Chapter 83: Can You Be a Caged Bird for Life?

Chapter 83: Can You Be a Caged Bird for Life?

Wen Qi wasn't sure if Bai Siyan was doing this on purpose to tempt him.

But even if it wasn't on purpose, he was hooked anyway.

So when Bai Siyan took a bite and was about to pull his head back, the sweet potato in Wen Qi's hand hit the ground with a soft plop.

Bai Siyan glanced at the sweet potato on the ground, licked the mashed sweet potato from the corner of his mouth, and was just wondering why it had suddenly dropped when he caught sight of Wen Qi's hand reaching for his head out of the corner of his eye.

Bai Siyan instinctively took it as an attack. Before Wen Qi's hand could even get close, he jerked back sharply and dodged with quick reflexes.

Not only did he dodge Wen Qi's hand, but he also grabbed Wen Qi's arm and twisted it behind his back.

Wen Qi: "..."

The mood had been just right—he'd originally intended to pull Bai Siyan's head toward him and steal a kiss under the cover of the tree shadows.

But he hadn't expected to miss.

"Ow—" Wen Qi deliberately whined. "Siyan, it hurts."

Only then did Bai Siyan let him go.

"What were you trying to do?" Bai Siyan asked.

"Nothing, nothing."

What else could he say? That he'd wanted to do something embarrassing and ended up getting himself put in his place instead?

"Let's go back. It's cold, and there's nothing worth strolling the streets for." Bai Siyan shook the snow off his coat.

By the time Wen Qi had arrived, the snow had already let up quite a bit, so neither of them had brought an umbrella. But no matter how fine the snowflakes were, they turned into droplets when they hit your shoulders.

Bai Siyan felt the moisture seeping through his hat, and it felt chilly.

"Then will you take me back with you, Siyan?"

"No." Today wasn't a transition period, so there was no need for bed activities.

"Then let's keep walking around. There's a drone light show at the riverbank tonight. Wanna go check it out?"

"No." Anywhere with a show means crowds. Bai Siyan didn't like going to crowded places.

"I want to see it. Keep me company, please~"

"No."

"Come on, Siyan~ Just look~ You know I'm from a small town—I've never seen a drone light show in my life. I already checked the map; the riverbank is really close by."

Wen Qi's persistent coaxing was like a kid pestering an adult for candy, refusing to give up until he got his way.

In the past, Bai Siyan would have found him utterly annoying.

What was an Alpha doing acting so coy?

Given his temperament, if he got irritated, and Wen Qi kept clinging to him like that, he would have kicked him without a second thought.

But now, as Wen Qi whined and pressed close, calling him Siyan this and Siyan that, with all that pleading, he not only didn't find it annoying—he actually found it rather...

Enjoyable.

Huh—how did this happen?

Bai Siyan raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, giving in. "Just for a little while."

"Great!"

—

Ten minutes later, Bai Siyan deeply regretted the decision he'd made ten minutes ago.

If he'd known that Wen Qi's "keeping him company to the riverbank" meant riding the bus, he would have turned around and left on the spot.

Instead, he was sitting here on a cramped, hard seat, enduring the bus's stop-and-go crawl and the noise.

Wen Qi sat beside Bai Siyan, watching the man's face get darker and darker, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

Afraid that if he laughed, Bai Siyan would get so mad he'd get off the bus right then and there.

They finally made it to the riverbank, and the moment Bai Siyan stepped off the bus, he was brushing at the nonexistent dust on his clothes, his brows furrowed the whole time.

The closer they got to the riverbank, the more people got on the bus. Even though Bai Siyan had the window seat and Wen Qi was blocking the aisle, he still felt uncomfortable.

When the Alpha pheromones from his transition were stable, he could pick up on pheromones more strongly than when he was an Omega.

So Bai Siyan picked up the unpleasant pheromone scent from the inferior Alphas who had boarded.

Some of those pheromones carried the stench of dirty lust, mixed with traces of Omega scent. Though the smell wasn't strong and he didn't get much of it, it still disgusted him.

If those Alphas hadn't gotten off at the very next stop, Bai Siyan would have shoved the window open and thrown them out.

Wen Qi leaned over and gently patted his clothes, releasing his own pheromones as he did so, covering up the scent that disgusted Bai Siyan.

The scent of snake berry drifted over—not seductive or intoxicating, but cool and calming.

The irritation inside Bai Siyan eased quite a bit. He straightened up, looked at Wen Qi, and was about to speak when a whoosh swept low overhead.

Bai Siyan's gaze shifted from Wen Qi's face to the drones that had risen into the air, starting to change their lights and formations.

Nothing special.

Among the rich young men he knew, plenty had tried all kinds of tricks to flatter him. Those second- and third-generation wealthy heirs had hired top-tier drone teams to spell out his name and project his face in the night sky over golf courses.

And then, he'd shot down the lead drone with his hunting rifle.

He didn't like people approaching him with ulterior motives or flattery, and he didn't see anything worth watching in a few drones flying around.

But when he shifted his gaze from the drone light show, bored, to look at Wen Qi beside him, he saw surprise and excitement in the other's eyes.

Wen Qi stared at the lights like they were stars.

As the drones shifted, different colored lights played across Wen Qi's profile, making his eyes sparkle.

Bai Siyan kept his eyes on Wen Qi's.

It really was beautiful.

But it wasn't the lights—it was the person.

When the lights shifted into other patterns and dimmed for a moment, Bai Siyan leaned closer to Wen Qi. "You happy?"

"Mm, very happy!"

"Just because of a few lights?"

"It's not just the lights." Wen Qi's fingers reached out, tentatively hooking toward him. When Bai Siyan didn't pull away, he pressed further, lacing their fingers together.

With their fingers now intertwined, Wen Qi lifted Bai Siyan's hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

"It's because Siyan's here with me. Being with the person I love—no matter what we watch or do, I'm endlessly happy."

This wasn't the first time Wen Qi had said he liked him.

At first, Bai Siyan didn't think much of it.

He had money, looks, and power, so plenty of people liked him. He figured Wen Qi's feelings were just like everyone else's.

Because as long as Bai Siyan was happy, Wen Qi could get whatever he wanted. Success came too easily.

But a fool who could be this delighted by a tacky, overdone light show—maybe his words of affection meant something different.

Bai Siyan's heart stirred. "You like me?"

Not expecting Bai Siyan to toss his own words back at him, Wen Qi paused for a brief moment before nodding. "Mm, I like you."

"To what extent?"

Bai Siyan's fingers, following his question, traced Wen Qi's lips.

"To the extent that—even if it meant staying by my side, as my secret kept lover for the rest of your life—you'd still be willing?"