22
Since being held like this wasn’t so bad, Qi Zhao gradually relaxed and drifted off to sleep.
He thought he was just tired from all the work lately, constantly feeling like a worn-out office worker. But the alpha nestled in his arms, feigning weakness, knew exactly how Qi Zhao fell asleep.
Qi Wei lifted his head slightly, looking at Qi Zhao’s sleeping face, half-buried in the bedding, and couldn’t help but lick his sharp canine teeth, the ones used for marking.
An alpha’s pheromones were effective on betas. Otherwise, even the lowest-ranking alpha wouldn’t have a higher status and treatment than a beta.
Except for specific pheromones like courting pheromones, which betas couldn’t sense, they could perceive common ones like oppressive pheromones. This was why betas were often a step below alphas in certain situations, especially since they lacked pheromones for defense and protection, making them much “weaker” than even low-ranking alphas.
And as a super S-rank alpha, Qi Wei had mastered all the uses of his pheromones early on.
Besides basic oppression, there was also hypnosis, which could either make someone fall asleep directly, like now, or make their mind cloudy and confused.
Qi Zhao had the small round ball Qi Wei gave him for protection, so he didn’t have to worry about this.
But now… not to mention that it was Qi Wei’s pheromones, controlled by Qi Wei, that small ball had already been discarded somewhere by Qi Wei.
So Qi Zhao naturally fell asleep.
Qi Wei held him, carefully adjusting his position, and even slowly unbuckled Qi Zhao’s belt, so it wouldn’t be uncomfortable.
But this action was a bit too intimate, inevitably stirring the barely controlled desires of the alpha.
He took off the belt and tossed it aside, lest he be tempted to tie Qi Zhao up and then…
Qi Wei stared at the face he had seen countless times, the face that haunted his dreams, wanting to lower his head and kiss it. But Qi Zhao’s words were still ringing in his ears, so in the end, Qi Wei just bit his tongue, trying to maintain his composure, and kissed the skin over Qi Zhao’s heart through his shirt before burying his face in Qi Zhao’s embrace again, taking deep breaths, constantly absorbing his scent and warmth.
Qi Zhao kept fit, and because he wasn’t an alpha, but a beta, with an ordinary human physique, he was soft when relaxed.
Holding him felt incredibly comfortable.
Softer than even holding the blanket Qi Zhao had slept on.
And Qi Zhao’s scent was much stronger.
Qi Wei sighed inwardly, but he also knew one thing very well.
The reason his rut was alleviated this time was that this was the first time Qi Zhao was by his side during his rut, not just a piece of Qi Zhao’s clothing urgently delivered and vacuum-sealed by his subordinates.
But humans were greedy.
And as Qi Zhao had worried, betas didn’t have pheromones, and just hugging wasn’t enough. Next time… or perhaps even sooner, if his pheromones went out of control again, Qi Zhao’s hugs might not be enough.
Qi Wei closed his eyes tightly.
Qi Zhao woke up feeling hungry.
He hadn’t eaten dinner, and he wasn’t someone with a small appetite, so skipping a meal made him truly hungry. But the alpha in his arms was asleep.
This time, Qi Wei was truly asleep.
Qi Zhao moved slightly, and Qi Wei instantly opened his eyes, tightening his arms.
He was already holding him tightly, to the point where Qi Zhao felt he had no room to move. Now, with his grip tightening, the instinctively repulsive feeling of being controlled returned.
Qi Zhao looked down and met Qi Wei’s dark eyes, the churning emotions within them dark and cold, instantly reminding him of the horror movies he had watched in his youth, and the nightmares they induced.
In his dream, he was entangled by a giant, icy cold snake, and the snake didn’t seem to want to devour him, but just constricted him, its cold, vertical pupils staring intently at him.
And now, Qi Wei’s hoarse voice truly sounded like a snake’s hiss. “Are you leaving?”
Qi Zhao knew he was still in rut, his paranoia fueled by pheromones and heightened emotions, and he knew that starting a conflict with Qi Wei at this time wasn’t wise. “I’m just a little hungry… Aren’t you hungry? There are some biscuits and small bread in the study. Let’s go eat something.”
He spoke to Qi Wei patiently, his tone unconsciously softening. “You can continue holding me, but you have to let me eat something.”
Hearing “You can continue holding me,” Qi Wei nodded immediately, then after Qi Zhao finished speaking, he said, “Okay.”
So it was quite difficult for Qi Zhao to get up.
Qi Wei truly didn’t want to let go, his arms wrapped around his waist. After much persuasion, Qi Zhao finally convinced him to turn around.
But being held from behind by Qi Wei felt even stranger, the chilling sensation even more intense.
…Perhaps because he had studied alpha behavior, he knew that when an alpha temporarily marked an omega, they would hold the omega from behind and bite the gland on the back of their neck.
And… for alphas, hugging from behind often carried a sexual connotation.
At this moment, Qi Zhao wished he were a clueless innocent.
If he were oblivious, given Qi Wei’s “gentlemanly” nature, he definitely wouldn’t do anything.
But now, his stiff posture made Qi Wei murmur against his back, “Ah Zhao, don’t be afraid.”
The alpha in rut was a bit too direct. “I won’t bite you.”
Qi Zhao: “…Shut up.”
He couldn’t help it.
However, Qi Wei, who should have been sensitive and vulnerable, wasn’t upset and didn’t say anything like, “You’re being mean to me.” Instead, he simply replied softly, “Okay.”
Qi Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, now having a better understanding of the situation.
Qi Wei was a “mature” type of alpha.
Alpha behavioral studies mentioned that an alpha’s personality would change drastically during their rut, generally falling into three categories. The first type was aggressive, prone to taking what they wanted by force. The second type became crybabies, easily moved to tears and prone to sentimentality. If their chosen partner said anything harsh to them at this time, they would cry to the point of possibly causing respiratory alkalosis—no exaggeration.
The third type, like Qi Wei, was more rational, even when clingy and wanting something.
Qi Zhao’s teacher had told him that this type of alpha was the easiest to communicate with, but also potentially the most dangerous. Because in her years of research, this type was usually difficult to “appease.”
Qi Zhao hadn’t yet encountered any difficulties dealing with Qi Wei. Although the alpha was overly clingy, he was still relatively “obedient.”
Qi Zhao finally managed to stand up. As he stepped barefoot onto the carpet, Qi Wei also got out of bed, staying close behind him, his arms like burning hot chains, tightly wrapped around his body.
Qi Wei lowered his head, burying his face in the side of Qi Zhao’s neck, his breath hot against his skin.
Qi Zhao felt uneasy.
Because he was actually starting to get used to Qi Wei nuzzling his neck and inhaling his scent.
But what could he do… He was destined to be bound to Qi Wei for life, so it was better to get used to it sooner rather than later. Tensing up would only make him uncomfortable in the end.
Especially…
Qi Zhao shifted awkwardly, trying to find a more comfortable position, but Qi Wei was holding him too tightly. He couldn’t avoid the burning, hard object pressing against his lower back.
“…”
Forget it.
He was afraid that if he moved again, Qi Wei wouldn’t be able to control himself.
Qi Zhao sighed inwardly. He could only walk with this large “object” attached to him, dragging his feet. After taking two steps, he realized something and looked down at his waistband. “? When did you undo my belt?”
He didn’t consider himself a particularly heavy sleeper; he couldn’t have been completely unaware of Qi Wei’s actions.
Qi Wei didn’t even move his eyelashes, his face pressed against Qi Zhao’s neck through his shirt collar. He mumbled, “I don’t remember.”
Perhaps he had undone it because the metal buckle was uncomfortable against him.
Qi Zhao thought about it and didn’t dwell on it. After all, the alpha couldn’t handle delicate actions like unbuttoning right now; he could only pull and bite, as evidenced by his jacket and shirt.
Qi Zhao didn’t even want to look at his suit jacket, which had fallen onto the carpet, now so wrinkled that it would be difficult to dry clean. After all, whose high-end suit would be wrinkled like this… It was hard not to imagine what had happened.
“…It’s fine.”
Qi Zhao remembered that Qi Wei was in rut and couldn’t let him misunderstand and think he was being scolded. “I was just asking.”
Qi Wei exhaled, seemingly relaxed, but actually restraining himself.
His Ah Zhao was too good, but he was such a flawed person. Encountering such a good person, he didn’t cower and hide, afraid that the light would burn him, this dark monster in the gutter, to ashes. Instead, he stared greedily at that light.
Not only did he want to monopolize it, he even wanted to devour it, to hide it within his flesh and blood, so no one else could see it.
Thinking this, Qi Wei couldn’t help but tighten his grip on Qi Zhao.
Qi Zhao paused, remembering that he had told Qi Wei he could only hug, and Qi Wei had only hugged him; he had told Qi Wei to shut up, and Qi Wei had obediently stopped talking…
So he tried saying, “Qi Wei, this is as tight as you can hold me. Any tighter and it won’t be okay.”
Any tighter and he would have trouble breathing.
“…Okay.”
Qi Wei agreed, then murmured, as if revealing his emotions, “I like it when you call my name.”
Qi Zhao’s hand, reaching for the doorknob, paused.
Finally, he pressed down on the handle, and with the click, his heart skipped a beat.
“…But you asked me to call you ‘Er-ge.'”
Clearly, the people around Qi Wei didn’t call him that.
“I want to be closer.” Whether he was in rut or not, Qi Wei seemed to answer every question. Alphas didn’t play the game of unspoken desires or self-sacrificing silence.
It was the same with this rut. He truly hadn’t intended for Qi Zhao to come. He was afraid of losing control. If he forced himself on Qi Zhao… he would be happy, of course, but he was more afraid that Qi Zhao wouldn’t be able to accept it, and that would make him sad.
Qi Wei lowered his voice. “I want to seem closer to you, but I don’t know what to do.”
Qi Zhao wasn’t the only one who had never been in a relationship.
So they seemed close during this time, eating, living, and going out together. Qi Wei would voice his needs, and he could hold Qi Zhao, but they also seemed distant.
Qi Wei was aware of Qi Zhao’s avoidance and didn’t dare risk breaking down that wall. He just waited patiently, using their close physical proximity to slowly bridge the distance between their hearts.
Qi Zhao paused again before opening his snack box, looking at the darkening sky outside. “Qi Wei, look up. There are stars, and a beautiful full moon. It’s either the fifteenth or sixteenth day of the lunar month.”
Qi Wei actually lifted his eyelids and looked, but his gaze followed the soft moonlight and landed on Qi Zhao. “Yes, it’s beautiful.”
Qi Zhao didn’t continue the topic of intimacy, but asked, “Do you want to eat something?”
He took out a cheese and honey cake. “Want some?”
After all, he wasn’t the only one who hadn’t eaten dinner.
Qi Wei stared at Qi Zhao’s hand, his voice hoarse. “I don’t want to let go.”
He said softly, “Ah Zhao, I’ll feel very uncomfortable.”
Qi Zhao: “…”
He hesitated. “Then… should I feed you?”
