Chapter 52: Taking Responsibility Part 2

His movements froze, body stiffening.

Shen Zhixiao’s hot breath grazed his side-neck, sparking dense tingles that made Qiu Sui’s shoulder twitch.

But the Alpha didn’t pull away. His hand tentatively slid from Qiu Sui’s waist, encircling him just like at the basketball gym that day.

Qiu Sui’s heart plummeted, body softening with a faint swell. He gripped the spatula tight, frozen.

Steam rolled from the bubbling noodles behind them, but the two stayed silent, locked in the embrace, silent undercurrents of ambiguity swirling.

Only when the bubbling quieted did Qiu Sui snap back, shrugging awkwardly with unsteady voice: “It’s… done. Go sit on the sofa.”

Shen Zhixiao mm-ed lowly, his raspy voice tickling Qiu Sui’s ear.

But instead of leaving, he took the bowl and served the noodles.

Seeing him scoop another serving, Qiu Sui waved it off: “I’ve eaten. Not hungry—this is all for you.”

The Alpha’s brows lit with joy as he dumped the whole pot into a large bowl and carried it to the island counter.

Qiu Sui coughed uncertainly, trailing: “My cooking’s average. Might not taste great…”

Shen Zhixiao twirled a chopstickful, blew to cool, and devoured it. After two bites, he said earnestly, “Tastes good.”

Meals with Shen Zhixiao were always slow and composed—this was the first time Qiu Sui saw him eat so ravenously.

He must be starving.

Watching the Alpha’s dry lips gloss with broth, Qiu Sui swallowed unconsciously and looked away hastily.

After eating, the Alpha perked up—maybe the Pheromone Disorder eased too—but his temperature stayed feverish.

Qiu Sui stayed all afternoon. For dinner, they shared takeout.

He observed Shen Zhixiao’s condition—it had improved considerably since he’d first arrived. Glancing at the time, he prepared to head back to school.

But as he rose from the sofa, the Alpha beside him keenly tugged at his shirt hem and asked in a low voice where he was going.

Qiu Sui met those clingy eyes, his heartbeat falling into disarray. He pressed his lips together slightly and said, “It’s getting late. I’ll head back to school now and come find you tomorrow…”

Shen Zhixiao’s expression fell instantly. He gripped Qiu Sui’s shirt corner tightly without a word.

The sick Shen Zhixiao seemed far more emotionally unguarded than usual, stripped of his typical gentle restraint. It made him feel… more real to Qiu Sui.

Qiu Sui hesitated, his lashes fluttering as he searched for comforting words. But Shen Zhixiao spoke first, his voice low as he pleaded, “It’s too much trouble going back and forth. Can you stay?”

Qiu Sui’s heart clenched. He locked eyes with Shen Zhixiao’s deep black gaze and, without much hesitation, softly agreed along with him.

Only after agreeing did he realize he hadn’t brought any toiletries or change of clothes.

Fortunately, Shen Zhixiao had some clothes a size smaller and new underwear at home.

Everything else fit perfectly, but the underwear was a bit loose, giving Qiu Sui a strange hollow feeling.

Qiu Sui assumed he’d sleep in the guest room, but Shen Zhixiao insisted he take the master bedroom. Qiu Sui’s mind heated at the thought. “The guest room is fine for me.”

Shen Zhixiao looked at him and said slowly, “There is no guest room.”

“?”

Qiu Sui blinked, thinking he’d misheard. But Shen Zhixiao only added, “You sleep in the room. I’ll take the sofa.”

Qiu Sui was stunned and rejected it without hesitation. “No, I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

Shen Zhixiao wouldn’t agree, though. He lowered his gaze stubbornly and rasped, “I’m not letting you sleep on the sofa, Qiu Sui.”

They stared at each other—one tall, one short—for several seconds. Qiu Sui gazed at Shen Zhixiao’s fever-flushed face and belatedly sensed something off. He reacted with realization. “Why can’t we both sleep in the master bedroom?”

It wasn’t like they hadn’t shared a bed before. They’d done it at the hotel last time too, right?

The Alpha’s eyelids twitched at that, his lips quirking faintly. In a low voice, he said okay.

“…”

Qiu Sui belatedly realized as he listened to the breathing beside him that Shen Zhixiao’s initial decision had been right. His thoughts weren’t so pure anymore. Lying in the same bed with Shen Zhixiao, hearing the man’s heavy breaths, he couldn’t stop his mind from wandering.

He pursed his lips in annoyance, forcing his brain to blank out as he steadied his breathing to fall asleep. But Shen Zhixiao’s illness made his breaths heavier, and Qiu Sui found himself unconsciously syncing to the rhythm.

After an unknown stretch of time, sleep still evaded Qiu Sui. He itched to sneak a peek but held back. The next second, the rustle of sheets came from beside him, making him freeze rigidly in place.

He thought Shen Zhixiao was just turning over, but the sound drew closer—along with the man’s scorching breath.

Qiu Sui’s heart suddenly raced. His fists clenched under the covers as that aura rushed toward his face.

What is he doing? Tucking me in?

Qiu Sui inevitably recalled their hotel stay. He forced his breathing steady, feigning sleep until Shen Zhixiao finished and lay back. But in that moment, a wet, hot touch pressed lightly against his cheek.

It was feather-light, like a brush of down, sparking a tingling itch that ignited his nerve endings like a spark to tinder.

His hard-maintained breathing rhythm shattered. His own gasps grew uncontrollable, and he snapped his eyes open.

The Alpha propped above him froze at the movement. Through the faint light seeping through the curtains, he saw the bright eyes beneath him. He flinched in panic, fumbling to explain. “I…”

But the words cut off abruptly.

Because the man beneath him suddenly reached up, cupping his jaw and pulling him back down—just as he’d done, brushing his cheek.

Qiu Sui had been holding back all evening. In a surge of impulse, he did it, adrenaline flooding his veins and setting his body ablaze. As if calm, he said, “There. Now we’re even.”

The Alpha above him was clearly caught off guard by the move. His eyes fixed intensely on Qiu Sui as Pheromones surged from him like crashing waves, enveloping the man beneath in a frenzy.

Qiu Sui gazed up at Shen Zhixiao, oblivious, trying to play it cool and get him to lie back down. But the next instant, the head he’d been cradling slipped past his palm and crashed back down in a heavy kiss—so fast Qiu Sui couldn’t react. His fingers hovered dumbly as his lips and tongue were invaded by the Alpha’s forceful assault.

His eyes widened sluggishly. Shen Zhixiao easily parted his lips, plunging deep to tangle with his tongue. Qiu Sui’s helpless softness was hooked and teased fiercely, sending a jolt of numb electricity exploding through his limbs. His body shuddered violently without control, his loosely raised hand clenching tight in that instant.

His earlier composure and courage dissolved into passive submission. Amid their ragged, intertwining breaths erupted deafening wet sounds.

Shen Zhixiao’s palm cradled Qiu Sui’s cheek, tilting his chin up as he kissed deeper, desperately, as if to devour the Beta bit by bit.

Their previous intimacy had felt hazy, unreal. Qiu Sui had never felt such an intense kiss while fully sober. Breathless and overwhelmed, his head sank deep into the pillow, trying to dodge the invasion just a little.

But it was futile.

Qiu Sui could only tilt his chin and endure the storm-like onslaught. His eyes fluttered half-shut instinctively, as if sucked into a swirling vortex of colors. His lashes trembled uncontrollably. When the other’s tongue grazed his upper palate, a faint, muffled whimper escaped him. In the end, he drowned in the ambiguous, fierce heat of the kiss.

Only when his tongue root ached, his lips went numb, and breathing turned labored did he collapse back into the pillows, dazed and feverish, gasping in huge mouthfuls of air.

The dim light kept Shen Zhixiao from seeing Qiu Sui’s face clearly, but he knew those lashes and cheeks must be flushed with sultry color, his lips and tongue glistening red obscenely.

His fingers trembled faintly on Qiu Sui’s cheek. Once Qiu Sui caught his breath, he leaned down again to kiss those quivering lips. Qiu Sui tilted up instinctively to respond but soon came to his senses, yanking Shen Zhixiao’s hair and mumbling incoherently that it wasn’t right.

Shen Zhixiao froze, slowly withdrawing from his lips with urgent pants.

Qiu Sui couldn’t describe how he felt—his body burned, limbs went soft, every breath sending tremors through him. His vision blurred on Shen Zhixiao’s face. Before he could speak, the Alpha apologized first, voice shaking. “Sorry… I couldn’t hold back.”

Their breaths mingled in the narrow space between them, brushing each other. Qiu Sui listened to the Alpha’s continued low confessions, his lips throbbing like they’d been scalded, his voice shaky from rapid gasps. “So what?”

He stared ahead, feeling Shen Zhixiao’s body stiffen sharply. The man’s lips quivered in helpless panic, silenced like a man on trial. His massive frame suddenly seemed small and powerless.

The silent night amplified the surging emotions in their hearts, flooding through Qiu Sui with every gasp.

His mind ablaze, the hand tangled in Shen Zhixiao’s hair loosened gently. It trailed down the Alpha’s neck to his jaw, and he added slowly, “So, after kissing me, you don’t plan on taking responsibility?”