"So, what are you up to these days?" Song Zihan asked, a wine glass between his elegant fingers as he watched the smoke curl lazily out of Qin Tiewei's cigarette.
"I'm setting up a tech division in Qinhaicorp." The younger man in the seating area of the living room replied. "I'm calling it QinX."
Song Zihan's brows lifted with genuine admiration. "That's wonderful. This is your own thing, right?"
"Right. I'm under a lot of pressure from the Qin family name. It must succeed."
"I can imagine." Song Zihan's shoulders stiffened almost immediately.
The question hung in the air before it was raised. Qin Tiewei seemed to brace for it.
"Your parents…" Song Zihan's voice came out low. "How are they?"
"Fine." The response was clipped. Final.
Song Sifan descended the stairs at that moment, silk pajama shirt hanging open, revealing the lean lines of his torso. His brow furrowed at the unexpected sight of the man who birthed him and his best friend. His gaze shifted to Kang Wen at the island, serving a meal into four plates.
Kang Wen's eyes lit up at the sight of him. "Darling, you got up just in time. Breakfast is ready."
Song Sifan approached the island, pointing to Song Zihan and Qin Tiewei, "What are they doing here? It's 8 in the morning."
"I wonder too." Qin Tiewei muttered.
Kang Wen chuckled. "They're the two most important people in your life. I wanted them here. For us."
Qin Tiewei picked up the ashtray and carefully dropped the ash. Song Zihan took a sip of wine.
"What for?"
Before Song Sifan could fully process the words, Kang Wen dropped down to one knee, small box in hand. "Marry me, Song Sifan."
Song Zihan rolled his eyes from where he sat. Qin Tiewei's expression remained unreadable as he lit a new cigarette.
Song Sifan picked the ring from its velvet box, inspected it, then slipped it onto his finger.
Kang Wen rose, a smile plastered on his face. "Good. This evening, let's all three go to my restaurant to celebrate. Today's special on the menu is my darling Sifan's favorite–"
"Let's break up." Song Sifan's flat voice cut Kang Wen off as he dropped the ring onto the counter.
Song Zihan almost choked on his wine. The faintest smirk tugged at the corner of Qin Tiewei's mouth.
Kang Wen chuckled as he retrieved the ring. "I thought the diamond was too small too. For your taste? Of course, it has to be bigger. It's just all I could afford now. I'll get you something better soon."
"It's not the ring." His eyes widened as he spoke the next words. "I'm bored."
"Sifan." Kang Wen's voice cracked. "What are you saying?"
Song Zihan's voice came from the seating area. It sounded gleeful. "You're both Alphas, Kang Wen. What did you think was going to happen?"
"Mummy!" Song Sifan chided, narrowing his eyes at his mother as if saying 'stay out of this.'
Song Zihan merely scoffed and took another sip of wine.
Kang Wen reached for Song Sifan's hand. "I know your mum's poisoned you against me–"
Song Sifan dragged his hand away. "You should leave. I'll send your things later."
"Sifan, please–"
The words died in Kang Wen's throat as Qin Tiewei had suddenly appeared before him.
Qin Tiewei protectively tucked Song Sifan behind him.
"He said to leave." Qin Tiewei's voice carried a quiet authority. "What part of that do you not understand?"
Kang Wen's anger was obvious on his face. He opened his mouth to speak but Qin Tiewei's eyes dared him to. He retrieved the ring from the countertop and dashed out of the house.
As the door closed, Song Zihan rose to his feet. "Son. This is very good. I was a low-born Omega. Even though you're an Alpha, you're quite Omega-coded. Now that you've gotten rid of him, you can bond with a high-born Omega–"
"Song Zihan." Qin Tiewei's voice cut through the speech. "You should leave too. I'll handle things here."
Song Zihan's eyes flicked to Song Sifan still tucked protectively behind Qin Tiewei. He sighed with resignation. "Okay. You take care of him."
Qin Tiewei nodded.
As the door closed, he passed a new cigarette to Song Sifan.
Song Sifan's hand trembled as he took the stick. He took a deep drag to steady his nerves.
"We're alone now," Qin Tiewei said, "What was that?"
Song Sifan shrugged. "Things haven't been great with us. He brought you both here to force a 'yes' out of me."
"Still. You've been together since Uni. Over four years now. You dismissed him… so coldly."
Song Sifan's laugh was bitter. "We were kids. Now, we're grown. He has dreams and ambitions. I'm no longer someone he just loves. I'm now someone who had enough money to get him a restaurant. If our relationship is publicized, the restaurant automatically gains elite status."
"What's wrong with that?"
"My mum never married. He raised me alone, Tiewei. I'm an IVF baby from M Country. A science experiment. I'm a 'fake Alpha' because I look and act like an Omega. Right down to my pheromones. All the things people have to say about my family… It's affecting the legacy my mum's trying to build. If I'm going to ruin it completely by marrying an Alpha, especially a low-born one…" He scoffed. "I must really love them."
"You don't love Kang Wen?"
"I haven't loved him for a long time, Tiewei."
Qin Tiewei took a drag from his cigarette, then stubbed it out.
"Moreover, I… I saw this vial among his things. It contains a serum. I don't even know if he's been slipping it to me."
"What kind of serum?"
"It changes an Alpha's constitution from the inside. It lets them bond with other Alphas."
"I'll kill him." Qin Tiewei rose instantly as if he would dash out any moment and fulfill the promise.
Song Sifan grabbed his wrist to calm him down.
"It's fine. He's gone now."
"Still…" Qin Tiewei sighed. "I never liked that guy."
"I know."
Qin Tiewei looked at the meals abandoned on the counter. He grabbed chopsticks and took a bite. "He can't even cook."
Song Sifan chuckled. "He can cook, Tiewei. Why do you think I stayed with him for so long?"
Qin Tiewei's eyes directly landed on Song Sifan's crotch area and he cocked his head.
Song Sifan slapped his back playfully. "Tiewei!"
Qin Tiewei chuckled. "If it's just the food, I cook better than this." He pushed the food aside. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you from now on."
Song Sifan wrapped his hands around Qin Tiewei from behind. "You'd better keep your promise."
"Of course. You're the single most important person in my life. Cooking for you every day… That's not a big thing for me."
Song Sifan hugged Qin Tiewei even tighter. "I love you, Tiewei."
"I love you too." He gently disengaged himself from Song Sifan. "You know I do, but I've got a company to run."
Song Sifan cocked his head at Qin Tiewei as the latter neared the door.
Qin Tiewei stopped. "Call me if you need anything." Something playful flickered in his usually serious expression. "Daddy will come running."
Song Sifan
chuckled. "Okay, daddy."
Qin Tiewei smirked and stepped out the door.