Chapter 54

Chapter 54

"I meant, if you came to the hospital and were fine, then I'd... kiss you..." The last word faded into a whisper. Li Yang turned his head away, stammering, unable to finish the sentence.

"I'm fine now," Ying Xi said, tilting his head, his gaze fixed on Li Yang's face.

The intense stare made Li Yang feel like an egg sizzling in a pan—instantly cooked.

Pressed against Ying Xi's warm chest, a burning heat spread through his body. Li Yang couldn't sit still and tried to get up, only to be pulled back even tighter.

His breath hitched—whether it was Ying Xi's cheek brushing against the back of his neck or something else, it sent a tingling sensation down his spine.

One hand awkwardly covered his nape while the other fidgeted with the ring on his middle finger, trying to sort out his jumbled thoughts.

Under the white light, his fingers looked delicate and pale. Ying Xi caught hold of that hand.

Their fingers intertwined, the two rings glinting softly.

Li Yang's heart pounded wildly, his body sinking as if submerged in water. A faint ringing filled his ears, and his mind felt like it was being stirred by a whirling vortex.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he hesitated, then turned his head. His gaze landed on Ying Xi's slightly upturned lips before he quickly pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

The fleeting wetness left as soon as it came, so fast that Ying Xi froze, his eyes widening as his gaze locked onto the boy's lips.

He raised a hand to touch the spot, regretting not reacting in time to chase those withdrawing lips and deepen the kiss.

"I made good," Li Yang muttered, avoiding eye contact as he held the back of his neck, speaking slowly. "There."

Ying Xi stared at him intently, his gaze darkening. "Can we do it again?"

The room was empty except for the two of them, and the hallway outside was silent. Yet, Li Yang inexplicably flushed hotly. Before his consciousness could fully surrender, he pulled his hand free and firmly refused.

"No. We need to hit the books."

There it was again—studying.

Ying Xi was used to those words by now. He chuckled and hugged Li Yang tighter. "Fine. Then we'll save everything else for after studying."

Li Yang didn't dwell on what "everything else" might entail, instinctively avoiding the topic as he rubbed his burning ears.

A knock sounded at the door. Li Xu peered through the gap, her face lighting up at the sight of their close embrace.

"You two look much closer than before."

"I'm fine now. We can leave," Ying Xi said, noticing Li Yang's discomfort. He immediately let go and got out of bed, straightening his clothes.

"The doctor advised you to avoid crowded places for the next few days," Li Xu reminded as she stepped inside. "Once your pheromones stabilize, the adverse reactions should lessen."

She paused, looking at Li Yang's pale complexion before reaching out to pat his head. "Come on, Yangyang. Let's go home for dinner."

Li Yang nodded, bracing for discomfort. But under Li Xu's gentle gaze, all his jumbled thoughts dissipated.

He obediently followed her, about to leave the room when a weak voice called out from behind.

"Yangyang... I don't have any strength."

Ying Xi leaned against the wall with one hand, the other pressed to his chest as he hunched slightly, feigning exhaustion.

Realizing what was happening, Li Yang turned back and supported his arm.

The tall boy straightened up, the hand on his chest dropping to his side as he grinned and followed Li Yang out, his smug look showing no trace of weakness.

Li Xu saw through it but said nothing, heading off first to complete the checkout paperwork.

"Be careful these next few days," Dr. Xu reminded them as they left. "Both of you are still unstable, so keep an eye on each other."

Li Yang nodded, glancing around and noticing Jiang Yunzhe was no longer outside the room.

The three of them got into the car, with Assistant Min at the wheel. Peering into the rearview mirror, he said, "Jiang Yunzhe was taken away by his family. That guy really puts on a show—it took three people to drag him out."

Hearing the name, the smile in Ying Xi's eyes dimmed slightly.

"Today's mess is my fault," Li Xu sighed, rubbing her temples in exasperation.

"I have some history with his parents. When he showed up saying he came specifically to visit me, I thought he'd just stop by briefly. Who knew he'd wander off to the third floor the moment I went to get coffee?"

"Don't worry, Yangyang. He won't bother you two again."

"It's fine," Li Yang smiled and shook his head, untroubled.

His earlier sharpness with Jiang Yunzhe had only been because the guy caused Ying Xi to faint.

Beside him, the quiet boy rested his head on Li Yang's shoulder.

He closed his eyes slowly, the smile on his lips curved in satisfaction as he willed in his heart this moment could stretch on forever.

"We're here," Assistant Min announced, parking the car. "Happy New Year in advance, everyone. I'm heading back to my hometown for the holidays, so see you after the new year."

Li Xu handed him a fat red packet, and Assistant Min's lips curled up instantly. "Thanks, boss!"

Li Yang and Ying Xi got out of the car one after the other.

The auntie had already prepared dumplings. Li Xu handed her a prepared red envelope and gifts, telling her she could begin her holiday leave.

Overjoyed, the auntie thanked her repeatedly before leaving.

Only the three of them remained in the spacious living room.

Just as Li Yang hesitated about whether to return to the third floor, Li Xu took out two red envelopes and handed one to each of them.

"Here, New Year's red packets," she said with a smile. "This is just from me. Your dad will give you his when he's back from work."

Li Yang blinked. Sensing his thoughts, Ying Xi lifted his hand to accept the packet.

"Thanks, Mom. We’ll take it."

Heat bloomed from his palm, an electric thrill traveling up his spine. Li Yang's arm trembled slightly as he instinctively echoed, "Thanks, Mom."

The room fell silent. Li Xu stared at him in happy astonishment, thrilled by the switch in what he called her. "Oh, no need to thank me."

Realizing what he'd just said, Li Yang's mind went blank. His lips moved as if to correct himself, but under Li Xu's delighted gaze, he swallowed the word "Auntie" back down.

Well... he'd have to call her that eventually anyway.

As evening fell, Ying Sui returned.

When he heard Li Xu boasted that Li Yang had called her "Mom," he immediately pulled out a red envelope, his expectant gaze making it impossible to refuse. "Take it. It's not much—just some pocket money."

Li Yang, who had been playing with a feather wand, met Ying Sui's eyes. He thought his mouth would stick together, but instead, the word slipped out effortlessly. "Dad."

"Aww," Ying Sui grinned widely as he handed the red envelope to Li Yang. "That's great."

The envelope was thin, containing a hard card inside. Li Yang guessed the amount on the card must be substantial and shot Ying Xi a helpless look, unsure what to do.

"It's from Dad - you should take it," Ying Xi said, taking the feather wand and playing with Lingdang.

Lingdang, who had been lying on the floor being cute, immediately jumped onto Li Yang's lap upon seeing Ying Xi holding the teaser, completely ignoring him.

Ying Xi said with a half-smile and poked Lingdang's face. "You used to be all over me when you clung to me."

Lingdang's tail brushed his hand before the cat meowed and snuggled into Li Yang's arms.

Li Yang petted Lingdang, accepting the red envelope with a smile. "Thank you, Dad."

That made Ying Sui's face light up with happiness. He then handed red envelopes to Ying Xi and Lingdang as well.

Lingdang sniffed the envelope, unimpressed, and curled up on Li Yang's lap, yawning.

Ying Xi placed Lingdang's envelope in Li Yang's hand. "Lingdang's red envelope should be kept by Lingdang's mom."

Li Yang blushed slightly before picking up Lingdang to hide his flushed cheeks.

After dinner, the two returned to the third floor.

Perhaps the water had been too hot—when Li Yang got out of the shower, the back of his neck felt itching like crazy. Checking in the mirror, he saw the skin there was covered in red marks from scratching, angry-looking.

He lowered his hand, resisting the urge to scratch, and texted Dr. Xu about the situation.

"If it's really unbearable, you could try a suppressant patch. It might help," Dr. Xu replied.

Li Yang found a suppressant patch and applied it to his neck. The itching intensified instantly, forcing him to rip it off immediately.

Fortunately, the discomfort faded quickly after removal, though his neck grew even redder, with raised streaks from scratching too hard.

The itching subsided, replaced by a throbbing pain. Rubbing his neck, Li Yang sat at the desk and pulled out a book.

Ying Xi emerged from his shower, used to seeing Li Yang studying.

After drying his hair, he suddenly remembered something. "Have those two been reaching out to you lately?"

Li Yang turned, pen in hand. "Who?"

Ying Xi's hair was slightly messy, falling into his eyes. He casually brushed it aside, his harsh features softened by the warm lamplight. His collar was unusually loose, showing off a stretch of skin below his collarbones.

Li Yang momentarily blanked on what he was about to say. His grip on the pen tightened until his fingertips turned pale. Throat dry, he averted his gaze, eyes darting around the desk.

"Su Shaoning and them? No, they haven't. They’ll probably try to contact me in a couple of days."

"I'll deal with it when they do," Ying Xi said, stopping behind him.

Warmth radiated over Li Yang, carrying the scent of shower gel, making his heart race.

Li Yang lowered his head, jaw clenched, inadvertently exposing the flushed nape of his neck.

Cool fingertips brushed the red marks, giving him chills.

Li Yang froze.

Ying Xi rubbed the conspicuous marks. "What happened here?"

"It was itchy, so I scratched it," Li Yang said quickly, pulling Ying Xi's hand away. "It's late. Let's sleep."

Ying Xi chuckled.

Normally, he wouldn't sleep this early.

Before Ying Xi could respond, Li Yang washed his hands, climbed into bed, and turned off the bedside lamp.

Half the room went dark. Ying Xi lay down and switched off the remaining lights.

Silence enveloped them, the darkness so complete it was almost tangible.

Li Yang blinked slowly a few times before falling asleep.

...

The New Year atmosphere was lively, filled with the constant crackle of firecrackers and fireworks.

Li Yang was still sending out New Year's greetings when Wen Yun's video call came through.

"Happy New Year!" The boy on the screen grinned brightly, waving. "Check out what I'm wearing. Do I look good?"

The festive, eye-catching red sweater made him look super cute. Li Yang smiled. "You look great. Really cute."

"Really?" Wen Yun touched his face, not used to being called cute for once. He leaned closer to the camera, eyes darting around. "Are you spending New Year’s at Ying Xi's place? So what's the deal between you two now?"

Li Yang was much more comfortable with this topic now than before.

He turned the camera around to show Wen Yun the room's decorations before lowering his gaze thoughtfully. "Honestly, I can't think of the right word to describe our relationship right now."

"I know," Wen Yun said, suddenly remembering something. "It's called... I had it just now, but it slipped my mind."

He slapped his forehead, determined to remember the forgotten term. Holding the phone close to his face, he crouched and mentally rewound until it came back to him.

"That's it! You're in the flirting stage."

Li Yang fell silent.

His and Ying Xi's "flirting stage" had long passed. Now, it felt more like they'd been together forever.

"Something like that," Wen Yun said, turning the camera to show others. "My dad and I are making dumplings. What are you doing?"

Li Yang had been in his room all morning after breakfast, unsure what to do. Just then, Ying Xi pushed the door open and called him out to light some fireworks.

Li Yang: "Fireworks in the daytime?"

"They still look cool during the day," Ying Xi said, holding up sparklers.

The colorful sparklers aligned perfectly with his sharp features, creating a funny contrast. Li Yang laughed and walked over, taking a few to show Wen Yun.

"We're going to light some fireworks now."

"In broad daylight? Stay on the line—let me see," Wen Yun insisted.

Li Yang agreed.

Fireworks weren't as bright in daylight, but he lit one and held it in front of him, one hand filming the crackling sparks while the other waved the sparkler in the air.

"That looks awesome!" Wen Yun stood up excitedly. "I’m gonna buy some too. Wasn’t interested before, but seeing you with them makes me want to."

He gave a quick wave at the camera, and before hanging up, he could still hear Wen Yun's father calling out to him: "Wen Yun, we agreed you'd help wrap dumplings! Where did you run off to?"

Li Yang pocketed his phone, his gaze dropping slightly to stare at the sparkler in his hand.

The dazzling light reflected in the boy's eyes, lighting up his dark eyes as a smile spread across his face.

Ying Xi kept watching him.

Feeling the stare, Li Yang looked up and met Ying Xi's face, his eyes crinkling with a smile, Ying Xi's reflection clear in his pupils.

A long time ago, when Ying Xi first saw those beautiful eyes, he had wanted them to hold only him.

Now that it had come true, he stood before Li Yang with a strange feeling in his chest, only realizing the feeling welling up inside him was excitement when the burnt-out sparkler in his hand burned out.

Ying Xi tossed the burnt-out sparkler into the trash bin, then grabbed Li Yang's hand—still eager to play—and planted a kiss on it.

"What are you doing?" Li Yang startled, quickly pulling his hand back. "I just held a sparkler—it's dirty."

"Yangyang." Ying Xi pulled him into an embrace, his voice low and husky. "Can I make a greedy request?"

Li Yang, still clutching a sparkler awkwardly in Ying Xi's arms, instinctively asked, "What is it?"

"Let's get engaged after graduation, okay?" Ying Xi said.

Li Yang paused briefly before immediately replying, "Okay."

His answer came too quickly, too naturally, without missing a beat.

Ying Xi let go slightly, surprise flashing in his eyes.

"That was already my plan," Li Yang said, lowering his head to light another sparkler, twisting it between his fingers as he laughed. "I just hadn’t gotten around to telling you yet."

Ying Xi's gaze burned too intensely to ignore. Li Yang dropped the spent sparkler and lifted his hand, studying the ring on his middle finger.

"Soon enough, this ring will need to move to another finger."

For the first time, he didn’t shy away, answering Ying Xi with sincerity and seriousness.

The chill wind couldn't cool the restless thoughts. Ying Xi hugged him again, nuzzling into Li Yang’s neck, laughing quietly.

"Thank you, Yangyang."

"What are you thanking me for? I should be thanking you." Li Yang finally had a place to rest his hands—against Ying Xi’s back, feeling the warm breath against his neck that made him shiver. "Thank you for teaching me so much."

Behind the balcony door, Li Xu pushed Ying Sui out of the way, eager to see what was happening. "Get out of the way, I can't see!"

"Staring won't help," Ying Sui shrugged. "They didn’t kiss."

"What are you thinking?" Li Xu tugged on Ying Sui’s ear. "They’re not even together yet—why would they kiss? Ying Sui, I didn’t expect you to have such naughty thoughts."

Ying Sui’s eyes widened as he pointed at himself in disbelief. "*I’m* the one with naughty thoughts?"

When the grip on his ear tightened, he straightened his posture, his attitude shifting completely as he eagerly agreed with Li Xu.

"You're right, I’m completely inappropriate. Right now, their priority should be studying—no kissing allowed."

Li Xu let go and peeked through the door again, only to meet Ying Xi and Li Yang’s eyes.

"Hahaha…" She straightened up and immediately pushed Ying Sui forward. "Your dad here had nothing better to do and was spying on you two. I already scolded him for it."

Ying Xi called her out: "It was *you* who wanted to watch, wasn’t it?"

"Not me!" Li Xu waved her hands quickly, picking up Lingdang, who had just wandered past. "It was Lingdang! She wanted to see where you two ran off to."

Li Yang couldn’t help laughing, quickly walking over to take Lingdang and feed her some canned food.

"Yangyang agreed to get engaged after graduation," Ying Xi deadpanned as he passed by the two.

Li Xu scrutinized him. "Alright, we know you’re happy. No need to act serious—just look at yourself."

"Am I being stern?" Ying Xi retorted, seemingly unaware of his own expression as he touched his face. "I’m happy—can’t you tell?"

"We can tell. You’re so happy you're speechless." Ying Sui nodded at the endless joy in his eyes. "Maybe you *should* keep a straight face. Don’t get too excited and scare Yangyang."

"You’re right, Dad." Ying Xi remembered something and smiled, containing his excitement.

"By the way, I heard you passed out this morning?" Ying Sui raised an eyebrow. "Was it because of that Jiang Yunzhe guy? You should keep your distance from those Omegas."

"I know." Hearing that annoying name, Ying Xi’s expression darkened. "I only like Yangyang. I won’t get involved with anyone else."

"He has an Omega allergy now." Watching Ying Xi walk toward Li Yang, Li Xu sighed and patted Ying Sui’s shoulder. "I’m so glad we went to propose to Yangyang back then. Otherwise, our son would’ve been alone."

"Yeah." Ying Sui nodded. "Ying Xi’s lucky to have met Yangyang."

"They were meant to be. They met as kids—remember that adorable little boy who lived across from Mom?"

Li Xu cupped her chin in her hands, getting more excited as she talked.

"I even told you back then that I wanted to snatch him and make him ours. Who knew it would all come together, and he’d really become part of our family?"

Ying Sui remembered that clearly—Li Xu had been so serious that she grabbed her bag, making him rush to lock the door in a panic, afraid she’d actually sneak into someone else’s house at night.

"Destiny has its ways," Ying Sui said. "Now we’re all family."

That evening, the four of them gathered around the table to make dumplings.

Li Yang and Li Xu’s dumplings were perfectly shaped, Ying Xi’s were mangled beyond recognition, and Ying Sui’s were decent enough.

While boiling the dumplings, Li Xu kept teasing Ying Xi about his misshapen dumplings, praising Li Yang the entire time.

Meanwhile, Ying Sui created a group chat with the four of them and started sending out red envelopes, reminding them, "These are luck-based! Let’s see who gets the best draw."

Hearing this, Li Xu quickly pulled out her phone to grab the red envelopes, only to burst into laughter moments later. "Five envelopes, and the total isn’t even 100 yuan? Ying Sui, how much did you put in these?"

Ying Sui blinked. "Five 60,000-yuan envelopes. Wow, your luck is terrible, dear."

"No way, I refuse to accept this. Send a few more."

After several more rounds, Li Xu finally won the "best luck" title and put her phone away, satisfied.

Li Yang and Ying Xi silently glanced at their own "best luck" notifications but said nothing.

Ying Sui then sent them separate red envelopes.

Li Yang’s amount was ten times Ying Xi’s, startling him so much that he adamantly refused to accept it this time.

Lingdang curled up in Li Yang’s lap, meowing constantly.

Ying Xi sat on the sofa, suddenly unable to hold back his laughter.

"What's wrong?" Li Yang asked after obsessively petting the cat.

"Just feels like you act more like their child than I do," Ying Xi stroking Lingdang.

After these past few days together, the family atmosphere had grown warm and harmonious, and Li Yang no longer felt the initial awkwardness.

Tilting his head slightly, he chuckled softly, "That's just Mom and Dad trying to make me feel comfortable."

"Mom has always liked you, just like Grandma did," Ying Xi said. "She's wanted you to be part of the family since we were kids."

The previous uneasiness didn’t resurface this time. Li Yang didn’t dwell too much on the book transmigration matter and just nodded, then suddenly paused, "Is Grandma not coming for New Year’s?"

He knew Ying Xi’s grandparents had passed away long ago and assumed Grandma would visit for the holiday.

"Grandma went abroad for vacation," Ying Xi explained. "She travels overseas every New Year."

Li Yang nodded.

Once the dumplings were cooked, Ying Sui and Li Xu called them to eat.

Gazing at the steaming bowl of dumplings, Li Yang smiled warmly, truly feeling the warmth of a family reunion during the New Year for the first time.

...

Not long after the New Year, classes started.

Before the semester started, Li Yang and Ying Xi visited the hospital.

The tests showed that Ying Xi’s pheromones had returned to normal and he would no longer be allergic to others.

Li Yang’s pheromones had decreased compared to before, and Dr. Xu noted that this made his condition more stable, eliminating any potential complications.

After nearly a month apart, Wen Yun’s face had noticeably chubbier. When they met, Li Yang almost didn’t recognize him.

"Didn’t expect this, huh?" Wen Yun patted his stomach. "I packed on pounds over the holidays. Don’t worry, I’ll slim back down in no time."

"Why?" Li Yang reflexively asked.

"After killer study sessions, I lose all appetite," Wen Yun said, tugging at his eyelids. "My dark circles are about to show up too."

Li Yang couldn’t help but laugh at his words.

"What about you? Any fun stories from the holidays?"

"Not really," Li Yang paused. "Just that Ying Xi and I decided to get engaged after graduation."

Wen Yun wore an I-knew-it expression. "Don't forget to invite me to the engagement celebration."

"There won’t be a party," Li Yang said with a smile. "But I’ll tell you."

"Alright," Wen Yun nodded. "But you’ll have a wedding banquet, right?"

Li Yang hadn’t thought that far ahead, but meeting Wen Yun’s curious gaze, he nodded.

"Cool. I’m totally sitting at the main table," Wen Yun blinked repeatedly. "You better not forget about me, your buddy."

"Of course not," Li Yang assured.

After school started, the class atmosphere settled down.

At first, Wen Xinci still sometimes tried to talk to Li Yang, but later, he simply had no time.

The usual quarrels and mischief were replaced by diligent studying. Li Yang had initially assumed they didn’t care, but seeing the quiet classroom still felt weird, motivating him to study even harder.

The bedroom was lit by warm lamplight, the sound of pen scratching against paper unceasing.

Ying Xi, dressed in pajamas, sat on the edge of the bed and called out to Li Yang, who was working on problems at the desk.

"Yangyang, it’s late. Time to sleep."

"You go ahead," Li Yang replied, writing even faster.

Ying Xi’s smile faded a bit.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he and Li Yang had been close.

At first, they could still chat while studying, but for some reason, Li Yang stopped letting him help, and even speaking during study sessions wasn't allowed.

Whenever Ying Xi tried to get closer, Li Yang would smile and remind him, "We agreed on this—no take-backs."

Outwardly, Ying Xi remained indifferent, but inside, he was upset.

He lay down, staring at the ceiling, his expression getting more frustrated amidst the sound of writing.

"Done." Li Yang stretched, yawned, washed up, turned off the lights, and climbed into bed in the dark.

Ying Xi reached out and messed up his hair. Li Yang initially wanted to push his hand away, but the moment his head hit the pillow, he was out cold.

As even breathing filled the room, Ying Xi’s hand stilled. His fingers trailed downward, greedily tracing the softness of Li Yang’s face before settling on his cool lips.

His fingertips brushed slowly, enjoying the softness, and Ying Xi let out a long sigh, totally regretting the words he’d said back then.

It’s fine.

He told himself—only three more months to go.

*

With the college entrance exams approaching, Ying Xi, influenced by Li Yang, hardly talked.

At home, the two sometimes barely spoke ten words a day. Awake—studying. Asleep—still studying.

"Son, how's it going? You’re almost graduating. Yangyang isn’t changing his mind about the engagement, is he?"

His phone screen lit up with a message from Li Xu. Ying Xi’s eye twitched: "No progress."

Li Xu assumed their relationship had cooled and that Li Yang no longer liked him: "Did Yangyang break up with you?"

Ying Xi: "...If Yangyang really didn’t want me anymore, what would you do, Mom?"

"I’d take him as my godson," Li Xu confessed. "I’ve always wanted a son like Yangyang. Never expected to get stuck with you."

Even through text, Ying Xi could sense Li Xu’s disappointment. He lifted his gaze to Li Yang, who was buried in his work, and called softly, "Yangyang."

"What’s up?" Li Yang answered absently, his eyes never leaving the test paper.

Ying Xi set down his phone, folded his hands, and propped his chin on them, smiling as he said, "Mom asked if you’d rather be her godson or her daughter-in-law."

Li Yang, in the zone, answered without thinking, "The latter, obviously."