The first day after transferring schools.
Shen Yandong couldn’t fall asleep the entire night.
The late hours were silent, everything still. The midsummer night air was thick, sticky and unbearably warm.
Before going to bed, his father had called, asking how things were at the new school and whether anyone had been giving him trouble.
Shen Yandong paused for a moment. Almost instantly, Di Zhe’s face flashed through his mind. Then he thought of the love letter tucked inside his schoolbag and a faint ripple stirred deep within him, something difficult to put into words.
What should he do with that letter?
He couldn’t accept it.
But throwing it away… that wasn’t like him either.
It wasn’t as if he had never encountered situations like this before. He had always rejected people on the spot, firmly refusing to accept anything. Faced with his cold and decisive attitude, they would inevitably retreat, unable to persist in their confessions.
Only Di Zhe had been so shamelessly persistent, forcing the letter into his hands no matter what.
He took the letter out, didn’t read it and sealed it away in a drawer of his desk.
Turn off the light. Go to sleep.
Yet his thoughts wandered on of their own accord.
He thought that even if there ever came a day when he considered being in a relationship, the type he would be drawn to would definitely not be someone like Di Zhe.
Their definitions of love were completely different.
What did it even mean to say, “If I like someone, I just like them, there’s no need for a reason”?
And what kind of logic was, “My pheromones themselves are proof that I like you”?
It was absurd.
If their minds, interests and values didn’t align, how could their souls ever connect? And without that connection, how could it possibly be called love?
He concluded that Di Zhe only liked his appearance.
Alphas were like that, letting themselves be guided by pheromones, thinking it was carefree and bold. To him, it was nothing more than a sign of incomplete evolution.
The kind of love he sought would never be so crude.
What he wanted was a soulmate, someone who could discuss literature and ideals with him.
And so, with thoughts of Di Zhe lingering in his mind, Shen Yandong eventually fell asleep.
He dreamed.
He dreamed of Di Zhe.
In the dream, he found himself back by the edge of a grassy field. Di Zhe was lying there, bare from the waist up, bits of grass clinging to his skin as he slept.
The boy’s body was well proportioned and firm. His muscles weren’t the result of deliberate training, there was nothing stiff or forced about them. Instead, he was like a young white poplar tree, nourished and thriving, every inch of his skin carrying a natural, taut sheen.
His complexion wasn’t evenly tanned. He probably wore tank tops often, leaving behind faint, lighter marks across his skin.
Lower down, the edge of his pants seemed to have been nudged slightly out of place, revealing a strip of skin at his waist that was usually hidden. It was starkly different from the exposed areas, pale to the point of being dazzling.
As if marking a forbidden boundary.
The gentle curve of his chest, the deep hollows at the sides of his waist, the way beads of sweat slid down from his jaw and disappeared into the hollow of his collarbone, catching the light for just a fleeting moment,
Every detail was rendered with startling clarity.
Shen Yandong felt a strange, undefined heat rise within his abdomen.
Why was he here?
As he was thinking that, Di Zhe woke up and looked at him, his eyes curving into crescent moons as he smiled, sweet as if soaked in honey yet tinged with mischief.
“What are you looking at?”
The fire in Shen Yandong’s abdomen suddenly seemed to slip beyond his control, spreading downward in a reckless, unruly way.
In the next instant, Shen Yandong woke up.
He sat up abruptly and turned on the bedside lamp. The cold white light quietly dispelled the lingering, overheated haze of the dream.
Supporting his forehead, he breathed heavily, one deep breath after another.
How could he have such a filthy, vulgar dream and about someone like Di Zhe, a shallow, foolish alpha?
Could it be that Di Zhe’s constant, reckless flirtations were like some kind of virus and he had been infected?
Shen Yandong became aware of something unusual about his body.
He lifted the blanket and glanced down at his pants. It was already a mess, damp, stifled and uncomfortably sticky.
The next day, Di Zhe greeted him just as enthusiastically as ever.
Looking at that bright, carefree, almost foolish smile on Di Zhe’s face, Shen Yandong felt extremely uncomfortable.
Especially when Di Zhe stepped forward, about to clap him on the shoulder, Shen Yandong reacted with startling sensitivity, dodging away almost instantly.
No.
He couldn’t let Di Zhe touch him, not even a little.
Otherwise, tonight… he might end up repeating the same thing all over again.
Shen Yandong had a premonition.
During the break between classes, he happened to overhear Di Zhe chatting with his classmates, chuckling as he said, “He’s really shy, so pure and untouchable.”
Those words, when they fell into Shen Yandong’s ears, carried a sharp sting, as if he were being openly mocked.
He felt a surge of anger at himself.
His brows knitted tightly and he made a firm decision in his heart: from now on, he absolutely could not allow himself to have dreams like that again.
Even if he were to have such dreams… it shouldn’t be about someone like that.
And yet, that very night,Di Zhe appeared in his dreams once more.
Just like before.
Not wearing anything.
And continuing from where they had left off last time, he smiled as he asked, “Were you looking at my chest?”
Once again, Shen Yandong jolted awake, his entire body drenched in sweat.
Di Zhe was nothing short of his calamity.
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Fleurveil
[Translator]
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← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Love at first sightChapter 2 · Lack of discretionChapter 3 · ShamelessChapter 4 · UnreasonableChapter 5 · PerseveranceChapter 6 · College Entrance Examination EndChapter 7 · Graduation dinnerChapter 8 · Confession nightChapter 9 · Pressing in step by stepChapter 10 · Enough is enoughChapter 11 · A huge blowChapter 12 · University start dateChapter 13 · Roommate meetingChapter 14 · Relentless harassmentChapter 15 · I’ll pick you upChapter 16 · It’s my vulnerable periodChapter 17 · Voluntary datingChapter 18 · Open your heartChapter 19 · Obedient to allChapter 20 · Not a virginChapter 21 · Swear to love meChapter 22 · Youthful DaydreamsChapter 23 · Teenage ThoughtsChapter 24 · EmptyChapter 25 · Extremely anxiousChapter 26 · Too lazy to struggleChapter 27 · From now on