The alpha’s gaze sharpened, and Shi Yuxing’s heart went through a rollercoaster of ups and downs. This time, it was over. Shi Yuxing’s back muscles stiffened, his ten fingers curling as he unconsciously gripped the hem of his clothes. What was this? A blind cat running into a dead mouse? Or a case of “after the storm comes a calm”?
At the scene of the crime, the steel bowl on the floor and the splattered leftovers were a disastrous sight.
A corner of the window screen had a torn hole—not big enough for a person to crawl through, at most only a fist could fit through.
Before Shi Yuxing could figure out an explanation, Gu Lingzhou pulled out a completely bristling feral cat from beside the refrigerator. A plump calico cat was hissing at him.
“Hah~!”
Gu Lingzhou held the cat by the scruff of its neck, standing a few steps from the door. The cat, realizing Gu Lingzhou meant business, obediently surrendered, looking at Shi Yuxing with innocent eyes. Its belly was round and soft—clearly, it had been feeding itself well in the kitchen.
Shi Yuxing took a deep breath. The surprise inspection was over, and the boulder in his heart finally hit the ground. “Thanks. There’ve been noises in the kitchen the past few days too—I thought it was mice.”
“The ringtone.” Gu Lingzhou’s thin lips parted to utter two words.
Shi Yuxing was confused and blurted out blankly: “What?”
Gu Lingzhou opened the door and tossed the cat out. The cold wind rushed in, dissipating the anxious heat on Shi Yuxing’s face. His ears hadn’t cooled down yet, and the light shone through, clearly revealing the veins—like icy red jadeite.
“The ringtone. Change it. It’s bad luck.”
The night was as dark as ink. The sound of the engine carried Gu Lingzhou away, leaving behind a trail of dust and a single streetlamp.
“Is he gone?” Little Zhou cracked the kitchen door open a sliver and whispered.
Shi Yuxing let out a breath. “He’s gone. Come out.”
The sliding kitchen door opened, and Little Zhou clutched his chest, panting. “That scared me to death—I almost got caught.”
“Where were you hiding?” Shi Yuxing found it amusing to see his face covered in dust.
Little Zhou pointed to the cabinet under the sink. “Wife, my feet are completely numb.” He’d already gotten used to the address, but Shi Yuxing was still shaken and frowned. “You’d better not call me ‘wife’ anymore.”
“Why not? Aren’t we going to get married?” Little Zhou wiped his face clean and pursed his lips, looking like a bitter lover driven mad by a scumbag.
Shi Yuxing couldn’t stand those eyes that looked ready to tear up—so clear and distinct, they reminded him of Gu Lingzhou’s sharp, gleaming gaze just moments ago, and his lingering fear hadn’t yet subsided.
“Forget it. Just don’t call me that outside. If anyone overhears, we’ll all be drowned in a pig cage by public scorn.” He’d come to believe that Gu Lingzhou had two doppelgangers, but clueless residents would only think he’d lost his mind—finding two lookalikes who matched their beloved Imperial Commander to the letter.
The 18-year-old boy wrapped his arms around Shi Yuxing’s. At 1.9 meters, he wasn’t as imposingly tall as the Commander, but he bent down to rest his head on Shi Yuxing’s shoulder and whined, “Then… then I’ll call you ‘baby.’”
“Who’s whose baby here?” Shi Yuxing found it hilarious to be called “baby” by a “little brother” five years his junior.
Being young, the boy caught on quickly. “Between us two, you’re my treasure.” Shi Yuxing’s lips curved upward. So this was what it felt like to have a younger brother—what wonderful times had he been missing out on?
The spacious living room was peaceful and serene, but someone was carrying the burden in silence.
“Oh no, I forgot!” Shi Yuxing suddenly turned and ran upstairs. “Gu Lingzhou, you can come out now.” He knocked on doors one by one, not knowing if he’d hidden in his room.
Finally, when he knocked on the wardrobe door, there was movement inside. He watched as Gu Lingzhou emerged from the depths of the closet with a garment on his head, holding a pair of slippers in his hand.
There was actually a secret door here!
Little Zhou walked over. “You can hide in a wardrobe? Old man, you’re pretty impressive.”
Putting the clothes back and returning the partition to its place, Da Ling dusted himself off. “There’s a hidden compartment here, connected to the bottom of the seat in the sauna next door.”
Only then did Shi Yuxing learn there was a crawl space here. The villa had been purchased for their marriage, and after living here for three years, this was the first time he’d found out.
He reached out and knocked—it did sound hollow. He turned. “When did you find out?”
If his age was anything to go by—if the 24-year-old Gu Lingzhou already knew—then when he’d opened the wardrobe earlier, he’d deliberately pretended not to know.
“Don’t worry. I hadn’t discovered it yet at this age.”
·
Shi Yuxing slept straight until the sun was high in the sky, stretching out a comfortable lazy stretch.
Only a third of the way through.
Wait…
How did these two end up in my bed again? Didn’t I send them to the guest room? He kicked one randomly. “Move over—you two alphas are crowding me.”
The other one was still draped over him, rubbing his face against Shi Yuxing’s back.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “Both of you, get the hell off.”
Little Zhou helped him put on his jacket, while Da Ling knelt down and held his ankles to pull on his socks. He may not have been born an emperor, but he was living like one. Shi Yuxing then ordered them to make him breakfast and massage his shoulders—no freeloading allowed.
“Left side, a little harder… Mm~ too hard—lighter, lighter.” Shi Yuxing truly felt like he’d aged prematurely; every joint and sinew in his body had grown stiff. Back when he used to go out partying, he’d get full-body massages without feeling a thing.
“Both of you—don’t make that kind of sound.” Da Ling emerged from the kitchen, carrying a freshly fried egg. The aromatic, toasty scent wafted into his nostrils, stimulating saliva. Shi Yuxing turned around and lay across the back of the sofa, where he could see the kitchen stove.
The mature alpha rolled up his black shirt sleeves, revealing taut, defined muscle lines. The black-and-white cow-print apron outlined the silhouette of the older man’s broad shoulders and narrow waist. Shi Yuxing licked his lips. That clever little egg had chosen the cow-print apron—it had seemed cute when he picked it, but now the more he looked, the more he thought he was an absolute genius. The shirt, however, was a bit of an eyesore.
“What kind of sound? What sound?” Shi Yuxing withdrew his dirty thoughts—thoughts he had no intention of changing—and asked, fully knowing the answer.
He might be older, but his skin wasn’t thick enough for that yet. Gu Lingzhou’s flushed ear tips and his restrained, hesitant expression were utterly entertaining. After teasing the older one, Shi Yuxing turned his attention to the younger. “Xiao Zhou, do you know what he means?”
Sex ed for alphas and omegas had been taught since middle school—there was no way he didn’t know. An 18-year-old just starting college might not have browsed much “Liu Bei literature” or films, but he’d certainly absorbed plenty of innuendo. Xiao Zhou stammered, and finally responded to Shi Yuxing with a face as red as an airplane captain’s uniform.
Shi Yuxing glanced at him and chuckled. Not much self-control, huh. He leaned in closer and closer, and Xiao Zhou closed his eyes, puckering his lips.
But then—that damned door rang again at the worst possible moment.
…
“Hello, ma’am.” At the door stood two maintenance workers in jumpsuits, each carrying a toolbox.
Shi Yuxing looked through the peephole to confirm it wasn’t the real owner returning, then opened the door. “What is it?”
“Mrs. Gu, the General sent us to replace your door and windows. Would it be… convenient for us to get the job done?”
Shi Yuxing gave his approval and let them in.
The kitchen door slid open, startling the two workers who had entered barefoot. They both paused, bowing their heads. A bead of nonexistent sweat seemed to roll down their foreheads. “General, you’re here.”
“Mm.” Da Ling put on an air of composure, though the cow-print apron across his chest made the scene rather comical.
The two workers conferred briefly—one went to fix the window, the other to install the door. They made a point of complimenting Shi Yuxing in low voices, whether deliberately or accidentally, Shi Yuxing couldn’t tell. Either way, he was thoroughly pleased and even tilted his chin up toward Gu Lingzhou, who was peeling an egg for him. See that? Everyone loves me—anyone who comes praises me.
The runny yolk of the soft-boiled egg oozed out, glistening. Shi Yuxing’s eyes sparkled. He was just about to take a second bite when a yell came from the entrance.
The worker who’d been about to dismantle the door fell flat on his butt in the foyer. His large frame hit the ground, mouth opening and closing as he trembled, pointing at Gu Lingzhou at the dining table. “G-Ghost! A ghost!”
The apprentice who had finished repairing the kitchen screen came out, furrowed his brow, hurried over, and slapped the pointing finger down, scolding: “Everything I taught you went right to the dogs—get up!” Then his tone shifted completely, his expression clearing like a rainbow as he turned with a radiant smile. “General, ma’am—please forgive us. The apprentice hasn’t seen much of the world.”
He pulled his disciple up and had him bow in apology. The big guy stood there awkwardly. Shi Yuxing sized him up—this fellow’s muscles seemed even more solid than Gu Lingzhou’s, and he looked a good bit taller too.
“Master… there’s another General standing upstairs on the second floor,” the disciple stammered, still not recovered from the shock. A few tears rolled down his cheeks as he was firmly forced to bow his head in apology. “I… I…”
Oh no! Shi Yuxing’s expression soured as he snapped back to reality. He jabbed the Gu Lingzhou beside him with his elbow. You, the younger one—you’re hidden upstairs and got spotted! Think of something, quick!
Gu Lingzhou coughed heavily twice. “That’s my robot. If you want to see him, I can have him come down.”
The worker nodded hastily, nudged his disciple, and lowered his voice—probably giving him another scolding. “Sorry about that, General. He’s still a kid, hasn’t seen much of the world. I’ll be sure to discipline him more when we get back. Please excuse his clumsiness.” The worker kept apologizing, terrified that this stern commander might cost him his five-figure monthly salary.
Shi Yuxing silently gave a thumbs-up, and even brought the younger Gu Lingzhou down without a hint of guilt.
While installing the door, the disciple kept glancing over, earning several flicks to the head from his master. “Focus on your work! Are employers yours to gawk at? That’s the General’s wife.” The master shot his worthy disciple a glare. All day long, the kid caused nothing but trouble. If the General hadn’t let it slide, they’d probably be out of a job on the spot—and it’d be hard to get by after that.
The disciple rubbed his head, grumbling, “I wasn’t looking at the wife, Master. But that robot—it drinks water and doesn’t even short-circuit.”
The master shot a glance at the so-called robot, who was indeed lifting a cup to drink, and glared at his disciple again. “Robots have performed skits on the Spring Festival Gala. What’s so strange about drinking water?”
Under the master’s supervision and the intimidating presence of Gu Lingzhou and his “robot,” the new door was installed in no time.
“General, ma’am—I’ve programmed in your fingerprint and passcode. If there’s any issue, just contact me anytime.” The two smiled obsequiously as they left, dropping the act only after the door closed.
Disciple: “Master, the General didn’t mention payment.”
“I think you’re tired of living.” With that, he pulled out his phone and opened the chat with their employer.
A reply came shortly.
“Everything normal?” the disciple read aloud, earning another smack from his master. “You disrespectful brat—when are you going to stop reading other people’s messages? You’ll suffer for it someday.”
The disciple rubbed his head, complaining: “But the General was inside—why’s he asking if everything’s normal? Can’t he just use his own eyes… Master, I’m sorry, I won’t say it again.”
“If you ever get yourself into trouble, don’t drag me into it.”
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