As the party ended, Zeng Lin returned home.

Home? This was just a random house Zeng Lin chose outside. It was merely a house he lived with Meng Chen. Yet when had this house been called “home”? Perhaps it was on a night with lights left on, or maybe a morning filled with the faint aroma of porridge.

The room was quiet. Did Meng Chen go back to the bar again? Thinking of the slender Omega figure wandering through the neon lights, Zeng Lin couldn’t help but frown. He would make Meng Chen quit his job once he returned. He did not earn much anyway. Zeng Lin could provide more for him. With this thought, he turned on the living room lights.

The living room seemed tidied up but perhaps a bit too neat. Zeng Lin looked around at it, which suddenly seemed unfamiliar. He vaguely remembered a few irregular decorations placed beside the TV cabinet in the past, but now it was empty.

An inexplicable unease filled him. Zeng Lin quickened his pace and forcefully opened the bedroom door. The door slammed against the wall with a thud, echoing in the vacant room.

The bed was neatly made, and the blanket was spread without a wrinkle. Even the room seemed freshened with air spray, devoid of any trace of the familiar scent Zeng Lin recognized—the faint pheromones unique to the broken Omega.

It seemed like Meng Chen was throwing a tantrum, Zeng Lin suddenly realized. Because they didn’t say goodbye, things weren’t over between them, Zeng Lin thought to himself as if it was a fact.

The bar’s private room.

“Hey, that one over there—” came that malicious voice again.

“Hello, is there anything I can help you with?” Meng Chen had clocked out and changed into a white T-shirt. He came out of the staff lounge, but out of politeness, he turned around. He remembered the Alpha who had spoken to him before when he was with Zeng Lin.

“How much commission does the boss give you?” The Alpha continued. “Why don’t…you come over and have a few drinks with us? We’ll consider opening a few more bottles.”

With that, someone forcefully shoved a freshly opened bottle into Meng Chen’s hands.

“Hahaha, Zhang-ge¹哥 -ge is a common suffix used to address an older male, usually with affection or respect. It can mean “elder brother”, “big brother”, or simply “bro”. However, in some contexts, it can also be used to address a lover, especially if he is older.‘s right. After all, you’re just a useless Omega. Have a few more drinks, hehehe…” Someone else chimed in with malicious intent.

A wave of nausea surged within Meng Chen as he tightened his grip on the wine bottle, his face turning pale.

“Why are you just standing there like a log?” Someone pushed him, their hand deliberately hooking his waist, like a venomous snake. “After following Zeng Shao for a few days, you’ve forgotten what you’re meant for?”

Flashes of a past alleyway filled Meng Chen’s mind. He lost control, his thoughts going blank as a sweet, metallic taste rose in his throat, his vision blurring. Meng Chen struggled violently, his legs trembling as he fell to the floor, the red wine shattering against the table’s edge, staining his body crimson—reminiscent of that night.

That night.

That dreadful night he was unfortunately followed.

In the depths of that helpless alley, he was in utter disarray, sealing himself in despair by his own hands.

Meng Chen suddenly realized that in their eyes, his hard-earned confessions of affection and perseverance were nothing but a complete joke. He was a commodity, and by liking Zeng Lin, everything became second-hand goods with discount tags.

As the private room door opened again, the crowd fell silent. Meng Chen remained seated on the floor, his palms stinging from likely pressing on the shattered bottle. He wanted to look up but seemed to be experiencing worse side effects from his damaged body. His vision blurred, and it took him a while to regain composure.

“What’s going on here?” Hearing the familiar voice, Meng Chen abruptly raised his head, meeting Zeng Lin’s emotionless gaze.

“Zeng Shao²Young Master, you said you wouldn’t come…” The Alpha who spoke first trailed off, realizing they were the ones who started it.

But this person was just a plaything Zeng Lin had toyed with. With this thought, he regained confidence. “We just wanted to have some fun. We wanted to open a few bottles of wine to liven things up, but this waiter can’t do anything right, can’t even open a bottle of wine.”

Zeng Lin remained silent for a while. In fact, as soon as he entered the door, he noticed the young man sitting in the middle. He hadn’t intended to come today after hearing about this group’s gathering. However, when he accidentally saw the pale-lipped young man in a friend’s social media photos, an inexplicable anger arose within him.

“Oh?”

“Zeng Shao, you be the judge. Should we open this bottle or not?” Encouraged by Zeng Lin’s indifferent reaction towards Meng Chen, another alpha joined in.

Zeng Lin stared at the young man on the floor, thinking that if Meng Chen apologized, he would overlook his tantrum. Perhaps while in a good mood, he could help move those two boxes of knick-knacks back too. What were those things placed on the coffee table under the TV cabinet? He would have Meng Chen put them back, or else it would look too empty. No, as punishment, Meng Chen should return every item he took, exactly as it was. His thoughts ran wild, though Meng Chen’s old clothes could be discarded, especially today’s outfit. But he could buy Meng Chen an entire new wardrobe, along with shoes.

Yet Meng Chen didn’t apologize as Zeng Lin expected. He remained silent, simply gazing up at Zeng Lin.

“Drink it, why aren’t you drinking?” Zeng Lin grew annoyed. Meng Chen was merely a plaything. Why was he making such a fuss? He had driven all this way. “You’re all in the same trade, stop pretending.” He scoffed.

Zeng Lin walked past Meng Chen and sat on a nearby sofa, nonchalantly toying with a bottle he had grabbed, somewhat distracted.

Meng Chen listened to Zeng Lin’s footsteps, one, two, three…

Like a puppet devoid of all strength, Omega felt a piercing pain under his palm, mocking laughter ringing in his ears. Suddenly, Meng Chen stopped resisting. The Omega glanced at the wine on the table, then turned to meet Zeng Lin’s gaze.

Meng Chen smiled. He was actually very handsome. This smile bloomed like a wild flower amidst desolation and thorns, blossoming with decay, reveling in decadence.

“Alright,” Zeng Lin heard Meng Chen say.

But as Meng Chen smiled, Zeng Lin saw him silently crying, tears streaming down. He picked up the wine on the table, glass by glass, and drank it all.

On Meng Chen’s eyelashes hung a tiny pearl-like droplet, translucent and crystalline, falling into the wine and shattering on the table. As the young man leaned over and tilted his head back, Zeng Lin noticed his nape, where the corner of his suppression patch had been lifted during the earlier scuffle. In the dim private room lighting, Zeng Lin saw Meng Chen’s body for the first time—uneven and riddled with crevices, filled with a dull darkness.

TL Notes

• 1
  哥 -ge is a common suffix used to address an older male, usually with affection or respect. It can mean “elder brother”, “big brother”, or simply “bro”. However, in some contexts, it can also be used to address a lover, especially if he is older.
• 2
  Young Master