The moment Qiao Qiao fell into Zhang Peng’s arms, he felt at ease. His boyfriend’s embrace was warm and reliable, without a trace of hostility. The gentle cola-scented pheromones enveloped him, overpowering the smell of alcohol on his breath.
“Xiao Qiao, is this your current boyfriend?” an annoying voice sounded from behind.
Qiao Qiao couldn’t be bothered to respond to Luo Xuan. He simply melted into Zhang Peng’s arms, feeling boneless. He was drunk and needed his boyfriend’s hug to feel better. He nuzzled against Zhang Peng, who responded by soothingly patting his shoulder, allowing him to sink further into his drunkenness, content and secure.
Zhang Peng held Qiao Qiao close, sending back Luo Xuan’s oppressive pheromones with a quiet force. Watching as Luo Xuan’s face paled and beads of sweat formed on his forehead, Zhang Peng leisurely introduced himself, “Zhang Peng, Qiao Qiao’s fiancé.”
Qiao Qiao’s ears perked up at that, and he barely managed to suppress a delighted hiccup.
The annoying voice piped up again, “Oh, you should have said so earlier. I’m Qiao Qiao’s ex… good friend. Since you’re his fiancé, you’d better treat him well, or we, his good friends, won’t let you off easy.”
Good friend? Zhang Peng smiled slightly.
Qiao Qiao felt a chill down his spine. After a moment of thought, he decided to turn his drunkenness into a full-blown act. Wrapping his arms around Zhang Peng’s neck like an octopus, he whined tearfully, “I want to go home. The person who bullied me is here again.”
Zhang Peng knew Qiao Qiao all too well. The moment he heard that voice, he realized that Qiao Qiao was fully in “drama king” mode. “It’s alright.” he said softly, gently patting Qiao Qiao’s back. His tone was full of affection, as if his boyfriend had suffered some great grievance but couldn’t confront anyone about it and had to swallow his tears. “We’ll go home now. Don’t cry, Xiao Qiao. Be good.”
Their acting was so convincing that it moved those listening to the point of tears. The onlookers exchanged glances, wondering if they had gone too far today. Even if Luo Xuan was a powerful alpha, they shouldn’t have gone to such lengths to please him by pushing Qiao Qiao around.
As Zhang Peng carried Qiao Qiao out, Luo Xuan, unwilling to let them go, tried to follow, but others stopped him, subtly suggesting that he shouldn’t go too far and should let the couple be.
Luo Xuan was so frustrated that he almost felt a toothache. What do they think I am, some villainous landlord forcing Qiao Qiao into getting back together with me? What are these people even thinking?
Qiao Qiao, however, couldn’t care less about Luo Xuan’s frustration. Shouldn’t ex-boyfriends be a thing of the past? On the way home, he quietly rested his head on Zhang Peng’s lap, feeling uneasy as Zhang Peng absentmindedly ran his fingers through his hair.
Ugh, he’s definitely stewing in jealousy.
Qiao Qiao quickly racked his brain for a way to steer the conversation away from this dangerous topic.
When the car smoothly stopped downstairs, a lightbulb went off in Qiao Qiao’s head. Got it!
Zhang Peng gently patted Qiao Qiao’s head and said softly, “We’re home. Let’s get out of the car.”
Qiao Qiao obediently got up, putting on a slightly dazed expression. He even sneakily checked his reflection in the rearview mirror to see if his expression was convincing.
Zhang Peng noticed everything but didn’t interfere, letting Qiao Qiao put on his little act. Ex-boyfriend, huh? We’ll discuss that when we get home, Zhang Peng thought.
But just as they entered the apartment, before the lights could be turned on, Qiao Qiao hesitantly spoke in the darkness, “Zhang Peng, now that you’re an alpha, marrying me… I’m just a beta. Am I even worthy?”
Even though Zhang Peng knew Qiao Qiao was probably acting, that question—“Am I worthy?”—still tugged at his heart.
“What are you talking about?” Zhang Peng softened his voice as much as he could, momentarily pushing aside thoughts of the ex-boyfriend that had been on his mind the entire ride home.
First step, distract him—success. Qiao Qiao mentally celebrated, continuing in a cautious tone, “I’m afraid I’ll hold you back. Really, your status will be different in the future.”
“Don’t say that.” Zhang Peng’s heart tightened, completely swept up in Qiao Qiao’s narrative. “What’s so different? Aren’t I still your Zhang Peng?” He reached out to turn on the lights, wanting to check if Qiao Qiao was crying, but his hand was caught. The hand that held his trembled slightly, yet it tried so hard to stay steady, making its owner seem both fragile and determined, filling Zhang Peng with tenderness.
“Is it because I haven’t done enough?” Zhang Peng gently grasped Qiao Qiao’s hand in return, his voice soft as he tried to comfort him. “I know you need some reassurance. Trust me, okay?”
Qiao Qiao responded with a whimper, mentally jotting down a note: Second step, there’s no problem a little action can’t solve, and if there is, just keep going.
“I trust you.” Qiao Qiao murmured shyly. “Could you give me a little more proof? Just a little bit?”
“Of course.” Zhang Peng answered without hesitation.
Before Zhang Peng could even ask what kind of proof Qiao Qiao needed, Qiao Qiao had already unzipped Zhang Peng’s pants.
Zhang Peng: “???”
Zhang Peng: “!!!”
Zhang Peng: “Mmph.”
By the time the night was over, Zhang Peng had ended up giving more proof than he ever intended.
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