Yan Chengfeng remained silent for a long time, while Zhen Ning quietly observed his profile.
After a moment, Zhen Ning turned his head, his expression unchanged as he said evenly, “If you don’t want it, there’s no need to force yourself.”
Still, Yan Chengfeng didn’t say anything.
Zhen Ning exhaled lightly, raising his head to address the shop assistant. “We—”
Yan Chengfeng suddenly spoke. “Actually, it’s not that I don’t want to eat it.”
“Although I’m not a big fan of desserts, this design is pretty unique, and the strawberry popping candy looks fun. After all… you don’t see popping candy on donuts every day.”
He stammered slightly. “And it’s, uh, buy-one-get-one-free.”
Zhen Ning: “…”
The shop assistant stood behind the cashier, smiling as she looked back and forth between the two of them. Her expression was gentle and sweet, her gaze kind and tender.
Yan Chengfeng’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Moreover… it was a couple’s item.
He wanted to argue against that term, but his mouth opened and closed, and in the end, he couldn’t piece together a coherent sentence.
It felt almost like he was under a spell; his fingers seemed glued to the little stick holding the half-heart-shaped donut, unable to let go no matter how hard he tried.
Yan Chengfeng didn’t dare meet Zhen Ning’s eyes.
He tried to suppress the strange sensation welling up inside him, convincing himself that the shop assistant was just exceptionally skilled at sales. She had perfectly understood the customer’s mindset, making it difficult not to want to buy the product—regardless of it being labeled a couple’s item.
He took a deep breath. “Besides, she already put it in our hands, and I’m too thin-skinned to refuse… You’re the one who brought me here, so if you don’t want to buy it, you tell her.”
When Zhen Ning heard the words “I’m too thin-skinned,” he fell silent briefly.
After a moment, he looked up again and said to the shop assistant, “We’ll take a pair.”
Yan Chengfeng’s lips twitched slightly.
The shop assistant’s face lit up with joy as she eagerly held up the payment code she had prepared long ago. “Great! Please settle the bill here, and then head over to our photo wall for a picture~”
She didn’t show it on her face, but she couldn’t help silently chuckling to herself, thinking they were likely an AO couple still in the ambiguous stage of their relationship. The hazy, budding feelings between them were delightful.
…And made them particularly easy to fool.
In the end, Yan Chengfeng and Zhen Ning stood stiffly in front of the heart-shaped backdrop at the store entrance.
“Could you stand a little closer and strike a more intimate pose?” the shop assistant reminded them before pressing the shutter. “And please remember to form the heart shape with your donuts~”
Yan Chengfeng noticed Zhen Ning hesitate briefly before stepping closer, their shoulders just barely touching as they completed the heart shape with their donuts.
Awkward and clumsy.
This was the sort of thing only couples in the honeymoon phase would find enjoyable. Everything about it felt wrong… yet, step by step, Yan Chengfeng found himself inexplicably complying.
Click. The moment was captured.
“I took two extra shots; you can keep them as a memento.” The girl slipped the photos into the paper bag with the donuts. “Please visit us again~”
Yan Chengfeng accepted the bag. “…Thank you.”
They walked out together, unusually quiet.
Yan Chengfeng said dryly, “Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”
Zhen Ning replied, “Okay.”
The small donut, or rather, the heart-shaped donut stick meant for two, wasn’t very big. Amidst the lively crowd, they walked side by side, quietly eating.
The popping candy sprinkled on the donut fizzed on their tongues, tingling slightly. Yan Chengfeng’s thoughts were adrift.
Only then did he fully process what had just happened.
He and Zhen Ning had purchased a couple’s donut, been mistaken for… an actual couple, and even taken a photo together.
Yet neither had said a word in protest. They had simply accepted it. Now, they were here, savoring the pink donuts.
The donut’s texture was soft, the strawberry glaze cool and subtly sweet, but Yan Chengfeng felt as if his tongue were on fire, as though he had swallowed a burning flame.
His chest burned, his blood felt hot… everything seemed unusually heated.
His breathing quickened inexplicably, and his Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty. He thought, perhaps, that he had eaten too quickly and was now choking.
“…I think I’m choking a bit,” he said hoarsely to Zhen Ning. “I’ll go buy a bottle of water. Can you wait for me here?”
Zhen Ning paused briefly before agreeing.
Yan Chengfeng turned away hurriedly, heading to a nearby drink stand.
The ice-cold water soothed his throat, easing the heat within him. He exhaled, frowning, even suspecting that the donut might have been enhanced with some hidden technology.
But when he turned back with the drink in hand, Zhen Ning was gone.
Yan Chengfeng froze.
The city lights sparkled, and crowds bustled about. It was supposed to be a lively and warm scene, yet Yan Chengfeng’s heart turned cold in an instant.
Zhen Ning had just been standing outside the line, promising to wait, but in the brief moment it took to buy a bottle of water, he had vanished.
Yan Chengfeng’s heart suddenly sank.
The burning sensation in his throat had not been extinguished by the ice water; instead, it flared up, growing hotter and spreading until the corners of his eyes stung.
Why had he disappeared?
Hadn’t he agreed to wait here?
They had just been eating donuts together… so why had he left so suddenly?
Yan Chengfeng moved through the crowd in a daze, anxiously scanning each face. He didn’t realize his breathing had become rapid, his emotions becoming increasingly sensitive.
An emptiness gnawed at his chest. He walked recklessly, oblivious to how many people he accidentally bumped into.
He had no idea how long he had been stumbling through the crowd until a force tugged at his sleeve. Yan Chengfeng froze and turned abruptly—
Zhen Ning stood behind him, looking at him with a slightly puzzled expression.
The tension in Yan Chengfeng’s heart finally eased.
His emotions were in utter chaos. The surrounding environment was noisy and overwhelming. He nearly shouted at Zhen Ning, “Where did you go?”
Perhaps it was because Yan Chengfeng looked so distressed that Zhen Ning was momentarily stunned.
“I met a fan.” Zhen Ning pointed behind him and explained carefully, “She recognized me and asked for an autograph. The crowd was too dense, so I found a corner to sign for her.”
Normally, this would be a minor incident, but Yan Chengfeng’s expression remained dark.
His chest heaved as he pressed on, “Then why didn’t you tell me?”
Zhen Ning was taken aback. “What?”
“Why did you leave without saying a word?”
Yan Chengfeng turned away, struggling to suppress the turmoil inside. Yet something continued to churn within him. “Why could you accommodate a stranger, a fan you’d never met, but couldn’t even bother to tell me where you were going?”
“Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?” He pressed further, verging on confrontation. “Do you even realize that I worry too? Or… have you never cared about how I feel?”
Zhen Ning was startled.
Yan Chengfeng had said too much all at once, his tone and expression becoming increasingly tense. By the end, he was choking on his words. Staring at Zhen Ning, his mind went blank.
…Something wasn’t right.
Why was he asking such unreasonable questions? He thought in confusion. Why was he using such a harsh tone? Why did just a short moment of not seeing Zhen Ning make him… so restless?
His body and mind felt strange. He was anxious, irritable, and irrationally angry. He wanted to question why Zhen Ning had left without a word. Yet, reason told him that something was wrong with his current state.
Yan Chengfeng realized it too.
“No.” He subconsciously took two steps back and murmured in confusion, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me…”
Just thinking about Zhen Ning disappearing into the crowd, about Zhen Ning leaving years ago, sent his anxiety spiraling.
His emotions surged wildly, his pheromones fluctuating beyond control. He could feel them seeping through the suppression patch.
Yan Chengfeng’s eyes widened.
—He couldn’t control his pheromones anymore.
Zhen Ning was close to him. The moment the scent of white tea permeated the air, he sensed Yan Chengfeng’s emotional shift and saw him shudder slightly.
Fortunately, Zhen Ning reacted swiftly. He grabbed Yan Chengfeng’s hand and led him into a quiet alleyway, away from the bustling street.
“I-I didn’t mean to.” In the dim alley, Yan Chengfeng instinctively took two steps back, covering the back of his neck. His voice was almost dejected as he murmured, “I just…”
Zhen Ning: “I know.”
Yan Chengfeng: “No, you don’t. I—”
Zhen Ning suddenly raised his hand and gently stroked Yan Chengfeng’s face.
The intimate and gentle touch sent a jolt through Yan Chengfeng’s heart. He stopped retreating, staring at Zhen Ning in a daze.
Why are Zhen Ning’s hands so cold? he wondered.
His fingers were chilly, his palms just as cold. But Zhen Ning… he was wearing a thick coat.
And yet… it felt so comforting.
The moment Zhen Ning’s palm rested against his face, only one thought consumed Yan Chengfeng’s mind—he couldn’t let Zhen Ning take his hand away, no matter what.
He craved this touch, this comfort. He wanted Zhen Ning… to keep caressing his face.
Then, belatedly, he realized that maybe Zhen Ning’s hand wasn’t cold. Maybe it was his own face that was burning.
“Yan Chengfeng.” Zhen Ning frowned. “You have a fever.”
Yan Chengfeng found it absurd.
A fever? What nonsense was Zhen Ning talking about? How could it be possible? He was perfectly healthy. How could he have a fever out of nowhere?
He instinctively denied it. “I’m not sick. I don’t have a cold. I just ate too quickly, that’s all…”
“Stop talking for a moment. Breathe deeply and look at me.”
“I’m sure I’m not sick. I know my body better than you—”
“I didn’t say you were sick.”
Zhen Ning turned Yan Chengfeng’s face toward him, forcing him to meet his gaze. He said helplessly, “Yan Chengfeng, just look at me. Listen to me.”
Yan Chengfeng finally fell silent.
The alley was dimly lit, the moon bright.
Yet Zhen Ning’s eyes were calmer, more beautiful than the moonlight. In an instant, Yan Chengfeng’s heart settled, though his breath remained hot.
They stared at each other.
Zhen Ning tilted his head slightly and pressed the back of his hand against Yan Chengfeng’s forehead again.
After a moment, he took a deep breath. His eyelashes fluttered as he gazed into Yan Chengfeng’s eyes, his expression carrying an indescribable complexity.
Yan Chengfeng had never seen such an expression on Zhen Ning’s face before.
“Yan Chengfeng.”
Zhen Ning hesitated, then asked, “Since your differentiation… have you ever experienced a rut?”
Author’s note:
Yan Kitchen (breakdown, in disbelief): It’s definitely not that! It must be because the donut was poisoned! It’s definitely not because I want to be close to you!
Zhen Ning: …
Wow a rut 🥺😌🤯