Chapter 04
Shen Yu's thoughts spiraled in rapid succession, so disordered that even he couldn't tell where one ended and another began.
Beside him, Shen Mei had just managed to get a clearer look at the boy standing in front of her brother. The moment her gaze settled on him, her eyes widened in surprise—an expression that was mirrored almost instantly by Jiang Li himself, as though something unspoken had passed between them.
But before Shen Yu could process any of it, the moment shattered.
The boy suddenly turned and ran.
It happened so abruptly that for a second, Shen Yu simply stood there, watching as the black hoodie disappeared down the alley as if the boy were competing in a race. His movements were quick, almost frantic, and within moments he had already reached the corner, vanishing onto the main street beyond.
"Wait—"
The word left Shen Yu's lips too late.
There was nothing left to stop.
The faint scent of roses lingered only briefly before it, too, faded away, dissolving into the night air as though it had never been there at all. In its place came the sharp, greasy smell of street food drifting from somewhere nearby—spicy noodles, heavy and overpowering.
Shen Yu frowned faintly in irritation.
A soft hum sounded behind him.
He didn't need to turn to know who it was.
His eyes twitched slightly before he exhaled and turned to face Shen Mei, only to find her staring at him with a grin that immediately set off alarm bells in his mind.
For a brief, dramatic moment, Shen Yu felt as though his very soul had been sucked out of him—like dust caught in a vacuum, pulled helplessly toward something he could not escape. An inexplicable urge to retreat, to bury himself under his covers and ignore the world entirely, rose within him.
Unfortunately, Shen Mei's grin gave him no such option.
"What?" he asked flatly, his tone sharper than intended, more a challenge than a question.
"I didn't know my brother liked them young," she replied without hesitation, her voice laced with teasing satisfaction as she delivered the line she knew would irritate him the most.
Shen Yu didn't react outwardly.
His expression remained calm, detached, as though her words had missed their mark entirely. Without acknowledging the comment, he simply turned and began walking toward his car, with Shen Mei following close behind, clearly pleased with herself.
"How do you even know he's young?" Shen Yu asked once they had settled into their seats, his voice steady as he started the engine.
Seated beside him, Shen Mei adjusted her glasses with her forefinger, her expression shifting into one of thoughtful concentration as she stared out the window, clearly trying to recall something.
There was a brief pause.
Then—
Her fingers snapped together.
"Oh," she said, realization dawning. "He's from my college. I think he's in the Art Department."
Shen Yu nodded slightly, his gaze lowering as his hands rested against the steering wheel, his thoughts drifting once more.
Those honey-brown eyes surfaced again in his mind.
And with them—
The image of the boy in the silver bunny mask.
The two began to overlap, merging in a way that left him unsettled.
They couldn't be the same person.
The omega he had encountered that night—bold, almost provocative in his presence—and the one who flushed and fumbled under his gaze now… they felt entirely different.
And yet—
The pheromones were the same.
The eyes were the same.
The contradiction lingered, persistent and irritating, like a puzzle that refused to resolve itself.
Out of sight, out of mind, he told himself.
But even as the thought formed, he found himself questioning it.
Would the boy really be so easy to forget?
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sharp chime of his phone. The screen lit up, pulling his attention away from the tangled mess in his head. He glanced briefly at Shen Mei, who was absorbed in her own phone, completely unaware of his internal conflict.
Unlocking the screen, he read the message.
[ Ge...can you please help me? I left some important documents on my desk, and I'm too scared to go back at this time. I'd really appreciate it if you could pick them up for me.]
Shen Yu stared at the message for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly in annoyance.
Why did this day insist on getting worse?
Even so, his fingers moved across the screen with practiced ease.
[ Sure.]
He didn't bother adding anything more. Despite his irritation, the thought of refusing and dealing with the consequences later was far less appealing.
After sending the reply, he drove Shen Mei back to her apartment. The ride was quiet, but just as she reached for the door, she paused, clearly struck by a new idea.
"Do you want me to help you find that omega?" she asked, a mischievous smirk tugging at her lips.
Shen Yu leaned back in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You know—"
"No."
The single word cut her off instantly.
She pouted, clearly dissatisfied. "No fun," she muttered before stepping out of the car.
Shen Yu watched silently as she walked toward the apartment building, only allowing himself to relax once she disappeared through the entrance. The moment she was out of sight, he let out a quiet breath, as though a weight had finally lifted.
The drive to the prosecution building passed in what felt like an instant, his thoughts too scattered for him to properly register the time. By the time he parked and stepped out of the car, he was already loosening the top button of his shirt, the faint tension in his chest refusing to settle.
Inside, the building was quiet.
He made his way toward the administrative desk, retrieved the documents from Xiao He with minimal interaction, and turned to leave. Yet, as he stepped back outside, a familiar urge crept in—a restless, nagging pull that settled deep within him.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette.
As he flicked the lighter, the flame briefly illuminating his features, a single word surfaced in his mind.
Addiction.
"Now that's what I'd call addiction, Yu."
The voice came so suddenly that it felt almost as though it had echoed directly inside his head.
Shen Yu frowned slightly before lifting his gaze.
Across from him stood a man with dark, piercing eyes—so black they seemed almost unnatural. There was none of the usual hesitation or unease that most betas or omegas displayed when meeting his gaze. Instead, there was only a calm, confident amusement.
And that grin.
That irritating, familiar grin.
Kim Taehyun.
Shen Yu felt the irritation that had been simmering all evening rise sharply, like a dam threatening to break under pressure.
"You'll die if you keep smoking like that," Taehyun continued casually, his tone almost conversational. "I thought you quit after college, but I guess some habits are harder to shake than others… hmm, Yu?"
"Like your habit of not minding your own business," Shen Yu replied coldly.
He exhaled a slow stream of smoke, watching as it drifted between them. For a brief moment, Taehyun's eyes darkened behind the haze before softening again into that same easy smile.
"Ah, Yu-ah… don't be like that with your ge," he said lightly as he stepped closer, coming to stand beside him. He was slightly taller, his presence just as composed, though far more relaxed.
"I heard you refused to inherit your father's position," Taehyun added, glancing up at the building with clear disinterest before shifting his gaze back to Shen Yu.
"And chose to become a prosecutor instead."
Shen Yu straightened, his expression unreadable.
"I thought your old man said being a CEO was for Alphas," he said evenly. "That's why he handed it to you instead of his own son, isn't it?"
There was no humor in his tone.
No warmth.
Just a quiet, cutting edge.
Without waiting for a response, Shen Yu dropped the cigarette to the ground, crushing it beneath his shoe before turning and heading toward his car.
Behind him, Taehyun remained silent.
Shen Yu didn't look back.
His mood, already sour, darkened further when his phone lit up once again.
He glanced at the screen.
[Meet me tomorrow at the café. 9 AM. Don't be late.]
His father.
Shen Yu stared at the message for a moment before locking the screen, his jaw tightening slightly as the weight of the day finally settled into something heavy and unresolved.
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