Chapter 41
Morning at the Gu residence.
As usual, Gu Yang came down to the dining room a few minutes later than Lin Xiaoran. When he entered, he saw Lin Xiaoran quietly eating breakfast alone.
Today’s breakfast included xiaolongbao, his favorite. Lin Xiaoran was currently picking up one with a spoon, puncturing the skin with chopsticks to let the soup flow out. He added some vinegar, then swallowed it in one bite. His right cheek puffed up as he chewed, and a few drops of soup stained his rosy lips. Despite their watery gloss, the bruise on his lip was particularly unsightly, seemingly more severe than last night.
Gu Yang’s gaze unwittingly stuck to that bruise, feeling extremely uncomfortable. He regretted not hitting harder last night!
He didn’t realize he had been staring at Lin Xiaoran for quite some time, but the object of his gaze noticed.
Lin Xiaoran looked up, meeting Gu Yang’s amber eyes. He moved his mouth, wanting to ask what Gu Yang was looking at, but hesitated for a moment before lowering his gaze.
What’s wrong with Gu Yang? Why was he looking at him with such a strange expression? It was almost like he was feeling sorry for him.
Sorry for what? Sorry that Lin Xiaoran finished his xiaolongbao?
After some thought, Lin Xiaoran felt a bit strange himself. Even if Gu Yang’s gaze was off, why should he avoid it? He hadn’t done anything wrong.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt he lost some face just now and needed to regain it. So, he lifted his head again, ready to throw a sharp glance, but was interrupted by a surprised voice.
“Ranran? Is that you, Ranran?”
Following the voice, Lin Xiaoran saw a woman who looked young, dressed elegantly, and smiling warmly, approaching him quickly.
Gu Yang’s grandmother?
Lin Xiaoran had just dodged this thought when the woman reached him, grabbed his hand, and said with a charming smile, “Oh my, you’re so beautiful.” She stared at Lin Xiaoran’s face as if she liked what she saw more and more. Then she called out to Gu Yang’s grandfather, “Old man, hurry up and bring me my reading glasses. Oh my, Ranran, how did you become so beautiful? Let me take a good look at you.”
Lin Xiaoran: “…”
With a barely noticeable twitch of his thin lips, Lin Xiaoran ultimately obediently greeted, “Grandma.”
“Good, good, good, Ranran is good too. Sit down, eat more. You’re growing up now, with heavy study tasks. Nutrition must keep up. Have you had milk this morning? You must drink milk,” Grandma said as she sat down beside Lin Xiaoran, and Grandpa brought over her reading glasses. She quickly put them on, then looked at Lin Xiaoran again, now able to see clearly. She liked what she saw even more, smiling broadly. “How did Ranran become so beautiful? Lin Lan must have been very good at giving birth. How did she give birth to such a beautiful child? There must be many girls who like you at school, Ranran.”
“Of course, with such beauty…” Gu Yang couldn’t help but interject, but before he finished saying “beautiful,” he was met with two sharp glares, fixed directly on his face. Clearly, they were warning him: are you asking for trouble?
Gu Yang couldn’t help but lower his head, rubbing his nose as he chuckled.
Just now, he was right. Lin Xiaoran definitely didn’t like it when people said he was beautiful.
However, in this situation, he took the opportunity to say a few words. Lin Xiaoran probably wouldn’t do anything to him, right?
Deciding on this, Gu Yang deliberately ignored the meaning conveyed by Lin Xiaoran’s gaze and repeated, “Being so beautiful, not only girls, but many boys at school must be infatuated with you.”
Lin Xiaoran: “…”
His clear eyes stared firmly at Gu Yang, but unfortunately, there were elders present. Otherwise, Lin Xiaoran would have punched him by now.
Gu Yang also looked at him, pretending to be innocent.
With these thoughts in mind, Lin Xiaoran ignored Gu Yang and bowed his head to eat.
Seeing this, Gu Yang suddenly felt unsure, worried that he might have gone too far just now. He didn’t mean to deliberately annoy Lin Xiaoran; he just found it cute how Lin Xiaoran was holding back from retorting.
Cute?
Gu Yang was stunned.
Did he actually find Lin Xiaoran cute? Without any lingering effects of the marking?
How did this happen?
Did he misunderstand something? He only admitted that the guy was handsome!
Gu Yang furrowed his brows in confusion, sinking into thought.
Finally, Grandma Gu’s topic shifted away from Lin Xiaoran’s appearance, and she cheerfully discussed other things. “I heard that since you moved in, Yangyang has been more obedient and serious in his studies. We don’t need to worry about him anymore. Yangyang should spend more time with good kids like you to learn well. I heard that you and Yangyang are the same age?”
Lin Xiaoran, who was originally planning to let Grandma Gu’s words go in one ear and out the other, suddenly blinked his thick lashes. Not knowing what he thought of, his thin lips curved slightly, and he looked up at Grandma Gu, nodding obediently. “Yes, but I’m one day older than Gu Yang.”
“Really? What a coincidence. Then Yangyang should call you big brother,” Grandma Gu smiled.
Lin Xiaoran’s eyelashes lowered slightly, nodding. “But Gu Yang never calls me that.”
Lin Xiaoran always behaved obediently and politely in front of his elders. At this moment, he lowered his eyelashes, his bangs covering his eyes. Only his fair and beautiful chin was visible, which looked so heart-wrenching.
Grandma Gu already liked him a lot, and considering the rules, Lin Xiaoran was indeed a day older than Gu Yang. According to the rules, Gu Yang should call him big brother. How could he not?
“Yangyang, why are you so clueless? From now on, you should call Ranran big brother, understand?”
Huh?
Gu Yang, who was lost in thought, didn’t catch what they had said before, and was suddenly pulled back. He was about to ask why he should call Lin Xiaoran big brother.
He couldn’t help but look up and met Lin Xiaoran’s half-smiling eyes. His lips curled up slightly, his rosy lips moving, throwing a few words, “Come on, call me big brother!”
Gu Yang: “…”
This guy was definitely holding a grudge about what he said about him being handsome just now.
“Well… it’s just a one-day difference, I think…” Gu Yang scratched his head, trying to smooth things over.
“Even if it’s just one day, he’s still big brother. It’s the rule. In the future, you’re all family, and rules must be followed. You should call him big brother,” whether intentionally or unintentionally, Grandma Gu became Lin Xiaoran’s staunch supporter at this moment, looking at Gu Yang earnestly, as if teaching her grandson the rules.
Gu Yang felt helpless under her gaze, but he decided to speak up. However, when he tried to say “brother,” he couldn’t get the word out, especially under Lin Xiaoran’s amused gaze. He always felt that if he said it, it would become fodder for Lin Xiaoran to tease him in the future.
But Grandma Gu was not backing down at all. She insisted on him saying it.
Unable to do anything, he stuffed two xiaolongbao into his mouth, puffing up his cheeks, then mumbled a word towards Lin Xiaoran.
Unfortunately, it was completely unintelligible.
After saying it, without waiting for Grandma Gu or Lin Xiaoran to speak, he quickly stood up. “I’m leaving, I’m going to be late.” With that, he turned and ran out of the dining room.
Lin Xiaoran naturally didn’t chase after him to make him say it again. Originally, he didn’t really want Gu Yang to call him big brother; he just wanted to mess with him.
Moreover, if he didn’t leave now, he would really be late, so he said goodbye to his grandparents and hurriedly left with his backpack.
Gu Yang, who rushed out, sat on his bike waiting at the door. When he saw Lin Xiaoran coming out, he couldn’t help but grumble, “Lin Xiaoran, remember this, I’ll make you call me back someday.”
!
Lin Xiaoran looked at him, raising an eyebrow lightly. He tossed out a casual remark, “In the next life, just be born one day earlier than me.”
With that, he hopped onto the backseat, urging, “Hurry up, we’re going to be late!”
“Can’t you make fewer demands if you’re not putting in any effort?” Gu Yang muttered, pressing down on the pedals, riding the bike out, heading towards the school amidst the morning sunlight.
During weekends, only the seniors in high school had classes, making the surroundings of the school much quieter. Passing by the park where Gu Yang found Lin Xiaoran last night, Gu Yang suddenly remembered the scene from last night: Lin Xiaoran’s scent of pheromones, his conversation with Jiang Chen, and Jiang Chen’s promise to help him investigate, followed by Lin Xiaoran’s gratitude.
“What did you and Jiang Chen talk about last night?” Gu Yang blurted out, his mouth moving faster than his brain.
“Huh?” Lin Xiaoran blinked in confusion, recalling last night’s events. “Oh, nothing much.”
Nothing much? Then why were you emitting pheromones while hanging out with him? Even if Jiang Chen couldn’t smell your pheromones, he’s still an Alpha. Shouldn’t Omegas stay away from Alphas at such times? And you clearly did talk about something; you just don’t want to tell me, right?
This whole paragraph nearly slipped out of Gu Yang’s mouth, but he quickly shut his mouth and swallowed it back, not saying anything further.
In fact, he realized last night that he was acting a bit strangely. When he saw Lin Xiaoran sitting with Jiang Chen, he almost wanted to fight Jiang Chen. That impulse and anger were somewhat akin to two Alphas fighting over an Omega.
And now, he found himself harboring a sense of enmity towards Jiang Chen, and even instinctively wanted to restrain Lin Xiaoran from interacting with other Alphas.
There was also a hint of sourness in his heart because Lin Xiaoran didn’t tell him what he and Jiang Chen talked about.
He remembered feeling Lin Xiaoran was cute during breakfast this morning.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized how strange he was, developing some abnormal feelings towards Lin Xiaoran.
Could it be that marking someone led to possessiveness even outside of the marking period?
No way, right?
This question suddenly popped up, troubling Gu Yang all morning. During lunch break, he couldn’t help but take out his phone and start searching for related information, but the opinions online were varied, with some saying it doesn’t happen and others saying it does, without a definitive conclusion.
However, from what he found online, there were people in situations similar to his, so ultimately, it seemed to be related to marking.
Indeed, he shouldn’t have marked Lin Xiaoran so casually. From now on, he definitely…
Before he could finish his resolution, Gu Yang suddenly froze, slowly turning his head to look incredulously at Lin Xiaoran beside him.
Lin Xiaoran was leaning on the desk, napping with his face buried in his arms. His fair fingers were lightly curved, resting on his soft, glossy hair.
At that moment, his hand moved slightly, then he slowly lifted his head, revealing his watery eyes as he looked at Gu Yang.
Their eyes met, and Gu Yang’s amber eyes couldn’t help but tremble.
It wasn’t his imagination; the scent of sugared pear pheromones was gradually seeping out from Lin Xiaoran’s glands, and the concentration was increasing rapidly in a short period.
Heat cycle!
When an Omega’s pheromones leaked without any external factors, it could only mean one thing: the heat cycle.
Lin Xiaoran’s heat cycle was irregular, but like any ordinary Omega, he would definitely have one every month.
September had passed, and now it was October.
So, did Lin Xiaoran’s heat cycle suddenly come without any warning in October?
!
Lin Xiaoran was certainly more certain than Gu Yang because during the heat cycle, besides pheromones leaking, his body would also exhibit other symptoms, such as dizziness and weakness all over.
“Come with me,” he didn’t hesitate, grabbing Gu Yang’s hand and pulling him out of the classroom.
In the quiet classroom during lunch break, suddenly there was a commotion in Class 3 of Senior Year. Everyone was gossiping and watching them, and someone even followed them to peek out from the back door, then quickly withdrew, excitement written all over their face. “They went to the bathroom! Guess what they’re doing?”
“They’re not going to the bathroom together, are they?”
“Then it must be…”
Inside the bathroom, amidst the noisy classroom, there were only the sounds of breathing from two people.
Inside the innermost cubicle, Lin Xiaoran released Gu Yang’s hand, turned around, and lowered his head, exposing his glands. His voice was moistened by the heat cycle, “Bite me.”
Perhaps due to the heat cycle, the maple leaf birthmark on his gland appeared particularly tender against his snowy skin, emitting an indescribable allure. Gu Yang’s Adam’s apple couldn’t help but move up and down, and the cedar scent of pheromones had already begun to respond to the sugared pear.
Gu Yang didn’t know why his willpower always seemed so weak whenever he faced Lin Xiaoran. But he couldn’t mark him again, could he? He would only become even weirder.
In these few seconds of hesitation, the impatient Omega couldn’t wait any longer, turning back to him. “Are you trying to remind me of Omega’s self-awareness? I don’t have it. Hurry, bite!”
What Omega’s self-awareness? Was it something you could buy for a few cents? It was completely unimportant compared to the torment of the heat cycle. Only a fool would suffer for that self-awareness while enduring such torment.
“…” Gu Yang paused, amused by his impatient demeanor, and asked, “Do I just bite when you tell me to?”
Lin Xiaoran didn’t want to waste more words, directly asking, “What do you want?”
Although his condition wasn’t as severe as during the previous two heat cycles, the concentration of pheromones was already high, and his body’s response was the most honest. Instinctively, he wanted to get close to the Alpha whose pheromones he liked, so while he spoke, his hand unknowingly grabbed Gu Yang’s clothes.
Gu Yang looked down at Lin Xiaoran’s fair fingers hooked on his school uniform, and the concentration of cedar-scented pheromones suddenly increased. Unconsciously, he licked his lips and looked into Lin Xiaoran’s eyes. “Call me ‘brother’ and then I’ll bite.”
Lin Xiaoran glared at him, knowing that he was clearly holding a grudge from the incident earlier in the morning.
Unfortunately, Lin Xiaoran’s eyes were all foggy now, and instead of intimidating Gu Yang, it only heightened the concentration of cedar-scented pheromones.
And Gu Yang just smirked at him, insisting that he call him.
With a reluctant pout, Lin Xiaoran finally muttered, “Brother.”
His voice was muffled and soft, sounding unexpectedly pleasant to Gu Yang’s ears.
Unable to resist, Gu Yang grabbed his hand and leaned closer to his ear, whispering softly, “Call me one more time.”
Lin Xiaoran: “…”
He kicked Gu Yang’s leg, “Are you going to bite or not?”
Gu Yang winced in pain for a moment, then pushed Lin Xiaoran against the door, letting his provoked anger bite down on his gland.
“Ah…”
!
Gu Yang was clearly more agitated this time compared to previous occasions. The bite was forceful, injecting a particularly high concentration of pheromones into Lin Xiaoran’s body. Despite the calming effect mixed with alpha aggressiveness in Gu Yang’s pheromones, Lin Xiaoran lost all his strength and passively accepted the invasion of his pheromones, feeling weak and soft under Gu Yang’s pressure.
Fortunately, Gu Yang quickly regained control from this moment of loss, slightly loosening his bite and releasing the pressure. However, Lin Xiaoran was clearly too weak at this moment. After Gu Yang relaxed his hold, Lin Xiaoran couldn’t even stand properly.
Gu Yang sat down, and Lin Xiaoran also sat softly on his lap, lowering his head. His black, soft hair obscured his eyes from Gu Yang’s view, leaving only his fair cheeks tinged with a blush and his slightly parted mouth gently panting.
That soft and beautiful appearance made Gu Yang feel parched. He quickly averted his gaze, focusing on Lin Xiaoran’s attractive collarbones instead.
Gu Yang remembered the necklace he bought for Lin Xiaoran last time. If Lin Xiaoran wore it, the maple leaf would probably rest perfectly on his collarbone.
“Next time,” Gu Yang spoke softly, his voice slightly hoarse, “I want you to wear the necklace I gave you before I bite.”
The Omega, who had been marked, was gradually recovering at this moment, but he didn’t realize that he was being embraced by Gu Yang, sitting on his lap. As Gu Yang spoke, his chin even rested on Lin Xiaoran’s shoulder. Lin Xiaoran instinctively turned his face toward the voice, but then froze.
Gu Yang was speaking too close to him. As Lin Xiaoran moved, Gu Yang’s lips brushed against his cheek.
Neither of them had expected this accident, and both froze, forgetting to react.
After a while, Lin Xiaoran averted his gaze gently and uttered, “Don’t,” before pushing Gu Yang’s arm away and standing up, then walked out of the cubicle.
Gu Yang, still in the cubicle, couldn’t recall what Lin Xiaoran’s “Don’t” meant. He could only helplessly touch his lips with his hand, his mind filled with the sensation of his lips touching Lin Xiaoran’s cheek – it felt cool, smooth, soft, and somewhat sweet, like sugared pears.
It took him a while to push the scene out of his mind and prepare to return to the classroom. Suddenly, he froze.
Damn it!
Why did he mark Lin Xiaoran again? Didn’t he just decide not to mark him again? How could he absentmindedly bite him again? Not only did he bite him, but he even thought about the conditions for the next marking!
Damn it! He was becoming more and more confused about himself!