Chapter 28

When the two of them went down, the other five had already sat down around a large round table furthest from the stairs.

Mason waved his hand and shouted, "Boss lady!"

Then he turned around and spoke to Sebastian, who was pulling out a tissue to meticulously wipe down the table and chairs, "Boss Seb, I beg you two, can you show a single shred of awareness toward the common world's hardships? Even if this chair has a bit of dust, sitting on it won't rot your ass. You two are sauntering along this slowly—is it because you refuse to grant a sliver of face to your friend Mason?"

Sebastian didn't lift his head, but Asher lifted his eyelids, slanting a cold glance over Mason.

Mason’s face remained unflinching, perfectly serene as usual. "My face isn't particularly valuable anyway! Boss Seb, excellent wiping!"

Elliot couldn't resist a light chuckle. "Pathetic."

"I call this a great man being flexible." Mason let out a simple smile, turning his head to call out once more, "Boss lady, are you here yet?"

"Coming, coming."

A woman who possessed a kind face yet turned out to be sallow and thin to an excessive degree hurried out holding a menu. Meticulous, fine wrinkles scoring her face made it completely impossible to discern whether she was in her late forties or fifties.

Offering an apologetic smile, she complained gently, "It's only five-thirty, we haven't even officially opened for business yet. You children arrived far too early."

Accepting the menu, Mason teased, "We strictly had to arrive early, otherwise we’d either be stripped of a table or trapped inside a massive crowd, waiting a full hour for our food. But to tell the truth, with your business being this booming, you genuinely could recruit a few extra kitchen helpers."

The boss's wife wiped her hands against her apron. "Heh, this is a minor self-run business; if we recruit too many people, what kind of profits will remain? It wouldn't even cover the baseline for wages. Having two helpers to wash vegetables and slice meat is more than enough. Besides, my son can help out every day when he returns from school."

"Your son seems to be a high school senior too, why the hell aren't you letting him focus peacefully on his studies?"

Mason truly possessed the personality of a nagging caretaker that outmatched the boss's wife, an actual middle-aged woman.

The boss's wife let out a helpless smile. "With my son's grades, even if he breaks his brain studying, he won't secure an admission into a proper university anyway. Just casually completing a vocational program and returning to take over the restaurant is superior to anything else."

Mason wanted to deliver a few extra lines of nagging, but Sebastian suddenly opened his mouth: "Did you arrive here to eat food or did the neighborhood committee dispatch you to conduct community work?"

The boss's wife also showed zero desire to continue discussing her son. "Exactly, exactly. Order your food quickly. I’ll have young Ding and my old man prioritize your orders first, selecting the absolute best batch of meat—otherwise, once the crowd arrives in a bit, it will be gone again."

While speaking, her gaze casually swept past Sebastian, and as if recalling something, she tilted her head to let out a soft hiss. "This handsome boy looks a bit familiar. Did Mason bring you here in the past?"

While burying his head to order the food, Mason spoke, "How could that be? I only just met him. Boss lady, don't launch a conversation just because you catch sight of a handsome boy, alright? Do you want to evaluate whether the handsome boy sitting right next to him looks familiar too?"

The boss's wife genuinely cast a glance over, her brows knitting slightly, looking exactly as if her mind were trapped within an actual memory.

As for what was happening alongside Sebastian, Asher couldn't say for certain, but it was an absolute certainty that he himself had never stepped into this joint, nor had he ever encountered the boss's wife.

A smile lightly hooked his lips. "Familiar is remarkably normal. Others frequently state that I look like Leonardo DiCaprio, while the one next to me looks like a comic actor—both are universal heartthrobs, so who wouldn't find us familiar?"

This thoroughly amused the boss's wife. "Nonsense. This handsome boy looks like a top-tier movie star at the absolute least. Fine, I won't bicker alongside you children any longer; time to get busy. If you require anything, just call me or call young Ding."

With that, she accepted the menu Mason handed over, turning her body around to march back toward the low shacks.

Sebastian tilted his head sideways, his eyes half-squinting. "A comic actor?"

"What? You both possess two eyes, a nose, and a mouth—what part looks distinct?"

Throughout the military camp, he had collected no shortage of consideration from Sebastian, leaving Asher too embarrassed to launch a relentless cycle of text blows on regular days. Now, having escaped that environment, his frantic desire to counter Sebastian was completely impossible to suppress.

Sebastian refrained from throwing a tantrum back, merely letting out a smile. "I just watched The Revenant. If you style yourself as Leonardo, then I deem that comic actor to be rather endearing too."

Asher: "..."

Holy sh—, I originally assumed this person had reformed his ways, yet that mouth of his remains thoroughly packed with toxic friction.

Following that, utilizing the tea resting on the table, the man completely scalded every single set of utensils for Asher.

Sitting on Sebastian’s opposite side, Mason looked thoroughly green with envy. "Boss Seb, I desperately want my utensils scalded too~"

Swirling his cup in a slow, deliberate manner, Sebastian’s tone turned exceptionally gentle: "Do you possess a desire to drop dead?"

Mason: ...

Trash predator Sebastian, executing an absolute double standard right right before my face.

The BBQ at Blind Man's BBQ Joint was self-serve. The center section of the table was completely hollowed out, a stove burning underneath while an iron mesh was propped above.

Brushing a layer of oil over it, once the oil let out a sizzling racket, they layered the pork belly that featured a flawless balance of fat and lean. Swiftly curling into a golden border, rings of glistening oil seeped out, turning the meat exceptionally fragrant without a shred of cloying heaviness.

Then, meticulously and uniformly scattering a layer of their secret cumin and chili powder, giving it a slight shake to tap off the redundant seasoning, he refrained from wrapping it inside a lettuce leaf—shoving a massive piece straight into his mouth. The pure meat fragrance instantly drenched the tip of his tongue, filling his entire oral cavity, leaving a lingering wave of satisfaction.

The absolute joy of consuming meat with total abandon sat exactly right here.

Sprinting through several pieces, Mason’s psychological craving remained unfulfilled. "No, consuming meat with total abandon, how the hell can we refrain from drinking alcohol with total abandon? Boss lady, deliver a crate of Tsingtao beer—canned and completely iced!"

"Will do! Young Ding, deliver it over quickly!"

Distributing a can right before every individual, Mason, Caleb, and Elliot pulled the pop tabs instantly, taking an intense drag before letting out an exceptionally joyful sigh.

Just as Asher was preparing to pop open his own can of alcohol, Sebastian anticipated his movement, pushing the pop can a far distance away. Casting a dismissive glance over him, he murmured, "The three of them have reached adulthood; have you reached adulthood?"

Asher: "?"

The national regulations seem to completely lack a baseline barring minors from consuming alcohol, distinct from Western nations.

Sebastian ignored him, turning his head toward the helper named young Ding who was currently delivering their dishes. "Trouble you to deliver a can of Coke, thanks."

While chewing his meat, Milo gestured a hand high into the air. "I want a Coke too! We sweet little Omegas completely cannot consume alcohol!"

Sebastian suppressed his amusement, slanting a glance over Asher. "Hear that?"

Asher was thoroughly irritated, yet fearing the man would continue to cue his Omega identity, he could only accept the can of Coke with an intense wave of friction. While Sebastian was busy BBQing meat for him, he hid it behind his back, giving it several violent shakes.

Then, as if absolutely nothing had occurred, he pushed it right before Sebastian’s face, putting on the proud, delicate front of a young master whose fingers completely refrained from touching domestic chores. "My hand aches, can't pop it open."

The remaining five fairies sitting at the table: "..."

Believing your absolute nonsense would be a miracle.

Eugene took a shallow sip of his beer, before his alcohol-fueled courage overrode his timid nature, speaking up in a cautious whisper: "Perhaps... have you ever encountered a line? A fierce, explosive old Omega who can habitually hoist dumbbells with a single hand will turn out so delicate and fragile right right before his Alpha's face that he completely lacks the strength to even twist a bottle cap open."

"..."

The tensed BBQ table plunged into a death-like, freezing silence.

After a long while, the remaining four individuals extended a synchronized thumb toward Eugene: "Warrior."

Asher's face turned pitch-black in an instant. Just as he wanted to snatch the Coke back, Sebastian had already accepted it.

Except he refrained from popping it open right right before his own face, extending his long arm to push it straight right before Mason, directing the opening trajectory perfectly toward Mason.

Pinching the body of the can with his thumb and middle finger, his index finger hooked the pop tab. His slender, pale fingertips, contrasted against the red container, appeared as smooth as jade, pulling it lightly.

Pffft—

A foaming torrent of carbonated happiness erupted outward.

Mason, sitting at the absolute closest proximity to the can, was thoroughly baptized.

"..."

Mason froze in a sallow daze for a brief moment, a torrent of tears flowing out instantly. "Boss Seb! Why?! Why exactly do you treat me in this manner? Have you ceased to love me? I clearly remained your absolute sweetheart throughout the military camp, didn't I?!"

"Ah, apologies. It was far from being intentional on my part. I also lacked the awareness that this Coke had actually been shaken prior to being handed over to my frame."

Sebastian would definitively never disclose to him that he simply remained loyal to his grudge concerning that inflatable pillow. Flatly pulling out a tissue, he wiped the container and the opening clean, resting it back right before Asher, a trace of a predator’s wicked amusement tracing his lips.

"Right, Ash?"

Asher accepted the pop can, taking a sip with an even greater level of composure. "Mm. I also lacked the awareness; perhaps young Ding shook it."

Mason: "..."

This pair of fake Alphas—whether they are putting on a front, bicker-fighting, or executing a flirtation command, the definitive victim of domestic abuse remains myself. What exactly have I done wrong?

Both angry and aggrieved, he snatched a can of beer, giving it a frantic barrage of shakes before directing it straight toward Caleb and pulling the tab violently.

Caleb, who was currently busy chewing meat: "?"

What the hell did I do wrong again?

Dropping his meat, a pop can held in each hand, he launched a simultaneous war against Mason and Elliot.

The sparks of war expanded instantly, the few individuals turning into a chaotic horde—cursing, laughing, and dodging, before simply launching a chase across the vacant concrete ground.

A perfectly fine team meal inexplicably transformed into a full-scale water battle.

The helper named young Ding spectating from the side: "...Boss lady, are they genuinely the elite students of Riverdale Prep's top senior experimental stream? I harbor a deep worry concerning the universe's future."

The boss's wife: "..."

No one possessed the courage to look for trouble alongside Sebastian and Asher, and neither of them desired to turn their bodies sticky, sitting securely in their seats to enjoy the BBQ in a slow, deliberate manner—completely stripped of any further worry that the other five starved ghosts would race to swindle their shares.

While enjoying the BBQ service delivered by Sebastian's somewhat unpracticed hands, Asher asked, "Why do you constantly look for trouble alongside Mason?"

"I'm far from looking for trouble; I simply wanted to cause a minor disruption, otherwise do you deem your strength capable of swindling meat away from their hands? Or do you desire to listen to Eugene continue detailing our sweet and moving romantic story?"

Asher: "..."

It was indeed thanks to Sebastian delivering a disruption like that just now, otherwise he would have been thoroughly embarrassed.

Shifting the meat Sebastian had just dropped onto his plate, he muttered, "Would you state that Eugene has discovered I am an Omega? Otherwise, why the hell is he constantly acting superstitious and cryptic?"

Sebastian offered a flat smile. "Rest easy. Tracking along his cognitive capacity, if he discovered you are an Omega, he would display his tracks during the very first fraction of a second."

Eugene likely held absolute conviction that Asher was an Alpha.

The definitive reason why he was this gossipy was perhaps because he believed in his fortune-telling text, or perhaps because he had seen through his own intentions toward Asher.

Certain matters frequently manifested as a classic case of the subject being dazed while the spectator was sharp. And to their team, Eugene arrived the absolute latest and possessed the absolute least awareness, which allowed him to see things with the absolute greatest clarity.

By the time the few individuals completed their commotion, the skewered vegetables, mutton, chicken soft bones, and oysters had already been cooked completely.

Fresh clients having arrived, the boss's wife and young Ding hurried off to look after them. The individual carrying the BBQ tray over turned out to be the boss of Blind Man's BBQ Joint.

An exceptionally, exceptionally thin middle-aged man, moving with total freedom as he navigated past the tables, chairs, and stools, depositing the tray securely onto the designated rack. If his eyes weren't a sallow, cloudy gray, no one would believe this was an individual suffering from a visual impairment.

Depositing the BBQ, he spoke with a trace of bashful restraint: "You children taste it to see if the flavor is upstanding today."

"It definitively is upstanding! Uncle, your skills are absolutely flawless. Go get busy, no need to look after us. Everyone, dig in quickly." Mason distributed the BBQ onto every individual's plate.

The crowd took a taste; the flavor truly was excellent.

Neither raw nor charred, the fire control sat at a flawless balance, and the seasoning was perfectly managed.

Inevitably triggering curiosity: "Was this genuinely BBQed by a blind man? How on earth did he achieve it?"

Mason slurped an oyster, wiping his mouth before lowering his voice to explain, "This BBQ joint of theirs has been open for nearly twenty years. It started as a minor push-cart, later upgrading to a tiny shack. Subsequently, a catastrophic incident occurred alongside their son, and they were compensated a sum of money, allowing them to forge the current shape."

"The blind man wasn't originally blind either. Due to enduring the smoke year in and year out, he developed cataracts. It originally wasn't severe, but because they had to support two sons through school, the financial strain was immense. He was too frugal to spend money on medical care, continuing to endure the smoke and fire every single day, causing it to grow increasingly severe later."

"He finally resolved to undergo surgery, only to suddenly encounter a catastrophic bottleneck with his other son. A fourteen-year-old child leaped down from the sixth floor of the school building—can you children believe it? Although he didn't drop dead, his legs were completely ruined. Would you state whether this couple suffered an intense heartbreak? They could only wash their faces with a torrent of tears every single day, causing his eyes to turn completely untreatable. Right now, although he isn't truly blind, it doesn't reach a threshold that outmatches actual blindness by much."

Mason let out a sigh. "But I merely gathered this through hearsay; as for the exact details, I also lack a proper clarity. I simply feel that an individual's destiny, sigh... we should look after their business as much as we can. In any case, it tastes pretty freaking excellent, right?"

Milo and Eugene were on the verge of weeping from the story, nodding their heads frantically with flushed eyes.

Elliot and Asher, however, instinctively dropped their gazes onto Sebastian's frame.

Sebastian’s expression revealed zero trace of any abnormality, remaining completely serene and flat as usual.

Finishing the food resting on his plate in a slow, deliberate manner, he wiped his hands and stood fully upright. "I'm heading to the restroom."

With that, he paced toward the low shacks.

Catching his movement, Mason expended a massive effort to swallow a few massive chunks of meat whole, before roaring at the top of his lungs: "The restroom requires scaling the stairs to use the public facility! Don't launch an open urination command just because you fail to track down the spot!"

By the time he completed his line, Sebastian had already emerged from the shacks, driving straight toward the staircase. Perhaps he had asked the boss's wife for directions just now, or perhaps he desired to pace toward a fresh location.

Staring at his back for a solid three seconds, a familiar sensation abruptly surfaced within Asher's heart.

Every single time Sebastian was trapped in a foul mood, he would behave exactly in this manner—acting as if absolutely nothing had occurred, yet choosing to depart completely on his own, refraining from surfacing again until his system had stabilized.

Reflecting along this line relentlessly drove Asher thoroughly irritable. Standing up abruptly: "I'm heading to the restroom too."

His stride was immensely wide and his frequency remarkably rapid, catching up to Sebastian within a few paces. Calling him to a halt: "Are you preparing to scale this staircase to use the restroom and completely refrain from returning? And subsequently telling me at night that you suffered diarrhea and required a rest break, turning inconvenient to see people, until you deem your system has stabilized completely?"

Sebastian froze his pace.

Asher let out an intense breath. "Sebastian, I am informing you right now with total seriousness: I am angry."

Sebastian slowly turned his frame around, looking down toward Asher.

He was already taller than Asher by five centimeters, and currently stood two steps higher on the stairs. When Asher looked upon him, he strictly had to lift his head, the line of his jaw tensing into an increasingly crisp, freezing contour, the corners of his eyes slanting upward. His entire system radiated absolute aggression.

Completely distinct from the endearing, embarrassed, proud, mock-disgusted posture he displayed while being bullied.

Even his voice turned completely freezing.

"Sebastian, I am genuinely angry."

Sebastian cast his eyelids low. "My fault. I shouldn't have lied to you stating that nothing was wrong."

"The definitive reason for my fury is far from being that you lied to me." The freezing voice carried an extra trace of burning friction. "The definitive reason for my fury is that every single time I encounter an absolute crisis, you are always present, yet when you encounter a crisis, you insist on carrying the total weight entirely on your own every single time."

"Back when you went to High School No.1 to execute your exams, you clearly encountered Yellow Sea. Elliot caught sight of Yellow Sea bicker-fighting alongside you, yet you refrained from delivering a single word to me, hiding your entire frame for two full days. Fine—at that juncture, our relations fell short, you were unwilling to speak, I comprehend."

"But what about this once? I clearly initiated an active question to you, yet you still refuse to voice a single thing, even calculating to settle the bill on your own and depart ahead, right? Do you genuinely treat me as your friend?"

"Sebastian, regarding that incident from start to finish, you committed zero errors; you were an absolute victim yourself. Why the hell do you insist on shifting the absolute blame onto your own frame? Even heading off to Northmont for three full years?"

"Three whole years—not a single face-to-face meeting, a single phone call, or a single WeChat line was delivered. You even refrained from replying to the generic holiday greeting texts I blast out across my contacts. Returning abruptly without offering me a heads-up—exactly how do you expect me to calculate my thoughts? How on earth could I refrain from being furious? From detesting you?"

"Now, after an intense hardship, I finally stopped being angry with you, yet you execute this exact sequence again. The moment I reflect on you locking yourself inside your room for days and nights due to that trash drama in the past, refraining from delivering a single sentence to me for two to three weeks, before departing without even stating a goodbye during our final meeting, I feel pretty freaking vexed to the absolute core."

"Therefore, in the future, if you encounter an absolute crisis, can you stop constantly thinking about hiding away without a single sound? Just deliver a single line to me stating that you are unhappy today, uncomfortable today, or feeling a wave of friction today—letting me handle the task of coaxing you, is that acceptable?!"

Finishing his speech, Asher let out a deep, heavy breath. Turning his body around, his gaze locked onto the messy, dried, withered vines running along the iron railings, feeling his system turn increasingly ruined.

Sebastian looked down toward Asher.

Those beautiful eye corners were slightly flushed due to his intense emotional agitation. With both hands resting against his waist, his chest rose and fell relentlessly, his foot kicking against a stray pebble with total impatience.

He was genuinely angry.

Sebastian abruptly felt his heart aching with an intense tightness—a relentless, creeping cycle of deep, drilling pain that pierced through his layers. He had consistently assumed that Asher targeted him and detested him purely because his personality was proud, and his own presence had crowded his spotlight, locking them in an aggressive standoff.

He had never anticipated that the definitive reason Asher had remained furious all this time was his unannounced departure back then.

He truly was a piece of trash.

Knowing only the lonely, lengthy, unspoken misery typical of his own unrequited love, and knowing only his own dazed struggle, yet completely failing to reflect on whether the child was actually missing him too while living out his existence alone in Southaven.

He habitually felt the child possessed everything—endearing and loving parents, a childhood partner with whom relations were excellent, a massive, vibrant horde of kind friends, and countless individuals who adored him—so missing a single fraction of himself amounted to nothing significant.

Many matters he refrained from detailing to Asher were far from being driven by a lack of prioritize toward him, but originated from an excess of absolute treasure and protective reluctance. A child who was this upstanding, he completely couldn't bear to let him witness those dark corners sitting outside the sunlight. He assumed Asher wouldn't care about these things either.

Yet it turned out completely otherwise.

He had never, for a single fraction of a second, regretted leaving Southaven as intensely as he did right now.

He didn't dare imagine whether, following his departure, the child had hidden himself inside his blanket completely alone due to the discomfort—wanting to place a phone call to ask exactly why he left, and exactly when he would return—calculating the action for a long while, before finally canceling the call, repeating the cycle relentlessly until the morning sun broke past the horizon.

Nor did he dare imagine whether, following every single generic holiday greeting Asher blasted out, he would anchor his gaze onto WeChat—waiting for a crisp white profile picture to illuminate a vivid red dot, allowing them to naturally chat about past times.

Nor did he dare disclose to Asher that during those days he hid away from his frame back then, it was because he had presented into an Alpha. and his choice to depart was far from being driven by that accident, but originated from the fact that within that accident, his unspoken, ambiguous intentions toward Asher had been sharply pierced through by others.

Sebastian possessed the awareness that to Asher, all of this likely held zero connection to romance. The words he delivered right now originated from the upstanding standpoint of his best friend who had grown up alongside him since childhood—or perhaps carried a fraction of nagging text that outmatched a standard friend by an unclarified margin.

But regardless of what standpoint was occupied, Asher hadn't lied to him: they were inherently distinct compared against anyone else after all. And concerning these three years he owed Asher, he had zero idea how to deliver a proper justification to his frame, and how to secure his absolute forgiveness—presumably, nothing short of his entire remaining life could serve as compensation.

After a long while, Sebastian opened his mouth slowly, his voice deep and gentle.

"I am sorry. The absolute blame rests entirely on my frame. In the future, I will completely never leave again, nor will I hide away from you. I’ll coax you, so can you find it in your heart to coax me too—for instance, giving me a brief embrace, is that acceptable?"

The remaining glow of the setting sun scattered over the withered vines. Word was that only when the old, decayed, withered branches were cleanly severed would a fresh bloom of green growth surface when the spring arrived in the following year.

One year after another, turning increasingly flawless.