Lin Kai only walked with Qiu Sui for a short stretch before waving goodbye under the streetlights and turning the corner.
Qiu Sui gripped his phone and walked on slowly alone, the wariness prickling at his back refusing to fade.
That pervert alpha I almost forgot about, he guessed in his mind, his other hand gradually clenching into a fist.
After leaving that gift box at his dorm door last time, the guy had indeed gone completely silent as promised. But calculating the days, the holiday was ending right around the time that alpha had mentioned in his texts. If he decided not to keep his word and wanted to start harassing him early, it wasn’t impossible.
That alpha’s credibility with Qiu Sui was pathetically low, after all.
He schooled his face into a stern expression and silently counted to three in his head before whipping around again. This stretch of road was brightly lit, close to the commercial district with minimal greenery—nothing to block the view. And there were plenty of pedestrians around.
Qiu Sui’s gaze swept over the ordinary figures, finding no one hiding suspiciously or built unusually tall. Irritated, he licked his lips and kept walking toward the neighborhood.
His phone buzzed twice in his pocket. His heart tightened as he quickly pulled it out, only to see messages from Shen Zhixiao asking if the dinner with friends was over.
Qiu Sui’s shoulders eased a fraction. He typed back while holding the phone: On my way home now.
Shen Zhixiao: Taking a cab alone? Won’t your stomach feel off after eating?
Qiu Sui smiled faintly and slowly typed a denial.
He kept his head down, chatting with Shen Zhixiao on his phone, but his attention flicked back every few seconds, just in case.
When he facial-scanned into the neighborhood, he shut off his screen and darted behind the entryway’s decorative wall.
Half-crouching with the flower bed for cover, Qiu Sui stealthily peeked through a vertical gap in the middle to scan outside.
The neighborhood entrance was calm, with only scattered cars passing by. No sign of the strange, suspicious figure he’d half-expected.
Am I just being paranoid?
Qiu Sui frowned slightly, staying crouched to watch a bit longer until mosquitoes bit two welts on his arms under his short sleeves. Depressed, he gave up.
Standing, he checked his phone and found several new WeChat messages from Shen Zhixiao piling up.
Shen Zhixiao: Do you play basketball a lot at school?
Shen Zhixiao: But I don’t think I’ve run into you.
Shen Zhixiao: Can you bring me next time?
Shen Zhixiao: I like basketball too.
Since he’d gone silent for several minutes, Shen Zhixiao followed up worriedly: You home yet?
Qiu Sui scratched at the itchy spots on his arm, read the messages, and replied honestly: I’m in the neighborhood garden.
The typing indicator popped up at the top of the chat. Qiu Sui quickly followed up on the earlier ones.
Qiu Sui: I don’t play at school.
Qiu Sui: Probably can’t bring you.
The typing paused briefly, then resumed.
Shen Zhixiao: Oh.
Shen Zhixiao: Why not play at school?
The real reason felt a bit petty, but Qiu Sui told the truth anyway: Not close with those guys. Awkward.
Plus, the school courts were full of competitive alphas who could turn a casual game into a friction-filled showdown, egged on by crowds of spectating omegas.
Considering Shen Zhixiao was an alpha too, Qiu Sui kept that last bit to himself.
He walked deeper into the garden as Shen Zhixiao sent a voice message. Not many people around at this hour, no familiar faces, so Qiu Sui played it out loud.
Shen Zhixiao was outside too—the background held faint chirps of insects amid the static.
He chuckled softly, then called Qiu Sui’s name in a gentle voice: “…So, are we familiar enough?”
Qiu Sui listened to that raspy tone, his fingers twitching on his arm, his steps slowing involuntarily as he mulled the question.
Me and Shen Zhixiao…
Qiu Sui had once wondered if, setting aside that dream, he might actually become friends with Shen Zhixiao. In the end, though, he’d pegged him as just a slightly closer acquaintance from the same school.
But now that he could set the dream aside, Qiu Sui couldn’t define Shen Zhixiao as a friend anymore.
Not because of that unexpected night binding them with some inescapable connection, but because he had to admit his feelings toward Shen Zhixiao were different from anyone else’s.
Shen Zhixiao had this natural pull—every movement, every word made it hard to look away.
Shen Zhixiao was hands-down the most striking alpha Qiu Sui had ever seen.
The thought had bubbled up the first time he’d laid eyes on Shen Zhixiao’s photo, even if the angle wasn’t perfect. It had still stunned him.
Qiu Sui’s lips twitched faintly. His wandering focus snapped back to the screen. Belatedly, he realized minutes had passed and slowly typed: Yeah, I guess.
Shen Zhixiao, who’d been waiting, sent a few-second voice clip.
Qiu Sui strolled through the park at a snail’s pace, stretching a few minutes’ walk into double the time as he listened to Shen Zhixiao’s clear, smooth voice.
“So, back at school, can I ask you to play basketball together?” he invited warmly. “Not the school court—some off-campus gym.”
“Just us two. No awkward strangers,” he added earnestly.
Qiu Sui’s slow steps ground to a halt as he stood by the fountain, piecing it together. He couldn’t hold back a laugh. Basketball for two? Dribbling at each other? And with Shen Zhixiao’s 1.9-meter height advantage, it’d be so unfair.
Even so, he couldn’t deny the spark of happiness. Lightly, he replied: Sure.
He stepped past the fountain, still chatting with Shen Zhixiao as he headed toward his building, only to spot Qiu Shun in a pavilion, just hanging up a call.
Qiu Shun saw him and waited, so they headed up together.
Qiu Sui hadn’t been joking when he told Shen Zhixiao his holiday was packed. His days were genuinely full: breakfast with Qiu Shun, then jiu-jitsu club in the morning; park basketball and hangs with friends in the afternoon. Sometimes during dinner rushes, he and Qiu Shun helped at a branch of the family restaurant cashiering. Only Mid-Autumn Day was spent lazing at home, making mooncakes with Mom.
He’d stayed vigilant the whole time but gained nothing by the holiday’s end. That sharp instinct from before felt like just an illusion from letting his guard down.
He’d had a blast at home, posting quite a few photos to his Moments. Shen Zhixiao liked them lightning-fast every time.
Belatedly, Qiu Sui realized he’d never checked Shen Zhixiao’s Moments. Curious, he tapped in and found no time restrictions—everything visible, posted fairly often, every couple days. He’d just never scrolled.
He opened yesterday’s latest post: the familiar restaurant table and dishes. Stunned, he flipped through it, confirming it was the one he’d mentioned. He backed out to Shen Zhixiao’s chat and messaged first for once.
Qiu Sui: You came to Stream City?
Shen Zhixiao replied instantly with landscape photos not in the post.
Shen Zhixiao: Yeah. A few days ago, I got curious about that restaurant you like. Booked a flight on impulse yesterday.
Shen Zhixiao: Tastes great.
Qiu Sui typed, Why didn’t you tell me… but remembered saying he was busy and deleted it, retyping.
Qiu Sui: You still in Stream City?
Shen Zhixiao sent a real-time photo of the apartment living room and night view Qiu Sui recognized, followed by text.
Shen Zhixiao: Lunch there yesterday, back to Sea City afternoon.
Qiu Sui stared, shocked at the tight schedule. He scrolled their chat history—Shen Zhixiao had gone silent from yesterday afternoon 5 PM for a long stretch. On the flight then…
Even though he’d said he was busy, picturing Shen Zhixiao rushing in and out, overlapping in the same district without a word, chatting casually the whole time… Qiu Sui felt a bit stuffy inside.
Shen Zhixiao messaged asking about Qiu Sui’s flight tomorrow. He saw it but didn’t want to reply right away. After a minute or two clutching his phone, he sent the time.
Coincidentally, afternoon past 5 PM, landing in Sea City around 7-8 PM.
Shen Zhixiao: That flight’ll get you back late.
Shen Zhixiao: Can I pick you up?
Qiu Sui eyed the messages, nerves loosening. His fingers hovered over the screen. Before he could type, a knock sounded at his door.
He bolted upright from bed phone in hand. Hearing Qiu Shun call him, he said come in and asked, concerned: “What’s up?”
Qiu Shun eyed his messy room and suitcase stuffed with snacks and clothes, paused half a second, then asked: “Where’s that photo album we were gonna give Qiao Keren? Couldn’t find it in the study.”
