The next day, Xiao Feng intentionally delayed going to the gala.
Even as the clock passed seven in the evening, he lingered on the way, each step slower than necessary.
Something inside him told him that Yuan had wanted him to come, despite his earlier insistence that he didn't care.
The thought alone stirred a thrill Xiao Feng couldn't name, a pulse of heat and anticipation he didn't understand.
Why was he enjoying a boy's attention so much? Was it because Yuan was so impossible to please, so cold and distant, that any hint of interest, however hidden or begrudging, felt like a victory?
It had to be that.
Nothing else made sense.
By the time Xiao Feng reached the gates, he bypassed the security checks. He had been there often enough to be recognized as a regular, to be allowed in without scrutiny.
Even the guards at the gate noted his presence with surprise. They had not seen him for an entire week, and they complained about it with playful irritation.
Xiao Feng had laughed and teased that he was giving the BlueMoon packhouse some respite.
The guards chuckled in return, their jokes meandering to suggest he might miss the most admired girls from the alpha families, or perhaps he had instructed Yuan to save one just for him.
Xiao Feng grinned at the thought, a private satisfaction curling through him. Every time he came to this packhouse, he felt welcomed, loved, noticed; it was a rare sort of warmth.
Yet the moment he looked toward the person he had come here for, that warmth collided with an entirely different reality.
Yuan's gaze, cold and distant, made him feel like the last person anyone would ever want to see.
The packhouse itself was alive that night, buzzing with the meticulous energy of a gala. Maids stood stationed at intervals, guiding arriving guests with practiced smiles and soft gestures.
When the doors to the hall opened, Xiao Feng was met with the vibrancy of music, chatter, and laughter.
The space was packed, every corner filled with movement, the sound of conversation rising and falling in waves.
He knew he didn't belong, not in the eyes of the alphas, but he did not care.
Before he even considered seeking Yuan, his eyes found him immediately. Yuan was seated just a few feet from the entrance, his posture rigid with focus, his gaze fixed on the door.
The expression on his face was one of stubborn hope, a quiet insistence that refused to die even when the odds suggested it should.
The moment Yuan's eyes met his, they flicked away instantly, a quick motion that suggested he had been caught doing something he shouldn't.
Xiao Feng's lips curved into a smirk, a satisfied one, as though he had expected nothing less. He began walking toward him, but Yuan noticed Xiao Feng's direction and, with the precision of someone who had rehearsed this reaction countless times, set down the drink he had been holding and moved away.
"Ugh!, you stubborn nutcase!" Xiao Feng muttered under his breath, frustration mingling with amusement.
He reached the table where Yuan had been sitting and lowered himself into the same seat. He poured himself a drink, but before he could take a sip, curious faces began to surround him.
His brothers watched him from a distance, as if silently daring him to claim they were his brothers, but he went ahead and introduced himself that way anyway, telling himself he would deal with the consequences later.
After tolerating a stretch of conversation filled with stories and faces he did not know, Xiao Feng's attention returned to Yuan.
He searched, scanning the room, but Yuan was nowhere to be seen.
Bored.. Xiao Feng decided that.. rather than pursue someone clearly avoiding him, he would redirect himself. He would find a girlfriend for himself..
This was, after all, the intention of Alpha Shaohong's gala. -- on the surface.. young people meeting, interacting, forming alliances. But Xiao Feng understood it went beyond that.
He would play the game to his advantage.
He reminded himself he was smaller than the other alphas in the room, but it did not matter.
He could choose someone his size, someone who would be interested in him as well. He seated himself at a new table, planting confidence in his posture, forcing his back straight as his father had taught him.
His eyes did the work, scanning the crowd with purpose until they landed on the girl he wanted.
Without hesitation, he approached her.
After moments of conversing, he realized that she was actually invested in him, and though he hated how cute she called him, it no longer mattered.
He engaged, steering the conversation, leading it in the direction he wanted, leaving clear hints about what he sought.
After ensuring the interaction left no ambiguity, he allowed himself to roam the room for a moment, not wanting bore her.
That's when he saw Yuan.
He was speaking with the same girl, her laughter ringing softly in the air between them. Frustration bubbled up inside Xiao Feng, but he forced it down.
Perhaps they were just talking. Perhaps it meant nothing. Yuan had never been one to flirt or fool around with girls, not in the months they had known each other.
Xiao Feng allowed himself a chuckle, brushing away the thought like an unwelcome insect.
But then.. he noticed the hall turning toward their direction, whispering, casting glances at Yuan, he realized just how much attention they commanded.
Jealousy threaded through the expressions of several girls, who questioned silently what could make this particular girl special.
The irritation in him simmered, mingling with confusion. Was it the girl? Or was it Yuan himself that made his chest tighten in this inexplicable way?
When the girl finally walked away, leaving Yuan standing alone, Xiao Feng's stride lengthened, confidence sharpening into purpose, moving toward him.
This time, Yuan remained in place as Xiao Feng approached.
Xiao Feng closed the distance between them, aware of the way the gala faded around him, aware only of Yuan, the stubborn, infuriating, magnetic presence that refused to let him go.