“I’m getting married.”
Did Su Yanqing’s father want to meet him? Was this a way to see if the candidate was suitable before the “wedding to ward off bad luck”?
Before Yun Xi could reply, Su Yanqing added, “Forget it. Your current situation is special. Let’s wait until you have passed this heat cycle first.”
Yun Xi felt the heat radiating from the gland on the back of his neck and agreed that it was for the best.
“Is everything okay on your father’s end? Isn’t he in a great hurry?”
“It is fine. I will explain it to him,” Su Yanqing paused, his tone unreadable. “Besides, the ‘Master’ will not let him die until he sees us married.”
Yun Xi thought to himself, Judging by Su Yanqing’s tone, does it seem like there is some sort of inside story? He found himself looking forward to this more and more.
Yun Xi unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. After walking a few steps, a mischievous idea bubbled up in his mind. He turned around and saw Su Yanqing sitting in the driver’s seat with the corners of his lips curved slightly as he watched him. Yun Xi smiled back.
I should strike while the iron is hot and seduce him a bit more.
Yun Xi walked back to the car door, exhaled a puff of breath onto the window, and slowly drew a heart in the condensation. He blew a kiss to Su Yanqing before turning around and heading upstairs with a light step.
“Goodbye, fiancé.”
Hardly anyone could resist being moved by the sight of such a radiant beauty looking so spirited.
Su Yanqing stared at the slightly lopsided heart on the window. He gripped the steering wheel and lightly stroked it with his right thumb as if he were reminiscing about a specific sensation.
Ding.
A WeChat notification rang out. Su Yanqing snapped out of his thoughts and checked his phone.
Gu Xun: Yanqing, we have not gathered in a long time. Do you have time tonight?
Su Yanqing raised an eyebrow. The image of the Omega trembling and crying in his arms that night resurfaced in his mind. His eyes chilled slightly as he replied, “Good.”
The sun set and the moon rose. In the blink of an eye, the sky had turned dark.
Alone at home, Yun Xi boredly fiddled with the last two suppressants in the house. The two syringes looked identical on the outside, but the contents were slightly different in color. One was a bit darker while the other was lighter. It was likely because one had been sitting out too long, causing the discrepancy.
Yun Xi placed the suppressants on the coffee table, grabbed a nutrient solution from the fridge, and gulped it down to settle for dinner. He lay on the sofa and gently touched his still-swollen lips.
“So, this is what kissing feels like.”
It turned out that “kissing until your legs go weak” was not an exaggeration. And that was just a kiss. If they actually went further, he wondered what would happen.
Realizing what he was thinking, Yun Xi’s cheeks suddenly flushed. He felt like a bit of a pervert for thinking such things. He rolled over, scrolled through social media for a bit, and then reflexively opened WeChat to check Su Yanqing’s chat box.
He should be off work by now. Let us see if I can catch his attention.
Yun Xi: [Cat peeking image] Yun Xi: What is my fiancé doing? Yun Xi: Waiting for my heat all alone is so lonely and so desolate. I really wish I had an Alpha with a 98% compatibility rate to keep me company.
At the Bar
The phone on the table chimed three times in a row. Gu Xun, holding a wine glass, paused and asked, “Who is it?”
Su Yanqing picked up his phone. His lips curled into a faint smile, but he did not say a word.
Gu Xun clenched his fist under the table and forced a smile. “Is it that Omega of yours?”
Su Yanqing nodded and focused on replying to the message.
“Omegas are so clingy.” Gu Xun set down his glass and felt a sour taste in his mouth as he watched Su Yanqing.
The Alpha was clearly immersed in happiness. His face was full of indulgence even while typing. Gu Xun wondered what the Omega on the other end had said to make him so pleased. He turned his face away, unwilling to look any longer.
The phone was placed back on the table with a soft thud.
Su Yanqing picked up his glass and asked, “What about that Omega you mentioned before? Is he still pestering you?”
At the mention of Yun Xi, Gu Xun felt even more irritated. “Hmph. He has not dared to show his face in front of me lately. I just do not know what kind of underhanded scheme he is plotting behind my back.”
“Is that so?” Su Yanqing took a casual sip of his drink. “Could it be that he has finally moved on from you?”
“Impossible,” Gu Xun sneered. “He is head over heels for me. He even confessed his love to me the day before yesterday.”
The heart that had been beating warmly for the past few hours felt as though it had been doused with a bucket of ice water. It went cold instantly. This made Su Yanqing realize how ridiculous he looked for being thrown into disarray by that person’s sweet talk.
Su Yanqing lowered his eyes. After a long silence, he said, “Is that right?”
“Yes. He even said something like, ‘If you cannot love me, you can hate me.’ It is absolutely absurd,” Gu Xun scoffed. “If I had known he was that kind of person, I never would have—”
“Hmm?”
“No, it is nothing.” Gu Xun’s eyes flickered. “Forget it. It is rare for us to get together, so why mention someone like that? Yanqing, let me give you a heads-up. Make sure to vet them thoroughly before dating. Omegas are not all obedient little sheep. Some of them stick to you and you cannot shake them off. Sometimes I think finding an Alpha would be better because we would understand each other more. Or even a Beta would be fine.”
Gu Xun realized he had misspoken and awkwardly took a drink. “I am just speaking off the cuff. Do not misunderstand.”
“Is that how it is?”
Su Yanqing coldly observed the Alpha before him. As a friend of several years, a sudden suspicion arose in his mind. “Gu Xun, I forgot to tell you some good news.”
Gu Xun froze. “What good news?”
“I am getting married.”
As the words fell, Gu Xun visibly stiffened. His eyes were filled with confusion and shock. Su Yanqing watched him with cold eyes.
If you cannot love, is hate also fine?
In a flash of realization, Su Yanqing finally understood why Yun Xi had approached him. He approached him and deceived him. He even went as far as using his body to seduce him.
Yes, why him? It turned out this was the reason.
In that instant, dark and terrifying emotions surged in the eyes of the usually gentle Alpha. Unfortunately, Gu Xun was too absorbed in his own shock to notice. If he had seen it, he might have realized that the refined gentleman he had admired for so many years was merely a hollow mask. He was not qualified to glimpse the truth.
The singer on stage finished a song. As the music stopped, the murmurs of the guests became more distinct.
Gu Xun finally snapped out of it. He covered his tracks by draining his glass in one gulp. He even choked slightly because he drank too fast. However, his friend, who would usually hand him a napkin, acted as if he had not seen a thing. Su Yanqing simply continued to savor his wine.
Gu Xun clumsily pulled a tissue to wipe the corners of his mouth. He whispered, “So soon? Is it not a bit rushed?”
“When you meet the right person, it is not fast at all,” Su Yanqing said slowly. “Gu Xun, you have not congratulated me yet.”
Suppressing the bitterness in his heart, Gu Xun said, “Congratulations. Happy wedding. When is the ceremony?”
“It should be next month.”
“Next month? Next month I might—” Gu Xun tried to find an excuse, but Su Yanqing interrupted him.
“We have known each other for many years. You must be there for the wedding.”
Gu Xun had no choice but to swallow his words.
“Well, I am heading back if there is nothing else,” Su Yanqing said as he picked up his coat. “His heat is coming up, and I need to be by his side.”
Watching Su Yanqing’s departing back, Gu Xun’s suppressed emotions finally broke through. He covered his face and let out a long sigh through his palms. In the shadows, a figure silently watched this farce unfold.
Yun Xi shuddered and woke up abruptly from a dream. He sat up on the sofa dazed and looked around. The central air conditioning was on twenty-four hours a day, maintaining the most comfortable temperature. It was not cold.
Yun Xi stared blankly for a moment. He seemed to have just had a dream where he was being chased by a terrifying monster. He ran all the way to the top floor and took the elevator. Just as he was about to grab the ladder of a helicopter to escape, he was caught in a full embrace by the monster.
He thought the monster was going to eat him, but it did not. Instead, the monster locked him up. Through the cage, it stared at him every day with a cold, piercing gaze while feeding him well and keeping him healthy.
That is terrifying. Was it trying to fatten me up before the slaughter?
Yun Xi felt a chill. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, making his skin crawl.
Ding-dong.
As if impatient, the doorbell rang again. Yun Xi had not fully recovered from the nightmare. Hearing the bell made him feel uneasy. He checked the electronic doorbell first and found Su Yanqing standing outside carrying something in his hand.
He breathed a sigh of relief. They had chatted earlier, and Su Yanqing mentioned he would bring back late-night snacks. Yun Xi had fallen asleep while waiting.
Yun Xi slipped on his slippers and skipped excitedly to the door to open it. “Who is it? Oh, it turns out to be my dear fiancé!”
Yun Xi was all smiles as he first looked at the bag in Su Yanqing’s hand. “It is the soup dumplings from the south side of the city! I have not had them in so long. Their crab roe soup dumplings are the best. You have good taste.”
Nutrient solutions only maintained vital signs and were not filling at all. Yun Xi felt as if he had not eaten. Seeing the takeout box, he started salivating instantly. He reached for the bag, but Su Yanqing held it with a firm grip, showing no intention of letting go.
Confused, Yun Xi looked up at Su Yanqing.
Su Yanqing stared down at him, expressionless. Yun Xi instinctively flinched. For a split second, he felt the Alpha in front of him overlapped with the monster from his dream.
But in the next second, Su Yanqing slowly curved his lips and said, “Careful, it is hot.”
The Alpha gently loosened his grip. Yun Xi got the bag as he wished, but he did not immediately return to his room to enjoy the food. He hesitated for a moment and called out to the Alpha who was turning to head home.
“Su Yanqing, are you unhappy? Did something happen?”
Su Yanqing did not turn around, but his gentle voice drifted back. “It is nothing. I am just a little tired.”
Yun Xi returned to his room, puzzled, while holding his takeout. The soup dumplings tasted excellent, but Yun Xi found them flavorless. He kept replaying Su Yanqing’s gaze in his mind, feeling that something bad had happened.
Everything was fine during the chat earlier. What could it be?
Yun Xi suddenly slammed his chopsticks on the table in panic. “No way. Did he discover my scheme? That is not right either,” Yun Xi picked up his chopsticks again. “If he really saw through me, would he still bring me soup dumplings?”
It took over an hour just to drive back from that bun shop in the south, not counting the time it took to get there. If he truly saw through the scheme, would he spend so much time bringing a late-night snack to a liar?
It must be that work is not going well. Geniuses are always exhausted.
Yun Xi felt relieved and the soup dumplings tasted better again. After finishing, he took a photo of the clean takeout box and sent it to Su Yanqing.
Yun Xi: Thanks for the food, fiancé! Mission accomplished!
Su Yanqing replied after a while.
Su Yanqing: Good boy. Next time I feed you something, you must make sure to eat every bit of that, too.