The West Wing of the Old Mansion was a place no one really went to. It was typically used to host guests from afar. After Grandmother took control, that area was basically abandoned—all guest rooms were relocated to the East Wing.
“I used to go there to play when I was little. The West Wing has so many rooms—though it’s only half the size of the East Wing, it’s still huge. You couldn’t finish exploring it all in a single day.” Xiao Zhou speared a piece of fruit and brought it to Shi Yuxing’s lips to feed him.
Shi Yuxing looked at Da Ling, who was toying with the ring on his ring finger. Shi Yuxing asked: “What about you? Did you find anything in the West Wing?”
Da Ling pushed up his glasses. “After Grandmother passed away, I went to search it. It had been cleaned out.” The implication was clear—that place had something incriminating, and Grandmother had taken it to her grave. Shi Yuxing furrowed his brows, sat up from the sofa, and pushed away the fruit Xiao Zhou was offering again. “Maybe Mom discovered the secret of the West Wing, which is why she left that note—and then was killed.”
He took a bite of the strawberry brought to his lips. Before he could take another bite, Gu Lingzhou popped the leftover strawberry butt into his own mouth.
“Hey, that was for wifey. What are you eating?”
Gu Lingzhou couldn’t be bothered to bicker with him. Xiao Zhou glared at him, then followed his example and picked up another strawberry to offer Shi Yuxing. With no way out, Shi Yuxing opened his mouth.
“All the rooms in the West Wing are basically locked. The keys are with the butler,” Gu Lingzhou said.
“The butler…” Da Ling’s voice was neither too loud nor too soft—just enough for all three to hear. Three pairs of eyes turned to him. He shook his head, as if trying to shake something loose. “He may have died in that battle.”
Shi Yuxing sucked in a breath. “How about we find a time to sneak in and take a look?” His gaze swept across the three of them. “What do you think?”
Xiao Zhou was the first to agree. “And the old man knows how to pick locks—we don’t even need to steal the keys.” He gleefully tattled: “He’s the one who picked all those room locks before.”
“Picking locks…” Shi Yuxing pondered for a moment. “I want to learn.”
Gu Lingzhou interjected: “I know how. I’ll teach you.”
Xiao Zhou: “You know how too?”
“Military Academy practical skills covered methods for dealing with various lock types.” Gu Lingzhou didn’t elaborate further.
Shi Yuxing’s expression changed at that. “Your military academy teaches stuff like that? Aren’t they afraid you’ll—” Oh, right. Graduates from the Imperial Military Academy were basically all assigned to official posts, unless they committed major offenses. But still, how could they guarantee no one would become a thief?
Da Ling said: “Those courses are mostly online modules with no exams—just clocking enough hours meets the requirement. Most subordinates don’t actually know how to do it.” Online filler courses were indeed ignored by most. But Gu Lingzhou had not only watched all the filler courses but even put them into practice—his learning ability was terrifyingly strong.
Xiao Zhou bit into a piece of cut fruit, his voice muffled: “Hmph, all talk. Let’s see you actually show us how to open one.”
…
A traditional pin tumbler lock sat on the coffee table. Gu Lingzhou picked it up, turning the keyhole upward. “This is called a pin tumbler lock—the easiest type to pick.” He pulled out the matching key. “The uneven parts of the key align with the pins inside the lock, then turning the key opens it.” After demonstrating locking and unlocking, he tossed the key aside carelessly.
“When picking a lock with wire or a bobby pin, you just push each pin up one by one, then turn to open it. Or you can find the pin with the most resistance, push that one in, turn, hold the position, then push the other pins up, and it’ll open.”
The pre-prepared wire was bent into a suitable shape. Shi Yuxing noticed the tip of the inserted end had been curved into a small arc—probably for pushing the pins up. Gu Lingzhou inserted the wire, and almost in the span of a breath—a quick click.
The lock opened.
The bolt of the pin tumbler lock popped out. Shi Yuxing hadn’t even had time to blink before it was over.
“Let me try.” Xiao Zhou reached out first, took it, and locked it back. Just as he was about to take the wire from Gu Lingzhou’s hand, Gu Lingzhou pulled back. “Make your own.”
“Fine, I’ll make my own.” Xiao Zhou grabbed a straight thin wire from the coffee table and, stumbling through the process, copied Gu Lingzhou’s lock-picking tool—producing a crooked, twisted version. After trying six, seven, eight times, he finally conquered the pin tumbler lock.
Shi Yuxing thought it didn’t seem that hard. Having watched so many times, he figured he’d have the hang of it by now. He was about to reach for the extra wire on the table when General Gu stuffed a pre-bent wire into his hand. “You don’t need to bend it.”
Xiao Zhou glared at him with eyes that screamed “favoritism,” only to be met with a sharp look from Gu Lingzhou. “Weakling.”
“Wifey, look at him—he’s insulting me.” Xiao Zhou seized the opportunity to complain to Shi Yuxing. But Shi Yuxing, lips pressed together, was focused on the keyhole, letting out a few absent-minded “mm-hm”s as he concentrated on hooking the invisible pins. Seeing that Shi Yuxing wasn’t even paying attention to him, as if trying to get a reaction, Xiao Zhou declared: “I’m going to go pick the lock on the upstairs bedroom.”
The wire went in and came back out. He tried several times but still hadn’t found the right position. A red line was pressed into his pale fingertip, looking somewhat alarming. The next second, a scorching warmth covered the back of his hand—Gu Lingzhou’s hand was on it. His heart—whether from shock or agitation—beat a little faster, his blood vessels thrumming with palpitations.
“Focus on feeling the vibrations under your skin. Imagine yourself as the key.” Hot breath hit his ear. Shi Yuxing bit down harder on his upper teeth, the muscles in his hand tensing. He seriously suspected Gu Lingzhou was deliberately leaning in this close.
Gu Lingzhou lowered his gaze, but he wasn’t looking at Shi Yuxing’s hand. “Relax. The more tense you are, the harder it’ll be to open.”
Shi Yuxing muttered: “My hand hurts.” Gu Lingzhou immediately let go of his hand. Shi Yuxing looked up. Gu Lingzhou’s brow bones cast a shadow below, his deep eyes fixed on his hand without blinking. “Let me rub it for you.” The lock and wire were both set aside on the table. Gu Lingzhou rubbed his reddened fingertips—the thin red lines pressed into them, crisscrossing like several scars. “If it hurts, don’t learn. I know how—I’ll open them for you.”
The words warmed his heart. But Shi Yuxing was the stubborn type—not being able to put such simple theory into practice was an insult to his intelligence. Gu Lingzhou squeezed his fingertips, the rough calluses tickling and burning at the same time.
His cheeks felt like he’d been drinking—burning hot.
He abruptly pulled his hand back. Gu Lingzhou’s eyes followed his arm up. “What’s wrong?”
“Stop squeezing. I still need to practice picking the lock.” With that, he picked up the two items he’d abandoned earlier. His dark lashes trembled, those lively amber eyes sparkling with anticipation as he looked at Gu Lingzhou. “I’m ready.”
The alpha’s Adam’s apple bobbed, something flickering in his eyes as he placed his hand back on top. Shi Yuxing gathered his courage, calming his mind to feel the push of the wire.
One pin, two pins… five pins!
“Click!” A crisp sound—it opened.
He’d picked it!
The corners of his lips turned up—the taste of success. It felt as satisfying as breaking a sweat and being met with a cool breeze.
At the same time, a voice came from the upstairs bedroom: “Can’t you pick locks somewhere else? I’m taking a shower.”
“You think I’m dying to see you? Whatever you’ve got, I’ve got too. Want to compare who’s bigger?”
…
When Shi Yuxing announced that General Gu would once again be sharing his bed tonight, Xiao Zhou couldn’t hold it in anymore and protested: “Why him again! This is unfair—I’ve never gotten a turn all this time, and neither has he. Wifey, you’re playing favorites.”
The two were in their pajamas—one holding a pillow, the other a water glass. The alpha Xiao Zhou had called out alongside him didn’t look too happy either, even if he appeared to be smiling: “I don’t mind.”
These past few days had all been spent sleeping with Gu Lingzhou in the master bedroom. He hadn’t “favored” the other two in a long time. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but…
His peripheral vision secretly observed Gu Lingzhou’s expression on the other side of the bed. The glow of imperial favor was reflected on his face—he was in a good mood. Shi Yuxing suddenly felt like teasing the guy and said to the two at the foot of the bed: “How about… we all sleep together tonight?”
Instantly, that glowing face turned dark.
Xiao Zhou’s eyes lit up. He kicked off his shoes, climbed onto the bed, tossed his pillow down to claim the empty spot on Shi Yuxing’s other side, and hugged his arm. “Wifey’s the best. I love wifey the most.”
Gu Lingzhou’s face soured as he stared at those two hands, reaching over to pull them off. “Let go.”
“Neener neener—wifey already said we’re all sleeping together tonight. If you can’t handle it, go sleep by yourself.” Both had strong grips, and for a moment neither let go—instead, they ended up hurting Shi Yuxing by pulling.
“Keep it up and I’ll sleep alone.”
Just then, Da Ling placed his glass on the nightstand on Gu Lingzhou’s side. “Drink it if you get thirsty. I’ll go sleep in the guest room.”
Shi Yuxing was surprised—he wasn’t coming up? Before he could get the words out to call him back, a pair of hands wrapped around his waist. Gu Lingzhou, seeing one driven off, suppressed his temper and pulled Shi Yuxing’s half of his body into his embrace.
Both his chest and back were burning hot, and the blanket wasn’t breathable. Soon, Shi Yuxing was sweating. Remembering the water glass Da Ling had brought in, he pushed at the two alphas sandwiching him. “It’s so hot. I want water, Gu Lingzhou.”
Gu Lingzhou immediately turned to get the water from the nightstand. Shi Yuxing wasn’t actually thirsty—he just wanted some air—so he only took a small sip before handing it back.
“Wifey, I want some too,” Xiao Zhou clamored. Gu Lingzhou let out a cold scoff and tilted his head back, downing the rest in one go. After finishing, he tauntingly showed the empty cup to the other. “Gone.”
At that moment, he had no idea that this cup of water would be his undoing.
The moon hung at the treetops, the night deep. The doorknob pressed down silently. In the darkness, a man with stern brows and eyes walked in barefoot. He went to the bedside of the master bedroom, first looking at the empty cup on the nightstand, a smile curling at his lips. Through the cold moonlight, he looked at the faces on the bed. Shi Yuxing’s left and right arms were firmly held.
The man stepped over the mountain, gently prying apart the two obstructive limbs on either side. One side was easily peeled away—just like before. The other side wasn’t as smooth. Gu Lingzhou was locked onto the person in his arms like a true lock.
The alpha exerted some effort and successfully extracted Shi Yuxing from between the two. He was glad he’d increased the dosage when drugging the water, and that he knew his own habits well enough. Shi Yuxing would want water when he got hot, and he would leave half a cup—that half would definitely be fought over by the others. Whoever it took down, he wouldn’t lose.
The two alphas on the bed reached out in a maze they couldn’t escape, felt each other, and then embraced.
The sudden attack of cold made Shi Yuxing unconsciously burrow toward the heat source. His eyes groggily cracked open a slit and saw gold-rimmed glasses, mistaking them for an illusion. Then, he closed his eyes and fell back asleep.
A plain silver band on the ring finger glinted quietly.
Tonight, the ultimate winner—needless to say.
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