Chapter 401 if: Shi Lv Travels to Liang Xu’s University 3

Chapter 401 If: Shi Lv in Liang Xu's University Timeline (3)

In that instant, the Omega's pheromones wafted through the air, blending with the warmth of their skin contact, making Shi Lv instinctively raise his hand to curl around the Omega's shoulder. Yet, the first thought that surfaced in his mind was—

"Liang Xu, are you cold?"

The lingering winter chill persisted despite spring's approach. Though the café had the air conditioning on, a jacket or sweater was still necessary to ward off the cold. Yet, for some reason, Liang Xu had only worn a thin shirt—its fabric semi-transparent, faintly revealing the soft, graceful contours of the young man's figure.

Of course, he looked good. In Shi Lv's eyes, Liang Xu looked good in anything. But he was clearly freezing.

At this moment, the arm Liang Xu pressed against him felt slightly cool. When Shi Lv's fingers touched his shoulder, the skin beneath his fingertips broke out in goosebumps.

Liang Xu's brow twitched. The goosebumps were purely an instinctive reaction—he disliked physical contact with strangers. The moment Shi Lv wrapped an arm around him, his body tensed up naturally, betraying discomfort. It wasn’t something Liang Xu could control, but it was undoubtedly a flaw in his seductive act.

How could a compliant Omega show such resistance?

Thus, Shi Lv's concern was mistaken for displeasure from someone of higher status. Liang Xu pressed his lips together in a faint smile, about to deflect with charming small talk, when Shi Lv reached out and retrieved the suit jacket draped over the back of the chair.

He draped the jacket over his lover’s shoulders, carefully buttoning the top button to keep it from slipping off, his expression clearly disapproving. "Even though winter is almost over, you shouldn’t dress like this. You’ll catch a cold."

Liang Xu froze, but Shi Lv had already naturally pulled him closer—an action he had performed countless times, so habitual it was second nature. Every time they watched movies or dramas together, Liang Xu would lean against his shoulder like this.

So, out of habit, he adjusted his lover into their usual position, gesturing to the computer screen and asking softly, "Is this the part you don’t understand?"

It was one of the key points he had just explained.

"..."

Liang Xu felt a stifled irritation.

If this Mr. Shi had no interest in him, why was his hand resting on his shoulder? But if he *was* interested, why had he draped a jacket over him and gone back to discussing the paper after Liang Xu had deliberately worn only a thin shirt and leaned in?

Yet since Shi Lv wasn’t taking the bait, Liang Xu couldn’t very well grab him by the collar and force the issue. He forced a smile and continued discussing the paper with Shi Lv.

After some revisions, the article was polished to completion.

Liang Xu remained leaning against Shi Lv, glancing at the time. "Mr. Shi, it’s awfully late."

"Mmm," Shi Lv closed the laptop, carefully placing it back into Liang Xu’s bag and zipping it up. "Do you... have somewhere to go? Back to school?"

Liang Xu shook his head. "Dorms are locked by now. If I go back now, I’ll get a demerit."

A lie—he’d only need to bother the dorm attendant; there was no demerit involved. But Liang Xu had done his research on Shi Lv. The man hadn’t graduated from A University and didn’t know the school’s rules.

Shi Lv looked down at him, his throat moved slightly.

He knew the proper thing to do was to send the Omega back to school, but he *really* wanted to take Liang Xu home. How could his beloved not come home at night? Of course, he had to tuck him into his own bed—what was the point of leaving him in a dormitory?

But Shi Lv was afraid it might come on too strong for the Omega, so he had suppressed the urge. Now that Liang Xu had mentioned the dorm being locked, Shi Lv asked, hesitantly, "Well, my place is nearby. How about staying at my place tonight and heading back to school in the morning?"

This time, it was Liang Xu who was stunned.

In his limited understanding, lovers weren’t the kind of people you took home.

Shi Lv was Haicheng’s most eligible bachelor—his net worth high, his company in its growth phase, and his looks handsome and striking. He was practically the golden bachelor, the city’s most sought-after bachelor. Many families were eyeing him in secret, hoping to arrange a marriage between their Omegas and him. Stripped of his identity as part of the Ye family, Liang Xu wouldn’t even qualify to attend the same social events as Shi Lv.

And men like Shi Lv usually kept strict boundaries—lovers were lovers, wives were wives. Wives stayed at home and accompanied them to social events, but lovers... were strictly hotel affairs.

Liang Xu had assumed a hotel was the destination.

As for Shi Lv's own thoughts...

Seriously though, with the naive confusion of a college student, why take his wife to a hotel when home was right nearby?

Shi Lv hadn’t even considered that option!

Liang Xu only froze for a moment before a glint flashed in his eyes, and he quickly smiled, "Thanks for this, President Shi."

Lowering his gaze, he thought to himself, *Going home is good. Going home is even better.*

At the very least, it meant Shi Lv didn’t see him as a temporary fling.

So Shi Lv picked up his wife’s laptop, fastened the buttons of his wife’s suit jacket, and then left the café, briskly starting the car and stepping on the gas, heading home.

As an inexperienced college kid, Liang Xu’s aesthetic had heavily influenced Shi Lv’s own. The living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows faced the prestigious coastline of Haicheng, and behind them was a spa-sized jacuzzi.

Liang Xu loved drinking red wine in the bath here. If Shi Lv happened to return, he would hook an arm around his neck and kiss him, sharing the wine’s lingering taste.

But the current Liang Xu was still hesitant.

Brought home by Shi Lv, he stood on the entry mat, fingers fidgeting with his hem, unsure where to look. Meanwhile, Shi Lv pushed open the door to the guest room and called to him, "Liang Xu, you’ll sleep here tonight, alright?"

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hold his wife in the master bedroom—it was just too forward and rude. He was afraid Liang Xu’s already unfavorable impression of him would worsen.

Still unfamiliar with the layout, Liang Xu couldn’t even tell which was the master bedroom and which was the guest room. When Shi Lv pointed it out, he nodded gently, "Okay."

Shi Lv handed him a brand-new sleep robe. "There’s a bathroom in the room."

Liang Xu took the clothes and, as he passed Shi Lv, glanced up at him with a small, fleeting smile before entering the bathroom and softly closing the door.

But the moment he stepped inside, his smile faded.

Hot water washed away the day’s grime. Once finished, Liang Xu wiped the mist off the mirror and studied his reflection.

It was an exceptionally good-looking face, cheeks flushed pink from the heat—his only asset now.

After confirming everything was in place, Liang Xu changed into the fresh robe, leaving the sash undone. The hem just revealed his ankles, and with each movement, glimpses of his slender, well-defined calves could be seen. Purposely skipping slippers and without scent patches, he turned the knob and stepped out.

Shi Lv was arranging the bedding.

The guest room was rarely used, so the blankets had been stored in the closet and needed to be laid out.

Hearing movement, he turned and saw Liang Xu—barefoot on the floor, hair still damp, droplets rolling from his locks and soaking the fabric along his back.

Then, the subtle, crisp bamboo wine fragrance began to waft from his pores and breath, saturating the entire bedroom.

Liang Xu looked up at him. "President Shi... I..."

He was still deciding on his approach—whether to act coy, pretend naivety, or outright flirt—when Shi Lv lowered his gaze, flustered, and averted his eyes. "You... wait a moment. I’ll get a scent patch."

Before Liang Xu could stop him, Shi Lv turned up the floor heating and AC, then darted out the door. He returned with the patch, pulled Liang Xu over, brushed aside his hair, and pressed it firmly onto the nape of his neck. Then, from who-knows-where, he produced a towel and plopped it on his head.

Liang Xu: "..."

Vision obscured by the fluffy towel, Liang Xu blinked lightly. Shi Lv was already at work, drying his hair halfway before finally pulling back the covers and commanding, "Get in."

Baffled, Liang Xu obeyed, burrowing under the blankets and looking up at Shi Lv in confusion. The mischievous glint in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a blank confusion. Shi Lv pressed him down by the shoulders. "Sleep. It’s late. No growing taller if you don’t sleep."

Liang Xu thought he was long past the age for growing taller, but he couldn’t resist Shi Lv’s insistence. Tucked in snugly, he could only watch as Shi Lv clicked off the light with a final, "Goodnight."

"......"

Seeing Shi Lv turn to leave, truly about to go, Liang Xu hurriedly called out, "Hey, Mr. Shi!"

Shi Lv turned back, "Yeah?"

"......"

Liang Xu pursed his lips. If earlier, with his clothes half-transparent, he had flaunted some charm, now, bundled up like a burrito, he just looked ridiculous. After a long, hesitant pause, he muttered, "...Goodnight."

Shi Lv left.

Though his wife wasn't in his arms, the fact that he was obediently at home, with the master and guest bedrooms just steps apart, filled Shi Lv with contentment, and he slept like a log.

What he didn't know was that late at night, Liang Xu hadn't slept. Instead, he quietly got up and poked around the room.

He scanned the bathroom counter—only one set of toiletries. He checked the dining and living areas—no sign of anyone else. Opening the shoe cabinet, he found only shoes of one size.

From these subtle clues, he concluded that the house had no second owner. That Shi Lv truly lived alone.

Liang Xu let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Judging by how Shi Lv had brought him home and his subsequent actions, at least for now, Shi Lv quite liked him—maybe even cherished him.

Liang Xu didn’t understand where this affection came from, but he hoped it would last.

With this thought, Liang Xu returned to the guest room.

He set an alarm for 6:30 a.m., planning to get up and make breakfast for Shi Lv.

It was already 2 a.m., leaving just over four hours to sleep. Liang Xu turned off his phone, feeling a little annoyed.

He disliked waking up early, especially after staying up late—it made his skin dull, stripping him of his last advantage. But as an Omega with favors to ask, Liang Xu felt it necessary to display obedience and domestic skills.

So when the alarm rang the next morning, Liang Xu snapped into action like clockwork. Dressed, he pushed open the door to the kitchen, remembering what Shi Lv liked from banquets. He pondered what to make—something that wasn’t too obvious but still satisfying—when he looked up and froze.

That Shi Lv, whose status was high enough to make even Elder Ye wary, was already up, working on milk and eggs at the stove.

The floor heating was cranked up, and Shi Lv wore only a thin, sheer black silk shirt. Morning light streamed from behind, bathed in warm orange light. His sleeves were rolled up to his biceps, the armbands slightly digging into his skin, revealing toned, beautifully defined forearms. Paired with his strikingly handsome face, the Alpha’s pheromones were intense.

Hearing the noise, the Alpha deftly flipped the frying egg with a flick of the pan, then turned to Liang Xu. "Good morning. Up so early today?"

He remembered Liang Xu disliked mornings, preferring to sleep in. Early in their relationship, Liang Xu had pretended otherwise, but later, he stopped bothering.

So, Liang Xu watched as Shi Lv pointed to the guest bedroom, his sharp eyes glinting with amusement. "You can sleep another hour. I’ll wake you up for class."