Chapter 3
The sound of running water coming from the bathroom made Yan Weiqiu’s heart beat erratically, his gaze constantly drawn towards the bathroom door. His usually neat and tidy homework notebook had become a mess, covered with ink blots where his pen had paused for a long time, leaving dark marks on the paper.
Half an hour later, the door clicked open. Yan Weiqiu’s gaze, which he hadn’t had time to avert, collided with Jiang Yuebai’s. At the moment their eyes met, Yan Weiqiu froze.
He quickly looked away and said with difficulty, “Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”
Jiang Yuebai walked out with his upper body bare, water droplets clinging to his hair. He ran a hand through his messy hair, and the water droplets slid down his firm chest, following the contours of his skin, tracing the lines of his taut, smooth abdominal muscles, trailing downwards before disappearing from sight.
The heat in Yan Weiqiu’s face intensified, and he didn’t dare to look up at him.
The sound of his pounding heart echoed in his ears.
Thump—
Yan Weiqiu turned to face the window, trying to let the gentle night breeze dissipate his heat.
Jiang Yuebai came to him, holding the new clothes with the tag still attached, and explained, “They’re a bit small. They’re uncomfortable, so I didn’t wear them.”
Yan Weiqiu pursed his lips, exhaled softly, and said in a low voice, “You can’t just not wear clothes.”
Walking around bare-chested, trying to seduce whom?
Yan Weiqiu gripped his pen tightly, not daring to look back.
“But I…” Jiang Yuebai’s voice suddenly stopped. He noticed Yan Weiqiu’s red ears hidden beneath his hair and his slightly unnatural expression. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He gave Yan Weiqiu a meaningful look for a few seconds and then said in a teasing tone, “Xiaoqiu, are you shy?”
Yan Weiqiu’s face flushed crimson. He could clearly feel the heat in his cheeks. He gripped his pants tightly, trying to steady his breathing, and said in a low voice, “There’s no part of you I haven’t seen before. What’s there to be shy about?”
“That’s true. With our relationship, there’s nothing that can’t be seen.” Jiang Yuebai turned his chair so that he was facing him, generously displaying his physique.
Yan Weiqiu looked at him helplessly, like a peacock showing off its feathers. He threw him a towel. “Hurry up and dry yourself. Don’t drip water everywhere.”
Jiang Yuebai carelessly wiped the water droplets from his body, his gaze fixed on Yan Weiqiu, watching his ears turn pink with shyness. His heart itched.
When they were roughhousing as children, he had accidentally touched Yan Weiqiu’s ears. They were small, delicate, and soft. It was a pity that he never had the chance to touch that softness again.
Yan Weiqiu didn’t like people touching his ears.
Later, Jiang Yuebai learned that it was Yan Weiqiu’s sensitive spot, which was why he wasn’t allowed to touch them.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yuebai licked his lips, his eyes darkening.
He didn’t just want to touch them; he wanted to lick them.
He wanted to leave his mark.
The air grew thick with tension, Yan Weiqiu’s thoughts in disarray.
Jiang Yuebai was standing in front of him, less than a meter away.
He could only stare at his toes, trying to avoid Jiang Yuebai’s gaze.
But Jiang Yuebai didn’t seem to want to let him go.
The gaze that fell on him was laced with danger, like a predator eyeing a little white rabbit that had strayed into the forest, ready to pounce and devour it at any moment.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Fang Xiu’s voice came from the doorway. She knocked on the door and called out, “Go to bed early after you finish your homework. Don’t stay up too late. You have school tomorrow.”
“Okay, Auntie Xiu. You should rest early too.” Jiang Yuebai responded, but his gaze didn’t shift, remaining fixed on Yan Weiqiu.
It was the first time Yan Weiqiu had felt so restless.
And this was his territory, his bedroom.
“Xiaobai,” Yan Weiqiu couldn’t help but say.
“What?”
Yan Weiqiu got up, put away his homework, tidied his desk, and said, “I’ve finished my homework. Don’t you still have homework to do? You should do your homework first and go to bed early after you’re done.”
“So early?” Jiang Yuebai glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was only nine o’clock in the evening.
“Mm.” Yan Weiqiu’s voice was light, trying to suppress his inner panic. He casually made up an excuse. “It’s not early. There’s an exam tomorrow, and I have to get up early to go back and review.”
After saying that, he walked towards the bathroom, his steps seeming a bit hurried, as if he were fleeing.
Jiang Yuebai watched his retreating figure, a smile spreading across his lips, even his brows couldn’t help but crinkle with amusement.
Yan Weiqiu closed the bathroom door, finding a sliver of security in the small space.
He leaned against the wall, slowly squatting down, hugging his knees, and letting out a breath.
Jiang Yuebai’s presence was too overwhelming.
Even without smelling his pheromones, he could still feel Jiang Yuebai encroaching on his territory bit by bit, trapping him in a corner, making him feel suffocated.
The bathroom was hot and humid, filled with steam.
A faint scent of shower gel lingered in the air. Yan Weiqiu sniffed carefully, his body stiffening.
He seemed to smell a faint, musky scent.
Yan Weiqiu: “…”
It wasn’t hard to imagine what Jiang Yuebai had been doing in the bathroom for so long.
He opened the bathroom window, letting the night breeze dispel the lingering scent.
And at the same time… calm his inner turmoil.
When he came out of the bathroom, the room was dimly lit. The bright overhead light had been turned off at some point, leaving only the small bedside lamp on.
Jiang Yuebai was lying on his bed, taking up most of it.
Yan Weiqiu held his breath, almost unable to catch it.
“Xiaobai.”
The room was silent, no response.
“Jiang Yuebai!”
“Get up!”
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Yuebai looked at him innocently.
Yan Weiqiu picked up a pillow and threw it at him, saying coldly, “Go sleep in the living room.”
“No.” Jiang Yuebai shifted to the side, making room for him. “The sofa is too small; it can’t fit me.”
“Then I’ll sleep on the sofa.” Yan Weiqiu picked up his blanket and headed for the door.
Jiang Yuebai quickly grabbed his wrist, frowning. “There are a lot of mosquitoes in the living room. You definitely won’t be able to stand it.”
The two stalled for a long time. Finally, Yan Weiqiu rolled up the blanket and placed it in the middle of the bed as a dividing line.
“No one crosses this line.”
“Fine.” Jiang Yuebai agreed readily, lying obediently on his side, with no intention of crossing the line.
Yan Weiqiu was silent for a while, sighing softly in the boundless night, seemingly helpless and compromising. Finally, he lay down on the other side.
The room became quiet, but as soon as Yan Weiqiu closed his eyes, he recalled the scenes that had just transpired.
He couldn’t fall asleep.
Moreover, Jiang Yuebai’s presence was too prominent.
He simply couldn’t ignore him.
Listening to the soft breathing coming from beside him, Yan Weiqiu’s thoughts drifted.
He couldn’t remember how long it had been since they had slept in the same bed like this.
Originally, they should have been inseparable.
It was him who had gradually distanced himself from Jiang Yuebai.
Thinking of this, he felt a pang of sadness and gently turned over, his back to Jiang Yuebai.
“Xiaoqiu.”
“Hmm?” Yan Weiqiu responded.
“It’s been a long time since we slept together like this.” Jiang Yuebai also turned over, facing his back.
Yan Weiqiu said softly, “Yes, we’ve grown up. Alphas and Betas are different. We can’t be like we were when we were kids.”
After saying this, he didn’t hear Jiang Yuebai reply for a long time, and he thought he had fallen asleep.
Just as his consciousness blurred and he was about to drift off, Jiang Yuebai suddenly hugged him from behind.
The warm, strong embrace instantly woke Yan Weiqiu up, and he instinctively started to struggle.
“I feel like the distance between us has grown so far.” Jiang Yuebai held him tightly, burying his head in his shoulder, his voice soft. “Every step I take closer, you push me away. Did I do something wrong that made you dislike me?”
This was the second time Jiang Yuebai had asked him this.
How could that be?
How could he dislike Jiang Yuebai?
“No.” Yan Weiqiu denied it without hesitation. He stopped struggling, letting Jiang Yuebai hold him, his voice hoarse. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s my own problem.”
“Xiaoqiu,” Jiang Yuebai whispered his name.
“Mm,” Yan Weiqiu responded.
Jiang Yuebai nuzzled his neck, his voice low. “Sometimes I wonder why I presented as an Alpha and not a Beta like you.”
Yan Weiqiu paused, then slowly said, “What’s wrong with being an Alpha?”
Jiang Yuebai: “What’s good about it? Alphas and Omegas are controlled by pheromones. They lose control because of pheromones. They become unlike themselves because of pheromones.”
That’s because you haven’t met your destined Omega, the one whose pheromones are compatible with yours.
These words lingered on his lips, but Yan Weiqiu couldn’t say them.
Yan Weiqiu: “What’s so good about being a Beta?”
The advantages of secondary genders were always there.
Alphas were natural leaders; they had superior genes and were exceptional in both intelligence and ability.
Omegas were a vulnerable group in society, but they had strong reproductive abilities, were protected by the state, and enjoyed the highest level of treatment.
Betas were mediocre, just a part of the human population.
Jiang Yuebai mumbled in his ear, “I don’t like Omegas.”
Yan Weiqiu patted his head. “Don’t think too much. Go to sleep.”
Like a large dog, Jiang Yuebai stubbornly held him in his arms and took a deep sniff of his neck.
“Xiaoqiu.”
“Can we be like we used to be?”
“Don’t push me away, and don’t push me towards others.”
Yan Weiqiu closed his eyes and sighed silently. Just as he was about to agree, his whole body suddenly stiffened. He gritted his teeth and shouted angrily, “Jiang Yuebai!”
“What?” Jiang Yuebai started playing dumb.
“Don’t give me that.” Yan Weiqiu broke free from his embrace, kicked him, and distanced himself, scolding, “Are you not wearing underwear?!”
Jiang Yuebai coughed softly. “Your size is too small; I can’t wear them.”
Yan Weiqiu subconsciously glanced at him.
Seeing the bulge, his face turned bright red.
“Who are you calling small?!”
