“Brother Huai Nian.”
Shi You ran up, his hair tousled by the wind, revealing his smooth forehead. He stretched out his hand and handed the lunch box to Ran Huai Nian.
“You worked hard to bring it all the way here, You’Er” Ran Huai Nian smiled as he took the box.
Seeing Shi You’s hair all blown askew, he reminded gently, “Why were you running so fast? Your hair’s a mess.”
Shi You rubbed his bangs and grinned. “It’s fine! I just didn’t want to be late.”
Standing off to the side, Lu Yicheng could only stare at the two laughing so happily together and at how sweetly Shi You called him Brother Huai Nian.
He was silent for a moment, unsure what to say.
Next to him, Zhang Beihan couldn’t hold back a whisper, elbowing Lu Yicheng repeatedly, “Wait… what’s this situation? Shi You is the school senior’s boyfriend? Then why the hell is he trying to chase you?”
Lu Yicheng’s brows twitched faintly. He swatted away Zhang Beihan’s head that had leaned in far too close, silently signaling him to shut up.
Then, lowering his chin slightly, he withdrew his gaze. A faint, inexplicable discomfort rose in his chest.
Zhang Beihan kept poking at him, waggling his brows and making faces, which only made Lu Yicheng feel more annoyed.
His dark eyes grew a little deeper as he glanced casually toward Shi You. Unexpectedly, the little guy actually met his eyes for a brief second, then, as if startled, quickly looked away.
Lu Yicheng fell silent.
In truth, Shi You was still worrying inside about whether he had made Lu Yicheng angry yesterday.
Oh no, why did they have to run into each other here, of all places? He wasn’t ready at all.
“Oh, right, let me introduce you.” Ran Huai Nian turned around and gestured to the two behind him. “This is Lu Yicheng, and this is Zhang Beihan.”
The sudden introduction left Shi You no choice but to lift his head again, only to meet Lu Yicheng’s gaze once more.
Actually, the first person Shi You had noticed upon entering the gym had been Lu Yicheng.
The tall Alpha stood with a basketball in hand, dribbling lazily. The rhythmic thud of the ball hitting the floor mixed with the sound of sneakers scuffing and teammates calling to one another.
He looked completely different from the calm, sterile figure Shi You had seen before in the laboratory, holding test tubes with those steady, precise hands. Here, he was brimming with raw, unrestrained hormones.
If anything, there was a little too much of that in the air, the scent of sweat, excitement, and youth made Shi You feel faintly dizzy.
Lu Yicheng was watching him lazily, and without that white lab coat, his presence was strikingly sharp, his gaze swept over Shi You like the edge of a blade.
Ran Huai Nian smiled and said, “This is Shi You, a good friend of my boyfriend’s.”
“Friend?!” Zhang Beihan blurted out before he could stop himself.
Lu Yicheng’s eyes softened a fraction at that, though Shi You still trembled a little. He decided he should at least try to speak up.
After all, he hadn’t expected Lu Yicheng to be here. He hadn’t prepared anything in advance. Remembering the extra bottle of juice Bai Yuanshan had asked him to deliver, he handed it toward Lu Yicheng and said, “Um, Yicheng, would you like some juice?”
Lu Yicheng lowered his eyes, saying nothing, simply staring at the bottle in his hand.
Zhang Beihan, standing beside him, felt the faint ripple of Lu Yicheng’s pheromones even though the Alpha was keeping them tightly controlled. Just standing near him was intimidating enough, especially after Shi You appeared.
Lu Yicheng never accepted drinks or anything else from others, especially in front of a crowd. Seeing the situation, Zhang Beihan opened his mouth, ready to crack a joke to smooth things over.
But before he could, Lu Yicheng reached out and took the bottle.
Zhang Beihan froze.
Lu Yicheng’s expression remained cool, not even sparing an extra glance as he twisted the cap open. “Mm.”
Oh wow.
Zhang Beihan honestly hadn’t seen that coming.
Even Ran Huai Nian looked surprised, “You two know each other?”
Clearly, he hadn’t been following the campus forums lately. The gossip-hungry crowd around them already had their phones out, snapping photos left and right.
Shi You’s eyes were bright, his features soft and delicate, and his voice warm and gentle as he said, “We know each other.”
Well… we’re trying to, anyway.
Lu Yicheng nodded slightly, then tossed the basketball to Zhang Beihan. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving first.”
“Lu Yicheng,” Shi You suddenly called out, “Can I talk to you for a bit?”
The boy’s eyes were almond-shaped, round, clear, and bright, with just the faintest upward tilt at the corners. Usually, when his lids drooped, he looked harmless and gentle.
But when he lifted his gaze fully, his expression was so open and earnest it could melt a heart. It was the kind of look that made it hard to say no.
Lu Yicheng stopped walking.
That one line had drawn everyone’s attention. The gym suddenly went still. People began inching closer, unable to resist their curiosity, eager to see what would happen next.
At the edge of the basketball court, an Alpha and a Beta stood facing each other in silence for a long time. The tall Alpha’s ears turned faintly red under so many watching eyes, and he subconsciously lowered his gaze, trying to escape the invisible pressure.
After a brief pause, he finally answered in a quiet voice, “Mm.”
Though even he didn’t quite know why he agreed.
The Beta’s eyes immediately lit up. Reaching out, Shi You tugged lightly at Lu Yicheng’s sleeve, leading him away from the court.
The Alpha didn’t resist, he followed obediently, like a well-trained, large dog being led by its owner.
The famous “Do-Not-Approach Alpha” of Beijing University was once again taken away by that Beta.
For a heartbeat, the gym was dead silent.
Then came a burst of cheers and howls that nearly lifted the roof.
“Yoooooooooo!!”
Lu Yicheng was honestly curious what exactly Shi You wanted to talk about.
Shi You clearly didn’t know his way around, wandering left and right through the hallways. After a few turns, it was Lu Yicheng who finally sighed, took his wrist, and guided him into an unused locker room.
Once the door shut, only the two of them remained.
It wasn’t a large space, two rows of lockers on either side, an open bench in the middle but it felt surprisingly empty.
Even without releasing pheromones, Lu Yicheng could smell something faintly sweet in the air.
Shi You looked around, then spoke in a small voice, “Um, can we finish before ten past twelve? I have something to do later.”
Lu Yicheng’s lips twitched. “…Fine. I’ve got something then too. What did you want to say?”
Shi You stood in front of him, no longer as bright or lively as before. He looked calm and composed now, the overhead light casting a soft shadow behind his slender figure.
“I know you probably misunderstood earlier,” Shi You said quietly. “Ran Huai Nian isn’t my boyfriend.”
“I was helping a friend deliver lunch. My friend and Brother Huai Nian have been together for years. They’re really close and they’ve always looked after me. But my friend had his thesis graded down today, so he couldn’t come himself and asked me to bring it over.”
His voice was light, each word soft with a southern lilt.
He paused for a breath, then added, “I’m single right now. I don’t have a partner.”
“And also… yesterday, I didn’t mean to drag you into that or use you as a shield,” Shi You said earnestly. “I really just…. like your scent.”
Lu Yicheng’s gaze flickered, briefly skimming over Shi You’s slightly flushed cheeks.
Was this Beta being blunt, or was he being indirect?
He said he liked his scent, his pheromones, presumably. But saying that so openly was basically the same as inviting an Alpha to bed.
Yet, he hadn’t said it in that way. He’d said it sincerely, almost innocently.
So did he mean it that way… or not?
Lu Yicheng couldn’t tell.
Of course, Shi You didn’t know that liking an Alpha’s pheromones carried such implications. His biological knowledge of AO relationships was far too limited.
He was simply telling the truth.
How terribly sincere this little mushroom was.
“I’m done,” Shi You said softly.
Lu Yicheng remained standing there, half expecting Shi You to continue, to perhaps explain what he really was, that strange secret of his.
But instead, the boy just turned sideways to pass him, politely saying, “Then I’ll be going now.”
Lu Yicheng blinked.
He watched as Shi You hurriedly reached for the door, opened it, and disappeared outside.
For a long moment, Lu Yicheng just stood there, oddly at a loss.
He couldn’t read this Beta at all. He’d thought maybe it was some kind of calculated push and pull, but Shi You seemed even more flustered than he was.
Frowning slightly, Lu Yicheng finally turned toward the door.
Still, he couldn’t help recalling the way Shi You’s voice had softened at the end, growing lighter and almost trembling. There had been something off about him then.
Was he… feeling unwell?
Lu Yicheng exhaled, then frowned again at himself. Why was he worrying about that little liar anyway? He must be going crazy.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he lazily lowered his gaze and opened the door to leave.
But the moment he stepped outside, he froze.
Shi You was crouched by the wall, body bent over, trembling slightly, his face pale, as if about to collapse.
Lu Yicheng’s expression changed instantly.
“Hey.”
He strode forward, reaching out to support him, “What’s wrong?”
Shi You’s cheeks were tinged with a sickly flush, his lips pale, and the stray hair over his forehead fell in disarray, half-covering his eyes. The corners of those eyes were faintly red.
The cold-toned light from the corridor reflected off his face, casting a soft fan-shaped shadow beneath his lashes, while the tips of his ears were burning crimson, as if they’d been dipped in blood.
Lu Yicheng reached out and brushed the back of his hand against Shi You’s forehead. The heat startled him, it was almost burning. “You’ve got a fever,” he murmured.
Seeing how miserable the boy looked, his tone softened even more. “Come on, I’ll take you to the infirmary.”
But before he could pull his hand away, it was suddenly caught.
Lu Yicheng froze. “…?”
“N-no need…” The Beta’s voice trembled as he spoke, yet his body betrayed him, pressing Lu Yicheng’s palm tighter against his flushed cheek and even rubbing against it softly.
Lu Yicheng went completely still.
Shi You’s body was delicate. If his pheromone conditioning wasn’t maintained properly, he could develop side effects, something like a fever, which got worse in places thick with mixed pheromones.
Unfortunately, the locker room they’d just been in was the Alpha locker room, filled with the scent of a dozen different Alphas. The air was saturated, oppressive.
And Lu Yicheng, having kept his own pheromones tightly restrained, couldn’t suppress the external chaos.
Overwhelmed by the muddled mix, Shi You felt dizzy and suffocated, he’d wanted to leave that room immediately.
But now, being held up by Lu Yicheng, his senses were filled with the faint woody scent that lingered around the Alpha, like cold cedar, clean and sharp. The smell brushed past Shi You’s nose as Lu Yicheng moved.
Still, the symptoms weren’t easing.
Shi You fumbled in his pocket, trying to find something to relieve the heat, then suddenly remembered, he’d run out of pheromone spray.
Lifting his head, he looked up at Lu Yicheng.
The Alpha’s scent was restrained, but because they were so close, Shi You could catch a faint trace of it, crisp and cool, like the chill breath of autumn wind.
It was like finding a lifeline.
But asking Lu Yicheng to release some pheromones for him at a time like this, wasn’t that way too weird?!
Shi You thought frantically, then blurted out, his voice soft and nasal, “Um… can I… borrow your jacket?”
Lu Yicheng blinked, wondering if he’d heard wrong.
“Just for a bit,” Shi You mumbled, tugging weakly at the hem of his coat. He looked too drained to explain further.
Lu Yicheng wasn’t sure what to make of it. An Alpha’s jacket carried his pheromones, it wasn’t something to hand out lightly. But then again, a Beta asking to borrow one wasn’t exactly inappropriate either…
Shi You’s head was bowed, long lashes sticking together, his eyes glossy as if tears were about to spill.
After a brief hesitation, Lu Yicheng shrugged off his jacket and handed it over.
What was he planning to do with it.
The next second, Shi You buried his entire face into the jacket.
Lu Yicheng: “??”
The little Beta’s whole head was buried inside, wrapped in the Alpha’s scent.
And the ridiculous thing was, it actually worked. The feverish red faded from his face, his breathing steadied, and his whole body visibly relaxed.
Lu Yicheng stared down at the scene, his jaw tightening slightly, expression controlled and unreadable, though his dark eyes grew deeper, like ink spreading in water.
Shi You stayed like that for a long time before realizing just how absurd it must look, to have his face buried in someone else’s jacket like a lovesick animal.
Clutching the coat, he peeked out halfway, showing only half his face and a pair of clear eyes.
“I’m not a pervert,” he said seriously.
Lu Yicheng: “…”
Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.
Shi You’s face was burning again, this time from embarrassment, but he still didn’t let go of the jacket.
He should probably explain.
Except, he had absolutely no idea how.
Maybe he could just make something up? Or better yet, just tell him the truth?
Then he glanced at the time.
12:30!
Shi You jolted upright. His “Slim-Waisted, Round-Butted Little Princess” was still at his neighbor’s house!
“Um, can we talk about this next time? You said you had something to do too, right? You should go!” he said quickly.
Lu Yicheng checked the time as well. Though confused, he nodded. “Fine. But next time, I expect a proper explanation.”
Shi You bowed hastily, meaning to see him off, but Lu Yicheng paused and turned back. “My jacket.”
“I’m cold,” Shi You replied without missing a beat.
Lu Yicheng: “…”
He sighed inwardly but let it go. It was getting late anyway. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick message to the person waiting for him, letting them know he’d be delayed.
Shi You was about to do the same when his phone buzzed with a message.
【Sorry, please wait a bit. I’m on my way back now.】
He immediately replied that he was also heading back.
Then, as they left the campus, he noticed something alarming, he and Lu Yicheng were walking the exact same route.
Considering what he’d just done, burying his face in the man’s coat, he now looked exactly like a stalker.
Lu Yicheng walked a few steps ahead, sensing someone behind him. Turning, he caught Shi You’s startled eyes.
“I’m not following you,” Shi You blurted out.
Lu Yicheng said nothing and kept walking.
So they walked together all the way to the school gate.
Then down the same street.
Then into the same apartment complex.
Then into the same elevator.
Then pressed the same button, 8th floor.
The cramped, silent space was thick with awkwardness. Shi You didn’t even dare repeat “I’m really not following you” anymore.
When they finally stood in front of apartment doors 801 and 802, Shi You wanted to evaporate on the spot.
Lu Yicheng glanced sideways at the dumbfounded Beta, then lowered his eyes. His long, pale fingers curled slightly as he pulled out his phone.
A second later, Shi You’s phone chimed with a new message.
*Ding-dong~*
He looked down. The sender was Lu Yicheng.
At this point, there was truly no way left to prove he was a decent, law-abiding mushroom. Not when his latest delivery box had the wildly inappropriate recipient name printed across it and he was still hugging Lu Yicheng’s jacket, saturated with Alpha pheromones.
Lu Yicheng raised an eyebrow, turning to look at him, his tone unreadable. “‘Slim-Waisted, Round-Butted Little Princess?’”
Shi You: “…”
Someone please! Save this mushroom.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
One coffee for the translator. One less excuse for them to disappear. 😌
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← 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