Chapter 43

Chapter 43

It was almost dark.

On the way home, Su Xingze said, "I still think something's off. We should check out that Ying Yue."

Lu Xingwen knew what he was thinking. "I'll handle it."

Neither of them mentioned what happened last night. Su Xingze was still holding Xiaobei, chatting away to him. Lu Xingwen handed him the travel plans: "Let's go to Sucheng first. Didn't you want to hit the hot springs? It's a classic Jiangnan water town—really scenic."

The hot springs sounded great, but the original plan was to get close to Xiaolu and treat his pheromone condition. Now they slept together every night and were always helping each other out. So did they even need the hot springs anymore?

But a Jiangnan water town is something everyone dreams of visiting, so it was still worth the trip.

"What about Xiaobei?" Su Xingze asked.

Lu Xingwen made a face. He didn't want a little third wheel tagging along on their trip. "He's too young. Aunt Zhang can watch him at home."

Xiaobei was so well-behaved and cute that Su Xingze wanted to bring him. But Xiaolu had a point—Xiaobei was too young for a long trip. Better to leave him at home with Aunt Zhang.

Su Xingze gave in reluctantly. "Fine."

"I'll hand the company stuff over to my uncle for the next couple of days. Friday, I'll go to school and ask the teachers for time off. Saturday and Sunday, we'll have dinner at the Lu family villa, then head out Monday."

"I also need to properly say goodbye to Xiaobei over these two days, pack up the stuff I brought back from the Su family, and finalize the cake flavors and designs for the bakery. Master Li took on a few apprentices and has already started training them."

"One more thing." Su Xingze decided to be honest: "Fu Yao and I are planning to keep tabs on Ying Ying so we're not caught off guard."

Lu Xingwen tensed up. "What's your plan?"

Su Xingze said, "I can't meet him in person, but we live in the modern age—there's WeChat. Once we get proof of what he's done, we'll have him locked up."

Yang Xiu going to prison was already a done deal, but in the days after Ying Ying escaped, all the evidence against him had been destroyed. Yang Xiu had also taken the fall for everything in court.

Lu Xingwen had even brought Wang Xin to track down Ying Ying, but they couldn't catch him. He'd never believed in the supernatural, but sometimes things were just too bizarre to explain.

After Ying Ying escaped, it was like he'd vanished into thin air. Lu Xingwen had people searching, even with a confirmed address, but the guy still slipped through their fingers.

But as long as that guy was still out there, they couldn't relax.

Lu Xingwen explained, "I was pretty confident I could get him locked up, but at the last second, he got away."

Su Xingze let out a helpless sigh. "Maybe we can't deal with him using normal methods, since he's not exactly normal himself."

Lu Xingwen reassured him, "As long as he's done something wrong, there'll always be another chance to get him."

Su Xingze grumbled, confused. "But I still don't get it. How could someone like him be the Child of Destiny? Literally anyone else would be better."

"He's the Child of Destiny?" Lu Xingwen thought he was hearing some kind of web novel plot.

"Yeah." Su Xingze recalled, "I don't think I ever told you about this. When I first heard it, I thought it was ridiculous and didn't think much of it. But later, I started to think maybe he actually is."

Lu Xingwen asked, "How do you know?"

Su Xingze said, "Jiang Tao told me. She said she saw Ying Ying on set once, beating up the director, claiming he was the Child of Destiny and that we were all NPCs—just obstacles in his way."

Lu Xingwen scoffed, "Then Destiny's got pretty bad eyesight."

Su Xingze sighed, "Maybe he really is the favorite son." He stroked the cat affectionately. "Let's hurry home. Xiaobei's hungry."

"What about me?" Lu Xingwen leaned closer.

Su Xingze reassured him, "I'll make something tasty for both of you!"

Nice, his status had gone up a bit. He was now on the same level as Xiaobei—at least not below the cat anymore.

On Friday, Lu Xingwen and Su Xingze went to school to ask for time off.

*

Su Xingze didn't want to ask for leave. Given how many classes he'd skipped, it was beyond saving anyway. Asking for leave wouldn't help.

Xiaolu was different. Even though he slept through class, he showed up to almost every session. And when he didn't show up, he'd properly asked for leave, and the teachers turned a blind eye as long as he had a decent excuse.

After all, in all these years, the School of Economics had only ever produced one Lu Xingwen, and he was always held up as a case study.

So when the counselor heard they wanted five days off, he nearly passed out.

"Five days? That means you're skipping all of next week's classes. Miss that many and you'll almost certainly fail this semester!" The counselor pleaded earnestly, hoping Lu Xingwen would understand the stakes.

But Lu Xingwen didn't care at all. "If I fail, I'll just retake the course."

"Hey, you should persuade your Alpha! He can't just do whatever he wants!" The counselor, desperate, pointed at the Omega standing next to Lu Xingwen.

"Me?" Su Xingze pointed at himself.

But he was also a chronic class-skipper, even worse than Lu Xingwen. He had no standing to persuade Xiaolu.

The counselor grabbed Su Xingze. "That's right, you're a student too, aren't you? You know how important the diploma is. Talk some sense into your Alpha. Don't let him act recklessly."

That was fair enough. He couldn't graduate himself, but he shouldn't drag Xiaolu down and make him miss out on his diploma either.

Su Xingze whispered to Lu Xingwen, "Maybe we shouldn't go. We can go during winter break instead. The diploma is pretty important."

"Chen Chen, you know I don't like economics." Lu Xingwen leaned on his shoulder. "I want to travel."

Su Xingze looked at the counselor again and dodged the issue. "Let him make his own decision."

The counselor had no choice but to call in the teachers who were still on campus.

The teachers and counselor stood in a row, their pressure overwhelming, and pleaded earnestly, "A week off is too long. What do you need to do? At least tell us clearly, right?"

Lu Xingwen noticed Su Xingze trying to make himself invisible, and with a mischievous intent, pulled him over and smiled. "I'm going on a trip with him."

When all the teachers looked over, Su Xingze glared at Lu Xingwen, unable to believe he'd been thrown under the bus. He smiled and said, "That's right. He said he wanted to go on a honeymoon with me, and I couldn't refuse."

"You... got married?" Now it was the teachers' turn to be shocked, seemingly unable to believe that AOs these days married so young.

Su Xingze gained confidence. "Yes, we're married. Do you need to see our marriage certificate before you'll let us go?"

The teachers exchanged glances, and before anyone could speak, another voice cut in.

"It's my fault." Lu Xingwen interrupted all the conversation, speaking respectfully and sincerely, "I wanted to go on a trip with him, so I came to ask for leave. Whatever the consequences, I'm willing to bear them."

Why was he suddenly so intense? It startled Su Xingze.

But speaking of the marriage certificate, he realized he'd never actually seen it. What had he looked like three years ago? And how did their wedding photos turn out?

Lu Xingwen hurriedly pulled Su Xingze away, bidding farewell to the teachers. "We're leaving. Goodbye."

This time they really had no choice but to approve it. If they didn't, with Lu Xingwen's level of truancy, he'd definitely get kicked out by the end of the semester.

The School of Economics finally had a real star student—how could they let him drop out before graduating? How would they ever sell the school to new students again!

The counselor handed the leave slip to Lu Xingwen, who was busy trying to distract Su Xingze. To pull that off, he went all out and brought him to a top-tier restaurant.

He'd called ahead to have a mushroom hotpot ready, and also picked up some cold-hardy flower bulbs, planning to plant them with Su Xingze.

Su Xingze had always wanted to try Yuncheng's signature mushroom hotpot, but places like that were rare in Zecheng and never the real deal. Today's pot was made by a chef from Yuncheng that Xiaolu had specially hired. By the time they got there, it was already bubbling away—safe to eat, no toxins.

Su Xingze took one sip and instantly forgot all about the school thing; his only thought was devouring that delicious mushroom pot.

He'd always been a fan of all kinds of mushrooms, but Yuncheng's mushroom soup was on another level—that sweet, fresh flavor hit you right in the head, better than any mushroom he'd ever had.

Sure, Su Xingze was easy to distract, but his memory wasn't that bad. After stuffing himself and planting the bulbs together, he asked again: "Xiaolu, can I see our marriage certificate?"

Lu Xingwen answered almost on reflex: "I forgot, I don't know where I put it."

Wait, you didn't even pause before saying you forgot? Isn't that way too fast?

Su Xingze forced an awkward smile, feeling like there was definitely something he was being kept in the dark about.

Because twenty-two-year-old Xiaolu had way too many secrets, and a lot of them he refused to share.

At times like this, Su Xingze felt like he and Xiaolu weren't even on the same timeline—like he was still seventeen, that kid who should be studying for the college entrance exams and going to class every day.

Meanwhile, Xiaolu was already a successful entrepreneur at twenty-two, with everything anyone could envy, not the same seventeen-year-old kid who used to mess around with him.

*

Lu Xingwen could tell Su Xingze was in a bad mood, especially last night—he just lay down and passed out without saying a word.

Xiaobei got ignored too; the two of them just stared at each other, both clueless about what was going on.

Xiaobei meowed a few times and pawed at Lu Xingwen, making it clear this was all his fault.

Lu Xingwen nodded—yeah, it really was his fault. Today Chen Chen wanted to see the marriage certificate, but he couldn't pull one out, so he had to make up an excuse.

He set the cat down between them, lay down quietly, and felt a chill of dread.

One lie takes a hundred more to cover it up; he was already on a one-way street.

The next morning, Su Xingze was back to normal, carrying Xiaobei over to the Lu house.

Overnight, he'd thought it all through—whether it was seventeen-year-old Lu Xingwen or twenty-two-year-old Lu Xingwen, they were both Xiaolu. There was basically no difference.

As long as Xiaolu still wanted to be with him, he could overlook everything else, pretend nothing happened, and bury it deep down.

Lu Yeqing had Aunt Zheng cook up a huge spread, waiting for the two of them to show up. When she saw Xiaobei, she was smitten, holding and petting him nonstop, which made the Pomeranian Xiaofu so jealous he kept scratching at her pant legs down below.

Lu Hean scooped up Xiaofu and ruffled him into a puffy little ball.

Xiaofu, who normally wouldn't let Lu Hean touch him, stayed perfectly still and let himself be manhandled.

Lu Hean teased him, messing up his fur: "Usually you won't let me hold you, but now that Xiaobei's around, you're feeling the pressure? Now I can rub you however I want?"

Xiaofu let out a proud little yip, turned his head, and refused to even look at Xiaobei.

Lu Yeqing was completely charmed, asking Su Xingze: "When's Xiaobei gonna have kittens? Hook me up with one."

Su Xingze said helplessly: "He's a boy cat."

"A boy cat? I heard male calicos are super rare. Xiaobei's a real treasure." She held Xiaobei up, and Xiaofu started stomping his feet in place, doing a little tap dance.

Xiaofu's antics cracked everyone up, including Lu Huan, who'd been quietly watching TV.

Su Xingze scooped up Xiaofu and set him on Lu Xingwen: "He's so cute."

The mood was great, and even Lu Xingwen got caught up in it, smiling: "Auntie, we're heading out on a trip Monday. If you like Xiaobei, you can watch him for a few days."

"Don't worry, leave it to me. Look how chubby I've gotten Xiaofu." Lu Yeqing placed Xiaobei on her lap. "By the time you get back, I'll have Xiaobei just like Xiaofu."

Maybe because he was a stray, Xiaobei was super clingy and loved being around people, so staying at the Lu house really was better. Su Xingze smiled: "Thank you, Auntie."

"Sweetie, we're family, no need for thanks. Come on, let's eat—I made all your favorites." Lu Yeqing pulled Su Xingze toward the dining room, then looked at Lu Xingwen and Lu Huan, who were talking shop on the couch: "You two, go wash some fruit. This is a family dinner, so cut the work talk."

Lu Hean had just snickered when he got caught. Lu Yeqing didn't spare anyone: "You go set the dishes, and wipe that stupid grin off your face."

Lu Hean's smile froze, and he got up to busy himself.

Lu Yeqing sat down with Su Xingze first. Because Xiaobei was so well-behaved, he was placed on an empty chair.

"Xiaoze, this is for you." Lu Yeqing slipped an exquisitely crafted, stylish platinum bracelet onto Su Xingze's wrist.

Su Xingze knew gold was expensive now, and this bracelet was especially heavy, so he quickly took it off: "I can't accept this."

"Wear it. I prepared one for Xiao Xing too—they're a pair." She pulled another from her pocket; the two had slight differences, not very obvious.

Su Xingze opened his palm, feeling like something was missing besides the bracelet. He looked at his fingers.

That's right—rings? Where were his and Xiaolu's wedding rings? Why did he have no memory of them?

In the kitchen, Lu Xingwen was cutting washed fruit. Lu Hean passed by him and asked: "It's been this long, and you two still aren't a couple?"

Lu Xingwen glanced at him, not wanting to respond.

Lu Hean reminded him: "Bro, I've noticed you can be really stubborn sometimes. You're playing the gentle act—are you trying to move him or impress him? This slow-boiling-frog approach won't work. You've been best brothers since childhood. If you don't make a move and break through that barrier, how will you ever go from brothers to lovers?"

"I've said my piece—I need to go serve the dishes, or I'll get scolded again!" Lu Hean ran off quickly.

Leaving Lu Xingwen alone in the kitchen. Maybe he needed to make some changes, at least stop going on like this.

Su Xingze ate until he was stuffed. Lu Xingwen kept piling food on his plate, his gaze so tender it was like he was the one being devoured.

They were staying at the Lu family home for two days. After dinner, Su Xingze hit his usual carb crash and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep instantly.

Whether at the villa or the Lu home, life was quite comfortable. Over these two days, Xiaobei and Xiaofu's relationship improved greatly—the two little furballs slept curled up together, inseparable wherever they went, even when held, they had to be together.

Sunday afternoon, Lu Xingwen and Su Xingze were ready to depart. In the car taking them to the airport, Su Xingze couldn't wake up.

As they were about to get out, Lu Xingwen touched Su Xingze's forehead, worried: "You've been sleeping so much these past two days. Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I'm fine?" Su Xingze shook his head drowsily: "Maybe I'm just too happy, having so much fun—I'm tired."

"If you're not feeling well, you must tell me." Lu Xingwen lowered his head and, amid the crowd, kissed Su Xingze's forehead.

Su Xingze instantly snapped to attention, all sleepiness gone. There were so many people around—why did Xiaolu kiss him?

"I really am fine, just a little thirsty." He cleared his throat, spotted a milk tea shop, and said awkwardly: "Let's go buy a drink."

"Airport security won't let you bring it through. Once we're inside, I'll get you a light soup to drink."

Su Xingze: "Okay."

They got there pretty early, with a full hour before takeoff. They'd booked Sunday afternoon flights, planning to crash as soon as they landed and start the trip when they woke up.

Before boarding, Su Xingze had a bowl of soup that was stupid expensive but tasted awful—sweet and salty at the same time, with pears and flowers floating in it. By the time he finished it, he was starting to feel queasy.

Once the plane took off, the G-force made him want to hurl. His stomach was churning like crazy, and even the motion sickness meds did nothing.

Lu Xingwen kept rubbing his back, trying to help, but Su Xingze still felt like death—like he'd eaten something bad.

For the whole hour-plus flight, he puked until his face went green—it was pure torture.

After they landed, they skipped the hotel and headed straight to the ER for an IV.

Su Xingze lay in the hospital bed, his lips white as a sheet. "I never get airsick. What the hell is wrong with me this time?"

"The doc said it was food poisoning," Lu Xingwen said, holding Su Xingze's hand. "It's my fault for making you drink that soup."

"Not your fault." Su Xingze reached up and touched Lu Xingwen's face. "Who knew shady vendors were everywhere—charging that much for soup and still using crap ingredients."

Luckily, Su Xingze had puked up everything he'd eaten, so his stomach and guts were fine. After the IV, they headed back to the hotel.

Su Xingze woke up the next morning feeling fine, but Lu Xingwen hadn't slept a wink and had bags under his eyes—no way he'd have the energy to go out.

Su Xingze ordered room service, telling him to get up, eat, and then go back to sleep.

Lu Xingwen sat up, smiled, and rubbed Su Xingze's neck, pressing on a mark before leaning over to kiss his jaw.

Su Xingze was stunned. "You..."

Lu Xingwen flopped back down and went right back to sleep. Su Xingze ran to the bathroom, splashed cold water on his face, and stared at himself in the mirror.

"Huh? What the heck is this!" He rubbed the round red mark on his neck. It wasn't a mosquito bite, and it wasn't drawn on—it looked like a hickey.

He pulled open his collar—three more on his collarbones, perfectly symmetrical, and another one near his chest.

Su Xingze ripped off his shirt—there were more on his stomach too, spreading further down. And sure enough, his thighs and calves were covered too.

While he was asleep, Xiaolu had sucked marks all over him, head to toe—like a starving mosquito on its last legs.

No wonder he didn't eat. He'd already had his fill!

Su Xingze got dressed and went to find the giant mosquito that had sucked him dry.

He poked the Alpha's face and demanded, "Are you a mosquito demon? Taking advantage of me being sick to kiss me to death?"

Also, Xiaolu seemed different lately—kissing him multiple times a day without any of the old shyness, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Not to be outdone, Su Xingze sucked a mark on Lu Xingwen's neck too, then lay back down.

The beautiful Monday was wasted sleeping. Lu Xingwen didn't finally roll out of bed until after 4 PM. It was too late to go anywhere far, so they could only check out whatever was nearby.

The park was too dark, and Su Xingze wasn't about it. So they ended up at a nearby restaurant for West Lake Vinegar Fish.

Lu Xingwen initially said no—he'd tried it once on a business trip here, and the taste was honestly indescribable. He figured their regional palate just couldn't handle it.

But curiosity got the better of everyone, and West Lake Vinegar Fish was a must-order at every table—including Su Xingze's.

After one bite, Su Xingze wanted to throw this dish back into West Lake. How could such a horrible dish even exist!

"Why aren't you eating?" They were both wearing scarves to hide their hickeys, looking like a matching couple to anyone who passed by. And with their good looks, they got a 100% double-take rate.

Lu Xingwen was eating other stuff. "I don't like it."

"No way." As Su Xingze whined, a bunch of people started sneaking glances over. A mischievous idea hit him, and he leaned into Xiaolu's shoulder, offering the food. "Come on, come on, just try one bite."

Even more people were staring now. The fish Su Xingze was holding hung there in mid-air. Lu Xingwen opened his mouth, ate the piece, then coughed violently.

Su Xingze's scheme succeeded. He whispered close to Lu Xingwen's ear, "I even dipped it in chili for you! That's for covering me in hickeys!"

Lu Xingwen took it as a compliment rather than shame. "Sorry, you're just too cute. I couldn't help myself."

"How did you become so smooth-tongued!" Su Xingze accused indignantly.

Lu Xingwen said, "You sucked me too."

At that, Su Xingze's anger flared. "I gave you one, you gave me countless. How is that the same?"

Lu Xingwen: "They're all marks in essence. If you think it's unfair, you can suck me back."

Su Xingze wasn't stupid. He obediently sat back down to eat. "Xiaolu, you've changed. You're not the same person you used to be."

Lu Xingwen simply believed in listening to good advice—it filled his stomach.

Though he didn't fully agree with Lu Hean's ideas, switching up his approach and taking the initiative had gotten him things he never could before. That seemed pretty good.

"I haven't changed." Lu Xingwen picked out dishes other than the West Lake Vinegar Fish for Su Xingze.

He truly hadn't changed—he'd just released a part of his nature.

Back at the hotel, Su Xingze felt sleepy again. He didn't know why, but these past few days he'd become drowsy. But it was only 8 PM—not yet bedtime.

Su Xingze messaged Fu Yao.

Xingchen: [I want to ask something. When someone suddenly acts strange, loves kissing people, and always says things that make your heart race—what's going on with that?]

One Fu Yao: [No need to think—he's definitely pursuing you! And using every trick in the book!]

Xingchen: [You mean he likes me? Wants to chase me?]

One Fu Yao: [He doesn't just like you—he's absolutely crazy about you!]