Stranger.
Just that single word twisted painfully in Chu Xingxiao’s chest.
Maybe gege would never remember what happened in the past.
But he still remembered.
Chu Xingxiao slowly released his grip. Just like Qi Song had said, now wasn’t the right time. No matter how badly he wanted gege, he had to consider the situation. He couldn’t afford to spook him…
Suddenly, he felt something soft brush his cheek—like a dragonfly skimming the water’s surface—gentle, fleeting, and gone before he could be sure it was even real.
For a second, he thought he’d imagined it.
Chu Xingxiao snapped to attention, staring at Chi Zhan in disbelief. He couldn’t even tell if what had just happened was real or a figment of his imagination.
Back when gege wasn’t around, Chu Xingxiao hadn’t dated anyone else. But before falling asleep each night, he’d indulge in wild, impossible fantasies.
Like gege leaning in to kiss him, asking how it felt.
Or scenes from movies, with the protagonists replaced by him and gege…
But never in a million years had he imagined that one day, gege would actually kiss him of his own accord.
Even if it was only on the cheek, that one kiss was enough for him to remember forever.
Xiao Xing’s gaze was scorching, practically tangible, fixed on him with laser focus. Chi Zhan stayed calm. “So, are you satisfied now?”
Xiao Xing didn’t reply right away. He lowered his head instead, like a tamed beast, nuzzling Chi Zhan’s cold cheek. His voice was soft, almost childlike.
“gege… why did you kiss me?”
He was a tall, broad-shouldered Alpha, but in this moment, holding Chi Zhan, he was like a giant docile dog—tail wagging, harmless and endearing.
Chi Zhan didn’t even know why he’d given in and kissed him like that.
Maybe it was because, when he’d refused earlier, even though Xiao Xing tried to act indifferent, the disappointment in his eyes had been impossible to miss. The droop of his lashes, the curve of his mouth—all quiet and forlorn.
For some reason, that had made Chi Zhan’s chest ache too.
“You’re the one who asked for it. Besides, I don’t like lying to others—and I hate being lied to. Now, can you let go of me?”
“…Okay.”
Chu Xingxiao did as he was told and released his hold, but he didn’t move away. He still kept an arm loosely around Chi Zhan, eyes burning with unspoken emotion. Even a blind man could’ve sensed the intensity in his gaze.
His eyes sparkled as he suddenly remembered something.
“If I lied to you… would you forgive me?”
“What did you lie about?” Chi Zhan asked, frowning.
“Uh… just asking.” Xiao Xing brushed it off.
He decided not to tell gege that he’d secretly set up a spatial barrier around them—that the others nearby couldn’t hear a single word they were saying.
After all, having gege speak to him so intimately, lips brushing his ear… it wasn’t the kind of privilege he could enjoy every day.
***
How the hell was he supposed to shake this guy off?
Even if Xiao Xing didn’t seem hostile, his motives were far too unclear. Chi Zhan glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, only to be immediately caught. The guy was ridiculously alert—he instantly wrapped an arm tightly around Chi Zhan’s waist, making escape completely impossible.
“What if we knock that group out and toss them out?” Chu Xingxiao commented casually, as if critiquing home décor. “Their campfire’s not bad.”
“That’s… not really appropriate,” Chi Zhan said, hesitant.
“What’s so inappropriate about it?” Chu Xingxiao replied matter-of-factly. “Survival of the fittest is nature’s law. We’re just borrowing their fire. The spot’s great too—sheltered from the wind. Miss this, and we might not find another one. And your hands are freezing.”
As he spoke, he naturally reached out and took Chi Zhan’s hand. “Staying out all night like this, you’ll catch a cold.”
When it came to rationalizing, Chu Xingxiao had a whole arsenal of arguments. Seeing Chi Zhan starting to waver, he added, “Besides, we’re already halfway through the competition and gege still hasn’t gotten a badge, right? Once people have their badges tomorrow, they’ll all go into hiding. It’ll be even harder to find them. Better to take what we can now.”
“I thought you said you were taking me to find the Crown Prince?” Chi Zhan challenged. “Now I’m starting to think you were lying.”
“I never said I definitely could find him,” Chu Xingxiao said, for once sounding serious. “This place is huge—we need a backup plan. Looks like they’re about to switch shifts. I’ll handle those two on watch. gege, you take care of the three sleeping ones, okay?”
The five people resting included four Beta grunts and one Alpha leader. Naturally, the Betas were left to stand watch, but both of them were dozing off. One of them, half-asleep, noticed a flicker from the campfire—like a shadow had passed. He nudged his partner. “Hey, did you see something? Is someone there?”
“Nope. You’re just nervous.”
“Maybe… I just have a weird feeling someone’s nearby.”
“Stop being paranoid—holy shit, there is someone! Get up!”
Normally, this little gang wasn’t easy to mess with. But today? Total disaster. They didn’t even get their eyes fully open before someone clubbed them from behind. The Alpha had good instincts, but his opponent was clearly well-trained. He relied too much on brute strength and never cared about technique—now he paid the price, slammed into the ground hard.
“Whoa, gege, that was amazing!” Chu Xingxiao cheered with genuine admiration. “You’ve definitely been training—three-on-one and you didn’t even break a sweat!”
Chi Zhan had no interest in his over-the-top praise. “It’s not because I’m strong—they’re just too weak. Besides, you were much faster than me.”
To be fair, Chu Xingxiao hadn’t struggled with the two guards at all. He spent most of the time just staring at Chi Zhan’s graceful fighting form—those powerful left hooks, those long legs kicking with deadly precision. Damn, what a sight.
They quickly cleaned up the scene, took the badges, and Chu Xingxiao finished up by grabbing the unconscious guys—one in each hand—and tossing them outside like garbage. He growled a warning: “Come near here again, and I’ll beat you all into pigs!”
“O-okay, got it…”
Chi Zhan had no idea about Chu Xingxiao’s thuggish display outside. The guy returned with a completely different face—gentle, quiet, sneaking up behind him to wrap both arms around his waist. In a sticky, syrupy voice, he murmured, “What’s gege doing? Oh right, you haven’t had dinner yet, have you? You can’t just eat snacks. I’ll go catch something from outside…”
