The breathing inside the bed curtains grew heavier and more chaotic. Before Luo Congye could even react, that hand had already slid inside and pressed flat against his lower abdomen.
Luo Congye groaned through gritted teeth. Propping himself up from on top of Bai Heting, he planted his hands on either side of the man’s body but made no further move.
Bai Heting looked up at him.
Luo Congye’s expression was solemn, his brow tightly furrowed, and the sharp lines of his jaw were taut as he panted with rigid restraint.
He truly did look like he was in immense agony.
Yet, the thing held in Bai Heting’s hand was unmistakably rock-hard.
The vivid memories in his mind were instantly triggered by those pulsing veins, and Bai Heting’s body slowly began to warm, heat spreading through him.
He urged, “Hurry up and take them off.”
Luo Congye let out a soft sigh.
He stripped off his clothes obediently, then pushed Bai Heting’s nightrobe up to his waist. Two long, jade-smooth legs instinctively bent upward.
Luo Congye sighed once more.
“General,” he murmured before leaning down to press a kiss to Bai Heting’s lips, speaking with absolute sincerity, “I missed you terribly.”
Bai Heting immediately questioned him, “Then why didn’t you come to welcome me back to the mansion?”
“This evening…” Luo Congye didn’t dare look him straight in the eye, answering vaguely, “I was busy.”
Bai Heting was highly dissatisfied with this answer. “What could possibly be more important than welcoming me back?”
Luo Congye’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.
He was lying; nothing was more important than welcoming the general.
But his true answer was something he could never voice.
A seed named Greed had fallen into his heart on that rainy night, and before he knew it, it had taken root and sprouted.
He was nearly suffocating from the tight grip of those wildly growing, powerful roots.
He knew very well that even if Bai Heting didn’t reject physical intimacy, a person of his status had no right to covet him.
Even if it wasn’t the crown prince, it would have to be a duke to match Bai Heting’s standing.
Meanwhile, he was just an illegitimate son, as cheap as common weeds.
“At least…” He brushed his nose against Bai Heting’s burning cheek, whispering to him, “Let me stay by your side forever.”
Bai Heting stopped his movements and asked earnestly, “And that way, you won’t be in agony anymore?”
How could that be?
Luo Congye nodded gently. “Yes. Only when you are right before my eyes can my heart truly be at peace.”
Bai Heting found himself utterly unable to comprehend this contradictory reasoning.
One moment he said being together caused him nothing but agony, and the next he claimed he wanted to stay by his side.
More importantly, leaving the son of Pei Ming right under his own nose without paying him any attention was the absolute best cover for his sensitive identity.
Seeing him hesitate, Luo Congye pressed again, “Is that a yes?”
Bai Heting met his gaze, then slowly raised his hand, using his thumb to press against the young man’s furrowed brow to smooth it out.
However, he had already grown so big now.
No one would remember an inconsequential illegitimate son who had narrowly escaped a disaster more than a decade ago.
“I agree,” Bai Heting conceded. “Tomorrow, I will have Qiu Chen brief you on what you need to look out for.” His hand slid downward, tracing over the high bridge of Luo Congye’s nose, until it finally came to rest against those downturned lips. He urged again, “Stop dragging your feet.”
He thought he saw the corners of those lips turn up a fraction, but before he could get a clear look, his hand was suddenly pulled away as Luo Congye’s face plunged down.
Bai Heting felt as though his mouth were being actively plundered.
And Luo Congye was indeed plundering his mouth.
He vented all of his frustration and unwillingness into this single kiss, forcefully sucking at Bai Heting’s tongue. Bai Heting instantly let out a muffled whimper with his arms locking tightly around the young man’s neck.
Bai Heting had done this sort of thing with him many times before, but this time was different. This time was not a physiological obligation, nor was he being driven by pure desire; instead, he was the one in control of the desire.
The realization that he could master his own body left him exceptionally stimulated.
Unable to endure it any longer, Luo Congye pried his legs open and drove in with a heavy thrust of his hips.
“Ah—” Bai Heting’s head snapped back instantly, his nails scoring several blood-streaked red marks across the young man’s back.
He had rarely entered so recklessly, and the sheer pain made Bai Heting’s entire body lock up in tension.
The crushing weight of the tequila pheromones grew even heavier than before. For the first time in a state of complete sobriety, Bai Heting came to a sharp realization—no matter how obedient and loyal this person appeared on the surface, at the end of the day, he was still an Alpha who could bare his fangs at him at any unknown moment.
He mumbled a few indistinct words. Luo Congye parted his lips slightly, giving him a bit of space to breathe.
Bai Heting weakly spat out two words, “You bastard.”
Having taken the general’s abuse, Luo Congye merely hummed an “mm” in response before leaning down to kiss him once again.
……
Bai Heting felt as though he had drowned in hot sweat, only recovering his senses after a long while. Yet the object pressed against the root of his thigh showed no sign of softening, giving an eager, testing nudge once more.
“No more,” Bai Heting shrank his waist to dodge it, his voice hoarse beyond recognition. “I still have an audience with His Majesty… tomorrow morning”
Hearing these words, the thing pressed against his rear indeed stopped moving.
Luo Congye rolled off him, lay on his back beside him for a brief moment, then pushed himself upright and sat up on the bed.
The moment his feet touched the floor, Bai Heting asked again, “Where are you going?”
Luo Congye looked back at him in bewilderment. “To fetch some water for you.”
“I’m not washing, I’m tired.” Bai Heting remained sprawled on the bed while saying with his eyes closed, “Give me your pheromones. Wait until I fall asleep before you leave.”
Luo Congye let out another sigh.
While Bai Heting gave a soft snort.
This kid had been sighing the entire night. How could he have so many worries at such a young age?
He tapped the spot beside him with a finger to gesture for Luo Congye to lie back down.
Luo Congye sat back down on the bed, picked up the nightrobe that had been discarded to the side, and, while wiping him down, carefully checked his body once more. Only after confirming that no new wounds had appeared did he lie back down beside Bai Heting, drawing the man into his arms and gently tracing the old scar on his right shoulder.
“It tickles.” Bai Heting twitched his shoulder and buried his face into the young man’s chest, rubbing against it.
Luo Congye looked down at him.
If he truly had to choose a side, then there was only one option available to him.
It is to stand in front of this person.
“You said before that you would never marry in this lifetime,” Luo Congye asked in a low voice. “Is it true?”
Bai Heting hadn’t slept well while in the south, and now, enveloped by the gentle Alpha pheromones, he was already too drowsy to know which way was up, letting out a hazy, muffled “mm.”
But Luo Congye didn’t feel sleepy at all. He kept his eyes wide and clear, remaining quiet for a very long time.
“Then let it always be like this… let me stay by your side.” He rested his chin against the top of Bai Heting’s head while whispering softly, “My pheromones will only ever be for you to smell.”
The breathing of the person in his arms was steady, giving no further response.
