PTBC chapter 31

For the next half hour, Xia Yan and Xu Cong continued shooting several sets of photos for the magazine to choose from.

One set had both of them soaking in a bathtub, water droplets soaking through their clothes, leaving their lips glistening and noses brushing together in a suggestive closeness. In another, they were by the window, with Xia Yan perched casually on the windowsill, one foot resting on Xu Cong’s knee.

By the end of the shoot, the studio was filled with uncontrollable screams.

Some staff members were practically howling at the ceiling, especially a few omegas. After all, Xu Cong hadn’t completely masked his pheromones—hints of white sandalwood leaked into the air, wild and domineering, asserting his alpha presence with an undeniable air of control and desire.

It left many of them blushing.

Even Xia Yan loosened the tight collar of his shirt, letting his neck breathe a little.

With the shoot complete, it was time for the interviews.

Calmly, Xia Yan told Xu Cong he was going to the restroom first, asking him and Bai Yu to go ahead.

“Hurry up,” Bai Yu waved at him. “I even ordered you an iced Americano. It’s been sitting in an ice bag—drink it before it melts!”

Xia Yan nodded indifferently.

Once in the restroom, he entered a stall, and as soon as the door closed, his legs gave out, and he slumped against the door handle, utterly drained.

“Damn it.”

He cursed under his breath, raising a hand to touch the back of his neck. The gland at the nape was faintly warm, though the suppressant patch blocked direct contact. Still, he could feel the heat seeping through his fingertips.

His gaze lowered to his legs, his expression one of utter embarrassment.

When Xu Cong had pressed close to him earlier, he’d felt a distinct warmth spreading through his lower abdomen, making his limbs weak.

His senses had been flooded with Xu Cong’s pheromones.

That familiar scent.

Thanks to Xu Cong, he hadn’t experienced the torment of his differentiation period for a long time, managing to maintain a lively composure.

But lately, something else had been happening—

Whenever Xu Cong got too close, releasing an abundance of pheromones, his body would react.

And not just mildly.

Right now, Xia Yan’s chest was heaving, his face flushed, and this time it wasn’t just from the heat. It was anger and embarrassment combined.

He thought back to when he’d been sitting on the windowsill, Xu Cong kneeling in front of him as directed by the photographer, lifting his foot onto his knee. The dappled green light from outside played across Xu Cong’s face, and the faint scent of white sandalwood surrounded him.

Caught in that moment, Xia Yan had experienced a physiological reaction.

The realization chilled him to his core, his body growing cold, fingers trembling slightly.

The response had been brief, vanishing almost as quickly as it appeared.

Now, in the privacy of the stall, with distance from Xu Cong, Xia Yan’s body began to return to normal.

The earlier weakness in his legs faded, and his racing heartbeat calmed.

He checked his watch—barely ten minutes had passed.

Slightly slower than last time.

He scowled, annoyed. If he had a cigarette on hand, he would’ve lit it without hesitation.

This was the second time in just over two weeks that Xu Cong had caused such discomfort in him.

The first time, he’d been so shaken he’d spent nights plagued by nightmares, convinced something was wrong with him. For days, his mood had been terrible, but he couldn’t tell anyone about it.

He’d once confidently told Bai Yu that he and Xu Cong were purely platonic. “Good brothers don’t have problems,” he’d said. Yet here he was, Xu Cong unaffected while he became the butt of his own joke.

The thought darkened Xia Yan’s mood further.

He knew this was probably due to their high pheromone compatibility and didn’t necessarily mean anything else.

But why hadn’t this happened before? Why now?

The uncertainty sent his emotions swinging wildly. At times, he irrationally blamed Xu Cong, finding fault with the sandalwood scent that made it impossible for him to remain unaffected. At others, he doubted himself, wondering if something was wrong with his own body.

It was driving him insane.

Xia Yan bit his lip, fuming silently.

Five minutes later, confident that his composure had fully returned and his face betrayed no signs of discomfort, he left the stall and returned to the lounge, joining the D·A interview session.

However, when taking his seat, he deliberately avoided the empty spot beside Xu Cong, squeezing into the space next to Ye Zhaoyang instead.

Ye Zhaoyang, clueless, scooted over to make room.

Xu Cong glanced at Xia Yan in mild confusion.

That single glance made Xia Yan’s mood plummet even further, leaving him inexplicably flustered and irritated.

Once the interview wrapped up, their day’s schedule was complete.

It was dinnertime, and Bai Yu enthusiastically suggested they all head to a nearby Japanese restaurant he was familiar with.

The restaurant, a regular spot for them, had reserved a private room for the group.

Bai Yu handed the menu to Xia Yan. “Order whatever you want. Get more food—you’ve been looking a bit thinner lately.”

His eyes were practically brimming with fatherly concern as he studied Xia Yan.

As the group leader, Xia Yan was both driven and capable. Since his differentiation as an omega, Bai Yu had grown even more protective, treating him like a precious treasure.

Every little change in Xia Yan’s demeanor immediately caught Bai Yu’s attention.

Xia Yan gave a perfunctory “Mm,” ordering a sashimi platter and a sushi combo.

“Probably just tired lately,” he said absentmindedly. As he flipped to the next page of the menu, his arm accidentally brushed against Xu Cong’s.

It felt like being scalded. Xia Yan instinctively pulled away.

Xia Yan’s movements were subtle; the others at the table didn’t notice. They were either on their phones or discussing what to order.

But Xu Cong noticed.

His arm hovered mid-air for a few seconds. He turned his head slightly, looking at Xia Yan with a puzzled expression.

If he hadn’t seen wrong, this was the second time.

Twice in one day, Xia Yan had deliberately avoided him.

Why?

Xu Cong narrowed his eyes slightly.

This wasn’t normal.

In the past, no matter what it was, Xia Yan had always stuck to him.

He didn’t think he had done anything recently to make Xia Yan wary.

Xia Yan knew Xu Cong was looking at him, knew his behavior was unusual, but he couldn’t explain it. All he could do was keep his head down and flip through the menu.

To cover up the awkwardness of the moment, he ordered four more grilled dishes, a beef rice bowl, and a bottle of sake. Across the table, Xiao Ning couldn’t help but glance at him and whisper, “Can you eat all that?”

“I can. I’m a bit hungry today,” Xia Yan explained with a straight face.

…..

During dinner, Xia Yan kept his head down, eating as much as he could and avoiding eye contact with Xu Cong.

He ended up drinking more than half the sake he ordered. By the time they left the restaurant, his cheeks were slightly flushed. His alcohol tolerance was average—he could drink a bit but tended to get flushed and dizzy easily. Still, his walking remained steady, giving no indication of his state.

Bai Yu tried to support him, but Xia Yan avoided him, stumbling straight into Xu Cong’s arms.

“Oh, come on,” Bai Yu chuckled. “Even drunk, he knows who to pick.”

He didn’t dwell on it; after all, Xia Yan had always been inseparable from Xu Cong.

“Wait here for a bit. I’ll go have a word with the owner,” Bai Yu said.

Xu Cong held Xia Yan in his arms.

Xia Yan seemed genuinely drunk, unusually docile. His slightly reddened face rested against Xu Cong’s shoulder, and his warm breath brushed against Xu Cong’s neck.

Outside, a light rain had started falling at some point.

The other teammates chuckled at their drunken captain but soon resumed their conversation.

“That last shot by the Balclay team yesterday was terrible.”

“Don’t even remind me. I bet on them to win. What was I thinking? Just makes me angry.”

…

Amid the sound of rain, Xu Cong gently patted Xia Yan’s head. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he thought he caught a faint scent of pheromones emanating from Xia Yan.

Bai Yu soon returned after speaking with the restaurant owner.

The group got into the van and returned to the dormitory. Bai Yu, who didn’t live there, dropped them off and waved goodbye.

Inside the villa, Xia Yan was still drunk and groggy, letting the others handle him without resistance.

In the past, anyone could drag the captain to his room.

But now, the three other alphas exchanged glances and unanimously pushed the responsibility onto Xu Cong.

“You take him back to his room. Obviously, he can’t take a shower like this, but you can wipe his face and hands,” Ye Zhaoyang said with a straight face. “Don’t let him wake up feeling too uncomfortable.”

Xu Cong feigned ignorance. “Why don’t you do it?”

Ye Zhaoyang responded righteously, “I’m an alpha. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Xu Cong had already planned to take Xia Yan back to his room, but hearing this, he paused and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Am I not an alpha too?”

Ye Zhaoyang quickly shook his head. “Of course you are! You’re the most alpha of us all.”

But then he nudged Xu Cong with his foot. “Come on, stop pretending. You’ve shared a bed with the captain countless times before differentiation. Whether or not you’re an alpha doesn’t affect your… purity. Just go already.”

Xu Cong chuckled softly and didn’t argue further. He bent down, picked Xia Yan up by the crook of his legs, and carried him straight to his room.

The three alphas watched his retreating figure with a mix of respect and unease.

In truth, they hadn’t been completely honest.

It wasn’t just a matter of maintaining boundaries between alphas and omegas. The truth was, they still hadn’t desensitized themselves to their captain’s pheromones. Even a hint of it felt like a punch to the gut.

But admitting this would be embarrassing. As alphas, being overwhelmed by an omega’s pheromones was a blow to their pride. So no one said a word.