Chapter 41: Bullying

Chapter 41: Bullying

Pei Ju thought he had misheard.

"What?"

He was half-tempted to feel Xu Shaoen's forehead to check for a fever.

Just moments ago, he'd been spitting curses like a machine gun, and now he was hoarsely begging Pei Ju to fuck him?

Or was it that without his suppressant today, his brain was too fried to think straight?

Xu Shaoen didn't want to explain that lovesick moment he'd just had. Right now, he didn't want anything else—he just wanted Pei Ju to be his.

Truly, completely his.

That was easy for him.

Pei Ju said he could beg, didn't he?

So he was begging now.

His arms looped tight around Pei Ju's neck.

He didn't give a damn about shame anymore. He nuzzled Pei Ju's throat, brushing his lips against it little by little, cautious and clingy.

"Please..."

His voice was barely above a whisper.

Just like that, Pei Ju felt a tingle shoot up the back of his head. The biological instinct the meds had been suppressing surged up like a tiny spark, ignited by Xu Shaoen's voice—hoarse and soft from crying—and quickly turned into a wildfire.

"You know what you're doing?" Pei Ju gripped his waist, every muscle in his body tensed like a leopard ready to pounce.

Of course Xu Shaoen knew.

Today, he was going to do this—resolute, burning his bridges, leaving no room for regret.

"I know." His fingers hooked into the waistband of Pei Ju's pants, burying his face in the crook of Pei Ju's neck to breathe in the faint grassy pheromones.

So what if he was a C-class alpha? He was Pei Ju. That was enough.

So he was willing.

His sharp fang sank into the alpha's gland. He couldn't mark an alpha, but he wanted Pei Ju's pheromones to flow and bloom for him.

"Pei Ju... mark me."

The faint grassy scent exploded, instantly shifting into a mix of spikenard and lemongrass pheromones that wrapped thickly around him.

**

The omega had just been crying, his eyes still swollen, his almond-shaped eyes washed clean, startlingly bright.

Pei Ju's usually smooth back now bore several scratch marks, and his shoulders too—next to a deep bite mark, a fresh one had been added.

Xu Shaoen lay against his shoulder, his soft golden-brown hair damp and stuck to his fair forehead. His serene profile looked like it had been steeped in rose juice, flushed a tempting red.

The air was too stiflingly hot; he could barely breathe, and every exhale was cloyingly sweet.

Pei Ju's damp lips pressed against his cheek, cooling him slightly. He obediently tilted his head, offering his lips up to meet Pei Ju's gently.

His lips were tenderly parted, tongues chasing and playing.

The broken, messy sounds that spilled out were all swallowed by Pei Ju.

When they'd kissed enough, Pei Ju steadied himself and grabbed Xu Shaoen's chin. "Did someone bully you today?"

Even though he'd been crying hard earlier, tears falling one after another, he could tell those were tears of pleasure, not the anger and grief from before.

It was like someone had bullied him badly.

A list of names flashed through his mind, but he ruled them all out one by one.

None of the main alphas were here. Only him.

And he'd only been gone a short while—no signs of anyone having entered the courtyard.

His fingertips traced across Xu Shaoen's rosy cheek, rubbing softly.

"Who bullied you?"

Xu Shaoen buried himself deep in Pei Ju's neck, the fullness swelling from the bottom of his heart bringing him deep satisfaction.

Bullied?

Besides Pei Ju, who else could bully him so thoroughly?

And willingly, at that.

But the words of complaint stuck in his throat. He didn't have the guts to voice that mortifying suspicion.

He'd downed a whole vat of jealousy over nothing, and he hadn't even known he had the right to.

But now he had it.

"Pei Ju."

He draped his slender white arm over Pei Ju's shoulder, fingers lightly hooking together, hesitating.

His voice was a little raspy, like red beans simmered soft.

He took in the alpha he'd chosen, piece by piece.

God, he was handsome.

He could finally admire him openly.

Pei Ju was just that good-looking.

Narrow peach-blossom eyes, deep pupils, dark and fathomless, like they could see straight into his heart.

Wild, sharp brows, cold when furrowed at someone, with a hint of roguish charm when teasing.

A tiny mole at the end of one brow, perched on the side of his high brow bone, now tinged rouge-like red, looking very alluring.

He closed his eyes and gently pressed over it, forgetting what he'd been about to say.

His thin eyelids were covered by a warm, soft pair of lips, like a light cloud settling, moonlight spilling over like sheer gauze.

In his mental landscape, the spiritual mark throbbed with pain, and the stars shone bright as the North Star.

Pei Ju closed his eyes, then opened them again.

The omega in front of him looked at him with a flushed face, a thin layer of moisture glistening in his eyes.

He called his name in a soft, coquettish voice.

"Pei Ju..."

Forget it. No point overthinking it.

Since he said it was him, he'd just see it through.

**

Meanwhile, Chen Junjin was pacing outside, worried sick.

Did Pei Ju and Xu Shaoen get into a fight? A bad one?

Brother Pei was usually a pretty chill Alpha, but he still heard the door slam shut with a bang.

Were they fighting?

Inside, things were clattering and banging—stuff getting knocked over.

It sounded like Brother Xu was yelling at him, crying.

Brother Pei wouldn't actually hit him, right? No way.

But he could swear he heard faint smacking sounds.

Wait, were they actually fighting?

Chen Junjin didn't dare to check. He quietly snuck off, patting his chest.

Damn—that's brutal.

He hoped they'd sort it out fast without ruining their relationship.

When he came back at noon, they still hadn't left the room.

"Bro, you guys want to eat?" Chen Junjin knocked cautiously, pressing his ear to the door.

Brother Xu still sounded like he was crying—there was a faint sobbing from inside.

Then Pei Ju's low voice came through, like he was barely holding back his anger.

"We're busy. Later. Don't wait."

"Okay." Xiaojin glanced back—the curtains were still closed.

This fight had been going on forever. Still not over.

**

Inside, Xu Shaoen covered his mouth, not daring to make a sound. All the air was being sucked out of him, like he was drowning.

But breathing didn't help anyway—the room was thick with mixed pheromones, like two totally different pheromone perfumes had spilled and somehow blended perfectly.

Top notes of freesia, then a sharper hit of cypress and catnip, followed by the sweet cling of roses and gardenias, with a touch of sea salt.

Good thing only they could smell the pheromones.

"Alright, Xiaojin's gone."

Pei Ju carried him to the windowsill and cracked open the curtain.

Maybe because the curtains blocked out so much light, Xu Shaoen only now realized it wasn't dawn anymore—it was full daylight.

The sunlight was harsh, hitting the full-length mirror across the room, and he caught a glimpse of his own wrecked state.

His eyes were squinted, long and wet, because sweat had dripped into them, stinging and making it hard to see.

His legs were taut, fingers curled, toes flushed all the way to the tips.

His back was slim, showing off a delicate, narrow waist.

And Pei Ju was clearly more built—his lean, hard waist looked strong, like it never got tired.

The red marks on his back were obvious—scratches from him, like kitten claws, a little swollen, but Pei Ju didn't seem to feel a thing.

Frail and delicate next to strong and muscular—the contrast was stark.

He shrank back, trying to edge away.

But the room was only so big—where could he even go?

Pei Ju grabbed his calf, stroking the soft skin there.

His fingers closed around his ankle, easily locking him in place.

The curtains fell shut, and the room went dim again.

Pei Ju chuckled softly.

"So scared, huh?" He traced a circle around his ankle with his thumb.

Xiaojin wasn't a stranger—why was he this scared?

The table jolted back, and everything on it clattered to the floor. The old table legs creaked and groaned.

Xu Shaoen almost stopped breathing.

If he'd been all in this morning, now he was nothing but regret.

"Pei Ju, I can't take it anymore."

Sweat soaked his forehead, and his head was starting to spin. One hand gripped Pei Ju's arm, the other pushed at his chest, trying to stop him—but his limbs were so weak and limp it came off more like teasing than resisting.

"We haven't done the mental grooming yet," Pei Ju reminded him.

"But... the link for mental grooming has to be stable..."

How was he supposed to be stable like this?

There was no way he could even try.

Xu Shaoen forced himself to pull out threads of mental energy, trying to hook onto Pei Ju, wrap around him, hold him.

But his mental sea was rocking too hard—he couldn't get the threads to catch.

Pei Ju wasn't in a rush either. He was just using that as an excuse to distract Xu Shaoen.

If Xu Shaoen got too tense, he wouldn't be able to take it either.

……

At dinner time, Pei Ju and Xu Shaoen finally came out.

There was just an awkward silence at the dinner table.

Xiaojin carefully picked at his rice.

He tried to break the silence: "Brother Pei looks much better today. Has the fever gone down?"

Pei Ju was secretly relieved by Xiaojin's naivety, but one Omega in particular looked like he was burning up completely, as flushed as an overripe peach about to fall from the tree.

The heat was contagious, and Xu Shaoen's symptoms were far worse than his.

"I'm feeling better. I'll move back into our room tonight."

Xu Shaoen refused: "I'd rather you didn't. You should sleep with Xiaojin for a while."

It wasn't that he was being cold—it was that his ass was still sore right now.

He'd said no, plain and simple, but Pei Ju had nibbled his ear and said he always had that habit of saying one thing while meaning another.

Was it too much to ask to be honest just once?

If Pei Ju moved back to sleep, he didn't know if he'd ever get the chance to recover.

Xu Shaoen didn't have much of an appetite. He'd had more than enough today; even looking at Pei Ju made him feel full to bursting.

There was no way in hell he was doing that again tonight.

To his surprise, Pei Ju didn't readily agree, which made Xu Shaoen's heart sink a little.

Seeing him lost in thought, Xu Shaoen completely lost his appetite.

He quickly finished his meal and went back to his room, closing the door.

Xiaojin was still scratching his head.

Did those two make up after fighting this morning, or not?

If they hadn't, Brother Pei still cared about what Brother Xu ate, not letting him eat anything too spicy—that was genuinely thoughtful.

If they had, why wouldn't Brother Xu let Brother Pei move back?

But he didn't really care. He could sleep fine whether he was alone or had company. Yesterday the room had felt so quiet, like he wasn't being bothered at all.

Xiaojin puffed out his chest.

He was in great health now. Xu Shaoen and Pei Ju had only spent half a day together, and it looked like he'd caught a cold from them—his voice was all raspy when he talked. But Xiaojin had slept with Pei Ju the whole night and didn't have any symptoms.

But there was another question.

Aren't you supposed to use physical cooling to bring down a fever?

It was so hot out now—why were the two of them both wearing long sleeves and long pants, all covered up head to toe—weren't they hot?

==========Author's Note:==========

Poor pretty baby—fed the starving wolf just a tiny piece of meat and thinking he'd be satisfied~

20 small red envelopes dropped randomly!