Chapter 66
Seeing Lin Xiaoran’s nervous and slightly flustered expression, Gu Yang felt the pheromones around them intensify. His voice came out low and husky. “Um, I think… is that okay?”
Even as he spoke so smoothly, Gu Yang was just as nervous inside; after all, he was also a novice.
Lin Xiaoran hadn’t expected that they would still be in a breakup state during dinner, especially when Gu Yang habitually peeled shrimp for him. They were both so cautious, yet here they were, suddenly discussing such intimate matters while lying on the bed.
But he wasn’t the kind of person to go back on his word.
Since he had agreed to the bet, he had to accept his loss now.
Avoiding Gu Yang’s gaze, he turned his face away, but his thick lashes trembled intensely from the tension. His swollen lips opened and closed as he uttered a few words: “Whatever you want.”
Gu Yang’s heart raced at the sight of Lin Xiaoran’s pale face, flushed with visible embarrassment. His lips, unintentionally pressed into a straight line, and his downcast gaze made it nearly impossible for Gu Yang to maintain his composure. He felt an overwhelming urge to pounce and devour Lin Xiaoran completely.
Yet, he ultimately chose to simply hold Lin Xiaoran close, burying his face in the crook of Lin Xiaoran’s neck, rubbing against him helplessly. “If I’d known this trip would lead to such a good thing, I should have come better prepared.”
“Huh?”
Lin Xiaoran blinked in confusion. “Prepared for what?”
Gu Yang looked up, flashing a mischievous grin. “I need to prepare for marking Ranran in a different way. There’s so much to consider, like…” He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper against Lin Xiaoran’s ear. “What position won’t hurt you the first time?”
Lin Xiaoran felt his face heat up, and he instinctively lifted his leg to kick Gu Yang away. But then he paused, changing his mind.
Wasn’t Gu Yang just as lost as he was?
With that thought, his nerves eased, and he looked seriously at Gu Yang, asking, “So how do you plan to prepare?”
“Um…” Gu Yang chuckled, feeling a bit awkward. “Maybe watch tutorial videos? We could watch them together when we get back?”
Lin Xiaoran shook his head. “No way.”
Gu Yang cuddled him again, playfully pouting. “But we should learn together; after all, it’s about our happiness for the rest of our lives.”
Lin Xiaoran was baffled by how Gu Yang linked watching adult videos to lifelong happiness, rolling his eyes at him. “Lifetimes is too far off; you should focus on your current happiness first.” He pushed Gu Yang away and wrapped himself in the blanket, creating distance between them.
Without Lin Xiaoran blocking the view, Gu Yang found himself unable to hide his arousal any longer.
He awkwardly rubbed his nose, wondering why he was always so unsatisfied. Just holding Lin Xiaoran made him react this way.
What frustrated him more was why he hadn’t prepared better. Tonight was definitely an opportunity.
Now, the one who had stirred his desires was securely wrapped in a blanket, leaving him with no choice but to take a shower.
Hmph!
He couldn’t resist reaching over to pinch Lin Xiaoran’s cheek playfully, whispering in mock threat, “I’ll get back at you for this later.”
After finishing, he huffed as he went into the bathroom.
Wrapped in the blanket, Lin Xiaoran touched his sore cheek and chuckled softly.
Gu Yang wasn’t planning on returning to his own room tonight. Even though his room was right next to Lin Xiaoran’s, he didn’t want to move an inch.
What a joke! They had been broken up for a few days, and now that they had finally gotten back together, he certainly wanted to hold Lin Xiaoran while he slept.
Lin Xiaoran didn’t object; in fact, he felt the same way.
He didn’t want to be separated from Gu Yang either.
After Gu Yang finished his shower and climbed into bed, he quickly pulled Lin Xiaoran into his arms. Lin Xiaoran nestled against him, finding a comfortable position to lean into.
When Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang were together before, it seemed they didn’t talk much. Especially during the recent period when Gu Yang was focused on winning against Lin Xiaoran in their monthly exam, he poured all his energy into studying. Besides discussing problems occasionally, they barely exchanged more than three serious sentences a day, and neither of them felt there was an issue.
However, after only five days of being apart, it felt like they hadn’t seen each other in ages. Wrapped in each other’s arms, they found themselves with endless things to say.
Of course, it was mostly Gu Yang talking while Lin Xiaoran listened.
As Gu Yang continued, Lin Xiaoran noticed his voice gradually growing softer until it faded entirely, leaving only the sound of steady breathing.
He looked up and found that Gu Yang had fallen quietly asleep.
Now that they were close, and his excitement from earlier had settled, Lin Xiaoran noticed the dark circles under Gu Yang’s eyes.
Had he not been sleeping well these past few days?
Everyone reacts differently to pain; Lin Xiaoran usually blanks his mind to avoid overthinking, filling his free time with sleep. But Gu Yang clearly didn’t have that luxury. Although he often seemed carefree, he sometimes carried heavier thoughts, which he didn’t voice, making it hard for others to tell.
Thinking of the past few days when Gu Yang had been wandering aimlessly alone, possibly spending sleepless nights, Lin Xiaoran felt an ache in his heart. Unable to help himself, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to Gu Yang’s eyelids, silently saying, “Gu Yang, I’ll never say I want to break up again, not ever.”
The person asleep must have dreamed of something happy, as a beautiful smile suddenly spread across his face.
Lin Xiaoran was taken aback, wrapping his arms around Gu Yang’s waist and breaking into a gentle smile himself.
He had always accepted that being a latent omega meant he would be alone for life, and he had never really experienced feelings of affection for anyone before.
So he never knew that being with someone he liked could actually feel sweet.
Carrying this sweet feeling, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.
He slept particularly soundly, only waking up the next day around ten in the morning.
And somehow, when he had fallen asleep resting on Gu Yang’s shoulder, he now found Gu Yang holding him from behind, his head nestled in Lin Xiaoran’s neck, his hair tickling him.
As he shifted slightly, Gu Yang, who had already woken up, let out a lazy sound from his throat. “Hmm? You’re awake?”
His voice was hoarse from just waking.
“Yeah.” Lin Xiaoran patted Gu Yang’s arm that was wrapped around his waist, indicating for him to let go. It was already ten; they should get up.
But Gu Yang didn’t release him. Instead, he snuggled closer, asking in a soft voice, “Does it hurt when you inject pheromones?”
He had woken up earlier than Lin Xiaoran and, upon opening his eyes, noticed the omega’s gland right in front of him, marked by a maple leaf birthmark. He almost couldn’t resist the urge to bite it but was suddenly reminded of the deep red injection mark in the center of the leaf.
Realizing where that mark came from, he felt a pang of concern.
Lin Xiaoran reached up to touch the gland and honestly nodded. “A bit. It hurts more than your bite.”
Naturally, the needle of that injection was long; how could it not hurt?
Gu Yang, feeling distressed, leaned in to kiss the mark gently and spoke seriously, “You don’t need that terrible thing anymore!”
The omega’s gland was sensitive, and Lin Xiaoran shivered at his kiss, quickly moving aside and turning to look at him. “But it’s yours.”
“I don’t need mine either. I’m here, why do I need to use something else?” Gu Yang said earnestly.
Lin Xiaoran couldn’t help but want to laugh; he found Gu Yang’s childishness quite endearing.
However, he also didn’t want to use it. Even Gu Yang’s pheromones couldn’t replace him; Lin Xiaoran preferred being directly marked by Gu Yang.
After lingering together for a while, they finally finished washing up and headed out just in time to bump into Gu Yang’s little cousin, who had come to call them for lunch.
The little girl with big, sparkling eyes was darting back and forth between the two of them, before leaning close to Gu Yang and whispering, “Gu Yang gege, did you win over Ranran gege?”
Gu Yang chuckled, ruffling her hair. “Yep, I did.”
The girl’s eyes widened in shock. “So fast? Just last night, I told my aunt that you liked Ranran gege. She told me not to tell anyone, saying it was to avoid embarrassing you if you couldn’t win him over. And now, just one night later, you’ve done it! As expected…”
The little girl seemed to be deep in thought, seriously stroking her chin, before looking up at Lin Xiaoran. “Ranran gege, you also like Gu Yang gege, right? That’s why when he confessed, you agreed.”
Lin Xiaoran had always liked this little cousin of his; she was so quirky and full of spirit.
At that moment, their feelings had changed since yesterday. When the girl had bluntly pointed out Gu Yang’s feelings, they both knew but couldn’t face it, feeling quite miserable.
Now, however, it was a completely different mindset.
Lin Xiaoran didn’t hide anything and nodded at her. “Yes, I like him.”
The little girl jumped up in excitement, clapping her hands. “Awesome, awesome! I’m going to tell my aunt; she’ll be so happy!”
With that, she turned and dashed downstairs.
Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang exchanged a glance but didn’t stop her; after all, Lin Lan had already known.
But they really hadn’t expected that the knot they thought would never untangle would be loosened by the little girl.
If she hadn’t firmly believed that Gu Yang liked Lin Xiaoran and told Lin Lan, then Lin Lan wouldn’t have taken the initiative to talk things over with Gu Yang last night.
Otherwise, they might still be in the same state as yesterday—both seemingly fine on the surface, but internally struggling.
As they thought about this, they felt they should properly thank the little girl.
However, as soon as they stepped into the backyard, they heard the girl shout excitedly, “Auntie, auntie! Gu Yang gege won over Ranran gege! Last night, Gu Yang gege even slept in Ranran gege’s room! I just saw them coming out together!”
Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang: “…”
Instantly, the entire family’s eyes were fixated on the two who had just entered the yard.
Silence.
Embarrassment.
Even these two, who usually didn’t care about others’ opinions, felt their faces turn hot with awkwardness.
After all, everyone in the room were adults.
Gu Yang was momentarily at a loss, unable to think of how to respond.
Lin Lan walked out, cracking sunflower seeds, and smiled as she talked to the little girl. “Really? That’s wonderful, isn’t it? Yaya, do you think Gu Yang gege and Ranran gege are a good match?”
The little girl, completely unaware of the awkward atmosphere and still in her state of excitement, nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes! They’re both so handsome!”
“Are you happy that Ranran gege is with Gu Yang gege?”
“Happy! Now I have two handsome brothers!”
Lin Lan and the little girl harmonized well, quickly easing the tension in the air.
Nowadays, the elders were not as rigid as before. Besides, the Lin family already knew about Lin Xiaoran’s unique situation. Now that they saw he had found an alpha who matched him well, they felt delighted.
Consequently, their attitude towards Gu Yang became even warmer.
This also alleviated the embarrassment between the two.
However, the little girl’s words still caused unnecessary misunderstandings, making everyone believe that the two had done something last night. Even when Lin Lan approached, her gaze towards Gu Yang was somewhat meaningful.
This left Gu Yang at a loss for words.
If he had actually done something, that would be one thing, but he hadn’t even gotten that far!
“Aunt Lin, uh, about last night, Ranran and I didn’t…”
“Alright,” Lin Lan interrupted him with a smile. “I’m not an old stick-in-the-mud. You’re both adults now; you can do what you want. But…” She leaned closer to Gu Yang, lowering her voice so Lin Xiaoran wouldn’t hear. “Just make sure to use protection. You’re still in school; don’t let anything unexpected happen.”
With that, without waiting for Gu Yang to respond, she turned and pinched Lin Xiaoran’s cheek. “You, what a silly boy! Why didn’t you tell your mom about this? You think you’ve grown up and can make your own decisions now? You shouldn’t keep things from your mother!”
Gu Yang felt like he couldn’t clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River. In Lin Lan’s mind, he and Lin Xiaoran had probably done everything last night. In reality, they hadn’t done anything at all!
He increasingly regretted not preparing better before, focusing solely on studying and missing such a good opportunity.
On the other side, Lin Xiaoran was having his cheeks pinched by Lin Lan, not showing any temper and obediently listening.
After Lin Lan finished scolding him, he gently spoke, “Thank you, Mom.”
Although Lin Lan was lecturing him, deep down she felt heartache for her precious son. She vowed never to let him suffer again.
“From now on, if you have anything to tell me, you need to let me know, alright?”
“Mm.”
With the necessary instructions given and scoldings done, it was time for lunch preparations.
The family gathered around the table.
It was already the New Year, and with Gu Yang as a guest, the atmosphere was especially lively, but it felt different now.
Before, Gu Yang was merely the son of Gu Xiuyuan, a younger generation visiting, treated as a child by everyone.
But now, he had another identity as Lin Xiaoran’s boyfriend, which changed everything.
As a result, everyone was particularly enthusiastic, surrounding him with questions about everything.
In a corner, Juanzi sighed deeply while her little cousin sat beside her gnawing on a bone, curiously asking, “Sister Juanzi, what’s wrong? Is the food not good today?”
Juanzi sighed again and glanced at her. “You only know how to eat. I’ve just gone through a breakup; can’t you tell?”
The little cousin looked up with her big eyes, shaking her head. “Nope! When did you even start dating? Who was it?”
Juanzi pointed her chin towards Gu Yang’s direction.
“Gu Yang gege?” The little cousin shook her head and patted Juanzi’s shoulder. “Then you’re out of luck. Gu Yang gege likes Ranran gege, he definitely wouldn’t look at you. But you still have a chance with Xia Gege. I saw you brought him drinks last night; you must like him, right?”
Juanzi tilted her head, thinking, “That’s true. Xia Ze is quite handsome. Maybe I’ll give him a discount; he might stay a few more days.”
As the two plotted together, Xia Ze walked over. Juanzi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately ran over, speaking in a high-pitched voice, “Xia gege, we’re having a meal here; why don’t you join us?”
Xia Ze smiled and waved his hand. “No, thanks. I’ve already eaten. I came to look for Lin Tongxue.”
Just then, Lin Xiaoran heard the voice and turned around. Xia Ze hurriedly waved and said, “Sorry to interrupt your meal. I was just about to—”
But then he noticed Gu Yang next to Lin Xiaoran, instinctively pausing, feeling that Gu Yang might interrupt him again.
However, Gu Yang didn’t.
Of course, after yesterday’s misunderstanding, why would he be petty now that everything was clear? He took the initiative to apologize to Xia Ze, “Sorry about yesterday; it was my misunderstanding.”
Xia Ze was quite surprised by the sudden shift in attitude, but he wasn’t one to meddle. He only wanted to ask Lin Xiaoran for a photoshoot.
Since Gu Yang didn’t object, it made things much easier.
Sure enough, as soon as he spoke, before Lin Xiaoran could respond, Lin Lan’s eyes lit up. “Great! Our Ranran is so beautiful, a natural model! Ranran, let’s go take some photos. They’ll be nice keepsakes for us.”
Lin Xiaoran didn’t have much interest in such things, but since Lin Lan had already agreed for him, he had no choice.
So after lunch, Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang left with Xia Ze to head to a scenic area.
The little cousin, watching them walk away from the doorway, sympathetically looked at Juanzi. “Sister Juanzi, it seems you’re out of luck too.”
Juanzi rolled her eyes and huffed, “I’m not giving him a discount anymore, and I won’t give him breakfast vouchers tomorrow either!”
The little cousin’s eyes widened, as if she had just realized something, and she gave Juanzi a thumbs-up. “Impressive! He’ll definitely regret it!”
Lin Lan, who had been listening to the two girls, found it amusing. Just then, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen, passed by the two little girls, and stepped under a tree outside.
Only then did she press the answer button, and Gu Xiuyuan’s voice came through immediately. “I was rude last night and shouldn’t have hung up on you.”
“It’s nothing.” Lin Lan replied nonchalantly, her face lacking the gentle smile she usually wore. “What do you think?”
Regarding Gu Xiuyuan’s attitude towards her last night, Lin Lan didn’t care much. What mattered to her was Gu Xiuyuan’s attitude towards Gu Yang and Lin Xiaoran being together.
Before calling Gu Xiuyuan last night, Lin Lan hadn’t seen this as an issue.
Gu Xiuyuan believed that Gu Yang and Lin Xiaoran shouldn’t be together because he mistakenly thought that after their marriage, Lin Xiaoran would become his stepson, making them legal brothers.
When he learned that such a situation wouldn’t happen, he had no reason to oppose it.
However, reality didn’t seem to align with that assumption.
On the other end of the line, Gu Xiuyuan didn’t respond immediately.
As he stayed silent for a few seconds, Lin Lan had already grasped his meaning.
“You still don’t want them to be together? All for your so-called family honor?” Lin Lan asked.
Gu Xiuyuan sighed. “Lin Lan, you should understand. Even though Xiaoran’s household registration is under his father’s name, he’s still your son. Both you and I are public figures. Our marriage won’t change the fact that people will see the Gu family’s two sons together. Don’t you think that’s absurd?”
“What I find absurd is you!” Lin Lan retorted angrily, her voice cold. “They should be together legitimately; why is it absurd? Does it really matter how others perceive you? Is it so important that you can disregard whether your son is happy or not?”
“They’re still young; what do they know about love? They’re just playing around!”
“What do you mean they’re still young? They’re already adults, and they know what they’re doing. Even if they were still kids, does that mean you can disrespect them? Gu Xiuyuan,” Lin Lan suddenly paused, taking a deep breath to calm herself, then continued evenly, “Let’s take some time apart. I feel like I don’t understand you well enough and need more time to confirm this.”
“You…” Gu Xiuyuan was taken aback, incredulous. “So your point is that if I don’t agree, you’ll break up with me to support them?”
“It has nothing to do with them. I’ve just realized that we have significant differences on some fundamental issues. I need time to figure out whether we’re truly compatible in life. And, Gu Xiuyuan, regardless of whether we are suited for each other or if we can end up together, I want to give you some advice: drop your lofty family head attitude and treat Gu Yang equally. He’s already an adult, and he knows what he wants.”
After Lin Lan calmly finished speaking, she hung up the phone.
A cold breeze swept past, chilling her neck. She quickly wrapped her coat tighter around herself and looked up at the clear blue sky.
After taking a deep breath, she turned and headed back inside.
