Chapter 62

Pei Yao was still giving his mild suggestions: “Look, it’s almost the New Year. Fighting and killing isn’t good at all. Let’s each take a step back—you apologize to my little friend here, and we’ll call it even. How about it?”

The two burly men exchanged uncertain glances before rushing over to help Tiger-Back up.

“Big bro, this guy’s a tough nut.”

“Big bro, should we call for backup?”

“Call!” Tiger-Back struggled to his feet, clutching his stomach in fury. “Damn it, he hits me and thinks he can just talk his way out?! Ptooey! Get Ada and the others over here!”

The crowd, who had retreated far back to watch the drama, scattered even further at the mention of reinforcements.

Luo Chen’s face had gone pale with fright. He grabbed Mu Chenxing’s arm and urged him anxiously, “Don’t argue with them anymore. Apologize—quick, apologize, and let’s go!”

“It’s fine,” Mu Chenxing replied, his face lighting up with excitement as he rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles, eager to jump in.

Luo Chen didn’t notice, too panicked to care. “They’re calling people, and you say it’s fine? Hurry and call that Pei guy back!”

Mu Chenxing: “If a fight breaks out, you just—I mean, stay right here!” He stopped twisting his wrist and instead dragged Luo Chen forward with him.

“Wait—don’t—”

Up ahead.

Pei Yao saw one of the guys open a Holo-Screen to call for help and sighed. “Looks like you’ve chosen to fight.”

“Kid,” Tiger-Back snarled with a vicious grin, “you don’t get to choose. You hit someone in District 67 and think you can just walk away? No such luck.”

Pei Yao looked puzzled. “Did I hit anyone? Wasn’t it you guys who tried to hit me but missed?”

Tiger-Back flew into a rage from embarrassment. “That was because I wasn’t prepared! With your scrawny Alpha build—no real muscle to speak of—you couldn’t beat us even in ten years.”

Pei Yao: “Then come hit me yourself. Don’t call for backup—too many people makes it a gang fight, which is way harder to deal with than just picking quarrels.”

Tiger-Back: “…Are you freaking mocking me?!”

The guy next to him closed his Holo-Screen, raising his voice. “Don’t get cocky, kid. You’ll be crying soon enough.”

The other one chimed in: “You won’t drink a toast—now you get the forfeit. If your Omega boyfriend had just apologized properly, you wouldn’t have to suffer.”

“Bro.” Mu Chenxing pulled Luo Chen closer to Pei Yao.

Pei Yao’s smile faded slightly as he turned to him. “What’s up?”

“That little Omega looks so juicy.” Before Mu Chenxing could respond, Tiger-Back’s gaze swept over. “You don’t even need to apologize anymore. Just let him—”

Pei Yao’s hand clamped around his throat, smiling sweetly. “Let him do what later?”

Luo Chen: “!”

Mu Chenxing shifted into a defensive stance, eyeing the remaining two. “Bro, my dad’s still here. We don’t know how many guys they’ve got. Let’s pull back for now.”

Pei Yao glanced at Luo Chen, whose face had drained of color as he stared at Pei Yao’s hand. After a moment’s hesitation, he smiled. “You’re right. No point holding grudges then.”

He let go.

Tiger-Back clutched his throat, coughing as he stumbled back. “You little—cough, cough—”

“But this guy’s mouth is too filthy. I don’t like it.”

Bang! Tiger-Back, who had just retreated a few steps, whipped his head to the side. A few yellowish-white particles flew through the air, trailed by faint threads of blood.

Tiger-Back covered his mouth, dumbfounded.

Gasps rose from the surrounding crowd.

The other two men froze in shock.

Pei Yao withdrew his hand, sounding almost regretful. “I’m with an elder today, so that’s all I can do.”

He opened his Holo-Screen. “Here, add me as a contact. Once you’re ready, hit me up—best if it’s these next few days. After New Year, I’m booked.”

Provocation!

Barefaced provocation!

Tiger-Back and his crew flushed red with anger.

But none dared take a single step forward.

Pei Yao opened his mouth to say more, but Mu Chenxing held him back.

“That’s enough, bro—you’re about to piss them off to death.” He grabbed Pei Yao with one hand and Luo Chen with the other, pulling them away. “Let’s go. No point wasting time on these losers.”

Pei Yao let himself be tugged backward, still looking eager. “What if some of the guys they’re calling are decent fighters—”

“Stop bullying them.” Mu Chenxing hurried him along. “Come on, move it. If a crowd shows up, the cops might come too.”

Pei Yao finally turned fully, taking Mu Chenxing’s hand in a firm grip. “What’s there to fear? I just want to test their physical condition—scout some talent for the Alliance.”

Mu Chenxing: “…How do you grow skin that thick?”

“How’s that thick-skinned? That’s just being upfront!”

Mu Chenxing rolled his eyes and changed the subject. “Where to next?”

Luo Chen, walking beside them, kept glancing back. Only when he saw the three Alphas weren’t following—and they were far enough away—did his tension ease a bit.

Then he heard Mu Chenxing’s question.

“Still shopping?” His voice still trembled. “Didn’t you hear them calling for people? What if their guys show up? Those types clearly have backing. If they track us down later, we’re screwed—head home, now!”

Mu Chenxing: “We haven’t bought everything yet—” He saw Luo Chen’s ashen face and swallowed the rest.

Sure enough, Luo Chen smacked him. “Buy what? We can shop somewhere else!”

Mu Chenxing nodded obediently. “Sure. These events happen every year anyway. We can come back next time.”

Luo Chen let out a breath of relief and said no more, tugging him along at a brisk pace.

The three left the bustling event grounds, circled half the district, picked up what they needed on the commercial street, and headed home.

Once inside, Luo Chen finally relaxed completely.

He eyed Pei Yao, who was shrugging off his coat and removing his hat and mask, and said pointedly, “When you’re out and about, harmony is key. Starting fights left and right isn’t becoming—we’re just ordinary folks. Acting like thugs doesn’t suit us, got it?”

Mu Chenxing noticed Luo Chen’s expression hadn’t improved and grew concerned. He quickly apologized. “It’s my fault for bumping into that guy. I’ll be more careful next time. Pei Yao was just helping me out—don’t blame him.”

Luo Chen glanced at Pei Yao again, swallowed his words, and frowned. “Fine, it’s over now.”

“Yeah, you got scared, huh? Your face still looks off. Want to nap?”

Luo Chen hesitated.

Mu Chenxing reassured him. “Relax, I’ve got coursework to grind through, and Pei Yao has work to handle. We won’t head out again this afternoon.”

Luo Chen finally nodded reluctantly and went to his room to rest.

Mu Chenxing helped him lie down, tucked him in, adjusted the temperature, then slipped out—closing the door softly behind him.

Pei Yao lounged on the sofa, legs stretched out, and asked when Mu Chenxing emerged, “He asleep?”

“Not yet, but close.” Mu Chenxing frowned, whispering, “His health is way too fragile. Going out was a bit much after all—I could tell he was exhausted, eyes barely open.”

Pei Yao: “He just got out of the hospital. Needs time to recover.”

Mu Chenxing felt a pang of regret. “Should’ve stayed in. Not only was it tiring, but it scared him too.”

Pei Yao soothed him. “You meant well—wanted him to unwind. Not your fault.”

Mu Chenxing shot him a glare. “I messed up, sure—but so did you!”

Pei Yao looked innocent. “Why? I didn’t make him sick.”

Mu Chenxing: “If you hadn’t gone so hard back there, he wouldn’t have been scared!”

Pei Yao: “Don’t slander me. Your dad was there—you too. To keep from alarming you, I stayed polite, smiling, and law-abiding the whole time. A model citizen.”

Mu Chenxing: “…You knocked the guy’s teeth out, and you’re calling that polite?”

Pei Yao grumbled. “If it were you, how would you handle it?”

Mu Chenxing: “Punch him a couple times and done. But you had to taunt them too, get them calling reinforcements—nearly scared my dad to death!”

Pei Yao asked earnestly, “What’s ‘taunting’ mean?”

Mu Chenxing: “…In games, it’s pulling monsters that won’t aggro on their own. Taunt skills draw them from afar—no damage, but it ramps up their hostility, yanks ’em over to attack you.”

Pei Yao didn’t quite get it. “Why not just go beat them? Why bother?”

Mu Chenxing rolled his eyes. “You never game? Sometimes mobs are too tough or clustered—you taunt to peel them off one by one, whittle ’em down.”

Pei Yao rubbed his chin. “Clustered mobs, huh…”

He opened his Holo-Screen.

Mu Chenxing glanced over, saw him pull up his contacts—probably Alliance business—and turned away, settling on the other end of the sofa to dive into his coursework.

He’d barely read a paragraph when a head dropped onto his shoulder—

“Why’re you reviewing seventh-grade stuff?” Pei Yao draped an arm over his shoulders and asked.

Mu Chenxing didn’t look up. “Reviewing the basics.”

Pei Yao didn’t get it. “What’s the point of reviewing seventh grade?”

Mu Chenxing: “Mind your own business.”

Pei Yao: “Fine.” He glanced at the closed bedroom door, then wrapped an arm around Mu Chenxing’s waist, leaning in to kiss his neck with a low chuckle. “How about we review the basics too?”

Mu Chenxing: “…”

Kissing was addictive—especially with Pei Yao.

Mu Chenxing twisted in his arms, hooked an arm around his neck, and dove in aggressively.

After a couple kisses, the familiar hardness pressed against him again.

Pinned against the sofa back, Mu Chenxing’s mind wandered: Can Pei Yao really hold out until my delayed Heat Period hits? Won’t he explode from blue balls?

More importantly, it’s so… big. Won’t that be rough on me down the line?

I’m a straight dude at heart—just bent here by accident. Being the receiving end as a big guy feels off…

If I keep teasing him and making him hold back, in a year or two, will he wear out?

Then it’d be my turn?

I’m an Omega—got the parts. Maybe I could make him feel good too, right?

—Hiss.

Talking past each other.

Whatever—same destination. Top or bottom, they’ll figure it out.

He yanked Pei Yao down by the neck. “Quit yapping. Dad’ll wake up soon.”

He sealed Pei Yao’s mouth.

Pei Yao: “…”

They kissed fiercely, tongues tangling, but Pei Yao’s hands stayed proper—one on Mu Chenxing’s nape, the other on his lower back—pressing close without wandering.

Mu Chenxing’s young body heated up fast from the intensity, unconsciously grinding against him.

Pei Yao’s breathing grew heavier—

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong!

Bang bang! Several thuds echoed from the door, accompanied by screams of pain.

Pei Yao’s amused voice followed: “Not bad—you found us quick… Guess District 67 really is your turf. I must’ve been blind not to recognize you big shots. My bad, my bad.”