Chu Xiaoyun’s father explained that Tang Jue was an illegitimate child. His birth mother had left to seek work elsewhere shortly after giving birth. Rumors said Tang Jue’s father was a wealthy man who had paid a large sum of money upon learning of the pregnancy, and that was the end of it. Tang Jue was raised by his grandmother, but the old woman had passed away from illness three years ago. Now, aside from himself, he only had the neighbors looking out for him.
Seeing that nothing more could be gleaned, An Bao signaled his officers to pack up. As he opened the door, the scar beneath his eye shifted—there stood Gu Lingzhou at the doorway, giving him a nod.
“Still here,” An Bao said. He was about the same height as Gu Lingzhou and slung an arm over his shoulder. Few recognized this long-retired soldier, but plenty knew Gu Lingzhou—patients passing by, doctors and nurses glancing their way.
Gu Lingzhou pushed his hand off. “I need your help with something.”
An Bao looked around, and the two found an empty room to talk privately.
“Our General Gu needs help from his big brother? Spill it—what’s it about?”
“I looked into someone named ‘Chu Ke.’ His birth parents are unknown—all I know is he was one of the victims of the nuclear leak on planet Bz16.” Gu Lingzhou pulled a file from under his arm and handed it over.
An Bao took the file, opened it—only a single thin sheet of paper inside.
“So, what do you want me to do?” He glanced at the less than three lines of information. “Where’d you find this? Nothing special about this guy—probably just an unregistered resident.”
He set the file down; in the upper right corner was a headshot of a man. Gu Lingzhou looked down. “Yuxing asked me to look into him.”
An Bao raised an eyebrow, catching on instantly. “Ohhh—so it’s the sister-in-law who wants this.” He picked up the paper and scanned it again. “It’s because this guy had that glandular disease from the leak, right? Haven’t seen a case of that in years. Is she doing research?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you to check the public security system—see if there’s any more information.”
An Bao crossed his legs. “Brother, you’re asking me to abuse my authority.”
“Bao Ge,” Gu Lingzhou’s tone shifted. An Bao hadn’t heard him use that address in a long time and grew serious. Gu Lingzhou continued, “If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility. This Chu Ke—my gut says he’s not simple. So please, help me with this.”
Gu Lingzhou’s instincts had always been sharp. An Bao sighed. “Fine. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Much appreciated.” Having made his request, Gu Lingzhou turned to leave, but An Bao called him back: “Leaving already? Not coming to see the sister-in-law with me? I saw you standing outside Chu Xiaoyun’s room the whole time—not going to show your face?”
The badge on the alpha’s shoulder glinted. His clear black-and-white eyes glanced at An Bao. “No. There’s a new assignment from above—tight schedule, I’m heading out tonight.”
An Bao watched his former comrade and junior, wanting to say something but holding back. In the end, he just waved him off. Young love—what business was it of his?
·
-Ex-husband: I’ll be away for a few days, handling some matters. Take care of yourself. Let me know if anything comes up.
Shi Yuxing received the message just as an alpha was pinning him down on the bed, licking him. Young people really did have strength and recklessness—the hickeys that had faded before were now hanging on his collarbone, rising and falling with his chest. His bangs were pushed back, his forearm resting against a burning forehead, his throat letting out breath like a whistling kettle.
He reached for his phone by the pillow, and when he saw the message from Gu Lingzhou, he propped himself up.
A business trip? What was that saying again—
Tonight, the husband’s not home—my turn to have some fun.
An alpha’s arm wrapped around his waist. Xiao Zhou whined against him: “Wife, you’re not paying attention when I kiss you—do you have another dog?”
Shi Yuxing held up the phone screen for him to see. “How many dogs do you think I have?” Xiao Zhou leaned in—the contact name read “Ex-Husband.”
“That damn ex-husband! Daring to neglect my wife for three years—I’m different. I only want to snuggle up to my wife and cherish her,” the 18-year-old Gu Lingzhou was harsh even on himself. He snatched the phone and placed it screen-down. Taking advantage of Shi Yuxing’s daze, he planted a kiss on his cheek. “Wife, aren’t you mine tonight? Don’t let your attention wander to anyone else. Kiss me—touch me.” He guided Shi Yuxing’s hand toward himself.
The latter remained perfectly calm. Touching abs was nothing new—he’d done it countless times.
The thick fir scent in the air was practically marinating the beta. Shi Yuxing thought of the other, lonely alpha. Da Ling, due to the risk of his rut spiraling out of control at any moment, had been forcibly quarantined in the guest room. His condition was too unstable—he might hurt Shi Yuxing. So the two alphas had privately agreed that whenever either was in rut, they’d spend it alone in the guest room.
That left the bed-warming duties to Xiao Zhou tonight. He was thrilled beyond measure; by the time Shi Yuxing had even entered the room, he’d already showered and laid out the blankets.
Shi Yuxing looked at the college student who had only gotten as far as touching his abs, and felt a pang of frustration. Such a good opportunity, and he didn’t know how to seize it—he’d have to take the lead himself. The beta flipped over, pinning the alpha beneath him, and leaned down to whisper by his ear, his hot breath spilling out: “Just the two of us—shouldn’t we do something more?”
The earlobe, already red enough to drip blood, turned even redder. Gu Lingzhou suddenly looked incredibly tempting. Shi Yuxing took in the sight, his lips curling up involuntarily. His lips traced from the alpha’s ear down to his Adam’s apple, and he stuck out his tongue, imitating the way Gu Lingzhou had licked him earlier.
The alpha’s chest muscles instantly tensed. Shi Yuxing couldn’t see his expression and was about to tease him when, the next second, their positions flipped—he was pressed firmly into the sheets. “You—stop teasing me—I’m about to—”
Shi Yuxing squinted, his eyes locked on. He’d known from the start that this young alpha couldn’t hold his composure.
They looked at each other, something like gossamer threads connecting their gazes, the air as thick as honey.
In a blink, soft warmth crashed against him without any finesse—carrying both the trembling of inexperience and the fervor of recklessness.
His heart came alive in an instant, pounding with violent tremors. Shi Yuxing wrapped his arms around the alpha’s neck and deepened the kiss.
Hot breath scattered across their intertwined gazes. They were so close that Shi Yuxing could press up again with just a slight tilt of his head—and he did exactly that. The 32-year-old Gu Lingzhou had already left him a mess; surely he wouldn’t fall for the 18-year-old version too?
Turns out, he was wrong. Alphas seemed to be born knowing how to kiss—the 18-year-old Gu Lingzhou left him just as dizzy and breathless.
Shi Yuxing hissed. His heart was pounding so hard it might break through his chest. If he hadn’t bitten the other’s lip, he would have suffocated by now. Far from looking wronged with his split lip, the young alpha seemed to have awakened some hidden wildness.
Shi Yuxing: “…………….”
When had he grown up?
Maybe it was his imagination, but with nothing in the way anymore, that thing seemed even bolder.
The blanket slipped from Gu Lingzhou’s shoulder as he knelt upright, his face flushed.
Shi Yuxing sucked in a sharp breath. WTF—was that thing actually some kind of tumor? Could that really be attached to a human body? He’d only ever seen his own, but after seeing Gu Lingzhou’s, he had to admit—aside from his military achievements, this guy was equally unparalleled in this department.
That tumor was absolutely insane.
His slightly parted lips were swollen and trembling. Shi Yuxing swallowed. Was he going to die here tonight?
Gu Lingzhou pressed his lips together, a little embarrassed. “Is it… too small? Are you not satisfied…”
Shi Yuxing: “…………….!”
Silence. Deafening.
Shi Yuxing couldn’t help it—his eyes went wide as he pointed at the massive “tumor.” “Small my ass! A tumor this size—we wouldn’t even consider removal at our hospital. We’d just start preparing your funeral.”
Unexpectedly, the kid actually panicked. “Then—what do I do? Wife, am I not normal? It won’t go down—am I sick?” With that, the brat actually tried pressing it down with his hand, as if that would make it smaller.
Was this guy brain-damaged? Shi Yuxing found it hilarious—the sarcasm had gone right over his head. Still just a college student, after all.
He reached out and touched that oversized “tumor,” his tone sly: “Yeah, there’s a problem. But it’s treatable—just follow Dr. Shi’s orders and you’ll be fine.”
“I—I’ll listen to everything my wife says.” He looked at Shi Yuxing, his eyes filled with dependence and anticipation.
“I’m a doctor right now, not your wife.” Shi Yuxing corrected him sternly. “This condition only improves with surgery. Do you want it or not?”
Gu Lingzhou blushed, catching on. After a few seconds of hesitation, he let out a sheepish laugh. “I want surgery. Be gentle, Doctor.”
“Don’t worry—my surgeries are the best.” Shi Yuxing’s peach-blossom eyes narrowed. At that moment, he was like a mischievous cat batting at a ball of yarn. Soon, Gu Lingzhou let out a sound of unbearable pleasure.
“No sounds during surgery.” Once Shi Yuxing’s teasing streak kicked in, every mischievous thought came out. “Otherwise I won’t finish—you can handle it yourself.”
Gu Lingzhou obediently covered his mouth, suppressing the sounds of pleasure, but his eyes stayed locked on Shi Yuxing’s face. Shi Yuxing could feel the tumor growing again—the surgical risk was escalating, as if it might burst. Dr. Shi, with his many successful operations, wasn’t one to give up easily. His long, steady fingers tightened their grip, focusing even more intently on the task.
The patient seemed uncomfortable, letting out small, stifled sounds. They were nearing the final step. Shi Yuxing’s hands were aching with tension. Finally, the tumor ruptured, thick and foul-smelling “egg white” spilling out. Both the patient and the doctor let out a sigh of relief.
“Wife…” Gu Lingzhou panted, collapsing beside him. The “surgery” had drained most of his willpower. Shi Yuxing sat up, pulled a few tissues from the bedside table, and announced, “Surgery successful. Congratulations.”
A light rain pattered on the leaves, leaving trails of snail slime on the lawn.
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