Chapter 2
“Auntie Xiu! We’re back!”
As soon as Jiang Yuebai entered the door, he took off his sneakers, skillfully found his slippers from the shoe cabinet, and changed into them. He strode into the living room and collapsed onto the sofa.
Yan Weiqiu followed behind him. Seeing him occupying the entire sofa, he couldn’t help but kick him twice. “Get up.”
“I don’t want to. Come lie down too.” Jiang Yuebai grabbed his hand and pulled him hard, causing Yan Weiqiu to fall into his arms.
“Ah—”
“Jiang Yuebai, what are you doing?!”
A feeling of weightlessness came over him. Yan Weiqiu cried out in surprise, still not having recovered from being held in Jiang Yuebai’s arms.
“You’re so light, Xiaoqiu. Have you been eating properly lately?” Jiang Yuebai held him in his arms like a rag doll, even sniffing the hollow of his neck before burying his face there.
Yan Weiqiu’s whole body stiffened, afraid to move. The next second, he struggled violently. “Let go of me!”
“No, I’ll just hold you like this for a while.”
Yan Weiqiu couldn’t resist Jiang Yuebai’s brute strength. The difference in strength between an Alpha and a Beta was significant, and the weaker Yan Weiqiu was no match for Jiang Yuebai. He could only let himself be held.
Fang Xiu peeked her head out from the kitchen, teasing, “Xiaobai hasn’t been over to play recently. I thought you two had a fight.”
Yan Weiqiu nudged Jiang Yuebai’s waist with his elbow, and while he was wincing in pain, he took the opportunity to climb off of him.
“Cough, Xiaoqiu, what are you…” Before Jiang Yuebai could finish his sentence, Yan Weiqiu hit him with a pillow.
Jiang Yuebai successfully shut his mouth, picked up the water glass Yan Weiqiu had just used, and took several large gulps.
“Hey, that’s my glass!” Yan Weiqiu didn’t even have time to stop him and could only watch helplessly.
Jiang Yuebai put the glass back on the table, nonchalantly saying, “What does it matter? It’s not like I haven’t tasted your saliva before.”
Yan Weiqiu pursed his lips slightly, feeling the heat rising in his face. Not wanting Jiang Yuebai to notice his unusual reaction, he hurriedly left Jiang Yuebai’s sight, found Jiang Yuebai’s glass in the cupboard, and poured him a glass of water.
“Here’s your water.”
Jiang Yuebai took the glass and took a sip, teasing, “Why does the water in your glass taste sweeter? Is it because of the glass?”
Yan Weiqiu: “…”
He took a deep breath and shouted towards the kitchen, “Mom, Xiaobai has heatstroke.”
Jiang Yuebai: “???”
Yan Weiqiu looked at him with a deadpan expression and snorted coldly. “He’s quite sick. He’s already started talking nonsense.”
Jiang Yuebai: “.”
Fang Xiu was cooking in the kitchen. Hearing this, she quickly called out, “Then check the medicine cabinet and give Xiaobai some Huoxiang Zhengqi Water. If that doesn’t work, have your dad take Xiaobai to the hospital when he gets back.”
“Got it.” Yan Weiqiu responded and glanced at Jiang Yuebai with a smirk, his voice casual. “Feeling better now?”
Jiang Yuebai quieted down.
After Fang Xiu finished dinner, she came out of the kitchen and saw the two children sitting separately on the sofa, quietly watching the evening news.
They were so noisy just now, how did they suddenly become so well-behaved?
“Didn’t you say Xiaobai had heatstroke? Is he feeling better now?” Fang Xiu came to Jiang Yuebai and looked him over carefully. He didn’t look like he had heatstroke.
Jiang Yuebai looked at Yan Weiqiu’s obviously stiff expression, the corners of his lips curving upwards. He spoke to Fang Xiu with a slightly aggrieved tone. “I didn’t have heatstroke. Xiaoqiu was just joking with me.”
“It’s good that you’re okay. Drink some mung bean soup after dinner to relieve the summer heat.” Fang Xiu tapped her mischievous child’s forehead.
Yan Weiqiu covered his head, annoyed but not daring to speak, and glared at Jiang Yuebai.
Fang Xiu patted his head and smiled. “Alright, dinner’s ready. Xiaoqiu, come in and help me bring out the dishes.”
After she turned around, Yan Weiqiu was just about to pounce on Jiang Yuebai and give him a beating.
Fang Xiu suddenly turned back, and at that moment, Jiang Yuebai mischievously tripped Yan Weiqiu, causing him to fall on him again.
Watching the two of them play around, Fang Xiu laughed. “Stop messing around. Hurry up and eat. After dinner, you both need to do your homework.”
Yan Weiqiu got up from Jiang Yuebai, smiled obediently, and said, “Okay, Mom.”
Jiang Yuebai smiled triumphantly and followed Yan Weiqiu into the kitchen to help.
Yan Weiqiu shooed him out. “The kitchen is so small, don’t come in and make trouble.”
Jiang Yuebai protested, “How can you say I’m making trouble? I’m clearly here to help.”
Yan Weiqiu: “Then it’s simple. You can help wash the dishes later.”
Seeing that the two were about to bicker again, Fang Xiu served them each a large bowl of rice. “Even food can’t shut your mouths.”
Yan Weiqiu and Jiang Yuebai glared at each other.
During dinner, Fang Xiu piled Jiang Yuebai’s plate high with food.
“Delicious!” Jiang Yuebai gave a thumbs up, praising without reservation, “Auntie Xiu’s cooking is the best!”
Yan Weiqiu watched enviously from the side, his tone full of accusation, “Mom, I’m your real son!”
“Have you ever gone hungry in this house?” Fang Xiu looked at Jiang Yuebai with a smile, her heart aching for him. “Your mom is always busy with work and doesn’t know how to cook. You’re still growing; how can you always eat takeout?”
Yan Weiqiu: “…”
Even if he ate takeout, Jiang Yuebai still managed to eat his fill.
Look at how smug he is. His mother doesn’t know how much allowance Jiang Yuebai actually has. He never shortchanges himself when ordering takeout and eats very well.
After dinner, Yan Weiqiu couldn’t wait to take a shower.
He loved being clean, and it was summer now, so it was easy to sweat in the heat.
After Jiang Yuebai finished washing the dishes, he returned to Yan Weiqiu’s room and sprawled lazily in Yan Weiqiu’s gaming chair.
Listening to the sound of water coming from the bathroom, his thoughts drifted.
Yan Weiqiu came out of the bathroom and, seeing him like this, couldn’t help but kick him. “Why haven’t you left yet? Dinner’s over, you should go back.”
Jiang Yuebai raised an eyebrow, drawing out his words in a teasing tone. “This is my home. Where else would I go?”
“You’re really thick-skinned.” Yan Weiqiu pulled on his arm, trying to get him up, but not only could he not move him, he almost got pulled into his arms.
Yan Weiqiu braced his hands on the sides of the chair. They were so close that in the quiet moment, they could only hear each other’s shallow breaths.
A fluttering feeling washed over him again.
Just as Yan Weiqiu was about to get up and leave, Jiang Yuebai grabbed his arm. He asked helplessly, “Have you finished your homework?”
“No.”
Jiang Yuebai’s gaze was gentle and focused, his eyes filled with emotions Yan Weiqiu couldn’t decipher.
Yan Weiqiu turned his head away evasively, his eyes darting around, and mumbled, “Then you should go home and do your homework.”
Jiang Yuebai: “I told Auntie Xiu I’m staying here tonight.”
Yan Weiqiu immediately refused without thinking. “No way.”
Their apartment was a three-bedroom unit, but the guest room was filled with clutter, and it would be difficult to tidy it up on short notice. If Jiang Yuebai stayed, they would have to squeeze into the same room and sleep together.
“Why?” Jiang Yuebai pressed. “Didn’t we always sleep together when we were little?”
Yan Weiqiu’s lips pressed into a thin line.
That was different.
They were young then, and they didn’t consider their secondary genders.
Now they were grown up, how could they still sleep together?
Jiang Yuebai: “My mom’s not coming home tonight, and I didn’t bring my keys. Do you want me to sleep on the streets?”
An Alpha’s mouth, a liar’s tool.
Yan Weiqiu took a deep breath. “No way, no how.”
Jiang Yuebai frowned, his tone slightly uneasy. “Did I do something to upset you? I feel like we’ve become distant lately.”
Yan Weiqiu lowered his head, trying to pry Jiang Yuebai’s hand off his, his words vague. “No, you’re overthinking it.”
“Really?” Jiang Yuebai tightened his grip, his eyes darkening, clearly not believing him.
Yan Weiqiu looked at him helplessly, his tone serious and earnest. “Xiaobai, we’re grown up now.”
They couldn’t be like they were when they were children.
They should also understand what “boundaries” meant.
Jiang Yuebai’s gaze flickered, and he said casually, “So what?”
Yan Weiqiu pursed his lips. “You’re an Alpha, I’m a Beta. We should maintain a proper distance. We can’t be like we were when we were kids…”
Before he could finish, Jiang Yuebai covered his mouth, saying discontentedly, “You’re going to say those things I don’t like to hear again.”
Who cares about those things?
A slightly warm palm covered his soft lips. Yan Weiqiu sighed silently.
In the end, under Jiang Yuebai’s persistent pestering, Yan Weiqiu had no choice but to reluctantly agree to let him stay for the night.
“Xiaoqiu, where are my clothes?”
Previously, when Jiang Yuebai’s mother went on business trips, she would leave him at Yan Weiqiu’s house for several days, so Jiang Yuebai had quite a few clothes left there.
Yan Weiqiu found a set for him from the wardrobe. Jiang Yuebai hesitantly held the clothes up against himself and said helplessly, “Aren’t these clothes a bit small?”
Yan Weiqiu froze. They weren’t just a little bit small.
Since Yan Weiqiu presented as a Beta, Jiang Yuebai hadn’t stayed overnight much. He had grown rapidly over the years, and the clothes he had left here no longer fit.
Jiang Yuebai looked at the clothes in the wardrobe, raised an eyebrow playfully, and said with a smile in his eyes, “Or… I could borrow your clothes. It’s not like I haven’t worn them before.”
Yan Weiqiu rolled his eyes and snorted. “Do you look like you could fit into my clothes? Don’t you know the difference in our builds?”
“They’re still bigger than my old clothes.” Jiang Yuebai’s gaze fell on him, the corners of his lips curving into a slight smile. He teased, “Otherwise… I could also not wear anything.”
Yan Weiqiu: “…”
Jiang Yuebai didn’t seem to have heatstroke; he seemed to be poisoned, starting to talk nonsense again.
Yan Weiqiu had no choice but to dig out a set of clothes from his wardrobe that he had bought a while ago in a larger size and tossed them to him.
Jiang Yuebai looked at the unopened tag, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes, and said softly, “New?”
Yan Weiqiu nodded. “Of course. What, you want to wear old ones instead of new ones?”
Jiang Yuebai silently took the new clothes and walked into the bathroom. The air still held the scent of shower gel, the same scent he smelled on Yan Weiqiu.
His gaze lingered greedily on the towel hanging on the wall, still dripping with water.
Yes, he thought. He wanted to.
