Chapter 4: Chatting: Just being gazed at makes one unconsciously want to hold their breath. Part 1
“Your condition is getting worse.” Zhou Lin tore open the packaging and tossed the inhibitor ring to the now-sober Alpha. “Triggered by alcohol?”
Lu Zhi suffered from Pheromone Disorder Syndrome. Only a core few knew about it; it was Lu Zhi’s greatest weakness. The Lu and Zhou families had been friends for generations, so he had learned about it by accident. This condition could trigger false ruts. Compared to a normal rut, it came fast and left fast, but the downside was the possibility of an outbreak at any time.
“No.”
The tall and upright Alpha pushed back his wet hair, revealing a handsome face. His brows were pressed low, his expression listless and weary.
Sweat slid down his jawline. The veins on his arms were distinct, still revealing unresolved desire.
Lu Zhi stared at the metal ring for a long while, his expression somewhat dazed. He knew he possessed a monster-like body. No matter how much people outside praised him, as soon as the symptoms flared up, he was no different from the lowest beast.
He closed his eyes, and the image of that pale hand seriously holding a pen floated before him again. Thinking of today’s accident, he put on the inhibitor ring with a blank expression.
“Planning to spend your whole life with an inhibitor ring?” Zhou Lin teased with a smile. He wasn’t exactly concerned about Lu Zhi; he just asked casually out of a desire to watch the drama.
He knew Lu Zhi’s temper, so he didn’t spout nonsense about how harmful too many inhibitors were or advise him to find an Omega to solve it.
Lu Zhi: “I don’t like it.”
“Don’t like Omegas, or don’t like pheromones?”
Lu Zhi didn’t speak, looking uninterested.
He remembered that Zhou Lin had the best relationship with Tang Xingye in the dorm. After a few seconds of silence: “Do you know Tang Xing…”
Zhou Lin: “What?”
Lu Zhi suddenly felt a wave of irritability. He waved his hand to dismiss the guest. “Nothing. You go back first. I won’t be back at the dorm for a few days.”
He was sleepy but couldn’t sleep. As soon as Lu Zhi closed his eyes, his brain was a mess.
He took out his phone and clicked on the red message dot.
Lu Zhi had been accustomed to others’ flattery since childhood. Praise for him would always eventually turn to the Lu family. He naturally knew these people’s intentions. Too lazy to block them, he just muted them and let them guess his thoughts.
Someone used raising dogs as an excuse, which was somewhat novel. Lu Zhi exchanged two sentences, then accidentally tapped into “Candy Heart’s” chat box.
A picture suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Dim yellow light poured down obliquely, adding an ambiguous and intimate atmosphere to the dark background.
In the picture, the hem of the person’s clothes was pulled up due to the posture of holding the dog, revealing a stretch of pale, flexible waist.
A hand with well-defined knuckles was stroking the dog’s head, pale pink fingertips visible.
That hand was very beautiful—prominent wrist bone, lovely lines, cold white skin tone. The fingernails were round and clean, radiating a healthy, warm pink, gleaming with a pearlescent sheen under the light.
There are many good-looking hands, but few that make people stare in a trance.
This hand, however, was the kind that made one want to dirty it the more they looked at it.
Candy Heart: [Big Brother, I really do have a puppy.]
Candy Heart: [Little cat crying.jpg]
Lu Zhi stared tightly at the picture as if petrified, motionless, except that his gland began to heat up faintly again.
That slender waist had fluid lines, becoming incredibly suggestive under the dim, ambiguous lighting. The kneeling posture squeezed out some soft curves.
The image gave off a vibe of casual, spontaneous shooting, yet the pose was somewhat deliberate.
Is this a stolen photo?
Lu Zhi clicked into Candy Heart’s profile. There was only this one post holding the dog. He casually scrolled through the comments below; they were all uniform praise.
His gland was a bit hot, so he raised his hand to lower the air conditioner by a few more degrees.
Looks like an Omega, but judging by the shoulder-to-waist ratio, it doesn’t look like a girl.
He opened the photo again, stared at it for a long time, and typed a reply.
[Is the photo you?]
This time, the usually attentive Omega was quiet, as if they hadn’t seen the message. Lu Zhi frowned slightly, and for the first time ever, sent a follow-up message.
[Why aren’t you talking?]
The other party still didn’t reply.
Lu Zhi lowered his eyes, masking his emotions. He felt he must have been influenced by the false rut to reply to Candy Heart’s message, actually getting his mind entangled by a single picture.
He turned off his phone, sat at the desk, turned on the lamp, and began writing the review for this debate match.
[This dog is so lucky to be touched by my wife (Lemon spirit crying)]
[Wife touches dog, dog touches me, rounding up equals wife touches me!]
[Sorry, I just had impure thoughts about wifey’s hand.]
[Forgot what was in front or behind, in short, I want to be the dog.]
Tang Xingye scanned the comment section, a trace of sarcasm flitting across his eyes. He thought his skills were truly not bad; not a single person pointed out that his dog was fake. If these people couldn’t even tell truth from fake, how could they distinguish that he was a Beta?
After glancing at it briefly, he exited the app. His long fingers unbuttoned the shirt, and he quickly changed out of it. Just as he tucked his clothes away, the sound of the door lock turning made him stiffen. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhou Lin push the door open and enter.
He asked a question with a guilty conscience, “How is Lu Zhi?”
“Nothing serious, just the aftereffects of the alcohol were a bit strong. He won’t return to the dorm for a few days,” Zhou Lin curled his lips slightly at him. “He’ll treat you to a meal another day to apologize.”
“No need.” Tang Xingye frowned. The memory of Lu Zhi almost biting the back of his neck made him feel disgusted just recalling it. Pretending to be an O to gross him out would count as his revenge.
Tang Xingye didn’t have the concept of AB (Alpha-Beta) romance in his head. Although Wen Ze was nominally his Alpha fiancé, that was just a measure of expediency at the time. He was a Beta and didn’t have Omega pheromones; he wasn’t fragrant and soft like them. In his view, Lu Zhi’s behavior was just absurd conduct due to rut and drunkenness.
Seeing this, Zhou Lin nodded, swallowing the thought of reminding Tang Xingye to keep the matter a secret.
“I brought a late-night snack. Want some?” Zhou Lin shook the plastic bag in his hand, containing Cat Brother’s Pizza and alcoholic beverages.
The cloyingly sweet smell of durian lingered at the tip of his nose. Tang Xingye frowned. “The smell is a bit strong. Lin Mo will smell it.”
On the first day, Lin Mo had made it clear that he didn’t like strong-smelling food in the dorm.
Tang Xingye thought rich people were really high-maintenance. But it didn’t matter to him; he always ate in the cafeteria. Takeout cost extra for packaging, and the cafeteria food didn’t have much grease, so there wouldn’t be any smell after eating.
“Don’t worry, he’s probably still soaking in the lab. He won’t come back until curfew. We’ll open the window to air it out after eating.” Zhou Lin cut the pizza with a fruit knife, the cheese pulling into long strands, speaking without looking up.
He opened a bottle of sake and took a sip.
Tang Xingye didn’t speak again. He turned and pushed the window open a crack.
Seeing Tang Xingye still standing there motionless, Zhou Lin reached out and hooked his arm around his shoulder, thrusting the pizza in front of him. “I already ordered it. If you don’t keep me company, I can’t finish it and throwing it away would be a waste.”
His palm was very hot. Through the clothes, Tang Xingye could feel the other’s body temperature. Holding back the urge to push him away, he glanced coldly at Zhou Lin, the corners of his eyes pressing down, exuding an indescribable abstinence.
Zhou Lin felt a bit hot from that glance. His gaze swept over the soft, white neck, then turned to the cold eyebrows and eyes, a few points of interest surfacing in his heart.
His tone became softer, coaxing, “Xingye, you wouldn’t deny me this little face, would you?”
Zhou Lin had the best popularity in the dorm and was the warmest towards him, but he was always overly familiar, touching him. The smoke-scented pheromones would catch him off guard and drill into his nose. Tang Xingye didn’t like this style, but due to the roommate relationship and his background, he endured it.
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