Chapter 47: Let’s, Do It Again

Chapter 47: Let's Run It Again

Rehearse the scene?

Su Zhiyu thought of that kiss, secretly tugged at the corner of the blanket, and kept his lips pressed together, silent.

Qin Yan moved closer to him, silently pulling the blanket away from his chin, his smile fully on display, unreserved: "Captain Su, let's pick up from where I call the emperor by his name, right?"

Su Zhiyu's mind followed Qin Yan's cue, and he thought back—when did he call the emperor by his name?

That was...

"Mmf."

Qin Yan covered his eyes with one hand and lowered his head to kiss his lips. The heat of his palm and the warmth of his lips melded together, and a buzz rang in Su Zhiyu's ears as if half his strength had been drained.

His movements weren't gentle—they were aggressive and possessive, like a conqueror dragging the emperor off his high throne, pulling him down into the depths of desire.

To hell with status, to hell with what's right or wrong.

Qin Yan shifted, bent one leg, and slid it between Su Zhiyu's thighs. The hand over his eyes slowly moved away, trailing down his temples, earlobes, shoulders...

Inch by inch, it slid down to his waist.

So slender.

But he seemed much healthier now.

Qin Yan's mind drifted at the wrong moment—he remembered the first time he saw Su Zhiyu, a scruffy kid so thin his bones felt like they'd dig into your hands.

Not enough yet. He still needed to keep building him up, get him fully healthy.

Qin Yan smiled to himself at the thought.

It wasn't until the man beneath him let out a muffled whimper of pain that he snapped back to reality, quickly pulling his teeth away.

"Did I bite you too hard?"

A faint bite mark was left on Su Zhiyu's lip.

He gasped for air, his eyes glazed over, and the sweet scent of white peach slowly filled the room.

An Alpha in the heat of emotion unconsciously let out his pheromones, and the Omega was effortlessly stirred into desire.

Like a kitten being petted by its owner.

Qin Yan's heart pounded. He swallowed hard, his eyes growing darker: "A scene can't be interrupted. Let's run it again."

"No..."

Su Zhiyu turned his head to avoid him, but he was still caught. He pressed his hands against Qin Yan's shoulders, trying to push him away, but his strength was negligible.

The blanket that had been pulled down was suddenly yanked up, covering them both.

"Qin, Qin Yan, no."

Su Zhiyu's voice trembled, hoarse and pleading.

"That's not in the script. You—you can't..."

"Can't what?" Qin Yan nuzzled the tip of his nose, his breathing just as ragged.

Can't...

He couldn't bring himself to say it.

Qin Yan's hands roamed over the slender waist he held, his voice dropping to a husky whisper:

"Your pheromones keep clinging to me, Su Zhiyu. They seem to really like it."

Su Zhiyu gripped the pillow tightly, his hazy gaze slowly losing focus.

...

The two-hour lunch break flew by, and everyone, rested, got ready to rehearse again.

When Liu Mian got to the training room, he found he was the only one there—even the captain, who was always first to arrive, hadn't shown up.

He wasn't worried, though, and practiced alone in front of the mirror.

Qin Yan showed up more than ten minutes later, his face flushed and in a great mood: "Sorry, I didn't set an alarm and overslept."

Liu Mian put down the script and smiled: "No worries, I got some extra practice in. By the way, where's Zhi Yu?"

"He probably has something to do. It's fine, let's practice on our own for now."

"Alright."

More than half an hour later, Su Zhiyu finally showed up. But when Liu Mian suggested they run the scene together, he surprisingly refused—something he'd never done before.

Liu Mian then asked him to watch his performance, act as director, and give feedback.

Su Zhiyu readily agreed.

So Liu Mian performed in front of Su Zhiyu.

Qin Yan practiced in the back. The lines and emotions were already ingrained, so he ran through them on autopilot, constantly stealing glances at Su Zhiyu.

The buttons on Su Zhiyu's collar were all done up, immaculate—a cold, restrained beauty.

Someone like that, when swept up by desire, had all those calm protective layers crack open, revealing his truest self.

And that version of Su Zhiyu was something only he could see.

Just thinking about it made Qin Yan's mouth go dry. He twisted open a bottle of water and chugged it down, his prominent Adam's apple bobbing visibly as he tilted his head back.

Su Zhiyu accidentally caught a glimpse.

He almost frantically looked away, his hands clenching nervously. Liu Mian noticed the subtle change in his expression, stopped his movements, and asked, "Zhi Yu, are you feeling unwell?"

Liu Mian walked over, and Su Zhiyu's pupils trembled. He instinctively avoided Liu Mian's direct gaze and shook his head: "No, please continue."

"You don't look well. If you're not feeling okay, you should go back and rest."

"It's fine."

"How is this fine? You're sweating on your forehead. Could you be sick?"

Liu Mian looked at him with concern, stepping a little closer, and suddenly noticed a faint mark on Su Zhiyu's lip, as if it had been bitten.

"Your lip's..."

Su Zhiyu's face paled for a moment, but he quickly masked it, awkwardly twitching the corner of his mouth: "I bit it by accident at lunch."

"I see. Be more careful when eating next time."

"Mm."

As the two of them talked, Liu Mian insisted that Su Zhiyu go back to rest, and he couldn't keep turning it down.

Liu Mian looked at Qin Yan: "Qin Yan, how's your part going?"

"No problem. How about I walk the captain back? We're heading the same direction anyway, so it's convenient."

Qin Yan spun that lie without missing a beat.

Liu Mian smiled: "Sure, you can take Zhi Yu back."

Su Zhiyu couldn't stand to stay—whether from guilt or avoidance, he was the first one out of the training room.

Qin Yan trailed behind at a leisurely pace, rubbing his nose.

...

"What? Brother Qin and Zhi Yu both left?" Jiang Yizhou jumped to his feet, shocked. "Your captain, with how hard he usually grinds, actually skipped training too?"

He'd been stopping Jiang Yizhou from bringing fruit to Brother Qin all afternoon, and now he was leaving early himself, even getting Brother Qin to walk him back.

Isn't that such a double standard?

Liu Mian didn't understand why he was reacting so strongly at all, and nodded: "Mm, Zhi Yu wasn't feeling well, seems like he's coming down with something. He and Qin Yan were heading the same way, and Qin Yan's part is basically done."

Jiang Yizhou thought back to seeing Su Zhiyu at noon—there was nothing wrong with him then.

Could he be...

Could he have seen Jiang Yizhou being nice to Brother Qin and deliberately pulled something like this to cut in line?

Jiang Yizhou was so mad his nose was practically bent out of joint. He didn't want to practice either, grabbing Liu Mian to ask: "Then, what was Brother Qin's reaction?"

"Reaction? We're all friends, giving someone a ride along the way is nothing. What reaction could there be?"

"..."

Forget it, Liu Mian was a blockhead.

Liu Mian looked at Jiang Yizhou thoughtfully, then smiled: "Qin Yan seemed quite willing. He and Zhi Yu get along well."

Those words hit Jiang Yizhou right in the chest.

Now he was even more certain—Su Zhiyu had done it on purpose, deliberately sending him away, then turning around to try and get ahead.