Chapter 02
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When Shen Yu stepped out of the restaurant, the dense mixture of food and overlapping pheromones faded behind him, replaced by the cool clarity of the night air. The breeze brushed lightly against his hair, carrying with it a quiet stillness that made him exhale softly. Without hesitation, he turned into a dimly lit alleyway beside the building and leaned back against the wall, seeking a moment of solitude away from the suffocating atmosphere inside.
Almost out of habit, he slipped a cigarette between his lips and lit it, the ember glowing faintly in the dark as smoke curled upward and dissolved into the night. The distant hum of traffic drifted through the air, accompanied by faint laughter and conversation spilling out from the restaurant. It was a familiar kind of noise—distant, muted, and oddly comforting—and for a brief moment, Shen Yu allowed himself to relax into it, his posture loose as he rested against the cold wall.
The quiet, however, did not last.
A scent reached him first.
It was soft, unmistakably floral, yet touched with a faint chill—as though a rose had bloomed in the heart of winter and carried with it the crispness of snow. It lingered gently in the air, subtle yet impossible to ignore, and Shen Yu immediately recognized it for what it was.
An omega's pheromone.
His eyes opened slowly, the calm laziness within them sharpening just slightly as he turned his head to the side. There, not far from him, stood the boy.
Dressed in the same oversized black hoodie, the fabric swallowing his smaller frame, he looked almost out of place in the dim alley. His chestnut hair caught the faint light, and his honey-brown eyes moved restlessly as if searching for something—someone—without quite knowing where to look.
And just like that, Shen Yu's fragile moment of peace was broken once again by the same persistent presence.
When their eyes finally met, the boy stilled.
That familiar dazed expression returned, as though he had been caught mid-thought and abruptly pulled back into reality. His fingers tightened around the hem of his hoodie, betraying his nerves, and for a brief second, Shen Yu found himself pausing as well.
Why was this kid looking at him like that?
A faint frown touched his features, and it was enough to jolt the boy out of his trance. Panic flickered across his face, sharp and immediate, and just like every other time, he seemed ready to turn and run.
This time, Shen Yu didn't let him.
In a single, fluid movement, he closed the distance between them, the space that had separated them shrinking to nothing in an instant. His hand shot out and caught the boy by the arm before he could escape, his grip firm but not rough.
At the sudden contact, the boy froze.
Even through the fabric of the hoodie, the tension in his body was obvious, and Shen Yu noticed the way the tips of his ears flushed a soft red. With a slight tug, he turned him around so that they were face to face, properly this time.
And then he paused.
The boy was…short.
Far shorter than he had expected. Standing so close, Shen Yu realized that the top of the boy's head barely reached his shoulder. Those wide, doe-like eyes were now fixed on him, shimmering faintly under the scattered glow of city lights. There was a glassy sheen to them, as though they might tear up at any moment, reflecting light like distant stars beneath a quiet sky. A mask covered the lower half of his face, concealing his expression, but even so, it did little to diminish the softness of his features.
Even like this, Shen Yu could tell—
He was beautiful.
"What do you want?" Shen Yu asked, his voice low and edged with impatience.
The proximity between them was too close, and he could feel it now—the boy's pheromones wrapping around him like a soft, persistent weight, seeping into his senses and lingering there. It was subtle, not overwhelming, but present enough to unsettle him in a way he did not immediately understand.
The boy didn't answer.
Instead, that same dazed look returned to his eyes, unfocused and strangely absorbed, as though Shen Yu's question had not even registered. This time, however, something in Shen Yu's chest tightened—not curiosity, not amusement, but a flicker of irritation that felt foreign even to him.
Why was he reacting like this?
Why did that expression—those eyes—provoke such an inexplicable response, when just moments ago he had found them almost…captivating?
The answer came to him abruptly.
He probably thinks I'm an Alpha.
The realization was enough to make Shen Yu loosen his grip. He stepped back, putting a small but deliberate distance between them, as his usual composure slipped back into place. The cigarette, momentarily forgotten in his hand, returned to his lips as he took a slow drag, exhaling the smoke in a steady stream.
"I asked you a question," he repeated, his tone colder now.
The boy flinched slightly, his gaze dropping to the ground as a deep flush spread across his cheeks. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the silence stretching between them as the night breeze stirred gently, brushing past them both.
"Shen Yu, what are you doing here?"
Shen Mei's voice broke the moment, her heels clicking softly against the pavement as she approached. Shen Yu glanced at her briefly, then back at the boy, who still showed no sign of answering.
Just like that, his interest faded, flickering out as quickly as it had come.
He turned away.
"Mom and Dad already left," Shen Mei said as she stopped in front of him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear when the wind pushed it into her face.
"Mm," Shen Yu responded absently, clearly uninterested.
Then—
A voice sounded behind him.
Soft, almost too quiet to catch at first, the words slightly muffled as though they had been forced out with hesitation. And yet, despite how faint it was, something about it made Shen Yu pause.
Why did it sound so…
He turned sharply.
The boy was no longer looking down. Instead, he met Shen Yu's gaze directly, the earlier shyness gone as though it had never existed. In its place was a strange, fragile determination.
"You asked me what I wanted," he said, his voice still soft but steady. "I'm answering you now. I don't want anything… I was just staring at you."
Shen Mei tilted her head slightly at the response, curiosity immediately lighting her expression as her brows drew together and her eyes narrowed in interest.
"Who's this?" she asked, glancing between the two of them.
No answer came.
Frowning, she looked up at her brother, ready to snap at him for ignoring her, but the words died before they could form.
Shen Yu's expression had changed.
His eyes were narrowed, his gaze fixed intently on the boy as something unfamiliar stirred in his mind.
That voice...
It felt familiar, but no matter how he tried to place it, the memory remained just out of reach.
Then the wind picked up.
The scent of roses drifted toward him again, stronger this time, carrying with it that same cold, winter-kissed edge—and suddenly, something clicked.
" Why...does sir smell so good? "
The words echoed clearly in his mind.
In an instant, the image followed—bright honey-brown eyes glinting with mischief, half-hidden behind a silver bunny mask.
Shen Yu's pupils contracted.
That always-lazy expression shattered completely, replaced by unmistakable shock as the cigarette slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground, forgotten. His gaze locked onto the boy once more, searching, comparing—realizing.
As the last traces of shyness vanished from the boy's eyes, the image in Shen Yu's mind aligned perfectly with the person standing in front of him.
His breath caught.
What…?