Day N+1 of My Secret Crush on My Childhood Friend

Xu Yanzhou had been secretly in love with Bai Zhihan for thirteen years.

Thirteen years, 4,748 days. Starting from the day he differentiated as a beta, he counted every single one. He wrote the number in his diary and murmured it on drunken nights, but he never once dared to tell the person himself.

There was too much between a beta and an alpha: pheromones, the ability to have children, the labels attached to their identities, and the casual remark Bai Zhihan had once made: "One child will be enough. Too many are a hassle." As a beta, Xu Yanzhou didn't even qualify as a "hassle."

He had thought about distancing himself and starting a new life, but his top-tier Alpha childhood friend always found reasons to keep them together. After graduation, Bai Zhihan pulled him into starting a business together. When they bought homes, they chose two identical units on the same floor, with different orientations. Their financial ties kept growing...

He thought they would go on like this indefinitely, muddling through life together. He could watch Bai Zhihan be happy and settle for being his best partner.

But from a perspective Xu Yanzhou never knew about...

During his heat, the Alpha curled up among the old hoodies Xu Yanzhou had taken off. His eyes were red, his lips trembling, and the floor was covered with things he'd secretly taken from his friend's home: a jacket, a scarf, even the clownfish Xu Yanzhou had been so unimpressed by when they won it from an arcade claw machine. Because the items had been in Xu Yanzhou's bedroom, Bai Zhihan gathered them all in his arms, as if building a nest.

Clutching an old hoodie Xu Yanzhou had worn for days, he buried his face in it, his voice hoarse and broken:

"Xu Yanzhou... Xu Yanzhou..."

"When are you finally going to love me...?"

- ABO / Childhood friends / Mutual pining

- Strong, possessive Alpha gong x gentle, devoted beta shou

- Cozy everyday life

- Both virgins, 1v1, happy ending

Tags: Childhood Friends, Devoted Love, Perfect Match, Sweet Romance, ABO, Mutual Pining Becomes Mutual Love

Theme: What a fine brotherly bond.