The sight of Luo Hai with a bruised face reminded Eugene of a boy from many years ago.
Back when Luo Hai was twelve or thirteen, he was often covered in injuries.
He had been a straightforward, headstrong boy, cold and unyielding, unable to stand injustice.
If the kids at the orphanage bullied Eugene, he would step in. If thugs in town harassed a girl, he would step in. Even when the wealthy neighbor’s dog barked too aggressively at Aunt Ai, he would run over with a cold face, pick up a rock, and hurl it at the dog.
That kind of stubbornness naturally invited retaliation. For a while, no matter where Luo Hai went, there was always a bruise on his eye and a cut on his lips.
Just like now. He refused to accept anyone’s concern—either staying silent when asked about his injuries or simply running away.
The only person he wouldn’t push away was Eugene.
Even if he never said anything, he would quietly sit on the bed, leaning against the wall, letting Eugene treat his wounds while grumbling at him. He would respond with half-hearted hums but never actually listen to any advice.
Back then, Luo Hai had been vibrant—etched into Eugene’s memories in vivid colors. His sharp brows and eyes were always filled with stubborn vitality, his gaze carrying an unshakable pride. Because back then, his bruises and scars were marks of defiance.
Not proof of helplessness.
Eugene reached toward Luo Hai’s face. Before he could touch him, Luo Hai frowned and instinctively leaned back, trying to avoid his hand.
“Stay still,” Eugene muttered.
“There’s no need,” Luo Hai said coldly.
“I said there is.” Eugene grabbed the back of Luo Hai’s head and pulled him forward slightly. “I’m not stripping you naked—what’s the big deal?”
Luo Hai pursed his lips and fell silent, letting Eugene do as he pleased.
The iodine-soaked cotton swab pressed gently against his wounds, a cool sting followed by a spreading warmth.
Once Eugene finished tending to the visible injuries, he pulled back and buttoned up Luo Hai’s collar.
“There. Nothing too serious—it should heal in a couple of days. If anything feels off, go see a doctor. I’m not a medical professional—if I missed something…”
“There’s no need.” Luo Hai pushed Eugene’s hand away coldly and adjusted his collar.
Just then, the waiter arrived with the hot pot.
Thick, bubbling cheese swirled in the iron pot, filling the air with an enticing aroma.
Luo Hai sat stiffly, showing no intention of picking up his chopsticks. But after a whole day without eating, his body betrayed him—the smell of cheese made his stomach let out an embarrassingly loud growl.
Eugene couldn’t hold back a chuckle.
Luo Hai’s expression darkened as he shot Eugene a glare.
“What are you glaring at me for? I can’t fill your stomach for you.” Eugene picked up his chopsticks, swirled a piece of beef in the cheese-filled hot pot, and placed it into Luo Hai’s bowl. “Whatever it is, eat first. We can talk after you’ve filled your stomach.”
Luo Hai hesitated for a moment before finally picking up his chopsticks and silently bringing the food to his mouth.
There was something almost magical about Eugene—no matter how big the problem was, in his presence, it always seemed to boil down to nothing more than a cheese hot pot.
The hot pot was delicious. The cheese was rich and gooey, the beef tender and juicy. Paired with crispy bread cubes and sweet dipping sauce, every bite was pure bliss, leaving the mind momentarily blank.
After going an entire day without food, Luo Hai could feel the warmth of the meal spreading through his nerves and veins, chasing away the winter chill and finally restoring sensation to his limbs.
“Well? Isn’t it good?” Eugene raised an eyebrow smugly.
Luo Hai reluctantly nodded.
“The owner of this place is my senior. We used to work in the same restaurant as kitchen staff,” Eugene said with a smile, resting his chin on his hand. “He was incredibly skilled, but our boss always suppressed him, never giving him any good work—just because he was a Beta who had an Omega girlfriend. Our boss seemed to think that all Omegas in the world should serve Alphas, and that a Beta dating an Omega was stealing resources from Alphas. In the end, he couldn’t stand that stupid boss anymore and quit to find his own way. And look at him now—his restaurant has expanded into a chain, even reaching Lansai. Every mealtime, the place is packed. If I hadn’t booked in advance, we wouldn’t even be able to eat here today.”
“He was just lucky, managing to secure a piece of the market before it became saturated,” Luo Hai commented coolly as he ate another bite of cheese-covered beef and bread. “If he had quit and gone solo now, a Beta and an Omega alone, no matter how skilled, wouldn’t be able to make it. They’d only end up unemployed together.”
“Hypotheticals like that are meaningless,” Eugene waggled a finger. “The fact is, a Beta and an Omega did build a successful business without needing an Alpha at all.”
Luo Hai’s head was still throbbing, and he had no desire to argue about such a trivial topic with a terrorist leader. Instead, he focused on his food, eating in silence.
The restaurant was bustling with customers, including many families with children. A group of seven- or eight-year-olds, having finished their meals, began running around the hall, shouting loudly.
“Omega! Omega! Food made by an Omega is dirty!”
“Dirty! Dirty! Eating it will give you diarrhea!”
“It’ll poison you!”
The owner’s wife, who was the target of their mockery, stood to the side with her smile frozen in place, momentarily at a loss for how to react.
None of the adults in the restaurant spoke up to stop the children. Their parents didn’t even lift their heads, continuing their conversations and meals as if nothing had happened.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Eugene suddenly raised an eyebrow and flashed his signature lazy smile at the kids. “But you know, you might differentiate into an Omega yourselves one day.”
The boy leading the taunting—a buzz-cut kid—froze for a second, clearly startled by the idea. Then, in a fit of rage, he jumped up and shouted, “I won’t become an Omega! I’m definitely an Alpha—the strongest and most powerful Alpha! I’ll mark ten—no, a hundred Omegas!”
“Oh?” Eugene responded leisurely, as if genuinely curious. “But you do know that secondary sex differentiation is completely random, right? How can you be so sure that you won’t become an Omega?”
The boy’s eyes widened in horror, his mind clearly struggling with the possibility. The other children around him also stiffened, their faces filling with fear for the future.
“If you do become an Omega, and your little buddy turns out to be an Alpha, what then?” Eugene continued patiently. “Would you let him mark you? And what if he does—only to turn around and sell you off?”
Terror spread across the boy’s face until he finally burst into tears. As soon as he started crying, the rest of the kids followed suit, sobbing as they ran out of the restaurant, disappearing in an instant.
“Sadistic,” Luo Hai muttered under his breath.
“Not at all,” Eugene said innocently. “I was just stating the facts.”
“Bringing up such harsh realities isn’t appropriate for children that young,” Luo Hai said.
“I think it’s exactly because they’re so young that they should hear it,” Eugene replied calmly. “They need to understand that all people are born equal, that anyone could differentiate into any gender, and that they could one day become the very kind of person they look down on as lowly and worthless. If every child could grasp this, maybe we could prevent more tragedies in the future.”
Luo Hai caught the underlying message in Eugene’s words. And sure enough, after a brief pause, Eugene spoke again.
“Luo Hai, if you keep trying to survive in these conditions, one day you won’t be able to hold on anymore,” Eugene said quietly. “Come with me.”
Luo Hai’s expression instantly turned cold. He met Eugene’s gaze directly.
“I’ll have to refuse.”
His rejection was so firm, so immediate—polite yet distant—that Eugene felt a flicker of anger rise in his chest. He forced himself to suppress it, his sharp gaze locking onto Luo Hai.
“Why? Why won’t you give in, even when things have come to this? What kind of gold and silver treasures did Doyle promise you to make you so willing to sell your life to the Alphas forever? Do you even realize you’re going to die?!”
Luo Hai suddenly slammed his chopsticks onto the plate with a crisp snap.
“You’re so full of yourself, Eugene Oddis! Gold and silver? Selling my life? Do you really think I stayed in Nantes, stayed in the prosecution office, for those things?”
His gaze burned as he looked straight at Eugene. “Go with you—and then what? I lose my job, my income, my status. I’ll spend the rest of my life as a fugitive Omega, forced to rely on you, to depend on the great and almighty Alpha that you are. Is that it?”
“Luo Hai!” Eugene’s eyes blazed with anger.
“You want to talk about facts? Here’s the fact!” Luo Hai cut him off. “You, as an Alpha, can walk anywhere in the world without a care. But do you have any idea what an Omega has to sacrifice just to have the freedom I have today? If being with you means I have to give up every ounce of freedom, dignity, and choice I’ve fought for—then sorry, I’m not that noble!”
Yes.
Staying here meant dealing with the exclusion of his colleagues, unfair treatment, and Doyle’s looming shadow and pressure. But at least here, he could walk freely through the city, safely stroll down the streets, and decide for himself what to eat each day.
Compared to the hell he had once endured, this was already close enough to paradise.
Maybe one day, someone would discover his real gender. Maybe one day, Doyle would grow tired of his pet and discard him. But until he was thrown back into hell, he would cherish every second of this fleeting freedom.
And this was something Eugene, as an Alpha, would never understand.
For a long time, Eugene didn’t say a word. He just looked at Luo Hai in silence. Luo Hai couldn’t tell if his gaze held sorrow or pity, but something about it pierced deep into his heart, so he averted his eyes and stood up from the table.
The cheese hot pot still bubbled, its rich aroma filling the air, the warm steam swirling between them.
As Luo Hai turned to leave, he heard Eugene speak from behind him. His voice was unexpectedly soft and calm, as if all his earlier anger had dissipated into the mist.
“One day, you’ll understand,” Eugene said quietly. “Even the tiny bit of freedom you think you have—they won’t let you keep it forever. They just haven’t taken it yet.”
