THE GRAND BET

Chapter 13: Open Competition.

The crowd went wild as Wei Ying stood behind the line with his bow. He fed their hunger with smiles and graceful hand waves.

Wei Ying spied at the canopy where his crew sat, but his confidence was halved when he found an empty seat beside Lan Xichen.

"He did not come to watch me compete," the thought weighed down his grin.

However, he wasn't the kind to let external factors affect his performance; the show must go on.

The wild one lifted an engaged bow, picking his target without wasting time. He released the weapon, striking a good mark on the board.

Jiang Cheng became unnerved. "That's odd. My brother never misses such a shot."

"It was a good shot, Jiang Cheng," Wen Qing said, still applauding.

"Yes, but it wasn't perfect. Wei Ying is a perfectionist when it comes to these things," Jiang Cheng began tapping his feet, following the game more closely. After their brother had four more turns, the angry one was convinced. "There must be something wrong with him."

This time Yanli believed it. Wei Ying's smile felt rehearsed.

At the end of the competition, the Wild Lotus of Yunmeng emerged victorious. The winners would be awarded on the last day of the games, so he wasn't in a rush to grab medals. The cheers from the students were enough.

Wei Ying retired to his tent afterwards. He pulled the zipper on his suit two inches down to breathe. He may have won, but deep down he felt defeated. He went for his water bottle, sprinkling the contents in his hair, hoping it might cool him off. Wei Ying was this close to shedding a tear when he heard a noise in his tent—it was the faint crinkle of a wrapper. He took a deep breath, thinking to himself, 'Now you show up to apologize?'

"Lan Zhan." Wei Ying turned, ready to lay down a heavy tantrum but was shut out by the image of a man in a brown coat.

"I'm sorry. This is not him," the alpha smiled briefly.

"Master Wen. Sorry, I... What brings you here?" Wei Ying's eyes flickered over the bouquet in Wen Xu's hand.

"I thought I'd congratulate you on winning the games," he presented the colourful bouquet.

Wei Ying accepted them warmly. "Fresh flowers. They smell lovely. I'll get them a good vase with water," he said.

"I'm glad you like them. If you're not against it, I'd like to take you to dinner sometime."

"Why?" Wei Ying looked up sharply like a kitten spotting a red dot. "Sorry, that came out wrong. You caught me off guard there," he chuckled nervously.

"Quite frankly, I cannot say why. I'm drawn to you, Master Wei, in a way an alpha should not be drawn to an omega who's already betrothed."

"Pftt!" Wei Ying snorted, tilting his head with a genuine smile on his lips. "That's pretty bold of you, Master Wen."

"It is not my intention to offend you. Life is as complicated as it is to hide one's true feelings. This way, you won't be surprised when my advances towards you get stronger and more direct. You can choose to hide away if it is too much."

"..." Wei Ying pursed his mouth, shaking his head. If only Lan Wangji were this daring with him. "You had me at 'life is too complicated'. I appreciate your honesty, Master Wen. And about dinner..."

"What's taking you so long!" Jiang Cheng and the gang barged in on them.

"Cousin, you're here?" Wen Ning asked.

"Wen Ning, Wen Qing, how have you been?" Wen Xu turned to the group. They glanced at Wei Ying and that fat bouquet in his hands.

"Um, Master Wen was about to leave." Wei Ying said, widening his eyes at the alpha.