C hapter 1: Blind Date

At the end of December, there was a rare snowfall in City C. Although it wasn’t as grand and white as the silver-clad northern ones, it had the special exquisite and delicate[1] adore of three or four. Even the winter sunshine appeared mild in front of it.

The café was warm like spring, two pots of devil’s vine* spread out its branches comfortably in front of the door, allowing the visitors to enjoy a marvellous sight as they come and go.

“Hello, my name is Ji Yu.” The Alpha’s facial features were deep and eminent, his eyebrows were drawn into his temples. His camel-coloured windbreaker was ironed and trimmed, perfectly hugging his body. The little bit of snow on his shoulder quickly melted and blotted out a dark colour. He smiled and tended towards the boy in front of him, stretching out his hands in a courteous but not alienating manner, “I’m sorry for the long wait, the road was a bit blocked.”

“It’s okay, I haven’t been here for long either.” The boy pursed up his lips into a shallow smile, freed up the hand that was grasping the coffee and gave a plain handshake. Then quickly retracted his hand as if he was afraid of getting his(Ji Yu) hands scalded, “Hello, my name is Wen Xi.”

The Omega in front of him looked like he was in his early twenties. Even though his whole body was wrapped in a fluffy, riced coloured down jacket, he could still make out his frailness from his thin chin. The tip of his nose was still a little red, his eyes were big and beautiful, and his eyelashes were thin and dense like a small fan. The whole person had a kind of pure and innocent aura, not affected by the affairs of the world.

“A nice name.” Ji Yu only felt his slightly cold fingertips when he saw the other person quickly retract his hand. He thought that it was the smell on his body that made him uneasy so he tried his best to gather up a few pheromones that had dispersed in a hurry and smiled more genuinely.

“Uh……Thank you.” Wen Xi glimpsed at his face then quickly lowered his eyelashes to look at the coffee in the cup and muttered in a soft voice, “Yours too.”

Ji Yu waited for a while. A waiter brought him a coffee which Wen Xi had ordered for him in advance, but the Omega facing him had no interest in opening his mouth to inform.

“I believe you also know the purpose of today’s meeting,” Ji Yu thought for a while, it might not be proper to mention this sort of matter in front of the Omega so he deliberately calculated his words before saying, “It’s a blind date. In fact, I have always been a celibate so I don’t have any huge requirements like that regarding this aspect. But my family has been urging me for a long time and they will reprimand me for not doing what they asked, that’s why I have to accept blind dates repeatedly.

“I don’t mean to target you, you are very good, you look quite……” Ji Yu’s gaze fell on his rosy lips and pretty eyes, “Cute. I’m not blaming you by playing the “nice guy” card[2] . I also don’t want you to suffer because of my capriciousness, but this blind date is indeed very troublesome for you. If you need any help from me in the future, you can also mention it. Of course, you can just go back and tell your family that it’s my problem, don’t blame yourself, you deserve someone who treats you better.

Wen Xi blinked, it took a while before he answered slowly: “Oh…I see, it doesn’t matter.”

He looked really loveable and provoked fondness, especially in front of the big and tall Alpha[3] . He looked so small that it made people reluctant to speak a little louder in front of him.

However, he was truly like a traditional Omega. He didn’t talk much, was smart and adorable, and had a naturally timid and obsequious[4] temperament towards the Alpha. Ji Yu had a pretty good impression of him, but it’s all limited up to this, anything else destined was improbable to progress.

“Where do you live? I brought my car today, let me drop you okay.” Ji Yu didn’t have the heart to watch the tip of his nose turn red in the cold and also offered to send him out of basic etiquette.

“No need,” Wen Xi curled up his eyes and grinned at him, then took a sip of coffee, “If you’re in a hurry, go back first, my older brother will pick me up later.”

“Hmm.” Ji Yu nodded and stood up. He wanted to exchange contact information with Wen Xi, but seeing the Omega shaking his head, he departed early with reluctance.

As soon as Ji Yu left, Wen Xi stood up and walked to the back seat. Sure enough, he saw a boy with the identical style of clothes as him. His (Wen Xi’s) eyes lit up, he jumped with small steps and sat down beside him (the boy). He curved his eyes like a clever child and said: ” Brother.”

“Well,” Wen Tan reached out and stroked his hair, then covered the tip of his nose with his palm, ” You came out without a hat or scarf, you’re freezing red from the cold.”

“Hey hey, it’s okay.” Wen Xi leaned over and rubbed his face on the scarf on his shoulder, “When did you get here, brother?”

“When Ji Yu gave you a “nice guy” card.” Wen Tan removed his own scarf and wrapped it around him. He glared at Wen Xi and warned him not to take it off, then pulled him with one hand, “Come on, do you want to return home or make cakes for a snack?

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“I’m going to get scolded by Dad again if I go home,” Wen Xi wrinkled his nose and obediently went out with him, “Let’s go to Xiao Xi* cake shop.”

“The name of the cake shop is Xiao Xi but it belongs to someone else’s family, you don’t even own it,” Wen Tan glanced at him amusedly from the side, “Is it necessary for you to rush like this to look after the business?”

“The cats there are so cute.” Wen Xi narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice a little.

Wen Tan heard a sense of loss in his words, sighed softly and drove him to the cake shop.

Wen Xi was an Omega. He had received detailed education in traditional concepts of what it meant to be an Omega——

He was an Omega gifted with many talents and skills[5] , including the entire four arts[6] as this would give him leverage to find a high-quality Alpha to marry someday. He was also constantly imbued with the idea of being a polite and proper Omega because he would need to become a respectable wife and couldn’t make the Alpha loose face in social gatherings in the future. He shouldn’t cause any trouble for the Alpha. Even if he was considered just a flower vase[7] , he must be the most beautiful one and praised by people.

When he was very young, he had secretly followed his elder brother to climb a tree but was carried down right away and lectured. Even Wen Tan, who was a Beta, was scolded. After things like this [8] happened numerous times, he gradually learned to be an excellent Omega just like his parents said. He became a meek and pretty Omega that was popular with the majority of Alphas and learned to secretly conceal all thoughts and desires in the deepest part of his heart. He refused to reveal his inner personality in front of others, only occasionally trying to act like a spoiled child when facing his older brother.

The pastry chef of Xiao Xi cake Shop was already acquainted with Wen Xi. As soon as he saw him, he beamed and welcomed the two of them into the cake DIY* room and asked Wen Xi with a smile, “Do you still want to make bird cakes today?”

“Yes. When Xi nodded, his sparkling eyes curved up like the arc of a crescent moon, “Thank you, uncle.”

“Okay, I knew you wanted to make this, haha!” The pastry chef laughed until his eyes narrowed into a line then went to get the moulds and ingredients.

Wen Tan wasn’t that fond of pastries so he sat on the small sofa in the room and looked at the files on his mobile phone.

“Brother, it’s done.” Wen Xi turned around and held the bird cake with its wings outstretched in front of Wen Tan.

The bird’s feet were held in place with chocolate bars, its tiny head was striving to face the sky. The wings were sprinkled with thick black sauce, like the dust that fell after a game.

It wasn’t the first time that Wen Tan had seen him do this, but his heart still thumped and the same lukewarm smile remained on his face: “It’s good-looking, what is it called?”

The door of the room was cracked open, and a furry head tentatively pushed it open. When it saw Wen Xi, it whimpered a ‘meow’ then scurried into the room and jumped on the bench. When Xi hurriedly put down the cake, went to pick it up and lifted it to the same field of vision. He “kissed” it across the air, his voice still soft and attentive, “It’s called Freedom.”

“Kitty, you can’t eat this.” Wen Xi swayed it lightly, then put it in his arms, and went to get the canned food on the counter to feed it.

The cake was delicious. The cream was light and sweet but not greasy, with double layers of coconut grains and small pieces of fruits placed in the middle.

Wen Xi left a piece for the pastry chef uncle. He was about to leave when the cat pounced onto his leg and clung to it with all of its strength, not wanting him to leave. Wen Xi squatted down to talk with it. Although Wen Tan did not understand how this man and cat could communicate without speaking the same language, the cat really did let go of its paws obediently and impatiently watched Wen Xi walk away.

Ji Yu drove back to the company and rushed to work with the company’s designers until nine o’clock, only to see more than a dozen messages sent by his mother. He hurriedly drove back home as if his life depended on it and just as expected, he received a good scolding for his failed blind date again.

“I knew you were not taking me seriously from the beginning!” Shu Lei crossed her arms and gazed at Ji Yu disappointedly, hating the iron for not turning into steel[9] .

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“No, no, how dare I” Ji Yu cried out in distress. His father had long since hid in his room to sleep so no one dared to speak up for him. He had no other choice but to support her shoulder and softly persuade her, “Isn’t this something that involves feelings?”

“Then what do you want to feel?” Shu Lei refused to be fooled by him, “Do you want me to deliver someone’s pheromones directly to you to see if you feel anything?”

“….Our family is not so rogue, right?” Ji Yu was helpless.

“I’m telling you, don’t try to be nonchalant with me. I’m informing you, I’ve already fixed the marriage with the parents of the Omega you went on a blind date with today. It doesn’t matter if you want it or not unless you can find someone who you like right away, someone who is down-to-earth[10] and can live with you for a lifetime, otherwise don’t even think about rejecting this!” Shu Lei slammed the door and went back to her room.

Ji Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry[11] . He went to take a shower with his lethargic body as he had nothing better to do.

Since he graduated from University he had partnered with friends to set up a company. He had been working hard for six or seven years and had achieved small accomplishments. His friends had settled down and married early, but he had never thought about this aspect. When it came to the person he liked, he couldn’t even think of a single image in his heart as if there’s no change at all.

It’s not that he couldn’t listen to his parents and marry an Omega by custom. But if he really were to marry someone just like that without getting to know each other and unable to give genuine and sincere commitment, he felt it would be unfair to the other person.

This afternoon’s Omega was clever, cute, sensible and polite. At first glance, he knew that it was the type that his mother would like to see. He didn’t have any ill feelings but having a good impression was out of the question. At this point, he didn’t want to cause any disaster in his family.

——Forget it, let’s take one step at a time.

Footnotes:

[1]xiǎoqiǎo-linglong(小巧玲珑)– idiom, used to describe something as “dainty and delicate”

[2]fāhǎorénkǎ(发好人卡)– slang which means “to reject somebody by labelling them a ‘nice guy’ “

[3]réngāomǎdà(人高马大)– idiom, literally means “tall and strong”

[4]wěiwěinuònuò(唯唯诺诺)– idiom, literally translates to “to be a yes-man”, meaning—’blindly follow what others say’

[5]duōcáiduōyì(多才多艺)– idiom, literally breaks down to “many talent many skill” , meaning—multi-talented

[6]qínqíshūhuà(琴棋书画)– idiom , literally translates to “the four arts of a Chinese scholar which included zither/guqin, Go (Chinese chess), calligraphy, painting

[7]huāpíng (花瓶)– fig. meaning “a pretty face”

[8]zhūrúcǐlèi(诸如此类)– idiom, literally translates to “things of that sort”

[9]hèntiěbùchénggāng(恨铁不成钢)– idiom, literally translates to “disappointed that iron does not turn into steel”, meaning—frustrated with somebody who has failed to meet one’s expectations

[10]tātāshíshí(踏踏实实)– idiom, literally translates to “to do things in a thoroughly—being practical

[11]kūxiàobùdé(哭笑不得)– idiom, literally translates to “not to know whether to laugh or cry”, meaning—between laughter and tears

* devil’s vine/devil’s ivy (绿萝) is also commonly known as “money plant” in some countries

* Xiǎo Xī (小溪) means Little Creek, here the Xī(溪) character is same as Wén Xi’s Xī(溪) character which means Creek. So the shop has the same name as Wen Xi’s first name.

* DIY was written in English in the original text

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T/N-

I picked up a new project. I decided my other jjwxc project FILWTGR will be updated sporadically until I get any solution. I recovered from COVID a few days ago and now busy with assignments so updates for this project are not fixed. This is a braindead, sweet and no dog blood drama novel, if it’s not cup of your tea then don’t read it. The raws are free on the official site so please support the author if you can read Chinese. Check out the TOC page!

If you spot any mistakes then do comment down below \(@^0^@)/

⁓kokkosan