Chapter 63

Chapter 63

An Nuo’s cheeks were flushed crimson when he left Lu Yunyan’s office. He kept his head bowed the entire time, too mortified to look up.

He seemed to enter a self-imposed shutdown mode, speed-walking straight back to his seat.

Lu Yunyan’s initial attempts at comfort had been somewhat effective, but the subsequent suggestive remarks only brought a different, more profound kind of humiliation, leaving An Nuo utterly despairing.

Fortunately, no one seemed to notice anything amiss.

As soon as An Nuo sat down, Lenny leaned over with a concerned inquiry: "…An Nuo, are you alright? You weren’t scolded, were you?"

"…Huh?"

An Nuo looked up, bewildered.

Then he realized his current demeanor perfectly mimicked someone who had just been thoroughly reprimanded by their boss and was now lost in deep self-doubt.

Life truly did have a script for every occasion.

Faced with the role Lenny offered, An Nuo readily accepted.

He instantly slipped into character, letting out a profound sigh: "…Oh, dear. I… I don’t think I’ll be made permanent."

His expression and tone made it seem as though he had made a colossal mess in the office and been harshly chewed out and dismissed by Lu Yunyan.

Lenny didn’t suspect a thing, offering earnest reassurance: "Don’t lose heart, don’t lose heart! There’s still some time left in the internship—you definitely still have a chance to stay!"

Hearing this, Sean suddenly let out a laugh.

His tone wasn’t overtly malicious, but it was certainly far from friendly.

And it was completely unprovoked.

Having worked together for so long, they had grown accustomed to Sean’s personality, but they had also accumulated a fair bit of resentment.

Lenny had long found Sean irritating, and this time, Sean’s mocking laugh came right after his words. He immediately shot back: "…What are you laughing at? What do you mean by that?!"

Sean ignored him.

Lenny grew even angrier: "If you’re bold enough to laugh, be bold enough to explain yourself! What? You’re brave enough to provoke, but when questioned, you play dead?!"

Sean’s voice remained perfectly level as he gave Lenny the response he desired: "I meant no harm. I just found your encouragement… adorable."

Lenny: "…"

An Nuo: "…"

But why did it feel more like sarcasm?

Lenny: "…Huh? Adorable?"

Sean said: "He’s definitely going to stay. Your encouragement is like a kitten trying to comfort a lion—isn’t that adorable?"

"…"

High emotional intelligence: Cute.

Low emotional intelligence: Superfluous.

Once Lenny grasped the implication, he immediately demanded: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Only An Nuo was panicking internally.

Why was Sean so certain he would stay?

No way, had he discovered something?

He tried to mediate: "…Both of you, calm down. Don’t argue because of me."

Something felt a bit off?

But never mind that—maintaining peace was paramount.

"…I’ll go get some snacks for you! What kind of snacks would you like?"

Unfortunately, no one paid him any attention.

Sean said: "What I mean is, instead of worrying about others, you should worry more about yourself. Don’t end up being the only one let go when everyone else gets hired."

Lenny shot to his feet, looking ready to physically confront Sean.

An Nuo quickly stood up to intervene and comfort him: "No, no! You’ve performed so well—you’ll definitely stay!"

An Nuo genuinely hoped Lenny would stay.

Although Lenny’s mind wasn't always on work and he loved to gossip, he was inherently warm-hearted and kind—the first person to genuinely show An Nuo friendliness.

"Don’t mind him. Rest assured, you’ll definitely stay!"

And even if you don’t, I’ll put in a good word through pillow talk to get you back.

But Lenny couldn’t actually throw a punch at Sean. If he did, he’d be out of a job immediately.

At most, he could only resort to some verbal threats.

"…Well, I don’t need you to worry about me! If you have time to worry about me, you should worry about yourself!"

Sean shrugged, unconcerned: "My capabilities speak for themselves. You tell me if I’ll stay."

"…"

He was truly asking for a beating, but he wasn’t wrong. Not only among the three of them, but Sean was probably the most outstanding among all the interns this term.

The argument grew quite loud, and with both Lenny and An Nuo standing, it drew the attention of nearby employees, who asked: "What’s going on with you guys?"

An Nuo hurriedly replied: "Nothing, nothing! We’re just having a heated discussion about some work—we're just really fired up about it."

An Nuo managed to get Lenny to sit back down and was relieved when, just then, the secretary came over with work for them, which sent Sean out right away.

Only then could An Nuo finally breathe a sigh of relief.

With Sean gone, Lenny launched into a lengthy tirade about him, cursing up a storm to vent his anger.

An Nuo nodded along outwardly, but inwardly sighed at what a rollercoaster the day had been.

No one had told him office life could be this thrilling.

After work, An Nuo didn’t leave with Lu Yunyan and went home by himself as usual.

They had originally planned to go together, but Lu Yunyan had an unexpected business dinner.

Not only could they not head home together, their scheduled dinner was also canceled.

An Nuo ended up eating alone again, then curled up on the sofa playing games while waiting for Lu Yunyan to return.

Lu Yunyan came back late at night and was completely surprised to find An Nuo still waiting outside for him.

This was truly a delightful surprise.

It was the first time An Nuo had waited for him outside.

In the past, he would have already gone inside and fallen asleep in bed by himself.

Lu Yunyan was secretly pleased, but when he approached An Nuo, he feigned indifference and asked, "…It's so late—why are you still out here? What game are you playing?"

"Candy Crush," An Nuo said proudly. "It's the longest-running game I've ever played—I've cleared over 20,000 levels already."

"…"

That was indeed dedication.

"But playing games is just a way to pass the time. The real reason I stayed up was because I was waiting for you tonight."

Lu Yunyan had already guessed the answer, but he still wanted to hear it from An Nuo’s own lips.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, yet he maintained his feigned composure, "Waiting for what?"

He couldn't maintain his composure for more than three seconds before slipping back into his playful self.

"Waiting for me to fulfill the promise I made in the office and come back to properly take care of you?"

"…"

An Nuo had barely managed to temporarily forget those embarrassing scenarios.

He had waited because they hadn’t seen each other in days. Whether it was due to the permanent mark or genuine feelings mixed in, he truly missed Lu Yunyan.

In the past, he would never have dared to wait openly for Lu Yunyan’s return. Now, using the mark as an excuse, he finally found the courage to step out and express his longing.

He wanted to tell Lu Yunyan how much he had missed him and receive a heartfelt response—in short, he wanted Lu Yunyan to hold him, dote on him, and whisper sweet, affectionate words.

An Nuo held in his heart a pure, heart-fluttering romantic script, but before he could even read the title, it was utterly shattered by Lu Yunyan’s wild, R-rated office fantasy.

"…Are you out of your mind?!"

An Nuo was genuinely angry, though he knew the anger was somewhat irrational. Still, taking it out on Lu Yunyan never felt wrong.

He punched Lu Yunyan several times, fuming, "…If you keep saying such nonsense—!"

But in Lu Yunyan’s eyes, An Nuo’s anger was full of vitality and utterly adorable.

So he became even more mischievous.

"Don’t like this scenario?" Lu Yunyan teased. "This one’s pretty good. Still not satisfied? So greedy."

"…"

"Then tell me, what kind of scenario do you prefer? How about the alpha boss playing the pet for his intern?"

"…"

Unfortunately, An Nuo’s punches had little effect on Lu Yunyan. When he tried to kick, Lu Yunyan pinned him down onto the sofa and kissed him breathless once again.

He could hear Lu Yunyan’s deep, muffled laughter near his ear, and the next moment, the scent of sandalwood pheromones enveloped him from all directions.

Lu Yunyan had deliberately released his pheromones.

One moment An Nuo was furious; the next, surrounded by those pheromones, he melted into a soft, warm piece of sticky rice cake.

It turned out that no amount of sweet talk could compare to the satisfaction of being completely wrapped in the other’s pheromones.

And Lu Yunyan loved this process—teasing An Nuo until he got angry, then watching him gradually soften and be coaxed back.

As an alpha, it gave him an indescribable sense of fulfillment.

Lu Yunyan kissed him recklessly, indulging himself to his heart’s content.

After satisfying himself, he asked, "Did you miss me?"

An Nuo’s chest rose and fell heavily, his lips were swollen and red, and his eyes were slightly flushed.

At that moment, he felt like a piece of mochi, constantly being kneaded and shaped in Lu Yunyan’s hands.

How could he possibly admit his longing or his satisfaction from their intimate contact now?

An Nuo turned his face away, avoiding Lu Yunyan’s gaze, and stiffly changed the subject: "…I didn’t miss you at all!"

"…Go take a shower! If you don’t, I won’t let you kiss me again!"

"You find me disgusting?"

"Do you look down on me?"

"I’ve already kissed you. It’s too late to be disgusted now. Be good and let me kiss you a few more times."

"…"

An Nuo didn’t know what had triggered him. How could someone switch from normal to perverted in less than a second?

But before he could react, Lu Yunyan kissed him again.

The dominant, irresistible style of kissing was Lu Yunyan’s usual approach, but this time it was even more intense. Lu Yunyan held him down firmly, kissing him until his mind went blank, and he didn’t even notice when all his clothes had disappeared.

Oxygen grew thin, and his breath was completely overtaken by another.

In his dazed state, An Nuo seemed to hear Lu Yunyan murmur, "…Baby, let’s make a little baby."

Struggling to gather his senses, An Nuo wanted to ask for clarification, but the next moment, his body was nearly shattered against the sofa, leaving him unable to utter a sound.

……

An Nuo couldn’t remember when he fell asleep.

His last memory was of Lu Yunyan carrying him into the bathroom. At first, the water temperature was off, slightly scalding him.

He also couldn’t recall whether he had yelled at Lu Yunyan or not.

Because he was so sleepy, he closed his eyes and fell asleep instantly, not even dreaming.

The next morning, An Nuo's body was still asleep, but his consciousness woke up first.

In a daze, he recalled Lu Yunyan's words from last night, feeling as if they were just an unreal dream—he couldn't tell whether they had happened in reality or in a dream.

But the next second, he jolted awake—wait, no! Whether those words were true or not, it seemed like no safety measures were taken last night?!

Instantly, An Nuo opened his eyes, wide awake.

His body was still held in Lu Yunyan's embrace, his back pressed against Lu Yunyan's chest. Their pheromones mingled in the air, creating an incredibly secure sleeping environment.

But An Nuo had no mind to dwell on it. With a sudden burst of strength, he turned over and, before even trying to shake Lu Yunyan awake, managed to bump him awake first.

Lu Yunyan opened his eyes, confused: "…What's wrong?"

Instinctively, he tightened his arms, holding the squirming omega in his embrace.

An Nuo wriggled more forcefully, demanding: "Were you serious about what you said last night?"

"…Hmm?"