After separating from Qiu Sui, Shen Zhixiao barely slept at all last night. He got up right on time in the morning and couldn’t wait to head out and find Qiu Sui.
Now that he’d snatched the man back from the dim sum place to the neighborhood, he hugged Qiu Sui and kissed him fiercely for a while, then endlessly kneaded his waist without stopping.
Qiu Sui was starting to feel set ablaze with desire, and he could sense Shen Zhixiao’s unrest too. He licked his lips, waiting for the next move—only for the next second to find himself scooped up and stuffed into bed alongside Shen Zhixiao for a beauty nap.
He stared blankly at the ceiling, somewhat in disbelief as he wriggled happily like a silkworm in Shen Zhixiao’s arms, half-leaning against him.
The alpha, who hadn’t slept well all night, now had his eyes slightly closed, looking truly exhausted.
Qiu Sui watched him for a bit, then leaned in close to Shen Zhixiao’s ear with some worry and whispered softly, “If you’re like this, what are we gonna do when it’s time to go back to Sea City?”
Shen Zhixiao’s arm around Qiu Sui’s waist tightened even more. His eyes cracked open a sliver to gaze at him, and he let out a hoarse “Mm,” saying, “I don’t want to go back.”
Qiu Sui almost wanted to laugh at that, but going back was unavoidable—Shen Zhixiao still had to return to the Main Residence to spend the New Year with his family.
Mimicking how Shen Zhixiao had done it to him before, Qiu Sui reached out to touch his ear and came up with an idea, speaking in a warm, gentle whisper. “How about we video call each other to sleep when the time comes? You’ll open your eyes and see me right away. Sound good?”
Shen Zhixiao tilted his head to nuzzle his fingers, the corner of his lips curving up slightly as he murmured a low agreement.
Qiu Sui’s fingers brushed his lip corner, and he closed his eyes too, drifting off for that beauty nap.
When Shen Zhixiao woke up, he was clearly much more energized. He grabbed Qiu Sui by the nape and nuzzled him affectionately, mumbling unclearly, “Do you wanna go out for lunch, or should I cook?”
Qiu Sui sat up, head heavy and feet light, but he remembered the task his mom had given him. “Let’s go out. Head to Xincheng.”
Qiu Sui had often gathered with friends for meals back in high school, so he’d tried almost all the classic eateries in Stream City. He led Shen Zhixiao to a private cuisine spot.
Xincheng’s commercial district was bustling, a favorite haunt for young people. With winter break in full swing, Qiu Sui even ran into two classmates from high school on the way.
When they greeted each other, Shen Zhixiao straightened up behind him, his expressionless face making him look like a fierce guard dog.
The two omegas, arms linked, glanced wistfully toward Qiu Sui’s back and asked with polite smiles, “New friend? Never seen him at No. 1 High School.”
Qiu Sui had always hung out with Qiao Keren in high school, which meant meeting plenty of omegas, and he’d been pretty popular with them in class too. He nodded at the pair with a smile and corrected them, “Boyfriend. We met in college.”
Shen Zhixiao, who had been silently emanating chill vibes from behind, immediately broke into a springlike smile at those words. He nodded to the two omegas and introduced himself.
The omegas’ eyebrows twitched; they schooled their expressions and drawled a long “Ooooh,” then politely said they didn’t want to interrupt his date and scurried off with promises to hang out next time.
They hadn’t gone far before sneaking a gossipy glance back—and saw that tall alpha suddenly leaning his head on Qiu Sui’s shoulder in a bizarre “giant bird perching dependently” pose.
With so many people around the mall, Qiu Sui felt Shen Zhixiao’s weight and his ears turned a little red. He asked in a low voice, “What are you doing?”
“I just realized we haven’t officially gone public on each other’s WeChat Moments,” Shen Zhixiao grumbled belatedly after that little episode.
To be precise, Qiu Sui had never posted anything about their relationship—or rather, anything about Shen Zhixiao on his Moments. Sure, plenty of people at school knew they were dating, and Qiu Sui’s close friends did too, but Shen Zhixiao still wasn’t satisfied.
Shen Zhixiao’s own Moments were fine if he didn’t post, but once he did, he couldn’t help showing off their relationship—either a photo of a dish Qiu Sui made, or Qiu Sui’s back while trimming flowers in the little courtyard, or Qiu Sui’s books in a mess, captioned with something suggestive.
Wen Heng would just comment one word: Pretending.
By contrast, Qiu Sui’s Moments were all travel pics and text updates—Shen Zhixiao had never appeared in them.
Qiu Sui hadn’t thought much of his own Moments before, but now he realized Shen Zhixiao had probably been stewing on this for a while.
Amused, he bumped his head against Shen Zhixiao’s and teased in a drawn-out tone with curved eyes, “Is it still not too late for me to post now, boyfriend?”
The man who had been drooping his head instantly perked up, grabbing Qiu Sui’s hand and waiting for the photo.
But Qiu Sui didn’t open the camera. Instead, he pulled up the gallery, lips quirking up faintly as he said, “I have other photos I can post.”
He dug out that one he’d secretly snapped of Shen Zhixiao sleeping on the sofa.
Shen Zhixiao often snuck peeks at Qiu Sui’s phone, but he’d never checked the hidden album—and he’d never seen this photo of Qiu Sui poking his cheek while snapping it.
Qiu Sui felt a bit embarrassed under that scorching gaze. He cleared his throat lightly as he selected the photo and said casually, “You’ve snuck so many pics of me… I’ve only done it to you a few times…”
Before he could finish, Shen Zhixiao wrapped an arm around his waist and pecked him hard.
Qiu Sui remembered they were near the mall and instantly bristled.
He scanned around with wide eyes, saw no one had noticed, then swung a warning fist at Shen Zhixiao and hissed in embarrassed annoyance, “Don’t kiss me like that in public!”
Shen Zhixiao was pretty immune to Qiu Sui’s punches by now—it was like being pounced by a cat, leaving him itchy and delighted. He chuckled lowly at Qiu Sui.
Qiu Sui mulled over his official announcement caption for several minutes before posting it to Moments—without blocking anyone.
That afternoon, his basketball buddies saw it and cheerfully praised in the group chat that Qiu Sui’s omega boyfriend looked so handsome and spirited, like he could hold his own against an alpha.
Qiu Sui nearly spat out his soup when he saw the message while eating. He’d thought Shen Zhixiao’s look screamed his gender at first glance, but someone actually mistook him for an omega?
A nearly two-meter-tall omega?
Qiu Sui couldn’t stop laughing at the thought. He leaned against Shen Zhixiao’s shoulder, shaking with mirth until he finally typed an explanation in the group with lingering chuckles.
The guys had thought they’d gained a spectator, not a new teammate. When they met Shen Zhixiao that afternoon, they were all a bit awkward.
Shen Zhixiao towered over the other alphas there, exuding serious pressure.
Qiao Keren, munching chips from the bleachers, waved happily at Qiu Sui when he spotted him and asked curiously, “How come Shun’er didn’t come out with you?”
Qiu Sui had invited Qiu Shun, but professional classes had beaten him down too hard. With vacation finally here and nothing to do, he just wanted to hole up at home and recover.
Qiao Keren thought about it—Qiu Shun’s major was half-med, with competitions and finals every month—and felt sympathetic understanding.
Qiu Sui’s games with friends usually ran from 3 p.m. till dark, but winter days darkened early, so they met up at the court a bit after 2 and formed teams.
Shen Zhixiao had only been able to watch from afar before as Qiu Sui joked and played with friends on the court. Now he was finally one of them.
Given Shen Zhixiao’s height advantage and Qiu Sui’s skills, the others had no choice but to separate the lovebirds onto different teams, reminding Qiu Sui not to go easy.
Qiu Sui scoffed inwardly—that warning’s for Shen Zhixiao. Out of habit, he raised a hand to bump his friend’s shoulder while talking, but it got caught by another hand before it landed.
Shen Zhixiao gripped his fist, lids drooping as he eyed him.
Qiu Sui’s nape prickled at the look. He remembered promising before the game not to do too much shoulder-slapping or neck-hugging with others.
He immediately threw up a hand in a swearing gesture and raised a brow at Shen Zhixiao to show he meant it.
But once the game heated up, all promises flew out the window.
Qiu Sui, after scoring, hooked arms with teammates and bounced around, or leaned shoulders with opponents to brag.
Shen Zhixiao stared unblinkingly at Qiu Sui, nearly crushing the ball in his grip. In the next few rounds, none of Qiu Sui’s teammates got a pass.
Qiu Sui’s friends were as straightforward as him. At the end, one hooked his shoulder and cheerfully praised Shen Zhixiao’s skills.
Qiu Sui sensed a chill and quickly poked two fingers to pry off the arm, then shoved a water bottle at his boyfriend while hooking his arm.
Shen Zhixiao glanced at him coolly, ignoring the water and saying nothing.
Qiu Sui knew he was in the wrong. He nudged Shen Zhixiao’s shoulder while shoving him toward the alpha locker room—where Shen Zhixiao grabbed his nape and ravaged his lips, chest, and gland.
The guy who’d been bouncing all over the court now slumped weakly against Shen Zhixiao, face flushed bright red.
Shen Zhixiao gripped his shoulders, sharp fangs grinding repeatedly against Qiu Sui’s nape. The urge for a Temporary Mark was impossible to hide anymore.
Some basketball friends were alphas too, and exertion meant leaking Pheromones unavoidably. Plus, Qiu Sui had been hooking arms and all—his body reeked of others.
Even after Shen Zhixiao covered it over, he was still seething inside.
Qiu Sui grabbed Shen Zhixiao’s hair, petting it to soothe him like a cat, but minutes passed with no improvement.
Feeling that numb-tingly sensation on his nape, Qiu Sui’s breaths grew heavy. He resorted to his last trick, tilting his head against Shen Zhixiao’s ear and whispering, “Once you bite, you can’t be mad anymore.”
Shen Zhixiao paused his focused licking at the words. His hold on Qiu Sui tightened fiercely, and without waiting for a reaction, he bared his fangs and sank them in hard.
Qiu Sui let out an uncontrollable low moan, fingers tightening in Shen Zhixiao’s hair, shoulders trembling faintly.
Green Tea Pheromone invaded his gland dominantly, but only a thin layer lingered on the skin of his nape, giving off a faint scent. No matter how much Shen Zhixiao injected repeatedly, it was no use.
Qiu Sui went half-numb from the bite, gasping raggedly before Shen Zhixiao dove in to kiss him deeply.
He couldn’t gauge how strong the Green Tea Pheromone scent on him was. After tidying up in the locker room, they headed out together.
Qiao Keren caught the Pheromones on Qiu Sui and teasingly arched a brow, but thought the scent seemed familiar, like he’d smelled it before.
If Qiao Keren could detect it, so could the other two alphas. They all kept their eyes down and noses clean, pretending not to notice while talking to Qiu Sui.
They’d booked a barbecue spot for dinner and had already ordered via WeChat on the way, so they could dig in right away.
Qiu Sui’s Pheromones faded in under half an hour, leaving Shen Zhixiao moody and low. He downed a whole bottle of fruit wine.
Qiu Sui beside him only sipped a few from his own can, cheeks lightly flushed as he caught up with friends.
Shen Zhixiao knew he got drunk easily. At his sixth sip, he swapped the can for warm water, earning a slight pout and side-eye from Qiu Sui.
But Qiu Sui obediently hugged the water and drank.
Sitting with high school friends, Qiu Sui could chat endlessly—from college majors to the time they got punished for skipping uniforms.
Once full, he subconsciously half-leaned on Shen Zhixiao, his head butting against the alpha’s shoulder with every word. It eased Shen Zhixiao’s dissatisfaction a bit, but he was still deeply unhappy.
It was past 10 p.m. when they left the barbecue joint. Qiu Sui, buzzed from the booze, was wired, while Shen Zhixiao showed no effects from two bottles of fruit wine.
He held Qiu Sui as he waved goodbye to friends, then pulled him into the car. Once the door shut, he couldn’t hold back—grabbing Qiu Sui’s nape and biting his lip hard.
Qiu Sui’s reaction was slow; he only covered his mouth after and mumbled unclearly under the car window lights gleaming in his bright, watery eyes, “What… was that for…”
Shen Zhixiao cradled his jaw in his palm, thumb pressing firmly into his cheek to dimple the skin, dark eyes locked on him as he said coolly, “Having fun chatting?”
Qiu Sui swallowed, about to say of course, but caught Shen Zhixiao’s dark, dissatisfied expression and shut his mouth in time.
Belatedly reviewing the night, he realized he’d brushed off Shen Zhixiao’s sneaky hand-holds three times while catching up.
“…”
Qiu Sui’s tailbone tingled from Shen Zhixiao’s knee pressing there. Heart guilty, he fluttered his eyelids and answered irrelevantly, “Are we heading to my place first now?”
Shen Zhixiao stared without responding, just grinding his knee lightly against Qiu Sui.
Qiu Sui gulped and quickly backpedaled, “Chatting was… actually not that fun…”
Shen Zhixiao let out a soft chuckle, brows lifting slightly. In the dim light, his sharp features looked heart-stirringly alluring. He caressed Qiu Sui’s face intimately and murmured warmly, “I came along to eat with your friends, so tonight you have to keep me company too, baby.”
Though the tone was clearly gentle and alluring, Qiu Sui felt a chill run down his spine. Where’s the “accompanying” in that? We just ate together…
But then Qiu Sui noticed that Shen Zhixiao hadn’t chimed into their conversation at all from start to finish. He really did seem like an obedient kid sitting quietly off to the side, keeping the parents company.
Feeling in the wrong, he licked his lips and mumbled without much conviction, “That depends on whether my mom agrees—this counts as staying out all night…”
The Alpha raised an eyebrow and said softly, “Of course. Auntie already agreed.”
?
Qiu Sui stared as Shen Zhixiao held up his phone, revealing chat logs where the guy had shockingly impersonated him to talk to his mom.
Qiu Sui’s heart skipped a beat. He reached out to pinch Shen Zhixiao’s neck, unwilling to admit defeat.
Shen Zhixiao let him vent his frustration all the way until they reached the neighborhood entrance, where he tugged the other out of the car.
Qiu Sui sensed the aggressive vibe—like scores were about to be settled—and hurriedly slung an arm around Shen Zhixiao’s shoulders, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. “It’s been months since I saw my friends. It’s normal to get carried away chatting…”
Shen Zhixiao hummed lightly, shut the entryway door, and pinned him straight against the wall, claiming his lips in a heavy, dissatisfied kiss.
