BDBE 4

Chapter 4 Going Home

Under the moonlight, the black motorcycle reflected a silvery sheen unique to cold, hard metal. Its streamlined design resembled a cheetah poised to pounce. The engine roared; the beast of the night unable to suppress its low growl, was ready to burst through the air at any moment. 

This was an irresistible temptation for a hot-blooded, motorcycle-loving young man. 

All thoughts of refusal were thrown to the back of his mind. Zhou Mingchen hastily put on his helmet and went to the motorcycle. 

“I’ll drive,” Zhou Mingchen said. 

After all, the guy in front of him looked rather weak and didn’t seem like someone who could ride a motorcycle. 

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Shen Wanchao suddenly narrowed his eyes and asked, “Have you ever ridden a motorcycle alone before?” 

His tone sounded normal, as if it were just a casual question between classmates. 

With anyone else, Zhou Mingchen wouldn’t have bothered to explain and would have simply answered, “Yes.” 

However, at this moment, for some reason, instinct told Zhou Mingchen that this was a life-or-death question, and he absolutely couldn’t answer carelessly. 

“I’ve ridden it many times at the practice track, but I’ve never actually ridden it on the road,” Zhou Mingchen answered honestly. “After all, I’m not an adult yet, and I don’t want to cause trouble.” 

If he caused trouble, his father would find out, which was annoying. 

At this point, Zhou Mingchen realized that the person in front of him was also someone with limited civil capacity, just like himself. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Aren’t you also not an adult? How dare you ride it on the road?”

Unexpectedly, a boomerang-like sound pierced his knee. Shen Wanchao looked away and cleared his throat: 

“I’m an adult. I’m a repeat student.” 

Zhou Mingchen didn’t believe him: “Who repeats a year of high school?” 

As the saying goes, one lie leads to a hundred more, and Shen Wanchao wholeheartedly agreed. 

Shen Wanchao remained unfazed: “I used to be a science student, but I couldn’t understand physics.” 

This reason sounded much more convincing. 

Zhou Mingchen didn’t dwell on the issue anymore. After all, it was Shen Wanchao’s bike, and since the owner didn’t want anyone else to ride it, he could only sit on the back. 

The throttle was turned, the engine ignited, and the steel cheetah, accelerating to 100 km/h in under ten seconds, sped off. 

The wind carried Shen Wanchao’s instruction: “Hold on tight.” 

Zhou Mingchen didn’t move; he maintained a negligible but clearly understood distance from the person in front of him. 

Zhou Mingchen belatedly realized something as he watched the slightly long strands of hair fluttering from the helmet:

Shen Wanchao was an Omega. 

He must have been out of practice for too long, so the sight of a bike made him lose his mind, completely forgetting his gender. 

If an Alpha Zhou Mingchen’s age hadn’t yet awakened to this, his attitude towards Omegas would generally be one of polite aversion, finding them delicate, troublesome, and incompatible. 

Zhou Mingchen had originally thought so too, especially with a father who held the utmost preconceived notions of Omegas as elite, wealthy people, making it difficult for him to like them. 

Initially, Zhou Mingchen’s impression of “Shen Chao” was extremely poor. Not only was this person an Omega, but he also bore a striking resemblance to his father, and later, just like his father, he started bossing him around. 

However, after spending time together tonight, Zhou Mingchen realized that “Shen Chao” was nothing like his father. 

“Shen Chao” played video games, rode motorcycles, and was a normal person who laughed and joked. 

His father, on the other hand, would always have a stern face and nitpick, saying that playing games interfered with his studies and riding motorcycles was too dangerous. Then he would hold a family meeting, ostensibly for a democratic vote, but everyone knew that his dad would never vote against his father. Ultimately, the majority voted, and the rule was established: no more video games or motorcycles. 

If his father had even a fraction of “Shen Chao’s” resemblance, they wouldn’t be in this situation. 

But it didn’t matter anymore. He had already made up his mind to sever all ties with that person and never care what that person thought of him again. 

The still-chilly early spring wind ruffled Zhou Mingchen’s rather long hair, allowing the gentle yet indifferent crescent moon in the sky to see the fleeting sadness in the young man’s eyes. 

…

It wasn’t until the motorcycle came to a smooth stop in the underground parking lot that Zhou Mingchen realized something was wrong. 

“Did I tell you where I live?” 

Shen Wanchao paused in his action of pulling down the helmet visor, then immediately summoned the composure he had accumulated over ten years as a reporter, and tossed the blame to someone else: “Tony told me.” 

Zhou Mingchen was skeptical. Could Fang Chi’s brain, which hadn’t even memorized “abandon” in two years, really remember his address? 

Seeing that Shen Wanchao didn’t intend to get off the motorcycle, Zhou Mingchen hesitated slightly, then blurted out without thinking too much, “It’s too late. Is your house far? Why don’t you stay at my place for the night?” 

Shen Wanchao was taken aback.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhou Mingchen realized his mistake and quickly added, “My dad should be home.” 

He tried to ease the awkward atmosphere by mentioning his dad, but it only made things worse. 

Shen Wanchao completely missed what his son was worried about; his mind was preoccupied with the sudden invitation and he was seriously considering whether to accept. 

Zhou Mingchen sighed once he realized he had been acting rashly time and time again tonight: “I was too impulsive. You go back…” 

“Okay.” 

Zhou Mingchen paused. Shen Wanchao parked the bike, and said, “To your place.” 

The two took the elevator to the top floor, and Zhou Mingchen reached for the fingerprint lock. 

Several seconds passed, but the lock didn’t budge. “Uh,” Zhou Mingchen said, embarrassed, “The lock’s out of power.” 

It wasn’t his father who did all the housework, so how come the lock broke down as soon as his dad left? 

Unfortunately, Zhou Mingchen didn’t have the habit of carrying a spare key, and now he was stuck there, sighing at the door. 

Shen Wanchao had a spare key in his bag, but in this situation, he couldn’t very well pull it out and say to Zhou Mingchen, “Haha, you didn’t expect that. I have a key here. ” 

Zhou Mingchen took out his phone, dialed his dad’s number, and explained his ordeal of being locked out. 

The hallway was quiet, and Zhou Hui’s voice came clearly from the phone receiver. 

“Wait.” 

The familiar deep voice, mixed with an electric quality, was somewhat hoarse and lazy, with a barely perceptible impatience, indicating that he had just been woken up from his dream by his son, who had been out late at night. 

The wait was a bit long, and Shen Wanchao unconsciously clenched his hands tucked into his sleeves.

He hadn’t seen Zhou Hui for over half a month. 

Soon, the lock clicked, and the heavy solid wood door was opened from the inside. 

The towering Alpha’s head almost touched the top of the doorframe as he stood there. An aura of oppression emanated from him, but it was instantly softened by the pale yellow carrot-shaped pajamas he wore, transforming into a warm and humorous atmosphere. 

“You little rascal, you finally know how to come home?”

Zhou Hui ruffled his messy, bird’s-nest-like hair without any regard for his image. 

Zhou Mingchen: … 

Shen Wanchao peeked out from behind him. 

Zhou Hui’s expression was far from pleasant; he was just about to give his son, who had come home so late at night, a good scolding, when he unexpectedly met Shen Wanchao’s eyes. 

For a moment, Zhou Hui thought he was still asleep. Otherwise, how could he see his beloved wife, who looked almost twenty years younger, obediently appearing at the door to make up with him? 

He blurted out, his voice slightly distorted: “Wife?” 

Zhou Mingchen looked at his father in horror, then at Shen Wanchao, whom his father was staring at: !? 

His father must be half-asleep! 

Zhou Mingchen was really worried that his sleep-deprived father would say something that violated public order, good morals, and the law, so he put his arm around Shen Wanchao behind him and introduced him.

“Dad, this is my classmate. It’s too late today, so I asked him to stay at our house for the night.” 

Zhou Hui was a little stunned, still staring at his classmate. 

Shen Wanchao gave a smile befitting a good student, bowed politely, and said generously, “Hello, Uncle!” 

That one word, “Uncle,” completely pulled Zhou Hui back to reality. 

Shen Wanchao was politely invited into the house. 

Zhou Mingchen led him to the guest room, and as they came out, his dad pulled him over. 

Zhou Hui scrutinized Zhou Mingchen, asking suspiciously, “What…what’s going on here?” 

Zhou Mingchen knew perfectly well what he wanted to ask, and explained, “He’s really just a classmate. We played too late, and I was worried about him going home alone, so I brought him home.” 

Zhou Hui wasn’t completely convinced. He silently stared at Zhou Mingchen for a long time. 

Zhou Mingchen recoiled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on when he realized his father was checking if he had other people’s pheromones, “Believe it or not!” 

He hadn’t expected to be caught, but Zhou Hui remained calm, “No early relationships allowed.” 

Especially since this little classmate looks exactly like your father when he was young! Absolutely not allowed! 

Zhou Mingchen scoffed, “Don’t worry, even if I were to have a relationship, I would never date an Omega.” 

After a pause, Zhou Mingchen gave his dad a wary look several times, “But you, watch your mouth, don’t get arrested by the police. I don’t want to be a pervert’s son.” 

With that, Zhou Mingchen turned and left, leaving his father with only his cold, indifferent back. 

Zhou Hui was completely unfazed by his son’s teasing, his gaze drifting leisurely towards the guest room. 

Inside the guest room, Shen Wanchao, who had been on edge since entering the elevator, finally breathed a sigh of relief. 

Zhou Hui naturally remembered what he looked like when he was young, and he probably already sensed something was wrong. 

But Shen Wanchao wasn’t too worried. He used to have short hair, but now it was longer, and it differed from Zhou Hui’s memory. He figured Zhou Hui wouldn’t dare to confirm it for the time being. 

Most importantly, no one would ever imagine that such a thing as rejuvenation could happen. At most, Zhou Hui could only suspect that he looked like someone else. 

Shen Wanchao raised his hand and gently stroked the glands on the side of his neck. 

They were smooth and flat, without any marks. 

His entire body had returned to the state it was twenty years ago, before Zhou Hui had marked him. 

Even the mark had disappeared. No matter how much Zhou Hui suspected, as long as Shen Wanchao didn’t admit it, he had no evidence. He could relax and enjoy himself. 

“Knock knock.” 

The knocking startled Shen Wanchao, who was lost in thought. 

He turned around and saw Zhou Hui standing in the doorway. His previously messy hair had been styled, with only a few wisps falling across his full forehead, revealing his prominent nose and strong facial features. A small mole at the junction of his nose and eye socket drew all attention to his deep eyes. He was undeniably handsome. 

Zhou Hui entered the room and handed Shen Wanchao a set of folded clothes, adopting the image of a gentle and reliable father,

“Xiao Shen, right? These are your change of clothes. Take a shower and go to bed early. I’ll take you to school tomorrow morning.” Shen Wanchao paused when he took the clothes,

Wasn’t this the brand-new cashmere pajamas Zhou Hui had just bought him? 

He hadn’t even worn them once, and he was already bringing them out to entertain guests? 

Wasn’t that a bit too generous? 

Shen Wanchao was displeased, but still smiled, “Thank you, Uncle, but it’s not really appropriate for me to just wear someone else’s pajamas like this.” 

Zhou Hui was stung by the word “Uncle,” he gritted his teeth, “Hehehe, don’t be so polite. This was originally a gift to my spouse, but he didn’t want to wear it and has never worn it. Just wear it, you can take it with you.” 

Shen Wanchao held the pajamas, he squinted as he continued to add insult to injury, “No wonder I didn’t see Zhou’s Omega father tonight, did Uncle and he have a fight? That’s so unfortunate.” 

“Hehe, Xiao Shen, you’re really good at guessing. Nothing’s wrong, he’s just on vacation abroad.” Zhou Hui smiled insincerely, “By the way, I still don’t know Xiao Shen’s name?” 

Shen Wanchao maintained his smile, “Uncle, I want to take a shower, may I ask you to leave?” 

Five seconds later, Zhou Hui stood in front of the closed guest bedroom door. 

What an impolite child!

Zhou Mingchen had just finished showering and came out to get a drink of water when he saw his dad standing in the guest bedroom doorway. Alarm bells rang in his ears, and he quickly stepped forward to remind his father, 

“Dad, Chen Chao is my classmate. Can you please stop doing strange things?” 

Zhou Hui glared at his brat in frustration. 

This kid is really annoying!