At first glance, Shen Yandong did not recognize that it was Di Zhe.
The buildings in the narrow alley were packed tightly together. The stretch of road ahead was as dark as thick lacquer, with only a faint sliver of light seeping weakly across one side. In that dimness, he saw the tall, slender silhouette of a man approaching, wrapped in a black formal suit.
Beside him, just so happened to be the corner of an old house’s upturned eaves. The contrast between old and new made the approaching figure look like a young gentleman who had stepped straight out of an old photograph.
Shen Yandong thought to himself that this person looked remarkably like Di Zhe.
Then, Di Zhe’s highly recognizable voice rang out clearly, “Shen Yandong!”
Shen Yandong stopped in his tracks.
“…It really is Di Zhe.”
The next second, Di Zhe quickened his pace again and in the blink of an eye ran straight up to him.
Before Shen Yandong could even ask anything, Di Zhe spun around in a circle, striking a showy pose as he said, “Didn’t recognize me, right? Don’t I look handsome today?”
As always, Shen Yandong gave a calm, indifferent evaluation. “You look strange.”
Di Zhe walked on Shen Yandong’s left side, taking the position closer to the outside of the road. He lowered his voice, though the last note of his tone still lifted uncontrollably because of the joy bubbling inside him.
“Shen Yandong, I checked my estimated scores with the teachers. I think I can apply to Z University. It would be best if we ended up in the same department but even if not, the same university would still be good. I’ll come find you.”
Di Zhe continued talking nonstop, his words flowing one after another. At the same time, from the corner of his eye he kept secretly observing Shen Yandong’s expression. He was always like this, speaking in a one sided stream of chatter, as though he did not care whether he would receive a reply.
Shen Yandong asked, “What score did you estimate? Let me see if it’s enough.”
Wait.
Is he asking me?
Shen Yandong… answered me?
He’s asking if I can get into the same place as him?
Even someone as talkative as Di Zhe suddenly froze, the words stuck in his throat. He turned his head to look at Shen Yandong.
Just then, a beam of light shot toward them and a harsh honking sound pierced the quiet.
Di Zhe was just about to reach out and pull Shen Yandong aside but Shen Yandong moved even faster. He had already grabbed Di Zhe and pulled him to the side, the two of them standing close against the wall.
An electric scooter roared past in front of them.
Di Zhe was still stunned when Shen Yandong tugged at him again and said, “Turn around. I’ll brush the dust off your back.”
Everything he did was completely natural, as if it required no thought at all.
But Di Zhe felt as though he were inside a dream.
“…Why are you being so nice to me today?”
Shen Yandong frowned slightly and lifted his gaze to look back at him. “Am I usually that terrible to you?”
Di Zhe fell silent.
He thought about it for a moment. In truth, Shen Yandong wasn’t particularly terrible to him in everyday life. He was simply cold and distant.
Yet even that coldness carried a certain refined politeness.
From the moment Shen Yandong entered school, he had criticized Di Zhe, saying that Di Zhe’s sincerity was not enough yet every love letter and gift that Di Zhe stubbornly forced upon him, though Shen Yandong complained about the trouble, they were never casually thrown away.
He simply took them with him, unopened and never responded.
Shen Yandong had also said that Di Zhe did not put his heart into studying but whenever Di Zhe’s exam results improved, Shen Yandong would still openly acknowledge the effort he had put in during that period.
During the earlier school sports meet, the teacher had singled the two of them out and asked them to partner for the 4×100 relay. Shen Yandong had initially refused but once he had no choice but to join, he never once slacked off during their training sessions. In the final race, their relay team even managed a comeback victory, winning first place for their class.
Shen Yandong was exactly that kind of person.
Cold, difficult to approach, with an extremely strong sense of caution. He never easily tried things that did not interest him and he always seemed flawless, as if there were no openings in his armor.
But once he decided to do something, even if he did it with reluctance, he would never neglect it.
At the same time, he adhered to his own principles with almost rigid stubbornness,
One of them being that love should be treated seriously.
Di Zhe obediently turned his back toward him.
“You’re usually… quite good to me.”
He felt Shen Yandong’s hand patting the dust off his back, the soft flapping sounds echoing one after another. In an instant, the tips of his ears grew so hot they felt as if they were about to burn.
Then he heard Shen Yandong say, “That doesn’t mean I’m particularly good to you.”
Di Zhe replied, “It’s already good enough. I think it’s enough.”
Shen Yandong wasn’t sure whether what he said next counted as scolding him or not but it definitely couldn’t be called praise.
“Someone like you, if you ever ran into a scheming bad person, you might end up being completely cheated out of everything.”
“Alright. Let’s go. It’s getting late. We might be the only ones who haven’t arrived yet.”
The distance was only a few steps.
From darkness, they stepped into the light.
Yet Di Zhe suddenly had the strange illusion that this road had taken him a very long time to walk.
And wasn’t that true?
He had spent two whole years walking it.
Gradually, the noisy sounds of laughter and conversation grew louder.
One after the other, they merged into the crowd.
The lighting inside the restaurant’s private room was somewhat dim, casting a murky orange glow. The soundproofing was poor and the lively songs playing from the television in the main hall drifted inside.
Di Zhe sat to Shen Yandong’s right. From time to time, his left shoulder would unconsciously lean closer toward Shen Yandong.
Classmates and teachers took turns pouring drinks for him. Cup after cup, Di Zhe drank them all. By the end, his vision had begun to blur and he had no idea how many glasses he had already swallowed.
He ran to the restroom several times. By the end of it, even his bladder felt exhausted. His entire body was red, like a shrimp that had been boiled until fully cooked.
He said his head hurt and rested his head on the table for a while.
But accidentally, he fell asleep.
When he woke up again, only a few scattered people remained in the private room. The waiters were already clearing away the leftover dishes and scraps of food.
And the seat beside him that had once been occupied was now empty.
Shen Yandong was gone.
Di Zhe was so startled that his drunken haze cleared for two seconds.
“Why didn’t anyone wake me up?!”
Someone spoke from the doorway behind him, near another door.
“We were just about to wake you.”
It was Shen Yandong’s voice.
Di Zhe turned his head and looked over. The moment he saw Shen Yandong, he relaxed and the heavy tide of alcohol surged back into his chest.
He placed a hand lightly on the table to push himself upright, then staggered unsteadily toward Shen Yandong.
“I… I have something to say to you.”
At this moment, Di Zhe was no longer sober yet he was unusually confident. In his own mind he believed he looked very handsome but in reality he was stumbling straight into Shen Yandong.
Shen Yandong said, “Tell me on the way. I’ll take you home.”
Without any warning, Di Zhe suddenly began to act stubborn.
“No! I want to say it right here!”
Several classmates who had not yet left turned to look at them.
Although this kind of embarrassment was not happening for the first time, Shen Yandong had never managed to grow a thicker skin. His face flushed in alternating shades of red and pale as he forcibly pulled Di Zhe toward the exit.
“Say it outside.”
The summer night air was heavy and sticky. When it brushed against the skin, it did nothing to ease the drunkenness. If anything, it made Di Zhe feel even dizzier.
Shen Yandong half supported him, almost holding him upright.
Di Zhe took advantage of the situation and leaned heavily against him, pressing himself closer. He even sniffed lightly at Shen Yandong’s neck. His lips brushed against the skin there, so close that he could have kissed him at any moment. Unable to hold back, he murmured,
“You smell so good.”
Shen Yandong corrected him in a serious, matter of fact tone. “I’m a Beta. I don’t have pheromones. I don’t smell.”
Di Zhe stubbornly argued, “You do smell good. I like the way you smell. It’s really good. Don’t run away, let me smell it again.”
Shen Yandong tried to move away, only to be stuck to again. This repeated itself several times. Finally, through clenched teeth, he forced out a few words.
“What exactly do you want to say?”
Like a child who suddenly remembered something important, Di Zhe abruptly stopped walking. He looked around at their surroundings, then shook his head with dissatisfaction and said willfully,
“Let’s go to the park to talk, okay?”
Shen Yandong replied in a warning tone that clearly meant don’t push your luck.
“No.”
He pulled his hand free.
“If you’re not going to say it, then forget it.”
Di Zhe grabbed him again, speaking with a mixture of righteous insistence and pitiful grievance.
“It’s not romantic to say it on the side of a big road. We have to find a romantic place to say it.”
By now they had reached the roadside.
Shen Yandong spoke with stern seriousness.
“I’ll call a taxi and take you home.”
Before he even finished speaking, Di Zhe plopped down directly on the ground.
Shen Yandong fell silent.
He looked at him, completely speechless.
“Are you three years old?”
Di Zhe said stubbornly, “To the little park.”
Shen Yandong replied flatly, “No.”
Five minutes later.
The two of them arrived at a small park nearby.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t really a park. It was more like a small landscaped garden in a residential community, a place meant for elderly people and children to stroll and play. At this late hour of the night, however, no one was around. Everything was wrapped in deep quiet.
Shen Yandong seemed irritated, keeping his head lowered the whole time.
Di Zhe watched his expression and suddenly grinned.
“Your face looks like you don’t even know what happened, you just… just followed me here anyway.”
Shen Yandong pressed his lips together.
“No. Have you finished talking yet? You’re just too strong. I had no way of forcing you into a taxi.”
Di Zhe shook his head.
“Nope. It’s because you’re kind hearted. You couldn’t just ignore me.”
Shen Yandong froze slightly.
When he turned his eyes again, they met Di Zhe’s gaze. Those eyes were clear and bright. Without realizing it, his voice softened a little.
“Even if you flatter me, it won’t work.”
It was the first time the two of them had ever stood this close in private.
Di Zhe stared at Shen Yandong’s pale, moist lips. His heartbeat thumped loudly in his ears. His mind suddenly heated up and before he could think any further, he quickly leaned forward.
Shen Yandong’s eyes widened.
Their lips touched for a brief instant.
Caught completely off guard, Shen Yandong snapped back to his senses and pushed him away forcefully.
Di Zhe fell backward and landed on the ground, sitting down with a painful yelp.
“I didn’t do it on purpose. Who told you to suddenly attack me like that?” Shen Yandong said with an unpleasant expression on his face. He stood there awkwardly, unsure whether to leave or stay. Irritation colored his tone as he added, “Get up.”
Di Zhe tilted his head up to look at him.
“Do you hate it when I kiss you?”
What exactly did Shen Yandong mean?
He had just given him the tiniest bit of hope, only to push him away again.
Di Zhe could no longer hold it in. The confession burst out of him in a chaotic rush of words.
“Shen Yandong, date me. I really want to date you. If you don’t hate it, then it means you like me too. Maybe you don’t even realize that you like me. Just try it with me, okay? Just try it once. If you try it, you’ll know whether you actually like me.”
Shen Yandong did not speak. He simply reached out, intending to forcibly pull Di Zhe up from the ground.
But Di Zhe wrapped his arms around Shen Yandong’s arm and tried to drag him down with him.
“Before, when you rejected me, you said that in high school you had to focus on studying and not date anyone but now we’ve both graduated, so we can date now, right?”
“You’re an adult and I’m an adult too.”
“You told me to study properly, so I studied. You said I spent money recklessly, so I went to work part time. You said the things I bought didn’t taste good, so I went and learned how to cook. Haven’t I done well enough?”
By the time he reached the last sentence, Di Zhe was truly aggrieved.
His voice even carried a faint sob.
An alpha does not shed tears easily, unless the sadness has reached the deepest part of the heart.
Shen Yandong suddenly seemed to lose his strength. He let go of Di Zhe’s arm but remained standing beside him, speaking with helpless resignation.
“I never said you weren’t good enough…”
The moment Di Zhe heard that, something inside him snapped. If Shen Yandong had always remained cold hearted, perhaps he could have endured it but now that Shen Yandong’s attitude had softened, it felt like repeated torment to his already battered heart. His eyes grew damp as he said,
“But you still don’t want to date me.”
In the quiet stillness of that place, Shen Yandong’s sigh sounded particularly loud.
“I never said I wouldn’t date you.”
Di Zhe lifted his head in a daze and stared at him.
Shen Yandong extended a hand toward him.
“Get up from the ground first. Your clothes are already dirty. Aren’t you wearing formal clothes? Such expensive clothes, now they’re all ruined.”
Di Zhe grabbed his hand and used the support to stand up yet he didn’t care about the clothes at all. Instead, he immediately leaned closer, clinging to him as he asked insistently,
“What did you just say? You’re willing to date me now?”
In that instant, time seemed to stretch endlessly.
The world felt as if someone had suddenly pressed a pause button. Everything else disappeared, leaving only silence in all directions.
Di Zhe’s heart pounded so violently it felt like it might kill him. He stared at Shen Yandong without blinking.
Waiting for Shen Yandong’s answer.
Not even a second, he could hardly endure even a millisecond.
Finally, he saw Shen Yandong give a slight nod.
Heat rushed through Di Zhe’s chest. Blood surged straight to his head and he lunged forward, offering a kiss as the only way he could express his feelings.
Warm breath heavy with affection brushed against Shen Yandong’s face. Shen Yandong did not dodge. His thoughts were tangled in chaos and he closed his eyes.
But after a moment, he realized there was no sensation of lips touching.
Di Zhe had stopped at the last second.
Getting what he wanted so suddenly made it feel unreal. He didn’t dare believe it without confirming again. Still holding Shen Yandong’s hand, he asked hesitantly, rubbing his thumb nervously against it,
“Really? Did I drink too much and start hallucinating? You really agreed to date me? Then… kiss me once.”
From earlier until now, Shen Yandong’s brows had never relaxed. At this moment they furrowed even more deeply.
He did not say whether it was good or bad.
He simply acted.
Then he moved closer without making a sound. Tilting his head slightly, he found Di Zhe’s lips, still carrying the faint taste of alcohol and placed a gentle kiss upon them.
Three.
Two.
One.
He paused there for a full three seconds.
Only then did Shen Yandong pull away.
“Is that enough?”
This was their first kiss.
Shen Yandong had really kissed him.
Di Zhe thought hazily, his mind floating.
Shen Yandong asked again, “Is it enough?”
Di Zhe gave a foolish grin.
“No.”
Shen Yandong let out a short breath that sounded almost like a laugh of exasperation.
“I say it’s enough. Let’s go, drunkard. I’ll take you home.”
Di Zhe walked with light, drifting steps, happiness making him feel as if he were floating.
Shen Yandong held his hand and led him outward. The two boys walked hand in hand, weaving through the dense shadows cast by the trees.
Yet inside, Di Zhe felt reluctant to let the moment end. He muttered softly to himself,
“Am I dreaming? Did you really kiss me?”
“I didn’t even feel anything yet.”
“Kiss me again so I can feel it properly.”
“Shen Yandong, Shen Yandong, Shen Yandong…”
The constant chatter gave Shen Yandong a headache. He stopped walking and turned back toward him.
“Can’t it wait until another day?”
But Di Zhe wanted it now. Right now. He could not bear to wait. A faint light flickered in his pupils as he said,
“Why not now? Do you think it’s enough already? I still feel like it isn’t enough. Right now the way I like you is overflowing out of my heart. I like you so much, so much, so much that I can’t control it. I still want to tell you I like you. I still want to kiss you. Just today, just right now. If we change the day, it won’t be the same anymore. If this moment passes, it will never come back again.”
“Shen Yandong… kiss me again, okay?”
Shen Yandong stood tall and still where he was. Even though they were out on the street, he somehow felt as though there was nowhere he could hide. He lowered his head slightly.
The hand holding Di Zhe’s tightened unconsciously.
Di Zhe leaned forward carefully, tentatively, trying to kiss Shen Yandong again.
Shen Yandong turned his head and avoided it.
Before Di Zhe could sink into disappointment, Shen Yandong added in explanation,
“…Someone might pass by.”
Shen Yandong had really kissed him.
Di Zhe thought hazily, his mind swimming with intoxicated delight.
“Then if we find a more hidden place, we can kiss a few more times, right?”
His mind suddenly started working quickly. Turning his head, he spotted something across the street beyond the pedestrian crossing lines, a small motel.
✦ ✧ ✦
Fleurveil
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The magical Realm runs on stories, chaos, and suspicious amounts of coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Love at first sightChapter 2 · Lack of discretionChapter 3 · ShamelessChapter 4 · UnreasonableChapter 5 · PerseveranceChapter 6 · College Entrance Examination EndChapter 7 · Graduation dinnerChapter 8 · Confession nightChapter 9 · Pressing in step by stepChapter 10 · Enough is enoughChapter 11 · A huge blowChapter 12 · University start dateChapter 13 · Roommate meetingChapter 14 · Relentless harassmentChapter 15 · I’ll pick you upChapter 16 · It’s my vulnerable periodChapter 17 · Voluntary datingChapter 18 · Open your heartChapter 19 · Obedient to allChapter 20 · Not a virginChapter 21 · Swear to love meChapter 22 · Youthful DaydreamsChapter 23 · Teenage ThoughtsChapter 24 · EmptyChapter 25 · Extremely anxiousChapter 26 · Too lazy to struggleChapter 27 · From now on