Mistakenly Marking My Alpha Rival - Chapter 5

In the heart of Hong Kong, there are many dilapidated old housing estates with high population density and pitifully small living spaces. Units under ten square meters must accommodate bathrooms, kitchens, beds, and all other daily living areas.

 

Motorcycles weave through the streets and alleys, past glowing or dim signboards mounted haphazardly on crumbling buildings. This is the place locals recognized as the slums.

 

Click—

 

It was late by the time Fu Chen returned home. He turned on the light, closed the door, and swapped his shoes. In the cramped room, even turning around was a bit of a struggle.

 

He was truly exhausted. He collapsed onto a beanbag chair for a while, not even touching his phone, just letting his mind go blank. Just as he was preparing to get up for a shower, the phone in his jacket vibrated.

 

“Are you off work yet?”

 

When he answered, an Omega’s voice filled the room, covering the cold, lifeless space.

 

Fu Chen felt a sense of peace. He closed his eyes as he spoke, “Just got back. It’s late, why aren’t you asleep yet?”

 

“Waiting for your message,” Zhu Yingtian said honestly. “I… have a bit of insomnia again.”

 

If it were before, Fu Chen would have sensed something was on his mind. But right now, he was so tired he was nearly drifting off. His blurred consciousness was actually picked up by the Omega on the other end of the line.

 

“If you’re too tired, go to sleep,” Zhu Yingtian sighed softly. “I transferred some money to you, remember to…”

 

Fu Chen snapped his eyes open by reflex, rejecting the kindness. He spoke up, “Senior.”

 

“You’ve already helped me a lot.”

 

“I can pay you back as soon as I get my paycheck.”

 

Zhu Yingtian paused on the other end. After a long silence, he finally asked, “Fu Chen, what exactly is our relationship?”

 

The sentence was like a beautiful flower blooming in a stagnant swamp—untouchable, where even looking too closely felt wrong.

 

The light was piercing. Fu Chen closed his eyes and blocked them with his arm, but covering them didn’t help. “I don’t know…”

 

They hadn’t had much contact recently, as both were busy. Although he wasn’t sure what Zhu Yingtian was doing during the holiday, Fu Chen still looked out for his feelings. When he wasn’t busy, he would go find him to chat like close friends.

 

Fu Chen didn’t fake smiles in front of Zhu Yingtian, and the Omega from a wealthy family didn’t need to play the role of the perfect heir required by his elders when he was with him.

 

So—

 

Ever since the day Zhu Yingtian suggested confirming a romantic relationship, Fu Chen truly didn’t know how to handle it. He couldn’t even confirm if his feelings had crossed the boundary of friendship.

 

“School starts soon. I remember telling you… to think it over carefully this holiday.”

 

Zhu Yingtian was the type of Omega with stable emotions, but he wasn’t strong-willed. He cried easily and thought he hid it well. “There’s no rush regarding the money.”

 

“If you insist on paying it back, you can do it whenever you want. Don’t feel pressured.”

 

“I don’t want you to work so hard. I told you, I’ve liked you from the very beginning. Though… never mind, I’ll find a way to resolve things. In short, I won’t let this relationship become a burden to you.”

 

No one can resist a gentle confession, and Fu Chen was no exception. Especially since it was Zhu Yingtian—they were very compatible, able to read the meaning in each other’s eyes. Fu Chen had considered the Omega an important friend for a long time.

 

Otherwise—

 

With other Omegas who pursued him, Fu Chen would agree to give it a try without any burden, only to express within a few days that he truly couldn’t enter a dating phase.

 

Despite being exhausted, Fu Chen fought through his sleepiness to chat with Zhu Yingtian until his phone died. He ended up falling asleep in a daze at some point.

 

---

 

He woke up the next morning.

 

Sunlight fell upon his eyelashes. Fu Chen opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a moment, realizing he hadn’t showered at all and had slept on the beanbag all night.

 

This body was still quite durable. He took a quick shower and went downstairs to buy hot buns and fried dough sticks. He detoured to the neighboring park for a morning run. It was a non-working day that felt like any other, and he even got to pet a big fat dog he liked on the park lawn.

 

“We haven’t seen you in a long time.”

 

An old man holding a Samoyed sat on a bench, remarking to the Alpha youth playing with the dog that he hadn’t seen him much lately.

 

Fu Chen smiled and explained he had been too busy. He was carrying his Gabumon backpack and pulled out some snacks, feeding the big fat dog while patting its head. “Yeye, here’s a little bun.”

 

“How did you get fat again?”

 

The old man chuckled. The dog’s name was given by his granddaughter. He had introduced the dog to countless people, but only this youth would say the full name.

 

Just as they were about to chat more, Fu Chen’s phone rang. It was the manager from the souvenir shop. He had to say goodbye to the dog, even though the Samoyed was reluctant to let him go, insistently nuzzling his knees with its fluffy head.

 

“See you next time.”

 

Fu Chen smiled, showing his tiger teeth, and waved as he answered the phone, “What’s up?”

 

The manager on the other end said the schedule for the staff dating event was out and sent him a screenshot. The tone implied there was no room for negotiation; as an employee, Fu Chen had no choice but to accept the order.

 

Fu Chen had an ominous feeling. He looked at the screenshot and saw he really had been assigned an Alpha dating partner.

 

Customer Note: D.

 

He wasn’t sure if it was the familiar hoodie guy, or… wait. His heart thudded suddenly. Fu Chen felt as if his ears were ringing for a few seconds. His sense of smell was keen, and a faint scent of wood and grass floated in the air, causing his senses to sharpen without warning.

 

He recalled that in that enclosed space, the Alpha youth had been so close to him that the pain in his gland had vanished completely.

 

Fu Chen felt a lingering fear. His head throbbed with a delayed reaction. He thought to himself… why was he only now thinking to get to the bottom of this?

 

He hung up the phone.

 

Fu Chen scrolled through his contact list. His phone was too laggy. For some reason, the manager he had hung up on sent a screen full of question marks, making the Syrian-style old phone feel like it was about to explode. However, he managed to successfully send a call request to a certain account.

 

“Doctor.”

 

Fu Chen stood in place and took a deep breath, speaking like a good student, “I think I really can smell it…”

 

 

Meanwhile.

 

In a sprawling, empty villa, Dai Siyun sat at the dining table with a cold expression. The meal, meticulously prepared by a world-class chef, was tailored to the nutritional needs of an S-class Alpha, but he had no appetite whatsoever.

 

Sitting across from him was a free-loader. Xing Xun gripped his knife and fork, bringing a piece of steak to his mouth. “You don’t know how lucky you are.”

 

“You can have this luck then.”

 

Dai Siyun turned his face away, unconsciously looking at the glass window like a caged bird that couldn’t see the scenery. “I’m going to attend Yingrui when school starts, too.”

 

Xing Xun choked. “For real?”

 

“Yeah,” Dai Siyun said gloomily. “They’re making me transfer to build a relationship with Zhu Yingtian. As for future arrangements, my dad said he has other plans.”

 

Xing Xun, “…”

 

He didn’t dare say anything else to upset his friend.

 

Previously, Dai Siyun attended the private high school next door, which was even more mysterious and prestigious. You could say his future path was already paved, but he hadn’t expected Uncle Dai to be so ruthless for the sake of a prospective daughter-in-law.

 

Xing Xun felt a chill down his spine. No wonder his friend seemed different lately; it really wasn’t just his imagination.

 

To cheer Dai Siyun up, Xing Xun suggested playing games. But once they reached the game room upstairs and settled into the high-end leather sofas, they found that chatting was actually better for relieving stress.

 

“This is all the fault of pheromone compatibility…”

 

Xing Xun scratched his hair. Being an S-class Alpha, he felt for the first time that his troubles also stemmed from it. “You guys haven’t met yet, right?”

 

Dai Siyun held the controller, saying icily, “No.”

 

Xing Xun was shocked. “Is it because you don’t want to see him, or he doesn’t want to see you? Hasn’t anyone arranged it?”

 

“He said he’s sick and afraid he’ll infect me if we meet.”

 

Dai Siyun used a very subtle tone. “I also thought about faking an illness, using the same excuse to delay the meeting as long as possible.”

 

Xing Xun, “…”

 

It’s fine!

 

You can save that excuse for next time!

 

But he didn’t dare speak recklessly. At this moment, Dai Siyun seemed to have no patience, tapping buttons to select games on the screen and scrolling back and forth, clearly in no mood to play.

 

Xing Xun pondered for a moment. Just as he was about to speak, a notification sound for a message rang in the game room.

 

It was the sound for a friend request.

 

Dai Siyun grabbed his phone and swiped right. He paused visibly, as if he had seen something incredible.

 

Xing Xun’s curiosity was piqued. “Who is it?”

 

“It couldn’t be Zhu Yingtian adding you on his own initiative…”

 

He leaned over. To his surprise, it was the official account for the Pearl Bay Circuit souvenir shop. Xing Xun’s mouth hung open as he understood instantly. “Fu Chen?”

 

“Not sure.”

 

Dai Siyun clicked to accept. His expression didn’t seem to change, but his raised eyebrows betrayed his mood. “Let’s see.”

 

Xing Xun clicked his tongue. “I was really fooled by you at the beginning.”

 

I thought you wouldn’t bully your little rival.

 

Dai Siyun, “?”

 

He hadn’t done anything. Even if the pressure from his Alpha father forced him to move forward, and the actions of the Zhu family Omega pushed him backward, it truly gave him a sense of being toyed with repeatedly.

 

But—

 

Whether it was that A-class Alpha on the motorcycle, or the tiger-toothed boy with the reddened nape who wasn’t good at lying, Fu Chen’s existence was quite disjointed and full of contrasts.

 

This meant Dai Siyun currently had no other emotions toward Fu Chen, nor would he vent the frustration of an arranged marriage on him. After all, he hadn’t had time to figure many things out yet.

 

Therefore, the moment the friend request was accepted and he saw the other person greet him, he replied politely.

 

D: [Hello.]

 

Shop Assistant: [Hello.]

 

D: [Is something wrong?]

 

The screen showed “Typing…” for a long time.

 

As an observer, Xing Xun frowned slightly, fearing a long rejection essay was coming—saying the scheduled date time or the staff member needed to be changed. If that happened, he would definitely create a burner account to post a warning on social media.

 

This shop does. Not. Keep. Its word.

 

Shop Assistant: [I’m Fu Chen, the clerk you booked. If I remember correctly, you’re the Alpha who proactively gave me the ointment, right?]

 

[Your booking is for the day after tomorrow.]

 

[I wanted to ask if you’re free today. If it’s convenient, could we change the time and meet earlier?]

 

Several messages arrived without warning.

 

Xing Xun’s eyes widened like a fish’s. He said in surprise, “Does he mean he wants to move the date up?”

 

Dai Siyun held his phone. His dark eyes, partially hidden by strands of hair, looked incredibly deep. “Seems so.”

 

Then.

 

Dai Siyun typed a few words and hit send, while simultaneously getting up to change his clothes: [I’m free now. Where do you want to meet?]