Chapter 35

Chapter 35

At three in the afternoon, the sunlight outside was just right. The October sun didn't feel hot on the skin—just warm, perfectly comfortable.

As the Earth turned, the sun's position had shifted. The light that had been on the Alpha moments ago had now moved onto the bed.

Su Xingze reached out to touch it. So warm. It felt just like Xiaolu's pheromones.

He wrapped himself up in the blanket like a caterpillar, wriggled over to Lu Xingwen, whistled to get his attention, and fired off a wink.

Lu Xingwen's expression froze for a moment, then he broke into a doting, gentle smile. "What's wrong? Want something to eat?"

This smile lasted longer than before, and it was even prettier. Su Xingze panicked, wriggled away, turned his face to the sun, and buried it in the blanket.

So handsome. How could this Xiaolu be so damn captivating?

The brave enjoy the world first—that saying was spot on. If he could see such a pleasing sight every day, that would be pure bliss.

Su Xingze had barely been curled up for a minute when Lu Xingwen came up from downstairs with strawberries. He crouched down, scooped the caterpillar right off the bed into his arms, and sat down to work with him in his lap.

Su Xingze had rolled himself up so tight he couldn't even struggle free.

He lifted his head, showing only the upper half of his face, and glanced around before asking, "What are you doing?"

Lu Xingwen reached out and felt Su Xingze's exposed forehead, looking worried. "Are you sick? Why'd you roll yourself up like this?"

"Not sick. Just being a kid." Su Xingze's hands were also trapped in the blanket, totally stuck. He signaled with his eyes. "Xiaolu, I wanna eat strawberries."

Actually, he wasn't just being childish—he was shy too. It was all that beauty leading him astray! Making him lose his damn mind!

"Okay." Lu Xingwen picked one up and fed it to him, then went back to the documents.

The strawberry was big—Su Xingze couldn't fit it all in one bite. Lu Xingwen just kept holding it up for him to eat. Su Xingze ate the top third and froze mid-bite. The rest of the strawberry was still in Xiaolu's fingers. If he bit down, wouldn't he get his fingers too?

Come to think of it, those fingers were pretty nice-looking—fair and soft, slender, with every knuckle perfectly proportioned. Up close, he could clearly see the skin's texture, like crisscrossing mazes just waiting for someone curious to explore.

Damn it. His face was handsome, and his hands were gorgeous too!

Su Xingze bit down in one go, and both the strawberry and the fingers went into his warm mouth. He bit very gently, but Lu Xingwen let out a pained grunt and pinned the wandering tongue with two fingers. "What, you trying to eat me?"

"Mmm..." Su Xingze's tongue was pinned, so all he could do was whimper pitifully.

He didn't wanna eat anyone—he was just jealous!

Lu Xingwen's gaze dropped, a storm brewing in his dark eyes. His fingers roamed freely inside Su Xingze's mouth, teasing that disobedient tongue.

Su Xingze was startled, drool spilling uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth, but he didn't struggle. Instead, he quietly watched Lu Xingwen.

When Lu Xingwen met those eyes, he froze for a second, quickly pulled his hand back, and apologized, "Sorry, I don't know what came over me..."

"It's fine." Su Xingze smiled sweetly.

He wasn't jealous anymore—because those beautiful hands were covered in his saliva, already dirtied by him.

With the person in his arms and saliva on his hands that he couldn't wash off, he couldn't keep feeding him strawberries. He'd finally gotten the guy into his arms—was he supposed to just put him back now?

Su Xingze curled up, found a comfy spot, buried his head, and said softly, "I'm going to sleep. Do whatever you want."

Jackpot!

Lu Xingwen played it cool and hummed in acknowledgment. "Sleep. I'll stay with you."

Su Xingze was very satisfied. Xiaolu's scent was even stronger than the blanket's—it was that feeling that just made his mood better.

For the first time, Lu Xingwen actually found handling documents somewhat enjoyable. Even the error-filled files and plan reports didn't seem so infuriating.

He finished all his work and even had a small meeting.

Assistant Yin and Assistant Xu saw their boss at home and their jaws practically hit the floor. Now they couldn't even be apart for work?

But the boss with his husband around was a whole different person—his temper was so good everyone barely recognized him, and he didn't even curse when scolding people.

With his husband around, their days were a lot easier.

After the meeting, Lu Xingwen received a message from Assistant Wang.

Brother Xin: [Boss, everything's arranged. Yang Ye got arrested. He'll probably do time.]

Brother Xin: [Boss, the Su family's inviting you and Mr. Su over for dinner.]

Lu: [Good. Keep on it. Don't let Ying Ying off.]

Brother Xin: [Of course. I've had it out for him for ages.]

Lu: [Once this is over, you're getting a raise.]

Brother Xin: [Then thanks a lot.]

Lu Xingwen put down his phone and carried Su Xingze downstairs. The car was already waiting, surrounded by a ring of bodyguards, with a small truck in the back.

Lu Xingwen carried Su Xingze into the back seat. Assistant Xu was driving, with Assistant Yin in the passenger seat.

Assistant Yin only glanced back when getting in—he didn't dare look back after that. The boss's glare would kill him!

Good heavens, this was way too indulgent. He just carried him out wrapped in the blanket without even bothering to wake him up. Assistant Xu, also an Omega, was super envious.

Su Xingze turned over, instinctively found a comfy position, and went back to sleep.

When he woke up, the car had just run over a plastic bottle, jolting him awake. He bounced up and landed back down, and all sleepiness was instantly gone.

What's going on? Wasn't he just sleeping at home? Where was this?

He looked up and saw he was still in Xiaolu's arms, wrapped in the blanket from the bed.

After a few seconds of confusion, Su Xingze calmed himself down. Xiaolu must not have woken him up and just brought him along.

"Where are we going?" he asked, still groggy.

Lu Xingwen didn't say anything. He just pointed outside.

They had already left the city and were on the outskirts. Trees lined the road, whizzing past one by one as the car drove into a very familiar street.

This was the way to the Su family villa.

Su Xingze unwrapped himself, tidied up in the mirror, and stretched his limbs in the car. "Are we going to the Su place?"

Lu Xingwen rubbed his head to comfort him. "Mm. Su Ping invited us over for dinner."

"This is a trap!" Su Xingze said furiously. "He kicked me out all this time without even one phone call, and now he wants to invite us to dinner?"

"That's good too." Su Xingze smiled and said, "I was planning to go back anyway, so I might as well move all my stuff back."

His precious motorcycle has been sitting for so long that it's probably about to break down. He needs to get it home and give it some maintenance soon.

Lu Xingwen handed him a jacket and asked, "Chen Chen, do you want the Su Group?"

"The Su Group was Mom's hard work, and I will take it back." Su Xingze put on the jacket and said seriously, "But I hope to do it through my own efforts, not just have you hand it to me without my doing anything."

Lu Xingwen thought for a few seconds, sent a message on his phone, and gently stroked Su Xingze's head. "I understand."

"Thank you, Xiaolu." Su Xingze leaned against Lu Xingwen's shoulder.

He was actually a little scared. In his memory, his father rarely came home, and when he did, he never had a kind expression—criticizing this, criticizing that.

But he had never done anything particularly awful. In his mind, his father had always been a familiar stranger.

He had no memory of being kicked out of the house at all.

Su Xingze had originally thought they would maintain this relationship until death, but he never expected it to deteriorate into outright enmity.

But besides his mother's love, he had never felt any fatherly love, so now and before, there didn't seem to be any difference.

The car pulled into the villa, and Su Ping and his stepmother were waiting at the entrance with smiles on their faces, as if their own son were returning home.

Su Xingze felt a bit sick to his stomach. He imagined them closing the door, imagined their disgusted expressions, imagined them refusing to let him take his things, and finally coming to blows—but he never expected to see such hypocritical smiles on their faces.

In all his life, Su Xingze had never seen such a look.

He rubbed his goosebumps. "This smile is worse than just getting out and fighting. Whoever wins gets to go in and eat."

"That works too." Lu Xingwen pointed at the bodyguards getting out of the car. "I brought enough people—ten, plus us, that's fourteen total, all at your disposal."

Forget it. You can't hit someone who's smiling at you. Considering that after his mother passed away, he still sent him three thousand yuan every month, this beating can be put on the tab for now.

Both Lu Xingwen and Su Xingze were dressed in casual wear, looking very comfortable.

On the other side, Su Ping was in a suit, and Mrs. Su wore an extravagant qipao, decked out in imperial green jewelry, with a pigeon-egg-sized diamond ring on her finger.

The two came forward together, pulling Su Xingze along to go inside and eat. Su Ping said with concern, "Haven't seen you in years—you've gotten thinner, and even more handsome than before. Let me take a good look at you."

"No need." Su Xingze brushed their hands away, maintaining an extremely safe distance. "No need for false pretenses. We all know the situation clearly, so let's just act accordingly."

Mrs. Su forced a smile and said, "What are you talking about? We raised you. How can you become so distant after just a few years?"

"We're not familiar." Su Xingze turned his head away.

At this point, saying anything more would only bring humiliation. The two dropped their smiles and exchanged a look. Su Ping, a seasoned businessman, still managed to keep a composed smile. "President Lu, let's go inside and eat together."

Lu Xingwen looked at Su Xingze, who stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear, "Might as well eat since it's free—free dinner."

Lu Xingwen was amused. "Alright."

As soon as he walked in, Su Xingze was stunned. Good thing they came in to eat, or they'd have missed out big time. The table was huge, completely filled with all kinds of famous dishes, with four different soups alone.

Su Xingze sat down where there was the most meat, and Lu Xingwen sat right beside him. Su Ping and Mrs. Su sat directly across, which was convenient for the business talk to come.

Of the four people, only Su Xingze kept eating. The other three stared at each other, not speaking or eating, seemingly communicating through eye contact.

Su Xingze occasionally picked a piece for Xiaolu but couldn't be bothered with the rest.

Lu Xingwen didn't pick food for himself, but he would find a moment to eat whatever Chen Chen picked for him.

Finally, Su Ping spoke up. "President Lu, about our cooperation, take a look..."

He handed over a contract.

"Wait!" Su Xingze looked up, swallowed the meat in his mouth, and smiled innocently. "President Su, I'd like to know who the chairman of the Su Group is. Shouldn't such a major cooperation project with a big company be discussed with the chairman?"

Su Ping said, "I am the chairman of the Su Group."

"Proof?" Su Xingze reached for a chicken leg, but it was too hot to hold, so Lu Xingwen helped him pick it up and put it in his bowl.

He sucked his fingers and reminded him, "Everything needs proof."

Lu Xingwen chimed in. "Exactly. Our Lu Group isn't something just anyone can latch onto. I want your chairman to meet me, or there's no deal."

Su Xingze nodded repeatedly. "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm."

He looked like he was playing dumb, but every word was a knife. Because if what Master Li said was true, then his mother would never have left the Su Group to Su Ping. By then, her relationship with Su Ping was already very strained—they just hadn't gotten divorced.

Presumably, the reason his mother's relationship with Su Ping was bad was that she saw through him and couldn't be bothered to deal with him anymore. So after his mother passed away, she wouldn't have handed the company to him. The most likely outcome was that Su Ping held a portion of the shares, giving him a significant stake in the company.

"I can fully represent the Su Group." Su Ping pulled out a signed authorization. "Everyone in the company recognizes me."

Su Xingze thought for a moment and said sarcastically, "Oh, and what's the use of that? You could have forced them to sign."

"You!" Su Ping slammed the table. "Don't think just because you've been away from this family for a few years, you've grown wings. You're still my son, Su Ping's son. If you've got the guts, never set foot in this house again!"

"Fine!" Su Xingze dropped the act. He threw the chicken bone he was holding at Su Ping and said angrily, "You really think I wanted to play along with your act? With that look of yours, aren't you just trying to cooperate with the Lu Group? I'm telling you, as long as I'm around, it will never happen!"

Su Ping didn't know that Su Xingze had already learned the truth from Master Li, and he was still putting on his loving-father act.

Of course, Su Xingze wasn't planning to reveal it either. Keeping the enemy in the dark while he saw clearly—wasn't that more fun?

"Ungrateful brat! You ungrateful brat!" Su Ping angrily grabbed an empty plate and hurled it at Su Xingze.

Su Xingze dodged to the side and threw one back, hitting Su Ping right on the top of the head. It didn't bleed, but it left a bruise.

Su Xingze sneered. "Since you kicked me out of the house, I'm no longer your son, and I don't have a father like you!"

"You..." Su Ping clutched his chest and collapsed back into the chair.

Su Xingze didn't even glance at him. What was he pretending for? He had already disowned him long ago—where was the family affection now? He was just putting on a show for President Lu because he saw that Su Xingze was with Lu Xingwen.

Su Xingze was full now, so it was time for round two. He stood up, stretched, and said, "I'm taking everything from my room, including the motorcycle in the garage."

"No way!" Mrs. Su dropped the act too, speaking firmly. "These are all Su family belongings. You're an outsider who was kicked out—what right do you have to take them?"

So in the end, he had become an outsider? Su Xingze laughed. "I'm not here to negotiate with you; I'm here to inform you. If you don't agree, then I'll just have to..."

He cracked his knuckles, which scared Su Ping into scrambling to his feet, pointing at him. "What are you trying to do? If you dare cause trouble, I'll call the police!"

Su Xingze said nonchalantly, "Go ahead. When the police come, it'll just be mediation. On paper, you're still my father, so this only counts as a family dispute!"

Su Ping's face turned ugly. That's right—on paper, he was still Su Xingze's father. Even if everyone in the circle knew he had kicked him out, legally, it was still a family matter.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Su Ping flew into a rage, clutching his chest and gasping for air.

"Father, this is the last time I'll call you that." Su Xingze slowly looked over, his expression cold. Despite his usually lively and cheerful personality, he was now extremely sinister. He said, "I used to hold onto illusions about you, but not anymore."

He leaned in and whispered into Su Ping's ear, "The Su Group is going to be mine, and mine alone."

Su Ping raised his hand to hit him, furious, but Su Xingze caught his wrist, twisted it behind his back, and Su Ping yelped in pain.

Su Xingze wasn't about to coddle him. "I'd advise you not to mess with me," he sneered.

Su Ping clutched his trembling hand, and Mrs. Su helped him into a chair. She was too scared to get close, afraid she'd get hit too, but she wasn't about to back down, and stubbornly said, "You can't take anything from the house, but you can take the motorcycle."

Lu Xingwen grabbed Su Xingze's wrist to check for injuries. He raised a hand, and a few bodyguards surrounded Su Ping.

Last time, Chen Chen got hurt in the face because of this exact situation. He wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

Su Xingze flashed Lu Xingwen a sweet smile. "I'm fine. Don't I look handsome?"

"Very handsome." Like a little wildcat reaching out its claws to scratch.

Su Xingze lowered his voice. "They won't let me take my stuff from the room. Something's definitely off. Let's just move everything now. If we come back another day, it'll be even harder to get to."

He knew Lu Xingwen wasn't here to talk business today—he was here to have his back. He'd overheard Xiaolu and the assistant talking outside the bathroom that day.

Su Ping had once approached Xiaolu about a business deal and gotten rejected. Later, to get back at him, Su Ping ordered his men not to sell him the storefront and deliberately messed up his face, almost ruining it.

Xiaolu must already have a plan to deal with the Su Group, but he hadn't acted on it because he respected Su Xingze and wanted him to decide how things played out.

"Alright." Lu Xingwen affectionately ruffled Su Xingze's hair and pulled him into a hug.

He'd worried Chen Chen wouldn't be tough enough, but it turned out he was overthinking it.

"All ten of you, get upstairs and move everything. Don't leave a single thing in that room—rip up the floor and ceiling if you have to." The moment Lu Xingwen spoke, all the bodyguards jumped into action.

Su Xingze went along to point out the spot, then Lu Xingwen had him wait in the car with two assistants.

Lu Xingwen still had things to say to Su Ping, so he didn't come up yet.

Su Xingze propped his chin on his hand and looked outside. "Why isn't Xiaolu coming up?"

Assistant Yin said, "Last time you went out with the boss, one of Su Ping's guys hurt you. The boss is worried you'll get hurt again, so he put you in the car first."

Assistant Xu agreed, "Exactly. The Su family are bad news. Let's finish moving and get out of here fast. If he's willing to ruin someone's face, there's nothing he wouldn't do."

Su Xingze leaned forward from the back seat and asked, "Why do you think he wants to ruin my face?"

"Jealousy," Assistant Xu said confidently. "They kicked you out, and the Su Group was already in their hands. But then you became someone they couldn't even dream of matching, so they're insanely jealous and would go as far as ruining you."

Are they really that smart? Su Xingze frowned. Could there be someone smarter pulling the strings behind the scenes?

Given how Su Ping and that woman think, jealousy was definitely there, but ruining his face was way too meticulously planned.

On the surface, that person kicked him on purpose, but it didn't really constitute a crime—at most, it was picking a fight.

On a smaller scale, it could be passed off as an accidental kick—maybe an apology and some cash would settle it.

But without Assistant Yin's senior brother's herbal powder, he would've been permanently disfigured.

What a vicious plan. Every step was aimed at him.

But this person got one thing wrong: even if he were disfigured, Xiaolu wouldn't kick him out. They weren't lovers—they had an unbreakable bond as childhood friends.

After a bit, everything was moved, and Lu Xingwen got in the car.

Su Xingze didn't ask anything—he just leaned against Lu Xingwen and played on his phone.

The car made a few turns and then split off—the bodyguards' car and the truck headed home, while they went a different way.

Lu Xingwen leaned into Su Xingze's arms and said, "Su Ping is guarding your stuff closely—there must be something valuable in there. I'm worried about danger these days, so I've had people beef up the villa's security. We'll go back once it's done in a few days."

"Xiaolu, having you is the best." Su Xingze was getting more and more dependent on Xiaolu.

How could his Xiaolu be so perfect and charming? He just wanted to take a bite out of him.

Pfft, what was he even thinking?!

It was an old apartment building. At this hour, the old folks were out for walks, some young people were walking their dogs, and in the park, a bunch of kids were playing and laughing.

Lu Xingwen explained, "When I first started my business, I was up late every night, so I bought this place. It's close to the office, so it's convenient for work."

Su Xingze thought that compared to the villa where no one ever showed up, this place felt way more alive.

They went up to the sixth floor and unlocked the security door. Lu Xingwen had a cleaning lady come by regularly, so the place was spotless, and the furniture was brand new.

It was only a little past eight, so still early. Su Xingze took a shower, changed into pajamas, and sat on the couch teaching Lu Xingwen how to shower.

"This waterproof bag is specially bought. Put it on your hand when you go in, and try not to use your left hand while showering. If water gets in by accident, stop and dry it off before continuing." Su Xingze held up his hand to show him. "See, my gauze isn't even wet."

Lu Xingwen nodded, promising he'd be good.

When he came out, Su Xingze checked and confirmed it wasn't wet, then patted the Alpha's head approvingly.

They each did their own thing in bed. Lu Xingwen was working, and Su Xingze was scouting locations for a cake shop.

It was almost midnight when they finally wrapped up. Su Xingze turned off the light to sleep.

Lu Xingwen stopped him, leaning in close. "Have I made it up to you? Are you still mad at me? Didn't you say if I didn't win you over by today, I'd be in trouble?"

"When did I ever say that?" Su Xingze felt wronged. "That's not my style."

Lu Xingwen sat up straight. "Aunt Zhang told me. Look."

He held up his phone to show the chat history.

Su Xingze also pulled up his own chat history to show Lu Xingwen.

When they compared, they were stunned. The middleman had misunderstood their words, so the messages relayed didn't match the original meaning at all.

Su Xingze defended himself, "I was never scared of you. When I first saw it that day, I thought a thief had broken into the villa. I was too embarrassed to tell you, so I planned to figure out a solution first and then explain. I didn't expect Aunt Zhang to twist it like that."

With the misunderstanding cleared, Lu Xingwen asked curiously, "What was your plan?"

Su Xingze finally got to share his idea, "Let's go on a trip at the end of October. Everything was triggered by your pheromones. Getting away and relaxing could help with pheromone exchange and might do you some good."

"Alright." Lu Xingwen agreed quickly. But his behavior wasn't caused by pheromones—it was purely out of pleasure.

But if Chen Chen was willing to travel with him, how could he refuse?

Lu Xingwen remembered something and smiled, piquing Su Xingze's curiosity, "I thought you hated me, so I came up with a plan to win you over. But since you don't want the Su Group, my Plan 1 failed, so I activated Plan 2."

"What's Plan 2?" Su Xingze was indeed curious and eager to know.

Lu Xingwen shook his head, "If I tell you, it won't be a surprise anymore."

Su Xingze sat up and scratched Lu Xingwen's arm a few times, huffing in annoyance. "Then why'd you even tell me?"

"To mess with you." Lu Xingwen grinned, reached over and ruffled his hair.

Su Xingze's eyes widened, his heart skipped a beat.

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

Seemingly: The peacock's got his wife swooning

Actually: Before it even begins, he's already head-over-heels himself

Seemingly: Xiaoze's heart skips a beat

Actually: Xiaolu's already hard as a rock down there

I update around 00:00 to 00:30 every day~