Chapter 83: Want to Kiss You

Chapter 83: Craving a Kiss with You

Qi Zhengqing recalled the conversation he had glimpsed from Song Yuqing's screen.

"Puppies."

Song Yuqing liked puppies.

Qi Zhengqing regretted asking the question the moment it left his lips. He detested his loss of emotional control and loathed showing such an unseemly side of himself to Song Yuqing.

Song Yuqing also paused, turning his head to look at Qi Zhengqing. His fingers gently traced the alpha's broad, sturdy palm. "Your emotions seem a bit off."

Qi Zhengqing once again suppressed the flicker of losing control within him, clasped Song Yuqing's hand in return, and honestly replied, "A little."

Alphas in their sensitive period were prone to insecurity, and Qi Zhengqing was particularly so.

Even more insecure than Qi Ran.

After the attempt to comfort him, it seemed to have little effect.

However, today, he didn't need Qi Zhengqing to hold back. "If you're uncomfortable, don't bottle it up. We can just spend a little more money later to fix it."

Qi Zhengqing subtly raised his eyes to the youthful and vibrant Song Yuqing, a faint smile playing on his lips. "What do you want to buy?"

Song Yuqing: "The potion for secondary alpha differentiation."

Qi Zhengqing's fingers stroked the back of Song Yuqing's hand, but the darkness in his eyes deepened. First, it was going out with Xiao Jinshi, and now it was for Qi Ran.

"Don't get angry. Dying from anger would be terrible."

Qi Zhengqing: "..."

"I know you don't like Qi Ran, but he's my son. I've been raising him for over half a year." Song Yuqing continued, addressing Qi Zhengqing, "As a father figure..."

Song Yuqing pondered for a moment before speaking again, "If you truly dislike him, I won't let him be an eyesore for long."

Song Yuqing knew these things would drive him mad, yet he still told him.

Sometimes, he didn't know whether to be grateful for Song Yuqing's excessive candor or to resent him for not caring more about his feelings.

Because it wasn't love yet, there was no guilt, no heartache.

Yet, he also understood that not loving was what was best for Song Yuqing, but he still wished Song Yuqing would show him a little more affection.

Qi Zhengqing: "Mhm."

At two-fifteen,

the doors of the auction hall opened to all guests. Those with special invitations were seated on the second level.

The first level was for regular guests, where all auction items would be displayed simultaneously.

Upon taking their seats, the guests noticed quite a few people already seated below. They maintained composed expressions, but inwardly, they felt a flutter of anticipation.

Only a few, unable to contain their excitement, began to chat.

"Wasn't it said that... that would also be auctioned?"

"Apparently, there was a slight mishap. It won't be among the items auctioned this time. Young Master Xiao probably has other arrangements."

"What mishap?"

"I heard someone blew up the Xiao family's beast-fighting arena the day before yesterday. It must be that incident."

"Who? Who's that audacious, to dare blow up the Xiao family's establishment?"

Song Yuqing remained expressionless, leaning back slightly in his seat, his demeanor cool.

It was as if the person who blew up the Xiao family's arena, as these people were discussing, wasn't him at all.

88: "Ahem, Qingqing, do you have anything to say about blowing up the Xiao family's arena?"

Song Yuqing: "It wasn't me who blew it up. Xiao Jinshi did it."

88: "..."

Strictly speaking, it wasn't exactly Song Yuqing who blew it up, but he was the one who orchestrated it.

88: "One should strive to be like Qingqing."

Song Yuqing: "?"

88: "Positive attitude."

Song Yuqing glanced up at the items on the auction stage, looking somewhat weary and bored. "You'd better mean that."

On the auction stage was a waist chain, featuring an exquisite emerald as the focal point amidst a cluster of small diamonds. The emerald was a rich, saturated green, perfectly cut to maximize its brilliance.

Typically, auctions feature items like rings and necklaces; waist chains are considered more niche collectibles.

Song Yuqing listened to the introduction with little interest.

Clearly, Song Yuqing was not interested in such things.

Until a low voice beside him spoke, "Twenty million."

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing looked at Qi Zhengqing with confusion, his gaze seeming to question Qi Zhengqing's actions.

If you gave me twenty million for experiments, I could at least give you some tangible results. But buying this waist chain—what kind of "result" will it give you?

Qi Zhengqing responded to Song Yuqing, "It's beautiful."

"It suits you."

"Your waist is slender."

Slender and pale.

The dark green jewelry would come alive on Song Yuqing. His fair skin, pristine as snow, paired with the deep emerald green, would create the most primal and intense visual impact.

The flawless, slender waist, hidden beneath clothing, would wrap around Song Yuqing’s delicate frame, suggesting a subtle sensuality.

Qi Zhengqing looked at Song Yuqing, as if already picturing the scene.

The alpha's Adam’s apple moved slightly, his desire evident and straightforward in his eyes.

Only Song Yuqing could be worthy of such jewelry.

88 murmured, "He's treating himself."

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing didn't stop Qi Zhengqing. Fine, Qi Zhengqing had money. Even if he threw this amount away, he wouldn't bat an eye. As a penniless man, why should Song Yuqing worry about the money in Qi Zhengqing's pocket?

The next second, another alpha on the side raised his paddle. "Thirty million."

A familiar voice rang out.

Song Yuqing: "..."

Excellent. Hearing Xiao Jinshi's voice brought an inexpressible sense of relief.

Two big spendthrifts.

Qi Zhengqing: "Forty million."

Xiao Jinshi: "Fifty million."

At this point, everyone present turned their eyes to these two big spendthrifts. After all, a waist chain really wasn't worth this price, and the two alphas were raising the bid by millions each time.

Waist chains being niche items inherently meant low liquidity and limited collectible value.

The jewelry quality was good, but twenty million was already the absolute ceiling.

Song Yuqing: "..."

"Why is Second Young Master Xiao getting involved? It's obvious Mr. Qi is bidding for his partner."

When Qi Zhengqing raised his paddle, many people had no intention of competing, giving way to him as a polite gesture.

Competing with Qi Zhengqing was undoubtedly a provocation.

"Ahem," someone coughed, "maybe Second Young Master Xiao is also bidding for Mr. Qi's partner."

"Second Young Master Xiao has been appearing at the same events as Mr. Song quite a lot lately."

"Are they playing their own games? Is it too late for me to bid now?"

"Let's wait and see. There might be other top-tier jewelry."

Top-tier jewelry for exceptional beauty.

The price kept climbing, with Qi Zhengqing finally making a decisive bid.

Xiao Jinshi stopped competing, and Qi Zhengqing secured the waist chain for fifty million.

Song Yuqing seriously wondered if his instructions hadn't been clear enough, leading Xiao Jinshi to confront Qi Zhengqing at this point.

But Song Yuqing didn't dwell on it. It was fine if they clashed now—it would make things more realistic.

The commotion between Qi Zhengqing and Xiao Jinshi was so noticeable that even Qi Ran, on the lower floor, noticed.

His gaze fixed intently in their direction, Qi Ran clenched his fists. He had guessed Song Yuqing would be here today, but he hadn't expected him to come with Qi Zhengqing.

Qi Zhengqing could casually spend tens of millions for Song Yuqing, but Qi Ran, strapped for cash, couldn't bid on something even if it suited Song Yuqing perfectly.

The embarrassment of lacking money deeply pierced the young alpha's heart.

Qi Zhengqing's wealth and power only highlighted his own incompetence and uselessness.

Just then, Qi Zhengqing leaned close to Song Yuqing's ear, his warm breath ghosting over it, and reminded him, "Qingqing, our son is watching us."

The two were extremely close.

This was one of the rare times Qi Zhengqing acknowledged Qi Ran as his son.

Song Yuqing: "Mhm."

His strong possessiveness was completely unconcealed. The two openly drew close, once again galling to watch for the two alphas present.

The auctioneer cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, next is the highlight of the evening—'Heart of Dawn.' 5.08 carats, Fancy Vivid Pink, internally flawless, Type IIa. Starting bid—" The auctioneer paused dramatically, letting the tension build to its peak, "twenty-four million SGD."

After the earlier waist chain, the auctioneer could already imagine that this beautiful gem wouldn't sell for a low price.

This time, Xiao Jinshi knew what to do and made a decisive bid.

The would-be bidders: "..."

Great. No need to drive up the price. Just take it, Second Young Master Xiao.

Xiao Jinshi's decisive bid was more like sending a signal: he wanted this item, and anyone who disliked him could try to outbid him.

Xiao Jinshi really wasn't a very likable person, but no one would say it outright.

Song Yuqing received a text message.

xjs: "Brother, do you like this?"

Song Yuqing: "It's acceptable."

The price was acceptable—at least it wasn't a loss. He could flip it for a profit, or hold onto it and sell it later for even more.

After Xiao Jinshi and Qi Zhengqing battled for it extensively, they finally reached the item Song Yuqing wanted.

A potion to promote secondary differentiation in alphas.

Some were very interested in this. Qi Zhengqing made an offer: "Twenty million."

Xiao Jinshi immediately followed: "Twenty million and ten thousand."

Qi Zhengqing raised again: "Twenty million and twenty thousand."

Song Yuqing: "..."

88: "Qingqing, they're both stepfathers who don't care about your son at all. Doesn't this show they think spending even a penny more on your son is a waste? If I were your son's stepfather, I would definitely..."

The first part of 88's words perfectly captured Song Yuqing's thoughts, but as he listened, Song Yuqing shot 88 a sharp look.

88 weakly muttered, "I would definitely treat Qi Ran the same way."

Song Yuqing: "..."

Those who guessed who the secondary differentiation potion was for also shook their heads. After all these years, Qi Zhengqing still harbored deep resentment towards Qi Ran.

On the surface, it seemed like there was some fatherly love, but not much.

In reality, there was probably none at all—it was all just for show.

Song Yuqing shot a glance at Qi Zhengqing, "Get serious."

Qi Zhengqing adjusted his posture to be more proper, looked up, his lips quirked slightly, and said, his voice low, "Alright, whatever Qingqing says."

Qi Zhengqing placed another bid, "Fifty million."

Xiao Jinshi: "Fifty-five million."

Xiao Lin kept looking between Xiao Jinshi, Qi Zhengqing, and Song Yuqing, still couldn't figure out what these people were doing—sometimes playful, sometimes serious. Xiao Lin couldn’t quite grasp their tactics.

He felt like a monkey in a zoo, being toyed with by human feints.

If Song Yuqing knew what Xiao Lin was thinking, he would definitely say, "We object to animals studying humans."

Xiao Lin still felt like someone was setting him up.

Qi Zhengqing: "Sixty million."

The bids kept climbing, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

When the bid reached one hundred million, Xiao Jinshi made the winning bid again.

He secured the potion for one hundred million.

After the auction ended, Qi Zhengqing and Song Yuqing went to pay together.

They returned to the banquet hall only after completing the payment.

Xiao Jinshi walked up to Xiao Lin, "Charge the potion to your account. Have the potion delivered to me."

"You were the one who upset me first. Don't make me go to Father about this."

As flamboyant and arrogant as ever, looking down on everyone with contempt.

Xiao Lin: "..."

But Xiao Lin was prepared, "Fine. Smash it if you want, as long as Song Yuqing doesn't get it. If you smash it now, I’ll transfer the money from my account to the company’s."

Xiao Jinshi looked at Xiao Lin, his gaze cold at first, but then he broke into a smirk.

"Deal."

Xiao Lin wasn’t sure if Xiao Jinshi’s smile was one of spite.

Xiao Lin clapped his hands, and the reagent sealed in a protective device was brought over.

Xiao Jinshi took the reagent, stood on the second floor, and released his grip. The test tube quickly fell from the second floor.

People still on the first floor were pulled aside just in time to avoid being hit by the falling reagent, "Ah!"

A scream from someone who'd almost been hit echoed up to the second floor.

The nobles below were in chaos, clearly extremely dissatisfied with the Xiao family.

Xiao Jinshi raised his hand, made a gesture mimicking an explosion, and suddenly spoke next to Xiao Lin, "Boom!"

Glass fragments flew everywhere, and the liquid inside splashed across the smooth floor.

Xiao Jinshi smirked maliciously, "Alright, useless brother, go clean up your mess. Remember to apologize to your guests like a lapdog."

After saying this, Xiao Jinshi turned and left.

Song Yuqing’s gaze also fell on Xiao Jinshi’s retreating figure, his cold expression hiding a hint of displeasure at Xiao Jinshi’s arrogance.

Qi Ran, who hadn’t left yet, looked grim, as if life had been drained from him in an instant. Qi Ran belatedly realized that the competitions he’d fought in here over the past few days wouldn’t earn him this reagent.

Everything seemed to have gone off without a hitch. Xiao Lin, due to Xiao Jinshi’s arrogant behavior, had to deal with the guests’ emotions, leaving him no time to debrief.

Qi Zhengqing and Song Yuqing left early, missing the final key display.

After learning that Qi Zhengqing had left, Xiao Lin felt even more stifled, as if everything was slipping out of his control.

He sent a servant to chase after Qi Zhengqing.

Qi Zhengqing and Song Yuqing were intercepted at the door.

Song Yuqing: "I’ll wait for you in the car."

Song Yuqing opened the car door and met the alpha’s gaze. The alpha raised his eyebrows and eyes, instantly leaning in, "Qingqing, I completed your task. Is there a reward?"

The alpha's presence was overwhelming, pressing in on him, as he opened his hand to reveal a tube of reagent.

Song Yuqing took the reagent from Pei Huai, placed it into the pre-prepared device, and didn’t respond immediately to Pei Huai’s words.

While Song Yuqing was doing this, Pei Huai couldn’t help but stare at Song Yuqing’s face, at his expression. He had seen Xiao Jinshi and Song Yuqing hugging and kissing in the grove. So what if Song Yuqing bit Xiao Jinshi?

If Song Yuqing would kiss him, he’d let Song Yuqing bite his tongue.

He muttered quietly, sourly, "Xiao Jinshi gets to enjoy himself."

Song Yuqing didn’t quite catch it, frowning lightly, "Enjoy what?"

Pei Huai raised his eyebrows, leaning close to Song Yuqing, almost close enough to kiss him, "I said I want to make out with you."

Just as Pei Huai uttered this shamelessly loud statement, Qi Zhengqing pulled open the car door. Qi Zhengqing paused for a moment.