A light shower had fallen late last night, leaving damp trails glistening on the pavement. A road bike cut through the slick patches, its smooth tires kicking up a fine spray of water.
The bike rolled into a small courtyard. A pair of well-defined hands gently squeezed the brakes, bringing the bicycle to a steady halt. A proportioned, long leg braced the frame, and then a hand lazily reached up to remove the helmet, revealing a handsome face.
Du Jinchen casually tugged at his sweat-damp bangs, pushing them back to expose a broad forehead. His fierce brow bones and sharp brow peaks framed a pair of dark ink-black eyes that radiated a lazy, unhurried gleam as he hung his helmet casually from the handlebar.
Du Jinchen swiped open his phone screen to find over a dozen WeChat notifications. Chen Wen had sent a barrage of voice messages bright and early; there was no need to listen to know what they were about. Du Jinchen lowered his gaze and tapped out a quick “Mn,” to which Chen Wen replied within a single second.
Chen Wen: “Big Brother Du, back from your morning ride? Hurry up then, what time can you get here?”
Du Jinchen strolled into the house and slipped on his slippers. The house was empty, so he grabbed a towel and headed straight into the bathroom.
Du Jinchen: “There in twenty minutes.”
Chen Wen: “Alright, no problem.”
Du Jinchen took a quick, simple shower, shed his black cycling jersey, and pulled on a hooded windbreaker. He grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and gulped down more than half of it in one go. A small mole sat right on his Adam’s apple; as he swallowed, the apple bobbed up and down, carrying the mole along with it in a motion that was both effortlessly sexy and intense.
Chen Wen’s older sister, Chen Ming, was returning to the country today. Chen Wen hadn’t seen his sister in three years, but that didn’t affect their bond in the least. The moment he heard she was coming back, Chen Wen immediately dropped everything on his hands, thumped his chest, and declared he would drive to pick her up at the airport.
However, Chen Wen had only just turned eighteen this past summer, and he had only passed the written theory test for his driver’s license. He had not even had a chance to touch a steering wheel yet. Thus, his only option was to ask his good buddy Du Jinchen to drive him to fetch his sister.
Du Jinchen picked up the keys from the shoe cabinet and brought out the car belonging to his omega dad, Xu Xian.
Early that morning, Xu Xian had deliberately left the car out for Du Jinchen, not forgetting to urge him, “Drive carefully, safety first.”
Du Jinchen wrapped an arm around his dad’s shoulders, the corners of his lips curving up as he said, “Don’t worry.”
Left feeling ignored, the Alpha stood quietly off to the side, watching Xu Xian lecture his son. Once the lecture was over, he pulled his wife into his arms and said, “No need to worry about Jin. I took him out to get familiar with the roads a couple of days ago; he drives steadily.”
Xu Xian cast a sidelong glance at Du Chengming. “You’re always like this.”
Du Chengming’s parenting philosophy was hands-off. Compared to Xu Xian’s anxieties, he placed much more value on tempering Du Jinchen’s personal capabilities.
“I’m being entirely reasonable,” Du Chengming said instinctively, moving to placate his husband. “I’m going to be late for work, and I still haven’t prepped my lecture notes. Let’s go, let’s go. Hop in my car today.”
Du Jinchen pulled the car to a stop right outside Chen Wen’s front door and gave a tap on the horn. A youthful figure bounded out the doorway, taking the steps two at a time to jump into the car. Fastening his seatbelt, he shouted, “Let’s go, let’s go!”
The engine roared to life, and the silver-gray BYD merged into the flowing traffic stream following the navigation.
Du Jinchen drove with great steadiness. When he focused, his narrow, elongated eyes grew even deeper, watching the road ahead with calm composure. The black windbreaker accentuated his sharp, imposing aura, a mechanical watch adorned his wrist where fine bluish veins peeked through, and an octagram earring flickered faintly in the dim cabin light.
At a red light, Du Jinchen rested one arm bent while his other well-defined hand gripped the steering wheel, his slender right index finger tapping lazily. His dark ink-like eyes gazed ahead with a casual, unhurried air. Even the most effortless actions, when executed by Du Jinchen, carried a completely distinct appeal.
Chen Wen leaned lazily against the car window, turning his head in boredom to look at his friend. He and Du Jinchen had been childhood friends for eighteen years; back when they were little playmates, they hadn’t felt all that different. But after coming of age and undergoing secondary gender differentiation, he had turned into a thoroughly ordinary Beta, while Du Jinchen had differentiated as an Alpha.
Watching Du Jinchen drive with such focused intensity, Chen Wen cursed inwardly, “Damn it, he’s so fucking handsome.”
The person in front of him was an entirely different person compared to the Du Jinchen who had returned from his trip to Yunxiang City last year.
Chen Wen recalled what Du Jinchen had been like during those few days. He had been withdrawn, gloomy, and muddle-headed, dragging him out every single day to drink and drown his sorrows. There had not been a shred of light in his pupils, and he refused to speak about what had happened in Yunxiang City. It was only when he was completely drunk that Du Jinchen would spit out a word or two about Jiang Chu.
He hadn’t caught the rest of whatever Jiang Chu was followed by, knowing only that it was a person’s name.
Later on, Chen Wen heard a few fragmented bits and pieces about Jiang Chu from Du Jinchen. He gathered roughly that Jiang Chu was an Omega who had crossed paths with Du Jinchen in Yunxiang City, and the two had shared a brief affair. But the person was a vagabond at heart who hadn’t taken Du Jinchen seriously at all, abandoning him without a shred of mercy once the fun was over.
Thinking about it now, Chen Wen still found it bizarre. In his impression, Du Jinchen had never been so unglued and heartbroken over anyone before; getting so blind drunk over someone was truly a first for him.
With that thought in mind, Chen Wen propped one leg over the other. “Jinchen, I see your state is a lot better now. Stop thinking about that Omega. With your qualifications, you’re hardly lacking for Omegas. Just the other day, Xiao Jin from the cycling team asked me when you were coming around. I think Xiao Jin’s pretty great; anyone with eyes can see how he feels about you. Why don’t you give it a shot with him?”
The tendons on the back of Du Jinchen’s hand tightened over the steering wheel, and a faint, thin smile twitched at the corner of his lips. “If you say one more word, I’ll toss you out right here on the highway.”
Even though Du Jinchen’s gaze hadn’t shifted an inch, Chen Wen instantly felt a chill run down his spine. He uncrossed his legs immediately, sitting up straight and proper against the seat back.
Upon arriving at the airport, Du Jinchen and Chen Wen took the accessible elevator up to the first floor. Chen Ming’s flight had been delayed, and a large crowd was currently streaming out of the arrival gate from a newly landed flight.
Holding a homemade welcome sign, Chen Wen struggled to carve a path forward, his apologies of “Excuse me” and “Pardon, let me through” echoing back-to-back.
Just as they were about to squeeze their way to the front, a passenger’s suitcase burst open in the press of the crowd, spilling its contents everywhere. Chen Wen halted his steps, thrusting the welcome sign backward. “Jinchen, hold this.”
Chen Wen crouched down to help pick up the scattered items.
Using the sign to block the surging crowd and prevent anyone from accidentally colliding with them, Du Jinchen stood guard.
Once everything was gathered and packed away, the passenger showered them with profuse expressions of gratitude. Chen Wen waved a hand with a smile, saying it was nothing, and stepped aside to let the traveler pass first.
As Chen Wen stepped backward, his lower leg accidentally bumped against the suitcase of someone behind him. The small travel case slid backward a short distance, prompting Du Jinchen to reach out a hand and yank the luggage back. In doing so, however, his shoulder accidentally brushed against someone passing by in the opposite direction. Du Jinchen quickly offered, “Sorry.”
No response came in return.
Yet, in that brief moment of contact, Du Jinchen seemed to catch a faint, elusive trace of pheromones.
A crisp and aloof scent, reminiscent of fresh snow just fallen, carrying the biting chill of approaching winter.
Du Jinchen’s mind blanked for a fraction of a second, his gaze sweeping rapidly across his surroundings, but he caught sight of no such figure hidden deep within his heart.
He immediately hitched the corner of his lips in self-mockery, thinking that it was impossible for that Omega to appear here.
Seeing that Du Jinchen hadn’t moved for quite a while, Chen Wen called out, “Jinchen, hurry up and give the case back to its owner.”
Coming back to his senses, Du Jinchen muttered a low apology, handed the suitcase back to its owner, and caught up with Chen Wen.
Chen Wen reached up to sling an arm over Du Jinchen’s shoulder, speaking in a low, excited voice, “That Omega who just brushed shoulders with you was so pretty!”
Hearing the word “pretty” instantly conjured that aloof, exquisitely carved face unbidden in Du Jinchen’s mind.
Giving Du Jinchen an elbow nudge, Chen Wen said, “Will you stop fixating on that other Omega all the time? While they haven’t gone far yet, do you want to go get their WeChat?”
Du Jinchen yanked Chen Wen’s arm off his shoulder, strode forward, and held the welcome sign high in the air, his tone flat, “Go find your sister, and stop getting distracted.”