Chapter 7

"Brother, I missed you so much!"

Yun Zhi held Jin Zeli tightly, his voice sweet and pleasant in the slightly hollow night air. Darkness is the best amplifier of the senses, and Yun Zhi's fondness and dependence toward Jin Zeli were magnified several times over as they reached Jin Zeli's ears.

Yun Zhi's move had indeed pulled Jin Zeli's attention straight onto himself.

When Yun Zhi had come running over, Jin Zeli had swept a brief glance toward Fang Yixing in the distance — and then his gaze had stayed fixed on Yun Zhi the entire time since. He lowered his head, a satisfied smile curling at the corner of his mouth, and reached up to tilt Yun Zhi's delicate chin upward.

He studied Yun Zhi's innocent little face in the lamplight and asked, slow and deliberate, word by word, "It's dark out. Only now do you think to come home?"

His chin was being forced up too high and his neck was starting to ache. Yun Zhi did his best to ignore the discomfort and smiled until his dimples showed. "Brother, I'll definitely remember to check in next time."

After two days of living together, Yun Zhi had gotten a rough read on his brother's temperament — he liked an obedient younger sibling, so acting sweet and compliant was the most effective approach right now.

As expected, the tactic worked perfectly on Jin Zeli.

Jin Zeli pulled Yun Zhi closer against him, then moved his hand to the small of Yun Zhi's back and pressed down hard there — hard enough that Yun Zhi nearly yelped.

"Good." Jin Zeli's voice was thoroughly pleased. "Next time you misbehave, I'll punish you."

Yun Zhi shook his head quickly. "I won't!"

He followed Jin Zeli through the villa gate, sneaking a glance back down the road.

Fang Yixing was still standing under the streetlamp, looking up at him. His tall, lean silhouette looked somewhat lonely.

Yun Zhi hurriedly waved at him.

Go home already — don't let my brother see you again!

* * *

Yun Zhi followed Jin Zeli to the dining room and saw the European-style table set with dishes that had long since gone cold.

The moment the servants saw Jin Zeli walk in with Yun Zhi, they immediately took the food back to the kitchen to reheat.

So brother had been waiting for him to come home for dinner all along.

Yun Zhi stood to one side, hands twisting together, head bowed, too guilty to look at Jin Zeli.

Jin Zeli sat down at the head of the long dining table. His neatly-trousered legs crossed casually, he leaned back against the chair and said to Yun Zhi, "You won't be able to eat. Go back to your room."

Hearing this only made Yun Zhi feel worse. The thought of his brother sitting alone at that long table eating by himself made him feel terrible.

He pulled out the chair beside Jin Zeli with a swift scrape and plopped himself down, propping his face in his hands and beaming. "I want to have dinner with brother!" The servant beside him, without needing to be told, ladled a bowl of rice for him. The grains in the French porcelain bowl were plump and full, wisps of steam rising gently from the surface.

Jin Zeli blinked, said nothing more, and had a servant ladle Yun Zhi a bowl of the crucian carp soup he liked.

The original host had loved crucian carp soup. Yun Zhi did not. But he made a show of enjoying it and spooned every last drop from the bowl. This was brother's way of caring for him. He could feel it.

Yun Zhi wasn't sure whether the household had a rule about not talking at the table, so after finishing his soup he stayed quiet, sitting properly in his chair and waiting for Jin Zeli to finish eating, his eyes drifting now and then toward Jin Zeli's bowl.

It was Jin Zeli who spoke first, asking what was on his mind.

Thinking of his dream of becoming an idol, Yun Zhi smiled with his eyes curving happily. He said brightly, "Brother, I want to be an entertainer! I signed up for a talent competition today — I'll be going to compete in a couple of days."

At that, Jin Zeli set down his chopsticks. The eyes he turned on Yun Zhi were pitch-dark, a quiet, controlled anger stirring beneath the surface.

Yun Zhi had made a decision without asking his permission. That was one of the things he found most intolerable.

Sensing Jin Zeli's sudden gravity, Yun Zhi felt a flicker of unease, and couldn't help asking softly, "Brother, I really love the idea of being an entertainer — I want to give it a try. Brother, will you support me?"

The storm-cloud expression on Jin Zeli's face eased slightly.

Sensing an opening, Yun Zhi pressed on in a soft wheedle. "Brother, you've protected me and raised me all this time. Let me take care of you in return from now on! I'll definitely make it in the entertainment industry. Trust me~"

Jin Zeli gazed at Yun Zhi's light amber eyes — a brightness in them he had never seen before.

Yun Zhi's gaze was pure and resolute, utterly unlike the Yun Zhi before the memory loss. A few months ago, the original Yun Zhi had also said he wanted to enter the entertainment industry and become a star. When Jin Zeli had opposed it, he had turned defiant — outwardly complying with his commands while undermining them in private. Until a few days ago, when he had run away from home and wound up in an accident.

Perhaps the harder he pushed, the stronger Yun Zhi's desire to slip his control would become.

As the CEO overseeing a conglomerate of tens of thousands of employees, Jin Zeli quickly weighed the costs and benefits.

He curved his lips into a smile, though it carried little warmth. "Alright. I won't stand in the way of you chasing your dream. You can go and try."

Yun Zhi's eyes lit up in an instant. "Thank you, brother! Since brother believes in me, I'll definitely find my footing in the entertainment industry!"

Yun Zhi went back to his room brimming with confidence, did his research on the competition, and then spent the rest of the evening finding songs for his initial evaluation stage and working out a performance concept.

The initial evaluation was crucial — it was the contestants' first impression on both the audience and the mentors. If he could make everyone sit up and take notice at that stage, it would be as good as having one foot already in the debut line-up.

Yun Zhi had full confidence in his singing and dancing ability.

More than himself, Yun Zhi was actually a little worried about Fang Yixing. The Utmost Submission: How a Deranged Alpha Falls Hard was ultimately a lowbrow smutty novel — the vast majority of its pages were devoted to detailed adult content, with next to nothing written about Fang Yixing's career trajectory.

When Yun Zhi tried to recall, he found he knew absolutely nothing about Fang Yixing's singing and dancing ability.

Yun Zhi tossed and turned in bed for a while, then sat bolt upright with a sudden jolt of energy, sent Fang Yixing a message, and arranged for them to review each other's initial evaluation performances the following day — after which he settled and fell asleep.

The next day, Yun Zhi was up at the crack of dawn and was already sitting obediently at the dining table by the time Jin Zeli came downstairs.

After breakfast, Jin Zeli went to his study to work, and Yun Zhi returned to his room.

It was still early before the video call with Fang Yixing, so Yun Zhi looked up a few ABO biology and health classes online and put them on his tablet to watch.

He put on his earphones and sat at his desk, listening attentively.

When the lesson got to the section on Omega heat and marking, even the tips of his ears went red. He had told himself when he first arrived to accept things as they were and make the best of it — but facing his own secondary gender head-on was still mortifying.

He would be the one on the bottom. And he could even carry babies. Just thinking about it was enough to make Yun Zhi flush crimson. Giving birth was painful — could he really do that?

Yun Zhi looked down and touched his flat little stomach.

Suddenly, a cool, dry palm pressed against the back of his neck. The cold made Yun Zhi flinch from head to toe.

He yanked off his earphones and spun around — to find Jin Zeli leaning over him from behind.

Yun Zhi: "Brother, why do you walk without making any sound — you nearly gave me a heart attack."

Jin Zeli had one hand braced on the desk in front of Yun Zhi, and the other resting on the back of his neck, kneading that soft patch of skin with a measured pressure. He glanced at the tablet screen and asked naturally, "Reviewing your health class?"

Yun Zhi nodded. The back of his neck was starting to hurt from the kneading, and he wanted to pull away but somehow didn't dare move.

Jin Zeli pressed gently against that spot once more — like a soothing touch after roughness — and asked, "The competition — how are your preparations going? Do you want me to bring a few teachers to the house to coach you? You've only just started with all this, you might struggle to keep up."

Yun Zhi hadn't expected Jin Zeli to take an interest in the competition when he was so busy with work — he really was an excellent brother. He waved his hand quickly. "No need. I can look up dance covers online and practice along. Thank you for asking, brother."

Jin Zeli straightened up, his hand sliding away naturally and going back into his trouser pocket. "Alright. If you need anything, come find me or the housekeeper."

Yun Zhi was about to nod when the tablet screen suddenly flashed with an incoming video call. The contact name "Fang Little Beautiful O" bobbed up and down across the display, immediately drawing both Yun Zhi's and Jin Zeli's eyes to it.

Yun Zhi's heart leapt straight to his throat.

A few seconds passed.

Jin Zeli: "Not going to answer?"

Meeting Jin Zeli's sharp gaze, Yun Zhi swallowed.

Could he possibly answer this video call in front of his brother? Absolutely not.

Yun Zhi did his best to suppress the panic churning inside him and feigned a casual, exasperated tone. "It's fine, he's probably calling to push another one of his idols on me again. So annoying — it's not like we're even that close."

Jin Zeli gave a nod, turned to leave. "Fair enough. Rest when you get tired of studying. I'm going back to work."

Yun Zhi nearly wept with relief. "Okay, brother."

Jin Zeli left the room and pulled the door closed behind him on his way out.

Yun Zhi sat in his chair in an agitated fidget for a full minute, then crept to the back of the door and clicked the lock with a soft clack.

He went back to his chair, took a moment to steady his breathing, and called Fang Yixing back on video.

The other side picked up almost instantly. Fang Yixing seemed to be adjusting the camera angle — all Yun Zhi could see was the ceiling swaying back and forth.

Yun Zhi put his earphones back on. A faint, nervous sweat had broken out on the tip of his delicate nose. "Sorry, sorry — something urgent came up just now."

Fang Yixing finally found a good angle, and his face — flawless from every direction — filled the entire screen. "It's fine. Everything sorted?"

Yun Zhi was screaming internally. Fang Little Beautiful O truly lived up to his title as the most beautiful Omega — even with the camera shoved right in his face, not a single pore was visible. Those eyes, which were usually cool and deep when unsmiling, were looking at him now with a light, gentle warmth that made you want to drown in them.

Yun Zhi shook his head firmly. Snap out of it! You two are girl-friends! Biologically speaking, you're both the one on the bottom! OO relationships come with a fine!

Yun Zhi wrenched himself free of Fang Yixing's beauty. "All sorted! Where are you?"

Through the screen he could make out a large, open room with an entire wall of mirrors embedded in it.

Fang Yixing stepped aside briefly so Yun Zhi could see the room more clearly. "The company's practice room."

Yun Zhi spotted a grand piano in one corner of the practice room, along with a drum kit, a guitar, a bass, and many other instruments, and asked, "Do you play piano?"

"Yes."

"Guitar?"

"Yes."

"Drums too?"

"Mm, yes."

Yun Zhi let out a delighted gasp, like a three-year-old who had just found treasure. "Yixing, you're an absolute gem! I'm going to pick you!"

Fang Yixing's brow lifted slightly. "If you pick me, I'll pick you."

"Deal!"

The two chatted casually for over ten minutes without realizing it. Yun Zhi noticed the time and steered the conversation back on track. "What have you prepared, Yixing?"

Fang Yixing walked over to the piano and sat down, smiling. "An original composition."

Yun Zhi's eyes went wide.

His girl-friend was this talented? He wrote his own music?!

Gentle music began to flow out, and Yun Zhi watched as those slender, distinctly-knuckled fingers danced across the black and white keys. He was completely transfixed.

Then, a deep, cool voice slid into Yun Zhi's ears, and Yun Zhi felt a tingle spread through him instantly.

His ears were genuinely going to get pregnant.

He had been utterly slain by Fang Yixing's restrained, almost sacred singing voice.

Fang girl-friend, devastatingly charming!

When it ended, Fang Yixing moved back close to the camera and asked, "Was it alright?"

Yun Zhi nodded vigorously. More than alright — he was nearly falling in love!

Fang Yixing smiled, then asked, "What's your performance?"

Yun Zhi stood up, bent down into a backstretch, did a thorough warm-up, and then positioned himself in the very center of the room.

The moment the backing track started, Yun Zhi's expression transformed entirely. Those clear light-amber eyes took on a deep, hazy quality — like an utterly unhurried, languid invitation.

His hoodie rode up, and a stretch of slender, supple waist flickered in and out of view with his movements. Fang Yixing had completely lost the ability to assess the rhythm and force of the choreography — because all he could see was that distractingly pale white skin.

Even closing his eyes, the image behind Fang Yixing's eyelids was nothing but that impossibly narrow waist.