94
Two days before New Year’s, Yang Shou messaged Qi Wei, asking him to come over.
He said it was a year-end gathering, but when Qi Wei received the message, he told Qi Zhao, “It’s probably about the black market.”
Qi Zhao paused slightly, putting down the proposal he was working on, and looked at Qi Wei.
Qi Wei leaned down and kissed his forehead. “It’s fine, I’m not participating in the frontline operations, just providing support… Want to come with me?”
Qi Zhao: “Can I… listen in?”
“If you want to,” Qi Wei smiled, “and didn’t I say I would take you to his house to pet his wolf? This is the perfect opportunity.”
It was indeed a good opportunity, but Qi Zhao remembered Qi Wei mentioning Ming Jingsong’s poor health. “Is it okay for you to go to his house?”
Qi Wei wrapped his arm around him and said softly, “It’s fine as long as we maintain a safe distance. And with Yang Shou there, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
So Qi Zhao put down the proposal, and after some quick preparations, they left.
Light snow was falling. Qi Zhao was wearing a turtleneck sweater, and Qi Wei wrapped a scarf around his neck. Although there was heating in the car, it wasn’t as effective as the heating at home, and Qi Zhao didn’t like it much, so Qi Wei kept it at a low setting.
As for Qi Wei… at Qi Zhao’s insistence, he was also wearing a turtleneck sweater.
To hide the bite marks and kiss marks on his neck.
As they approached their destination, Qi Zhao reminded Qi Wei, “Don’t move your head around too much, especially don’t tilt it like this.”
He demonstrated the action.
Qi Wei, looking at his serious expression, his heart itching, tightened his grip around Qi Zhao’s waist, pulling him closer, and leaned in.
So cute.
He couldn’t resist kissing him.
But Qi Zhao blocked him, frowning. “Qi Wei.”
Why was it that whenever he was talking about something serious, this person’s mind would wander?
“I heard you,” Qi Wei lowered his voice, “I understand.”
Qi Zhao was about to say something else when Qi Wei kissed him.
It was only because they had arrived, and after being cleared by security, the car finally stopped, that Qi Wei had to release him.
He gently wiped the moisture from Qi Zhao’s lips with his fingertip, then couldn’t help but kiss his eyes softly, murmuring, “I want to take you home.”
Qi Zhao: “…”
He shivered slightly, then pushed Qi Wei lightly. “Behave yourself.”
“Okay,” Qi Wei said obediently, “I won’t say it again.”
But they both knew that just because he didn’t say it didn’t mean he didn’t think it.
They got out of the car outside the gate. The path to the house hadn’t been cleared of snow, perhaps because the snowy scenery was beautiful.
Yang Shou opened the door and came out to greet them, a wolf following him.
The wolf was pure white, almost blending in with the snow, incredibly beautiful.
Qi Zhao’s eyes lit up, but the wolf, seeing Qi Wei, stopped abruptly, turning around and running back to Ming Jingsong, who was standing in the entrance hallway.
Ming Jingsong patted the wolf’s head, and it hid behind him, looking at Qi Wei warily.
“It’s that afraid of you?”
Qi Zhao asked Qi Wei, surprised.
Qi Wei held his hand, knowing that Qi Zhao was steady on his feet, but still supporting him, afraid he might slip. “Most animals are afraid of me.”
“He’s a super S-rank, after all,” Yang Shou led them inside. “Be careful, there’s a large rock buried under the snow here.”
He pointed out the area, and Qi Wei had Qi Zhao walk on the other side, clearing the path for him.
Qi Zhao felt a little helpless, and Qi Wei being so cautious was more embarrassing than the bite marks on his neck.
So Qi Zhao remained silent, tightening his grip on Qi Wei’s hand.
After they entered the house, Ming Jingsong moved further away. The heating was on full blast. Qi Zhao and Qi Wei took off their coats in the entrance hallway, Qi Zhao removing his scarf, which Qi Wei then hung up for him.
Yang Shou wasn’t in a hurry to discuss business, just continuing the previous topic. “It’s also because your condition is unstable. Animals are more sensitive than humans; they can sense danger, so they’re afraid of you.”
Yang Shou: “I heard from Meng Li that your condition has improved?”
Qi Wei replied, “I haven’t needed to change my medication as frequently.”
“That’s good.”
He glanced at Qi Zhao and then said to Ming Jingsong, “See? Having a family makes all the difference, a medical miracle.”
Ming Jingsong, his hand on the wolf’s head, which was now sitting beside him, glanced at him indifferently, saying nothing.
But Yang Shou, seeing his look, knew that his alpha was just giving him face in front of others and would settle the score with him later.
Yang Shou hissed softly, regretting his words.
He was just envious that Qi Wei could openly declare that he had a family, that was all.
Qi Zhao, unaware of their silent exchange, noticed that the wolf was acting strangely, its tail wagging, its legs trembling slightly. “What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s excitable, and it has a thing for good-looking people,” Ming Jingsong, his hair down, no longer in a suit, seemed less sharp and more approachable, his casual tone carrying a gentle warmth. “It likes you, wants to play with you, but it’s afraid of your alpha, especially since it can smell Qi Wei’s pheromones on you. It knows your relationship… It’s excited and scared, and a little sad.”
Qi Zhao was amused and looked at Qi Wei, his eyes smiling.
Qi Wei’s gaze was always on him, so their eyes met the moment he turned his head.
Qi Wei’s eyes flickered, and he said, “Then Yang Shou and I will go upstairs to discuss business. You and Song-ge can wait for me downstairs.”
Qi Zhao nodded, and Yang Shou hissed softly. “Both of you, calling Jingsong ‘brother’ and ‘teacher,’ but calling me ‘Yang Shou’? I’m older than Jingsong!”
Qi Wei squeezed Qi Zhao’s hand gently, clearly ignoring Yang Shou, and said to Qi Zhao, “I’ll be down soon. You can think about where we should go for dinner later.”
Qi Zhao nodded.
After Qi Wei and Yang Shou went upstairs, Ming Jingsong patted the wolf’s head, and it tentatively approached Qi Zhao.
Perhaps because it no longer sensed a strong oppressive aura, it quickly ran to Qi Zhao, circling around him excitedly.
Qi Zhao curiously touched its fur, the texture similar to Qi Wei’s hair, but not quite.
Qi Wei’s hair felt the best.
He looked up at Ming Jingsong. “I have Qi Wei’s pheromones on me. Doesn’t it affect you?”
Ming Jingsong sat down on the single-seater sofa and shook his head slightly, a subtle amusement in his tone. “Just a strong scent of territorial marking, what effect could it possibly have?”
Qi Zhao: “…”
Ming Jingsong glanced at him and smiled.
So easily embarrassed?
Then he would be easily bullied by alphas.
Ming Jingsong didn’t say anything more, and Qi Zhao changed the subject, chatting about network technology.
Ming Jingsong was an expert in this field, and he was happy to talk to Qi Zhao, patiently answering his questions without any condescension, even though his tone was slightly cold and aloof. Most people would find him impatient or difficult to get along with, but Qi Zhao, after talking to him for a while, felt that he was actually a good person.
Ming Jingsong looked at Qi Zhao with a newfound appreciation. “You’re very intelligent.”
He said thoughtfully, “They say being able to apply what you’ve learned is a sign of intelligence, but you can practically extrapolate tenfold… Are you interested in learning from me?”
He smiled faintly, his eyes still cold, making it difficult to tell if he was being sincere. “Call me Teacher, and I’ll teach you how to breach Country A’s firewall.”
His words were arrogant, but Qi Zhao knew he could do it.
After all, he had achieved such a feat at the age of fifteen.
But…
Qi Zhao said quietly, “That’s illegal.”
Why were all these alphas so lawless?
Ming Jingsong’s smile deepened, a hint of amusement finally appearing in his eyes. “Now I believe you’re not an alpha.”
He casually shared some knowledge not found in textbooks. “Every alpha, the higher their rank, the more terrifying their inherent madness.”
Qi Zhao paused, thinking of Qi Wei’s actions, and sighed inwardly.
Ming Jingsong was right.
And Ming Jingsong didn’t mention being his teacher again.
He truly thought Qi Zhao was talented, but he chose his students based on their level of “craziness.”
Qi Zhao wasn’t crazy enough, so he let it go.
And… he knew Qi Wei wouldn’t allow Qi Zhao to become his student.
After all, his students engaged in increasingly dangerous activities.
Such a waste of talent.
They chatted about other things, and to Qi Zhao’s surprise, Ming Jingsong was quite talkative. “Do you know how Yang Shou and Qi Wei met?”
Qi Zhao truly didn’t know.
He had thought about asking whenever he heard Qi Wei mention Yang Shou, but Qi Wei always brought it up during work discussions, and he would naturally forget afterward.
It wasn’t an important matter anyway; forgetting it wasn’t a big deal.
Ming Jingsong: “I heard from Yang Shou that it was through Pei Lechuan’s introduction. He met Qi Wei when he was twenty-five, and Qi Wei was only sixteen at the time, hadn’t differentiated yet.”
He said casually, “You don’t know about Yang Shou’s ability, do you? His awakened pheromone ability is quite special. He can tell whether someone will differentiate into an alpha, and even sense their potential rank. Although Qi Wei hadn’t differentiated yet at the time, he knew at a glance that Qi Wei would definitely become an alpha, and an S-rank at that.”
This was the first time Qi Zhao had heard of this, and he listened intently as Ming Jingsong continued, “Then they made a deal. It was purely a transactional relationship at first. Qi Wei had to stay in the country, not be recruited abroad, and Yang Shou and Pei Lechuan would help him establish his position in the Qi family… But this had to be done gradually; it wasn’t like in novels, where they could just barge into the Qi family and demand that they hand over the heir position to Qi Wei. That’s unrealistic. You know this is essentially a capitalist world.”
Yang Shou’s presidency was also due to the support of Qi Wei, Yan Shuang, and Pei Lechuan, who gave him the final push.
“Later, as they interacted more, Qi Wei helped Yang Shou, and Yang Shou helped Qi Wei in return… and they became friends.”
Ming Jingsong simply commented, “Birds of a feather.”
Qi Zhao wasn’t offended by this assessment of his lover, but rather, amused.
Was Yang Shou similar to Qi Wei in some ways? Otherwise, why would Ming Jingsong say that?
Seeing that he wasn’t displeased, but smiling, Ming Jingsong raised an eyebrow and called out to the wolf, “Baoqian, bring me my phone.”
The wolf named “Baoqian” trotted into the house to retrieve his phone.
Qi Zhao was a little surprised. “Why is it called Baoqian?” (bàoqiàn – sorry)
Ming Jingsong: “It looked very sorry when it was young.” (bàoqiàn – can also mean “ugly” or “unsightly”)
Ming Jingsong took the phone from Baoqian and gestured to Qi Zhao. “Want to exchange contact information?”
Qi Zhao, of course, had no objections.
But as they exchanged contact details, Qi Zhao noticed the ring on Ming Jingsong’s ring finger.
He paused slightly but didn’t ask.
Later, after Qi Wei and Yang Shou finished their discussion and came downstairs, Yang Shou said politely, “I won’t keep you for dinner.” Qi Wei scoffed. “Are there reporters here that you have to put on an act?”
Yang Shou retorted, “Can’t I act like a proper older brother in front of my didi-fu (younger brother’s husband)?”
Yang Shou waved his hand dismissively. “Go on, then.”
Qi Zhao noticed that he was also wearing a ring on his ring finger, clearly a matching pair with Ming Jingsong’s.
Rings.
…Did all alphas care about this?
Qi Zhao wasn’t thinking about why Yang Shou and Ming Jingsong weren’t publicly acknowledging their relationship or getting married; his mind was filled with—
If he were to give Qi Wei a ring, what kind of style would he like?
