PTBC chapter 23

The moment the words left Ling Du’s mouth, the temperature in the courtyard seemed to drop a few degrees.

A breeze blew by, leaving the corridor silent. The smile on Xu Cong’s face vanished entirely, and he stood there, wordlessly staring at Ling Du.

Xu Cong’s naturally cold demeanor now resembled an icy peak on a high mountain. Without saying anything, his tall stature alone carried a great sense of intimidation.

Resting one hand on the back of his chair, Xu Cong lowered his gaze slightly, looking at Ling Du. “What are you trying to say?”

His tone was so cold it could have frozen the air.

Ling Du had no doubt that if it weren’t for his relationship with Xu Linzhou, Xu Cong’s hostility would have been much more overt. As things stood, Xu Cong looked ready to pounce like a lion on the verge of attack.

“I didn’t mean anything,” Ling Du said with a helpless smile, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I just wanted to remind you that if you don’t want people to notice, you’d better be more subtle.”

Xu Cong’s eyelashes flickered. In the faint light of the corridor, shadows danced along the contours of his face.

He didn’t respond to Ling Du right away but stared at him in silence for a long moment before finally asking, “Is it that obvious?”

Ling Du thought for a moment. “At least, it’s obvious to me. Maybe because I used to look at someone with the same kind of restrained gaze, so I recognized it. After a few days of recording the show, it’s clear your attention is almost always on Xia Yan.”

“When Xia Yan’s focus shifts away from you, you get a little anxious, though you hide it well.”

He smiled at Xu Cong. “But don’t worry, I won’t tell Xia Yan. This is just my personal observation, perhaps a bit of drunken rambling. You don’t have to take it seriously.”

Xu Cong said nothing.

After locking eyes with Ling Du for a few seconds, the tension in his demeanor gradually eased.

“I thought I’d hidden it well,” Xu Cong admitted.

Ling Du laughed again. “You did, more or less. After all, you’re both Alphas and best friends. Most people wouldn’t think in that direction. But when you’re too fond of someone, your eyes naturally follow them. Anyone paying attention will notice.”

Noticing that Xu Cong seemed less guarded now, Ling Du grew curious.

“That secret crush you mentioned at dinner earlier—was it Xia Yan?”

Xu Cong couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

The person who ought to notice remained oblivious, while unrelated outsiders were startlingly perceptive.

But now that things had reached this point—and considering Ling Du was effectively his cousin-in-law—Xu Cong decided not to deny it. “Yes. I realized I liked him when I was eighteen, and it’s been that way ever since.”

“That’s a long time,” Ling Du remarked softly.

Looking out at the dimly lit courtyard, Ling Du recalled the way Xu Cong had gently tended to Xia Yan’s injured hand earlier. Curious, he asked, “Have you ever thought about telling him?”

Xu Cong gave him a strange look. “How could I? He has no idea, and he doesn’t even like Alphas. If I confess now, I’ll only ruin what we have.”

As the words left his mouth, a faint wave of restlessness stirred within Xu Cong.

Ling Du’s expression, however, grew even more strange. “So, are you planning to remain as Xia Yan’s good friend forever? Even if Xia Yan ends up liking someone else and being with them, can you bear that?”

Xu Cong froze.

The answer was, of course, no.

In truth, just imagining that scenario felt like his heart was being scorched by flames.

Ling Du could tell what Xu Cong was thinking simply by observing his expression. He sighed knowingly.

Under the faint light, Xu Cong’s profile bore a vague resemblance to Xu Linzhou’s, particularly to Xu Linzhou in his early twenties.

This resemblance unintentionally loosened Ling Du’s tongue.

“Then what’s the point of holding back?” he said softly. “If you hold back, there are only two possible outcomes: either you stop loving Xia Yan, or Xia Yan falls for someone else. If you can’t handle it, you’ll tear everything apart in frustration. Since that’s the case, Xia Yan will eventually learn of your feelings. So, what difference does it make whether it happens sooner or later?”

What difference does it make?

Xu Cong asked himself the same question.

Yet, under the veil of night, he curled his lips into a faint smile.

“The difference is, I can stay by his side a little longer. If he finds out a day later, I can spend one more day with him under the guise of being his friend.”

He knew all too well that he was never someone Xia Yan would consider romantically.

Xia Yan was that kind of steadfast person. Once he defined someone as a friend, he wouldn’t entertain any other notions.

For them, it was a dead end.

Xu Cong noticed the shock on Ling Du’s face.

He mocked himself internally, thinking about how his face had always exuded a cold and indifferent aura. In fan polls ranking the entertainment industry’s most emotionally detached men, his name was a constant feature.

Saying something like this likely shattered that image entirely.

“But you’re right,” Xu Cong said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Xia Yan and I are heading toward an inevitable falling-out.”

People’s endurance has limits.

He was becoming increasingly aware of this.

….

Ten minutes later, Xu Cong appeared in the late-night dining area, packing a serving of sweet tofu pudding to bring back to Xia Yan.

When they parted ways earlier, Ling Du had apologized.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have meddled in your business. It’s just that sometimes, the way you look at Xia Yan reminds me of how Xu Linzhou used to look at me. You know, you two even resemble each other a bit. I couldn’t help but interfere.

“I’m flying out tonight, so I won’t be able to say goodbye properly. Next time, you can bring Xia Yan to visit my place.”

Xu Cong shook his head, signaling it was fine.

But as he carried the tofu pudding back, he thought about Ling Du’s tone and expression when he mentioned Xu Linzhou. That unguarded softness washed away much of his previous prejudice against Ling Du.

He thought to himself that Xu Linzhou, despite all the detours and wasted years in his love life, ultimately had decent luck in the end.

Xu Cong reached the room he shared with Xia Yan and pushed the door open. Xia Yan had already showered and was lying on the bed.

With his hair still half-damp and wearing a black bathrobe, he was lazily swinging his long legs. Upon seeing Xu Cong, he turned his head and grinned. “You’re so slow.”

“Yeah, I ran into Ling Du outside and got held up for a bit.” Xu Cong sat on the edge of the bed and handed Xia Yan the pudding.

Xia Yan looked surprised. “Ling Du? What did you two talk about?”

Among the six show participants, Xu Cong and Ling Du weren’t exactly close.

Xu Cong hesitated for a moment. Considering Ling Du’s wishes, he chose not to be entirely truthful. “Nothing much. He just said he’s flying out tonight and might not get to say goodbye. He invited you over to his place sometime.”

That was, indeed, what Ling Du had said.

“Really?”

Xia Yan’s eyes lit up, though a hint of embarrassment followed. “Ling-ge is so polite.”

Xu Cong handed Xia Yan a spoon.

Without hesitation, Xia Yan scooped a bite. These few days on the island had been akin to dieting, so he wasn’t too strict about his calorie intake.

But as he sniffed the air around Xu Cong, his sharp senses picked up on something.

“Why do you smell like smoke? Did you smoke?”

Xu Cong raised an eyebrow.

He had indeed smoked earlier, behind the rock garden before running into Ling Du. However, he had quickly put it out. He hadn’t expected Xia Yan to notice hours later.

Still, his expression remained neutral as he lied, “No, you’re imagining things.”

Xia Yan eyed him suspiciously but, lacking evidence, let it go.

After finishing the late-night snack, they both went to bed.

Before sleeping, Bai Yu even sent a message to check on them, asking if their time on the island had been good and if Xia Yan’s health was holding up.

Xu Cong replied briefly, saying everything was fine.

Then they both fell asleep.

…..

In the middle of the night, Xu Cong suddenly woke to the sound of commotion outside. At first, the noise was faint, but it grew louder, with the sound of hurried footsteps and voices echoing in the corridor.

His instincts instantly sharpened as he opened his eyes.

There were six rooms on their floor. Since the inn had limited space, two rooms had been allocated to the staff.

Now, not only could he hear footsteps, door-knocking, and talking in the hallway, but he could also distinctly detect a strong, unsettling smell of damp moss.

It was alpha pheromones.

His brain quickly processed the information.

The pheromone levels were high, and the release was aggressive, full of hostility and tension.

Xu Cong immediately sat up and put on a jacket.

Beside him, Xia Yan, too, had been woken by the noise. His reaction was even more obvious—he sat up drowsily, gagging slightly.

“Ugh…”

“What is that smell?”

Xia Yan was now fully awake, clutching his stomach and frowning deeply. Combined with his usual grumpiness upon waking, he looked seconds away from punching someone.

“It might be that someone’s entered their alpha heat period, but I don’t know who it is. Stay here, take your medicine, and I’ll go check.” Xu Cong instructed.

He opened the door and quickly closed it behind him.

Standing in the hallway, he realized the corridor was in utter chaos.

Apart from him, Hu Fei and Jiang Chuxin had also come out. Hu Fei didn’t seem too affected and was merely observing, but Jiang Chuxin looked just as irritated as Xu Cong, standing with his arms crossed.

At the other end of the hall, a room was wide open, and medical staff were carrying a stretcher out. The restraints on it were clearly designed for handling alphas in their heat period.

“Xu-ge, you’re out too,” Hu Fei greeted him before curiously asking, “Where’s Xia Yan? Why didn’t he come out?”

Jiang Chuxin also lifted his head sharply, glancing first at Xu Cong and then at the closed door behind him.

Xu Cong took a step to the side, blocking Jiang Chuxin’s line of sight completely.

“He’s still asleep.” Xu Cong frowned, looking toward the open room. “What happened?”

“What else could it be?” Hu Fei sighed. “An alpha suddenly entered their heat period—one of the program staff, who just happened to be staying on our floor. You know, among us guests, Ge Qianyi is the only omega. The crew was scared out of their wits, terrified that something might happen. So they stationed guards outside the doors to prevent the alpha from getting out and informed everyone, especially Ge Qianyi. Since you and Xia-ge are both alphas and were still asleep, they didn’t disturb you. Thankfully, the medical team has finally arrived.”

Hu Fei craned his neck to get a better look down the hall.

In moments like these, he felt fortunate to be a beta, free from the complications of heat periods. He didn’t have to worry about such things impacting his safety or his surroundings.

Curiously, he sniffed the air. He could detect only the faintest trace of pheromones, which didn’t stir any reaction in him.

He turned to Jiang Chuxin and Xu Cong. “Can you guys sense the alpha pheromones? What do they smell like? Is it really unpleasant?”

Jiang Chuxin couldn’t help rolling his eyes.

“What do you think?” he replied. “This alpha’s pheromone level isn’t low. The higher the level, the stronger the effect on others. I just took a suppressant, but even now, standing here makes me irritable.”

He glanced at Xu Cong, then at the closed door behind him.

In a low voice, he said, “If alphas feel this uncomfortable, omegas must be even more affected.”

The implication was clear. Hearing this, Xu Cong turned to look at him.

Their gazes clashed in the hallway, neither looking friendly.

But Xu Cong didn’t have time to quarrel with Jiang Chuxin. Watching as the alpha on the stretcher was finally carried away, he noted the nauseating mossy scent of the pheromones lingering in the corridor. Thankfully, it would likely dissipate soon.

Gripping the door handle, he said to Hu Fei, “Now that it’s handled, I’ll head back. You should get some rest too.”

Hu Fei, still clueless, waved him off reluctantly.

He found alpha heat periods fascinating since he rarely encountered them.

“Alright, I’ll head back too,” Hu Fei said, casting a glance at Xu Cong’s door. Smiling, he added, “Xia-ge sure sleeps soundly. All this noise, and he didn’t even wake up.”

Xu Cong didn’t respond, only nodding as he cracked the door open just enough to slip inside. He quickly shut it behind him.

Jiang Chuxin’s gaze followed him, but all he saw was the closed door.