“Here.”
Yun Xi handed the money to Su Yanqing and lectured him. “There are so many scams these days. You are so kind, so you really need to be more careful.”
After speaking, Yun Xi felt a sudden pang of guilt. After all, he was a liar too.
Fortunately, Su Yanqing did not notice his guilt. Instead, he asked, “How did you know he was not actually disabled?”
“Oh, that?” Yun Xi smiled. “There was a time when I was very interested in these scams, so I observed these beggars everywhere to see if they were real or fake. As for this gentleman, I know him.”
“You know him?”
“He was one of my main subjects of observation. I watched him for a long time and even saw exactly how he finished work with my own eyes.” Yun Xi reached out and pointed toward a very expensive car in the distance. “There, that car. Do you see it? That is his.”
As if to verify his words, the fake beggar walked back to his spot, packed up his things, hopped into that car, and drove away.
Su Yanqing was speechless.
Yun Xi laughed. “Are you surprised?”
Su Yanqing watched the car recede into the distance.
Running for a bit had made Yun Xi’s body feel warm. He took off Su Yanqing’s trench coat, hung it over his arm, and said, “I sweated a little. I will return this to you after I take it to the dry cleaners.”
Su Yanqing glanced at the coat and said, “It is fine. Do not go to the trouble.”
Yun Xi insisted, “How could I not? Besides, we live right across from each other. I will return it once it is clean. It is no trouble.”
Since it was indeed a small matter, Su Yanqing did not persist.
The two walked for a while longer before driving back to their respective homes.
Once home, Yun Xi grabbed his change of clothes and headed straight for the bathroom. He had sweated earlier, and now that it was dry, it felt sticky and uncomfortable.
After his shower, he put on his bathrobe. Just as he was about to head to the bedroom, he suddenly heard a knock at the door.
Who would be knocking at this hour?
Yun Xi’s eyes darted around. He turned back into the bathroom and studied himself in the mirror. Fresh from the bath, his face still held a flush from the hot water, and his full lips were damp and redder than usual. Even the small mole on his lip seemed more prominent.
He pulled the collar of his bathrobe a bit lower, splashed a few drops of water on his face, and then walked slowly to the door.
When he opened it, Su Yanqing was indeed standing outside, holding a box.
Taking in Yun Xi’s current appearance, Su Yanqing’s movements stiffened, and he lowered his eyes.
“Is something the matter?” Yun Xi asked.
“Nothing major. You mentioned you liked these chocolates, so I came to bring you some.” Su Yanqing opened the box, which was filled with various chocolates.
Yun Xi looked at the chocolates wrapped in colorful paper, smiled, and took them. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome.” Having delivered the gift, Su Yanqing made a move to leave.
Looking at his back, Yun Xi suddenly called out, “Wait a moment.”
Su Yanqing turned around and asked, “What is it?”
Yun Xi stepped out of his door and moved closer to him, looking up.
“The wind earlier made me feel a bit dizzy.” Yun Xi stared at Su Yanqing with misty eyes and reached out to take his hand. “Can you feel my forehead to see if I have a fever? I cannot tell, and I cannot find the thermometer.”
The Omega’s face was slightly flushed, and droplets of water clung to his skin, making him look like a fresh, succulent peach that invited a bite.
Su Yanqing’s Adam’s apple moved slightly. Following Yun Xi’s lead, he placed his hand on the fair forehead.
“It is fine. Your temperature is not high.”
The Alpha spoke, but his hand did not retract. Instead, it slid down slowly, landing on the collar of Yun Xi’s robe.
The two were standing so close that Yun Xi could almost feel the other’s breath. Yun Xi stared at him, a strange, indefinable emotion rising in his heart. Was he really just an ordinary Alpha?
However, in the next second, Su Yanqing tugged at the bathrobe collar, neatly tidying it, and then withdrew his hand.
“The weather is getting cold. You should pay more attention to how you dress.”
Yun Xi stood there in stunned silence, staring at the Alpha’s face, unable to speak.
Su Yanqing closed his door and stood leaning against it silently for a long time.
The Alpha’s mask-like gentle expression slowly peeled away, revealing a cold and gloomy interior.
After a while, the corners of his mouth curled into a harsh smile as he rasped out two words.
“Liar.”
Candy meowed at his feet. He walked into the kitchen and methodically prepared a meal for the cat.
As the bowl hit the floor, Candy immediately rushed over to eat.
Su Yanqing crouched down to watch for a moment, and a face suddenly surfaced in his mind.
It was a face that would stun anyone who saw it.
It looked like Yun Xi, but it was much more youthful than the current Yun Xi, though that mole on the lip had not changed at all.
He walked to the coffee table and pulled open a drawer. Inside was a pack of cigarettes.
He opened it; only two were missing.
Su Yanqing pulled out a cigarette and held it between his fingertips. He stared at it for a moment, then put it back into the box exactly as it was.
Replacing the cigarettes, he opened the drawer next to it. It was completely filled with chocolates.
Su Yanqing took one out, slowly tore off the wrapper, and put the chocolate into his mouth.
A bitter yet slightly sweet taste spread across his tongue. Su Yanqing remained expressionless as he bit through the chocolate. The taste reminded him of an old memory.
“Hey, who are you? This is my spot!”
A youthful Yun Xi stood with hands on his hips, frowning with dissatisfaction. His secret base, the glass flower house his father had built for him on the back hill, now had an intruder.
The sixteen-year-old Su Yanqing sat on the swing, meeting his gaze coldly without saying a word.
Yun Xi had probably just cried; his eyes were red, but his presence was not weak at all, like an angry rabbit.
“Get up, do you hear me!”
Seeing the intruder unmoved, Yun Xi bit his lower lip and began to cry in frustration. He had secretly followed his father today and discovered he was betraying his other parent. While wondering whether to tell him, he had gone to his father’s company only to witness an intimate scene between him and someone else.
Having just celebrated his thirteenth birthday, the world had collapsed for the pampered Yun Xi.
He did not know what to do, so he wanted to hide in his secret base for some peace, only to find it occupied by this stranger.
Feeling betrayed by the whole world, Yun Xi cried harder and harder. Suddenly, a tissue was handed to him.
“Stop crying. It is noisy.” Su Yanqing looked down, his face devoid of expression.
With tears in his eyes, Yun Xi gave Su Yanqing a resentful look, slapped the tissue away, and suddenly lunged into Su Yanqing’s arms, wailing loudly, determined to cover him in tears and snot.
Su Yanqing froze instantly. He had never had such close contact with anyone.
The person in his arms was much smaller than he was, and a faint floral fragrance emanated from him, which inexplicably lightened Su Yanqing’s mood.
He stared at the top of the boy’s fluffy head and wondered if it was the smell of shampoo or pheromones. Was he an Omega?
Yun Xi cried for a while, then looked up to find Su Yanqing dazed. He lectured him unhappily, “I am crying so hard, why are you not comforting me?”
Su Yanqing found it absurd. He had never seen someone demand comfort so righteously. Yet, for some reason, he still reached out, gathered the boy into his arms, and said softly, “Stop crying.”
Yun Xi was satisfied. He buried his head to continue crying, but the mood was broken, and he could not force any more tears.
He pushed the tool away and sat on the swing, interrogating him, “Who are you? I have never seen you before.”
His arms were empty now, but that faint, pleasant scent lingered in his nose. Su Yanqing glanced at Yun Xi and said calmly, “I want to ask who I am, too.”
Yun Xi thought he was refusing to answer and said unhappily, “Whatever, if you do not want to say, forget it. I do not want to know anyway.”
Su Yanqing’s lips moved slightly, but he did not speak again.
He found a stone stool and sat down.
Yun Xi observed him secretly for a long time. He felt that although this silent intruder looked incredibly gloomy, he seemed to be sad about something too.
The still-innocent Yun Xi hesitated for a moment before moving closer. He rummaged through his pockets, pulled out two chocolates, and handed one to Su Yanqing.
“Here, this is for you. My dad brought this for me from Country G. It is delicious. When I am unhappy, I eat one and I feel better immediately.”
Su Yanqing looked at Yun Xi with a hint of surprise in his eyes. Yun Xi pushed his hand forward, urging him, “Eat it quickly, my hand is getting tired.”
“Thank you.” Su Yanqing took the chocolate. During the exchange, his fingers brushed the boy’s palm; it was warm and soft.
He peeled off the wrapper and put the chocolate in his mouth, frowning. “It is bitter.”
Yun Xi ate his own and said, “It will be sweet in a moment. It is very good. Is it sweet now?”
A sweetness rose to his tongue. Su Yanqing looked down. “Yes.”
“Hey, since you ate my chocolate, should you not tell me why you are sad?”
“Sad?” Su Yanqing gave a low, cynical laugh and asked, “Do I look sad?”
“Well, not as sad as me, but still very sad.”
Su Yanqing curled his lips and asked, “Then why are you so sad?”
“Me?”
Yun Xi suddenly became sad again, his beautiful face falling. He looked at Su Yanqing and poured out all his troubles like beans from a bag.
“They are all liars,” Yun Xi accused.
“Yes, liars.”
Su Yanqing stared at the crown of Yun Xi’s head. On a sudden whim, he placed his hand on it. Realizing what he had just done, he froze.
Yun Xi thought this person had finally learned how to comfort someone, but the hand just stayed on his head without moving further.
Left with no choice, Yun Xi grabbed Su Yanqing’s wrist himself and taught him how to comfort someone properly.
Su Yanqing kept his wrist stiff, allowing Yun Xi to guide him.
“You have to stroke like this, do you understand?”
Yun Xi let go, and after a brief pause, Su Yanqing began to stroke his hair slowly.
It was so soft and smooth.
For several days in a row, the two met in the flower house. Su Yanqing did not like to talk, but Yun Xi did not mind. He treated Su Yanqing like a listening post, chatting about everything under the sun until it got dark and he had to go home.
One evening, as they were saying goodbye, Yun Xi suddenly made up his mind. He said he was going to have a talk with his parents and promised to meet him again the next day to bring him more chocolates.
However, until the day his grandfather took him to Country G, Yun Xi never appeared again.
The little liar who broke his promise.
Su Yanqing tore open another piece of chocolate. He did not eat it but held it in his hand, watching as it softened from his body heat, making his palm a sticky mess.
Thirteen years later, he still recognized Yun Xi at a single glance.
Unfortunately, this heartless little liar had long since forgotten him.
His frivolous behavior was the same as ever: flirting with a driver he did not know, drinking with an Alpha at a bar right after dumping his boyfriend, and going to that Alpha’s bed while drunk.
Curious to know exactly how decadent an Omega Yun Xi had become, Su Yanqing moved in across the hall. He installed an electronic doorbell and observed Yun Xi’s movements constantly, though he gained little from it.
That was until he saw Yun Xi’s name in the pile of blind date materials provided by his legal father.
He looked at the elderly man, who was shrouded in an aura of death and gloom, and gave a genuine smile.
“Thank you, Father.”