SSEWC Chapter 18

He Heng’s hand on Omega’s waist gradually tightened, and his eyes grew darker. Right now, all he wanted was to sink his teeth into the other person’s neck.

Wanted to mark him,

Wanted to make him his Omega,

Wanted his scent to be exclusively his.

But…

A sudden thought flashed through his mind,

No,

His willpower had to be firm.

He Heng’s Adam’s apple rolled up and down,

Remember, you’re just a “stand-in”.

Shi Shuang felt the movements of the Alpha holding him stiffen, and the atmosphere suddenly solidified.

He was held in the arms of the Alpha, the other’s chest warm and powerful. The scent of bergamot gradually filled the entire room—tart yet aggressively invasive, stimulating every nerve of Shi Shuang.

He Heng’s palm soothingly patted his back,

Shi Shuang felt the other person bend his neck, lower his head, and just when he thought the Alpha was finally going to mark him, his tense back tightened,

“Good, it won’t be uncomfortable after the suppressant injection.” He Heng’s deep voice resonated in his ear, with a noticeable restraint in his tone.

In that moment, Shi Shuang was stunned,

He didn’t want any suppressant injection; he wanted the Alpha he liked to mark him. Clearly, the other person also had feelings, so why was He Heng willing to suppress his instinctive reactions and not willing to mark him?

With these thoughts, Shi Shuang’s eyes reddened slightly. He sniffled, leaning against He Heng’s chest like a lamb that wouldn’t bleat.

Even though he didn’t want to in his heart, there was no sign of resistance on his face. He obediently let the other inject the suppressant into his veins, only his gaze seeming a bit vacant.

After the injection of the suppressant, He Heng felt the person in his arms suddenly struggle, as if trying to pull away.

The system had told him that Omegas would feel more uncomfortable right after the suppressant injection; they wouldn’t recover as quickly before the suppressant took effect.

Moreover, He Heng noticed that Shi Shuang’s eyes were all red; it must have been extremely uncomfortable. So, he reached out, held him down, and pulled him back into his embrace,

“Don’t move.”

His chin rested on the top of the other’s head, hands encircling the Omega until the effects of the suppressant passed, and Shi Shuang’s breathing steadied. Only then did he release him to go to the bathroom and take a cold shower.

Cold droplets of water thoroughly drenched him from head to toe. His hands braced against the cool tiles, the water streaming along his undulating chest, penetrating the well-defined mermaid lines, extinguishing the uncontrollable restlessness he had just experienced.

After the shower, He Heng quickly dried his hair with a towel, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and walked straight out of the bathroom.

His hair, however, remained wet, dripping water down, and droplets traced along the sharp jawline of He Heng.

As he passed through the living room, He Heng’s attention was suddenly drawn to the letter on the coffee table because he saw three prominent characters on it:

“Li Jingze.”

And today, it seemed that Shi Shuang had come to this small apartment just to get this thing, only to unexpectedly encounter the dangerous situation of entering heat early.

Seeing this, He Heng’s brow subconsciously furrowed.

Why is it this idiot again?

“Do you want to dry your hair again?”

The soft whisper in his ear interrupted his thoughts.

He Heng looked up and found Shi Shuang standing in front of him, holding a white towel in his hand.

“Thank you.” He took the towel to dry his hair and then reached for the letter, looking at Shi Shuang, he asked, “What’s this?”

The Omega in front of him hesitated for a moment. A faint blush from the heat lingered on his fair face, and with lowered eyes, he said, “It’s an invitation to a piano competition. My friend sent it to me today.”

The atmosphere suddenly quieted, and He Heng stared at the invitation in silence for a moment.

After a while, he said, “Do you want to go?”

At the words, Shi Shuang parted his thin lips, but in the end, he didn’t say anything.

In the instant he saw the invitation, he keenly felt the rekindling of the passion he once had for the piano.

However, uncertain of the Alpha’s attitude towards this matter, he didn’t inform him immediately.

“Go ahead.” He Heng handed the invitation to Shi Shuang.

Although the other didn’t say it directly, the eyes couldn’t deceive. He clearly saw the reluctance and tremor that flashed through Shi Shuang’s eyes.

In the bewildered gaze of the Omega, He Heng set the towel down and walked towards him. Then, he reached out and ruffled Shi Shuang’s head, “Go do what you love.”

Watching the Alpha’s retreating figure, Shi Shuang held the invitation in his hand and suddenly felt a warm sensation in his heart.

After finishing dinner and completing their nighttime routines, it was already around eleven in the evening.

Seeing He Heng carrying a blanket and a pillow towards the sofa, Shi Shuang knew that he was probably going to persist with his “fear of beds” tonight. After bidding each other “good night”, Shi Shuang went back to the bedroom.

However, He Heng lay on the sofa, tossing and turning for a while. After contemplating for a bit, he couldn’t bring himself to leave the Omega in heat alone.

It’s just sharing a bed, nothing more.

Comforting himself with this thought, he walked to the bedroom door and knocked.

Shi Shuang was a bit surprised to hear the knocking, but he immediately got out of bed and went to open the door.

There, he saw the tall Alpha holding a pillow, looking quite awkward and uncomfortable. “The sofa is too small,” he explained, his expression contorted.

Shi Shuang smiled without revealing He Heng’s awkward excuse and simply said, “Then come in.”

In the darkness, the two lay back to back, with a pillow between them.

Shi Shuang could hear the steady breathing of the man and the faint scent of bergamot emanating from him, which was especially reassuring.

The matter of the Alpha not wanting to mark him was pushed to the back of his mind. He Heng had a way of making him feel unbothered no matter what.

Before this, Shi Shuang had grown accustomed to handling everything on his own, until the Alpha barged into his life.

Although He Heng’s actions were sometimes unpredictable, and he often said surprising things that inexplicably made Shi Shuang want to laugh, the more he got to know him, the more he found himself liking him.

Sometimes, all of this felt like a dream, unreal. As if he could wake up, and everything would slip through his fingers. Wanting to hold onto He Heng, he sought his mark urgently.

Unconsciously, Shi Shuang shifted slightly towards the man, until his body pressed against He Heng’s back.

Feeling the warmth coming from the man beside him, Shi Shuang curved his lips into a small smile. He closed his eyes and, in the darkness, listened to the steady rhythm of the other’s breathing, entering the realm of dreams.

An hour later, any distance between them had disappeared completely. Shi Shuang understood why He Heng had fallen off the sofa earlier – because a sleeping Alpha had no concept of maintaining a position.

He Heng seemed to have mistaken him for a pillow. With a twist, he scooped the entire Omega into his embrace. Long arms wrapped around his waist, long legs entwined over him, rendering Shi Shuang completely immobilized.

In the realm of dreams, He Heng was oblivious to all of this. He felt like he was hugging a soft, fragrant pillow. The sensation of holding this pillow was so comfortable that he nuzzled his head into it.

“Um~”

Shi Shuang, on the other hand, wasn’t as comfortable. His face turned red, and from his ears to the back of his neck, he began to feel a burning sensation. He Heng’s head continued to nuzzle into the back of his neck, repeatedly stimulating a particularly sensitive area.

His toes tensed, and his fingertips unconsciously clenched, crumpling the sheets. He wanted to avoid, but there was nowhere to escape.

Since receiving the invitation, Shi Shuang had started preparing for the piano competition. During the day, he practiced the piano at home and sometimes went out to meet friends from the music industry. Naturally, he became busier than usual, and the time spent with He Heng decreased.

On this evening, He Heng had just finished a drinking session. Having consumed quite a bit of alcohol, as he pressed the doorbell, the one who opened the door for him wasn’t Shi Shuang but the household butler.

Usually, no matter how late He Heng returned home in the evening, Shi Shuang would intentionally come to the door to greet him. So, when he returned home today and didn’t see the figure of Omega welcoming him, he suddenly felt a bit irritable.

He Heng casually handed his coat to the butler and then walked straight to the living room. Passing by the sofa, he noticed the Omega unintentionally sleeping there.

The living room’s sofa was quite large, accommodating about ten people simultaneously. However, Shi Shuang curled up in a corner at the edge, seeming a bit cold. His long eyelashes occasionally trembled.

The villa was cool at night, and he was only wearing a thin T-shirt, with nothing covering him. A fair arm dangled straight down, exposed to the air.

Really,

Sleeping like this, isn’t he afraid of catching a cold?

He Heng shook his head somewhat helplessly as he looked at Shi Shuang in this state. Then, he bent down, grabbed the blanket from the back of the sofa, and gently covered Omega with it.

However, in the moment of bending down, he suddenly noticed a thick album placed beside Shi Shuang. It seemed to be a photo album.

It seems that Shi Shuang fell asleep while looking at the photo album.

The moment He Heng took the album away from him, a photo slipped out.

Without much thought, he bent down and picked up the photo. However, the moment he saw the picture, he suddenly froze.

It was a group photo. Shi Shuang in the photo looked much younger than he does now, appearing to be around fifteen or sixteen. His hair was cut short, and he held a trophy in his hands, smiling happily, revealing two sharp little fangs. Beside him was Li Jingze, also smiling brightly, with an arm around his shoulder.

The two stood on the same stage, a black piano behind them. It seemed to be a photo taken after winning a competition.

Why is Li Jingze everywhere?

Perhaps under the influence of alcohol, the more He Heng looked at the photo, the more uncomfortable he felt.

Why had he never seen Shi Shuang smile so happily at him?

Oh, he almost forgot,

He was just a “stand-in”.

Just as He Heng was lost in his thoughts, the photo in his hand was suddenly snatched away.

Shi Shuang, who knows when he woke up, hastily grabbed the photo back. His cheeks were a bit red, and his gaze towards He Heng was both anxious and annoyed.

This photo was taken seven or eight years ago. At that time, he still had a strange hairstyle, which He Heng had just seen completely. How embarrassing.

In the next moment, Shi Shuang suddenly smelled alcohol. It was then that he realized the scent was coming from the Alpha standing in front of him.

In the dim light, He Heng’s cheeks were slightly flushed, and his narrow eyes were half-closed. It seemed he had drunk quite a bit.

“Did you drink?” Shi Shuang moved closer to He Heng, a bit worried that he might have drunk too much without eating much, which could make his stomach uncomfortable. So, he asked again, “Have you eaten?”

He Heng did indeed drink quite a bit during the evening socializing, but his alcohol tolerance was decent. He was tipsy, but not completely drunk.

At this level, he could say some harsh words without being fully accountable for them.

He was awake but not fully awake.

At this level, it meant he was sober enough to consciously counter others’ words but drunk enough not to accept any counterarguments.

For instance, now,

“Yeah.”

He Heng suddenly leaned in front of Shi Shuang, lowering his head to look at the Omega in front of him. His expression seemed a bit displeased. “Are you nostalgic for that time?”

The time when he was with that beta.

“Huh?” Shi Shuang was confused by his question.

Seeing that Omega was still pretending to be clueless, He Heng decided to be straightforward.

“Do you have someone you like?”

As soon as this question came out, Shi Shuang first froze, and his eyes widened in response.

When he snapped out of it and realized what He Heng had just asked, his face suddenly blushed.

What did He Heng mean by that?

They had kissed on the rooftop that day. Wasn’t his attitude clear enough?

Or did he think Shi Shuang was some frivolous Omega who kissed anyone he saw?

Observing this, Shi Shuang lowered his gaze and didn’t dare to look directly at the person in front of him. After a while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence,

“Yes, I do.”

Isn’t it you?

Upon hearing this, He Heng’s expression instantly became somewhat unpleasant.

Sure enough, he knew Shi Shuang couldn’t forget that beta.

Looking at Shi Shuang’s shy appearance, there was no need to guess how much he liked that beta.

Thinking of this, He Heng crossed his arms, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, lips tightly pursed, showing an angry expression.

He just didn’t understand why Shi Shuang liked that Li Jingze?

Was it because he was shorter or not as good-looking as himself?

After much contemplation, He Heng felt that Li Jingze only had the advantage of being able to play the piano compared to himself.

Is it just because of the piano?

Even a monkey could play a few notes for you; what’s so special about it?

“What’s good about him, anyway?” He Heng couldn’t hold back and asked directly.

He Heng’s words confused Shi Shuang. Seeing the Alpha in front of him sulking with his hands crossed, Shi Shuang couldn’t quite grasp the situation.

Is he… expecting me to praise him in front of him?

How can there be someone like this?

Although praising someone in front of them is a bit difficult and awkward, after hesitating for a moment, Shi Shuang bit the bullet and spoke hesitantly,

“Well, I think…”

“He’s quite cute, although sometimes a bit childish.”

Indeed, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

A perfectly fine man in his twenties is being described as a child.

The good lad suddenly became ten years younger.

Thinking about this, He Heng got even more annoyed, puffed up like a pufferfish.

Still, childish?

Shi Shuang would rather like that childish Li Jingze than like him. What kind of taste is this?!

 

 

 

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