The night gradually deepened.

One by one, the city’s neon lights began to spark to life.

It was currently mid-summer in July, right in the middle of the summer vacation, so the streets were heavily bustling with pedestrians. Lin Zhu arrived at the designated meeting spot to meet Huang Canran a few minutes ahead of schedule.

The landmark architectural feature of this small commercial district was a pegasus statue several meters high. It stood vividly right in the center of the plaza, appearing exceptionally prominent.

Lin Zhu stood directly beneath the statue, waiting for his friend.

On the open ground nearby stood a massive LED screen, which was cycling through short promotional advertisement videos for the surrounding brands.

Driven by boredom, the young Alpha, dressed in a lightweight short-sleeved hoodie, lifted his head to watch it. The night shadows and neon glow intertwined, outlining his profile, which appeared detached due to his lack of expression…

It was a very cool face.

Huang Canran got out of his ride at the edge of the plaza and spotted the other from afar, standing head and shoulders above the crowd. The shadow of a wing fell directly beneath Lin Zhu’s feet, and the youth seemed entirely oblivious to the fact that passing pedestrians kept casting glances in his direction.

Yet no one stepped forward to strike up a conversation.

Huang Canran harbored no such reservations. Bounding forward like a little southern potato, he slapped Lin Zhu on the shoulder from the side and behind, speaking excitedly:

“Desk-mate, have you been waiting long!”

Even now, he was still habituated to addressing him by this title.

Lin Zhu turned his head abruptly, tucking his chin. His perspective instantly shifted from looking up to looking down, and he quickly replied, “No, I just arrived myself.”

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s get something to eat first.”

Having spoken, Huang Canran hooked an arm around his shoulder to guide him forward, dropping his volume to murmur, “Didn’t you notice? Quite a few Omegas were turning their heads to look at you along the way just now…”

Lin Zhu echoed, “Really?”

He hadn’t paid any attention to it whatsoever.

“Forget it, it doesn’t matter!” Huang Canran pondered for a brief second before slapping his left shoulder twice more. “Anyway, you married young, so it’s for the best. We wouldn’t want President Yan to get angry and make you kneel on a washboard when you get back.”

Hearing this, Lin Zhu let out a silent sigh deep in his heart.

…Regrettably, kneeling on a washboard couldn’t resolve a single issue.

But Lin Zhu kept his emotions entirely masked from his face.

After all, Huang Canran was about to go abroad soon, and the two of them likely wouldn’t have many opportunities to meet over the next few years. He truly didn’t want to spoil the mood at a time like this.

The two chatted and drifted along, ducking into a barbecue joint. By the time they stepped back out, a full two hours had already elapsed.

Although Lin Zhu was a man of few words, Huang Canran possessed a lively, somewhat loquacious personality, so their characters essentially complemented one another. They got along beautifully, ensuring the conversation never hit a single dull lull.

The moment they left the restaurant, Huang Canran, who had been chattering the entire time, began to clamor that he was thirsty and hot, prompting him to push Lin Zhu toward the waffle ice cream stand downstairs.

This particular waffle ice cream stand possessed a visibly booming popularity. Its decor was pink and adorable, and even the surrounding air was saturated with a sweet, fragrant aroma that practically lured people in.

Since it was slightly past peak dining hours, the queue had already snaked out for quite a distance. The customers were predominantly young Omegas paired up together, couples, or families bringing their children.

Lin Zhu and Huang Canran, two Alphas standing in the midst of the crowd, appeared thoroughly out of place.

Especially Lin Zhu, whose presence was intensely formidable.

Huang Canran whispered, “See, what did I tell you? There really are a ton of people looking at you, desk-mate.”

Lin Zhu: “…”

He felt it.

There were an exceptionally large number of children in the queue.

As everyone knew, managing children was a physically exhausting task.

The kids were rowdy and restless. Regardless of whether they were queued in front or behind, their appetites were fiercely triggered by the fragrance wafting from the freshly made waffles, prompting them to relentlessly tug at their parents to squeeze forward.

They resembled a pack of wild, untamed horses.

Just as it became their turn, a look of urgency suddenly flashed across Huang Canran’s face. “Desk-mate, I drank way too much water during the barbecue just now. I need to run to the restroom… When the ice cream is ready, please grab mine for me first! I’ll be right back!”

“Hurry up and go then,” Lin Zhu nodded. “I’ll wait for you by the public benches over there.”

The exact second the youth’s retreating back vanished around the corner, Lin Zhu received the two waffle ice creams handed out from the window by the staff. Pivoting on his heel, he walked over to the benches.

Turning his head to look, he discovered that the queue behind him had grown increasingly long. Fortunately, he and Huang Canran had lined up early, otherwise there was no telling how long they would have been forced to wait.

Right at that moment.

A male Omega sat down on the bench, leading a little girl who was sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath. He comforted her gently, “Alright now, stop crying. Once we get back home, Papa will permit you to have some candy, okay?”

“I don’t want candy…”

Hearing this, the little girl’s crying paused briefly. She lifted her eyes to glance at the ice cream stand not far away, waving a short, chubby finger.

“Papa, I want to eat that ice cream.”

The little girl appeared to be only four or five years old, bearing very distinct mixed-race features. She had a head of deep brown, tight curls, a round face, and round eyes. Her tear-soaked eyes were a striking, vivid green, resembling fresh spring shoots.

The Omega glanced at the queue, a deeply conflicted expression crossing his face. He lowered his head to coax her, “But we would have to wait a very long time for the ice cream, and Daddy is already waiting for us at home. How about next time? Hmm?”

The little girl erupted into tears once more.

She didn’t throw a loud, disruptive tantrum, but instead leaned aggrievedly into the adult’s embrace, looking like a tiny, fragile bundle that instantly evoked fierce protective instincts.

Staring at her green eyes, which continuously overflowed with liquid tears, Lin Zhu suddenly bent his upper body, extending his own portion of ice cream toward her. He spoke in a low voice, “Don’t cry. Here, you can have this.”

The Omega was visibly startled. He hurriedly waved his hands in a dismissive gesture, refusing, “No need, thank you. She’s just throwing a minor tantrum, she’ll be fine in a moment.”

The little girl stared fixedly at it, yet she remained very well-behaved, making no move to reach out and take it. Consequently, Lin Zhu pushed it a bit further forward. “It’s fine, take it.”

After hesitating for several seconds, the Omega finally accepted it with immense embarrassment, placing it into the girl’s hands. He instructed, “Hold it tightly with both hands. And what are you supposed to say to this big brother?”

The little girl offered a tearful, milky response, “Thank you, big brother…”

Following this, the Omega pulled out his phone, gesturing with it. “How much was it? Let me scan your code to pay you back. Thank you truly so much.”

Lin Zhu straightened his spine and shook his head.

“No need.”

Noticing the youth’s lingering gaze, the Omega couldn’t resist asking, “Do you like children very much?”

Hearing this, Lin Zhu froze for a moment.

To tell the truth, he had never once contemplated the matter of children before. He had only just reached legal adulthood himself and had never even experienced a romantic relationship, so it was naturally impossible for him to consider marriage and children.

The very first time Lin Zhu had actually processed the concept of childbearing was after he had arrived in this ABO world, when his entire worldview had been fiercely shattered by the existence of six genders.

It had suddenly registered with him that men could actually give birth to children here.

Even so, Lin Zhu hadn’t possessed any tangible, real-world connection to it at the time; it was merely a fleeting thought that flashed through his mind and vanished.

—Until he ended up with Yan Ruojun.

The man was an Omega possessing exceptionally magnificent features. His appearance was exquisite without being feminine, displaying male characteristics from head to toe.

Yet within his abdomen rested a reproductive cavity capable of nurturing new life. Once an embryo successfully implanted and developed, the man’s belly would gradually expand month by month. During the late stages of pregnancy, even his thoracic glands would experience a brief period of development, returning to their original state only some time after childbirth.

Yan Ruojun had once teased Lin Zhu about it like this:

“Usually, it’s the Omega who actively demands that the Alpha take contraceptive measures. Why are you so fiercely disciplined about it? You pay more attention to birth control than I do myself… A long time ago, a friend of mine mentioned that when an Alpha acts this way, it’s usually because they don’t want to take responsibility—that they’re a scumbag.”

It had been nothing more than a playful jest.

Yet it also carried a half-measure of absolute truth.

Compared to Yan Ruojun, Lin Zhu indeed placed a far heavier emphasis on contraception, even engaging in arguments with the man over the issue—projecting the perfect image of a young Alpha who harbored absolutely zero expectations toward raising a family.

But what Lin Zhu had never voiced was…

After coming together with Yan Ruojun, he would occasionally wonder: what would a child between the two of them look like?

It would be for the best if it didn’t inherit his own stern facial features. If only it could possess a pair of lovely, grey-green bedroom eyes…

On a few occasions, he had even dreamed about it.

So was this considered liking? Was it anticipation?

The multitude of thoughts transpired within a mere split second. Lin Zhu pressed his lips together, offering the Omega a firm nod. “Yes.”

He took a deep breath.

“…I like children very much.”

Cradling the little girl who had now ceased her crying, the man offered a knowing smile and said, “You still look quite young. In the future, once you marry an Omega, you can have them bear one for you.”

Lin Zhu fell silent for a single second before suddenly stating, “There already is one.”

The man’s face warped into an expression of sheer astonishment.

“You’re already married? It really doesn’t show. It’s quite rare for Alphas to marry so early nowadays.”

“I mean,” Lin Zhu paused briefly before continuing, “my Omega already has a child in his belly.”

Yet within his dreams, he could never clearly discern the child’s face. Without even letting out a single whimper, it would simply vanish into nothingness.

“…”

“…Desk-mate!”

Seeing Lin Zhu sitting solitary on the bench with a slightly dazed expression, looking entirely detached as though his soul had departed his body, Huang Canran waved his hand in front of the youth’s face several times, calling out once more:

“What are you spacing out for?”

“I didn’t expect there to be a queue outside the restroom as well,” he muttered, taking his portion of the dessert from Lin Zhu’s hand with a look of pure heartache. “My ice cream has already melted a bit.”

Having spoken, he took a massive bite.

After a couple more bites, he questioned further, “But I wasn’t gone for that long, was I? Desk-mate, did you finish yours that quickly?”

Lin Zhu replied, “I gave it to a child.”

He briefly summarized the minor interlude that had just occurred, unable to resist adding a supplementary detail:

“…It was a very adorable girl with green eyes.”

It was past nine o’clock in the evening when he bid farewell to Huang Canran.

Watching his friend pull away in a vehicle, Lin Zhu didn’t immediately make his way home. Instead, he fished out his phone to send Yan Ruojun a WeChat message.

【Lin Zhu: Bro, I’m preparing to head home now. Are you hungry right now? Is there anything you’d like to eat?】

【Lin Zhu: I’ll bring it back for you.】

The night grew deep.

The wind sweeping across the plaza blew fiercely.

Lin Zhu waited for a good while, but the other side of the phone remained entirely devoid of activity. After a moment of deliberate consideration, he still went ahead and packaged a midnight snack tailored to Yan Ruojun’s exact tastes.

By the time he returned to the residential complex downstairs, it was already half past ten.

The man still hadn’t responded to the message.

Lin Zhu instinctively lifted his head to locate that familiar window, discovering that the lights inside were brightly lit, causing a faint trace of perplexity to flash across his mind.

He had engaged in a video call with Yan Ruojun during lunch hours, and the older man had mentioned that his workload for the afternoon wasn’t heavy, meaning he could leave work at the standard time. Logically speaking, it made little sense for him to go this long without replying to a text.

Beep beep—

The fingerprint lock chimed open, and Lin Zhu pushed the door to step inside the apartment.

The living room lights were blazing.

The bedroom door stood half-open, and the lights inside were illuminated as well. Concurrently, the distinct sound of running water drifted out from within, continuous and unceasing.

Lin Zhu casually set the packaged midnight snack down on the living room coffee table. Bypassing the sofa, he began making his way toward the bedroom while calling out:

“Bro, are you taking a shower?”

The closer he drew, the louder the sound of rushing water became.

Entering the bedroom, Lin Zhu discovered that the bathroom door stood wide open.

Splash… rush rush…

The man was still dressed in the white dress shirt and black suit trousers he had worn when leaving the house. The tailoring and texture of the haute-couture suit were top-tier, yet his silhouette at this moment appeared inexplicably wretched.

With his back turned toward Lin Zhu, his upper body was bent low. One hand supported his weight against the edge of the sink while the other pressed flat against the mirror surface, letting out raspy, agonizing dry heaves directly into the washbasin.

Lin Zhu’s heart instantly skipped a beat.

He advanced with two rapid strides, closing the distance from behind Yan Ruojun. With an intensely anxious expression, he lightly patted the man’s back, asking in a low tone, “Bro, are you alright…?”

The exact second his palm made contact with the man’s back, Lin Zhu perceived that the older man actually flinched violently, his shoulder blades trembling slightly.

The water rushed down with a roaring splash.

Yan Ruojun offered no verbal response, simply releasing another violent heave.

Lowering his gaze, Lin Zhu discovered that the man had broken out into a heavy cold sweat. His shirt was visibly damp, and the section around his collar was completely drenched by the running water, clinging stickily to his skin.

After a protracted silence.

Yan Ruojun took a deep, shuddering breath. Immediately following that, he cupped both hands together, scooping up a handful of water to splash directly onto his face. The water droplets thoroughly soaked his forehead hair, his collar, and his shirtfront, gradually trickling down toward his waist and abdomen…

He straightened his spine. His countenance reflected in the mirror was pale and entirely devoid of color. Those beautiful eyes were deep, their grey-green hue dull and lacking all luster, with water continuously brimming and spilling over from the rims.

The hand Lin Zhu had resting around his waist suddenly tightened. He felt a surge of panic deep within his chest grow increasingly violent, making it somewhat difficult to draw breath.

Right at that exact juncture.

The man finally turned his head to look directly at Lin Zhu. His face was entirely devoid of expression, the outer corners of his eyes damp and faintly flushed. His cold, crisp voice had been rendered completely raspy by the excessive dry heaving—

He asked,

“Lin Zhu, have you ever doubted the reality of this world?”