Past midnight, Xu Cong, feeling utterly unenthusiastic, ended his dinner with his cousins and planned on returning to his hotel alone.
His new phone had arrived.
But even after inserting his SIM card, his phone remained silent—Xia Yan hadn’t called.
That dampened his mood for the rest of the night.
As he was leaving, a friend tried to drag him out to continue drinking, but the omega cousin who had broken his phone panicked and pulled the friend back.
“No, no, no, Xu-ge is heartbroken these days. Don’t add fuel to the fire. A man in heartbreak is the scariest thing ever.”
Xu Cong: …Thanks. Now I feel even worse.
He returned to his hotel alone. He could have stayed at the Xu family estate, but with so many guests and staff around due to the birthday banquet, he preferred some peace and quiet. Plus, as a top celebrity, it was safer to avoid too many eyes on him.
Even his parents couldn’t argue with that and just let him be.
The room was dark. Xu Cong sat down on the sofa beside the bed.
Outside the window, the city lights blurred into a misty glow. Even at midnight, Pinggang was still ablaze with lights, each square window like a tempting haze.
He leaned back, placed his phone aside, and poured himself a drink.
Pressing his fingers to his temples, he let out a slow breath and closed his eyes.
Meanwhile—
At that exact moment, Xia Yan had already landed at Pinggang Airport.
He had managed to snag a seat on a last-minute red-eye flight, wrapping himself up tightly to avoid recognition. Fortunately, no one recognized him on the way.
As he exited the airport, a few girls gave him curious glances and whispered among themselves.
But before they could figure anything out, Xia Yan had already slipped into a taxi.
“Take me to…”
Now in the car, he hesitated. At this hour, Xu Cong obviously wouldn’t still be at the rooftop restaurant.
After a few seconds of deliberation, Xia Yan said, “Take me to Rede Hotel, the one on Li Nan Road, No. 175.”
That was where Xu Cong was staying.
Two days ago, when Xu Cong had sent a message, the corner of his hotel room had been visible in the photo. Bai Yu had casually asked about it.
Xia Yan thought—he really owed Bai Yu one. When he got back, he’d definitely send him a red envelope.
Forty minutes later, the taxi pulled up in front of Rede Hotel.
Wrapped up tightly in his disguise, Xia Yan stepped inside, but instead of heading straight upstairs, he sat down in the lobby.
He stared at his phone, hesitating to call.
Fueled by anger, he had rushed all the way here, swearing to give Xu Cong a piece of his mind.
But now that he was here, a wave of uncertainty hit him.
Was Xu Cong really upstairs?
What if he was still out with that omega who smelled like roses?
What if he ignored his call again?
All these thoughts bounced around his head like pop rocks, making him glare at his phone like it was his mortal enemy—like he might just throw it across the room.
But after just two minutes of hesitation, he still pressed the call button.
The phone rang for a long time—so long that Xia Yan almost thought it would go unanswered again.
But just at the last moment, the call connected.
A slightly drowsy voice came through the line: “Who is this?”
Who is this?!
He really had such a wonderful night that he was now too groggy to even recognize voices, huh?
Xia Yan let out a cold chuckle and answered, “Your ancestor.”
Xu Cong instantly snapped awake. “Xia Yan?”
“Who else would it be? Besides me, who else are you expecting?” Xia Yan’s voice was cold. “I’m downstairs at your hotel right now. Tell me your room number—I’m coming up to find you.”
Xu Cong was in disbelief. “You’re downstairs? Aren’t you supposed to be in the dorm?”
“Yeah. I just took a flight over.”
Xia Yan spoke calmly as he stood up. The hotel lobby was nearly empty at this late hour, the polished marble floor reflecting his shadow. His footsteps made a soft tapping sound as he walked.
He said, “In about three minutes, you’ll see me.”
Xia Yan strolled to the front desk to check in. When he pulled down his mask, the receptionist’s eyes widened for a brief second. But she maintained her professional composure, offering only a polite smile without asking any questions.
Xu Cong was in room 1829.
Xia Yan headed straight for the elevator.
Watching the numbers climb, the nervous energy that had filled him moments ago began to dissipate.
So what if Xu Cong really did have some feelings for that rose-scented omega?
Who cared about their supposed 90% compatibility?
Who cared if that omega was cute, lively, and a “real” omega?
If it came down to it, he’d just steal Xu Cong away.
Since his debut, Xia Yan had fought tooth and nail alongside Bai Yu, tearing through the industry to claim resources and awards. When it came to competition, he’d never lost.
A few minutes later, he stood in front of room 1829.
He pressed the doorbell.
From inside, there was a soft sound of footsteps. A second later—click.
The door opened.
Xu Cong stood in the doorway, still dressed in his evening attire. He didn’t look as radiant as Xia Yan had imagined. In fact, his face was a little pale, his shirt rumpled from sleep, faint creases running through the fabric. He looked… exhausted.
“What are you doing here?” Xu Cong asked. The dim lighting of the unlit room made his features indistinct, but his eyes shone brightly.
Xia Yan replied, “Are you sure you want to discuss this in the hallway? I’d rather not have us both in the headlines tomorrow.”
Xu Cong let out a helpless chuckle—Xia Yan was as straightforward as ever.
He stepped aside, allowing Xia Yan to enter, and reached for the light switch to illuminate the room.
But before he could, a hand reached out and flipped the switch back off.
With a soft click.
The room lit up for a brief second before plunging into darkness again. The sheer curtains filtered the city lights, allowing only a faint glow to seep in.
At the same time, Xu Cong was forcefully pressed against the door. A pair of familiar hands pinned him in place, a knee pressing against his.
The room was so dark that even their faces were barely visible.
All Xu Cong could feel was the warmth radiating from Xia Yan’s body, the sound of his uneven breathing.
In this pitch-black space, even if nothing indecent was happening, the atmosphere carried an undeniable tension.
And in their case, “indecent” was an understatement.
“What… what are you doing?” Xu Cong asked.
The moment Xia Yan appeared at his door, he had a vague understanding of what this was about. But he had been suppressing this desperate, one-sided love for so long that even now, with Xia Yan standing right in front of him, he couldn’t allow himself to hope. He asked, “You flew here in the middle of the night… Did something happen—”
Before he could finish, his words were abruptly cut off.
Because Xia Yan kissed him.
He pressed Xu Cong against the door, holding him as if afraid he’d run away. His lips, cold from the night air, quickly grew warm from the kiss.
Xu Cong could even taste the faint sweetness of raspberry-flavored candy.
A little sour, a little sweet—soft yet carrying a hint of sharpness.
Xia Yan must have popped it into his mouth in the elevator.
Xu Cong’s hands tightened around Xia Yan’s waist.
Their lips and tongues tangled together.
Outside, the city lights began to dim. At 3 AM, Pinggang no longer had the dazzling brilliance of midnight.
Yet in that moment, Xu Cong felt as if he were watching thousands of fireworks explode across the night sky, ushering in a new year.
This was the first time Xia Yan had ever kissed him voluntarily.
He didn’t know how much time had passed before Xia Yan finally pulled away.
The dark room echoed with their soft, uneven breaths.
Even though Xiao Yan had been the one to initiate the kiss, he now clung to Xu Cong like he was utterly spent.
Xu Cong held him, his hand brushing over his trembling shoulders, the firm line of his spine, the lean, flexible curve of his waist.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Xia Yan’s mind was blank—he didn’t know what to say.
Xu Cong, on the other hand, was afraid to break the silence, afraid that speaking would shatter this beautiful dream.
He lowered his head slightly, gazing at Xia Yan. In the dim light, he could only make out the silhouette of his face.
But that didn’t stop him from leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to Xia Yan’s forehead.
Xu Cong’s persistent advances over the past few weeks had conditioned Xia Yan to react quickly. He stiffened for a second, then slowly lifted his head, their lips meeting again.
It was different this time.
Like two shy high schoolers, their kisses were light, hesitant—completely unlike the fierce intensity from moments ago.
A peck. Then another.
Xia Yan was the first to pull away.
He muttered, “I originally came here planning to beat you up first.”
Xu Cong paused, then chuckled knowingly. “Oh? And why is that?”
As expected, Xia Yan’s anger reignited. He grabbed Xu Cong’s collar and scowled.
“You seriously have the audacity to ask? Wasn’t your dinner date with that beautiful omega wonderful? Sitting in a rooftop restaurant, gazing at the night view—opposite you was an omega who’s supposedly highly compatible with you. What a perfect evening. So perfect you couldn’t even bother answering my calls, huh?”
“Wait a minute.”
Xu Cong had been listening patiently, but at this point, he frowned and cut him off. “When did I ever ignore your calls?”
“Huh?”
Still trying to argue?
Xia Yan grew even angrier. “You definitely did! Right around midnight. I called you seven or eight times, and you didn’t answer a single one. I had just left the event, and the moment I stepped out, I saw the photo you sent me. Do you have any idea…”
How much it hurt?
He couldn’t bring himself to say those last few words, biting his lip instead.
Xu Cong had already realized what had happened.
Right—his cousin had broken his phone, and there had been that half-hour delay.
During that time, Xia Yan had called him seven or eight times.
And after he switched to a new phone, for some reason, those missed calls never showed up.
Just like that—such a ridiculous coincidence…
Xu Cong’s expression turned slightly complicated.
He thought, not giving his cousin a good beating tonight was definitely an oversight on his part.
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.
He said softly, “I didn’t ignore your calls. My phone just happened to be broken at the time, so I couldn’t answer. If you don’t believe me, I can show you the old phone later.”
He explained to Xia Yan, “If I had known you were calling, I wouldn’t have waited even a second. I would have walked straight out of that restaurant and gone to find a store to replace my phone.”
Xia Yan’s expression was skeptical—it was too much of a coincidence. But then again, a broken phone was hard to fake, and Xu Cong had never lied to him before.
His expression eased a little.
“Alright… I thought you were actually ignoring my calls,” he muttered, finally releasing Xu Cong’s collar.
But before he could step back, Xu Cong caught him again.
Xu Cong gripped his shoulders tightly, giving him no chance to escape.
“I’ve explained myself,” Xu Cong said. “Now it’s your turn, Xia Yan. Why did you call me so many times?”
Xia Yan’s heart trembled.
Yeah.
He had called Xu Cong over and over, but if the call had gone through—what had he wanted to say?
His lips moved slightly.
Because of Xu Cong’s question, the air in the room suddenly became thick, stifling.
It felt like the air had been sucked out of the space, making Xia Yan’s chest rise and fall in rapid breaths, his head buzzing, drowning him in a whirlwind of emotions.
He had never confessed to anyone before.
Never said anything about love.
He never thought those things had anything to do with him.
He used to say he liked beautiful, long-legged elegant omegas, but honestly, it was just like how people idolized fictional characters—it was never real.
But now, with his hands gripping Xu Cong’s shirt, he had to say it out loud for the first time.
And to Xu Cong—his closest teammate, his most important friend.
For a split second, Xia Yan really wanted to dig a hole and crawl inside.
But he shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and went for it.
“Because I don’t want you dating someone else. I don’t want to see you sitting across from someone at dinner, especially not in a restaurant we used to go to together. When I saw that photo, I wanted to reach inside the screen and drag you out of there.”
His hands clenched tighter around Xu Cong’s shirt, knuckles going white, as if that was the only way to be sure Xu Cong was really in front of him. His voice shook slightly, but there was no hesitation.
“I regret it. The blind dates, that Omega with the rose-scented pheromones—they can all go to hell. I used to think maybe I didn’t like you enough, that I was hesitating, unsure of my own feelings. So when you met someone better, I thought… why not let you try? But now I know how stupid that was.”
Xia Yan’s grip was tight, fingers wrapped around the metal buttons of Xu Cong’s shirt. The hard edges dug into his palm, sharp and painful—just like the ache in his chest.
He stared at Xu Cong, and even in the darkness, he could still make out his silhouette.
“I can’t… I can’t imagine life without you. I like you. I want you by my side. Just like you promised me before we debuted at nineteen. You said you’d be there for every important moment in my life.”
“So when you didn’t answer my calls, I got on a plane. No matter how far, I had to be here, right in front of you.
I knew… I knew there was probably some reasonable explanation. Maybe something had just gone wrong with your phone, and if I waited, you’d call me back.
But I didn’t want to wait. I just wanted to see you—immediately.”
Xia Yan said this, and honestly, it was kind of embarrassing.
His eyes were brimming with tears, hanging onto the edge of his lashes. The moment he blinked, a single drop slipped down his cheek.
How could he ever have thought he didn’t like this person?
How stupid.
He was completely, utterly in love.
So much that he couldn’t bear to waste a single second.
So much that he flew across the country just to stand here, in front of Xu Cong.
He said, “Because—even if there’s only a one-in-ten-thousand chance—I can’t let you belong to someone else.”
Even if Xu Cong really had been sharing a romantic night with that rose-scented omega—Xia Yan would have dug him out of there no matter what.
“I know I took too long to figure things out. If you’re mad, you have every right to be. You can yell at me if you want—”
But before Xia Yan could finish, Xu Cong suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace.
Xu Cong held onto him like his life depended on it.
He kissed Xia Yan’s cheek. His eyes. His lips.
And almost at the same time, he shut his eyes, a single tear rolling down his own face—hot, burning.
“It’s not too late,” Xu Cong whispered. “As long as you say you love me, it’s never too late.”
He had waited since he was eighteen.
For countless nights, he’d stared at Xia Yan’s face, thinking this person was like a rising star—so close, yet always out of reach.
He had spent endless nights tossing and turning, consumed by longing.
But now, that star had finally fallen into his hands.
All the pain he had suffered before could be wiped away in an instant.
Because it had simply been a road paved with flowers and thorns leading him to Xia Yan.
“There was never any date with an Omega—that was a lie I told you,” Xu Cong said. “My parents did introduce me to someone, but I rejected them a long time ago. Tonight, I was just having dinner with my family. I purposely took that photo to tease you, to see if you’d get jealous. When I couldn’t get your call, I was so desperate that when I saw you outside just now, I thought you might be an illusion.”
“But you came in.”
Xu Cong gently kissed Xia Yan’s hair. “You said you like me. If this is a dream, then let me never wake up.”
Xia Yan’s eyes widened.
What? There was no Omega? The photo was fake?
But before he could get angry, he felt a warm droplet land on his neck.
His body tensed at the sudden warmth.
Then he heard Xu Cong whisper, “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this day. So many times, I thought you’d never love me. That I’d spend my whole life as just your loyal friend, watching you walk down the aisle and hold someone else’s hand.”
“Say it again, Xia Yan,” Xu Cong murmured, pressing another kiss to his ear. “Tell me you like me.”
Xia Yan blinked.
Xu Cong’s words felt like countless green plums, gently plucked from the branch and soaked in water, completely immersing his heart.
Slowly, he lifted his arms and embraced Xu Cong.
Outside the window, the wind weaved through the buildings, breaking the silence of the night.
Xia Yan’s eyes stung as he leaned in and kissed Xu Cong’s lips again.
“Yes, I like you,” he said once more. “The thought of you being with someone else drives me crazy with jealousy.”
To hell with pride.
To hell with embarrassment.
Right now, all he wanted was to make his beloved happy.
