Evil Love Appears chapter 50
Xu Jiale took a total of two days of sick leave, but by the first evening, he already felt much better. It could be attributed to his excellent A-level alpha physical condition, or perhaps it was his strong will to “recover.”
Of course, Xia’an was sent back on the second day. Xu Jiale thought his little princess would miss him, but it wasn’t the case. He embraced Xia’an tightly and showered her with kisses, but after a few kisses, the cat couldn’t help but use her paws to push Xu Jiale’s face away, as if saying, “That’s enough.”
As Xu Jiale gradually recovered, he felt his energy levels surging, reminiscent of his high school days. During these two days, he not only drove Fu Xiaoyu to work but also picked him up afterward. The strange DingTalk calendar came in handy because Fu Xiaoyu’s work hours were irregular. Xu Jiale checked it every afternoon to confirm the time and then sent a DingTalk message to Fu Xiaoyu: “I’m on my way.”
When Fu Xiaoyu was at work, Xu Jiale kept himself busy too. He played Katy Perry’s old songs from his car’s stereo. It was hard to imagine that he was enjoying “Teenage Dream,” a song from his high school days, at his age.
He also cleaned the house, tended to the plants on the balcony, and even ordered a new cat tree for Xia’an.
They didn’t meet on Friday evening, but before going to bed, Xu Jiale called Fu Xiaoyu, who sounded slightly out of breath.
“Are you out for a run?” Xu Jiale asked.
“Uh… yes.”
“Okay, you’re busy.” Xu Jiale didn’t press for more information and just smiled before ending the call. “Fu Xiaoyu, see you on the basketball court tomorrow.”
…
Saturday evening arrived, and since Xu Jiale had sent his car for cleaning, Fu Xiaoyu drove to his apartment and picked him up before they headed to a basketball court on a small hill in the northern district.
Amon, Ningzi, and their group of friends arrived early. This was partly because they had been wanting to play basketball together for a while, and partly because Xu Jiale had announced in the group chat that he would bring a friend. This caught everyone’s attention.
However, the announcement itself was peculiar, as bringing an alpha friend to play basketball usually didn’t require such a notification.
As they warmed up and chatted about Xu Jiale’s unusual behavior, they heard the roar of an engine. A black sports car drove up the winding mountain road and parked smoothly near the basketball court.
The first person to step out of the car, carrying a basketball bag, was Xu Jiale. He was accompanied by…
An omega.
Xu-ge brought an omega to play basketball?
As Xu Jiale and Fu Xiaoyu approached, the group of alphas quickly recognized Fu Xiaoyu. Wasn’t he the boss who had made Xu-ge work overtime in the basketball gym last time?
The friends were left dumbfounded.
Only Amon, deep in thought, was casually dribbling the basketball.
“Early birds, aren’t you?” Xu Jiale greeted them.
“Xu-ge,” Ningzi said, grinning as he looked at Xu Jiale and then Fu Xiaoyu. “Why don’t you introduce this person?”
He was speaking on behalf of everyone.
“Didn’t I tell you all? He’s my friend, surname Fu, named Fu Xiaoyu. He’s also my colleague,” Xu Jiale said nonchalantly.
“Oh, Mr Fu, hello,” the friends responded in a respectful manner.
“Good evening, everyone. You can call me Fu Xiaoyu,” Fu Xiaoyu replied politely.
“All right, Xu-ge’s friend—”
Amon suddenly dragged out the words with a meaningful tone. “Is our friend too.”
“We’ll go change first.”
Of course, Xu Jiale understood. He pushed Amon aside with a punch and walked toward the changing rooms with Fu Xiaoyu.
The changing rooms for alphas and omegas were separate. After Xu Jiale changed into his basketball jersey and waited outside, he pulled out his phone.
“Have you been waiting long?” a voice came from behind. “Let’s go.”
Fu Xiaoyu came out of the changing room, assuming that Xu Jiale had been waiting and was now getting bored. He started walking toward the basketball court.
“Wait—”
Xu Jiale pulled him back.
Fu Xiaoyu looked a bit puzzled. In the dimly lit surroundings, he could feel the intense scent of Xu Jiale’s pheromones.
“Come here.” Xu Jiale’s voice was slightly hoarse, as he took off his skull pendant necklace, which was a rather juvenile accessory, and then seriously put it around Fu Xiaoyu’s neck.
No one noticed his subtle gesture.
The two of them were very close, and Xu Jiale could smell the faint scent of cold cologne mixed with suppressed pheromones on Fu Xiaoyu’s skin in the night breeze.
Fu Xiaoyu finally managed to step onto the brightly lit basketball court, and the alphas, who had been playing around, automatically turned their heads to look.
This omega clearly knew all of his advantages. He was tall, more robust than the typical omega, and he exuded a sense of strength.
Fu Xiaoyu was wearing a pair of black Yeezy sneakers, and a bold skull pendant dangled from his collarbone. The oversized crimson basketball jersey contrasted with his fair, glossy skin, and years of exercise had left his arms and calves toned.
He wanted to look his best in front of Xu Jiale’s friends, no matter whether it was due to overexertion or a desire to save face.
“Xu-ge…”
Amon was the first to react, saying, “We won’t be splitting into teams the usual way this time. You and Fu Xiaoyu will be on the same team. You’ll have to take care of him.”
“No,” Fu Xiaoyu shook his head instinctively. He didn’t want to be seen as someone Xu Jiale needed to take care of the first time they met. Softly, he said, “Let’s play according to your usual rules.”
“Alright,” Xu Jiale gave Fu Xiaoyu a quick look and smiled.
They formed a circle and decided the teams with the usual hand-palm method. It worked out perfectly, as ten people were divided into two teams. However, Fu Xiaoyu didn’t end up on the same team as Xu Jiale but was paired with Ningzi on the northern half of the court, against Xu Jiale and Amon’s team on the southern half.
With the countdown, 3, 2, 1…
The basketball soared high in the air from the center, and on the opposing team, Ningzi’s jump was slightly delayed. He was instantly outjumped by Xu Jiale, who secured the ball and took a few steps into the northern half before making a three-pointer.
“Fuck! Don’t just stand there!” The sudden three-pointer prompted Ningzi to curse, and he quickly organized his confused friends on their team to launch an attack.
This sudden three-pointer spurred Ningzi and the others into action. However, as soon as they started playing, Fu Xiaoyu found himself in an awkward situation. His team’s alphas were hesitant to pass the ball to him, and when they did, it was often a gentle pass, making his involvement almost meaningless.
The game turned into a 4 vs. 5, with Ningzi’s team being outplayed, resulting in a 6:2 score.
Fu Xiaoyu was frustrated by the score and decided to take matters into his own hands. He refused to accept passes from his teammates and charged into the opposing team’s territory.
Suddenly, Amon became the target of his offense. Fu Xiaoyu made a powerful slap toward the basketball, and despite Amon’s initial instinct to block him, he took a step back when he realized it was Fu Xiaoyu. Fu Xiaoyu intercepted the ball with ease and managed to score several two-pointers.
Fu Xiaoyu’s movements were not very smooth, and he couldn’t make three-pointers, but he displayed a strong offensive presence. Clad in his crimson jersey, he was practically haunting the opposing team’s half of the court, and the alphas on the other side avoided colliding with him directly. This caused Amon and his team to become vulnerable.
Fu Xiaoyu scored three consecutive two-pointers, closing the score gap.
But he still didn’t like the feeling of being treated this way.
The alphas saw him as a fragile omega, and even though it was well-intentioned, they went easy on him, which Fu Xiaoyu didn’t appreciate.
As he continued to run on the court and work up a sweat, he couldn’t shake the discomfort he felt.
If he had known it would be like this, where everyone was overly cautious, he might have chosen not to come.
Amon hadn’t realized Fu Xiaoyu’s feelings. He was already nervous as he watched Fu Xiaoyu, wearing the crimson jersey, skillfully maneuver under their own basket.
He was thinking, “How are we supposed to compete with such a fragile gorgeous omega on the basketball court?”
“Play as usual, no need to hold back. I’ll focus on him,” Xu Jiale suddenly whispered to Amon.
Once Fu Xiaoyu had possession of the ball again, Xu Jiale sprinted to his side and used his height advantage to block any routes to the basket. Fu Xiaoyu effortlessly stole the ball, but when he attempted to score, Xu Jiale was already one step ahead, delivering a powerful slap that sent the basketball out of bounds and into Amon’s waiting hands.
The strength of an alpha could be terrifying, and the friction of the rough basketball against Fu Xiaoyu’s palm left it feeling hot.
“Be more careful, Fu Xiaoyu. I won’t go easy on you like the others,” Xu Jiale said in a low, intense voice from behind.
Xu Jiale set his sights on Fu Xiaoyu.
Fu Xiaoyu’s free movements in the opponent’s half of the court became exceedingly challenging as he was constantly pushed back. Several times, he managed to snatch the ball from others, only for Xu Jiale to use his height advantage to swat the ball away from above.
Xu Jiale played aggressively, and there were even a few times when he performed powerful dunks over Fu Xiaoyu. The inherent competitiveness of the sport combined with the fiery nature of dunking made it an intense scoring method.
This atmosphere lifted Fu Xiaoyu from his previous low spirits.
As he continued to play, he became more skillful and fierce, at times even flying from the side to tackle Xu Jiale, crashing into him with a resounding “thud” and pinning him down.
Fiery determination ignited in Fu Xiaoyu’s round eyes.
He had come to this battlefield, and even though he was an omega in an alpha-dominated world, he wanted to win.
Perhaps Xu Jiale’s unyielding approach had infected the other alphas, but once they entered this state, they seemed to forget that Fu Xiaoyu was an omega, and everyone was using their full strength. Gradually, more than just Xu Jiale was closely watching Fu Xiaoyu; Amon and others were also determined to challenge him, ready to intercept or block, except for the hard shoulder checks, which were done with some care.
As the confrontation became more intense, Fu Xiaoyu grew more excited. Despite being an omega, he was physically fit and could hold his own against the alphas on the court, even scoring several times, which balanced the score.
However, as the game dragged on, Fu Xiaoyu’s physical limitations became more evident, and his speed began to wane. Yet, this only fueled his determination not to give up.
He had an innate strength and stubbornness that drove him, and the more he sweated and struggled, the more determined he became.
Xu Jiale once again snatched the ball from him, dribbling it toward their half of the court. Fu Xiaoyu watched the score, realizing that their lead was about to be erased, and it ignited a fierce determination. Despite his aching legs, he pushed himself to keep up.
With his arms outstretched and his eyes locked on Xu Jiale’s arms, Fu Xiaoyu mirrored his every move, preparing to keep up. But Xu Jiale suddenly accelerated, moving so fast that it was like a black lightning bolt passing him on the right, heading for a slam dunk.
Fu Xiaoyu panicked, jumping up and attempting to block the shot in mid-air.
“Ah!”
Halfway into his jump, he realized something was wrong, but it was too late. He felt a sharp pain in his waist, causing him to lose his strength, and he fell to the ground, sitting in pain.
“Fu Xiaoyu!” Xu Jiale tossed the basketball aside and ran back, squatting in front of him.
“Are you alright? What happened?” Ningzi, Amon, and the other alphas rushed over, their expressions filled with concern.
“My… my waist hurts,” Fu Xiaoyu sat amidst the circle of alphas, his face turning pale, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
He felt embarrassed and in pain, and he couldn’t decide which was worse, the pain in his waist or the humiliation he felt in front of Xu Jiale’s alpha brothers.
Xu Jiale’s expression turned serious as he reached out to touch Fu Xiaoyu’s waist gently, massaging it lightly. Fu Xiaoyu flinched in pain, “I can’t move.”
“It’s probably a muscle strain,” Xu Jiale said, gradually calming down, “Hand me a bottle of water.”
He accepted the icy water from Ningzi’s hand and slowly let Fu Xiaoyu take a few sips.
“This seems to be a severe strain, but it’s probably not a big deal. You just won’t be able to move around for a few days,” said Amon, who had plenty of experience. He and the others were all talking at once. “Ningzi, call an ambulance.”
“The ambulance is on its way,” Ningzi said after making the phone call. He then crouched down next to Xu Jiale, whispering, “Xu-ge, you see, you’ve made him suffer… you were too hard on him. He’s an omega, you should have gone easier on him.”
“Yeah,” Amon chimed in.
Fu Xiaoyu kept his head down and remained silent. After a while, he heard Xu Jiale’s voice saying, “In a basketball game, accidents can happen. We should be cautious in the future. Maybe we didn’t warm up enough today, but…”
Fu Xiaoyu couldn’t help but raise his head.
“Fu Xiaoyu isn’t the kind of omega who needs special treatment.”
Xu Jiale stated it clearly, one word at a time.
Even though he was responding to the other alphas, his eyes were always focused on Fu Xiaoyu.
Fu Xiaoyu’s breathing quickened for a moment, and at this moment, those words were so precious, perhaps even more precious than “I like you.”
He felt like he would remember those words for the rest of his life.
After Xu Jiale said that, he suddenly embraced Fu Xiaoyu.
His embrace was open, and he seemed to care little about the opinions of the other alphas.
“Don’t worry,” he softly pressed Fu Xiaoyu’s face against his chest, stroking his head. “I’ll take you to the hospital right away. You’ll be fine, you’ll be fine.”
“Tsk…”
Ningzi interjected with a sour tone, “Xu-ge, with the way you’re hugging him like that, just admit it, is he your new omega?”
“No, not yet,” Fu Xiaoyu blushed and stuttered, pulling his head away from Xu Jiale’s embrace, and earnestly denied, “I’m still in the process of pursuing him.”