There were still fifteen minutes to the appointed time.

Rong Yi turned his head to look at the glass wall of the shop beside him. After confirming in the reflection that his hairstyle and outfit were all perfect, he took a deep breath.

Don’t be nervous, just stay calm.

He silently chanted this to himself, but it only made his heartbeat even more erratic.

To ease his nerves, he subconsciously rubbed his hands together in front of him. But soon, he realized this gesture seemed a bit old-fashioned. If the other party suddenly appeared and saw, they might silently deduct points in their mind.

Rong Yi quickly put his hands down.

He took out his phone to check the time again. There were fourteen minutes left to the appointed time.

Time passes so slowly when you’re waiting, doesn’t it? He turned around on the spot, and suddenly a strange but very gentle voice came from behind him.

“Hello, excuse me…”

Rong Yi turned around.

The one speaking to him was a young boy he had never seen before.

“I want to take the bus, but I forgot my travel card…” the boy looked a bit shy, “Could I borrow some change from you? I can transfer it back to you via WeChat right now.”

The boy looked up, his face slightly flushed, appearing both shy and a bit anxious.

“Sorry,” Rong Yi smiled awkwardly, “I don’t have any cash on me either.”

“Oh… I see,” the boy paused, but didn’t leave. He looked around and then asked, “Are you waiting for someone here?”

“Yes.”

His response was very dry, but the other person didn’t seem discouraged.

“…Your lover?”

If only.

Rong Yi sighed inwardly and asked, “Is there anything else you need?”

The boy looked a bit helpless, furrowing his brows slightly and pursing his lips, then he said in a soft voice, “Actually, I just wanted your contact information.”

This answer didn’t surprise Rong Yi at all.

He looked down at this boy, about eighteen or nineteen years old. Soft contours, slightly curly short hair, a slender figure, and big almond eyes. A clearly evident Omega, which by most people’s standards could be classified as cute.

Exactly the type Rong Yi always dreamed of.

“…Sorry,” he shook his head helplessly, rejecting the boy’s request, “It’s not very convenient.”

“Oh… I see,” the boy appeared disappointed and awkward, forced a smile, then quickly turned away, “Sorry to bother you.”

Watching the boy’s small figure quickly running away, Rong Yi inevitably felt a bit guilty.

Just as he was considering finding a less conspicuous place to continue waiting, suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder.

Rong Yi instinctively turned around, and upon seeing who it was, his nerves, which had just begun to calm down, surged again.

“You, you, you… you’re here!” He inadvertently raised his voice.

“Was that your friend?” The person casually leaned next to him, nodding towards the direction where the boy had left, “He’s cute, introduce me to him, will you?”

.

“Why did you suddenly ask me out for dinner?”

Liu Yuan sat carelessly on the other side of the table, but Rong Yi was very restrained.

“I wanted to thank you for that thing a while ago…”

“Wow, you’re too polite,” Liu Yuan laughed and waved his hand, “Just a little favor, no trouble at all.”

Rong Yi smiled back at him: “It’s the least I could do.”

“If you really want to thank me, you should have asked for that little guy’s contact information when he came asking for directions just now,” Liu Yuan looked like he couldn’t forget it, “I wish I had known you didn’t know him, I would have chased after him myself. He’s my favorite type.”

“…”

Rong Yi fell silent.

“Ah, I’m just kidding,” Liu Yuan noticed he seemed upset and quickly changed the subject, “But seriously, it was such a small favor and you even invited me out, I feel a bit embarrassed.”

.

It was indeed just a small favor.

Rong Yi was a bit careless, and a while ago, when he visited a client’s company, he lost a USB drive. He walked out of the elevator completely oblivious, reaching the front door of the building when Liu Yuan, who had sprinted down the stairs to catch up to him, breathless, stopped him.

Actually, the data on the USB was all backed up on his company computer and wasn’t confidential; losing it was no big deal.

But it mattered because he already had a somewhat good impression of this particularly warm and easy-going Alpha in the client’s company who was also quite handsome.

When Liu Yuan dangled the USB drive in front of him and asked, “Do you know what this is?”, the world suddenly turned pink and Cupids lined up to sing.

He’s so handsome, he’s such a nice guy, I’d love to date him.

Rong Yi was smitten, and as soon as he returned to his office, he sent an email to Liu Yuan expressing his gratitude again, and then he got his personal contact information.

One thing led to another, and the two of them got to know each other outside of work.

.

“Let’s just… make friends,” Rong Yi clenched his fists under the table, trying hard to breathe deeply and control his heartbeat.

“Hey? Weren’t we already?” Liu Yuan still seemed oblivious, “Hey, why are you so serious today, you’re making me nervous too.”

“So, can I ask you a question?” Rong Yi ventured.

“Shoot.”

Rong Yi carefully looked at him: “Do you… only like that type of Omega?”

“Which type?” It took Liu Yuan a moment to remember, “Oh, the one just now… I was kidding. Actually, I’ve never dated that type before.”

Rong Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

“Why the sudden question, you want to set me up with someone?” Liu Yuan excited, “I’m up for it! I don’t mind any type, I just like good-looking ones.”

Rong Yi impulsively blurted out, “Do you think I’m good-looking?”

Liu Yuan was taken aback.

The two stared at each other, then Rong Yi’s face turned bright red.

“Good-looking,” Liu Yuan swallowed, and instinctively leaned back in his chair, “But… you’re joking with me, right?”

Rong Yi stiffened, unsure whether to pretend.

“Although sometimes people mistake me for a Beta…” Liu Yuan scratched his head, seeming at a loss, “but I am an Alpha.”

Rong Yi awkwardly: “I know, but…”

“You’re gay?” Liu Yuan’s eyes widened.

“I…” Rong Yi was a bit depressed, “Haven’t you seen my WeChat profile?”

Liu Yuan blinked, not saying a word.

Looking at him, it was pretty clear he had skimmed it without paying much attention. After all, very few people like Rong Yi would mark their secondary gender on their profile, so most wouldn’t bother to check details.

“I’m not an Alpha.” Rong Yi said.

“Ah…” Liu Yuan looked surprised, “It’s rare for a Beta to be like you…”

“I’m not a Beta either.” Rong Yi quietly looked away.

Liu Yuan was even more surprised: “You haven’t differentiated yet?”

Rong Yi felt like he was about to cry: “Do I really not look like an Omega?”

.

Liu Yuan frantically apologized and then politely refused.

Actually, this result was not unexpected for Rong Yi. In his twenty-six years of life, countless people had pursued him, and he had actively pursued countless others, but to this day, he had never even had a single successful relationship, still a virgin and invincibly single.

The reason was simple: those who pursued him and those he pursued never overlapped, and their genders were the opposite.

Actually, he had been quite pretty as a child, and it was expected by everyone that he would differentiate into an Omega during puberty.

What was unexpected was that after he successfully differentiated, he shot up in height and his features became strikingly angular. After dominating his class, his parents took him to the hospital. The check-up showed everything was normal; he was indeed a standard Omega in terms of physiology.

Rong Yi felt he was not only physiologically, but also psychologically a standard Omega.

Since his youth, one of his life’s goals was to find a tall, handsome, and elegant Alpha to start a family with, have cute babies, and be a gentle and virtuous partner. He even learned to cook seriously for this dream, and now he could make delicious meals.

Unfortunately, even after he had fully grown into a tall, handsome, and elegant Omega, he had never had a chance to show his skills to anyone outside his parents.

The few Omegas who pursued him and remained infatuated even after knowing his real gender were the exception. But all the Alphas he pursued, even after knowing his gender, kept their distance.

Yet he couldn’t control himself from falling in love at any moment, and then easily confessing.

Maybe it was because deep down, he felt spending time seriously pursuing someone was a waste, and it was better to be rejected early and get it over with.

.

Dinner was unbearably awkward.

When it came time to pay, Liu Yuan insisted on paying, then sincerely expressed his gratitude and apologies before swiftly leaving the scene.

Leaving the heartbroken Rong Yi, full of melancholy.

He walked out of the restaurant and stood on the bustling roadside, quietly lost in thought.

Not far away, a couple deeply in love was passionately kissing. Although it wasn’t very polite, Rong Yi couldn’t help but watch them for a while.

He felt a bit envious.

He was about to be classified as an older, unmarried adult, but to this day, he hadn’t even kissed, let alone held an Alpha’s hand.

Nowadays, so many cute and petite Omegas are clamoring for independence, opposing being tied down by family, fighting against being marked, and Rong Yi, who couldn’t find love, felt even more heartache when he saw such scenes of affection.

Sighing, he reluctantly looked away. Not far from the couple, someone was talking on the phone. Rong Yi glanced over, habitually sighing inwardly.

That person is taller than me, right? And so handsome too. How nice it would be to be with an Alpha like that.

As he leisurely walked to the crosswalk, he was already planning if he ended up with that Alpha, which area they should buy a house in after getting married.

Still pondering whether to consider a house in a good school district, suddenly someone rushed towards him, knocking him aside and running off without looking back.

He had just steadied himself when he saw a little girl about ten years old running while crying and shouting, “Thief! Thief!”

Rong Yi quickly turned back, clearly seeing the retreating figure, and then he took off after him.

.

Back in his school days, he had been on the track team, the undefeated sprint champion in the Omega division, often reported by competitors from other schools for lying about his gender.

Although he had neglected training after graduation, the foundation was still there. Once he put in the effort, the distance between him and the thief visibly shortened.

Just as he was about to catch up, Rong Yi reached out to grab the thief’s arm, never expecting the thief, desperate like a cornered beast, to swing around and throw a punch in a flash.

Rong Yi, unable to retreat immediately due to momentum, had to quickly dodge to the side, but then he began to feel uneasy.

Catching up didn’t mean he could win in a fight. The two seemed similar in build, but being an Omega, he inevitably lacked strength.

Just as he hesitated, the thief stumbled a few steps but finally steadied himself, then swung another punch at him.

Having no combat training, Rong Yi reflexively closed his eyes and raised his hand, but the expected heavy blow never came. When he opened his eyes, he saw the fist stopped less than an inch from his nose.

The reason it didn’t hit him wasn’t that the thief had a change of heart, but because someone had timely stopped it.

A person had appeared at Rong Yi’s side, facing away from him, grabbing the thief’s wrist.

“You…”

Before Rong Yi could finish, he saw the person yank the thief’s wrist backward, pulling the thief forward a few steps. Then, deftly dodging, he suddenly raised his knee and slammed it into the thief’s stomach.

A few seconds later, the thief was subdued on the ground, unable to move.

While Rong Yi was still standing there, stunned, the good Samaritan had the thief in a reverse arm lock, pinning him to the ground with one knee, then turned back to him.

“Are you alright?” He looked at Rong Yi, concern on his face.

Rong Yi stared at his face in a daze.

Oh, this person.

Rong Yi had just been thinking about what to name their children, where they would go to school when they grew up.

What’s the best way to forget the pain of a heartbreak?

Rong Yi suddenly felt the whole world turn pink again, and Cupids lined up to sing.

Oh my, he’s so handsome, he’s such a nice guy. I’d love to date him.