Chapter 48

Chapter 48

The hallway lights flickered, and the elevator doors opened.

The moment the white light hit him, Ying Xi’s heavy breathing hitched. He snapped back to awareness, immediately releasing Li Yang’s hand.

“Sorry, I was lost in thought,” he murmured, turning to Li Yang, whose eyes held a hint of surprise, and hoarsely grabbing his hand again.

The five-finger imprint on the back of Li Yang’s hand was stark, unnaturally white from the force of the grip.

Ying Xi blew gently on it, his cool breath leaving a distinct dampness that spread a tingling itch.

Li Yang’s pupils flickered. He quickly pulled his hand away, unfazed by Ying Xi’s momentary lapse.

“It tickles. I’m fine.”

Perhaps due to the backlight, Ying Xi’s eyes seemed much deeper than usual, concealing complex emotions that were impossible to decipher.

Li Yang lowered his hand and stepped out of the elevator. “But what were you thinking about? You were completely zoned out.”

“Do you want to hear it?” Ying Xi followed him into the apartment.

Having changed his shoes, Li Yang had already guessed something. He walked toward the bathroom, saying, “No, I don’t. Don’t tell me.”

A faint warmth still lingered on the back of his hand. He went into the bedroom first to get his pajamas, only to find Ying Xi blocking the doorway when he came out. His tall, slender frame exuded an undeniable pressure.

Li Yang tried to go around him but was blocked. He tried the other side, only to be blocked again.

He looked up, but before he could speak, his cheeks were suddenly cupped by warm, dry hands.

Ying Xi leaned in, his face blocking the light, making Li Yang’s eyelashes flutter wildly.

Their eyes met—Ying Xi’s gaze was scorching, an unbridled desire slowly consuming his entire pupils.

Li Yang held his breath, grabbing Ying Xi’s wrists, trying to pull them away, but couldn’t budge them an inch.

Even without words, Li Yang knew exactly what Ying Xi wanted from that blatant stare.

The silence around them was broken only by the sound of their breathing.

“Yangyang,” the young man whispered, lowering his head to rest it against Li Yang’s shoulder.

The name was uttered with such tender intimacy that Li Yang shivered, his entire spine tensing.

One hand clutched his clothes, the other unsure what to do. Finally, he swallowed hard, as if making a decision, and reached up to cup Ying Xi’s face.

Instead, his fingers landed on Ying Xi’s neck, his thumb pressing against the prominent Adam’s apple.

The sensation of it bobbing was too intense. He snatched his hand back as if burned, stammering, “You’re too heavy. Get—get up. I can’t hold you.”

Despite the overwhelming urge to act, Ying Xi made no move. Instead, he obediently straightened, his gaze fixed intently on Li Yang.

His gaze, filled with ambiguous desire, swept over Li Yang’s features, finally lingering on his faintly pink lips.

Li Yang curled his fingers, his body tensing involuntarily. He stepped past Ying Xi, then suddenly turned back.

A gentle breeze brushed by as the boy beside him abruptly rose onto his tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his cheek before bolting into the bathroom.

The moment the door closed, Li Yang’s heart pounded so loudly it seemed to drown him.

A cascade of emotions surged through him, engulfing his entire body. With trembling fingers, he turned on the shower, letting the water soak his clothes for a while before finally regaining control.

Outside, Ying Xi remained in the same standing posture until the sound of running water from the bathroom broke his lingering thoughts.

He raised a hand, his thumb brushing over the spot where Li Yang’s lips had touched—the soft sensation still lingered.

Ying Xi curved his lips into a smile.

Intense longing intertwined and swirled in his dark eyes before fading, everything returning to calm.

He sat on the sofa, propping his chin on his hand, legs crossed, his entire demeanor appearing unapproachable in the lamplight.

Yet, the moment the bathroom door opened and Li Yang rushed out, face burning with embarrassment, that icy aura melted into warmth.

“Done showering, Yangyang?” Ying Xi asked softly.

That magnetic voice made Li Yang’s legs involuntarily weaken. He avoided looking at Ying Xi, instead peeking through his fingers as he successfully retreated to the bedroom. After roughly drying his hair, he dove under the covers before calling out loudly,

“I’m going to sleep. You can shower now.”

The panic and helplessness in his tone were impossible to hide.

Footsteps sounded outside, growing closer. Li Yang immediately shut his eyes.

He didn’t know if Ying Xi had entered, his eyelids fluttering uncontrollably—until he heard a low chuckle, which made him reflexively open them.

Ying Xi stood by the bed, leaning slightly over him, his eyes brimming with amusement as he deliberately drew out his words: “Yangyang, are you so afraid of me?”

“No, I’m not,” Li Yang mumbled from under the blanket. “I’m just tired. Go shower.”

“Alright,” Ying Xi replied.

After some rustling, the room fell silent, the lights thoughtfully turned off.

Li Yang pulled the blanket down, placing a hand over his heart, feeling the excited thumping in his chest. He exhaled sharply.

At this rate, he’d go crazy sooner or later.

Perhaps exhausted from overthinking during the day, the moment Li Yang relaxed, he drifted into a deep sleep.

In his dream, Ying Xi couldn’t hold back, simply wrapping an arm around his waist and tenderly kissing his lips.

Li Yang was so embarrassed he felt like he would explode, his body flushing red as if in an allergic reaction.

He had no idea how to respond, letting Ying Xi steal his breath.

“Yangyang, you’re so clumsy,” Ying Xi’s low, husky voice brushed against his ear. He lowered his head and bit Li Yang’s neck, not hard, just gently grinding his teeth against his skin.

Heat spread through his entire body, his limbs growing weak and powerless. By the time Li Yang regained his senses, Ying Xi was holding him tightly from behind.

He couldn’t see his face or discern any emotion—only vaguely sense that the gaze behind him was growing increasingly indescribable.

Li Yang felt a pang of panic. The next second, a cool, demanding mouth covered his nape, biting down gently.

A strange tingling sensation spread through his entire body. He completely lost his strength, collapsing onto the floor with ragged breaths, enveloped and consumed by that tormenting emotion.

His nape throbbed with a faint, hot sting, his body feeling as if it were being roasted in a furnace.

Li Yang jolted upright in bed.

His clothes were slightly damp with sweat. He stared blankly into the darkness, taking a long time to shake off the terrifying sense of losing control from the dream.

Li Yang pressed a hand to the back of his neck, chanting under his breath: *Dreams mean the opposite, dreams mean the opposite.*

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at the clock.

3 a.m. Ying Xi lay beside him, breathing steadily.

Li Yang was relieved he hadn’t cried out—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to explain his current disheveled state.

Carefully, he slipped out of bed, crouching slightly, and quickly took another shower.

When he lay back down, Li Yang stared at the ceiling, silently repeating: *Dreams mean the opposite.*

The next morning, when he opened his eyes to Ying Xi’s magnified handsome face, Li Yang yelped, his pulse racing, thinking the steamy dream had continued, and immediately pushed Ying Xi’s face away.

“I don’t have a scent gland, stop biting me.”

The softness of the skin under his palm was undeniably real. Li Yang froze, realizing he was actually awake, and quickly withdrew his hand.

“Ah, I thought I was dreaming.”

“You dreamed about me?” Ying Xi’s gaze lingered on his neck. “And that I bit you?”

“No.” Li Yang sat up, scratching his cheek awkwardly, his cheeks burning. “Wen Yun has a lot of books. I read a few recently, and just now, I dreamed I was reading one. There was this line, but I couldn’t make it out clearly. When I finally saw it, I woke up and accidentally said it out loud.”

Flawless. The excuse was natural and flawless.

Li Yang let out a quiet sigh of relief, but Ying Xi wasn’t convinced. “What novel?”

“I don’t remember.” He threw off the covers and got out of bed.

Ying Xi followed, messing up his hair. “I dreamed about you last night too.”

If his own dream was too embarrassing to recount, Ying Xi’s dream about him was bound to be even more so—the content definitely wasn’t normal.

Li Yang raised a hand to stop him but froze when Ying Xi slowly said, “I dreamed about when we were kids.”

Immediately, Li Yang lowered his hand, coughing awkwardly. “Oh, really?”

“What did you think I dreamed about?” Ying Xi squeezed his cheek, the pillowy softness making his fingers sink in, reluctant to let go, his fingers lingering.

His fair cheeks soon flushed pink from the touch, and Ying Xi withdrew his hand.

Li Yang glanced away guiltily. “I knew you dreamed about the past.”

“How did you know?”

“I dreamed about it too.”

“But you said you dreamed about reading a novel?” Ying Xi saw right through him, his smile widening.

“I had seven or eight dreams. I only remember these two.” Li Yang mumbled, unable to stop his mind from wandering even as they brushed their teeth together. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Ying Xi’s face for too long.

Even the slightest glimpse of Ying Xi in his peripheral vision brought back memories of the dream’s kiss. By the time they finished, he hurried to the kitchen, pulling out a pot to boil noodles.

The rising steam quickly cleared his scrambled thoughts. Li Yang licked his slightly dry lips and quickly finished cooking the noodles.

“I’ll take it.” Ying Xi reached for the bowl before he could.

Startled, Li Yang glanced at the kitchen doorway. “You were here the whole time?”

“I’ve been standing here for about five minutes. You were too focused to notice.”

Li Yang didn’t reply. He hadn’t sensed Ying Xi’s presence at all, too lost in his own thoughts.

After breakfast, Li Yang gave Lingdang treats, then left the house with Ying Xi following close behind.

The snow outside hadn’t melted yet, leaving a thin layer of ice on the ground.

Li Yang slowed his steps, bracing himself against the car door as he got in.

On the way to school, his mind wandered until the warmth inside the car made his cheeks burn. He shook his head and rolled down the car window slightly.

A biting gust of cold wind rushed in, spreading a chill across his face and body. He quickly closed the window.

The car stopped.

As he stepped out, the sun broke through the clouds.

Li Yang stifled a yawn as he stretched, entering the campus, only turning around in the classroom to find Ying Xi standing so close he was practically glued to him.

Li Yang sat down, but Ying Xi remained by his side, unmoving.

He was even clingier than before.

Li Yang didn’t mind much, resting his chin on his hand and giving a pointed look to Ying Xi. “Class is about to start. Aren’t you going to your seat?”

Ying Xi stayed silent, just staring at him intently.

The intensity of that gaze was overwhelming. Li Yang gritted his teeth and stood. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Ying Xi turned to follow.

“Wait here.” Knowing he’d follow, Li Yang quickly stepped over, pressed Ying Xi into his own seat, then hurried out of the classroom.

Ying Xi didn’t follow.

Li Yang let out a slow breath, getting goosebumps just thinking about Ying Xi becoming even clingier in the future.

He couldn’t imagine Ying Xi—with that aloof face—literally attached to him.

Li Yang turned on the faucet.

The sound of running water mingled with quiet sobs. He paused, peering toward the source.

“Hello?” A shaky voice came from behind the nearby stall door. The person’s crying became more hysterical. “C-could you… help me?”

Li Yang didn’t answer, shutting off the water.

“I know someone’s there. I just need a hand—I can’t get up.”

A faint scent of pheromones drifted over, acrid and medicinal, like stepping into a hospital.

Li Yang put two and two together, guessing the omega was in distress. Holding his breath, he pulled out an extra suppressant patch from his pocket, eased the door ajar, and reached in.

“Do you need this?”

The crying stopped abruptly. Silence.

Frowning, Li Yang began to pull back his hand when a sudden force latched onto his wrist, and with his heart pounding, dragged him inside.