SMS CHAPTER 45

If Zhen Ning had to describe Yan Chengfeng’s kissing skills, it would be: clumsy.

Two words—very clumsy. Three words—so extremely clumsy. Four words—it was painfully clumsy.

Rather than calling it a kiss, it was more like reckless biting and uncoordinated collisions of lips and teeth. Yan Chengfeng’s kissing style was distinctly his own, carrying a passion and naivety rarely seen in others, as well as… a sense of righteousness.

Being clumsy at kissing was one thing, but he did it with such confidence. He pressed his lips down forcefully, leaving Zhen Ning struggling to respond, almost unable to breathe.

Finally, Zhen Ning couldn’t bear it any longer and bit Yan Chengfeng’s lip.

Immediately, he heard the person in front of him let out a groan of pain. Yan Chengfeng straightened up abruptly, covering his mouth with an incredulous look. “Why did you bite me?”

Zhen Ning: “…Do you even know how to kiss?”

Yan Chengfeng stiffened, then instantly bristled like a cat with its tail stepped on. He shot back in exasperation, “I don’t, so what? Do you? Isn’t everyone allowed to have a first time for these things?”

Zhen Ning turned his face to the side, panting softly, and didn’t respond.

Yan Chengfeng glared at him, but in the end, he gave in.

Leaning in again, he muttered under his breath, “Alright, alright… This time, I’ll kiss more gently, okay?”

Outside the window, light snow began to fall.

Yan Chengfeng himself wasn’t entirely sure what to make of their current situation. It felt as though he and Zhen Ning had silently reached some kind of unspoken agreement. During this unexpected rut, they broke their previously established “no crossing the line” rule and did things that went far beyond just helping each other.

Of course, it wasn’t as if Yan Chengfeng was having an easy time with this either. His fever kept recurring, waves of heat rising again shortly after they were suppressed, and the fluctuations in his pheromones were wildly unstable.

There were moments when Yan Chengfeng was so overheated he felt like he was melting, clinging dizzily to Zhen Ning as he panted, “How many damn days is this supposed to last? Why am I still so hot?”

“Typically, it lasts three to five days,” Zhen Ning explained calmly. “Of course, the reason you’re feeling so hot right now is largely because you can’t calm yourself down.”

Yan Chengfeng naturally had no patience for such lecturing. He grabbed Zhen Ning’s hand, pressed his face into the palm, and muttered unhappily, “…See? I’m so much hotter than you.”

“If I have a fever for too long, won’t it fry my brain? That’ll slow my reaction time during competitions, so—”

He rambled nonsense as he leaned in again, pressing his face closer.

Zhen Ning was stunned for a moment, then, with a sigh, tilted his head back, accepting yet another round of fiery kisses.

After a few tries, it seemed Yan Chengfeng had finally picked up some technique and wasn’t as clumsy as he had been at the start.

Zhen Ning wasn’t sure if all alphas were like this during their rut or if Yan Chengfeng was just a special case. Either way, during this time, Yan Chengfeng was simply… too clingy.

The next morning, when Zhen Ning woke up and went to the kitchen to make congee, he found that Yan Chengfeng had followed him all the way there, standing outside the door and staring at him pitifully.

Caught in the act, Yan Chengfeng immediately turned his head as if nothing had happened. “…I just came to tell you that you can add some meat to the congee. I like it savory.”

Zhen Ning: “…”

When the congee was ready, Yan Chengfeng scarfed down an entire bowl.

As Zhen Ning quietly picked up his spoon to take a sip, his phone vibrated. It was a message from Tao Luo, a simple “Happy New Year.”

Zhen Ning paused. Just as he was about to pick up his phone to reply, Yan Chengfeng suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“I feel like I’m starting to get a fever again,” Yan Chengfeng said casually, leaning closer. “Touch it.”

Zhen Ning hesitated, then used the back of his hand to feel Yan Chengfeng’s forehead. It was indeed a bit hot, but it was normal for an alpha during their rut to have a higher body temperature. Besides, Yan Chengfeng had just finished a bowl of hot congee, so it wasn’t unusual.

Still, Yan Chengfeng’s face practically screamed, “Pay attention to me.”

Zhen Ning stayed silent for a moment before saying calmly, “…I’ll stay with you again tonight. Now let go.”

Only then did Yan Chengfeng release his grip, looking satisfied.

On the third day of the Chinese New Year, the two of them fell asleep holding each other, sharing the most restful sleep they’d had in days.

In the morning, they woke up almost simultaneously. For a while, they stared at each other under the blanket. Then, Zhen Ning raised his hand, touched Yan Chengfeng’s face, and said, “The fever’s gone.”

But Yan Chengfeng was quiet for a moment before saying, “Why do I feel like I still have a slight fever?”

“…Your face is cooler than my hand right now.”

“Your hand isn’t a thermometer. What if it’s not accurate?”

“Then we’ll check with a thermometer.”

“…”

Five minutes later, Zhen Ning calmly read the number aloud: “36.3°C.”

After a moment, Yan Chengfeng responded slowly, “Oh.”

“Then… I guess I’m fine now,” he said awkwardly.

Zhen Ning gave a soft “mm” in reply.

That afternoon, everyone returned to the base one after another to prepare for the final matches of the Spring Split. Zhen Ning also moved his belongings back to his own dormitory.

It seemed they had returned to the way things were before the New Year, everything as usual, with no one noticing anything out of the ordinary.

For Zhen Ning, those four days felt like a bizarre dream.

He didn’t fully understand ruts, but he knew what a heat period felt like—knew how pheromones and hormones could affect and change a person.

He understood that Yan Chengfeng needed him during that time, but he also knew that Yan Chengfeng’s reliance on him was most likely driven by biological urges.

From what he knew of Yan Chengfeng, Zhen Ning was certain that once the rut ended, it wouldn’t take long for Yan Chengfeng to come to his senses. He would belatedly feel embarrassed and want to distance himself.

Since dreams were destined to end, Zhen Ning thought it would be better to wake up sooner rather than later, avoiding any unnecessary awkwardness.

–

After the holidays, Tao Luo cheerfully brought back a pile of New Year goodies to share with everyone in the training room.

Holding a massive plastic container, she grinned as she opened the lid. “My sister’s cookies! Super delicious! Flaky and fragrant! First come, first served!”

Xu Hao, utterly unashamed, grabbed a massive handful and strolled out of the training room while talking on the phone.

Tao Luo clutched the container to her chest, wailing, “Xu Hao, you beast! You just wiped out half the box! Do you think I won’t kill you?!”

“Forget it, forget it. You guys eat quickly.” She turned around angrily and shoved handfuls of cookies into Xu Minghe and Zhen Ning’s hands. “Let me tell you, Xu Hao secretly snuck out during the New Year to go on dates with his little fan omegas again. I swear, calling him an octopus doesn’t even cut it—he’s got to be a fifteen-tentacled octopus…”

Yan Chengfeng lifted his eyes and silently glanced in Zhen Ning’s direction.

Zhen Ning kept his head lowered, biting into a cookie. A few crumbs clung to his lips. Yan Chengfeng watched as he frowned slightly, pursed his lips, and used the tip of his tongue to gently sweep the crumbs into his mouth.

Yan Chengfeng’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he quickly turned his head away in a panic.

He heard Tao Luo call out to him, “Hey, Yan Kitchen, do you want a cookie?”

“I don’t,” he said stiffly. “Desserts are… are only for elementary school kids.”

Tao Luo: “…I honestly don’t know whether you or Xu Hao is the bigger beast.”

At the word “desserts,” Yan Chengfeng subconsciously glanced at Zhen Ning again. He didn’t know if Zhen Ning was also thinking about that heart-shaped couple donut, but all he knew was that his own thoughts were in complete disarray, even his breathing was out of rhythm.

Something was wrong.

Something about himself… was definitely wrong.

In just a few short days, too many absurd and chaotic things had happened. Before it all, Yan Chengfeng had thought he had it figured out. He assumed it would be like their previous temporary marks—something that could be explained away as “helping each other out.”

He thought that once the rut was over, everything would return to normal.

But now, he was horrified to find that even though the rut had passed, he still couldn’t stop himself from thinking back to those past few days. He would replay the moments, savor them, ponder them, and even… miss them.

Everything had returned to normal, just as Yan Chengfeng had anticipated and hoped for, as if nothing had ever happened. And yet, he couldn’t shake the inexplicable emptiness in his chest.

“Alright, things have been busy lately. After the Spring Split, I’ll come see you… What did I do over the Spring Festival break? Of course, I stayed at the base to train,” Xu Hao said into his phone while absentmindedly munching on a cookie. “This year, I want to focus on competing well. Can’t just leave the base all the time. Be good.”

He hung up and glanced up, momentarily startled to see Yan Chengfeng standing right there. After a beat, he raised his hand. “Yan-ge, want some cookies? I grabbed too many. They’re actually pretty good.”

Yan Chengfeng frowned and waved his hand. After a pause, he said, “I… need to ask you something.”

Xu Hao and Yan Chengfeng were roughly the same age, but since Xu Hao had started competing a year later, he still called Yan Chengfeng “ge.”

Xu Hao was a typical example of most young alpha players: restless and prone to casual relationships. However, he played well and cared about his performance and results, which was why KYM had kept him on the team.

Though they were peers, Xu Hao had far more experience in relationships than Yan Chengfeng.

Yan Chengfeng hated the idea of consulting him, but Tao Luo was useless in such matters, and Xu Minghe, being a Beta, wasn’t an option either. In the end, he had no other viable choice.

Xu Hao was stunned for a moment but nodded. “Sure, ask away.”

Ten minutes later.

Xu Hao’s hand, still holding the cookie, trembled slightly as he sank into thought.

“So… you and an… uh, omega friend of yours?”

Xu Hao hesitated before continuing. “During the Spring Festival, you went into your rut, kissed, and then just hugged and slept next to each other for a few days?”

“Then, after your rut ended, things returned to normal between you, but you feel like you can’t go back to how things were, and now you’re confused about your relationship?” Xu Hao’s expression grew complicated.

Yan Chengfeng: “Yeah.”

Xu Hao let out an “oh.”

“Just confirming, no other meaning.” Xu Hao paused for a moment before asking, looking puzzled, “You really didn’t do it?”

Yan Chengfeng was on the verge of exploding. “…Of course not!”

“I’ve already explained it clearly—it was a mutual agreement to help each other under unavoidable circumstances.” Yan Chengfeng took a deep breath. “Oh, right, back during his heat, I also helped him out a few times with temporary marks. It felt fine then, nothing weird. But now, whenever I see him, there’s this strange, subtle feeling I can’t put into words. It’s just…”

Xu Hao gave another “oh.”

Glancing down at his phone screen, he said, “Here’s the thing, Yan-ge. I don’t think you really have anything to worry about right now.”

Yan Chengfeng: “…Huh?”

“I know you all probably have your criticisms about my love life. But based on my years of experience in relationships, if you and this omega friend of yours were really just fulfilling each other’s needs, there’s no need to overthink it. Just go with the flow.”

“It’s like this omega I’m currently seeing. We’ve been involved for a while now, but we’re not actually in a relationship. After every time, I don’t think too much about it. We part ways on good terms—after all, it’s just about mutual needs.”

Xu Hao pointed at his phone, then chuckled nonchalantly. “Besides, with you two, it only went as far as kissing and hugging… So, it was probably just a moment of confusion during your rut. It’s not a big deal; you don’t need to dwell on it.”

For a brief moment, Yan Chengfeng felt an unexplainable anger at the dismissive tone Xu Hao used when he said “only kissing and hugging.”

What did he mean by “only”?

Yan Chengfeng tried hard to suppress the irritation bubbling inside him and took a deep breath. “But the problem is, I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“…I keep replaying the moments in my head.” His expression was taut. After a pause, he exhaled deeply. “I feel like… I can’t just let it go. Is that normal?”

Xu Hao’s expression became thoughtful.

“Hm, I see.” Xu Hao mulled it over. “Actually, that’s pretty normal. You see, if the other person wasn’t in heat and you weren’t in your rut, that means something else besides biological instincts is affecting you. Which means…”

Yan Chengfeng’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he stared at Xu Hao’s face. “Means what?”

“Oh, it’s not a big deal, really.”

Xu Hao glanced down at his phone, replying to a message while casually saying, “It just means that maybe… you already kind of like this omega.”

---

Author’s note:
Yan Kitchen: !??