Chapter Text
The world revolves around a new policy passed by the government in the recent decades — SOULMATES ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO MARRY.
Word has it that the bond between soulmates is stronger than the other and nothing can break that bond.
It's so highly encouraged that the government even provides incentives for soulmate marriages that pay out incredibly well. It rapidly led to the outcast and discrimination of non-soulmate marriages and relationships. It is said that a soulmate bond amplifies every emotion they will have for each other, and almost nothing can come between soulmates. Dan Heng hates it; hates the concept of allowing his emotions to be the better of him. He vowed he will never let himself be that weak again and to never allow himself to give into something as whimsy as a soulmate.
Soulmate is something he doesn't want to bother in this life.
His friends say he's cynical because he hasn't found his soulmate but he doesn't really care. He doesn’t believe in fate. He believes in something that should be a commitment and to wake up knowing that he's always someone's choice. He's happy to be just sharing an apartment with his best friend. Sure, it's a little hard to make ends meet while being a fashion student on a half-paid scholarship and as an omega with intense heats, and not relying on his parents.
But Dan Heng will never trade what he has with Stelle for anything else.
"A babysitting job?" Dan Heng repeats after Stelle, pulling his knees up to prop his ice cream tub on it, enjoying the large, soft blanket that's draped over his arms and pooling on the couch.
"Yeah, you know, I just sort of blurted out that I know someone who's great with kids." Stelle shrugs, wriggling her feet under Dan Heng's blanket, but keeps her distance from his body as they barely pay attention to what drama they had popped on TV.
It’s one of Dan Heng's rare days off where he doesn't need to be anywhere so Stelle announced a day in, and cancelled her shift so they could hang out in the small apartment they call their home.
The apartment isn't much, but Dan Heng loves it. It's small, cozy, and everything he can ask for.
Stelle's own scent is enough to provide a nice blanket of comfort, and Dan Heng knows his reassures Stelle. This is their little safe house after all.
"But he’s the Daiqing, one of Xianzhou’s most well-known models." Dan Heng said dubiously, stuffing his mouth with more ice cream. "He can literally hire any babysitter in Xianzhou. He's rich and his husband is even richer. I don't see why he needs to ask someone who works in a cafe for help."
Stelle looks offended at that. She shoves a few chips into her mouth, and proceeds to chomp on her chips loudly, aggressively. Dan Heng makes a face and blindly moves foot until he finds Stelle's own toes and nudges them gently.
"You know what I mean. You're always so focused, I can't imagine you hitting up a random conversation with a patron just because."
Stelle glares at Dan Heng from the corner of her eye, and Dan Heng does what he knows will be his weakness.
He juts his lower lip out just a little and Stelle sighs.
"You're lucky you're cute and you're my best friend." Stelle mutters, leaning over to smack Dan Heng's calf lightly.
Dan Heng makes a small noise of protest when his ice cream loses balance on his knees and he's grasping them with his hands again, making a face at Stelle.
"Daiqing said he was running late for an appointment today, and his husband is still out of town for work. Their previous babysitter had quit at the last minute, so he's desperately looking for someone to temporarily sit in until they can hire an actual babysitter. So I thought of you. You love kids, Dan Heng. I've seen you babysit kids."
"Kids." Dan Heng emphasizes behind his tub. "Not three years olds."
"Eh." Stelle shrugs, turning her attention back to the screen. "They're the same to me. Anyway, they're paying incredibly well, Dan Heng. I'm sure you'd be at least interested. And it's children. You adore them."
Dan Heng sniffles at that. Stelle is right. He loves children, he adores them so much. He could watch children run around playgrounds for hours and watch them laugh, cry, and fool around with their friends until the sun sets.
He wants that.
One day he wants all of that.
A family of his own, with his children running around, laughing, and calling out to him and his partner to join them, or to hear them call out "I'm home!" after school.
He has helped their neighbors babysit when they had to take up last minute shifts at work before, and he's even volunteered to help Stelle's friend babysit her little kid too.
"I mean," Stelle continues, rationalizing it for Dan Heng who looks torn between decisions. "It's almost the time of the year where you need to replenish your school materials; textbooks, art materials, and your inhibitors too. They're going to pay you so well just for one job, Dan Heng."
Well, when she puts it that way, he supposes there's really no harm in it. It's just a one-time job, right?
"Besides, you won't be meeting his alpha either. Daiqing says he'll only be back the day after or something."
At that, Dan Heng heaves a relief. He never liked alphas ever since that incident at home, and he stays away from them as much as he can. Much less Daiqing's alpha who was Luofu's third most eligible bachelor, but he is so brooding and mysterious, it makes Dan Heng nervous. It doesn't matter how much Dan Heng respects the man. He intimidates him.
The only alpha he keeps in close contact is Moze, and that's because Moze is the sweetest alpha Dan Heng's ever known. How the man has two soulmates, but is still okay to help out a childhood friend in heat is beyond him.
"Good," He mutters, digging into another scoop of ice cream. "I don't wanna..."
Stelle reaches over to pat him on the knee lightly, and then squeezes it gently. "Okay. I'll text him later."
Stelle gives him a small proud smile, and then he leans back into the couch arm where he was earlier. "So, what are we watching today?"
"I heard there's a new episode of Dynasty. We could watch that."
Stelle hums in agreement and flips the TV to the show, and the two of them enjoy it in the silence, occasionally swapping the snacks in their hands to eat.
At a particular scene, Dan Heng can't help but ask, "do you think the rich people in real life are like this too?"
Stelle glances over confusedly, as if he hasn't been paying attention to the show, but Dan Heng knows she has. She just liked to draw out the scenario and think through it for a while.
"Internally, they're fighting over everything. Money, property, businesses. And even divorce proceedings are messy. And they're always scheming something."
"Well, I guess each family has their own problems." Stelle answers, turning her attention back to the TV. "But I'm sure it's kinda unrealistic to be portrayed like that."
Dan Heng purses his lips at that comment and doesn't argue.
Stelle's right.
Every family has their own issues.
Perfect families don't exist.
He knows that. And yet he can't help but want a perfect family.
(It's something he'll eventually learn needs to be fought for.)
+ — +
When Dan Heng retreats to his room that night, curled in his nest, he pulls out his phone, smiling to himself at his wallpaper — an old photograph of him with his older brother at a fair before they both moved out of his family home, away from everyone and each other.
He taps into his chats and sees his last conversation with his older brother, and Dan Feng is nagging at him to take better care of himself again.
As if on cue, the residential cat in their apartment meows and hops onto Dan Heng's bed. Rice Dumpling — Stelle named him, and Mochi is what Dan Heng calls him, much to Stelle's disbelief — circles at the corner of his bed, patting it down before he flops down on the bed, front legs tucked under her chin before she stares down at Dan Heng.
Laughing to himself, Dan Heng uses his foot to nudge the ragdoll, who makes a disgruntled noise and turns her head away haughtily. With a light foot scratch, Dan heng continues to scroll through his phone to find Daiqing's number to drop him a text.
Dan Heng: This is Dan Heng, a friend of Stelle's from the Astral Express Cafe. I apologise for the late text. I was given your number to reach for the babysitting job.
He looks at the message he's typed out and winces at how he sounds. But he doesn't give it a second look and sends it off, heart in his throat as he waits. It's a little late, and he’s worried that he might even be disturbing him, but he still had to try his luck.
Dan Heng plays with Mochi for a little bit, scratching the cat's chin, earning him long purrs that make him smile.
It's only ten minutes before his phone pings again and he immediately stops scratching Mochi, much to her dismay when Dan Heng retracts his hands.
Daiqing: Hello Dan Heng! Thanks for reaching out. Yes, I'm still looking for a babysitter.
Daiqing: Stelle spoke very highly of you. Would you be available the day after tomorrow to meet up for a quick interview to see if you'll be suitable?
Hastily, Dan Heng checks out the calendar to make sure he’s able to. His heart sinks a little when he realises that he has work that afternoon, and prays that Daiqing will be able to understand.
Dan Heng: I have a shift in the afternoon, but I'll be able to make it in the morning
Daiqing: Great! I'll see you at 8:30AM.
Dan Heng winces. He has a late shift tomorrow and gets off at 10:30PM. But he doesn't have much of a choice if he needs the money, so he quickly agrees. He'll just make up his sleeping hours on his next day off.
Daiqing replies almost instantly with an OK emoji and his address, and Dan Heng’s heart drops. The address is across Luofu, on the upper side. It's ridiculously private, and there's only a few buses that head up to that area.
"It's a one time thing, Dan Heng. Let's suck it up so we can afford to pay for stuff." He mutters to himself and replies Daiqing with a "See you on Saturday."
(If only he knew it wasn't going to be a one-time thing.)
+ — +
Daiqing doesn't like staying up too late. It's bad for the skin and body, and he needs to stay in tip-top shape. It's part of the job. When a text comes in around 10:30PM, he's a little annoyed. But to his surprise, it's the boy that the barista from this morning recommended.
Stelle, is that her name? Daiqing honestly doesn’t remember. It was a chaotic morning and it was an annoyance.
He fired the fifth babysitter this month after noticing how she wasn't really doing her job of taking care of his little girl. He's tired of all the babysitters. They're so easily distracted when Ren is at home, and Yunli is left to her own devices.
They're not a good influence.
So when Stelle mentioned offhandedly that she has a male friend who's good at taking care of children and is a male omega, Daiqing was delighted.
Maybe he'll be a better influence on his daughter.
"Must be desperate." Daiqing mutters.
He’d done a quick search of Dan Heng while at the cafe, scrolling through social media and noticing how he's on a few platforms, and quickly learnt how gorgeous the man was. Granted, the young man is a first year fashion student who picked up a few modelling jobs here and there, he never expects Dan Heng to look ethereal with his jet black hair and striking verdigris eyes.
The best part out of this?
They're both in the same industry. Dan Heng may be on a smaller scale for smaller, less-known brands, while Daiqing catwalks for big shows, but this is an opportunity.
An advantage.
Perfect.
He handed Stelle his number before he left, but he doesn't expect such a quick response from Dan Heng.
Once an appointment is set, she's quickly scrolling through his contacts to call his husband. It takes a few rings before he answers, and Daiqing only blames the time difference.
"What do you need, Daiqing?" Ren sounds exhausted and Daiqing pouts.
"I'm calling about Yunli's babysitter. I let go of Ying yesterday."
"Again? "
Daiqing sniffles at that, offended. Ren makes it sound like it's his fault when it is so obvious that it isn’t. If only Ren isn’t always traveling. He’d be able to see why he had to sack Ying.
"What did she do?" Ren sighs.
"Just wasn't taking care of Yunli the way I'd like her to."
"She seemed fine to me."
"That's because you're an alpha. You don't see it from my point of view."
There's a moment of silence on the line and Daiqing furrows his brows. "Are you listening, Ren?"
"...Yes. So? What are you going to do now? Aren't you floored with the new show? How are you going to find time to take care of Yunli?"
"I've found a potential candidate. He's coming over for an interview, and I know how much it means for you to vet a profile before I hire a babysitter. His name is Dan Heng."
Daiqing hears a soft scratching noise against the bedroom door and he makes a face at it as if Ginkgo can see him from behind the door.
He dislikes that dog, but he has to live with it because Ren had begrudgingly rehomed one dog, and he emphasizes the need to have at least one dog at home to watch the place and make sure Yunli is always safe.
Ugh.
"...That's not a lot of information coming from you, as usual, Daiqing."
Daiqing rolls his eyes and tucks the phone between his shoulder and ear as he curls up in bed, dragging the huge blanket over him.
"Won’t you do it for our baby girl? You're always great with information with your wide connections." He says sweetly.
The exhale that comes out from Ren is strained. "I'll see what I can do. I'll let you know by tonight."
Tomorrow morning then. Daiqing preens, happy he's gotten his way.
"I look forward to it. I'm heading to bed now. Yunli's already asleep. Do you want to..." Daiqing asks suggestively, but Ren shoots him down instantly.
"I'm at work. I'll text you later."
He pouts when the line disconnects, leaving him to stare at the phone blankly.
Fine.
If he doesn't want to give in, he can always do it himself.
He's independent.
+ — +
Ren's mood is sour.
If it wasn't for the scent blockers, the room would be bitterly suffocating. And it's all thanks to Daiqing.
All he had to do was call just to let him know that he had fired yet another babysitter and it's enough to ruin Ren’s mood.
He's running through babysitters like they're endless and it's hard for Yunli.
Did he ever consider that?
Of course not.
"Apologies for that." Ren says as he tucks his phone away into his blazer's pocket. His special guest that's bound to the chair looks terrified, eyes wide with blood trickling down the side of his pulped face.
"We should call it a day.”
The man's muffled noises are loud, desperate and frantic. Ren moves over to peel off the tape on his face, careful to not get any blood on his sleeves and continues, "Tell your boss Elio is disappointed and he wasted all our time."
The man nods in agreement and Ren tosses a swiss knife on the floor near the foot of the chair that’s soaked in a pool of blood. "Get out on your own.”
Ren steps out of the abandoned warehouse with the man's muffled cries behind him, begging for him to help him out.
He'll be able to do it. He was able to sneak out of Xianzhou with sensitive information from Ren's company without being detected by anyone after all. What can a few broken bones do?
When he's back in his rented car, Ren drags a hand up his face, tucking his hair behind his ear and lets out a groan. How he has to do the dirty work because of one incompetent man is beyond him sometimes.
Now he has to run a background check on someone because of his wife’s impulsiveness wears him down.
He's exhausted.
He's been working since he landed in Jepella, hasn't really stopped to sleep. He's ready to go home to Yunli and curl up in bed with her tiny form to take the longest nap ever.
Speaking of Yunli, he pulls out his phone and gives Silver Wolf a call. It's three in the afternoon in Jepella, which means the young lady should be wide awake now.
"It's eleven. What business do you have so late at night?" Silver Wolf huffs when she answers.
"Good morning to you, too." Ren scoffs. "We both know you’re only getting out of bed now."
"Yeah, well, big business, y'know?"
Ren rolls his eyes and cuts straight to the point. "I need your help, Wolfie. Just a quick background check on someone."
"Oh? Did your wife fire someone again?"
Ren sighs. Even Silver Wolf is tired of his shenanigans.
"Help me look up someone named Dan Heng, will you? He's from Luofu."
"Just a name for me to work on? You used to do better, old man."
"Wish I could help you more but that’s all Daiqing gave."
Silver Wolf grumbles, but in the background, Ren hears the keyboard clicking away. "I think that should be enough. I'll get back to you on this soon. I want that exquisite art piece Daiqing posted on his page as payment."
Ren snorts. Daiqing would throw a fit but Ren is more than happy to do so. "Sure."
After they hang up, Ren decides to pick up a few souvenirs for Yunli. Jepella may be in a mess, but there were still places Ren knew to get something for his girl.
By the time he's done picking out the stuff, Silver Wolf's sending him a document full of information and a warines settles in his bones, his wrist flaring up like an old ache in his bones.
Ren: Thanks.
Silver Wolf: I expect that painting once you get back to Luofu.
Ignoring her, Ren skims through the file and it seems like Dan Heng has a very mundane life at first glance — an omega, has a part-time job in a cafe, and is a first year student studying fashion.
Fashion?
Was that what caught Daiqing's interest? He is, after all, a huge name in the modeling industry. Dan Heng was born to a couple who weren't soulmates, and his mother died shortly after he turned nine. He's the second child in a family of four, with an older brother who holds a high ranking job in the Alliance. His family is well to do, his father a trauma surgeon, late mother a homemaker, and step-father a neurosurgeon.
Ren stills, a little worried. An elder brother who is in the Alliance is dangerous. While his job doesn’t directly cross paths with the Alliance and their jobs don’t interfere with each other, Ren knows how the rest of the Alliance views them.
With some hesitation brewing in his chest, Ren continues reading the file, he wonders if he should feel bad. For someone who has such a high-ranking officer as a brother, he’s living a very simple life.
Dan Heng shares an apartment on the downside of Luofu with someone called Stelle, and it's close to the city, but still dangerous. It's dangerous because that is where the underworld does most of their business.
It's shady and suspicious. Why would they choose to live in the heart of the danger? Did they have their own connections too? WIth those thoughts in mind, Ren continues to scroll through the document and wrinkles his nose. Dan Heng has an amazing track record. There's nothing on his official police record, not even for simple things like littering.
The only thing Silver Wolf manages to pull out is a sealed hospitalization record of him when he's sixteen, and Ren isn't that despicable to go unsealing people's confidential hospital files, so he leaves that.
It doesn't say anything about him having any experience with children, but if it's someone Daiqing knows who recommended him, then he should take it with a pinch of salt and give the benefit of doubt.
For someone with such a clean background and hails from such a prestigious family, there isn’t anything suspicious about him and Ren is only worried about his brother that he doesn’t even live with anymore.
(One day, he’ll need to thank Stelle and Daiqing.)
The next thing Ren does is hop onto social media, and he quickly finds his social media accounts, his Exhibition consists of his professional shoots that he's done for brands, some outfit checks, and aesthetically pleasing shots.
His feed is so clean.
Ren taps into his stories with a disposable account, and he sees that it's more of a day-to-day life. There's not much to view, so he moves onto the other platform; Shadowseeker.
"I can't blame him, I guess. He's still young." He snorts, opening up the app. And he's intrigued, because if Dan Heng has a decent following on one platform, he is huge on the other.
His Exhibition is very professional, and his Shadowseeker is casual.
There are behind the scene videos for shoots where he hangs out with the coordinators, fashion designers and camera crew, and the more personal ones are with Dan Heng holding the camera up close to his face, and Ren is pretty sure he's never seen someone as breathtaking as him. Dan Heng has brilliantly bright azure eyes that have a secret to tell. It’s so reticent but his expressions are able to tell a million stories. The short strands of black hair curl around his features makes him stand out like a doll.
Ren spends a good twenty minutes on Dan Heng's Shadowseeker, slightly mesmerized by the man, and entertained by his videos. Judging from the way he stands next to his friends in some videos, he can tell Dan Heng's shorter than he is and slender with a tiny waist.
He purses his lips after watching a few more videos — there are some that were pretty sensual that make his fingers twitch, but it's the man's choice, he argues.
He's just going to be a babysitter for Yunli. What he does in his free time shouldn't be an issue and if it's only going to be a one-time thing, Ren doesn't have any qualms as long as he stays in his line. After another moment of consideration, Ren texts Daiqing the green light to go ahead. It's a lot for just a potential candidate, but it's better to play it safe when they're hiring for his baby girl.
Daiqing always liked to hire people on impulse, and it can be a headache when it chooses to.
But Dan Heng seems harmless.
His background is completely clean.
What's the worst that could happen?
(If only Ren knew.)
+ — +
He's not late.
He's only running ten minutes behind his own schedule, which adds another fifteen minutes for his travels. But he hates being exactly on time. He prefers being earlier so he can be more prepared and he’s confident he’ll leave a good impression on Daiqing.
Exhaling a breath, Dan Heng tugs on the sleeve of his sweater. His bus is the reason he's late, and he probably should have considered traffic.
It's a Saturday. Yet the trains and buses were still packed to the brim, shoving him in with alphas and betas that made his skin crawl with just their smell. His own scent blockers are on and his soft cuff bracelet is over his left wrist. No one should be able to smell him.
He hates it, but he has to do it if he doesn't want people in his personal space. He can't smell himself, and it makes him uncomfortable. Dan Heng always took pride in the way he smelt, but he also knew any alpha would like his scent. His stomach's already churning from the very thought of meeting the supermodel Daiqing , and now he can't even reassure himself.
Muttering quietly to himself, he begins the walk up to Daiqing's place. The neighborhood is definitely nice with the lush trees that line the roadside, providing privacy to the houses that are already sparse apart. The air here is so fresh, it makes Dan Heng jealous. He misses the scent of sea salt and the ocean that surrounded his family home. He's been stuck with engine smoke and murky air for the longest time, that each inhale feels so good for his lungs.
It's quiet for a Saturday morning. He passes by a few joggers with their dogs, and he cooed at how pretty they are, and greets a few elders who are strolling down the road.
And the smell.
He can't smell most of the people here. It’s probably because the streets are long and wide. Each house is so huge that there's not even a lot of people here.
As if he just recalled that he's not here to stroll, he quickly checks his phone, and notices how he only has ten minutes before he's actually needed. He quickens his pace, following the directions on his phone, while repeating the house number in his head over and over again. He lets his gaze drag across the front gates of many houses before he reaches the end of the street, where only one house stands.
The house that stands before him is huge and Dan Heng’s heart drops. He grew up okay. His family home isn't bad. It's decent and he has many great memories in that place.
But... this house...
On its own, it isn't huge, but the land it is on is. There's a front yard and a balcony on the second floor that overlooks it. The garage doors aren't shut, and through the gates, he sees at least three expensive cars sitting in it.
Holy shit.
He double checks the number on the gate to make sure he's at the right place because if he was nervous before, he's beginning to panic. Dan Heng knows Daiqing is rich. He came from a wealthy family, but he never knew that he was this rich.
Is it because of his husband's business? Does two rich people coming together mean they can splurge money like this?
He has about ten minutes to call Stelle and have a meltdown on his own, because he doesn't feel in his element at all.
But the gates to the house creak open slowly, and Daiqing is standing at the door to the main house, hands on his hips with a confident smile on his face.
"Dan Heng?"
Suddenly he's so grateful his nightmare of a heat is coming up soon and he is forced to wear his scent blockers. Otherwise, Daiqing would pick up on his distress so fast, he won't have time to even think.
Fake it till you make it. Fake it till you make it. That’s what gege taught him. Straightening himself up and tugging on the sleeves of his sweater, Dan Heng puts on a small, polite smile and steps into the estate.
The mark under his bracelet is starting to flare up again, feeling about as hideous as it looks, but Dan Heng ignores it as he stops in front of Daiqing.
"Daiqing," The man introduces himself, but the way he speaks his own name is as though he expects people to know who he is. "It's very nice to see you. I apologize for having you over so early this morning."
Dan Heng takes a good look at him, and he slowly feels his nervousness dissipate. He’s dressed in a black blazer dress with gold buttons that emphasizes his legs, his long hair is pulled into a ponytail. It's a sight Dan Heng is familiar with, and that helps.
"It's a pleasure meeting you. I understand how busy schedules can be sometimes." Dan Heng offers a small smile but Daiqing looks slightly impressed. Dan Heng wonders why.
From this close, he can barely smell Daiqing. It's not the usual scent blockers kind of smell, but a more muted, faint smell. He can’t tell what, though.
Many magazines talk about how Daiqing is the perfect omega with a sweet and alluring scent, and, despite his tall height, is docile but confident.
With a hand, Daiqing gestures for him to head inside, and Dan Heng follows behind him politely, carefully toeing off his shoes to place them by the side. Immediately, Dan Heng notices a pair of house slippers that seem untouched for a while, a pair of heels, and a pair of children's sneakers lined up nicely at the entrance. Next to the door is a small dresser that holds a photo frame, a set of keys, and a leash.
"You have a dog?"
Daiqing turns back, looking amused.
"Yes. It's Ren's, actually." The corner of his lip twitches, and Dan Heng wonders what that means. "Ginkgo takes care of Yunli very well."
As if the dog heard its name, Dan Heng hears a distant bark and he furrows his brows.
"A watchdog?"
"Yep." The 'p' pops off his glossed lips loudly in the silence of the house.
But if it's a watchdog... Why isn't it running up to him and sniffing him out?
Dan Heng passes the entryway of the house and he stills at the sight of a wide living room that is almost surrounded by ceiling to ground windows that leads to the backyard. The stairs are on the left, near the entryway, and the open kitchen is to the right.
This is a dream house.
But his attention is taken away by a huge cloud of fluff that is wagging its tail and barking from beyond the glass doors from the living room. A Samoyed is standing on all fours, tongue lolled out like it's excited to meet him.
"A– Is that a Samoyed? " Dan Heng asks in disbelief, his heart swelling instantly at the sight.
Daiqing sighs from the kitchen.
"Yeah, she's supposed to take good care of Yunli, who's still asleep upstairs. But because you're here, I decided to keep her out for a while."
Oh.
"Oh, that's very considerate of you. Can I...?"
Daiqing looks a little irritated, but he shrugs and moves to open the backyard's doors from the kitchen and Ginkgo is rushing around the corner into the house to stop at Dan Heng's feet, sniffing him out before she's on her hind legs, standing tall to paw at him and lick his cheek, carefully avoiding his glasses, making him laugh.
"Hello," he greets with an equally excited smile of his own. "Pretty girl. You're so polite."
He runs his hands into her fur, fawning over how soft it feels, before he sets her down on all fours and gives her a pat and many scratches.
"Be a good girl. I've to speak to your mummy about work."
Ginkgo bites softly at his fingertips when he reaches to scratch her chin. Once she is content, she walks away to the stairs and curls into herself in a protective stance, watching the humans in the house.
"You're good with dogs." Daiqing notes. "Coffee?"
"Yes, please. Thank you." Dan Heng replies in relief. He didn't manage to get his own coffee in the morning and he feels the exhaustion in his bones. "I’m more of a cat person, but my family used to own a dog. He passed a few years ago."
"I’m sorry. Do you still live with your family?" Daiqing asks as he pours a cup of coffee for him and slides it over the kitchen counter.
"No," he shakes his head. "I moved out when I graduated from high school. I wanted independence and things at home weren't doing very well."
Dan Heng graciously accepts the cup of coffee and when he takes a whiff, he can’t tell this isn't typical coffee; it smells premium roasted and custom-made.
"Not well?"
"Father remarried, I couldn't get along with my step-parent." Dan Heng says, feeling the words familiarly roll off his tongue.
It's the hidden, honest truth that he's been telling everyone for years. It’s effective in stopping people from asking more questions because everyone knows what it means when a parent remarries.
Soulmates.
But either Daiqing doesn't care or he's just oblivious because he's pushing for more.
"Aw, why not?" Dan Heng didn’t really feel like explaining himself, but he has been polite in asking and he always had a standard answer.
"Mom died in an accident and father found his soulmate not too long after."
"Oh, no." Daiqing shakes his head, a small frown playing on his lips. "That's… I’m sorry. I can't imagine Ren remarrying if I'm gone."
With a small shrug, Dan Heng takes another sip of the coffee, grateful for the warmth on his tongue as compared to his frozen limbs.
"Do you believe in soulmates, Dan Heng?"
Dan Heng quirks a brow. He came here with confidence that Daiqing would be asking him more work-related questions – what kind of experience do you have? How good are you with kids? Why are you choosing to be a babysitter?
But this feels too... personal.
For a one-time job, he is asking private questions to know someone he won't be seeing again after the job is done. But if it gets him the job, he'll humor him.
"No." He says honestly and firmly as he looks into the cup, watching the coffee ripple with each movement he makes. "I don't."
"Oh? That's interesting. I thought the younger you are, the more you'd believe in them."
Dan Heng wanted to balk at that statement. He's heard it very often, even from his customers at the cafe where he works. He's really just not interested in finding his soulmate.
He’d rather get to know someone and work for a happy relationship than to allow fate to pull all his strings and dictate his love for someone from day one.
"I don't have the time for it." He explains, though he's really not sure why he has to. "Between juggling school and work, I don't have much time to socialize outside. Being in a relationship only puts you at risk of heartbreaks and lies. So why waste time on it?"
Daiqing looks absolutely thrilled at his answer.
"I agree." He claps his hands together with a smile that makes Dan Heng feel indescribably sick. "I don't have a mark."
Dan Heng's hands that were bringing the coffee cup to his lips freezes mid-way. Daiqing chuckles at that.
"I was born without a soulmate mark. Everyone says everyone is born with one on their wrist. But," he extends both his arms out, wrist up, and Dan Heng sees completely smooth skin. No white inks of half a mark. Nothing like his, where his wrist was once decorated with incomplete spider lilies. Now it's marred with scar lines that run too deep.
He has heard of people being born with no soulmate marks, but he's never met one.
He knows Daiqing and his husband aren’t soulmates. It was a huge commotion in the industry when they found out that Ren and Daiqing were to wed and people kept talking about how they didn't wear marks, but Daiqing had reassured everyone that they're in love and happy. Eight months later, they welcomed the arrival of their baby girl, and everyone started talking about how it's a shotgun marriage.
Personally, Dan Heng doesn't care. His parents weren't, and he'd seen how happy his mother was whenever she was with his father, and the adoring look in his father's eyes made him feel like it might not be the end of the world if one couldn't find their soulmate.
He continues to bring his mug to his lips and closes his eyes, inhaling the aroma before he takes a sip of it slowly. "But you seem happy with Ren."
"I am! Ren's own mark is very faded compared to others. People say his soulmate probably died, that's why it's almost gone now. But we're happy, I'm happy, and we have Yunli, who, by the way, is adorable."
Is it really okay to share such personal details about your husband like this? Dan Heng wonders as he lowers his cup back down on the table.
With the twenty minute interaction with Daiqing, Dan Heng feels like he would be the kind who'd meddle into every situation possible and overshare, and if it isn't a one-time job, he might actually become a headache for him.
But he is curious to meet their baby girl. Yunli has been so well-protected that there are barely any photos of her - Ren and Daiqing both don't share photographs of Yunli on their social media platforms or in any interviews.
So he lets Daiqing continue to ask him a few more questions which he answers as professionally as possible, and he looks impressed with him.
Until...
"Can I see your soulmate mark?"
Whatever thought was going through Dan Heng's mind dissipates, and he's staring blankly at Daiqing.
"I'm sorry?"
"I said," He looks mildly annoyed at repeating himself. "I'd like to see your mark."
With some hesitatance, Dan Heng musters, "It's… It’s not a sight worth seeing."
"Aw come on! I'm sure it's very pretty. Most of the people I've met already have their soulmate marks filled in. I've always been curious to see a clean one..." He stops for a moment then, "Please?"
Dan Heng flinches at the sweet tone, and he's thanking the Gods he's not an alpha because he can probably be as manipulative as he wants with the power they're born with.
He pulls up his left sleeve slightly, barely showing off the fabric bracelet that rests on his wrist, and says, "It's ruined."
Daiqing looks confused.
"I ruined it years ago. It’s beyond recognition."
His mouth falls apart, but no noise comes out of it.
Since he asked, Dan Heng bunches the fabric band that's wrapped over his wrist, exposing horizontal lines and diagonal scars, all tightly lined together, marring the incomplete spider lilies and fair skin underneath. Daiqing's face pales and reddens at the same time, it's almost amusing.
"This is my mark." Dan Heng says gently, rolling back the bracelet to hide the scars and tugs the sleeve of his sweater back down.
For a few minutes, Daiqing has nothing to say, and neither does Dan Heng. He opts to drink his coffee which tastes a little more bland than before. The minutes tick by and the redness in Daiqing’s cheeks doesn’t seem to fade.
Dan Heng glances over to Ginkgo, who's still lying on the ground, and then he smells a very mild, very brief bitter taste coming from Daiqing's direction, before it's gone.
"I shouldn't have pried."
Dan Heng gives him a tight smile from behind the mug, but says nothing.
A gut feeling is telling him that he shouldn't take this job even if he is offered it. Even if it's a one time thing.
Even if it pays well.
Why should he suck up his pride just to tolerate someone who doesn't seem to be nice enough to respect someone's boundaries? His first impression of Daiqing isn't great. He already knew that from all the TV interviews that Daiqing can get obnoxious, but Dan Heng credits it to long schedules and stress, but it seems like the internet never lies.
As if the gods were listening to him, the answer to his questions comes padding down the stairs in the form of a little girl with short, wavy hair messed up from bed while rubbing her eye.
Ginkgo is quickly on her feet the moment she hears the footsteps, tail swishing excitedly behind her, and from the kitchen, he can hear her pants.
"Mummy," She calls out, and his heart swoons at the adorable sight in front of him. "Good morning."
Bright, big navy-golden eyes open to scan the living room, and then she tilts her head in a big movement to look at Dan Heng.
"Who's the gege, mummy?"
"Morning Yunli," Daiqing greets from the kitchen, one hand on his hip, the other held out in a fist, before his index finger is raised. "That's Dan Heng, baby. He's your new babysitter."
Dan Heng snaps his attention so fast, he thought he might get a whiplash, as he stares at Daiqing, speechless.
"I’m sorry?”
"Ren’s given me the green light to hire you, and I like you. Make yourself at home, Dan Heng."
(He definitely will one day.)
The smile she gives is slightly more friendly, and Dan Heng gapes. His heart feels heavy. He wants to reject the offer, but a small part of him is screaming at him to take it, to just suck it up and take the one-time job.
Besides, there's a cute little girl who's staring at him with big glassy eyes, while squishing Ginkgo's face to her tiny chest.
"Dan Heng-gege?"
Oh, the way she calls him is so cute too.
"Mummy." Yunli calls out, but Daiqing barely gives her any attention as he taps out something on his phone. Yunli pouts and waddles over to Dan Heng's side with Ginkgo in tow, and then she props her head on his thigh, looking up at him. His heart melts at the sight, and he reaches down to comb her hair, frowning at the knots. Shouldn't Daiqing be helping her brush out her hair at least? And maybe ask Yunli if she's hungry, or get some food ready for her?
Why does he seem more focused on whatever's on his phone?
Almost trying to prove his point, his phone rings.
"Excuse me," Daiqing says, his face brightening up at whoever's calling. "I've to take this call urgently. It's work."
"Sure," Dan Heng mutters, but either Daiqing didn't hear it, or he's just ignoring the disapproving tone and walking away.
He looks at the little girl who still has his head propped up on his thigh and realizes she's standing on her tiptoes.
What a tender sight. Children are always so adorably innocent, it actually makes his heart ache.
Gently, he moves his hands slowly towards her face, showing her that he's going to touch her, and he pauses for a second.
"Can I touch your face, Yunli?" He asks quietly, letting her process it, and then she tilts her head into his hands with a smile.
"You're a wonder." He murmurs as he lifts her head up from his thigh and lets her fall back down to her feet.
He stands up, about to ask if she wants him to brush her hair, when he hears Daiqing's excited voice echo from somewhere across the house.
"Mummy's always busy." Yunli says, her words are light, but he can hear the sadness in her voice and Dan Heng bends down to meet her gaze face to face, offering her a smile of his own.
"Are you hungry, Yunli? Should we decide on something and ask your mummy if she can make it for you?"
Yunli looks at him with a moment of blankness on her face, and she says, "mummy's never made me anything before."
Dan Heng feels his jaw drop slightly, and then he quickly rearranges his features.
"Who makes food for you then?"
"Whichever jiejie is here."
Ginkgo growls as if disapproving of Daiqing's actions, and Dan Heng would too.
"Sorry!" Daiqing returns to the kitchen, completely dolled up now, handbag slung on his shoulder. He doesn't really look very apologetic.
"I have something urgent at work that I need to head to now, so Dan Heng, please help me look after Yunli for the morning! I know it's very last minute, but I'll be back by noon! Make yourself at home and comfortable. There's everything you need in the kitchen, and if Yunli wants something, just give it to her."
"Um-"
"Don't worry! I'll be back soon!" Daiqing calls as he turns on his heels to the main door. "I'll pay you double for today's job!"
"That's not the point–"
The door's already shut before Dan Heng can finish his sentence, and he sighs out loud, running a hand through his hair, frustrated.
He has work later, and even if that's in the later part of the day, how can Daiqing just entrust his own daughter to him like this?
He can faintly hear the purr of an engine time to life and then pull out of the driveway.
Yunli had wandered off to play with Ginkgo in a corner, hair still messy and cheeks red from giggling when Ginkgo licks her cheek.
What kind of mother is Daiqing to ditch their own child at home with a complete stranger? Did she decide to take it easy because Ginkgo is here? Shaking his head, Dan Heng sucks it up and makes the choice to get to work.
“Yunli,” he calls out louder and gathers the little girl’s attention. “Have you brushed your teeth?”
Yunli’s eyes widens comically and then she buries her face into Ginkgo’s fur, mumbling something incoherent.
“I can’t hear you.”
“No…” She says a little louder, whinier. “Don’t wanna—“
“But if you don’t brush your teeth, how are you going to decide what you want for breakfast?”
Yunli raises her head quickly, her eyes wide. “I can choose what I want?”
It might be a bad idea letting a three year old decide breakfast but it’s Dan Heng’s first day and he’s being thrown right into the deep end of the pool. He’s going to figure it out by his own book.
Thankfully, Yunli seems to be a reasonable child. “Will gege help?”
“With brushing of your teeth?”
“Uh-huh! Then Yunli gets to decide while gege helps.” She says, getting up to her feet and Ginkgo whines at the loss of contact.
“…Sure. Lead the way.”
Yunli grins and walks over to Dan Heng, sticking her hand out. She waits patiently until he takes her hand and her tiny hand curls around two of his fingers.
“Upstairs!” Yunli sings, pulling Dan Heng quickly, and he’s not sure if he should be allowed to wander so freely around the house? Ginkgo is following behind them carefully, watching them closely, but not challengingly.
The upper floor is spacious with a lounge, a TV mounted on the wall and a few toys carefully tucked away in the white shelf under the TV. There’s a hallway to the rooms, and he sees three doors on each side of the hallway, with one opened widely.
“That’s Yunli’s room!” She announces, pulling him along again.
“Baba and mummy’s room is here,” she points to the first door on the left, and then continues on her little tour. “Baba’s office, for the jiejies’, mummy’s office… bathroom!”
The only thing that really captures his attention is how clean the house is. He noticed it earlier, but the house is so pristine. If it isn’t for Yunli’s toys that sprawl around the house, he might have mistaken the house for a bachelor’s pad.
It doesn’t really smell like an alpha or beta either. Just Yunli’s pup scent. Dan Heng barely picks up Daiqing's scent on her and he curiously wonders why.
“Here!” Yunli lets go of his hand to push the bathroom door open, and Dan Heng’s heart, for the umpteenth time, sinks today.
The bathroom is almost the size of his apartment’s living room. It must be a common bathroom because the height in it doesn’t match Yunli’s, and why would a child need an open shower and a double bathtub?
What is this luxury?
The marble seems to spread across every inch of the room - tiles, sinks, walls. Colors set in warm, monochromatic, a contrast to the rest of the house that seems to be in blacks, whites, and greys.
Yunli climbs up her stepping stool, reaches out for her toothbrush and toothpaste and squeezes a dollop, very focused at the task at hand, with the way her brows are furrowed and nose is wrinkled.
Once she’s done with that, she hands out her toothbrush, and then grows grumpy when he doesn’t come closer to take it.
“The jiejies like to help Yunli brush teeth.” So he takes the pink printed toothbrush from her, marveling at how small it is in his hand before he gestures for Yunli to show him her teeth.
He nimbly pulls up his sleeves and grasps her chin with his thumb and index fingers to help brush her teeth, mindful to avoid going too harsh, but ensuring that whatever formed teeth are carefully brushed.
Once done, he gestures for her to spit.
Of course… She chooses to swallow some of the toothpaste instead.
“Yunli.” Dan Heng says her name softly but firmly, but she only giggles before reaching out to the cup of water to rinse her mouth.
“You shouldn’t do that often, okay?” He says as firmly as possible as she hops off her stepping stool. She looks up with her big navy-golden eyes again, and Dan Heng resists the urge to give in.
“Okay, Dan Heng-gege.”
He gives her a smile and offers his hand. She takes it happily and they walk out where Ginkgo has taken her place, and he wonders if Ginkgo is trained to follow Yunli everywhere because ever since she woke up, the dog’s always by her side.
“So, what do you feel like having for breakfast?”
He carefully watches as Yunli takes her steps down, fearful of her tripping, but Ginkgo is there, ahead of the both of them, waiting eagerly at the foot, her tail swishing left to right in earnest.
“Pancakes!” Yunli exclaims once she reaches the first floor. “Yunli loveeees pancakes!”
Pancakes would require a pancake mix. Which he doesn’t see on the kitchen counters. Which means he’ll have to search for it, make it, or…
Or what?
Stifling a sigh, Dan Heng skirts around the counters and makes his way to the fridge as Yunli stumbles away to play with Ginkgo.
He opens the fridge, and is appalled by the lack of food in it. Dan Heng does see the pancake mix, but he also sees tupperwares full of overnight food, chilled udon noodles, canned drinks, a few bottles of liquor and milk.
A giggle makes him glance over his shoulder.
Yunli is settled on the ground next to Ginkgo, who happily smothers her in licks in exchange for scratches on her head, a smile spreads across her face so wide that he feels his own lips start to turn upwards.
How can someone who has such a crappy mother be so cute?
Was it the father then?
But from what Dan Heng knows, alpha fathers have always been more distant in families.
Even his own father was a little more distant as compared to his omega mother.
They cared, but not in an endearing sense. They're protectors, meant to guard the family while the mothers are the ones who take good care of them. Those alpha and alpha soulmates though?
Very rare to the point he's never seen them until his father remarried.
That leaves him bitter, so he shoves it out of his mind and focuses on Yunli who moved on to playing on her own after Ginkgo padded away to lie down near the door to the backyard and Dan Heng sees a courtyard and beyond it, a swimming pool.
A sharp inhale makes him feel so poorly inadequate. At this point, Dan Heng concludes this family is filthy rich, like old money rich. They can afford any reputable babysitter. Why would they choose to hire a boy who holds no name to himself like he’s a random puppy picked off the streets?
With another shake of his head, Dan Heng tells himself, “Don’t think too much into it.”
The less he knows about it, the better. Once he allows his thoughts to run, he’s not going to come back from it. He’s not beyond doing illegal things, but he doesn’t want to be involved if possible. His older brother will have his head if he finds out he’s involved in anything like that.
Dan Heng quickly moves around the kitchen, easily finding the frying pan and spatula. He quickly whips up breakfast for Yunli because it’s almost an hour since she’s woken up and even though she hasn’t said anything, she’s probably hungry.
The pancakes do smell good once it’s being cooked, and his own stomach is starting to grumble. Wrinkling his nose, he’s suspicious of one who’s not doing a great job of being a mother. But Yunli is so sweet and well-behaved, like someone has been treating her well, and it’s not just from a babysitter, then he only has one other answer.
Once the pancakes are done, he calls for Yunli, who perks up immediately and abandons her toys to go to him.
“Pancakes!” She delights, raising her arms in a demand as a sign for him to carry her, and he lifts her to place her into her seat.
“Thank you, Dan Heng-gege!” She grins as he serves her a plate. She watches as he moves to the fridge to pour her a cup of milk, and frowns when he comes back.
“Are you not going to eat?”
He shakes his head and smiles. “No, thank you. I had something earlier.”
It’s not true, but he doesn’t want to impose on a stranger’s house and their food. So he’s content with watching Yunli eat, her face glowing when she takes her first bite and does a little happy dance in her seat.
“It’s good. Thank you, gege.”
His heart warms at that, like Yunli’s approval is all he needs when it comes to cooking.
He has as much small talk as he can have with a three year old, and he finds out that she goes to daycare on weekdays, her mom is almost always working, and dad sometimes works from home, which is why they only need a babysitter sometimes.
Yunli is incredible for a three year old with her maturity. When she’s finished with breakfast, she thanks him once more and waits for him to bring her down to the ground with a little wiggle in her seat. Dan Heng quickly clears the table as Yunli goes back to doing her own thing, Ginkgo is lying by the backyard’s door, staring forlornly, as though she hasn’t been let out in days.
She was literally just outside a while ago but Dan Heng feels bad when Ginkgo turns her puppy eyes on him. Daiqing didn’t say anything about letting her out, and it’s not his house and dog. But Daiqing also didn’t leave any instructions for him before rushing out.
The longer she stares at him, the more his heart crumbles. Eventually he caves and slides the doors open. Ginkgo is on her feet instantly and propelling out of the house. Dan Heng chuckles and Yunli even turns to look at Ginkgo before she goes back to playing with her toys.
When he’s done cleaning up, he’s not sure what he has to do. There’s still an hour before Daiqing is supposed to be back and he’s not sure what the girl’s schedule is like.
One thing’s for sure though; as he takes in Yunli’s figure, he realizes the girl needs to brush her hair.
“Yunli, do you want me to brush your hair?”
“Yes please!”
So Dan Heng finds himself with Yunli in his lap, brushing her hair slowly, gently, working at the knots at the base of her hair, careful not to tug because he knows it’ll hurt.
“Dan Heng-gege?”
“Yes, Yunli?”
“Why can’t I smell you?”
Dan Heng smiles and pats her on the head when he’s done. “Because I don’t like people smelling me too much.”
Yunli hums, but doesn’t continue that conversation. “We’re done, Yunli.”
“Thank you!” She says as she gets up from his lap. “Can you put me in a dress too?”
Dan Heng raises a brow and chuckles at her excitement. “Which one?”
She disappears off somewhere on the first floor and Dan Heng wants to follow, but he quickly hears footsteps coming back, and Yunli is holding a sunflower printed dress in her hands.
“This!”
With a nod, he makes quick work out of changing Yunli out of her pajamas and into her dress. When he pulls it over her head, she squeals when she pops her head out to meet him, giggling when he gives her an endearing smile.
Once the dress is smoothed down nicely, he grabs her hair brush that’s still on the kitchen counter and brushes her hair again to tidy up the loose curls.
Yunli does a quick twirl in front of him, showing off the dress, and she goes, “yay! Dan Heng-ge’s the best!”
He chuckles and glances at the clock, worry now settling in as Daiqing hasn’t returned.
He gets up from the floor and moves to the kitchen counter where his phone is to check for any messages.
Nothing.
He bites down on his lower lip in worry, just as Yunli wanders to his side.
“What are you doing? Can I see?”
Dan Heng looks at her confusedly, then sees her eyeing his phone. With a huff, he lifts her up onto the kitchen counter and explains, “this is my phone. I’m waiting for your mum to send me a message.”
“Oh,” Yunli wrinkles her button nose and shrugs, losing interest in the topic. “What’s this?”
She points to the fabric bracelet on Dan Heng’s hand, looking at it curiously, small hands making a grabby movement at it.
When Daiqing asked to see his mark, it felt obscenely invasive. But with Yunli… She just wants to see the bracelet, so he extends his arm to her and explains, “It’s a bracelet to hide my soulmate mark.”
Her lips turn into an ‘O’ and she says, “my daycare teacher talks about that!”
She flips her own hand to show off half a swallow on her left wrist, and continues, “this is mine!”
As he muses her mark, he feels the burn on his arm grow even more. “That is lovely, Yunli.”
She giggles, and then starts to gently fumble with the bracelet absentmindedly, not pulling it off, but just gently touching it. With her distracted, Dan Heng’s about to shoot off a text to Daiqing. He needs to know what his plan is because if he has to cancel his shift, he needs to call in soon. Otherwise, Himeko is going to have difficulties finding a replacement.
Once he’s done typing out the message, though, he faintly picks up the sound of a car parking in the driveway, and the keys rattling to open the front door.
He’s back then.
Finally. He heaves a sigh of relief.
But the moment the front door opens, his blood runs cold and his entire body goes rigid.
“I’m back.”
That’s not Daiqing’s voice, and the smell that’s quickly spreading across the house is not a beta or omega's.
It smells of spider lilies and the forge, and as much as Dan Heng wants to bask in the smell, he can’t.
His heart is hammering against his chest like it’s about to explode, and his throat feels too stuffed. His fingers are shaking so hard he has to clench them tightly together, surprising Yunli, who lifts her head up at the man’s voice.
“Baba!”
This is the scenario he doesn’t want to be in, the scenario he told Stelle all about.
He’s in the presence of an alpha in his house, without any warning at all.
Dan Heng hates it here.