Xie Guanning was by no means a good-tempered person.
Anyone who spent enough time in the underground arena knew that this young mecha mechanic wasn’t nearly as easy to bully as he looked. He endured the Xie family and tolerated Mrs. Xie only because he had to.
As for Mrs. Zhou, Xie Guanning felt he had made himself clear enough during their last meeting. For the sake of his friendship with Zhou Hengyuan, he hadn’t taken her contemptuous and defensive remarks to heart. But that didn’t mean he would allow her to step all over him repeatedly.
The atmosphere in the room turned eerily quiet. Even Zhou Hengyuan, standing across the hall, sensed something was wrong. He looked toward his mother with hesitation, ready to intervene, when a clear, laughing voice drifted down from above.
“Oh? I’m only a few minutes late. It seems I’ve missed quite a show.”
The man’s voice was leisurely, with a slight upward tilt at the end—a teasing, intriguing tone that made people’s hearts itch.
Xie Guanning froze. The voice sounded incredibly familiar. Before he could place it, a collective gasp erupted from the crowd.
“His Highness, the First Prince!”
The First Prince?
Xie Guanning’s heart jumped. He instinctively looked up and saw a man in a white suit leaning over the second-floor railing. The man had a beaming smile and beautiful, flirtatious “fox eyes.” Noticing Xie Guanning’s gaze, he even shot him a playful, yet not entirely disrespectful, wink.
Stunned, Xie Guanning offered a polite, slight nod. He was about to look away when his gaze fell upon the figure standing just behind the Prince. His pupils contracted instantly.
The crowd below had completely exploded.
“Marshal Jiang? Why is he here?” “What kind of day is it? The Zhou family actually managed to invite both of these figures at once!”
Xie Guanning also wanted to know what kind of day it was. His hand moved behind his back, covertly rubbing his still-aching waist. Of all the people he didn’t want to see, they were all gathered here.
The lighting on the second floor was dim. Standing by the railing was a man in a perfectly tailored black suit. Though he wasn’t in uniform, his back was characteristically straight and his frame imposing, forming a stark contrast to the lazy posture of the First Prince.
He raised his right hand, his long lashes lowered as he meticulously adjusted his cufflinks. A flash of dark green emerald glinted against his cold, pale skin—an action both precise and exceptionally aristocratic.
As the guests buzzed with excitement, their eyes filled with fervor. Mrs. Zhou no longer had time to worry about Xie Guanning. She stood poised in the center of the crowd, basking in the envious looks of her peers. The First Prince was royalty, and Marshal Jiang rarely attended such social events. Having them both here was an immense honor for the Zhou family.
Xie Guanning tried to suppress his thoughts and calmly look away, but at that moment, the man upstairs lifted his gaze. Their eyes met directly.
Those ink-black eyes were as deep as the ocean—calm, vast, and seemingly still, yet hiding a chilling intensity in their depths that was impossible to gauge.
Xie Guanning’s heart trembled. His jawline pulled into a tight line as he forced himself not to look away. He was all too familiar with that gaze. Even though his consciousness had been blurred that night, he remembered those seemingly tranquil eyes. Just when he thought it was over, those eyes would drag him back into the abyss again and again, bringing pleasure that seeped into his very marrow.
Xie Guanning didn’t look away, and the man didn’t seem impatient. The two remained in a silent stalemate, the atmosphere between them inexplicable.
While the guests below noticed nothing, the First Prince standing beside Jiang Yan saw it clearly. He leaned against the railing, his fox eyes curved with interest as he watched the green youth below.
Suddenly, with a soft click, the study door on the second floor opened. The head of the Zhou family stepped out. Looking at the two men, he spoke with a smile on his serious face. “Aren’t you two coming down to join us?”
Jiang Yan naturally retracted his gaze. The First Prince laughed and clapped a hand on Jiang Yan’s shoulder. “Let’s go, A-Yan. Let’s join the fun down there.” He glanced toward the corner where the youth stood motionless, his heart filled with curiosity.
Jiang Yan did not resist and followed him down.
The First Prince was a veteran of such social scenes. After greeting Mrs. Zhou, he walked up to an Omega woman, gave an elegant bow, and spoke with tender eyes. “Beautiful lady, would I have the honor of asking you for a dance?”
The girl blushed and, with a mix of poise and excitement, placed her hand in his. As the music swelled, they glided onto the dance floor.
The First Prince was handsome and charming, always a gentleman to Omegas. Although his relationships rarely lasted more than a month and the news was often filled with his scandals, he was known for amicable breakups. Since the position of First Princess was currently vacant, many Omegas dreamed of capturing his heart and marrying into the Royal Family.
In contrast, Jiang Yan was much more low-profile. Though he came from the prestigious Jiang family, his military status meant his personal life was rarely publicized. Because he was never associated with scandals, the Omegas present were excited but didn’t dare approach him.
The glamorous ball continued as if the earlier conflict had been a hallucination. Xie Guanning planned to remain a “transparent person” until the end, but he froze when he saw the man walking down the stairs heading straight for his corner.
Most eyes were fixed on the center of the hall; few noticed the corner. Xie Guanning watched the approaching figure, his feet rooted to the spot.
Xie Guanning wasn’t short; at 178cm (approx. 5’10”), he was tall for an Omega, but he was still half a head shorter than the Marshal. He instinctively held his breath. As the man reached his side, his footsteps paused. He looked down through long lashes, his voice low.
“Are you afraid of me?”
Xie Guanning shook his head, though the tension in his neck didn’t relax.
The man seemed to chuckle. As he brushed past, his voice drifted into Xie Guanning’s ear. “Then why are you standing here like an idiot?”
The lighting in the corner was quite dim. Xie Guanning’s fingers twitched before he turned and sat down on the sofa directly opposite the man.
The Alpha leaned back into the sofa, looking at messages on his terminal, seemingly perfectly at ease. Xie Guanning calmed down, realizing his earlier reaction had been overkill. We were both involved—if he’s not embarrassed, why should I be?
In the dance floor, couples moved in elegant, repetitive patterns. To Xie Guanning, it lacked “soul.” He much preferred the violent impact of mechas, where every move carried the scent of gunpowder and scars. As he thought of this, his posture relaxed. He gazed idly at the dance floor, not noticing the Alpha’s eyes flicking toward him.
Midway through the banquet, Zhou Hengyuan finally finished his rounds of toasting and found a moment of freedom. He kept looking toward the corner, his expression a mix of anticipation and hesitation.
Xie Guanning stood up decisively and nodded to him. He turned to walk toward the garden behind the banquet hall. As he passed the sofa, the Alpha suddenly looked up. Xie Guanning paused, nodded politely, and said, “Excuse me.”
He walked away, missing the way the Alpha’s long fingers drummed irregularly against his thigh, his eyes narrowing.
The First Prince, Ji Shiqing, wandered over after a round on the dance floor. Seeing Jiang Yan’s expression, he sat on the arm of the sofa and laughed lazily. “That kid is going to a private meeting. Aren’t you going to follow and see?”
Jiang Yan didn’t even look up. “No need.”
“So confident?” the Prince raised an eyebrow.
Jiang Yan watched Zhou Hengyuan’s hurried figure disappear through the door. After a long pause, he gave a flat evaluation: “Too green.”
Someone who can’t even control his own life shouldn’t dream of possessing someone else.
Ji Shiqing chuckled. “Maybe the kid likes them ‘green’ and tender.”
Jiang Yan turned to look at him. “You’re talking too much today.”
The garden was quiet compared to the noise of the hall. Xie Guanning found a pavilion to rest in. Soon, a familiar figure appeared.
“Guanning!” The young man’s face was bright and full of nervous excitement. “Why did you come here? You didn’t tell me you were coming.”
Xie Guanning looked away. “I only found out right before I came.”
Zhou Hengyuan paused, sensing something was wrong. Before he could ask, Xie Guanning cut him off. “I came today mainly to ask you something.”
“Go ahead…”
Xie Guanning looked him in the eye, his gaze searching and cold. “That glass of wine you gave me last time. What was in it?”
Zhou Hengyuan looked blank. “What… wine?”
“A few days ago, at the class reunion. The glass you handed me.”
Zhou Hengyuan’s face flushed, then turned pale. Seeing Xie Guanning’s clinical calmness, he felt a wave of disappointment. He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“The wine I gave you.” He had indeed handed him a glass out of convenience. Suddenly, his eyes widened. “Was there something wrong with that wine?”
Xie Guanning studied him. Seeing that his shock was genuine, he frowned and changed the subject. “Nothing. It just tasted terrible. It left a deep impression.”
Zhou Hengyuan didn’t believe him, but before he could grab Xie Guanning’s hand, the youth stepped back.
“I’m going back now,” Xie Guanning said. He turned to leave, but the voice behind him stopped him.
“Brother Xie.”
Xie Guanning paused. It had been a long time since he heard that name. Back in high school, Zhou Hengyuan had been an arrogant brat until Xie Guanning taught him a lesson. Because Xie Guanning was a few months older, the boy had followed him around calling him “Brother Xie.” Eventually, that was replaced by “Guanning.”
The youth stood still as the young man asked behind him:
“Brother Xie is there really no chance for us at all?”