He gripped the half-open door, slowly turning his head to gaze at the tall Alpha behind him. His breathing unconsciously lightened.
The other stood tall with his head slightly bowed, those pitch-black eyes veiled in a faint sheen as they silently met his gaze. An unprecedented wave of tension and panic surged in Qiu Sui’s chest.
His fingers tightened slightly on the door handle. Then came Shen Zhixiao’s voice, lowered and carrying a hint of melancholy right from the start—it made Qiu Sui hold his breath in trepidation.
“I…” Shen Zhixiao looked at him with a subtle sadness, speaking slowly, “won’t be able to walk to class with you for the next few days.”
The unexpected words left Qiu Sui, who had been mentally preparing for hours, momentarily stunned. His heart still pounded wildly, but his mind felt detached.
Shen Zhixiao didn’t bring up their agreement as Qiu Sui had anticipated, nor did he mention that tomorrow was his Susceptible Period. He simply expressed concern, telling Qiu Sui that even without him around, that guy probably wouldn’t dare bother him anymore. He reassured Qiu Sui not to worry too much when alone.
Qiu Sui blinked in bewilderment, his thoughts scattering into disarray.
It wasn’t until Shen Zhixiao said goodbye and left that Qiu Sui snapped back to reality. He took half a step after him, watching the Alpha’s retreating back, and asked in a small, quick voice, uncertain: “Then… on Monday next week, breakfast together?”
Shen Zhixiao, who had taken two steps, seemed not to have heard clearly. He turned back with a concerned gaze. If Qiu Sui had looked closely, he would have noticed a faint flicker of surprise between the Alpha’s brows.
But after blurting out the words, Qiu Sui’s adrenaline surged uncontrollably. His whole body heated up, his breathing grew uneven.
This time, Shen Zhixiao seemed to catch it. His brows twitched faintly. He didn’t hide the emotions swirling in his eyes, instead smiling warmly at Qiu Sui and asking softly in return: “Can we?”
Qiu Sui’s heart felt like it was being clawed—itchy and numb. It took him several seconds to respond with a shaky affirmation.
They seemed to be covering up the truth of their agreement this way, just like how they’d deliberately ignored that ambiguous embrace before, carrying on with their usual banter and companionship.
But this self-deception already gave an answer from another angle. They both knew it deep down but neither pierced the veil.
Only after seeing Shen Zhixiao off did Qiu Sui’s taut nerves finally ease. The corners of his lips curved up uncontrollably as he slowly retreated into the dorm.
Qiu Sui’s Wednesday morning class had been rescheduled, leaving his morning free. He slept until he naturally woke.
Upon waking, he instinctively checked his phone for messages from Shen Zhixiao.
The Alpha’s avatar was buried under a flood of new notifications. Qiu Sui’s heart sank involuntarily as his finger slowly scrolled down to open their chat.
Their last exchange was from the night before—Shen Zhixiao’s goodnight.
He must be in his Susceptible Period by now, Qiu Sui thought.
His fingers hovered over the input box, hesitating. He recalled how out of it Shen Zhixiao had been last time during his Susceptible Period and ultimately held back.
Better not disturb him.
Qiu Sui replied to messages from others one by one, then ordered takeout.
Having slept too long, his head throbbed a bit when he stood. Listlessly, he threw on a jacket and headed to the balcony to freshen up.
While brushing his teeth, lost in thought, Qiu Sui inevitably recalled Shen Zhixiao’s state during his last Susceptible Period. He must have had someone help with the Suppressant this time, he thought worriedly.
He finished washing up absentmindedly and returned to the room. Opening his phone, he saw a message from Wen Heng.
Ever since he’d started hanging out with Shen Zhixiao, he’d re-added Wen Heng on WeChat.
Qiu Sui still cringed every time he remembered deleting them as friends, but neither dwelled on the minor incident.
Wen Heng was chatty in person but rarely messaged on WeChat. Seeing his sudden message made Qiu Sui tense up instinctively.
He opened it: Wen Heng was asking if he wanted to grab food together.
Feeling a bit awkward, Qiu Sui typed that he’d already ordered takeout. The next second, Wen Heng replied with an “Aw,” jokingly saying he’d missed the speed of Qiu Sui’s order and to give a heads-up next time so he could prepare.
Wen Heng meant he’d be looking to eat together the next few days.
Qiu Sui’s brows twitched faintly. Staring at the screen, an association clicked, and he slowly typed back: Sure.
Takeout from off-campus was slow. By the time it arrived and Qiu Sui finished eating, it was time to head to class.
He had only one afternoon class. Grabbing his book and pen, he stepped out and instinctively glanced across the hall before hurrying to the stairwell with his head down.
Unlike usual, he didn’t wait for the elevator but followed the crowd down the stairs. Without that familiar figure beside him, the routine path felt endlessly long and dull.
Even without Shen Zhixiao at his side, Qiu Sui still sensed faint attention from those around him on the way to the public lecture hall.
He hadn’t noticed it before, but now its absence made him uneasy. He quickened his pace into the classroom, picked a corner seat at random, pulled out his phone, and started playing cards.
After he’d shown Shen Zhixiao the screenshot of him and Qiao Keren losing all their Gold Beans, the Alpha had added him as a friend. Whenever they went bust, Shen Zhixiao would log in, send Gold Beans, and carry them back to profit.
Aside from that, Shen Zhixiao rarely initiated card games.
Qiu Sui checked his account balance—the Gold Beans Shen Zhixiao had helped him win two days ago remained untouched.
As if predicting he’d lose, Qiu Sui had topped up some money beforehand. Sure enough, he tanked the first round as landlord, squeezed between two opponents.
Two more losses later, he eyed his dwindling balance and quit, waiting for class to start.
Public lectures across departments were synced. Qiu Sui propped his chin as the professor announced chapters, flipping open his book to the specified page with one hand to take notes.
Midway through, as he turned the next page, the hand pressing down on his notes brushed something underneath.
Puzzled, he flipped back a few pages and spotted a pink sticky note tucked inside.
Black ink sketched two familiar stick figures, a basketball, and a hoop.
Qiu Sui stared at the drawing in surprise, his gaze slowly drifting downward to the neat words at the bottom.
Can we play basketball together next week too? Qiu Sui.
—Shen Zhixiao.
Qiu Sui fixated on the signature, frozen for several seconds before slowly reaching out.
His movements sluggish, he picked up the note, fluttering his lashes. His heart clenched instantly, softening into a sour ache.
When did Shen Zhixiao slip this into my book?
His mind churned slowly as he stared at the handwriting. He belatedly remembered Shen Zhixiao had carried this book back to the dorm for him last time. Was it then?
The hand propping his face shifted to his lips, suppressing the upward curve. He couldn’t quite name the emotion bubbling inside.
Shen Zhixiao had placed it precisely here—if the professor skipped ahead or slowed the pace even slightly, he might not have found it at the right moment.
Looking at the phrasing so similar to his own from yesterday afternoon, Qiu Sui almost laughed. Is this what they call tacit understanding?
He desperately wanted to snap a photo and send it to Shen Zhixiao right then, teasing him for tampering with his book.
But remembering the Alpha was likely out of it now, he held back from disturbing him. He just took the photo, planning to rib him after the three-day Susceptible Period ended.
Yet by Saturday morning, when Qiu Sui woke, there was still no message from Shen Zhixiao.
He’d stuck the note to the shelf under his bookcase—visible anytime he glanced at his desk. Gripping his phone, he hesitated over the time.
It was past nine. Shen Zhixiao was usually up by now.
Qiu Sui nervously licked his lips, then tentatively sent a good morning emoji.
Uncharacteristically, no reply came right away.
He waited patiently, but the chat stayed silent. Unease stirred in him, though he reasoned the Susceptible Period might be too rough, keeping Shen Zhixiao abed. He headed to the balcony to freshen up first.
Wen Heng didn’t stay on campus weekends, so Qiu Sui ordered takeout without pinging him.
Catching up on homework at his computer, he kept an eye on his phone. Takeout arrived at eleven—still no word from Shen Zhixiao on WeChat.
Worried, he sent a few inquiring messages. After lunch, he half-heartedly worked on his public lecture PPT. Before he knew it, it was one o’clock, and still nothing.
Even sleeping in, no one slept till afternoon without it harming their health. Qiu Sui’s fingers lingered in the chat before sending another message.
After a dozen seconds of silence, he directly called.
The ringtone droned for several seconds before a sluggish connect. No voice on the other end—just heavy breathing. Qiu Sui’s heart lurched. “Shen Zhixiao?” he called softly.
The Alpha on the other end let out a pained grunt, his voice hoarse beyond words: “…Qiu Sui…”
Sensing something wrong, Qiu Sui shot to his feet, clutching the phone tightly. “What’s wrong with you?”
Rustling sounds came through, like shifting on sheets. Shen Zhixiao’s words came in fragments: “I’m… fine… Qiu Sui…”
With Shen Zhixiao in such an abnormal state, Qiu Sui would have to be naive to believe him.
No matter how he pressed, Shen Zhixiao insisted he was fine. Finally, Qiu Sui said worriedly he’d come over.
The Alpha’s voice trembled: Don’t trouble yourself. Qiu Sui heard how hard even speaking was for him now. “Don’t talk anymore.”
After hanging up, Qiu Sui quickly grabbed clothes from the closet, changed, and rushed out.
Seeing Shen Zhixiao’s apartment door again, fragmented memories flashed unbidden in Qiu Sui’s mind. But he just took a deep breath and punched in the lock code Shen Zhixiao had given him.
The silent gray door eased open slowly, unleashing a thick, aggressive wave of Green Tea Pheromones—but Qiu Sui couldn’t perceive it.
He peered inside cautiously and locked eyes abruptly with the Alpha sitting mutely on the sofa.
Qiu Sui startled instinctively. Shen Zhixiao huddled on the sofa in evident pain, cheeks flushed as he gazed at him. Those dark eyes churned with something indefinable, a metal Bite Guard clamped over his face.
The familiar scene made Qiu Sui’s heart skip half a beat. His entry froze mid-step, anxiety spiking. No way…
