Chapter 52: Seeing You Upset, I Came to Coax Youā¦ part 1
Xie Ren finally finished “calming down” and returned before they went to bed for the night.
He had asked Anna for some sunburn salve, which he now handed to Yu Shi. “Iām going to the factory tomorrow to help weave wool blankets,” he said. “Anna mentioned I can trade my labor for ingredients. Iāll swap for some butter and make you some buttered rice cakes.”
Yu Shiās meals had consisted of nothing but bread, sheepās milk, and carrots for three days. His palate was desperate for flavor; the mere mention of buttered rice cakes made his mouth water.
He swallowed hard. “Add extra sugar. Do you even know how to bake them?”
His movements were subtle, as if he were trying to maintain his dignity in front of his student, but the slight twitch of his neck gave him away.
Xie Ren couldn’t help but chuckle. “Baking bread is child’s play. I actually have a Pastry Chef Certificate. I guarantee mine are better than the ones at the shop across from the university.”
“Speaking of school, I actually miss the National Defense University a little,” Yu Shi remarked with a sigh.
Xie Renās smile faded slightly, and he opened his mouth to offer some comfort.
Instead, Yu Shi continued wistfully, “Itās not just the buttered rice cakes. They had mango cake and strawberry pudding, tooāmuch better than the ones at the Third Institute’s cafeteria. I really regret not having one last meal there before I was kidnapped.”
Xie Ren: “…”
Senior Researcher, your drool is practically showing.
Yu Shi sighed again. “Forget it. The more I think about it, the sadder I get. Here, help me put this on.”
He shoved the jar of sunburn salve back into Xie Renās hand and turned his back to him.
Xie Ren stared at the jar in a daze. “This… is this really a good idea? Aren’t you supposed to be putting it on your neck…?”
The words had barely left his mouth when Yu Shi reached up, gathered his hair, and tugged his collar downward. He exposed the reddened skin at the nape of his neck.
And, his gland.
Xie Renās head buzzed. Before he could even get a clear look, the jar slipped from his fingers and crashed to the floor.
Yu Shi heard the clang and turned his head. “Whatās wrong with you? Why did you drop the jar?”
Xie Ren scrambled to pick it up, his heart hammering against his ribs. He forced himself to speak through the nerves. “You… maybe you should just do it yourself.”
“I can’t see back there, and there isn’t a mirror,” Yu Shi said, sounding helpless. “Are you just embarrassed? Why don’t you call Anna in then? Sheās an Omega too; she probably wouldn’t mind.”
Xie Ren: “…”
“Anna!” Yu Shi called out.
Xie Ren gritted his teeth. “Don’t call her! Sheās already asleep. Stop shouting. Iāll do it, alright? Just wait here; Iām going to find a cotton swab.”
Yu Shi had no choice but to wait. The man wasn’t usually a germaphobe, yet now he was acting as if touching a bit of ointment was a crime. It was bizarre.
Two minutes later, Xie Ren returned empty-handed.
In this godforsaken wilderness, such things as cotton swabs didn’t exist. He had no choice but to dip his finger into the salve, looking as if he were preparing to march into battle.
Yu Shi obediently pulled his collar back and lowered his head, waiting for the medicine.
Xie Renās gaze darkened. The skin was flushed red and starting to peel slightly. The gland at the base of the spine didn’t look like the ones in the textbooks; it wasn’t large, only about the size of a fingernail, forming a small, delicate protrusion that looked incredibly fragile.
He wondered what it would feel like to touch it…
Xie Renās breathing became rapid, his exhales growing hotter until the very air seemed to sizzle.
Suppressing the rising tide of agitation within him, he carefully began to spread the ointment.
The salve was cool, and Yu Shi shivered as it touched his skin.
That tiny tremor traveled through the ointment to Xie Renās finger. In a split second, his hand slipped. His thumb pressed down hard against the gland, his fingertip meeting a surface as smooth and supple as cream.
The texture wasn’t as firm as he had imagined; it was a very, very soft little bundle of nerves.
“Hissāgentler,” Yu Shi whispered. “Youāre hurting me.”
His voice was soft and clear, carrying an unintentional note of intimacy that defied description.
Xie Ren nearly exploded on the spot. Every muscle in his body tensed to the breaking point. A distinct change occurred in a certain part of his anatomy, and his heart rate went completely off the charts. He genuinely wondered if he was entering a rut.
A sudden warmth flooded his nasal cavity, and he felt something rush out.
He haphazardly tossed the jar back to Yu Shi and bolted for the door, clutching his nose.
“Finished already? Did you cover everything? …Hey! Where are you going?” Yu Shi stared in stunned silence as the man disappeared into the night.
Xie Ren spent the entire night soaking in the lake.
Once his nosebleed finally stopped, he stared blankly at the water, trying to use the cold to find some peace. In the past, whenever he felt the stirrings of a rut, he would use intense physical exercise to suppress his desires.
But in a remote place like this, entering a rut would be a catastrophe.
He didn’t want to hurt Yu Shi, and he didn’t want to hurt anyone else. He soaked for hours before finally realizing that it wasn’t actually a rut.
Once he had calmed down, however, his thoughts inevitably drifted back to Yu Shi.
The image of the man lowering his head to reveal his gland, and the memory of those pale, delicate feet by the lakeside, refused to leave his mind.
Xie Ren cursed under his breath, his head aching, and decided he was better off staying where he was for the rest of the night.
He didn’t return until the next morning, looking as if he had been through a traumatic event.
During breakfast, Yu Shi asked suspiciously, “Where did you go last night? I looked all over for you. I thought a wolf had carried you off. Anna said she saw you leave; what were you doing?”
“Just eat. Don’t talk to me,” Xie Ren muttered gloomily.
From this moment forward, he had to maintain his composure.
Yu Shi put down his carrot. “Iāve noticed youāve developed quite the attitude toward me lately.”
“I don’t have an attitude. I just wish you wouldn’t keep wandering around in front of my eyes.”
He had slept by the lake and dreamt of Yu Shiās face at least ten times, waking up each time as if he were having a schizophrenic break.
“Youā!” Yu Shi snapped his carrot in half.
Anna laughed until she was breathless. “You two newlyweds shouldn’t be fighting first thing in the morning. Eat, eat.”
Seeing Yu Shi pouting in anger, Xie Ren nudged him with a carrot. “Hey. I didn’t mean it like that.”
Yu Shi swiped his hand away. “Get lost. Didn’t you say you didn’t want to see me? Stop talking to me then.”
Xie Ren had no choice but to lean in and whisper a strained explanation. “My susceptibility period is coming. I can’t be too close to an Omega right now.”
Yu Shi froze, then turned to look at him as the realization dawned.
“…You should have said so sooner. Is it that hard for you when Iām nearby?”
Xie Ren hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Very.”
“But you don’t have to be too far. I can control myself.”
Yu Shi said awkwardly, “If it actually starts, I can release some soothing pheromones for you. You did it for me once, after all; consider it even.”
Xie Renās Adam’s apple bobbed, his eyes darkening instantly. He shook his head firmly. “No. My ruts… are terrifying.”
“How terrifying can they be?” Yu Shi raised an eyebrow. “As far as I know, an Alpha’s rut is divided into three stages: aggression, sexual desire, and oral fixation. If you get aggressive, I can just tie you up.”
His arrogant expression made it clear that his knowledge was purely theoreticalāderived from books rather than any actual experience with an Alpha in rut.
Xie Ren said in a deep voice, “Youāre being far too optimistic. Anyway, I am not staying with you during my rut.”
Yu Shi shrugged dismissively. “Suit yourself.”
Xie Ren let out a breath. After a moment, he asked, “I didn’t have time to ask last nightādid you injure the back of your neck? Why is there a scar there?”
“Oh. I hit a piece of glass when I was a kid. Had to get a few stitches,” Yu Shi lied casually.
Just then, Abbu walked over holding a camera. “Honored guests, I have to work overtime at the factory for the next few days and won’t be able to come home. Before you leave, let us take a group photo together.”
Anna translated, and since the two of them saw no harm in it, they agreed.
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thank you translator nim!! xiao shi is such a teaseļ¼ā§āā¦ļ¼