Chapter 27

“Ugh, I hate him!” Liang Wangyou complained as he emerged from the changing room after getting dressed. “We’re not letting that omega in here ever again!”

“It’s fine,” Wen Yan said, crouching down to meet his eyes. “We’ve already vented our frustration. But you can’t say things like that anymore, okay? And you can’t do stuff like that either—got it?”

Children spoke without filters, and as a guardian, it was his duty to rein them in. When Liang Wangyou had blurted out “kill him” earlier, it had scared Wen Yan half to death. He’d scooped the boy up and hurried away.

“Anyone can sit in that spot, but he had the nerve to make you get up? I hate how he talked to you. Even your dad has to watch your mood, and that guy dared to yell at you!” Liang Wangyou kept chattering away, issuing commands left and right. “Wen Yan, carry me back!”

“So our Little You has quite the temper, doesn’t he?” Wen Yan found it endlessly amusing. “We’re not going back. Let’s go grab lunch instead, okay? I know you were trying to protect me, but first promise you won’t talk like that again—or tell the bodyguards to do anything like that. Deal?”

“Alright… I got it.” Liang Wangyou thought it over for a moment, then nodded obediently.

Just then, a little alpha boy came out of the changing room on the other side. Liang Wangyou waved him over. “Dance King, come meet Wen Yan.”

“Right away, right away.” Dance King waved off the childcare workers’ help and fumbled with his buttons as he walked, looking utterly flustered. Wen Yan couldn’t help but chuckle. What kind of things did this kid say all day? “Come meet Wen Yan”—it made him sound like some big boss everyone had to pay respects to…

“Hello, Uncle.” Dance King stood ramrod straight in front of him, collar askew and sleeve dangling. “I’m Little You’s good friend, Jin Shu. Everyone calls me Dance King.”

“Come here.” Wen Yan beckoned with a suppressed laugh. Dance King strode forward confidently, and Wen Yan undid the boy’s buttons before refastening them properly. “Thank you for earlier. That was so brave, stepping in front of me like that.”

“Mom says protecting omegas is our natural duty as alphas!” Dance King declared with solemn conviction.

“I buttoned mine all by myself,” Liang Wangyou said with a pout, pressing against Wen Yan’s leg.

“Alright then.” Wen Yan touched his cheek and undid the buttons on his shirt one by one, only to refasten them. “Happy now? Like it?”

“Look, Jin Shu!” Liang Wangyou grinned. “Isn’t Wen Yan good to me?”

“He’s good to me too.”

“The best to me—just okay to you.”

“You’re sowing discord.”

“You can’t even tell right from wrong.”

The two little alphas started bickering, but Wen Yan took one by the hand and led them to the dining area for lunch. They didn’t squabble for long before making up on their own and huddling together over their phones. Liang Wangyou proudly showed off a video of the racing convoy Liang Shijing had assembled for him, one custom super race car after another sliding past in the photo album.

“Can you enter next month’s race?” Jin Shu asked, green with envy.

“Don’t know.” Liang Wangyou shook his head. “I’m winning the taekwondo championship first, then the racing one.” He looked up from the phone. “Wen Yan, I’ll give you all the trophies. Will you spend every weekend with me from now on?”

Wen Yan smiled faintly. He inserted straws into their drinks and set them carefully in front of the boys. The weather was taking on a hint of summer heat, the sunlight filtering through the tall sycamores and prickling warmly against their skin.

“Wow, this car is so cool.”

“This engine only got second place. Check this one out.”

Wen Yan’s calm gaze drifted from the two little alphas to the endless horizon. Skyscrapers rose like steel giants at the edge of the world, reflecting harsh metallic gleams. Elevated highways twisted between them in a tangled web, cars and people flowing ceaselessly, everything caught in an eternal, mechanical churn…

“Wen Yan, I’m done eating!” Liang Wangyou announced, wiping his mouth.

“Uncle Wen, me too!” Jin Shu echoed, wiping his own.

Snapping back to the moment, Wen Yan smiled. “Want to take a little nap?”

“Horseback riding!” they chorused.

The three of them took a helicopter to the Suburban Pasture. There, Wen Yan met Liang Wangyou’s pony named Pearl—a pure white horse with sleek fur and a gentle disposition.

“Mr. Wen.” The two boys headed off to change into riding clothes, and two coaches approached with a greeting.

“Hello.” Wen Yan stroked Pearl’s cheek. “Has Little You been at this long?”

“Yes, over two years now. He comes most weekends and holidays,” one coach replied.

“Does he come alone, or with friends?”

“This little friend has been here before, but usually the Chief brings the Young Master.”

Wen Yan nodded. “Thank you.”

“Feel free to look around. Just call if you need us.” The coaches bowed and withdrew to wait outside.

The stables were impeccably clean, spacious wooden stalls dividing the space for individual horse rests. For easy access, all the outer stalls held Liang Wangyou’s ponies, while the inner ones housed the adults. Wen Yan inspected them one by one until he reached a particular stall and came to an abrupt halt. A warmblood horse with black eyes and a glossy white coat stood on the straw bedding. Spotting him, it approached and sniffed at his head.

“Cream?” Wen Yan murmured hesitantly, inexplicably knowing the name as he gently stroked its sleek neck.

Cream kicked its hooves playfully in delight and nuzzled his shoulder even more affectionately. Wen Yan tried calling out again, and the horse grew even more excited. After a moment’s thought, he went back out to the coaches. “That warmblood at the very end—is it called Cream?”

The two coaches exchanged a glance. “Yes.”

“Is it mine?” Wen Yan feigned calm, though sweat beaded in his palms. He had never been to this pasture before; until a minute ago, he hadn’t even known the Capital had such a place. He had no memory of ever riding a warmblood named Cream—yet he knew its name, and it clearly knew him. Just like the little spotted deer back at Oak Bay, it was recognizing him as its master.

“Yes,” the coaches confirmed.

“Mine…” Wen Yan whispered dazedly.

Out on the vast pasture, two ponies chased each other gleefully, the two little alphas’ laughter carrying on the sultry afternoon breeze. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Wen Yan pulled it out, and a familiar yet alien note blazed across the screen.

—He’s Very Busy Don’t Always Find Him

“Hello?” Wen Yan swiped to answer, voicing a puzzled syllable.

“Have you seen a ghost or something? Speak up,” came Liang Shijing’s low, crisp voice in his ear.

“This is your number…??” Wen Yan’s pupils dilated in shock.

“Morning meeting ran long. I just heard about what happened at the Taekwondo Hall. Still mad?” After reporting his schedule, Liang Shijing got straight to the point.

“…” Wen Yan’s mind went blank.

“Say something,” Liang Shijing said.

“I-it’s fine. Little You’s not mad anymore,” Wen Yan replied, snapping back to reality.

“What does it matter to me if he’s mad?” Liang Shijing asked.

“What do you mean?” Wen Yan glanced at his phone in confusion again.

“Are you still mad?” Liang Shijing clarified. “Give me an answer, and I’ll handle it.”

“N-not mad.” Wen Yan’s hand flew to the back of his neck, where the neck ring sat. The moment “handle it” left Liang Shijing’s lips, that small gland began to throb, pulsing with life as it sent a shiver straight to his heart, then racing through his veins to every limb.

Silence stretched over the line for a moment.

“What are you doing?” Liang Shijing asked casually, as if he had all the time in the world.

“Accompanying Little You while he rides.” Wen Yan’s words came out a bit garbled. That alpha he despised was actually concerned about him? If he said it was an alpha, would Liang Shijing step in for him? “Handle it” sounded so decisive, laced with blatant favoritism.

“Scared? Then why ride a horse? Put him on the phone. I’ll talk to him.”

“No, no, Liang Shijing… there’s something I want to ask you.”

Liang Shijing gave a low hum. Even that simple sound struck Wen Yan’s heart like a gentle hammer, sending it plummeting before it slowly rose again amid the wild pounding. The sensation was strange—floaty, itchy.

“Cream is my horse, right?”

“Yeah. The Pearl that Liang Wangyou rides is one of hers.”

“Why is she mine?” Wen Yan turned back toward the stables, gazing at Cream through the fence. “I’ve never been here before. My old pony wasn’t named Cream. Why am I her owner?”

“Think about it carefully,” Liang Shijing replied.

“That’s why I’m asking you. I can’t figure it out. And those spotted deer, and the headaches—you need to tell me why.”

“Figure it out yourself. Once you do, make a decision.”

Wen Yan didn’t understand. “Why do I have to make a decision?”

The sunlight dimmed abruptly, casting shifting shadows across the vast grassland. Lazy white clouds drifted overhead. Liang Wangyou was still galloping on horseback, and as Wen Yan watched his retreating figure, a vague inkling formed—then slipped away again.

“When are you coming home?” Liang Shijing asked flatly.

“Are you… a little sad?” Wen Yan said softly. He wasn’t sure how he sensed Liang Shijing’s mood over the phone, with no real basis for it, yet he felt utterly certain he understood the man’s shifts, discerning them even from that utterly ordinary voice.

“Come back soon. We’ll talk then.” Liang Shijing changed the subject for the fourth time. “If Liang Wangyou won’t leave, ditch him there.”

“Talk about what?” Wen Yan probed.

“Haven’t you looked at this phone?” Liang Shijing countered.

“It’s not mine. Rifling through someone else’s stuff isn’t right,” Wen Yan said. “Is it about that omega?”

Three full minutes of silence followed on the line. Then came Liang Shijing’s incredulous scoff. “Who?”

“Didn’t another omega used to live at Oak Bay? I don’t mean anything by it. Who you’re with is your business. I’m not prying. I just want to know about the horse. You can hold off on the rest for now.”

“Why don’t you just piss me off to death?” Liang Shijing said coldly.

“Huh?” Wen Yan froze, and before he could process it, the call ended. He stared blankly at the darkening phone screen. What was there to look at?

“Wen Yan, look at me!” Liang Wangyou zipped by in his helmet, and Wen Yan waved before slumping against the fence in a daze. His heart raced wildly—almost fast enough to warrant a doctor. Breathing in the scent of fresh grass, his thoughts tumbled chaotically. Did Liang Shijing have no other omega? What exactly did he mean? What did it mean for the horse and the spotted deer to recognize him as owner?

And this phone. He opened the contacts. Uh… just one entry: “He’s Very Busy Don’t Always Find Him.”

Who saved that? It sounded like someone cute but stubbornly prickly.

Wen Yan let out a long, worried sigh.

After a few more laps, the two coaches called a halt to the little alphas. A bodyguard approached. “Mr. Wen, the Chief is arriving soon. The Young Master’s friend needs to leave first.”

“Mm, okay.” Wen Yan zoned out again, though he’d done so countless times that afternoon already…

Jin Shu and Liang Wangyou apparently got along so well, yet he didn’t know the boy’s real identity. That made sense—no baggage, and it kept Liang Wangyou safe. Wen Yan went over and whispered a few words to Liang Wangyou. The boy, sweat dripping down his forehead, grumbled unhappily, “What’s he doing here again!”

“No idea. Maybe he wants to ride too,” Wen Yan said, playing along.

“Childish!” Liang Wangyou dashed over to Jin Shu and lied without missing a beat. “I’m heading home. Swimming Hall tomorrow.”

Jin Shu came over to say goodbye to Wen Yan, accompanied by his childcare worker. Looking up with his flushed little face, Jin Shu said, “Uncle, it was great meeting you. See you, Uncle.”

“See you. Safe travels,” Wen Yan said, ruffling his hair.

Jin Shu giggled, bumping Liang Wangyou’s shoulder. “Wen Wangyou, see you tomorrow!”

“Bye-bye!” Liang Wangyou grinned.

The black convoy soon departed. Wen Yan stood there in a stupor—he’d zoned out endlessly by now… Liang Wangyou tugged his sleeve. “Wen Yan, you that reluctant to see the Dance King go? Stop staring at the cars and look at me.”

Buttoning up out of jealousy, staring at cars out of jealousy.

At just five years old, already so possessive…

Wen Yan looked down into those eyes, so strikingly like Liang Shijing’s, and asked in a quavering voice, “Your outside name is Wen, right?”

Liang Wangyou, Wen Wangyou—each carrying their own beautiful hopes and blessings.

“Yeah.” Liang Wangyou messily wiped the sweat from his brow. “You can’t tell anyone about this. Especially not the Dance King. We’re best friends, but if he finds out I lied, he’ll get mad and stop playing with me.”

“You didn’t even tell me,” Wen Yan said gently, dabbing the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. It wasn’t reproach—it was guilt for realizing so late.

“I asked Dad. He said not to make a big deal out of it.”

The thundering roar of helicopter rotors echoed from the horizon. That damn Alpha had arrived…

“Truly annoying,” Liang Wangyou muttered, tilting his head up for a look.

Wen Yan glanced up too, tempted to chime in with agreement.

“You’re never happy whenever Father shows up. He knows exactly why, but he still insists on getting so close to you!” Liang Wangyou complained.

“I don’t hate him,” Wen Yan quickly explained. Liang Shijing probably despised his surname, yet he’d used it to name Liang Wangyou—which showed that Liang Shijing wasn’t just a good man, but a remarkably magnanimous one. Wen Yan went on, “You should show him a little more respect, you know? Your father has it really tough.”

“But that day, you said you hated him to death,” Liang Wangyou said, puzzled.

The entire grassy field was lashed into chaos by the gale-force winds. The massive black metal bird touched down steadily at the landing site, and the cabin door swung open from within. The S-level Alpha stepped out, fastening the buttons on his suit. Liang Wangyou watched for a moment, then seemed to remember something. He twisted around in a motion identical to the one Liang Shijing had made during that meeting the other day, shoving the water bottle into Wen Yan’s hands before charging off on his stubby little legs, yelling the whole way.

“Father, someone bullied Wen Yan today!” He launched himself forward in a flying leap, and Liang Shijing caught him effortlessly, scooping him up into his arms. “That Omega told Wen Yan to give up his seat. Wen Yan tried explaining nicely at first, but he yelled at Wen Yan!”

The little tattletale went on and on, babbling away. Wen Yan stood there in a daze, listening for a bit before he suddenly burst out laughing.