Chapter 68

It was late at night. The heavy rain that had come suddenly at dusk had finally softened into a quiet drizzle, pattering gently against the window.

In the room, the dense scent of pheromones had gradually dissipated along with the storm, leaving only a faint trace that lingered, entwining in the air.

On the bed lay a beautiful Omega, whose long lashes trembled softly as he gradually woke. His clear eyes, still moist—perhaps from sleep, or from the exertion before it—glistened with a gentle, misty haze.

He blinked, puzzled, struggling to place where he was. This bed felt different from his own.

His mind blanked for a moment, then images from earlier rushed back. His face, still flushed, blushed even more deeply as he buried himself in the blanket in embarrassment.

Just then, the door opened gently. Gu Yang peeked in, careful not to make a sound, hoping to see if he was awake. Catching sight of Lin Xiaoran’s shy expression, Gu Yang felt his own recently subdued impulses reignite. He chuckled, pouncing onto the bed to embrace him through the covers, “Is my Xiaoran actually feeling shy?”

Lin Xiaoran shot him a glare from beneath the blanket, but without his usual imposing air, it lacked any force.

Their gazes locked, and both fell silent, just staring at each other. In that moment, it seemed they could communicate everything they felt without words.

It was a peculiar feeling—almost as though no one else in the world could ever come between them.

Gu Yang couldn’t resist nuzzling his face against Lin Xiaoran’s, murmuring softly, “Lin Xiaoran, you’re mine.”

The sensation of Gu Yang’s hair tickled Lin Xiaoran, who reflexively pushed him away and lightly retorted, “Not yet.”

“Hmm?” Gu Yang, undeterred by the push, wrapped his arms around him tighter, mulling over his words until a sly grin appeared on his face. “Could it be that you’re upset I didn’t fully mark you?”

Lin Xiaoran rolled his eyes. “It’s not like I’m in heat.”

How did he even draw that conclusion?

After all, he wasn’t in heat, so there was no way Gu Yang could fully mark him.

He’d merely stated the obvious: a full mark would be the real declaration that an Omega belonged to an Alpha.

Straightforward as ever, Lin Xiaoran’s honesty stemmed from the fact that since Gu Yang hadn’t fully marked him, he wasn’t truly Gu Yang’s yet.

“Haha…” Gu Yang let out a low laugh as he held him.

It was odd; in the beginning, he’d dismissed Lin Xiaoran precisely because he found his serious, earnest, bookish attitude irritating. Yet now, he couldn’t love him more for that exact quality.

Ah! Love truly does make people blind.

He finally understood that when you really fall for someone, no matter how they are, you just love them for it.

Oblivious to Gu Yang’s internal musings, Lin Xiaoran only felt uncomfortable being held immobile like this, especially since he was hungry.

“Let go, I’m hungry!”

Gu Yang remembered his initial reason for coming in and quickly released him. “I figured you’d wake up hungry, so I went ahead and prepared some food. Come on, let’s eat.”

He reached out to help Lin Xiaoran up.

Neither seemed to think much of it until Lin Xiaoran sat up, causing the blanket to slide off his shoulders. His pale skin was scattered with small marks—evidence of Gu Yang’s affection.

Both young men, freshly acquainted with the intimacy they’d shared, blushed in unison.

Gu Yang scratched his nose, trying to look away yet drawn back to Lin Xiaoran’s bare skin. Lin Xiaoran, however, quickly pulled the blanket back up, glaring, “Stop staring.”

Amused but respectful, Gu Yang chuckled and left the room, afraid that lingering any longer would undo his self-control. Truth be told, he had barely wanted to stop earlier; if not for worrying about tiring Lin Xiaoran, he wouldn’t have.

If Lin Xiaoran teased him again, he might lose it altogether.

In that case, Lin Xiaoran would likely kick him off the bed.

Better to feed him first—after all, a well-fed boyfriend is ready for anything.

Lin Xiaoran, unaware of Gu Yang’s thoughts, threw on some clothes after he left and headed to the dining room.

Gu Yang had said he’d prepared food, but Lin Xiaoran assumed it was probably just bread from the fridge since Gu Yang couldn’t cook.

Yet, to his surprise, a few simple dishes and a plate of pan-fried dumplings were laid out neatly on the table.

Standing by the table, Lin Xiaoran blinked his clear eyes in disbelief, as though doubting whether he was seeing a mirage.

Just then, Gu Yang walked in carrying two bowls of soup. Noticing the surprise in Lin Xiaoran’s clear eyes, he felt a swell of satisfaction. Setting down the soup, he placed his hands on Lin Xiaoran’s shoulders from behind, guiding him to sit at the table, and smiled proudly. “Well? Isn’t your boyfriend amazing?”

Lin Xiaoran responded with a question of his own. “I thought you didn’t know how to cook?”

After all, Gu Yang was the young master of the Gu family and had never had to lift a finger in the kitchen. The last time, he’d been pitifully hungry in the middle of the night when the housekeeper was on leave and there was nothing ready to eat.

And yet, here he was, presenting several dishes. If they hadn’t looked a bit uneven, Lin Xiaoran might have suspected he’d just ordered delivery.

“You can always learn! You know your boyfriend’s pretty smart,” Gu Yang said smugly, sitting beside Lin Xiaoran and raising an eyebrow, practically inviting Lin Xiaoran to shower him with praise.

Amused by his childish confidence, Lin Xiaoran’s lips curved into a soft smile as he picked up his chopsticks, lifting a piece of egg. He glanced at Gu Yang and said, “Cooking is one thing, but it has to be edible too.”

With that, he took a bite, savoring it slowly.

Gu Yang’s face radiated pride, but he was also a little nervous. He’d already tasted everything, and he thought it was good, but he couldn’t help worrying it might not suit Lin Xiaoran’s taste.

As he stared, he started getting distracted. Lin Xiaoran’s lips were soft and a bit swollen, moving gently as he chewed. The sight pulled Gu Yang back to earlier moments in bed—those lips, once parted with breathy gasps and whispered words of surrender.

Without realizing, he licked his own lips, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiaoran, oblivious to the private scenes replaying in Gu Yang’s mind, thought the food tasted surprisingly decent. Now, he truly believed Gu Yang had a knack for cooking, far better than his own.

He looked up at Gu Yang, his brows arching slightly. “Not bad. You’ll be cooking at home from now on.”

Gu Yang’s wandering thoughts were jolted back. Clearing his throat, he tried to play it cool, preparing to add to the praise, but he paused, breaking into a grin. Leaning in closer, he asked softly, “Which home?”

About to take another bite, Lin Xiaoran blinked, a bit thrown by the question. His long lashes fluttered as he realized what he’d just implied.

No wonder Gu Yang was grinning like a mischievous cat.

Lin Xiaoran reached over, giving his cheek a light pinch. “Guess!” Before Gu Yang could respond, he pushed him back. “Now eat. I’m starving.”

Gu Yang didn’t press further. They both knew, even without saying anything.

Besides, they’d both skipped dinner after school, spending hours engaged in rather exhausting activities. Both were starving now, so they quickly polished off the dishes and dumplings.

By the time they finished, it was already well past midnight. Gu Yang cleared the dishes and took them to the kitchen, while Lin Xiaoran went back to his room to retrieve his phone, intending to call his mother, Lin Lan.

Lin Lan had been busy with work lately, sometimes not coming home at all. She usually called ahead if she wouldn’t be back, but tonight, she hadn’t.

However, when he picked up his phone, he saw that she had messaged him around six o’clock, saying she wouldn’t be back tonight.

That was just around the time he and Gu Yang had…

Shutting down that line of thought, Lin Xiaoran lay back in his seat in the dining room, scrolling through social media while he waited for Gu Yang.

Normally, he wasn’t one to follow entertainment gossip, but with his mind pleasantly full and idle, he clicked on a trending topic and immediately saw a familiar name—Gu Xiuyuan and Lin Lan spotted celebrating Valentine’s Day together.

Lin Xiaoran: “…”

Both Gu Xiuyuan and Lin Lan were somewhat public figures, and the media was aware of their relationship. Every now and then, they’d make entertainment headlines.

But hadn’t they recently broken up?

Puzzled, Lin Xiaoran’s slender fingers tapped on the trending post, which was a video. It showed Gu Xiuyuan picking Lin Lan up from the TV station earlier that night in the pouring rain.

The person filming was likely a paparazzo, following them all the way to a high-end private club for dinner. After they emerged around 10 p.m., they drove to Gu Xiuyuan’s downtown villa, where they remained for the night.

The footage was clear enough to identify them, and Lin Lan had looked visibly happy when she left the club.

Did this mean…?

“What’re you looking at?”

Gu Yang came out after cleaning up, noticing Lin Xiaoran lost in thought as he scrolled through his phone. Curious, he leaned over.

Lin Xiaoran handed him the phone.

After reading the article, Gu Yang was just as surprised but soon chuckled. “Not bad. Looks like my dad finally gave in.”

Both Gu Yang and Lin Xiaoran knew that Lin Lan wouldn’t have spent Valentine’s Day with Gu Xiuyuan unless he’d compromised on the situation with them. Lin Lan had mentioned she wanted to use this to change Gu Xiuyuan’s outdated views, and while Lin Xiaoran believed it, Gu Yang hadn’t taken it too seriously. He knew how stubborn his father could be.

It had only been a week, though, and Gu Xiuyuan was already backing down. That was unexpected.

Lin Xiaoran, on the other hand, wasn’t as surprised. When Gu Yang had left home after their last argument, he’d stayed at Gu Yang’s house and had seen a side of Gu Xiuyuan that Gu Yang hadn’t. Despite his harsh words, Gu Xiuyuan had spent those ten days discreetly checking in on Gu Yang through Lin Xiaoran, clearly missing him yet too proud to admit it.

In the end, he had swallowed his pride and apologized to Gu Yang.

Although they’d fought again this time, who’s to say Gu Xiuyuan wasn’t quietly gathering news on Lin Lan and Gu Yang?

Gu Xiuyuan just liked to put on airs—it was nothing serious. And his willingness to take a step back was a good sign, whether it was for Lin Lan or Gu Yang. Lin Xiaoran privately hoped they’d all reconcile. Things were going in the right direction.

Gu Yang, however, suddenly leaned in and hugged him, rubbing his cheek against him. “Uh-oh, does this mean I have to move back home?”

Lin Xiaoran rolled his eyes. How carefree could Gu Yang be? Getting kicked out after an argument with his dad, and now he didn’t even want to go back.

“So?” Lin Xiaoran nudged him, meeting his gaze.

“So…” Gu Yang grinned wickedly. “How about we make the most of our time and… practice? Long-distance relationships are tough on opportunities.” With that, his hand slipped under Lin Xiaoran’s shirt.

Lin Xiaoran pushed him away with an amused smirk. “Homework done yet? We still have class in the morning.”

Then he left him standing there, heading back to his room. Gu Yang shamelessly followed and flopped onto Lin Xiaoran’s bed, putting on a pitiful face. “Xiaoran, how could you be so heartless? I stopped earlier because I saw you were tired, and now that you’re all fed and rested, can’t we enjoy some quality boyfriend time?”

Unfortunately for Gu Yang, Lin Xiaoran wasn’t buying it. He went to his desk and pulled out a worksheet he hadn’t finished earlier, diving back into it.

“It’s Valentine’s Day, you know. Is doing homework really more important than cuddling with your boyfriend?” Gu Yang pouted from the bed, his eyes filled with mock resentment.

Lin Xiaoran: “…”

He continued working, the scratching sound of his pen the only reply.

“I might have to move back home tomorrow night. If you want to sleep next to me, this is your last chance.” Gu Yang tried again.

Lin Xiaoran continued his work, unfazed.

“You don’t love me at all, do you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t treat me like this! You just don’t love me!” Gu Yang whined, his tone that of a neglected lover.

Smack!

Lin Xiaoran placed his pen on the desk and finally turned around.

Gu Yang’s eyes lit up, sensing a glimmer of hope. But Lin Xiaoran’s response was calm and smooth. “Gu Yang, remember we agreed to see who would score higher on the college entrance exam? I’ll even throw in an incentive.”

Not entirely sure why Lin Xiaoran brought it up, Gu Yang’s interest was piqued at the mention of an incentive. He sat up, grinning. “What incentive?”

Leaning in close, Lin Xiaoran whispered in his ear, “If you win, you can mark me fully. If you lose, we wait until I’m in the mood.” With that, he turned back to his worksheet, ignoring Gu Yang’s stunned expression.

 

<Previous.........................Next>

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error: Content is protected !!