Qin Shuhe and Chu Tao were highly efficient. After confirming the number of people joining the trip, they booked two SUVs. When it came time to reserve the hotel, Chu Tao, considering there were two couples in the group, began sorting out the room arrangements in the group chat.
[Xiao Su, are you sharing a room with your boyfriend?]
The Omega tagged in the message replied with a bunny emoji giving a thumbs-up.
Chu Tao continued: [Xiao Qi, are you sharing a room with Sui-ge?]
Shi Qi saw the message and responded without thinking.
17: [We’ll stay separately.]
Chu Tao: [?]
Ss: [?]
…What was Shang Sui sending a question mark for? Was he trying to stir things up just for fun?
Qin Shuhe asked, confused: [Why would they share a room in the first place?]
Chu Tao: [You didn’t know? They’re a couple!]
Qin Shuhe: […Huh?? Wait, who and who???!]
Once realization hit him, he assumed they must have gotten together during that last visit to the art academy.
[Shi Qi! How could you not tell me something this big? I mean, I practically played matchmaker for you two, didn’t I? Man, I’m honestly feeling a bit hurt here!]
[And ge, how could you not tell me either? I thought I was your favorite student!]
Shi Qi’s head spun just reading Qin Shuhe’s barrage of messages. He replied from the heart.
17: [You really are a chatterbox.]
Qin Shuhe: [……]
After thinking for a moment, Shi Qi replied to Chu Tao’s earlier message.
17: [We had a fight.]
Ss: [Yeah, we’re going to be living separately for a bit.]
Shi Qi didn’t even know how to respond to that. Lin Yan, sitting beside him, burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha! Shang Sui is hilarious! Saying it like you two actually used to live together!”
Chu Tao seemed amused as well.
[Alright, alright~ Young couples always have their bumps.]
[I’ll book you two separate rooms then.]
They set off on Friday. Shi Qi checked the weather forecast for Xiaozhong Mountain: it was expected to be bright and sunny during the day, but there might be a heavy storm on Saturday night.
As soon as Qin Shuhe saw him, he started making a scene. “Shi Qi! That day you forcibly took my ge away, I knew you were up to no good—snatching innocent men right off the streets—”
Annoyed, Shi Qi simply played along. “That’s right, I forced him. If he doesn’t obey me, he can forget about surviving in the capital.”
“…R-Really?”
If someone else had said that, it would’ve sounded like a joke. But when Shi Qi said it like a thug, it actually felt kind of believable.
Shi Qi was just about to say “take a guess,” when he opened the car door and saw Shang Sui sitting in the back. His previously lazy expression disappeared.
Qin Shuhe, still caught in a moral dilemma, shouted from behind, “Isn’t that a bit much? I mean, I’ll back you no matter what, but can’t you try a softer approach? Like seducing him or something—”
Shang Sui raised a hand and waved at Shi Qi. A shiny ring at the base of his finger caught Shi Qi’s eye and made his gaze linger.
Snapping back to reality, Shi Qi twitched at the corners of his mouth as Qin Shuhe’s words grew more and more outrageous.
Seducing him? What kind of nonsense was that!
When Shang Sui wasn’t around, Shi Qi could talk nonsense, but the moment he saw him in person, he immediately turned around and quickly changed the subject. “That drama you watched yesterday was super over-the-top. You even memorized the lines.”
As he spoke, he furiously signaled at Qin Shuhe and whispered, “Stop talking! Shang Sui’s in the car.”
Noticing Shang Sui at last, Qin Shuhe changed his tune. “Right! Impressive memory, huh? I just enjoy watching a bit of forced love now and then.”
He mimicked Shi Qi’s hushed tone, half-joking as he sighed dramatically, “You dare to act, but you don’t dare to live with the consequences. Tsk!”
Shi Qi: “……”
The driver helped load their luggage into the trunk. After a moment of hesitation, Shi Qi walked to the back row. By coincidence, he and Shang Sui ended up sitting on opposite sides, with an empty seat between them.
“Why are you sitting so far away?”
Almost as soon as Shang Sui spoke, Qin Shuhe turned around from the front passenger seat, eyes gleaming with curiosity, clearly invested in their relationship.
Shi Qi expressionlessly raised a hand and made a throat-slashing gesture, basically telling him to shut up or he was dead.
Qin Shuhe could only awkwardly turn back around.
“Because we had a fight,” Shi Qi reminded him in a whisper, “we’re keeping some distance for now.”
“Oh, I forgot.” Shang Sui chuckled, lowering his voice to match. “Want me to coax you?”
“…No need.”
Others started getting into the car one by one. Chu Tao was the last to board, and when she spotted the back row, she couldn’t help laughing. “You two are starting your separation already?”
She looked around while speaking. “Is everyone here?”
After receiving confirmation from the group, she used the walkie-talkie to contact Lin Yan in the other car. “We’re good over here, let’s roll!”
Not long after they hit the road, Shi Qi began to feel drowsy.
His sleep schedule had always been a mess, and this time of day made him especially sleepy. It wasn’t long before his eyes started to close.
Whether it was from the car’s heating or something else, a persistent warmth lingered in his body, making him uncomfortable. He furrowed his brow and, in a daze, caught a whiff of something soothing. Instinctively, he leaned toward the source.
Just as he was about to slump over, Shang Sui reached out and cupped Shi Qi’s face with one hand. He quietly shifted closer and guided Shi Qi to lean against him, letting him rest on his shoulder.
Qin Shuhe happened to glance back and saw the two of them leaning intimately against each other. He instantly forgot Shi Qi’s earlier warning. “Ge, Shi Qi said he forced you to be with him. Is that true?”
Shi Qi’s spoiled young master temper hadn’t come out of nowhere. He’d been pampered by the older generation, and Jiang Youning’s own unruly nature only made it worse.
Qin Shuhe still remembered when he’d just started university and once had dinner with Shi Qi’s older sister. They’d talked about dating, and Jiang Youning had casually remarked, “Baby, you can’t end up with an Alpha whose conditions are too good. At the very least, not better than ours. That way, once you’re married, you can bully him all you want. If he pisses you off, just lock him in the house.”
Jiang Youning’s outrageous remark had left Qin Shuhe, a Beta, completely stunned. What made it worse was that Shi Qi, who had just reached adulthood at the time and had an angelic, innocent face, had nodded along in agreement.
So, when Shi Qi had been spouting nonsense just now, there had been a moment when Qin Shuhe almost believed him.
Thinking back, he’d originally assumed that Shang Sui was just like their previous teaching assistant—someone Lao Xie had brought in because he appreciated talent. But over time, it became clear from Shang Sui’s clothes and accessories that he came from a well-off background, and his position at the art academy seemed more like a hobby than a job. On top of that, Shang Sui’s personality didn’t strike him as the type to be easily manipulated.
Qin Shuhe figured Shi Qi had been joking. Still, he found the idea of the two of them dating fascinating and wanted to ask a few more questions.
Chu Tao had been playing on her phone, but when she heard the comment, she let out a hushed scream. “Whoa! Forcing him!”
There was another couple in the car. The Omega excitedly tugged at the Alpha and whispered something about how thrilling it was.
Under the curious gazes of everyone around them, Shang Sui responded in a light, unserious tone, “So you were the one who forced me, Xiao Qi?”
Shi Qi seemed annoyed by the noise and unhappily nestled into the crook of Shang Sui’s neck, clearly unwilling to answer.
Feeling the soft strands of hair brushing against his skin, Shang Sui reached out and gently covered Shi Qi’s ears. “Be good. Sleep.”
After that, he looked up at Qin Shuhe.
“What do you think?”
Qin Shuhe made a motion like zipping his lips shut.
Got it. Loud and clear.
Just from that one glance, it was obvious that nobody could bully his ge.
The car drove for more than three hours before finally arriving at the hot spring hotel nestled in the snowy mountains.
Shi Qi woke up feeling refreshed and got out of the car to wait for his luggage. Shang Sui followed behind, raising a hand to stretch his shoulder, which had nearly gone numb.
Realizing he had unknowingly used Shang Sui as a pillow for so long, Shi Qi felt a bit embarrassed. “Does it hurt?”
“It’s fine. It’ll pass in a bit,” Shang Sui replied naturally. “As long as you don’t give me the cold shoulder.”
Shi Qi froze for a second. When he noticed Chu Tao watching them with a doting expression, he finally realized that Shang Sui was still playing along with their pretend lovers’ quarrel.
Shi Qi opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.
“Why so quiet?” Shang Sui grinned, eyes gleaming mischievously. “Did you sleep yourself silly, baby?”
This time, not just Chu Tao, even Qin Shuhe let out a whistle.
Holy shit…!
What did Shang Sui just call him?!
Shi Qi’s eyes widened in utter shock.
Flustered, he instinctively raised his voice. “Who’s your baby? Why are you calling me something so intimate!”
Without waiting to see how anyone reacted, he snatched his luggage from the driver with a rushed “thanks” and walked off. Honestly, it looked exactly like he was fleeing in panic.
Qin Shuhe couldn’t bear to watch. Shi Qi actually had the nerve to claim he’d been the one to force Shang Sui? He was lucky Shang Sui wasn’t messing with him.
Worried Shi Qi might get lost on his own, Chu Tao picked up her luggage and chased after him. “Hey, Xiao Qi! Wait up!”
After finally catching up, she suddenly remembered something. “After the competition ended, Gu Cheng quit the club the very next day.”
“…Huh? Oh.”
“You don’t care either, do you? Same here—let him do whatever he wants.”
Chu Tao shrugged. The scene from earlier replayed in her mind, and she couldn’t help but ask, “So how long are you planning to keep fighting with ge? He seems to spoil you a lot. Just look at Xiao Su and his boyfriend. They’re all lovey-dovey. Soaking in the hot spring together, getting all cuddly later… Aiya, Xiao Qi, watch out—!”
Shi Qi, still stuck thinking about what had happened when he got out of the car, wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. Without realizing it, he walked straight into the hotel’s glass door.
Chu Tao jumped at the sudden bump. Luckily, he’d been walking slowly, so it didn’t really hurt.
Under Chu Tao’s concerned gaze, Shi Qi rushed through check-in and darted into his room like he was being chased by a ghost.
Once inside, he leaned against the door for a long moment before slowly regaining his composure.
It’s fine.
He tried to reassure himself.
There are plenty of people who call me “baby”—what does it matter if Shang Sui does too? Besides, isn’t this just acting?
But the heat building inside him only grew more intense. Shi Qi glanced at the mirror and saw the blush on his cheeks spreading all the way down to his neck, his eyes faintly misted with moisture.
…Didn’t look like he was fine at all. How pathetic.
He couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.
Wait.
Shi Qi slowly realized his reaction wasn’t just because of being called “baby.”
He seemed to be going into heat again.
This time, it hit fast and hard, waves of heat surging through his body. While he still had a sliver of clarity, he quickly grabbed his blocker spray and gave himself a dose.
But he hadn’t expected the honey scent to make him even dizzier.
His limbs went weak. Shi Qi opened his suitcase and, after some struggling, finally found the suppressant injection. Just as he was about to use it, he suddenly remembered Lin Yan’s warning.
Because he’d used a special suppressant last time, the regular one wouldn’t be effective for a while.
It was likely a side effect of that special suppressant—it had disrupted his cycle and triggered this sudden heat.
What now?
If this didn’t work, then did he have no choice but to deal with it on his own…
Shi Qi sat dazedly on the floor, shaking his head in an effort to stay conscious.
Should I go find Lin Yan first? Maybe ask which room he’s in… Where did I put my phone?
Just then, someone knocked on the door. “Shi Qi, have you changed yet?”
It was Qin Shuhe.
Chu Tao had mentioned the plan earlier: after arriving at the hotel, everyone would soak in the hot springs, have a few drinks, and grab a late-night snack.
Everyone was probably already in their bathrobes. Not seeing Shi Qi come out, Qin Shuhe had come to check on him.
Since Qin Shuhe was a Beta and wouldn’t be affected by pheromones, Shi Qi felt safe opening the door, thinking he could just ask him to lead the way.
But as soon as the door swung open, Shi Qi stumbled forward and almost lost his balance.
Qin Shuhe froze for a moment, then quickly reached out to steady him. Seeing the unusual flush on Shi Qi’s face, he asked hesitantly, “Are you…?”
“Take me to Lin Yan.”
Still acting like you’re fighting, huh? Qin Shuhe thought to himself. What kind of Omega in heat wouldn’t go to their Alpha?
And judging by how they acted in the car, Shi Qi and Shang Sui clearly got along well.
Thinking this might be the perfect opportunity to help them patch things up, Qin Shuhe made a quick decision and steered Shi Qi toward Shang Sui’s room instead.
Maybe this unexpected heat would bring them back together?
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He even praised himself for being such a thoughtful friend.
Through the haze, Shi Qi sensed Qin Shuhe stop in front of a door and knock.
The Alpha who opened it was wearing a bathrobe, its low neckline revealing a wide stretch of skin across his chest. His defined muscles disappeared into the shadows of the robe, radiating the explosive strength unique to men.
Qin Shuhe said something to him, and Shang Sui looked past him to the dazed Shi Qi, who stared blankly back.
Even though part of the tattoo was still hidden beneath the robe, it was the first time Shi Qi got a proper look at the ink on Shang Sui’s collarbone.
So it wasn’t a flower.
The main shape was made up of flowing, petal-like lines, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be several butterflies, strung together by fine, dissolving threads—beautiful and fragile.
Shi Qi found himself entranced by the delicate design near Shang Sui’s collarbone. After a long pause, he suddenly snapped back to reality.
Wait a second, why is this Shang Sui’s room?
As if reading his mind, Shang Sui smiled. “Why’d he bring you to me?”
He leisurely looked him up and down. Under the lighting, his light brown eyes shimmered, like those of a greedy beast on the hunt.
Shi Qi jolted and fully woke up.
That idiot Qin Shuhe still couldn’t tell Lin Yan and Shang Sui apart!
Shi Qi tried to turn around and call out to the retreating Qin Shuhe, but someone suddenly covered his mouth, cutting off even the smallest sound.
Mmph… it smells so good…
With his mouth and nose covered, Shi Qi felt like he’d been drugged. Enveloped by the sweet pheromones, he quickly sank back into a dazed state.
“You smell almost just like me.”
Shang Sui caught the scent of the blocker spray and grasped Shi Qi’s slender wrist, pulling him into his arms.
There was a barely contained excitement in his voice as he carried Shi Qi inside, like dragging prey that had dared to escape back into his den.
“Where else were you planning to go?”
Author’s note:
Thanks to Qin Shuhe for delivering Xiao Qi. A true friend who made a great contribution.
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