PTBC chapter 35

With the crisis resolved, Xia Yan had the most refreshing sleep ever.

When he woke up, the world seemed much more pleasant. He no longer looked like someone ready to blow everything up and drag the world down with him.

Even his teammates noticed the change.

During the ride to a brand event, Xia Yan held an iced Americano, seemingly oblivious to the fact that winter was approaching, crunching ice cubes and lightly humming along to music in his earphones.

Ye Zhaoyang looked at him curiously. “Captain, you’re in a good mood, huh?”

Xia Yan’s eyes were still fixed on his phone screen, and only belatedly did he respond with a lazy “Mm.”

“Of course I’m in a good mood. Did you see the scandal about Forest Group? It’s hilarious.”

Hearing that, the others perked up with interest, all gathering around to enjoy the gossip.

Good relationships didn’t stop them from enjoying the spectacle of a rival team’s scandal.

Xia Yan gleefully held up his phone. “Look at this headline: ‘Forest’s Captain Spotted on a Late-Night Visit to a Female Junior’s Apartment, Three Hours Inside Her Bedroom.’”

He scoffed, not believing a word of it. “Zong Yi, that uptight guy? He blushes for three days if he so much as touches a girl’s hand. You think he’d dare sneak into a girl’s bedroom? He’d probably prefer dying on the spot. Even my love life is more credible than this.”

The others burst into laughter.

“It’s ridiculous,” Lin Qixu commented, scrolling through the same news. He glanced at the sensational headline, the heavily edited photos that barely resembled reality, and shuddered. Still, he slyly saved the article. “Tabloids churn out 800 fake stories a year. Who knows if one of them might end up true?”

Content with his findings, he stowed his phone. “Perfect. Next time I run into Forest’s members, I’ll be sure to bring this up.”

After their gossip session, Xia Yan wasn’t worried about Forest’s reputation. The kind of obviously fake news like this would be cleared up by their management soon enough.

He closed his phone and leaned closer to Xu Cong.

This time, he didn’t bother avoiding Xu Cong. As soon as they got in the car, he plopped down beside him. Even though Xu Cong had just marked him temporarily yesterday, being surrounded by his pheromones still made Xia Yan feel completely at ease, like soaking in a warm hot spring. It left him feeling lazy and content.

The van soon arrived at the venue for the brand’s event.

That day, Xia Yan and his team were attending a promotional event for their skincare endorsement. A large crowd of fans had gathered at the venue. The space wasn’t particularly big, and being a closed-off area in winter with the doors and windows shut tight, the air felt stifling, and pheromone scents inevitably mixed together.

The moment Xia Yan stepped in, he could pick out several distinct scents in the air. But he quickly smiled and put on his professional demeanor.

Xu Cong glanced down at him.

Xia Yan shook his head slightly, signaling that he was fine.

Brand events followed standard routines. The host introduced their products and prepared a few mini-games for the stars to interact with fans.

One activity involved blindfolding them and having them smell different perfumes to pick the scent they liked best.

“These perfumes are crafted to mimic pheromones,” the host explained enthusiastically. “They’re not just ordinary fragrances. While they can’t replicate the full effect of real alpha and omega pheromones, they still carry a bit of that unique allure. They might even make your heart race!”

She smiled at the excited fans below. “Imagine spraying on a scent like your favorite idol’s pheromones. Wouldn’t it feel like they’re right beside you?”

The crowd erupted into high-pitched screams.

In the front row, a few omegas stomped their feet in excitement, immediately pulling out their phones to place orders.

What a brilliant marketing pitch, Xia Yan thought, his lips curling slightly into a smile.

This kind of promotional angle was sure to drive sales through the roof. After all, who didn’t have a favorite celebrity or secret crush?

Capitalists really knew how to cash in.

But he maintained a polite smile on the surface and obediently put on his blindfold.

He was chosen as the participant for the game by an overwhelming fan vote. The rest of the participants were picked randomly: Ye Zhaoyang and Xiao Ning.

The host laid out ten bottles of perfume before them and handed them scented strips one by one to select their favorite scent.

Xia Yan barely had to think.

The seventh one.

As soon as he caught a whiff of the scent, it dominated the others, filling him with a sense of calm and familiarity.

It was such a tranquil yet captivating fragrance.

Hearing the fans’ delighted screams, Xia Yan had a hunch about what he had just picked.

Sure enough.

A minute later, the host announced that they could remove their blindfolds.

Xia Yan glanced at the scented strip in his hand, unsurprised to find he had chosen the white sandalwood perfume.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ning had chosen a tobacco scent, and Ye Zhaoyang had gone for bitter orange.

Xia Yan idly thought that tobacco-scented perfumes were quite rare. He vaguely remembered someone he knew using it often…

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

He knew the fans were watching.

And he also knew that his CP with Xu Cong was steadily gaining popularity, to the point of practically dominating the entertainment circle.

Even so, he didn’t shy away. He raised the scented strip in his hand and waved it teasingly in Xu Cong’s direction, sending a swirl of white sandalwood fragrance into the air.

Sitting on a high stool, dressed in a simple white shirt and gray vest, Xia Yan looked like he had stepped straight out of a youth drama.

But his smile was playful, his expression tinged with mischief. He didn’t look like an honor student at all but rather a charming rogue who knew exactly how to captivate.

Xu Cong, standing across the room and answering a staff member’s question, still noticed Xia Yan’s gaze immediately. He turned and caught the smile.

Xu Cong smiled back at him from afar.

The fans, nearly all armed with cameras, captured the moment from various angles. That night, the images flooded CongYan CP fan groups and forums.

Amid the crowd, it was as if the two had forgotten everyone else, their eyes locked on each other, stars seemingly sparkling in their gaze.

One held a strip scented with the other’s pheromones.

If this wasn’t flirting, then what was it?

The fans were losing their minds, screaming as they shipped the pairing, practically begging for a live “wedding ceremony” on the spot.

Bai Yu was monitoring public opinion with his assistant when he saw this scene and gave it a satisfied thumbs-up.

Look at them. Even their D.A’s fluff content was more professional than Forest’s. Could the hastily assembled group next door compare to the bond their team had cultivated since childhood?

…..

After the brand event ended, Xia Yan and the group rushed off to record their next variety show. These indoor variety shows were more or less the same: play games, promote their new drama or album, and share some vaguely juicy gossip.

By the end of the day, they were completely drained, especially after attending a TV station dinner party in the evening. The networking was even more exhausting than filming.

Back at their dorm, the entire team collapsed across the living room, sprawled out in various positions. No one wanted to be the first to get up and take a shower. Xiao Ning and Lin Qixu preferred to huddle together playing video games, refusing to move an inch.

Xia Yan was also lounging on the sofa, occupying the prime central spot. One long leg stretched across two people, one resting over Xiao Ning’s waist, the other kicking at Xu Cong’s leg.

He lay there in such a twisted position that it made people wonder if he majored in street dance or yoga.

If a paparazzi were here, they could easily create a headline like, “D.A all engage in group orgy, suspected group P as they return to the dorm late at night.”

But Xia Yan eventually sat up and beckoned Xu Cong. “Get up.”

Xu Cong, who had been replying to a message from his older brother, looked up in confusion but still instinctively stood up. He even pushed the half-leaning Ye Zhaoyang off him.

Grabbing Xu Cong by the collar, Xia Yan yanked him into the shared first-floor bathroom.

Xia Yan’s strength had always been considerable. Caught off guard, Xu Cong nearly stumbled, stabilizing himself by bracing a hand against the bathroom wall.

“What are you doing?”

Lowering his gaze, Xu Cong looked at Xia Yan, equal parts amused and frustrated.

Xia Yan answered with actions rather than words.

He lifted his hands, unzipped Xu Cong’s jacket, and skillfully buried his face in it.

“Let me recharge for a bit,” Xia Yan muttered, taking a deep inhale, like a cat curling into its favorite blanket.

Xu Cong froze on the spot.

He could feel Xia Yan’s breath, the soft brush of his hair tickling against his chin. It sent a tingling sensation through his chest, like being gently scratched by a cat’s tail.

He steadied himself and asked, “Are you feeling unwell again?”

It shouldn’t be, after all, he had just temporarily marked him yesterday.

“No.”

Xia Yan answered lazily, “It’s just that I’ve been overwhelmed by too many different pheromones today, it’s a bit off-putting. I needed you to purify it for me.”

He lifted his head from Xu Cong’s chest. The bathroom was small, and Xu Cong’s jacket was warm. Xia Yan’s face had a faint blush on it.

He didn’t think there was anything wrong with hiding in the bathroom with Xu Cong. He fiddled idly with the buttons on Xu Cong’s jacket.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, but I was scared, afraid I’d seem weird, like I had some improper intentions toward you.”

He smiled at Xu Cong. “But now, I can just grab you whenever I want.”

He sat on the countertop, leaning lightly against the edge.

The light by the mirror bathed his body in a soft glow, and his eyes became gentle.

He moved a little closer to Xu Cong, surrounded by his pheromones.

He casually said, “When we went to the brand event this afternoon, I thought that sandalwood scent was nice, I even thought about buying a bottle to carry with me. But now that I think about it, it can’t compare to you.”

Xu Cong swallowed involuntarily.

He suddenly turned his face away, staring at the wall’s patterns, unable to meet Xia Yan’s gaze.

He really wanted to ask Xia Yan if he realized how flirtatious that line was.

He’d been secretly in love with Xia Yan since he was eighteen, devoting his prime years to Xia Yan, who was like a tall and upright poplar tree. He couldn’t escape his relationship with Xia Yan.

Since their debut, the fanfiction and fan videos had been filled with them as the main couple, destined for each other.

But if he had to say it, none of those fanfictions with their playful characters and subtle flirting came close to Xia Yan himself.

Those girls who wrote all sorts of crazy plots might have huge imaginations, but none of them had seen the real Xia Yan up close.

Every action, every movement from Xia Yan made one’s heart race.

Xu Cong sighed helplessly in his heart.

But then he smiled, giving up on resisting, and teasing Xia Yan, “Then why did you pull me into the bathroom? Anyone who walks in here later will smell all these pheromones and think we’re doing something improper.”

Xia Yan blinked for a second.

“Damn, you’re right.”

He immediately jumped off the countertop and tried to run out.

Xu Cong laughed so hard he almost couldn’t stand up, his cool guy persona crumbling as he pulled Xia Yan back into his arms.

“I was just joking.”

He held Xia Yan, and they leaned against the bathroom counter and the wall.

He casually continued, “We’ll open the window and air it out later. Besides, Lin Qiuxu and Xiao Ning are too naïve to think of anything. Ye Zhaoyang never speaks up. But if we did this in front of them, you’d probably feel a little embarrassed, right?”

Xia Yan’s weak spot was hit.

Of course, he would be.

Captain Xia Yan could give up anything, but not his pride. He had already made an exception with Xu Cong.

So he quickly agreed.

“You’re right.”

He noticed a cigarette pack in Xu Cong’s jacket pocket and, like a practiced thief, reached in and pulled one out.

Since they had nothing else to do, might as well have a smoke.

It could also mask the scent of pheromones a bit.

He bit the cigarette in his mouth, lifted his chin toward Xu Cong, and playfully said, “Light it for me.”

Xu Cong obediently took out a lighter.

The orange flame flickered, and the tip of Xia Yan’s cigarette turned red.

He took a deep breath and frivolously blew the white smoke in Xu Cong’s face.

Xu Cong wasn’t upset. It was a light smoke with a minty scent.

He took the cigarette from Xia Yan’s lips, covering the spot Xia Yan had bitten, and took a puff himself.

In the mirror, their reflections appeared.

Both wearing the same black slim-fit jackets, their profiles were impeccable, and in the faint white smoke, just a glance at each other could be a movie poster.

Xia Yan also deliberately teased Xu Cong with the cigarette, laughing recklessly.

Meanwhile, in the living room.

Xiao Ning, in the middle of a game, finally sensed something was off and looked up.

He asked Ye Zhaoyang beside him, “What are the captain and Xu Cong doing? They’ve been gone for a while. Where did they go?”

Ye Zhaoyang flipped through the magazine on his lap indifferently and replied, “I don’t know. They can’t have disappeared. They’re definitely still in this villa.”

Lin Qixu’s response was even more straightforward, “Why do you care? Who knows where those two are sneaking off to.”

Xiao Ning thought about it for a second. Seeing that his character had just been defeated in the game, he let out a loud scream and lost interest in thinking further.

 

¹

Author’s note:

Dear Yan Yan, the fire you’re igniting now will be the tears you shed in bed later.

 

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  Author’s note:
  
  Dear Yan Yan, the fire you’re igniting now will be the tears you shed in bed later.