Lu Qiwen had originally not intended to show up at this birthday party.
After his pheromones went haywire, he was already feeling terrible. If not for his uncle’s sake, he wouldn’t even have bothered making an appearance. But he never expected to see Song Yu here.
Song Yu was dressed in a black-gray suit. As he walked, the full, rounded curve of his hips peeked subtly from beneath his jacket, accentuating his slender waist in an alluring way. Paired with his face, which seemed to radiate innocence and vulnerability, and his wide-eyed, slightly lost expression as he stood there looking around, he resembled a confused puppy.
Lu Qiwen immediately noticed the stirring interest of several people in the room.
In that instant, a surge of anger erupted from deep within his chest, clouding his judgment.
Lu Qiwen didn’t understand why he felt such intense rage when he saw those people looking at Song Yu that way, so much so that he wanted to gouge out their eyes and crush them underfoot.
He attributed this feeling to the fact that Song Yu had helped him through his pheromone crisis, which had triggered a temporary alpha territorial instinct toward him.
“Having fun?”
When Song Yu saw it was Lu Qiwen, his tense, struggling movements immediately stopped. He even breathed a sigh of relief. After all, he didn’t have to search for his mission target, the man had come to him on his own. How could he not be happy?
Song Yu immediately smiled at him. “I came to find you.”
“Find me?” The hostility in Lu Qiwen’s eyes vanished instantly, and the grip of his hand loosened considerably.
Seizing the opportunity, Song Yu freed himself and turned to face Lu Qiwen. “Yes, yes!”
At this moment, in Song Yu’s eyes, Lu Qiwen was no longer just a benefactor, he was someone crucial to his future happiness.
“I noticed you hadn’t returned to the dorm, and just then, Lu Zhi invited me to the party downstairs, saying you’d be here too. So I came.” Song Yu’s skill in lying was always exceptional, his face didn’t flush, and his heart didn’t race.
Lu Qiwen gazed into Song Yu’s sparkling eyes, which were now filled with his own reflection. An inexplicable ache suddenly tightened his throat. He instinctively averted his gaze, breaking eye contact with Song Yu. “Why did you come looking for me?”
“Because I sensed you needed me.” Song Yu nodded earnestly, spinning lies as effortlessly as if they cost nothing. “A drop of kindness deserves a flood of gratitude.”
“You saved me the night before last, and yesterday you bought so many things for me.”
Yet, in Lu Qiwen’s eyes, all these excuses were merely Song Yu’s way of justifying his desire to see him.
“I’ll be back in a few days. There was no need to come looking for me.”
“No!” Song Yu’s tone was resolute, his round eyes wide and unblinking. Lu Qiwen could almost see it, if he tried to send Song Yu away now, the other man would burst into tears on the spot.
“I had to see you today.”
Just then, the piano music in the venue began to play, filling the silence between them. The air grew thick with an indescribable tension that even Song Yu couldn’t put into words.
Just as Song Yu began to worry that his words might have been too sentimental and scared Lu Qiwen off, the handsome alpha took a step forward under the dim, warm light of the corner. His tall frame completely enveloped Song Yu, shielding him from view.
“What’s wrong?” Song Yu looked up as Lu Qiwen drew closer.
All he could sense was the complex, unreadable emotions swirling in Lu Qiwen’s dark, intense phoenix eyes.
“Do you understand the meaning of what you’re saying?” Lu Qiwen’s gaze was fixed intently on Song Yu, searching for any trace of insincerity in the other’s demeanor.
“I do,” Song Yu replied without flinching, standing his ground and meeting Lu Qiwen’s eyes directly. “Are you busy right now?”
Considering this possibility, Song Yu was already thinking whether it would be better to let Lu Qiwen order him around now and complete all ten side tasks in one go.
“You don’t have to.” Lu Qiwen’s lips were pressed into a thin line.
“No, it’s absolutely necessary.” Song Yu insisted firmly.
Just as Lu Qiwen was contemplating how to reject him without causing emotional harm, a teasing voice suddenly came from behind him before either could speak.
“Well, well, Lu Qiwen, I was wondering where you went. So you’re here having a secret rendezvous with someone?”
“Let me take a look, let me see.”
Lu Qiwen frowned and turned to face the newcomer, shielding Song Yu behind him. “What, are you that free now that you’ve just returned to the country?”
Upon hearing this, Lu Qilan raised her hands to her eyes and pretended to sob dramatically, “Wah! Wah! I’m going to tell Mommy you’re bullying me.”
As she spoke, she tilted her chin up, trying to catch a glimpse of the person Lu Qiwen was hiding behind him, who was completely out of sight.
Hearing the voice, Song Yu tilted his head and peeked out from behind Lu Qiwen. When he saw a stunning woman dressed in an elegant gown, his eyes widened in surprise.
A real beauty!
Lu Qilan also noticed Song Yu. To avoid blocking her view, she immediately dropped her hands and stopped her fake crying.
“Wow!” Lu Qilan strode forward and eagerly grasped Song Yu’s hand, shaking it up and down excitedly. “Hello, hello!!”
“I’m Lu Qilan, Lu Qiwen’s older sister!”
Being held by such a beautiful woman left Song Yu a bit flustered, but a blush inevitably spread across his cheeks. “H-hello.”
“Lu! Qi! Lan!” Lu Qiwen gritted his teeth.
“Hey, I heard you. I’m not deaf, no need to shout in my ear.” Lu Qilan let go of Song Yu’s hand and covered her ears, which were nearly deafened by Lu Qiwen’s yelling.
“Oh, you’re so adorable!” Seeing Song Yu’s obedient gaze, Lu Qilan couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle his fluffy, curly hair.
However, just as she was about to touch it, Lu Qiwen abruptly pulled Song Yu back behind him, glaring at Lu Qilan with extreme hostility. “You have no business here.”
“Hey, you!” Lu Qilan placed her hands on her hips, her eyes, which bore a striking resemblance to Lu Qiwen’s, narrowing slightly.
It was only then that Song Yu regained his composure and took a closer look at Lu Qilan, Lu Qiwen’s sister.
Lu Qilan stood at an impressive height of 180 centimeters. Her features closely resembled Lu Qiwen’s, though they were less sharp and carried a gentler, more approachable quality.
“Go back and find Dad. He’s missed you so much since you’ve been away for so long. Hurry up and leave.”
Lu Qiwen urged her repeatedly.
“But I still have time to say hello to him.”
“No need.”
Lu Qilan glanced at Lu Qiwen, her eyes flickering thoughtfully. She quickly pulled out her phone and opened her WeChat QR code. “Here, sweetie, add me on WeChat~”
Just as Lu Qiwen was about to snatch her phone away, he heard Song Yu agree.
Lu Qiwen: ?
Wait.
He hadn’t even added Song Yu as a friend yet. Why was Lu Qilan getting ahead of him?
“Then I’ll head off first~ You and Lu Qiwen have fun~” As she spoke, Lu Qilan was about to put away her phone, but before doing so, she waved it teasingly at Lu Qiwen, laughing with a flourish.
The provocation in her eyes was unmistakable, as if she feared Lu Qiwen might miss it. After finishing her little act, she cheerfully lifted her skirt and walked inside.
Seeing that Lu Qilan hadn’t brought Lu Qiwen along, Father Lu couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s Qiwen?”
“Him?” Lu Qilan giggled gleefully, stepping forward to hug Father Lu, who looked gentle and refined in his white suit. “He’s probably about to get a taste of his own medicine.”
However, just as she was about to embrace him, a tall alpha standing beside Father Lu stopped her. “You’re too old for this kind of behavior.”
Lu Qilan grumbled discontentedly, “I knew I shouldn’t have brought Dad back so early.”
The moment Song Yu received Lu Qilan’s friend request, his attention completely shifted away from Lu Qiwen. He opened her friend circle, and a dazzling array of beautiful photos instantly popped up.
Everyone appreciates beauty, and Song Yu politely liked every photo he saw, completely unaware that Lu Qiwen, standing right in front of him, had turned ashen-faced.
“Song Yu.”
“Ah, what’s up?” Song Yu replied absentmindedly.
But after his response, Lu Qiwen fell silent. Song Yu felt a chill on the back of his neck and looked up at Lu Qiwen.
“Did you forget something?”
Lu Qiwen was smiling, the most beautiful smile Song Yu had ever seen in his life, so captivating that he was momentarily entranced. “Wh-what?”
“What about my friend request?”
The smile vanished abruptly from Lu Qiwen’s face, and Song Yu snapped back to reality, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine.
Oh, right.
He had completely forgotten to proactively add the school bully as a friend.