The relationship between Xia Xiqing and Zhou Ziheng has always hovered at an extremely peculiar threshold. At first, each thought they’d found a prime Omega, only to discover when the veil was lifted that both were fierce Alphas.
This society is both normal and strange. Rapid population growth had pushed genetic quality toward a near-normal distribution, making high-quality Alphas and Omegas increasingly rare. Under immense pressure to marry and reproduce, even Alphas—once at the top of the discrimination hierarchy—became targets for Omegas seeking to improve their genes. Growing up in environments where Omegas vastly outnumbered Alphas, Zhou Ziheng endured harassment from numerous Omegas and even their parents starting in elementary school. Unable to bear the torment, Zhou Ziheng refused to leverage his Alpha status to pressure others. He transferred schools, even concealing his Alpha identity. He initially considered pretending to be a Beta, but then thought better of it—why not just be an Omega? That would settle everything. After all, no Alpha would dare touch him.
One pretended to be an Omega to harass others; the other disguised himself as an Omega to avoid harassment. Yet, the moment they met, they were instantly drawn to each other. The world works in mysterious ways.
But how could two Alphas be together? Forget it.
That said, neither of them was willing to just let it go. Others assume an Alpha’s desire to conquer his Omega is the norm, but for them, two possessive Alphas colliding meant double the thrill of domination.
In public, deskmates Xia Xiqing and Zhou Ziheng always put on a show of perfect harmony, their facade flawless. Yet behind the scenes, they never missed an opportunity to sabotage each other.
During physics class, Xia Xiqing would slump over his desk drawing. Zhou Ziheng found him utterly amusing—like a boneless creature, he’d either sprawl or lean on the desk, never sitting properly or paying attention. Yet somehow, his test scores remained surprisingly high.
“I’ll call on someone for this question.” The physics teacher stood at the podium, his gaze sweeping over the students below. Everyone lowered their heads to avoid his eyes.
“Then… Xia Xiqing.”
Completely absorbed in his “artwork,” Xia Xiqing hadn’t heard the teacher call his name. Moments later, his chair got kicked. Turning his head in confusion toward the culprit beside him, he whispered, “What?”
“Xia Xiqing? Why haven’t you stood up to answer the question?”
“Huh?” Xia Xiqing froze, catching Zhou Ziheng’s smirk before glancing back at the stern expression on the physics teacher’s face at the front of the classroom. Only then did he rise slowly, his solid nerves allowing him to play dumb even in the face of imminent doom. “Sir, I didn’t hear you call me just now.”
The physics teacher stood with one hand behind his back, the other holding a physics workbook. His reading glasses hung halfway down his nose, and his sharp little eyes peered at Xia Xiqing through the gap above the frames. “Well then, tell me. Which option should we choose for this question?”
How the hell should I know? Xia Xiqing was completely lost, not even sure which problem the teacher was referring to. His peripheral vision darted to his desk partner—after all, the guy had tipped him off earlier. Surely he wouldn’t abandon him now? You don’t just leave someone hanging when you’ve helped them this far.
But Zhou Ziheng sat perfectly straight, his posture the picture of a studious, self-disciplined model student. He faced the blackboard without so much as a glance in Xia’s direction.
This guy’s doing it on purpose, Xia thought.
“Hmm…”
The girl in front of him, however, was kind-hearted. She turned her head halfway and whispered a reminder, “The last multiple-choice question on page 56.”
Xia Xiqing was quite grateful. If she’d even mentioned the answer, he’d be even more thankful. He lowered his head, flipped through a few pages, and found the question. Truthfully, Xia Xiqing was pretty good at physics, but expecting him to solve this calculation-heavy problem in such a short time…
He couldn’t afford to lose face. Rather than be the center of attention for the whole class, he’d rather bow his head to Zhou Ziheng. After gathering his resolve, Xia Xiqing extended his foot and nudged Zhou Ziheng’s chair leg. “Hey.” It took two nudges before Zhou Ziheng turned his head, glancing sideways at him.
“Hm?”
Xia Xiqing gave him a meaningful look, pointing at the problem. “Option 7?”
Zhou Ziheng mimicked his posture, propping his chin on his hand, speaking slowly and deliberately.
“Beg me.”
Beg???
Xia Xiqing’s eyes widened in disbelief. What kind of joke was this?
Beg him?
Zhou Ziheng slowly raised the corner of his eyebrow. “The teacher can’t wait any longer.”
This was just bad luck.
The physics teacher pressed him, “Xia Xiqing, do you have the answer yet?”
Zhou Ziheng continued twirling a pen leisurely. Though less than a minute remained, Xia Xiqing felt it drag on like an eternity. Time stretched out, each frame lingering interminably. He couldn’t wait any longer.
Fuck it.
At the last moment, Zhou Ziheng relented, murmuring softly, “B.”
Xia Xingqing lifted his head, his tone righteous. “I didn’t know. I zoned out just now.”
The physics teacher shook his head, disappointed. “Does having good grades mean you can skip paying attention in class? Your attitude lately has been problematic. You can’t get complacent just because of your current scores. Learning is like rowing upstream—if you don’t advance, you fall behind.” After this lengthy lecture, the teacher sighed. “Sit down. Come to my office during break.”
Xia Xiqing nodded and sat down. Once the teacher turned away, he flipped Zhou Ziheng the middle finger.
The feud was now official.
By Friday morning’s English class, the tables had turned.
“Now, I’d like one student to read this passage aloud.” The English teacher paced slowly at the front of the classroom, his gaze finally settling on the back row.
“Zhou Ziheng, please stand and read it for the class.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziheng stood up, picked up the English textbook with his right hand, placed his left hand on the desk, and began reading aloud. Xia Xiqing, seated beside him, leaned over with keen interest to watch.
Good-looking, a nice voice, long legs, a great figure, and sharp. He fit every aspect of his aesthetic.
Too bad he’s an Alpha. What a bore.
After finishing the first paragraph, Zhou Ziheng suddenly felt an itch along the side of his thigh. He lowered his head slightly and saw a slender, pale finger slowly tracing the seam of his school uniform pants.
Just as he looked down, Xia Xiqing lifted his head to meet his gaze. Their eyes locked, and Xia Xiqing flashed a wicked grin, his innocent face tilted upward.
Zhou Ziheng calmly continued reading the lesson, his pace steady and measured. To an outsider, nothing seemed amiss, but he knew his heart had already begun to race.
That finger grew bolder, drifting behind his hipbone before curving upward again. Its tip traced the fabric’s texture, leaving scorched trails that burned faintly wherever it touched.
Xia Xiqing relished this teasing process. The thought of how Zhou had humiliated him in front of the entire class last time only heightened his satisfaction. Just as his finger prepared to trace back once more, a hand seized his wrist, forcibly pulling his mischievous hand away and separating it from Zhou Ziheng’s straight, long leg.
What a show-off. Xia Xiqing glanced upward. Zhou Ziheng remained composed, continuing his reading with earnest focus. Xia Xiqing’s wrist bones were prominent, yet Zhou Ziheng’s grip was perfectly measured—barely forceful at all. Since becoming deskmates, Xia Xiqing had found him strangely contradictory: outwardly aggressive, even cold, Yet, he constantly revealed a kindness that starkly contrasted his persona. On that Saturday afternoon when classes ended, Xia Xiqing spotted him crouched behind the gym, secretly feeding stray cats as he pushed his bicycle out of campus.
Could it be that he couldn’t bear to let the stray cats go hungry, and thus couldn’t bring himself to grip Xia Xiqing’s wrist too tightly?
Feeling Xia Xiqing had calmed down a bit, Zhou Ziheng thought about letting go. But in the next instant, his own hand was seized by Xia Xiqing instead. Slender fingers forced their way in, transforming what had started as a one-sided, forceful restraint into an ambiguous interlocking of fingers. Zhou Ziheng tried to pull away, but Xia Xiqing’s grip was far stronger than he’d anticipated. He clung on, refusing to let go no matter what.
The entire classroom listened in silence as Zhou Ziheng read aloud. A thin sheen of sweat glistened on his back, his shirt clinging tightly like Xia Xiqing’s hand, impossible to shake off. He felt himself slipping into hallucinations. The scent of roses grew thicker, threatening to scramble his mind, cloud his eyes, blurring the letters before him.
The June wind was scorching, almost as if it could melt the glass window, eager to surge forth and envelop him. To wrap around this dangerous, forbidden moment, preserving the two boys holding hands in secret like a drop of eternal amber.
After finishing the last sentence, Zhou Ziheng felt a faint sense of relief.
“Very good. Please take your seat.”
The moment the teacher spoke, Xia Xiqing released his grip, ending this ill-natured game. He lifted his gaze to the blackboard, adopting the appearance of a well-behaved student. Zhou Ziheng sat down, his heart beating irregularly for reasons he couldn’t explain. His left hand lay open on his knee beneath the desk. Lowering his head, he silently studied his palm. The air conditioning blew away the sweat that had formed after their grip, leaving it cool. Between his fingers was a trace of red—rosy, the mark left by a tight squeeze.
How strange. It felt as though it wasn’t this hand he’d gripped so hard.
It was this heart, now pounding violently under the pressure.
In that instant, a wild thought flashed through Zhou Ziheng’s mind.
He wanted to smell the sharp tobacco scent on his body.
Time slipped away so quickly, like a faucet left running, lost forever beyond recall. Their relationship remained a surface peace and a silent power struggle. Each held the other in a special place, yet outwardly, neither seemed to acknowledge the other. Over time, this dynamic solidified into an unspoken, unique bond.
The school basketball tournament marked the final event before the holiday break. Though Zhou Ziheng was a transfer student, his reputation as the “highest-ranked Omega in history” had already caught the basketball team’s attention. The team captain was an Alpha with prominent canine teeth, perpetually grinning like a Cheshire cat. Rumored to be related to Xia Xiqing, his pheromones carried a distinct scent—a hint of cedar. He’d approached Zhou Ziheng multiple times about joining the team, but Zhou, preoccupied with physics competitions, had declined each time.
Within days, the team’s seemingly quiet manager came to persuade him too. That guy was even more interesting—he looked like an Omega but turned out to be a Beta, his pheromones so faint they were almost undetectable, like iced lime water.
Everyone had tried to persuade him, but one key player, Xia Xiqing, stubbornly refused to ask. Once, in the cafeteria, Zhou Ziheng passed by their table while carrying his tray. Seeing the three of them eating together, Xia Xiqing remarked with a sarcastic edge, “All that height for nothing. Right, Chenchen?”
Xu Qichen’s expression shifted awkwardly. “Xiqing, don’t—”
“Ignore him,” Xia Zhixu said without lifting an eyelid. “He’ll just drag you into it later.”
Zhou Ziheng shot Xia Xiqing a glance before taking a seat behind them. During the meal, he listened to Xia Xiqing’s sarcastic remarks about the basketball team and the bullies on the senior squad. Suddenly, Zhou Ziheng felt that Xia Xiqing seemed more genuine around these two.
It made him uncomfortable, deeply uncomfortable.
He’d thought he alone knew this man’s true nature, but now he realized he wasn’t the only one. What was even more ridiculous was that these two were his friends, while he couldn’t find a suitable identity to define himself. No definition, just ambiguity—it was pure torture.
Classmate? Zhou Ziheng wondered if that counted as a fitting relationship. But he quickly dismissed the thought—not because it wasn’t suitable, but because he didn’t want it.
On the day the sophomore-senior basketball tournament began, Zhou Ziheng was taking a school mock exam before his competition. The physics department head had gathered all the promising students in the multimedia classroom for the test. On his way to the exam, Zhou Ziheng encountered Xia Xiqing in the hallway, clad in a red jersey. The vivid red made his skin glow under the sunlight. He wore a red athletic headband too, radiating an energy rarely seen, his eyes themselves sparkling.
What a pity he’s not an Omega.
Otherwise, maybe we could have a beautiful baby.
Zhou Ziheng startled himself with that thought, lowering his eyes to walk away, only to be called back by Xia Xiqing.
“Hey.”
Zhou Ziheng halted, turning to face him.
“If I lose today—” Xia Xiqing flashed him a fierce expression with that face—so beautiful Zhou Ziheng found it a pity—“I won’t let it go.”
Maybe he thought he looked like a little tiger now? Zhou Ziheng almost laughed at him. For some reason, he just found Xia Xiqing’s feigned toughness utterly adorable.
“You won’t lose.”
Zhou Ziheng’s voice was unusually stripped of its usual sharp edge, growing deep and resonant, tinged with a hint of tenderness.
Xia Xiqing’s heart and senses froze for a moment, his thoughts pulled away by those words, back to that day behind the gymnasium when he’d seen Zhou feeding the cat.
He finally understood why that image had lingered in his mind. Because on that twilight evening, as he watched Zhou Ziheng crouching by the grass, the abandoned school bell tower had emitted a deep toll. It pierced the dusk, sending an electric shock through his entire body.
Just like now, the instant Zhou Ziheng spoke.
This game was no walk in the park. The entire senior team was comprised of physically strong Alphas. While these guys had decent ball skills, their sportsmanship was as abysmal as their character, especially their utter contempt for Omegas. The sophomore basketball team had its share of Omegas—two had even played in the first half, though one was a fake.
Xia Xiqing was the team’s small forward. As a small forward, his job was to score. For a basketball team to entrust the small forward position to an Omega meant two things: the captain knew about his disguise, and Xia Xiqing was genuinely the best fit. He might not be the most accurate shooter, but he was undoubtedly flashy enough to disrupt the opposing team’s rhythm.
The game had barely started when the ball was snatched by the senior center, the opposing team’s captain. They scored early and often, and the “Double Xia” combo was an absolute crowd favorite. Even the senior girls switched sides to cheer for them.
“Xia Xiqing!!! Go!! Xia Zhixu!!! Go!!”
“Xia Xiqing!! I can!!”
“What can you do? He’s an Omega too!”
“I don’t care!!! I can do it!!”
“They kinda make a good pair~”
“The captain’s main girl is right there, that Beta~”
Watching the sophomore team score repeatedly, the towering seniors couldn’t sit still any longer. They switched to streetball mode, not only confronting them head-on but also playing dirty. A fake move made defender Xia Zhixu jump prematurely. By the time the opponent finished his shot using the timing difference, Xia Zhixu’s momentum carried him straight into the opponent, resulting in a foul call.
The senior forward was an utterly obnoxious Alpha, his pheromones reeking of the heather scent Xia Xiqing detested most. Spotting Xia Xiqing dribbling, he charged forward. Thinking he was going for a steal, Xia Xiqing was caught off guard when the opponent flopped dramatically, earning Xia Xiqing a whistle from the ref.
The score gradually evened out under their dirty tactics. Xia Xiqing gasped for breath, having been knocked several times, his arm throbbing faintly.
“What’s an Omega doing playing ball?”
The benchwarmer from the senior team whistled lewdly, mimicking the referee. “Go home and have babies.”
Hearing this, Xia Xiqing turned with contempt in his eyes.
“I can play. Can you?”
“Loser.” With that, he intercepted the opponent’s long pass, burst into the paint at breakneck speed, and slammed the ball home with one hand.
“Holy shit, that explosiveness!”
“Ahhhhhhh Xiqing-gege, I can do it!!!”
“Holy crap, Xia Xiqing is so hot! The hottest Omega ever!”
Landing on both feet, Xia Xiqing panted, ran a hand through his hair, and flashed a middle finger toward the cold bench. This dunk massively boosted the sophomore team’s morale while further inflaming the seniors’ fury.
The cheers outside were so loud and passionate that Zhou Ziheng could hear them from the third-floor multimedia room. Though the noise was distracting and disruptive, it somehow made him solve problems faster.
Deep down, he still wanted to see for himself what Xia Xiqing looked like when he played basketball.
“Finally class is over! I’m going to watch the game!” Two girls passed by, one of them exclaiming excitedly. “The sophomores are playing the juniors. There are so many hot guys on the sophomore team. Have you heard of Xia Xiqing? He’s super good-looking. Too bad he’s an Omega.”
“I just heard Xia Xiqing got beaten up pretty badly down there.”
“What?? No way!”
Zhou Ziheng found himself feeling exactly the same as that girl.
No way.
“The seniors play dirty. They keep using underhanded tricks, the refs are biased, and now it seems like they’re deliberately bumping into people. Playing like this, someone’s bound to get hurt.”
“No way. I gotta go cheer on Brother Xiqing…”
The two girls walked further away, their voices fading until they couldn’t be heard. Zhou Ziheng stared at his exam paper, the final question of the last big problem still unanswered.
His heart pounded violently against his chest, as if desperate to break free. Zhou Ziheng took a deep breath, burying his head to organize his thoughts. It was just a game. Injuries happened all the time. Besides, what did it have to do with him, Zhou Ziheng?
“Everyone, stay focused. After finishing, make sure to check your work carefully,” the teacher paced the podium. “Don’t make mistakes you shouldn’t make.”
Clutching his pen, Zhou Ziheng finished the last question. He flipped his exam paper over and began checking from the first question. The cheers outside the window grew louder. He heard Xia Xiqing’s name echoing from countless mouths, and the face in his mind became increasingly vivid.
[If I lose today…]
That face had glared at him, spitting out those vicious threats.
If he lost.
A bird perched on the corridor railing outside suddenly flapped its wings, soaring upward toward the heart of the crowd. Xia Xiqing, dribbling in the center of the court, was sandwiched between two defenders. His neck flushed crimson from the intense effort as his eyes darted around, searching for an opening to break through the defense. He reached out, feigning a pass to the center. The two defenders closed in to intercept, only to see his arms flick out as he dribbled toward the basket.
The opposing forward’s eyes blazed red at Xia Xiqing’s bold drive. Just as Xia lifted his foot for the layup, extending his arm, his back took a brutal collision. The force nearly knocked him dizzy, sending him crashing straight into the basket. He was knocked flat to the ground, his knees and the front of his shins scraped raw. The referee blew the whistle. Teammates rushed to help him up. Gritting his teeth, Xia Xiqing pushed himself up with his palms, but darkness still clouded his vision. Worst of all, he realized his ankle was sprained.
“Fuck…”
“Substitute him out,” Xia Zhixu declared decisively.
“Substitute who? Who should we put in?” Xia Xiqing’s brows knitted tightly as his emotions boiled over. “It doesn’t matter who we put in—we’re fucking doomed either way!”
A calm voice suddenly cut through the crowd.
“Who said that?”
Looking in the direction of the voice, a tall figure gradually came into focus as his vision cleared.
Zhou Ziheng…
Walking through the crowd, Zhou Ziheng unzipped his school uniform jacket, pulled it off, and tossed it onto the Red Team’s bench. Xu Qichen, seated beside the substitutes, reacted swiftly, tossing him a red jersey. Zhou caught it with his left hand while grabbing the hem of his vest with his right, yanking it off in one fluid motion.
Watching the muscles flex with his movements, Xia Xiqing’s heart skipped two beats.
Zhou Ziheng swiftly pulled on the jersey and raised his hand to signal the referee for a substitution. The injured Xia Xiqing was helped off the court by Xu Qichen. As he brushed past Zhou Ziheng, he heard him speak.
“Though I kind of hoped you wouldn’t let this go,” Zhou Ziheng’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“But I told you—you won’t lose.”
“I won’t let you lose.”
His heart was definitely acting up.
Xia Xiqing kept his head bowed, sweat dripping onto Zhou Ziheng’s elongated shadow on the ground.
He couldn’t control it. In that moment of intense hormonal and pheromone collision, Xia Xiqing caught the only scent of gunpowder lingering in the air.
The senior team never imagined the juniors had such a tall reserve player hidden away. Though it made them uneasy inside, they had to put on a brave face—especially since he was an Omega.
“Damn, what the hell are these Omegas eating these days? They’re all getting taller than the next.”
“So what if he’s tall?” retorted a guard across the court. “When he’s in heat, he’ll have to bow his head whether he likes it or not, right?”
Zhou Ziheng’s sharply defined jaw lifted slightly. The sunset, red as if about to burst into flames, cast its glow upon his face. Dribbling the ball with his right hand, he tapped it rhythmically against the court. “So what if he’s an Omega?”
His towering frame and intensely aggressive expression radiated an overwhelming aura.
“Still gonna beat you into submission.”
The whistle blew. Everyone plunged into battle. Zhou Ziheng’s speed was blinding. Before anyone could react, he drove straight into the paint, leaving defenders scrambling.
“Defense! Now!!”
Three-step layup.
Slam dunk.
“That’s right.” Amidst the cheers, Zhou Ziheng curved his lips into a smile. “I never back down.”
Xia Xiqing, sitting on the bench waiting for treatment, watched Zhou Ziheng intently. His height advantage dominated the court, blocking every long pass. Coupled with his incredible stamina and explosive power, the opponents couldn’t even get close to stopping him.
“Is this really an Omega…?”
“What kind of god-tier Omegas are in the sophomore class…?”
“Holy crap, they’re just beating him up on the ground.”
The second half grew increasingly intense. With Xia Xiqing injured and off the court, the entire sophomore team played with a vengeance, their aggression escalating. Led by their captain and Zhou Ziheng, they widened the score gap. With little time left, the opposing team finally gained possession and prepared to drive inside. Xia Zhixu rushed up to defend, just as Zhou Ziheng arrived. But suddenly, Zhou spoke up, “Zhixu, who injured him?”
Xia Zhixu froze for a moment, nearly letting the opponent slip past him into the paint. Fortunately, Zhou Ziheng intercepted the ball directly.
“Number 12.”
“Got it.” Zhou Ziheng spun and dribbled. Number 12 was guarding the boards deep inside the opponent’s paint. Zhou had intended to shoot a three-pointer, but seeing Number 12 positioned right under the basket, he changed his plan on the fly and drove straight for the boards.
Seeing him prepare for the layup, No. 12 jumped up, reaching for the rebound. But Zhou Ziheng had only faked the move—his toes never left the floor. Instead, he flicked the ball to another Omega teammate positioned under the basket. The teammate, quick on the uptake, caught it and slammed it home. Unable to control his momentum, No. 12 toppled forward, crashing to the floor.
“Senior year is already too late.”
“Didn’t you see? The sophomore team is building their offense around No. 12!”
“Awesome!! The sophomores are awesome!!”
In the final minutes, Zhou Ziheng practically shadowed No. 12 alone, defending him while goading him into near-madness. By the final moments, the score gap had widened to over twenty points—irrecoverable. In a last-ditch effort, the opposing team launched a long pass, only for Zhou Ziheng to intercept it mid-air while standing center court. Number 12 stood directly before him. Zhou barely jumped, simply standing tall with one arm raised high. Number 12 leaped in place, attempting to snatch the ball from his grasp.
The final whistle blew.
“Game over. The sophomore varsity team wins!”
Zhou Ziheng remained frozen in his final stance, taking two steps backward before palming the ball. He slammed it toward the spot where No. 12 stood, sending the basketball soaring high into the air. Startled, No. 12 stumbled backward several paces.
“Thud—thud—thud…”
The ball bounced lower and lower before rolling away.
Zhou Ziheng shot a dismissive glance, wiped sweat from his brow, and left the court. He hadn’t planned to celebrate with his teammates, but basketball manager Xu Qichen dragged him over anyway. “Let’s take a group photo.”
The injured Xia Xiqing was also dragged over by Xu Qichen. Unwilling to stand in the middle, Xia Xiqing hopped on one foot. The big guys jostled around, nearly knocking him over.
“Whoa, whoa, I’m gonna…”
Suddenly, a pair of hands gripped his elbows from behind. Xia Xiqing turned to see Zhou Ziheng’s face. Strangely enough, the hostility radiating from him seemed to vanish instantly. Xia Xiqing couldn’t fathom how someone could shift their aura so swiftly. After steadying him, Zhou Ziheng naturally stood beside him.
Xia Xiqing turned his face and heard Zhou Ziheng whisper beside him.
“Your scent is changing.”
He didn’t need the reminder to know it.
“Look at the camera—”
Xia Xiqing tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing his signature fake smile.
“You too.”
After evening study hall ended, Xia Xiqing—his leg still out of commission—sat glued to his seat, utterly motionless. Classmates drifted out one by one, and even Zhou Ziheng, who usually took his time packing his bag, was preparing to leave.
“Hey.” Xia Xiqing grabbed his arm. “Don’t go yet.”
Zhou Ziheng paused, turning to look at Xia Xiqing. “What do you want?”
Xia Xiqing’s smile was always captivating. He spoke with an air of entitlement, “Walk me home.”
“Why?” Zhou Ziheng asked, dead serious.
“No reason. Aren’t you the nice guy?” Xia Xiqing’s fingers tightened around his arm. “You helped me win the game, so you might as well see me all the way home.”
After much back-and-forth, Zhou Ziheng finally relented, riding his bicycle to take Xia Xiqing home. The bike’s wheels bumped and jolted over the uneven pavement. Xia Xiqing felt his heart stumble and tumble with each jolt, his mind swaying dizzyingly. The sweet vanilla scent on him seemed especially intoxicating.
I want vanilla cake. Xia Xiqing thought, his hand gripping the bottom of the seat.
No, better make it ice cream.
As they passed over a raised iron bar on the ground, a sudden jolt knocked all of Xia Xiqing’s thoughts away. Dazed, he plunged without warning into the fierce wind of the downhill slope. The wind shoved Zhou Ziheng’s vanilla scent all at once into the backseat, overwhelming Xia Xiqing with its sweetness until he nearly drowned in it.
No. He still wanted Zhou Ziheng.
Following Xia Xiqing’s directions, Zhou Ziheng rode into a quiet residential complex, stopping beneath Building 1. The streetlights here seemed broken, plunging the surroundings into deep darkness.
“We’re here.” Zhou Ziheng stopped the bike, planting one foot on the ground.
“Oh.” Xia Xiqing swung one leg over and hopped down, muttering a thank you over his shoulder before taking two steps and halting. Moonlight washed over his back, casting a faint halo around his form.
Or perhaps it was just Zhou Ziheng’s illusion.
“What’s wrong?” Seeing him motionless, Zhou Ziheng added, “Oh, you can’t get up, huh?” He parked the car. “Let me help you up.”
He walked over and grabbed Xia Xiqing’s arm, but couldn’t budge him.
“Hey…”
The next second, Xia Xiqing turned around and kissed Zhou Ziheng.
The tobacco scent on his body was now impossible to mask, growing increasingly potent. It carried a stubborn edge that stirred the gunpowder-like pheromones from Zhou Ziheng’s body, the two scents intertwining.
The intensity was overwhelming, like a raging fire or a bomb poised to explode at any moment.
Amidst the escalating pheromones, Xia Xiqing gripped Zhou Ziheng’s school uniform collar tightly. His tongue forcefully pried open the other’s teeth. Mad thoughts surged through his mind, urging him on, driving him to kiss Zhou Ziheng with reckless abandon.
Caught off guard, Zhou Ziheng’s first instinct was to push him away. But he quickly remembered Xia Xiqing was injured. His hand paused on Xia’s shoulder, gripping it firmly to pull him back.
Xia Xiqing gasped for breath, his face pale in the moonlight, yet strikingly handsome. The rose scent was overwhelming, sweet and sensual against the tobacco undertones, making Zhou Ziheng’s head spin. He saw Xia Xiqing’s mouth slightly parted, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. Instead, he stubbornly turned away and slowly hopped down the steps to the bottom of the apartment building. The moonlight ultimately failed to keep pace with his footsteps, leaving him to disappear into the darkness.
I want you.
He didn’t say those words aloud.
Don’t you want me?
He didn’t say that either.
His tongue felt bitten, a faint metallic taste spreading through his mouth. Xia Xiqing lowered his eyes, staring at the first step, ready to climb up. He really shouldn’t have been such a coward, Xia Xiqing thought. But moments later, he thought again: he really shouldn’t have done this at all.
Sighing silently, Xia Xiqing grasped the stair railing, ready to leap up, only to be pulled back by a sudden force. His entire body was drawn into a warm embrace. The scent of vanilla, the lingering sting of gunpowder, the relentless surge of adolescent hormones—all of it enveloped him, drawing him in deeper and deeper.
Zhou Ziheng’s arms held him tight, and Xia Xiqing’s heart raced. Yet he sensed faintly that the heart beating against his own, within the other body pressed so close, was pounding even faster—as if it were colliding directly with his own.
“I want to mark you,” Zhou Ziheng suddenly spoke.
Xia Xiqing’s breath caught. The unspoken question had been answered. He felt Zhou Ziheng’s broad palm grip the back of his neck, slowly caressing that patch of skin where marking was impossible.
His voice was slow and deep, warm breath tickling Xia Xiqing’s ear as the scent of gunpowder grew thicker. “I want to bite down, open your reproductive cavity, and knot inside you.”
The last sentence was spoken with a blend of tenderness and lewdness.
“I want to dirty your rose scent.”
Xia Xiqing scoffed coldly. “You’re insane. I’m not an Omega.”
Zhou Ziheng stroked his neck gently. “You can be only my Omega from now on.”
“Why shouldn’t you be the one to…” Before he could finish, Xia Xiqing watched helplessly as Zhou Ziheng lowered his head, pressed against his shoulder, pinned his head down, and sank his teeth into the back of his neck.
“Ah…”
Teeth pierced skin, blood seeping out, the scent of roses sweet enough to make him dizzy. Though Zhou Ziheng knew better than anyone that he couldn’t mark Xia Xiqing—his pheromones couldn’t enter Xia Xiqing’s body—in the instant he bit into the nape, he still felt an illusion of fusion, transcending the physical. As if the soul in his embrace had pierced through flesh, fitting seamlessly into his own soul.
Xia Xiqing thought he could feel nothing beyond pain. They were no match made in heaven—opposites, natural adversaries. Yet in that moment of being pierced, he felt overwhelming pleasure, Zhou Ziheng radiated a thick, acrid smoke that buried him in the ruins of desire. It felt like he had died once, pain and pleasure pouring down on him without mercy, like the torrential rain that day when he arrived, trapping him in the classroom and forcing him to meet Zhou Ziheng.
Even after his teeth released his own flesh, Xia Xiqing remained dazed for a long while. He was marked. Truly marked. His stiff spine, trembling fingertips, and wildly beating heart—all belonged to Zhou Ziheng from this moment on.
Zhou Ziheng’s chest rose and fell slightly. His lips still bore traces of Xia Xiqing’s blood, which he licked clean with the tip of his tongue. He simply looked down at Xia Xiqing, silent.
Xia Xiqing’s thoughts finally returned from the immense shock to his body, and he lifted his eyes to meet Zhou Ziheng’s. Honestly, he didn’t know what to say now, because he had finally understood his own heart. Understanding only made him panic more.
“I like you.”
He froze for a moment, his lashes fluttering in confusion. He hadn’t expected Zhou Ziheng to say those words. But Zhou Ziheng had said them, then gently lowered his head to kiss the tip of his nose.
Xia Xiqing’s Adam’s apple bobbed. This kiss was too much.
His eyes darted away, unease and agitation swirling around him.
“You…” He took a deep breath, meeting Zhou Ziheng’s deep, piercing gaze. “You said you never bow your head.”
The tenderness in Zhou Ziheng’s eyes fell like rain, threatening to spill into Xia Xiqing’s heart.
“Yes.”
“Except when I kiss you.”
——End of Bonus Chapter——
