SMS CHAPTER 28

Zhen Ning’s body was stiff and tense.

After an unknown amount of time, Yan Chengfeng saw him turn his head away and close his eyes.

Zhen Ning didn’t say “yes” or “no,” but Yan Chengfeng understood the meaning behind his every expression and action. This was silent consent. Zhen Ning had always been someone who resolutely said “no” when he meant it. And when he chose to remain silent, it meant he truly had no other option.

Zhen Ning’s neck was slender and fair, his entire body soaked and dripping with water. By all accounts, he should have looked disheveled. Yet the flush that seeped through his skin, the shimmer in his eyes, and the slight rise and fall of his chest lent him a delicate, subtle, and indescribable allure.

Yan Chengfeng had always known that Zhen Ning was good-looking, but he had never imagined seeing him like this—facing him during his heat.

An unmarked omega in the midst of his heat, paired with Zhen Ning’s cold yet stunningly beautiful face—any other young alpha standing here wouldn’t have been able to just stand stiffly like Yan Chengfeng was doing now.

But to Yan Chengfeng, Zhen Ning was far more than just an omega. He was also the resilient, calm, clear-headed, and silent Zhen Ning. He was different.

To Yan Chengfeng, Zhen Ning was, first and foremost, an independent person—Zhen Ning. The same Zhen Ning who had trained with him in their youth, who had shared plates of twice-cooked pork and tofu rice with him. “Omega” was just the newest label attached to him—one that Yan Chengfeng had to remind himself of every now and then.

Even though Yan Chengfeng himself had just suggested the idea of a “temporary mark,” his own mind was now a complete mess. Because he suddenly realized how absurd those words must have sounded to Zhen Ning.

Whenever he faced Zhen Ning, Yan Chengfeng lost his sense of reason and blurted things out without thinking. He had forgotten that a “mark” wasn’t as simple as helping someone out with a small favor, like they used to do when they were younger. Now, as an alpha and an omega, the chasm of gender stood firmly between them.

Just moments ago, they had displayed perfect teamwork on the stage. Yan Chengfeng had been thinking about grabbing hot pot after the match and sitting down for a proper conversation with Zhen Ning.

He had specifically told himself to control his temper and not speak recklessly because he wanted to tell Zhen Ning that he didn’t want to continue this cold war any longer.

How had it come to this? Yan Chengfeng wondered in confusion.

“…I-I’ll go find Dr. Zheng and see if he’s still at the base today.”

Yan Chengfeng turned his face away, his voice rough and hurried as he tried to rise. “He should have some other solution. You just—”

“Dr. Zheng isn’t here.” The next moment, Zhen Ning shook his head, softly interrupting him. “I already looked for him earlier.”

Yan Chengfeng froze, standing there in stunned silence.

“Yan Chengfeng, you’re right. We can’t go back to the past, and we’ll never be friends again.”

After a moment, he heard Zhen Ning slowly say, “I also know the suppressants have already stopped working. No matter how many times I inject them now, it’ll be futile. What you said… is just the harsh truth.”

“But Yan Chengfeng, your understanding of gender is far too shallow, so there are some things I need to make clear to you in advance.”

Zhen Ning looked directly into Yan Chengfeng’s eyes. His cheeks were unnaturally flushed, his gaze soft and tranquil, yet his voice remained calm. “A temporary mark is mutual. It’s not simply a process of giving and receiving.”

“You’re an alpha, and I’m an omega. If you choose to mark me, even though this temporary mark will eventually fade and be metabolized by my blood, that doesn’t mean you can simply walk away once it’s done.”

“Once the mark is formed, during this heat period, we will be bound together,” he said. “I will depend on you to a certain extent, and you will need to take on the responsibilities that come with being an alpha. Can you handle that burden and those consequences?”

“Of course, you’ve never had any obligation to do this.” Zhen Ning averted his gaze and said softly, “So if you can’t accept it, please leave as soon as possible.”

The air fell silent. Yan Chengfeng didn’t speak for a long time.

Zhen Ning seemed to have anticipated this kind of reaction.

His eyelashes trembled slightly as he silently exhaled, but in the next moment, he suddenly heard Yan Chengfeng’s low voice. “…I can accept it.”

Zhen Ning froze and looked at Yan Chengfeng’s face.

Yan Chengfeng stiffly turned his gaze away.

“Mark,” “bond,” and “responsibility”— these were terms that, before stepping into this bathroom, had been distant and foreign to Yan Chengfeng.

But deep down, he knew he didn’t truly reject the idea. He was willing to give the mark—not because Zhen Ning was an omega, but because the person in front of him, the one who needed it to escape this situation, just so happened to be Zhen Ning.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he heard Zhen Ning say, “…Alright.”

Yan Chengfeng’s body suddenly tensed.

“What do I… how do I…” After a long moment, Yan Chengfeng took a deep breath, speaking awkwardly and hoarsely. “Do you want to move closer, or should I—”

As someone who had never marked an omega before and whose mind was always filled with gaming, Yan Chengfeng was laughably clumsy in this situation.

Zhen Ning seemed momentarily at a loss for words. After a long pause, he opened his eyes and said with difficulty, “You… release some pheromones first.”

Only then did Yan Chengfeng realize what he needed to do.

The scent of white tea began to slowly spread through the air. It was the pheromone of a young alpha—undeniably overwhelming in both intensity and impact.

This time, Yan Chengfeng was more restrained, releasing it gradually with a soothing touch, carefully testing the waters.

Zhen Ning’s body stiffened slightly. He was immensely grateful that he was lying in the bathtub instead of standing because his arms and legs had completely lost their strength.

The scent of white tea and sweet apricot—one crisp, the other sweet—tentatively collided in the air before gradually intertwining.

Their pheromones mingled ambiguously in the air. They were close, their heated breaths colliding as a subtle desire began to bloom. Despite being irresistibly drawn to each other, they were compelled to keep their distance—so close it was almost unbearable, yet never crossing the line.

The only physical contact between them was Yan Chengfeng’s firm grip on Zhen Ning’s wrist, as if ensuring he wouldn’t suddenly get up and reach for the suppressant lying far out of reach.

But even that small patch of skin where they touched, damp from the water and warmed by Zhen Ning’s body heat, was enough to throw Yan Chengfeng’s mind into chaos.

Yan Chengfeng’s Adam’s apple moved slightly as he noticed Zhen Ning’s wrist trembling in his grip.

He knew Zhen Ning was in pain. Someone like Zhen Ning would never allow himself to show such vulnerability unless he was truly at his limit.

A peculiar thought suddenly crossed Yan Chengfeng’s mind.

Back then, Zhen Ning had chosen to leave him and go to the United States. And while in America, he had even met someone who made his “heart skip a beat.”

Yan Chengfeng didn’t know whether that person had been an alpha, but regardless, in a twist of fate, the one about to give Zhen Ning his very first temporary mark was none other than himself.

Yan Chengfeng had an absurdly straightforward way of thinking. He knew it was strange to feel this way, but somehow, he just… inexplicably felt relieved.

They were so close at this moment.

Perhaps it was because it had been so long since they’d been alone together like this, or maybe it was the thought of giving Zhen Ning a mark. Either way, the atmosphere gave Yan Chengfeng the courage to finally voice something he’d been holding back for a long time.

“Zhen Ning, I don’t know what you did in America these past few years.”

Yan Chengfeng spoke with a hint of bitterness. “Maybe you went to school, started a new chapter in your life, and perhaps… even met someone who means a lot to you.”

“But no matter what, you still came back to KYM in the end, didn’t you?” He paused. “And we’re still a good team now.”

“Last year, during Worlds, I took a plane for the first time and visited the US for the first time.”

He continued, “During the semifinals, I kept thinking: if it were you sitting next to me instead of Lei Tao, even if we didn’t win the trophy, just playing together in the finals and realizing our dream—how great would that have been?”

He felt Zhen Ning’s body tremble slightly.

“Your skill hasn’t declined. With this level of mechanics and game sense, there’s no way you went three years without practicing and just picked it back up. That means you’ve been playing all along.”

Yan Chengfeng’s voice turned hoarse as he said, “These past few years, deep down, you haven’t been able to let go of the game and the competition, have you?”

Zhen Ning didn’t reply.

“Then, Zhen Ning,” Yan Chengfeng paused again, his gaze locking onto Zhen Ning’s eyes as he asked, “after all these years, have you ever… even just once, regretted it?”

The alpha’s expression was almost desperate, his gaze burning and intense.

Yan Chengfeng was fully aware that his question was pointless, even bordering on childish.

But he just wanted to know what Zhen Ning had truly felt all these years. He knew Zhen Ning must have watched his matches at last year’s World Championship. So during those years in America, had Zhen Ning ever, even for the briefest moment, thought back to their youth training days? Had there been a flicker of regret? Even just a passing thought like, “If only I hadn’t left back then…”

Zhen Ning blinked in a daze and didn’t speak for a long time.

The silence stretched between them for what felt like an eternity. For a moment, Yan Chengfeng thought Zhen Ning might not have even heard his question.

But in the next second, he heard Zhen Ning speak softly. “No.”

Yan Chengfeng suddenly froze.

He stared at Zhen Ning’s profile, the light in his eyes dimming little by little.

He had never felt so humiliated. Looking back at how hopeful he’d been just moments ago, he couldn’t help but feel both sad and ridiculous. He knew he should have never asked that question.

“We’ve always made a great team, both in the past and now. But Yan Chengfeng, I’m not like you. My love for the game isn’t unconditional.”

Zhen Ning’s voice was slightly hoarse, yet his tone remained calm and measured. “For me, it was a dream of my youth, but it was never a necessity. Life offers too many paths to walk, and at critical junctures, I’ve always been willing to make the necessary compromises and choices.”

He fell silent for a moment before adding, “I didn’t keep the promise I made to you back then, and for that, I’m sorry.”

Yan Chengfeng turned his face away and said hoarsely, “…Stop talking.”

“But as for the choices I’ve made for myself…”

Zhen Ning’s eyes were serene and clear. He didn’t stop. Instead, he continued to meet Yan Chengfeng’s gaze. After a long pause, he said, “I have never—”

Before he could finish the sentence with “regretted it,” his voice abruptly cracked and broke in his throat.

Because in the next second, Yan Chengfeng suddenly grabbed Zhen Ning by the shoulders and sank his teeth into the soft glands at the back of his neck—

The intense pheromones flooded into Zhen Ning’s glands in an instant. His entire body went rigid, and the sudden pain made him instinctively try to pull away. But Yan Chengfeng’s other hand moved to hold his lower back, preventing him from crashing into the hard bathtub behind him.

The process of a temporary mark was brief. Yet, in this moment and in this atmosphere, every second seemed to stretch endlessly.

It was a clumsy, fervent, and undeniably awkward mark. Yan Chengfeng’s grip on Zhen Ning’s shoulder was tight, his embrace overwhelmingly possessive, as if he were holding onto the thing he cherished most. The thing he was most unwilling to let go of.

The alpha’s pheromones, like a cool spring, instantly alleviated the torment and pain that had been tearing through Zhen Ning’s body.

But perhaps because of the suddenness and intensity, or for some other reason, warm liquid uncontrollably slid down from the corners of Zhen Ning’s eyes.

This was their first mark. On Yan Chengfeng’s birthday, the night after the match, in the bathtub of a tiny bathroom—messy and rushed, impulsive and unrefined.

Through the haze, Zhen Ning glimpsed delicate white snowflakes drifting softly outside the small bathroom window.

Regret? He silently asked himself.

In that fleeting moment, an immense weariness overcame him. His thoughts scattered, and his body gradually slackened.

He vaguely sensed Yan Chengfeng pause, seemingly startled. Holding onto his shoulders, Yan Chengfeng said something urgently into his ear.

But Zhen Ning couldn’t hear a thing anymore.

His consciousness drifted along with the light snowflakes outside the window, little by little, back to that cold winter night a few years ago when he had first met Yan Chengfeng, with snow falling just the same.

Only, just before closing his eyes, Zhen Ning silently answered himself for what felt like the hundredth time—

No regrets.

Never.