The Dangerous Omega Who is Good at Disguising Always Wants to Hook Me! - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Having a Secret Crush…

Exiting the restroom, Qi Yan spotted Shen Xiuliu standing by the entrance, having lost a bit of time on a phone call.

Due to his angle, he didn’t notice the two other people being blocked from view. He strode over and said apologetically, “Mr. Shen, sorry to keep you wait… ing.”

As he saw the people standing beside Shen Xiuliu, Qi Yan came to a subtle halt.

“I just received a call and accidentally got delayed. My apologies,” Qi Yan said with regret.

“It’s fine, I haven’t been waiting long.”

Shen Xiuliu, holding the blue roses, took two steps toward him. His tone was gentler than ever before, even carrying a hint of intimacy—a stark contrast to his previous coldness.

This stunned Shen Xiangting, who knew him well; she looked at Qi Yan in disbelief.

Who is this? Why is Shen Xiuliu speaking to him so gently?

“That’s good then.” Qi Yan smiled in relief, just as his gaze met Shen Xiangting’s curious and scrutinizing look. He paused. “These two… are they your friends, Mr. Shen? Am I interrupting…”

“No, don’t worry about it. We just happened to run into each other.” Shen Xiuliu cut him off, then looked at Shen Xiangting and said calmly, “I won’t disturb your date. Enjoy yourselves.”

He completely ignored Yi Yang, who was standing beside her. Qi Yan, following his host’s lead, nodded to them as a friendly greeting and followed Shen Xiuliu away.

Watching them leave, Shen Xiangting didn’t dare stop him. She turned to her boyfriend, Yi Yang. “A-Yang, that guy just now was so handsome. And he actually looks a bit like you.”

Hearing her words, Yi Yang’s expression turned somewhat ugly. The man’s face kept flashing through his mind. “…Do we really look that much alike?”

“You really do. But why do you look so upset? Were you scared by my second brother, or are you worried I’ll have a change of heart?”

Noticing Yi Yang’s sour expression, Shen Xiangting gave him a sweet smile. “Don’t worry. Even though you look alike, in my eyes, you’re the most handsome one. He can’t hold a candle to you.”

Compared to Yi Yang, that man was taller, with a long, lean build and perfect proportions. Even his face was flawless, especially those gentle, lingering peach-blossom eyes that held a seductive charm.

In contrast, Yi Yang was half a head shorter and had a completely different style—cool and handsome, with a domineering streak that was also quite charming. He was exactly Shen Xiangting’s type, so she still felt her boyfriend was more handsome.

Besides, to be honest, Qi Yan is too tall. It’d be a struggle just to kiss him, Shen Xiangting thought secretly.

Do we really look that similar? Yi Yang remained preoccupied, staring at the two men walking side-by-side outside.

He noticed Shen Xiuliu giving the flowers to the man, who accepted them with a smile and then gave two blue roses back. This scene made Yi Yang’s brows knit tightly as a wave of panic hit his heart.

It couldn’t be… it couldn’t be him. But they look so much alike…

Especially those eyes—they looked exactly like that “vixen’s”!

He had to investigate as soon as possible. If this man truly was his brother who had been missing for years—and now seemed to be on good terms with the Shen family’s Shen Xiuliu—it might be difficult to handle…

Yi Yang gritted his teeth, a shadow flickering in his eyes.

“A-Yang, don’t mind what my brother said just now. That’s just how he is with everyone. He wasn’t targeting you specifically, so don’t take it to heart.”

Shen Xiangting didn’t notice Yi Yang’s distraction. She clung to his arm as they walked out, grumbling, “I wanted to introduce you to him before, but see? He has such a cold personality. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have bothered to go up and greet him just to create an opportunity, only for him to give me no face at all! So mean. Even if I’m not his biological sister, a clan sister is still a sister…”

…

“Shen Xiangting is a clan sister, but we aren’t close. The Shen family has many branches; we aren’t very familiar, and I didn’t want to keep bothering her while she’s on a date with her boyfriend.”

Accepting the two blue roses handed back to him, Shen Xiuliu explained the situation to Qi Yan. His fingers unconsciously stroked the wrapping paper. The blue roses looked mysterious and beautiful in the night air. Thinking of their floral meaning, he felt a subtle sense of joy.

However, that joy vanished instantly when he noticed Qi Yan looking distracted, reaching up to touch his forehead.

“Ah… sorry, I spaced out for a second.” Qi Yan retracted his hand and gave a polite smile. “Interrupting a young couple’s date really isn’t great. It’s easy to become a third wheel and get secretly resented. In that situation, it’s best to stay as far away as possible.”

Shen Xiuliu pursed his lips, his gaze sliding over Qi Yan’s forehead. The night wind had ruffled the hair over his brow, which was fair and smooth without a single wound. The scattered black hair gave him a lazy,清雋 (handsome/refined) look, accentuating his gentle features.

“…True. When dating someone you like, every single moment is precious. At a time like that, even the most good-natured person would be displeased if they were interrupted.”

Qi Yan casually tucked the blue roses into his pocket—it was deep enough that they wouldn’t fall out. He laughed softly. “I can’t really comment on that. After all, I’ve never been in a relationship or been on a date with someone I like. Someone with only theory and no practice is always the first one out of these discussions.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed that. You should be very popular, Qi Yan. I haven’t seen you with anyone.” The light from the streetlamp fell on Shen Xiuliu’s face; a hint of a smile remained on his lips, as if he were just casually asking during a chat. “Have you really never liked anyone all these years?”

“I have,” Qi Yan replied just as casually.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, as if even the wind had stopped. The pleasant temperature took a sudden dip.

The person beside him didn’t speak. Qi Yan looked at the distant river surface, shimmering with the reflections of the city.

“I have a secret crush.”

The person beside him still didn’t speak. Qi Yan slowly retracted his gaze and looked at Shen Xiuliu. The man was looking down at his phone, tapping a few times before slowly raising his head to meet Qi Yan’s eyes. His lenses reflected the white light, and his pale lips curved up slightly into an almost perfect smile, his eyes reflecting the thick, pitch-black night.

“That’s quite surprising. You don’t look like someone who would have a secret crush, Qi Yan; you look more like someone people would crush on. Since you have someone you like, why haven’t you confessed? You’re very excellent. In my view, no one could refuse a confession from you.”

Qi Yan lightly scratched his cheek, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Haha, Mr. Shen, you flatter me. A successful confession requires the other party to have feelings too. Unfortunately, I haven’t dared to test if they like me. When you like someone too much, you just become a coward.”

After finishing these sheepish words, his gaze drifted slightly. Under the streetlamps, Qi Yan’s cheeks flushed slightly. “But, the next time we meet, I’ll try to muster the courage to confess…”

Qi Yan usually maintained a gentle and reliable image, but under the romantic night sky, he seemed to have a bit of boyish naivety. His features were captivating, with the city lights behind him shining like stars and the river reflecting the shimmering waves—it looked like a painting.

The riverside road was sparsely populated with only a few passersby. As the wind whistled softly, Shen Xiuliu snapped out of it, his eyes deep behind his glasses.

The smile on his lips remained unchanged, a perfect mask that softened his cold and aloof aura. “Is that so… that’s quite nice.”

“It’s a bit awkward to suddenly talk about these things with you, Mr. Shen,” Qi Yan said bashfully.

Shen Xiuliu smiled and replied, “Saying that makes it seem like you don’t see me as a friend, which is why you find it inconvenient to mention. It’s a bit heart-breaking.”

Qi Yan was stunned. Looking at the gentle smile on the man’s face, the sense of strangeness in his heart grew stronger. He shifted his gaze uncomfortably. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that suddenly mentioning being too scared to confess makes me feel… childish.”

An adult who didn’t even dare to voice a crush sounded like a timid child—unprofessional and even embarrassing.

“No need to apologize. I understand. It’s only natural for people to feel timid when it comes to emotions.” Shen Xiuliu pushed up his glasses and walked forward slowly, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

Without lingering on the boring topic, Shen Xiuliu asked Qi Yan about his recent research progress; such topics were always more relaxed. They walked along the riverside for a while before returning to the car to head back to the apartment.

“Mr. Shen, aren’t you coming back with me?” Qi Yan unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to ask him.

He smiled. “No. I just received a message; an elder has something for me, so I might not be able to return for now.”

“Then, thank you for treating me to dinner tonight and for driving me back.”

After thanking him, Qi Yan walked toward the apartment. After he got out, the car window rolled up, and the car slowly drove off, stopping in a spot invisible from the apartment.

The engine remained running. Amidst the dim night, the interior lights of the car flickered on. Shen Xiuliu expressionlessly ripped off the pheromone-suppressing collar around his neck. He took a box from a hidden compartment—it was a pre-prepared pheromone suppressant specifically for Omegas.

Opening the packaging, his long, pale fingers trembled slightly, yet he still skillfully used the syringe to draw the liquid and plunged the needle into his stinging nape.

Pain spread continuously through his limbs. His body felt a trace of numbness, which was nothing to the long-accustomed Shen Xiuliu; it wasn’t as if he hadn’t experienced worse.

Ding-dong!

The phone sitting aside suddenly lit up. Shen Xiuliu looked down, pulled out the needle, and tossed it into the box. He picked up the phone to unlock it. The first thing to jump into view wasn’t a message, but a flashing red warning light.

— [WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!] — [Patient notice: Your pheromones have exceeded the safety threshold!] — [Patient notice: If your pheromones do not stabilize within ten minutes, the system will automatically dial emergency services for you!]

A long list of warnings popped up chaotically, all of which Shen Xiuliu forcibly closed. He even ignored Shen Yunshu’s frantic “death-call” and dialed another number. “How is it going?”

He leaned back against the seat, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. He listened to the report from the other end for a long while before saying, “Then follow my previous instructions. Cooperate well and strive to have him discover the ‘truth’ before October. Don’t worry about anything else.”

He issued the orders methodically. When he hung up, Shen Yunshu’s frantic call came in again.

Shen Xiuliu didn’t spare it a glance. He tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and unconsciously gnawed on his thumb.

The upper half of his face was shrouded in shadow. He remained motionless, barely even breathing, like a silent, dead man.