Immediately afterward, he held Xie Yun’s face, leaned down, and kissed him.
Forced to tilt his head up, Xie Yun blinked.
Lips touched; heat surged.
Because he was completely unprepared, the boy whose body was already unnaturally hot felt like his heart was being burned. From his slightly parted lips, crystal-clear saliva escaped.
Xi Zhiyu lowered his eyelids and, with a flick of his finger, actually blocked the saliva back in.
Xie Yun’s pupils dilated, but amidst the comfortable sensation, he lost all judgment, and his eyes gradually narrowed.
Xi Zhiyu kissed him with natural talent. Even as he told himself in his heart that this was “medical treatment” and not taking advantage of someone.
Still, he felt like he was leading his younger brother into doing something bad, and his heart felt guilty.
The affection generated between the two spread to every corner, and time itself seemed to freeze.
In the entire world, it seemed only the sound of each other’s breathing and the wet, squelching sounds of the kiss could be heard.
This kiss was so sudden. Even Xie Yun, who had never filmed a kissing scene, was stimulated. His body became unstable, and he gradually ran out of oxygen.
Having exercised and stayed fit for years, he was lithe and agile. He almost pinned Xi Zhiyu against the wall, panting with half-closed eyes, his heart trembling again and again.
…It must be a dream.
Thinking this, Xie Yun closed his eyes tightly, fearing the dream would vanish if he woke up.
While Xi Zhiyu was clearly the proactive one from leaning in for the kiss to Xie Yun chasing the kiss back, their tongues entangling without skill as it deepened he too lost control.
Neither was skilled. It was their first intimate contact, yet they gradually found a rhythm.
Xi Zhiyu’s hanging hand didn’t know where to go. His gaze fell randomly on Xie Yun’s earlobe; that small, flashing silver stud made him inexplicably want to give it a pinch.
And he did. His fingertips brushed against it, and he felt the hot, proactive boy tremble all over unsteadily.
Xi Zhiyu’s eyes narrowed.
His breathing was heavy. His movements intentionally or unintentionally brushed the earring, then lightly twirled it, playing with it repeatedly as if to distract himself.
In fact, this long kiss became particularly short in the midst of continuous intimacy. When they both couldn’t catch their breath, they naturally separated.
Xie Yun didn’t retreat. He rested his head on the other’s shoulder, his chin brushing against the collar, as a breath like fire poured into the skin.
“Brother,” Xie Yun whispered. “I think I’ve been a hooligan to you.”
Hearing those words, Xi Zhiyu’s chest, which was already heaving, saw his heart beat even faster.
“No—”
Xie Yun tilted his head up and blocked his lips, not letting him continue. A “little tiger” wrinkle appeared between his brows, looking cute: “Zhiyu-ge, I… still want to kiss.”
Xi Zhiyu’s breathing was unstable. He pressed the back of the boy’s neck with his hand, as if fearing the childhood friend’s strength would fail, and they both fell onto the sofa.
Thump.
The two boys on the sofa continued the saliva treatment sustained, multiple, high-concentration letting the ambiguity reach its peak.
The sky gradually darkened.
The hotel on the island, not yet open to the public, was hidden within a tropical garden and featured a brightly lit garden restaurant.
The other companions were looking forward to a sumptuous dinner. Although it was a bit strange that Xi Zhiyu and Xie Yun had returned to the hotel early, Fei Boan and Yuan Zhoulu, acting as “witnesses,” gave a reasonable excuse. No one suspected anything, and no one thought to call them for dinner.
“Sigh…”
Yuan Zhoulu rubbed his temples and complained quietly, “What kind of decent person gets heatstroke in October?”
Fei Boan: “There was no other reason.”
The two looked at their phones, merely admiring the content Xi Zhiyu had sent to the group chat. With his status and personality, who could suspect the top student of No. 1 Middle School of sending a fake message?
Only Yuan Zhoulu and Fei Boan were insiders. Having seen the scene in the forest park, they each felt guilty.
Yuan Zhoulu: “Do you think Little Peanut sent that using Zhiyu’s phone?”
Fei Boan: “Not sure.”
“The main thing is the tone was copied quite well.”
Fei Boan guessed: “Is it possible Yun-zai actually got heatstroke?”
Yuan Zhoulu: “?”
“Then do you want to go knock on the door and check?”
Although Fei Boan had been in the entertainment industry for years, he was no less innocent than the two parties involved, given his wealthy background. He shook his head: “If we go and disturb them? How can we be so inconsiderate?”
As he spoke, his face turned red. He even told Yuan Zhoulu not to have any crooked thoughts and to respect the emotional rhythm of their two friends.
Having lived abroad for a few years, Yuan Zhoulu was used to the open lifestyle among teenagers. He asked curiously: “Disturb what? Tell me, let me hear it.”
Fei Boan thought for a bit. “They just started, right? It should just be holding hands and touching faces?”
Yuan Zhoulu gave a cynical laugh: “How could that be? Those two are as pure as anything—they’re probably just finding a place to chat!”
Fei Boan: “…”
“Then should we bring them some late-night snacks later?”
Yuan Zhoulv: “Fine!”
In the suite.
The two innocent boys didn’t know how many times they had kissed. One had a split lip, and the other was gasping for air from lack of oxygen, finally regaining some clarity.
But they weren’t completely back to normal. Xie Yun’s consciousness had merely shifted from a dream to the real world.
He lay on the bed, the heart beneath his chest beating violently, as if he had just finished filming an overnight scene exhausted and worn out.
But the experience of an adrenaline spike was uniquely different, making him realize in hindsight what had happened.
…Rut.
He didn’t even have time to think deeply for example, how exactly he entered the rut, or why he smelled an unfamiliar Alpha pheromone.
He had no thoughts on any of that. As soon as he closed his eyes, countless ambiguous scenes would surface from pinning his brother against the wall to kiss him, to falling onto the sofa to kiss, then.
No! He couldn’t let his thoughts wander further.
The boy’s eyelids were a thin red, his whole body was drenched in sweat, as if he were being steamed. Looking down, he actually found he had changed into pajamas?!
When did he put them on?!
A string tight in his mind snapped. Xie Yun didn’t wait for his full memory to return; instead, he heard movement from the bathroom, like someone was washing something.
Xie Yun: “…”
Wait.
He didn’t do anything “strange” to his brother, did he?
How could Xie Yun stay lying down? He scrambled up, and a look at his phone showed it was already 9:00 PM.
Although he was no longer drowsy, the scorching body temperature and the symptoms of the rut hadn’t subsided; only his consciousness had improved slightly.
He moved toward the closed bathroom door, imagining the scene inside. No matter how he thought about it, he felt he must have forced his childhood friend brother into a kiss.
He had been like this since he was a child.
He remembered one time in childhood, to fight over a toy truck in kindergarten, he and “Paipai” (Yuan Zhoulu) fought until they were both “bloody.”
In the end, neither would back down, and the truck was torn apart no one got to play with it.
Xie Yun stood there sulking, while Yuan Zhoulu hid in a corner making faces and drawing circles.
Whenever this happened, Xi Zhiyu would always come to coax them, playing the role of the big brother.
Yuan Zhoulu was easy to coax; hearing Xi Zhiyu say he would give him a new truck, he shamelessly hugged him: “Zhima is the best~”
“You have to buy me a truck that’s bigger and cooler than Little Peanut’s~”
Xie Yun was clearly coaxed in the same way, but Yuan Zhoulu couldn’t beat him, so he purposefully said things to make him grit his teeth in anger, causing Xie Yun’s face to turn cold instantly.
Xie Yun threw a tantrum: “I don’t want it anymore!”
A tiny Xi Zhiyu was startled and stepped back.
He pursed his lips, his grape-like beautiful eyes flickering, not daring to approach the younger boy again.
Xie Yun’s heart twisted into a knot. He clenched his fists tightly, wanting to say he didn’t mean to be angry, but he was clumsy with words and didn’t know how to explain.
After a while.
Instead, it was Xi Zhiyu who adjusted his mood and walked over silently, coaxing him in a small voice: “Little Peanut, but I want to give it to you. I’ll buy you both trucks of the same size.”
Xie Yun’s moist eyes lit up.
Xi Zhiyu said warmly: “Once you and Paipai both have big trucks, you won’t fight anymore. I want you both to be happy.”
Locking eyes with those obsidian-like beautiful eyes for a moment.
Xie Yun suppressed his jealousy. He thought to himself that he wouldn’t be angry with Xi Zhiyu it was just his possessiveness acting up; he hated that Paipai had to steal his brother’s affection for him.
It was that day that Xie Yun did something he himself couldn’t understand: he refused to go home after school and insisted his brother stay with him at the kindergarten.
As the sun set, the two children sat on the steps, their respective butlers and bodyguards worried sick.
The young and handsome brown-haired cub pouted, ignoring the adults. His head was filled with the phrase “bigger and cooler truck,” and he grumbled to his brother: “I don’t want the same one, okay?”
Xi Zhiyu touched his face and asked worriedly: “Do you want a bigger and cooler one?”
Xie Yun proactively took his hand, gripping it tightly, his tone stubborn: “Yes, I want Brother to give me a bigger and cooler one.”
Xi Zhiyu nodded. Back then, although he was willing, there seemed to be a layer of confusion in his eyes.
But in fact, children around five or six years old already knew Paipai’s personality. Those words were just said in spite. Only Xie Yun took them seriously, insisting his brother buy him a different big truck.
Even though Xi Zhiyu bought him a bigger and cooler truck, for several days afterward, Xie Yun couldn’t forget how he had looked like a “bad guy” forcing his brother.
Little Xie Yun went to find his brother to apologize.
His black eyelashes hung low, he pouted, and his little milky voice was muffled: “I… won’t be like this anymore.”
I won’t express my jealousy and possessiveness like that again.
Later, Xie Yun knew clearly that the higher the level of an Alpha, the more they were born with a sharp nature.
Emotional swings were like wild beasts, difficult to control, let alone the uncontrollable rut.
Standing outside the bathroom now, Xie Yun felt a chill. His eyes immediately turned red, and the bridge of his nose felt sore.
Knock, knock.
There were two light knocks on the door. Xi Zhiyu, who was checking the corner of his mouth in the mirror, loosened his grip, and the medical cotton swab provided by the hotel fell into the sink.
He quickly picked it up and threw it into the trash, then looked into the mirror with a look he couldn’t bear to maintain. Glancing at the split corner of his mouth, he turned to open the door.
Splash.
The two boys faced each other. With just one glance, Xi Zhiyu noticed Xie Yun’s rapid breathing and flushed face.
Clearly, it shouldn’t be like this.
They had performed at least five saliva treatments. Logically, until the S-class Alpha specific suppressant was delivered to the island, a loss of control shouldn’t occur again.
But he didn’t know that upon seeing the split on his lip, Xie Yun still in a half-blurred, half-clear state. had identified a “crime,” just like his childhood habit of forcing his brother.
He must have been the one who pressed Xi Zhiyu into the kiss.
He couldn’t even remember how many times they had kissed. It was just a confession; how could it have developed into this?
He would definitely scare his Omega brother, who had only just learned of his feelings.
“I’m sorry.”
Xie Yun lowered his head. That self-reproach surged in his heart. The rut-stricken boy, whose symptoms had just been alleviated, once again fell toward the edge of losing his reason.
Even as he spoke words of apology, he walked into the bathroom in a daze, as if throwing himself into the other’s arms, his gaze burning as he leaned toward his favorite childhood friend brother.
Xi Zhiyu lost himself for a moment. His back was pressed against the cold porcelain tiles, and he suddenly woke up, asking softly: “Still uncomfortable?”
“…Yes.”
Xie Yun was no longer “wet” with sweat. He looked like a refreshed, clean pet, proactively asking for grooming and snacks: “Brother.”
“Did I bite you?”
He used a guilty tone to say words that made the heart race and face flush. He himself was unaware of how “illegal” all of this was.
Xi Zhiyu merely remained silent, yet showed indulgence and pampering everywhere. The scenes that surfaced in his mind countless times were all of Xie Yun with his lips slightly parted and his breathing out of order during the kiss.
It should have been him who felt self-reproach and guilt.
But Xie Yun’s body temperature was still ridiculously high. He “broke the rules” by diving into the embrace. His slightly recovered state of mind was even more direct and fervent in expressing his desire and love.
“I didn’t mean to be like this.”
Xie Yun tilted his face up. Knowing he shouldn’t get any closer, he couldn’t help but carefully peck at his chin, bringing a wave of numbness: “Brother.”
“Do you hate me?”
Xi Zhiyu’s hard-won steady breathing was on the verge of collapse. He met Xie Yun’s watery eyes, and then that flashing, sparkling ear stud.
It was so dazzling.
Without thinking, Xi Zhiyu reached out to pinch it not out of mischief, but as an instinct of control acting up, to stop Xie Yun from saying more of those words about “hurting” him.
At the same time, Xie Yun’s palms were sweating, and his legs were so unsteady he slumped into the other’s embrace.
The Alpha youth didn’t know that before he walked into the bathroom, the brother before him had finally managed to recover his calm. Calculating the time strictly, he was waiting for the rut suppressant being sent over.
He could have used medicine to solve the first rut, which wasn’t too severe.
But now, it was Xie Yun who proactively pressed himself against him again, even his breathing acting as a provocation. As a result, the gland at the back of Xi Zhiyu’s neck spread with heat and began to itch…
From one party being calm to both falling into an inability to restrain themselves, the phone on the cold counter buzzed with messages. They were notifications that the express delivery had arrived on the island, but no one was there to answer or claim it.
Hello, as the call was not answered, the package will be placed at the hotel front desk for you. Please remember to come and collect it!
Until the screen went dark.
Xi Zhiyu’s long, white fingers were still lightly twirling that ear stud. Around him was the sound of rapid, magnified breathing, along with the boy’s leaking pheromones thick and sweet.
“Yun-zai’s pheromone scent is very warm.”
“…Hmm? Then does Brother hate it?”
“I like it very much.”
Xi Zhiyu added, “The earlobe is also very sensitive.”
Xie Yun: “…Mmh.”
The woody scent of sea salt mixed with sage it sounded cold, but it was actually warm and soft. It was a scent he liked very much.
Thus, all through the night.
Xi Zhiyu’s nose breathed in that wonderful scent. Over and over again, using his scorching fingertips, he wiped away the crystal-clear saliva flowing from the corner of the boy’s mouth.