“From today onward, you’ll live here under the name of my fiancée.”
Hearing this, Bai Lin blinked his dazed eyes. He did not really understand what “fiancée” meant. Since Cen Yuyuan did not seem to have any ill intentions, he simply nodded and agreed.
An hour ago, Bai Lin had still been an NPC in a horror game. He had suddenly appeared in this completely different world, mistaken the well-dressed Cen Yuyuan standing on the rooftop for a game player, “frightened” him, and was then taken home by the man, who said he would arrange a place for him to stay.
The candy in his mouth had already melted down to a thin sliver. Bai Lin kept it on the tip of his tongue, savoring its sweetness before crunching it between his teeth until it disappeared completely.
Just then, Aunt Liu came downstairs and greeted Bai Lin with a kindly smile.
Bai Lin merely nodded, but he looked so obedient and well-behaved that, in Aunt Liu’s eyes, he was immediately a thoroughly good child. He did not even have to do anything to make her like him.
The oversized suit jacket covered the bloodstained school uniform underneath. A faint pine fragrance lingered around his nose, making Bai Lin feel at ease.
“Sir, the room has already been cleaned,” Aunt Liu respectfully told the distinguished-looking man.
Cen Yuyuan shifted his gaze away from his phone and nodded before leading the bewildered Bai Lin upstairs.
The change in scenery as they climbed the spiral staircase fascinated Bai Lin. His beautiful eyes, clear as glass beads, blinked repeatedly as he looked around curiously.
He walked slowly, and the person beside him did not rush him. Instead, Cen Yuyuan deliberately fell two steps behind. The crystal lights shone over Bai Lin’s smooth, glossy black hair, forming a tiny swirl at his crown. Cen Yuyuan stared at that spot, his dark eyes revealing nothing of his thoughts.
Outside the bedroom window, the branches swayed, sending a few green leaves drifting down. Bai Lin leaned against the edge of the bed, staring at the lush branches outside, seemingly lost in thought.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
Footsteps accompanied the knocking. Bai Lin turned his head toward the person entering.
Cen Yuyuan was dressed in a well-tailored suit, with some clothes draped over his arm. He politely reminded him, “There’s blood on your clothes. It might frighten other people. Change after you take a shower.”
The words “frighten people” immediately registered in Bai Lin’s mind. He understood what they meant. His previous job had been to frighten people. Anyone who approached him was supposed to be scared, including the man standing before him.
It seemed that in this world, he could not frighten people whenever he wanted.
He silently took the clothes from Cen Yuyuan and then looked up at him, using his gaze to urge him to leave.
But in Cen Yuyuan’s eyes, that look took on an entirely different meaning. Although Bai Lin’s eyes were pure and completely innocent, Cen Yuyuan somehow detected a hint of reluctance, as though the young man did not want him to leave.
The small reddish mole at the corner of Bai Lin’s eyelid appeared and disappeared whenever he blinked. Cen Yuyuan swallowed and forced himself to look away.
Seeing him distracted, Bai Lin rose onto his toes and waved his pale hand in front of him.
His slender fingertips were slightly flushed, carrying the unique sweet fragrance of his body. Cen Yuyuan’s sensitive alpha senses instinctively picked up the scent and reached a conclusion: Bai Lin was undoubtedly an omega.
Cen Yuyuan’s expression became difficult to read. He lowered his eyes.
“After you change, put your clothes in the laundry basket. Aunt Liu will wake you up tomorrow and call you downstairs for breakfast.”
“Remember, other people aren’t allowed to enter your room whenever they want. If someone knocks and you’re inside, knock twice and then open the door yourself.”
“If Aunt Liu doesn’t get a response, she’ll leave on her own.”
But I won’t, Cen Yuyuan thought. Now that this adorable little target had practically delivered himself to his doorstep, there was no reason for him to simply let him go.
A smile remained on his face as his broad palm landed on Bai Lin’s head and gently ruffled his hair. He asked warmly, “Do you understand?”
His gaze was deep and mesmerizing. Under his encouraging look, Bai Lin nodded.
“Good boy.”
The praise made Bai Lin’s pale ears turn bright red. He lifted his petal-like lips into a sweet smile, his eyes curving happily.
After washing up, Bai Lin walked out in slippers. The pajamas were slightly too large for him and fell to his thighs. His delicate collarbones showed at the neckline, while his pale skin glowed softly. His wet hair was still dripping, leaving faint marks on the silk pajamas.
The man in the room next door knocked again.
Following the method he had been taught, Bai Lin curled his fingers and knocked twice on the solid wooden door. After hearing two deep thuds, he opened it.
He had used too much force, leaving his knuckles slightly red. He pursed his lips and decided that next time he would knock more gently.
Cen Yuyuan stood outside the door wearing silver-gray silk pajamas that matched Bai Lin’s. Yet the same clothes looked completely different on him.
His broad build filled out the pajamas, and even the loose fabric could not hide his tall, well-proportioned figure.
He wore his familiar smile, while his gold-rimmed glasses softened the sharpness in his eyes.
“I suppose you’ve finished washing up.”
As he spoke, a drop of water slid from Bai Lin’s pale chin and fell onto his collarbone. Cen Yuyuan looked away with some difficulty, his voice slightly hoarse.
“Going to sleep without drying your hair isn’t a good habit.”
He stepped into the room again. A faint, clean fragrance from Bai Lin’s shower still lingered in the air.
Cen Yuyuan had him sit down and went to the bathroom for a clean towel. He placed it over Bai Lin’s head and gently dried away the excess moisture.
The person being taken care of tilted his head along with Cen Yuyuan’s movements, first to one side and then the other, apparently enjoying himself.
Through the mirror, Cen Yuyuan saw his smiling face and bright eyes. Naturally, he did not stop him and simply let him play around.
The moment the quiet hair dryer turned on, Bai Lin startled and instinctively shrank toward Cen Yuyuan’s broad chest, seeking protection.
They were suddenly very close. The warm fragrance around Bai Lin mingled with the faint scent of rose pheromones from Cen Yuyuan, making the alpha’s thoughts somewhat unsettled. His pheromones unconsciously spread through the room.
Bai Lin, standing within the scent, felt something strange at the back of his neck. It was itchy and slightly swollen.
He reached up, wondering whether something strange was trying to emerge from beneath his skin.
A warm touch came from his neck.
“What’s wrong here?”
The vibration of Cen Yuyuan’s voice traveled through his chest. Bai Lin instinctively moved away from him and made a series of confused sounds, pointing toward the back of his covered neck.
A tablet and a notepad sat on the table. Cen Yuyuan took his hand and turned on the tablet, which had no password.
“If you can write, write it down.”
Bai Lin searched through his memories of written language. As a mass of data and code, he could only reproduce the characters he currently remembered.
He gripped the stylus in his fist and wrote on the tablet. The crooked characters appeared before Cen Yuyuan’s eyes.
“ITCHY.”
The hand at the back of Bai Lin’s neck gently moved aside his damp hair.
“It’s nothing. Your hair was rubbing against your neck. Let’s finish drying it, and then you can go to sleep.”
Cen Yuyuan’s fingers passed gently through his hair as warm air brushed through the soft black strands. Gradually, Bai Lin began to relax. He narrowed his eyes comfortably, looking like a contented little cat.
The quiet room contained only the two of them. For a moment, Cen Yuyuan even wished that time could remain frozen like this forever.
Once Bai Lin’s black hair had become fluffy and dry, the hair dryer was finally switched off before it could make his hair stand up.
The little cat opened his eyes and tilted his head at Cen Yuyuan through the mirror.
“You like this?”
Bai Lin nodded and rubbed his head against Cen Yuyuan’s palm, wanting him to continue.
A soft laugh sounded in the room. Cen Yuyuan lifted the energetic young man from the chair. The sudden feeling of weightlessness made Bai Lin instinctively put his arms around Cen Yuyuan’s neck.
Their eyes met.
Cen Yuyuan carefully placed him on the bed. The soft mattress bounced slightly, but Bai Lin did not move.
Cen Yuyuan gently removed his arms from around his neck and placed them beneath the blanket.
“If you like it, I’ll dry your hair for you every day. Now it’s time to sleep.”
Bai Lin simply closed his eyes in that position, following the instruction like a little robot.
The sounds beside him did not disturb him, although his dark eyelashes trembled slightly.
The room lights were turned off. Bai Lin could only see darkness, but the footsteps continued.
Cen Yuyuan entered the bathroom and picked up the bloodstained school uniform from the laundry basket. He held it close and breathed in the familiar scent that belonged to Bai Lin.
After a while, he carried the clothes out of the bathroom and looked at the small mound beneath the blanket.
“Sleep, baby.”
He had intended to return to his own room, but his feet seemed to have a mind of their own. He walked straight to the bedside.
Hearing Bai Lin’s soft breathing, he could not resist reaching out to trace the familiar yet unfamiliar features of that face. Bai Lin was delicate and beautiful, almost like a finely crafted doll, exactly as Cen Yuyuan had dreamed of for so long.
He leaned close to Bai Lin’s neck, his warm breath brushing against the pale skin. He restrained the impulse to do anything more and simply remained there quietly, taking in the familiar scent.
If he were not afraid of frightening Bai Lin, he would have wanted to stay right there and hold him while they slept.
After a long while, reason finally prevailed.
In the quiet darkness, his deep voice sounded slightly strange.
“If you’re scared, you can come next door and find me.”
He quietly left the room, a barely noticeable smile playing at the corners of his lips. He pretended not to notice Bai Lin’s trembling eyelids, with the tiny red mole above them seeming to flutter with each movement.
Only after the door closed did Bai Lin open his eyes.
He thought about Cen Yuyuan’s behavior. The man had been kind to him, allowed him to stay, dried his hair for him, and even told him that he could come find him if he was frightened.
This world was nice too. He did not have to frighten people all the time, he could eat sweet candy, and he could live in a warm, spacious house.
However, he needed to learn the behavior and ways of thinking of this world and blend in as quickly as possible. He could not let anyone discover that he did not belong here.
Fortunately, he could not speak, so he would not accidentally reveal too much information to other people.
Perhaps tomorrow he should find Cen Yuyuan again and ask him to teach him some other everyday knowledge.
But would Cen Yuyuan discover something was wrong?
As he thought about it, sleepiness suddenly overwhelmed him.
Bai Lin closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
In the dark room, only a tiny red light on top of the wardrobe remained, blinking faintly.