Chapter 5

Yun Zhi had arranged to meet Fang Yixing at a hotpot restaurant. When two people who don't know each other well want to build a friendship quickly, hotpot is obviously the answer.

This world, apart from the secondary gender system of Alpha, Omega, and Beta, was very similar to the world Yun Zhi had originally lived in.

Standing at the entrance of the shopping mall, Yun Zhi didn't feel out of place in the slightest.

The wind had picked up in the afternoon and the air carried a chill. Yun Zhi had grabbed a hat on his way out.

He was wearing a cream-colored hooded sweatshirt, a pair of light blue dungarees over it, and white sneakers on his feet — clean and fresh-looking overall. The knitted hat on his head was pure white, two small pompoms dangling on either side of his ears, and his soft, fluffy golden curls peeked out along the hat's brim. His face was pale and tender and soft-looking — utterly adorable.

Every passerby who caught a glimpse of such a beautiful and cute Omega was reduced to a puddle on the spot.

Someone kidnap him!

Fang Yixing spotted the conspicuous Yun Zhi from far away, and found his footsteps speeding up without meaning to.

Yun Zhi saw him coming through the crowd and waved cheerfully.

Fang Yixing's appearance was equally striking. Tall and lean, his perfectly proportioned frame carried a subtle, understated sense of strength — never looking slight or fragile, the kind of superior build usually seen on Alphas.

His skin was cold and white as snow, his handsome features set with a faint edge to them. Silver-white, medium-length hair was tied loosely behind his head. His first impression was one of cool, remote beauty — the kind that made it impossible to tell whether he was an Alpha or an Omega.

Yun Zhi had reserved a table in advance, so they bypassed the queue waiting outside and went straight to their seats.

"Was it cold on the way here?" Yun Zhi asked with a worried look, eyeing Fang Yixing, who was wearing nothing but a light single layer.

The white shirt was a loose cut, and Yun Zhi could see the sharp lines of his slender shoulders and neck, and the faint lines of his collarbone. In anyone else's eyes, this was the ideal clothes hanger combining handsomeness and sex appeal in one. To Yun Zhi, it just looked like a full-on little wretch.

He remembered from the novel that Fang Yixing's circumstances were poor — he hadn't realized they were this bad, that he couldn't even bring himself to buy himself a proper warm coat.

It was easy to imagine how difficult his life was.

Fang Yixing said evenly, "Not cold."

Yun Zhi knew he was being stubborn, too proud to show weakness in front of someone he wasn't close to yet.

In his little head, Yun Zhi was already picturing the beautiful Omega not getting enough to eat, not staying warm enough, and being mistreated on top of it all. In his past life Yun Zhi had grown up an orphan, and had lived through exactly those kinds of days in the orphanage — so it resonated with him deeply.

Yun Zhi gave the pitiful little Fang a mental consoling pat, and after Fang Yixing finished ordering, added a huge pile of nourishing dishes himself.

"Oh, and besides what was just ordered, could we also add the abalone, fish maw, and sea cucumber tonic hotpot — and two portions of premium wagyu beef, the specialty mushroom and fresh shrimp paste, two portions of tripe, two portions of Basa fish fillets..." Yun Zhi paused, eyes lighting up as he turned back to the server taking their order, "And two portions of rock sugar bird's nest!"

Fang Yixing, listening to the extensive list of dishes he reeled off, couldn't help glancing at Yun Zhi's midsection. He wouldn't have guessed — that flat little stomach had apparently quite the capacity.

Yun Zhi finished ordering and smiled warmly at Fang Yixing. "Eat as much as you like! Take your time and eat a lot."

He was so tall — his energy expenditure must be enormous. He absolutely needed to replenish his nutrition properly.

Somehow, Yun Zhi found himself experiencing the joy of raising a child, and it was coming from Fang Yixing.

Fang Yixing couldn't quite read the intense fondness in Yun Zhi's eyes, but he smiled warmly anyway and said, "You eat well too."

The hotpot began to bubble with rolling clouds of steam, wreathing this little corner of the restaurant in warmth. Yun Zhi, right in the middle of the rising vapor, dipped ingredients quickly, retrieved them quickly, and spooned every ladle straight into Fang Yixing's porcelain bowl.

Every time Fang Yixing made a move toward the strainer, Yun Zhi snatched it up first, his bright eyes fixed on Fang Yixing. "I'll get everything for you — eat up, eat up! Oh wait, don't eat too fast either, that's bad for the stomach. Take your time, no rush!"

Fang Yixing had wanted to fish out food for him, but he couldn't win against Yun Zhi, and his gentlemanly instincts wouldn't allow him to fight over a ladle with an Omega. He gave a slightly helpless glance at the mountain of meat piled in his bowl and looked up. "I have more than enough over here. Come sit down and eat too. Slowly."

Yun Zhi glanced at his bowl, finally realizing she'd heaped too much in — left to cool it would lose its texture. He remembered to fish out some meat for himself at last, blew on it gently, and began eating in small bites.

Across from him, Fang Yixing's gaze drifted toward Yun Zhi now and then, watching him eat with such obvious contentment, and found himself eating noticeably more than usual without realizing it.

"Yixing?" Yun Zhi smiled with a slightly sheepish look. "Is it alright if I call you that?"

Fang Yixing had half expected him to say "Yixing-gege," but using just his given name was perfectly fine — he could afford to be a little lenient with an Omega.

He gave a nod. "Of course. As you like."

"You're so good-looking, Yixing — are you a celebrity or a trainee?" Yun Zhi feigned ignorance of his identity and asked with genuine-seeming curiosity.

Fang Yixing paused slightly. He had indeed come back to the country at the invitation of a friend who ran an entertainment company, intending to make music — he and his friend were still discussing how to break into the industry. A trainee, perhaps.

He set down his chopsticks. "I'm a trainee. Still preparing to debut."

Yun Zhi had thought so. He smiled with his eyes curving warmly. "What a coincidence! I want to be an entertainer too. Have you heard of this talent competition that's been getting a lot of buzz lately? It's called Nation's Singer." Yun Zhi leaned in as if sharing a secret. "I heard from staff that the debuting lineup is already decided! And one of the mentors is messing around with trainees too!"

After saying this, Yun Zhi went back to fishing for meat, casting what he intended to look like an absent-minded sidelong glance at his face.

In the novel, it was through this very show that Fang Yixing had encountered all those unhinged Alphas. First his brother Jin Zeli, then a promiscuous film emperor and various other deranged figures, all of them obsessed with his pheromones and his body.

He absolutely could not let Fang Yixing go on Nation's Singer.

Fang Yixing seemed to be thinking it over. There was a lot of filth in the entertainment industry, and he had the ability to fight it head-on — but for a beautiful Omega like Yun Zhi, it would not be so easy to stay out of harm's way.

Fang Yixing looked at Yun Zhi and said with quiet seriousness, "A show like that, don't go on it. No matter how popular it is."

Yun Zhi nodded vigorously in agreement. "Right? I think so too." He bit down on his chopstick without thinking, and suggested with a hint of nerves, "There's another newer competition show lately that I think would suit you perfectly, Yixing. It's called 101 Days: Omega Idol Cultivation Plan. If you entered, you'd definitely debut in the center position!"

Before coming here, Yun Zhi had carefully compared all the competition shows being pushed by the major TV channels and streaming platforms. After ruling out Nation's Singer, the one with the most potential to launch viral stars was definitely 101 Days: Omega Idol Cultivation Plan.

In this world, Omegas were becoming increasingly scarce, and talent competitions had always lumped Alphas, Omegas, and Betas together. Yun Zhi could figure out with his toes that when the show aired, the entire internet's attention would be fixed on those 101 strikingly beautiful and talented Omegas.

And when the show reached peak popularity, Fang Yixing, with his distinctly cool and detached aura, would absolutely stand out from the crowd.

But hearing the name of the show, Fang Yixing's reply got stuck in his throat. Yun Zhi wanted him to go on an Omega show?

So Yun Zhi thought he was an Omega.

A dainty, soft-bodied Omega — him.

He felt oddly disoriented. When had he ever given Yun Zhi the impression he was fragile?

Did that mean Yun Zhi's friendliness toward him was also because he thought of him as a fellow Omega? Should he tell Yun Zhi his real secondary gender?

Fang Yixing gave Yun Zhi a look of complicated expression, and quietly swallowed the confession that he was an Alpha.

Yun Zhi's bright, sparkling eyes were fixed on Fang Yixing without blinking, looking for all the world like he was pleading: Go on, please go!

Fang Yixing collected his thoughts quickly, gave a small smile, and asked, "Are you going? If you go, I'll go."

Yun Zhi squinted with a grin, puffed up his small chest proudly, and declared, "Obviously, I'm going — and I'm going to debut!"

In his previous life, he had been spotted by a talent scout at fourteen for his remarkable looks, signed with a small but notable star-making agency, and trained for three years. Right on the verge of debuting, the company director's son had swooped in and taken his debut spot out from under him. He hadn't given up — he had gone on training hard for years more, until the teachers who coached him in singing and dancing said there was nothing left to teach.

And he really had waited for another chance to debut as part of a group. He had cried for a long time in the practice room, crying from joy.

On the eve of the debut, his manager took him to meet the company's upper management. That night, his manager delivered a drunk Yun Zhi to that middle-aged man's bed.

He came to in time, refused to submit no matter what, and called the police.

But the power of money and influence was something he had no way to fight. They turned the accusation around on him.

His manager smeared him online with baseless allegations, claiming he had shamelessly slept his way to management. Netizens had barely even figured out who he was when they launched an online harassment campaign against him.

The most extreme among them dug up his personal information and struck him down with a car while he was crossing the street.

He died without a shred of dignity.

Yun Zhi had thought his life simply ended there — only to transmigrate into this world.

Here, he was so much luckier. He had a brother who doted on him, friends who were close to him, and now an excellent opportunity to debut.

How could he give up on his dream?

Yun Zhi wiggled his head delightedly, a fish ball clamped between his teeth, and immediately sent Fang Yixing the sign-up form for the Omega talent competition.

Fang Yixing filled in the form, Yun Zhi checked it over for him, confirmed it was correct, and the two of them submitted their applications together.

"Yeah! ——Ah!" Yun Zhi suddenly felt a heavy, sinking sensation in his stomach. A faint, aching pain came from his lower abdomen.

Yun Zhi looked down and rubbed his stomach. The pain persisted.

Something seemed to occur to him all at once, and his expression shifted to one of pure horror.

Fang Yixing noticed his reaction and stood up immediately. "What's wrong? Stomachache?"

Yun Zhi blinked blankly, nodded once, then quickly shook his head. His fair little face gradually flushed red — within moments he was as pink as a boiled shrimp.

Yun Zhi found it hard to say aloud. He held it in for quite a while before finally pressing a hand to his lower abdomen and whispering to Fang Yixing, his voice barely a mosquito's hum, "Yixing... do you have... you know... one of those?"

Yun Zhi ducked his head.

He had only been in this body for one day and hadn't yet worked out the physiological details of an Omega. With his limited knowledge of ABO theory, he had just suddenly realized — since Omegas could bear children, they must ovulate, which meant every month there would be a...

Fang Yixing was genuinely confused. "One of what?"

Yun Zhi's face was so red it might drip blood. As a man, he found this deeply mortifying — but the situation was urgent, and he had to accept himself and his new physiology. But why didn't Fang Yixing, also an Omega, understand what he meant? Maybe in this world Omegas didn't use that particular term.

Yun Zhi simply squeezed his eyes shut and let the words fall out in a rush. "A sanitary pad!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Yixing stood there in complete, stonefaced petrification.