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Friday, end of term exams. Today was Lu Heyang's birthday, but Lu Chengyu and Lu Qingmo were both occupied with Lianmeng Government affairs, so the birthday banquet had been postponed.

Lu Heyang's birthday was not simply a birthday — it was a political social event, essentially nothing to do with celebration. Lu Qingmo's birthday served the same purpose.

Gifts arrived in abundance, piled on the table. As in years past, Lu Heyang accepted those from familiar friends and politely declined those from unfamiliar schoolmates. A driver came specially to his classroom to help carry things, taking a car full of gifts back. Lu Heyang rode in He Wei's car, together with Gu Yunchi — the three of them going out to dinner.

Passing the bike shed, Lu Heyang glanced to the side. Xu Ze's bicycle wasn't there — he must have left the moment the exam ended.

After they parted at the hospital last week, Xu Ze had been discharged the next morning. This time, though, he sent Lu Heyang a message — saying he was fine, then making a very abrupt transition: the first half still saying thank you, the second half asking whether he could have his home address. If it wasn't convenient, that was fine too.

Obviously, he wanted to send Lu Heyang a gift.

Lu Heyang didn't stop him. He knew Xu Ze wanted to do this, so he had no intention of refusing Xu Ze a second time. Lu Heyang sent the residential area's address to Xu Ze, telling him the courier would be signed for by the property management, then delivered to the resident.

Though in reality it wasn't property management — it was the guards.

Xu Ze replied with thanks again, and added: good luck on the final exams.

"Are you actually going to the Summer Camp or not?" He Wei asked Gu Yunchi.

"Can't be bothered." Gu Yunchi looked at his Mobile Phone, head unraised.

The Summer Camp was organized by the Lianmeng Government, held every summer. Like the Preparatory Academy, mostly the children of officials or the wealthy qualified to register. Lu Heyang and He Wei had no choice — they had to attend. Gu Yunchi had always had more freedom; if he didn't want to go, no one could do anything about him.

"Go. Didn't we always go together before?" He Wei said in a tone of deep mourning. "Young Master Gu, do you think the three of us have much fate of gathering together in the future?"

Gu Yunchi finally raised his eyelids: "Ten days and I'm back."

"Fine!"

During dinner, Lu Heyang's Mobile Phone kept receiving various birthday wishes. After the meal, the three went to a bar, joined by a group of Alphas and Omegas they were familiar with from the Preparatory Academy.

As tonight's guest of honor, Lu Heyang was actually the one who drank the least — barely a sip.

They didn't stay out late; it ended a little past nine. After the others left, He Wei suggested going to Lu Heyang's house for sobering soup and a few hands of cards.

On the way back it started to rain. Lu Heyang was driving — after all, he hadn't even drunk three milliliters. As always, Lu Heyang didn't like to talk while driving, but He Wei felt his state all evening had been off — radiating a sense of lacking interest.

Well, it had been like that before too. Lu Heyang didn't seem to have ever been truly happy on any of his birthdays — after all, few people could genuinely enjoy having their birthday turned into a political-business conference.

But tonight was clearly a pure friends' gathering, and He Wei didn't know why Lu Heyang couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

"Why so unhappy?" He Wei clung to the back of the driver's seat and leaned over toward Lu Heyang. "That Omega didn't come celebrate your birthday this year — feeling bad about it?"

Lu Heyang still didn't speak. Gu Yunchi grabbed He Wei's collar from behind and pulled him back into his seat: "Stop being annoying."

At home, the living room held quite a few packages. The biggest was from Lin Yumian — a complete set of Parachute Gear. Lu Heyang picked up the other packages, didn't open them, only looked at the delivery slips.

The housekeeper had prepared sobering soup in advance and brought it over. Lu Heyang set down the last package and sat on the sofa. He Wei casually picked a movie for background sound, and while shuffling cards, remembered something: "Hey Heyang, why didn't you invite Xu Ze today?"

"Why would I invite him." Lu Heyang took a sip of soup and asked.

"Aren't you two pretty close?" He Wei began dealing cards while cheating — he'd drunk too much and didn't realize how obvious his behavior was. "It's really strange, you two actually became close. Honestly, if Xu Ze were an Omega, he'd be one of my types."

He Wei's ideal type was extremely unfixed, varied and many. He had good conditions and good looks, didn't need to actively pursue to attract interested Omegas. Chi Jiahán counted as the first nail he'd hit.

Gu Yunchi ate fruit without speaking. Lu Heyang looked at the cards in his hand, and after a moment, drew one and threw it out.

"Are you crazy, playing such a big card on the first move!" He Wei shouted. "If you don't want to play then don't play — have some game spirit!"

Xu Ze exited the subway, walked a stretch, then it started to rain — but there were no convenience stores to be seen nearby. This residential area he'd only heard of in the news — along the way there were no other buildings, only broad avenues and standing trees.

Rain struck his body, pounding his skin until it hurt. Xu Ze ran in the rain for about twenty minutes before reaching the guard house. As he approached, the sensor light came on, and Xu Ze saw a guard in military uniform standing under the awning outside the security room — ramrod straight.

Another guard came out with an umbrella, his gaze sizing Xu Ze up, finally fixing on his face: "May I ask what business you have?"

"Here to deliver something." Xu Ze wiped his face with the back of his hand.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No."

"Then we'll need to contact the resident you're visiting."

Xu Ze shook his head: "I can just leave the thing here."

"Alright, come in and register."

Xu Ze walked into the guard room and took a small box from his pants pocket. He'd been holding it against his body the whole way, but the box was still unavoidably dampened. The guard took it, opened it for inspection, then had Xu Ze fill out a form. Xu Ze wrote Lu Heyang's name, then signed his own name and phone number.

He thanked the guard, left quickly, and plunged back into the rain. If he could, Xu Ze would of course have wanted to hand the thing to Lu Heyang himself, but Lu Heyang should still be celebrating his birthday now. All he could do was get the gift delivered before midnight.

After Xu Ze left, the guard picked up the phone to dial, but the face of that Alpha from just now surfaced in his mind — young, fair-skinned, with obvious strike wounds at the corner of his mouth and on his cheek.

The living room phone rang. The housekeeper heard it and immediately came out of her room. Lu Heyang happened to be by the coffee table, so he picked it up first.

"Hello, this is the guard room."

"Hello."

"Mr. Lu? Someone just left something for you. Would you like us to deliver it now?"

Lu Heyang gathered the cards in his hand with one hand, gently rested them on the table, and asked: "May I ask who sent it?"

"Someone named Xu Ze."

"Where is he now?"

"Already gone. Left no more than a minute ago."

"Alright, thank you. I'll come pick it up myself."

After hanging up, Lu Heyang raised a hand toward the housekeeper, indicating she should return to her room and rest. Then Lu Heyang put down his cards and stood: "He Wei, lend me your car."

"Oh." He Wei pushed the keys over, then reacted, asking: "Where are you going?"

"Back soon."

Lu Heyang walked out the door, holding an umbrella, driving He Wei's car — effectively confusing the bodyguards' line of sight. After driving a while, no one was following behind.

Driving from home to the guard room took about ten minutes. Lu Heyang stopped outside the gate and lowered the car window. The guard came out with an umbrella and handed the thing to him. Lu Heyang said thanks, but didn't turn around — instead continuing to drive outward.

The rain was heavy; even with an umbrella one would be soaked through — and Xu Ze might not have had one.

Not might not have — he definitely didn't have one. Three or four minutes later, Lu Heyang saw the figure on the roadside, in the boundless black curtain of rain, like a dandelion seed drifting.

Xu Ze ran forward into the rain, grateful there was no thunder tonight. He wasn't sad at all, not regretful — because he'd given Lu Heyang a birthday gift. This week some good things had happened: the two subsidies he'd applied for over a year had, without warning, been deposited a few days ago, and more than estimated. The final exams had gone well too; he didn't know if there was a chance at a scholarship.

A car stopped diagonally two meters ahead. Xu Ze didn't break stride, still hurrying his steps, until the car door opened and the Alpha got out with an umbrella, calling: "Xu Ze."

The rain was so loud, yet Xu Ze heard clearly. He stopped abruptly, gasping for breath, almost choking on rainwater.

Lu Heyang walked toward him. Xu Ze stood under the streetlight, the injuries on his face illuminated very clearly.

The city's rain was still falling, but the rain beside Xu Ze had stopped. The umbrella held overhead, Xu Ze wiped water from his face, looked at Lu Heyang, opened his mouth, but said nothing. He was clumsy with words — face to face, he couldn't even manage a single happy birthday.

"Got into another fight?" Lu Heyang asked him.

"A fighter couldn't make it today, so I subbed in." Lu Heyang's tone was a bit cold, and Xu Ze inexplicably sensed pressure. He explained: "It's not serious, just looks a bit injured."

He hadn't originally planned to go, but a fighter told Xu Ze that Tang Feiyi probably wouldn't be coming around for a while — because his hand tendons had been severed, and after several days no leads had been found; now no one knew where he was going mad — the downside of having too many enemies.

"You came just to deliver this?" Lu Heyang picked up the small box and asked.

Xu Ze nodded.

After fighting, bruised and battered all over, still braving the rain to deliver a birthday gift, and once there not even calling or texting — just silently leaving. Such a stubborn, dumb person.

"It's a bit rough, I made it myself." Xu Ze carefully opened the lid. "If you don't like it, just put it in some corner somewhere — it won't take up space."

Inside the box lay a Silver Pendant — a single line bent and twisted, three-dimensional, with a simple artistic quality.

Xu Ze wanted to give Lu Heyang the best too, but he had nothing — only the Bracelet he'd worn as a child, which he'd melted down to make the pendant. He'd started working on it from the moment he learned Lu Heyang's birth month, at a small goldsmith's shop near his neighborhood, asking the Boss to teach him to operate the equipment, squeezing in time to complete it bit by bit.

"You can hang it on your keychain." Xu Ze thought for a moment, then said. Actually a necklace or bracelet would be more suitable, but Xu Ze didn't dare hope Lu Heyang would wear it on his person.

Lu Heyang still hadn't spoken. Xu Ze was a bit nervous, a bit guilty, thinking he might have interrupted Lu Heyang's gathering with friends. He felt he should be decisive and brisk — say what needed to be said, don't waste Lu Heyang's time.

"Second chance." The rain soaked through his T-shirt, clinging to his body, cold. Xu Ze managed a smile at Lu Heyang. "I hope you'll be happy and safe from now on."

Lu Heyang had given him three chances; two remained. Xu Ze decided to use the second chance to make a wish — such a precious chance, using it to make a wish would surely be effective.

He didn't want to only wish Lu Heyang a happy 17th birthday; he hoped Lu Heyang would be happy every day.

Lu Heyang was still silent, his face hidden in the shadow under the umbrella, his gaze also dim and unclear. Xu Ze gripped the umbrella handle, pushed the umbrella slightly toward Lu Heyang's side, so he wouldn't get rained on. Then Xu Ze let go and said: "I'll head off first."

He stepped to the side, brushing past Lu Heyang's shoulder, about to continue running alone down that rain-drenched road.

His wrist was suddenly gripped tight. Xu Ze turned back in confusion; before he could react to anything, he was pulled sideways by a force. Xu Ze felt himself step into the grass, being pushed, retreating, until his back pressed against a wet tree trunk.

A cloud drifted over — not a cloud, no cloud so low, it was Lu Heyang's umbrella. The umbrella enclosed him and Lu Heyang inside, like a giant mushroom. His vision blurred by rain, Xu Ze blinked. He smelled grass, then smelled Lu Heyang's Pheromone — not just smelled it, but tasted it.

For an instant, Xu Ze heard thunder.

A few seconds later he realized — that wasn't thunder, it was his heartbeat.