Chapter 11

Tearing Off the Calendar

Yan Xingzhi found himself feeling strange.

How strange was it?

He actually found Xu Shen a little cute.

A little likable.

Like now, Xu Shen was drinking milk.

The milk was warmed by Yan Xingzhi; Xu Shen had hurt his foot, and Yan Xingzhi had been taking care of him lately.

It was just that today’s milk wasn’t properly heated. When Xu Shen was about to wash up, Yan Xingzhi warmed the milk and turned to assist Xu Shen.

Squeezing out toothpaste, pouring warm water, acting as a human crutch.

The Omega stood in front of the mirror, his face dampened by the warm water, a few strands of black hair clinging to his skin. Xu Shen tilted his head slightly, and droplets of water slid down his fair Omega neck, following the collarbone, trailing to deeper places Yan Xingzhi couldn’t see.

Water had also entered Xu Shen’s eyes, dampening his lashes. The Omega blinked in a daze, a thin layer of mist hovering in his light irises.

Misty and obscured.

Then Yan Xingzhi was transfixed.

By the time he snapped out of it, the milk pot was already bubbling.

Yan Xingzhi intended to warm another cup, but Xu Shen stopped him.

“It’s fine like this,” Xu Shen said, “thank you.”

Xu Shen liked saying thank you.

The Omega cradled the milk cup with both hands. The cup was a bit too hot, so he kept shifting his fingers.

The milk was too hot, so Xu Shen gently blew on the cup.

Xu Shen’s lips also got moist, slightly pursed from exhaling.

The Omega’s mouth was so small.

It must be soft too; a brush of the fingertip would probably make it even redder.

Yan Xingzhi suddenly felt thirsty and gulped down a large cup nearby.

How troublesome, twelve pages left on the calendar.

Tearing them off so slowly.

Was there any way to speed up the susceptible period?

Yan Xingzhi researched “Estrus Disorder Syndrome” online for a long time but eventually put his phone away reluctantly.

What a pity, he passed his physical exam every year.

No such issues.

Sigh.

Twelve days.

Ten days.

Nine days.

…

When the morning alarm rang, Yan Xingzhi excitedly grabbed the calendar from the bedside table.

Today’s date on the calendar was circled in red, indicating it was a special day.

What special day? Of course, it was the “special” day Yan Xingzhi had longed for 108,720 minutes, or simply put, thirteen days.

Yan Xingzhi was delighted.

He rolled around happily on the bed.

“Ahem.” As if realizing his behavior was a bit childish, Yan Xingzhi coughed to cover it up.

After breakfast, Yan Xingzhi chose the most suitable tie and stood in front of the mirror for a while.

Xu Shen had already left; his foot had gotten better a couple of days ago, so the Omega went to the research institute. He was busy day and night, and Xu Shen had worked overtime a few times, but Yan Xingzhi always went to pick him up.

Of course, he had to pick up his own Omega.

Even more so if it was the Omega he liked!

To pursue someone, Yan Xingzhi flipped open ‘AO Dating: What to Know’.

Hmm, he got it.

Yan Xingzhi went to the company as usual, working until it was time to pick up Xu Shen.

“Let’s go?” As soon as Xu Shen exited the institute, he saw Yan Xingzhi leaning against the car, just like the previous days, the alpha coming to pick him up. “My foot is better now.”

He was still limping slightly, but Xu Shen explained anyway.

He didn’t want to trouble others, even though Yan Xingzhi said he was his alpha.

“I haven’t been too busy lately, so I got off work early and came on the way.” In reality, a certain A had been watching the clock and left the company right on time. But Yan Xingzhi wouldn’t tell Xu Shen that.

Even before they had finished dinner, Yan Xingzhi felt something was wrong. His pheromones began leaking out, secretly searching for the cedar scent in the room, like Xu Shen’s clothes or a glass he had used.

Yan Xingzhi went back to his room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

The book said AOs should seize opportunities and be appropriately vulnerable when interacting.

Yan Xingzhi understood.

Looking at the suppressants placed on the bedside table, the alpha’s hand “unintentionally” shook, shattering the suppressants all over the floor.

The glass shattered on the ground with a crisp sound, immediately followed by the alpha’s pheromones overwhelming the room, enveloping every corner.

“Yan Xingzhi?” As Xu Shen heard the glass shattering and was about to go downstairs to get something, he opened the door and sensed the alpha’s pheromones from down the hallway.

It made his legs go weak for a moment.

Xu Shen leaned against the wall to steady himself. There was no helping it; his compatibility with Yan Xingzhi was undeniable, but they had both intentionally avoided it before and taken precautions.

But something was different this time.

“Ungh—” A low whimper came from Yan Xingzhi’s bedroom, making Xu Shen concerned.

“Yan Xingzhi,” Xu Shen approached the door, “are you okay?”

The door opened with a push, and Yan Xingzhi was huddled in the corner. Hearing the voice, he turned his head. Tears filled the alpha’s eyes as he looked up at Xu Shen. “It was my mistake, I, I accidentally shattered the suppressants.”

Yan Xingzhi lowered his gaze, looking aggrieved, but said, “I, I’m fine, just a little uncomfortable—”

——————–

Author’s Note:

The Yan Xingzhi from before: I like clingy, soft Omegas!

The Yan Xingzhi now: The clingy one who wants to stick to others turns out to be me??

Chapter 12

Don’t Cry, Shen Shen

“There should be more suppressants downstairs,” Xu Shen struggled to maintain his rationality. “Let me go get them for you—”

Xu Shen’s hand landed on the doorknob, using it as leverage to turn around and go downstairs, but he didn’t expect to be embraced by the alpha who was just huddled in the corner.

The lights were also turned off, and in the dark room, the alpha’s pheromones intensified abruptly.

Yan Xingzhi’s arms were sturdy and powerful, encircling Xu Shen from behind. The buttons on his collar were torn open, and the alpha’s scent fell on the Omega’s fair neck.

“Don’t go, okay?” The alpha’s tone was aggrieved, seemingly asking, but with a “click” the door closed. “Shen Shen, I feel so uncomfortable—”

The red wine pheromones were like a large net, entangling their prey strand by strand.

Yan Xingzhi’s hands gripped the Omega’s waist. That waist was slender, usually tucked into a white shirt, likely just as fair, and with a little more force, it would bear his mark.

“Shen—” Yan Xingzhi murmured, kissing Xu Shen’s earlobe.

“Don’t—” Xu Shen suddenly started struggling, the Omega trembling, his tone frantic yet pleading.

“Shen Shen.” Yan Xingzhi pinned Xu Shen’s wrists; after all, as an alpha, the innate desire to possess wouldn’t let his prey escape.

“Shen Shen—”

“Don’t, Yan Xingzhi, don’t—” Xu Shen trembled even harder, liquid dripping onto Yan Xingzhi’s arm.

Yan Xingzhi took half a step back, gripping Xu Shen’s shoulders to turn the Omega around.

Xu Shen was crying.

The tears formed a string, the moonlight from the window spilling over, and Yan Xingzhi felt the wetness on his hand.

The bedroom light was turned back on.

“Yan Xingzhi, didn’t you say you didn’t like me?” Xu Shen took a deep breath before slowly speaking. The Omega’s voice was small; he had never been good at exposing himself.

Before, he didn’t even understand what ‘like’ meant, until Yan Xingzhi told him the answer.

But Yan Xingzhi had never said he liked him, only that he liked sweet little Omegas – Xu Shen had heard that too many times.

He didn’t know what they were.

“Yan Xingzhi, if you don’t like me, you can’t mark me.”

“No matter how high our compatibility is, you can’t,” Xu Shen said.

Yan Xingzhi didn’t respond, seeming distracted, so it must be as he said.

Yan Xingzhi didn’t like him; these past days of care were perhaps due to their compatibility, or the arranged marriage, or just pity.

But definitely not because he liked him.

Xu Shen gently pushed Yan Xingzhi away. His legs were still weak, his clothes torn in the scuffle, so the Omega could only barely adjust his collar. He lowered his head, knowing he must look disheveled.

“Will you be okay? I’ll go downstairs and get—”

“Who said I don’t like you?” Yan Xingzhi suddenly gripped his hand, the alpha using force to pull him closer, and Xu Shen was once again enveloped in his embrace.

Yan Xingzhi gripped Xu Shen’s waist, picked him up, and gently set him on the edge of the bed.

“Don’t like you? If I didn’t like you, would I specifically wait around for you to get off work? If I didn’t like you, would I warm up milk for you?”

“Or does it mean I don’t like you if I kept these roses?” Yan Xingzhi produced a vase from somewhere, the roses inside completely withered and decayed, but he hadn’t thrown them out.

He even considered making them into dried flowers.

Unfortunately, making dried roses was too complicated for Yan Xingzhi.

“Shen Shen, you can’t talk nonsense.” Yan Xingzhi countered.

“What about those little sweet Omegas?” Xu Shen asked. “That night, I heard you say you liked sweet, soft Omegas.”

“I’ve even deleted their contacts,” Yan Xingzhi took out his phone. “What sweet or soft Omegas? I have my own Omega.”

Yan Xingzhi’s voice was muffled as he stared into Xu Shen’s eyes, speaking seriously and devoutly. He apologized and said he only liked Xu Shen.

He said he liked cedar.

Xu Shen’s heart suddenly raced.

“Thump thump,” as if it would jump out.

His pheromones were coaxed out, the cedar scent growing richer.

“Shen Shen, don’t cry.” The Omega was pushed onto the bed by Yan Xingzhi.

The bed was soft and large, and Xu Shen sank into the plush covers. Yan Xingzhi’s kisses landed on Xu Shen’s eyelids, trailing down the tear stains to his chin.

Their breaths mingled as Yan Xingzhi said there would be more time for tears later.

The torn collar naturally slipped off, exposing Xu Shen’s fair collarbones, and Yan Xingzhi’s kisses continued, leaving a trail of red marks.

The corners of Xu Shen’s eyes grew redder.

Finally, the moonlight began to flow, the sound of water murmuring.

The stream flowed gently at first, unhurried and patient.

Then it suddenly turned, rushing rapidly and violently.

The water churned, colliding into white foam.

Xu Shen seemed to have been pulled from the water, sweat covering his body.

He wanted to escape, but Yan Xingzhi caught his ankle.

The Omega’s fingers clenched the sheets tightly before sliding off weakly, the lights and moonlight swaying.

“Shen Shen—”

“Wifey—”

“Baby—”

Yan Xingzhi called out in a jumbled mess, kissing him over and over, then thrusting harder each time.

It lasted more than twenty minutes, Xu Shen realized in a daze just before passing out.

Chapter 13

You’re Mine

Yan Xingzhi’s rut lasted five days. Xu Shen took leave midway and witnessed an alpha’s extraordinary stamina for the first time.

It was truly extraordinary.

The bonding mark was completed on the third day. At that time, Yan Xingzhi held Xu Shen tightly, repeating how much he loved him countless times.

On the last day of the susceptible period, Yan Xingzhi woke up early. Xu Shen had been utterly ravaged; the Omega lay with closed eyes, but Yan Xingzhi remembered clearly how those eyes had filled with tears over and over, losing focus amid the intensity. Feeling a pang of distress, Yan Xingzhi quietly got out of bed.

Yan Xingzhi cooked a pot of porridge, not quite skilled at it. The alpha wore an apron, his face serious as he followed the instructions precisely. He let the porridge cool before going upstairs to gently wake Xu Shen.

Xu Shen was truly exhausted, his eyes still swollen. After eating a little, he fell back asleep.

When he woke again near dusk, Xu Shen stretched out his hand but didn’t feel anyone beside him.

Suddenly anxious, he got out of bed barefoot.

As soon as Xu Shen exited the bedroom, he heard the sound of something striking metal coming from the study. Puzzled, he pushed open the door and went inside.

Noticing Xu Shen’s arrival, Yan Xingzhi set down his tools.

“You’re awake? Why aren’t you wearing slippers? What if you catch a cold?” Yan Xingzhi sounded worried as he immediately scooped Xu Shen up. After carefully setting the Omega on a cushioned chair, he turned to fetch slippers from the bedroom.

Yan Xingzhi crouched down, gripping Xu Shen’s ankles to put the fuzzy slippers on him.

“Are you still feeling uncomfortable?” Yan Xingzhi asked.

“What are you doing?” Xu Shen turned his head, the tips of his ears flushing red as he changed the subject. The Omega’s voice was still hoarse.

“Our rings!” Yan Xingzhi brought over the items on the table and placed them in front of Xu Shen.

–Their wedding rings.

Initially, they had just gotten the certificates due to their compatibility rating, and though there was a wedding ceremony later on, it was just a formality. Yan Xingzhi had chosen the rings somewhat casually.

Now he wanted to engrave their name initials inside.

“This is yours,” Yan Xingzhi had worked on it all afternoon, engraving his initials YXZ inside the ring Xu Shen wore.

The alpha’s eyes crinkled as he slid the ring onto Xu Shen’s finger. “Now you’re mine. Don’t take it off,” he said, then added after a thought, “Well, you can take it off when doing experiments.”

He wasn’t an unreasonable alpha, Yan Xingzhi thought.

“What about yours?” Xu Shen’s heart suddenly settled.

“Not done engraving yet.”

“I’ll do it,” Xu Shen said.

He also wanted to engrave his name inside Yan Xingzhi’s ring.

Afterwards, Yan Xingzhi arranged a honeymoon trip. The alpha was a bit clingy, lingering in the study after dinner.

Yes, sitting right across from Xu Shen.

“How about we go to XXX Island?”

Xu Shen was staring at his computer, still working, but Yan Xingzhi had picked him up early. Since only a few emails remained, Xu Shen went home with Yan Xingzhi.

“It’ll be cooling down here soon, so it’ll be perfect timing,” Yan Xingzhi added.

Xu Shen didn’t respond and focused on replying to emails.

“Xu Shen!” Yan Xingzhi grew exasperated, raising his voice.

“Hmm?” Xu Shen looked up.

Yan Xingzhi immediately looked aggrieved. “Shen Shen, you’re ignoring me.”

Xu Shen: ……

Can’t get any work done like this.

In the end, they did go to the island for their honeymoon. The weather was nice the day they went.

It had already been winter here, and the skies had been overcast for over a month. But on the day they left, sunlight pierced through the clouds.

Their shadows intertwined, the rings glinting in the sunlight.

YXZ & XS

Each ring bore the other’s name inside.

–End–

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