Chapter 34: Who are you?

“Mr. Zong, this way.”

Xiao Jin led Zong Xi to Ji Jixuan’s office and poured him a cup of tea. “Mr. Ji is in a meeting. Please wait a moment.”

Zong Xi waved him off. “Alright. Go on.”

After Xiao Jin left, Zong Xi sank into the office sofa, crossed his legs, and hummed a tune as he looked around.

This was his third visit since Ji Jixuan had taken over Boli from Ji Hongyun. The office was spotless—furniture polished to a shine, Boli logos everywhere, not a single decorative plant. The color scheme was eerily uniform.

Same as always.

Zong Xi freely commented, “Lifeless.”

About half an hour later, Ji Jixuan walked in.

Zong Xi waved from the sofa. “Hey.”

Ji Jixuan gave him a flat look. “What are you doing here?”

Zong Xi teased, “What, I need to report in advance to visit my best friend?”

Ji Jixuan glanced at the cake box on the table. Like him, Zong Xi hated this place. He couldn’t think of any reason for him to come unless it was necessary.

That look made Zong Xi confess. “Fine, I’ll admit it. It’s Shuangshuang. She wanted a new cake from the Westside bakery and insisted I pick it up myself. The little tyrant. I happened to be passing by, so I thought I’d drop in.” He leaned back thoughtfully. “After all, I haven’t seen you in almost a year since your rut.”

He asked Ji Jixuan, “What have you been doing this year?”

Ji Jixuan sat at his desk and ignored him.

Zong Xi was sharp. Even without an answer, he could guess.

“Things going well with little Xu Lin?” Zong Xi grinned. “You seem in a good mood.”

Ji Jixuan didn’t deny it.

Zong Xi scoffed. “The things a lovesick young master will do.”

The lab outside the city used to demand Ji Jixuan’s frequent visits, and Zong Xi would always have to tag along. But since Ji Jixuan had broken his “monk” streak, the isolation room had sat unused. His rut had been stable for nearly a year.

“Looks like a Beta works better than suppressants,” Zong Xi said.

Ji Jixuan shot him a displeased look.

Zong Xi was confused. “Little young master, why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong again? I’m just stating facts. Since you’re not interested in Omegas for now, having Xu Lin around to stabilize your rut is a good thing. Better than injecting suppressants all the time.”

Zong Xi seemed determined to make up for a year’s worth of conversation.

“I’m just curious, what’s your deal with Xu Lin now? Earlier you said you wanted to settle things, but now you won’t even let him go back to District Thirteen.

“What’s his role now? Partner? That doesn’t count—your wedding was fake. Or is he just your medicine? Keeping him locked away where only you know, never letting him see the outside world, just taking it day by day? Or are you just not willing to let him go? Afraid to tell him the truth, afraid he’ll hate you, afraid his feelings will turn to resentment, afraid everything you’ve gotten from him will vanish?”

Ji Jixuan slammed his things down. “Shut up.”

Zong Xi didn’t stop. “What if you meet an Omega with high compatibility? What if your Alpha instincts take over and you do something? if Xu Lin finds out—”

CRASH!

Xiao Jin’s blood ran cold. He heard the crash and rushed to the door, but it opened from the inside. Zong Xi walked out, still smiling, carrying his cake box. As he passed, he patted Xiao Jin’s shoulder. “You’ll be busy cleaning up.”

Then he strolled away with a spring in his step.

Xiao Jin swallowed and entered the office. Glass shards were everywhere—a shattered ashtray.

Ji Jixuan stood behind the desk, his face in shadow, expression unreadable.

New Year had just passed, and Ji Jixuan was busy again, leaving early and returning late. Some nights Xu Lin was already asleep by the time Ji Jixuan came home, only to be pulled into his arms in a daze.

With Ji Jixuan gone, Xu Lin had time on his hands. But he had his new bike to keep him occupied.

One day, while riding the mountain roads, he heard something. He stopped and listened.

“What the… damn…”

He turned a corner and saw a motorcycle parked ahead where there shouldn’t be anyone. A young woman crouched beside it, frowning at the black smoke pouring from the exhaust.

Xu Lin was startled and hit the brakes.

The screech caught her attention. She looked up.

She was in her early twenties, with a neck ring. An Omega.

When she saw Xu Lin, she looked relieved and waved. “Hello! Can you help me? Something’s wrong with my bike.”

Xu Lin was still surprised. How was there someone else here? Where had she come from?

He parked and walked over. “Who are you? How did you get here?”

“What?” She looked confused. “I was riding here. Is this a restricted area?”

“…”

She didn’t notice his expression, talking on. “My bike started making this huge noise, lost power, and started smoking black.”

Xu Lin let out a breath, pushed his questions aside, and crouched to check her bike. He revved the engine—it was clearly making an abnormal noise.

“Maybe a turbo failure. You shouldn’t ride it anymore.”

“Great, just my luck.” She asked, “Can you fix it?”

He could, but he shook his head. “No tools.”

She looked dejected. “How am I supposed to get back?”

Then she spotted Xu Lin’s bike nearby. Her eyes lit up, her misfortune forgotten.

“Whoa! Isn’t this the new model from last year? Only a few limited editions were made—how did you get one?”

She circled his bike, admiring it. She seemed to know her bikes. Without her saying, Xu Lin hadn’t realized this bike was hard to get.

But that wasn’t important. “How did you get here?” he asked again.

The only entrance was the gate at the foot of the mountain, which never opened without Ji Jixuan’s orders and was covered in cameras. There’s no way she’d gotten through.

She pointed in a direction, puzzled. “There’s a small road up ahead. I was riding, and I just ended up here.”

A small road?

“Where?”

They parked their bikes. She led the way.

“Are you the caretaker of this mountain? You seem really nervous about strangers.”

“…” Xu Lin didn’t want to explain. “Something like that.”

She said, “Don’t worry, I’m not a bad person. I just ended up here by accident. If my bike hadn’t broken down, I’d have left right away. I won’t cause you any trouble.”

“Here.”

She led him through a winding path to a narrow road hidden in the dense forest, almost invisible. It was just wide enough for a person or a motorcycle.

Xu Lin was stunned. He’d been in these mountains for years and never discovered this path to the outside.

“See? I’m not lying.”

She shrugged. “I was just out riding for fun. Really not trying to cause trouble.”

“Trucks can’t get in here either.” She checked her phone and clasped her hands together. “Can you give me a ride out? It’s a twenty-minute drive on this mountain road. If I have to walk back, my feet will be ruined.”

Go out…

His heart skipped. He remembered Ji Jixuan’s words and suppressed the urge. “No.”

“Really? I’ll pay you—”

“No.”

“Is there another way out? I can call someone to pick me up.”

That was even worse. If she used the main gate, Ji Jixuan would definitely find out.

“There is,” he said, “but you can’t use it.”

“…Fine.”

Seeing he wouldn’t budge, she sighed, walked back to her broken bike, and started pushing it along the muddy road. The bike probably weighed over 150 kilograms, and she looked slender. Something could go wrong…

Xu Lin sighed.

“Wait.”

He called her back, took the bike, and parked it on the side of the road.

“I’ll take you to the exit. Leave your bike here. If you can bring tools next time, I’ll help you fix it, and you can ride it back.”

She beamed. “Thank you! You’re so nice!”

She extended her hand. “Call me Shuangshuang. And you are?”

“Xu Lin.”

They shook hands.

Xu Lin rode with her on the bike, entering the path for the first time. His heart pounded with excitement as he neared the outside world.

It would be fine. Ji Jixuan wouldn’t be back until night. As long as he returned before dark, he wouldn’t know.

Shuangshuang chattered behind him, unaware of his thoughts. “I saw a villa up there. Are you the caretaker? Do you live there with the other staff?”

“Yes,” Xu Lin said.

“Is the bike for staff use too?”

She patted the bike. Xu Lin lied smoothly. “Yes.”

“Wow, that’s a generous boss. My family won’t let me ride motorcycles—they say it’s too dangerous. I only sneak out when they’re not home.”

“Hey, Xu Lin, can I come hang out with you? I always ride alone; my friends aren’t into it. Please?”

Shuangshuang was a talkative girl. Xu Lin couldn’t keep up.

“You can’t come here.”

“Why?”

“Owners don’t like uninvited guests.”

“Then I’ll sneak in and not get caught. You like bikes too—it’s more fun with company, right? Let’s ride together!”

As she said, about twenty minutes later, they emerged from the path. The view opened up—they were at the top of another mountain, with Danshi’s CBD skyline in the distance.

Xu Lin’s mouth fell open. He blinked, speechless.

Twenty minutes from silence to bustling city.

He got off the bike, walked to the railing, and smiled—a smile that grew until he was beaming.

Outside. He was standing on outside ground. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He couldn’t believe it.

Shuangshuang came up beside him. “What are you smiling about? Let me guess, since you’re the caretaker, you haven’t been out in a long time?”

She’d hit the mark.

Xu Lin knew he shouldn’t stay. “I should go. I’ll leave you here.”

“Don’t rush off! You helped me. I haven’t thanked you.”

“No need.”

“That won’t do. There’s still time,” she said. “Let me buy you dinner.”

“No…”

“How about barbecue?”

Xu Lin: “…” The refusal lodged in his throat.

They hid the bike in a secluded spot and entered the lively streets. Shuangshuang led him through a few turns to a street food stall. She seemed to know the owner, who smiled when he saw her.

They sat at a table. The place was clean. Street stalls like this were usually run by people from outside the main city.

Shuangshuang ordered a pile of barbecue and beer. It was hard to believe such a quiet-looking girl had such a different style.

Xu Lin asked, “Are you from Danshi?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Why?”

“Then how do you like this kind of food?”

The Danshi people Xu Lin had met didn’t like greasy, smelly food. To them, it was junk.

Shuangshuang, who’d probably encountered the same attitude, retorted, “What, you don’t like barbecue? It’s delicious. Don’t diss it.”

Xu Lin laughed. “No, I love it.”

He took off his gloves, and she noticed his ring.

“Wow, you’re married? You don’t look much older than me.”

Xu Lin blushed and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Is your partner a Beta?”

“Alpha.”

She didn’t pry further.

As they ate and chatted, he found her easygoing and funny. She didn’t act like a Danshi local at all—more like someone from his own background.

When they were done, she said, “I know a great cake shop. I’ll get you a slice to take home.”

“No need.” He checked the time. “I really have to go.”

“How do I find you next time?”

Xu Lin hesitated. He wanted to say there wouldn’t be a next time, but she insisted. “Please ride with me! I really want a riding partner!”

He was silent for a while, then sighed. Just making a friend—it couldn’t hurt. He hadn’t made a new friend in so long.

“You can’t just come to the mountain. You need to contact me first,” he said.

What if she ran into Ji Jixuan?

“Then give me your number.”

He patted his pocket—he’d left his phone.

She handed him her phone. “Here. This one’s anti-surveillance and anti-tracking. You can reach me on it.”

After a moment, he took it. “Okay.”

They left the stall. Crossing a street, Xu Lin suddenly froze, ducking behind a tree.

Shuangshuang jumped. “What’s wrong?”

In the distance, he saw Ji Jixuan’s car passing through an intersection, heading toward the villa.

“I have to go!” He shoved the phone into his pocket and ran for the bike.

“Be careful! Answer when I call!” she called after him.

Before she’d even finished, he was gone. She muttered, “What was that about? Running like he saw a ghost.”