“Yun Xi, stop using those indecent tricks.”
Watching the car drive away, Yun Xi grew thoughtful. Despite his cold exterior, the man seemed no different from any other Alpha; he was clearly captivated by Yun Xi’s face. Unfortunately, the information on the business card Yun Xi had provided was fake. He had successfully played yet another lustful Alpha.
Losing interest, Yun Xi retracted his gaze and headed toward the restaurant. After handing his umbrella to the waiter at the entrance, he gave his name and followed the staff’s lead.
Inside the private room, Gu Xun was already seated. At the sound of the door opening, he frowned and looked toward the entrance. “You are five minutes late. Why did you dye your hair like that?”
Yun Xi pulled out a chair and sat down, running a hand through his fluffy orange hair. “I just did it this afternoon. Does it look good?”
Under the restaurant lights, his hair seemed to shimmer. Gu Xun looked away and replied, “It is average.”
Yun Xi gave him a sidelong glance. Feeling a wave of disgust as he recalled the plot of the book from his dream, he thought back to his previous behavior. In his pursuit of Gu Xun, he had scouted the man’s preferences. Hearing that Gu Xun disliked “flighty” Omegas, Yun Xi had specifically dyed his pink hair black, though it had not made much of a difference.
He ordered a few dishes casually. Once the waiter left, he asked directly, “Why did you call me here?”
Gu Xun’s face remained cold. He glanced at the curtain of rain outside and said, “Let us talk after we eat.”
“Just say it. Why the hesitation?”
Gu Xun knitted his brows. He felt that Yun Xi’s attitude was different than before; there was a faint, underlying spark of hostility. He looked at the Omega across from him. That face was as beautiful as ever; the fluffy hair made his face look smaller and his features more prominent. He was more striking than a movie star.
But he was an Omega—a lowly Omega. Gu Xun looked away, as this was the existence he detested most.
“Let us break up,” Gu Xun finally said. “I do not like you at all.”
Gu Xun warned himself that no matter how much this Omega acted spoiled, played nice, or even cried to stay with him, he would not look back.
“Oh, okay.”
“There is no ‘why’—wait, what did you say?” Gu Xun was stunned, doubting his own ears.
Yun Xi played with a rose he had pulled from the vase, taking in every bit of Gu Xun’s reaction. He was laughing with joy internally, but his expression remained breezy. “I said ‘okay.’ Did you not hear me?”
Gu Xun’s hardened face flickered with confusion. He stared at Yun Xi, seemingly unable to process the response. His lips parted and closed several times before he found his voice. “You just… agreed?”
“What else?” Yun Xi looked at him with feigned surprise. “Did you think I was going to throw a tantrum or threaten to kill myself? It is just a breakup. That would be too scary. Our relationship has not exactly reached that level of depth, has it?”
Gu Xun’s frown deepened so much it could have crushed a fly. He stared at Yun Xi for a long while before saying in a low voice, “Then that is for the best, as long as you do not regret it.”
“Regret what? The Alphas wanting to chase me could form a line from this restaurant all the way to the amusement park in the suburbs. Being with you was just to see what this ‘Destined Pair’ thing was all about. Turns out, it is nothing special. If we are done, we are done.”
Yun Xi’s tone was light, as if his previous persistent pursuit had merely been for the sake of novelty. Gu Xun’s jaw tightened. He wanted to find a shred of evidence that Yun Xi was lying.
Impossible. This Omega is lying. Last night, his eyes were full of me. How can he be so indifferent to a sudden breakup today? Could it be he is playing hard to get?
The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. Gu Xun’s brow smoothed over, and he said contemptuously, “Yun Xi, stop using those indecent tricks. It only makes me look down on you more. I simply do not like you.”
Yun Xi wondered how this guy had suddenly regained his confidence. Seeing Yun Xi “still acting,” Gu Xun said impatiently, “I have already decided to leave my father’s company to start my own business. Your tricks will not work anymore. Do you understand?”
The Yun family’s primary business was jewelry, and they had dealings with Gu Xun’s family firm. When Yun Xi’s father saw his son struggling to win Gu Xun over, he had secretly caused some trouble for Gu Xun’s family. Yun Xi originally knew nothing about this, but in Gu Xun’s eyes, it was a different story.
If he had not known the plot of the book, Yun Xi might have had a huge argument with Gu Xun over the injustice. But knowing the truth now—that his own father had indeed messed up—Yun Xi had to shoulder the blame. He said decisively, “I am sorry about what my father did. After I go back, I will tell him to stop interfering in our business. You do not need to worry.”
Gu Xun sneered. “Do you think I will believe that? Would an unscrupulous Omega like you give up so easily?”
The waiter brought the food. Yun Xi began cutting his steak with elegant movements. “Believe it or not. There are so many Alphas in the world; do you think I am going to hang myself on a crooked tree that is as stinky and stubborn as you?”
Stinky and stubborn… crooked tree…
Gu Xun was in disbelief. Yun Xi, who had always spoken to him with gentle words, was actually saying such things. He glared at the Omega, speechless for a long time. Yun Xi, on the other hand, was perfectly composed, even finding the mood to appreciate the wine.
“You had better keep your promise!” With that, Gu Xun stood up and slammed the door as he left.
The sound of the door vibrated in Yun Xi’s ears. He set down his wine glass and shrugged. It seemed pheromones really did have an effect. If he had not been high on pheromones, how could he have ever liked a guy like that? It was a total “dark history” moment.
Outside the glass window, the rain continued to pour. Yun Xi sat in the restaurant, leisurely enjoying his meal and wine. After finishing, he sat for a while longer. Seeing no sign of the rain stopping, he called a friend to pick him up.
“My lord, the rain is heavy. Why did you not just call your driver? Or take a cab? I just had a bit of inspiration and you interrupted it.”
Cheng Zhang parked the car. Seeing Yun Xi at the restaurant entrance, he grabbed an umbrella and jogged over.
“Let us go have a few drinks,” Yun Xi said.
“Why the sudden drinking? I am driving, so I am not drinking.”
“Call a designated driver.”
Cheng Zhang was long used to Yun Xi’s young master antics, but today he sensed something unusual. “What actually happened?”
Yun Xi sat in the passenger seat and said, “I am heartbroken.”
Cheng Zhang immediately shut up. He was a senior Yun Xi had met in a university club. They had formed a band with two others; Cheng Zhang was the lead singer, and Yun Xi was the drummer. The band had been quite famous in college, but after graduation, the guitarist and bassist took stable jobs or moved home. Yun Xi did not have much time for performances, so Cheng Zhang found new members. The band was doing fairly well now.
At their usual bar, Cheng Zhang ordered a low-alcohol drink for Yun Xi. “Can you tell me what is wrong now?”
The bartender was quick. Yun Xi took a sip and muttered, “No kick.” Pushing the drink aside, he slipped behind the bar, nudged the bartender away, and began mixing his own drink.
Cheng Zhang gave the bartender an apologetic smile and hauled Yun Xi out. “Stop interfering with their work.” Yun Xi clutched his drink like a protective cub as Cheng Zhang led him to a quiet booth.
“Wasn’t everything fine yesterday? Why the breakup today?” Cheng Zhang asked.
Melodic, soothing music echoed through the bar. The resident singer had a melancholic look that matched the sad love songs perfectly. Yun Xi leaned his head on his hand. “He does not like me.”
Cheng Zhang was surprised. “No way. Are you two not a Destined Pair? You have one hundred percent compatibility.”
“Pheromones are not reliable. He already has someone he likes; he does not care for me.” Yun Xi took a sip of his drink, still thinking about the book from his dream. To say they were completely unreliable was not quite right. After all, in the book, Gu Xun really did fall in love with him in the end.
“Being with you while liking someone else? What a scumbag,” Cheng Zhang cursed. “If it is over, it is over. That kind of person is no good anyway.”
Yun Xi leaned on the table, staring at the clear liquid in his glass. He remembered his first meeting with Gu Xun on the snowy mountain. How did he end up as the protagonist of a melodramatic, tragic novel?
Yun Xi drank heavily until he could not distinguish people from shadows. It was a pity for Cheng Zhang, who had to carry this “ancestor” back, occasionally getting hit by a “resurrecting” Yun Xi who mistook him for a creep. He finally dragged Yun Xi to the apartment door but could not open it. After failing to get the passcode, Cheng Zhang searched Yun Xi’s pockets. After checking them all, he finally found the keys.
However, fate seemed to be against him. Just after getting Yun Xi into the room, Yun Xi threw up all over him. Cheng Zhang had to borrow Yun Xi’s bathroom to shower. After showering, his obsession with cleanliness kicked in when he saw the mess in the apartment, and he spent the next while cleaning.
By the time he finished, nearly two hours had passed. His jacket was not dry yet, so he borrowed a shirt from Yun Xi’s closet. Exhausted, he stepped out of the apartment. Standing at the door, he massaged his shoulders and murmured, “I am exhausted. He is so hard to serve.”
The elevator doors opened. Cheng Zhang stepped in and left. A moment later, the stairwell door was pushed open. Someone slowly paced to Yun Xi’s door and stood there in silence for a long time.
The next day, Yun Xi woke up with a splitting headache. Standing in an apartment so tidy it looked like a model home, he slowly recalled the events of the previous night.
Taking Cheng Zhang’s jacket out of the dryer, Yun Xi scratched his head, feeling uncharacteristically embarrassed. He usually controlled his drinking, but yesterday’s bad mood and the mixing of different alcohols had made him lose his composure. He pulled up Cheng Zhang’s WeChat and sent a sticker of a cat bowing in apology.
Yun Xi: [I am sorry, Brother Cheng. I made you clean up my mess.] Cheng Zhang: [It was a small thing. Just do not refuse the next time I ask you to perform. You have a lot of fans, you know.]
Yun Xi replied with an “OK” gesture and put his phone down. He heard the sound of heavy objects landing outside. Curiously, he looked through the peephole and saw that the empty apartment opposite his had a new tenant. They were moving in furniture. Yun Xi straightened up, not paying it much mind.
Yesterday was a mess, but one thing was certain: he was indeed living inside that novel he had dreamed about. He went to his study, found a blank notebook, and began writing rapidly. Since it was a melodramatic tragedy centered on the relationship between him and Gu Xun, there were not many complex plot points. Before long, Yun Xi had written down the major events.
When finished, he looked at the notebook and circled one name: Su Yanqing.
This “White Moonlight” of Gu Xun’s did not have much screen time in the book. In fact, Yun Xi had never even met him face-to-face. On one hand, Gu Xun intentionally hid him; on the other, Yun Xi felt it was beneath him to fight over a man—especially since Su Yanqing was unaware of Gu Xun’s feelings. He functioned mostly as a background character, a “bright moon hanging high in the sky,” used to increase the conflict between Yun Xi and Gu Xun.
Yun Xi thought about it and drew an “X” over the name. Since he knew the plot and had broken up with Gu Xun, Su Yanqing had nothing to do with him anymore. Out of all the events, Yun Xi only cared about one thing: the deaths of his two fathers.
The book stated that after Yun Xi and Gu Xun married, his fathers flew to Country G for an event where they were caught in an indiscriminate attack and tragically died.
“Indiscriminate attack…” Yun Xi tapped the desk with his pen, his brow furrowed. “Su Yanqing seemed to have died around that time too, right?”