Mu Yunzhi often went to watch An Zhiwan race.
Ever since An Zhiwan had set his sights on becoming an F1 driver, Mu Yunzhi had watched whenever he had time, from practice races to the world's most prestigious international competitions.
Time and again, he sat in the stands and watched An Zhiwan grow from a boy still touched by childhood into a world-renowned champion.
Becoming an F1 driver was no easy feat. Drivers had to progress through karting, F4, F3, and F2, achieving outstanding results and being selected by a team before they could compete at the highest level in F1.
When An Zhiwan won his first F3 championship, he rushed into the stands and gave Mu Yunzhi a huge hug.
The sunny warmth unique to youth washed over him.
In that moment, Mu Yunzhi felt as though the whole world had lost its color. All he could see was An Zhiwan's chestnut curls and a smile more brilliant than the sun.
He could no longer run from his own heart or ignore all those moments of attraction during their time together.
He knew clearly that he had fallen for him.
For the younger boy next door whom he had watched grow up, for an alpha... he had fallen in love.
Society had become far more accepting of relationships between alphas than it used to be. The hardest obstacle was not public judgment, but pheromone rejection.
Many alpha couples ultimately broke up because the rejection reactions were too painful.
Mu Yunzhi did not want An Zhiwan to experience that pain.
He had too many reservations, so he kept suppressing his feelings.
An Zhiwan saw him as an older brother, so all he needed to do was play that role and stay where he belonged.
He held on to that belief