The room was so quiet they could hear each other’s breathing.
Shen Wenqing was putting on an exceptionally soft demeanor, considering everything from Xia Yan’s perspective, leaving him stammering for a while. Finally, after racking his brain, Xia Yan found a new excuse: “If you do this, will your parents agree?”
Shen Wenqing replied, “Don’t worry. Ever since I differentiated as an Omega, they’ve wanted me to rest and take things easy.”
That last excuse was shut down. The socially awkward Xia Yan froze, completely out of reasons for why they had to break up.
“Ding-dong!”
Xia Yan’s phone chimed. He looked down at it, seizing the chance to change the topic. “The food’s here. I’m starving—want to eat together?”
The moment he said it, he regretted it.
Things were already awkward, and now he’d invited him to eat. How were they supposed to get through a meal like this?
Shen Wenqing lowered his gaze, his handsome face still streaked with tears, hesitating as he spoke. “Would I be intruding if I joined? After all, he’s your boyfriend now.”
Happy for an excuse to avoid more awkwardness, Xia Yan’s eyes lit up. “Then we can just—”
Before he could finish, Shen Wenqing suddenly bent over, pressing his right hand against his stomach. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he stifled a groan of pain.
Xia Yan was startled. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.” Shen Wenqing managed to lift his head, meeting Xia Yan’s gaze. “It’s just that after hearing news about you, I caught a 4:30 a.m. flight, then spent another five or six hours in a cab. It’s been nonstop, so I didn’t have time to eat. It’s just a little stomach pain.”
“…”
Shen Wenqing gave a weak smile. “You don’t need to worry about me. Go and enjoy your hot pot with your boyfriend. I’ll return to my room and have the hotel send something up.”
After he’d said all that, how was Xia Yan supposed to eat without feeling guilty?
Xia Yan suspected he might be doing this on purpose, but seeing Shen Wenqing’s sweat-soaked, pained expression… It didn’t seem like his style to fake something just for a meal, did it?
Thinking of how Shen Wenqing had gone through all this trouble because of him, Xia Yan felt a bit guilty. “We ordered a yin-yang hot pot, with a mild bone broth base. If you don’t mind, you can join us.”
Shen Wenqing hesitated, “But… will Mr. Xu be upset?”
Xia Yan gave him a strange look. “You already guessed he’s just my ‘one-month boyfriend.’ What’s there to be upset about?”
Shen Wenqing mentally noted that he may have overdone it with his performance, though he maintained his gentle, pained expression. “Sorry, I just didn’t want to be in your way.”
“It’s fine, let’s go.”
“Alright.”
The rooms on this floor were all small, and their layouts were quite similar. Xu Rang cleared the coffee table and requested an extra chair from the front desk so that he and Xia Yan could each have one.
He turned on the stove and waited for both sides of the hot pot to boil before adding the slices of meat. Then, he messaged Xia Yan to hurry up and come eat.
Xia Yan arrived a bit later than he had anticipated.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Xu Rang was busy eating meat and didn’t look up. “Hurry and sit down. The meat is going to get tough.”
“Sorry to disturb you.”
A familiar yet strange voice startled Xu Rang, causing him to choke and cough several times. He finally regained his composure after gulping down half a glass of lemon water.
At that moment, Xia Yan had walked in with someone and was selecting a spot. “You sit in the chair, I’ll sit on the bed.”
Xu Rang’s bed was covered with the hotel’s white sheets, which had just been changed that morning—clean and pristine. However, the blankets were in disarray, giving a somewhat messy appearance.
Usually, it was just him and Xia Yan, so he was already used to it.
But now, under the casual yet cold glance from Shen Wenqing, whose eyes carried a chilling warning, he immediately trembled and stood up. “The bed is too far away; I’ll go find another chair.”
Shen Wenqing pretended to be concerned, saying, “Would that be too much trouble for you?”
“Not at all, you two sit first, I’ll be back in a moment.” Xu Rang secretly rolled his eyes, inwardly cursing, ‘If you have the ability, don’t glare at me!’
Once Xu Rang left, only the two of them remained in the room.
Shen Wenqing confidently sat beside Xia Yan, watching as he added several ingredients to the clear broth and feeling his silent concern.
“The food needs time to cook. Here’s some crispy meat; you should have a couple of bites first.”
“Thanks, Yan Yan.”
The crispy meat was crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, seasoned only with some non-spicy pepper salt. Shen Wenqing picked up a piece and slowly ate it.
His earlier words weren’t entirely a lie.
It was true that he hadn’t eaten because he had rushed for the flight and taken the taxi, but the stomachache was a fabrication; his body was actually healthier than he had thought.
Xu Rang rushed back in: “……”
Oh! This damned sweet and loving couple atmosphere.
The meal was enjoyable for both hosts and guests. Unlike before, Shen Wenqing didn’t forcefully try to keep the youth close; instead, he appropriately softened his demeanor.
“Yan Yan, can I go to your room tonight? I haven’t removed my collar in a long time; I can clean it, but I still feel uncomfortable.”
What a legitimate reason—how could Xia Yan refuse?
“Sure.”
Watching the two leave, Xu Rang thought: “……” This world of pain was only felt by him. He flopped down on the bed, feeling gloomy for a while before cheerfully coming to terms with it.
He saw how good Shen Wenqing was to Xia Yan.
If they could be together, he would be happy for them.
Xia Yan’s room retained the same atmosphere as when they left.
He skillfully pressed his fingers on the back of Shen Wenqing’s neck and, after hearing a faint ‘click,’ removed the collar.
The collar was made of special, lightweight leather that was easy to maintain aside from the outer black lace.
As Xia Yan stroked the soft edges, he secretly glanced at Shen Wenqing, who was adjusting the collar of his shirt. His expression shifted from hesitation to determination. “Tomorrow, let’s go to the mall to buy a new collar; it must be set up to record your fingerprint.”
Even if Shen Wenqing was unwilling this time, he would force him to agree.
Xia Yan secretly clenched his fist, thinking of countless persuading words. However, Shen Wenqing simply nodded in agreement.
“?”
“Sorry, Yan Yan. I was too selfish before,” Shen Wenqing said, filled with regret in his eyes. “I liked you too much at that time, my mind was all about keeping you, but I forgot that my actions must have put a significant psychological burden on you.”
“You were clearly very busy with work, yet I still bothered you with my personal matters.”
“Well… not really.”
Some things are strange. If before Shen Wenqing spoke, someone asked Xia Yan if he felt pressured, he would definitely say yes. After all, the Omega glands were precious and fragile; being locked up by him would inevitably make him anxious.
But with Shen Wenqing’s preemptive apology, the situation felt more severe.
On the other hand, Xia Yan felt that it wasn’t as exaggerated as Shen Wenqing described. After all, working four hours a week… wasn’t really busy. As for the other “work,” Shen Wenqing had no idea that no matter what, he couldn’t blame him.
“Can I take a shower here at your place? I just finished eating hotpot, and I smell like it all over,” Shen Wenqing added immediately. “Just a shower; I won’t do anything else. I haven’t organized my things over there yet, it’s a bit troublesome.”
His expression was sincere, leaving no room for objection.
Xia Yan, feeling a bit dazed, nodded.
Shen Wenqing took a bathrobe and walked into the bathroom. The sound of running water echoed, and he did exactly as he said—only borrowing the bathroom. After taking a shower, he politely took his leave.
His perfectly timed retreat was comfortable.
After Shen Wenqing left, Xia Yan realized that the collar was still in his hand.
He hesitated for a moment but didn’t hand it over. After all, they were going shopping together tomorrow; he could give it to Shen Wenqing then.
In the following days, Shen Wenqing was unusually obedient and compliant.
They bought a new collar, a beautiful red New Year edition, like a lovely ribbon adorning the man and turning him into a striking gift.
Whenever Xia Yan talked to him, his gaze would inevitably be drawn to the collar.
The number of people turning their heads on the street increased, yet Shen Wenqing seemed oblivious, allowing Xia Yan to sneak glances.
On the day of the Spring Festival, Shen Wenqing didn’t leave. He stayed to spend the holiday with Xia Yan and Xu Rang. They went out to eat, strolled through street stalls, and bought some peculiar items.
Neither Xia Yan nor Xu Rang had family nearby.
Although Shen Wenqing had family, they were far away in Shanghai… The three of them didn’t need to visit relatives; instead, they gathered together and exchanged blessings.
While Xu Rang shared his wishes for wealth by reposting good fortune messages, Xia Yan and Shen Wenqing followed suit and reposted as well.
The only poor person, Xu Rang, thought: “……” I hope you all remember to be good people, thanks.
Task Seven was completed smoothly. Xu Rang took a month off, and with the seven-day Spring Festival holiday he already had, minus the travel time, he spent thirty-three days with Xia Yan at his hometown as his boyfriend.
When it was time to leave, Xu Rang looked at the person who had evolved into a “green tea” type and then at the oblivious Xia Yan.
He sighed softly, “I wish you both happiness.”
Shen Wenqing smiled at him, “Thank you.”
Only Xia Yan was confused, “?”
In the end… only the side missions remained.
Xia Yan did not return to Shanghai; he began traveling the world according to his own plan. As for Shen Wenqing, who wanted to take leave to accompany him, he was sent back to school.
Was he joking? Students should stay obediently in school and not cause trouble.
He didn’t want anyone to give up their future for the sake of loving him.
As a result, Shen Wenqing could only find time to join him on weekends. While labeled as lovers, their relationship felt like it hadn’t quite reached that level, yet it was more than just friendship.
In June of the following year, a new suppressor type was released.
Xia Yan completed his task.
