Mu Yuze froze and his eyes flew wide, jaws hanging open in disbelief, shock and incredulity. T–This... How could this be possible?!

One second, those seven thugs were still standing, talking and laughing with each other and the next second, they suddenly collapsed to the ground, leaving only the long-haired man standing!

Mu Yuze pressed his face flat to the window as though he could see better this way, and only when the glass turned foggy due to his rapid breathing did he ease back slightly. How...?! He had never looked away even for a second and thus, he could swear that the man had not made any move whatsoever! So how could those guys be defeated in a blink of an eye?!

He stared at the man’s side profile with a complicated look. Under the dim glow from the streetlamp, the man looked especially frosty and indifferent. Or perhaps it was because he was not smiling – just as he always did in front of Mu Yuze.

Mu Yuze could feel goosebumps crawling up his arms as he took in the twisted pain on the thugs’ faces. He could almost hear their agonizing cries drifting to where he was. And amidst the chaotic scene, the man stood unmoved with his hands inside his pocket, his long hair fluttering behind him.

— Just like a God, the thought sprung up to his mind out of nowhere.

Mu Yuze watched as the man crouched down and uttered something to the men, his face apologetic. Then he stood up, patted the invisible dust on his hands and walked back toward the car. Mu Yuze abruptly snapped back to his senses and scrambled back to his seat, heart thundering inside his chest. He tried to school his expression and stabilize his breathing as much as possible, eyes fixed ahead, as the man opened the door.

"Sorry, did you wait long?" He bent down and peered at Mu Yuze with an apologetic smile. Gone was his indifferent aura, as if he was not the same person who watched those men writhing and spasming on the ground without even batting an eyelid.

Mu Yuze had just parted his lips to answer when the pained groans and cries of the men faintly drifted in the air, and his voice ended up shaking, "N–No, I’m good..." after saying that, he closed his eyes with a grimace. Such a good lie you got there, Mu Yuze!

"Ah..." The man had a look of realization on his face. He scratched his cheek sheepishly, "You saw it, didn’t you?" Of course he saw through Mu Yuze’s lies at a glance. However, what Mu Yuze could not figure out was why the man looked more ill at ease than him. Wasn’t it Mu Yuze who was supposed to show such a reaction?!

Mu Yuze kept his expression carefully neutral as he nodded, "Mn."

He Juan cleared his throat and slipped into the car. Once the door was closed, Mu Yuze could no longer hear the thugs’ cries, but in exchange, the enclosed space was filled with the man’s powerful presence. Was it only his imagination or did the pressure in the air grow a tad heavier? Mu Yuze couldn’t help but take a deep breath, finding it a little hard to breathe.

He Juan tapped his fingers on the wheel and said, "You are not safe here."

Mu Yuze’s attention was diverted from the slight breathlessness by those words. "...What?"

"Those men, they are from Liuyang. I know their style very well," he chuckled mirthlessly. "They won’t let you go just because your father is dead. Instead, they will hunt you down and force you to repay the debt. And if you can’t do it, then..." he suddenly trailed off then blinked as though recalling something. He coughed awkwardly, "Pardon me for asking, Xiao Ze, but have you manifested yet?"

"...No," Mu Yuze said after a beat of silence, his fists clenching. He could not believe that he would one day talk about his secondary gender inside this car that looked more valuable than his own life, with this man whom he had just met less than five hours ago. Just what was going on?

"Good." He Juan’s chuckle was light yet mirthless. Mu Yuze couldn’t resist sneaking a glance at him only to find a grim look on the man’s face that could not be concealed even with the relieved smile on his face. Again, he reached out to pat Mu Yuze’s head, his broad palm almost encasing the entirety of Mu Yuze’s skull, long and slender fingers ruffling through the strands of fluffy hair. There was a hint of sorrow in his eyes as he continued, "It’s good that you haven’t manifested yet. It means that the probability of you being a Beta is very high. As long as you’re not an Omega... then it’s good."

Mu Yuze sullenly allowed the man to rub his head back and forth. At first, he had acted defensive because he thought that the man was making fun of him and not taking him seriously despite his small build, but eventually, he realized that this was the man’s habit and he did not seem to have any bad intention when he was doing it. As such, he begrudgingly resigned to his fate. Either way, the man’s hand was very warm and gentle...

"What about an Omega?" He retorted purely out of spite. "Is there something wrong with being an Omega?"

"Of course, there’s nothing wrong, but..." Hesitation flickered in his eyes before he let out a sigh and said truthfully, "Compared to Alphas or Betas, the world will not be kind toward Omegas. Xiao Ze, you have no idea what kind of atrocious crimes that are inflicted upon Omegas every single day..."

Mu Yuze furrowed his brows. "Isn’t it unfair?"

"Hmm?"

"It’s so unfair. Why must Omegas be the only ones who suffer?" He asked, genuinely confused. The number of Omegas he had met could be counted with one hand, including the 80 years old grandma who lived next door and a few of his classmates. He had never noticed it before, but now that he thought about it, his omega classmates had stopped coming to class once their secondary gender was confirmed. Why was it so? He stared at the man in front of him in confusion, waiting for an answer.

"This..." He Juan averted his gaze awkwardly, opting to turn on the car engine instead. "Let’s talk about this later. You’re still too young to know it."

Mu Yuze’s eyes widened and he bristled in rage. "I am not a child!!" He hollered right into He Juan’s ear. The rims of his eyes reddened and his chest was heaving due to the agitation. This annoying man... he’s clearly making fun of him!

"Well, compared to me, you’re still a child." He Juan let out a smooth laugh, entirely unruffled by the boy’s simmering fury. "Wait until you’re sixteen and ask me again. I will answer you then."

Mu Yuze was startled by those words. What did the man mean by that? Until he was sixteen... it was still two years to go. Did it mean that this man would remain in his life until then? That he wouldn’t go away just like Mother who abandoned him and Father? Before Mu Yuze could even mull over this matter, he finally noticed that the car was moving out of the residential complex toward the main road, leaving his house behind.

"W–Wait!" He exclaimed in fluster. "Where are you taking me?!"

"Ah, look at me, I forgot to tell you." He Juan slapped his forehead and huffed exasperatedly. "Like I said, you’re no longer safe in that house. The people from Liuyang can return anytime to harm you and you won’t stand a chance against them. So..." Mu Yuze suddenly had a bad premonition and sure enough, he saw He Juan turn to him and wink playfully, "What do you say about crashing at my place for a few days?"