***

"Where are you taking me?" Reese complains. They were lucky they were allowed out of the campus at this time but he still doesn't know where they were going. If it was just a meal to fill his stomach, he could have just made something quick and ate that.

"You know I could just make something," he added, crossing his arms against his chest.

"And I told you you're not cooking today. If you didn't leave during lunch break, I would have treated you to a meal anyway. Besides, I already missed class so I thought why not go to a place where I know I can cheer you up," Lan insisted, keeping his eyes on the road. "And by the way, who said you can skip a meal? You really think I'd let my lover starve?" Lan furrowed his brows a little. He knew Reese skipping a meal was probably because of something in relation to the bruise he had on his cheek but he still can't allow him to starve especially when he heard how loud that grumbling in his stomach was.

"It's my choice and if I slept I wouldn't have become hungry," Reese reasoned, which made the Lan shift his attention to the Beta in displease as on cue he stepped on the break for the red light.

"I can tell you're probably not used to others taking care of you but now that you have me, you better get used to it. Your body is no longer just yours and I will have a say to it," Lan said possessively. He surprised himself for being overly sensitive and protective towards Reese who he supposedly did not have deep feelings for but at the same time he was not repulsed by his own actions.

"What the—! You don't own me! I get that you're trying to be my real boyfriend but you're overly doing it," Reese frowned back.

"Except that I am your real boyfriend," Lan smirked before stepping on the gas as the green light flashed. On the other hand, hearing the Alpha, Reese couldn't help but blush. It's not like it's his first time being in a relationship but even though his ex-boyfriend was also an Alpha, he never acted so painstakingly possessive towards him. Instead, he tried his best to hide their relationship for many years before he broke up with him when things got a little complicated.

"Tsk. Fine but you still don't own me."

"I do though. I've decided to make you mine so you're mine..." Lan chuckled, weirdly loving the thought of owning the Beta. "Don't worry, you own me too. You can do whatever you want with me, I promise you it comes with a lot of perks and I'm giving you permission to use me," Lan added proudly. He was raised by his mom humbly but his dad also had other ideas so his personality was a combination of both his strict Omega mom and laid back Alpha dad.

"You're sick! Who would have thought the sweet and charming Mr. Student Representative is actually like this? Your fans will cry, you know," Reese raised one of his brows, shifting his eyes outside noticing they're driving away downtown. The campus was already far away from the main city but the Alpha was driving even further. He's been asking but all he would say is that it's a special place.

"Let them cry all they want. I don't care," Lan rolled his eyes in annoyance. He never asked to have such fan groups anyway. They just decided to follow him around without his permission. So it would actually do him a favor if they disappear. 

"Ahww, so cold. They'll really cry if they heard you," Reese laughed, this time watching the Alpha drive. He honestly still can't believe that just because of a silly joke, he actually pulled such a handsome Alpha lover. He's even been giving him the chance to back away but the Alpha's stubborn and insisted that they're really dating. It's the first time for him to suddenly be in a relationship like this so he couldn't take it too seriously. They kissed and all and it's true their bodies are compatible despite being not an Alpha and Omega but it's more like a contractual relationship without the actual contract.

It's weird and risky for his heart, but a part of him just wanted to let it be. There's a big chance he'd be thrown away later so he also has to be careful. When that time comes, he'll walk away with his head held high. He's lucky that despite what he had been through in the past, he was never the type to beg.

"So? Did you talk to Elven earlier," Reese suddenly asked, genuinely curious but also had a motive in mind. Meanwhile, hearing his question and suspicious at his intention, Lan tightened his lips before he replied.

"Yeah. We had lunch together at the usual place," he replied briefly. 

"Great... Look at you making progress," Reese smiled happily. "You should hang out more. It's been a while since you did," he added casually ignoring the slight distaste in his mouth as his word came out.

"He did invite me to hangout tomorrow but I had to decline since we're going grocery shopping," Lan recalled, secretly looking at the Beta's reaction but kinda upset that Reese wasn't making anything aside from his excited smile. For some reason, a part of him wanted him to get jealous... unfortunately, he wasn't. He was a little bit frustrated remembering that time when the Beta said he wasn't even his type when he accused him of seducing him.

It made him question why, since he knew his facial and body features weren't too bad. In fact, he knew he's quite attractive. He had seen Reese staring at him but now he's confused. It's like the Beta appreciates his face but wasn't really interested.

"What!? You idiot! You should have said yes. I can go on my own after work," Reese facepalmed himself. He could not believe the Alpha declined such an invitation from the person he actually likes to be with the fake one.

"What do you mean? Should I be hanging out with someone other than my boyfriend? You're a weird one," Lan asked, holding back the frustration he's feeling. He knew what the Beta was doing. He's pushing him towards Elven thinking it's what he wanted even though he said he was going to move on. To be honest, even if Elven said he liked him after all and decided to give him a chance, he wouldn't want to be with him anymore. He had given up and he wasn't someone who backs away from a decision that broke his heart a million times. He had made a lot of thoughts about it and even asked himself a thought times if he wanted to go through with it. In the end, he had decided that it was better for him to keep his friendship with the Omega rather than ruin it like he did when he confessed.

"Except that I'm really no—" Reese replied but he quickly covered his mouth not finishing his words. Unfortunately, even if he didn't finish it Lan twitched as he abruptly stepped on the break causing them to stop in the middle of the road. Luckily, they had already passed the area where there were other cars around so there was no accident except that it gave Reese a little heart attack as he screamed in panic thinking they were gonna crash.

"Ahhhh! W-what the heck are you doing!? You gave me a heart attack!" Reese exclaimed, holding his chest as he looked around. Meanwhile, upset, Lan shifted his attention to the Beta but instead of anger, his expression showed that he was hurt. There was a subtle frown on his forehead as he looked at Reese as if he was betrayed. This shocked the Beta and quickly shut his mouth.

"Do you really hate me that much?" He muttered in pain to which for some reason made Reese's heart pound faster and painful.

"I know I've been very insistent. I've basically forced you into this relationship but I am serious, Reese. I'm no longer trying to pursue Elven and I've set my mind into it. I've never been this serious for a long time in my life. However, if you really don't want to—" Lan said, his words being forced out of his mouth. He obviously didn't want to say whatever he was about to say so when Reese leaned forward to cover his mouth and stopped him from finishing his words, it quickly brought him relief.

"Stop! I don't hate you and it's not like I don't like being with you so... I'm sorry that I said that... I promise I won't do it again," Reese quickly said. He was slightly blushing at his confession but he knew that if he let the Alpha finish his words, he would regret it. He's quite indecisive because naturally he's afraid but at the time, he knew he wanted this. He's just being stubborn because he can't fully trust anyone yet.

"You promise?" Lan asked, holding Reese's hand before kissing it softly.

"Y-Yeah... So quit making that face..." Reese replied, pulling his hand in embarrassment before crossing it against his chest.

"What face?" Lan asked with a chuckle and as if his earlier pain expression never happened, his eyes brightened as he reached out for the Beta's chin and leaned forward. On the other hand, knowing what was about to happen, he braced himself receiving another kiss from the Alpha.

"D-Do you like kissing that much?" Reese asked as soon as they separated with Lan smiling in satisfaction and preparing to start driving again.

"I don't know. Maybe I do like it. You were my first and kissing you makes me happy. It's like a happy pill," Lan confessed honestly. His mood had quickly shifted making Reese blush in a mock annoyance.

"You're lying," Reese expressed in doubt. There was no way that was the Alpha's first, he was kissing him like he had a lot of experience. Even he who had an experience couldn't kiss like the Alpha.

"Why would I lie? Do you think I was the kind to kiss someone while helplessly falling in love?"

"Well, some people do that," Reese retaliated, since it's true. 

"Well, not me so you can rest assured I won't cheat on you. Besides, my mom would kill me if I follow my dad's footsteps. He used to be such a player you see," Lan chuckled, slowing down his speed before turning the car where the gate automatically opened after he pressed a button on his side. Meanwhile, looking outside to see where they're going, their conversation quickly jumps out of Beta's head and looks around. He was in awe at the acres and acres of land and crops that he didn't recognize.

"Where are we?"

"My grandpa's farmland. I spend a lot of my time here on the weekend. It's a special place for me," Lan replied.

"All this?" Reese asked, surprised. Since there's a gate in the entrance, the property should start there but he still couldn't see any establishment and instead, more trees and cows...perhaps hundreds of cows.

"Yeah. It's his hobby and I help him when I have time," Lan laughed. Of course, it's a huge farmland. After his grandfather retired being the head of the family and their business, he picked up a lot of hobbies and one of those is farming. Right now he's being laid off by his doctor because he's getting too old but he still visits every now and then to check the farm.

"Just a hobby huh. Now I'm worried about what kind of hobby you have."

"Hahaha don't worry. It's nothing extravagant like grandpa's. I just like riding horses or learning the ways of the family business," Lan chuckled as if learning the ways of the family business just includes reading some papers when in fact it includes a lot of dangerous stuff where he's required to pick up a lot of skills that others could call hobbies.

"Oh so what's your family business then?" Reese asked, rolling his eyes. He knew Lan came from a very wealthy family but he didn't know they were this rich that his grandfather's hobby was farming, not even a simple gardening but a literal ranch.

"It's difficult to explain since we're venturing on a lot of markets but do you know Mo Empire?" Lan asked back.

"Umm yeah, they're like holding half of the economy of the country," Reese frowned as he replied since everyone knows about the Mo Empire. They own a lot of luxury establishments from hotels, hospitals, ports, to airlines. They're also large investors of the school he's currently enrolled in and many more well known brands around the world.

"Well, we run it..." Lan simply said, still surprised the Beta hasn't connected the dots yet. Afterall, his surname was pretty uncommon even in China. Still, he liked this side about Reese. It's this exact reason why he liked being with him because he doesn't treat him like he's above everyone else. His eyes were innocent and there were no underlying motives behind it. Instead, he just treats him normally like he does other people and that was like a breath of fresh air. 

"WHAT!?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised you still didn't know. You're making it obvious that you're not interested in me," Lan laughed again, as he finally pulled over in front of a two-story white farmhouse.

* * *

To be Continued. . .