The night wind rustled, and the leaves in the distance whispered in the breeze.
Shi Yuxing had clearly seen the two figures on the balcony. When Gu Lingzhou looked over, he deliberately leaned closer to the man beside him, resting his hand on him as he stepped into the starship. He didn’t know if he’d lost his mind—daring to provoke the 24-year-old Gu Lingzhou himself, right in front of him.
Maybe the cold wind had numbed his brain, or maybe the sight of the two figures on the balcony had been too glaring, pushing him to come up with such a petty act of revenge.
Seeing only Wen Lan’s silhouette remaining on the balcony, he urged, “Go.” As satisfying as it was, if Gu Lingzhou caught him, he’d be in serious trouble. The starship sped off before Gu Lingzhou could even step out the door. The General’s chest heaved, his medal rising and falling with each breath as he pulled out his phone, wanting to call Shi Yuxing.
Who was that man? Where had he seen those eyes before?
“General.” Wen Lan’s voice drifted down from the balcony. Gu Lingzhou looked up. Wen Lan swirled his glass, downing the red wine under the hazy moonlight. The bruise Gu Lingzhou had left at the corner of his mouth still ached as he parted his lips. “The missus really is captivating.”
Shi Yuxing shivered slightly. He leaned back against the leather seat in the rear, eyes closed, his eyelids so thin the faint veins beneath were visible through his pale skin, tinged with a subtle flush. Opening his eyes, he turned his head and met a pair of dark pupils with wrinkles at the corners.
“Cold? Should I turn up the heat?”
Shi Yuxing nodded slightly, then turned his head to see his own radiant face reflected in the window.
Looking away, he checked his phone. No messages. The excitement subsided. He scrolled through the notification bar again—still nothing. The screen went dark, and Shi Yuxing swallowed. “Too hot. Turn it down.”
“Too cold.”
“Too hot.”
The man in the driver’s seat didn’t get upset by Shi Yuxing’s deliberately difficult behavior. Instead, he obediently followed each request. It was only when Shi Yuxing fell silent that he spoke up: “Did Grandmother give you a hard time?”
“No.” Shi Yuxing lifted his eyes, then dropped them again.
“Didn’t eat enough? I’ll make whatever you want when we get back.”
“Mmm.” Maybe a little.
The wrinkles at the corners of the man’s eyes deepened. “Did someone bully you?”
“…” Shi Yuxing made no sound—just looked at him with those tea-colored, glass-like eyes, watching his brows and eyes shift between light and shadow.
It happened to be a red light, the starship coming to a stop. The two sat in silent standoff until, eventually, Gu Lingzhou yielded. He didn’t want to argue with Shi Yuxing. “Yuxing, can you just tell me what’s wrong? If you tell me, I’ll do everything in my power.”
The mature man pulled down his mask, his eyes carrying none of the coldness of Shi Yuxing’s husband—only complete care and tenderness, like a honey jar that could drown him completely.
The countdown on the red light was almost over.
Shi Yuxing licked his lips and finally spoke. “It’s about to turn green.”
Gu Lingzhou’s willingness to lower his head first slowly filled Shi Yuxing’s heart. The actions of the 24-year-old Gu Lingzhou shouldn’t be taken out on the 32-year-old. Awkwardly, Shi Yuxing mustered the courage to speak boldly: “Let me ask you something—do you remember having a deputy named Wen Lan?”
The broad fingers on the steering wheel suddenly tightened. “Did he bully you?”
“No,” Shi Yuxing leaned forward toward the driver’s seat, as if testing, as if seeking an answer—but his words were frighteningly direct. “You and Wen Lan—are you intimate?”
Gu Lingzhou’s brow had been furrowed since the moment he heard that name. Now, with his young wife expressing discontent and seeking reassurance, he was silent for a long while before speaking: “Yuxing, I can promise you this: I will only ever love you in this lifetime. The 24-year-old me loves you. The 18-year-old me loves you too.”
…
Before the starship had even fully stopped, Shi Yuxing pushed the door open and stepped out.
Xiao Zhou was waiting at the door, his eyes instantly lighting up at the sight of Shi Yuxing. A weight settled on his wrist—the puppy was already wagging his tail. Shi Yuxing reached up and ruffled his hair, but only once before pulling his hand back.
“Not a little longer?” The 18-year-old pleaded pitifully for his master’s affection.
Shi Yuxing’s lips curled into a smile, recalling Gu Lingzhou’s promise just now, and placed his hand back on his head.
The next second, Da Ling’s arm wrapped around his waist. “Yuxing is hungry. Hurry up and get the ingredients ready.”
“Old man, why so bossy? I know my wife is hungry—you don’t have to rush me.” Xiao Zhou pouted in dissatisfaction, tugging at Shi Yuxing’s hem. “Wife, go take a shower first—I already put your pajamas on the shelf.”
Shi Yuxing couldn’t help but squeeze his hand—so smooth and soft. No wonder everyone loved young boys. A handsome, considerate young man could make him forget all his exhaustion in an instant.
Seeing Shi Yuxing staring at his younger self’s retreating figure, Da Ling furrowed his brow and gave his shoulder a gentle push. “Yuxing.”
Shi Yuxing snapped back to attention. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Gu Lingzhou’s gaze darkened. His pupils were already deep, and now they turned pitch-black. “Together?”
Shi Yuxing looked at him as if he’d just heard something insane, his expression one of utter shock—as though he’d seen a ghost.
“Go wash in your own room.”
At 11 PM, in the master bedroom.
Shi Yuxing was curled up between the two alphas, burying his face in the pillow.
The two of them had originally negotiated that one would share the bed each day, with weekends left for Shi Yuxing to rest alone. But in the end, after fighting tooth and nail, they’d both ended up bundled onto his bed.
The marriage bed was large, but with three adults—especially two alphas each staking out a side—the person squeezed in the middle was bound to have trouble breathing and a racing heart.
Shi Yuxing scrolled through his phone with one hand while the other slipped under the covers to stroke an alpha’s abs. Xiao Zhou, like a puppy baring its belly, kept making contented little sounds and pressing closer to Shi Yuxing. But the older dog wasn’t so easily satisfied. As Shi Yuxing lay on his side, Da Ling pressed his chest against his back, wrapping his wife in his arms and nuzzling him, occasionally brushing his warm lips against the nape of his neck—like an alpha marking his territory over an omega.
The peaceful moment was shattered.
Shi Yuxing’s eyes flew wide open—a video call. His finger, which had nearly hit “accept,” swerved and poked the two alphas on either side. “Get off me—it’s a spot check.”
Xiao Zhou didn’t want to, but obediently shrank under the covers. Da Ling, however, wasn’t so easy to brush off. Smiling, he tapped his own lips. Only after Shi Yuxing compromised with a kiss on his cheek did he pull the covers over his head. Xiao Zhou’s eyes went wide as he tugged at Shi Yuxing’s hand, but Shi Yuxing tucked him in with the blanket.
And so, beneath the calm surface of the blanket, three bodies burned.
Gu Lingzhou’s flawless face—the very one he’d just seen and kissed—appeared on the screen. Shi Yuxing pretended to be tired, yawning. “What is it?”
“…”
The man on the other end said nothing, just looked at him.
Shi Yuxing felt a chill run down his spine—surely Gu Lingzhou hadn’t discovered something? He wasn’t here to confront him, was he? Thinking fast, he struck first. “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up. You should get some sleep too.”
“The one who picked you up tonight—who was he?” Gu Lingzhou’s cold voice came through.
Shi Yuxing didn’t even flinch. He’d known this guy would ask. Couldn’t hold his nerve. He smirked. “My driver.”
“What’s his name?”
“Just a designated driver I hired. I’d had a bit to drink and couldn’t handle the wheel.” Shi Yuxing kept lying as two hands crept up his thighs, slowly caressing—the future Gu Lingzhou was punishing him. Shi Yuxing’s hand trembled, and the camera slipped downward. His entire face had filled the screen before; now his neck was visible too.
Gu Lingzhou frowned. “Your neck—why is it red?”
Shi Yuxing panicked. One of them must have left a hickey. He definitely couldn’t let them suck there again—too risky. He tugged his collar up. “Mosquito bite.”
“It’s this cold and there are still mosquitoes?” Gu Lingzhou’s skepticism hit Shi Yuxing square in the chest. Shi Yuxing kept up his act while fighting off the hands under the covers, slapping one down. “Mmm~ I just killed one. Want to see?”
Gu Lingzhou’s mouth twitched. “Turn on the repellent.”
The other person under the covers finally caught on and joined in. A hand emerged from beneath the blanket, wrapping around Shi Yuxing’s waist. Shi Yuxing glanced down, his face composed, but his heart was already in chaos.
“Is there something down there?” Gu Lingzhou asked, unsettled by his little wife’s distracted demeanor.
Shi Yuxing quickly shook his head and looked away, though his mind was elsewhere—one of his hands was being fondled under the covers. “No… When are you coming back?”
The Gu Lingzhous stopped hiding. Two heads squeezed into Shi Yuxing’s lap, poking out from under the blanket. Identical faces, identical eyes, looking at him.
Like twin serpents, they reached out to touch him, craving a drop of nectar. The greed in their eyes was undisguised, each vying to outdo the other, jostling for space with an intensity that bordered on lethal.
“There are still things to deal with here.”
On the other end of the phone, Gu Lingzhou had no idea that his wife was being fought over by others. Behind the phone, the two had turned red-eyed, like animals competing for a mate, biting and tearing at each other just to make the beautiful beta see only them, belong only to them.
Shi Yuxing curved his lips, his peach-blossom eyes hooking into a dangerously alluring arc. “Well then, good night, darling.”
The screen went dark. The phone hit the pillow first. The two alphas finally broke free of their restraints and surged forward—four hands sliding up from below, lifting the hem of his shirt.
“If you invite him to stay here, where will he sleep?” Da Ling’s lips curled into a smile. At this moment, he was nothing like the mature, steady older man he usually was.
Beside him, Xiao Zhou chimed in: “Exactly. Both sides are already taken. If he comes, he’ll have to sleep on the floor.”
Shi Yuxing narrowed his eyes. That had just been a casual remark—he hadn’t expected it to trigger this reaction. “Oh really? But I think I’m still missing someone to warm my feet.” He lifted his foot and hooked it onto one of their half-open robe sashes, tugging it, then pressed his foot against the other’s warm stomach.
The other followed suit, diving under the covers to warm his remaining foot. “How about it, wife? Don’t invite him back—take me instead. I’ll be good.”
Shi Yuxing pulled both feet back. “Well… that depends on how you perform.”
After all, keeping one more dog around wouldn’t do him any harm.
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