DREB CHAPTER 62

Li Yan looked slightly rushed and uneasy. He glanced at Lin Sheng, who stood tall by the plastic curtain at the entrance of the noodle shop, staring straight at him.

There was no escape now. Li Yan had no choice but to greet him awkwardly.

“Been avoiding me on purpose?” Lin Sheng asked suddenly.

Li Yan scratched his head and played dumb. “No, just bad timing, probably.”

Lin Sheng watched him silently for a while, his gaze making Li Yan give in. With his shoulders slumped, Li Yan said, “I don’t understand why you’re still looking for me. I know you genuinely wanted to be friends, but I kept so much from you…”

Lin Sheng cut him off, his expression calm but serious. “I wasn’t completely genuine at first, either. I hid something, too.”

Seeing Li Yan’s stunned reaction, Lin Sheng continued, “I came back from abroad because I broke up with my girlfriend. She’s a talented fashion designer. When I saw you wearing one of her limited-edition pieces, I approached you because I wanted that item.”

Li Yan clarified, “That wasn’t mine—it was from Lu Lianning.” He wanted Lin Sheng to understand that his hopes were futile; even if he tried to get closer, Li Yan couldn’t give him the garment he was after.

However, Lin Sheng didn’t pursue the topic any further. Instead, he leaned in close to Li Yan and softly asked, “Since we both kept things from each other, doesn’t that make us even?”

For a moment, Li Yan was confused. Before he could respond, Lin Sheng pulled him into the ramen shop. “Last time, you treated me. This time, it’s on me.”

When it was Lin Sheng’s turn to treat, it was nothing like Li Yan’s stingy meal. Not only did he add sausage, egg, and chicken feet to the ramen, but he also ordered a whole table full of side dishes.

Li Yan’s eyes brightened as he slurped his noodles. After swallowing a mouthful, he chatted with Lin Sheng about random things, avoiding any mention of that day’s events.

“Don’t you have class today?”

“Nope.”

“Oh. Your campus is pretty big. I wandered around there once.”

“The ramen at our cafeteria is good too. I’ll take you to try it next time.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Hearing his gratitude, Lin Sheng raised an eyebrow. “Are you always this polite?”

Li Yan looked a little embarrassed. “I’ve always felt grateful to you.”

Lin Sheng had a hint of defiance in his voice. “Grateful for what? I haven’t really done anything for you, have I?”

Li Yan wasn’t skilled at this kind of verbal back-and-forth. In the end, he simply said, “Thank you for being willing to be my friend.” His words were sincere.

This time, it was Lin Sheng who fell silent. He lowered his head, picking at the food in front of him. As the meal drew to a close, he glanced at Li Yan, who looked completely satisfied with a simple bowl of ramen. Unable to hold back any longer, Lin Sheng said, “You know, right? Lu Lianning is engaged.”

–

Things were moving too slowly.

Song Ruan had thought this more than once. It had already been so long, yet Lu Lianning, sitting next to him, remained ever the gentleman—polite, gentle, and restrained.

It felt like he couldn’t even take half a step closer.

For the third time, Song Ruan’s hand brushed against the back of Lu Lianning’s, but whether Mr. Lu hadn’t noticed or chose to ignore it, he continued walking calmly beside him, making no move to hold his hand.

By now, it must have been forty minutes. As they stood in front of a large oil painting, Lu Lianning glanced at his watch.

Song Ruan’s legs were beginning to ache. He hadn’t expected that a date at an art exhibit would mean just walking side by side, looking at paintings.

There hadn’t been even the slightest intimate gesture.

Song Ruan bit his lip. Is he not satisfied with me?

But if he wasn’t, why had he asked me out? After all, Mr. Lu had been the one to initiate this date.

“Are you hungry? Where would you like to go for dinner?” Lu Lianning’s deep voice cut through Song Ruan’s thoughts.

“Oh, anywhere is fine.” Song Ruan flashed a sweet, obedient smile. “I’ll leave it to you, Mr. Lu.”

Lu Lianning smiled back, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. “Alright, I’ll take care of it.”

This time, they went to a Thai restaurant where the food was quite authentic. Lu Lianning was as attentive as ever, pulling out a chair for Song Ruan.

Song Ruan had pale, delicate skin and blushed easily. Often, a simple smile or gesture from Lu Lianning was enough to turn his cheeks red.

There wasn’t much conversation during dinner as Lu Lianning wasn’t particularly talkative. But for Song Ruan, just gazing at his handsome face was enough.

Halfway through the meal, Song Ruan excused himself to the restroom.

He knew Lu Lianning had booked the entire restaurant, ensuring they wouldn’t be disturbed. Looking at the omega with watery eyes and pink cheeks in the mirror, Song Ruan thought that perhaps it was time for him to take the initiative.

Someone as sweet and gentlemanly as Mr. Lu was probably just too shy.

Gritting his teeth, Song Ruan resolved to do something he’d never initiated in his twenty years of life.

But he felt it was worth it. After all, he and Lu Lianning were about to get married. A kiss, a hug, some physical contact—these were normal, right?

But Mr. Lu was just too polite. Maybe a little accident could move things forward.

Song Ruan tugged at the blocker patch on the glands at the back of his neck and deliberately loosened a corner.

As they finished the meal, Lu Lianning sniffed the air, catching a faint sweet scent, something like almond butter.

He looked at Song Ruan, whose face had turned as red as a boiled shrimp. His eyes lingered on him briefly before he frowned.

Setting down his chopsticks, he asked in a seemingly concerned tone, “What’s wrong?”

Song Ruan slowly lifted his eyes to meet his gaze and replied, “Nothing… nothing at all…”

“Why did you stop? Keep eating.” Lu Lianning pushed a plate of the signature dish toward him. “Try this, it’s delicious.”

Song Ruan’s breathing grew faster. The scent of his pheromones, which he had deliberately released in the private room, was now filling the air. Yet, Lu Lianning seemed completely unaffected.

Not wanting to offend him, Song Ruan obediently picked up some food and swallowed it, though it tasted like nothing.

Even surrounded by the sweet, enticing scent of Omega pheromones, Lu Lianning remained composed, continuing to introduce the dishes to Song Ruan.

By the time he was explaining the third one, Song Ruan couldn’t bear it any longer and said, “Mr. Lu, I’m not feeling well. Could you take me home?”

Though Lu Lianning looked regretful, he didn’t hesitate to agree.

As they walked side by side, Song Ruan’s legs wobbled—whether from actual weakness or by design, it was unclear. Lu Lianning reached out to steady him, kindly saying, “Be careful.”

Once seated in the car, Song Ruan noticed that Lu Lianning hadn’t gotten in. Instead, he had closed the door. Song Ruan rolled down the window and called softly, “Mr. Lu?”

At that moment, Lu Lianning took the blocker patch that the restaurant manager had hurriedly delivered, peeled it from its packaging, and pressed it against the back of Song Ruan’s neck.

“Don’t be so careless next time.”

With that, he nodded to the driver, who immediately started the car.

Through the rearview mirror, a dazed Song Ruan watched as Lu Lianning stepped into a sleek black Bentley with his long legs. It took a while for him to collect his thoughts. He rubbed his flushed cheeks, still feeling the warmth of Lu Lianning’s hand where the patch had been placed.

When Lu Lianning returned home, Li Yan was half-sitting on the bed while combing the cat’s fur. Noticing Lu Lianning’s arrival, he quickly opened the window to let Chonk out.

Lu Lianning didn’t allow cats in the house.

But to Li Yan’s surprise, Lu Lianning didn’t even glance his way. He quickly stripped off his clothes and headed straight for the bathroom, as if something filthy clung to him.

Li Yan sniffed the air and walked over to pick up Lu Lianning’s discarded black coat.

When Lu Lianning came out of the bathroom, he saw Li Yan curiously sniffing the coat.

Lu Lianning marched over and snatched it from his hands. “What are you doing!?”

Li Yan was already used to Lu Lianning yelling at him, so he shared his observation, “It smells like almond butter.” He blinked and added, “It’s quite nice.”

It would have been better if he hadn’t said anything. His comment prompted Lu Lianning to swing the door open, toss the coat out, and yell for the butler to throw it away.

Later that night, just as Lu Lianning thought Li Yan had fallen asleep, he suddenly said, “He’s pretty good-looking. I saw him on TV.”

Lu Lianning responded coldly, “Not tired and looking for something to do, huh?”

Li Yan quickly fell silent, mumbling into Lu Lianning’s chest, “I’m sleepy, really sleepy.”