Chapter 44

Chapter 44

People strolled along the lakeside. It happened to rain lightly that day, wrapping the lake in a hazy mist, all picturesque and poetic.

Su Xingze and Lu Xingwen each held an umbrella as they walked along the lake.

They rested at a pavilion. Su Xingze gazed at the drizzle, lazily leaning against the wooden railing, counting the ripples the rain sent across the water.

*He likes me? He doesn't like me? He likes me? He doesn't like me? He likes me...*

There were too many ripples to count, which only left Su Xingze more confused.

Honestly, his relationship with Xiaolu was already great—everything he'd ever wanted.

So he'd never even thought about them becoming a couple. They couldn't stand being apart and wanted to stay together forever, but being lovers was clearly less stable than being brothers.

Even if they hadn't crossed that line yet, brothers could stay brothers for life. But if lovers fought and broke up, wouldn't there always be bad blood between them?

So for him, brotherhood always came before romance.

But now things had changed. If Xiaolu liked him and he just accepted it without running, that wouldn't be fair to Xiaolu. He couldn't take that kind of affection and just pretend he didn't notice.

But Xiaolu had never actually said he liked him.

Su Xingze was restless, dying to figure it out, even thinking about just asking straight up.

But he could never find the right moment. It was way too awkward to ask!

"It gets colder after the rain. Try the roasted sweet potato we got earlier." Lu Xingwen handed him a peeled sweet potato with a spoon already in it.

Su Xingze took a big bite—sweet and tasty. Taking the chance, he asked, "Xiaolu, why are you so good to me?"

He thought he'd hear something like "Because you're great too," "Because I want to be good to you," or "Because I like you."

But Lu Xingwen, looking totally chill but sounding dead serious, said, "Because you're Su Xingze."

Yeah, there was no reason for his kindness—just because he was Su Xingze.

Even though he didn't get the answer he wanted, Su Xingze was still really touched. Even if he didn't know whether Xiaolu liked him, he could be certain of one thing: Xiaolu's feelings for him were real.

The rain got heavier, and even the nearby scenery was covered in mist, hard to make out. Even Lu Xingwen next to him seemed lost in the haze.

Su Xingze tossed his own umbrella aside and ducked under Lu Xingwen's, catching the raindrops dripping off the umbrella tip in his palm. He leaned in slowly and asked, "Is there nothing else you want to say to me?"

Lu Xingwen thought for a second, then reached out and put an arm around Su Xingze's waist, pulling him closer, out of the slanting rain. "If you ever found out I lied to you about something, would you forgive me?"

"No, I'd be mad." Seeing Xiaolu's face change completely, he added, "After I'm done being mad, I'd forgive you."

Lu Xingwen asked quickly, "Really?"

Su Xingze nodded. "Because you're Lu Xingwen."

They would both always choose each other, because love wasn't a one-person thing—it took two. And going from brothers to lovers should also be a decision they made together.

Because he was Lu Xingwen, Su Xingze was willing to put up with him.

Because he was Su Xingze, Lu Xingwen was willing to put up with him.

*

The most important part of traveling was eating. After sightseeing, Lu Xingwen was going to take him to the restaurant he'd reserved.

Su Xingze knew that kind of place—the food came out super slow, each plate looked gorgeous but had tiny portions, and everyone ate slowly, like they were savoring some fancy meal.

It was definitely good food, but Su Xingze wasn't into that whole dining experience.

He pulled out his phone and suggested, "How about we hit up that food street instead? I'm not really into fancy restaurants."

"Whatever you want." Lu Xingwen canceled the reservation and ordered a ride on his phone.

Once they got in the car, a sweet smell filled the air. Su Xingze sniffed and couldn't help but ask, "Driver, what smells so good? It's so sweet?"

"Osmanthus cake." The driver pointed at the center console. "I got it at the food street earlier. The place on the left is super authentic—really good."

"Thanks, driver." Su Xingze thanked him and kept it in mind.

When they got out, he bought some too, but it didn't smell as good as the driver's. He showed it to Xiaolu. "Don't you think it doesn't smell as good as the driver's?"

Lu Xingwen took a bite and sniffed it carefully. "It's the same—same smell, same taste."

"Really?" Su Xingze refused to believe it and sniffed again, still finding it strange—just not as fragrant as the one in the car.

Lu Xingwen said, "Maybe it's because the car is an enclosed space, so the aroma couldn't escape. Now that we're outside with the wind, the scent disperses too quickly, so it doesn't smell as strong."

"You're right." Su Xingze stopped dwelling on it. After all, he hadn't tasted the driver's portion and didn't know what it was like. Maybe osmanthus cake just smelled like this.

After strolling through the entire street, they bought Longjing crisps, Ding Sheng cake, lotus flower pastry, as well as beggar's chicken, Dongpo pork, and Longjing shrimp.

Because the rain was getting heavier, Su Xingze decided to take everything back to eat.

As it turned out, they ran into Fu Yao and his fiancé downstairs.

Su Xingze didn't believe in such coincidences. He glanced at the man silently carrying the luggage.

Fu Yao pressed his nose against the food. "I was starving after getting off the plane! Finally got to see you!"

Su Xingze said, "You two..."

"I was too bored and originally wanted to hang out with you, but since you're vacationing in Sucheng, I begged Ye Ge to bring me along," Fu Yao shuffled over and grabbed Huo Fuye's arm. "Ye Ge asked Lu Xingwen where you were, and we caught the earliest flight over."

"Are you two serious?" Su Xingze asked Lu Xingwen.

Lu Xingwen exchanged a glance with Huo Fuye and replied, "Business partners."

In the elevator, Fu Yao came over and whispered in Su Xingze's ear, "I re-added Ying Ying on WeChat and already know where he is."

When Fu Yao looked up, he sniffed curiously and exclaimed in surprise, "What smells so good? The air feels sweet."

Su Xingze raised his hand. "Pastries I bought on the street—several flavors."

"What's this? Beggar's chicken! How did you know I was craving this!" Fu Yao followed Su Xingze back to his room, with Huo Fuye accompanying him. In the end, there were four people in the room.

Huo Fuye took a bite and commented, "Excessive additives."

Fu Yao waved his hand. "If you can't handle it, go back to your room and order whatever you like."

Su Xingze fed a bite to Xiaolu. Lu Xingwen assessed the situation and commented, "Delicious."

Seeing the contrast, Fu Yao immediately felt aggrieved. He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and held it to Huo Fuye's lips, whining, "Honey! Look at them!"

Huo Fuye opened his mouth and ate it, then turned his head away sheepishly. "What you feed me is especially delicious."

Then Su Xingze felt Lu Xingwen swallow, glancing at him expectantly.

Su Xingze: "???"

Is this what Alpha competitive spirit looks like?

Su Xingze offered him another bite.

Lu Xingwen took the bite and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"What am I even supposed to say?" Su Xingze was puzzled.

Like he couldn't find the words, Lu Xingwen held back for a moment, his face scrunching up, and finally decided to stop dwelling on it. "Babe, what you feed me tastes amazing."

So Huo Fuye turned to look at Fu Yao again.

Fu Yao quickly begged for mercy: "Stop, stop, stop. You two Alphas can fight all you want, but don't drag an innocent Omega into this, okay? The chicken and shrimp are gonna get cold!"

On the other side of the table, Su Xingze fed a bite of pastry he'd already taken a bite from to Lu Xingwen, slapping his thigh in excitement: "Xiaolu, this is so good! Not too sweet! Not greasy! So flavorful!"

Huo Fuye, who was just about to let it go, looked at Fu Yao again, sat down right next to him, and stared at him without blinking.

Fu Yao had no choice—might as well fight. He picked this Alpha himself, so what else could he do?

In the end, the two Alphas ate until they were stuffed, and the two Omegas had to order takeout again.

Su Xingze sat by the window, complaining helplessly: "These Alphas these days, they lose their minds when they see food and don't even think about saving any for their Omegas."

Fu Yao snorted: "Tell me about it!"

Lu Xingwen: "..."

Huo Fuye: "..."

The two Alphas got an earful until bedtime, but luckily their wives didn't hold a grudge and had forgotten all about it by the next morning.

It was still drizzling out today, and Lu Xingwen booked an indoor hot spring, specifically reserving two pools.

Finally being away from irrelevant people lifted their spirits, especially being able to soak with Chen Chen—it was like hitting the jackpot!

They'd seen every inch of each other long ago, so they didn't hesitate to strip off and slip into the water.

The warm water made Su Xingze's gland at the back of his neck itch slightly, and a familiar sweet scent filled the air, so subtle mixed in with the steam that you'd miss it if you weren't paying attention.

He figured he was overthinking it, reached back to touch it, and sniffed his fingers, and sure enough, it was sweeter and richer than usual, with a distinct sunflower scent.

A wild and scary thought crossed Su Xingze's mind, but he didn't dare say it out loud. Instead, he leaned against the pool's edge and waved Lu Xingwen over.

Seeing him lying like that, Lu Xingwen's eyes darkened instantly, and he almost got hard.

Lu Xingwen asked, "What's wrong?"

Su Xingze pointed nervously at the back of his neck, motioning for him to come closer. "My gland smells."

Lu Xingwen took a step back, scared he might lose control. "Smells like what?"

Su Xingze suddenly stood up and looked at him: "Xiaolu, is it too hot in here or did your brain turn to mush?"

Su Xingze explained: "I think my gland is releasing pheromones, and it's a very sweet, cloying scent."

"Before boarding the plane, I shouldn't have drunk anything wrong. This is a normal physiological reaction before heat. The vomiting on the plane was probably a precursor to my heat, and the scent I smelled afterward was likely my own pheromones."

He added: "We didn't notice because it must be related to the gland patch. The patch has your pheromones on it, which weakened mine."

Su Xingze lay back down, anxious: "Xiaolu, come smell it quickly—am I going into heat?"