STIDM 24

C City. A place where life moved at a slow, easy pace. Comfort was the norm, tea houses and snack streets lined every corner, and pleasure came first.

Groups of university students riding bicycles was a common sight. Clusters of them zoomed down the streets in waves.

It wasn’t rare to see couples holding hands everywhere. Omegas no longer hid like pandas, afraid some creep would jump out from the shadows to mark them. They walked the streets openly now. After all, patrol cars and security booths were everywhere.

When Yan Lu arrived at his dorm, he immediately called Zhong Zong. The dorm room was mostly empty, just one bunk had a blanket laid out.

Because the final exam registration required students to fill in their secondary gender, Yan Lu couldn’t hide it anymore. He ended up writing down the truth, which shocked the group of Alpha boys from training camp who had once called him “brother” like he was one of them.

Now that he was in university, he had been grouped with other Omega athletes. There weren’t many, but there were still a few.

The phone rang without anyone picking up. Yan Lu pouted and tossed his phone aside, then started bouncing around, setting up his bed, plugging in power strips, and booting up his laptop.

The dorm door suddenly opened. A familiar lemony scent drifted in. Yan Lu sniffed the air and quickly turned around.

Standing in the doorway was the lemon-scented boy.

Yan Lu stared at him, stunned. Little Lemon grinned and ran over, grabbing Yan Lu’s hand.

“Handsome! I can’t believe we’re in the same program!”

“You… what are you doing here?”

“Hehe, I got into C University through sports too.”

“No way… I mean… what sport do you do?”

“Shot put.”

Yan Lu fell silent. He stared at the soft-eyed, round-faced Omega in front of him and found himself at a complete loss for words.

Little Lemon, happy to see a familiar face, sat down next to him and started chatting away.

Yan Lu smiled and humored him, not even noticing that his phone had been vibrating for a while.

It wasn’t until Zhong Zong pushed open the door and saw the two of them in such a cozy atmosphere that he froze in place.

What the hell, has the love rival already come knocking?

What a cursed fate.

Zhong Zong glanced at Little Lemon’s hand resting on Yan Lu’s. The two Omegas looked quite harmonious together. One was handsome, the other adorable. No matter how you looked at it, they seemed like a perfect match.

And with Yan Lu’s face full of affection, Zhong Zong felt completely out of sorts.

When Yan Lu saw him, he looked pleasantly surprised and stepped forward. “What brings you here?”

“I called you, but you didn’t pick up.”

“Done with the teacher’s stuff?”

“Yeah.”

“Want to go out for dinner?”

“Sure.”

Yan Lu had only taken a few steps when he suddenly remembered Little Lemon.

He turned back and waved at Little Lemon, signaling him to join them for dinner. Zhong Zong narrowed his eyes threateningly behind Yan Lu. Little Lemon shivered under that gaze and quickly waved his hands,
saying he wouldn’t join. He had to go find a friend.

Yan Lu sighed with a bit of regret, then left with Zhong Zong.

On the way, Zhong Zong seemed a little sulky. He turned and asked seriously, “Is your type the cute kind? Short, soft, chubby, and round?”

Yan Lu’s mouth twitched. “You mean small, squishy, chubby-cheeked, with big round eyes?”

“So, you like that?”

“No.”

Yan Lu grinned mischievously. He reached out and stroked Zhong Zong’s head, his hand sliding down to his face. As he touched each part, he spoke.

“I like tall guys, with thick eyebrows, peach blossom eyes, fair skin… that Alpha named Zhong Zong.”

Zhong Zong stared at him for a few seconds, then couldn’t hold back the smile tugging at his lips.

He grabbed Yan Lu’s hand. “Since when did you get so good with words?”

“Got bored during the holidays, so I caught up on a few K-dramas.”

“You could actually sit through those?”

“I powered through. Learned a lot.”

“Like… this is called a kabedon.”

“No, this is how you really do a kabedon.”

“What…”

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re using your height to bully me.”

The university term had only just started, so classes weren’t in full swing yet.

While Yan Lu was still playing LoL in the dorm with Little Lemon, Zhong Zong messaged him, asking if he wanted to go on a short trip.

Since classes hadn’t really begun, Zhong Zong’s class decided to organize something like an orientation trip. A two-day, one-night outing to a nearby scenic area.

There was no way Yan Lu was going to say no. If he didn’t go, who knew what kind of people might try flirting with his Alpha.

Sporty Omegas were pretty rare. In his dorm, aside from the lemon boy, there was only one other Omega who had gotten in through long-distance running.

His name was Lin Ran. Fair-skinned, clean-cut, and undeniably handsome, though a bit cold by nature.

When Yan Lu asked the two if they wanted to join the trip, Lin Ran, who was reading on his bed, simply shook his head. A faint blush colored his face as he replied.

“A friend is coming to visit.”

Yan Lu nodded, immediately understanding. That “friend” was probably his partner.

Every time Lin Ran finished showering, the lingering scent from his partner would make Little Lemon feel a bit shy. He’d curl up under the blanket tapping away at his computer, secretly envious that his two roommates both had someone they liked, while he was still single and alone.

Yan Lu knew that if Little Lemon stayed in the dorm, he’d just be a third wheel to Lin Ran and his partner, so he decided to bring him along.

Zhong Zong looked at Little Lemon trailing behind Yan Lu and sighed deeply in resignation.

He grabbed Yan Lu’s face and gave it a firm tug, pulling him aside and lowering his voice. “Tell me the truth. You’re doing this on purpose to annoy me, aren’t you?”

Yan Lu rubbed his face with an innocent look. “What are you talking about?”

Zhong Zong let out a helpless sigh, but just then, his eyes caught someone in the crowd. He raised a hand to wave.

Yan Lu followed his gaze and couldn’t help but let out a quiet compliment. Now that was a textbook refined scoundrel.

The guy was tall and carried the air of a scholar. Black wavy hair, sharp features, with a slick and calculating look that made him seem distant, even cold.

Standing next to Zhong Zong… Yan Lu couldn’t help but click his tongue.

He really didn’t want to admit it, but the two of them actually looked good together.

Zhong Zong casually introduced them.

“This is Qin Shu. This is Yan Lu. And that’s Chen Ning.”

Chen Ning, the Little Lemon, nodded politely. He looked well-behaved and quiet. Qin Shu offered a handshake, and Little Lemon cooperated by reaching out his hand. His palm was soft and a little chubby, quite pleasant to the touch. Qin Shu glanced at him, then calmly withdrew his gaze.

The four of them headed to the meeting point together.

Yan Lu’s hand was tangled playfully with Zhong Zong’s, their pinkies hooking and unhooking, the flirtatious little gestures almost blinding to watch.

Yan Lu had told Little Lemon that he and Zhong Zong weren’t officially together yet. Right now, he was still the one chasing after Zhong Zong.

Little Lemon tried to stay strong while facing the fact that his own head might as well be glowing from singlehood. Watching the clingy pair, he silently licked his lips and sighed. If this wasn’t being together yet, what were they waiting for, a sign from heaven?

When it came time to board the bus, Zhong Zong went to buy water while Yan Lu waited nearby.

A tall Beta woman with long hair arrived, pulling an oversized suitcase behind her. She greeted Qin Shu and then tried to load her luggage into the compartment.

Yan Lu noticed her unsteady steps and the suitcase that was even larger than what most girls carried. He paused for a moment, then stepped forward to help. He was strong anyway.

The Beta woman turned around and blushed when she saw him. She nodded to thank him.

Yan Lu gave her a casual smile and nodded in return before heading back to chat with Little Lemon.

When Omegas went out, they usually kept their scent from standing out. Most would use Beta perfume to cover it up. But if you looked closely at their physical traits, it was still possible to tell.

For instance, many Omegas wore a safety ring around their neck to prevent being marked by force.

But Yan Lu had learned martial arts. A regular Alpha wouldn’t be a match for him, so he had nothing to worry about.

Naturally, this often led to misunderstandings.

Later, when they reached the scenic spot, the Beta girl came up to him again. She smiled brightly and asked for his contact information.

That was when Zhong Zong’s expression turned completely dark.