STIDM 15

Yan Lu casually stretched out his body, clearly in a good mood despite the injury on his arm.

The smell coming from the kitchen caught his attention, and he walked in, looking for meat to snack on.

But the moment Zhong Zong saw him, the bastard barked, “Who told you to wear that?”

At that moment, Yan Lu was fishing out a piece of pork trotter from the bowl. The sauce dripped down his fingers, and he casually licked it off before glancing up, looking slightly puzzled.

“Didn’t I tell you earlier?” he said.

Zhong Zong didn’t respond. He just turned back and focused on tending to the soup.

Yan Lu was confused. He leaned in to check the pot. The rich aroma filled the air. With food in his mouth and his eyes still sneaking glances into the pot, he found himself growing even hungrier.

As he licked his fingers again, he noticed Zhong Zong looking at him with that strange expression once more.

Yan Lu awkwardly lowered his hand and shot him a glare. “What, are you seriously going to criticize how I eat now?”

Zhong Zong chuckled. With a spoon in his left hand, he suddenly wrapped his right arm around Yan Lu’s waist and pulled him in.

Yan Lu held his breath as Zhong Zong leaned in and licked the corner of his lips. Before he could react, he was released, only to see Zhong Zong nodding in satisfaction.

“Tastes good,” he said.

No one knew whether he was talking about Yan Lu or the pork trotter.

Still, comparing himself to a pork trotter felt a bit degrading.

Yan Lu licked the corner of his mouth and circled around to the fridge, craving a popsicle. He had gone out of his way to buy some at the supermarket just for tonight.

But the moment he opened the fridge, Zhong Zong slammed the door shut again.

Yan Lu was ready to elbow him, but Zhong Zong pinched the ticklish spot at his waist, and he instantly gave in.

It tickled so much he couldn’t stop laughing and squirming. Somewhere in the chaos, the strap of his jersey slipped off his shoulder, baring most of his chest.

He let out a stream of curses.

He started cursing out loud, swearing nonstop. Just as he was getting into it, Zhong Zong suddenly let go.

He straightened Yan Lu’s shirt and pushed him out of the kitchen.

Then shut the door behind him.

Yan Lu stood there, completely baffled, not even sure what the hell had just happened.

In the end, they just drank soup and went to bed.

Not a single thing happened all night.

Two young men, full of hormones and hardwired to hump anything with a hole, ended up wrapped in blankets just chatting like some PG teen drama.

The vibe was completely off.

Even the next morning, after Zhong Zong helped him change the gauze and gave him his medicine, Yan Lu still hadn’t figured it out.

Was Zhong Zong not attracted to his body?

Did this mean their fuck buddy arrangement was off?

What the hell. Was he being played?

Before his thoughts could spiral further, Zhong Zong pulled him in for a hug and kissed the side of his ear.

Completely caught off guard, Yan Lu flinched. The next second, his earlobe stung sharply.

Zhong Zong had bitten him, hard enough to draw blood.

The man’s pheromones poured straight into the wound without a care.

Yan Lu groaned under his breath, struggling to bear the numb tingling sensation. When Zhong Zong was finally done, he shoved him away and covered his ear with a scowl.

“You’re fucking crazy.”

“Be careful on the road,” Zhong Zong said.

Staring into those damn peach blossom eyes, Yan Lu’s resolve crumbled.

Fine. Fine. For the sake of that stupidly attractive face, he’d forgive the overly possessive drama queen behavior.

Yan Lu waved him off, clearly annoyed.

From behind, Zhong Zong called out, “Should I pick you up later, Yanyan?”

Yan Lu raised his middle finger without even turning around. “Fuck off.”

When Yan Lu walked in, still awkwardly touching his earlobe, he spotted Chen Qing slumped over the counter, completely lifeless.

He walked over and knocked on the countertop. Chen Qing lifted a hand and passed him a piece of bread, then flopped back down again.

Soft and limp, like he hadn’t slept for days.

Yan Lu squinted at him, and only then did he notice the bite mark on the back of Chen Qing’s neck. His heart dropped.

He immediately grabbed Chen Qing by the shoulder, trying to turn his face toward him. Chen Qing squirmed, but Yan Lu grabbed him by the chin and forced him to look up.

Sure enough, his eyes were red and swollen.

Something in Yan Lu snapped.

He turned on his heel to storm out, but Chen Qing caught him by the arm.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m gonna beat him up.”

“No. It’s not what you think.”

“That bastard marked you out of jealousy. And you’re okay with that?”

“It’s not about being okay or not.”

Yan Lu froze. He turned back and stared at Chen Qing, completely baffled.

If you like him that much, why reject him? Why get someone to beat Zhong Yuan up?

But Chen Qing didn’t explain. He just kept repeating that he agreed to it willingly and begged Yan Lu not to act impulsively.

Yan Lu didn’t get it. He never had much experience with Omegas, couldn’t understand them, and honestly had no idea how to handle them even though he was one himself.

Only then did Chen Qing notice Yan Lu’s injury and tried to convince him to go home and rest.

Yan Lu shook his head. “I’ve taken worse. This is nothing. You’d be doing me more good by teaching me something new than sending me home.”

—

By nightfall, the streetlights lit up one by one. Yan Lu and Chen Qing finished closing up the shop, washed their hands, and got ready to head out.

As soon as they pushed the door open, Yan Lu saw Zhong Zong lounging on a high stool at a nearby convenience store.

Not far away, inside the convenience store, Zhong Zong was sitting lazily on a tall stool. His cropped pants revealed a bit of ankle, white shirt layered over a black tank, messy light-colored hair, and a slightly tired gaze. People passed by on the street, and many turned their heads for a second glance.

But Zhong Zong didn’t seem to notice any of it. He just sat there absentmindedly scrolling on his phone.

Yan Lu suddenly remembered what Zhong Zong had said that morning about picking him up. He hadn’t expected him to actually show up.

Just then, a notification chimed from his pocket.

He pulled out his phone and saw a message from Zhong Zong.

It was a kissing emoji.

Yan Lu looked up and saw Zhong Zong smiling at him, waving lazily. Then, still watching him, he lifted his phone to his lips and pressed a kiss to the screen.

Yan Lu quickly looked away, flustered, and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He shot an annoyed glare in Zhong Zong’s direction.

But the stool was already empty.

Panic flashed across his face as he glanced around, searching for him. Then he suddenly felt a tight grip around his waist.

Zhong Zong leaned in and kissed the tip of his ear. “What are you looking for?”

“Shit! You scared the hell out of me. When did you get here?”

“When you started getting shy.”

“Bullshit. I wasn’t shy at all.”

“Yanyan…”

“Wh-what?”

Yan Lu stiffened. Zhong Zong was nuzzling the side of his neck, and he didn’t dare move a muscle.

Maybe he looked a bit ridiculous. Maybe even a little pitiful.

Zhong Zong straightened up with a rare serious expression, reached out, and took his hand.

“It’s nothing. I’m just here to take you home.”

Yan Lu turned his head away, feeling a little awkward. “What the hell… You really came to pick me up?”

His hand was held tightly. He stared at the back of Zhong Zong’s head.

His heart wouldn’t stop trembling.

No one had ever waited for him to come home. No one had ever come to pick him up.

Sometimes, falling for someone bit by bit doesn’t come without reason. It’s exactly because that person, without even meaning to, gives you what you’ve always needed, so much that you’re powerless to resist.