27
Qi Zhao had assumed Qi Wei would carry him on his back like yesterday. He hadn’t expected Qi Wei, after he agreed, to bend down and sweep him up into a princess carry!
Qi Zhao was startled and instinctively wrapped his arms around Qi Wei’s neck. “You…”
Qi Wei wasn’t holding him completely horizontally, given Qi Zhao’s height. He had one arm under Qi Zhao’s legs and the other supporting his back, effortlessly holding him secure with his strength.
This lifted Qi Zhao quite high, giving him a new perspective from over two meters above the ground.
It was quite novel.
But that wasn’t the point. The point was…
This position was extremely convenient for a rutting alpha to nuzzle and scent their partner.
With a slight tilt of his head, Qi Wei could bury his face in Qi Zhao’s chest and inhale deeply.
Qi Zhao felt like a cat with its paws tied, unable to move, forced to expose its belly to be sniffed… This was too much. Really.
“Put me down.”
Qi Zhao gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists on Qi Wei’s shoulders, his arms tightening around his neck. He knew Qi Wei wouldn’t drop him, but he was still a little scared.
However, Qi Wei refused. “No.”
Qi Zhao had personally given the long-suffering Qi Wei the “okay,” so how could his alpha retreat after just one step forward?
Qi Wei carried Qi Zhao out of the bathroom, nuzzling his face into Qi Zhao’s chest and inhaling deeply with every other step, making Qi Zhao’s hair stand on end. “Qi Wei!”
Qi Wei was incredibly happy, especially with the person he longed for in his arms. The effects of his rut and the mental fog lessened significantly, allowing him to argue logically with the slightly flustered Qi Zhao.
“Ah Zhao.”
Qi Wei’s lips curved into a smile as he looked up at Qi Zhao’s slightly panicked eyes. “Do you hate it when I hold you like this?”
Qi Zhao froze, captivated by the face that perfectly matched his aesthetic preferences, and instinctively replied, “No…”
He couldn’t say he hated it; he just…
Qi Wei’s smile deepened. “Then I won’t put you down.”
Qi Zhao: “?”
He looked at Qi Wei incredulously. Qi Wei happily buried his face in his chest again, inhaled deeply, and said, “Ah Zhao, if you don’t hate it, then you like it. You like me holding you.”
He didn’t even add a questioning “right?”
Qi Zhao: “???”
He was utterly embarrassed by Qi Wei’s words. “Who said I like it…”
“But you said yourself that you don’t hate it.”
“…”
Seeing Qi Zhao speechless, Qi Wei, instead of restraining himself, pushed further, burying the lower half of his face in Qi Zhao’s chest, his eyes looking up, his greed evident.
He wanted to look at Qi Zhao and smell his scent, to soothe his restless pheromones, to soothe his heart, his bones, even his soul, which craved Qi Zhao so desperately.
Qi Wei’s voice was muffled and soft, his slightly lowered eyelids perfectly angled, his expression devoid of a smile. This, coupled with his seemingly unintentional yet perfectly executed air of vulnerability, made Qi Zhao’s heart soften. “Or, Ah Zhao, are you going to take it back and say you hate it?”
They were discussing whether this way of holding him was okay, but the alpha had deliberately shifted the focus to his feelings.
Qi Zhao paused. “…Qi Wei.”
He was being sincere, not deliberately changing the subject. “Did you join the international debate team in university?”
There was no mention of it in the news.
Qi Wei was amused by his words and dropped his manipulative act, burying his face in Qi Zhao’s chest and chuckling softly, the vibrations making Qi Zhao’s heart itch. “…What are you laughing at?”
Qi Wei didn’t answer. “You’ll be unhappy.”
As they spoke, they exited the elevator.
Qi Wei even bent his knees slightly to prevent Qi Zhao from bumping his head.
Not bending at the waist, but bending his knees.
Qi Zhao had noticed this action when they entered the elevator, but seeing it again still tugged at his heartstrings.
“…You,” he paused, then remembered what he wanted to say, “are deliberately keeping me in suspense.”
If he was truly afraid of making him unhappy, he wouldn’t have said “You’ll be unhappy.”
Qi Zhao knew that Qi Wei wouldn’t put him down until they reached the kitchen, so he gave up struggling and just lightly nudged Qi Wei’s neck—he didn’t realize how much this action resembled a coquettish, intimate gesture. Qi Zhao said, “I’m not that easily upset.”
He didn’t realize it, but Qi Wei definitely did.
So Qi Wei’s smile deepened, a genuine sense of satisfaction spreading and filling the emptiness within him. The joy he felt now was far greater than last night when he secretly nuzzled Qi Zhao’s clothes. This contentment filled him to the brim, leaving no trace of hunger, even his gland felt unprecedentedly calm and soothed.
This was why, after reaching the kitchen, Qi Wei willingly put Qi Zhao down on the island counter opposite the stove, although he still kept his hands on Qi Zhao’s back, loosely encircling him.
The island counter was even higher than the desk, so Qi Wei had to look up at Qi Zhao. His eyes were gentle, his smile genuine. “You’re cute.”
Qi Wei swallowed the words he truly wanted to say: “Ah Zhao, you’re so cute.”
Qi Zhao: “…”
He, a 1.8-meter tall man with six-pack abs, cute?
Qi Zhao paused, and Qi Wei lowered his eyelids slightly, saying in that soft voice, “See, I told you…”
“I’m not angry.” Afraid that the alpha, who was just teasing him, would genuinely upset himself after saying it, Qi Zhao interrupted him. “I’m just puzzled.”
He raised his arm, pulled up his short sleeve, and made a fist. Without even exerting much force, his muscles bulged. “You actually call this cute.”
Did Qi Wei have a misunderstanding of what “cute” meant?
Or was the thought process of a super S-rank alpha just different?
But Qi Zhao’s action made Qi Wei find him even more adorable. He couldn’t help but chuckle softly, burying his face in Qi Zhao’s shoulder, his laughter tinged with a hint of helplessness. “Ah Zhao.”
He truly was adorable.
Not just his personality or appearance, but Qi Zhao as a whole, his entire being, was incredibly cute.
So cute that his heart melted, wanting to hold him and rub him into his bones, to keep him close, within reach… and also to lock him away, so no one else could see him, not wanting to share him with anyone.
So cute that it drove him mad.
Qi Zhao: “…”
If he didn’t know Qi Wei wouldn’t do that, or if it were someone else, he would suspect they were mocking him, a beta, for being an alpha.
He looked down at Qi Wei, whose shoulders were shaking with laughter. Although he didn’t understand, he was inexplicably infected by his amusement, a relaxed smile appearing on his face. “You can stop laughing now.”
Qi Wei wrapped his arms around his waist, his nose nuzzling against his chest. “You’re really cute.”
Qi Zhao had only been called cute when he was a child, just a few years old.
The first time Qi Wei said it, his mind was filled with question marks. The second time, he felt inexplicably embarrassed.
So Qi Zhao coughed slightly. Perhaps because the atmosphere between them was so comfortable, for the first time, he didn’t immediately dodge, but said, “Stop it.”
Qi Zhao even gently pushed Qi Wei, no longer hesitant. “Go cook.”
Qi Wei smiled. He wanted to kiss him, especially when he looked up and met Qi Zhao’s slightly annoyed, but not truly angry, gaze.
Because of his rut, his rationality was mostly offline. Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he instinctively leaned closer to Qi Zhao.
But Qi Zhao reacted quickly.
He almost instantly raised his hand, placing his palm against the lower half of Qi Wei’s face, stopping him, a hint of alarm in his eyes. “Qi Wei!”
Qi Wei snapped back to his senses and apologized, “Sorry.”
He grabbed Qi Zhao’s wrist, but instead of pulling his hand away, he held it in place, preventing Qi Zhao from retreating, so he could steal a few kisses on his palm while talking.
“I lost control…”
Qi Zhao guessed that it was the alpha’s rut acting up, making Qi Wei momentarily forget their “rules.”
So he wasn’t angry, just…
“Let go.” Qi Zhao gritted his teeth slightly, his ears burning red. “Are you sincerely apologizing?”
Did Qi Wei really think he didn’t know anything?
Besides, Qi Wei speaking so close to his palm, his hot breath against his skin… how could he not feel it?
What kind of self-deception was this?
This time, it was Qi Wei’s turn to cough slightly.
He silently lowered Qi Zhao’s hand but didn’t let go, just apologizing again. “It’s because of my rut… I’m sorry.”
Qi Zhao’s defenses were too low; he easily believed the alpha. “I know.”
He had realized last night that Qi Wei liked it when he touched his head, so he raised his hand and ruffled Qi Wei’s hair. “You’re already doing very well.”
Qi Wei, having received praise, looked up, a smile blooming on his face, his eyes curving, hiding the triumphant glint in them. “Hmm.”
After some back and forth, Qi Wei finally went to cook.
Qi Zhao originally wanted to get down from the island counter, but Qi Wei had knocked off his shoes when he carried him, and the marble floor would be cold against his bare feet—the air conditioning was set quite low.
So he simply sat there and watched Qi Wei skillfully prepare the meal.
He only spoke when Qi Wei started braising the dish. “Qi Wei.”
He was truly afraid of the cold. “Can you get my shoes?”
“…No.”
But to his surprise, Qi Wei refused. “Just stay there, don’t go anywhere else.”
Qi Zhao: “…”
He chanted inwardly, The alpha is in rut; him not carrying me while cooking is already a good outcome. “But I have to come down to eat.”
“I’ll carry you down later.”
“…”
“Qi Wei.” Qi Zhao asked uncertainly, “You’re not doing this on purpose, are you?”
Knocking off his shoes on purpose.
The alpha tilted his head slightly, his expression not intentionally innocent, yet inexplicably giving off a harmless vibe—even though his face should have been the opposite of harmless. “What?”
Qi Zhao: “…Nothing.”
Forget it.
He had been carried so many times already; one more time wouldn’t make a difference.
