Chapter 66
Qin Yao kept Li Min’s advice firmly in mind, strictly following the doctor’s orders to maintain boundaries and practice restraint. So, no matter how carried away he got, he only used his hands and legs. After an hour of persistent coaxing and grinding, he was glowing with vitality, while Bai He, tucked under his arm, looked thoroughly displeased.
It’s going to take quite a few small cakes to fix this, Qin Yao thought to himself, though he couldn’t suppress the gleeful look on his face.
School started tomorrow, and students were already trickling back to campus. The various shops and stalls outside the university were all set up, ready to safeguard the students’ stomachs for the coming semester.
Shen Hao had mentioned earlier that the dessert shop remained open even during the holidays, so Bai He wasn’t worried about making a wasted trip.
His love for sweets was no secret. Qin Yao had noticed it early on, and after cooking for Bai He so often, he had figured out his tastes completely.
Sweets triggered dopamine secretion in the brain, naturally improving one’s mood. Even someone like Bai He, who didn’t smile much, would reveal a hint of a smile when eating sweets—it wasn’t obvious, but it was very pleasant to look at.
Qin Yao loved watching Bai He eat. Occasionally, when cooking, he would make an extra sweet dish, then put down his own chopsticks to rest his chin on his hand and just watch Bai He eat from across the table.
Watching Xiao Bao eat was a joyful experience; it felt a bit like watching a beloved pet feeding—very cute.
The cake shop was outside Phase Two of the campus. After parking the car, they walked into the shop together. With school about to start, the place was naturally busier than usual.
Bai He picked up a wooden tray and tongs, selecting some cream puffs and towel rolls. He handed the tray to Qin Yao to line up, while he lingered in front of the display case, his gaze landing on a matcha mille crepe cake.
“Hello,” Bai He looked up at the staff member across the counter. “Could you please pack this matcha mille crepe for me?”
“Sure, please wait a moment, I’ll pack it for you right away.” The staff member finished what she was doing and immediately came over. After packing it, she handed it to Bai He with both hands. “Here is your matcha mille crepe.”
“Thank you.” Bai He thanked her, but then noticed the girl blinking and staring at him. Her expression shifted from pleasant surprise to absolute delight. She suddenly smirked, pointed at her own neck, and whispered to Bai He, “Neck… it’s very red right here.”
Bai He’s expression froze, clearly caught off guard. He watched as the girl fished a small round object out of her pocket and handed it over—it was a small mirror. She held it up for him, and Bai He saw, with glaring clarity, a bright, conspicuous hickey on his neck.
He immediately slapped a hand over his neck, his face heating up uncontrollably. He turned to look at Qin Yao in the queue, only to meet Qin Yao’s direct gaze. The culprit blinked innocently at him.
Great. He did it on purpose again.
Bai He turned back and murmured a thank you to the girl. Unexpectedly, the girl followed his line of sight and spotted Qin Yao. She covered her mouth, a meaningful smile playing on her lips. “Xiao Bai, neither you nor your boyfriend look as good on camera—you’re both even more handsome in person.”
Bai He was dazed for a few seconds before realizing he had run into a fan. The awkwardness instantly multiplied; no matter how thick his skin was, he couldn’t handle this. He gave the staff member a polite smile and practically fled to the queue to find Qin Yao. He shoved the matcha cake into Qin Yao’s hands, glared at him resentfully, and covered his neck as he went outside to wait.
Qin Yao maintained his innocent expression as he watched Bai He leave. He turned back to continue queuing, glanced down at the desserts in his hand, and suddenly began to giggle foolishly to himself.
Bai He retreated to the car early. Checking his neck in the rearview mirror, he saw the mark was fresh—obviously made just now in Qin Yao’s office. He waited for the heat in his face to subside and pulled at his collar. It wouldn’t cover it; he was wearing a low collar today and hadn’t brought a scarf.
When Qin Yao returned with the bags and sat in the driver’s seat, a fist—neither light nor heavy—pressed against the side of his shoulder. He turned to look and heard Bai He’s complaining voice: “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Knowing he was in the wrong, Qin Yao took out the scarf he kept in the car and wrapped it around Bai He, actively admitting his mistake. “I am guilty. I’m sorry.”
Deep down, he actually wanted to show it off, wishing everyone who passed by knew that Bai He belonged to him. But it was better not to let Xiao Bao know about these mischievous little thoughts. Qin Yao touched the tip of his nose and smiled to cover it up. “I won’t dare do it again. Don’t be mad, Xiao Bao.”
Bai He gave Qin Yao a sidelong glance and didn’t speak, but he expressed his anger through action—Qin Yao didn’t get to kiss Bai He for the next few days. Suffocating from the lack of affection, Qin Yao had to transform back into a cat for Bai He to play with. Once Bai He’s anger subsided, Qin Yao would inevitably go too far with something else and provoke him again, leading to a cycle where he had to repeatedly sell his dignity as a cat.
As expected, Bai He didn’t receive a reply from the publishing house, so he dismissed the idea of sending resumes to others. Since he had decided to intern at FREE, he had to go through the formal procedures. The interview was scheduled for Thursday afternoon. He, Mu Lin, and Shen Hao went to FREE together.
The first interview was with the head of the company’s HR department, starting at 3:00 PM. The three of them went in one by one. The questions were simple and didn’t involve professional skills. Since they had award records that were impressive enough, they passed this round easily.
The next interview was scheduled for the following Monday.
After the interview, Bai He didn’t plan to wait for Qin Yao to get off work. He had to return to school. The course load for the third year was much lighter, but for Bai He, who needed to make up credits, it was still heavy. He rushed to catch the last class of the afternoon. Leaving the large lecture hall after class, carrying his many belongings in a crossbody bag, he fished out a cat treat stick that he had stuffed in there during class.
Bai He remembered he had bought these before he discovered Qin Yao’s identity. It turned out Qin Yao didn’t eat cat treats, so he had bought specialized beastman canned food instead, leaving these treats lying around unused.
Looking at the treat in his palm, Bai He recalled the campus stray cats mentioned on the school forum. Their specific location was in the garden next to the Phase One track field.
Since he had time, Bai He decided to go feed the cats.
Leaving the main teaching building, he crossed the pedestrian bridge and headed straight for Phase One. Bai He didn’t know the exact location, having only glanced at the forum post once, and now he couldn’t find the thread anymore.
The Phase One garden was huge. After circling it twice, Bai He finally found the stray cat shelter.
It was a small relief station prepared by the campus stray cat organization. It had a rain canopy, and under the canopy was a large cat house. The surrounding bowls still had some leftover cat food.
Students occasionally came here to check on the strays. Looking over, there was indeed a person next to the cat house. From the back, it was a boy wearing a white sweater, crouched on the ground curled into a ball.
Bai He looked at the back of the boy’s neck; it seemed familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. It wasn’t until he got closer that he recognized him—it was Bai Lu.
Bai Lu was feeding the cats. Hearing footsteps, he slowly looked up. A flash of surprise crossed his face when he saw Bai He, but a few seconds later, he buried his head again, saying nothing, and continued feeding the cats.
Bai He glanced at Bai Lu but didn’t speak either. He just stood nearby and fed a cat. When one treat stick was almost finished, Bai Lu stood up, packed his things as if to leave, but then stood there without moving.
Thinking he had something to say, Bai He looked over and noticed that Bai Lu’s abdomen was no longer flat. It seemed he intended to give birth to the child.
Hearing no words, Bai He withdrew his gaze and continued feeding the cats. He crouched beside the cat house, one hand gently stroking a cat’s head, the other holding the treat stick, his movements gentle and practiced.
“…”
Bai Lu buried his eyes, staring fixedly at Bai He’s back. His hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into fists. The omega’s eyes were red, his delicate appearance pitiful. His face gradually filled with anger, his voice choked with incomprehension as he interrogated Bai He: “I used to admire you so much. Why are you doing this to us?”
Bai He didn’t understand. He lifted his eyelids. “What do you mean?”
“You know what you did! Are you playing dumb with me?” Bai Lu’s emotions were somewhat intense, his voice hoarse and exhausted, scaring away several stray cats. “You are my brother! You know about me and Guan Jiayu—”
He froze abruptly mid-sentence, his hand subconsciously covering his stomach. As if unable to swallow the grievance, his voice trembled: “I didn’t provoke you, Brother, and Guan Jiayu didn’t provoke you. His company finally got off the ground, and now it’s collapsing. What is your intention?”
“…”
Bai He frowned. He soothed the cat by his hand, stood up, and looked down at Bai Lu. “Are you saying that his company’s collapse is my doing?”
As he spoke, he let out a sudden, disdainful scoff. “Bai Lu, it seems you’re not just ‘love-brained,’ you have a bubble in your brain too.”
Bai Lu’s face turned deathly pale. His lips trembled, and he gritted his teeth. “Who else could force Guan Jiayu’s company to collapse but Qin Yao? Someone sent the [Tiandi] game script to Qin Yao before, and they got caught. That was nothing. But you modified the script—I don’t believe you didn’t reveal a single thing to Qin Yao!!”
“Let me ask you then: Do you think CORONET is failing just because of this one game? Aren’t his other games garbage too?” Bai He stared at Bai Lu coldly. “You have too much confidence in CORONET. FREE doesn’t need to do anything; CORONET will collapse on its own. Also, I need to point out that if it weren’t for our group, [Tiandi] wouldn’t have even won that single story award. In the end, Guan Jiayu didn’t manage his own company properly—who else can he blame?”
Bai He had no desire to look at Bai Lu’s face. He crouched back down to feed the cat, his voice icy and indifferent. “The one who should be studying isn’t at school; the one who should be managing a company isn’t at the company. You learned nothing else, but you learned how to shift blame perfectly. In a sense, you two are a match made in heaven.”
The breathing of the person behind him grew heavy. Bai He finished feeding the cat, stood up, and straightened his clothes. Before leaving, he glanced one last time at Bai Lu, whose lips were pale. He shook his phone, which was recording. “I advise you to go to the hospital and get checked. Don’t try to scam me or Qin Yao again.”
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
Bai He thought Bai Lu was sick—a severe case of lovesickness combined with brain damage. A “silly white sweet” (naive and innocent person) is fine, but how could he be only silly and white? Why did the sweet part stop working?
Returning to the apartment from school, Bai He put down his things and washed his hands. He brought some fruit and puffs to the living room and sat down to review what had just happened.
After thinking it over, he guessed something must have happened to Guan Jiayu recently.
Seeing Bai Lu after so long was indeed unpleasant. Bai He bit into a yogurt puff. The sweet but not cloying taste exploded on his taste buds, compensating somewhat for his bad mood. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV. The first channel he saw was the local news channel.
“According to relevant sources, the Guan family held a family banquet this morning. The candidate for the next head of the family seems to have been drafted…”
Bai He slowly raised his hand and took another bite of the puff, looking at the TV expressionlessly.
So that was it. The head of the Guan family was about to be decided. In the original text, the position undoubtedly went to Guan Jiayu, but now that the original plot was gone, it was uncertain who the head would be. However, judging by Bai Lu’s state, Guan Jiayu seemed to be panicking.
As he was thinking, the password lock on the apartment door beeped a few times. The door opened, and Qin Yao walked in carrying groceries. “Xiao Bao, are you hungry? Let’s pan-fry steaks for dinner.”
Bai He watched Qin Yao walk toward him. The other man leaned down and kissed him, then carried the groceries into the kitchen, his movements practiced and familiar.
“…” Bai He looked at the unfinished puff in his hand and got up to walk to the kitchen. He leaned against the doorframe, watching the busy alpha, and asked, “What happened to Guan Jiayu recently?”
Qin Yao was washing the side dishes. Hearing this, he frowned slightly, though barely noticeably, and turned to Bai He. “Xiao Bao, really? Why are you mentioning another smelly Alpha in front of your own Alpha?”
Bai He walked over and fed the remaining puff in his hand to Qin Yao. “I just met Bai Lu.”
“Who?” Qin Yao’s brow furrowed deeper. He bit into the puff, chewed twice, swallowed, and wrapped his arm around Bai He’s waist. “What did he say to you?”
Bai He shook his head. “Nothing major. He thinks I’m the one sabotaging CORONET’s collapse.”
Qin Yao’s face turned dark. “Is he sick in the head?”
“Probably. Who knows?” Bai He shook his head again.
“Xiao Bao, let’s ignore him.” Qin Yao buried his head to kiss Bai He’s lips. After parting, he nuzzled Bai He’s cheek, smiling foolishly. “Though, I think I have a ‘love brain’ too. I love you to death, Xiao Bao.”
Bai He: “…”
He reached out to push Qin Yao, but the other man suddenly froze, the arm holding Bai He’s waist tightening abruptly.
Qin Yao buried his head, sniffing all over Bai He. He didn’t look like a cat at all; he looked exactly like a dog. After a long while, Qin Yao suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock, disbelief, and even a hint of inscrutable grievance. “Baby, why do you smell like wild cats? And more than one??”
Bai He, who had indeed touched other cats: “…”
He suddenly felt like it was hard to defend himself and turned his head away. “What kind of nose do you have?”
“Did you go find other cats behind my back??” Qin Yao looked startled and dramatic. Despite being so tall and physically imposing, he looked so weak, helpless, and pitiful in that moment.
Bai He pressed his lips together, staying silent.
Qin Yao pawed at Bai He’s waist, releasing his fluffy tail to wrap around Bai He’s thigh, and pressed his cat ears against Bai He’s head. “Did you really go find other cats behind my back??”
Bai He took a deep breath. “They were stray cats at school. You didn’t eat the treat sticks I bought for you before, and it would be a waste to thr— Mmph!!”
Bai He’s lower lip was captured by Qin Yao pressing in. The deep kiss almost made him lose his balance, and he was lifted onto the counter to be kissed.
When he finally let go, Qin Yao hugged him clingily, rubbing his ears against Bai He’s face. “You aren’t allowed to go find other cats behind my back in the future…”
Bai He’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he leaned back. “Those are stray cats.”
Before he finished, Qin Yao bit him lightly again. “Then you aren’t allowed to go alone. We go together!”
“…” Unable to win, he had to agree. “Fine.”
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