SMS CHAPTER 2

Yan Chengfeng was willing to admit that, deep down, he was a petty person who sought revenge for the slightest grievance.

From the start, he had planned that no matter how Zhen Ning had changed over the years, when they met again, he would use the phrase “not even fully alive” to disgust him.

But he hadn’t anticipated just how much Zhen Ning had actually changed.

When he first caught a glimpse of Zhen Ning from afar, what he felt was anger. But as he got closer and studied him carefully, an indescribable sense of shock took hold.

Right after that, a subtle, hard-to-explain, slightly twisted feeling of satisfaction surged within him.

Surprisingly, Zhen Ning was… a whole head shorter than him.

He stood straight, like a slender but resilient bamboo, yet his face was pale and calm, with no trace of having enjoyed the blessings of life in a prosperous country with good feng shui.

The only thing that hadn’t changed was his eyes: black and cold, like two pools of water with no ripples, beautiful and stagnant, almost as if they were about to freeze over.

Fitting, Yan Chengfeng thought. Maybe people without hearts all look like this.

“The air quality was indeed decent,” he heard Zhen Ning say as his thoughts wandered. “But overall, the transportation and food back home are still better.”

Meeting Yan Chengfeng’s gaze, Zhen Ning calmly added, “Thanks for asking.”

Yan Chengfeng froze for a moment.

Realizing what Zhen Ning had just said, he broke into an exasperated laugh.

“Say that again?”

But Zhen Ning seemed unwilling to continue the exchange. He averted his gaze, lowered his head, and placed his fingertips on the metal handle of his suitcase.

He softly asked Li Feng beside him, “Where’s my room?”

At a loss, Li Feng was about to speak when Yan Chengfeng strode forward, grabbed Zhen Ning’s arm, and said with gritted teeth, “…Stop right there.”

Yan Chengfeng swore to God that he truly hadn’t used any force.

He was undeniably upset and only meant to stop Zhen Ning, so he reached out and tugged at him.

But what he hadn’t expected was that with just that light pull, Zhen Ning’s body would sway, like a thin sheet of paper, stumbling under the force.

Yan Chengfeng was stunned, and a flicker of emotion finally appeared on Zhen Ning’s face.

Frowning, Zhen Ning said to Yan Chengfeng, “Let go.”

Yan Chengfeng looked thoughtful.

He studied Zhen Ning’s face in silence. Instead of releasing his grip, he raised his eyebrows, clearly intrigued.

“How strange,” Yan Chengfeng said.

Because of Zhen Ning’s stumble, the distance between them had suddenly shrunk, and it became even more apparent to Yan Chengfeng just how much of a physical disparity now existed between them.

At birth, everyone was informed of their secondary gender that they would differentiate into as adults. When Yan Chengfeng and Zhen Ning first met, they were both undifferentiated alpha teenagers.

Yan Chengfeng was the kind of person plagued by “straight alpha cancer.” Combined with the competitive nature of adolescence, even though they had been close friends at the time, he had secretly compared his height and muscles to Zhen Ning’s countless times, wishing he could be taller or stronger than him.

Back then, they had been nearly the same size.

Yan Chengfeng’s actual differentiation occurred three months after he turned eighteen—three months after Zhen Ning left China and they had their falling-out.

Carrying a deep-seated fury, Yan Chengfeng became the most rigorous trainee in the entire club and also the one who ate the most.

That year, his height and muscle mass grew rapidly as he transformed from a boy into a fully mature alpha, biologically speaking.

Sometimes, as he stood in front of the mirror, he would wonder what kind of life Zhen Ning was living in the United States. Had he also differentiated into a true alpha by now?

Had he made many new friends? Living in such an open environment, was he already partying, clubbing, or dating all kinds of omegas?

And had he ever… even for a fleeting moment, regretted the decision he made?

From eighteen to his early twenties was supposed to be the prime growth period for young men, especially alphas. Yet now, looking at Zhen Ning, it seemed as though his development had completely stalled on the day they parted.

When Yan Chengfeng grabbed Zhen Ning, his hand encircled his wrist. Even through the hoodie, he could faintly feel Zhen Ning’s wrist bones pressing into his palm.

How could he be this skinny?

The satisfaction of his vanity disappeared in an instant, and a trace of hesitation crept into Yan Chengfeng’s expression.

“How did you end up like this?” Yan Chengfeng asked, frowning.

He scrutinized Zhen Ning’s face but then realized his words might have sounded like concern. Almost immediately, he added a sarcastic comment, “…Even a starving ghost would weigh more than you. What, did the premium steaks in America come watered down or something?”

Zhen Ning didn’t respond.

He looked at Yan Chengfeng, his eyelashes fluttering, as though he had no intention of engaging with such provocative remarks. Instead, he lowered his head and tried to shake off Yan Chengfeng’s hand.

However, the strength gap between them was significant. Zhen Ning couldn’t break free, so the two of them were stuck in this position.

Standing nearby, Li Feng stepped forward with an awkward laugh and reached out to separate them. “Uh, Xiao Zhen just got off the plane and needs to rest and adjust to the time difference. Xiao Yan, don’t be—”

But Zhen Ning suddenly spoke.

He said, “America isn’t just sunshine, blue skies, and steak. As for whether I’ve been doing well or not, that’s none of your concern.”

“Yan Chengfeng.” He looked directly into Yan Chengfeng’s eyes, his voice soft. “…It’s been three years, and you still haven’t changed.”

Zhen Ning’s voice was quiet, but when Yan Chengfeng met his gaze, his heart skipped a beat.

The next second, Zhen Ning looked away, his expression calm as he added, “Still the same childish person who acts and speaks without considering the consequences—arrogant and immature.”

Li Feng wanted nothing more than to knock himself unconscious. He finally realized that in front of him were two ancestors who were absolute masters at arguing.

Yan Chengfeng was the kind of person who unleashed full-on verbal assaults, pouring out his words with force, while Zhen Ning retaliated expressionlessly, each word hitting where it hurt the most.

Li Feng got the sense that they both knew exactly where the other’s vulnerabilities were.

Zhen Ning didn’t say anything more. He turned his head and asked Li Feng, “Where’s my room?”

Li Feng hurriedly cleared his throat, realizing the best move now was to separate the two as quickly as possible. He gestured with his eyes for Zhen Ning to push his luggage and head in the opposite direction. “…This way, this way.”

Zhen Ning turned around and was about to follow Li Feng down the hallway when he heard a low voice behind him. “Zhen Ning.”

His steps faltered slightly.

After a brief pause, Zhen Ning closed his eyes and exhaled silently.

He heard Yan Chengfeng speak from behind him. “I don’t know how you had the nerve to come back, just like I don’t know why you chose to leave back then.”

“Back then, you could treat our promises as a joke. You could come and go as you pleased without any responsibility. I didn’t care because it was the youth training. I treated that time as a lesson for myself.”

Yan Chengfeng paused and continued, “But now, you’re facing a real competitive stage. Matches are everything to me, and every year I have on the field could be my last.”

“I don’t have time to waste on you anymore,” he said.

Zhen Ning blinked slowly.

In the end, he turned back. From halfway down the hallway, Zhen Ning stood in the shadows, and he could see Yan Chengfeng watching him with a grim expression.

“I don’t know how you convinced KYM to buy you back.”

He heard Yan Chengfeng say, “But as for the starting AD position, there are countless players in the second team and youth training scrambling for it. So, I can tell you with certainty that the starting position is not something you can just get if you want to.”

“Of course, that position used to be right in front of you, so close.” Yan Chengfeng sneered. “It was practically handed to you. But unfortunately, now you’ll have to climb your way back up.”

“Because not just any AD is worthy of my support. At least, the current you isn’t.” He tilted his chin up and asked coldly, “Did you hear me clearly?”