Chapter 19: Dark-Skinned Rugged Honest Man 19

The next day, Jiang Rang could hardly bring himself to look the other man in the eye the entire time.

The beta didn’t want things to be this awkward, but every time their gazes met, his mind would automatically replay certain steamy scenes.

It was especially vivid when he recalled how the man had blushed the night before, carefully trying on skirts and freely showing off the curves of his body. Yet after sunrise, he’d switched into a traditional, fully buttoned-up suit, transforming into the cool elite handling official business. That stark contrast was just…

Jiang Rang shook his head hard, trying to fling those improper thoughts right out of his skull.

The beta was honest to a fault—clumsy and slow on the uptake, sure, but he had a solid moral compass and clear boundaries.

Unfortunately, those boundaries meant nothing when the omega had never intended to respect them in the first place.

Take right now, for instance: the long-haired man was sitting patiently in front of the vanity mirror, testing out shades of lipstick.

A whole row of lipsticks was laid out on the table—every high-end brand you could think of.

The omega rarely put this much effort into his appearance, but ever since that banquet, Qi Yu seemed to have developed a sudden interest in all this.

Of course, Jiang Rang figured the boss was getting all dressed up today because he had to attend the New Technology Promotion Trial Event in Juecheng Central District.

It was an event spearheaded by the Qi Family, and as the current head of the household, Qi Yu didn’t need to give the project presentation himself. Still, there would be press photos and publicity, so the omega had to show up looking sharp.

Naturally, Jiang Rang would be right by his side.

The young man had planned to pick up some fresh vegetables during his afternoon break and drop them off at the low-rent apartment. That would have to wait now.

Fortunately, Chen Jingxu could take care of himself these days. Jiang Rang had patiently taught him how to heat up meals, so there was no need to worry about the guy going hungry.

“Jiang Rang, come over and help me pick a color.”

The man’s voice was cool and casual, like he’d just tossed out a passing thought.

It sounded simple enough coming from the omega, but Jiang Rang stared at the sea of lipstick shades in total bewilderment. He was just a rough country boy—where was he supposed to know anything about this stuff? It wasn’t an exaggeration to say he’d never seen so many lipstick colors in his entire life, past or present.

To a beta like him, they were all just red. What difference was there?

His face flushed beet red. After a long moment, he finally squeezed out, “Mister, you look good in any of them.”

Qi Yu was dabbing faint blush on his cheek when he heard that. His movements paused slightly, and his deep, lightless black eyes slowly turned toward the awkward expression on the young man’s face in the mirror. The Male Master said calmly, “In that case, you can try them on me one by one.”

Jiang Rang had no idea how things had escalated to this point.

He clutched the small tube in his hand, at a complete loss. The lipstick casing was red velvet, with a nice texture in his grip, but the beta’s baffled gaze made it clear he had zero clue what to do next.

The young beta had never dabbled in anything so romantic and seductive. He had no inkling that all this beauty and bewitching charm was a deliberate, probing seduction aimed squarely at him.

“You’ve got it wrong. Hold it like this—pinch it with your fingers and twist it open…” Qi Yu’s voice was soft as mist. As he spoke, his cold, pale hand gently closed over the young man’s darker, slender knuckles.

Patiently, the man guided the youth’s hand through the motions.

The red lipstick slowly traced the lip line, releasing a heady fragrance that filled the air. It lent an ambiguous allure to the hazy beauty, and for a fleeting moment, the color on the man’s lips seemed to flow like dripping juice, lush and provocative.

In the end, it hooked the young man completely.

Jiang Rang ducked his head in near-panic evasion, so tense that he forgot to pull his hand free from the man’s grasp.

By the time the beta realized something was off, he suddenly noticed that some shadowy, overpowering force had tugged him unwittingly right up against the man’s chest.

Their arms pressed together, pulses throbbing in sync through their veins. They were intimately close, breaths mingling—as if the next instant, they should crash into a frenzied kiss and tangle up completely.

The thought terrified Jiang Rang. But before he could pull away from the temptation, the omega right in front of him drew a soft breath and murmured, “You smudged it.”

Sure enough, thanks to the youth’s distraction and lack of focus, the lipstick had veered messily off the lip line.

The beta’s thick skull took a second to catch up. In his panic, he boldly grabbed Qi Yu’s jaw and rubbed hard at the excess color with his thumb, trying to wipe it clean.

Rough. Urgent. Like a beast driven by pure instinct.

The man smiled soundlessly, then parted his lips halfway, as if in sudden pain.

In an instant, the beta felt as though he had plunged into a warm, humid cavern. The omega’s tongue tip glided shyly over his fingertip, like a timid little fish.

Jiang Rang was utterly dumbfounded. By the time he truly registered what was happening, his whole body felt like it had been boiled, his honeyed skin flushing with waves of deep crimson.

A low, soft chuckle rippled through the air like a gentle wave. The Male Master didn’t reprimand the beta for his presumptuous act. Instead, he seemed suddenly seized by some whim and pressed the young man down onto the leather chair.

Qi Yu gazed at the honey-skinned youth’s dazed, soul-lost expression and let out a low hum of amusement. He leisurely pinched the beta’s jaw, his lowered voice turning unusually gentle.

“Let me teach you personally.”

That was exactly what the widowed Male Master said—and exactly what he did.

He bent down slightly at the waist, one hand caressing the youth’s handsome profile while the other retrieved a tube of nude lipstick. With meticulous care, he began outlining the beta’s lips.

He had never looked at Jiang Rang with such delicate, earnest, and focused attention before.

The beta had a ruggedly handsome face, his slightly downturned eyes always carrying an undercurrent of endurance, though they weren’t unchanging. His chocolate-toned skin, solid muscles, and plump chest filled the striking young man with vibrant vitality, evoking the image of thorny vines thrusting up from the jungle floor.

This young man was worlds apart from the one who had first arrived at the villa.

He still carried the simple, traditional honesty of a country boy, but he no longer shrank back timidly from new things. Even the drab, sparrow-like exterior he once had was molting away, revealing the upright, dependable, and attentive brilliance beneath the dry dust.

Someone as fine as this Jiang Rang wouldn’t go unnoticed by others forever.

And sure enough, there were those lowly servants trying to tempt him, flighty butterflies fluttering about… and that ugly dog.

Qi Yu slowly traced the youth’s nicely proportioned lips before capping the lipstick. He thought the beta really suited this color. The nude shade softened his natural lip tone, lending him a touch of aloof detachment and cool indifference.

That was exactly how it should be.

Best to drown that drowned rat skulking in the shadows, peeping endlessly.

Qi Yu curled his lips in casual disdain. Chen Jingxu really had nine lives—after being half-ruined by his ruthless Big Brother’s schemes, he had somehow clung to life.

But trash was trash. Even with one breath left, he couldn’t stop trying to seduce people.

Useless junk like that belonged in the recycling plant.

~~~

The main venue for the new tech promotion experience was set on the streets of Central City. Since it was aimed at the general public, there weren’t many entry restrictions.

That was why, as evening approached, the central district was packed to the brim, utterly impassable.

This new tech showcase focused on household mechanization. Home robots had long been on the market, but their high prices meant few ordinary families could afford them.

The Qi Family’s project had won the Federal Parliament’s support, using a newly discovered cultivable material for the machine chips. With costs slashed, civilian robots could finally be priced for the masses.

This promo event was just a teaser, a stepping stone to elevate the Qi Family’s glory even further.

The night streets were jammed with people, and it took the road maintenance crew tremendous effort to keep order.

Jiang Rang stayed glued to Qi Yu’s side the whole time, terrified that his fragile, willow-like employer might get bumped and hurt in the crowd.

But there were just too many people. Before long, it seemed the throng would sweep them apart entirely. Jiang Rang had no choice—he grabbed the man’s wrist and yanked him into his arms, forging a path toward a less crowded spot.

Qi Yu made no fuss the entire way. Jiang Rang shielded him perfectly. In a brief lull amid the chaos, the youth glanced down at the man in his embrace. The other’s face was flushed, nestled trustingly against him, looking utterly at ease.

Jiang Rang breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to take in their surroundings.

Truth be told, along the way, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d heard faint little dog barks flickering in and out.

And with the dog sounds came a powerful sense of being watched.

Jiang Rang was certain someone was tailing him.

The unease in his heart grew stronger. Perhaps because of Chen Jingxu, he had an unusually sharp reaction to dog noises now. But with the streets so jammed, he couldn’t pinpoint it.

Moreover, Jiang Rang was sure he had never let that alpha out of the low-rent apartment. So the one shadowing him here absolutely wasn’t the little dog he’d sheltered there.

Ruling that out, the follower was most likely a companion or enemy connected to Chen Jingxu.

Jiang Rang suddenly calmed down in a way that defied explanation. Perhaps it was because a life hung in the balance, or maybe because he’d raised the little dog for so long and developed real feelings for him. Either way, the beta decided he needed to find some way to test this man’s true intentions.

But his opponent gave him no chance to probe. A shrill, muffled burst of barking echoed from a forked street nearby.

This time, the beta heard it clearly. That was unmistakably Chen Jingxu’s voice.

The crowd surged toward the sound. Jiang Rang’s thoughts spun in chaos, his emotions in that moment mirroring the panic of a pet owner whose dog had slipped its leash, run off, and gotten caught and tormented by strangers.

The beta burned with anxiety and anger at the little dog’s defiance and disobedience, yet he couldn’t help feeling a pang of heartache and worry.

At last, as the canine cries grew hoarse and trailed off into silence, Jiang Rang could bear it no longer. A glint of anxious tears shimmered in the youth’s usually steady gaze. But he didn’t dare tell the man the truth, so he stammered out a clumsy lie instead. “Mister, I’m so sorry. I just ran into a friend who’s in some trouble. I have to go check on him right now. Maybe I can call someone else…”

“No need.” The long-haired man’s expression remained aloof as he cut the youth off. His probing, icy stare made the beta drop his gaze in shame.

Qi Yu’s voice carried the chill of rain-soaked silk as he asked slowly, “Since when do you have other friends in Juecheng that I don’t know about?”

Jiang Rang pressed his lips together. The words he’d nearly blurted out caught in his throat at the memory of the little dog’s tear-streaked face.

The flush on the man’s cheeks did nothing to mask the pallid chill radiating from deep within. Sensing he wouldn’t get a straight answer, he asked calmly, “Will you come back?”

Jiang Rang figured the low-rent apartment wasn’t too far away. If he hurried, he could still make it back without issue.

So the tall youth nodded firmly and vowed, “I will. But if you’re tired from all the shopping, Mister, feel free to head home first. It’s way too crowded here. I’ve already texted the butler—he’ll send someone else to keep you company…”

Qi Yu lowered his eyes, his long hair falling like a veil to obscure half his face. He seemed to tune out everything the youth said after the first part. His dark, smoldering gaze locked onto the youth’s lips, still glossy with balm, as he enunciated each word: “I’ll wait right here for you to come back.”

Jiang Rang was too frantic to dwell on it. With a hurried nod, his tall frame melted into the throng and vanished from sight.

Qi Yu narrowed his eyes languidly. His fingers drummed lightly against the black screen of his phone, while his crimson lips curved into a cold, vicious smile.