The guests were mostly gathered in the banquet hall; only the faint, muffled sounds of festivities reached the garden.
Xie Guanning stood at the edge of the pavilion, his back turned. After a long silence, he spoke slowly, “Zhou Hengyuan, you are eighteen today. You are an adult. You should understand the stakes—you should know what can be done and what cannot.”
Zhou Hengyuan clenched his fists, his eyes brimming with red, “What ‘stakes’? Who decided that my loving you is something that cannot be done?”
Xie Guanning closed his eyes, feeling a wave of helplessness.
“Or is it…” Zhou Hengyuan bit his lip, his voice trembling, “Is it because my mother found you before? Did she say something to you?”
The wind rustled the leaves, casting a somber shadow over the dim garden.
Xie Guanning remained silent for a moment before turning to face him. He spoke with blunt honesty. “Your mother did indeed come to see me.”
Three months before the College Entrance Examination, Xie Guanning had been met by Mrs. Zhou at the school gates. Curious but compliant, he followed her to the most expensive coffee shop near the campus.
There, Mrs. Zhou had maintained an elegant posture, her voice soft and gentle as she laid out her intentions.
“You and Hengyuan are still young,” she had said. “Hot-blooded and eager to tell the whole world about your feelings. But because you are young, nothing is set in stone. What if you look back later and regret it?”
“I know you are a good child. It’s just that Hengyuan is too impulsive, too simple. He acts on whims. I was worried, which is why I wanted to have this chat with you…”
At first, Xie Guanning had been confused. Then came the realization, followed by anger, and finally, a trace of bitter amusement. He knew his status as an “illegitimate son” was a joke to some, but he hadn’t expected someone to be this proactive in “nipping the problem in the bud.”
He had interrupted her then, stating clearly that he and Zhou Hengyuan were merely classmates. Mrs. Zhou had paused, then smiled warmly. “It is wonderful that you think so. After all, Hengyuan is the only son of the Zhou family. The people he associates with, the partners he chooses… they cannot be just ‘anyone,’ don’t you agree?”
Xie Guanning’s heart had sunk.
Every word Mrs. Zhou spoke was a soft needle aimed at his heart, weaponizing his birth against him. Had it not been for Zhou Hengyuan’s sake, he wouldn’t have swallowed the insult.
They had parted on bad terms. For the following days, Xie Guanning was cold to Zhou Hengyuan. But the boy, used to following him around, only became more attentive. That was when Xie Guanning truly noticed the problem.
As the saying goes, “The bystander sees most clearly.” He had grown so used to the boy calling him “Brother Xie” that he hadn’t considered other possibilities. Mrs. Zhou’s warning had planted a seed of doubt; observing through a detached lens, he realized Zhou Hengyuan was indeed far too close to him.
Even if Xie Guanning had a clear conscience regarding Alpha-Omega friendships, it wasn’t normal for Zhou Hengyuan to spend every free second glued to his side. Troubled, he distanced himself under the guise of exam prep, hoping that separate universities would end the boy’s crush. He never expected a public confession at the graduation party.
That night at the luxury bar, amidst the post-exam chaos, a drunken Zhou Hengyuan had confessed through tears. The crowd had cheered for them to be together, leaving Xie Guanning frustrated and annoyed. He had rejected him on the spot and walked out.
Now, this was their first real meeting since that night.
“I didn’t know… I’ll apologize for my mother, Brother Xie—” Zhou Hengyuan stammered.
“Zhou Hengyuan,” Xie Guanning’s voice was heavy.
He looked at the boy, his peach-blossom eyes no longer smiling but deep and cold as an abyss. “We’ve known each other for years. Given my temper, do you really think I would give up on someone I actually wanted just because of a few words of opposition?”
Silence fell. Zhou Hengyuan opened his mouth, his eyes turning red. He knew. It was because he knew Xie Guanning’s stubborn heart that he hadn’t dared to seek him out sooner.
“We are adults. Let’s keep some dignity for each other,” Xie Guanning sighed, his voice softening slightly. “Happy birthday.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
“Brother Xie!” Zhou Hengyuan called out to his retreating back. “Loving you is my business. I won’t give up!”
Xie Guanning didn’t look back. “As long as you make it clear to your mother that she is to stop harassing me and the Xie family… do as you wish.”
Xie Guanning loathed these social functions and had no desire to share a room with Marshal Jiang in an awkward atmosphere. He lingered in the garden until he saw guests departing, then slipped back into the hall.
He found Mrs. Xie saying her goodbyes to Mrs. Zhou. Xie Guanning waited silently in a corner, ignoring Mrs. Zhou’s sharp, sinking glare.
As Mrs. Xie and her daughter approached, Xie Guanning followed them out. Mrs. Xie shot him a look of profound dissatisfaction but held her tongue until they reached the car.
Once outside the Zhou estate, she exploded. “What is going on between you and the Zhou family?”
“Exactly what you saw,” Xie Guanning replied. “Mrs. Zhou doesn’t like me.”
“I am asking about you and Young Master Zhou!”
Xie Guanning looked at her, his dark eyes clear and piercing. “We are classmates. What else could there be?”
Mrs. Xie was torn between regret—wishing her daughter Jiaran had been the one the Zhou heir liked—and relief. If an illegitimate son like Xie Guanning actually backed by the Zhou family, he would become a threat to her and her daughter’s position.
“Remember your place,” she hissed. “Everything you have was given to you by the Xie family. Don’t dream of things that don’t belong to you! And how dare you speak to Mrs. Zhou like that? If you offend them, can you take the responsibility?”
Xie Guanning looked down. “You told me not to embarrass the family. I can’t dance. If I had accepted her ‘invitation,’ the Xie family would have been the laughingstock of the Capital by tomorrow morning.”
Mrs. Xie was so angry she laughed. “Are you blaming me for not hiring a dance tutor for you?”
Xie Guanning frowned at the finger pointed at his nose but stayed silent. His indifference was the final straw for her.
“Fine! Since you’re so capable, find your own way home!”
She pulled Xie Jiaran into the car and sped off without a second thought.
Xie Guanning exhaled slowly, enjoying the sudden quiet.
The night was pitch black, saved only by dim streetlights and the distant glow of the estate. He looked around and sighed. This was the heart of the Capital, a high-security zone for the elite. Taxis were non-existent here.
He opened his terminal to call his friend Wen Li, but before he could send a message, bright headlights cut through the dark. A luxury hover-car glided to a halt in front of him.
The window rolled down, revealing an exquisitely handsome, almost demonic face.
“Hi!” the man greeted enthusiastically.
Xie Guanning’s heart skipped a beat. His gaze flickered past the First Prince and landed on the passenger in the back.
The soft interior lights of the car highlighted the sharp, masculine contours of the man’s face. He was still in his suit, though the tie was loosened and the top button undone, replacing his earlier aristocratic stiffness with a casual, composed air.
The man sensed the gaze and turned his head. His eyes were as calm as the sea.
“Get in,” he said simply.