Chapter 43: Staying Overnight

Shu Yichen choked on a mouthful of barbecued meat, nearly suffocating as he pounded his chest several times before finally catching his breath.

His eyes widened round: “You—you guys… are you dating?!”

He Siheng truly wished that piece of meat had gone down the wrong way for him. “Don’t listen to his nonsense. I haven’t started dating him yet.”

“Not yet,” Tan Jing echoed, picking up on his words with a curve of his thin lips. “But who knows about the future.”

“…” He Siheng felt utterly powerless that evening. “Can you say a few less words?”

Tan Jing laughed, sitting up straighter as he reached for two freshly grilled skewers of pork belly from the Wire Fence and placed them on He Siheng’s new plate. Casually, he said, “Alright, I’ll speak less and do more—exactly how you like it.”

“…” He Siheng had no idea if he should eat those two skewers now.

Shu Yichen held his skewers in hand, glancing from one to the other. Even with his thick nerves, he could tell the atmosphere between these two had changed from before.

His hostility toward Tan Jing stemmed half from He Siheng’s past attitude toward him and half from He Yunlang’s attitude toward the entire Tan Family.

Recalling how He Yunlang would blow his top at the mere mention of the Tan Family, Shu Yichen leaned close to He Siheng’s ear and whispered, “Does Little Uncle know about this?”

He Siheng tugged at the corner of his mouth, his tone laced with clear threat. “If you dare tell them, you’ll be washing dishes here all night first.”

Shu Yichen immediately mimed zipping his mouth shut.

After a whirlwind of eating that cleared most of the barbecue from the table, it was time for the main matter.

He Siheng wiped his lips and fingers clean with a wet wipe, putting on his big brother airs. “Stomach full now? Time to start confessing.”

Shu Yichen played dumb and deaf, stuffing more meat into his mouth even with his belly full, staying silent.

He Siheng had no patience for it and clicked his tongue. “Spit it out already. Why’d you skip school?”

Shu Yichen still didn’t speak, glancing at him, then at Tan Jing, hesitating.

Sensing his reluctance, Tan Jing stood from his chair. “I’ll grab you two more sodas.”

“I—I want beer.”

As Shu Yichen raised his hand to order, He Siheng’s hand came down like a blade, knocking him on the forehead. “You’re a junior high kid—beer my ass!”

Shu Yichen grimaced in pain but didn’t dare object.

Tan Jing watched He Siheng acting like the head of the household, fussing over the bratty kid, and smiled before leaving the table.

With Tan Jing gone, the two brothers had space alone. He Siheng pressed the troublemaker. “You can talk now, right?”

Shu Yichen hung his head, mumbling reluctantly. “I… differentiated.”

Aside from rare cases like He Siheng who differentiated very late, most people did so during junior high. Nothing unusual.

He Siheng didn’t quite get it. “You skipped school just for that?”

Shu Yichen pulled a bitter face. “The gene test said Omega, but I differentiated into an Alpha…”

He Siheng’s expression remained blank. “Bragging to me now?”

Shu Yichen blinked. “Huh?”

“…Never mind,” He Siheng coughed, trying to keep his tone from sounding sour. “Differentiating into an Alpha is great, right? Plenty of people wish they could be one.”

Like me.

Shu Yichen let out a huge sigh. “Bro, you haven’t differentiated yet. Once you do and become an Alpha, you’ll know how rough the Susceptible Period is.”

He Siheng let out a light scoff, thinking he’d never experience that particular sweet torment in his lifetime.

“Aren’t there Suppressants?” He Siheng asked offhandedly.

Shu Yichen shook his head. “They’re like painkillers for a toothache—treat the symptom, not the cause. And I’m A-Rank, so they’re not that effective for me. Until I find my Omega, I’ll suffer through it three or four times a year.”

He Siheng frowned slightly. Compared to Omegas who went through a Heat Period every one or two months, Alphas’ Susceptible Periods were less frequent. He only knew Omegas grew weak during Heat, craving an Alpha’s Mark. In contrast, Alphas became more irritable and aggressive during theirs.

Boss He at home was an A-Rank Alpha, but he’d differentiated late and met Lady Shu Qiu soon after, so He Siheng had never heard him complain about painful Susceptible Periods.

Unbidden, He Siheng thought of Tan Jing—an S-Rank Alpha. What must his Susceptibility Period be like…

“The real pain isn’t the gene test being wrong,” Shu Yichen continued despairingly. “It’s that someone caught me right when I differentiated.”

He grew angry and embarrassed recounting it. “It was that pretentious Class Monitor I hate the most in our class. I even—I nearly bit him! It’s like shitting your pants in front of the whole class!”

“…”

The bizarre metaphor left He Siheng subtly silent for a few seconds. “Did you force a Mark on him?”

“Of course not—that’s illegal!” Shu Yichen declared righteously. “And why would I Mark that jerk? I slapped myself twice on the spot and rushed to the hospital for Suppressants!”

He Siheng: “…”

You’ve got principles.

One moment full of bravado, the next Shu Yichen’s shoulders slumped, adding weakly, “But he took me there, and on the way I still…”

“Anyway, it was mortifying. I don’t want to go back to school.” Shu Yichen trailed off, pleading bitterly for He Siheng’s understanding. “Bro, you get it, right? If it were you, you’d skip school too!”

“…”

He Siheng’s mouth twitched.

Bro’s even more humiliated—and bro’s the one who got bitten.

He Siheng cleared his throat, adopting a earnest big-brother tone. “How does running away solve anything? You gonna skip school forever?”

Shu Yichen had his own plan. “The semester’s almost over anyway. I’ll just bail, transfer next term.”

His expression turned serious and grave. “I’m thinking of studying abroad.”

He Siheng’s eye twitched. “No need for that.”

“Big need!” Shu Yichen fumed. “I hate that pretentious bro so much—it’s like how much you hate Tan Jing!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a slender hand set down sodas on the table with a deliberate thud, not too light or heavy.

Both brothers looked up at the newcomer, who smiled magnanimously. “No worries, I didn’t hear a thing.”

“…”

Caught badmouthing, the brothers fell silent together, the air thickening.

He Siheng coughed awkwardly, averting his eyes from Tan Jing and murmuring to Shu Yichen, “There was a misunderstanding before, that’s why I disliked him. It’s cleared up now…”

Tan Jing smiled and chimed in. “So you like me now?”

“…” He Siheng’s face fell. He turned solemnly to Shu Yichen, correcting emphatically, “You’re right. I hate him.”

Shu Yichen: “…”

Shu Yichen gave He Siheng a complicated look.

Bro’s hate declaration sounds so much like flirting.

Of course, Shu Yichen wouldn’t voice that thought, or he’d truly be dishwashing all night.

He clasped his hands together, begging He Siheng. “Bro, book me a hotel tonight. I’m broke.”

He Siheng: “You’re a junior high kid—how am I supposed to book you a hotel?”

Shu Yichen’s brain spun fast, switching to Plan B. “Then let me crash in your room for a few days. Cover for me so Little Aunt and Little Uncle don’t find out.”

At this presumptuous suggestion, Tan Jing’s eyes narrowed slightly. He glanced at He Siheng, who seemed about to agree.

Before He Siheng could nod, Tan Jing spoke to Shu Yichen first. “Just one night, or a few days?”

Shu Yichen didn’t hesitate. “The longer, the better.”

Tan Jing pressed. “You sure you can hide in his room for days without getting caught?”

Shu Yichen faltered—that was tricky, but he had nowhere else to go. It was his only option.

Seeing his hesitation, Tan Jing’s lips curved subtly, casually suggesting, “I’ve got an empty place at home. You can crash there for a few days.”

Shu Yichen’s eyes lit up. Beggars can’t be choosers—he was instantly grateful. “Brother-in-law, you’re my real brother-in-law!”

He Siheng’s face darkened instantly as he raised a hand to swat him. “What did you call him?”

Shu Yichen bolted from his chair, faster than a rabbit, ducking behind Tan Jing.

Tan Jing shielded him, chuckling good-naturedly. “Your bro doesn’t like that title. Let’s pick another.”

Shu Yichen smoothly changed it. “Sister-in-law!”

Tan Jing: “Mm.”

He Siheng: “…”

*

Tan Jing’s place was nearby—a quick ten-minute cab ride.

On the top floor for maximum privacy and quiet. The living room had floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides, overlooking a sea of city lights.

True to his word, it was vacant. The place felt empty; aside from a piano in the living room, only basic furniture remained—no signs of daily life.

“The guest room’s on the left. Toiletries are stocked,” Tan Jing said. “I’ll have the housekeeper come tomorrow morning to clean and cook.”

“Thanks, sister-in-law!”

Shu Yichen shouted and dashed off. He Siheng’s glaring eye-daggers couldn’t catch his fleeing back.

With Shu Yichen in the guest room, only He Siheng and Tan Jing remained in the living room. The air suddenly grew quiet.

He Siheng felt inexplicably uneasy, pretending to appraise the decor as he made small talk. “Shu Yichen staying here’s really okay? Won’t it bother your family?”

“No issue,” Tan Jing replied. “This is my place for special periods. Only me and the housekeeper come here.”

He Siheng grew curious. “What special periods?”

“Wanna know?” Tan Jing looked at him with a half-smile. “You could stay here tonight too.”

He Siheng tugged his lips. “Pass. Gotta go home and report to the Empress Dowager.”

Just then, his phone rang from his coat pocket.

Perfect timing—Shu Qiu calling.

He Siheng waved the phone. “See? Empress Dowager’s calling.”

He answered.

“Found him. Just fed him.”

“Yeah, he differentiated—into an Alpha.”

“These couple days, he’ll stay at Tan… a friend’s place.”

“What? Stay and comfort him? He’s full of energy, doesn’t need my comfort.”

Hearing Shu Qiu’s worries on the line—gene test error, Shu Yichen’s mental state, unstable Susceptible Period post-differentiation—He Siheng sighed and relented.

“Alright, alright. Don’t worry. I’ll watch him tonight, take him to register at the hospital tomorrow.”

He Siheng hung up, turning to Tan Jing. He rubbed his neck awkwardly, voice low. “Uh… what you said about me staying tonight—still good?”

Tan Jing pondered briefly, feigning difficulty. “Suddenly think AO interactions differ. Not suitable for an Omega to overnight here.”

He said it dead seriously. “Bad for my reputation.”

He Siheng: “?”

Tan Jing stepped closer, one pace at a time, the Alpha presence impossible to ignore.

He Siheng instinctively wanted to back away, but Tan Jing stopped a step short. His gaze softened, the aggression fading, making him seem utterly harmless.

The guy before him curved his beautiful eyes, voice low and coaxing. “If it were a boyfriend staying over, that’d be different. What do you think?”