Winter's End

Businessman x concert pianist

A story of mutual salvation.

"According to a report from a respected news outlet in City A, Wen Yue, the piano prodigy who won first prize in the youth division of the World Piano Competition at the age of fourteen, will give the final performance of his piano career tonight at Shengyi, the city's most luxurious palace-style hotel. The children of many prominent families will be in attendance. Wen Yue himself has announced that he will choose a single Alpha from among the audience and marry him, then disappear from public view."

"As we reflect on how unpredictable life can be, we sincerely wish Wen Yue a harmonious family and a happy, healthy future."

Wen Yue is twenty-eight this year. As an older single Omega, he can no longer cope with all the traveling, especially after going so long without the comfort of pheromones.

He still can't forget what happened a year ago. His pheromones were in disarray, other Omegas scorned him, and the Alphas looked at him like hungry wolves.

Yes, he is afraid of marriage. He can't stand Alphas. He can't escape the memories of his Alpha father forcing him to practice piano day and night as a child, refusing to let him eat until he finished. At eighteen, his mother could no longer take it and left. His father's suicide became a permanent shadow over his life.

His mother wants nothing to do with him because he is the son of that madman.

He wants to end his life too, but there are so many things in this world that he loves.

Five pieces later, it was time to choose an Alpha.

Wen Yue had planned to point at someone at random and give up on everything. Just as he was about to reach out, the lights in the hall went black, then white mood lighting suddenly flashed on and shone directly on him.

Wen Yue opened his eyes. A man was walking toward him out of the darkness.

"Will you marry me, Wen Yue?"

The man was Jiang Sui, thirty years old, an Alpha at the very top of the social pyramid, someone Wen Yue could never hope to deserve.

This was the third time.

What had he ever done to deserve this?

When Wen Yue was fourteen, he became famous overnight after winning a competition. He performed in concert halls all over, and was even invited by the Jiang family's patriarch to play piano for guests at the family estate.

Jiang Sui could never forget that slight but determined figure. Even as everyone watched, Wen Yue remained immersed in his own musical world, his fingers dancing like sprites.

He was frightened by the atmosphere, but tried hard to adapt.

"Grandpa, can I play with him?"

That was the first time.

"This is New Moon Media. Mr. Wen Yue, what is your ideal Alpha like?"

The reporters were practically fighting to get their microphones near Wen Yue's mouth. They were all speechless that the reporter had asked a question unrelated to music, but they still leaned in, eager to hear his answer.

Wen Yue had no idea how to respond. It was as if his mouth had been sealed shut.

"Huh? Isn't that Mr. Jiang Sui? What is he doing here?"

Jiang Sui's assistant said sternly, his expression cold, "Excuse me, but all reporters need to leave. Mr. Jiang needs some privacy. The more people there are, the more mixed the scents become."

Wen Yue heard this and prepared to leave too, but the assistant turned to him and respectfully gestured for him to come along. Jiang Sui was inviting him into the car.

The assistant didn't get in. Inside was only a tall, broad-shouldered figure. The man's features were handsome, and a cool, clean pheromone scent surrounded him. Wen Yue took a light sniff and immediately felt at ease, as if being gently caressed.

After Wen Yue took his seat, Jiang Sui's eyes softened slightly. His serious expression held a trace of curiosity.

"Can you answer the question I asked earlier, just between us?"

That was the second time.

There will be many, many more times for us in the future.

Ahem, I just noticed a small bug. The sentence "Can you answer the question I asked earlier, just between us?" could be parsed in different ways, so let me clarify: "me" is the object of "answer me," but it could also be read as "my" in "my earlier question." It seems to add a little more meaning ∩∨∩

Thank you for reading. A bow!

I don't think there are any major landmines.

Theme: You have to reach out and claim the good things in life.