The area outside the lounge remained noisy and boisterous, but inside, a strange silence had fallen.
Cheng Zhang quietly took another breath. The bassist’s jaw was clamped shut as he glared fiercely at the Alpha standing next to Yun Xi. The look Su Yanqing had just given him felt like a victor gazing upon a pathetic, defeated underdog. It was a subtle sense of contempt and disdain hidden beneath a mask of gentle politeness.
Yun Xi blinked. He was not sure if it was an illusion, but he felt as though he could smell a hint of “tea” in the air. Was Gu Xun’s White Moonlight actually a Green Tea type?
He gave a low cough and said, “Since you have apologized so sincerely, I will forgive you.”
Su Yanqing reached out and stroked Yun Xi’s hair. “Yes, thank you.”
His gesture was one of undisguised intimacy, which, for the bassist, was no different from pouring gasoline on a fire. Seeing the atmosphere turn too stiff, Cheng Zhang stepped in to smooth things over. “You two have such a good relationship. This is the first time Xixi has brought a boyfriend to meet us. Why do not we all grab a meal together?”
The bassist was clearly unwilling and walked away with a flick of his wrist. The guitarist looked back and forth, scratched his head, offered a quick apology, and chased after him.
Cheng Zhang gave a dry, awkward laugh. “That young man has a bit of a temper. Do not mind him.”
Yun Xi shrugged nonchalantly and said, “Then shall the three of us go eat?”
Neither Su Yanqing nor Cheng Zhang had any objections. It was nearly midnight, and the only places still open on the street were mostly food stalls. The group found a random barbecue stand and sat down to eat.
Yun Xi was in a good mood. He opened a can of beer and gulped down half of it. Cheng Zhang could not help but scold him. “Drink less. Do not get drunk and make me clean up your mess again.”
Su Yanqing’s gray eyes shifted slightly. He asked, “Does Yun Xi get drunk often?”
“Not often, really.” Cheng Zhang had also had a bit to drink and began to vent his grievances to Su Yanqing. “Last time he called me out for a drink, he ended up drinking a massive amount all by himself. Once he was drunk, he expected me to carry him home on my shoulder. When I finally got him home, he vomited all over me. After I showered and saw the pigsty he calls a home, I could not stand it. I spent ages acting as his housekeeper, and my back was aching afterward. Do not even get me started.”
Hearing Cheng Zhang’s words, Su Yanqing was slightly stunned. A strange glint flashed in his gray eyes.
Yun Xi gave Cheng Zhang a dissatisfied click of the tongue and said, “Why bring up that dark history?”
Back then, Yun Xi had been struggling to accept that he had fallen in love at first sight with a jerk and was destined for a tragic end. He had been using alcohol to drown his sorrows. But he had composed himself now. Yun Xi crossed his legs and looked at Su Yanqing beside him, feeling more satisfied the more he looked.
“Hey, who was that girl standing next to you below the stage earlier?” Yun Xi asked.
Su Yanqing took a sip of plain water and teased, “Are you jealous?”
“If there were something between you two, you should be the one who is jealous. That girl kept making heart signs at me.” Yun Xi laughed out loud and mimicked the girl’s heart sign back at Su Yanqing.
Su Yanqing lowered his eyes and smiled. “She is one of my students. We ran into each other by chance.”
“So that is how it was.” Through a stroke of luck, this had prevented Gu Xun from discovering his contact with Su Yanqing too early. Yun Xi did not want Gu Xun to find out yet. It would be best to wait until Su Yanqing was so deeply in love with him that he could not extricate himself. At that time, Gu Xun’s expression would surely be spectacular.
By the end of the meal, only Su Yanqing was still upright among the three at the table. Cheng Zhang was slumped halfway over the table, gripping Su Yanqing’s arm and sobbing. “Brother, brother, take care! Take care of yourself!”
Yun Xi, who was pretending to be drunk with his head on his arms, gritted his teeth. In the end, Su Yanqing called a designated driver for Cheng Zhang and sent him away. He looked down at Yun Xi, who appeared to be asleep.
After watching for a moment, he leaned down and asked softly, “Yun Xi, are we going home?”
No response. Su Yanqing called again before Yun Xi finally lifted his head from his arms. The Omega’s eyes were hazy with drink, and he looked at him sluggishly.
“What is it?”
Su Yanqing said patiently, “It is very late. Shall we go home?”
Yun Xi slumped limply back onto the table, looking at Su Yanqing with his head tilted. He said in a soft voice, “I am so dizzy. I have no strength left.”
Su Yanqing remained patient. “Then what should we do?”
Yun Xi paused for a moment, crinkled his eyes, and said, “You carry me back.”
Su Yanqing seemed to let out a sigh. “Yun Xi, sometimes I wonder if you have forgotten that I am also an Alpha.”
Yun Xi laughed inwardly, though his face remained fixed in a drunken stupor. He said as if unintentionally, “How could I? You are my boyfriend, my future husband.” He propped himself up and reached out toward Su Yanqing. “So, husband, can you carry me home?”
Yun Xi got his wish and was picked up. Su Yanqing looked refined and scholarly, but he carried him without any effort at all. He even gave him a little bounce to adjust his grip. Although Yun Xi was an Omega, he was 178 centimeters tall and occasionally worked out at the gym. When Cheng Zhang had carried him home drunk before, he had complained afterward that Yun Xi was heavy as lead.
Yun Xi was curious if there were many muscles hidden under that suit. It seemed a bit exciting. The parking space was some distance from the barbecue stall. The Alpha’s gait was steady, so Yun Xi did not feel any discomfort. Yun Xi rested his head on Su Yanqing’s shoulder, his nose catching a faint scent of fir. He lifted his eyes, looking at Su Yanqing’s scent gland which was mere inches away. His gaze flickered.
Su Yanqing walked toward the parking space while holding Yun Xi. The person in his arms felt light yet very soft, making him want to measure a few more inches with his hands to see if every part was that soft. Su Yanqing walked a few steps and then paused when he realized what the person in his arms was doing. Yun Xi was sniffing his scent gland.
Su Yanqing’s muscles tensed for a second before relaxing again. He was not sure if this crafty little cat thought he could not feel it or was doing it on purpose. It was likely on purpose, as the Omega had been seducing him since they first met. Su Yanqing’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he shifted the weight in his arms. “Behave yourself.”
The sudden sensation of weightlessness almost made Yun Xi cry out. Afraid of being dropped, he wrapped his arms tightly around Su Yanqing’s shoulders. He had wanted to lose his temper, but considering his current drunken persona, he could only hold it in. He asked softly, “What happened? You gave me a fright.”
Su Yanqing did not answer and continued walking steadily toward the car. Once there, he opened the back door first. Placing Yun Xi on the back seat, Su Yanqing paused as he saw a glimpse of the Omega’s slender waist revealed by his lying position. He took off his trench coat and draped it over Yun Xi.
The scent of fir immediately enveloped Yun Xi. For some reason, he felt his body begin to heat up. His last heat had not been that long ago. Was it because he had smelled too much of Su Yanqing’s pheromones? Yun Xi curled up his body and burrowed deeper into the coat.
Su Yanqing drove very steadily. Yun Xi had been pretending to sleep, but he eventually drifted off for real. After an unknown amount of time, Yun Xi was woken up. “Can you walk?” Su Yanqing asked.
Having slept, Yun Xi had no sense of time. He felt that this sleep had been exceptionally comfortable, better than sleeping at home. Even his bones felt soft. He propped himself up with his arms, feeling weak all over. He had been quite strong when he was faking, but now that he had actually slept, he found he had no strength. He looked innocently at Su Yanqing and said, “No strength.”
Su Yanqing was backlit, so Yun Xi could not see his expression clearly. He only heard the Alpha give a seemingly helpless laugh before reaching out a hand. Yun Xi crawled bit by bit into his arms from the seat. As his arms were filled once more, the corners of Su Yanqing’s lips lifted slightly in an unnoticeable smile. Just as he was about to close the car door, Yun Xi suddenly stopped him.
“The clothes. I have not taken them yet.”
Su Yanqing did not let go, simply leaning down to let him reach for the coat. After some effort, Yun Xi grabbed the trench coat and huddled back into it. “Let us go.”
Su Yanqing glanced at Yun Xi, who was completely covered by the coat, and raised an eyebrow slightly. He locked the car and walked toward the apartment building. In the early hours of the morning, the residents were all asleep. Yun Xi could only hear the rhythmic sound of Su Yanqing’s footsteps. The coat blocked his vision, and in the darkness, Yun Xi closed his eyes drowsily.
He had only closed them for a few dozen seconds when Su Yanqing suddenly stopped. Yun Xi felt Su Yanqing pull at the coat covering him. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, another voice rang out.
“So this is the Omega you were talking about?”
Yun Xi’s lightly swaying feet froze instantly. That voice belonged to Gu Xun. Is it this late and he actually followed Su Yanqing to his home?
In the next second, Su Yanqing asked the same question. “Ah Xun? Why are you here so late?”
Gu Xun stood outside the apartment building entrance with a cigarette between his fingers. Cigarette butts were scattered at his feet, suggesting he had been standing there for a long time. He took a drag of the cigarette. His gaze rested briefly on the person in Su Yanqing’s arms before moving away as if he had been burned.
“It is nothing. I wanted to come find you for a drink. I did not expect you to return so late.”
Su Yanqing smiled. “Why did you not call first? Tonight, I had some matters to attend to.”
Gu Xun also smiled, though his smile held a subtle bitterness. He looked away and said, “Since you are busy, I will not disturb you.” He threw the cigarette butt at his feet, crushed it, and walked away. As he brushed past Su Yanqing, he instinctively glanced again at the person nestled motionless in Su Yanqing’s arms.
Is it an illusion? That figure feels somewhat familiar. However, his thoughts were too disorganized to think deeply. The mere thought that this person was Su Yanqing’s future partner made his mind reel, and he could barely maintain his composure.
Gu Xun withdrew his gaze and strode away. In this moment of vulnerability, he strangely thought of that Omega, the Yun Xi he detested so much. When Yun Xi learned that he had someone else in his heart, did he also feel this same unbearable pain?
No. That flighty Omega had pursued him relentlessly after just one meeting and used all sorts of lowly tricks. How could he possibly understand this feeling? To think of that person at a time like this was simply bad luck. He looked up at the rows of apartment buildings and a strange thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Does Yun Xi also live in this complex? Gu Xun turned back, but Su Yanqing’s figure had already disappeared. He shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh and murmured softly.
“How could it be?”