The mirror, dotted with water spots, reflected Shi Yuxing’s scrunched-up face. He rubbed the patch of reddish skin in the mirror, but those two touches only made the hickey even darker.
“Disgusting—all your saliva.” His tea-colored eyes glared furiously at the background figure in the mirror, snarling: “Gu Lingzhou!”
His skin, kept pale from spending all his time indoors away from sunlight, now had a splash of light red—as jarring as a drop of chicken blood on white jade. But to Gu Lingzhou, that blood-stained jade was a masterpiece. The insignia on the General’s shoulder practically gleamed.
With this juicy strawberry on his neck, Shi Yuxing ground his teeth—especially when he saw that guy’s eyes curving with satisfaction, it made him even angrier. The alpha stepped closer. Shi Yuxing pulled open his collar to show off the evidence of his misdeed. But this protest only earned him Gu Lingzhou’s lips hovering near—but not quite—his skin.
“Even a bandage can’t cover it.” Shi Yuxing had barely finished complaining when the corner of his eye was brushed by something soft. He immediately touched his eye, realized what it was, turned on the faucet to wet his hand, and flicked water all over Gu Lingzhou’s face.
Gu Lingzhou remained composed, lightly wiping the water off his face, coaxing him: “No more messing around. Eat.”
“Eat what? Eat my palm!” With that, Shi Yuxing pressed his wet hand against his chest. Gu Lingzhou’s shirt was black—when Shi Yuxing slapped it, the color on that spot was clearly darker, five distinct fingerprints visible.
The moment he did it, Shi Yuxing regretted it. Guiltily, he dried his hand, skirted around the pillar of a man, and sat down to eat.
Gu Lingzhou pulled up a chair and sat beside him. Shi Yuxing buried his head in his food, wishing he could inhale half the bowl of rice in one go so Gu Lingzhou would leave early.
The more anxious he got, the worse it went—he choked. “Cough—cough, cough—”
Gu Lingzhou patted his back rhythmically and handed him some fruit tea. Shi Yuxing took a sip, released the oily-shiny straw, and saw Gu Lingzhou part his lips and take the straw he’d just bitten into his mouth. Shi Yuxing’s face flushed hot in an instant, his upper teeth pressing against his lower lip.
Damn it. This guy was too shameless—that was the one I drank from.
“Want more?” Gu Lingzhou handed the fruit tea back. Shi Yuxing scolded him: “You bastard.”
The General, having been called a bastard by his wife, only grinned wider. He said nothing, just quietly watched him eat. Shi Yuxing picked up his bowl and turned his back, chewing with force, grinding the delicious food in his mouth as if it were Gu Lingzhou himself.
…
It took two bandages to cover that dog-bitten mark. He spent half a day wearing those bandages, and everyone who saw him asked what had happened to his neck. Shi Yuxing lied through his teeth—”I fell”—and mentally added this debt to Gu Lingzhou’s tab.
So, when he got home, Gu Lingzhou was rewarded with a one-hour silent treatment gift package.
“Wifey, what happened to your neck?” Xiao Zhou’s eyes were locked on the spot where the two bandages were. “Let me see.”
Shi Yuxing covered it immediately, guiltily: “Nothing. I bumped it.” He couldn’t let these two know it was a hickey from Gu Lingzhou—otherwise, two more would appear tomorrow.
“Let me put some medicine on it.” Da Ling stood up at the words. Shi Yuxing quickly stopped him: “I already put medicine on it. Sit down.” He grabbed the hand wearing the ring and pulled the man back. His palm was squeezed tight, warmth flowing through continuously. Soon, his other hand was also taken. A young body pressed up against him, rubbing. “Wifey, can I sleep with you alone tonight?”
Da Ling adjusted his glasses and turned to the man at the dining table who was diligently wiping it down while sneaking glances this way. “There was a package this afternoon—it’s for you, right?” Shi Yuxing took the chance to dodge Xiao Zhou’s question and looked over. “What package?”
“I’ll go get it.” The weight on him disappeared instantly. Xiao Zhou ran off and came back holding a large box, placing it on the coffee table.
The shipping label clearly read “Planet Express—Handle with Care” in large letters. It must be the things Gu Lingzhou had sent back from his business trip. Xiao Zhou beside him eagerly handed him a box cutter. Shi Yuxing called out to the General, who was still wearing an apron over his inner shirt at the kitchen: “Gu Lingzhou, I’m opening it.”
“Mm.” Gu Lingzhou gave a slight nod and took off the apron.
The sturdy tape was sliced open, and a flood of bubble wrap spilled out.
Gu Lingzhou’s military uniform, shoes, pistol, and some personal items were pulled out. Shi Yuxing held up a toothbrush and a cup. “Why is there stuff like this?”
Gu Lingzhou walked over to the sofa, glanced down at the table full of items, his gaze landing on something. His eyes darkened as he bent down to reach for it. But someone was faster—Xiao Zhou grabbed the item wrapped into a ball. “What’s this? Wrapped so tightly?”
“Give it to me.” Gu Lingzhou frowned, reaching out.
Xiao Zhou raised an eyebrow. “It’s not bribe money, is it?”
Gu Lingzhou’s brow furrowed with impatience. “I said, give it to me.”
“Xiao Zhou, give it back.” Shi Yuxing stepped in to stop the fight, but he was also curious about what Gu Lingzhou valued so much. His eyes fixed on the sealed package. Gu Lingzhou took the item and walked off without a word, leaving the three of them staring at each other.
Shi Yuxing spoke first: “Do you two know what it is?”
Xiao Zhou innocently shook his head. The alpha sitting on the other side said he didn’t know either.
How strange—none of them knew. Could it be a little secret that this timeline’s Gu Lingzhou was hiding? He stood up, two pairs of eyes following him intently. Shi Yuxing circled out from behind the sofa and headed straight for the dining table.
Gu Lingzhou was carefully cutting away the bubble wrap with scissors. Shi Yuxing pushed the cold war to the back of his mind. “What is this?”
Gu Lingzhou said gently: “A cup. A coffee cup.”
His voice carried—the man with the ring on the sofa stiffened in his seat, as if something had occurred to him.
“A coffee cup?” Shi Yuxing stared at the half-unwrapped cup. “Do you like drinking coffee that much?” Da Ling was always holding coffee—so he’d liked it even back then.
“Not really. Sometimes when I feel like it, I take a sip.” Gu Lingzhou’s hands paused, and he took a moment to glance at Shi Yuxing. The look in his eyes made Shi Yuxing pause—you’d think he was coffee the way he was being looked at.
Several layers of torn bubble wrap fell to the floor, fully revealing the cup. Its rim was gold, the rest pure white—a very simple cup, nothing special.
Shi Yuxing stared at it for a few seconds, then a warm body pressed against his back. “What’s so interesting about a coffee cup? Wifey, let’s go look at something else.”
“Get off. I won’t say it twice.” Gu Lingzhou’s tone turned icy again.
That kind of threat meant nothing to Xiao Zhou—if anything, it only emboldened the young alpha, who pulled Shi Yuxing even tighter.
At the same time, his wrist was seized. Shi Yuxing’s head throbbed reflexively. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tsk. You’re both getting sent to the guest room tonight.” As soon as he said it, the person on the sofa stood up. “I’m going to take a shower.”
The sound of slippers faded away. The head on his shoulder rubbed against him. “No, wifey—I don’t want to sleep in the guest room.”
“Neither do I.” Gu Lingzhou’s gaze was frighteningly dark, staring straight at him in protest.
“Let go—both of you.” Shi Yuxing gave the order.
The two alphas faced off in silence—neither willing to let go first.
“Let go now, or you’re both banned from the master bedroom.”
That worked. Both pulled back faster than the other.
Shi Yuxing pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat down, his chin resting on his palm. “What are you looking at me for? Go take a shower. If you’re late, you’ll only be warming my feet.”
The young alpha bolted, remembering this morning’s experience of sleeping alone in bed—running faster than a rabbit.
Gu Lingzhou didn’t move. Shi Yuxing’s gaze shifted to him. “You’re not going?”
“No.”
“Hmph.” A laugh escaped through Shi Yuxing’s nose. His eyes dropped to the cup that Gu Lingzhou had been holding the entire time. “So precious? It’s not from some secret lover, is it?”
Gu Lingzhou brought the cup to his eyes. “Doesn’t it look familiar?”
At that, his long lashes trembled twice, then followed the hand up to Gu Lingzhou’s face. Seeing that he really had forgotten, Gu Lingzhou said: “The coffee shop at the aquarium.” As he said those words, his Adam’s apple bobbed. Panic flickered in Shi Yuxing’s eyes.
“The coffee you ordered for me.”
Hearing the first few words, Shi Yuxing swallowed hard—he’d thought it was something from the past. But when the rest of the words sank in, he came back to himself. “Ah…” He looked down at the cup, digging through the depths of his memory for this item he’d long forgotten.
“What, I thought…” He trailed off. Gu Lingzhou suddenly closed in, close enough to see the fine hairs on his cheeks.
His body was lifted into the air, his knees cradled. He was being carried like a princess, his arms instinctively looping around the other’s neck. “What are you doing.” Shi Yuxing took a deep breath to steady his over-pumped heart. “Why did you suddenly pick me up?”
From this angle, Gu Lingzhou’s nose was high and straight, his brow bone and jawline as perfect as a Greek statue.
Gu Lingzhou climbed the stairs. The innermost guest room door opened. In the pitch-black room, moonlight pushed through the gauze curtains like a rocking cradle.
The door clicked locked. His blood stirred with excitement. He clung tighter to Gu Lingzhou’s neck, teasing him: “If we get caught sneaking around, we’ll be drowned in a pig cage.” Without a word, Gu Lingzhou laid him down on the bed. Shi Yuxing’s lips parted, but before any sound could escape, they were pressed back by softness—soft whimpers mixing with wet sounds and hot breath, silver strands as bright as moonlight.
The one lying down gasped and tried to kick him. The alpha was quick—catching his wife’s slender ankle and slowly stroking it.
A massive body cast a wide shadow, blocking out the ceiling. Shi Yuxing’s eyes went wide, and even now he still found the presence of mind to tease: “You’ll be drowned in a pig cage.”
“No.” Gu Lingzhou’s husky, magnetic voice carried a scorching breath that washed over him. Soft lips pressed against his neck, biting off the bandage—the mark he’d left before was now fully revealed. The man pressing down on him murmured something, and Shi Yuxing trembled, his eyes wide.
The air flow suddenly quickened. His hand swung toward Gu Lingzhou’s face but never made contact—his thin wrist was caught with no effort at all.
Shi Yuxing was furious. Gu Lingzhou looked down at him from above, his hand trembling as he tried to pull free. But the next moment, it was pulled to Gu Lingzhou’s lips—a soft, featherlike touch brushed his palm, and his heart was completely out of control.
He wrenched his hand back and turned to crawl away, but weight pinned him down. Gu Lingzhou’s chest pressed against his back—flames climbing up from behind, breath gliding over his exposed skin. Dr. Shi shoved at the mass on top of him, his voice trembling: “No.”
He was pinned, unable to move. Before his curses could escape, they were silenced again. He gradually grew used to the rhythm of Gu Lingzhou’s tongue, kissed dizzy and disoriented—so much so that he didn’t even notice when his pants disappeared.
By the time his vision cleared, a large palm was already resting on his buttocks.
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