Father: “Xixi, I have asked someone to make an appointment for you. You will be meeting this Saturday at noon at the XX Restaurant.”
Yun Xi pricked his arm with the inhibitor needle, slowly pushing the liquid into his body until his turbulent pheromones were finally suppressed.
Gu Xun’s pheromone attack had nearly forced him into an early heat.
Yun Xi replied with a “Good” to Shen Jiu, took a quick glance at the restaurant address, and tossed his phone aside before sinking back into bed.
Damn that Gu Xun. In all his years, this was the first time he had suffered an Alpha’s pheromone attack. That feeling of being brutally suppressed, that terror of being unable to move, still lingered around him.
Su Yanqing.
Yun Xi chewed over the name.
“Do not make a scene in front of Su Yanqing?”
He would do exactly that.
A violinist moved the bow with elegant motions, the ambiguous notes of the violin echoing through the restaurant.
Yun Xi followed the waiter toward the reserved table, his heart a mix of nerves and excitement. Passing a mirror, he checked his outfit one last time and curled his lips into a smile.
Since Gu Xun was so desperately in love with this “White Moonlight” yet could not have him, then he would see if he could be the one to pluck this moon from the sky.
A man was already sitting at the table, his back to Yun Xi as he looked down at the menu.
With a smile, Yun Xi walked toward the seat step by step.
“I am sorry, am I late?”
Before he could finish, Yun Xi saw the man’s face clearly and abruptly shut his mouth.
The man stood up and looked at Yun Xi, a flash of surprise crossing his handsome, refined face. “It is you.”
Yun Xi had a sudden impulse to turn and bolt, but his desire to get revenge on Gu Xun overrode the urge. He sat down composedly and said, “What a coincidence.”
The man smiled slightly, teasing, “How did you get here this time? Did you take a good look at the driver’s license plate?”
Yun Xi’s toes curled in his shoes. He gave a fake smile. “I drove myself here.”
Inside, he was screaming: Help! Su Yanqing! How could he be the same person whose car I accidentally got into that day?
While a tidal wave of shock surged through his mind, Yun Xi maintained the appearance of a well-behaved, beautiful little Omega. “I really did not expect to see you here.”
“Does this mean there is some fate between us?” The man laughed. “Though you likely already know, let me introduce myself. I am Su Yanqing.”
“I am Yun Xi.” Yun Xi also curled his lips at Su Yanqing.
His brain worked at high speed, analyzing the situation.
Although they had an embarrassing first encounter, this coincidence brought one piece of good news: Su Yanqing must be somewhat interested in him. Otherwise, why would he have asked for his business card before Yun Xi got out of the car?
But simultaneously, there was bad news.
Yun Xi recalled his behavior in the car: on the way to dump his boyfriend, he had flirted with the driver in a frivolous tone, perfectly portraying the image of a promiscuous Omega with a messy private life.
If it were a fling, he might be a good candidate, but the problem was that they were on a blind date. Blind dates were for the purpose of marriage, which made him seem like an unsuitable choice.
Before Yun Xi could come up with a strategy, Su Yanqing spoke first. “I heard you say in the car that you were going to break up with your boyfriend that day?”
As expected, he did mind. Yun Xi explained slowly, “Actually, to be honest, my boyfriend had a ‘White Moonlight’ in his heart. He could not forget him, yet he hid it to be with me. I could not accept that, so I broke up with him.”
After speaking, he lowered his eyes, his fair face filled with loneliness.
“So that is how it was?” Su Yanqing comforted him. “No wonder you seemed so upset then, so distracted that you even misread the license plate.”
Can we please stop mentioning the license plate?
Yun Xi secretly gritted his teeth. “Yes. Let us not talk about that. Why did you come for a blind date? Your qualities seem quite excellent.”
Su Yanqing paused slightly and said, “To be honest, my family is quite anxious and wants me to settle down quickly. In the pheromone matching database, my compatibility with you is very high, so they asked me to meet.”
“My family situation is complicated, so I could not refuse. I had to come.” He looked at Yun Xi with a gentle gaze, sounding somewhat apologetic. “I had not looked at your profile before coming. I am truly surprised to see you here.”
The information was a lot to take in. Yun Xi blinked slowly and tested the waters. “Mr. Su, do you not have plans to marry yet?”
“I have just returned to the country and am in the starting phase of my career. I really do not have the energy for it.”
That would not do.
Yun Xi took a sip of water from the table and said, “May I ask, how many Omegas has Mr. Su met already?”
Su Yanqing said, “You are the third. I frankly turned down the previous two as well.”
“Actually, going on these blind dates all the time is quite a hassle, is it not?”
Su Yanqing’s eyes flickered, but he did not speak.
Yun Xi narrowed his eyes with a smile and said, “Actually, I was also pushed to come here by my family.”
“Then Mr. Yun is thinking?”
Yun Xi gave a sly smile. “Mr. Su, do you want to marry me?”
The violin music stopped abruptly; it seemed the violinist had made a mistake and snapped a string. The murmurs of conversation in the restaurant grew louder.
On the table stood a transparent vase with several gardenia flowers winding out from the rim, their rich fragrance refreshing the senses. Su Yanqing looked at the Omega across from him through the flowers. The gardenias were pure white, yet that face was so beautiful it was vivid, like looking at an oil painting with rich colors and sharp contrasts.
Under the table, his fingers resting on his thigh tapped rapidly against his trousers, but his face showed a hint of confusion. “I do not quite understand what you mean?”
Yun Xi rested his chin on one hand and reached out with the other, pulling a sprig of gardenia from the vase. He brought the flower to his nose, sniffed it gently, and then handed it to Su Yanqing.
“Why do we not have a partnership?”
Su Yanqing looked down at the gardenia for two seconds before reaching out to take it.
“You mean a cooperative marriage?” he asked.
Yun Xi looked at him with an “impressionable student” gaze and said, “You are being forced into marriage by your family, and so am I. Why do we not just follow their wishes and get married? Afterward, we can still do our own thing. How convenient would that be?”
Fearing Su Yanqing might disagree, he added, “Of course, if you find someone you truly love later, we will get a divorce. I will explain clearly to that person that we were just a fake marriage; it will not affect you two.”
“What do you think? Will you consider it?”
Su Yanqing remained silent for a long while before finally saying, “I will consider this matter carefully. I cannot give you an answer right now. I am sorry.”
Yun Xi nodded understandingly. “It is fine. This is a big deal, after all. Let us eat first; I am a bit hungry.”
The two ordered some food and did not discuss the fake marriage further during the meal.
Before leaving, Su Yanqing suddenly stopped Yun Xi. “If it is convenient, let us exchange contact information?” He said apologetically, “The business card you gave me before, I threw it away.”
Yun Xi looked at him, suddenly curious. “Did you ever call the number on that card?”
“Actually, I threw it away right after I took it, so I did not save the number.”
Yun Xi raised an eyebrow. “You threw it away right after taking it? Why?”
Su Yanqing looked at him with a gentle gaze and said softly, “Because you looked like you would be very disappointed if I did not take your card.”
Yun Xi sat on his car, still thinking about what Su Yanqing had just said.
So he only took the card because he did not want to see him disappointed?
A stranger gets into his car, treats him like a driver, flirts strangely, gives him a weird business card, and then proposes a weird marriage, and he can treat it all so calmly?
Su Yanqing. What kind of person is he?
Looking at the new contact on his phone, a strong sense of curiosity welled up in Yun Xi’s heart. This curiosity prompted him to open Su Yanqing’s social media circle, only to exit in disappointment.
Su Yanqing had set his visibility to only the last three days; it was completely blank.
He clicked on Su Yanqing’s profile picture; it was a fluffy grey tabby cat. He was not sure if it was a pet or just a stock photo.
Tossing his phone aside, Yun Xi began to think.
If Su Yanqing had this kind of personality, it was not surprising he became a “White Moonlight.” He wondered how Su Yanqing viewed Gu Xun.
If the two of them were close, it might be difficult for his plan to succeed.
Regardless, he would take it one step at a time. Even if the marriage did not work out, it would be a victory as long as he could disgust Gu Xun. With that thought, Yun Xi stepped on the gas and went home.
Then, downstairs at his apartment building, Yun Xi ran into Su Yanqing again.
For the past few days, because his pheromones were unstable, Yun Xi had been cooped up at home and had somewhat forgotten about his new neighbor across the hall.
Seeing him, Su Yanqing also seemed surprised. “Are you following me?”
Nearly branded a stalker, Yun Xi quickly clarified, “I live here.”
“Such a coincidence?” Su Yanqing still seemed skeptical.
Yun Xi simply followed him into the elevator and, under Su Yanqing’s suspicious gaze, followed him out of it. Then, he pulled out his keys and opened the door to Unit 1701.
“I told you, I really live here.”
Yun Xi shook his keys. “Actually, I saw you the day you moved in. Back then, I thought you were some pervert following me.”
Su Yanqing seemed amused by the coincidence. He explained, “A friend recommended this complex to me, saying it was nice, so I rented this apartment. I am not a pervert.”
“I guess this is fate. Heaven wants us together,” Yun Xi smiled faintly.
Su Yanqing gave a polite smile in return. After saying their goodbyes, they entered their respective homes.
That evening, Shen Jiu called to ask Yun Xi how it went.
Leaning against the sofa watching a movie, Yun Xi answered, “He is a decent person.”
Shen Jiu said happily, “Are you interested in continuing?”
Yun Xi poked a piece of apple into his mouth and said indistinctly, “That depends on whether he is interested in me.”
The “White Moonlight” himself was as indifferent as a flower; he looked like he had no worldly desires. The success rate of seduction was looking low. As for the fake marriage, whether Su Yanqing would agree to the partnership was still a mystery.
After chatting casually with his father and promising to take the interaction with Su Yanqing seriously, Yun Xi hung up.
The next morning, Yun Xi felt a suffocating sense of danger in his sleep and struggled to wake up.
He snapped his eyes open, only to find the feeling of suffocation had not left. While he was still dazed, a soft, dainty “Meow” rang out.
Yun Xi slowly rolled his eyes. There, sitting regally on his chest, was a plump, long-haired grey tabby. Seeing him look over, it let out another dainty “Meow.”
Where did this cat come from?