When an Alpha is Marked by One of His Own Kind

Chapter 10

The weather in Hua City was getting warmer each day. It wasn't even May yet, but middays were already starting to feel like summer.

At noon on a Saturday, Lu Zhe came downstairs in a black tank top and a patterned, unbuttoned jacket. He ran into a yawning Er-Hua who was just coming back with a bag of takeout.

"Going back to school again, Captain?" Er-Hua asked in passing.

Lu Zhe nodded. "Mm."

He was a senior that year, and he was due to defend his dissertation and attend his graduation ceremony in June. Lately, the university had been contacting him about a lot of paperwork and procedures that needed to be done before his graduation. And so, as long as he attended their daily practices, Lu Zhe could just check in with Big-Mouthed Zhou and get time off from the team.

That day, he needed to turn in a hard copy of the final draft of his dissertation to his academic advisor. Then he would have to drop by the airport to pick someone up.

Er-Hua nodded. Before he passed Lu Zhe, he suddenly thought of something and snuck a glance at Lu Zhe's expression. Hesitantly, he opened his mouth again:

"That's right, it seems Shen Qiao... will be arriving today."

After several rounds of haggling between their two clubs, Team BLX had received a satisfactory offer and happily parted ways with Shen Qiao. Over the past few days, Big-Mouthed Zhou had made Team DG clean up a table in their training room, getting it spick and span for Shen Qiao's arrival. Now they only had to wait for Shen Qiao to arrive with all his belongings. The official announcement about the trade had already been drafted.

At Er-Hua's words, a flicker of amusement passed through Lu Zhe's dark eyes. He nodded once and said, "I know."

Then, he added, "I won't be late."

Er-Hua could hear the mischief in Lu Zhe's voice. This guy was clearly conspiring to do something that would make headlines. Tentatively, Er-Hua ventured, "...that'd be bad, right?"

He gave it some more thought, then decided he had to at least try to dissuade Lu Zhe-

"Captain, you can't fight in our HQ."

Lu Zhe raised his eyebrows, as though he truly hadn't been aware of this little bump in the road until now. He blinked slowly at Er-Hua, then asked in the sincerest voice:

"What about fighting in bed?"

Er-Hua deadpanned, "Not even fighting in bed. Big-Mouthed Zhou would lose his mind."

"Oh," Lu Zhe said. The mirth in his eyes faded, replaced by a dispirited look. Finally, he answered, "Got it."

As he made his way to the door, Lu Zhe added, "Don't worry. If he doesn't seduce me, I won't touch him."

Er-Hua was left standing in place. Inexplicably, he felt an even deeper sense of unease.

......

Every so often, a deep rumbling passed overhead at the airport. At the exit, a girl with a cashmere coat draped over her shoulders and a small bag slung across her body was leaning against the handle of her suitcase. She lifted herself up on her tiptoes once in a while, peering down the escalator and into the lobby.

Until her cell phone rang.

"Hello? Ge, I don't see you. Are you here?"

The person on the other end of the line unhurriedly answered, "Underground parking, B1. Take the escalator near you. I'm in a rush. If you don't arrive in three minutes, I'm leaving."

The young lady hurried along in a huff, dragging her suitcase along and harshly berating the caller: "Even a Didi driver would wait five minutes!"

"Mm. That's what you should use next time, because I won't come pick you up again, Lu Qianshuang."