Be Good. Go Ahead and Mark Me. - Chapter 1

In the evening, a Western restaurant bathed in warm yellow light played soft, soothing music.

Outside, the rain pitter-pattered, leaving mottled streaks of water across the windowpane. On the road, a long line of cars sat in a traffic jam, their red taillights bleeding into blurry mists through the damp air.

An Omega dressed in casual wear sat by the window, legs elegantly crossed.

The cap of the lighter in his hand clicked open and shut, shut and open, creating a rhythmic metallic clink.

“Sir, this is a non-smoking area. Would you like me to move you to a seat in the smoking section?” the waiter asked in a low voice.

The man’s hand finally stilled. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and said, “Thank you, no need.”

He tucked the lighter away and leaned back against the chair, folding his arms.

“Very well, sir. Please call me if you need anything.” The waiter gave a polite nod and stepped back to a station nearby.

Xiao Shuqing was here on a blind date.

He would be thirty by the end of the year. In an era where marriage was legal at eighteen, an Omega still without an Alpha by thirty was seen as a “sinner.” His Omega father was dedicated to pushing him out the door before the year ended, scouring every corner for Alphas to introduce to him. The one he was meeting today was one of those candidates.

The man’s name was Yu Siyuan, twenty-four years old. A graduate of a prestigious university in H-City, currently working at a major tech firm.

He came from a single-parent household. His Alpha father had passed away in a car accident over a decade ago, and his Omega father had suffered from a glandular disorder—specifically, Loss of Mate Syndrome for seven years, only recovering this year.

From the profile, the drawbacks were obvious: his family background was far from wealthy.

Of course, the introduction didn’t put it so bluntly.

In the profile, his “flaw” was listed as being exceptionally good-looking. The words “exceptionally” were even bolded for emphasis.

His merit was: Honest.

Tch.

Currently, this “honest” and “exceptionally good-looking” Alpha was fifteen minutes late.

Xiao Shuqing tapped his phone screen. The interface remained on their last exchange:

— I’m so sorry, Professor Xiao. A sudden issue came up with the code; I’m going to be a bit late.

— I’m really sorry. Twenty minutes at most, I’ll definitely be there!

The date was set for 6:30 PM. These two messages had been sent at 5:50 PM.

Xiao Shuqing had replied with an “OK” hand emoji, and there had been radio silence ever since.

Now, it was twelve minutes to seven.

In other words, the man had two minutes left, having been MIA for nearly an hour.

Ha. Honest?

Xiao Shuqing tossed his phone onto the table.

An honest person would at least send an update before finishing work. They would send a message five or ten minutes before the scheduled time to say where they were, when they would arrive, or if they could make it at all. They wouldn’t just vanish into thin air.

One minute left.

Xiao Shuqing tilted his head back to finish the rest of his coffee and turned to grab his coat from the chair.

The second hand swept past the twelve once more. The minute hand landed exactly on the 50-minute mark.

6:50 PM. No person, no message.

He stood up without hesitation.

He had only agreed to this date for the sake of his elders anyway. If the guy didn’t show up, it saved him the trouble of making small talk.

He raised a hand to signal the waiter for the check. From the other side of the room, a distant voice called out: “Yes, sir! One moment, please!”

Then, the waiter led a boy who was soaking wet and keeping his head down all the way into the restaurant.

A moment later, this dripping-wet boy was brought right in front of him.

“I—I’m sorry, Professor Xiao, I was about to leave, but a bug suddenly popped up in the code, and my supervisor wouldn’t let me go. Then, when I came out, it was raining really hard, and I, so, I’m a little wet.”

The boy spoke in a small voice, his fingers instinctively clutching his damp trousers.

Xiao Shuqing’s gaze swept over him dispassionately:

The coat and the T-shirt underneath were drenched.

His hair was clumped together in sections, and the water dripping from the ends had thoroughly soaked the back of his shirt.

His breathing was shallow and uneven; he must have run a significant distance in the rain.

He could have easily sent a text saying he’d be a few minutes late and then borrowed an umbrella, yet he chose the most pathetic way to arrive.

Clumsy.

He lacked social grace, wasn’t “smooth” enough, and clearly wasn’t very good at taking care of himself.

The boy’s legs were ramrod straight, his kneecaps twitching slightly upward. His downcast gaze was fixed on a spot on the floor at a thirty-five-degree angle. His wet eyelashes cast trembling shadows over his eyelids.

Nervousness, self-blame, guilt. He was at a loss for words.

[Diagnosis: Withdrawn, introverted, people-pleasing personality.]

“Sit down first,” Xiao Shuqing said softly, adjusting the bridge of his glasses.

The boy’s tense frame finally relaxed a fraction. “O—okay.”

He pulled out the chair and sat. Where his body touched the back of the seat, a small puddle of water began to form.

Resigned, Xiao Shuqing took a napkin from the table and handed it to him. “Dry yourself off.”

The boy hurriedly reached out with both hands to take it. “Thank you. Um, sorry for the trouble.”

Only then did he lift his head to look at him.

His skin was fair, and his eyelashes were thick and long. His dark, clear eyes hadn’t quite recovered from his earlier panic; they were shy, clean, and held a trace of fluster.

Between his two curved eyebrows sat a round, beautiful mole—a “beauty mark.”

He looked like a little rabbit.

A beautiful, long-haired rabbit whose ears were drooping submissively.

The profile hadn’t lied; this Alpha was indeed very good-looking. “Good-looking” was indeed a flaw, because he was beautiful to the point of not looking like an Alpha at all—he was even prettier than many Omegas. No Omega would want an Alpha who was more beautiful than themselves.

“Excuse me, gentlemen. Here are some hot towels for you.”

The waiter arrived with a tray and used tongs to place a hot towel in front of each of them.

The Alpha across from him nodded politely and whispered, “Thank you.”

Xiao Shuqing pinched the bridge of his nose to snap himself out of it. Scrutinizing others like that was quite rude, a lingering professional habit.

“Um, Professor Xiao, would you like some water?”

The Alpha picked up the pitcher, his beautiful eyes searching around his side of the table. After a long moment, he finally found the water glass tucked in a corner that even Xiao Shuqing hadn’t noticed. He slowly poured a glass of lemon water.

He pushed it carefully toward him. “Professor Xiao, please drink.”

Then, he poured one for himself, cradling the glass and taking small sips.

His dark eyes stared at the lemon slice that had accidentally fallen into his cup. His eyelashes hung low, trembling with every blink.

He looked even more like a rabbit now.

A good little rabbit eating grass.

And before eating, he even moved a paw to share some fodder with the person in front of him.

The man silently averted his gaze and opened the menu. There were many dishes listed, but he couldn’t shake the image of the Alpha’s cautious demeanor since walking through the door.

Although Xiao Shuqing was here for a blind date, he actually had no fondness for Alphas as a group.

To him, an Omega who succumbed to an Alpha was nothing more than an “uncivilized animal” bowing to instinct.

Or rather, it wasn’t so much that he loathed Alphas, but rather that he loathed being an “Omega” himself.

After all, the truth behind loathing the world is usually just loathing oneself.

But, the tense, cramped little thing sitting across from him really looked like he was here for a genuine blind date?

Xiao Shuqing adjusted his glasses with a trace of helplessness. It was better to be clear about these things early on; the longer it dragged out, the higher the emotional cost for everyone involved.

He closed the menu and looked solemnly at the person across from him. “Yu Siyuan, I’m sorry, but I must be clear with you, I actually have no interest in Alphas. My family registered me on that dating site, and I’ll be explaining things to them when I get back. I’m sorry for wasting your time today.”

The Alpha stiffened at his words. His knuckles curled slightly, his fingertips pressing against the glass until they turned a pale, sickly white.

Xiao Shuqing suddenly realized his words might have been too blunt, so blunt that they seemed to have bruised the other man’s pride.

Just as he was about to offer a further explanation, he was surprised to hear the other man speak first.

“Actually, I don’t have any interest in Omegas either,” Yu Siyuan said.

Xiao Shuqing blinked, taking a moment to process this. He had almost forgotten that AO (Alpha/Omega) pairings weren’t the only way of the world; Alphas weren’t restricted to a single orientation. For an Alpha like Yu Siyuan.

He should have realized sooner.

“In that case, shall we just treat this as a meal between acquaintances? This restaurant is quite good,” he said, clearing his throat behind a hand pressed to his lips.

The Alpha replied slowly, “Okay.”

Dinner was somewhat awkward, with almost no conversation between them.

The Alpha’s upbringing was clearly excellent; he kept his head down and chewed his food with slow, methodical grace.

A very well-behaved kid.

After finishing his own meal, Xiao Shuqing sipped his drink and waited.

Once the other man set down his utensils, indicating he was done, Xiao Shuqing finally spoke. “Had enough to eat?”

The Alpha gave a cramped nod. “Mhm.”

He then pulled out his phone, preparing to pay.

Xiao Shuqing stopped him. “I’ve already settled the bill. I invited you here and you ended up getting caught in the rain, consider it my apology. Make sure to boil some ginger soup when you get home so you don’t catch a cold.”

Yu Siyuan stood there awkwardly, clutching his phone. “I, no, how much was it? I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Xiao Shuqing shook his head. “No need. Go home and get some rest.”

With that, he walked out of the restaurant, gave a brief wave, and climbed into his car.

Consequently, he completely missed what happened next. After he drove away, that seemingly mild and soft Alpha walked silently over to a trash can. He pulled off his mud-stained shoes and removed two thick objects from inside them.

He stared at his phone screen for a long time before finally dropping the items into the bin with a dejected slump of his head.

They were 6-centimeter height-increasing insoles bought specifically for today.