CH 52

In the quiet night.

Gu Zhongyi opened the door of the apartment, and Lin Yuxing entered first, closely followed by him.

“Click.”

The door closed.

In the haste, Lin Yuxing stumbled and couldn’t maintain his balance. A force pulled him back, and as he turned around, Gu Zhongyi’s lips grazed his upper lip. In a rushed motion, a kiss landed, and Gu Zhongyi pressed him against the door, preventing them from even making it through the entrance.

The apartment’s heating hadn’t been turned on, and the slightly cold air kept their minds clear while they were lost in each other’s heated breaths.

Lin Yuxing couldn’t move, only using his slightly opened eyes to gaze at Gu Zhongyi.

They separated for a few seconds, and Lin Yuxing saw Gu Zhongyi’s eyes, nose, and mouth, each making him feel dry and tongue-tied.

He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing, making a sound that only he could hear.

With his hands hanging helplessly, Lin Yuxing didn’t know where to put them. He looked up, and within the warm, misty eyes, he saw Gu Zhongyi’s deep affection. It was about to ignite that winter, sprouting new buds in Lin Yuxing’s spring.

Lin Yuxing didn’t expect that a mere “Zhongyi ge” would hold such power.

Powerful enough that before the echoes of “Happy New Year” had completely faded, Gu Zhongyi kissed him almost suffocatingly in front of everyone at the riverside.

And if that wasn’t enough. Knowing that Yang Qing had a car, Gu Zhongyi left Su Li and Gu Nuan with him, rushing back to the apartment with Lin Yuxing.

Gu Zhongyi’s fingertips caressed Lin Yuxing’s lips as he kissed him over and over again, unable to get enough.

He asked in a deep voice, “Who taught you?”

“Yang senior,” Lin Yuxing replied, averting his face. He felt that Gu Zhongyi that night was especially difficult to handle, especially tricky.

Lin Yuxing tried to push him away, but he couldn’t resist the Alpha’s much stronger arms, and besides, how could he bear to really push Gu Zhongyi away?

After a moment, under Gu Zhongyi’s gaze, Lin Yuxing blushed and said, “Of course, of course it’s because I like you! So I want to make you happy, to treat you the way you treat me… I also want to be good to you.”

The last word was swallowed by Gu Zhongyi.

He asked a question, and Lin Yuxing answered truthfully.

With a smile in his eyes, there was no one in his heart who could compare to Lin Yuxing in terms of making him feel genuinely happy.

Lin Yuxing could only tilt his head back, close his eyes, and stand on tiptoe, repeatedly succumbing to Gu Zhongyi’s sweet pheromones. His hand climbed up Gu Zhongyi’s back, futilely gripping Gu Zhongyi’s clothes as Gu Zhongyi deepened the kiss.

“Pheromones… calm down!”

Lin Yuxing’s legs turned weak, the 77% compatibility rendering him helpless. He weakly leaned into Gu Zhongyi’s arms, held by him with a single hand.

Gu Zhongyi pinched his chin and continued to kiss him, with no sign of the pheromones subsiding. Lin Yuxing’s heart trembled, unsure if it was to comfort Gu Zhongyi or to comply with his own desires. Like a baby bird begging for food, he opened his mouth and accepted the deep kiss from Gu Zhongyi.

It wasn’t until Gu Zhongyi released his scarf and lightly touched the gland at the back of his neck that he became flustered and recoiled.

He heard Gu Zhongyi’s whisper in his ear, “New Year’s gift.”

“What… what?”

“I want a New Year’s gift,” Gu Zhongyi called him, “Yuxing.”

Lin Yuxing didn’t respond.

Gu Zhongyi asked again, “Can I have it?” His hot breath brushed against Lin Yuxing’s earlobe, melting his heart.

Lin Yuxing heard his own voice trembling as he said, “Yes.”

In the darkness of the night, the endless starry sky covered the vast night sky.

Gu Zhongyi carried Lin Yuxing into the bedroom, and on the spacious bed, there was a faint scent of Lin Yuxing’s pheromones intertwined with soft thoughts.

Gu Zhongyi leaned down and kissed him, their clothes gradually being discarded, some on the bed and some on the floor.

“Xue—”

Gu Zhongyi bit his chin. “Say my name again?”

“…Zhongyi ge.”

Another wet kiss.

Gu Zhongyi’s movements were neither refined nor rough, but rather urgent, resembling a nineteen-year-old teenager.

Lin Yuxing was unfamiliar with this, and his every move followed Gu Zhongyi’s lead. He didn’t know if his consent was right or if he would regret it later.

But at that moment, he felt that he was willing.

The curtains weren’t completely closed, and a strand of moonlight seeped through, leaving a pale glow on Lin Yuxing’s skin. He hugged his own shoulders, his eyes seemingly covered in a layer of mist.

He was somewhat afraid, somewhat uneasy, but he didn’t refuse.

Gu Zhongyi lowered his head and pressed his forehead against Lin Yuxing’s, the touch of his fingertips surpassing rationality.

Gu Zhongyi’s fingers ran through Lin Yuxing’s hair, making his slightly long hair instantly messy.

His head was tilted slightly by Gu Zhongyi, passively turning his body.

Gu Zhongyi kissed his scarred back, inch by inch, with boundless tenderness.

Finally, Gu Zhongyi’s lips landed on the back of his neck, and his teeth lightly grazed his gland.

“Don’t…”

Lin Yuxing instinctively let out a cry, his hand covering his own neck. He was willing to blend with Gu Zhongyi openly, but he didn’t want to be marked at that moment.

He didn’t want Gu Zhongyi to bite that ugly gland; he hoped that the marking would happen after he had repaired the gland.

However, Lin Yuxing’s resistance undoubtedly created a misunderstanding for Gu Zhongyi.

Gu Zhongyi’s heart tightened.

He pushed too hard. Lin Yuxing had taken a step closer to him that day, but he greedily wanted to take two steps forward, or even more.

Gu Zhongyi pressed down on Lin Yuxing’s hand, no longer touching his neck, and kissed his earlobe.

“I won’t mark you.”

“…”

“Yuxing, don’t be afraid.” Gu Zhongyi pressed Lin Yuxing beneath him, his gentle strength intoxicating. He promised again, “I won’t mark you until I have your full consent.”

………….

Meanwhile, in a bar in City C.

In the dimly lit environment, flickering lights cast eerie shadows, landing lightly in glasses filled with various liquids. The glass glimmered with white light and sank into the noisy music.

In the center of the dance floor, young people swayed their bodies, joyfully welcoming the time of the new year after midnight.

At the bar counter, a bartender swayed gently, and under the flickering neon lights, he pushed a glass of dark liquor in front of an Alpha.

The Alpha took a sip but wasn’t satisfied.

Bored, he looked toward the dance floor, showing no interest in participating in the wild physical interactions.

He asked the bartender, “Can I smoke?”

The bartender glanced at his unique shallow eyes, his gaze roving over his exquisite face, intriguingly said, “You can smoke in the lounge.”

Liao Yan decided not to smoke and raised his eyes. “Sorry, you’re not my type.”

The bartender: “…”

On his phone, Liao Yan received a message from his mother: [Xiaoyan, your dad and I are going to bed. Don’t stay out too late with your friends, remember to come home early.]

Liao Yan’s mother also said: [My precious son, Happy New Year. Your dad and I will always love you.]

Liao Yan took a sip of his drink, realizing he had no friends around him. He stared at each word on the screen, exhaled, and self-mockingly tugged at the corner of his mouth.

After a moment, his fingers delicately typed out a reply.

[Mom, I wish you and dad a happy new year too. I love you.]

He locked his phone with a complicated expression.

The empty glass left behind emanated a faint scent of sandalwood.

Liao Yan stood up, bored, and walked toward the exit.

The bartender behind him took out a pheromone neutralizer and sprayed it towards the seat where Liao Yan had been sitting. He looked at Liao Yan’s figure with an expression of resentment after being rejected, complaining, “He didn’t even bother to restrain his pheromones when coming to a bar. Does he think he’s so charming?”

So what if he’s good-looking?

The bartender sprayed a few more times.

Liao Yan didn’t pay any attention to the badmouthing behind him. He casually walked outside the bar, squatting in a corner and lighting a cigarette.

Occasionally, his body would crave for a smoke.

But Liao Yan’s mother didn’t allow him to smoke, so he always hid and smoked. Quitting something always requires a slow process, and while Liao Yan could quit smoking, he didn’t want to give up this habit so quickly, which was deeply rooted in his body.

He flicked the ash off the cigarette and took out his phone.

In his message list, he hadn’t received a reply from Lin Yuxing for the “Happy New Year” message he sent at midnight.

Liao Yan chuckled to himself and muttered, “Silly Star, is Gu Zhongyi that great?”

So great that Lin Yuxing doesn’t even bother replying to my messages as long as he’s with Gu Zhongyi. He wore a helpless expression of being left out, crushed the cigarette, and stood up to go home.

A voice called out to him at an inconvenient time.

“Hey, isn’t that our Little Princess Liao?”

Liao Yan’s body seemed to react, stiffening his limbs. That feeling displeased him.

Liao Yan frowned slightly and turned around to look. He froze.

Immediately, the owner of that voice embraced Liao Yan’s shoulder in a familiar manner, saying, “What’s this? You don’t recognize me now that you’ve been admitted to C University? You’ve changed homes and phone numbers, making it difficult for us to stay in touch as friends.”

The person speaking was Xu Feiqing, a somewhat unruly male Alpha. He saw the cigarette butt on the ground and Liao Yan’s indifferent expression, sneering.

“I’m the one who taught you how to smoke, and now you’re acting all superior?”

Xu Feiqing spoke, patting Liao Yan’s head and then his face twice, playing around with no sense of respect.

They didn’t seem like friends.

Not far away, another male Alpha called out, “Feiqing, what are you dawdling around for?”

Coincidentally, Liao Yan’s gaze had been fixed on the Alpha opposite him, who hadn’t approached. It was like looking at a shadow in the darkness.

“Bro, wait a moment!” Xu Feiqing replied playfully, “I bumped into a high school classmate, and he happens to be from C University too. You guys are schoolmates, so why not have him join us? This kid has plenty of pocket money, we can make him pay later.”

Xu Feiqing let go of Liao Yan and walked over to his cousin, Xu Xiangchi, speaking unreservedly, “Bro, this kid is a coward. He used to cry in the bathroom when I cornered him back then. Oh, I might still have some naked pictures of him on my phone… let me check!”

Liao Yan silently watched them, his emotions showing no fluctuation.

Slowly, amidst Xu Feiqing’s derogatory remarks, Liao Yan made eye contact with Xu Xiangchi beside Xu Feiqing.

Liao Yan’s beautiful eyes turned icy, making Xu Xiangchi furrow his brows and quickly avoid eye contact. He seemed to have some impression of Liao Yan, and he seemed to realize, Liao Yan was his junior in the same department.

He didn’t want any trouble.

“Uncle told you to behave yourself and stop causing trouble. Let’s go inside. Tonight, I will be the one buying.”

“Tch.” Xu Feiqing heard Xu Xiangchi’s words and had to stop searching for the naked photos, casually saying, “My dad is such a nag.”

He beckoned Liao Yan with his finger. “Little Princess, let’s become friends so that I can find you next time when I want to catch up.”

Liao Yan didn’t make any movements.

Xu Feiqing wanted to continue pestering him, but Xu Xiangchi pulled him back, saying, “Don’t cause trouble.” For some reason, Liao Yan’s gaze made Xu Xiangchi inexplicably uncomfortable, although he couldn’t pinpoint why.

Just as they were about to enter the bar, Liao Yan, who had remained silent all along, spoke up.

“Hey, weren’t there some naked pictures of me?”

He curled his lips, his demeanor and tone completely different from usual. Even a hint of mockery could be heard in his voice.

Xu Feiqing thought he had misheard.

Liao Yan raised his hand and touched his lips, sarcastically opening his mouth again, “Couldn’t find them? I was curious to see them too.”

His tone was clearly provocative.

Veins popped on the hand that clenched into a fist, hidden behind his back, and a rare hint of coldness flashed in his eyes. He walked forward slowly, unperturbed and fearless, sneering, “Catching up… yeah, seems like a good idea.”