Chapter 9: Song Yuqing is a Little Moon

Chapter 9: Song Yuqing, a Little Moon

Someone had posted a few photos.

The background was a hospital, and due to the angle, it appeared as if Song Yuqing was kissing Qi Ran.

The comments section was flooded with remarks like—"If Qi Ran can do it, why can’t I?"

Tan Shu’s veins stood out on the back of his hand.

He suddenly laughed, his expression shifting between tenderness, coldness, detachment, and mockery, making his emotions unreadable.

The post was quickly removed.

Two bookworms sat at their desks, studying.

They didn’t even skip night study; Qi Ran had just left moments ago.

Pei Huai had been staring at Song Yuqing all day. The crescent-shaped gland on the back of his slender neck was remarkably beautiful.

Brushed gently by his dark hair, it revealed a hint of alluring redness.

So annoying.

Such a slutty beta, always seducing people.

Pei Huai couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed Song Yuqing’s chair and yanked it backward.

His hand landed on Song Yuqing’s neck, on the slightly raised little crescent.

It felt soft to the touch; pressing down lightly felt like a coy refusal, tempting someone to touch it, enticing an alpha to lick and bite.

Pei Huai couldn’t help but breathe in heavy, secret gasps, like a fish out of water.

A little moon—Song Yuqing was a little moon. The thought suddenly crossed Pei Huai’s mind.

As his chair was pulled back, Song Yuqing leaned back, his neck held, making it difficult to fight back.

Song Yuqing’s face was pale and tense, his slightly lowered eyes filled with irritation.

Everyone in the classroom had already noticed the commotion, staring, mesmerized, at Song Yuqing’s forced reclining position. The fabric of his white shirt was translucent, faintly outlining his slender, toned waist, clinging to his skin and rising and falling with his breath.

Even his breathing carried a silent allure.

His fair neck arched slightly, his pale lips parted softly, and his eyelashes fluttered delicately, fragile as a butterfly.

Everyone unconsciously held their breath, afraid of disturbing this cold yet captivating beauty.

"...Let go."

Pei Huai was still breathing heavily, only snapping out of it at the sound of Song Yuqing’s voice.

"If you’re studying, then study. Why are you shaking your chair?" His tone was disdainful and condescending.

"Which eye of yours saw me shaking the chair?" Song Yuqing retorted.

Pei Huai’s face remained cold.

He pressed his finger against Song Yuqing’s gland, satisfied only after sticking a scent-blocking patch on it.

"I'm doing this so you stop seducing me. Put it on." The alpha’s voice was domineering, his actions even more so.

"Don't catch a fev—"

Isn’t your neck cold? Why expose such a pale stretch of skin?

Song Yuqing slapped Pei Huai across the face.

*Smack!*

A sharp, loud slap echoed.

Those watching the scene felt a strange thrill at the sound, as if they were the ones who had been hit.

Especially seeing Song Yuqing, whose gland had been touched by an alpha. The beta’s expression was icy, full of vigilance, yet the corners of his eyes held a faint pink, tempting enough to make one want to force him.

Someone gulped and said, "Pei... is the one who’s really horny."

They had all seen it—Pei Huai had made the first move.

Pei Huai: "..."

He had really said "fever," not "horny."

Pei Huai’s face was turned slightly to the side from the slap, the soft flesh inside his mouth cut by his teeth.

Being hit like this, even if Song Yuqing had misunderstood, there was no way he would lower himself to explain.

Pei Huai glared at Song Yuqing, his tone arrogant and malicious, "So what if I touched you? It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve been touched. Why pretend?"

Song Yuqing lowered his eyes, appearing calm but cold, and pulled his chair back.

"Damn! Host! Don’t kill him, don’t!"

88 screamed.

The people around seemed to sense the tense atmosphere and rushed over to intervene, most of them trying to hold Song Yuqing back—grabbing his pale hands, wrapping their arms around his waist, whispering words of dissuasion into his ear.

But Pei Huai, with a dark expression, pulled them away one by one, afraid their dirty hands would touch Song Yuqing.

Song Yuqing set down the chair, his eyes downcast. "I’m not that impulsive. I follow the law."

88: "..."

I’m sure you absolutely thought about smashing his head in.

Qi Ran had just returned and saw the scene. He stepped in front of Song Yuqing, his brow furrowed with gloom. "What are you doing?"

Song Yuqing grabbed his backpack and tugged at Qi Ran’s collar. "Let’s go."

Qi Ran didn’t want to leave but was pulled again by Song Yuqing. "Let’s go."

Reluctantly, Qi Ran followed Song Yuqing away.

They ended up squatting in the bushes along Pei Huai’s usual route, swatting mosquitoes. Qi Ran: "?"

Song Yuqing explained to Qi Ran, "When Pei Huai comes, you’ll cover him with this sack. I’ll show you how to fight. Remember it. If you’re not strong enough, use clever moves. If that doesn’t work, play dirty. If you don’t fight back, people will think you’re a pushover and take advantage of you. The key to fighting is to be fast, accurate, and ruthless."

In public, he couldn’t outright kill Pei Huai. But could he really not kill Pei Huai now?

Qi Ran: "Mhm."

88: "..."

Great. Payback's a bitch.

Pei Huai was in a terrible mood today. As he walked through the patch of woods he passed daily, someone suddenly threw a burlap sack over his head.

A brick slammed down instantly.

The familiar sensation, the same spot—it dazed him in one blow.

Not surprising at all. Ugh, Song Yuqing again.

Pei Huai: "..."

Then came a flurry of punches and kicks. Song Yuqing loomed over him. "You'd like it if I touched you, wouldn't you?"

Touch him?

Beneath the burlap sack, Pei Huai stiffened abnormally.

"You’re the one who’s like a horny dog everywhere." Song Yuqing’s voice was cold but firm.

Pei Huai: "..."

Song Yuqing aimed a fierce kick at Pei Huai’s most vulnerable spot.

88: "!!! No, no, I beg you, don’t break it. Just step on him, teach him a lesson, that’s enough, Zuzong."

"After all, he’s the world’s protagonist. If you mess with his fate, the world might collapse."

Song Yuqing frowned, his mood turning frostier.

He stomped down hard, grinding relentlessly without mercy.

Pain and an intense, electric pleasure spread from his nerve endings. The humiliation was extreme, yet he desperately wanted Song Yuqing to continue.

Song Yuqing was stepping on him, grinding him down, making his limbs lose control abnormally—completely dominated by Song Yuqing’s actions. It was a sensation he had never experienced before, a level of helplessness he’d never felt.

Qi Ran watched Song Yuqing’s retaliation, his gaze gradually darkening. He grabbed Song Yuqing’s wrist, their skin touching, and said in a hoarse voice, "Hit him somewhere else. Don’t step on him."

Don’t you reward him.

I don’t deserve it, but neither does he.

Pei Huai lay on the ground. The surroundings were quiet, but his body and mind were unusually active.

Now, just as Song Yuqing had said, he was like a horny dog lying on the side of the road.

Shameful and humiliating.

All of it was Song Yuqing’s doing.

Qi Ran and Song Yuqing both returned to the dorm room, but Song Yuqing’s bed was a mess.

Song Yuqing couldn’t smell it, but Qi Ran could detect the mingling of pheromones.

Even though Qi Ran had experienced a lot of school bullying, he had never encountered a situation like this.

It reeked—a chaotic mix of pheromones.

Qi Ran: "You... sleep in my bed. My bed is clean."

Qi Ran planned to clean up the place himself and study under the nightlight. After all, he needed to study to catch up.

He was a slow learner, unable to learn or understand easily, so he had to study over and over again. It worked out fine—Song Yuqing could sleep in his bed while he studied.

Song Yuqing pondered for a moment. It seemed like the best option available.

He hadn’t rested properly in a long time. He needed sleep.

Song Yuqing nodded. "Alright, we’ll sleep together."

Qi Ran’s head buzzed, his wide, clear eyes filled with disbelief.

"Wash up, sleep. Study tomorrow." Song Yuqing looked at the dark-haired young man before him.

Song Yuqing didn’t think Qi Ran was like those gross alphas outside who would have inappropriate thoughts about him.

After all, Qi Ran was the one being bullied, different from those awful alphas.

"Mhm."

Even as he lay beside Song Yuqing, Qi Ran still felt unreal. Normally, surrounded by the pheromones of other alphas, he should feel repulsed and uncomfortable.

But with Song Yuqing lying next to him, his faint, cool scent lingering in the air, Qi Ran felt at ease.

Song Yuqing, having not slept well for days, drifted off fast.

In the cramped bed, even though Qi Ran slept facing away from Song Yuqing, their skin still touched.

The beta’s body pressed against his back, scalding hot.

Qi Ran wasn’t sure why, but suddenly, he wanted to turn around and see what Song Yuqing looked like when asleep.

But the moment he turned, Song Yuqing suddenly woke up. His clear eyes fluttered open slightly, and their gazes met.

Qi Ran froze like a kid caught sneaking a look, staring helplessly at Song Yuqing, waiting for him to scold, hit, or throw him out.

Instead, Song Yuqing reached out and patted his back. "Be good... don’t be afraid. I’ll... protect you."

His voice grew softer, barely a whisper, but it left a profound impact on Qi Ran’s heart.

For the first time, someone had repeatedly come for him and lifted him up when he was hurt.

Now, this person was even saying he would protect him.

Tears slid from Qi Ran’s aching eyes, dampening his long, dark hair, sticking messily to his face.

Even though he knew he shouldn’t, that it was wrong, Qi Ran still leaned in carefully and nuzzled Song Yuqing’s neck.

Wet and sticky. Song Yuqing forced his eyes open again, only to find a little black dog crying in the middle of the night.

Ugly, clumsy, and pathetic.

Song Yuqing: "..."

Parenting is tough. I feel like throwing this cheap son in the trash.

Forget it, he's my bargain-bin son after all. Just wash him up and he’ll be fine—might as well be raising a little dog.

Song Yuqing brainwashed himself.

Song Yuqing hugged the gloomy puppy. "Stop crying, Daddy's here."

"Daddy will definitely make you two chastity belts to alternate wearing."

Qi Ran: "—"

Song Yuqing had only comforted him for a few moments before falling asleep again, but Qi Ran stayed awake all night, staring fixedly at him.

When Song Yuqing slept, he looked different from usual. A few buttons of his shirt were undone slightly.

His skin was like fresh snow, his collarbones delicate, and below them a soft, slight swell. The shirt collar left red marks on his pale, smooth skin—ambiguous red traces that disappeared into the faintly rising and falling fabric.

Qi Ran’s gaze was flickering, but he couldn’t look away.

It wasn’t until his eyes shifted to Song Yuqing’s face that Qi Ran suddenly jolted back to awareness.

Asleep, Song Yuqing seemed more casual amid his usual aloof elegance. His eyelashes drooped slightly, shedding the cold, untouchable aloofness he carried when awake, making him appear fragile and delicate.

This world was rotten to the core, and he had once thought about rotting all the way through, sinking entirely.

But seeing Song Yuqing’s vulnerability now—

Qi Ran suddenly wanted to become Song Yuqing’s support, too.

OP: Who was the daring person behind what happened yesterday? This morning when I passed by, I saw PH lying a complete mess in the grove. No wonder SYQ scolded PH. Putting aside everything else, just the way PH looked this morning—it was exactly like a dog in heat.

Author's Note:

Little Moon: That’s right, it was me. (proud)

Qingqing’s nickname is Little Moon because, even before transmigrating into the book, Qingqing had a small moon-shaped birthmark on the back of his neck. Qingqing’s mother would gently call him by this nickname. The gentleness in Qingqing’s character—his kindness toward those who haven’t bullied him—stems from the influence of his mother on this part of his personality. (No spoilers; more will be revealed gradually later.)