GBROTAH CH20

It was already ten o’clock when the lecture ended. Xie Yuanxing was about to head back to the dorm when Gao Yufei pulled him back. “Don’t go yet! Let’s grab some late-night snacks?”

Gao Yufei pointed at Fang Zhi: “This guy just got such an expensive new phone; how can we not make him treat us?”

Fang Zhi: “Hey, hey, your intentions are a bit too obvious.” Then, he looked at Xie Yuanxing: “Come with us. My treat.”

Xie Yuanxing’s interest couldn’t be described as high; it was more like non-existent. “You guys go. I won’t.”

Gao Yufei wrapped an arm around his neck, shaking his head repeatedly: “Why are you always saying ‘you guys’? The three of us, even though we don’t live in the same dorm, we’re still roommates!”

Xie Yuanxing wanted to ask what kind of roommates they were, but he remained silent. Instead, he stepped aside, freeing himself from Gao Yufei’s arm, and said directly, “I’m going back to the dorm first.”

His refusal clearly had little effect on Gao Yufei, who dragged and pulled Xie Yuanxing along. “Don’t be shy! If you don’t come, I’ll be the only one freeloading, won’t that be awkward for me? Come on, come on, let’s just call it a dorm gathering.”

The snack street outside the school was bustling even at ten at night. Xie Yuanxing silently sighed as he was pressed into a seat at a street stall. He knew Gao Yufei meant well, trying to make him feel like he belonged, but he truly wasn’t good at these kinds of gatherings. Even if there were only three people at this gathering.

The boisterous Gao Yufei sat down and immediately called the boss to order, while Fang Zhi unwrapped the utensils. Xie Yuanxing quietly sat to the side. His phone screen in his pocket lit up again and again, but the silent mode button suppressed all the activity, completely unnoticed by Xie Yuanxing.

10:20 PM—

X: “Baby, is the lecture not over yet?”

X: “It’s almost eleven. What kind of lecture lasts this long?”

10:36 PM—

X: “Is your phone really dead, or do you just not want to talk to me?”

X: “Please talk to me?”

X: “I don’t want to talk so much either, so can baby please not talk to that Alpha?”

10:49 PM—

X: “Picture.”

X: “Picture.”

X: “Baby, if your phone’s dead and off, your WeChat steps won’t change.”

The old phone screen went dark after this message. Time slowly passed amidst the lively atmosphere of the snack street. New messages that popped up were again silenced in the silent world.

11:10 PM—

Shen Bianye: “The dorm supervisor is checking rooms tonight. The doors are about to close. Aren’t you coming back?”

11:12 PM—

Shen Bianye: “Where are you?”

11:15 PM—

Missed call: Shen Bianye, ringing for 30s.

The small street stall table was covered with barbecued skewers. Beer bottles stood in twos and threes by their feet. Gao Yufei loudly offered to pour Xie Yuanxing a drink, but Fang Zhi pulled him back, “Xiao Yuan said he doesn’t drink. Alright, alright.”

Xie Yuanxing noticed Gao Yufei was already a bit tipsy. He grabbed the tea nearby and poured a cup. “Okay, it’s full.”

Fang Zhi looked at his actions with amusement, about to tease him, when his phone rang. It wasn’t a phone call, but a WeChat voice call. Fang Zhi’s expression changed slightly. He walked to the side to answer the call, “Is something wrong, Senior Shen?”

The voice on the other end was cold, without any pleasantries: “Is Xie Yuanxing with you?”

“The dorm is about to close. Tell him to come back.”

Fang Zhi listened to the words, which seemed to weigh down on him. His lips twitched. An idea, he knew not from where, prompted him to speak: “Xiao Yuan still wants to play for a while. If it’s late, we can climb over the wall to get back.”

“Senior Shen should also know that you only play late if you’re having fun. After all, playing out is not like being online, where you change accounts and no one knows who you are. If Xiao Yuan were out with Senior Shen, he probably wouldn’t want to play this late.”

Shen Bianye scoffed, “Didn’t you take money to give him my WeChat? Now what are you barking about?”

“Playing both sides, acting like a grandson then wanting to be a father?”

Fang Zhi faintly regretted what he just said, “I don’t understand what you’re saying, Senior.” He knew Shen Bianye wouldn’t expose this, so he didn’t need to admit it. But being verbally attacked by Shen Bianye almost directly to his face, he couldn’t suppress the rising irritation. Having money didn’t mean everything would go his way, just like… now.

Fang Zhi smiled gently, “Xiao Yuan has his own friends. He likes spending time with me, and Senior should respect that.”

Shen Bianye’s hand, holding the phone, was tense and veined from the excessive grip, but his voice was chillingly calm: “Want to bet?”

“Give him the phone and see what Xie Yuanxing chooses.”

Xie Yuanxing, sitting at the table, looked slightly confused at the phone handed to him. “What is it?”

Fang Zhi smiled as if nothing was amiss: “Senior Shen is looking for you.”

Xie Yuanxing paused, then took the phone. His action, seen by Fang Zhi, made the smile on Fang Zhi’s face two points more genuine. The phone showed an ongoing call, but there was no sound. Xie Yuanxing, puzzled, asked into the phone, “Hello?”

It was Shen Bianye’s voice, low and a little frightening, as if carrying a hint of gnashing teeth: “Xie Yuanxing, what are you doing messing around outside?”

“Get back here right now.”

He paused, then, even though furious, and afraid Xie Yuanxing wouldn’t listen to him, he added through gritted teeth: “The dorm supervisor is about to check rooms.”

Xie Yuanxing detected the emotion in his tone, not understanding who had angered this young master now, but hearing about the dorm check, he quickly replied, “I’ll be right back.” He returned the phone, which Shen Bianye had already hung up, to Fang Zhi. “The dorm supervisor is checking rooms tonight. We should go back.”

Fang Zhi: “The sophomore dorm building isn’t checked that frequently. Senior must have made a mistake.”

Half-drunk Gao Yufei also said, “Yeah, it’s still early. Let’s play a bit longer. And there are still skewers left on the table.”

Xie Yuanxing had already stood up, “No, I’d rather go back and check.”

Fang Zhi called out to him, his face a little strange, slightly stiff. “You should come back with us later. We can climb over the wall to get back to the dorm then. Look at Gao Yufei like this; we might need to help him a bit. I might not be able to manage alone.”

Gao Yufei was displeased. Hooking his arm around Fang Zhi’s shoulder, he said, “I can climb it myself! I’m an Alpha, after all. You, kid, you’re looking down on me.”

Fang Zhi ignored Gao Yufei, looking at Xie Yuanxing, waiting for his answer. Xie Yuanxing glanced at Gao Yufei, unconcernedly saying, “He said he can climb.”

When the sound of a key inserting into the dorm door lock was heard, Shen Bianye, who had been sulking, let out a scoff, a hint of mocking smile on his lips. He quickly picked up his phone and sent a message to the person on WeChat:

“Looks like Xie Yuanxing doesn’t enjoy spending time with you that much either.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

As Xie Yuanxing walked into the dorm, he choked and coughed twice. Although he knew it was useless, he instinctively waved his hand in front of his nose, trying to fan away the choking scent of embers. “Cough, cough, can you please rein it in, cough…” He hadn’t even had time to ask if the dorm supervisor had checked, and he was already choking, wanting to escape.

Shen Bianye’s smile froze on his face. The repeated dislike of his own pheromones dampened the satisfaction of Xie Yuanxing choosing him. Instead of reining it in, he approached Xie Yuanxing with that strong pheromone scent. “You don’t like it?” He sneered, “Then what do you like? The scent of sea salt?”

What sea salt?

Xie Yuanxing blinked blankly. As Shen Bianye leaned closer, he choked, his eyes reddening. “Cough, cough… or maybe you can just bite me once to ease your pheromone disorder and rein in your scent, okay?”

“Like this… cough… I can’t really breathe.”

Shen Bianye didn’t utter a sound, burying his head in Xie Yuanxing’s neck to sniff, his nose brushing against the fair, sensitive skin. Xie Yuanxing involuntarily trembled, closing his eyes, preparing for the impending pain, when he was suddenly pushed away.

“Go take a shower.” Shen Bianye’s face was ashen, his canines itching with suppressed rage, forcing himself not to tear and bite the skin that carried the scent of sea salt until it bled.

Xie Yuanxing: …… He had long forgotten Gao Yufei hooking his arm around his neck. Seeing Shen Bianye push him away, he only assumed it was because the smell of barbecue on him was too strong, displeasing the young master.

It was annoying, but there was nothing he could do.

Xie Yuanxing sighed, sniffing, suppressing a cough, and said, “A little smell is nothing. Can you just bite me once, please? I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable like this.” His eyes were almost completely red. If he coughed a few more times, he would truly tear up from choking.

Shen Bianye looked at Xie Yuanxing as if he had heard something preposterous, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, his expression changing repeatedly before finally settling into a deep scowl. “You’re uncomfortable?”

“Xie Yuanxing, I’m in my susceptible period.”

“Even though I don’t like you, my pheromones are treating you as my Omega.”

He abruptly closed in on Xie Yuanxing, pinning him against the wall, his large, distinctly jointed hand gripping Xie Yuanxing’s nape, the gesture thick with possessiveness. He said through gritted teeth, “Xie Yuanxing, no Alpha can accept their Omega carrying another person’s scent.”

“You wash yourself, or I wash you, you choose.”

“Don’t test my patience.”

Another person’s scent…?

Xie Yuanxing belatedly remembered that Gao Yufei was in his susceptible period today, and he had put his arm around his shoulder. He rubbed his forehead and said to Shen Bianye, “I’m sorry, I’m a Beta, I can’t smell other people’s pheromone scents on myself.”

Shen Bianye paused.

Xie Yuanxing gently pushed him again, softly saying, “Can I go take a shower now? Wait for me, I’ll be quick.” After all, he had signed a contract, so he had to have some professional ethics.

Shen Bianye’s hand released him. Xie Yuanxing walked towards the bathroom, saying, “The wound on my neck has healed. You can bite me however you want later. Just wait for me.”

The gloom on Shen Bianye’s face also vanished. He instinctively followed behind Xie Yuanxing, almost to the point of seeming like he would follow him anywhere. “Then hurry up.”

Xie Yuanxing hummed and walked into the bathroom. Shen Bianye, who almost followed him in, watched the door suddenly block his path, and his feverish brain cooled down a bit. But not much. He leaned against the doorframe, listening to the rushing water inside, watching the faint silhouette projected onto the white door, and instinctively pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, his throat dry.

Shen Bianye had never “self-served” when alone in the dorm. He always felt it was quite disrespectful to do so to a photo. The suppressed desire from the very beginning now fiercely retaliated. Pheromones uncontrollably surged into the bathroom through the gap under the door. He swallowed, his hand impulsively reaching for the doorknob, “Xie Yuanxing, you seem to have forgotten your clothes. Shall I bring them in for you?”

Shen Bianye’s hands were empty; he didn’t even know what he was saying, but the hand gripping the doorknob slowly pressed down. Xie Yuanxing suddenly saw the door subtly starting to open. In his panic, he had no time to react. In annoyance and surprise, he cursed abruptly at the doorway: “Get lost!”

Shen Bianye listened to the curse, muffled by the sound of water and tinged with embarrassment and annoyance. His heart stirred, feeling inexplicably a little pleased. The corners of his lips curled up, letting out an ambiguous sigh, “Tsk.”

Cursing him?

He had only asked. Now, he was going in. His slender fingers gripped the doorknob and violently pushed it down to the bottom. His voice, raised, carried a strange pleasure: “You only dare to curse me, don’t you, bad baby?”