Deng You reached out beneath the bar counter to touch the switch, and the lights above immediately began to shift and drift slowly. Dim, shifting circles of various colors swept across both of their cheeks. Remembering Xu Qingnan’s conditioned reflex, Deng You twitched his fingers and turned on a lamp situated slightly further away.
As the blinding white light struck from the side, blocked by Xu Qingnan’s high bridge of a nose, the other half of his face remained veiled in shadow. Colored by the dim, ambient party lights in different hues, it split neatly down the middle one side cold and sacred like a flower high upon a snowy peak, while the other side possessed a bewitching, mind-bending allure.
Interwoven in light and shadow, Deng You watched Xu Qingnan raise a hand and remain motionless.
Xu Qingnan’s fingers unhooked Deng You’s mask, and with a flick of his wrist, used the edge of the mask to hook Deng You’s chin. Applying the slightest pressure, he forced the entire face framed by the mask’s brim to turn toward the bright light source.
Allowing Xu Qingnan to inspect the flush across both cheeks and the watery sheen in his eyes with absolute clarity.
The man’s gaze looked down from above, his pitch-black pupils dotted with a casual, nonchalant emotion that landed on his face and abruptly kindled a surge of heat.
The rim of the mask brushed downward past his Adam’s apple, triggering an involuntary swallow from Deng You.
Ultimately, the mask was discarded onto the countertop, striking it with a muffled thud.
Abruptly cutting short the thrilling anticipation that something was about to happen.
Transitioning swiftly into an even more surging, intense craving.
It felt as though countless ants were crawling densely across his heart, leaving behind nothing more than a soul-deep itch.
Xu Qingnan’s expression remained cold and detached, entirely without fluctuation. Completely oblivious to the massive turbulence his casual gesture had inflicted upon Deng You, he attributed all the flush on Deng You’s face entirely to the alcohol, offering a flat evaluation: “Your alcohol tolerance is truly abysmal.”
“?” Deng You froze, pulling himself back from his dazed state. Noticing the physiological changes in his own body, he crossed his legs awkwardly and coughed twice by way of cover. “Are you kidding me? My alcohol tolerance is abysmal?”
Xu Qingnan lifted his eyelids to look at him. “Then why are you blushing?”
“…” Deng You was choked for words, only then realizing his cheeks were scorching hot.
?!
Clearly, he had been the one attempting to seduce the other man; how on earth did he end up being the one who got seduced instead?
And it’s happening again.
Damn it.
I refuse to believe this.
Reaching up to touch the inhibitor patch at the back of his neck to ensure no pheromones were leaking out like last time, Deng You pushed himself away from the stool and said to Xu Qingnan, “You promised, we still have dancing.”
Noncommittal, Xu Qingnan stepped out from behind the bar counter and walked side-by-side with Deng You toward the nearby dance floor.
The dance floor was massive, easily capable of accommodating upwards of a hundred people simultaneously, yet right now only the two of them stood within it. Determined to salvage his dignity, Deng You acted as though he had finally returned to his home turf. Planting his feet, he spun around: “Do you even know—”
His waist was abruptly gripped by a large, powerful hand.
Scorching body heat traced straight up along his waistline, driving directly toward his heart.
Deng You felt like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Sensations of tingling numbness surged from a spot that had never been touched before a move that felt like a direct provocation to someone like Deng You, who was accustomed to always maintaining the dominant role.
Reaching out immediately, Deng You grabbed the wrist of that hand, frowning. “What are you doing?”
Xu Qingnan caught Deng You’s hand in return, lifting it upward to rest it upon his own shoulder. His other hand wove between Deng You’s fingers with unyielding force, palms pressing flush together against one another. Different body temperatures collided and fused, carrying a heart-palpitating, ambiguous tension as Xu Qingnan parted his thin lips: “Isn’t this dancing?”
Devoid of any emotional fluctuation, he merely stated a fact, hitting Deng You like a bucket of ice water splashing across his face and snapping him instantly to attention.
When have I ever taken the female steps when dancing?!
Sensing that he had been provoked, Deng You attempted a counter-maneuver.
Xu Qingnan easily perceived Deng You’s struggle, a flicker of mild puzzlement flashing through his eyes. He had assumed Deng You knew how to dance; how could he not even know the proper posture?
Thinking along those lines while applying strength to his hand, Xu Qingnan effortlessly overpowered Deng You’s resistance, giving the side of Deng You’s waist a firm squeeze as a disciplinary measure for an unruly student.
A wave of tingles instantly bloomed across Deng You’s sensitive waistline.
“Ng—”
A muffled groan slipped past Deng You’s lips, nearly causing him to lose his footing and crash forward straight into Xu Qingnan’s chest. The hand pulled up onto the other man’s shoulder reflexively braced against the man’s pectorals, while his other hand remained firmly locked in the opponent’s palm. Fighting to break free only resulted in his grip being clamped down even tighter.
Naturally, Deng You heard the sound he had just produced.
Mortified to the extreme, the back of his ears flushed bright red as he raised his head to glare in furious resentment.
And plunged straight into Xu Qingnan’s hawkish, deep, and razor-sharp eyes, carrying an autocratic, tyrannical firmness as they guided his gaze down toward the hand braced against his chest, instructing didactically, “Wrong position.”
“Put it on the shoulder.”
As if spellbound, Deng You shifted his hand away, obediently placing it back onto the shoulder.
Matching the exact spot Xu Qingnan had guided him to just moments before.
This student possessed remarkable natural talent.
A faint, subtle curve tugged at the corner of Xu Qingnan’s lips, a glimmer of praise flashing imperceptibly in his eyes a very faint layer that tempted someone to look closer to confirm whether they had genuinely earned Xu Qingnan’s commendation.
The lights across the dance floor began to shift, and music swelled up.
Led by Xu Qingnan, who stepped backward in the lead, Deng You was compelled to take a step forward.
Recovering his wits, Deng You made a micro-imperceptible attempt at a counter-strike once more: “I don’t know how to dance this style.”
Yet his body emitted zero signals of rebellion.
That initial act of defiance had morphed instantly into a request for guidance, even carrying a touch of bashful embarrassment.
Xu Qingnan uttered an affirmative hum, having already figured this out a moment ago, stating flatly, “Follow my lead.”
Unpractised and clumsy, Deng You struggled to keep pace with Xu Qingnan’s rhythm. Ever since he learned to dance, he was traditionally the one instructing others, yet now he found himself being led through the female steps by a man.
Still, it didn’t feel half bad.
Come to think of it, Deng You thought to himself, the phrase “Follow my lead” was always my line.
Moreover, he delivered it with far greater gentleness, unlike Xu Qingnan, who sounded like an absolute block of ice.
A wave of dissatisfaction welled up in Deng You’s chest. “Xu Qingnan, teaching people to dance like this makes you sound way too cold. There’s zero date atmosphere whatsoever!”
Lowering his gaze to look down at him, Xu Qingnan asked, “What do you want instead?”
Convinced he had reclaimed his home turf, Deng You’s smile widened. The hand resting on Xu Qingnan’s shoulder grew restless, inching its way closer until it hovered near the back of Xu Qingnan’s neck, lightly brushing across the area around the inhibitor patch. Closing in tight against him, he whispered softly, “There’s another kind of dancing posture, do you know it?”
Xu Qingnan’s expression remained completely unchanged. After all, underneath his inhibitor patch sat absolutely nothing Betas possessed no pheromones, leaving the nape of his neck with clean, ordinary skin entirely devoid of any sensitive zones. Thus, he remained utterly indifferent to the back of his neck, assuming Deng You was simply fumbling around like an eager student seeking guidance, prompting him to ask simply, “Which kind?”
Surprised by Xu Qingnan’s ironclad self-control, Deng You’s desire for conquest burned even more fiercely, though his smile grew increasingly gentle. “Put both your hands on my shoulders.”
Raising an eyebrow, Xu Qingnan recognized which posture the student was inquiring about. Keeping one hand locked around Deng You’s waist, he used his free hand to guide Deng You’s palm up onto his own shoulder, and then released his grip.
Deng You’s eyes widened as a surge of foreboding washed over him. “That’s not how—”
The very next second, that freed hand clamped firmly around his opposite flank.
The distance between the two of them compressed even further.
Waves of thrilling, tingling pleasure doubled as they raced upward along his spine. Gritting his teeth to suppress the moan threatening to escape his throat once more, Deng You squeezed out through bated breath, “Weren’t you playing dumb?”
Even though their bodies were practically pressed flush against one another, Xu Qingnan looked down at him without a single trace of romantic agitation in his voice. “I didn’t say I wasn’t.”
Merely checking to see which style you intended to practice.
“…” His plan shattered yet again, Deng You felt a mixture of embarrassment and lingering frustration, yet his hands obediently rested upon Xu Qingnan’s shoulders, moving in step with the man’s strides.
Deciding to abandon the struggle, Deng You mastered the female steps with increasing fluidity, a defiant edge lingering in his voice as he teased, “Xu-teacher, did you pick this up while working part-time? Was that even a legitimate job?”
Accepting the title quite naturally, Xu Qingnan replied, “When I worked as a bartender, I watched others dance. Picked it up eventually, and ended up teaching a few classes down the line.”
As the music crested toward its climax, the two executed a synchronized transition back to their original posture, stepping in strict time with the beat. Extending their arms outward to create maximum distance, they remained connected solely by their right hands. With a slight push from Xu Qingnan’s right arm, Deng You spun gracefully right back into Xu Qingnan’s embrace, his back pressing against the man’s scorching chest as he turned his head to meet Xu Qingnan’s gaze dead-on.
That face drew closer and closer within his field of vision.
A heavy thud echoed in Deng You’s chest as he slowly squeezed his eyes shut.
The anticipated kiss grazing his lips never materialized.
Instead, the man’s cool voice, resembling a mountain spring, brushed past his ear: “Your pheromones are leaking out again. Smells like port wine.”
Deng You snapped his eyes open.
Xu Qingnan’s eyes were crystal clear, utterly devoid of any romantic fog.
As if they had genuinely done nothing more than dance a simple waltz.
Xu Qingnan had merely caught a whiff of the scent though faint, Betas were notoriously insensitive to pheromones, which was why he had lowered his head to check Deng You’s inhibitor patch at the nape of his neck to confirm.
Lifting his head to offer the reminder, he caught Deng You with his eyes squeezed shut. “What were you closing your eyes for just now?”
“…” Deng You felt as though his remaining strength had entirely deserted him. “I got dizzy.”
The song ended. Decisively releasing Deng You, Xu Qingnan stepped back a pace. “If motion sickness is one thing, getting dizzy just from spinning around do you suffer from vestibular disorders?”
Deng You offered a forced laugh. “Right, sure.”
Right my ass!
How on earth can a species like Xu Qingnan exist in this day and age—an absolute wooden block of an Alpha?!
Plunged into absolute despair and a tangled mess of frustration, Deng You reached up to readjust his inhibitor patch.
With noon having arrived, the wristband chimed to announce that everyone should proceed to their designated locations for a unified lunch gathering.
Mentioning food brought Deng You’s meticulously prepared breakfast rushing back to mind. While he hadn’t held absolute certainty that Xu Qingnan would pick his portion, the instant he recognized the person walking through the front door was indeed Xu Qingnan, he had hurriedly slapped on his mask, bounding down the stairs three steps at a time to reach the landing, his heart swelling with the ecstatic triumph of having his wish granted, eager to launch straight into his performance.
Deng You nudged Xu Qingnan’s shoulder. “Why did you pick my portion this morning?”
Perhaps even he hadn’t noticed that his tone carried the clinginess of a pure-hearted Omega asking, “When did you start falling in love with me?”
Xu Qingnan answered, “Because I wanted wontons.”
Clearly not the answer Deng You had anticipated.
Fine, let’s chalk it up to great minds thinking alike and a stroke of heaven-sent fate.
Deng You pressed on, “And how did it taste?”
“Not bad,” Xu Qingnan evaluated, before adding before Deng You could swell with pride, “Though a dish like shrimp paste wontons is practically impossible to mess up anyway.”
A flush crept up Deng You’s cheeks. When consulting the household nanny yesterday on what dish was foolproof, simple, and delicious, the nanny had said the exact same thing. “…I spent a long time working on the dough.”
“Didn’t say you did a bad job,” Xu Qingnan remarked. “Very smart.”
When Deng You practiced at home yesterday, his parents, nanny, and butler had showered him with compliments for ages, tossing out every flowery adjective in the book until Deng You grew thoroughly sick of it by the end.
Yet receiving Xu Qingnan’s praise exceptionally simple and starkly unadorned compared to the others somehow set a joyous flutter racing through his chest.
Likely because, given Xu Qingnan’s personality, any words spoken by him rarely carried emotional embellishment, serving more as an objective description of his genuine experience, making them feel piercingly authentic.
Or perhaps due to something else entirely.
A bright gleam lit up Deng You’s eyes as he pursued, “Then, did you like the location I picked and the activities I prepared?”
Xu Qingnan nodded. “Very smart, too. An option where anyone would have a great time no matter who showed up.”
“I didn’t think about it that way,” rebelling against the compliment yet again, Deng You frowned. “I only wanted you to come.”
“But you couldn’t guarantee that I’d be the one to show up.”
The previous answer had left him feeling quietly chuffed due to Xu Qingnan’s deadpan sincerity, but this follow-up response made him feel like the man was an incurable blockhead.
“I certainly took it into consideration,” tugging at the cuff of Xu Qingnan’s sleeve, Deng You explained, “No matter who walked through that door, I wouldn’t have turned off the lights, I wouldn’t have worn a mask, and I certainly wouldn’t have danced with them. For you to say that makes me really sad.”
“My point is,” facing Deng You’s accusations without a single ripple in his heart, Xu Qingnan stated flatly, “I enjoyed it very much.”
Bangs—
The balloon of frustration that had just inflated in Deng You’s chest was popped completely flat by that single sentence.
And scattered across the sky like fireworks.
Over at the seaside park, Cheng Yanzhi who had selected the yogurt bowl reached his final destination. Far in the distance, a figure could be seen seated on a bench by the entrance, clad in a white button-down shirt and wearing a fisherman’s hat, with a massive cluster of balloons tied to the backrest swaying gently in the ocean breeze against a backdrop of blue skies, white clouds, and sandy beaches, looking precisely like a painting.
Upon spotting Cheng Yanzhi, a flash of exceptionally complex emotions swept across the person’s eyes—a trace of disappointment, a measure of relief, which rapidly morphed into an expression of absolute resolve, before finally settling into his customary gentle smile as he stood up. “Yanzhi.”
“Turns out it was you,” Cheng Yanzhi hurried over. “This place is gorgeous!”
Reaching out to untie a balloon, Ye Yuyao handed it over. “Let’s go, I’ve arranged a boat ride.”
“Sounds great,” Cheng Yanzhi beamed. “So, Yuyao, were you unhappy to see it was me?”
“Of course not. Getting you was the absolute best outcome I could have hoped for,” Ye Yuyao spoke with such utter sincerity that even Cheng Yanzhi couldn’t distinguish truth from falsehood. “I just didn’t expect it would really be you. How’d you manage to pick my breakfast?”
“I’m used to eating cold meals in the morning, and yours was the only cold one among the three. The other two told me to pick first,” Cheng Yanzhi replied.
Smiling gently, Ye Yuyao adjusted his glasses. “Well then, I suppose I stumbled accidentally into fulfilling your wishes?”
Cheng Yanzhi nodded with exaggerated solemnity. “Indeed. Doesn’t that count as a meeting of minds between the two of us?”
Ye Yuyao chimed right in. “No wonder the production crew calls this segment the destined date.”
Gazing at them from afar, both dressed in white button-down shirts and exchanging easy smiles, one could easily mistake them for a match made in heaven in a moment of distraction.
“If we’re talking about destined dates, I wonder about the other two pairs,” Cheng Yanzhi dropped his voice into a gossipy murmur. “Yuyao, do you have any idea who made that stir-fried noodle dish?”
A jolt ran through Ye Yuyao, though his expression remained hidden beneath the brim of his hat, rendering it unreadable. “What? Did someone pick it?”
“Who else could it be?” Cheng Yanzhi looked off into the distance, completely oblivious to the subtle urgency bleeding into Ye Yuyao’s tone. “It was Xubai. He couldn’t even finish it—the portion size was way too massive.”
Ye Yuyao swayed slightly. He had half-expected to hear—
Whose name had he actually been expecting to hear?
“I did warn Huo Zheng when he was cooking, but he insisted that since they’re all guys, they eat a lot,” Ye Yuyao said smoothly. “Huo Zheng and Xubai… that’s quite an odd pairing.”
“Right? Who knows what kind of antics they’ll get up to together,” Cheng Yanzhi pivoted abruptly, completely bypassing any further mention of that particular name, and pointed toward the ocean surface not far away where several vessels of varying styles bobbed along the water. “We’re almost there.”
Ye Yuyao pressed his lips together. “Mn, the sandy beach is just ahead, we can kick off our shoes and walk across barefoot.”
In truth, there wasn’t much to guess. The remaining pair naturally consisted of Xu Qingnan and Deng You.
Splendid. Deng You got his wish.
Ye Yuyao lifted his eyes to gaze at Cheng Yanzhi walking two steps ahead of him.
Actually, I got my wish, too.