Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Their heartbeats were a mess, pounding out of sync. Su Xingze opened his eyes and met a pair of equally stunned eyes.

Their eyelashes brushed as they blinked, tickling all the way down to their hearts.

Seconds ticked by, and the two of them just lay there, frozen, lips still pressed together. The sky had turned orange-red, washing over the two of them on the blanket in the sunroom.

They couldn't just keep making out like this forever. Su Xingze was the first to pull back, his eyes drifting to the side. The sunlight fell across his profile, giving it a golden glow.

Actually, when he'd pulled away just now, he'd snuck a quick lick with his tongue—he wondered if Xiaolu had noticed.

A second later, he felt something poking him uncomfortably.

Su Xingze glanced down. Okay, this position was seriously awkward. After he'd scrambled up, he was straddling Lu Xingwen, and the placement wasn't exactly ideal—it lined up a little too perfectly.

Su Xingze scrambled up in a flash, reaching out to pull Lu Xingwen up, coughing a couple times to cover his embarrassment. "Sorry, my foot slipped."

"Your tongue slipped too, huh?" Lu Xingwen sat on the blanket, glancing down at the noticeable bulge beneath his clothes, a smile playing at his lips.

That obvious little lick, and then sitting right there—was it on purpose or just deliberate?

"Yeah, no idea. Everything's slippery on me today." Su Xingze pushed Lu Xingwen toward the stairs. "The food's gonna get cold. Let's go eat."

"How am I supposed to eat in this state?" Lu Xingwen gestured at his lower half.

Su Xingze glanced at it, blinked, and said, "Just tough it out. Let's eat first. Otherwise, with your stamina, we might never get to eat."

"Fine." Lu Xingwen headed downstairs, feeling great. The accidental kiss today was already enough to keep him smiling for days; the heat in his pants was something he was used to by now.

Chen Chen's lips felt like jelly—sweet as always, with a strong hint of melon seeds.

But it was different from when he'd been the one to initiate the kiss. Being on the receiving end made it even more intense, especially with the way his beloved's eyes darted away, shy and flustered.

Chen Chen was different with him now. Maybe, like Lu He'an said, Chen Chen wanted to change their relationship and take it somewhere new.

Lu Xingwen had waited too long for this. He couldn't rush it—he had to go slow, careful not to scare Chen Chen, who was just starting to open up.

After going downstairs, Su Xingze sent Aunt Zhang home to have dinner with her kids. Then he went upstairs to get Lu Xingwen, who'd been waiting.

He and Xiaolu were close enough that they'd seen each other in every state, but this kind of private stuff was best kept between just the two of them.

Su Xingze crept over, whispering, "Come on, let's go eat."

Lu Xingwen played along, but during the meal, he instantly picked out which dish Su Xingze had made.

Su Xingze was indignant. "Is my cooking really that bad? You could tell just like that?"

"It's not bad." Lu Xingwen had already finished his first bowl and went for seconds. "It's just that this soup doesn't taste like Aunt Zhang's usual one. Also, the egg ribbons in the soup are kinda ugly."

"What's so ugly about them?" Su Xingze fished a few out to inspect.

Okay, they were pretty ugly, but it still tasted the same! Even Aunt Zhang had praised him, saying he'd gotten the hang of it and the soup was really good!

"They're not ugly anymore—I ate all the ugly ones." Lu Xingwen pinched Su Xingze's cheek. "You're the good-looking one. I'll use you as my side dish."

When it came to his face, Su Xingze was extremely confident! He'd looked in the mirror countless times—not a single flaw, absolutely perfect.

He dragged his chair over until it was right up against Lu Xingwen's, deliberately leaning his face in close, grinning. "Then you better take a good look and eat up."

Lu Xingwen gave a doting smile, the food in front of him suddenly tasteless. Actually, he wanted to eat something else—something that went even better with his meal.

After dinner, Su Xingze headed back to his room to confirm when he'd meet with the shop owner, wanting to lock down the location before their trip and start the renovation ASAP.

Meanwhile, Lu Xingwen glanced at a message, his brows furrowing. He said to Su Xingze, who was about to head upstairs, "I've got business tomorrow and the day after—I need to travel for two days. While I'm gone, have Assistant Yin and Assistant Xu come keep you company."

Su Xingze nodded. "Sure, go handle your work. If there's anything I can help with, just say the word."

"Chen Chen." Lu Xingwen smiled slyly. "Actually, there is something I need help with right now. Think you're up for it?"

Su Xingze followed his gaze down, and his body jolted. He bolted back to his room. Then he opened the door again and said, embarrassed, "This one you'll have to handle yourself. I'll pass on helping."

He shut the door and burrowed into his blanket, taking forever to calm down. He actually found the whole thing kind of... intimate between him and Xiaolu.

He'd never noticed it before, but now that he thought about it, they'd even done that kind of thing for each other. Did real brothers even do stuff like that?

Before he realized it, it all seemed normal—as long as it was Xiaolu, nothing they did felt weird.

But now that he'd noticed, he realized how far they'd crossed the line before. This was way past normal brother stuff!

And his heart—it had been pounding hard ever since, thumping so much his chest shook.

Su Xingze texted Fu Yao, hoping to get a better read on the situation.

After hearing him out, Fu Yao sent him a dozen photos of hot Alpha celebs and influencers, asking.

One Fu Yao: [These are some popular stars and a few influencers. Everyone thinks they're hot. What do you think?]

Su Xingze opened each photo and studied them closely, looking over and over before typing his reply.

Star Chen: [The first through ninth—decent-looking, but too much makeup. The tenth through sixteenth—average, with too intense brows and eyes. But none of them are as hot as Xiaolu. Why are you showing me these?]

This guy was hopelessly lovesick and didn't even know it!

One Fu Yao: [No reason, just curious. So what do you feel when you look at your Xiaolu?]

Star Chen: [First, he's top-tier in looks. I've never seen such a gentle Alpha. Second, every time I see him now, I can't help wanting to get close.]

One Fu Yao: [You two were already close before—you're just realizing it now.]

Star Chen: [I guess so.]

One Fu Yao: [Talking about love with you always ends with me getting hurt. This dog food is too much, I can't even swallow it! I'm done talking—I'm going to find someone to console me.]

Su Xingze felt like he'd asked and gotten nowhere. He rolled over in his blanket and sighed deeply.

He picked up his phone to confirm the meeting time, then suddenly remembered something important.

They hadn't done a temporary mark this week. Dr. Zhao had specifically reminded him that his gland needed pheromone nourishment to fully recover.

Su Xingze sat up, thought for a long moment, slipped on his slippers, and headed to Lu Xingwen's room.

This time, the door opened for him. Xiaolu was on the phone, and when he saw him come in, he said, "Gotta go," and flipped on the big ceiling light.

The room flooded with light. Su Xingze shielded his eyes, walked in, and shut the door behind him.

He sat on the sofa, a little hesitant. "Are you still busy? I can come back later."

"I'm not busy." Lu Xingwen tossed his phone aside and sat down beside him. He'd already changed out of his shirt and dress pants into loose sleepwear, the collar hanging open, showing the deep lines of his chest muscles trailing down.

Su Xingze suddenly didn't know how to bring it up. He could only ask stiffly, "Did you, uh, get yours taken care of?"

"Not yet, I'll do it in a bit." Lu Xingwen coaxed him gently, "If something's bothering you, just tell me. I'll help you carry it."

"No, it's nothing." Su Xingze looked around nervously, extremely tense. This kind of thing was really hard to bring up, but he couldn't stay silent either!

"Chen Chen." Lu Xingwen took his hand and pleaded, "I know you best. We've been together for over a decade. You can't hide anything from me."

"Actually, it's just..." Su Xingze scratched his head, "Dr. Zhao said we need to do a temporary mark every week. I don't think we've done it this week yet. You're leaving for a business trip tomorrow and the day after, and by the time you get back, it'll already be next week. I..."

"You want a temporary mark?" Lu Xingwen led him along slowly.

How could he forget something like that? He remembered everything about Su Xingze, especially the doctor's orders.

Su Xingze nodded. "Yeah, I want a mark."

"Then let's head to the bathroom." Lu Xingwen pulled him along, step by step into the bathroom, then directly locked the door behind them.

Su Xingze felt awkward just standing there waiting, so he suggested, "How about I help you out first?"

"No need." Lu Xingwen wrapped his arms around him, releasing some pheromones so their scents could intertwine and blend together. He gently patted the Omega's back to calm him down.

He explained, "If you help me now, you'll just have to help me again later."

After all, he knew his own self-control very well—when it came to this kind of thing, it was practically zero.

"Alright." Under Lu Xingwen's guidance, Su Xingze released his own pheromones.

Soon, the bathroom filled with the rich, nutty smell of roasted melon seeds. The Alpha patiently pulled open the Omega's collar, revealing a round, fair shoulder.

The gland was right at the nape of the neck, swollen into a little lump. Over the past few days, it had filled to the brim with gland fluid—biting into it would be sweet and tasty.

Lu Xingwen gave it a few tentative licks, letting the gland get used to his scent.

Su Xingze hunched his shoulders, breathing in short, shallow gasps.

The second the Alpha bit down, he grabbed the marble edge of the sink.

It felt amazing. His whole body went numb and tingly.

The first two times hadn't been this intense. Xiaolu's marking skills had really improved.

He parted his lips, gasping for more air, all his attention on the gland. He could feel the gland fluid draining away, the Alpha's sharp canines, and the pheromones twisting and merging inside him.

And also—the obvious reaction of his body.

His gland was satisfied, but another part of him was far from content. He could feel its anticipation and urgency, along with the hard press of the Alpha behind him.

Su Xingze gasped, "I'll help you out in a bit."

Lu Xingwen released him, licked his lips, and suddenly his eyes curved into a sly, fox-like smile. "Chen Chen, have I gotten better at this?"