“I understand,” Yan Chi said. His dark eyelashes trembled as he gazed at the pale Lu Yubai, a faint, raw ache flickering in his somber eyes. He reached out to brush the bangs away from Lu Yubai’s forehead, his lingering gaze fixed on the other man’s face, unwilling to look away for even a second.
He picked Lu Yubai up and left the hospital. On the way back, he continuously released his soothing cedar-scented pheromones to comfort the unconscious Lu Yubai, thinking this would make him feel much better.
Halfway home, Lu Yubai woke up. His consciousness was entirely blurred, and the cedar scent permeating the air made him yearn for more. He followed the scent with his eyes. As the car passed through a tunnel, the lights from outside spilled through the window, casting alternating light and shadow across his exquisite face.
The familiar cedar scent in the car belonged to Yan Chi. And Yan Chi belonged to him.
“Yan Chi,” he called out, his voice laced with a trace of desire.
“You are awake?” Yan Chi slowed down the car and asked with concern.
“Chi Chi,” Lu Yubai called again, his voice even softer and more melting than before.
“I am here.”
The scent of red wine in the air was rich, invading every corner of the car. Yan Chi knew that Lu Yubai needed him. Sure enough, Lu Yubai began to shift restlessly, trying to get closer to Yan Chi.
Detecting this from the corner of his eye, Yan Chi spoke gently, “Be good; we will be home soon.”
But Lu Yubai was not being good. “Chi Chi, I feel uncomfortable.”
He reached out and touched Yan Chi’s knee, rubbing it gently. The friction made his knee feel hot, and the tingling sensation sent a shiver through Yan Chi’s entire body. He was startled by the action.
Yan Chi pressed down on Lu Yubai’s hand, tightly clasping his palm. The veins on the back of Yan Chi’s hand bulged, his Adam’s apple bobbed twice, and his voice turned hoarse. “Do not move. We will be home in ten minutes.”
Lu Yubai stopped moving. Yan Chi thought he had listened and would behave, so he withdrew his hand to focus on driving. But Lu Yubai, having been rejected, looked like a child who had suffered a great grievance.
“Is here not allowed?” he pouted, moving his hand up a few inches. “Then how about a little higher?”
Yan Chi: !!
“Do not move! I am driving!” Yan Chi swallowed hard. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, his fingertips turning stiff and white.
“Why did you not come back to stay with me tonight?” Lu Yubai asked, his voice full of reproach. “Does Chi Chi want me to be a widower? Chi Chi”
Lu Yubai’s eyes were fixed intently on Yan Chi’s thigh, and his hand moved even further up. “It is so soft here.”
Yan Chi:
“Stop moving! Five minutes!” Yan Chi increased the car’s speed.
“Can I go higher?”
“Three minutes!”
Three minutes and five seconds later, Yan Chi arrived at the villa entrance. He was breathing heavily. After parking the car, he grabbed Lu Yubai’s mischievous hand and stared at him with a frown. His usually self-restrained eyes were filled with desire, as if a fire had been lit in his pupils.
Seeing Yan Chi’s cold face, Lu Yubai puffed out his cheeks in grievance. “Chi Chi is so mean.”
Yan Chi:
He looked down. Uh, it had reacted. How annoying; what a headache.
“I am sorry,” Yan Chi whispered. After unfastening his seatbelt, he got out of the car to carry Lu Yubai from the passenger seat.
When the car door opened, the cedar scent on Yan Chi became even more intense. Lu Yubai made no effort to hide his longing. He opened his arms toward Yan Chi, his voice raspy. “Chi Chi, hold me.”
Yan Chi leaned over and picked him up. Lu Yubai acted like a puppy, clinging to Yan Chi’s neck and constantly sniffing the cedar scent. The Enigma pheromones were potent, yet it felt as though he could never get enough.
His hands, resting on either side of Yan Chi’s neck, began to slide backward. Just as he was about to touch the gland, Yan Chi caught his mischievous hand.
“You cannot touch that recklessly,” Yan Chi said.
“Why?” Lu Yubai was a little unhappy.
“If you touch it, you have to take responsibility,” Yan Chi said, his eyes filled with seriousness.
“I will take responsibility,” Lu Yubai replied sincerely.
Yan Chi’s face turned cold for a fleeting moment. He smiled and patted Lu Yubai’s head. “Be good. I can give you anything else.”
He knew Lu Yubai would not take responsibility.
Lu Yubai fell silent for a moment and buried his head in the crook of Yan Chi’s neck. Inhaling the wonderful cedar scent, he could not help but lean in and lick Yan Chi’s neck. Feeling unsatisfied, he tightened his grip around Yan Chi’s neck and bit down hard on his gland.
He only let go once his tongue tasted blood. He straightened up proudly and announced solemnly, “Chi Chi, I have marked you. You are mine now!”
Yan Chi:
As if coaxing a child, he said gently, “Okay, I am yours.”
Satisfied, Lu Yubai buried his head back into Yan Chi’s neck, leaving warm kisses along his skin. He kissed open the shirt button at Yan Chi’s collarbone, leaving a row of pink marks on the fair skin.
Yan Chi could vaguely hear his soft, shallow breaths. His ears burned, and the unquenchable desire in his eyes was becoming difficult to control. He carried Lu Yubai upstairs. As they passed the bathroom, Yan Chi asked, “Do you want to take a shower?”
“Will we wash together?” Lu Yubai tilted Yan Chi’s chin up, his hand caressing the side of his face. His soft lips kissed the other side of Yan Chi’s neck.
The tingling sensation made Yan Chi’s whole body shudder, and he let out a heavy breath.
Yan Chi:
He quickened his pace, carried Lu Yubai back to the room, and carefully placed him on the bed. He began frantically rummaging through the drawers and wardrobes for clothes. Because of Lu Yubai’s heat, the clothes in the wardrobe had been scattered everywhere. Many of his garments were on the floor or simply missing.
He steeled himself, thinking he just needed to find a pair of pants. But after searching the wardrobe and the floor thoroughly, he still could not find any. He was in disbelief, even wondering if a thief had broken in.
Lu Yubai seemed to see through his thoughts and looked at Yan Chi mysteriously. “Chi Chi, I know where they are.”
He beckoned Yan Chi to lean in. Yan Chi approached him with an inquisitive look. Lu Yubai hooked his legs around Yan Chi’s, locking him tightly in front of him.
Yan Chi: I knew it.
“Stop playing around. I will come stay with you after I shower.” He reached out and affectionately patted Lu Yubai’s head.
But Lu Yubai still would not let go, beckoning him again to lower his body. Yan Chi obediently leaned down.
“The things are right”
Lu Yubai’s hand dove under the pillow and grabbed blindly. He pulled out two items at once, one black and one white. He hooked his finger through the underwear and gave them a little shake. “Chi Chi, were you looking for these?”
Yan Chi:
He rested his forehead in his hand, his face darkening. He snatched the items from Lu Yubai’s hand and sighed with a slight headache. But looking at Lu Yubai’s proud face as he sought praise, Yan Chi could not bring himself to scold him. This was a mess of his own making.
Ultimately, he leaned down, brushed the stray hairs from Lu Yubai’s forehead, and said gently, “I am going to shower. I will be back soon.”
“No!” Lu Yubai said sharply.
He looked up at Yan Chi, a wicked smile curling the corners of his lips that would make anyone’s skin crawl. “Chi Chi, I want to eat a lollipop.”