Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Get him! Don't let him escape!"

Amidst chaotic footsteps and swirling dust, a grimy man clutching a bundle burst from an alley. Not particularly tall, his gaunt frame made him appear almost diminutive. Barefoot, his face was so smeared with dirt that his original features were completely obscured.

The omega gritted his teeth, darting through the maze of ramshackle dwellings. Bumping into someone, he only managed a hurried, "Sorry!" before bolting away.

His speed and familiarity with the terrain allowed him to swiftly duck into a narrow alley and vanish. Listening intently to the sounds outside, he finally exhaled in relief after a long moment.

"Seriously, ganging up on one person? What kind of cowards are they?" The omega unwrapped his bundle, revealing two steamed buns and a handful of crumpled bills—his hard-earned wages.

He lived in the slums, where everyone scraped by doing manual labor. He was no exception. With no parents or relatives, he had only himself.

"Whine—"

A soft whine caught his ear. Wary, he shielded his buns and glanced over. A scrawny puppy was watching him cautiously.

"Don’t look at me. I don’t have much either." The omega bared his teeth at the dog, feigning aggression, but a second later, he tossed a small piece of bun its way. "What’s your name?"

"Dumb dog, can’t even talk." Shoving the rest of the bun into his mouth, he carefully tucked away his money before standing. Eyeing the dog, he mumbled through his full mouth, "I’m Bai Qi. Remember, you owe me a whole one next time. See ya."

With that, Bai Qi slipped deeper into the alley, nimbly scaling a high wall to the other side. As an omega in the slums, he was considered vulnerable. Most omegas might seek out an alpha or beta for protection, but Bai Qi refused. He preferred to fend for himself.

Lean and wiry, he often had his earnings snatched by others. But he was quick—only once had he actually been robbed.

"Auntie!" Bai Qi called softly as he approached a small shop. "Any work today?"

"Yeah." The woman addressed as "Auntie" was a beta with two deep scars marring her face, giving her a fierce appearance. "Head east to the woods and gather mushrooms. Someone’s buying."

"Mushrooms?" Bai Qi sat by the doorway, fanning himself. "How much do they want?"

"At least ten pounds. More if you can find it." Auntie counted coins. Labor in the slums was dirt cheap, but they had no choice. Starvation was always a day away.

"Got it." Bai Qi calculated the time. "Might not find that much today. Anyone else going?"

"Yeah."

Auntie tossed him a bamboo basket without looking up. "Bring them back before dark, or I won’t take them."

The omega was already dashing off, throwing back a single word: "Understood!"

The eastern woods stretched towards the inner city, guarded by armed patrols. Few dared venture too deep—rumor had it those guards would shoot on sight.

Bai Qi valued his life. He smeared mud on his face before entering the forest. An omega like him was an easy target, but looking filthy kept unwanted attention at bay.

Finding a spot, he began digging for mushrooms. Focused and efficient, he ignored anyone who tried to approach. When one man attempted small talk, Bai Qi hurled a knife at him without hesitation.

"Get lost."

Annoyed, he moved deeper into the woods, bent double as he worked. If he made this haul, he could treat himself to a meat bun tonight. And if he saved enough, maybe even build his own house someday.

The thought fueled him, and he hummed a tune under his breath—until he abruptly fell silent. Heavy footsteps crunched behind him.

"Who—? Mph—!"

A hand clamped over his mouth. Bai Qi’s eyes widened before he drove an elbow backward—and the assailant collapsed like a sack of potatoes.

Spinning around, Bai Qi froze. His lips trembled. "So... much... money!"

He’d never seen anyone adorned with such wealth. Dropping to his knees, Bai Qi’s eyes gleamed. "This watch looks expensive. And this belt—damn, are those gems?!"

"I’m rich."

Tears welled up as he suppressed a giddy laugh, already stripping the man of his clothes. Death was commonplace here—Bai Qi didn’t even blink.

"Please..."

A weak grip seized his wrist. Bai Qi paused, scowling. "Let go. If you’re gonna die, hurry up."

"Save... me."

The man’s voice was barely audible. Bai Qi hesitated, leaning closer to inspect him. Despite the blood, his features were striking—handsome, even.

Not that it mattered. Bai Qi tried to yank free, but the man’s grip was ironclad. "Tch—" He was about to curse when their eyes met—pleading, desperate.

Bai Qi pressed his lips together. Glancing at the man’s valuables, then up at the darkening sky, he exhaled sharply.

"Damn it... it’s almost nightfall..."

.

"Auntie, really sorry." Bai Qi arrived at her door with the basket, the sky now completely dark. "Keep the mushrooms. Just give me another chance next time."

"What were you doing?" Auntie snatched the basket, kicking it aside. "What if you’re late again?"

"Won’t happen." Bai Qi raised his hand in oath, flashing an innocent grin. "My stomach was acting up. Took a while to recover."

Auntie narrowed her eyes. "You pregnant or something?"

"No! I’ve never even kissed anyone!" Bai Qi groaned, putting on an act. "Just felt sick."

"Gotta go. See you later, Auntie!"

He bolted, the pilfered medicine hidden in his clothes. Much as he hated to, he’d dragged the alpha home. The guy was hulking, but Bai Qi was used to shouldering heavy burdens—carrying him wasn’t too hard.

An alpha was too conspicuous, so Bai Qi had crammed him into a burlap sack. In the slums, no one paid much attention—somehow, he’d made it back unnoticed.

"Home" was a generous term—a tiny shack with a leaky roof, a single bed, a few clothes piled in a corner, and meager toiletries. Bai Qi often patched the roof himself.

An abandoned child, surviving here alone had been hell. But Bai Qi had made it. He’d even named himself—Bai Qi. A reminder: their abandonment meant nothing. He’d come out on top anyway.

"Door’s broken again." Bai Qi set the medicine down, nailing the sagging door back into place. "I’ll replace you soon."

After counting and stashing his remaining money, he sold the alpha’s watch—talked down, but still a fortune to him.

"Only helping ‘cause you’re loaded."

Tossing the supplies onto the alpha, Bai Qi wiped the man’s face with a rag. "You from the inner city? What are you doing here?"

"You better thank me when you wake up. Dragging you here was exhausting." He didn’t expect an answer—just having someone to talk to was enough.

Bai Qi bandaged the wounds with second nature. Growing up in fights, he knew how to handle injuries.

The alpha’s deepest wound was on his abdomen—likely the reason he’d collapsed.

Bai Qi cut away the ruined clothes, applied medicine, and stitched it up with a needle and thread.

Proper medical care was a luxury here. If the man lived, great. If not—too bad.

"Not bad." Bai Qi checked his stitches before cleaning up. "Why’re you so big? Lucky it’s summer, or you’d freeze to death."

The omega took off the alpha's clothes. When he removed the pants, he took a glance and his eyes instantly widened. "Damn, that's huge."

"Pants are washed for you. They can still be worn after some mending. You’re on your own with the underwear." Bai Qi patted the alpha's abs, satisfied, then walked away.

He lived out in the sticks because many omegas were deliberately targeted. In this world, secondary genders from differentiation were also attacked.

Bai Qi had heard that city omegas had it made, nothing like them.

He washed all the alpha's clothes, hiding anything worth stealing. For the tattered parts of the clothes, he patched them up with scraps of fabric.

Bai Qi didn’t really want to see the alpha’s private parts—if word got out, it would be hard to explain. He didn’t even have a crush—no way was he letting rumors spread.

The omega didn’t pay much attention to the alpha. He worked during the day and came back to sleep at night. Though the bed was small, they could still cram in together. Bai Qi only checked the wound’s recovery progress every evening.

"Are you a pig? You’ve been asleep for four or five days and still aren’t up yet."

Bai Qi stood with his hands on his hips in front of the alpha, holding the removed bandages. There was hardly any blood left on them. The omega glared down at him, then finally turned around, ready to leave.

Just as he was about to step out, his clothes were grabbed. The omega paused mid-step, and the next second, he heard the alpha’s weak voice:

"Who… are you?"