Chapter 1 IN WHICH TODAY’S PUPPY MEETS AN OLD FRIEND
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08
“Student, can you please give me the bottle after you’re done drinking?”
The delicate little beauty, dragging his snakeskin bag, stood on the edge of the court.
At a glance, the almost empty bag suggested that his business was not faring well. He must have been beaten by those sharp-eyed and nimble grannies.
“Aren’t you the one from last time…” Alpha laughed, delight written all over his face. “Are you studying here too? What a coincidence that we meet again.”
“No, no, no… it’s not like that.” Liang Ren looked at the blushing face. Refusing to look at him directly, the beauty put down his bag, and took out a handkerchief from his pocket. “Thank you for helping me last time. This… this is what you left behind. I’m returning it to you.”
Liang Ren took it, but before he could say anything, the shy puppy ran away, forgetting the empty bottle he was asking for just now.
“Am I that scary?”
He unfolded the handkerchief, and the contents startled him.
Apart from his school ID, the rest were neatly stacked five and ten yuan bills. The object in his hand was clearly as light as a feather, but a heavy weight seemed to press his heart.
——————
Later, he would always bump into him in the campus.
Sometimes he saw him doing odd jobs in the canteen, while other times he met him picking up empty water bottles and cardboard boxes. On occasion, he would also encounter him working at the courier station to distribute packages.
Liang Ren wanted to say hello several times, but as soon as he got close, the puppy, who was still happily wagging its tail while working, would bristle and slink away in a panic.
Finally, he caught the puppy in the lecture hall. Because the class was currently in progress, the puppy didn’t dare to make any noise, so Liang Ren was able to trap him in his seat.
“What’s your major? Why do you run away every time you see me? Am I so scary?”
“Ah… no, no.” The puppy’s eyes were damp, enacting yet another artful performance. He lowered his head and nervously fiddled with his fingertips. “I’m not a student. I just want to listen to the lectures, but I’m uneducated so I can’t even understand. “
At that time, Liang Ren took pity and made a promise, “What you can’t understand, I’ll teach you.”
——————
The darkness has not yet lifted, but Alpha, who fell into an old dream after seeing an old acquaintance, is already sitting on the bed, wide awake.
His face, which used to always smile, is now covered with a haze as dull and depressing as the sky that has not cleared for a long time.
When Liang Ren returned to China, he did not go back to his former residence, but chose another dwelling.
The house is empty and completely silent, exactly what he wanted.
What Liang Ren regretted the most over the years is meddling and helping a puppy in distress.
Even now, he still can’t figure it out.
What he thought as sincerity, how could it be full of lies?
09
“How diligent of you to go to work every day. We haven’t seen each others for several years…” The person on the other end of the phone is still as talkative and dense as always. “Anyhow, I have organized a party this weekend. You must come. And Feng Fan, that son of a b*tch, you also call him for me. What a rebellious brat. He can block me in a day or two, but it’s been almost a week and he’s still sulking. It’s no wonder no one wanted to date that omega.”
“I’m not involved in your quarrel.” Liang Ren’s attention is focused on the document in his hand. “It’s you who got your ownself in trouble, why must you drag me into this?”
That being said, Liang Ren still fails to ward off Li Duoyu’s pestering, so he ends up being the middle man.
——————
He and Feng Fan have made an appointment to meet in the cafe.
On such a hot day, Feng Fan is wearing a pair of half-length sweatpants topped with a loose short sleeves, along with his silver-framed glasses that has been around for ten years.
“That scumbag came to you again to intercede?” Feng Fan says without preamble. His slender eyebrows tighten, giving off a very unfriendly aura. “That spineless sissy has learned how to call in reinforcement.”
Liang Ren stays silent.
Although the three of them are childhood friends, it is actually Li Duoyu who connects the three of them together.
That guy has always been rambunctious since kindergarten, and insisted that they form some kind of invincible trio.
If Liang Ren at that time was still a cheerful and easy-going kid, Feng Fan had been a withdrawn and difficult kid ever since.
After graduating from high school, Li Duoyu and Feng Fan went abroad together. In the six years since they both earned their master’s degrees, they had not been able to hang out with Liang Ren properly. Although Liang Ren had also been living abroad in the same country as Feng Fan, they had not been in much contact with each other. Therefore, it is not surprising that they felt a little strange during their meeting.
As for Li Duoyu, no matter how terrible he may be, he never stops treating anyone like a biological half-sibling.
“He keeps whining to me that you’re ignoring him, so I can only make this trip.”
Liang Ren is not as enthusiastic as he used to be, but for the sake of their camaraderie, he passes on the message, “He’s hosting a party on Sunday. He even invited some of our friends for fear that you won’t want to go.”
“Why won’t I want to go?” Feng Fan pushes his glasses and smiles. “I do want to take a look at the little agent whom that stupid pig is pursuing these days.”
“Agent?” Liang Ren’s face darkens. “What agent?”
“The little beauty who helped him sell the villa.” A wry look enters Feng Fan’s eyes. “The one who swept off his feet.
10
“Xiao Zhen, what time do you get off work? I’ll treat you to dinner.”
Zhen Xin’s head begins to ache.
True, his appearance invites all kinds of pursuers, and even those he has turned down refuse to give up. However, the situation this time is different.
Li Duoyu, Mr. Li, is really too persistent, hanging around him all day long.
And the biggest problem is that Li Duoyu is the good friend that Liang Ren once mentioned to him. He doesn’t want the other party to form a very bad impression of him.
What’s more, Li Duoyu is too talkative. Liang Ren will inevitably be mentioned in his ramblings. Zhen Xin, in turn, can’t resist finding out about the other party’s recent activities, which makes it even more difficult to keep him at a distance.
He really is a trash. Whenenever he hears even the most trivial thing about Liang Ren, he will feel very happy.
“Mr. Li, it’s not necessary to treat me to dinner.” Zhen Xin doesn’t dare to cotton up to this brother, so she could only politely call him Mr. Li. “Business is business. There is no need to have many interactions in private, is there?”
“If you don’t feel comfortable, then the more interactions are needed. And we’ll get to know each other better over a few meals.” Li Duoyu bluntly adds, “I really want to court you because you’re good-looking, but this kind of thing is not definite. Without much contact, I won’t know if we’re really suitable.”
“I am not really suitable for you,” Zhen Xin frankly answers. He has been single all these years and has never dated anyone else no matter who pursues him. “I’ve sworn off relationships, and despite my appearance, I’m actually a beta…”
“Okay, okay, okay, you don’t have to push me away.” Li Duoyu doesn’t believe him at all. He simply starts another topic, “Let me tell you something serious. I have a couple of suites I want to deal with. See if you have time to come over this weekend.”
Zhen Xin does not doubt him. After all, if you love someone, you must also like his dog, so he must trust Liang Ren’s friends. He agrees to come, but little does he know that things will end up in an embarrassment.
11
“Come in, Xiao Zhen. Let me introduce you to my friends. This is Xiao Zhang, Xiao Liu…”
Zhen Xin immediately smells something fishy as soon as he enters Li Duoyu’s house. Sure enough, Li Duoyu invited him to a private party on the pretext of discussing business.
“Mr. Zhang, Mr. Li.” Zhen Xin nods in greeting. He quickly fishes out his business card from his handbag. “Hi, I am Zhen Xin, a real estate agent from Heartful Homes. I have come to see the house for sale. I’m sorry for disturbing your gathering.”
“Oh, let’s not talk about business at this time, hahaha.” Li Duoyu presses the arm handing out the business card, and motions him to go in. “Since you’re here, let’s have a meal together and have fun.”
“But the house…”
Li Duoyu is too tenacious, never giving him a chance to run away.
“Eat first before viewing the house.”
——————
The party organized by Li Duoyu is held in his small courtyard.
Not all of his guests are from rich families. Most of them are classmates and friends, which is enough to show his popularity.
Fortunately, after bringing Zhen Xin in, Li Duoyu gets busy greeting others, so he does not have to follow him like a wretched beggar. Zhen Xin heaves a sigh of relief.
He has always disliked this kind of occasion. In the past, Liang Ren wanted to take him out to meet his friends, but he kept on blocking him. Fortunately, at that time, no one forced him to do things he didn’t want to do.
——————
“Little One, why won’t you go with me?”
After they got together, Liang Ren always liked to call him “little one” even though he was only three years older than him. He didn’t know where this nurturing attitude came from.
“We’ve been together for so long. All my friends and brothers are getting sick of hearing me praise you all the time. Can you show me some mercy and go meet them with me?”
Alpha held him in a warm embrace, which made him burn all over. Alpha’s rich pheromone smell lingered in the room. Even Zhen Xin, a beta, could vaguely smell the scent of grapefruit.
“I don’t want to go.”
Zhen Xin held the other party’s face and kissed him.
“Let’s not go, husband.”
——————
Back then, Liang Ren was so blown away by the honey trap that he just let the matter drop. Luckily, he didn’t force Zhen Xin to integrate into his circle of friends, otherwise it would have been awkward meeting each others again.
While Zhen Xin is occupied with finding an excuse to go outside, he catches sight of a good-looking alpha walking into the room with an air of detachment.
In the space that used to be his, there is now a petite and cute omega.
Zhen Xin takes several deep breaths and tells himself that this is only natural.
After all, throughout history, new individuals have always emerged to replace the old ones, especially so if the old people in question are ill-intentioned.
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