Xiao Can subconsciously wanted to say it wasn’t necessary.
It wasn’t even dinner time yet. If they wrapped things up quickly, he might even be able to leave before nightfall.
But when the words were about to come out, he hesitated.
He didn’t think this matter required too much ceremony, nor did it need to be overly solemn. However, at the same time, he still harbored a strong sense of evasion. His sense of shame made him unwilling to confront it too quickly.
If he could delay it for a while, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
In the end, he hesitated for a while, then said softly, “Oh.”
He Xingzhou nodded without saying anything.
An awkward silence enveloped the air.
Charlie tilted his head and looked at Xiao Can, suddenly saying, “Mark me! Mark me!”
Xiao Can was stunned, his face instantly turning red. In his panic, he reached out to hold Charlie’s body with one hand and covered its mouth with the other.
Charlie flapped around symbolically but soon went limp, obediently settling in his palm.
“Why are you learning such things…” Xiao Can muttered awkwardly, then complained to He Xingzhou, “Your parenting is flawed.”
“It’s all learned from you,” He Xingzhou replied calmly, looking helpless.
“You’re the one raising it,” Xiao Can retorted.
He Xingzhou shrugged.
The living room fell silent once again.
Embarrassment and shame overwhelmed Xiao Can to the point where he couldn’t catch his breath. He had to find a topic to break the tension. “By the way, weren’t you cooking just now?”
Upon hearing this, He Xingzhou immediately jumped up from the sofa like he was flying and rushed out of the living room.
Xiao Can watched the direction he disappeared in, feeling dazed for a moment, then asked, bowing his head, “Is your dad okay? Can I still eat?”
Charlie obediently opened its mouth, but what came out was far from what Xiao Can expected: “Rapist! Mark me!”
“…,” Xiao Can’s face reddened even more, “If you keep saying that, I won’t like you anymore!”
Charlie hopped around on his legs, seemingly unafraid.
He Xingzhou claimed to have prepared a feast, but in reality, there wasn’t much on the table.
The main dish was a pot of seafood porridge.
He claimed the cooking was imperfect due to his sudden departure. Xiao Can tasted a spoonful and suspected he was intentionally downplaying his skills to appear modest.
Before the formal meal, Xiao Can felt a bit worried. It wasn’t yet his usual mealtime, and if they hurried, he might even be able to leave before dark. But he had already mentioned being hungry earlier, so he couldn’t reveal his true appetite.
He usually put down his chopsticks as soon as he felt full. He thought he would have to force himself to get through this, but as soon as the lid of the seafood porridge was opened, the aroma immediately triggered his appetite.
He Xingzhou sliced some ginger, but instead of putting it in the porridge, he prepared a small plate for Xiao Can separately.
“You’re so picky, maybe you won’t like it,” he explained.
Xiao Can was genuinely touched by the consideration, as he disliked the taste of raw ginger.
The delicious food prompted him to be unusually frank: “It’s good, very fresh, not fishy at all!”
He Xingzhou was very pleased, smiling but saying nothing.
In addition to the seafood porridge, he had prepared many other dishes, most of which were just one or two mouthfuls. There was a balance between meat and vegetables, including the pumpkin vine mentioned in the program last time.
“Isn’t it troublesome to prepare so many dishes?” Xiao Can sighed.
“I want you to try them all,” He Xingzhou said, “These quantities are just right and won’t go to waste. How do they taste?”
“…Just want to hear me praise you, don’t you?” Xiao Can said.
He Xingzhou was somewhat surprised. “Isn’t it worthy of praise?”
Xiao Can couldn’t help but laugh and cry, raising his left hand to give him a thumbs up. “Impressive, impressive.”
He Xingzhou smiled and said again, “Can you be more specific?”
He’s quite demanding.
Xiao Can was indeed satisfied with the meal. He struggled for a few more words, “Not only does it taste good, but the texture is also good, and the dishes come out quickly! If you were to change careers and become a chef, you’d definitely have a bright future.”
He Xingzhou was extremely satisfied, nodding slowly. “I really want to open a restaurant.”
“Then do it!” Xiao Can said, “Just follow your passion.”
Even if the business doesn’t do well, with He Xingzhou’s financial resources, he should be able to afford it.
He Xingzhou’s smile deepened, asking, “What should it be named?”
“You’ll have to think about that slowly,” Xiao Can took a sip of the delicious seafood porridge, “I’m not good at coming up with names, so I can’t offer any suggestions.”
“Prince Charlie isn’t bad,” He Xingzhou said.
Xiao Can almost sprayed out the porridge.
He Xingzhou’s eyes lit up. “How about Prince Charlie?”
“N-No, that’s not good…” Xiao Can said.
“Why not?” He Xingzhou turned to look at Charlie, who was concentrating on grooming his feathers on the shelf. “Charlie, what do you think?”
Charlie heard his name, looked up for a moment, then continued grooming.
“That was our team name back then, and people will make associations when they see it,” Xiao Can reasoned with him, “We even had rumors before, in case people misunderstand and think that we…”
As he spoke, his voice grew quieter and eventually trailed off.
He Xingzhou waited quietly for a moment before asking, “We?”
We’re going to do that thing later when we’re both sober, so maybe it’s not entirely a misunderstanding?
Thinking of this, Xiao Can tensed up completely.
“Anyway, it’s not a good idea!” he said, “I came up with the name, so unless I authorize you, you can’t use it.”
After saying that and seeing He Xingzhou’s skeptical expression, he quickly changed the subject and asked, “Do you have any drink at home?”
“Yes,” He Xingzhou nodded, “What do you want? Beer, wine, or champagne?”
Xiao Can couldn’t help but be surprised. “With your poor tolerance, you still have so many different types?”
“There are always friends who like to drink,” He Xingzhou explained, “When inviting people over for dinner, you need to be prepared.”
“Do you often invite people over for dinner?” Xiao Can asked.
“Yeah, I like cooking,” He Xingzhou said, “It’s not enjoyable to eat alone, it’s better with more people.”
So inviting others over for dinner was He Xingzhou’s hobby, and there was nothing special about it for himself.
Which made sense, why would he treat him differently?
Suddenly, the seafood porridge in Xiao Can’s mouth didn’t taste as good anymore.
“What do you want to drink?” He Xingzhou asked.
“I’m fine with anything, pick what you like,” Xiao Can said.
He Xingzhou shook his head. “I won’t drink.”
“Why not?” Xiao Can was displeased. “Just have a little, I won’t force you.”
He didn’t want both of them to be too sober later.
A bit of drunkenness would make everything happen more naturally.
But He Xingzhou was firm. “I can choose for you, but I won’t drink.”
He stood up and asked, “Do you want to come with me?”
Xiao Can neither answered nor moved. His gaze slowly moved downward, stopping at a certain point in He Xingzhou’s body, tentatively asking, “Are you afraid of your… that…”
He Xingzhou immediately interrupted, “Tonight, you’ll know that I’m not.”
“…,”
“I’m perfectly fine,” He Xingzhou emphasized, “Since I’ve agreed to you, I must ensure that there are no mistakes.”
Xiao Can turned his head. “It’s still early, can you not talk about these things?”
He Xingzhou cleared his throat and blushed slightly, then turned and walked out. “I’ll go get the wine.”
Sometimes, having a high tolerance for alcohol is also a problem.
Coming out of the bathroom, Xiao Can felt that the two glasses of wine he had just drunk had been completely metabolized.
After dinner, the two of them looked at each other in embarrassment, not knowing what to do. After an awkward moment, He Xingzhou took the initiative to ask if he wanted to take a bath.
Xiao Can immediately agreed.
He hadn’t brought any spare clothes, so after showering, he had to wear He Xingzhou’s spare pajamas.
The pajamas were very clean, soft, simple, and comfortable. The only problem was that they were too big for him.
Xiao Can was relatively tall among Omegas, but he had a slender figure.
Even with the buttons fastened to the top, his collarbone was still exposed, and with a careless movement, he might even reveal one shoulder.
He suddenly realized the size difference between He Xingzhou, who didn’t seem particularly strong, and himself.
On the way from the bathroom to the room, he couldn’t help but recall the scene from their first time in the hotel.
Not just the scene, but also the touch, the sound, and the scent.
He Xingzhou’s strong arms could easily wrap around his body, his aggressive kisses were dominant, rough, and rude, leaving him unable to resist, forced to sink and float in the rich scent surrounding him.
Xiao Can touched his cheek, suspecting that the alcohol in his blood was coming and going.
He Xingzhou had already introduced the location of the bedroom to him in advance.
As Xiao Can entered the room, He Xingzhou had already finished showering and was wearing pajamas of the same style but different color from him.
The same size looked very fitted on him. Obviously, it was a home style, but at this moment, it inexplicably added a few indescribable qualities in Xiao Can’s eyes.
After staring at each other for half a second, Xiao Can hurriedly looked away.
“Finished showering?” He Xingzhou asked.
Xiao Can nodded.
He Xingzhou gestured, “…Sit.”
His bedroom was spacious, with a large bed in the center and a simple sofa in the corner.
Xiao Can chose the latter without hesitation.
After taking his seat, he sat up straight, not touching the backrest at all, and his hands fidgeted nervously, folded together.
He Xingzhou didn’t come close. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, “Would you like another drink?”
Xiao Can quickly nodded.
“Wait a moment,” He Xingzhou said and left the room.
Xiao Can breathed a sigh of relief, but still couldn’t completely relax.
This wasn’t his first time being intimate with He Xingzhou, but unlike last time, now he was completely sober and willing.
He Xingzhou quickly returned, holding a bottle of wine in one hand and two tall glasses in the other.
Xiao Can was slightly surprised.
He Xingzhou placed the glasses on the glass table in front of the sofa, pouring the first glass half-full and only filling the second glass halfway.
Then he put down the bottle, pushing the fuller glass towards Xiao Can.
Both of them picked up their glasses and clinked them lightly.
As their fingertips touched and made a slight vibration, a crisp sound rang in their ears. Even though the alcohol hadn’t reached his throat, Xiao Can felt somewhat relieved for some reason.
He took a small sip, but saw He Xingzhou tilt his head back and pour the entire contents of his glass into his mouth.
“Aren’t you worried about any problems?” Xiao Can joked.
“It should be fine,” He Xingzhou put down his glass, exhaling deeply, “I really need this right now.”
“… Resisting it?” Xiao Can asked.
He Xingzhou stood the whole time, looking down at him from above, his eyes dark and unreadable.
After a moment, he shook his head.
“No,” he reached out to Xiao Can, “Let’s begin.”
