Chapter 020 Wedding Ceremony 12

Chapter 020 The Wedding March 12

The particle lance lay beneath a distant tree, its dark blue energy glow gradually fading.

Wang Wu lay on her back, surrounded by fragments of her violently torn-off exoskeleton armor, a streak of blood at the corner of her mouth.

Wei Qing grabbed her arm, pulling her to sit against the tree trunk.

"Agh—damn. Wei Qing, such a temper? Are you really that hung up on that Omega?" Wang Wu’s taunts persisted.

Wei Qing’s face remained cold as he opened her terminal and messaged the mech division, telling them to pick her up.

Glancing at her briefly, Wei Qing said, "Old Wang told me to teach you a proper lesson if I saw you today. You know what he meant."

"Hypocrite." Wang Wu immediately saw through Wei Qing’s high-sounding excuse.

Wei Qing stood up to leave.

"Wait," Wang Wu called out, "gimme a smoke. Helps with the pain."

"Got the mouth to talk but not the strength to light your own smoke?"

Wang Wu twitched her fingers. "...Really don’t."

As a genius mech engineer, Wang Wu couldn’t live without cigarettes and coffee.

Wei Qing impatiently pressed the vape bracelet on Wang Wu’s arm, emitting a pink vapor cloud that hovered before her.

Cigarettes existed in the beastman world too, though there they were hand-rolled.

In the interstellar world, technological advancements had refined them into vaporizers—just press a button to inhale.

Wei Qing had once considered smoking to drown out the scent of pheromones. But interstellar cigarettes were health-conscious, their flavor too mild to be of any use against pheromones.

Back then, he’d also tried gas masks and nanofiber masks to block the scent.

Those did block odors—so effectively that Wei Qing couldn’t smell anything at all.

That was unacceptable to him.

His beast soul refused to be deprived of scent.

Losing his sense of smell filled him with unease.

"Wei Qing, for a goddamn wedding, you actually summoned Crimson Flame. Do you not realize he’s at a critical stage?"

Wang Wu’s cigarette contained a trace of stimulant, and she was already more alert than before.

"Watch your mouth. It’s not a goddamn wedding—it’s a happy one."

"You… you bastard."

Wang Wu nearly cursed aloud but stopped when she met Wei Qing’s warning glare.

With a cold laugh, she replied mockingly, "If he finds out you’re a beastman, do you think he’ll accept you?"

Wei Qing stood up, looking down at her with a cold snort. "Whether he accepts it or not, I’ll have him."

With that, Wei Qing strode away.

Wang Wu spat a bloody glob at his retreating back.

Fuck, Wei Qing had gone too hard today.

Tilting her head back, Wang Wu gazed at the deep blue night sky, where twin crescent moons hung high and low.

Cool blue moonlight spilled through the window, and Wei Qing heard Zhou Younan shouting—he already knew the answer his probing had uncovered.

Zhou Younan was afraid of his beast form.

At first, when Zhou Younan had met his gaze without screaming, Wei Qing had thought he wasn’t scared.

Now, the truth was laid bare…

Wei Qing morphed back to human form.

His body temperature differed between beastman and human forms, so the mech division had developed a shape-shifting suit for him.

In his normal state, the outfit resembled form-fitting black combat gear. When he transformed, the fabric stretched and turned invisible. Upon reverting, it returned to its original form.

Wei Qing inhaled the lingering scent of catnip in the air. He knew full well his body had become hooked on this feeling—

Being near Zhou Younan, breathing in that fragrance.

Though reason warned him to back off, Wei Qing had always lived by instinct, not logic.

He made his decision then: if Zhou Younan was afraid, he’d never learn the truth.

"Zhou Younan."

Wei Qing called his name.

His voice was like a ray of light piercing the darkness, flooding Zhou Younan’s heart. Like a drifting ship finding port, his shivering stopped.

Zhou Younan opened his eyes and released the door handle he’d been gripping so tightly it left imprints on his palm.

Pushing open the metal door of the supply closet,

Zhou Younan saw Wei Qing standing there, looking wounded.

Dressed in black, with long golden hair, his pale green eyes like a still forest gazing through the darkness.

"Wei Qing!" Zhou Younan flung himself into his arms. "A leopard—an *Earth animal*!"

Still trembling with fear, Zhou Younan didn’t notice Wei Qing’s hands dangling stiffly at his sides, unresponsive to the embrace.

"Were you scared?" Wei Qing asked, body rigid.

"Yeah." Zhou Younan clutching Wei Qing’s waist, scanning the room—no sign of the leopard.

It had disappeared completely.

Letting go, Zhou Younan scanned the room once more but found nothing.

"Where did it go? I really saw a leopard just now."

Afraid Wei Qing wouldn’t believe him, he added details.

"That leopard had a tri-color ear tag too. Do you own it?"

"Yes, his name’s Wei San." Wei Qing walked to the storage room door, pretending to peek inside.

"Before, when Wei San was hungry, he'd just come to the storage room to eat on his own. If it freaks you out, I won’t let him in the house anymore."

Zhou Younan walked over to Wei Qing, hesitation on his face.

"Why’d you get an Earth animal? How long have you had him? How old is he? Is he low-maintenance? Would he hurt humans?"

Wei Qing turned around, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Zhou Younan.

Zhou Younan tilted his head up, waiting for his answer.

Wei Qing’s expression softened slightly, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "His Majesty gave him to me. It’s been over ten years. Not sure how old he is. Pretty low-maintenance, very affectionate."

"Did I spook him?" Zhou Younan looked embarrassed.

Wei Qing calmly closed the storage room door and turned back to Zhou Younan. "You’re not afraid?"

"I am," Zhou Younan answered honestly. "But I’m also kinda curious. He’s way bigger and more stunning, and more... than what’s described in books."

"More what?"

"More lonely."

Wei Qing’s gaze sharpened. He stopped smiling and stared at Zhou Younan. "What makes you think he’s lonely?"

"Earth stopped rotating long ago. He might not have any companions." Zhou Younan averted his gaze, avoiding Wei Qing’s eyes, and lightly pressed his lips together.

He lowered his head and whispered, "I thought he might feel lonely. Did I say something wrong?"

"No." Wei Qing abruptly changed the subject. "But you just scared him off. Who knows, maybe he’s hiding in the woods crying right now."

"Aww, poor guy, isn’t he?" Wei Qing shrugged nonchalantly.

"He cries?" Guilt twisted in Zhou Younan’s gut. "Have you seen him cry?"

"I have. When he starts thinking about loneliness, he cries, oh yeah."

"Thinking about loneliness?" That sounded weird.

Zhou Younan repeated it, trying to understand Wei Qing’s meaning.

When he looked up, he was met with Wei Qing’s shit-eating grin.

Zhou Younan instantly realized he was being teased.

Wei Qing saying the leopard cried was clearly just messing with him.

Zhou Younan’s guilt and fear went up in smoke. He pursed his lips and turned to leave, throwing over his shoulder, "Let him cry then."

"Oooh, harsh."

Wei Qing chuckled, bouncing after Zhou Younan with light steps.

That night, Zhou Younan took out his clothes, getting ready to shower.

"No need to undress." Wei Qing pulled him straight into the bathroom.

How do you shower without taking off your clothes?

Zhou Younan looked at Wei Qing in confusion.

Wei Qing closed the glass bathroom door and explained, "It’s a plasma shower, not water. Takes like three minutes tops."

The plasma wind was neither hot nor cold, carrying moisture as it swept over every inch of skin from all directions.

Zhou Younan wasn’t totally comfortable with the sensation of wind brushing over his entire body.

"Don’t like it?" Wei Qing slouched lazily against the opposite wall, arms crossed over his chest, his golden hair all over the place.

"It’s kinda weird," Zhou Younan replied.

"I don’t like the feeling of my hair getting wet."

"Oh." Zhou Younan felt like Wei Qing was explaining why he used a plasma shower.

"I have to go to the palace early tomorrow to see His Majesty about the Levis Royal Hotel incident."

Since this matter was his fault, Zhou Younan hesitated before asking, "How will His Majesty handle it?"

"Worried about me?"

"...Yeah."

"The Levis Royal Hotel has 'Royal' in its name. His Majesty has had it out for it for a long time."

Wei Qing kept his eyes closed as he spoke. Zhou Younan noticed his eyebrows were thick and brown, his eyelashes long and black.

"Oh."

"I’ll leave breakfast in the insulated box. Remember to eat."

"Mm." Zhou Younan mumbled automatically before realizing, "I can just have nutrient packs."

"My cooking isn’t as good as nutrient packs? Yeah?"

Wei Qing didn’t open his eyes, only turning his head slightly toward Zhou Younan.

Even without seeing those pale green eyes, Zhou Younan still felt all kinds of flustered.

He answered, "Your cooking is good."

Hearing this, Wei Qing smiled, his fangs flashing.

The glands at the back of Zhou Younan’s neck suddenly started throbbing. He leaned against the bathroom wall, steadying himself. Doing the math, his rut was approaching.

Gland soreness before rut was normal. What Zhou Younan needed now was to chill out.

But he forgot—in this cramped little bathroom, there was another person present.

Wei Qing walked over to Zhou Younan, pressed shoulder-to-shoulder with him against the same wall.

Zhou Younan went rigid. He had unconsciously released a lot of pheromones, and now the entire bathroom was drenched in his scent.

He glanced at Wei Qing beside him.

Wei Qing’s eyes were closed, his head resting against the wall as he took deep breaths. His sharp brow bone, his straight nose, and his throat worked once.

Zhou Younan quietly backed away.

Though Wei Qing looked much the same as before, for some reason, he now radiated danger.

Putting distance between them, Zhou Younan retreated to the corner of the bathroom. Wei Qing remained where he was, apparently not noticing his retreat.

He let out a quiet breath.

At that moment, Wei Qing opened his eyes and came toward him with a smirk.

Zhou Younan knew trouble was coming and tried to leave, but his escape was blocked by Wei Qing’s arm planted against the wall.

Wei Qing grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. "And where do you think you're going?"

Zhou Younan put on a calm front. "Nowhere. Just calm down. I lost control earlier, but I’ve already got my pheromones under control."

Wei Qing nuzzled into Zhou Younan’s neck, inhaling deeply with a pleased expression.

"You smell so good."

Zhou Younan shivered, regretting once again that he had overdone the suppressants.

"I think now’s a good time to show you how to breathe. Otherwise, it’ll be a problem if you still can’t when we get to the bed."

His voice was rough, making Zhou Younan’s neck tingle.

Before Zhou Younan could respond, Wei Qing kissed him.

Trapped between the cold wall and Wei Qing’s burning-hot body, Zhou Younan couldn’t push him away. He was still overwhelmed by the intensity of the kiss, barely able to breathe.

His head spun again.

Wei Qing pulled back, and Zhou Younan gasped for air.

"I love your black eyes."

Wei Qing brushed a soft kiss to Zhou Younan’s eyelids.

Gradually, Zhou Younan’s breathing steadied.

"When we kiss, just breathe through your nose. Next, I’ll kiss you slowly, and you try to breathe through your nose, okay?"

Wei Qing’s heated gaze held Zhou Younan spellbound, and he gave a small nod.

He was suddenly lifted, his back pressed against the wall as their eyes met at the same level.

Wei Qing smiled and covered Zhou Younan’s lips with his own, tasting him slowly, like savoring ice cream. His movements were slow and measured, and Zhou Younan learned to breathe through his nose.

"You got it." Wei Qing deepened the kiss with a grin.

Lost in the intensity, Zhou Younan forgot to breathe again.

Wei Qing slowed down, murmuring between kisses, "Breathe through your mouth in the gaps, Zhou Younan."

The three minutes had long passed, and the plasma breeze had stopped.

"You’ve learned."

Zhou Younan was swept up in Wei Qing’s arms, instinctively wrapping his own around Wei Qing’s neck.

Noticing his confusion, Wei Qing arched a brow. "Next, we’ll do what newlyweds are supposed to do."

Zhou Younan came back to his senses—kissing was still okay.

Unless there was no other choice, he didn’t want to take things further with Wei Qing.

After all, Wei Qing was, at his core, someone who couldn't stand seeing his luggage—someone who hated him.