Shi You was still talking when Lu Yicheng slowly lifted his eyes. His gaze swept over Shi You from head to toe in one smooth glance, as if he were quietly gathering the young man into his line of sight.
The teenager’s eyes were bright and clear. The soft fringe resting over his forehead moved slightly every time he spoke, rising and falling with the rhythm of his words.
Against the deep green background that surrounded them, he looked so full of life that it almost hurt to look straight at him.
… He truly had not taken today as a date.
Realizing this, Lu Yicheng felt that he had probably been overthinking things. He lifted a hand and pressed briefly at his forehead, as though trying to calm down the unnecessary thoughts.
“What is it, Yicheng?” Shi You asked with curiosity.
“It is nothing.” Lu Yicheng let out a quiet breath. After that, he answered Shi You’s earlier question with his usual precision. “Traditional interior design requires a very large amount of raw materials. Developing various biological materials from food waste and byproducts can achieve a certain level of circular design.”
“I thought the same.” Shi You responded with a bright smile.
When the little mushroom smiled, there was a faint glow to him. Today he wore a very fresh and clean white V neck shirt that revealed the delicate lines of his collarbones. His fair skin looked almost translucent.
He definitely did not realize how alluring he appeared when he smiled like that.
“If you have any questions in the future, you can always ask me.” Lu Yicheng said gently. “But Shi You, perhaps we should not talk about this during our meal.”
Shi You blinked.
Lu Yicheng did not continue speaking. He simply stared at him, openly and directly.
Oh.
So Yicheng must be tired.
Recently he had been doing research and teaching classes at the same time. It made sense that during a meal he would want a moment to rest instead of discussing work.
Understandable. Completely understandable.
Shi You, being very considerate, did not continue the topic. Instead, he picked up a piece of seasonal vegetable and placed it into Lu Yicheng’s bowl. “Try this. It tastes amazing.”
Lu Yicheng nodded, ate the piece Shi You gave him, then picked up a plump shrimp and brought it to Shi You’s lips.
Shi You paused for a moment.
Hmm?
Was he being fed?
He glanced at Lu Yicheng again. His expression was still unreadable and calm, but his gesture was unmistakable. He clearly meant to feed him.
Why was the host feeding him?
But very quickly, Shi You stopped questioning it. The host always had his own reasons for doing things. As a little mushroom who was being raised and nourished, he did not need to think that deeply.
So Shi You stretched his neck forward, leaning toward the chopsticks that were held out to him. He opened his mouth and softly enclosed the shrimp.
The chopsticks were long. The moment someone bit the top, the entire length would shift slightly downward.
Then there were those soft pink lips, wrapping around the chopsticks, unconsciously sucking a little, taking away the lingering broth along with the food.
Shi You’s lips were genuinely beautiful.
He looked like a small animal being fed, obedient and docile as he chewed the shrimp given to him by Lu Yicheng.
His small lips were clean and clear, the corners gently curved, and both the upper and lower lip carried enough fullness to be enticing, especially on someone who was overall so thin.
His dining habits were excellent. He never chewed with his mouth open, nor did he dirty the area around his lips.
But in truth, even if a little transparent sheen had clung to them, it would have looked quite charming.
Lu Yicheng suddenly realized that he had a very peculiar kind of desire.
Watching Shi You’s mouth be filled with food stirred a faint, almost uncontrollable feeling of satisfaction within him.
So he indulged himself, feeding Shi You one bite after another. He was even beginning to enjoy it too much, to the point that he wanted to pull the young man closer, tip a drink to his lips, and watch the water spill lightly from the corner of that mouth…
“Um…” Shi You felt the heat in the man’s gaze and his ears turned red. “You do not have to feed me. You should eat too.”
“Yes.” Lu Yicheng answered softly, and then he once again lifted a piece of chicken to Shi You’s lips.
Shi You stared: “……”
He still ended up obediently eating it.
Lu Yicheng’s mood was clearly very good. It was now so obvious that one could practically see it shining off of him.
But when he withdrew his chopsticks, preparing to eat for himself, he paused. He looked at the chopsticks and his gaze deepened slightly.
The pause lasted only a moment. Then he resumed his calm demeanor, though there was the slightest hint of restraint as he bit down lightly on the tip of the chopsticks.
The meal overall was quite pleasant.
After they finished eating, the two of them went upstairs to inspect the upper floor. They took pictures, jotted down notes, and made sure everything needed to be recorded was recorded.
“Yicheng,” Shi You asked after a moment, “You do not have any experiments to run this afternoon, right?”
“No.”
Shi You smiled. “Then should we go watch a movie?”
They could spend a little more time together.
Lu Yicheng nodded. In his heart, he thought that Shi You must also want to go on a date with him.
They walked together to a large shopping mall near the restaurant and bought tickets for the nearest movie showing.
The film was chosen by Lu Yicheng, a very popular youth romance movie that had been trending lately.
Lu Yicheng had never cared much for movies. First, many domestic films had plots that frustrated him. Second, back then there were just too many Omega who used all sorts of excuses to drag him to movies. The frequency was so high that it left him with a lingering aversion.
Shi You also rarely watched movies, especially romance films. As a mushroom, he found it difficult to understand how humans could express several layers of emotions between two or more people in just a few hours.
They would suddenly fall in love, then suddenly separate, then somehow come together again, all without any clear reason.
He had once tried to analyze a film carefully, hoping to study human emotions, but he failed. Those vague and indistinct depictions of love only made emotional concepts even harder for him to grasp, so he eventually stopped attempting.
Today, since Lu Yicheng chose a romance film, he was a little worried he might not understand it and spoil the host’s mood.
But as far as Shi You himself was concerned, simply being able to stay with the host for two whole hours already made him very very happy.
“There are ten minutes before it begins.” Shi You said. “Yicheng, I am going to the restroom.”
After speaking, Shi You walked into the restroom area inside the cinema. The facility here was shared between A and B genders.
It was probably to save space. The Alpha and Omega restrooms were quite close to one another. The environment was clean and well maintained, so Shi You did not think much of it.
After using the restroom, he walked to the sinks to wash his hands. Suddenly, two Alpha beside him exclaimed loudly.
“Bro, what the hell!”
Shi You looked over in confusion.
They continued in crude laughter. “Which Omega is being so lewd? They are going into heat right in the restroom. The scent is drifting all the way here.”
There must have been Omega pheromones leaking from somewhere, but as a Beta, Shi You could not detect it.
Another Alpha laughed. “Seriously. The scent is strong. This Omega is wild. Not using inhibitors, not spraying blockers. Are they just waiting for someone to take advantage of them?”
“The scent is so sweet. Should we go help them out? With a smell that strong, they are practically begging for it. Hahahahaha!”
The two Alpha burst into laughter, their vulgar jokes echoing through the restroom.
They were loud. The soundproofing here was not that great. The Omega in the next stall definitely heard them.
Shi You felt extremely uncomfortable. He truly could not listen any longer. He stepped forward and tried to stop them.
“Hey.” Shi You frowned. “Stop it.”
One Alpha glanced lazily at him. He raised his brows, as if amused. “A Beta? What is a Beta doing butting into this? You cannot even smell anything. Why can we not crack a joke or two?”
“What you are saying is very disrespectful. Omega sometimes really cannot control their pheromones. Are you saying Alph thinks only with their lower half?” Shi You snapped back. “Your mouths are even dirtier than the restroom.”
“… What the…”
The Alpha was stunned. He had not expected someone who looked so harmless to be this sharp tongued.
Shi You did not bother with them anymore. He turned and rushed to the adjacent stall, knocking on the door. “Hello? Are you alright?”
A weak, trembling voice responded, “Is… someone out there…?”
The condition of the voice was very poor. Shi You immediately answered, “Yes, I am here. How are you feeling right now?”
“I… I am in heat…” The Omega inside stammered, voice soft to the point of breaking. “I forgot to bring inhibitors. Can you help me buy one…”
An Omega in heat would release a strong scent, affecting other Omega and Alpha nearby. It had to be suppressed immediately.
Most modern malls were very considerate. Right outside the Omega restroom, there was an automatic vending machine that sold inhibitors.
“Of course. Wait a moment. I will be right back.” Shi You said quickly.
He ran out of the restroom and rushed to the vending machine. With the fastest speed possible, he bought a dose of inhibitor and a blocking spray.
When he turned back,
Two tall figures blocked his path like walls.
“Bro, you really dared to insult us just now.”
It was the same two Alpha. Their pride had clearly been wounded by a Beta’s reprimand, and now they wanted to take it out on him.
“You are a tiny little Beta. What are you pretending to be, protecting Omega like some hero?” One Alpha sneered. “What, do you also want to climb into an Omega’s bed? Or do you want me to climb into yours?”
Shi You was speechless. How could anyone be so utterly unreasonable and so incapable of understanding the situation.
But at least he knew his own limits. He understood perfectly well that he could not handle two Alpha at once. The wisest plan was to withdraw from danger as quickly as possible. So he turned around and made to run.
However, his combat ability was far from impressive. Before he could take more than a single step, one Alpha reached out and yanked him backward by the collar of his shirt.
Startled, Shi You let out a small gasp. He was just about to cry for help when a sharp scream exploded behind him.
“Ahhhh…”
The hand gripping his collar suddenly released.
Shi You stumbled forward half a step, and in the next instant he felt a familiar scent of cold fir woods sweep over him. The fragrance arrived like a winter storm, fierce and cutting.
It was Lu Yicheng.
The man stood behind him with a composed but terrifying presence. He had one Alpha’s arm twisted backward at an unnatural angle. His dark lashes lowered slightly, his nose bridge tall and sharp, his pale lips pressed thin.
Every line of his face carried a silent chill that sliced through the air like a blade.
Those quiet eyes of his were icy beyond belief. He regarded the Alpha who was grimacing in pain and struggling to speak, then after a brief moment he finally let out a voice threaded with impatience.
“Where do you think you are grabbing?”
“You… you are sticking your nose into other people’s business !”
A sickening cracking sound echoed through the restroom, followed by another piercing scream. It sounded horrifyingly like a bone snapping.
“Ahhhhhh…”
“My mistake.” Lu Yicheng’s tone did not fluctuate in the slightest. He let out a short indifferent laugh and added almost lazily, “It is broken.”
“Ahhhhhh… ahhhhhh…!”
The Alpha collapsed on the floor, writhing and howling in agony.
Shi You froze for a second, still shocked. But when he looked at Lu Yicheng again, the fear in his chest eased noticeably.
Lu Yicheng gave him a small gesture, indicating for him to go help the Omega first.
Shi You quickly nodded, clutching the inhibitor and blocking spray. He stepped around the screaming Alpha and hurried back to the Omega in need.
No one could have predicted that their very first movie date would end with them giving statements at the police station.
The cinema staff had called the police, and once officers arrived, everyone involved was taken to the precinct to clarify the situation.
The nation already had protective regulations for Omega. With the testimony of the Omega from the restroom and the fact that the Alpha’s arm was not truly fractured, the officers cleared things up very quickly. Lu Yicheng and Shi You were released without delay.
The Alpha had verbally harassed a minor Omega who was in a vulnerable state, which itself was a violation. The Omega kept thanking Shi You repeatedly, and Shi You could only smile and tell them it was alright.
But by the time everything ended, the movie had long finished.
The two of them had no choice but to go home. Feeling guilty for ruining their movie outing, Shi You insisted on bringing Lu Yicheng back to his place so he could cook dinner for him as an apology.
“I am sorry, Yicheng. I really did not think things would escalate like that. I only scolded those two Alpha a little, and then everything spiraled out of control. We did not even get to watch the movie.” Shi You lowered his head, rubbing his hands together with a pitiful expression.
Lu Yicheng looked at him, and a low laugh slipped out. He reached out and lightly rubbed Shi You’s hair. “You were very impressive. Our You’Er did an excellent job.”
The cold fir scent around him softened, no longer carrying the sharp biting chill he had shown toward the Alpha earlier.
His palm moved through Shi You’s hair with gentle ease, leaving a lingering warmth that made Shi You’s heart flutter in a way he could not quite withstand.
Maybe he had been affected by Omega’s pheromones earlier. His body ached slightly, and all he wanted was to cling to Lu Yicheng.
He kept thinking of how Lu Yicheng had stepped in once again and saved him, how he had shielded him without hesitation. That image only drew him closer, making him crave more of that presence.
“Since I did very well,” Shi You whispered under his breath, “can you hold me?”
Lu Yicheng paused.
Shi You did not wait for a response. He simply dove straight into the man’s arms, looping his arms around Lu Yicheng’s waist and nuzzling against him with small affectionate pushes of his head. “We made an agreement. Rule number two, cuddling cannot be refused.”
Lu Yicheng was pushed backward onto the sofa. The little mushroom clung to him with a hint of greed, inhaling his scent bit by bit, trying to soothe the lingering unease left in his body.
Shi You’s cheek brushed gently against the hollow of Lu Yicheng’s neck. His touch was soft, almost ticklish, with his lashes lowered in contentment. He looked impossibly pure and innocent like this.
Lu Yicheng’s usually cold restrained expression began to crack. The corners of his eyes and brows were filled with strained self control.
When those warm lips accidentally glided over his neck, his Adam’s apple jerked sharply. He threaded his fingers into Shi You’s hair, holding him still.
“Even if we did not watch it, we did not miss anything. People said it was not good.” Shi You’s voice was half muffled against Lu Yicheng’s shirt. “I read online reviews. They said there was barely any plot. It was just… kissing over and over…”
His voice grew softer and softer, turning shy without him noticing.
He stopped talking, simply looked up at Lu Yicheng’s eyes. After a brief hesitation, he whispered, “Thank you for saving me today, Yicheng.”
“You were very handsome.”
A few seconds of breathless silence filled the space.
Shi You thought maybe he had cuddled enough and should get up for a moment.
But without warning, the hand behind his head pressed down, guiding him sharply forward.
Then warm lips covered his.
Shi You’s mind went blank. Lu Yicheng kissed him once, then again, pressing against the flushed softness of his lips.
His lips were smooth and cool.
Lu Yicheng coaxed open the line of his mouth and slid his tongue inside, cold fir and warm breath intertwining as the kiss deepened. Shi You softened under the touch, a quiet sound escaping the back of his throat.
The delicate line of his neck arched beautifully, his body losing strength as he leaned into Lu Yicheng. His thin shoulder blades shifted beneath his shirt, and his hands weakly braced against the man’s chest.
Shi You’s mouth was exactly as Lu Yicheng had imagined.
Too soft, carrying a faint sweetness, collapsing at the slightest pressure.
Breathing unsteadily, Lu Yicheng finally pulled away for a moment. His large hand slid down to Shi You’s waist, lifting him easily and pushing him back onto the sofa.
The pretty Beta under him was still dazed. His clothes had been rumpled by Lu Yicheng’s hands, revealing a stretch of smooth collarbone like pressed cream. His lashes glimmered faintly with moisture, and his lips were reddened and swollen from being kissed.
“Shi You…” Lu Yicheng’s breath came heavy. He felt his restraint slipping out of his grasp.
He leaned down, wanting to kiss him again, but the young man beneath him blinked in confusion, hazy and unfocused, and mumbled in a dazed voice:
“Why are you kissing me?”
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
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← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · MushroomChapter 2 · Blocking The RoadChapter 3 · Pectoral MuscleChapter 4 · Delivering MealChapter 5 · CoatChapter 6 · NeighbourChapter 7 · CookiesChapter 8 · BalconyChapter 9 · MyceliumChapter 10 · Don’t PinchChapter 11 · Warmth and NourishmentChapter 12 · Speak without RestraintChapter 13 · On the bedChapter 14 · InterviewChapter 15 · InjuredChapter 16 · So WetChapter 17 · Drink WineChapter 18 · Play AgainChapter 19 · HostChapter 20 · RomanceChapter 21 · KissChapter 22 · What should Daddy do?Chapter 23 · Washing FeetsChapter 24 · MoodChapter 25 · No kissing allowedChapter 26 · Broken BridgeChapter 27 · Blind DateChapter 28 · Dinner PartyChapter 29 · FamilyChapter 30 · Heat Sensitivity PeriodChapter 31 · LickChapter 32 · AgainChapter 33 · BabyChapter 34 · SeminarChapter 35 · Matcha TroubleChapter 36 · SpankingChapter 37 · EroticChapter 38 · JealousyChapter 39 · Little Male ServantChapter 40 · I want…Chapter 41 · Deep ConnectionChapter 42 · ToothpasteChapter 43 · DifferentiationChapter 44 · A KissChapter 45 · The Taoist TempleChapter 46 · Chasing SomeoneChapter 47 · Feeding the MedicineChapter 48 · The MessageChapter 49 · Get DownChapter 50 · Soft WaistChapter 51 · HeatChapter 52 · Deep Within the ForestChapter 53 · SensitivityChapter 54 · The Little Perverted MushroomChapter 55 · Turn AroundChapter 56 · DisappearanceChapter 57 · Don’t NurtureChapter 58 · MadnessChapter 59 · The ReasonChapter 60 · Declaring OwnershipChapter 61 · I Love YouChapter 62 · KitchenChapter 63 · Sneaking into BedChapter 64 · AdulteryChapter 65 · The Muscle Show!Chapter 66 · Was It Fun?Chapter 67 · In Front of the MirrorChapter 68 · The LondonChapter 69 · Don’t Be SadChapter 70 · End of Main StoryChapter 71 · Extra 1Chapter 72 · Extra 2Chapter 73 · Extra 3Chapter 74 · Extra 4Chapter 75 · Extra 5