Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Do you like it?

Of course I like them. Otherwise, I wouldn't put in the effort, let alone care so much about their every move.

The young man before her was handsome, with delicate features, soft black hair, and bright eyes looking at her. His fair, rosy skin still bore the red marks left from earlier. His figure, temperament, and face—from head to toe, inside and out—were enough for Xie Wei to say "I like him."

The memory of what he witnessed as a teenager left such a deep impression on him that he was somewhat hesitant about entering into a close relationship.

Xie Wei smiled bitterly to himself. He thought he had hidden it well, but he didn't expect Xu Ziyan to expose him so easily.

He put down his work, walked over, and touched the young man's cheek.

"I like you." He said honestly, "If I didn't, we couldn't be together. It's just..."

Xu Ziyan's expression immediately tensed up.

Xie Wei smiled and said, "Do you know anything about my family? My parents are both Alphas."

Xu Ziyan said, "...I've heard a little about it."

Xie Wei didn't say much else, only saying, "For a long time, I didn't know what the so-called Alpha and Omega pheromones represented. I just naturally envied the pure feelings my parents had. Therefore, from childhood to adulthood, I always thought that my other partner would be an Alpha or a Beta."

Two Alphas from wealthy families, and their child is a top-tier Alpha—to outsiders, such a family is undoubtedly the elite of the elite. However, with both parents busy with their careers, while they provide ample care for their child's basic needs, including food, clothing, shelter, education, and entertainment, emotional neglect is inevitable.

Xie Wei grew up in such an environment, and her understanding of pheromones gradually changed.

He subconsciously resisted the approach of Omegas, believing that all relationships out of control due to pheromones stemmed from animalistic instincts and had nothing to do with heart or love.

Over the years, countless Omegas have tried to get close to him, and Xie Wei has seen all sorts of despicable methods, which makes him even more disgusted.

Xie Wei had also thought about her future partner, who would either be an Alpha or a Beta, but not an Omega.

But that day in the emergency exit, he saw Xu Ziyan curled up on the steps, suffering from the pain of her first marking.

The Omega youth, tormented by pheromones to the point of delirium, looked over with bloodshot eyes. At that moment, Xie Wei felt not disgust, but heartache and self-blame.

In fact, Xie Wei should have realized this as early as the morning of that accident, when she didn't fly into a rage or say anything cold, but instead showed concern for his health after buying him medicine.

Xu Ziyan is indeed different.

He sighed softly, took the young man's hand, and squeezed his palm: "I'm sorry for making you uneasy."

Xu Ziyan received an affirmative answer, and her heart, which had been dangling in mid-air, finally settled down heavily.

He was relieved as long as Xie Wei genuinely liked him and agreed to be with him.

As for the rest, let time take its course.

--

Time flies, and the Little New Year is just around the corner.

These days, the team members stayed in the villa, playing games and streaming, or hanging out together and having fun. Since no one was supervising them these days, they naturally went a bit crazy.

But no matter how crazy you are, the New Year still has to be celebrated.

On the day before the Lunar New Year, the whole team was given a day off to go home.

Bai Chen and Xie Wei are both locals from City A, so their homes are quite close by. If they forget anything, they can just go back to their dorm to get it.

But Shen Xiao is a meticulous guy, and since his home is in T City, the farthest city, he brought a lot of things with him, and ended up with two large suitcases.

As he packed, he didn't forget to show his camaraderie with his teammates, turning to Xu Ziyan and asking, "Ice, I remember your family is from City B, right? When are you planning to go back?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ziyan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "We'll probably set off tomorrow or the day after."

Shen Xiao said, "Then you're the last one to leave our team! Sigh, don't be sad or lonely without me by your side... Ouch!"

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Wei tapped him lightly on the back.

Shen Xiao covered his head, grimacing, and said, "Sigh, we always forget that our team, which is full of single dogs, has two traitors."

Xu Ziyan leaned against the stairs, arms crossed, watching them playfully bicker with a smile, but her heart was heavy with worry: she wondered whose house she would be forced to spend the so-called New Year with this year.

Since her parents officially separated and started their own families, Xu Ziyan's position has become quite awkward.

Even though they are both his biological parents, his existence becomes utterly superfluous to both his father and mother.

The offspring of a failed relationship, every time they appear, seems to serve as a reminder of the pain and failure of the past.

Xu Ziyan could understand this feeling to some extent, and unless something major happened, he would never contact them.

However, on such a special day as the Lunar New Year, when everyone's homes are bustling and noisy, Xu's parents would still pretend to call him home for the New Year, both out of sentiment and reason.

The two had probably discussed it privately; if one made a phone call, the other would not make any further contact.

Since the phone hadn't come this year yet, Xu Ziyan wasn't in a hurry to book tickets.

He used to rent a place to live by himself, which was quiet and lonely, so he felt that it wouldn't hurt to go back home and join in the fun.

But this year, looking at everything before her, Xu Ziyan felt that staying in the dormitory alone might be more comfortable.

The four-person team, along with Yu Guangxiu, had a simple pre-Lunar New Year's Eve dinner at the villa before going their separate ways. Shen Xiao carried his luggage to catch a night flight, arriving early the next morning, while Bai Chen and Xie Wei would leave the following day.

Yu Guangzhou was worried about the children, especially Shen Xiao. He repeatedly told him not to cause trouble while he was away during the year, and only left after receiving his guarantee.

After the festivities ended, Xu Ziyan returned to her room and breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked out the window. In the darkness, the lights of thousands of homes flickered, and the streetlights converged into long lines of light, like rivers.

A sense of melancholy washed over Xu Ziyan.

The Lunar New Year means that Xie Wei and I will have to be separated for a short period of time.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

The scent of lemon mint wafted into the house faster than the sound of knocking: "Would it be alright to open the door?"

Just like that, speak of the devil and he appears. Xu Ziyan wiped his face, composed himself, and smiled. He opened the door: "Captain."

Xie Wei stood outside the door and looked around the room. Seeing that the furnishings were still the same and there was no sign of packing, she understood.

He asked, "Can we go inside and talk?"

Xu Ziyan quickly stepped back, leaving space for Xie Wei to walk in.

Alpha entered the room and walked effortlessly to the bedside, sitting down with a posture more like the owner of the room than Xu Ziyan. He took off his coat, casually draped it over the armchair next to him, and patted the spot beside him: "Come, sit down."

After Xu Ziyan sat down as instructed, Xie Wei slowly got to the point: "Just now... Shen Xiao asked you when you were going home, and you said the day after tomorrow. Did you not manage to get a ticket, or did you really not decide on a date to go back?"

After saying that, he added, "If you can't get a ticket, I'll drive you back tomorrow. I happen to be going to City B for some business, so it'll be on my way."

With the Lunar New Year approaching, what important business could I possibly have that I could conveniently visit another city on my way?

Xu Ziyan knew Xie Wei was concerned about her, smiled, and was about to refuse when the crisp ringtone of her cell phone interrupted their conversation.

He picked up his phone and looked at it; the smile on his face immediately vanished.

The caller ID displayed on the screen read "Mom".

Xu Ziyan stood up, made an apologetic gesture to Xie Wei, and then walked straight to the balcony.

After taking a deep breath, he pressed the answer button: "Hello? Mom..."

On Xu's mother's end, there was a lot of noise. The sounds of "East Wind" and "Two of Bamboo" could be faintly heard, accompanied by crisp clinking sounds. It was easy to tell that it was happening at the mahjong table: "Ugh, this hand! Hey? Yan Yan, how have you been lately?"

Xu Ziyan gave a soft "Mmm": "It's fine."

"That's good, that's all we parents care about—hey, Lao Yang, you've really hit the jackpot!"

Xu Ziyan closed his eyes and looked up at the sky.

It was pitch black, without a single ray of light, like a huge, airtight oilcloth, heavily covering one's heart.

After laughing with someone on the other end of the phone, Xu's mother remembered that there was someone named Xu Ziyan on the other end of the line, so she quickly came back to speak: "Yanyan, the New Year is coming soon, uh... well, Xu Qiquan's idea is that you should spend it at my house."

Xu Qiquan is Xu Ziyan's father.

"My home".

Such an unfamiliar and distant name.

Xu Ziyan smiled and waited for his mother to continue.

Then, Xu's mother said with great difficulty, "But it's really inconvenient for me this year. Sigh, how about you call Xu Qiquan and ask him to take you out for the New Year? Is that alright?"

Xu Ziyan's hand on the railing slowly tightened, and he smiled as usual, "Okay. Happy New Year, Mom."

Upon hearing this, Xu's mother seemed to be taken aback for a moment before replying, "Happy New Year, Yan Yan."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Ziyan pursed her lips and lowered her head deeply, thinking: Luckily I didn't pack my luggage, otherwise I would have to put it all back now... I really did foresee the future.

Being alone in the dorm is quite nice. It's such a big villa, quiet and free, and I can do whatever I want.

If you get bored or miss Xie Wei, you can sneak into Xie Wei's room to sleep.

That's fine too.

There's nothing wrong with it.

Xu Ziyan tried hard to compose herself.

There were some negative things he didn't want to show Xie Wei.

Before Xu Ziyan could adjust, he heard the balcony door behind him being opened, and the Alpha gently but firmly wrapped his arms around his waist from behind.

The warm embrace instantly dispelled the previous coldness and emptiness. Xie Wei leaned down slightly and rested her chin on his shoulder: "Xu Ziyan."

"Would you like to come to my house for the Chinese New Year?"