As the Lunar New Year approached, the Lin’s family-run supermarket was packed with customers. The store had stocked up on fireworks, spring couplets, and decorative blessings, and bottled drinks like Fruit Orange and coconut juice were flying off the shelves.
Mr. Lin generously handed his son a 1,000-yuan red envelope to buy New Year’s goods at the mall.
Early in the morning, Lu Ziqing refused to get out of bed, so Lin Yu played the Great Compassion Mantra in his ear on loop.
Lu Ziqing sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes. “Why don’t you just take stuff from your family’s store?”
“A rabbit doesn’t eat the grass near its burrow,” Lin Yu said. “I’ve had enough of the drinks and snacks from our store. Gotta switch things up.”
After finally dragging the number-one bed hog out, they had to wait for Lin Rui, who was still dawdling in her room.
Lin Yu called out, “I won’t get you that Wangwang gift pack then.”
Five seconds later, Lin Rui stormed out of her room, fuming.
The mall was bustling with New Year shoppers. Lin Yu pushed the shopping cart in front, while Lu Ziqing and Lin Rui bickered behind him—like a parent dragging along two unruly kids.
Lu Ziqing, getting pushed around, grumbled, “Did the whole county decide to come shopping today?”
Lin Rui rolled her eyes. “It’s always like this before the New Year. Haven’t you ever been to a mall?”
“Not during the New Year,” Lu Ziqing said. “My family usually selects items from a supplier list and has them delivered to our house. That way, we get the freshest, highest-quality products. You can’t find that in a supermarket.”
Lin Rui: “…Has anyone ever told you that you’re really pretentious?”
Lu Ziqing: “Not yet. Has anyone ever told you that you’re really fierce?”
Lin Rui grabbed a pack of beef jerky and raised her voice by eight octaves: “What, you wanna find out firsthand!?”
Lu Ziqing picked up a frozen ice pop in retaliation: “Come on then, talk is cheap!”
Lin Yu held them both down: “…Can you two just calm down?”
Lin Rui: “Ge! Did you see what he said just now? He totally looks down on us!”
Lu Ziqing whined: “Baby~ I only said a couple of things, and your sister’s already trying to stab me with beef jerky.”
Lin Yu: “Both of you, shut up. If anyone causes more trouble, we’re going home.”
He turned to Lin Rui: “Do you still want that gift pack of snacks?”
Then shot a glare at Lu Ziqing: “Do you still want to spend New Year’s at my house?”
Lu Ziqing mimed zipping his lips shut.
Lin Rui huffed and looked away.
After grabbing chocolate, chips, dried fruit, rice cakes, and juice, Lin Yu suddenly remembered—they hadn’t bought sunflower seeds yet.
The best part of New Year’s was watching TV, gossiping, and cracking sunflower seeds.
Turning a corner to the nuts section, someone suddenly called out: “Lin Rui!”
A slim, clean-cut boy with a buzz cut was holding a shopping basket and waved at them.
Lin Rui looked up and greeted him: “Hey, you’re doing New Year shopping too?”
“Yeah, my parents haven’t gotten off work yet, so I came to grab a few things myself…”
Lin Rui introduced him: “This is Mo Jing, he lives in our neighborhood. We sat in front and behind each other in middle school.”
They chatted for a bit, but Mo Jing seemed visibly nervous and left soon after, making an excuse.
Lin Yu: “I don’t think I’ve heard you mention another classmate in our neighborhood.”
“He’s shy and doesn’t talk much. You guys probably haven’t run into him much,” Lin Rui tossed five or six bags of sunflower seeds into the cart. “Bet you wouldn’t guess—he’s actually an alpha.”
He really didn’t look like one.
Mo Jing was soft-spoken, gentle, and well-mannered—he seemed like a well-behaved omega.
Lin Rui explained that the time the police had to set up a cordon in their neighborhood due to an uncontrolled pheromone outburst, it was because of Mo Jing. His health was weak—he had to take a year off from school in middle school for health reasons, and last year he nearly collapsed from an excessively high heart rate during a physical test, so he had to take another break from school.
Lin Yu: “You weren’t in the same class later on. How did you two get so close?”
“We added each other on WeChat in middle school. He’d often message me, sometimes send me songs he wrote. I guess he was just bored—always stuck at home on sick leave, not many people to talk to.”
After finishing their shopping and checking out, Lin Yu and Lu Ziqing each carried a big bag of groceries to the exit—only to run into Mo Jing again.
Mo Jing was standing at the entrance. It was obvious he was waiting for them.
But when he spoke, he said, “I bought too much beef. My parents aren’t home for the next few days, so I wanted to give you guys some.”
Lin Yu glanced at Lin Rui and smiled: “Why don’t you just come over to our place for dinner tonight? My parents will be busy with the store and won’t be eating at home. I was just thinking the house might feel a bit empty—we should have some friends over.”
Mo Jing clutched the hem of his shirt. “R-Really?”
Lin Rui snatched the bag from his hands: “If we say come, then come. What’s with all the hesitation? You like singing, right? Bring your guitar over later, we’ll listen to your new songs.”
….
That evening, the Lin household was livelier than usual.
Lin Yu’s parents were usually busy with the store, he worked in another city, and Lin Rui studied away from home, so the house was often quiet.
But that night, with their parents out and Mo Jing, a high schooler, joining them—along with Lu Ziqing and Lin Rui’s constant bickering—Lin Yu felt like he was back in his school days.
After a bit of beer, Lin Yu sank lazily into the couch, listening to Mo Jing sing.
Mo Jing actually had a really nice voice—gentle and low. But the songs he wrote were oddly melancholic, with lyrics like, “Tonight, I die in your eyes,” and “A dove’s coffin is a sea of hyacinths where it finds its final rest.” Lin Yu thought it was even sadder than the Buddhist chanting he used to wake Lu Ziqing up earlier—definitely not something a kid his age should be writing.
When Mo Jing finished, Lin Yu encouraged him: “Kid, you’ve got real talent. That’s a gift—you should really develop it.”
But Mo Jing wasn’t listening.
Following his gaze, Lin Yu noticed he was staring toward Lin Rui’s bedroom, looking a little down.
Earlier, Lin Rui had taken a video call and gone to her room, missing Mo Jing’s performance.
During the entire song, Mo Jing had seemed distracted, his eyes drifting toward the bedroom now and then.
Lin Yu hesitated.
Lu Ziqing walked in from the kitchen with a plate of sliced apples and plopped down. “Hey, Xiao Mo, why are you staring at the bedroom? Don’t tell me you’ve got a crush on Lin Rui.”
Lin Yu: “…”
Mo Jing: “N-no!”
“Really?” Lu Ziqing took a loud bite of an apple. “Because you’ve been sneaking looks at her all night. When you knocked over the dish while washing veggies and she scolded you, you were smiling ear to ear.”
Mo Jing: “…”
Lin Yu smacked Lu Ziqing on the back—he was acting like a complete gossip, bullying the kid.
Lin Yu softened his tone: “Are you worried she didn’t hear you sing? Don’t worry, you can sing again when she comes out. I’d love to hear it again too.”
Mo Jing was so delicate—he looked like a finely crafted porcelain doll. Lin Yu couldn’t help lowering his voice when speaking to him, afraid he’d startle him.
Mo Jing hung his head in silence.
Just then, the bedroom door opened.
Lin Rui walked out, smiling and holding up her phone. “Ge, that strawberry that looked like a bunny—did you eat it yet?”
“It’s right here.” Lin Yu handed it to her. “Who were you video-calling?”
Lin Rui: “Oh, my boyfriend wanted to see it. He said he didn’t believe a strawberry could look like a bunny. I had to prove him wrong.”
Mo Jing froze completely.
Lin Yu was also stunned. “B-boyfriend?”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you guys?” Lin Rui said casually. “I started dating last month. He’s in the dance department too, same class as me.”
“I’m not talking to you guys anymore, we’re going to play games together.”
As the door closed, the living room fell into dead silence.
Mo Jing sat on the sofa, his guitar tilted to the side, looking completely dejected.
Lin Yu cleared his throat. “Uh, Xiao Mo…”
“Sorry for disturbing you,” Mo Jing quickly stood up, clutching his guitar. He lowered his head and said, “I just remembered I have something to do at home. I’ll be going now.”
Lin Yu didn’t even have time to stop him before Mo Jing, eyes red, ran out.
Lin Yu helplessly turned to the only other person still sitting in the living room.
“Ah, youth and love,” Lu Ziqing sighed, crossing his legs. “Truly nostalgic.”
Lin Yu rubbed his temples. “Rui Rui is really…”
“A clueless girl,” Lu Ziqing commented bluntly.
Lin Yu sighed. “Rui Rui got into a relationship and didn’t mention a word about it. I don’t even know what her boyfriend looks like or what kind of person he is…”
“Why are you suddenly acting like a traditional patriarch?” Lu Ziqing slung an arm around his shoulder and pinched his cheek. “What, you’re not happy with it? Planning to break them up?”
“I’m just worried she might get deceived.”
Lu Ziqing laughed. “She’s a grown woman. Do you really think you can control everything? Instead of worrying about her, why don’t you worry about me?”
Lin Yu: “?”
Lu Ziqing collapsed onto him dramatically. “Ugh, you’ve been so cold to me all day. No kisses, no hand-holding, like I’m some outsider. Boohoo.”
Lin Yu hesitated. “Well… there were people around…”
“There’s no one now,” Lu Ziqing pointed out. “How about a little show of affection?”
Lin Yu glanced at the tightly shut bedroom door, then quickly pecked him on the cheek.
“That’s it? Like tossing a penny to a beggar.”
Lin Yu whispered, “This is my family’s living room. What are you trying to do?”
“You.”
Lin Yu: “…Nonsense.”
Lu Ziqing clung to him like a koala, his hand sneaking under Lin Yu’s sweater to touch his smooth waist. “Have you lost weight recently? I noticed your appetite hasn’t been great since winter started. Is it too cold to eat?”
Lin Yu grabbed his hand. “Keep messing around and I’ll throw you out.”
“Then let me be homeless.” Lu Ziqing buried his face in Lin Yu’s neck like a puppy, his fingers quickly pulling down the sweater collar as he pressed warm kisses to the pale skin. His voice was muffled, “You smell so good, baby…”
The sweet scent of oranges slowly filled the air.
Their bodies were pressed together, fitting perfectly with no space in between. The soft rustling of fabric sounded strangely intimate.
The heat between them flared up like a small flame catching dry straw, burning fiercely.
Lin Yu’s face flushed red. In a panic, he smacked Lu Ziqing across the face.
Completely unprepared, Lu Ziqing tumbled onto the floor.
That was when Lin Rui opened the door. “Ge, I want some more strawberries—uh, what are you two doing?”
“Nothing,” Lin Yu said, completely straight-faced. “Just exercising.”
