UNCLTRD chapter 42

The curtains were still in the washing machine, not yet hung back up. Through the window, the pitch-black night sky was visible. The two of them had moved from the living room to the bedroom. Yang Shao had lost count of how many times it had been, now utterly exhausted, collapsing onto the bed.

For a beta, heat was like a ghost—something you only heard about but never experienced firsthand. Back in school, the biology books mentioned that heats typically lasted seven days, but the specifics varied from case to case. Yang Shao had no idea how many days Chen Qiusu’s would last.

Chen Qiusu was incredibly clingy. Even when he finally quieted down, his hands and mouth didn’t stop. Not only did he wrap his arms around Yang Shao’s waist, but his lips never left Yang Shao’s face, only occasionally moving to his neck to lick the bite marks he had left.

Loving Yang Shao was one thing, but instinct was another. Not being able to mark a partner was deeply unsettling for an alpha. Even without glands, Chen Qiusu repeatedly bit the back of Yang Shao’s neck. Only when Yang Shao winced in pain did Chen Qiusu switch to licking instead.

Yang Shao opened his mouth to speak, only to find his voice gone. After clearing his throat, he barely managed to rasp out, “Don’t press on me anymore…”

Chen Qiusu, surprisingly obedient, rolled off and lay down beside him.

With the weight of what felt like a boulder stone finally removed, Yang Shao could barely catch his breath. His craving for a cigarette kicked in. He turned his gaze to the pants lying by the door, stretched his arm to hook them, and, after much effort, managed to pull them over. Fishing out his cigarette box and lighter, he lit one with difficulty.

He lay back against the headboard, cigarette dangling from his lips, utterly drained. It took him several tries to light the cigarette properly.

The slight sting of nicotine wafted through the air. Through the pale gray smoke, Chen Qiusu admired how captivating Yang Shao looked while smoking. Even though he knew smoking wasn’t good, he leaned closer and took a sniff.

Yang Shao, tickled by Chen Qiusu’s actions, couldn’t figure out if he liked the smell of cigarettes or something else. Testing the waters, he brought the cigarette to Chen Qiusu’s mouth, but Chen turned his head away in refusal.

“Ugh!” Yang Shao grumbled impatiently, letting the white smoke spill from his lips. Chen Qiusu leaned in and kissed him, tasting the faint bitterness of the smoke.

Kissing Chen Qiusu, Yang Shao moved the hand holding the cigarette to the side of the bed. When Chen Qiusu finally let him go, Yang Shao was slightly out of breath. “Does it taste better from my mouth? If you like it so much, why don’t you try it yourself?”

Chen Qiusu savored Yang Shao’s flavor for a moment. “I don’t like it. I just like watching you smoke.” Truth be told, he really did prefer the taste when it came from Yang Shao.

Having barely taken a few puffs, the cigarette was already burned down to the filter. Yang Shao turned and flicked the ashes into the ashtray. “So damn cheesy. I can’t stand it.”

“Want to take a shower?” Chen Qiusu, now calmer, returned to his usual composed demeanor.

That was a reasonable suggestion for once. Yang Shao murmured an “Mhm.”

“I’ll join you,” Chen Qiusu said, about to get up.

Chen Qiusu’s clingy behaviour reminded Yang Shao of Yang Tao—like gum that wouldn’t come off. They’d even stick to you to use the bathroom if they could. It was ridiculous. Considering how easily their interactions turned heated, Yang Shao just wanted some peace and quiet in the bathroom. If Chen Qiusu followed him, there would be no chance for that.

“Don’t! If you’re so bored, why don’t you hang the curtains for me?” Yang Shao hesitated for a moment as he got out from under the blanket, debating whether to put on some clothes. Being completely naked felt inappropriate, but he was too tired and hungry to care about appearances. Giving up, he got out of bed as he was.

Yang Shao strode off decisively. Chen Qiusu hadn’t marked him, and his heat cycle wasn’t entirely over yet. Given his naturally sponge-like nature, it was perfectly normal for him to want to cling to his mate. Had it been an omega, they’d likely be doting over their alpha. But Yang Shao completely ignored the urgency in Chen Qiusu’s pheromones.

Once Yang Shao entered the bathroom, Chen Qiusu made a quick call home to explain he wouldn’t be returning for the next few days. Then, he contacted his assistant.

The assistant had been restless ever since leaving the vicinity of Yang Shao’s home, anxiously awaiting Chen Qiusu’s call. When the phone finally rang, he answered cautiously, “Mr. Chen?”

Thankfully, Chen Qiusu only asked him to arrange for supper to be delivered, nothing else. The assistant dared not slack off, promptly contacting a restaurant to ensure the fastest delivery.

When Chen Qiusu himself opened the door, he was wrapped in a robe, but the assistant still caught sight of the bite marks on his collarbone and neck. Clearly, things had been intense. Knowing better than to linger, he quickly excused himself.

“I won’t be at the office for the next few days. Postpone all meetings, and you’ll handle the meals during this time.”

In other words, he was too busy being affectionate with his partner to be disturbed. The assistant understood perfectly. “Got it, Mr. Chen. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait.”

The assistant tensed up. “Anything else, Mr. Chen?”

“Do you know how to hang curtains?”

“…Huh?”

Meanwhile, behind the closed bathroom door, Yang Shao quickly turned on the shower. The real reason he was in such a hurry was to get rid of any lingering traces of Chen Qiusu still stuck to his butt.

The sound of running water drowned out everything else. Standing under the showerhead, Yang Shao braced himself against the wall, letting the water cascade over his body.

When he’d become pregnant with Yang Tao, it had caught him completely off guard. The physical changes—like drowsiness and an increased appetite—were noticeable, but he never imagined he could conceive naturally. It wasn’t until Yang Tao was three or four months along that he realized his sudden weight gain wasn’t due to overeating.

A medical examination confirmed his pregnancy. For a time, Yang Shao even doubted his own gender. The doctor explained that while natural conception for betas was rare, it wasn’t impossible. He was simply part of the one-in-a-million chance. Whether it would happen again was uncertain, but how could he even begin to tell Chen Qiusu about this?

The water was a bit too hot, leaving Yang Shao’s back red. He turned it off, dried himself, and then realized he’d forgotten to bring clothes into the bathroom.

Having already been naked in front of Chen Qiusu several times, Yang Shao didn’t mind adding one more to the count. He opened the bathroom door slightly, poking his head out, only to find someone else in the living room.

Chen Qiusu was helping his assistant hang curtain hooks.

Yang Shao quickly withdrew. When did he get here? The young assistant didn’t dare steal a second glance and kept his full attention on the curtains. Meanwhile, Chen Qiusu swiftly got up, fetched a long robe from the wardrobe, and brought it to the bathroom.

“Why is your assistant here?” Yang Shao hugged the robe, lowering his voice.

Chen Qiusu looked a bit innocent. “You told me to hang the curtains. I didn’t know how, so I had him deliver some late-night snacks and hang them for me.”

If the world could just end right now, at least no one would know his embarrassing situation.

Pressure breeds motivation, and the assistant worked with lightning speed. Practiced and efficient, he had the curtains up in no time. Without waiting for a dismissal or Yang Shao to emerge from the bathroom, he announced, “Mr. Chen, the curtains are done. I’ll take my leave now.”

Yang Shao no longer had the energy to get mad at Chen Qiusu. Wrapping the robe around himself, he stepped out of the bathroom, eyes landing on the food containers on the table. He was truly starving.

Though Chen Qiusu had zero life survival skills, he was at least resourceful enough to delegate—getting someone to hang the curtains and deliver late-night snacks.

“Hungry? Eat something,” Chen Qiusu said.

When Yang Shao opened the containers, they were filled with protein-rich foods, clearly tailored for someone in heat.

“I called my mom earlier. I told her we wouldn’t be going back for a few days.”

At the mention of “a few days,” Yang Shao felt like he’d been struck by lightning. Even if he was as inert as a salted fish, he could still end up pregnant.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Qiusu noticed Yang Shao’s odd expression. “Not feeling well?”

How could he feel well?

“I…”

Before Yang Shao could say anything, his phone rang. Chen Qiusu got up to grab it from the bedroom. The caller ID showed it was Yang Tao.

When he answered, a sullen voice came through the line. “Daddy, aren’t you and Uncle Chen coming home?”

Ever since Yang Tao had been born, it had always been just the two of them. Yang Shao had never stayed out overnight, so even with his grandparents around, Yang Tao still felt unsettled.

Yang Shao took the phone and comforted him, “We’ll be back in a few days. Be good and listen to Grandpa and Grandma, okay?”

A few days? Yang Tao could barely stand one night.

“You’re out having fun with Uncle Chen and didn’t take me along,” Yang Tao grumbled.

Having fun? It was more like playing with fire, literally life-threatening.

Yang Shao couldn’t answer, leaving it to Chen Qiusu to handle. “Yang Tao, when your dad and I get back, we’ll take you to see the snow. How about that?”

The thought of seeing snow with Uncle Chen made Yang Tao feel a little better. Hearing Grandma nearby, he reluctantly handed over the phone as she said, “Alright, Yang Tao, it’s bedtime now.”

After hanging up, Yang Shao felt a pang of melancholy. Though he didn’t say it, he missed Yang Tao dearly. As a parent, he loved his child but also found him exasperating. When apart, he worried; when together, he found him a handful.

“Missing Yang Tao?” Chen Qiusu asked, slinging an arm around Yang Shao’s shoulders.

Yang Shao pursed his lips, unwilling to speak. He wasn’t one to voice his feelings.

But Chen Qiusu was different—thick-skinned and straightforward, just like Yang Tao. “I miss Yang Tao too. I haven’t seen him in half a month since I left for my trip.”

If anyone else had said that, Yang Shao would’ve dismissed it as polite chatter. But Chen Qiusu never lied; his words were always genuine.

“It’s funny, isn’t it? The first time I saw Yang Tao, I felt an instant connection. He even struck up a conversation with me, asking me to wait for him after school. I actually went back the next day, not knowing he was your son or that we’d become family.”

Yang Shao ate in silence, unable to resist a sarcastic thought: You probably didn’t expect Yang Tao to be your son either.

Chen Quisu’s parents, unaware of the truth, had even privately suggested to Chen Qiusu that he and Yang Shao have a second child. Initially, Chen Qiusu brushed it off, never seriously considering it—even now.

He knew Yang Shao’s personality too well to believe he’d ever agree to it. Chen Quisu didn’t want to force him into anything, especially something as significant as having children. In his heart, Yang Tao was already his biological son, and everything in the Chen family would belong to Yang Tao in the future.