Chapter Text
It's a cloudy Friday afternoon in a quiet corner of Beijing.
Time moved slowly for the two young men in the room, as if careful not to disturb the fragile silence between them.
The fragrance of Suo Wei's room, a lavender aroma, lingered in the air trying to calm their hearts.
Since morning, Xiao Shuai and Suo Wei had been sitting side by side, their laptops open before them.
The glow of the screens reflected faintly in their eyes.
They were waiting for the moment the university admissions portal would open at exactly four.
Neither of them said much, which was totally different from their usual routine.
They had both applied to the same university, the same department.
But if they both got accepted, their paths would diverge once they arrive.
Xiao Shuai had chosen Filmmaking, while Suo Wei chose Performing Arts.
And somehow, that felt perfectly fitting.
Xiao Shuai believed this was the best for Suo Wei, the best for him, the best for their future.
Suo Wei possessed a voice that could soften even the quietest room.
When he sang, it was as though the air itself leaned closer to listen.
His acting was just as captivating, effortless, sincere and alive with emotion.
And then there was his face.
Soft, bright, impossibly beautiful.
A face that seemed destined for the stage lights and applause.
He is going to have a brilliant future.
And I'll help him reach it.
Even if...
Even if the only place he could stand was quietly at Suo Wei's side.
As nothing more than a friend.
Xiao Shuai and Suo Wei had known each other since the first year of elementary school.
That was the year Suo Wei's family moved into the house next door to the Jiangs.
From that day onward, the distance between their homes, and their lives, had been no more than a few steps.
Xiao Shuai's mother, a warm and gentle Beta, often asked him to bring the food she cooked to their new neighbors.
It was a task Xiao Shuai never refused, never hesitated to do.
Because it meant he had a reason to knock on the door next door.
A reason to see the neighbor's beautiful son.
Before long, Suo Wei's mother began returning the gesture, asking Suo Wei to bring dishes back to the Jiangs.
What started as simple neighborly kindness slowly turned into a tradition.
Plates and bowls traveled back and forth between the two houses.
A rhythm of small kindness repeated over the years.
Eleven years had passed since then.
And still, the tradition remained.
Though somewhere along the way, something inside Xiao Shuai had changed.
What began as childhood friendship had slowly taken root in his heart, growing into something deeper.
Something heavier.
Something he could never say aloud.
Xiao Shuai was just an ordinary Beta who had nothing remarkable about him.
Nothing dazzling, nothing rare.
Nothing he could offer Suo Wei except loyalty, the steady, silent devotion of a best friend.
He knew that well.
After all, Suo Wei was an Omega.
Bright.
Talented.
Beautiful.
Someone who seemed born to shine.
Someone far beyond Xiao Shuai's reach.
He didn't deserve Suo Wei.
The thought had settled in Xiao Shuai's heart long ago, like an unmovable truth.
Dear God, why?
If he was never meant to be mine,
If I was never meant to be his,
Why give me these feelings at all?
His chest tightened as the thought lingered.
Why must you be so cruel to me?
"Just five more minutes, Shuai Shuai. Ugh, my hands are sweating."
Suo Wei groaned softly and rubbed his palms against his jeans, as if trying to wipe the nerves away.
Shuai glanced at the clock in the corner of his laptop screen.
3:55 PM.
Five more minutes.
The numbers seemed to move slower the more he looked at them.
"Do you want some hot tea?" Xiao Shuai asked. "It might calm you down."
Without waiting for an answer, he reached over and took Suo Wei's hands, gently wiping the dampness from his palms with a tissue.
Suo Wei's fingers were a little bit cold, slightly trembling.
He looked up at Xiao Shuai, brows furrowed in disbelief.
"How can you be so calm?"
Xiao Shuai gave a small shrug, though the faint tightening in his chest betrayed him.
"Because I know you'll get in." Xiao Shuai said with a soft smile.
Suo Wei blinked.
"But I don't want to be the only one," Suo Wei said quickly.
His voice softly cracked as he continued.
"I want you there too. I want us to go to the same university. I want us together like always."
For a moment, the room grew quiet again.
Maybe even quieter than before.
Suo Wei was looking straight at him now, his dark brown eyes bright and earnest.
The sincerity there was almost painful to look at.
Xiao Shuai felt something twist gently inside his chest.
"I hope so too," he said.
His voice came out softer than he intended.
Almost unconsciously, his hand lifted and brushed against Suo Wei's cheek, lightly smoothing a stray strand of hair away from his forehead.
Suo Wei didn't move away.
He simply leaned slightly into the touch, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
The clock ticked forward.
3:57.
3:58.
Neither of them spoke anymore.
The faint hum of their laptops filled the silence, along with the distant sound of traffic drifting up from the street below.
Then...
3:59.
Suo Wei suddenly grabbed Xiao Shuai’s sleeve.
“Shuai.”
His voice was barely above a whisper now.
Xiao Shuai turned toward him.
“Yeah?”
Suo Wei hesitated, chewing lightly on his lower lip.
“If… if we both get in…”
His fingers tightened around Xiao Shuai’s sleeve.
“…let’s promise we’ll celebrate together tonight, okay?”
Xiao Shuai looked at him for a long second.
Then he smiled softly.
“Okay.”
The screen refreshed.
4:00 PM.
And both of their hearts seemed to stop at the same time.
The temperature had dropped slightly that evening as soft drizzle began to fall over Beijing.
Fine threads of rain drifted through the gray air, quietly dampening the streets and rooftops of the city.
The two boys who had spent the entire afternoon inside Suo Wei’s room were nowhere to be seen.
They were no longer there.
Nor were they at their homes.
Instead, they had gone to a place that belonged only to them.
Their favorite spot.
A quiet corner of the city park, near a row of tall pine trees that stood watch beside the lake.
There was an old wooden bench there, weathered by time and seasons.
Whenever Xiao Shuai and Suo Wei needed a break, a breath of fresh air, or simply a place to clear their heads after a difficult exam, they always found their way back to that bench.
It had become their small refuge over the years.
A place that felt almost like it was theirs alone.
The surface of the lake shimmered softly under the light rain.
Xiao Shuai held a big umbrella to cover them both while Suo Wei brought two delicate lotus lanterns they had bought yesterday.
One by one, they knelt by the edge of the water and gently set the lanterns afloat.
The small lights drifted slowly across the dark lake, glowing like tiny stars carried by the current.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
They simply watched the lanterns move farther and farther away.
Then, quietly, they prayed.
A silent whisper carried in their hearts.
A prayer of gratitude.
Because tonight, the news they had waited for had finally arrived.
And fate, once again, had been kind to them.
They had both been accepted.
Accepted into the same university.
The same place where their new lives would begin.
And once again, they would be together for quite some time.
📝 Characters Introduction :
1. Jiang Xiao Shuai
Primary gender = Male
Secondary gender = A Beta (?)
Family relationship = A Beta father, A Beta mother, and himself.
Major = Filmmaking
Hobby/ies = Spending his time with Suo Wei
2. Wu Suo Wei
Primary gender = Male
Secondary gender = An Omega
Family relationship = An Alpha mother, An Omega mama, and himself.
Major = Performing Arts
Hobby/ies = Singing and dancing.