Pei Xingzhi’s pressing hand froze. The moment he realized what was beneath his palm, his entire face flushed visibly red.
“Xiao Zhi, don’t move.” Xie Nanyi’s voice noticeably deepened, the desire in it laid bare without restraint.
“You, you, you!” Pei Xingzhi jerked his hand back as if shocked, eyes wide as he tried to voice an accusation, but mindful of the people outside, he dared not speak too loudly. Their legs were tangled together, and the strange sensation against his inner thigh made Pei Xingzhi hold his breath, afraid of accidentally triggering something else on Xie Nanyi.
The heat seemed to short-circuit Pei Xingzhi’s ability to speak. He covered Xie Nanyi’s mouth to keep him from making a sound, biting his own lip as he glared.
His glare did nothing to calm Xie Nanyi down; instead, the strange, ragged breathing grew even louder.
“You pervert!” Pei Xingzhi accused with his eyes. Xie Nanyi seemed to be struggling, a fine sheen of sweat already beading at his temples. The corner of his mouth lifted in a helpless smile, and with one hand, he pulled Pei Xingzhi’s waist firmly against him.
“Don’t move.” Xie Nanyi’s low voice was thick with lust. “Hah… if you don’t want to be found, stay still.”
Pei Xingzhi wasn’t listening. His mind was consumed by the need to get away from the hard, uncomfortable object beneath him. He pushed against Xie Nanyi’s chest, trying to put distance between them, but the storage room was too cramped, and his efforts were almost useless.
“Make that thing of yours go down!”
Xie Nanyi was already holding back with difficulty. He was in his sensitive period, and with Pei Xingzhi, a walking aphrodisiac, squirming against him and stoking his desire, he had no control over his lower body.
The tight space left little room to separate. The more Pei Xingzhi struggled, the more frequent the friction between them became, until even Pei Xingzhi’s expression began to shift into something strange.
The sounds outside the door gradually faded, but by then, Pei Xingzhi had completely lost the courage to leave. He buried his face in his hands, silent and slumped against Xie Nanyi’s chest.
“Xiao Zhi, let’s go out first.” Xie Nanyi’s desire hadn’t subsided much; his voice was still noticeably hoarse.
“Okay…” Pei Xingzhi’s cheeks remained burning hot. In the earlier panic, he hadn’t realized until now, as he relaxed, that his legs were still wrapped around Xie Nanyi.
With no place to set his feet on the ground, Pei Xingzhi turned his head away and reached for the door handle. After a tug, his expression suddenly froze.
The storage room door could only be opened from the outside, and the lock outside seemed to have clicked shut when they rushed in earlier.
They were trapped inside.
“What’s wrong?” Xie Nanyi felt the stiffness in the person on top of him and suddenly had a bad feeling.
“The door… won’t open…”
“…” Xie Nanyi sighed as if he’d expected this. “Xiao Zhi, sometimes I really wonder if there’s something wrong with your intelligence.”
“I… I forgot this door only opens from the outside…” Knowing he was at fault, Pei Xingzhi surprisingly didn’t argue back. But no matter how hard he pulled, a door locked from the outside couldn’t be opened from within.
With the door stuck, the two of them, who had been on the verge of escaping their awkward situation, were now awkwardly trapped in the storage room.
“You… move farther away! Don’t get so close to me!”
The cramped storage room was packed with two adults; just breathing rapidly heated the air inside. Pei Xingzhi irritably tugged at his collar, he couldn’t adjust his posture at all. Ten minutes had passed, yet Xie Nanyi showed no signs of settling down.
Pei Xingzhi was on the verge of losing it.
Ever since meeting Xie Nanyi, nothing good had happened in his life. He’d been stalked, slandered, had assignments rejected, and now he was trapped in the same tiny room, forced into intimate contact with the person he despised most, Xie Nanyi.
What crime had he committed for heaven to punish him like this!
“Xie Nanyi, make this go down!”
The air was thick with more than just stifling heat; another kind of tension lingered. Lust was the most contagious, and Pei Xingzhi’s breathing unconsciously grew heavier, slowly sinking into the same turbulent sea as Xie Nanyi.
“Make a call, get someone to help.”
Pei Xingzhi couldn’t sense pheromones, but Xie Nanyi was tormented by his proximity. The antidote was right in front of him, yet he had to restrain his instincts from indulging. To make matters worse, this antidote was completely unaware, whining and complaining about why he wouldn’t touch him.
Perhaps when desire reaches its peak, clarity follows. The one suffering was more rational than the one unaffected. Pressing against the laptop bag behind Pei Xingzhi, Xie Nanyi reminded him to seek outside help.
“Ah! Right, right, right!” Pei Xingzhi belatedly remembered his phone was still in his pocket. Adjusting his posture, he reached for it, only to brush against Xie Nanyi again.
Xie Nanyi’s expression shifted noticeably. He let out a helpless laugh, locking eyes with Pei Xingzhi.
“Xiao Zhi… are you doing this on purpose?”
“My phone… it’s in my back pocket.” Pei Xingzhi’s embarrassment peaked. His actions now seemed like deliberate harassment, even though that wasn’t his intention.
It wasn’t like he wanted to be trapped here, nor did he want to be sitting on Xie Nanyi!
Once he got his phone, Pei Xingzhi immediately called Zhuang Xiaoyue for help. Upon receiving his distress call, Zhuang Xiaoyue scolded him furiously for his foolishness before rushing over from the dorm.
“Alright, someone will be here soon.” Relieved by the rescue, Pei Xingzhi sighed in relief. He pushed the mop and broom in the corner further aside, making a little more room for himself to stand.
Xie Nanyi’s eyes were tightly shut, his cheeks flushed, he still didn’t look well. As a fellow man, Pei Xingzhi could somewhat understand what Xie Nanyi was feeling. Plus, Xie Nanyi was an Alpha, which meant he was likely suffering even more than Pei Xingzhi imagined.
“Are you okay?” Pei Xingzhi tentatively asked.
“Not really.” Xie Nanyi’s voice was faint, his last shred of rationality on the verge of crumbling under Pei Xingzhi’s proximity.
“You… maybe you should take care of that first…” Pei Xingzhi glanced down. If Zhuang Xiaoyue saw this scene when he arrived, neither he nor Xie Nanyi would be able to explain it.
“No need.”
“But what if someone sees-”
“Do you want to help me?” Xie Nanyi rarely wore such a playful, teasing expression. Pei Xingzhi felt an itch in his heart under that gaze.
How could such a trashy person have such a handsome face!
“Of course not!” Pei Xingzhi pouted and turned away, afraid that if he kept looking, he might actually agree.
Xie Nanyi firmly refused, and Pei Xingzhi couldn’t be bothered to press further. After all, it was Xie Nanyi who would be embarrassed.
“Do you know those people from earlier?” Xie Nanyi suddenly brought up the topic, and Pei Xingzhi nodded in response.
The cramped space was filled with Pei Xingzhi’s scent, a tart, unripe orange fragrance, as awkward as the man himself. Xie Nanyi felt an urge to take a bite, to see if he tasted as sour as he smelled.
“I have some issues with them. Arguing with them is more trouble than it’s worth, so it’s easier to just avoid them.”
“Why were you arguing with them?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“Alright, if you don’t want to, that’s fine.”
Xie Nanyi chuckled and shifted his posture, suddenly leaning closer to Pei Xingzhi. Before Pei Xingzhi could utter a word, Xie Nanyi scooped him up with one arm.
Caught off guard, Pei Xingzhi’s feet left the ground. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms tightly around Xie Nanyi, his legs hooking around Xie Nanyi’s waist.
“Hold on tight.” Xie Nanyi gave his butt a light pat, adjusted his stance, and kicked open the storage room door.
Hanging onto Xie Nanyi, Pei Xingzhi glanced at the iron door on the floor, then back at the man he was clinging to.
Xie Nanyi looked completely unfazed. If not for the noticeable bulge beneath him, Pei Xingzhi would have almost applauded.
“Get down now.” Xie Nanyi released his hold, and Pei Xingzhi immediately slid off him.
Pei Xingzhi tried to reattach the fallen iron door, which now bore a clear footprint-shaped dent in the center. He swallowed hard, realizing for the first time that Xie Nanyi was a high-quality Alpha.
If a single light kick could dent an iron door, what would happen if that foot landed on him…
Pei Xingzhi shuddered and stopped the thought.
He had no desire to get beaten up.
It seemed he couldn’t act so recklessly around Xie Nanyi from now on.
Xie Nanyi brushed the dust off his clothes, though the bulge was still visible. Pei Xingzhi studied its shape, recalling the sensation from earlier.
It seemed… rather large.
Wait!
What was he thinking?!
Wasn’t this kind of fantasy just as shameless as Xie Nanyi’s earlier behavior?
Pei Xingzhi inwardly scolded himself for his vulgar thoughts. After silently reciting the doctor’s code of conduct a few times, he felt somewhat calmer.
Xie Nanyi noticed the change in Pei Xingzhi, his body’s instincts urging him to move closer. He narrowed his eyes, greedily inhaling the scent Pei Xingzhi emitted. In his eyes, Pei Xingzhi was like an exquisite pastry, he couldn’t taste it, but he could sense its sweetness.
He wanted to devour Pei Xingzhi whole.
Driven by instinct, Xie Nanyi took a step forward, but the tart orange scent snapped him back to his senses. His eyes gradually cleared.
Clenching his right hand, he flashed Pei Xingzhi a smile as casual as ever.
“I need to use the restroom.”
As soon as Xie Nanyi left, Pei Xingzhi slumped into a chair, completely drained.
High-pressure, thrilling situations often stimulate hormones and accelerate emotional connections. Though they had only been trapped together for a little over half an hour, Pei Xingzhi’s fondness for Xie Nanyi had skyrocketed.
This wasn’t a good development.
Pei Xingzhi shook his head, trying to rein in his wandering thoughts. It was just emotions amplified by the circumstances, he should dislike Xie Nanyi.
For the first time, Pei Xingzhi felt grateful to be a Beta. Otherwise, he would have surely been affected by Xie Nanyi’s pheromones by now.
“What the… Pei Xingzhi, what are you doing?!”
As soon as Zhuang Xiaoyue opened the door to the club room, a wave of thick Alpha pheromones washed over him. His legs gave way, and he collapsed straight to his knees.
Pei Xingzhi leaned back in his chair and let out a deep sigh. He, the one waiting to be rescued, hadn’t even recovered yet, and now Zhuang Xiaoyue, the one who came to save him, was already causing him more trouble.
Slowly, he stood up and helped Zhuang Xiaoyue to his feet. Despite Zhuang Xiaoyue’s strong protests, the two of them ended up sitting together in the hallway.
“Stay away from me, your pheromones are so strong,” Zhuang Xiaoyue said, pinching his nose and pushing Pei Xingzhi away. “Didn’t you ask me to come rescue you? Why were you messing around with an Alpha again?”
“This is Xie Nanyi’s pheromones.”
As soon as the name “Xie Nanyi” was mentioned, Zhuang Xiaoyue immediately fell silent. He didn’t dare speak ill of others behind their backs.
Zhuang Xiaoyue was uncomfortable from the pressure of the pheromones, and Pei Xingzhi wasn’t in high spirits either after what he had just experienced. The two of them chatted idly for a while, and by the time the pheromones had mostly dissipated, Xie Nanyi still hadn’t returned.
Zhuang Xiaoyue’s mission was complete, and he was eager to escape this torture chamber and return to the dormitory. Pei Xingzhi glanced toward the restroom a couple of times, hesitated for a moment, then stood up and prepared to leave with Zhuang Xiaoyue.
“Xiao Zhi, are you leaving?”
Just as the two of them had gathered their things, Xie Nanyi pushed the door open and walked in.
Zhuang Xiaoyue was a little afraid of Xie Nanyi and grabbed Pei Xingzhi, hiding slightly behind him.
“Mm,” Pei Xingzhi nodded, responding in a flat tone. He tried his best to avoid Xie Nanyi’s gaze, after such an embarrassing situation, he didn’t have the courage to speak to Xie Nanyi in a normal tone.
“I’m leaving first.”
Pei Xingzhi slung his bag over his shoulder and pulled Zhuang Xiaoyue along as he walked out, never once looking up the entire time. Zhuang Xiaoyue, however, curiously glanced back but was quickly frightened back by Xie Nanyi.
He had to leave this place immediately. If he stayed any longer, Xie Nanyi might say something earth-shattering.
But reality rarely goes as one wishes. Just as Pei Xingzhi’s foot stepped out of the classroom door, the voice from behind suddenly appeared like a ghost, swirling around him.
“Is Xiao Zhi leaving just like that? I thought Xiao Zhi would take responsibility for me…”