Eugene quickly bought all the ingredients he needed and loaded them into the car’s trunk.
Even though Luo Hai kept urging him to hurry up, Eugene still found time to buy bubble tea, three skewers of barbecue, and a stick of malt candy—all of which he shoved into Luo Hai’s arms.
Of course, as a death row inmate with only a month left to live, Eugene had no money of his own to spend, so the bill naturally fell on Luo Hai.
At this point, Luo Hai was holding bubble tea in one hand, skewers in the other, and had just finished the barbecue when Eugene handed him the malt candy. His patience was running dangerously thin.
“What else do you need to buy?” Luo Hai asked, gritting his teeth. “Hurry up so we can leave.”
“Shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, soap, dish sponges, and one of those small brushes for scrubbing tile grout,” Eugene listed smoothly. Then he suddenly turned to Luo Hai and said, “Look up.”
Luo Hai instinctively obeyed, and in the next moment, something soft and fluffy was draped around his neck.
It was a white scarf, decorated with little cat patterns.
The plush fabric pressed against his skin, shielding him from the chilly air. A subtle warmth spread from his neck through his whole body.
“Return it,” Luo Hai said coldly.
“Why? It looks great!” Eugene protested. “It’s cute and warm—I spent a long time picking it out!”
“Take it back. Now.” Luo Hai’s expression remained unchanged. “Hurry up. I have my hands full.”
Eugene’s face immediately fell. If he had a tail, it would definitely be drooping pitifully right now.
With a sigh, he reluctantly removed the scarf from Luo Hai’s neck and placed it back on the store shelf. “It’s almost autumn. The weather’s going to get colder. Wouldn’t a scarf be useful? I checked your wardrobe, and you don’t even own one. Don’t you feel chilly when you go to work in winter?”
“Wearing unnecessary accessories diminishes a prosecutor’s authority,” Luo Hai stated simply.
“So strict.” Eugene chuckled. “If I had to dress like that every day, I’d go insane in less than three days.”
Luo Hai had no interest in debating fashion with a man who only had a month left to live. “I understand that we’re almost out of shampoo and body wash, but there’s still plenty of laundry detergent and soap. Why buy more?”
Eugene led him into a high-end household goods store. “Because the brands near your place aren’t the ones I usually use. I’m not used to them.”
“…You sure have high standards for a death row inmate,” Luo Hai said, exasperated.
“This is called living well, got it?” Eugene said cheerfully as he picked out products from the shelf. “I only have one month left, so every day is precious. Of course, I want to use the best things and eat the best food. I have no intention of living like you—running around nonstop, working yourself to death just to be someone else’s workhorse…”
Before Eugene could finish, Luo Hai unceremoniously shoved the malt candy into his mouth.
“You don’t need a mouth to shop. Just pick what you need.”
Eugene burst out laughing. Like a little puppy, he tilted his head back and bit down on the malt candy, then handed his selected items to Luo Hai. “That’s all. Time to check out.”
Luo Hai looked down at the items in his hands—shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, and a bar of handcrafted soap. The packaging was exquisite; it was obvious they weren’t cheap.
And without exception, all of them were mint-scented.
“……” Luo Hai’s fingers tightened slightly.
It was probably just a coincidence. It couldn’t mean anything else.
By the time they had finished shopping, paid, and stepped out of the mall, the sun was already nearing the horizon.
The clouds at the edge of the sky were set ablaze by the sunset, the vivid reds stretching far into the distance. Neon lights flickered to life, night market stalls began appearing one after another, people strolled past shop signs engaged in conversation, children clutched balloons and toys, and couples held each other close, chatting and laughing.
The brilliant red pierced through the clouds, casting fragmented shadows through the rustling leaves, breaking into scattered patches of light that landed perfectly on the shoulders of passersby.
Eugene carried the shopping bags in one hand while unabashedly wrapping his other arm around Luo Hai’s.
Luo Hai tried to step aside, but Eugene just moved in closer. In the end, when Luo Hai nearly got pushed onto the road, he had no choice but to give up, letting Eugene cling to him like an oversized, boneless slime.
The entire way, Luo Hai never let down his guard against Eugene, always keeping an eye on his movements. Yet, just like in the past few days since his release from prison, nothing happened.
From the moment they left the apartment to the completion of their shopping trip, Eugene hadn’t done anything he wasn’t supposed to.
No scheming, no deception, no suspicious behavior—almost as if he genuinely just wanted to go out shopping with him. As if there was nothing else.
Could that really be possible?
“Next time, I should take you to try the coffee on the fourth floor. That place has some of the best coffee I’ve ever had.” Eugene was still as enthusiastic as ever. “I had no idea grinding coffee had so many rules—the temperature matters, the grind size matters, even the speed at which you pour the coffee matters…”
“For a death row inmate with only a month left to live, you seem far too relaxed.” Luo Hai couldn’t help but mock him.
Eugene burst into laughter, tightening his grip on Luo Hai’s arm. “Isn’t being relaxed a good thing? I don’t have much time left—shouldn’t I at least enjoy it?”
“And what’s the point?” Luo Hai’s cold gaze locked onto Eugene. “In a month, you’ll be executed by firing squad. Everything you’ve done—besides causing countless Omegas to be arrested and executed—was meaningless. Now, you’re nothing more than a prisoner. It’s only a matter of time before your little organization is completely wiped out. You could have lived a peaceful life, given your status and abilities, yet you chose to throw yourself into the fire, throwing away your life for nothing.”
Eugene’s eyes still held a trace of amusement, but the frivolity in his smile had disappeared.
“What do you think has meaning?” he asked.
Luo Hai didn’t respond, his icy gaze remaining unchanged.
“Is literature meaningful? Is art meaningful?” Eugene grinned as he let go of Luo Hai, stretching his arms and resting them behind his head while walking backward to face him. “Is music meaningful?”
“You’re deliberately twisting the argument,” Luo Hai said.
Eugene chuckled lightly, then suddenly tilted his body to the side. “Do you see these people wandering the streets?”
Luo Hai frowned, not understanding what Eugene was trying to say.
“Men, women, children… On weekends, so many people come to the city center to shop and spend money, making the entire street lively and bustling.” Eugene looked at the bustling crowd with a smile in his eyes. “But among all these people, do you see a single Omega?”
“Unmarked Omegas aren’t allowed to go out at night, and marked Omegas are usually at home cooking at this hour.” Luo Hai’s expression remained unchanged. “That’s the way things are.”
“You’re absolutely right, Prosecutor Luo Hai.” Eugene snapped his fingers in agreement. “It’s ‘the way things are’ that there are no Omegas on the streets. It’s ‘the way things are’ that Omegas can be bought and sold like goods. It’s ‘the way things are’ that Omegas aren’t even considered human. So natural, so logical, that no one even realizes how deeply inhumane it all is.”
Luo Hai said nothing.
“So, even if some people have to sacrifice themselves, even if I am executed,” Eugene’s tone remained relaxed, his smile unwavering, “as long as I can make even a few people realize how wrong this system is, as long as a few Omegas start to believe they shouldn’t keep enduring this oppression, then everything I’ve done will have been meaningful.”
Luo Hai looked at him, then suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had just heard the most absurd joke. He laughed for a while before finally stopping.
Since the day Eugene had been arrested, this was the first time he had seen Luo Hai smile.
He looked beautiful when he smiled—his brows and eyes curved gently, his lips upturned, his delicate features alive with expression. It was enough to make anyone momentarily forget to breathe.
“You think what Alphas do to Omegas is exploitation? No—it’s rule.” Luo Hai said, his voice steady. “Without Alpha protection, not a single Omega would survive in this harsh world.”
Eugene said nothing. He simply stood there, quietly watching Luo Hai.
“You’re too arrogant.” Luo Hai spoke calmly. “Ask yourself—without an Alpha’s mark, how would an Omega safely get through their heat without being torn apart and violated to death? Without the laws and regulations set by Alphas, how would Omegas have stable lives and healthy bodies?”
Luo Hai stepped forward, closing the distance between them. “You think you’re fighting for Omega freedom, but all you’re really doing is stripping them of their right to survive. Your so-called ‘meaning’ is built on the suffering and deaths of countless Omegas. Your rebellion will only bring more misfortune upon them and throw society into chaos once again. And you, Eugene Oddis, because of your ignorance and selfishness, will go down in history as a criminal.”
Eugene looked at him, silent for a long time.
The setting sun cast its glow on the side of his face, making his eyes shine even brighter.
“So, for the sake of so-called social stability, you’re willing to sacrifice all of your own people’s freedom, dignity, and humanity? Let them be treated like objects, bought and sold at will, trampled on as others please? And anyone who refuses to accept this fate should just be executed?”
“Yes.” Luo Hai turned his head, his eyes filled with nothing but cold detachment. “If their deaths can bring stability and happiness to the majority, then let them die.”
With that, Luo Hai turned around, unlocked the trunk with his car keys, and tossed in all the household items Eugene had bought. Then, with a loud bang, he shut the trunk—shutting out the surrounding darkness along with it.
