Chapter 42
Bang, bang, bang—
Several loud sounds exploded above their heads, and a stimulating smell of gunpowder filled the air by the lake.
The brilliance of the fireworks lit up the surroundings. Bai Yan’s pupils trembled in astonishment. He stared at the tall, handsome Alpha before him for a long time, a strange, trembling feeling rising from the bottom of his heart, making his fingertips numb, impossible to ignore.
Pei Tingyu sensed his gaze, frowned in confusion, and stepped forward, asking softly, “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”
The man’s expression was composed, his eyes not blinking as he looked steadily into Bai Yan’s.
Even though the smell of gunpowder was so strong, Bai Yan could clearly distinguish the orange blossom pheromones mixed in.
This scent was warm and calm, completely different, and it easily soothed the young man’s restless nerves.
After a long moment, under Pei Tingyu’s gentle gaze, the young man’s lashes trembled. He pressed his lips together and asked softly, “Mr. Pei, are these fireworks also just lying around at Yǎyuán, being put to good use?”
The man had already prepared his excuse. He smiled nonchalantly and answered flawlessly, “They were prepared for the New Year. Auntie Chen just found them when she was tidying up the warehouse a few days ago. These things are not easy to store, so it’s better to set them all off while the weather is good.”
“I see.” Bai Yan nodded, suppressing the heat rising in his cheeks. He said no more and looked up to continue admiring the fleeting fireworks in the night sky.
Amidst the roar of the fireworks, where the young man couldn’t see, the Alpha lowered his gaze, his smile containing the most sincere love.
His gaze was serene and gentle, silently tracing the outline of his lover.
The fireworks reached their peak, bursting into a brilliant light, clearly reflecting the young man’s face.
His fair skin glowed, and his pale eyes shimmered with a radiant light.
His unusual beauty was a favor from the creator, but also a heavy burden.
Albinos’ skin was sensitive and fragile. Compared to the strong ultraviolet rays of the day, they were more suited to living under the moonlight.
But his precious preferred the bright sun, the plants that grew freely under the sun.
He couldn’t let the young man live freely under the sun, so he could only give him a fleeting, bright night.
The elf of the moonlight, the creator’s favorite, my one and only treasure.
Tonight, please have a good dream.
After the fireworks show ended, the two returned to the main house.
The young man was in a daze. He went up to the third floor and walked toward the study. Pei Tingyu’s brow twitched, and he quickly took his hand.
He couldn’t see clearly on the road. It wasn’t until they returned to the brightly lit main house that the man realized the young man’s cheeks were flushed an unnatural crimson, and he was instantly filled with remorse.
Thinking he had caught a cold from the wind again, he quickly touched his forehead.
The Alpha’s low, magnetic, and sexy voice vibrated against his eardrums. “Are you alright?”
The man’s fingertips were cool, a light touch like a dragonfly on water, but it instantly created ripples in Bai Yan’s heart.
His heart was pounding so fast in his chest it was about to explode. Bai Yan clutched his chest and hurriedly said he was fine.
Before the Alpha could speak, he had already opened the door and slipped inside, as if someone were chasing him, even forgetting his usual “goodnight” farewell.
Pei Tingyu watched the young man disappear like the wind into the room opposite and shook his head with a helpless and amused smile.
Back in his room, until he had finished washing up and was lying like a pancake on the large, soft bed, Bai Yan’s head was still a little dazed.
The young man lay with his eyes open, staring blankly at the white ceiling.
The back of his hand slowly moved to his forehead, where the touch of Mr. Pei’s fingers seemed to still linger.
Bai Yan forced himself to close his eyes tightly, but the image that appeared in his mind was still Mr. Pei’s eyes, as black as a quiet sea, with a faint green light lurking in the depths, lingering for a long time.
The jasmine pheromones ran rampant in the room, out of control. His heart felt as if it were sick, pounding like a startled deer, as if it were about to open the door of his heart and leap out.
The Omega unconsciously curled up, tossing and turning in bed, desperately trying to hypnotize himself to sleep, but his brain was abnormally excited.
The scenes from after he moved into Yǎyuán replayed in his mind.
The man’s gentle, composed gaze, the low chuckle in his ear.
And… the soft sensation when those pale, thin lips covered his.
Bai Yan curled up his knees and unconsciously bit his lower lip, his eyes darting around in a panic. He could no longer convince himself that this was the feeling of family.
Even if he was slow, he finally, belatedly, understood where the palpitations in his heart came from.
He liked Mr. Pei.
It was a liking for an Alpha, a liking that wanted to be a lover, a liking that wanted to be with Mr. Pei forever.
Oh no! How could he have such thoughts about Mr. Pei?!
If Mr. Pei knew what he was thinking, would he kick him out of Yǎyuán?
Or, maybe Mr. Pei also likes him, even just a little bit…
Bai Yan covered his beet-red face and dove into the covers, wrapping himself up tightly.
But he couldn’t help but fantasize, wriggling under the covers like a chrysalis.
After a long moment, a slender, fair arm reached out from under the covers, trembling. It fumbled around on the bedside table, its fingertips touching soft fur, and with a firm grasp, it snatched the toy and quickly retracted.
Under the covers, the Omega’s face was hot and red. He buried his head in the rabbit toy’s soft belly, took a deep breath, and rubbed it vigorously.
Even though the orange blossom scent had long since dissipated, Bai Yan felt an indescribable sense of security.
The young man’s lashes trembled and finally, slowly, drooped, covering his eyelids.
Go to sleep, Bai Yan, go to sleep. Tomorrow’s business can wait until tomorrow.
The breathing under the covers gradually became even. The nightlight stood quietly on the bedside table, emitting a faint blue light, gently hiding the young man’s thoughts in its glow.
It said, Goodnight, please have a good dream.
The result of being too excited before bed was that on Monday morning, Bai Yan walked down the stairs with two dark circles under his eyes, swaying.
Fortunately, Mr. Pei had his regular Monday morning meeting and had gone to the company very early. And he had to go on a two-day business trip to a neighboring city after that.
Otherwise, he really didn’t know how he would face Mr. Pei.
Bai Yan walked into the dining room, and his listless face gave Auntie Chen another big scare.
The young man repeatedly said he was fine. After his temperature was taken and confirmed to be normal, Auntie Chen finally let him have breakfast in peace.
This week was an odd week, and he had no classes on Monday morning. Bai Yan dazedly drank a bowl of fish fillet congee, his mind still not clear. He simply went upstairs and took a nap.
It wasn’t until he went to school at noon that his muddled brain started working again.
Bai Yan patted his face to wake himself up, preparing to put his thoughts aside and deal with his personal emotional problems after class.
He had two large public lectures this afternoon. The moment he entered the classroom, he frowned.
Although there were always gazes directed at him in a seemingly secretive way every time he had class, and Bai Yan was getting used to it, today there were particularly many prying, curious gazes. And, there was also some undisguised malice.
After class finally ended, Bai Yan packed his books and was about to leave.
But Jiang Zhiyi rushed in from the front door, panting as he stopped in front of him. He had run so fast he couldn’t even straighten up, and was bent over, gasping for breath.
Bai Yan quickly helped him catch his breath. “What’s wrong, senior? Don’t worry.”
The Omega’s face was full of anxiety. He took out his phone and showed it to him. “Bai Yan, look at the campus forum!”
On the blue background of the Haicheng University campus forum, next to the pinned post, was a large, bold “Hot” character.
[Poor Botany Department Omega Bai X, hooks up with an off-campus Alpha, kicks his junior brother spare tire to the curb. Two-timing, why did the boat capsize today?! Let this author explain… ]
[Image] ×3
Bai Yan’s brow furrowed as he scrolled down to look at the photos.
The first one was a screenshot of Shen Lin’s social media feed. In it was a clear picture of his back, but the caption was a suggestive “sweet campus romance.”
Bai Yan’s frown deepened. This photo could only have been taken secretly by Shen Lin after he had taken him to the dorm on the welcoming day.
But he had never seen it on Shen Lin’s social media feed!
He scrolled down. The second one was from when Mr. Pei had come back from abroad and happened to run into Shen Lin apologizing. He had misunderstood that the Alpha was pestering him and had grabbed Shen Lin’s wrist.
The only time the three of them had been in the same frame, and the poster had “coincidentally” captured the most tense moment.
The third one was even more like a candid shot. The figures in the shot were blurry. It was from the day Mr. Pei had picked him up, and they were walking side by side under the green cherry blossom trees.
The person who took the photo was very careful, blurring all three of their faces, but “coincidentally” revealing his conspicuous hair.
Bai Yan unconsciously clenched his hands. This person knows me very well. Or rather, this person is someone around me.
The post was made at noon. The news had spread quickly, and in just a few hours, it had received over 99 replies.
JiJinJiLiang: [Wow, a big juicy melon on a Monday morning. Exciting, exciting.]
ErYueXiaXun: [You don’t know, do you, upstairs? This Bai XX has long been famous in the botany department. Relying on his special status, he often didn’t come back to the dorm at night as a freshman and hooked up with many Alphas. We all know that. This can’t be a groundless rumor, can it?]
momo: [No, the first picture is clearly a candid shot. How can you tell they have an emotional entanglement from that? You’re a god.]
AnonymousSaltedFish: [Don’t believe rumors, don’t spread rumors. Can you just spread rumors with three ambiguous photos at no cost?]
Poster: [A picture is worth a thousand words. See that jacket on Bai XX? It’s the latest model from XXX. Do you know how much it costs? Five figures! But Bai XX is clearly a poor student. Where did he get the money for such clothes!]
Poster: [And that off-campus Alpha next to him, ha, the watch on his wrist alone is enough to donate another building to Haicheng University.]
Poster: [If he didn’t falsify his poor student status, then he hooked up with a sugar daddy. Tsk, tsk, do I need to say more?]
Bai Yan’s brow furrowed. He scrolled down and, as expected, saw the poster’s reply with a stamped poor student certificate, with the date deliberately erased.
HaoYunLai: [Oh my god, this, this, this! The other things can be considered emotional matters, but maliciously occupying a poor student’s quota is too much, right?! Following, hope the school gives an explanation. @Administrator]
WangShiSuiFeng: [Plus one. Eating melons rationally, let’s see how the school handles it.]
DongXiNanBeiFeng: [This sugar daddy, tsk, he looks quite good. Why did he fall for him? Are rich people really not picky?]
BeiLunWenZheMoDeXueZhang: [I know that junior in the first picture. He did seem to be heartbroken recently, and he had no energy for his experiments. We were wondering what was wrong. So he was played like this by these Omegas. That’s too miserable, tsk.]
HuDou: [Can you be more respectful, upstairs? What do you mean, these Omegas? Can one person represent the whole group?]
The subsequent replies got more and more off-topic, even arguing about which of the three ABO genders was more suitable for dating.
The replies kept popping up. Seeing the situation getting more and more serious, the anonymous poster suddenly went silent.
Bai Yan scrolled down and saw that the forum was experiencing network problems and was under maintenance.
When he went back and clicked on it again, he couldn’t see the post anymore.
Anger flared in Jiang Zhiyi’s eyes. He clenched his fists and pounded the desk twice, furious.
“I’m so angry! Who is behind this? Thank goodness I was prepared. I saved everything this anonymous poster said!”
He gritted his teeth resentfully. After venting, he finally had time to pay attention to Bai Yan.
The Omega had been silent the whole time. Jiang Zhiyi looked over with concern and found that his friend’s hands were trembling uncontrollably, his eyes were red, and his face was uglier than ever before.
Bai Yan knew there were some bad rumors about him at school.
They said he was too pretentious, that he would even use an umbrella when the sun was out in spring. They said they had seen him come back to the dorm late at night and didn’t know what he was doing outside.
At first, he would explain seriously, whether it was because his skin was sensitive and couldn’t be exposed to strong light, or because he was late due to his part-time job, and he basically never missed curfew.
But it had almost no effect. Those who didn’t believe wouldn’t believe from the start, and those who maliciously spread rumors didn’t care about the truth at all.
Bai Yan gradually understood that they didn’t need the truth, only a reasonable target for their malice.
As for who this person was, whether he had actually done these things, it didn’t matter at all.
In the past few semesters, he could barely make ends meet, let alone have the energy to clarify these things.
But now that it involved Mr. Pei, he found that he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
The thought of how much malicious speculation Mr. Pei would have to endure made his heart ache.
The young man’s lips trembled. He bit them so hard that a few drops of blood soon seeped out, looking startling against his pale face.
Bai Yan forced a smile at Jiang Zhiyi, but it looked worse than crying.
Jiang Zhiyi hurriedly wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulder. “A-Yan, don’t worry. I have a friend who is a forum administrator. We’ll go find him and see if we can find out who this poster is.”
“At worst, we’ll go to the police. And there’s Mr. Pei… We can always think of a way. Don’t overthink it. These people don’t understand the situation at all!”
The vulnerability in the young man’s eyes was fleeting. He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said in a deep voice, “Senior, don’t worry. I will absolutely not let him get away with it this time.”
And all the previous times, he would get it all back.
Love had given him firm courage, an invincible strength.
He had never been so sure that he liked Mr. Pei.
So much so that he was unwilling to let malicious rumors tarnish him in the slightest.
