“Gu Xun, I will be taking your ‘White Moonlight’ for myself.”
Feeling as though he were being crushed, Yun Xi struggled to sit up. The grey tabby cat leaped gracefully from the bed and sat primly on the floor, tilting its head at him.
“Meow.”
His groggy mind slowly cleared. As Yun Xi stared at the cat, it looked increasingly familiar. He wondered where he had seen it before. Just as he was searching his mental database of felines, the doorbell rang.
Yun Xi got up to answer it, and the tabby followed closely at his heels. Opening the door and seeing the man standing there, a spark of realization flashed through his mind. He finally remembered where he had seen the cat; it was the one in Su Yanqing’s profile picture.
Su Yanqing stood at the door with a worried expression, which softened into relief when he saw the cat at Yun Xi’s feet.
“I am sorry to disturb you so early. This is my cat; he jumped from the balcony into your place just now. I hope he did not cause you any trouble,” he asked apologetically.
Yun Xi looked down at the cat, which was currently circling and rubbing against his shins. “No trouble. But if you are going to keep a cat, you should be more careful. We are on a high floor.”
“I just brought him home yesterday and had not had time to secure the windows. He slipped away the moment I looked away,” Su Yanqing explained helplessly. “Thankfully, he is safe.”
Yun Xi crouched down and scratched the tabby’s chin. “What is his name?”
“Candy. He is a male.”
Yun Xi unceremoniously lifted Candy’s tail and said, “He is a neutered male.”
Su Yanqing laughed. “He seems to like you very much. He is usually quite cold toward me, his owner. It is almost enough to make me jealous.”
“I have a natural affinity for animals.” Yun Xi picked up Candy and smoothed his fur. “By the way, have you considered what we discussed yesterday?”
Su Yanqing hesitated for a few seconds. “To be honest, that arrangement would be a great help to me, but would it affect you too much? I do not mean anything by this, but many Omegas place a lot of importance on their reputation in this regard.”
Yun Xi stared at the gentle Alpha for a moment, noting the man’s soft, deep grey eyes. He looked away and said, “I do not care.”
To him, marriage was merely a contract where both parties gained what they needed; feelings were irrelevant. He thought of his two fathers; no matter how harmonious they appeared in front of him, it did not stop them from having their own lovers. Yun Xi had understood this truth ever since he stumbled upon his father at a secret tryst as a teenager.
Candy began to purr loudly under the stroking, but when the petting suddenly stopped, the cat grew dissatisfied and nipped Yun Xi’s hand gently.
“Candy!” Su Yanqing called out. The tabby sheepishly let go, jumped to the floor, and swaggered back into Su Yanqing’s apartment.
Su Yanqing pulled a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and wrapped it around Yun Xi’s bitten hand. “Are you alright?” he asked with concern.
Through the fabric, Yun Xi could feel the warmth of the man’s touch. He withdrew his hand and said, “I am fine. He did not bite hard; he was just acting spoiled.”
Seemingly realizing his gesture had crossed a boundary, Su Yanqing stepped back. “Regarding what you proposed, I think we could both give it a little more thought.”
Hearing this tone, Yun Xi felt the plan was likely to fall through. Disappointed, he lowered his eyes.
Su Yanqing paused, then added, “If you do not mind, we could start by pretending to date.”
Yun Xi froze and looked up. Su Yanqing remained composed, looking down at him slightly. “However, I have one request that I hope you will agree to.”
“What request?” Yun Xi asked, surprised.
Su Yanqing pursed his lips. “During the period we are dating, I hope you will properly handle any other intimate relationships.”
Yun Xi blinked. He wondered if Su Yanqing was still questioning his character. For a moment, he wanted to explain that he had never even been kissed, but he felt it was unnecessary. They were not actually dating, after all.
“No problem,” Yun Xi said. “I promise.”
Su Yanqing smiled slightly, a different kind of emotion seemingly hidden in his deep grey eyes. “I look forward to our cooperation.”
“I do not get it. What exactly are you trying to achieve?”
In the backstage of a live house, Cheng Zhang had just finished a performance. His forehead was covered in sweat as he listened to Yun Xi’s story and voiced his confusion.
“What is the point of going to all this trouble to find someone to play your boyfriend?” Cheng Zhang frowned. “You found an Alpha, right? Do you know how dangerous Alphas are? One mistake and he could mark you.”
“Then let him mark me. Do you not always nag me about how bad suppressants are? This solves that problem perfectly.” Yun Xi sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, looking completely unbothered.
Cheng Zhang felt as though he were worrying himself to death.
Yun Xi chewed on a straw, sipping a can of cola. “In my entire life, no Alpha has ever humiliated me the way Gu Xun did.”
Not only that, but in the book, Gu Xun had committed countless atrocities against him. Yun Xi narrowed his eyes and let out a soft, wicked chuckle. “I am going to make him pay.”
Cheng Zhang was puzzled. “Gu Xun does not like you. What good does it do to have a fake boyfriend? Do you expect him to suddenly wake up and chase you?”
Yun Xi glanced at him and smirked. “He does not have to like me. It is enough if he likes my boyfriend.”
“What?” Cheng Zhang’s eyes widened as he processed the implication. “Are you saying the person Gu Xun likes is Su Yanqing?”
“Exactly.” Yun Xi finished his cola in one gulp and tossed the can accurately into the trash. He curled his lips into a confident smile. “Gu Xun, I will be taking your ‘White Moonlight’ for myself.”
Cheng Zhang looked at him and felt a chill. He could not help but feel a shred of pity for Gu Xun. Yun Xi had become much gentler in the last couple of years, but he had once been a notorious little bully. Back when they were in the band together, Yun Xi had teased everyone. Cheng Zhang often suspected the other two members quit because they were terrified of him.
Over the past month, Yun Xi had acted spoiled and obedient to pursue Gu Xun, even dyeing his colorful hair black. Cheng Zhang had thought the unique Omega had finally succumbed to romance, but it seemed Yun Xi was still the same person. Gu Xun had offended Yun Xi so deeply that his fate was likely to be grim. As for the Alpha Gu Xun liked, was meeting Yun Xi a stroke of luck or a curse?
Whether it was luck or a curse, Su Yanqing had agreed to the cooperation and could not back out. After leaving the live house, Yun Xi drove toward Guanghua University.
Guanghua was one of the top universities in the country. Su Yanqing had returned to the country after finishing his doctorate and currently taught there, making him a truly talented young man.
Following his navigation, Yun Xi parked outside the school gates. Just as he was about to get out, he saw two familiar figures walking out of the entrance: Su Yanqing and Gu Xun. The two were talking. After a while, Su Yanqing headed back into the school while Gu Xun remained, staring at Su Yanqing’s retreating figure for a long time.
Yun Xi laughed internally at the sight. Gu Xun, who was always cold and irritable toward him, actually possessed such a devoted and restrained side. It made Yun Xi even more eager to see Gu Xun’s expression once he learned that Su Yanqing was dating him. Would he be even more furious than the day he attacked Yun Xi with his pheromones?
Yun Xi stroked his chin, a sudden impulse striking him. He wanted to make Su Yanqing truly fall in love with him, cutting off any possibility of Gu Xun ever being with him.
He sat in the car for a long time until Gu Xun finally left. Following the information Su Yanqing had provided, Yun Xi found his office. Su Yanqing was alone, buried in his work. Yun Xi stood at the door for a moment before knocking softly.
Su Yanqing looked up, appearing startled. “Yun Xi? Why are you here?”
Yun Xi smiled. “I am here to pick you up from work. Is that not what a boyfriend is supposed to do?”
Su Yanqing’s eyes flickered. He stood up and walked over, looking down at Yun Xi. “You do not need to trouble yourself so much.”
“I am quite free and have nothing better to do.” Yun Xi peered into the office. “Are you busy? Am I disturbing you?”
“No, I have finished my work. I was just reading.”
“Then when do you plan to get off work?” Yun Xi blinked.
Su Yanqing looked at Yun Xi and gave a gentle smile. “Right now.”
Once Su Yanqing finished packing, they took the elevator down. They ran into a colleague of Su Yanqing’s, to whom Su Yanqing nodded in greeting.
“Professor Su, who is this?” The colleague noticed how close they were standing and sensed something romantic.
Yun Xi reached out and took Su Yanqing’s arm, giving the colleague a radiant smile. “Hello, I am his boyfriend.”
“Hello! Professor Su is young and successful; it makes sense that his partner is equally outstanding. I have never seen such a beautiful Omega,” the colleague said. “But Professor Su is very popular at our school, so you had better keep a close eye on him.”
Yun Xi leaned in even closer. He could feel Su Yanqing’s body stiffen, which only made his smile brighter. “We have a great relationship. I am not afraid.”
The colleague reached their floor and left, leaving the elevator in silence. After a long moment, Su Yanqing spoke in a strained voice. “Could you let go of my arm now?”
“Oh, I am sorry.” Yun Xi released him, smiling mischievously. “I got a bit too into character. I hope you do not mind. But since we are pretending to be a couple, there will definitely be physical contact. You should get used to it sooner rather than later.”
Su Yanqing stared at the floor numbers in the elevator, seemingly having an internal struggle. When the doors finally opened, he whispered, “I will try my best.”
He stepped out first. Yun Xi followed behind, watching the Alpha’s flustered retreat with great interest.
“Boyfriend, why are you walking so fast?” Yun Xi chased after him with light steps. “Shall we have dinner together?”