Seeing Xiao Can looking so lost, Mu Nianwen’s tone softened involuntarily.
“You… don’t panic first,” he pulled Xiao Can to sit down and tried to analyze with him, “You feel like you might like him a little now, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you really like him.”
Xiao Can blinked foolishly, “What do you mean?”
“Sometimes people are easily hypnotized into having illusions about themselves… After all, you just did that kind of thing,” Mu Nianwen said, feeling embarrassed, “During the process, you must have felt things like accelerated heartbeat, right? If you also felt good and received positive feedback, maybe your brain would be misled into thinking you like him, but in fact, what you like is…”
Xiao Can’s expression changed dramatically, “In fact, what I like is that kind of thing?!”
“No no no no,” Mu Nianwen quickly denied what he had said before, “Not necessarily. It’s just that you haven’t had much deep interaction with Alphas before. The first time you got close to an Alpha, who also looks pretty decent, it’s hard not to have an excessive awareness. So this may be a kind of pseudo-like, just like pseudo-myopia, if you leave it alone, it might become real, but intervention might still save it.”
“Is that so?” Xiao Can marveled, “This is the first time I’ve heard of ‘pseudo-liking.'”
“Yeah,” Mu Nianwen nodded, “I just made it up.”
“…”
“But don’t you think it makes sense?” Mu Nianwen asked, “Are you infatuated with his appearance? Attracted by some shining aspects of his personality? None of that, right? You just slept with him twice and now you’re confused.”
Xiao Can thought to himself, actually, He Xingzhou still has many good qualities. But facing Mu Nianwen’s gaze at the moment, he felt embarrassed to speak, and eventually just nodded obediently, “mmh.”
“Ahem,” Mu Nianwen cleared his throat, lowering his voice he asked, “Did it feel pretty good?”
“What, what are you talking about?” Xiao Can pretended to be clueless.
Mu Nianwen nudged him with his elbow, “Do I have to spell it out for you?”
Xiao Can chuckled awkwardly and whispered, “It was okay.”
Mu Nianwen leaned in closer, “Was he skilled?”
Their heads were close together, both blushing.
“Well, he’s… quite gentle,” Xiao Can scratched his chin with his finger, “Very polite and cares about my feelings. So… it was… quite good…”
“So he’s experienced then?” Mu Nianwen asked.
Xiao Can shook his head, “No, he said he’s only been with me.”
“How is that possible!” Mu Nianwen backed away a bit, “You don’t actually believe him, do you?!”
“…It’s true,” Xiao Can said.
“Come on, you think he’s some kind of romance novel protagonist,” Mu Nianwen said indignantly, “An abstinent, domineering CEO Alpha, who looks like he’s been around the block, but is actually a virgin. At the sight of his destined Omega, he’s immediately consumed by desire, pulls out something enormous, clearly his first time but knows all the techniques, lasts for an hour and a half, driving you to ecstasy while he remains unfazed.”
Xiao Can looked at the exaggerated size Mu Nianwen was gesturing, thinking, this is too much, it might just burst your stomach.
He Xingzhou’s size was more appropriate, it would get a bit swollen, but comfortable.
He still didn’t feel comfortable saying such things.
“With his status, appearance, and wealth, he couldn’t possibly lack experience,” Mu Nianwen asserted, “Unless there’s something wrong with his brain!”
“You’re just answering your own question,” Xiao Can said reluctantly, “He really does have something wrong with his brain…”
“You have no experience, he has no experience, but it still felt very good, is that possible?” Mu Nianwen asked.
“You seem to know a lot,” Xiao Can couldn’t help but question, “Clearly, you’ve never…”
“Spectators see the game best!” Mu Nianwen interrupted him, “I have an objective stance, a clear mind, and extensive theoretical knowledge!”
“Is it possible that it’s because… we’re particularly compatible?” Xiao Can asked.
“No, no,” Mu Nianwen shook his head vigorously, “You’ve already lost your judgment, you’re about to fall in love for real.”
“…” Xiao Can felt awkward, “Why do you hate him so much?”
“He publicly humiliated you, forcibly marked you, made you suffer so much,” Mu Nianwen said, “I don’t understand why you would like him, it’s like Stockholm syndrome.”
Xiao Can suddenly realized something.
From Mu Nianwen’s perspective, all the information he received was about what He Xingzhou did wrong, how much trouble he caused, and he never had the chance to see all the cute parts of He Xingzhou.
Xiao Can realized that he had started to be biased, not wanting He Xingzhou to be misunderstood like this.
Just as he was thinking, his phone vibrated.
He Xingzhou sent the steps for making shrimp cakes, the content was very detailed, specifying how high to set the fire, how long to flip them, etc.
“Do you want some shrimp cakes?” Xiao Can stood up, “I’ll fry some for you!”
Although he strictly followed the instructions, the finished product tasted a bit worse than last night.
Xiao Can couldn’t figure it out, but Mu Nianwen was amazed beside him.
“These are delicious!” he said to Xiao Can, “Where did you buy them?”
Xiao Can blushed, “He Xingzhou made them himself.”
Mu Nianwen was shocked.
“I said they were delicious, so he gave me some,” Xiao Can gestured, “He divided them for me early in the morning before I got up, packed them with ice packs.”
Mu Nianwen clicked his tongue, not saying anything.
After a moment, he nodded as if giving an order and said, “Not bad, you can try to get in touch with him again.”
Xiao Can thought, get in touch with what? He only feels responsible and guilty towards me, not love.
He was afraid of being nagged by Mu Nianwen again, so he didn’t dare to say it out loud.
In the following days, Xiao Can flew to two different places in a row, busy to the point of having no time to rest at all.
As an honorary “Ambassador of Warmth” invited by Bai Tao, it wasn’t just a mere title.
Bai Tao’s promotional efforts were extensive, with events happening all over the country, and they were preparing for a mobilization evening party, many of which required his attendance.
Fortunately, after the mark was completed, Xiao Can’s physical condition improved a lot, full of energy. Although he felt a bit tired physically, he didn’t feel exhausted, instead, he felt very satisfied.
