That thought ballooned in Shen Zhixiao’s mind. After returning home and gradually stabilizing, with no more restrictions holding him back, he began secretly trying to track down Qiu Sui.
The first moment he spotted Qiu Sui from afar, Shen Zhixiao nearly couldn’t suppress the surge of desire rushing through him. But Qiu Sui always had friends and classmates at his side, so Shen Zhixiao could only trail jealously behind them, watching as they joked around, played basketball, and finally walked together into Qiu Sui’s neighborhood.
He couldn’t stay too long back then. The next day, he unwillingly rushed back to Sea City to avoid raising his father’s suspicions.
During high school, Qiu Sui’s figure had grown even more upright and powerful than in middle school. The oversized school uniform jacket fit him perfectly, hugging his form. When he lowered his head, the curve of his neck at the collar always arced in near-perfect grace under the sunlight. Shen Zhixiao ached to touch that spot himself.
He made several trips to Stream City in a row, but he only dared to tail Qiu Sui—because before he could even think of doing anything else, he had to return to Sea City to deal with his father.
Even with all that caution, Shen Zhixiao’s secret visits to Stream City were eventually exposed.
It happened because he broke the arm of someone tailing Qiu Sui in Stream City. That very night, his father dragged him back to Sea City for strict oversight, and he lost any chance to seek out Qiu Sui again.
Photos could no longer satisfy Shen Zhixiao’s swelling desires. Not being able to see Qiu Sui every single day festered the emotions in his heart, ultimately triggering his Susceptible Period early and making it worse.
Around that time, Shen Zhixiao moved from the Main Residence to an apartment by the river for treatment, but even then, his schooling and daily life remained under tight watch.
It wasn’t until a year later that those people gradually pulled back from the apartment, switching to remote monitoring of his actions.
He never tried to find Qiu Sui again, but the messages he sent via text had already piled up beyond count.
Shen Zhixiao began to plan.
He schemed for a reunion with Qiu Sui that would face no obstacles—a natural, seamless one…
Lowering his gaze to watch Qiu Sui listening intently to him, Shen Zhixiao’s fingers trembled slightly at the back of Qiu Sui’s head. He lifted the corner of his lips and brushed them against Qiu Sui’s, murmuring softly, “I’m truly lucky.”
I was once so foolish and extreme, yet I earned your forgiveness and became your lover. I’m truly lucky.
Qiu Sui felt the feverish warmth of Shen Zhixiao’s lips against his. His lashes fluttered playfully, and in the moment Shen Zhixiao zoned out, he leaned in for a quick peck on Shen Zhixiao’s lips. Seeing the stunned look on his face, Qiu Sui arched his brows with a triumphant low chuckle. “Good thing you know it.”
As he spoke, he eyed Shen Zhixiao’s dazed expression and found it irresistibly teasing. Unable to resist, he reached out with an itchy hand to scratch under Shen Zhixiao’s chin, bossing him around. “Hurry up and show me those sneaky photos you took of me in middle school. Let’s see if they turned out good.”
The middle school photos of Qiu Sui were stored in a separate encrypted album. The one Qiu Sui had opened last time was just the new one Shen Zhixiao created after returning home—he hadn’t realized Shen Zhixiao had been hiring people to snap photos of him since middle school.
Back then, Qiu Sui had zero fashion sense, a total non-mainstream phase—pure black history!
Shen Zhixiao’s throat bobbed under Qiu Sui’s touch as he finally snapped back to reality. Instead of obeying right away, he tightened his embrace, pulling Qiu Sui flush against him with no space left between.
Like an excited big dog, he eagerly kissed Qiu Sui’s cheeks and collarbone, rubbing the skin red until Qiu Sui covered his mouth and smacked his head.
With Shen Zhixiao’s Susceptible Period approaching, they were running low on Nutrient Agents at home. Qiu Sui planned to stock up on everything they’d need for it.
Shen Zhixiao got clingier than usual during his Susceptible Period, going at it fiercely without regard for time. Qiu Sui ended up sleepless and dazed, with no chance to cook proper meals—they could only chug Nutrient Agents together.
There were plenty of flavors on the market, but to Qiu Sui, they all tasted the same. He barely managed to pick a few tolerable ones.
After grabbing the Nutrient Agents, he selected a few Suppressants too—even if they rarely came in handy, better safe than sorry.
At checkout, Qiu Sui eyed the cashier scanning items and, feeling awkwardly flustered, snatched a few boxes from the convenience rack under the counter to ring up together.
Shen Zhixiao, standing behind him holding his hand, spotted the bottles of lube and felt a fire ignite instantly.
Qiu Sui sensed Shen Zhixiao’s scorching gaze boring into his back like needles. Pretending to stay calm, he leaned against Shen Zhixiao’s shoulder and explained, “We need it for your Susceptible Period. I don’t think we have any at home.”
Shen Zhixiao’s throat rolled as he listened, letting out a low hum. His expression gave nothing away, but in his mind: Only for the Susceptible Period?
Qiu Sui watched the boxes go into the shopping bag. His neck flushed red beneath the scarf, but if he didn’t buy them now, he’d be screwed later.
Shen Zhixiao carried the scalding-hot bag home. While he prepped dinner, Qiu Sui snuck the boxes to the bedroom and stashed them in the second drawer of the nightstand. These should hold us through several of Shen Zhixiao’s Susceptible Periods, right?
He stared at the slogans on the boxes, burning with shame for a moment, then yanked the drawer shut in a haze. Afterward, he checked the home’s ventilation and purification system—just in case.
He also sealed off all the balcony windows and doors.
The little villa’s yard backed right onto a path; from the second-floor balcony, anyone could see whatever went down.
After his evening wash-up, Qiu Sui eyed the brightly lit path under the streetlamps and thought, Gotta draw the curtains when the time comes…
As he pondered, a low “Baby” came from behind.
A pair of hands slid past his sides to wrap around him. The Alpha fresh from the bathroom radiated steam, boneless as he encircled Qiu Sui from behind.
His chin rested on Qiu Sui’s head, his scorching body heat seeping through the thin sleepwear and sending a reflexive shiver down Qiu Sui’s spine.
His breathing grew heavy for a beat, then he felt Shen Zhixiao’s restless hands slip under his sleepshirt, tracing his taut waist and belly to brush the skin at his chest.
Qiu Sui’s mind short-circuited, his fur bristling.
His ears and cheeks burned uncontrollably. He struggled, nudging Shen Zhixiao with his elbow—not too hard.
Shen Zhixiao caught a whiff of coy refusal and nipped at Qiu Sui’s ear.
These past two days, they’d only kissed—several near misses had been breezed over lightly.
Qiu Sui felt too embarrassed to initiate, finding it mortifying. Each time, he waited for Shen Zhixiao to crack first, but the guy had been patiently holding back for his signal.
Between indulgence and pride, Qiu Sui chose the latter.
Shen Zhixiao had been polite for two days, but seeing Qiu Sui buy lube broke his restraint. He tugged and bit at Qiu Sui’s earlobe while sliding a hand down his chest to the collarbone, then along the neckline to his nape.
Qiu Sui’s rigid spine reflexively buckled, his body curving into a slight arc, shoulders slumping.
He couldn’t hold back a low hum, murmuring in a heated daze, “W-what are you doing…”
Shen Zhixiao’s blood boiled at the tremor in Qiu Sui’s voice, his mouth going dry, words turning husky. “Baby…”
He released the sensitive ear and buried his face there, kissing along the feverish skin backward.
Qiu Sui’s heart clawed at him, leaving him itchy and boneless.
Shen Zhixiao kept kissing and mumbling his name indistinctly, fangs grazing his Gland. The sharp sensation prickled Qiu Sui’s scalp; he pushed back on instinct.
The Alpha paused, sheathing his teeth to lick and kiss gently. The hand at Qiu Sui’s chest soothed with strokes.
Qiu Sui glanced at the passersby outside the balcony, shame flooding him as he retreated. Breathing ragged, he whispered urgently, “S-stop…”
Shen Zhixiao shook his head against his nape in protest, coarse hair strands scraping the Gland like needles.
Qiu Sui reached back to pry at Shen Zhixiao’s wandering hands—only for the Alpha to scoop him up tight with one arm, lifting him clean off the floor.
The sudden loss of footing made Qiu Sui’s heart skip. He flailed to grab on, but Shen Zhixiao soon deposited him on the bed.
Qiu Sui propped himself up, not yet turned, when Shen Zhixiao’s bulk pressed down. The position sparked instinctive alarm. Glancing back, he saw Shen Zhixiao nuzzling his neck innocently, cooing “baby.”
Qiu Sui’s neck itched from the rubbing. Relaxing a fraction, he shrugged his shoulder to shake Shen Zhixiao off.
Shen Zhixiao inhaled his scent while chasing to claim Qiu Sui’s lips, hooking his tongue in a frenzied tangle inside the hot cavern. Wet slurping sounds rang in their ears.
Kissed into submission, Qiu Sui grew limp, slumping toward the bed, head lolling back.
Shen Zhixiao pressed down with him, one hand cupping his chin for deeper kisses, leaving Qiu Sui’s lips swollen and scorching. A flush of wanton color bloomed across his face.