Meeting those not-so-simple eyes, Xiao Mu shook hands casually, offering a shy smile. “Hi, I’m Xiao Mu, Qiu Sui’s friend.”
An unspoken tension hung between them, leaving sandwiched Qiu Sui at a loss for words. Fortunately, Shen Zhixiao checked his watch, smiled apologetically at Xiao Mu, and said kindly, “It’s getting late. Qiu Sui and I have dinner plans—we’ll head out.”
Qiu Sui nodded to Xiao Mu with a wave.
Xiao Mu couldn’t tag along further, but eyeing the tall Alpha beside Qiu Sui, he tugged Qiu Sui’s sleeve with a surge of sense of crisis before leaving.
Shen Zhixiao’s eyes tracked the motion, dark pupils glinting with chilling intensity.
Xiao Mu flinched behind Qiu Sui, then leaned close to his ear, voice soft and warm. “You still inviting me for games tonight?”
The phrasing was ambiguous—like Qiu Sui was the one issuing invites, flipping the usual dynamic.
However, Qiu Sui didn’t notice this subtle difference in expression. He’d been teaming up with Xiao Mu to play cards frequently lately, so after thinking it over, he figured dinner with Shen Zhixiao wouldn’t take too long. “Might play. I’ll let you know later,” he said.
Hearing Qiu Sui’s reply, Xiao Mu was satisfied. He waved enthusiastically at them in farewell, his beaming smile looking utterly grating in Shen Zhixiao’s eyes.
Qiu Sui sensed none of the undercurrents. He glanced at the time—6:20 p.m.—and wondered if he should scan a scooter to head out the school gate when his short sleeve was suddenly tugged.
He turned his head and saw Shen Zhixiao’s fingers gripping his sleeve just like Xiao Mu had moments ago. Leaning down, Shen Zhixiao spoke to him: “Heading out now?”
Qiu Sui stiffened uncomfortably, nodding slowly. He prepared to lead Shen Zhixiao to the shared scooter station across the way, but as he lifted his foot, his sleeve was tugged tight again. A soft chuckle came from above his head, followed by a gentle question: “Where are you taking me?”
Shen Zhixiao spoke slowly, each word deliberate, the ending note rising faintly like a breeze tickling his ear—somewhat itchy.
Qiu Sui’s shoulders twitched sensitively. Reacting sluggishly, he pointed toward the shared scooter station across from them.
Shen Zhixiao followed his gesture with his eyes and drew out an “oh.” Gazing at the Beta in front of him, he breathed in the clean, fresh scent wafting from the other. His tone softened involuntarily: “But I have a car coming to pick me up at school, Qiu Sui.”
“Can I give you a ride out?”
“…”
After settling into the back seat of the sedan, that question from Shen Zhixiao still echoed faintly in Qiu Sui’s ears.
He hugged his backpack to his chest, leaning uncomfortably toward the door as he checked his phone. The air was filled with the faint, elegant fragrance inside the car.
Late September outdoors was still sweltering. Unlike the mandatory short-sleeve-and-pants PE uniforms in high school, Qiu Sui usually wore shorts and a tee to class. His originally pale legs had tanned slightly, pressed tightly together, the skin at the edge of his shorts showing a subtle color difference.
No conversation filled the car, but fortunately, soft music played, keeping the atmosphere from turning too awkward.
Still, sitting in the back seat with Shen Zhixiao made Qiu Sui feel an inexplicable unease. His legs rubbed together ever so slightly in the cool interior.
“Uncle Zhang, could you turn up the AC a bit?”
Shen Zhixiao’s sudden voice startled Qiu Sui. His body jerked reflexively, his heart racing out of control. He went rigid all over, a wave of panicked numbness tingling through his limbs.
The sensation resembled that previous eye-contact suppression from Shen Zhixiao, making him tense up, his breathing slowing.
They weren’t sitting close—a small gap between them—but every tiny rustle from Shen Zhixiao’s movements carried clearly, exploding right by Qiu Sui’s ear. His sensitive nerves trembled, and then he felt the other drawing slightly nearer, his voice gentle with concern: “Cold? You’re in shorts.”
Qiu Sui hunched his shoulders instinctively, reacting sluggishly before mumbling softly, “I’m fine.”
Once Shen Zhixiao settled back, Qiu Sui inwardly grumbled at his own oversensitivity.
Eye contact doesn’t even faze me anymore—what’s there to be nervous about?!
Shen Zhixiao propped one hand on the backrest behind him, leaning slightly to watch the Beta before him. His gaze greedily traced from the other’s ear, to his cheek, to his calm lips, a rising sense of happiness blooming in his chest.
His fingers brushed the edge of the Control Ring. After a faint vibration, a thick wave of Green Tea Pheromone surged forth, instantly filling the entire car. Unfortunately, both the driver and Qiu Sui were Betas and couldn’t detect the scent.
Shen Zhixiao’s eyes seemed to see his Pheromones slowly enveloping the Beta’s body, intimately caressing his skin, slipping into him with every breath.
What a pity.
He stared at Qiu Sui’s nape, thinking, Only by biting the Gland can my Pheromones truly meld into Qiu Sui’s blood.
Qiu Sui seemed to sense Shen Zhixiao watching him but wasn’t sure. Too embarrassed to turn, he kept staring at his phone. Then it hit him—Shen Zhixiao had never mentioned where they were eating.
His eyes widened; he wanted to ask, but speaking in the quiet car with its soft melody felt too weird. Curiosity bursting, he just kept staring at his screen.
Until Shen Zhixiao spoke again, calling his name.
Qiu Sui startled again, his heart pounding like an engine, body half-tensing anew, limbs going weak.
The voice was soft, like a whisper against his shoulder, but Qiu Sui couldn’t control his sensitivity to it, always jolting like this.
He heard Shen Zhixiao ask curiously: “Was that Beta just now your new friend?”
Every time Qiu Sui heard “new friend,” a strange feeling stirred in him. With a third person in the car, it was like he had a sudden fear of speaking aloud. He barely managed a strained “mm.”
Shen Zhixiao let out a low “oh,” emotion unreadable, then asked softly: “Do you two play games together often at night?”
Qiu Sui sat up straight nervously, clutching his backpack tighter. He nodded briefly, unsure how to reply, finally forcing out dryly: “N-Normally, yeah.”
But that still stung for someone with failed social attempts. Silence stretched, his tone turning glum and envious: “Is that so? Sounds nice.”
Qiu Sui’s chest felt stuffed with cotton—stuffy and unsettled, no words coming.
“What games do you usually play?” Shen Zhixiao’s voice piped up again.
His persistence made it hard to refuse. Qiu Sui answered honestly: “Just Doudizhu.”
Then, something occurred to him, and he reminded gratefully: “Qiu Shun loves it too. We team up a lot—he’s really good, always carries me to wins.”
Mentioning Qiu Shun, Qiu Sui’s words flowed more easily, his tone richer than the initial stiffness.
By contrast, Shen Zhixiao’s voice lost some of its vibrancy, latching onto a key word: “Team up?”
“Yeah, it supports teams.” As he spoke, Qiu Sui turned toward him without thinking, only to meet Shen Zhixiao’s direct gaze. His motion stuttered, eyelids twitching uncomfortably as he added: “Two-player or three-player teams…”
Seeing Qiu Sui’s face up close improved Shen Zhixiao’s mood, but thoughts of the other Beta brought a hint of jealousy: “Do you and your new friend usually duo?”
Even after Xiao Mu’s introduction, Shen Zhixiao refused to say the name aloud, sourly substituting “new friend” as if the other didn’t deserve a full identity in his eyes.
But Qiu Sui missed the barb, answering honestly: “Nah, usually three of us. His skills need work, mine are worse—we lose Gold Beans fast.”
Qiu Sui wanted to share funny stories from recent games, but Shen Zhixiao wasn’t a close friend, so he reined in the impulse.
Sensing the richer emotions, Shen Zhixiao drew out an appreciative “oh,” his voice warm: “Sounds fun.”
Qiu Sui was inching back to his original position when he heard the sudden question: “Can you add me?”
Shen Zhixiao added a bit too eagerly, softly: “I want to try too.”
The request caught Qiu Sui off guard, making him tense up again.
He paused sluggishly for seconds, sensing something off, and chuckled awkwardly: “I’ll share the mini-program with you. You can try it with Wen Heng.”
“…”
A few seconds of quiet passed before a dejected “oh” came slowly.
Qiu Sui felt like he’d been pricked by a needle, not daring to look at Shen Zhixiao’s face. He stared at the passing neon streetlights, squirming uncomfortably.
As he debated adding something to salvage the mood, the sedan slowed to a stop.
Shen Zhixiao got out quickly, circled to open Qiu Sui’s door. Hand on the frame, he gazed down at the seated figure, eyes crinkling warmly: “This BBQ place is famous locally. Hope you like it.”
Seeing no trace of negativity on the other’s face—like a spring breeze—Qiu Sui realized belatedly that Shen Zhixiao probably hadn’t taken their exchange to heart.
Qiu Sui felt embarrassed for his earlier fretting, sliding out slowly and slinging on his backpack to follow a few steps behind the Alpha.
He inwardly scolded himself for overthinking others’ feelings. After dinner tonight, no more interactions needed—what’s the point of caring so much?
Shen Zhixiao had booked a scenic private room, with a square table beside one-way glass overlooking the bustling commercial district at night.
Qiu Sui knew places like this ran pricey, easing his sense of debt.
Since it was Shen Zhixiao’s treat, he opened the menu and slid it over: “You pick first.”
But Shen Zhixiao pushed it back with a faint smile: “Anything’s fine for me. You order.”
Assuming reluctance, Qiu Sui gauged their appetites and selected safe, safe options.
At first, no awkwardness, but once the menu was handed to the server—who left them alone—the atmosphere turned subtly charged.
Qiu Sui felt the other’s gaze flickering over, propping his cheek with one hand uncomfortably. He opened an app and scrolled aimlessly, blaming the violin melody playing in the room.
Its flowing, winding notes tugged at his nerves involuntarily.
Fortunately, it didn’t last—the server began bringing small plates.
Qiu Sui relaxed, lifting his head to grab tongs for the meat, but another hand snatched them first.
The Alpha across from him smiled mildly under the warm lighting, already getting to work: “I’ll handle it.”
Recalling his track record of burning everything, Qiu Sui mumbled an embarrassed “oh” and obediently withdrew his hand, idly watching.
He watched the tender pink wagyu deepen, clipped open by Shen Zhixiao’s tongs, flipped on the grill with sizzling oil, sauced, and plated into gray dishes—then slowly slid toward him by one hand.
Qiu Sui blanked for two seconds, flustered: “You first…”
“I used to come here a lot.” Shen Zhixiao’s fingers rested lightly on the dish edge, cutting off the refusal. His eyes held a soft glow under the warm light, fixed earnestly on the Beta, seeking approval: “Try it first—see if you like the taste.”
