The stinging pain on his face made the man freeze for a moment. When he heard Song Yu’s thinly veiled insult, blood rushed to his head, and his ears buzzed. “You!”
“You actually hit me?!”
Song Yu couldn’t help but laugh, revealing a single small canine tooth as he did. “Yeah.”
“I hit you. Do I need a reason or a special day for that?”
Every detail of this scene was captured by Lu Qiwen and Jiang Yuanheng.
“Wow!” Jiang Yuanheng murmured, slightly stunned. “Your roommate is like that?”
“Before, he seemed like a harmless little animal with no aggression. I didn’t expect him to have such a personality…”
Before Jiang Yuanheng could finish, he saw Lu Qiwen stand up beside him. “Where are you going?”
“You’re just a worthless adopted son of the Song family, and a beta at that! You… you actually…” The man’s eyes were red with rage as he raised a plate, ready to smash it at Song Yu.
Song Yu had already prepared to dodge, but before he could move, he saw the man get kicked hard, his bulky body collapsing onto the table and knocking everything over.
“Get lost.” Lu Qiwen stood with his back to the light, his deep eyes sharp as knives. Just by standing there quietly, the air around him seemed to freeze.
Song Yu sighed, lowering his head to look at the food scattered from the plate with a guilty expression. “Sorry, Brother Lu. It’s all my fault for not holding it properly.”
“I spent a long time picking those out.”
Song Yu wasn’t lying, having his food snatched away had genuinely angered him.
The commotion immediately caught the attention of Lu Zhi, who was standing at the center of the banquet hall.
When he saw Lu Qiwen’s figure at the heart of the disturbance, he paused for a moment before a smile crept onto his lips, and he quickened his pace.
“What’s going on here?” He pushed through the crowd and saw the guest sitting in a mess of food remnants, looking utterly disheveled.
“Pah!” The man spat out the food that had accidentally fallen into his mouth, his shoulders heaving violently as if his breath could spark flames. “Lu Zhi! What kind of people did you invite?!”
“I came here today for your birthday party, and I was bullied for no reason?!”
Lu Qiwen remained silent, his gaze fixed on the man from above, the pressure around him surging like a tide. The man’s voice gradually faded.
Lu Zhi suppressed his disgust and crouched down, carefully wiping the mess off the man’s face. Then, he turned to Lu Qiwen with a hesitant expression. “Brother Wen, today is my 18th birthday. Even if you’re unhappy, can we talk about it at home later?”
Hearing this, the people around couldn’t help but whisper.
“Is that Lu Zhi’s cousin, Lu Qiwen? Is he really an alpha? He’s so beautiful.”
“Lu Qiwen? Isn’t he the notorious bully from the neighboring high school?”
“Oh my, looking at this, he probably bullies Lu Zhi at home every day.”
As the speculations grew more and more outrageous, Lu Qiwen remained indifferent, completely unfazed by their words.
He took two steps back in disgust, intending to simply pull Song Yu away, when someone spoke up softly, their tone measured and clear enough for everyone to hear.
“So, this is a guest you invited, Young Master Lu Zhi?” Song Yu wore a look of self-reproach, his fluffy hair seeming to droop like a pair of frightened puppy ears. “I thought he was some homeless person who had snuck in, he snatched my plate right away.”
“Ah, it’s my carelessness. I forgot to memorize all the guests Young Master Lu Zhi invited, so I didn’t recognize him.”
“So, the two of you are good friends. I really failed to recognize a pearl when I saw one.”
These words practically overturned everything Lu Zhi had just said.
It wasn’t Lu Qiwen bullying others with his power, it was this man who had acted out of line and was justly dealt with.
Lu Qiwen raised an eyebrow.
He had heard such remarks countless times since childhood and never bothered to explain, too lazy.
But now, was he being defended by someone who looked so timid?
He glanced toward Song Yu, only to see the other man lower his head and meet his gaze from the corner of his eye, playfully winking.
Lu Qiwen stared at him meaningfully for a moment, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth as a low chuckle rumbled deep in his throat.
Just as the standoff persisted, Jiang Yuanheng suddenly appeared, slinging an arm over Lu Qiwen’s shoulder. “Lu Zhi, why did you invite just anyone? I saw it clearly over there, this guy has sticky fingers.”
Lu Zhi frowned slightly. He had already prepared a countermeasure, but he hadn’t expected Jiang Yuanheng to show up at this moment.
A hint of hurt flashed across his face.
Ever since they were young, he had always been closer to Brother Heng. Why did he always side with Lu Qiwen?
Was it simply because he wasn’t the eldest son of the Lu family?
Meanwhile, the few people who had initially followed the man to cause trouble for Song Yu now realized he was in the wrong from the start. Moreover, no matter what, Lu Qiwen was the eldest son of the Lu family, someone they could never afford to offend.
“That’s right, I never expected him to be like this!”
“Zhu Yi! I really misjudged you!”
Jiang Yuanheng’s tone was lazy and unhurried. “Lu Zhi, your parents will be entering soon. The most important thing now is to clean up this mess.”
“Otherwise, what will it look like when they come out and see all this?”
Hearing this, Lu Zhi’s hurt expression softened. He had always known Brother Heng was gentle, how could he treat him like this?
“Alright.” He stood up, wiping his hands, and gave Jiang Yuanheng an obedient smile. “Brother Heng, I didn’t even know when you arrived.”
“I just came to take a look. I’ll be leaving soon.”
“Leaving?” Lu Zhi looked surprised. “Brother Heng, aren’t you staying for my birthday?”
Jiang Yuanheng gave him a strange look. “I’m not the star of the show. I’ve already left my gift over there. Happy birthday.”
Lu Zhi’s hands fell to his sides. His expression stiffened for just a second before he smiled again. “Alright, Brother Heng, go ahead if you have things to attend to.”
“What, going to find your partner?” Lu Qiwen shrugged, shaking off Jiang Yuanheng’s hand.
Song Yu & Lu Zhi: Partner??!!
Song Yu’s eyes widened. Could this partner be the person he was thinking of?
Lu Zhi stared blankly at Jiang Yuanheng, his hands trembling slightly at his sides.
A significant other? Impossible! In the dream, there was no mention of Brother Heng having any significant other at this time! This must be Lu Qiwen making things up!
Seeing Song Yu lost in thought, Lu Qiwen clicked his tongue, stepped forward, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him away from the crowd.
“I said he has a significant other. Why are you spacing out?”
Jiang Yuanheng stood in place, silently raising his middle finger toward Lu Qiwen.
“No, that’s not it.” Song Yu couldn’t help but glance back at Jiang Yuanheng and Lu Zhi, who was still stunned.
The main love interest also looked shocked.
And he should be, after all, his white moonlight suddenly had a significant other without him even realizing it.
Before he could take a second look, Lu Qiwen yanked him hard.
“Still looking?”
“Is he that good-looking?”
Song Yu didn’t know why Lu Qiwen asked that, but he honestly shook his head. “No, I’m just curious why you suddenly said that.”
Lu Qiwen’s eyes shifted. “Is it strange that I know my buddy has a significant other?”
“Not strange at all!” Song Yu quickened his pace to keep up with Lu Qiwen, leaning in slightly with a gossipy tone. “Tell me, how did you find out?”
Lu Qiwen’s expression suddenly turned odd. He let go of Song Yu’s hand and pinched his cheek in a teasing manner, speaking slowly, “K-i-d-s d-o-n’-t n-e-e-d t-o k-n-o-w.”
“Stay out of grown-ups’ business.”
Song Yu: ?
“You’re only one year older than me!”
He widened his eyes in protest, his brows furrowed.
Lu Qiwen pinched him again.
“Then let me rephrase: stay out of alphas’ business.”
Song Yu angrily slapped his hand away. “If you don’t want to say it, just say so. Why bring up alphas?”
Lu Qiwen felt wronged. How could he explain that he had accidentally stumbled upon the truth?
Song Yu felt his intuition was right, that person really was Cheng Yao.
But when did these two meet and get together?
He was also quite curious about how the main love interest would react upon learning that his white moonlight was with his destined partner.
Song Yu’s thoughts spiraled, momentarily forgetting about Lu Qiwen standing beside him.
Lu Qiwen narrowed his eyes and cleared his throat heavily. “Didn’t you say you brought me food? Where is it?”
Song Yu snapped back to reality, remembering his unfinished side quest. “I’ll go get it now!”
“Forget it.” Lu Qiwen grabbed Song Yu just as he was about to dash off.
“I can’t forget it!” Song Yu stubbornly tried to break free from Lu Qiwen’s grip.
After all, this was about his future happiness.
“Stop moving!” Lu Qiwen tightened his grip, the smooth texture of Song Yu’s skin stirring up desires he had long suppressed.
“We’ll go together.”
Song Yu’s eyes widened in shock, staring blankly at Lu Qiwen as if struck by lightning.
Seeing his expression, Lu Qiwen couldn’t help but snort softly. “You can’t even get food without causing trouble. Don’t tell anyone you’re my roommate.”
“I’m only going with you because I don’t want you embarrassing me.”
Lu Qiwen headed toward a less crowded table, but Song Yu remained frozen in place.
He cleared his throat. “No need to be so excited. Hurry up, let’s eat and get back to the dorm.”
Then, as if still uneasy, he added, “Don’t overthink it.”
As for Song Yu, what more could he be thinking? It was just that he felt a bit hopeless facing his 1/10 task progress.
“Let’s go. Which ones did you specifically pick for me just now?”
With these words, the semi-transparent task page suddenly displayed 2/10, 3/10… until the task showed completion, and Song Yu’s expression still hadn’t recovered.
Song Yu mechanically walked over to Lu Qiwen’s side, placing the same food he had just picked onto his plate, while he himself absentmindedly grabbed a cup and gulped down its contents, his peripheral gaze fixed on the other’s incredibly elegant eating posture for a long time.
No matter how thick-skinned Lu Qiwen was, he couldn’t continue eating under Song Yu’s intense stare without feeling uneasy.
“Stop staring and eat quickly,” he said coldly, glancing over.
But with that glance, when he saw Song Yu’s slightly dazed eyes, his voice abruptly halted. “What are you drinking?”
“Hic.” Song Yu let out a hiccup and grinned foolishly at Lu Qiwen. “It’s just a drink.”
“It’s really sweet. Do you want to try it too?” As he spoke, he raised his half-empty wine glass to Lu Qiwen’s lips.
“It’s really good.”
Looking at Song Yu’s glistening lips opening and closing, Lu Qiwen immediately averted his gaze and moved the glass away, his voice low and hoarse. “No, thanks.”
Seeing how the other seemed to reject him with disdain, Song Yu swayed the glass in his hand, pouting as if deeply wronged.
“What’s the big deal? We’re brothers, sharing a little drink shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Brothers?”
“Yeah.” Song Yu’s remaining shred of rationality suddenly remembered that Lu Qiwen had a cleanliness obsession, and he chuckled.
“Oh right, I forgot you have a cleanliness thing!”
“Sorry, school bully! Your little sidekick will drink it himself!”
“Little sidekick?”
“Yeah!”
“Who’s my little sidekick?”
“Me, me!”
As he spoke, Song Yu picked up another glass and was about to drink again when Lu Qiwen swiftly reached out to block the rim. Song Yu’s lips ended up brushing against the back of his hand.
“Huh?” Song Yu tilted his head in confusion.
“This is alcohol,” Lu Qiwen explained patiently, a rare occurrence for him, as he firmly set the glass down. “It’s not a drink. Stop drinking.”
“No way!” Song Yu immediately straightened up. “How could something this sweet be alcohol?”
“I don’t believe it!”
Lu Qiwen decided not to argue with this drunk any further. He stood up, wrapped an arm around Song Yu, and pulled him close, heading toward the exit of the venue.
“I’ll take you back.”
“No way! You drank too, right? That’s drunk driving.” Song Yu felt his mind foggy, drifting in and out of clarity.
Lu Qiwen couldn’t help but laugh. “You even know about drunk driving?”
“Of course! I’m a good citizen!”
“Alright, good citizen, let’s go. I’ll have the driver take you back.” Lu Qiwen coaxed patiently. “You can sleep properly once you’re back in the dorm.”
After thinking it over, Song Yu felt Lu Qiwen made sense and stopped struggling. He even murmured while looking at his profile, “Are you really the school bully from the original story?”
“But why don’t you act like a bully at all?”
“And you’re so nice to me.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Lu Qiwen felt a throbbing in his temples. “Is this what you call being nice to you?”
Song Yu nodded with great seriousness, his eyes glistening brightly under the dim outdoor lights. “From my past life to this one.”
Lu Qiwen’s heart skipped a beat, but he still pulled the drunkard into the parking lot and tossed him into the back seat.
“Wait in the car. I’ll call someone to come pick you up.”
Half-lying on the seat, Song Yu stared dazedly at Lu Qiwen, who leaned against the car door with one hand, looking down at him under the moonlight while making a phone call.
Gazing at the beautiful alpha before him, Song Yu recalled Jiang Yuanheng’s general explanation of the illness Lu Qiwen suffered from, as well as the description from the later parts of the original book, where the illness had ravaged him beyond recognition.
His once-stunning face had withered like a flower, his body emaciated and gaunt, his eye sockets sunken into two dark hollows, his skin taking on an unhealthy grayish hue. The rebellious spirit he once possessed had vanished entirely.
“Mhm, right now…”
Suddenly, Song Yu lifted himself up and reached out, pulling Lu Qiwen down and wrapping his arms tightly around his neck.
Perhaps it was the alcohol taking effect, or perhaps it was a surge of emotion, or maybe even pity.
He leaned close to Lu Qiwen’s ear, his brown eyes fixed on the small red mole behind the other’s ear.
Song Yu’s voice was soft, yet every word rang clear in Lu Qiwen’s ears.
“I don’t have a scent.”
“I won’t make you uncomfortable.”