On the principle of not letting good things go to waste, Qiu Nan drank nearly half the bottle of champagne himself.
Xie Yunnian had initially thought about reminding him that any unfinished wine could be sealed and stored at the restaurant, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He simply watched the captain knock back five or six glasses in a row, his expression shifting from a carefree smile to a flat-out roguish grin.
The scent of mango in the air grew heavier, mingling with the notes of the expensive champagne. The combination of crisp sweetness and sharp, biting alcohol left Xie Yunnian’s throat incredibly dry.
While he could still maintain his composure, he intervened to stop Qiu Nan from drinking any further. Waving off the waiter, he supported Qiu Nan by the shoulder and guided him out of the Wave-Calming Tower.
The moment the night breeze hit him, the alcohol rushed straight to Qiu Nan’s head. Where he had been subconsciously following Xie Yunnian’s lead a moment ago, he now went entirely limp against him, his eyes squeezed shut in total intoxication.
After a moment’s thought, Xie Yunnian turned back into the tower, supporting a stumbling Qiu Nan into the elevator and taking it to the third floor.
The third through the ninth floors were dedicated to the hotel.
Under the incredibly bizarre look from the front desk clerk, Xie Yunnian deposited Qiu Nan onto a lobby sofa, walked over to the counter, pulled out his wallet, and retrieved his ID. “I’d like to check in.”
Naturally, the receptionist recognized Mr. Xie; he was one of the shareholders of the Wave-Calming Tower.
Upon hearing the request to open a room, a practiced, professional smile broke across her face, her eyes suddenly flashing with a brilliant, intense gleam that nearly blinded Xie Yunnian.
He calmly slid his ID across the counter and held up two fingers. “Two rooms.”
The light in the receptionist’s eyes instantly died out. She began tapping away furiously at her keyboard, selecting the rooms for her boss with absolute solemnity.
Declining the bellhop’s assistance and ignoring the peculiar stares from the other people in the lobby, Xie Yunnian nonchalantly escorted the heavily mango-scented Qiu Nan into a suite and brought him straight to the edge of the king-sized bed.
Feeling that keeping his jacket on wouldn’t be very comfortable, Xie Yunnian stepped in front of him to help him undress.
Qiu Nan was already completely dead to the world. The moment Xie Yunnian undone just two buttons, the captain’s body toppled forward like a felled tree, crashing right into him.
Xie Yunnian was already having trouble concentrating due to the enticing scent radiating from the boy. Caught off guard by the sudden impact, he tumbled backward onto the mattress with Qiu Nan pinning him flat against the bed. The captain’s head slumped right beside his ear, his fine strands of hair tickling his skin.
Xie Yunnian nearly forgot how to breathe.
A drunk person was absolute dead weight. He gripped Qiu Nan’s body to roll him over flat onto the bed, and seeing him knit his brows in discomfort, he tucked a pillow beneath the back of his head.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Qiu Nan suddenly bellowed.
Xie Yunnian froze mid-adjustment, only to realize the captain’s eyes were still tightly shut.
Immediately after, Qiu Nan’s voice turned soft and doughy, sounding incredibly aggrieved: “Don’t touch me, I want to throw up.”
Xie Yunnian suddenly regretted letting him drink so much. He had forgotten that the captain had zero tolerance and rarely drank; this was bound to make him miserable.
“Should I fetch you a glass of water?” he asked.
Silence.
Kneeling with one knee on the edge of the bed, Xie Yunnian shook his shoulder gently. “Captain Qiu?”
An arm suddenly shot straight up from the bed, pointing rigidly toward the ceiling: “Get him!”
Xie Yunnian: “?”
“Surround him, don’t let him escape! Mi Zhu, you absolute idiot.”
“To the left! Fire, fire!”
“Pursue him, you dimwit! Follow me, charge, charge, charge—oh, holy crap, where’s my head? My head got bitten off! Go grab it back for me right now!”
A long pause followed.
Xie Yunnian hazarded a guess that Qiu Nan was dreaming about a field mission to hunt monsters.
An image of a headless man wielding a rifle while furiously chasing down a monster flashed through his mind, causing his own neck to feel a bit chilly.
He felt a sudden wave of profound respect.
Young Master Xie had truly never dealt with a situation like this before, and for a moment, he had absolutely no idea what to do.
After a while, Qiu Nan quieted down a bit, his breathing leveling out. Gazing at his flushed, sleeping face, Xie Yunnian decided it would still be best to strip him of the clothes that had been crumpled into a rag.
Yet the moment he leaned in close, his wrist was caught in a reckless, heavy grip by Qiu Nan. With a sudden tug of the captain’s strength, Xie Yunnian pitched forward onto the bed.
Twisting his body like an earthworm, Qiu Nan scooted closer to his side. “This bed is so soft, so comfortable.”
As he spoke, a silly, dopey smile played across his lips.
Looking at him, Xie Yunnian couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
Before his smile could even fade, Qiu Nan wrapped himself around him like an octopus, using both hands and feet to lock him in place. His face shifted instantly into a deep frown. “This body pillow is so hard, what a piece of junk and it costs this much!”
Trapped in the tight embrace, Xie Yunnian managed: “Captain Qiu?”
Qiu Nan’s frown deepened. “Shut up.”
Xie Yunnian tried testing the waters again, murmuring, “Qiu Nan?”
With his eyes still closed, Qiu Nan yelled, “Who is that? What is that? I fucking told you to shut! your! mouth!”
Xie Yunian fell silent.
They were entirely too close, and with no other distractions, his nose was flooded with nothing but the crisp, fresh floral scent of the hotel linens and the sweet, intoxicating fragrance of mangoes—the scent belonging solely to his Omega.
Xie Yunnian had no intention of taking advantage of a man when he was down, especially since today was Qiu Nan’s birthday.
Forcing down the raging desire in his chest, he tapped Qiu Nan’s cheek. “Captain Qiu, let go. I’ll go swap this out for a softer pillow.”
“Daddy wants this one! Fucking shut up.”
Seemingly losing his patience, Qiu Nan grabbed the hand on his cheek and pulled hard. With his arms and legs entirely occupied, he haphazardly used his mouth to seal off the source of the noise.
Xie Yunnian’s vision blurred as his lips were suddenly blocked by two soft, warm cushions. At the same time, an even richer surge of pheromones caused his throat to constrict violently, his heart hammering so hard it threatened to burst from his chest.
This wasn’t a kiss in any true sense; it was merely a tactic employed by a drunkard to forcefully silence his surroundings.
Consequently, once the noise ceased, Qiu Nan appeared thoroughly satisfied and prepared to pull away.
But the person he had silenced pressed right back into him.
Slightly cool lips pursued the fiery, alcohol-laced breath, dominantly invading the latter’s territory.
Xie Yunnian truly couldn’t hold back anymore.
The person before him was his Omega, who was radiating pheromones meant only for him, who had kissed him, who was calling out to him.
The increasingly potent scent of mango caused the back of his neck to burn up, his gland throbbing with a passionate, dull ache—a reaction that was incredibly rare for Xie Yunnian.
Unable to endure it a second longer, he rolled over and pinned Qiu Nan’s restless wrists above him. A powerful, dominant scent of green pine erupted into the surroundings.
With his rationality being rapidly devoured by hormones, his eyes darkened to a terrifying pitch. He slowly lowered his eyelids, entirely locking away the excessive madness in his gaze, yet he couldn’t restrain himself from gently nibbling at the other man’s soft lips, attempting to pry open the seam of his teeth.
A soft whimper escaped, and to his surprise, Xie Yunnian actually received an unconscious response from Qiu Nan.
This was undoubtedly a horn sounding the charge. Xie Yunnian’s movements began to grow rough and disorganized, the final shred of sanity in his mind crumbling to dust.
He broke away from the kiss, propping himself up to stare down at the flushed, desire-tinted face beneath him, only to dive right back down a moment later. His lips slid from the crook of the ear down to the back of the neck, his nose dipping greedily between the collar and the comforter to inhale deeply.
Biological instinct left Xie Yunnian’s entire body trembling. He shifted his nose, a look of pure intoxication washing over his face. Still unsatisfied, he abruptly flipped Qiu Nan’s body over, his gaze locking instantly onto the slightly reddened gland at the nape of his neck, where a tiny, faint swelling had formed.
The Omega is inviting his Alpha!
The realization generated in his hazy state caused Xie Yunnian to press his lips against the gland, grinding slowly against it. This invasive, territorial action caused Qiu Nan to subconsciously arch his neck, letting out a faint, delicate moan.
A fraction of Xie Yunnian’s sanity was jolted back into place.
He remembered. His Omega was allergic to his pheromones—severely allergic.
The arms supporting his weight on either side of Qiu Nan’s body began to tremble violently. As Xie Yunnian’s reason engaged in a brutal tug-of-war with his raw instincts, a mixture of cold and hot sweat poured down his face.
He was in sheer agony, wanting nothing more than to claim his Omega right then and there!
But his conscience told him that Qiu Nan currently had no desire to accept him, and his actions would only cause him harm once more—both physically and mentally.
Breathing raggedly, Xie Yunnian leaned his face against the back of Qiu Nan’s neck. He closed his eyes tightly, taking one deep breath after another of the pheromones he was madly obsessed with, but he stopped himself there.
His fingers dug deep into the comforter, the veins on the back of his hands bulging with strain.
After a long while, he pressed a heavy, lingering kiss onto Qiu Nan’s gland, then pulled away cleanly without a shred of hesitation.
He practically fled into the adjoining room and took a long, grueling shower. He didn’t stop until every single trace of the scent clinging to his skin had been completely scrubbed away. Only then did he lean against the wall like an empty shell, his bloodshot eyes staring blankly through the cascade of water falling from the square showerhead.