When Yu An opened his eyes, the ceiling above him wasn't the cracked plaster of his cheap apartment. It was painted pure white, edged with golden carvings, the kind of ceiling he'd only seen in TV dramas.
He sat up suddenly, blinking at the luxurious bedroom around him—the silk sheets, the antique desk, the chandelier.
"…Did I win the lottery?" Yu An muttered, scratching his head.
No. Not the lottery. Slowly, memories that weren't his own began to fill his mind, and Yu An froze.
Shen family. Adopted son. Dead at age five.
A novel. A world he had read about once.
"Oh shit," Yu An whispered. "I transmigrated?!"
He slapped his cheeks just to be sure. Pain bloomed. This wasn't a dream.
Right, he remembered now. The book was called "His Alphas, His Choice." The protagonist Shen Li was loved by three childhood friends—rich heirs, manipulative and obsessed—and eventually chose to be with all three. But the body Yu An had landed in… wasn't supposed to exist.
The real "adopted younger brother" had died in a car accident at five years old.
But now, that brother was him. A sixteen-year-old Yu An, alive and kicking.
"But i did not die like in novels i had read before i was just sleeping in my room" he murmur to himself.
"Pfft, but that's fine! At least I'm not cannon fodder." Yu An puffed out his chest, grinning. "I must be the strongest alpha here! Heh, those obsessive leads won't even get near my brother. I'll protect him!"
"and after that I will find a beautiful girl afterall I am a strong alpha every girl will want me". he smiled stupidly.
He hadn't read much ABO novel, so in his mind, "alpha" just meant "cool, strong, handsome man." As for omegas? Betas? All that heat and pheromones nonsense? He'd skimmed it. Not important.
The door opened with a soft click.
"An An, you're awake?"
The boy who stepped inside looked like sunlight given human form—clean school uniform, dark hair falling gently over his forehead, eyes warm enough to melt snow. Shen Li, the protagonist himself.
Yu An jumped up from the bed. "Brother! Don't worry, I'll protect you from now on. I'm an alpha, after all!"
Shen Li paused, then smiled faintly. "...Alpha?"
"That's right!" Yu An nodded firmly. "I may only be sixteen, but I'm already very strong. Just leave everything to me."
Shen Li's lips curved upward. His expression was gentle, indulgent, like an older brother humoring a child. But in the depths of his eyes, something cold and possessive flickered briefly before vanishing.
"Mm," he said softly, patting Yu An's head. "Then I'll be relying on you."
Yu An beamed, completely missing the darkness hidden under that smile.
---
The next morning, Yu An followed Shen Li to school. The Shen family's car dropped them off at the gates of the most prestigious high school in the city.
Students turned to whisper the moment Yu An stepped out.
"Isn't that the Shen family's adopted omega?"
"He's younger than Shen Li, right? Sixteen this year?"
"Still, he's kind of cute…"
Yu An tilted his head, catching only half the words. Adopted… omega? Nah, he must have misheard. Adopted alpha, obviously.
He straightened proudly and waved. "Hello! I'm Yu An, Shen Li's younger brother and a strong alpha!"
The whispers stopped. Dozens of students stared blankly. Shen Li coughed into his hand, hiding a laugh.
"Forgive him," he said gently to the crowd. "My brother… is a little naïve."
Naïve? Yu An blinked, then puffed up his chest again. "That's not true, brother! I'm mature and reliable!"
More stares. Shen Li reached out and tugged Yu An by the wrist, pulling him along. His expression stayed soft, but his grip was tight enough to leave faint red marks on Yu An's skin.
"Don't talk to strangers so easily," Shen Li said, voice low, almost a whisper. "You don't know what they might do to you."
Yu An scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Ah… okay."
He didn't notice how Shen Li's gaze lingered on him, sharp and unreadable, as if warning the world: Mine.
---