Shen Yuqing closed the door. Xiao Zhao and Wu Yi had already left. He let out a sigh of relief after all that commotion, he was feeling a bit thirsty.
He turned around, glanced toward the bedroom, but ultimately headed to the kitchen first. Opening the fridge, he pulled out a bottle of mineral water.
Just as he was about to twist the cap open for a sip, he caught sight of an extra figure behind him reflected in the fridge’s glass door.
Even though he knew only he and Pei Yiyan were home, his heart still skipped a beat. He was about to turn around when the person behind him impatiently closed the distance, wrapping their arms around his waist and tightening their grip.
Shen Yuqing was forced to hunch slightly. He could feel the scorching heat of the other’s chest pressed against his back, and right now, the man was nuzzling into the crook of his neck like a cat.
Except this “cat” was far more aggressive than any he’d ever encountered.
“You—ah—”
The moment he spoke, he hissed in pain Pei Yiyan had bitten his neck again.
Seriously, why was Pei Yiyan so obsessed with biting? And right now, his alpha fangs had emerged. Though they hadn’t broken skin, the sensation was far from pleasant.
Shen Yuqing knew reasoning with Pei Yiyan in this state was futile, but he still tried, speaking softly, “Can you not bite me? Let’s go sit on the couch and rest, okay?”
Pei Yiyan didn’t let go. If anything, his teeth pressed down harder.
Shen Yuqing didn’t give up. “Like this, I can’t hug you either. If we go sit on the sofa, I’ll hold you, alright?”
Something in his words must have struck a chord, because Pei Yiyan finally reacted. He released his teeth, and Shen Yuqing exhaled in relief as the pain faded.
He patted Pei Yiyan’s hands. “Loosen up a bit here too.”
Pei Yiyan didn’t move.
Shen Yuqing coaxed, “Let go, and I’ll hold your hand as we walk to the sofa, okay?”
Only then did Pei Yiyan slowly release him.
Shen Yuqing sighed helplessly. Even in this muddled state, Pei Yiyan still remembered to negotiate terms.
On his way back, he had frantically reviewed the notes the doctor sent him about handling an alpha’s rut.
This rut of Pei Yiyan’s was different from his previous ones it was related to his secondary gender differentiation. He had to be accommodated, his emotions kept stable.
And as Pei Yiyan’s partner, Shen Yuqing’s role was to soothe him.
Honestly, Shen Yuqing wasn’t entirely sure how he’d ended up with this responsibility. But when he checked Pei Yiyan’s stats, he saw the blackening value had dropped again now at just 50!
If he remembered correctly, last time he checked, it was still in the sixties.
So stabilizing his emotions was crucial. More importantly, his blackening value was likely tied to his physical condition.
His eyes had already healed. If his glands recovered too, the blackening value might plummet even faster.
Shen Yuqing turned to meet Pei Yiyan’s gaze. The man was staring straight at his face, silent, but Shen Yuqing could see his own reflection in those pupils.
Though he didn’t know why Pei Yiyan’s vision had returned ahead of schedule, Shen Yuqing couldn’t help but marvel inwardly what beautiful eyes.
They had always been striking, but if he ignored the complex desires swirling in them now, they were even more breathtaking.
Shen Yuqing snapped out of his thoughts, noticing condensation forming on the outer surface of the mineral water bottle in his hand due to the temperature difference.
His right hand had already become damp.
“Pei Yiyan, do you want some water?” Shen Yuqing asked.
Pei Yiyan hadn’t had a drink in a while either.
He twisted open the bottle cap and handed it over.
But Pei Yiyan merely glanced at it without taking it.
Shen Yuqing understood he didn’t want it.
Withdrawing his hand, Shen Yuqing tilted his head back and took a large gulp himself, easing his thirst. Just as he was about to screw the cap back on, Pei Yiyan suddenly leaned down, aiming for the bottle in his hand.
Shen Yuqing’s body reacted faster than his mind. By the time he processed what was happening, he had already fed the bottle the same one he had just drunk from to Pei Yiyan.
Wait…
His brain felt like it was about to short-circuit.
Pei Yiyan straightened up, his thin lips now glistening with moisture. He licked them casually before raising his hand, brushing his warm fingertips over Shen Yuqing’s flushed lips.
“Wet.”
Those were the first words he had spoken since returning.
For some reason, Shen Yuqing felt as if he had just stepped out of a sauna, his entire body burning up. He tightened the cap and set the bottle aside. “Let’s… let’s go out first.”
The scent of pheromones in the air was growing thicker, filling the cramped space with an inescapable sensation of being utterly controlled.
Pei Yiyan extended his hand toward him.
Shen Yuqing hesitated briefly before finally reaching out and clasping it.
The moment their hands connected, Pei Yiyan tightened his grip possessively. “Let’s go sit down,” Shen Yuqing said.
Pei Yiyan complied, allowing himself to be led out of the kitchen, though his gaze lingered on Shen Yuqing’s scent gland for a long moment. The gland, which had stopped itching earlier, now stirred with the urge to bite down on something again.
Unaware, Shen Yuqing pulled him onto the couch.
The house was too quiet. After a brief pause, Shen Yuqing suggested, “How about we watch some TV?”
Pei Yiyan simply buried his face against Shen Yuqing’s shoulder, his arm slung around his waist as if to say, Do whatever you want but his body refused to let even an inch of space come between them.
Shen Yuqing was starting to sweat slightly. The room was air-conditioned, but Pei Yiyan’s body temperature was scorching, and he clung so tightly that even the smallest shift in position was immediately detected, prompting him to tighten his hold further.
Trapped between the armrest and Pei Yiyan, Shen Yuqing leaned back against the couch with a resigned sigh.
Fine, I’ll be your human pillow. We’ll get through this first.
Fortunately, Pei Yiyan seemed to have settled down. The steady breathing against Shen Yuqing’s ear suggested he had fallen asleep.
The guidelines had mentioned that an alpha’s rut was akin to being under the influence of an aphrodisiac. But at least Pei Yiyan was only slightly clingier than usual otherwise, Shen Yuqing truly wouldn’t have known what to do.
He turned the TV volume down with the remote. He hadn’t rested well last night, and this morning had been a whirlwind of activity, leaving him no time to catch his breath, let alone gather his thoughts.
The news on TV reported the latest updates on the Song family’s collaboration with the government to build a bridge, though there was no significant progress yet.
But Shen Yuqing knew time was running out.
After all, the turmoil within the Song family would soon begin.
But this morning, he had Nie Xiu catch a glimpse of Song Wangzhuo in advance. He wasn’t sure if this would influence her next moves, so he needed the system to keep an eye on it preferably giving things an extra push at the critical moment.
As for Song Lejin, he had to speed things up and uncover the secrets hidden behind him.
It wasn’t just about Song Wangzhuo there was also Pei Yiyan’s situation.
How had his eyes recovered ahead of time?
Of course, this was a good thing. But Shen Yuqing had been so caught up in celebrating for him that only now did his mind clear.
Did Pei Yiyan’s early recovery also mean the plot was no longer following its original trajectory?
Moreover, Shen Yuqing realized he hadn’t heard any plot prompts in a long time.
His eyelids felt heavy, so he simply closed them. Whether these changes were for better or worse he couldn’t tell.
