Chapter Text
The spring sun filtered through the willow trees, dappled light playing across the lush grounds of the university. Zhuo Yichen, seated cross-legged on the grass, was engrossed in his book.
The omega’s delicate features were illuminated by the sunlight, his soft, raven-black hair swaying gently in the breeze. Around him, the world seemed to bustle, but he remained in his quiet bubble, unbothered by the chaos of students milling about.
Zhao Yuanzhou sat a short distance away, but close enough that he could see every shift of Xiao-zhuo’s expression. His gaze was steady, unrelenting, and yet… soft. There was something tender in the way his dark eyes followed the omega, as if he were memorizing every detail.
Wen Xiao nudged Pei Sijing, who was scrolling through her phone nearby. “Look at Yuanzhou,” she whispered, her tone half-amused, half-exasperated.
Sijing glanced up, her eyes flickering between the alpha and the oblivious omega. A grin spread across her face. “I don’t know what’s more tragic,” she murmured, “Yuanzhou’s hopeless pining or the fact that Xiao-zhuo is completely clueless.”
“Hopeless?” Ying Lei, perched on the stone bench with his arms crossed, scoffed. “Hardly. He’s just… persistent. Painfully so.”
Even Bai Jiu, barely out of high school and new to their circle, couldn’t help but notice. The young beta leaned over to Li Lun, the sharp-tongued childhood friend of Yuanzhou. “Does Yuanzhou always… stare like that?”
Li Lun, chewing on a straw from his iced tea, rolled his eyes dramatically. “He’s been like this since forever. The idiot doesn’t know how to do anything halfway. It’s unbearable to watch.”
Despite the varying degrees of commentary swirling around, Yuanzhou remained utterly focused on Xiao-zhuo. He wasn’t the type to hide his feelings—not when it came to Zhuo Yichen. Everyone saw it: the way his gaze softened whenever Xiao-zhuo spoke, the subtle lean toward him during conversations, the protective instinct that kicked in whenever Xiao-zhuo was even remotely uncomfortable.
Everyone except Zhuo Yichen himself.
The omega, for all his academic brilliance and charm, had a kind of innocence that bordered on infuriating. To him, Yuanzhou was simply a steadfast friend—one he valued dearly, but nothing more.
“Yuanzhou!” Xiao-zhuo’s voice cut through the chatter, bright and clear. He waved a hand, beckoning the Alpha over.
Yuanzhou’s heart skipped a beat as he rose to his feet, brushing invisible dust off his jeans. As he approached, the world around him seemed to quiet. “What is it?” he asked, his voice deep but gentle.
Xiao-zhuo held up his book, eyes sparkling. “I finally found that passage you were talking about the other day. The one about the mountains. It’s beautiful.”
Yuanzhou crouched down beside him, his knee brushing against Yichen’s. He leaned closer, not to read the passage, but to bask in the proximity. “Show me,” he murmured, his tone carrying an undercurrent of something unspoken.
Li Lun snorted audibly from a distance. “This is painful to watch. Just kiss him already!”
Wen Xiao smacked his arm. “Shut up, you’ll scare Xiao-zhuo!”
But the omega remained blissfully unaware of the commentary. He was too busy explaining the metaphor in the text, his excitement bubbling over as he gestured animatedly.
Yuanzhou didn’t hear a word. He nodded at the right moments, let out an occasional hum of agreement, but his focus was entirely on Xiao-zhuo’s face—the slight curve of his lips when he smiled, the way his nose crinkled when he laughed.
He was utterly, hopelessly captivated.
“Yuanzhou?” Xiao-zhuo tilted his head, catching the alpha staring. “Are you listening?”
Yuanzhou blinked, realizing he’d been caught. “Of course,” he lied smoothly, though the faint blush on his cheeks betrayed him.
Xiao-zhuo chuckled, clearly not noticing the blush. “You’re hopeless,” he teased, shoving the book lightly against Yuanzhou’s chest.
If only he knew.
The group watched from afar, varying degrees of amusement and exasperation written on their faces.
“At this rate,” Wen Xiao whispered, “it’s going to take a miracle for Xiao-zhuo to figure it out.”
“Or,” Li Lun interjected, “for Yuanzhou to finally confess.”
As the day went on and the sun began to set, Yuanzhou stayed by Xiao-zhuo’s side, their easy camaraderie continuing as if nothing had changed.
But in Yuanzhou’s heart, everything had changed.
And one day, he vowed, Xiao-zhuo would see it too.