A trail of white smoke streaked across the greenish-gray sky. The sky tore open a gash and acid rain began to fall. This planet’s environment was appallingly bad—no wonder it ranked last every year in environmental assessments.
“Captain An, you’ve come a long way—you must be tired. Would you like to rest first?” An Bao stepped through the puddles, taking the umbrella handed to him by the local officer beside him. He gave the liaison officer a cold glance. “What time do you think this is, and you’re still on this formalities nonsense? Where’s Tang Jue? How’s the surgery? Where is everyone else?”
The liaison officer wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: “The surgery is still in progress. The others will probably take a bit more time.” As soon as he finished speaking, several police starships rushed over in a frenzy, their red-and-blue lights flashing, forcing An Bao to turn his head and squint.
Water mixed with the smell of mud. The pattering on umbrellas grew heavier—the rain was picking up.
A certain bureau chief got out of the car, with someone holding an umbrella for him. Spotting An Bao, he greeted him with a beaming smile. “Oh, Captain An! Long time no see.”
An Bao didn’t want to deal with the bureaucratic nonsense of this small planet. He brushed it off and demanded to be taken to Tang Jue. But the pot-bellied bureau chief wouldn’t let him off. “Why don’t you come to the station first? If there’s any news, we can contact you right away.”
“The situation is urgent. I don’t have time for all your formalities.” His gaze was ice-cold, the scar under his eye making him look even more severe—just looking at him sent chills down one’s spine. “Keep your expensive tea for yourself. Take me to the hospital now.”
…
Back on the Imperial Planet, dusk had settled, just after a sudden rainstorm.
Xiao Zhou carried over a bowl of fruit, eagerly offering: “Wifey, washed cherry tomatoes.” Shi Yuxing picked one up and was about to pop it into his mouth when he saw the alpha blink and point at his own open mouth. Shi Yuxing let out a laugh, popped the tomato in his own mouth first, then picked up another and tossed it into the little puppy’s mouth.
The alpha was ecstatic. He set down the bowl, squeezed in beside him, and hugged him. “Wifey’s the best. I love wifey.”
Shi Yuxing casually patted his head, then felt a chill run down his back. He turned—Gu Lingzhou was staring at him, still wearing that traditional cow-print apron. Just as he was about to pull his hand back, Xiao Zhou stuck to him like a magnet, rubbing against his palm twice. Shi Yuxing looked away. Why should he be afraid of him? He was the master of this house.
With that thought, he generously ruffled Xiao Zhou’s hair a couple more times and calmly fed him another cherry tomato.
His peace lasted less than a minute before the sound of slippers approached. Even though his heart tightened, Shi Yuxing kept his composure. The other end of the long sofa soon sank down. Gu Lingzhou stared at his profile, his voice eerily soft as he spoke: “Is it good?”
Before Shi Yuxing could answer, Xiao Zhou poked his head out from the other side. “It’s good! Want one?” As if deliberately provoking, he picked up a tomato and brought it to Shi Yuxing’s lips.
“I washed them.” Gu Lingzhou’s pitch-black eyes fixed on his pale face. Shi Yuxing grabbed one from the table—a red tomato still beaded with water—and pushed it toward him. “Here.”
Those black-and-white eyes gazed at the tomato. Gu Lingzhou opened his mouth and bit down halfway—juice splattering, landing on Shi Yuxing’s fingertip.
Shi Yuxing abruptly pulled his hand back, frowning at his tomato-juice-stained fingertip and the remaining half of the tomato. “What are you doing? Eating a cherry tomato in two bites? Is your mouth that small?”
“Wifey, let me get you a tissue to wipe that off.” Xiao Zhou scanned the table—no tissues within five meters.
“Hurry up and finish the rest.” Shi Yuxing’s face scrunched up, his nose wrinkled as he extended the half-tomato. Only two people remained on the sofa, and Gu Lingzhou was now staring at him with those predatory eyes, trapping him. Shi Yuxing shuddered, sensing something wrong. The next second, his wrist was seized—no time to pull away.
Gu Lingzhou held his gaze as he ate the remaining tomato—along with his fingertip.
Instantly, a wave of electric tingles ran through his entire body. Shi Yuxing gasped, forgetting to pull his hand back. Scorching hot, wet softness traced along his finger, slipping between the gaps, drawing the trickling tomato juice into its mouth. He trembled and tried to retreat, but his hand was still pinned.
“Ah! What are you doing again?!” The slapping of slippers quickened. Xiao Zhou dropped the tissue and charged to Gu Lingzhou’s side of the sofa. He grabbed Gu Lingzhou by the neck, saw the faint red juice at the corner of his mouth, and grew even more furious. “You’re such a bastard! You two old men—I’ll strangle you both!”
Gu Lingzhou wasn’t one to be trifled with either. Less than half a minute under the kid’s grip, he flipped Xiao Zhou over and pinned him down. Xiao Zhou’s hands were cuffed behind his back, his waist pinned by Gu Lingzhou’s knee—like a pressure point had been struck, rendering him completely immobile.
The young alpha refused to yield, gritting his teeth as he cursed and struggled.
“If you’ve got the guts, let me go! I’ll beat you to death!”
Gu Lingzhou’s clothes were slightly smudged. He glanced calmly at Shi Yuxing, who had already scrambled away. Even though the person under him was his former self, he showed no mercy. He shifted his weight down, and the sofa’s indent deepened. Gu Lingzhou let out a scoff, adding a verbal jab: “So weak—who could you possibly protect?”
The insulted alpha was furious, struggling even harder, kicking wildly in the wrong direction—wasting his energy.
Gu Lingzhou pressed his advantage: “Pathetic. How did you even get into the military academy?”
“Just you wait!” Xiao Zhou was thoroughly enraged, spitting out threats. He threw his head back, trying to ram into Gu Lingzhou. His movements were too fast—Gu Lingzhou actually got hit in the stomach, and his leg pinning Xiao Zhou’s waist loosened. The young alpha seized the moment, twisting his body and kicking out.
“Whoosh—” In the blink of an eye, Gu Lingzhou reacted swiftly, ducking down and dodging just in time.
Shi Yuxing sighed. “Tsk—will you two stop fighting already…”
Gu Lingzhou looked up at the sound. Xiao Zhou had already run to Shi Yuxing’s side, seeking comfort. “Wifey, he started it! I’m so well-behaved—it’s all him!” The saccharine voice made the man crouching on the floor’s eye twitch. He stood up, brushed the non-existent dust off his clothes, his gaze icy.
Shi Yuxing patted Xiao Zhou’s back in consolation, his tea-colored eyes glancing at Gu Lingzhou. “Why did you have to hit him for no reason?” A hint of loneliness crept into Gu Lingzhou’s eyes. “I hit him? Who hit whom first?” Those eyes overflowed with grievance.
Ah, at the start it was actually… Shi Yuxing’s gaze dropped to the watery, innocent eyes looking at him.
“Anyway,” Shi Yuxing released Xiao Zhou and fled this battlefield, “I’m going to wash up.” He turned and bolted upstairs. Damn, being trapped in a battlefield of jealousy was terrifying.
The two alphas left behind locked eyes. The pitiful act in Xiao Zhou’s eyes vanished in an instant.
“Hey, Old Man Number Two,” he tilted his chin up, “don’t get drugged again this time.”
Gu Lingzhou squinted, sizing up this kid who didn’t know his place. He knew his own past sleep quality—wind, rain, thunder, even an earthquake wouldn’t affect him in the slightest. “Sleeping like a pig is hard to change.”
If he hadn’t joined the military academy and gotten beaten during surprise night drills multiple times, he would never have broken the habit.
“Who are you calling a pig! I was just too tired!” Xiao Zhou charged at him like a wild yak, fist raised.
Gu Lingzhou found his former self utterly ridiculous. He caught the fist in his hand—his strength was no joke. Xiao Zhou stiffened his back, gritting his teeth, glaring back at him. The standoff lasted only a moment before beads of sweat appeared on Xiao Zhou’s forehead.
“I won’t stoop to a kid’s level.”
With that, Gu Lingzhou pushed him away, cracked his wrist joints, and headed upstairs. A second later, Xiao Zhou’s curses chased after him. Gu Lingzhou curled his lips into a mocking smile—what an idiot. He should be hurrying up to shower.
As predicted, the idiot alpha stood at the foot of the master bed, hugging a pillow, his eyes red-rimmed. Both sides of the bed had already been occupied—there was no room for him.
Shi Yuxing pinched the bridge of his nose. He should have just pretended to be asleep. He really didn’t want to deal with this.
“Wifey…” Xiao Zhou pouted, his butt touching the edge of the bed. “I don’t mind sleeping at the foot of the bed.”
Gu Lingzhou tightened his arm around Shi Yuxing’s shoulder. “Who wants to smell your stinky feet? Go to the next room.”
Not an ounce of mercy. If one didn’t know these alphas were the same person, you’d think they were enemies.
Da Ling took off his glasses and silently leaned closer to Shi Yuxing. The three were packed so tightly together there was no gap to squeeze into.
Xiao Zhou gritted his teeth in hatred, fire in his eyes. “Gu Lingzhou! No one asked you to speak!”
Seeing another fight about to break out, Shi Yuxing quickly covered his ears. “I’m going to sleep. Anyone who keeps fighting can get out.” Instantly, silence fell.
The warmth at his back pressed closer. A voice from behind: “Yuxing wants to sleep. If you want to argue or fight, take it outside.”
Remembering he couldn’t argue or he’d get kicked out, Xiao Zhou huffed out his frustration, finally letting out a few “hmph” sounds.
“My feet are cold. If you’re staying, warm them for me.” The moment Shi Yuxing finished speaking, something warm curled around his feet. He looked up at the eyes above him—dark and intense—and realized he’d been trapped by an octopus.
The cold-natured beta was eventually walled in by three sides and drifted off to sleep. In the dead of night, he felt like he’d been thrown into a pill-furnace. Shi Yuxing groggily opened his eyes—his entire back was soaked with sweat. Two heads on either side were bad enough, but when he looked down, there was another one lying on his chest, snoring softly.
So heavy.
Shi Yuxing twisted a couple of times to free his hand. Both sides’ breathing hitched simultaneously—he thought they’d woken up, but after a moment of stillness, there was no movement. He let out a breath of relief and successfully slipped out from under the covers.
He touched the sweat-damp fabric on his back, poured himself a glass of water, and after some thought, opened the guest room door. Not long after he lay down and fell back asleep, the guest room door was gently pushed open. Two alphas of equal height stood on either side of the bed. They exchanged a glance, then simultaneously lifted the covers and slipped in.
That night, he couldn’t escape the dream of being chased by a pill-furnace.
Leave a Reply