Lu Ziqing: “It’s not what you think.”
Lin Yu looked at him, then at his poor, mistreated sweater: “What do you think I’m thinking?”
Lu Ziqing: “I know it looks bad, but it’s really not what you think. I woke up this afternoon feeling unwell, my glands were hurting, and I thought about finding something to distract myself. I just happened to see your sweater. I really didn’t do anything to it, I just picked it up and kneaded it a bit, and then it slipped onto my legs when you happened to walk in…”
The more he explained, the worse it got.
Lin Yu stared at the floor, saying nothing.
Lu Ziqing had been trying to explain himself, but realizing that the more he spoke, the messier it became, he shut his mouth.
He attempted to persuade Lin Yu with his sincere gaze. “Do you believe me? I’m not the kind of person who would do something so disgraceful.”
He hoped Lin Yu would react—whether it was anger or questioning—anything that might offer a chance to clear things up.
However, Lin Yu avoided his gaze, quickly turning away. “I… I’ll go make dinner.”
It’s over.
Watching Lin Yu’s hurried escape, Lu Ziqing felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his heart, chilling him to the core.
Lin Yu’s reaction made it clear—he truly believed Lu Ziqing had done something inappropriate with his sweater.
To think that the great Young Master Lu, with his lifelong reputation, would be ruined by a mere sweater.
Who could he blame?
Blame the low floor of their apartment, blame the security door and burglar bars that prevented him from immediately jumping out the window to prove his innocence.
….
Lin Yu closed the kitchen door tightly and turned around.
Though his face maintained a facade of calm, his complexion alternated between red and white.
He stood there awkwardly for a while, then squatted down and quietly opened his phone’s search bar.
After a moment of hesitation, he typed: “Why would an alpha touch an omega’s clothes?”
He didn’t dare to describe it too explicitly.
It was too terrifying.
What had just happened—Lu Ziqing might have the nerve to do it, but Lin Yu didn’t even have the nerve to talk about it.
A flood of related web pages popped up on his screen.
“When an alpha touches an omega’s clothing, it means the omega holds a fatal attraction for them. Under the influence of pheromones, the alpha becomes deeply entangled, unable to control themselves.”
“If an alpha touches an omega’s clothes, it signifies highly compatible pheromones—a match made in heaven, perfect for early marriage and a lifetime together.”
“If an alpha touches an omega’s clothes, it proves the alpha is not a beta, and the omega isn’t a beta either. It simply indicates they are normal alpha and omega with natural alpha and omega needs.”
…
What kind of nonsense was this?
Apart from stating that the alpha likes the omega, the rest were just illogical, rambling words.
Lin Yu scrolled through a few more pages, frowning. He felt the editors who wrote these useless articles should all be fired.
The idea that Lu Ziqing liked him was obviously impossible.
Then there had to be another reason.
After thinking for a bit, Lin Yu opened his frequently-used academic paper site.
He entered three keywords into the search bar: “alpha,” “clothes,” “omega.”
The research papers that appeared were finally more reliable than the search engine results.
A somewhat unfamiliar yet vaguely remembered term resurfaced in his mind—“nesting phase.”
Lin Yu recalled it.
Back in middle school, during a health education class, their young female teacher with short hair and overalls had mentioned it.
On the 2nd to 4th days of the susceptibility period, a mature alpha might enter a nesting phase. During this time, alphas could experience insecurity, exhibiting behavior similar to birds building nests—gathering omega’s clothing around them to soothe their inner anxiety and restlessness.
The scent left by an omega on their clothes could make an alpha feel secure, as if the beloved omega were right by their side.
After reading five or six papers, Lin Yu’s furrowed brow gradually relaxed.
So that’s what it was.
He had been overthinking.
This was just normal alpha behavior.
He had simply been single for too long, having forgotten all this biological knowledge.
Though he still found it difficult to accept what Lu Ziqing had done to his sweater, from a scientific perspective, Lu Ziqing was merely going through a nesting phase, unable to control his actions.
It wasn’t perverted, nor was it deviant.
He was just… a normal alpha with natural needs.
Though the problem seemed to be resolved, Lin Yu still didn’t know how to face Lu Ziqing going forward.
It felt odd to straightforwardly tell Lu Ziqing, “It’s fine, the sweater is yours now.”
…
Half an hour later, the two sat at the dining table eating dinner, maintaining a silent, mutual understanding.
Neither brought up the earlier incident.
When one picked up greens, the other took chicken.
When one focused on eating, the other quietly scooped soup.
They seemed to be playing some sort of eerie, rule-bound game.
After dinner, Lin Yu put down his chopsticks, stared at the table, and took the initiative to speak. “I’ll stay somewhere else tonight.”
Lu Ziqing looked up. “So sudden?”
Lin Yu carefully chose his words. “Well, I just thought… Since you’re in your susceptibility period, you might need some space, so I’ll stay elsewhere for a few days and come back when it’s over.”
Lu Ziqing: “I have a bedroom and a study. That’s more than enough. You don’t need to move out.”
Lin Yu had never seen someone so ungrateful.
He was offering to give him space, wasn’t that to save his dignity?
Lin Yu hinted, “I’m just trying to make things easier for you.”
Lu Ziqing: “…What do you mean?”
Lin Yu: “…”
Did he really have to spell it out?
Lin Yu had no choice but to say, “You can keep my sweater. If it’s not enough, I’ve got more in my wardrobe—shirts, thermals, pants, jackets. Take whatever you need.”
“I understand. You’re struggling to control your behavior right now, and that’s perfectly normal. You don’t need to feel embarrassed. I’ve already said I’ll help you within my capacity. Whatever you need to do at home, I won’t interfere.”
“But please do me a favor and leave me at least one clean set of clothes. Otherwise, I won’t have anything to wear to work tomorrow.”
Lin Yu spoke with absolute sincerity and earnestness.
He wasn’t too familiar with how capable alphas were—would Lu Ziqing really end up messing up all his clothes? If that happened, it could seriously affect his work.
Lu Ziqing, who had originally felt a bit awkward and embarrassed, now had a completely twisted expression.
He gritted his teeth slightly and said, “You’re really considerate, aren’t you? Should I be thanking you for this?”
“That’s not necessary,” Lin Yu smiled shyly. “I’ve taken your money, so it’s my duty to resolve your troubles.”
In his heart, he silently kowtowed three times to his wardrobe.
Sorry, my business-elite exclusive deep green collared polo shirt.
Sorry, my long-standing black pure cotton thermal and antibacterial long johns.
Sorry, my handsome and stylish gray long double-breasted trench coat.
And also the long-sleeved T-shirts, short-sleeved T-shirts, striped shirts, cargo pants, sweatpants, casual pants, and those five-yuan-a-piece wholesale summer underwear…
Lu Ziqing was so angry that he laughed in frustration, “So you’ve already decided that I’m going to do something inappropriate to your clothes? Well, let me tell you, this is far from enough. What I want is more than just this. What are you going to do about it?”
Lin Yu didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”
Lu Ziqing ignored him and went back to his room, fuming.
Lin Yu sat by the table for a while and had no choice but to secretly search on his phone, carefully pondering where he might not have done well enough.
After researching for a long time, he finally figured it out.
The article said that alphas can also be very vulnerable sometimes. Just holding onto an omega’s clothes is not enough—they also need the omega’s thoughtful care and affection to feel a full sense of security and satisfaction.
So, was it because he hadn’t been considerate enough?
Lin Yu had a sudden realization.
This was indeed where he hadn’t done well enough.
Since moving in, they had treated each other with respect. While it seemed like he had fulfilled his duties, his actions did lack a bit of human warmth and care.
After all, Lu Ziqing was a pampered young master and a few years younger than him. It was only right for him to take extra care.
Lin Yu thought for a moment, then dashed back to his room, carefully folded his prettiest and softest clothes, and packed them neatly into a big bag, as if wrapping a precious birthday gift.
After packing, he mustered up his courage and knocked on Lu Ziqing’s bedroom door.
Lu Ziqing’s tone sounded quite unfriendly. “Say what you need to. I’m going to sleep.”
Lin Yu: “Well, could you open the door, please? I need to talk to you face-to-face.”
After a bit of hesitation, Lu Ziqing grudgingly came to open the door, looking quite annoyed.
Lin Yu struggled to lift his elbow, holding the big bag of clothes in front of him, and gave a bright smile. “These are all for you. They’re all my favorite clothes.”
After speaking, he lowered his head a little, slightly embarrassed. His dimples appeared as he whispered, “Please… I’m doing this willingly.”
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Author’s Note
The sweet, gentle little bunny just delivered himself to the door ←_←
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So cute 🥰🥰🥰🥺
Omg 😂🤣🤣