Chapter 2

Phapfun

Phapfun looked at his sister, who was sobbing and burying her face against his waist, feeling deeply sympathetic. Kewalin had just turned nineteen. She was blossoming into a young woman and had just begun her college life, but overnight she had to take responsibility for something she hadn't caused.

"Kew..."

"Why, Brother Fun? Why do I have to take responsibility for what Dad did?" she lamented, hugging her brother tightly. "And if Brother Tor finds out, will he accept it? Sob… Will he break up with me?" She referred to her senior boyfriend.

"They're going to use medical methods, aren't they?"

"Yes, Brother Fun, but how many men would let their girlfriend carry another man's child?" she sobbed, her face turning red. "I tried to convince Mom to run away, but she chose Dad anyway... Hic. And what about my life, Mom keeps saying that Mr. Zhang is better than Boss Songphon, but so what? He's not the one I love."

His sister’s words, spoken with a sense of resignation, deeply moved Phapfun. She was a thoughtful young woman with many dreams she still wanted to pursue. Phapfun never regretted his decision to forgo further education so that Kewalin could study in his place. But did everything have to end up like this? Sure, carrying the Zhang family's heir might only take nine months, but he was certain, and he believed Kewalin thought the same, that nothing would be the same afterward.

Kewalin continued to cry until Phapfun had to soothe her to sleep, just as he used to do when she was a little girl. Even after she fell asleep, tears still streamed down her soft cheeks, prompting her brother to gently wipe them away and carefully tuck her in as the rain outside began to pour relentlessly.

Phapfun sat down at the front door of the old wooden house, gazing at the rain with a troubled expression. In a way, his life resembled a melodrama, except the ending was far from happy. Everything happened simply because he was an Omega, a secondary gender that wasn't widely accepted.

His mother was an ordinary woman, but his father was the eldest son of an old aristocratic family, which led to his father's family disliking his mother. The two lived together without a wedding or marriage certificate. Things took a turn for the worse when Phapfun was born as a boy but had the secondary gender of Omega. It was even more severe because his father was a high-ranking Alpha who despised Omegas to the core. His hatred for Phapfun as his son eventually extended to his mother as well. The love that was once sweet turned bitter, and in the end, that man abandoned his mother to marry someone else. But his mother wouldn't accept it. She went to the wedding of her former lover and his new bride and shot him dead before taking her own life, leaving him… this Phapfun behind as a burden for those who remained.

Thanks to Aunt Da, who took him in, and his younger sister, who helped keep his life from becoming too melodramatic. At least the two of them loved and treated him well, unlike the cruel aunt in the soap operas. Phapfun couldn't even remember his parents' faces because he was just a newborn when it all happened. Yet, he knew his father's family well, even though they hated him more than a disease. His father's relatives had cut ties with him since birth, especially after his mother killed their beloved son. There was no way those people would care about him. He only knew his grandparents through the many social news stories.

Phapfun sat hugging his knees, resting his chin on them as if deep in thought. His expression was calm, showing no signs of resentment or disappointment in his fate. He had always thought that his life was miserable because he was born an Omega. But Aunt Da always taught him that he wasn't at fault; it was those who hated others without reason who were truly strange. It was because of Aunt Da's teachings that Phapfun became who he was today, and that's why he couldn't leave his aunt and sister behind.

"Fun."

The call made him turn to look, finding his aunt approaching with a troubled expression. He glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was nearly two in the morning. His aunt wasn't one to stay up late; she must have been unable to sleep due to stress.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"And you, Aunt, why aren't you asleep?"

The two fell silent, the sound of the heavy rain filling the space between them. Phapfun then wrapped his arms around his aunt's waist, pulling her close and burying his face against her stomach. Kanda could easily guess that Phapfun was once again lost in thoughts of the past.

"Thinking about that again, aren't you? I shouldn't have told you."

"If I didn't hear it from you, Aunt, I would have learned it from others' gossip anyway. The past can't be changed, Aunt." Phapfun smiled, his expression indifferent. "I just feel hurt by Mom. Mom loved me a lot, didn't she, Aunt? But why did she choose to leave me for that man?"

"Your mother named you Phapfun, hoping you'd be a dream filled with happiness, my dear," Kanda gently stroked Phapfun's soft hair. She was proud of her nephew's kindness, yet felt guilty. The money her sister left was enough for Phapfun to finish university, but when he found out, he chose not to continue his studies so Kewalin could go instead. After high school, Phapfun decided to stop studying to help her sell snacks. Now, at twenty-three, he still hadn't considered finding love or starting a family, all because he couldn't leave his aunt behind.

"But no matter how happy a dream is, you always have to wake up to reality," Phapfun murmured softly, so softly that even Kanda couldn't hear. "Aunt Da..."

"What is it, dear?"

"About carrying the heir for the Zhang family... if it were a man with a secondary gender like mine, an Omega, would he accept it?"

Kanda pulled her nephew back to look at him in shock.

"Fun! Absolutely not. You've sacrificed so much for your aunt and sister already, my dear."

"I'm just worried about my sister, Aunt. I feel for Kew…"

"But..."

"Aunt Da," Phapfun clasped both of his aunt's hands. "You told me yourself that Mr. Zhang is a good person, didn't you?"

“I raised him until he was seven years old. Even though we haven't seen each other for over twenty years, I'm sure he's grown up well in terms of education, status, and appearance. He must be doing great.”

Phapfun smiled as he saw his aunt speak about Mr. Zhang with a proud smile. After all, it was just a nine-month pregnancy, using medical methods, but it seemed like Aunt Da was playing matchmaker between him and Mr. Zhang, praising him so much that he almost burst out laughing.

“In that case, I'm not the one sacrificing. It's Kew who has to sacrifice someone like Mr. Zhang for me. If he's that great... I'll consider him a gift from Aunt Da,” Phapfun grinned mischievously, causing his aunt to shake her head in exasperation, but her tears fell nonetheless.

Thank you, Keaw, for not taking Fun away. Thank you for leaving your nephew with me.

The atmosphere inside the large house was tense due to the demeanor of the father and son. Zhang Chengyi looked at his father, who still seemed relaxed, with irritation. He was told that the person who would carry his child was a young woman with a secondary gender of Beta. So why, just a day before the meeting, had it changed to a man with a secondary gender of Omega?

"Stop making that face, Chengyi. If you don't like him, just send him back. Besides, he's here to carry your child, not to be your wife," Zhang Chen told his son, whose stern expression made everyone around tense. His son's fierce eyes, who did he get them from?

"That's why it's important," Chengyi replied firmly.

"Why?" His father raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I thought you didn't want an Omega to carry my grandchild, whether male or female, because you hated Omegas."

"I'm not prejudiced," Chengyi sighed but still didn't explain anything to his father.

Zhang Chengyi agreed to meet the prospective mother of his child because his father said if he didn't like her, he could cancel it. But he knew that in the future, his father would find someone else to carry his child. Chengyi didn't want the mother of his child to have the secondary gender of Omega. If he met the grandson of his former nanny, he intended to refuse immediately. As for the debts of the former nanny, he could easily help without relying on his father.

"Fresh milk... the scent of fresh milk." However, Zhang Chengyi's thoughts were interrupted when the aroma of fresh milk wafted through the air. He scanned the snacks on the table but saw nothing that seemed to contain milk at all.

"What did you say?" Zhang Chen asked when he saw his son's demeanor.

Chengyi chose not to respond to his father but instead scanned the room for the source of the enticing aroma—a faint yet overpowering scent of milk. It wasn't that the young man disliked it; only a few knew that Zhang Chengyi, the future supreme leader of the Zhang family, had an insatiable sweet tooth. His passion was particularly for desserts made with milk and cream. However, no milk scent had ever made Zhang Chengyi this restless before.

"Mr. Zhang, they've arrived."

Zhang Chen's personal secretary announced. At that moment, Zhang Chengyi turned his gaze toward the guest room door. Leading the way was a woman he hadn't seen in over twenty years, yet he was certain she was his former nanny. Following her was a young girl with braided hair and a charming face. But the person who captured Zhang Chengyi's attention was another young man. His father had mentioned that the Omega who would carry his child was twenty-three years old, yet why did he look so youthful? Was he sure they weren't trying to deceive him?

"Hello, Mr. Zhang. Hello, Mr. Zhang. This is my daughter, Kewalin, and this is Phapfun." Kanda quickly introduced herself. She only mentioned her grandson's name because both men already knew that the person who would carry the Zhang family's heir in place of her daughter was named Phapfun.

Phapfun was a young man with dark reddish-brown hair and light brown eyes. His facial features were perfectly harmonious, and as is typical for male Omegas, his face had a sweeter appearance than most men. He had a slender yet tall build, and from what Chengyi could estimate, he was almost as tall as Chengyi's chin. Chengyi was confident in his own height, yet the person before him was nearly chin-level. To be honest, he had never encountered an Omega this tall before.

What intrigued Zhang Chengyi about Phapfun, besides his unusual name, was the fresh milk scent emanating from him, which made it impossible for Chengyi to look away.

Zhang Chengyi's demeanor did not escape his father's notice, who wore a satisfied smile. Similarly, Phapfun, who was being stared at, sensed the gaze and returned it with a curious look. This only surprised Zhang Chengyi further. How many Omegas would dare to meet the eyes of an Alpha with such an overwhelming presence like his? The person in front of him seemed to be evaluating him as if appraising his worth.

Phapfun... the Omega with the fresh milk scent.