Chapter 028 Royal Banquet 07

Chapter 028: Palace Banquet 07

Wei Qing stopped and looked over.

He ran toward them, his expression stern.

Seeing his intense demeanor, Zhou Younan felt uneasy and couldn’t help but step back.

Zhou Younan was suddenly lifted off the ground by Wei Qing, who buried his face in Zhou’s chest and nuzzled him insistently.

It made his ribs ache.

"Zhou Younan, I’ve told you—my patience is at its limit," Wei Qing said, looking up at him with slightly reddened eyes.

Zhou Younan hesitated before reaching out to stroke Wei Qing’s head, smoothing his hair as he whispered, "You’ve been through a lot."

"Heh." This time, Wei Qing didn’t accuse Zhou of treating him like a child. Instead, he nuzzled Zhou’s hand, scattering light kisses into his palm.

It tickled, Zhou Younan thought.

Watching their affectionate moment, Zhu Gejin felt more anger than envy.

He knew exactly what kind of person Zhou Younan was—Zhou An had told him everything. How could someone like Zhou Younan deserve happiness? How could he be happier than Zhu Gejin himself?

Shooting a glance at Vance Nabel in the hall, Zhu Gejin clenched his teeth in resentment. He would make sure everyone saw Zhou Younan’s true colors.

***

The palace banquet was truly extraordinary, with an array of exquisite dishes that tantalized the senses and made mouths water.

Zhou Younan particularly liked the orange fizzy drink in his glass and kept drinking.

Zhou Younan and Wei Qing sat on one side of the long table, facing Vance Nabel and Zhu Gejin.

Like his younger brother Lance Nabel, Vance had gray hair and red eyes.

As a marshal, he was muscular, with sharp facial features, pale skin, and a prominent cross tattoo on his chin.

Wei Qing quietly told Zhou Younan that it was the Nabel family crest.

Zhou Younan stole a few more glances—Marshal Vance Nabel looked like a vampire straight out of a legend.

At the head of the table sat Empress Murong Shalun and His Majesty Arthur Long.

Zhou Younan didn’t dare scrutinize the emperor, only catching a fleeting glimpse. The only thing he noticed was a wild mane of golden hair—a stark contrast to the empress’s sleek locks.

Before the meal began, the emperor reprimanded Vance Nabel for failing to discipline his brother properly. Vance bowed his head, promising to straighten out their family.

The emperor also chastised Wei Qing for casually using Crimson Flame during the wedding, calling the act immature.

Wei Qing replied solemnly, "I won’t repeat such behavior."

The emperor nodded in approval. "Good."

Wei Qing added, "This is my last wedding. I’ve found my true love, so such incidents won’t happen again."

As he spoke, he gazed affectionately at Zhou Younan.

Zhou Younan winced, taking a hurried swig of his drink to hide his embarrassment.

Vance Nabel scoffed. "Your Majesty, he clearly doesn’t think he did anything wrong. Wei Qing’s promise only refers to not remarrying—not that he’ll stop using Crimson Flame recklessly."

Wei Qing frowned at Vance. "The result's identical either way. Must you split hairs like this? Doesn't it tire you out?"

"What does ‘split hairs’ mean? Don’t use words I don’t understand to attack me."

"Vance, maybe try cracking a book sometime?"

"Wei Qing, I'm more educated than you."

"Could’ve fooled me."

"I hold a Ph.D. from Xipusi Military Academy."

Wei Qing said mockingly, "Yet you don’t know what ‘split hairs’ means?"

"You—"

"Enough," the emperor interjected. "You’re both marshals, yet you bicker like children. Eat."

They fell silent, and the meal began.

Zhou Younan kept his eyes lowered, only daring to help himself to the dishes nearest him, taking bites between sips of his drink.

A pair of chopsticks placed a golden piece of crispy fried pork into Zhou Younan’s bowl. "Try this—it’s delicious," Wei Qing said.

The dish had been far out of Zhou Younan’s reach, on Zhu Gejin’s side. Though curious, he hadn’t dared to reach across for it.

He hadn’t expected Wei Qing to notice his gaze and get it for him.

"Thank you," Zhou Younan said softly, touched by the gesture, as he ate the pork.

No sooner had he finished than Wei Qing placed a chicken leg into his bowl. "Here, try this."

"Okay, thanks."

"This is for you."

"And this."

...

Wei Qing seemed to enjoy this little feeding game—serving Zhou Younan bite after bite.

Before long, his bowl was overflowing. Zhou Younan’s lips twitched in exasperation.

He picked up the untouched portions and moved them back to Wei Qing’s bowl. "You eat too."

Wei Qing looked pleased.

Across the table, Vance Nabel remarked, "In my house, leftovers go to Tom."

Zhu Gejin snickered beside him.

Zhou Younan frowned in confusion.

Zhu Gejin "kindly" explained, "Tom is the new golden retriever Lance bought."

*Did Vance mean he was treating Wei Qing like a dog?*

No way. Absolutely not.

Zhou Younan hurriedly clarified, "It's not that I don't want to eat; I just don’t have much appetite."

Wei Qing ate the food Zhou Younan had given him and grinned at Vance. "You're the dog. Your whole family are dogs."

Blunt and cutting—typical Wei Qing.

Zhou Younan wanted to laugh but held it in.

Vance’s expression froze. "Earlier on the training field, when you ran away, you looked just like a dog running away."

Wei Qing shot back, "I wasn't running away. I was going to kiss my wife. Wife, got it? Oh right, you wouldn’t get it. You're all alone, more like a lonely mutt. What do *you* know?"

Vance’s face turned thunderous. He glanced at Murong Shalun.

In the end, he said nothing. Zhou Younan guessed he must have caught Murong Shalun’s sharp glare.

An uneasy silence settled over the table.

Zhu Gejin smiled and asked Zhou Younan, "What hobbies do you usually have?"

Zhou Younan stiffened before shaking his head.

Survival left no room for hobbies.

Zhu Gejin scratched Jinjin—his small green shoulder robot.

"I like researching robots," he said. "I heard you used to work at a research institute. Weren’t you into chemistry or whatever?"

Zhu Gejin had dug the knife in on purpose. Zhou An had told him Zhou Younan hated being asked about his time there.

Zhou An had sneered, "He’s so fixated on the institute—I bet he screwed half the lab."

"And the reason he was sent to detention in the first place was because he was considered an accomplice."

"Word is, people *died* in that lab. If he was an accomplice, doesn’t that make him indirectly responsible for their deaths?"

Zhou An’s words still echoed in Zhu Gejin’s ears as he watched Zhou Younan’s expression with interest.

At ‘institute,’ Zhou Younan went pale. His chopsticks creaked in his grip, head bowed.

Zhu Gejin glanced at Vance Nabel beside him, who stayed neutral.

Zhu Gejin liked Vance Nabel, and since Vance hated Wei Qing the most, Zhu Gejin disliked Wei Qing by extension.

Making Zhou Younan—Wei Qing’s favorite—even more despicable.

Seeing Zhou Younan like this, Zhu Gejin went for the throat.

Pressing a button on Jinjin, he retrieved a miniature lab kit from the opened compartment—complete with syringes, stethoscopes, test tubes—the works.

With a smile, he thrust it at Zhou Younan. "The Empress commanded this gift for you. I thought you’d like this, so I chose this set."

Zhou Younan’s gaze locked onto the syringe, but he didn’t take it.

"What? Don’t you like it?" Zhu Gejin countered. "This is a *generous* gesture from us both."

Zhou An’s plan—using the kit to break Zhou Younan—was working.

Zhu Gejin was pleased—not only was he helping his friend Zhou An vent, but he was also indirectly striking at Wei Qing.

Two birds, one stone. Perfect.

His lips twitched in a smirk as he steered the conversation further toward the institute, hoping to drag out Zhou Younan’s ‘confession.’

Let them all see the killer he really was.

With that thought, Zhu Gejin’s smile grew more genuine.

Zhou Younan’s world narrowed to the syringe. His pulse roared in his ears, drowning out Zhu Gejin.

Vance barked a laugh and said to Wei Qing, "Guess you’ve got *plenty* in common. Weren’t you at an institute too?"

Wei Qing was up before the words finished.

The Emperor’s voice cracked like a whip: "Silence!"

Silence fell once more.

The Omega’s scent—fresh earth and green leaves—filled the room. Everyone turned to Zhou Younan, who had been keeping his head down.

He shook, whispering ‘sorry’ like a mantra, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry..."

An unmated Omega’s heat pheromones were catnip to Alphas.

Wei Qing moved like lightning, hauling Zhou Younan up and putting distance between them and the table, his gaze locked onto Vance Nabel, whose eyes gleamed with predatory intent.

"Your Majesty, we need a room to rest."

***

Wei Qing kicked the door in, Zhou Younan cradled tight.

There was a bed, but he didn’t lay Zhou Younan down. Instead, he sat on a plush armchair, keeping Zhou Younan cradled in his lap.

Wei Qing’s arm locked around Zhou Younan’s waist as he curled up, pressing close, shivering against him.

Wei Qing stroked his back gently, whispering, "Easy. I’ve got you. Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’ll always be here."

Pressed against Wei Qing’s chest, warmth enveloped him. Wei Qing’s palms were scorching, relentless.

Zhou Younan’s shaking gradually subsided, though his scent still spiked unevenly. His head felt oddly dizzy.

He clung to Wei Qing’s neck, burying his face against his shoulder.

"Heat?" Wei Qing’s voice grated.

Zhou Younan shook his head. "N-no..." A broken whisper. "Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Wei Qing asked.

"I—I made you look bad."

"What kind of nonsense is that? You're the most precious thing in the world to me. How could you ever think you'd embarrass me?"

Zhou Younan sighed silently.

Wei Qing buried his face in Zhou Younan's neck and inhaled deeply. "Did the research institute make you unhappy?"

Zhou Younan lowered his eyes. "Mm."

"Wanna talk about it? Might make you feel better."

Looking into Wei Qing's pale green eyes, Zhou Younan hesitated. He nearly told Wei Qing everything about the institute, but after careful thought, he held back.

Those memories were his deepest pain, unending torment. Wei Qing might turn against him in the future—once the capsule wore off in thirty days.

Zhou Younan didn't want to share his pain with him, didn't want his pain used as ammunition, turned against him.

He averted his gaze. "I don’t want to talk about it."

"Then I'll just have to kiss it out of you," Wei Qing said shamelessly.

Zhou Younan clapped both hands over his mouth.

Wei Qing laughed softly, dropping kisses on the backs of his hands, then his forehead, his cheeks, his neck—without stopping.

Zhou Younan burst out laughing, all his earlier fear and guilt about the syringe fading away.

Wei Qing only kissed him more hungrily when he laughed.

"Stop," Zhou Younan managed between giggles.

"No, not until you talk," Wei Qing insisted, keeping at it.

Their playful wrestling, filled with innocent kisses, took a heated turn when Zhou Younan let slip a muffled moan.

"Move your hands," Wei Qing murmured, his voice deep. He kissed Zhou Younan’s face while gently pulling his hands away from his lips.

"Behave. I want to kiss your lips, okay?" Wei Qing pressed a kiss to the back of Zhou Younan’s hand, his breath scorching against his skin.

Zhou Younan felt even dizzier as Wei Qing slowly pried his hands away from his mouth.

"Good boy~" Wei Qing smirked before finally capturing Zhou Younan’s lips.

"...Mmm..."

Wei Qing’s kiss was sweet, hot, and deep. Zhou Younan leaned back, only to be steadied by Wei Qing’s hand at his neck holding him steady.

"Do you like it when I kiss you like this?" Wei Qing asked between kisses.

"...Yes... Mmm..."

The kiss grew wild.

Zhou Younan sat sideways on Wei Qing’s lap, legs clamped tight.

Wei Qing held his most sensitive part...

Tears welled and overflowed from the corners of his eyes.

Wei Qing caught one with his thumb, then licked it. "Tastes like catnip."

Excited, he followed the tear tracks, licking away every trace of moisture on Zhou Younan’s face.

Zhou Younan turned his head away, but Wei Qing cupped his chin and forced him back, kept going.

"Wei Qing, stop licking."

"You smell so good. I can barely control myself."

White light burst behind Zhou Younan’s eyelids...

When he woke again, he found his head resting on Wei Qing’s lap.

Zhou Younan had dreamed of crying to his past self about the suffering he endured at the institute.

His past self comforted him, "But at least you’re still alive, aren’t you?"

It was a strange dream, and then Zhou Younan was flying through the air—

Weightless, joyful, free.

The dream ended with Wei Qing’s voice saying, "Zhou Younan, don’t leave. Stay with me forever."

Zhou Younan sat up to see where he was now.

He was enclosed by three walls, and the fourth side blocked by crimson laser bars, bearing stark 'Keep Away' warnings.

Clearly, this wasn’t the guest room he’d been in earlier at the palace.

"...Is this a prison?" Zhou Younan whispered to himself.