After attending Jiang Heng and Shen Huaizhi’s wedding, He Ci and Chen Xingchi went back to the Chen family home together.
Tomorrow, Chen Xingchi’s mother had invited He Ci’s mother over for a meal at their house. Since it was National Day anyway, they decided that He Ci might as well come along with Chen Xingchi. Over the past two years, the two families had grown quite close, and their mothers had developed a friendship that had evolved from deep camaraderie into something akin to a revolutionary bond.
In the Car
“He Ci, Lin Bai asked if we wanted to go back to school together after the National Day holiday,” Chen Xingchi said while replying to a message on his phone, a strange smile occasionally playing on his lips.
He Ci glanced at the top of Chen Xingchi’s head. Two years had passed, yet Chen Xingchi hadn’t changed much. Pausing for a moment, He Ci closed his eyes, feeling a bit drowsy. “What date?”
“I’ll ask. When are you going back?” Chen Xingchi said as he rapidly typed out a message.
“We’ll see,” He Ci replied, then chuckled lightly. “Thinking of making new connections again?”
“No, not at all,” Chen Xingchi said nonchalantly. “It’s just Jiang Heng’s classmate. He’s a nice guy, pretty enthusiastic. Since he brought it up, it’d be rude to turn him down.”
“Though, honestly, it’s not exactly convenient—we’d still have to take the subway separately. But since we’re all from the same city, I guess it’s fate.”
After explaining, Chen Xingchi noticed He Ci remained silent. Annoyed, he kicked him twice. “You bastard, did you fall asleep?”
He Ci’s eyelids twitched slightly, his voice faint. “No.”
Chen Xingchi made a couple of acknowledging sounds and glanced down at Lin Bai’s reply. “He said the 7th. When are you heading back?”
Sleeping in a slouched position against the seat wasn’t comfortable, so He Ci shifted, adjusted his posture, and lazily replied, “The day after tomorrow. You can go with them.”
His tone didn’t sound great—whether from exhaustion or something else, it was hard to tell.
But Chen Xingchi didn’t notice. After hesitating for a moment, he finally said, “Forget it, I’ll go with you. Why are you heading back so early anyway?”
He Ci didn’t answer.
Chen Xingchi continued talking to himself, “Just thinking about the student council recruiting new members gives me a headache. Why did I ever think joining the student council was a good idea?” Once he started complaining, he couldn’t seem to stop.
It was unclear whether He Ci was listening or not, but before long, he had dozed off.
At the Chen Family Home
When they arrived at Chen’s house, Chen Xingchi grimaced and shook He Ci awake. “You slept the whole damn way, leaving me talking to myself for half the trip.”
“I heard everything,” He Ci chuckled. “If you’re that annoyed, give me the recruitment brochure—I’ll help you announce it when the time comes.”
As he spoke, he and Chen Xingchi got out of the car and walked into the residential complex together.
“Get lost! You’re trying to trick me again! The advisor will definitely come after me if something goes wrong! How does it make sense for someone from the Secretariat to handle recruitment for the Foreign Affairs Department?” Chen Xingchi cursed as he shoved He Ci forward, both hands resting on He Ci’s shoulders. As they walked, his arms slowly slid down until he was practically hanging off He Ci’s back.
He Ci moved his shoulders and clicked his tongue. “You’re heavy as hell.”
“Am I? No way!” Chen Xingchi grinned shamelessly and even attempted to climb onto He Ci’s back, trying to make him carry him.
He Ci frowned slightly. “Don’t push your luck, stinky little brother.”
“Behave.” Without waiting for a response, he grabbed both of Chen Xingchi’s wrists, locked them in place, and dragged him forward.
The two were used to this kind of dynamic. At first, Chen Xingchi grumbled a few complaints, but after a while, he gave up and went along with it. After all, it saved him energy—most of the walking was being done by He Ci anyway, so he didn’t really mind.
By now, it was nearly midnight. Several streetlights in the residential area had gone out, leaving only a few dim ones barely illuminating the path.
Under the moonlight, the shadows of the two tall Alphas stretched long on the pavement.
Entering the House
The two of them maintained this position as they stepped inside.
Chen’s mother was sitting on the couch watching TV. Her son had gone to attend a classmate’s wedding today, and he was supposed to come home with He Ci. She figured they might be hungry by now.
Parents were strange creatures—back when Chen Xingchi was in high school, she used to argue with him all the time. They could hardly stand each other. But after he went to college and she only saw him a few times a year, every time he came home, he became the most precious thing in the world.
The TV drama was reaching an exciting moment when the door clicked open.
Chen’s mother turned her head—and immediately froze.
Her son was clinging onto He Ci’s broad back like an octopus, both arms wrapped around his neck from behind. His right hand held the house keys, with one finger lazily hooked around the keyring. Meanwhile, He Ci had one hand gripping Chen Xingchi’s right wrist—probably just after unlocking the door—while his other hand casually patted Chen Xingchi’s face. Chen Xingchi leaned in close, whispering something into He Ci’s ear with a playful smile.
He Ci was also smiling.
A sharp pang struck Chen’s mother’s forehead.
She knew her son and He Ci were close. Alphas were naturally wired to repel each other, but it wasn’t unusual for them to be sworn brothers.
Besides, she had a good impression of He Ci.
But sometimes, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were too close. Whenever she called Chen Xingchi, either He Ci was right next to him, chiming in on the conversation, or he was on his way to meet He Ci—or He Ci was coming to find him.
At first, she thought something was off. But then she reasoned with herself—two single guys clinging to each other for comfort wasn’t completely unreasonable.
But this scene right now?
This was the first time she’d seen them like this.
It was just… a little too intimate.
She had a straightforward personality, but she was still attentive to small details.
Probably because he saw his mom as soon as they opened the door, Chen Xingchi’s playful smile froze for a moment, and he toned it down slightly. He withdrew the hand that had been slapping He Ci’s face but didn’t get off his back. Instead, he pushed against the ground with his feet, urging He Ci to move forward.
He Ci paused slightly. “Auntie.”
Chen’s mother smiled. “You’re back? Did you drink?” She asked with concern before frowning at Chen Xingchi. “What’s with you clinging to him like that? You’re not a little kid anymore, not in kindergarten. Don’t you have any sense of how heavy you are?”
“…Mom!” Chen Xingchi protested, reluctantly sliding off He Ci’s back.
He Ci chuckled mockingly, only to get a kick from Chen Xingchi in return.
Chen’s mother didn’t seem to notice and asked, “Do you two want some late-night snacks? I can make something for you.”
“Chen Xingchi! Come help me!”
“Come on, Mom, I just got back too! He Ci! Come help too!” Of course, Chen Xingchi wasn’t going to let He Ci just sit around.
He Ci raised an eyebrow. “I got this, Auntie. He had a bit to drink, probably feeling a little dizzy.”
In reality, neither of them had drunk much, and with Chen Xingchi’s tolerance, he definitely wasn’t drunk.
But as soon as He Ci gave him an excuse, Chen Xingchi immediately ran with it, flopping onto the couch.
Seeing this, Chen’s mother huffed in annoyance. She didn’t treat He Ci like an outsider, so she simply dragged him into the kitchen with her.
In the Kitchen
The atmosphere in the kitchen quickly quieted down.
Chen’s mother started boiling noodles while He Ci helped wash the vegetables.
“Do you want some beef? I braised some earlier today—I was originally saving it for your mom tomorrow.” Chen’s mother suddenly spoke up.
He Ci was briefly startled before responding, “Sure, thank you, Auntie.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Over the years, Xiao Chi has relied on you a lot. That boy takes after me—his brain doesn’t work too well…”
He Ci: “…” He’d never seen someone insult their own child while dragging themselves down too.
Chen’s mother seemed to realize it too and quickly corrected herself. “I mean, in terms of personality—he’s just a little too careless.”
“He’s not that bad,” He Ci said with a small chuckle.
Although he and Chen Xingchi constantly bickered, in front of parents, he had to give him some face.
After a moment of silence, Chen’s mother suddenly asked, “Be honest with me, He Ci—has Xiao Chi started dating in college?” She had a hint of concern on her face. “I’m just worried that with his personality, he’ll get tricked and even help count the money for whoever’s scamming him.”
He Ci’s expression froze slightly.
Before he could respond, a sudden clatter came from outside, as if something had fallen to the floor.
Just as He Ci was about to step out, Chen’s mother had already pulled open the kitchen door ahead of him.
She saw Chen Xingchi holding his phone with one hand, grinning like an idiot while bending down to pick something up. Then, with a loud clap, she shut the kitchen door again.
“Is he dating someone? Why is he holding his phone and laughing like some lovesick fool?”
She muttered twice under her breath.
He Ci: “……”
Hearing this, He Ci glanced toward the living room. The kitchen door was frosted glass—those outside couldn’t see in, but from inside, he could faintly make out what was happening outside. He could only see that Chen Xingchi was still clutching his phone, likely still chatting.
Probably still talking with Lin Bai.
He hadn’t put his phone down even once on the ride back.
At that thought, He Ci’s gaze froze slightly.
“He’s dated two.” He suddenly spoke, answering Chen’s mother’s earlier question.
Chen’s mother made a surprised sound, feeling an unexpected sense of relief. “Then why did he break up both times?”
“Was it because our Xiao Chi wasn’t good enough?”
He Ci shook his head. “No, he treated them well. It’s just that the first one cheated on him, and the second one thought Chen Xingchi… wasn’t good enough.”
Chen’s mother: “…???”
Her expression was as if she had been struck by lightning.
What do you mean, ‘wasn’t good enough’???
My son is an alpha!!! What does it mean for an alpha to ‘not be good enough’???
And cheating??? What kind of nonsense is this???
“Tell me the details.” Chen’s mother steadied herself.
After hesitating for a moment, He Ci explained the situation again. He told her that the first one was just naturally unfaithful—Chen Xingchi was simply unlucky. As for the second one, well, that was purely Chen Xingchi’s own issue.
Chen’s mother didn’t doubt him. After all, the two of them were so close. If her son really had some kind of… problem, it wasn’t surprising that He Ci would know.
After He Ci finished, he seemed to realize that spilling Chen Xingchi’s personal matters like this might not have been the best idea. He glanced at the door before lowering his voice.
“Auntie, don’t say I told you. He’s always been hung up on this.”
Chen’s mother took two deep breaths, her mind filled with one haunting phrase—”My son isn’t good enough.”
As she finally calmed down, she was already considering which hospital specialized in treating… these kinds of issues. She was even contemplating breaking up her son’s future relationships with a stick.
She couldn’t let her ‘not good enough’ son go out and ruin some poor omega or beta’s life.
With a deeply troubled expression, she didn’t even notice the way He Ci’s lips curled ever so slightly.
Later, at the Table
When the noodles were served, Chen Xingchi couldn’t shake the feeling that his mom was looking at him strangely.
But he didn’t overthink it. Out of habit, he tore open a pair of chopsticks for He Ci. Then, he suddenly noticed something.
“Why do you have beef in your bowl?”
He Ci glanced at him, then noticed Chen’s mother wandering back into the kitchen.
He chuckled. “Call me ‘bro,’ and I’ll pick out two pieces for you.”
“Get lost! You think I can’t just ask my mom for some?” Chen Xingchi kicked He Ci once. Seeing that He Ci really wasn’t planning to give him any, he kicked him twice more. “Bro!”
He Ci paused mid-scoop, then wordlessly swapped their bowls of noodles.
Only then was Chen Xingchi satisfied. He muttered a few more complaints, “My mom is so biased.” Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he called out toward the kitchen, “Mom! Did you clean up the guest room? Where’s He Ci sleeping tonight?”
Chen’s mother was busy searching online for hospitals when she was caught off guard by her son’s loud voice. She jumped in surprise. “Why are you yelling?! It’s ready! Just go put out some bedding for him! The blankets are in your room’s closet!”
“Did you hear that? Later, just grab a blanket from my closet yourself.” He was mainly asking to make sure he wouldn’t have to get up in the middle of the night to set up He Ci’s bed.
He Ci knew exactly what he was thinking. “Got it. Just eat your noodles. I’ll take care of it later—and clean up your room while I’m at it.”
“That’s more like it.”
The Next Morning
Since his mom was coming over, He Ci woke up earlier than usual.
As soon as he stepped out of the room, he heard voices coming faintly from the living room.
“Yes, yes, I don’t dare bring it up to him. I’m afraid it’ll hurt his self-esteem.”
“Thank you so much, doctor. Can I bring him over for a check-up tomorrow?”
“Oh, great, great.”
He Ci: “……”
Seeing how anxious Chen’s mother sounded, he suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.
He stood by the door for a moment before quietly retreating back into his room. Since he was already awake, he pulled out his phone to check his messages.
In their four-person group chat, Shen Huaizhi had sent a bunch of red envelopes the night before. Chen Xingchi had already claimed all of them. He Ci hadn’t checked his phone much last night, so he hadn’t taken any.
There was also a message from Jiang Heng.
[Jiang Heng: When are you planning to tell him?]
It was sent at midnight—probably after he and Shen Huaizhi had finished their business and couldn’t hold back their curiosity any longer.
He Ci raised an eyebrow.
[Ci Qu Jin Nian: I’ll tell him when the time is right. We’ll see.]
[Ci Qu Jin Nian: Why are you up so late? Shouldn’t Shen Huaizhi be scolding you? Go enjoy your wedding night.]
As expected, there was no reply from the other side.
After responding to Jiang Heng, He Ci scrolled further down his messages.
Before he could finish reading, a new message from Chen Xingchi popped up.
[Chen Xingchi: You awake?]
[Ci Qu Jin Nian: Yeah, what’s up?]
[Chen Xingchi: I just had a freaking nightmare. I dreamt that my mom was chasing me, yelling that I wasn’t good enough!! Then I suddenly differentiated into an omega! Damn it, I woke up in a cold sweat.]
Chen Xingchi, his hair a complete mess like a bird’s nest, lifted his blanket and glanced at the natural reaction his body had upon waking up. He let out a slight sigh of relief.
He was already in his twenties—there was no way he could go through secondary differentiation. And with his size, how could he possibly be “not functional”?!
The more he thought about it, the more horrifying it seemed. Seeing that He Ci still hadn’t replied, he continued furiously typing.
[Chen Xingchi: I think I’ve been traumatized. I can’t let that junior mess with my psyche like this. I need to find myself a girlfriend.]
[Ci Qu Jin Nian: There’s a freshman this year, an omega, looks pretty good—fair skin, great figure. He asked me two days before National Day if our department was recruiting.]
[Chen Xingchi: ??? Why are you suddenly telling me this?]
[Ci Qu Jin Nian: He’s an omega too. If you’re interested, I can send you his WeChat.]
[Chen Xingchi: Sounds more like you’re interested. Fair skin, great figure—you’ve been observing pretty closely. When did he even talk to you? How come I didn’t know? Why didn’t he ask if our Foreign Affairs Department was recruiting?]
Just as Chen Xingchi sent the message, there was a knock on his door, followed by the chime of a new message notification and the sound of the door opening.
He Ci stood in the doorway, dressed in his sleepwear, before promptly shutting the door behind him.
“Doesn’t your hand get tired typing so much?” He Ci chuckled as he read the messages.
Chen Xingchi ruffled his messy hair. “I do what I want. When did you meet this guy?”
“The first couple of days after school started, at a department gathering. He’s the younger brother of one of our department’s officers. Why? I’ve even got pictures—wanna see?” He Ci’s tone was casual.
Chen Xingchi’s expression darkened a little. He stared at He Ci’s face for a moment, feeling inexplicably frustrated. After a while, he finally said, “Let me see.”
He Ci wasn’t surprised at all. He pulled up the picture on his phone and sent it over.
The omega freshman was undeniably good-looking—big, pretty eyes that made it obvious at a glance that he was an omega.
Chen Xingchi stared at the picture for a while before muttering, “…Forget it. He’s probably into you anyway. I won’t get in the way. Now get out—I’m going back to sleep.”
He Ci raised an eyebrow, deliberately poking at the sore spot. “Sleep? Aren’t you afraid of having another nightmare?”
The moment he brought it up, Chen Xingchi immediately shot up from the bed. Since he wasn’t wearing pajama pants, only a pair of boxers, his long legs were fully exposed to the air.
He Ci narrowed his eyes slightly.
“No more sleeping! No more sleeping! It’s definitely because my mom was looking at me weird last night. It’s better at school—I’m free there. At home, I just get scolded all the time.” Chen Xingchi rambled on.
He Ci hummed in agreement, watching as Chen Xingchi changed clothes without a care in the world. The smile on his lips deepened.
Before lunchtime even rolled around, He Ci’s mother arrived.
First, He Ci’s mother chatted with Chen’s mother for a while, then took a good look at her son and sighed, “Your high school classmates are getting married, and you’re already this old but still don’t have a partner.”
That was the downside of attending other people’s weddings—on regular days, He Ci’s mother wouldn’t bring this up. But today, after being reminded, she couldn’t help but start urging her son to find a partner.
Hearing this, Chen’s mother felt a pang of bitterness. He Ci is a normal kid—finding a partner should be easy for him. Sure, omegas were rare these days, but an alpha or a beta would still work.
Unlike Chen Xingchi… sigh, such a tragedy.
He Ci, however, didn’t seem annoyed at all. He just smiled and said, “No rush, I’m still chasing.”
His mother had been about to nag more when she was caught off guard by his words. “Huh? Still chasing? So that means you already have someone in mind? An omega or a beta? Are they good-looking? Are they as handsome as Jiang Heng? Look at you and Jiang Heng—childhood friends, but you just treated him as a brother. Now he’s married—what a waste!”
He Ci rubbed his forehead. “Jiang Heng and I were purely friends, Mom. Why do you always bring this up?”
“I just think it’s a shame! Such a great omega.” His mom sighed, then noticed Chen Xingchi and his mother looking at her. She chuckled awkwardly. “Alright, alright, I won’t mention him. So, tell me about the person you’re after? Let me remind you—don’t bully them. You alphas are all the same. If you scare your partner away, you’ll regret it later.”
“Got it…” He Ci replied helplessly.
Chen Xingchi suddenly chimed in, “They’re really good-looking. An omega.”
He had just seen the photo that morning, and now he was already telling He Ci’s mom—he was really in a hurry, huh?
“Really?”
Chen Xingchi nodded seriously, “It’s true, Auntie. I’ve seen them.”
Hearing that, He Ci shook his head. “Don’t listen to him. It’s not that person.”
“…??? Chen Xingchi was confused.
“Wait, you have someone else—!! Hey, why are you pinching me?!”
Before he could finish his sentence, He Ci, who was sitting right next to him, pinched his waist. It tickled so much that Chen Xingchi almost collapsed into He Ci’s arms.
He Ci’s mother immediately snapped, “Son! You can chase someone, but don’t you dare cheat! If you do, your father and I will break your legs!”
He Ci’s eyelid twitched. He wished he could dunk Chen Xingchi’s head into a bucket of water. “That’s not the case, Mom. Don’t worry.”
At the mention of “cheating,” Chen’s mother visibly tensed up.
Seeing her expression, He Ci’s mother set aside her concern for her son and quickly focused on her friend. “What’s wrong?”
Chen’s mother composed herself. No matter how worried she was, she couldn’t show it in front of her son. Seeing that her son was still playfully bickering with He Ci, she smiled and linked arms with her best friend, leading her into the room for some private conversation.
As soon as they left, Chen Xingchi found himself pinned down on He Ci’s lap, unable to move.
He struggled for a bit and yelled, “He Ci! Let go of your father!”
“Be quiet, little brother.”
He Ci pressed down on Chen Xingchi’s head.
Chen Xingchi’s face was buried in He Ci’s lap as he wriggled around, the two of them roughhousing like elementary school kids.
Unwilling to admit defeat, Chen Xingchi struggled even harder. “Let go, stinky little brother!”
He Ci chuckled. “Who’s the little brother here? Who’s the one who can’t get up? And what nonsense were you just spouting?”
But the next second, He Ci’s smile froze—because as Chen Xingchi wriggled, his cheek brushed against somewhere it absolutely shouldn’t have.
He was wearing thin sweatpants.
He Ci’s body went stiff.
And of course, Chen Xingchi noticed too. He immediately stopped moving, his whole body going rigid as he buried his face deeper, like an ostrich hiding in the sand. “How the hell… do you get hard from just that?”
“……”
He Ci was speechless for a moment. He let go of Chen Xingchi, but the latter still didn’t move.
He Ci held back his frustration. “A normal guy wouldn’t react from that?”
He nudged him with his knee. “Alright, get up. Stop lying there.”
Technically speaking, this wasn’t anything shocking between close guy friends.
But for some reason, Chen Xingchi suddenly recalled the times they used to shower together in the school’s public bath. He had seen He Ci’s body plenty of times before.
They were both alphas, but He Ci’s muscles were more defined—if he remembered correctly, a full six-pack.
There was definitely a difference between alphas.
The more he thought about it, the hotter his face felt.
Afraid he’d suffocate from embarrassment, he quickly sat up, stumbling over his words. “I didn’t do that on purpose just now.”
He Ci let out a low chuckle. “What, so you’re saying you did it on purpose? It’s not like you haven’t seen—”
“Shut up! Who the hell wants to see yours?” Chen Xingchi’s eyes darted around nervously, and he awkwardly crossed his legs.
If He Ci noticed his reaction, he didn’t show it. Instead, he casually handed him a slice of apple. “Call me ‘bro’ and I’ll let it slide.”
Chen Xingchi grudgingly took a bite of the apple. “Bro. Happy now?”
Yeah, that dream from this morning was definitely ridiculous.
But what the hell was up with his reaction target?
Author’s Note:
Chen Xingchi: My reputation is ruined.
