I can't feel your love

He had clearly said he liked him.

He had clearly been willing to follow obediently behind him for just the tiniest bit of sweetness.

He had clearly always done whatever he said and never spoken coldly to him.

Why had he changed? When had it started?

Lu Zhou couldn't understand it. The enormous gulf between then and now, along with Nan Zhou's intimacy with Huo Xingye, left him feeling deeply betrayed.

And accompanying that betrayal were the secrets Nan Zhou seemed to have deliberately kept from him.

"You used to say you liked me, but you wouldn't even let me touch you. Now you're in heat and letting any Alpha fuck you, is that it?"

In his anger, Lu Zhou threw caution to the wind, spewing every nasty thing he could think of. "I really misjudged you. Turns out you don't have a problem, you're just picky!"

"You're a Beta. You don't even have pheromones. How could you compare to an Omega? You think Huo Xingye is serious about you? Once he's had enough of playing with you, he'll dump you sooner or later!"

After his tirade, Lu Zhou realized Nan Zhou was simply standing there calmly, looking at him as though he were a monkey, without the slightest shame or discomfort.

This Nan Zhou felt particularly unfamiliar, and particularly frightening to Lu Zhou.

He wasn't afraid Nan Zhou would hit him, but of that indescribable feeling of losing control. It was as though everything he had once had was no longer within his grasp.

He had to get everything back on track, had to make Nan Zhou obedient again.

Especially now that he knew Nan Zhou had abilities he hadn't known about.

At that thought, Lu Zhou's hands trembled. His expression shifted from hysteria to aggrieved sorrow in an instant. "Tell me you and he are just doing this for publicity. As long as you say so, I'll forgive you."

As his words fell, the second-floor corridor of the Deep Night Apartments became utterly silent.

Lu Zhou stared fixedly at Nan Zhou, waiting for his answer.

A soft laugh rang out in the cold winter night, followed by Nan Zhou's cool voice. "What, you like someone clean? I've just cleaned out my wallet. Don't fall too hard for me."

"Besides, even animals look for the prettiest females and the most handsome, powerful males in their group when choosing a mate. What's wrong with me being picky? Aren't you picky?"

"You seem pretty desperate to get famous. Since you're not picky, let me point you toward a way forward. Go climb into some rich old man's bed. You're not going to make it in music."

His voice wasn't loud, yet every word was like a sharp knife, stabbing Lu Zhou precisely in the heart.

Each sentence was nastier than the last, more devastating than the last, more insulting than the last.

Especially that final remark, that he wouldn't make it in music. It was like pronouncing a death sentence on Lu Zhou's dream of becoming famous.

"Don't think writing one decent song gives you the right to judge me!" he shouted.

After shouting, however, Lu Zhou couldn't help feeling uneasy under Nan Zhou's gaze.

He lowered his voice and put on an anguished expression. "You forced me into this. If you hadn't kept hiding the fact that you could write songs, things would never have come to this!"

Yes, that was it.

If Nan Zhou had told him from the start that he could write songs, their group would have had a much better chance of making it big. He would have become a top celebrity in the entertainment industry, a superstar everyone scrambled to acclaim, admired by thousands and earning untold riches.

Lu Zhou said resentfully, "You said you liked me, but you wouldn't give anything for me. What do feelings even mean to you? Are they just words? I can't feel your love!"

Nan Zhou said coldly, "That's your problem. I have no reason to take responsibility for your feelings."

"...You!" Lu Zhou choked, finally unable to stop himself from falling apart. "How did you turn into someone like this?"

"People change. Unlike you. You've always been this shameless."

Nan Zhou raised his phone and glanced at it. It was almost half past midnight.

It was cold outside, and with Huo Xingye having just left, the lack of the Alpha's pheromones made him uncomfortable both physically and mentally, leaving him with even less patience.

"Give me the key." Nan Zhou tipped his chin at Lu Zhou.

"Why should I give it to you? If I'd known you were this desperate to be fucked, I should have been more forceful back then!" Lu Zhou clenched the key in his hand, a hint of madness rising in his eyes. "No, it's still not too late."

As he spoke, he took a step forward and reached for Nan Zhou.

Nan Zhou's gaze sharpened. Just as he was about to act, a rapid rattling suddenly approached from a distance.

A suitcase came hurtling from the right and slammed into Lu Zhou's legs, sending the Alpha staggering with incredible speed and weight.

Lu Zhou nearly fell. His grip faltered, and the key dropped to the floor.

"Oh, sorry, sorry." Wen Yu's voice came from the direction the suitcase had rolled from. "The suitcase was too heavy. I couldn't hold it steady, and my hand slipped."

Nan Zhou quickly bent down and picked up the key.

Lu Zhou's eyes suddenly widened, and he whipped his head toward the voice, as though he hadn't expected Wen Yu to appear here.

Wen Yu, on the other hand, seemed not to have heard their earlier conversation. He hurried over to the door of Nan Zhou and Huo Xingye's apartment. "Are you all right? You weren't hurt, were you?"

With someone else present, Lu Zhou said nothing more and merely shook his head in silence.

"Good. Then help me carry the suitcase downstairs," Wen Yu said.

Lu Zhou looked at him incredulously.

"What? You can't? You're such an impressive Alpha, after all." Wen Yu blinked.

Lu Zhou: "..."

He looked toward Nan Zhou, only to see him unlock the apartment door and walk inside.

With a bang, Nan Zhou shut the door, not even bothering to spare him another glance.

In the darkness, a vehicle sped down the road.

In the back seat, Huo Xingye answered a call from his friend Xie Yan.

If Huo Xingye hadn't been recording the show and unable to take calls earlier, Xie Yan would have called long ago. So almost as soon as the livestream ended, the guy timed his call and dialed.

"That sweetheart of yours has quite a personality. No wonder you like him. Watching him flip off that shameless fucking idiot felt so damn good." The moment he came on the line, Xie Yan launched into lavish praise of Nan Zhou.

From his personality to his talent, his looks and his bearing, he spent nearly half a minute praising him without pausing.

Only then did he change tack. "Has he always been like this, or was he putting on an act before? I watched a few of his old videos. He looks like a completely different person."

"He's always been like this," Huo Xingye replied.

At least, he had always been this way when chatting with him. He had never changed, nor had he ever hidden it.

"So he was acting before?"

"Hard to say."

"Oh, right, have you told him who you are? Have you asked him why he stood you up that day?"

"No."

"Why not? He was the one who asked to meet you. To see him, you missed the annual charity gala and got viciously slammed by haters stirring things up. You waited from noon until sunset, until the place closed, and he still never showed up. That was so out of line!"