The White Moonlight is Both Competitive and Predatory - Chapter 2

“It seems we share a stroke of fate.”

The Alpha’s voice was not loud, but Yan Chi heard the words clearly.

The man had broad shoulders. Although the black umbrella was large, it could not fully shield him. Rainwater cascaded off the edges and quickly soaked the fabric of his suit’s left shoulder.

Late at night in the suburbs, letting a stranger on the side of the road into your car sounded dangerous by any standard. However, as the dark wet patches continued to spread across the man’s shoulder before his eyes, Yan Chi’s lips parted.

“It is on the way,” Yan Chi said.

Hearing this, the man’s brow relaxed. “Should I transfer the payment first?”

Hitching a ride usually meant paying first and boarding later. It was standard practice.

Startled by this sudden encounter, Yan Chi had not fully regained his composure. He did not care about the money; he simply muttered, “Up to you. The rain is heavy, so just get in first.”

“Thank you.” Ji Yueting did not hesitate. He reached out a long arm, pulled open the car door, folded his umbrella, and sat down steadily.

He sat in the back seat, positioned diagonally across from Yan Chi. He rested the black umbrella against his knees, pointing it toward the driver’s seat. Despite entering someone else’s car, the Alpha showed no trace of awkwardness. Instead, he was perfectly composed.

“Where is your driver? Is he not coming?” Yan Chi lifted his lashes and saw the driver outside return to the Bentley of his own accord after his boss boarded.

“I have already called him. He will wait here for the repair crew because I do not have the time to wait,” Ji Yueting said. “It seems not many cars pass by at this hour. I waited a long time, and you are the first.”

“The suburbs are like that. There are not many people, and rarely any cars come at this time.”

Ji Yueting gave a light, soft laugh. “Then I am quite lucky to have run into you.”

The sound of his laugh sent a faint hum through Yan Chi’s heart, but his expression remained neutral. He asked, “Where in the city are you going? I will set the navigation.”

“Changying Group, in the Upper District.”

Changying. This was the Ji family’s company.

Yan Chi was more than familiar with it. He passed it every time he went to and from his studio. It was indeed on the way.

He felt quite surprised that Ji Yueting was rushing to the office at this hour instead of attending a welcome party.

He stepped on the accelerator again, and the headlights cut through the curtain of rain. The atmosphere inside the car was excessively quiet. Yan Chi discreetly switched the car audio to a radio station. As the host’s voice filled the space, the surreal, floating emotions in his heart finally began to settle.

Had he really just given Ji Yueting a ride?

The eyes reflected in the rearview mirror appeared flickering and uncertain amidst the passing streetlights. Yan Chi felt a sense of both familiarity and strangeness. Compared to years ago, this face seemed sharper and more mature.

“The heavy rain will continue until approximately 9:00 AM tomorrow. Citizens are advised to travel safely,” the female radio announcer said.

Suddenly, the man in the back seat spoke.

“My umbrella got your car wet,” Ji Yueting said abruptly, looking at the puddle accumulating at the tip of the umbrella.

Yan Chi blinked. “It is fine. It will dry in a couple of days.”

“Are there any tissues in the car?”

“Yes,” Yan Chi responded. He handed them back through the gap between the seats during a red light.

A moment later, rustling sounds came from the back. Curiosity piqued, Yan Chi turned slightly and was surprised to find Ji Yueting actually wiping away the raindrops from the seat and floor mats.

Was this something Ji Yueting would do?

In Yan Chi’s memory, Ji Yueting was still that young master who disdained doing such trivial things.

After a short while, the Alpha straightened up and returned the tissue box to the front seat. As he retracted his hand, momentum caused him to tilt slightly, and his wrist brushed against Yan Chi’s arm. Though they were separated by a layer of fabric, Yan Chi felt a flush of heat at the point of contact.

Despite being a Beta, Yan Chi’s sensitivity to physical touch was no less acute than his sensitivity to scents. He shifted his body uncomfortably, feeling as though the air in the car had changed.

Due to his habits as a perfumer, Yan Chi did not keep any air fresheners in his car. There was nothing but the scent of tuberose diffusing from a glass bottle. However, when Ji Yueting opened the door, he brought in the damp moisture and the earthy smell of soil from outside. Even after the air conditioning had been running for a while, it could not completely filter those scents away.

Scents can harbor many emotions and spark countless thoughts. As the rain pitter-pattered, Yan Chi thought within this storm only inches away that Ji Yueting had probably not recognized him.

So many years had passed, and they had not been close to begin with. They were merely classmates for a time. Compared to a vibrant life abroad, those meager school days were pathetically sparse and hardly worth remembering.

Yet, Yan Chi was not disappointed. Instead, he felt a sense of relief. To him, the current state, where both parties acted as strangers meeting by chance, was perfect. It was uncomplicated, worry-free, and peaceful.

It would take another thirty minutes to drive to Changying. Yan Chi originally thought Ji Yueting would handle some work, given how hurried he was. But ten minutes passed, and since getting in, Ji Yueting had done nothing except clean up the mess with tissues.

He sat quietly in the back, and his gaze rested somewhere unknown.

As they crossed the Fourth Ring Road and got onto the elevated highway, the extraordinary prosperity of Haijing finally began to reveal itself. But as buildings and people increased, so did the cars.

No matter your status, once you enter the city, you must endure the traffic. Not a single red light is skipped, and on a rainy day, the situation is even worse.

“This section of Haijing is always congested. It was not this bad originally, but it has been like this since they built the tunnel a few years ago,” Yan Chi explained. He remembered that Ji Yueting was already out of the country by then.

“No rush,” Ji Yueting said deeply, shifting the topic. “The scent in your car is very pleasant. Is it perfume?”

Not expecting him to ask this, Yan Chi pointed to the passenger seat. “It is tuberose essential oil used for blending perfumes. It is not quite a perfume yet.” Whenever discussing anything related to perfumery, a smile would grace Yan Chi’s face. It was a slight, shallow curve on his cheek that was particularly eye-catching in the mottled light.

Ji Yueting hummed in acknowledgment, and his gaze grazed the smile on Yan Chi’s profile. “Back there on the roadside, would you have let anyone into your car?”

Yan Chi froze. He wanted to say no, but he felt that would be strange. If he said no, then why did he let the stranger Ji Yueting in? Consequently, against his true feelings, he changed his tune. “Yes, it is just a small matter.”

“A small matter? Then you are very kind-hearted.”

Yan Chi did not know how to respond. He felt Ji Yueting’s words were a bit odd. Do strangers have conversations like this?

Perhaps due to a habit formed since childhood, Yan Chi would not rack his brain to invent an answer when faced with a question he could not resolve. Most of the time, he chose silence. Thus, after Ji Yueting’s words fell, Yan Chi pursed his lips and turned his face away, speaking no more.

All that remained in the Alpha’s view were a few strands of dark, soft hair, a slightly rounded cheek, and a neck as white as jade.

The silence lasted only a moment before they arrived at their destination.

“Do you want to get off at the South Gate? You probably need an access card to enter a company like this, and I have never been here,” Yan Chi asked.

“I will just give the word. Drive in. The rain is too heavy, and it would be undignified and impolite to show up at a meeting looking like a drowned rat.” Ji Yueting spoke as if telling a dry joke. His voice was deep but not muffled. It was mellow and comfortable to listen to. “There is still a short distance, so I must trouble you.”

Since they were already here, Yan Chi decided to see the favor through to the end. He accelerated into the Changying complex, but even after the car came to a complete stop, the hitchhiker in the back made no move to get out.

Yan Chi looked up blankly, and his eyes met Ji Yueting’s calm gaze in the rearview mirror.

“Are you not in a hurry?”

“I have not paid my fare yet.”

So that was it. Yan Chi’s gentle face was shrouded by the night. He said, “It was a simple favor. I do not need any reward.”

Ji Yueting tilted his chin slightly, and a smile touched his eyes. “Actually, there is a question I have been wanting to ask.”

For some reason, Yan Chi suddenly felt nervous. “What question?”

“I wanted to ask, Yan Chi, do you really not recognize me, or have I mistaken you for someone else?”

Yan Chi’s eyes widened in shock. His light brown pupils were misty, mirroring the night weather. Ji Yueting claimed he might have mistaken him, but his gaze said otherwise; it was filled with absolute certainty.

“You recognize me?”

“Why would I not? We were high school classmates,” Ji Yueting said naturally. “It has been many years. To meet you on my first day back in the country, it seems we share a stroke of fate.”

The rearview mirror was small but clear. Yan Chi hastily looked away and forced himself to say, “It is quite a coincidence.”

“So, do you still recognize me?” Ji Yueting asked.

Yan Chi started to draft a response in his head only to scrap it. Saying he did not recognize him was too fake. No one from their year would fail to recognize a prominent figure like Ji Yueting.

But before Yan Chi could answer, he saw Ji Yueting lean forward. The distance between them vanished instantly. The scent of tuberose was scattered by the draft Ji Yueting brought with him, turning into a chaotic blur.

“What is it?” Yan Chi’s spine stiffened, and his fingers curled on the steering wheel.

They were so close that Yan Chi’s ears began to burn. He could even faintly smell the scent on Ji Yueting. It was not a pheromone, but the man’s own natural scent.

The next moment, Ji Yueting took out his phone. “Yan Chi, let us add each other on WeChat.”

“Did we not have each other before?” Yan Chi said subconsciously.

Ji Yueting arched an eyebrow. “So you do recognize me.”

Yan Chi gave a sheepish smile.

“Let us add each other again. I changed my number a while ago and lost my old contacts.” Ji Yueting looked at him with the inherent dominance of an Alpha. “Can we?”

Though he could not smell the Alpha’s pheromones, that aura of a superior was not diminished in the slightest. Yan Chi pulled back to create some distance and took out his phone. “Should I scan you?”

Ji Yueting replied, “I will scan you.”

Yan Chi obediently pulled up his QR code. With a beep, Ji Yueting quickly sent a friend request. Yan Chi clicked Accept right under his gaze. Only then did Ji Yueting exit the car.

He had entered the car with an umbrella. When he left, he carried the umbrella and four dirty tissues. The Alpha was meticulous from head to toe, except for his right hand holding a few soggy tissues, a sight that looked entirely out of place.

“Yan Chi,” Ji Yueting called out, standing on the steps.

“Yes?” Yan Chi looked up abruptly.

The window was not open very wide. Ji Yueting looked at him with calm eyes. “The rain is heavy. Drive safely. See you next time.”

The office was silent. On the schedule, there was still half an hour before the meeting was set to begin. Ji Yueting’s phone chimed with a notification. It was a message from his driver.

The screen reflected light, leaving a spark in Ji Yueting’s dark pupils.

An international flight that landed early, a rainy night spent waiting for the rabbit, and Yan Chi’s contact information made this night very productive for him.

Ji Yueting could not help but think of the fragrance he smelled in the car and Yan Chi’s instinctive recoil the moment their skin touched while passing the tissues.

The Aston Martin had a spacious interior, and the view from the back seat was excellent, allowing him to take in every movement in the front. During the thirty-six minutes and fifty seconds he was in the car, his gaze had not shifted for a single moment.

Yan Chi’s neck was very slender and white. Occasionally, when he looked up, the lines on the side of his neck would tighten. They were fluid and beautiful, like a piece of rare, flawless jade.

The air surged with thick, high-level Alpha pheromones like a tidal wave. Ji Yueting pressed the back of his neck and, with an unchanging expression, injected himself with a dose of suppressant.

Meanwhile, on the desk, an ID card lay quietly under the bright light. On it, in the name column, three words were clearly visible: Ji Songmin.