That was love

Lin Jun's gaze paused briefly, as if he were thinking. "How old is your father? What kind of ridiculous question is that?"

"Whether he knows or not is beside the point."

"Isn't Huo Jin an enigma?" Lin Jun's tone was light as he quietly watched Ji Chi's expression.

"The one at the very top, whose privileges make even the lofty alphas afraid."

Ji Chi glanced aside, looking defeated. "Do you know the odds of meeting an enigma?"

He didn't wait for Lin Jun to answer.

"Less than one in ten million," Ji Chi continued.

Lin Jun hummed. "The chances of being marked by one are even smaller."

With that, Lin Jun stepped closer to Ji Chi. "Is that what you wanted to say?"

Ji Chi's lips parted, his gaze unfocused.

Lin Jun was too clever.

Ji Chi couldn't hide anything from him.

Not only was he clever, but he also maintained perfect composure, no matter what happened.

Just like now, he didn't interrogate him harshly.

Nor did he pry out of shock or curiosity.

Ever since he was little, Ji Chi had been able to tell him everything.

Secrets, painful things-it didn't matter.

Lin Jun simply listened.

"Was it Huo Jin?" The moment Lin Jun asked, he realized the question was unnecessary.

Huo Jin.

It could only have been him.

His voice thick and nasal with hurt, Ji Chi called out to him. He had trapped himself inside a prison of his own making and couldn't find a way out.

"Dad..."

Ji Chi's quiet sobs made his words tremble, his bloodshot eyes seeming to plead with Lin Jun for help.

A restrained anger crossed Lin Jun's face. He didn't dare imagine how Ji Shengming would rage if he learned about this. At the very least, he might hack Huo Jin to pieces.

How had this happened? "Was it because I asked you to go to him?"

If Huo Jin had marked Ji Chi because of this latest incident, Lin Jun bore a great deal of responsibility. He had never considered that possibility, and now he was furious.

Seeing that Lin Jun had misunderstood when it happened, Ji Chi went pale and hurried to explain. "Not this time. Two months ago."

Two months ago.

When Ji Chi had first gone to see Huo Jin. No matter how he felt, Lin Jun never spoke harshly, but his anger was easy to hear. "He hurt you, didn't he?"

Ji Chi had no heart to discuss what had happened before. His eyes felt heavy and sore as he looked at Lin Jun, like a wounded wolf cub separated from its pack.

Hurt him.

Did it count?

He didn't know.

Tears shimmered in Ji Chi's reddened eyes.

"Dad..."

"What am I supposed to do..."

Lin Jun gently patted Ji Chi's back and shoulders and drew him into a hug, feeling the vulnerability he so rarely showed. His approach to anyone's troubles had always been to solve the problem. Only after his boy had calmed down a little did he ask gently, "What do you want to do?"

"I'm scared."

Lin Jun looked into the distance, his detached expression softened by the passing years.

"Don't be afraid."

"You already have your answer, don't you?" Fine flecks of light fell over Lin Jun's long lashes, and his words were like medicine.

Lin Jun released Ji Chi and brushed his wet eyelashes. "When you're making a choice and have two options in mind, if one of them makes you hesitate for even two seconds, choose the other."

"The choice isn't the answer."

"The outcome is."

Then Lin Jun spoke again in that same quiet tone.

"The odds of meeting an enigma are one in ten million-and one hundred percent."

Ji Chi lowered his eyes.

The choice wasn't the answer.

The outcome was...

Ji Chi let out a self-mocking laugh. "Dad..."

"Tell me... why does everyone in this world surrender to decisions driven by pheromones?"

Ji Chi's words fell heavily between them. He didn't know whether he was saying them to Lin Jun or to himself.

"Two people who've never crossed paths get tested, find out they're a hundred percent compatible, and happily get married. They don't even need to meet twice."

"Is that love?"

That wasn't love.

Lin Jun let go of Ji Chi and looked at his vacant face, his feelings growing more complicated.

Ji Chi had plenty of disreputable friends, but he had never experienced a relationship himself. Hearing those words, Lin Jun's heart sank again. Unlike his restrained anger earlier, his expression shifted into stunned disbelief.

After a long while, Lin Jun said, "Letting pheromones choose for you does sound absurd."

"But pheromones are part of your body. They're like your heart-the first part of you to fall in love."

"Does that make sense to you?"

Ji Chi rebuked him with a single word. "Absurd."

An unnamed anger suddenly surged through Ji Chi, swift and fierce. Even his words were edged with sharp barbs.

"I don't like his pheromones! I don't like him either!" His voice rose as he continued. "It's because he marked me! That's why I don't have a choice!"

Lin Jun's expression darkened further.

Ji Chi kept going.

"Do you understand? I can't control my own body."

"This isn't love."

"Just like you and Father. Does he love you? No! He just can't live without you!"

The bloodshot veins in Ji Chi's eyes grew more pronounced, as though he couldn't find an outlet.

As he spoke, he couldn't help pointing at Lin Jun.

"Because when he comes home, you soothe the frustration all those petty troubles put him through. Because he needs your pheromones!"

Lin Jun rarely saw Ji Chi speak to him like this.

Let alone snap at him at such length.

He really wanted to smack him across the face.

Lin Jun glared at him. "Are you finished, brat?"

Ji Chi abruptly came to his senses, only then realizing how impatient and rude he had sounded.

His lips parted as he tried to explain. "Dad... I..."

"If you weren't already upset, I'd give you a couple of slaps." Lin Jun's face went cold.

Ji Chi clenched his back teeth, his expression still defiant but carrying a hint of contrition. He took a deep breath.

"...I'm sorry, Dad..."

"I just... got a little carried away," Ji Chi said, lowering his eyes.

Lin Jun sighed. Nothing he said would help Ji Chi in his current state. If he kept talking, Ji Chi would only grow angrier. Right now, Lin Jun was more worried about how he was doing.

Lin Jun looked down from the balcony. "If you're upset, go sweep the courtyard. No food until you finish."

"You little bastard."

"I'll sweep it. Don't be angry," Ji Chi said hastily. Lin Jun's health was poor. He couldn't afford to get upset, especially not because of him.

The Ji family villa had three floors, and sweeping its courtyard would take a fair amount of effort.

Ji Chi didn't argue. He really did rush downstairs to sweep the courtyard.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Ji Chi had swept most of it.

Seated at the dining table, Ji Shengming watched Ji Chi sweeping outside through the glass doors, his heart aching beyond words. He spoke sternly, but in truth, no one was dearer to him than Ji Chi. It was just that alphas had to be raised as alphas. They couldn't be spoiled too much.

This was the gift Lin Jun had given him, his most precious possession.

Yes, a possession. Just a living one.

Ji Shengming glanced at Lin Jun beside him. "Kids are bound to make mistakes."

"You've got to let him eat." His tone was almost pleading. "What age are we living in? Why are you still using corporal punishment?"

Lin Jun ate his plain congee and said coldly, "If he does something wrong, of course he has to be punished."

Ji Shengming gave a soft huff. "Then I'll save him some food."

As he spoke, Ji Shengming set aside part of the plate of crab legs in front of him, left half the braised pork, and saved a little of every other dish as well.

Once he had finished setting the food aside, Ji Shengming asked curiously, "Did he get into another fight?"

Lin Jun suddenly put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "He snapped at me."

Huh?

Ji Shengming abruptly rose and went outside, fixing his eyes on Ji Chi, who was sweeping with a broom.

He barked, "You little brat! Sweep upstairs too!"

Hearing that furious tone, Ji Chi was utterly baffled. What??

Before he could protest, Ji Shengming had gone back inside.

Returning to the dining table, Ji Shengming ate every last scrap of food on the plates.

When Ji Chi finished sweeping and returned to the table, he found several empty plates.

He couldn't even guess what dishes they had eaten.

No, there was a dollop of braising sauce left.

It must have been braised pork.

In the end, Ji Chi ate plain steamed buns dipped in braising sauce.

After eating, Young Master Ji went to his company. He looked through a pile of invitations and picked out a large banquet being held that evening, an entertainment company's celebration.

He had to find something to occupy himself.

He had hit Huo Jin. The matter with Boshen was surely a lost cause.

Even if Boshen went bankrupt, he would still let Lin Jun live the way he did now.

Ji Chi tidied himself up. Unless the occasion demanded it, he rarely wore a suit and tie. His wardrobe was filled with designer pieces from luxury brands. Even in college, he had been a fashion devotee, flitting between fashion shows. With the ideal alpha physique, he could pull off any style. Looking at his own face in the mirror, Ji Chi felt a little better.

When he arrived at the banquet, Ji Chi was admitted on recognition alone. The clinking of glasses mingled with the music, while perfumes and pheromones blended in this arena of vanity. Clusters of celebrities looked dazzling and pleasing to the eye. Someone approached Ji Chi as soon as he entered.

"Mr. Ji, what wind's blowing today? It must be strong to have brought you here! Hahaha." A moderately well-known director handed Ji Chi a glass of wine.

Ji Chi joked with him for a moment.

"Oh, by the way, I met two students at a film school last time. Both have a lot going for them. I was hoping to introduce you."

Ji Chi smiled. "I'm here to enjoy the view, not talk business."

After a little small talk, Ji Chi sat on a sofa in the lounge area. Several actresses came over to chat him up, and he responded pleasantly.

The alphas and omegas in his peripheral vision were all their fans' beloved idols. Outside, illuminated fan signs stretched in a long line, but inside the banquet, the actors and idols fawned over and deferred to capitalists like Ji Chi.

Beautiful things really could lift a person's mood. Beautiful people were no different.

After several investors, actors, and directors approached Ji Chi to chat and offer toasts, everyone realized that something was off with him. Not daring to bother him further, they withdrew and kept their distance.

Until one bold producer approached Ji Chi with a delicate-looking omega.

"Young Master Ji, I trust you've been well." The man wore his hair long. After sitting down in front of Ji Chi, he motioned for the omega standing beside him to sit on Ji Chi's other side.

The omega looked sweet and obedient, and even his pheromones smelled sugary. He knew who Ji Chi was. His film company signed actors and invested in productions, and he had quite a reputation in the industry, though he kept a low profile and seldom appeared in public. The omega had expected an old man, not such a young, handsome alpha. At first, he had thought some idol star was sitting there.

Ji Chi's cold expression made him seem so unapproachable that the omega didn't dare move.

Ji Chi lifted his eyes without betraying any emotion. How could he possibly fail to understand what this meant?

He looked the omega over. His face was small and delicate, quite pretty. "Come sit here."

Delighted, the omega obediently sat beside Ji Chi, the tips of his ears turning red.

"Like him? Want to take him with you later?" The young man glanced toward Huo Jin.

"Sure." Ji Chi gave a low chuckle. "Thanks."

Ji Chi clenched his back teeth, tightening his grip on his wineglass. Why shouldn't he?

He was an alpha. Being with an omega was only natural.

After the banquet ended, Ji Chi took the omega away.

They went to a hotel.

Ji Chi brought the omega to a seven-star hotel, tossed out his ID, and paid swiftly and decisively. Just as he was about to take the key card, he suddenly felt someone looking at him.

Passing the front desk, Zhou Qi took a closer look. This man looked exactly like the alpha whose cigarette Judge Huo had snatched away in their gossip group.

Fuck?

Two-timing?

Without a shred of scruple, Zhou Qi took out his phone and snapped a photo. Ji Chi and the omega looked intimate together, especially beneath that hotel sign, which made the scene all the more suggestive.

Zhou Qi quickly sent Huo Jin a message: [image]

Zhou Qi: This alpha's a real scumbag. He's out fooling around.

Huo Jin replied almost instantly: Thank you.

Thank you? What was he thanking him for?

For the dashing alpha he'd set his sights on? For how good he was in bed?

Ji Chi took the omega upstairs, his mind still a mess. Why was he doing this? Taking advantage of an omega-could he shoulder that responsibility?

The door opened, and Ji Chi was still distracted. The omega, however, took the initiative and hugged him the instant the door closed. Ji Chi looked down and saw the omega's flushed face and ears.

He should like an omega like this.

Yes, he would. It had always been that way.

Ji Chi caught the Omega's chin and gently stroked it. "Are you afraid of me?" he asked.

"No." The Omega lied, his heart pounding so hard it nearly burst out of his chest.

"Then you'll be with me from now on, all right?" Ji Chi wasn't really asking.

Right, he should be in a relationship. It was normal for an Alpha to have an Omega by his side.

If keeping someone could make a relationship last, that was fine too. He would treat the Omega exceptionally well, give him anything he wanted, be gentle and considerate, and use condoms.

The Omega was ecstatic at those words, too nervous and delighted to speak. "Yes."

"I want to." More than that-he would agree even if there were a price to pay. An Alpha like Young Master Ji was a golden boy everyone adored. Anyone he chose was blessed.

Ji Chi gazed into the Omega's bright eyes and felt a stirring of tenderness. He slowly leaned down, his gaze fixed on the other man's sweet-looking lips.

Ji Chi bent closer, the distance between them shrinking, his hand growing increasingly unsteady. Less than two centimeters separated their lips as they breathed, close enough for him to smell the cool freshness of the gum the Omega had just chewed.

Control gave way to impatience and a stifling unease. Their breaths mingled with an indecent intimacy, everything unfolding naturally, until the person in his mind became Huo Jin, and the person before him became Huo Jin too.

His tongue was being stirred and tangled with wildly.

Naked bodies entwined in a dilapidated house, a wanton, open-mouthed kiss.

"My heart isn't at peace."

Ji Chi suddenly shoved the Omega away in disgust. "Get out!"

The images shattered in an instant. Coming to his senses, Ji Chi stepped forward and steadied the Omega. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry."

"Did I scare you?"

The Omega's eyes reddened after the shove had sent him stumbling. "I'm fine. Are you upset?"

The Omega could tell. Ji Chi's desperation looked far too much like someone recklessly trying to escape a relationship. What Alpha would ask someone to be with him without even asking his name?

"Can't you handle kissing?"

Can't handle kissing?

Those words detonated another question in Ji Chi's mind. Was kissing all he couldn't handle?

He hadn't even gotten hard.

It seemed he was broken.

Impotent.

Fuck!

The Omega knelt at Ji Chi's feet and reached up to unfasten his belt. Ji Chi abruptly held the Omega's head still. "Why would you do that?"

"Don't all Alphas like this?"

"There's no need." Ji Chi was already limp and wanted to do it even less now. He felt nothing but disgust.

A clicking sound came, and the Omega's phone began to ring.

After he rejected the call, it rang again, several times in a row. Ji Chi didn't understand why he wouldn't answer. Was serving an Alpha more important than taking a call? Why did every Omega put Alphas first?

"Answer it. Your own matters are more important than anyone else's," Ji Chi said.

The Omega glanced at Ji Chi and went to take the call.

When he returned, he apologized to Ji Chi. "Mr. Ji, I'm sorry. Something urgent has come up. I need to leave now."

"Go ahead."

The Omega's affection for Ji Chi kept soaring. Any Omega would like Young Master Ji-he was sure of it. "Will we see each other again?"

"We'll talk about that another time."

"Then are we together now?" Li Qing asked cautiously.

"Yes."

Even if it was only for Huo Jin to see, he ought to have an Omega by his side.

The Omega desperately wanted to kiss Ji Chi, but didn't dare. He looked at Ji Chi, then ultimately did nothing, grabbing his coat and hurrying out.

He knew it was impossible. Even such false words made him happy. Li Qing wanted to tell Ji Chi that this didn't count as being together, but he didn't want to let go of that 0.01 percent chance.

After Li Qing left, Ji Chi leaned against the doorway, his thoughts a muddle.

Suddenly, a message arrived on his phone.

Huo Jin: Ji Chi, I apologize for what happened that night.

Ji Chi blocked Huo Jin.

He spent the day in a daze.

That evening, the moment Ji Chi opened his bedroom door, he saw that someone had picked up the rabbit he'd thrown on the floor and placed it neatly on the bed.

The rabbit was tucked into the bedding.

The whole scene glowed with warm light, as though it were waiting for him to come home.

Ji Chi walked over.