Chapter 56: Kissing Someone Else

Chapter 56: Kissing Another Man

Song Yuqing: "88, come out. Is *this* what you meant by 'R-rated content'?"

However, 88 remained silent, deader than dead—not a single response.

Quieter than death.

What made Song Yuqing even more disheartened was that, after all the buildup 88 had given about the mature content, he now felt that just kissing Qi Zhengqing wasn’t such a big deal.

But Song Yuqing knew very well that a straight man wouldn’t kiss another man.

His mind was a chaotic mess, as if it had been reduced to rubble.

His acceptance of homosexuality had significantly increased, all because he had imagined more explicit scenarios.

Just a kiss—it had become much easier to accept.

Qi Zhengqing asked him again, "What did you think there would be?"

Song Yuqing’s face was pale, his tone stiff. "I didn’t think there would be anything."

"Hm," the alpha’s voice came from above him. "So, do you still find it so hard to accept?"

"Kissing a man—does it make you uncomfortable?" Qi Zhengqing added.

Song Yuqing couldn't bring himself to look at Qi Zhengqing, his tone listless. "It’s not hard to accept, but that’s not the point."

It was 88 who had shattered his boundaries, making it feel so easy to accept.

"In this world, an alpha and beta being together isn’t considered strange," Qi Zhengqing spoke slowly, patiently conversing with Song Yuqing. "Why do you think two men can’t be together?"

"Qingqing, can you tell me about your world?"

His world.

Qi Zhengqing knew—knew that he didn’t belong to this world, knew that he wasn’t from here.

Song Yuqing wasn't exactly surprised.

If Qi Zhengqing wanted to know something, he would find a way to know it. Qi Zhengqing could investigate the original host’s past, his personality.

Song Yuqing had never intended to hide it from Qi Zhengqing. Given Qi Zhengqing’s position, any deception would seem childish in his eyes. Qi Zhengqing might tolerate some slyness, even a bit of willful behavior.

But Qi Zhengqing probably didn’t like being deceived.

To Qi Zhengqing, there was no real difference between the original host and the transmigrator—both were at a disadvantage, neither posed a threat to him.

Whether it was the original host or him, it was all the same.

Only by showing his true self would Qi Zhengqing drop his guard around him.

Still, Qi Zhengqing’s patience with him went beyond what Song Yuqing expected.

Song Yuqing lowered his gaze, his emotions unreadable.

Qi Zhengqing’s tone was gentle, without pressure, adopting the attitude of a listener. "Let’s talk. Treat me as a friend, just chatting."

"Regardless of our relationship, I am the closest person to you. We’re on the same family registry, we’re family. You can share your feelings with me, instead of keeping everything bottled up inside."

Song Yuqing had never considered confiding in anyone.

He looked up at Qi Zhengqing. "What if I don’t want to talk about it?"

Qi Zhengqing placed his palm against Song Yuqing’s forehead, the alpha’s warm body temperature transferring over, as if to comfort him.

"Then whenever you’re ready to talk, you can tell me anytime."

"In my world..." Song Yuqing began slowly, "on my coming-of-age ceremony, my adoptive mother drugged me and locked me in a room with a man. Then she barged in with that beast of a father of mine."

That woman was like that—she wanted him to excel, yet resented his excellence. She wanted leverage to control him, to push him into the position of family head, yet she needed to keep leverage over him.

She wanted him to be an obedient puppet.

He had just turned eighteen, and she couldn’t wait to taint him.

"Guess what happened in the end?"

Song Yuqing leaned against the window rail behind him, tilting his head slightly to look at Qi Zhengqing, a faint smile in his eyes, still wearing that indifferent expression.

Qi Zhengqing’s gaze was controlled, but his eyes held heavy, unreadable emotions.

"Mr. Qi, are you pitying me? Or do you think I... deserved it?"

At the very least, everyone who came in afterward thought he deserved it.

Even that beast of a father, looking at his face, said it was his fault for having such a face.

Song Yuqing’s raised neck was slender and pale, his hair tangled with the wind, black strands against snow-white skin, making the young man appear all the more enchanting and seductive.

Qi Zhengqing’s large hand covered the lower half of Song Yuqing’s face, concealing his lips. The young man’s warm breath brushed against the alpha’s palm. Qi Zhengqing said, "Don’t talk nonsense."

Song Yuqing was a bit stunned, a flicker of emotion showing in his eyes.

It was like an unintentional leak of emotion, like a dependence reserved only for Qi Zhengqing, an emotional vulnerability shown only to him.

"You’re good."

"And you’re not so easily bullied, right?" Qi Zhengqing spoke slowly.

Qi Zhengqing also understood better why Song Yuqing was so wary of men.

Song Yuqing didn’t hate homosexuality—he just hated being forced, hated being manipulated, hated losing control.

It just so happened that the first accomplice with his adoptive mother was a man. Song Yuqing’s androgynous face attracted men the most, and it was men who had the most designs on him.

Song Yuqing pushed Qi Zhengqing’s hand away. "Right, I smashed his head. There was a lot of blood. I beat him until he was left paralyzed and bedridden for the rest of his life—he’ll never walk again."

That woman nearly fainted from fright when she came in.

How ironic—someone who was scared at the sight of blood repeatedly devised the cruelest, most calculated ways to torment him.

"So, Mr. Qi, do you understand now why I want power?" Song Yuqing looked at Qi Zhengqing, his gaze calm, as if he hadn’t just spoken about being set up, as if he hadn’t shown a flicker of vulnerability.

"If I just wait for you to protect me, what will I do when you die?"

Qi Zhengqing’s eyes darkened, his tone turning cold. "I'm not going to die that easily."

"And also," Qi Zhengqing gently brushed aside the hair at Song Yuqing's temple, "Qingqing, I'll be with you as you grow up, and use my resources to help you, but don't say those things to put yourself down."

"I'm letting myself fall willingly, not being manipulated by your schemes."

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing's expression faded, his face pale and tense. "You know I'm playing you, saying these things to make you feel sorry for me, yet you listened for so long. You're a better actor than I am."

As expected, the old man isn't easy to fool.

The old man is the hardest to deceive. He had been faking it in front of him for months, yet the old man knew everything, making him feel like an open book in Qi Zhengqing's eyes.

Qi Zhengqing let out a laugh. "If you like to act, I'll go along with it. Don't be angry."

"But what I said is true."

"I'll wait for you to grow, to become the most formidable beta in Xinzhou, so nobody can mess with you."

Song Yuqing, "Oh."

"Like a bitter gourd, holding onto so much hurt." Qi Zhengqing pinched Song Yuqing's earlobe.

Song Yuqing stopped pretending, his tone indifferent. "It wasn't that bad. I'm good at fighting. When I was little, I bit people's ears and hands. When I got a bit older, I used whatever I could find to beat them until they cried and ran home to their mothers."

Qi Zhengqing wasn't buying that Song Yuqing felt no hurt at all. Any child, when neglected or bullied, would want to seek comfort from family.

When he couldn't get his family's attention, or was even blamed by them, the hurt would double.

What made it worse, his family didn't have his back either.

Song Yuqing might not care now, but he must have wanted his father's love when he was young.

Qi Zhengqing: "When you were little, when you were with your mom, were there many people who messed with you where you lived?"

Song Yuqing nodded, talking casually with Qi Zhengqing. "Yeah, back then, the place my mom and I lived in was considered the Fifth District of this world."

A slum, where all kinds of people mixed.

Teenagers didn't go to school, they'd fight all day. You'd hear the sounds of brawls and arguments late into the night.

Life was messy, violent, and bloody, but back then, he had his mom.

She would gently pat his back to help him fall asleep.

Song Yuqing's eyelashes lowered slightly.

Qi Zhengqing patted Song Yuqing's back. "Like this? Patting your back to comfort you to sleep?"

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing went quiet. "That's kinda childish. At my age, I don't need to be comforted like that."

Qi Zhengqing stopped mid-motion. "Next time you miss your mom, I can pat your back."

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing: "Do you like me?"

"Yeah." Facing Song Yuqing's blunt question, Qi Zhengqing didn't try to hide it, answering straightforwardly. The alpha lifted his eyes, his dark eyes fixed intently on Song Yuqing. "Didn't you already figure that out?"

Song Yuqing was like a little hellion of a cat.

Arrogant because of his beauty, intelligence, and his way of winding people around his finger, he acted without restraint.

Getting close to him without boundaries, yet stringing along other mutts outside.

Using him to deal with others, and using others to annoy him.

Wanting neither side to cross the line, demanding everyone to make sacrifices for him.

Still appearing clean, aloof, untouchable, and acting like he's above it all.

Even making it hard to tell what he was truly like.

If he hadn't messed up while drunk, he wouldn't have cut ties completely.

Qi Zhengqing: "Qingqing, you really are beautiful - how you look and how you operate."

A brief moment of confusion, even after realizing he'd been deceived, would only lead to being stuck on you for good.

Liking him, from his outer appearance to his inner self.

Song Yuqing: "."

Song Yuqing looked at Qi Zhengqing unhappily. "Scheming against you really isn't fun. It gives me no satisfaction."

"Fun." Qi Zhengqing pinched Song Yuqing's delicate chin, his fingers gently stroking. "Playing with me is more fun. They're all too dumb, not even a challenge."

"I won't force you. Feel free to play with them, and you're welcome to come play with me anytime."

Song Yuqing turned his face away, and Qi Zhengqing's hand followed, letting Song Yuqing rest his cheek against his palm, watching as Song Yuqing used his hand as a prop.

His soft, snow-white cheek pressed against it, but his eyes held a bored, teasing look. "You'll get so pissed off you'll die early because of me, won't you?"

"If I can accept kissing you, I can accept kissing others too."

"One day when I kiss someone else, you'll lose your mind."

An alpha's possessiveness is almost ingrained in their DNA, fierce and intense, treating their partner as their possession.

Qi Zhengqing's hand supported his face. "Mm, I would lose my mind."

"Then don't make me angry."

Song Yuqing lowered his head, not looking at Qi Zhengqing. "...I will."

Song Yuqing felt stifled. After acting in front of Qi Zhengqing for so long, he turned around and said he knew everything.

He had carefully considered how to use Qi Zhengqing based on his personality, to make him seem stubborn yet vulnerable, to make Qi Zhengqing willingly help him.

Qi Zhengqing's lips curled into a slight smile, his deep pool-like eyes fully reflecting the delicate and willful kitten sitting before him.

When unhappy, he always thought about causing trouble, making others uncomfortable.

Qi Zhengqing's heart was kneaded into a wrinkled ball by the kitten, still being repeatedly stomped on and kneaded by the kitten.

Qi Zhengqing's eyes darkened, staring at Song Yuqing's pale lips. "Who do you want to kiss?"

Song Yuqing: "None of your business. Come help me process the data."

Qi Zhengqing: "So, do you still hate doing that kind of thing with men now?"

Song Yuqing's face was drawn and pale, loathed to admit that after such things happened to him, he didn’t actually seem to mind kissing men.

Song Yuqing: "I can't accept it."

Without hesitation, Song Yuqing began bossing Qi Zhengqing around. Qi Zhengqing could also be considered an extra pair of hands, though not quite the same as Pei Huai's type.

Qi Zhengqing actually understood and could help him with some tasks.

Qi Zhengqing stayed with Song Yuqing until midnight before leaving, tucking the blanket around him, then departing from the First District to work in the Third District.

Assistant: "..."

I’m speechless. Is this what married men are like?

Running back and forth every day, and he doesn't even find it troublesome. In the past, Qi Zhengqing would go half a year without returning to the First District and it wouldn't matter.

But indeed, he had to keep a close watch, otherwise, if his son stole his spouse, the embarrassment would spread from the First District all the way to the Fifth District, letting everyone in New Asia know that the ruler of the Third District was cuckolded by his son.

Pei Huai didn't see Qi Zhengqing come that day and thought that after keeping it up for so many days, Qi Zhengqing had finally given up.

When he came to see Song Yuqing, he couldn't resist throwing in some sarcastic comments. "That husband of yours, I don't even want to say..."

Song Yuqing: "?"

Song Yuqing pretended not to know that Pei Huai saw Qi Zhengqing every day but never said anything.

"He came to see you a couple of days ago. You might not know," Pei Huai added. "By the way, did you two have a fight?"

Song Yuqing: "Why?"

"He came for two days and then stopped. He’s not sincere at all. He doesn't even know how to apologize properly."

"We Alphas understand Alphas best. When an Alpha likes someone, they invest time and money. Otherwise, they're just playing with you."

After listening to Pei Huai badmouth Qi Zhengqing for a while, Song Yuqing zeroed in on the key point in his words. "So, what have you spent time and money to get for me?"

Pei Huai nudged the thing at his feet. "This is for you. The metal material you've been looking for for a long time—I found it. You have no idea how much effort I put into finding it."

Song Yuqing: "."

Song Yuqing didn't mention that Qi Zhengqing had also got it for him yesterday.

If Pei Huai found out, he'd probably be livid, having spent so long trying to prove Qi Zhengqing's sincerity.

"By the way, when are you getting divorced?"

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing: "Not getting divorced."

Pei Huai backpedaled. "Then can I kiss you?"

"I want to be the first to kiss you."

Song Yuqing glanced at Pei Huai, amused by his pretense, as if he and Qi Zhengqing had never kissed.

Song Yuqing pushed Pei Huai's face away. "No."

Pei Huai lowered his head and grumbled, "That's not right. Isn't there something called the door-in-the-face technique? If you make an unreasonable request first, then a reasonable one, it's easier to get a yes, right?"

Song Yuqing clearly heard Pei Huai's soft muttering and closed his eyes. "Go back. I'm busy and don't have time to talk to you."

88: "..."

88, who hadn't said a word until now, thought Pei Dog was really good at pushing buttons. He stepped on a brand-new one without hesitation.

Qi Zhengqing came over at midnight, helped Song Yuqing with some work, and didn't leave until 4 a.m.

Before leaving, Song Yuqing spoke. "Be careful when you come. Don't let Pei Huai find out."

Qi Zhengqing paused, frowned, and looked at Song Yuqing. "I remember I'm your husband."

Should he really be giving way to Pei Huai like this?

What's the difference between this and making the spouse yield to the side piece?

Song Yuqing: "."

Song Yuqing looked away. How should he put it? He'd been too lazy to discipline Pei Huai lately, a bit too busy. Just doing what needed to be done every day was using up all his brainpower.

If Pei Huai found out Qi Zhengqing came every night, Pei Huai would throw a fit. Song Yuqing still needed to use Pei Huai, and after the drama, he'd have to chastise him and then sweeten the deal. Just thinking about the chaos Pei Huai would cause gave Song Yuqing a headache.

Song Yuqing said flatly, "Sit down."

Instead of sitting, Qi Zhengqing hoisted Song Yuqing onto the desk, making him sit on it.

His large hand wrapped around Song Yuqing's waist. "Qingqing, the dog you're keeping is misbehaving."

"I'll help you take care of him." It seemed as long as Song Yuqing agreed, Qi Zhengqing would kill Pei Wei's only son.

"Don’t lay a finger on him. I still need him," Song Yuqing said unhappily. "Then don't come anymore. Neither you nor Pei Huai listens to me."

The Beta's tone was flat, but his words were maddening.

Song Yuqing really knew how to make people furious enough to make their blood boil.

Not allowing him to touch Pei Huai, shielding Pei Huai, afraid Pei Huai would see him—he was starting to think Song Yuqing actually had real feelings for Pei Huai.

"I'll let you have one kiss. Don't come tomorrow," Song Yuqing said, looking at Qi Zhengqing with displeasure.

Qi Zhengqing's mood grew even more complicated. Song Yuqing's reward to him was because of another Alpha, and it was a reward he could only look but don’t touch, essentially giving him no real opportunity. Song Yuqing would never say such a thing to Pei Huai because he knew Pei Huai would actually kiss him. Words like these were only said to him, only meant to keep him in check.

"I won't touch him, and I won't let him find out."

The Alpha lowered his head, pressing a kiss to his own hand instead of Song Yuqing's lips.

He didn't stop even when he noticed noise outside the door.