Fu Xinghe had already reached the door and said in a hoarse voice, “Rest for a while. You will be fine by tomorrow.”
Shen Ye watched as Fu Xinghe walked out without looking back. It was as if he were a wounded beast, suddenly tensing up, his expression completely off. “Fu Xinghe!”
A sound escaped from his throat. “Come back!”
The door slammed shut with a bang.
“You are not allowed to leave.” Halfway through his words, Shen Ye shut his eyes in frustration. Chaotic memories flooded his mind, making his chest ache.
“Fu Xinghe.” Shen Ye curled up, pressing his sweat-soaked forehead against the bedding. The corners of his eyes turned red from discomfort, and through heavy breaths, he gritted his teeth and whispered, “I hate you so much…”
—-
Kang Ping heard that their general unexpectedly had a fever and even brought someone back to his room. He opened his mouth wide in disbelief.
Though the issue of the general’s unstable pheromones had indeed persisted for quite a while, this was still their general!
Given Shen Ye’s unwavering spirit and willpower displayed on the battlefield.
He would much rather believe that the general would kick anyone who dared to approach him to death. Even after returning to his room, he still found it hard to believe that the general would actually let himself be marked by someone.
Kang Ping stood outside the door with the manager, hesitating for a long time but did not dare to open it. It was not until he saw the door open from the inside.
Fu Xinghe was completely unscathed, but his head was lowered, and his face was deeply flushed. He had taken off his coat to cover his waist; his aura was clearly in disarray, his clothes were torn open, and he looked like a walking Fairmont1a reference to the luxurious Fairmont brand, indicating elegance or allure.
Fu Xinghe saw the people outside and immediately apologised as soon as he came out, his voice still hoarse. “I am sorry.”
It was that excessively handsome waiter.
A chaotic thought flashed through Kang Ping’s mind.
So it turned out the general did not actually dislike Alphas; he was just a big “face-con2someone who places high importance on appearance.“, huh?
He suddenly felt a bit of reality about this…
Meanwhile, the manager was extremely worried.
Today, something like this actually happened. Though it was an accident, General Shen was the marshal’s nephew. If the general woke up and blamed their hotel, how could they possibly bear the responsibility?
The manager looked at Fu Xinghe’s state, asked a few more questions, then sighed and found himself unable to criticise him too harshly.
He had heard that a single Alpha found it very hard to control themselves when faced with an Omega in heat. However, Fu Xinghe did not try to permanently mark the guest. After marking, he also did not cling to the guest, refusing to leave.
This simply proved that it truly was an accident.
But Fu Xinghe was still asked to stay in the hotel, waiting for the general’s decision tomorrow.
“Sigh, Xiao He, with something like this happening, you are definitely going to be dismissed.”
Fu Xinghe pursed his lips and could only nod.
He was quickly assigned to another guest room. As soon as the door closed, Fu Xinghe furrowed his brows, immediately walked to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and then stuffed his entire head under the icy cold water flow.
He was still very hot.
Now, it seems that he can still taste a bit of sweetness in his throat, but he cannot smell any fragrance at all around him.
The heat from the inside out, along with the pheromones he swallowed, continuously burnt through him like a wildfire.
It was a sense of absence stronger than hunger.
It felt very uncomfortable.
After rinsing for a while, Fu Xinghe finally lifted his head.
His handsome eyebrows and eyes were dampened by the water. Droplets rolled down from the tips of his hair, soaking his shirt, further accentuating his broad shoulders and the slenderness of his waist, highlighting his tall and lean figure.
He removed the coat wrapped around his waist and lowered his gaze to take a glance, feeling somewhat helpless about the aftereffects of these marks. He could only loosen the uncomfortable fabric that was constraining him and then walked into the shower room to turn on the cold water.
Only then did it feel a little better.
Fu Xinghe sighed and slowly sat down, leaning against the wall.
How did he actually go and bite down?
Tomorrow, I still need to find a new job, and I do not even know if there will be enough money this month for Dad’s medical bills.
He thought it over to himself and quickly realised that this all depended on Shen Ye not being upset with him and being willing to let him go.
But, amid the ice-cold water pouring down, Fu Xinghe covered his face in agitation, certain that Shen Ye must be very angry.
In the past, Shen Ye was always getting angry.
—-
Back in middle school, Shen Ye’s inexplicable closeness and various demands quickly gave Fu Xinghe more and more of a headache.
Because he could not refuse face-to-face, Fu Xinghe deliberately stayed in the teacher’s office today, working on some exercises for a while, hoping to avoid Shen Ye and the others.
After checking that there was no one left on campus, Fu Xinghe patted his stomach, finally stood up, and sneaked over to the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, Wang You finally could not take it anymore. “Hey, boss, why do you have to insist on finding him?”
Shen Ye ignored him and, with a grim expression, kept searching through the academic building for Fu Xinghe’s figure.
“What could he be doing? Why is he not replying to my messages?”
Wang You scratched his head helplessly. Actually, he could tell that Fu Xinghe did not seem to want to hang out with them and was possibly avoiding them on purpose.
But if he said this, Shen Ye would definitely get angry.
“Sigh, forget about him. Let us go eat first.”
Seeing that Shen Ye was not listening at all and was acting obsessed with finding Fu Xinghe, Wang You had no choice but to say again, “It is already so late—maybe that little fool has already gone to the cafeteria.”
Only then did Shen Ye stop and turn to walk toward the cafeteria.
As soon as Fu Xinghe opened the cafeteria door, he was accidentally bumped into by a girl walking out.
The girl was originally holding a takeout box in her hand, but as a result of this moment, she spilt soup all over his pants.
“Oh no, I am so sorry!” She also felt very embarrassed and quickly took out a tissue to wipe it for him.
“It is fine; it is fine.”
Fu Xinghe was a bit uncomfortable being so close to a girl, especially since she kept bumping into his thigh. He immediately blushed.
The girl looked up at Fu Xinghe. “Otherwise, you can go change into another one, and I will take this one home to wash it clean for you.”
Fu Xinghe was taken aback for a moment; he had just wanted to say it was unnecessary when suddenly he was forcefully pulled back half a step by someone.
As soon as he looked up, he unexpectedly saw Shen Ye.
“What is going on here?” Shen Ye glanced at the girl’s hand on Fu Xinghe, even smiling as he said, “This close?”
Fu Xinghe’s face went pale; Shen Ye’s grip on his arm was very strong.
It was obvious he was angry again.
It was precisely because he always acted so inexplicably that Fu Xinghe especially wanted to avoid him.
“Because I accidentally got his pants dirty,” the girl explained briefly.
“Is that so?” Shen Ye looked at her, the smile not reaching his eyes. “If you are really that sorry, you might as well just give him a skirt to wear.”
Fu Xinghe was stunned, watching helplessly as Shen Ye continued, “Anyway, he is so weak, he is bound to differentiate as an Omega in the future. It is impossible for him to be with a female Beta. Could you possibly differentiate as an Alpha?”
Fu Xinghe’s face suddenly flushed. “What are you talking about?”
This was just too baffling. He had barely spoken a few words with that girl. Besides, how did that make him an Omega?
The girl looked back and forth between Shen Ye and Fu Xinghe, suddenly covering her mouth in realisation. She was not angry at all, said, ‘Sorry to bother you,’ and then quickly ran off.
Fu Xinghe, however, was not very happy. He wanted to shake off Shen Ye’s hand but was squeezed tightly by him instead.
Shen Ye turned his head to face Fu Xinghe, and his expression finally became serious. “Are you avoiding me just to be with that girl?”
Fu Xinghe had no idea what was going on with him. “Can you please stop saying strange things all the time?”
“I am asking if you are avoiding me!”
Fu Xinghe was also a bit angry. “So what if I am?”
But as soon as the words left his mouth, seeing Shen Ye’s expression, Fu Xinghe immediately regretted it. But it was too late.
“Fu Xinghe.” Shen Ye clenched his teeth, his face dark and gloomy as he stepped closer.
“So, now you like girls again?”
Seeing he was angry, Fu Xinghe, though not knowing what he was talking about, hurriedly denied it. “No…”
The incident that day was over after he repeatedly apologised. But from that point on, Shen Ye became more and more frightening in Fu Xinghe’s eyes.
Until the incident that made him completely hate Shen Ye happened in the second semester of his second year in high school.
—-
“Shen Ye, Shen Ye! What are you doing? Do not be like this.”
Fu Xinghe’s face was flushed bright red, and he was in a panic, clinging tightly to the changing room door, refusing to go out, even shamelessly shouting, “I was wrong! I was really wrong.”
Shen Ye looked at him. “What did you do wrong?”
Fu Xinghe got stuck for a moment and could not answer.
Shen Ye still forcefully pulled Fu Xinghe, who was wearing a skirt, outside.
This was the rear side of the school gymnasium, which also served as a stage during the school anniversary and evening parties.
Outside, just a wall away, the host was introducing the next programme, and faintly, one could still hear the applause of the audience.
Shen Ye grabbed the desperately struggling Fu Xinghe with one hand, enclosing him, and said in a low voice, “If you do not cooperate, you will only attract more attention.”
Fu Xinghe immediately closed his mouth but still refused to move forward.
Unfortunately, he could not resist Shen Ye’s strength. Even though he exerted all his energy, he could only helplessly watch as Shen Ye pulled him onto the stage.
The light shone on him, and Fu Xinghe’s face instantly turned pale. He hurriedly lowered his head, stiff and not daring to move at all.
At that time, Fu Xinghe had not fully developed yet; his facial features were especially delicate, and his body was relatively slim. Wearing a girl’s school uniform at this moment, he did not look out of place at all. His long legs appeared even whiter than the girls’.
Not only the girls but also the boys in the audience turned to look, their eyes clearly filled with astonishment.
As soon as Shen Ye noticed everyone’s gaze, he furrowed his brow slightly and felt a little regretful.
However, the background music quickly started, and he could only smile briefly and then calmly said, “I will sing a song for everyone.”
Shen Ye was very popular at school. When the people below saw that he finally came out, they immediately cheered. However, soon, other voices of gossip also started to rise.
“Who is that short-haired girl that Shen Ye is holding hands with?”
“She is so beautiful.”
“But why is she not singing at all?”
“Is she his girlfriend? Look, Shen Ye keeps looking at her.”
“Damn, does our school even have a beauty like her? How come I have never seen her before?”
“Really, her legs are so long.”
“Did you all not notice? These lyrics are an Alpha declaring sovereignty over his Omega.”
“Is this show specifically here just to sprinkle dog food3撒狗粮 [sǎ gǒu liáng] – sprinkle dog food; slang for public displays of affection that make single people feel envious or “fed dog food”?”
“Shen Ye is so flamboyant. He is actually quite romantic.”
At the end, Shen Ye once again tried to place the microphone near Fu Xinghe’s mouth, hoping he’d sing the last line, but Fu Xinghe kept his head down the whole time and was not able to make a sound.
Shen Ye could only smile and continue the lyrics himself.
When the two of them finally exited the stage, Shen Ye suddenly grabbed Fu Xinghe and asked, “What is wrong? Did we not agree…”
He stopped halfway through his words. Fu Xinghe’s face was very pale, his eyes were red, and his expression was rarely indifferent. “Are you done playing? Let go of me.”
Shen Ye was stunned the first time he saw Fu Xinghe like this.
Fu Xinghe forcefully pushed his hand away. “Let go!”
After he finished speaking, he wiped his face and ran off by himself.
Not only was he wearing strange clothes earlier, but on stage, he could not even say a single word. Fu Xinghe just felt like he had already spent all the face he could lose in this lifetime4预支了 (yù zhī le) – pre-spent, used up in advance (metaphorically means exhausting his dignity or face).
Shen Ye paused for a moment, then hurriedly went to chase.
After a while, Wang You and Shen Ye were both standing outside the changing room stall, while Fu Xinghe sat inside the stall, hugging his legs with both hands, unwilling to speak.
Wang You crouched down, scratched his head, and tried to comfort him. “Why are you crying? You look quite good in that.”
Shen Ye immediately raised an eyebrow and looked at him.
Wang You immediately shivered. “Ahem, no, that is not it.”
“What I mean is, it is not a big deal. Many people did not recognise you. Just now, someone even wanted to ask for your number.”
Shen Ye, impatiently, turned around a few times, waited for a while, and then forcibly opened the door, pulling Fu Xinghe up from the corner. “It is already dark. Are you not hungry? I will treat you to a meal.”
He refused to give in, but when speaking, he still secretly looked at Fu Xinghe’s face.
Fu Xinghe was grabbed by his arm but still lowered his head and followed him. Only then did Shen Ye breathe a sigh of relief.
But in reality, Fu Xinghe could not stop thinking about what had just happened, and every time he thought about it, he felt like it was a social death5社死 (shè sǐ) – social death (a modern slang term meaning to be extremely embarrassed or humiliated in a social situation).
Though Shen Ye had previously said that he would not forgive him if there was another time, Fu Xinghe had no idea what he had done wrong.
He only felt that Shen Ye’s temper was truly unpredictable, capable of anything, and extremely frightening.
Though Fu Xinghe is now even more afraid to make Shen Ye angry, in his heart, he has already removed him from the ranks of friends, even thinking that it would not be long before, when graduation comes, he would be able to get rid of him.
When they walked outside, Shen Ye saw that Fu Xinghe’s head was almost lowered to his chest, so he looked for a hat and put it on him.
Fu Xinghe cupped his hands, pulled the hat further down, almost covering his face, and only then did he let out a slight sigh of relief.
Shen Ye, as usual, let Fu Xinghe sit in his extended version of the flying vehicle and took him to a restaurant that was so luxurious it made people uncomfortable.
He glanced at Fu Xinghe’s face, pursed his lips, and proceeded to order all the most expensive items on the menu.
But Fu Xinghe kept zoning out and did not realise his apology. Anyway, whatever Shen Ye placed in front of him, he just obediently ate.
Probably because the atmosphere had not been very good.
After eating, Shen Ye did not want Fu Xinghe to leave but instead grabbed him. “Let us rest here for a while before we go.”
Fu Xinghe did not argue with him either.
Shen Ye directly booked a suite on the top floor, and outside the floor-to-ceiling window was the starry river, seemingly within reach.
The two boys lay on the spacious and luxurious bed. After hesitating for a long time, Shen Ye still took the initiative and turned towards Fu Xinghe.
“Today, it is my fault.”
“But do you not like me? Why are you studying alone with someone else and not answering my calls? You…”
After a long while with no response, Shen Ye got anxious, stood up, and looked at Fu Xinghe’s face. “Say something.”
Only then did he see that Fu Xinghe was lying on the pure white, soft bedsheets, eyes closed, already asleep.
Shen Ye immediately lost his temper.
“If only you could really differentiate into an Omega…”
“Because I am sure I can differentiate into an Alpha.”
By then, Fu Xinghe would like him even more, probably.
Then they would be able to be together forever.
Shen Ye curled up the corner of his lips, walked around to the other side of the bed, and stared at Fu Xinghe’s sleeping face for a while. Then, he secretly leaned forward and blushed alone.
But neither the school, the Shen family, nor Shen Ye himself expected that Shen Ye did not differentiate into an Alpha.
The author has something to say:
Just a precautionary warning, there is no opposition from the Shen family, no dramatic cliché about the ‘harmful gong’ not being able to attend school or anything like that! It is just a matter of the two people’s personality issues, which have mostly already shown. If everyone does not like it, then cut your losses in time.
