Chapter 16

Ying Zhiyu had a small tiger tooth.

In high society, very few people kept a snaggletooth—most had their teeth straightened early in childhood.

But precisely because of that little canine tooth—

When the sharp tip slowly broke the skin of the gland, pheromones moved with a slowness so vivid it felt tangible, exchanged between A and O in the sealed space between their lips, trembling and reacting.

Time stretched endlessly.

Li Xi felt the bite of that small tiger tooth like a shock—strangely sensitive and tingling.

Sensing Li Xi gripping his sleeve, Ying Zhiyu rubbed the tip of his tooth lightly back and forth at the nape of Li Xi’s neck.

Once Li Xi steadied himself, Ying Zhiyu gently asked, “How does it feel, President Li?”

He didn’t fully remove his teeth from Li Xi’s nape when he asked, leaving Li Xi with a sense of being “held still,” like a big cat caught by the scruff.

Li Xi clutched Ying Zhiyu’s sleeve, breathing unevenly, his brows tightening. His voice came out hoarse: “Don’t call me President Li.”

Ying Zhiyu paused.

Don’t call him President Li?

Then… what?

“Then… Xi-ge?” he offered cautiously.

Li Xi hadn’t answered yet, and Ying Zhiyu thought back to how Li Yue addressed Li Xi, then tried a few more variations.

“Third Brother?”

“Ge?”

“…Gege?”

Li Xi’s hand clenched tight, crushing the fabric of Ying Zhiyu’s sleeve into a ball.

He instinctively lowered his head and in the next moment—before Ying Zhiyu could react—Li Xi flipped him over and pinned him down.

Ying Zhiyu froze. “…”

But when the man above him leaned in, eyes tinged red, fierce and domineering as he bit down—

Ying Zhiyu realized Li Xi seemed… very responsive to a certain form of address.

Gege…?

Later that afternoon, as the shadows of the trees swayed outside, several new bite marks appeared on the back of Ying Zhiyu’s neck.

He slept straight through to nightfall.

Hearing the sound of a car rolling across the driveway below, Ying Zhiyu opened his eyes.

Li Xi was still asleep beside him.

Third Young Master Li was the type whose upbringing showed in his bones—strict, disciplined, the model student all his life.

Even in sleep he lay impeccably, flat on his back on the soft pillow, his strong body rising and falling with steady breaths, shoulders relaxed open, hands neatly placed at his sides.

Ying Zhiyu slipped quietly out of bed.

He walked to the terrace. Down below, two headlights lit the main path of the estate.

He saw Li Qin’s Omega walking slowly toward a car that still had its engine running and headlights on, accompanied by the manor’s live-in butler.

Li Qin’s Omega was thin.

It hadn’t been as obvious at the dining table, but from up here, he looked like he was carrying a huge balloon under his shirt—each step slow and strenuous.

Ying Zhiyu wondered if he could even see the ground over his belly.

He vaguely remembered a news article saying Li Qin and his Omega had been childhood sweethearts who grew up together, studied together, and were each other’s first love.

If Li Qin was forty-three, then his Omega was at least forty.

That made this pregnancy a geriatric one for a male Omega.

The rear window of the car slowly rolled down.

From his angle, Ying Zhiyu couldn’t see inside, but the only person who would be seated in the back with Li Qin’s Omega… would be Li Qin himself.

He watched as the Omega carefully got into the car.

The butler helped him in. No one stepped out from the backseat.

Not until the Omega was finally settled did the window roll up again.

Ying Zhiyu watched the discreet black car drive out of the estate.

“You didn’t get enough of a look this morning?”

A cool voice suddenly sounded behind him.

He turned.

Li Xi leaned against the terrace door, clearly just awake—one small lock of hair sticking up, rare and out of place.

Ying Zhiyu walked toward him.

Maybe because they had refreshed the temporary mark that afternoon, Li Xi’s body carried the blended scent of the two of them, which made Ying Zhiyu subconsciously feel close.

He raised a hand, intending to smooth that stray lock—yet before he could touch him, Li Xi pinched his face.

Ying Zhiyu: “…”

Li Xi’s brows pressed down, and for once his usually expressionless face looked far from pleasant.

“You were staring at him all morning. What? You think my brother-in-law is handsome?”

Li Xi’s fingers were long and firm, squeezing both sides of Ying Zhiyu’s face, forcing his cheeks together like a pouting duck.

The usually striking Alpha now looked like a squashed little quacker—blinking slowly, eyes full of confusion.

He’d only glanced over at the guy out of curiosity at breakfast—how had that turned into “staring all morning”?

Ying Zhiyu didn’t know where to begin.

“…I was curious about his belly.”

Li Xi frowned. “What?”

Ying Zhiyu’s face was still pinched, gaze dropping slightly. He looked down—and Li Xi instinctively followed his gaze.

“I’ve never seen a pregnant male O,” Ying Zhiyu said.

Male Omegas and female Alphas were rare—barely one percent of the AO population.

Like Ying Zhiyu’s parents and Li Xi’s, the mainstream pairing was male Alpha, female Omega.

“…”

Li Xi reluctantly accepted the explanation.

He released him.

The Alpha rubbed his cheeks and exaggeratedly sounded out “a-e-i-o-u” several times.

Then he narrowed his eyes and leaned in with a half smile.

Seeing that handsome face zoom close, Li Xi stiffened. “…What?”

Trying to salvage his pride?

Of course that wasn’t it. Ying Zhiyu had no hope of physically overpowering someone who’d been scoring perfect marks in combat since childhood.

He simply narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked:

“Among all the Alphas at the main table last night, not a single one caught your interest?”

Li Xi froze, lifting his gaze at him in confusion.

Ying Zhiyu’s tone carried a hint of sourness. “I thought a few of them seemed pretty decent.”

In the capital, high-society heirs were everywhere. For every good-for-nothing, there were many refined and polished gentlemen.

Ying Zhiyu even remembered that several of those at the VIP main table later became very successful in his previous life—some even ended up friends with him.

Even being a son-in-law, as long as one linked themselves to the Li family, the benefits were substantial.

Li Xi didn’t believe for a second that Ying Zhiyu was seriously asking, or being jealous.

The first time they met in the university library elevator, the Alpha had already rationally analyzed why they were suited for marriage.

Looking at the teasing glint in his eyes and the slight curl of his lips—

Li Xi suddenly remembered that a person as smart as Ying Zhiyu had known how to hide his edges and survive since he was young.

Li Xi preferred to believe Ying Zhiyu was pretending to be jealous on purpose—to please him.

Except…

Li Xi realized he actually fell for it.

—

On the third day of marriage, the poor PhD student returned to campus to resume being his advisor’s overworked assistant.

For the next week, Ying Zhiyu stayed in the dorms.

It was strange to live apart right after marrying, but Li Xi’s penthouse in the bustling city center was way too far from the university district. With rush-hour traffic, it was a nightmare.

Li Xi even offered to apply for a direct helicopter route to the Biomed campus.

But with more than ten years of experience as a son-in-law in his previous life, Ying Zhiyu wasn’t about to let newfound wealth cloud his judgment.

If he showed up daily by helicopter, his academic career would be over.

Xu Huo had been acting strangely every time he came back to the dorm—like he had something to say but couldn’t.

After seeing Ying Zhiyu leave the hotel with Li Xi that night, Xu Huo only called him once.

But at the time, Ying Zhiyu was having dinner with Li Xi and didn’t pick up.

After that, Xu Huo never reached out again.

When Ying Zhiyu later replied on WeChat saying he had been eating, Xu Huo only responded with a “Got it,” and that was the end of it.

Ying Zhiyu understood the gist of Xu Huo’s feelings.

The Li family was famous throughout the capital, and Li Xi’s online presence and reputation were even higher than most top celebrities.

When did Ying Zhiyu get involved with Li Xi?

And Li Xi’s immaculate expression outside the private dining room—

All of it made the pampered Young Master Xu uncomfortable.

But the two of them had never even been friends before. At best, Ying Zhiyu had been Xu Huo’s “assistant” or “lackey.”

They weren’t close enough to discuss romance, marriage, or family matters.

Ying Zhiyu figured Xu Suxiao must have already explained everything to Xu Huo, so he didn’t bother initiating a conversation either.

A few days after the new semester started, Xu Kuo moved out of their two-person grad dorm.

Before leaving, he paused at the door and looked back at Ying Zhiyu.

Zhiyu asked politely, “Need me to walk you out?”

The young master had plenty of people helping him move anyway, and since Xu Kuo practically never slept in the dorms, he didn’t have much to take with him.

Xu Kuo shook his head. He stood there for a long moment before saying, “Congratulations on the marriage. And… I’m sorry. For before.”

Zhiyu didn’t say it’s fine. Xu Kuo had stolen his papers, his experimental results, even his name on a patent project—none of that could just be wiped away.

So he simply nodded to show he’d heard him.

And that was that.

—

The weekend came, and Zhiyu needed to head home first.

On the phone, he discussed it with Li Xi—he’d go home Friday night and meet him at LI Group Saturday afternoon.

Li Xi answered with a low hum.

Zhiyu waited for him to hang up, but Li Xi stayed silent.

“Li Xi?” he called.

After that… eventful “afternoon session” that day, Li Xi had told him to just call him by name from now on.

Zhiyu figured that was fine—since His Highness Third Young Master liked “being the big brother” so much, the title “gege” should be saved for… more critical moments.

Li Xi hummed again, then finally replied, “Want me to go home with you?”

Zhiyu froze. “What?”

Li Xi’s voice was even, matter-of-fact: “Zhang Jingrui drafted a gift list. Said that if the husband takes the marriage seriously, he should accompany his spouse home the next day. We’ve been married a week.”

Zhiyu fell silent.

Return to the maiden home—in simple terms, “going back to the bride’s family.”

Traditionally, it was the last ritual of a wedding: the bride’s first visit home after the wedding. And the more pampered the bride was, the more lavish the gifts her husband brought along.

…Great.

So he really did marry into the Li family, didn’t he?