A flush of crimson burned across his cheeks.
Zou Shichen came to his senses with a buzzing ring in his head. For a moment, he was completely dazed, entirely forgetting that Lu Yibing had just spoken to him in such a manner.
Standing nearby, Cui Yiyang watched the other boy’s stunned expression and arched an eyebrow. “Hey, what are you standing there for? Don’t tell me you’ve actually taken a liking to Xie Yun?”
Taken a liking to Xie Yun?
Zou Shichen’s attention lingered intentionally on those words.
The blush that had filled his face deepened further. He was momentarily speechless, then suddenly turned to the speaker with a tight scowl, appearing as though he were lashing out to hide his embarrassment. “What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly like him?”
An Alpha liking a Beta?
Was that even possible?
Hearing this, Cui Yiyang let out a soft snort. “It’s for the best that you don’t. I’m warning you now—he is my fiancée by arrangement. You’d better not have any crooked ideas.”
Zou Shichen sneered, “So you like Xie Yun?”
“That is my parents’ wish. It’s none of your business,” Cui Yiyang raised an eyebrow. “Besides, do you really dare to touch what belongs to me?”
His voice grew quiet and flat as his gaze shifted toward Zou Shichen. The surroundings fell silent, save for the noisy chirping of cicadas.
The listener’s brow furrowed even tighter.
The man was right; the Zou family business had only grown large and powerful because of the Cui family’s support. In terms of family status, Zou Shichen had to yield to him by at least seventy percent.
How would he ever dare to talk back to the Young Master of the Cui family, let alone fight him for a man?
As if restrained by his worries, Zou Shichen sullenly shut his mouth and did not reply.
Cui Yiyang didn’t care what the other had to say. He moved a little to the side with an air of disinterest, maintaining his distance.
A few minutes after their conversation ended, Xie Yun finally walked out.
The piercing white light hit his fair, exquisite face. His pitch-black fringe reflected a faint, dark sheen, while his amber pupils were partially hidden behind long lashes that filtered the white light like a silk curtain.
The youth’s snowy-white face was set in a firm expression.
His navy-blue school uniform wrapped around his tall upper body, and his long legs stepped down the stairs. As his lashes slowly lowered, Xie Yun’s icy eyes gazed down at the two people at the bottom of the steps.
Like a deity stepping down from a sacred altar draped in holy light, Xie Yun’s body seemed to radiate a golden glow.
Indifferent, cold, and condescending.
Deities were always like this—their narrow eyes revealed a cold bitterness, yet were simultaneously laced with traces of mercy and love.
It was this very love that made the believers gaze upon Him, watching Him personally descend from the altar step by step. Then, the believers would exploit that mercy, frantically seizing and drinking in the affection from His throat, now stained with a seductive tone.
That was the affection used to reward the believers for being obedient.
Snow-white, trembling fingers twisted a mass of wrinkles into a believer’s white clothes. He knelt between two believers, tilting back his long, beautiful neck.
A watery teardrop slid down his distinct jawline.
His breathing was as beautiful and moving as fingers plucking the strings of an instrument.
Xie Yun reached the final step, his eyes as cold as fallen snow as he stared at the dazed Cui Yiyang and Zou Shichen.
As if using his cold gaze to remind the two of them in passing, Xie Yun brushed past them.
The scent of cold fir on his body had faded, replaced by the natural scent of cedar emerging from its shell.
The intense scent of cedar was like a heavy snowfall before their eyes. The cold, crisp fragrance drifted past their noses, their breath becoming entwined and wrapped in a cloud of chilling perfume.
It traveled into their lungs and down to their stomachs, leaving their entire bodies burning hot.
Lu Yibing had already caught up to Xie Yun, and the two walked away side by side.
『Fellod Forum』
[OP: This XY is truly a succubus… why does he smell so good? Is he actually an Omega pretending to be a Beta?]
[OP: Otherwise, how could he hook me with his pheromones?]
[3L: I’ve had the luck to smell it. Personally, I think it’s more like a natural body scent; it’s not as aggressive as the pheromones on an Omega.]
[4L: Exactly, but it’s still enough to be captivating.]
[OP: I really want to corner him against a wall one day and desperately release my thick Alpha pheromones all over him. I’d let his cedar blend with my pine needles, letting the scent of my pine needles fill his body… He wouldn’t be able to smell it anyway.]
[6L: When are you going, OP? Let me know in advance so I can pick a different day. I’m an Alpha too, and I’m afraid of being choked to death by your scent.]
[7L: Truly any kind of Alpha thinks they can lust after our Yunyun now.]
[8L: Don’t you think ‘All-Yun’ (everyone x Yun) is so hot? Even though I’m a female Alpha, I just love seeing this kind of beautiful Beta being pampered by the whole group. Our baby is just a heartthrob; any Alpha can have a go at him. I’m going to write a long fanfic about this.]
[9L: Author… Food… Hungry…]
[Reply to 8L: I smell the scent of corn and pork rib soup… so Author, when are you going to update?]
Distinct, bony fingers tapped on the phone screen. After posting, Zou Shichen stared at the forum while he walked.
The two pairs of people crossed through a large patch of tree shade, one after the other. A green leaf fluttered down onto Xie Yun’s shoulder.
His attention stolen, Lu Yibing noticed and reached out to help, but Xie Yun brushed it off a step ahead of him.
He tried his best to avoid any physical contact with the other.
Lu Yibing looked at him with dark pupils; when the corners of his lips drooped, he looked entirely pitiful.
Xie Yun ignored him.
The horizon cast an orange-yellow sunlight onto the white terrace. The group finally entered the teaching building and walked through the hallway.
The golden light illuminated the entire long corridor; being class time, it was completely deserted.
Xie Yun entered the classroom first to report his arrival.
The eyes of the teacher on the podium and the students alike turned toward the source of the sound. They saw a poker-faced youth standing at the door.
His exquisite, snowy-white face was bathed in the morning sun reflecting through the floor-to-ceiling windows. It looked like a brilliant sunny day after a snowstorm, melting the thick snow piled between his brows.
Though his expression was flat, a hint of softness unintentionally leaked out.
The air conditioner blew a gentle, cool breeze.
“Come in quickly.”
A middle-aged male voice rang out. The teacher paused slightly as his gaze swept over Xie Yun, eventually landing on the gauze covering the boy’s hand.
After Xie Yun walked into the classroom, the three following behind him filed in as well.
The lesson was already halfway through. After sitting down, Xie Yun turned around and politely whispered to the girl sitting behind him, “Excuse me, classmate, where are we in the lesson?”
The person in front had suddenly turned around. Hearing the voice, the girl looked up blankly, meeting Xie Yun’s smiling face.
A gentle smile bloomed at the corners of his lips.
The girl in the back row was stunned.
“Um… let me check.”
Coming back to her senses, the girl replied weakly. She lowered her head to look at the page number in her textbook. “Page forty-one, Student Xie.”
Having received his answer, Xie Yun gave her another plain smile and uttered two words: “Thank you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned back around, leaving the girl with her head spinning.
A blush instantly spread across her entire face. That female Alpha lowered her head, feeling somewhat shy.
What a seductive Beta.
His methods are truly something else.
Meanwhile, Lu Yibing, who was sitting beside Xie Yun, had no expression on his face. Seeing Xie Yun turn back, he tilted his head slightly and smiled at him. “Brother, your hand is injured so you can’t take notes. I’ll take them and show them to you after class.”
Xie Yun didn’t look at him. Just as he was about to say “no need,” Lu Yibing sensed the rejection. His brows knitted together. “The notes for this class are very important. Don’t worry, Brother, my handwriting is very nice—you’ll definitely be able to read it. I just want to help you. Please don’t reject me.”
Just by the sound of his voice, I can tell what kind of expression he’s making, Xie Yun thought to himself.
Seeing that Xie Yun had assumed a posture of listening to the lecture a silent form of consent a faint smile curled at the corners of Lu Yibing’s lips.
The melodious sound of the bell broke the silence of the classroom, and the teacher announced the end of the lesson.
But before Lu Yibing could move his finished notes over to Xie Yun, there was a loud thwack. An open textbook slammed down onto Xie Yun’s desk.