After the interview, the group took a bus back to the base.
Yan Chengfeng had “casually” managed to display Zhen Ning’s handwritten interview draft in front of Tao Luo. Tao Luo found his sudden competitiveness baffling.
However, the competitive nature among alphas knew no bounds. After grumbling for a while, Tao Luo retorted sarcastically, “You didn’t secretly write your New Year’s greetings in advance this year but had Zhen Ning do it for you. Isn’t it just because your education isn’t up to par?”
Yan Chengfeng didn’t get upset.
“Let’s not talk about me.”
He glanced casually at the paper in Tao Luo’s hand and recited her original line: “Hope everyone eats so well in the Year of the Tiger that they grow huge and bulky… Calling you a cultural desert is an insult to deserts. After all, deserts at least have oases, whereas your brain has dried up so completely that not even a single drop of water remains.”
Tao Luo was so enraged that she tried to scratch his face, and Xu Minghe had to step in to separate them.
Feeling pleased, Yan Chengfeng boarded the bus.
Once on board, he noticed Zhen Ning sitting at the very back, eyes closed, seemingly asleep.
Zhen Ning looked tired. After a moment of hesitation, and after ensuring no one was paying attention, Yan Chengfeng quietly sat next to him.
As the bus started moving, Zhen Ning’s body swayed slightly, his shoulder occasionally brushing against Yan Chengfeng’s arm.
Yan Chengfeng tensed up but pretended to nonchalantly look out the window. After a while, he couldn’t resist turning back to gaze at Zhen Ning’s face.
How could he sleep so soundly?
Then again, omegas tended to have slightly less stamina… Plus, he didn’t eat much, and being so thin, it was no wonder his body and strength were lacking.
Yan Chengfeng frowned.
Three years of eating American steak hadn’t provided any real nutritional benefits. He snorted internally, then felt an odd sense of discomfort.
After they returned, maybe he should take Zhen Ning to some of the restaurants near the base that had opened in recent years. He should show him all the good things he had missed out on.
Yes, that seemed like a good idea. Yan Chengfeng was quite satisfied with his plan.
Staring at Zhen Ning’s sleeping face, Yan Chengfeng’s mind churned throughout the entire journey. It wasn’t until the bus reached the base and braked that Zhen Ning slowly opened his eyes.
Yan Chengfeng was startled and quickly averted his gaze, pretending he had been looking out the window the entire time. He stood up as if ready to get off the bus.
Then he heard Zhen Ning softly say, “Wait a moment.”
Yan Chengfeng paused and turned around.
–
When they entered a stall in the restroom, their breaths were both slightly ragged.
The restroom wasn’t the most appropriate place.
But since they had returned to the base with everyone else, walking together to one of their dorms immediately would have seemed too suspicious.
“Didn’t you say before the interview that you’d only need a temporary mark tomorrow or the day after?” Yan Chengfeng’s breathing grew heavier. “Why now…?”
Zhen Ning didn’t reply.
He simply bowed his head and began unbuttoning his shirt, revealing his chest and delicate collarbones.
Just watching Zhen Ning’s movements made Yan Chengfeng’s throat feel dry and itchy. He looked away, his face inexplicably hot.
Seriously…
“There were more people during the interview,” Zhen Ning explained softly. “I felt like my pheromones were a bit unstable, so I thought it would be safer to replenish sooner.”
He looked into Yan Chengfeng’s eyes and asked, “Is that okay?”
Yan Chengfeng froze briefly before replying hoarsely, “…Okay.”
Zhen Ning nodded and continued unbuttoning his shirt, pulling the collar slightly apart.
What exactly was his relationship with Zhen Ning now? Yan Chengfeng couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander.
They weren’t a couple, yet they were about to engage in an intimacy reserved for couples. But they weren’t just teammates or friends, either. So… what were they?
Yan Chengfeng’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Temporary partners, helping each other for the sake of the future, for competitions—those words had been rolling around in his mind endlessly.
He watched as Zhen Ning tilted his head slightly and peeled off the suppressant patch from the back of his neck. With his glands exposed, a faint sweet scent of pheromones began to permeate the small space.
Then Zhen Ning seemed to hesitate briefly before asking, “Could you bite more gently this time? Last time… it hurt a bit.”
Yan Chengfeng: “…?”
He realized that Zhen Ning had clearly noticed his clumsiness during the first marking. A wave of embarrassment and frustration washed over him, leaving him flustered and at a loss.
After a brief pause, Yan Chengfeng’s face tensed as he stiffly muttered, “W-why are you so troublesome?”
Zhen Ning quietly stared into his eyes.
Yan Chengfeng irritably turned his face away, took a deep breath, and after a while, mumbled, “I’ll try.”
Zhen Ning nodded, turning his face away to indicate that Yan Chengfeng could begin.
Yan Chengfeng hesitated for a moment before placing one hand on Zhen Ning’s shoulder and using the other to pull aside his collar. He took a deep breath and tentatively leaned in.
Yan Chengfeng was simply clumsy.
Since Zhen Ning had just mentioned that it might hurt, he hesitated for a long time, not daring to bite. In the end, his lips accidentally brushed against the back of Zhen Ning’s neck.
He heard a soft gasp from Zhen Ning.
It was almost imperceptible, yet it landed clearly in Yan Chengfeng’s heart, making it skip a beat.
It was… very much like a gentle kiss on Zhen Ning’s glands.
He heard Zhen Ning grit his teeth and say, “You—”
Yan Chengfeng panicked. “Hey, you… don’t rush me. Let me get a feel for it first. Don’t rush.”
Zhen Ning turned his face away again, panting, and said nothing more.
Yan Chengfeng gripped his shoulder, took another deep breath, and leaned down once more.
Normally, he was a bold and carefree alpha, but for the first time, he was doing something so meticulously and cautiously.
After a moment’s hesitation, Yan Chengfeng finally bit down gently, embedding his teeth into the soft gland at the back of Zhen Ning’s neck.
Their pheromones merged instantly, and Zhen Ning’s body went slack.
The marking process took some time, and Yan Chengfeng noticed Zhen Ning struggling to stand. He supported his waist, helping him stay upright.
In their youth, they had been close, casually draping their arms around each other at the base.
Neither of them could have imagined that years later, in the same place, Yan Chengfeng would be holding Zhen Ning in such an intimate embrace, leaving behind a heated, ambiguous mark.
Their bodies pressed together, their breaths intermingled, their heartbeats erratic.
Yan Chengfeng finally lifted his head, his breathing uneven. He looked at Zhen Ning and found him gazing back.
Zhen Ning’s eyes were slightly red, glistening under the dim light as he silently watched him.
Yan Chengfeng’s heart skipped a beat.
“What’s wrong?” He felt inexplicably flustered, his voice tinged with frustration and urgency. “I-I really tried to be gentle. Does it still hurt? Next time, I’ll—”
He saw Zhen Ning shake his head.
“I can’t stand properly right now.” Zhen Ning’s breathing was light, and he avoided looking directly into Yan Chengfeng’s eyes. “Can you… not let go just yet?”
Yan Chengfeng stared blankly at his face. “Oh. Okay.”
So he continued supporting Zhen Ning’s waist, and the two of them remained in their embrace, neither saying another word.
Yan Chengfeng felt Zhen Ning’s chin rest on his shoulder, his breathing gradually steadying.
However, Yan Chengfeng’s own heartbeat suddenly felt out of sync.
Wait, why… why are we hugging?
But hadn’t they also held each other while sleeping in bed before?
Last time, he had been too panicked to notice. But now it hit him—how could someone feel this soft in his arms? Like cotton, as if holding on too tightly would make him melt, but holding too loosely would let him slip right through his grasp.
His arms gradually stiffened, and his thoughts scattered in all directions.
Then, out of nowhere, he heard Zhen Ning’s voice in his ear. “Are you… going home for the Spring Festival?”
Yan Chengfeng was stunned for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden shift to such an unrelated topic.
“I’ll probably visit my parents for a day or two,” he answered honestly after thinking about it. “But they might be traveling, so I’m not sure yet.”
He hesitated before asking, “Why?”
Zhen Ning didn’t respond for a long time.
A moment later, Yan Chengfeng felt him straighten up and slip out of his arms.
“…It’s nothing.” Zhen Ning lowered his gaze, slowly buttoning up his shirt. After a brief pause, he added, “Just asking.”
Yan Chengfeng replied with a blank, “Oh.”
“I’m heading to training.” Zhen Ning averted his eyes, his usual composed demeanor settling back into place. He glanced at Yan Chengfeng and murmured, “Thank you.”
Yan Chengfeng: “…Huh?”
He stared blankly as Zhen Ning walked out of the restroom.
“So you just use me and leave, huh?” He gritted his teeth, glaring at Zhen Ning’s retreating figure. “You really—”
An inexplicable frustration bubbled up inside him. He suddenly felt like a free suppressant—one that was always on call.
But after thinking about it for a moment, he couldn’t deny that there was also a strange sense of satisfaction. After all, marking someone played right into an alpha’s pride and possessiveness.
It felt like… a subtle connection had formed between him and Zhen Ning. And as long as that connection remained, Yan Chengfeng felt an odd sense of reassurance.
Even though his pheromone scent would eventually be masked by a suppressant patch, at this moment, he couldn’t deny the deep sense of satisfaction and comfort.
But as he replayed Zhen Ning’s words in his mind, something felt off. Or maybe, from the moment on the bus to the marking just now, Zhen Ning had been acting strangely.
Zhen Ning had hidden it well, but Yan Chengfeng’s instincts told him—something was definitely not right.
Requesting a temporary mark in advance, asking to be held a little longer afterward, and then those words just now…
Was it just his imagination, or was Zhen Ning… clinging to him a little today?
And that casual “just asking”—that didn’t sound like him at all.
Because in Zhen Ning’s vocabulary, words like “just” or anything vague and ambiguous were rare. Every decision he made and every word he spoke resulted from countless careful analyses in his mind, leading to a precise and absolute answer.
A thought suddenly crossed Yan Chengfeng’s mind.
No way, right?
It was ridiculous—completely absurd. There was no way. And yet—
His eyes widened.
No matter the reason, was there even the slightest chance—no matter how small, even just one in ten thousand—
That Zhen Ning had asked about his holiday plans and then left in such an unusual state…
Because he wanted to spend the Spring Festival with him?
Author’s note:
Xiao Ning: In a bad mood. I should cuddle with the fool more.
Yan Kitchen (stiffly) (brain in overdrive): I-I-I-Is he feeling unwell? Did it hurt when I bit him? Or is he unhappy with the mark?
Five minutes later, Yan Kitchen (smugly) (sudden realization): So he just wants to celebrate the Spring Festival with me!
