, as if recalling their previous near-identical conversation.
Shen Yuqing deliberately avoided looking in their direction, yet his peripheral vision still caught the sight of the two seated intimately together, bodies pressed against one another, whispering back and forth while Fu Chen wore a cheerful smile.
Shen Yuqing drained yet another cup of wine in gloomy silence, his eye rims flushed red from the alcohol.
Observing Shen Yuqing’s habit of treating alcohol like water, Song Chengxu finally sensed that something was amiss. Offering words of caution, he urged, “How can you drink like that? A little bit brings joy, but excessive drinking harms the body. You need to pace yourself.”
Ignoring the advice, Shen Yuqing replied in a hoarse voice, “It is fine. Getting drunk for once every so often does not seem so bad.”
For the normally poised and rigidly disciplined Shen Yuqing to utter such words left Song Chengxu mildly astonished. Since Shen Yuqing had already spoken, Song Chengxu decided to drop the subject.
Nearby, Song Chengfeng offered earnest advice to Ji Chen. “I told you long ago to reel in those feelings of yours. Look how miserable you are now.”
“Is this something I can just control?” Ji Chen polished off an entire glass of wine in one go, his face flushed deep crimson with clear signs of drunkenness.
“I know I shouldn’t harbor these thoughts, but I just…” Ji Chen choked on his words, his expression blanking out momentarily as he stammered just repeatedly without managing to form a coherent thought.
Song Chengfeng sighed. “Stop torturing yourself. Another day, I will introduce you to some Omegas, modeled precisely after Wen Yu’s type. Besides, I don’t think A-chen is entirely indifferent to Wen Yu anyway, so just settle down.”
With Ji Chen falling silent in apparent tacit agreement, Song Chengfeng patted his back reassuringly. “There are plenty of fish in the sea.”
By the end of the drinking session, Ji Chen was completely dead to the world from intoxication. Shen Yuqing looked relatively normal on the surface, but the blazing red of his earlobes betrayed the fact that he was merely putting up a front.
Withstanding the alcohol best of all was Fu Chen. Despite consuming a large quantity of wine, his expression remained clear, his footing steady, showing not the slightest trace of intoxication.
Pulling Wen Yu into his embrace, Fu Chen deliberately guided him right up to Song Chengxu and announced, “Brother Chengxu, I drank too much and don’t feel like heading back. Care to open up a room for us?”
Wen Yu lifted his gaze toward Fu Chen with a deep frown.
Shen Yuqing abruptly surged to his feet. His gentle, handsome face contorted in agony, his clenched fists trembling slightly as a malignant, sinister light flickered within his eyes.
Reaching out to grab Wen Yu’s arm, he spoke with a drunken slur. “Let us go. Let go of him.”