Childhood Sweethearts (ABO) - Chapter 3

Super Strong Possessiveness Buff!

The nanny van drove through the European-style city. The car stereo played an English song with a rhythmic beat.

Xie Yun leaned his elbow against the window. His electronic watch had already switched to German time, and he easily converted it to domestic time in his head.

It was 1:30 AM back home very late for a high school senior.

Xie Yun hadn’t intended to disturb him, but after browsing the internet and seeing fans heatedly discussing his chat partner, he felt like his hair was standing on end. He had simply slept the whole way and forgotten to switch screens, leaving the chat interface stuck on a conversation from half a year ago.

However… a teenager harboring a secret crush is never truly “innocent.”

He knew Xi Zhiyu never used Weibo, but fire cannot be wrapped in paper forever. Xie Yun’s imagination ran wild; he felt as if he were being tossed and fried repeatedly in a hot wok, unable to sit still.

xzy: I’m not asleep yet.

xzy: It’s been a long journey, you worked hard. Are you tired?

Xie Yun leaned his head back and subconsciously squinted. He suspected he hadn’t woken up yet and was hallucinating the “glasses-wearing kitten” replying to his messages in the early hours of the morning.

And it wasn’t just one message.

Wait…

His brother’s avatar was a kitten wearing glasses and reading a book!

“?!!!”

Inside the van, there was a sudden thud as a knee collided with the rear air vent.

Xie Yun hissed in pain, pressing his knee firmly. His mind cleared instantly, as if he’d just downed three shots of iced Americano.

The bodyguard was driving, and his cousin, sitting in the passenger seat, was nodding off like a drowsy fisherman. No one noticed his abnormality.

Xie Yun ducked his head to reply, feeling as if the air were filled with seeds of ambiguity. His skin felt so hot it was as if he had heatstroke.

Yun-zai: I’m not tired.

Yun-zai: Why is Brother still awake so late?

Yun-zai: Did my message wake you up?

He waited for a moment.

xzy: I wasn’t woken up.

xzy: I just finished two sets of practice problems. Don’t overthink it, Yun-zai.

Yun-zai: That’s good then ^^

On the other side.

The whole world had fallen silent. The night wind was gentle, quietly drifting into the distance.

Xi Zhiyu focused only on the sound of the message bubbles popping up on his phone. When he saw the smiley face symbol, he quietly curled his lips into a smile.

Even though they rarely chatted and didn’t meet often in reality, every time they connected, his enthusiastic childhood friend always made him feel good.

No new message came.

Instead, Xie Yun’s avatar changed from a selfie to another selfie. The style wasn’t much different.

Xi Zhiyu stopped typing. He moved his finger to the left, tapped the avatar to enlarge it, and gazed at it for a long time.

It was a fresh selfie in the same outfit from the airport photos.

The teenager’s features were sharp, his eyebrows long and elegant, exuding the aura of a well-groomed, handsome guy. However, his slightly rounded eyes, gleaming with amber light, neutralized the sharpness of his face perfectly. Even his soft blonde hair looked obedient.

Xi Zhiyu unconsciously stared blankly. Once he snapped out of it, he exited the photo, realizing a beat late that he hadn’t replied in time.

Yun-zai: It seems quite late back home. Is Brother going to sleep?

xzy: Not yet.

xzy: I was just busy with something else.

The other party replied instantly.

Yun-zai: Brother, don’t work too hard.

xzy: Okay. You should also get some rest, Yun-zai.

Xi Zhiyu almost never stayed up until dawn; drowsiness was washing over him.

Holding his phone, he walked toward the bathroom to wash up, but he didn’t break off the chat with Xie Yun. He asked: Does chatting disturb you?

Yun-zai: Of course not!

Yun-zai: It was super boring on the plane. I took a few photos.

Yun-zai: [Shared Photo] x5

Yun-zai: Brother, look at the starry sky I captured.

Xi Zhiyu clicked on them. It felt as if he were traveling through starlight and clouds; the irritability caused by his glandular disease dissipated.

xzy: It’s very beautiful.

Yun-zai: ^^

xzy: Was your new avatar also taken on the plane?

Yun-zai: …Yeah.

xzy: Yun-zai is especially handsome.

A string of gibberish suddenly popped up from the other side and was then retracted. Xi Zhiyu saw it clearly but didn’t understand the meaning.

Yun-zai: My hand slipped just now.

Yun-zai: Thanks, Brother. I got tired of my old avatar and just picked one randomly. It’s actually just average.

The navigation indicated they weren’t far from the destination; they would reach the hotel at the next intersection.

Normally, Xie Yun would have wanted to fly into the suite on a wire to sleep, but now he only cared about chatting with his crush, losing all sense of direction.

The selfies he had saved on the plane were flawless handsome and full of collagen but he had been too embarrassed to send them directly. His deliberate act of changing his avatar was merely the whim of an “emotional idiot” trying to make his presence felt.

Who knew the effect would be so good.

xzy: Yun-zai is especially handsome.

Xie Yun’s breath hitched. In his fluster, he accidentally sent a string of gibberish.

Although his childhood friend was an emotionally simple Omega, he was naturally brilliant. On second thought, Xie Yun feared his obvious crush was being displayed too bluntly.

After frantically patching the “avatar-change” move by retracting the gibberish, Xie Yun stared at the glasses-wearing kitten, biting his knuckles. He typed and deleted repeatedly before finally asking the question.

Yun-zai: Brother, are you not very busy lately? How did you know I came to Berlin?

Do you follow me privately? Are you thinking of me the way I think of you?

Xie Yun indulged in wishful thinking, his face growing hotter. He pressed his forehead against the back of the front seat, letting out a muffled hum through his nose. He truly looked like a shy, irritable young tiger.

Jiang Jia, who had been sleeping fitfully, opened her eyes. She turned her head in confusion and asked, “It’s just a hot search; it’s like eating a meal for you. Is it really necessary to act like this?”

Furthermore, she had clearly instructed the team to handle it so the topic wouldn’t escalate.

Xie Yun, who would usually snap back, seemed like a player reconnecting after being offline. He met Jiang Jia’s bewildered gaze.

The teenager grinned: “Sorry, Cousin. You go back to sleep.”

Jiang Jia: “…………”

Ghostly. Since when did this kid speak so sweetly?

As a manager, being responsible for the artist was her job, and caring about his private life was a top priority. Unfortunately, the Alpha hottie’s friendliness didn’t last two seconds. Noticing her leaning over, he warned her with a fake smile, “No peeking.”

Jiang Jia: “Is it not even okay to ask what you’re chatting about?”

Xie Yun raised an eyebrow. There was no way he would tell her it was entirely because “Brother” noticed his new avatar.

He wouldn’t let go of his phone, his mind full of fantasies and the green awkwardness unique to puberty. He looked down again; there was still no reply.

Hmm? Was his question that hard to answer?

Buzz.

The new message notification sounded like a summons.

xzy: I heard it from a friend.

xzy: By the way, can I ask Yun-zai for a favor?

Xie Yun’s eyes lit up. He agreed without hesitation: Of course, what is it?

xzy: I’d like a signed photo of Yun-zai. Is that okay?

Xie Yun: “!!!”

Brother is asking me for a signed photo for the first time!

Yun-zai: No problem. I can even write a ‘to’ signature. What name do you want me to write, Brother?

xzy: A new friend I met is a fan of Yun-zai. They mentioned it today, saying they really wanted a signed photo.

Xie Yun: “…”

Reality shattered his illusions.

Seeing his aura suddenly turn cold, Jiang Jia leaned in and successfully peeked. She whispered like a demon, “90% of your fans are ‘Mama fans.'”

“Among fans your age, it seems only power-hungry Alphas like you, right?”

Xie Yun unconsciously cracked his knuckles. The subtext was glaringly obvious he feared his Brother had made a new Alpha friend.

Although they weren’t in the same school, Xie Yun knew his fan base. From middle school until now, many people had tried to ask for signatures through Xi Zhiyu, but this was the first time he had agreed to help.

The teenager’s possessiveness was like a fire, burning recklessly and causing trouble.

Yun-zai: Brother’s new friend is my fan?

Yun-zai: Is that person an Alpha or an Omega?

Seeing the message, Xi Zhiyu squeezed the toothpaste a bit too hard. It landed on the clean counter, and he pulled a tissue to wipe it.

For some reason, he sensed that Xie Yun was a bit unhappy, turning into a protective, large animal with a forceful, oppressive aura.

…Or maybe it was just an illusion.

Xi Zhiyu stopped overthinking. He lowered his eyes, switched on his electric toothbrush, and typed with one hand while brushing.

xzy: An Omega.

While waiting for the parent to fill out the form, he had caught a glimpse that little girl was indeed an Omega.

On the other end, Xie Yun’s throat felt tight. He grabbed a bottle of mineral water, twisted it open, drank half of it, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it wasn’t an Alpha competitor, but an Omega.

But he knew how popular Xi Zhiyu was. His mind flickered to the movie he’d watched on the flight; the character played by Aaron had “O-O relationship” tendencies, which gave him a fright.

“Cough!!!”

Xie Yun choked and coughed several times.

As an Alpha, Xie Yun was S-rank, and he firmly believed that after his secondary differentiation upon reaching adulthood, he would definitely become a top S-rank Alpha. Paranoid, highly possessive, and unable to control his emotions toward the Omega he liked. It was nature; it was unavoidable.

Even the messages he sent were almost beyond his brain’s control.

Yun-zai: Brother, you are so good. In the past, people often had bad intentions toward you. You should be careful about your new friend’s sexual orientation. Could they also like Omegas?

Xi Zhiyu’s pupils dilated. He almost swallowed the sea-salt flavored foam, utterly baffled. Why was he suddenly asking about the sexual orientation of the Omegas around him?

Having experienced confessions from same-sex classmates more than one it was a confirmed reality. Later, he had accidentally learned at the hospital that his childhood friend was leaving for Berlin; his entire schedule was tied to the glandular disease he was desperately hiding.

He had been cautious lately, fearing his father and dad vacationing abroad would hear anything. If the news of his diagnosis and treatment at a private hospital got out, things would spiral out of control.

Xi Zhiyu sniffled nervously; he had to ask clearly.

xzy: Why do you ask? Does the company have specific requirements or regulations for signatures?

Yun-zai: Not really. I just saw a movie with an O-O plot and asked randomly.

Yun-zai: So, is that friend one?

After a moment of hesitation.

xzy: No.

It’s just a five-year-old girl who is a fellow patient.

Yun-zai: Mmhmm.

Yun-zai: That’s fine then.

It seemed the bodyguard hadn’t snitched to the older generation, who would then tell Uncle Xie, leading to his childhood friend asking him directly.

But after accidentally scaring himself, the chat atmosphere was no longer relaxed. Typing became awkward.

Perhaps his friend felt it too; the chat window showed “the other party is typing” countless times. The atmosphere was momentarily tense.

Suddenly.

An emoji of a small tiger facing a wall to calm down popped up on the screen.

Yun-zai: Sorry, I just woke up after the flight and had a bit of “rising temper.”

Yun-zai: I’m going back to Nancheng this weekend. If it’s not urgent, I’ll give the signed photo to Brother then.

Yun-zai: Goodnight.

Xi Zhiyu was stunned. He long-forgottenly recalled an incident.

Last year, an Alpha classmate from a neighboring school who participated in a competition with him had pursued him in an exaggerated way, sending dozens of messages daily, occasionally mixed with suggestive text. The two schools had a competition partnership; Xi Zhiyu didn’t know how to handle it and couldn’t just delete the person.

When Xie Yun found out, even while on a film set, he messaged to ask about it. Xi Zhiyu had been shocked at how the news reached his ears. At that time, Xi Zhiyu was busy preparing for the competition and didn’t take it to heart. He only remembered that the day after his childhood friend contacted him, that Alpha classmate sent an apology, promising not to harass him anymore.

The reason he recalled this was that Xie Yun’s current state was exactly the same as back then.

If he had to analyze it: maybe because they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, his Alpha childhood friend cherished him as a friend. Since they were young, Xie Yun always talked about protecting him. Caring about his situation naturally meant caring about the people around him.

He didn’t think Xie Yun’s tone was bad; on the contrary, he felt guilty for hiding things from him.

xzy: Don’t apologize.

xzy: See you then. Goodnight.

Xi Zhiyu put down his phone, finished washing his face, and slowly soaked into the bathtub.

He heard that Xie Yun’s team had a private cultural tutor. His friend, who attended a private arts school in the capital, saved time on the college entrance exam primarily to facilitate his activities. Constantly traveling across the country, filming or attending promotions—asking for a signature was already a bit troublesome. He thought it would be mailed.

How could he have time to come back?

Xi Zhiyu thought for a moment; it must be because he had other things to handle and could meet him “on the way.”

Even so, Xi Zhiyu was satisfied. He buried half his face in the warm water, the frequency of his breathing speaking of his anticipation for the meeting.

Meanwhile.

Berlin.

The van stopped at a five-star hotel. The bodyguard got out to move the luggage. Inside the car, the two people were in a standoff.

“Did I hear that right?”

Jiang Jia reached out to feel Xie Yun’s forehead. “What did you say you want to do?”

Xie Yun put away his phone: “I want to transfer schools.”

Jiang Jia: “…”

Ancestor, what did you say you’re doing? Are you so triggered by the hot search that you’re going to confess to someone?!

“Don’t tell me,” Jiang Jia pressed her aching temples, “you plan to transfer back to Nancheng?”

“Yes.”

Xie Yun knew better than anyone that Xi Zhiyu never stayed up until 2:00 AM. Not only that, but if it weren’t for that so-called “new friend,” this conversation wouldn’t have happened. The signs were unusual.

…Brother seems to be hiding something from me.

Xie Yun bent down and slid the door open with a swish, his voice sounding muffled: “Help me with the procedures.”

“I want to transfer to Nanling No. 1 High School.”

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