RBNR Ch57: Swear, Baobao

The two decided to start their holiday in early March. It was a rather sudden decision, which threw several of Qin Bao’s previously scheduled jobs into disarray, forcing Brother Lu to do his best to coordinate and reschedule.

The destination was set for Surilan, a breathtaking tropical island. Qin Bao passed on mobile vacation options like cruise ships and instead chose a small island not far from the main island of Surilan, boasting both stunning scenery and unmatched privacy.

“Take a look and see if there’s anything else we need to prepare. That way, I can let them know to arrange it.”

Qin Bao sent the itinerary to Feng Chengyu.

“Don’t worry about your clothes and daily essentials. I’ll take care of them.”

Feng Chengyu pulled him into his arms, holding him: “Bao Bao knows what I wear and what I use?”

Every time this man called him “Bao Bao,” Qin Bao felt like Feng Chengyu was teasing him again. There was nothing romantic about it; it was just because he was younger, making him seem childish in Feng Chengyu’s eyes, rather than being a term of endearment between lovers.

Steaming with embarrassment, Qin Bao snapped, “Of course I do! I’m not blind!”

They had been married for two years, after all. He was more than capable of picking up on Feng Chengyu’s little habits!

Besides, he had been annoyed by Feng Chengyu’s endless collection of formal suits for ages, and this was the perfect opportunity to go on a shopping spree. For the next half month at least, he was going to make Feng Chengyu wear the styles he liked.

“Alright, I’ll follow your arrangements.” Feng Chengyu kissed his earlobe. “Why choose Surilan? Do you like tropical islands?”

“Yeah.” Qin Bao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “You don’t?”

Feng Chengyu: “I do.”

Swiping through the photo gallery on his phone, Feng Chengyu remarked, “Especially this private beach. If we do it there during the day, no one should come to disturb us.”

Qin Bao: “…”

Help.

How on earth did this rogue end up on the exact same wavelength as him!

Once the dates were locked in, the days flew by.

Aside from shopping for clothes and daily necessities, Qin Bao followed a standard online heat shopping list, purchasing a whole haul of miscellaneous supplies to replenish stamina—like nutrient solutions, restorative salves, and chocolates.

However, when he noticed the list also included items like elastic restraint straps, Alpha bite guards, and wrist shackles, Qin Bao completely lost his composure.

The product note for these bizarre items read: Highly recommended as essentials for couples with high compatibility and low self-control.

Are these things really necessary?!

…It seemed like they actually were.

He knew all too well what the two of them were like!

Gritting his teeth, Qin Bao placed the orders like a thief. When everything arrived, he secretly shoved it all into his suitcase, keeping it completely hidden from Feng Chengyu.

Throughout the entire prep period, Qin Bao remained in this secretly busy yet utterly irritable state. Whenever Feng Chengyu asked a simple question, he would jump like a startled cat, snap “None of your business,” and vanish at the speed of light.

Feng Chengyu simply enjoyed watching the show.

On the day of departure, Shu Helan drove them to the airport, as he happened to be catching another flight to Yatan to find An Qingyan.

During their farewell hugs, Shu Helan grinned and whispered in Qin Bao’s ear, “Xiao Bao, you’d better watch out for your husband. If you get a chance, remember to memorize the local emergency number.”

How could Qin Bao not catch his drift: “…”

Get lost!

Feng Chengyu pulled Qin Bao behind him and said unhurriedly, “A life for a life. If the police get called, they’ll be arresting you.”

Shu Helan waved sheepishly and turned to leave first.

Qin Bao asked, “What did you mean by ‘a life for a life’?”

“He tricked An Qingyan’s ex-boyfriend into a primeval forest, and now he has to go drag him out alongside the search and rescue team,” Feng Chengyu said. “An Qingyan didn’t tell you?”

Qin Bao shook his head. An Qingyan didn’t share everything with him, especially matters of the heart; he only vaguely knew that every time those two fought, it was over an ex.

“Will that person be okay?”

He was more worried about this. If something happened, Shu Helan would genuinely end up in prison.

Feng Chengyu said, “He should be fine. That man used to be a mercenary.”

Qin Bao: “…”

He might as well worry about Shu Helan instead.

Due to Feng Chengyu’s sensitive status, they didn’t board the commercial flight Qin Bao had originally planned for, but took a private jet instead. Not only was the entire itinerary kept confidential, but they also had security personnel accompanying them.

The security detail tried their best to keep a low profile, but the relaxed vacation vibe they had looked forward to was somewhat dampened.

This made Qin Bao realize that, unlike their trip to the forest cabin for their wedding anniversary, Feng Chengyu’s personal safety carried immense weight due to his elevated status and the tense political climate. This wasn’t merely a trip for the two of them.

In planning the entire vacation, Qin Bao had only focused on the holiday itself, completely oblivious to security concerns. It seemed Feng Chengyu had been quietly accommodating his plans all along.

This was also the second time Qin Bao had experienced a glimpse of Feng Chengyu’s daily reality, following his visit to the Empire Council Building.

The Alpha seemed thoroughly used to it. During the nearly eleven-hour flight, Qin Bao wore an eye mask and slept, while Feng Chengyu calmly flipped through books, chatted with the captain who came by to greet him, and only rested for a brief moment.

They touched down in Surilan in the local morning. Two bulletproof vehicles were waiting to receive them, and they took one to reach the marina.

On the speedboat, Qin Bao felt somewhat seasick. For once, he didn’t resist Feng Chengyu’s approach, curling listlessly into his embrace and letting himself be fed sips of water.

“Not coming back next time,” he mumbled in complaint. “I hate boats the most.”

“Good boy,” Feng Chengyu soothed. “We won’t take a boat when we leave.”

Forty minutes later, they finally arrived at the island.

There were only two structures on the entire island. One was a two-story villa set against the best viewpoint, reserved solely for the two of them. The other housed the butler and staff responsible for their daily needs, located on the far end of the island. The butler would deliver meals and clean at fixed times each day.

Qin Bao didn’t ask where the security team was staying; knowing too much detail would only make it harder to relax.

The weather was sweltering. The moment they reached the villa, Qin Bao bolted upstairs, leaving Feng Chengyu downstairs to speak with the butler.

After inspecting every corner upstairs, Qin Bao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The rose petals and couple’s novelties he had specifically instructed to cancel were nowhere to be found. The space was completely clean, accented only by white tropical flowers scattered here and there—elegant and refreshing. Paired with Surilan’s gorgeous weather, his seasickness vanished in an instant.

“…Wishing you a pleasant vacation, sir,” the butler concluded politely.

When Feng Chengyu turned around, he saw Qin Bao coming down the stairs.

The Omega had already changed his clothes, his calves beneath his shorts fair and straight, his feet slipped into a pair of beach slides.

Qin Bao’s eyes were bright. Catching Feng Chengyu’s gaze head-on, he asked self-consciously, “What are you looking at?”

“Looking at how good you look,” Feng Chengyu replied naturally.

Qin Bao didn’t deny it; he knew he looked good.

Not knowing how to respond, he changed the subject: “I’m going to take a walk outside. Are you coming?”

Feng Chengyu checked his watch: “They’re about to deliver some things, and I need to change too. Do you want to wait for me?”

Qin Bao certainly wasn’t going to wait.

Tossing out a quick “Come out on your own then,” he stepped onto the beach ahead of him.

The sun beat down intensely. Walking beneath the shade of the trees, his heart raced uncontrollably, refusing to settle.

His heat hadn’t officially begun yet. He hadn’t taken suppressants this time, and based on his hormone panels from his medical checkup, it was expected to hit within a week—though exactly which day remained unclear, and he had no symptoms yet.

Flying all the way out here specifically for this was already deeply embarrassing.

On top of that, being alone together twenty-four-seven felt like… constantly waiting around just to engage in some primal act.

Strolling along, Qin Bao kicked at the foamy white surf. Before long, he saw Feng Chengyu heading out as well.

The Alpha wore sunglasses and the clothes Qin Bao had personally picked out for him. With broad shoulders and long legs, he didn’t lose out to any male model.

Compared to his usual elegant, aristocratic statesman persona, the Feng Chengyu before him seemed to better match the photos in his family albums—and the football-playing image Feng Chu had described.

It was hard to imagine that this was the very same man who sat on the forty-fifth floor of the Empire Council Building.

If he hadn’t entered politics, perhaps Feng Chengyu would look just like this.

“Come here.” Feng Chengyu had brought sunscreen. “Running out without sun protection?”

“I already put some on.” Qin Bao had the professional diligence of a model, intentionally sticking to the shade.

“Then pretend to let me put some on?” Feng Chengyu curled his lips. “Am I covered in thorns? Why do you walk away the second you touch me?”

Over the past few days, Qin Bao had only let Feng Chengyu hold him for a bit when he was seasick.

He naturally wouldn’t admit it: “As if. Feng Chengyu, you’re overthinking it.”

To prove him wrong, Qin Bao walked right over and took the sunscreen from Feng Chengyu’s hand: “I’ll do it for you.”

“Thank you.”

Feng Chengyu accepted readily, letting him smooth the lotion across his skin.

The sea breeze ruffled their hair and the hems of their clothes.

When his hands reached the nape of his neck, catching the faint, cool floral scent drifting from the Alpha’s scent gland, Qin Bao felt a strange sensation ripple through his body—an intense hollow ache that vanished as quickly as it had arrived.

Feng Chengyu asked, “What’s wrong?”

Perhaps because the sunglasses concealed those dark, intense eyes, a reckless impulse overtook Qin Bao, and he blurted out the truth: “Looking at how good you look. Is that a crime?”

Feng Chengyu was far thicker-skinned than him. Wrapping an arm around his waist, he pulled him close: “Then look a little longer.”

Qin Bao patted his arm: “…Let go.”

There were people nearby—likely security personnel conducting an initial sweep of the perimeter.

“They wouldn’t dare look over here.”

As Feng Chengyu spoke, he dipped his head and captured Qin Bao’s lips.

The kiss sent both of their pulses racing, but with reason still intact, they didn’t take things further.

Except as they strolled along the shore, Feng Chengyu held Qin Bao’s hand the entire time, their fingers tightly laced together.

They did it once that night.

It unfolded at a languid pace, drawn out for a very long time. Feng Chengyu seemed to intentionally slow his rhythm, yet drove deeper than ever before, making it difficult for Qin Bao to adjust.

Toward the end, he even grew frustrated.

“D-Don’t do that. It feels awful…”

“…Bear with it a little longer, Bao Bao.”

“Get off, you… Feng Chengyu!”

“…”

Qin Bao was usually quite unrestrained, yet even he found the experience too embarrassing to put into words.

Afterward, he didn’t say a word to Feng Chengyu, keeping his back turned the entire time because he found it too hard to accept.

“Bao Bao.” Feng Chengyu scooped him up, pulling him into his arms. “You don’t seem to know what a real heat is like.”

Qin Bao glared at him, firing back: “I do!”

Feng Chengyu arched an eyebrow, chuckling softly: “Because of those things you stuffed into your suitcase?”

Having no idea when Feng Chengyu had discovered them, Qin Bao felt ready to explode, struck completely speechless for the first time.

It took a full two minutes before he tried to claw back some ground: “Well, you didn’t prepare anything, so is it a crime for me to be ready?!”

Feng Chengyu replied casually, “How do you know I didn’t prepare?”

The next day, Feng Chengyu sent a file to Qin Bao’s phone.

Qin Bao opened it to find several videos. It felt strangely familiar—wasn’t this the exact same type of material Xu Tangzhou used to send to his phone back then?!

Why on earth was Feng Chengyu watching this kind of stuff?

Did he send it by mistake?

Driven by intense curiosity, Qin Bao tapped play. After watching for just a few minutes, his mind went completely blank with a loud buzz.

Grabbing his phone, he ran over to the edge of the pool, demanding loudly, “Wh-What kind of trash did you send me?!”

Feng Chengyu swam over, propping himself up on the edge of the pool. Crystal droplets of water dripped from his striking brow and jawline: “Study materials. Filmed in accordance with family planning educational guidelines—just significantly more detailed.”

Qin Bao felt his phone burning hot in his palm, completely shocked: “You call that ‘just detailed’?!”

Feng Chengyu climbed out of the pool entirely, running his fingers through his wet hair to push it back: “This version is more thorough, and more visually engaging. I’ll watch it with you.”

Since Feng Chengyu put it that way, Qin Bao couldn’t afford to act overly scandalized: “Oh, you should’ve said so earlier. Th-Then we should study it together; I’m definitely not watching it alone.”

The two sat down on the lounge chairs.

Feng Chengyu suddenly grew curious: “Did Xiao Bao watch these before?”

“Of course I did.” Qin Bao knew Feng Chengyu meant adult films. Even though he had only watched that one time with Xu Tangzhou, he refused to show weakness, brazenly bluffing, “Way better than what you sent. What about you? Have you watched them?”

Feng Chengyu replied, “I have. My classmates shared them back during my school days. The culture there was quite open; some would even bring people back to put on live shows.”

Which was why he had moved out to live with Jacob later on.

What? What kind of trash classmates were those?

Shameless.

Qin Bao grumbled inwardly, muttering under his breath, “No wonder.”

Feng Chengyu: “No wonder what?”

Qin Bao said, “On the night of my coming-of-age banquet, you didn’t experience a rut.”

Health class had taught him that an Alpha’s first sexual encounter triggered a rut—a passive, initial heat where they lost all self-control, typically unable to stop for a prolonged period.

Feng Chengyu hadn’t had one. Qin Bao hadn’t cared much at first, assuming it belonged to Feng Chengyu’s past before they met.

Later on, he had felt somewhat annoyed, since Feng Chengyu was the one between them who had known about their betrothal all along.

Feng Chengyu suddenly said, “I took medication.”

Qin Bao didn’t catch on: “Huh? What?”

“I didn’t have a rut because I took medication early on during puberty. My hormone levels have always been maintained at a stable baseline.” Feng Chengyu looked at him. “Xiao Bao, are you jealous?”

Qin Bao realized the truth instantly, rushing to deny it: “Bullshit! Why would I be jealous?”

Feng Chengyu pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose, feeling the tiny beads of sweat there. Refraining from teasing him further, he smiled, “Let’s keep watching.”

He dragged the progress bar back to the beginning.

The explicit nature of these study materials was genuinely off the charts. Qin Bao’s face alternated between burning red and pale white, yet Feng Chengyu remained remarkably composed throughout.

Could Feng Chengyu actually be studying this seriously?!

Qin Bao didn’t even want to mention how the Omega in the video behaved, but the state of the Alpha in passive heat was downright terrifying. Looking at Feng Chengyu’s handsome, aloof face, Qin Bao found it genuinely hard to imagine him turning into that kind of beast.

“…”

Qin Bao suddenly remembered that right after they got married, An Qingyan had joked that an S-rank Alpha in passive heat could practically kill a person.

Whether that was hyperbole or literal, halfway through the video, Qin Bao felt the urge to bail.

Maybe he should just stick to suppressants!

He felt living without a permanent mark was perfectly fine too!

“Don’t be afraid. We’ll practice more,” Feng Chengyu noted his unease, his tone exceptionally tender, though the arm wrapped around Qin Bao’s waist remained firm and unyielding. “Like this position, for example.”

That position?!

Qin Bao genuinely wanted to memorize the local emergency number now!

During their four days in Surilan, they didn’t do it every single day, but each time, Feng Chengyu deliberately drew the sessions out.

However, over those four days, to ensure the heat would arrive smoothly, they didn’t bite a single time, using protection and refraining from any pheromone exchange.

Qin Bao’s craving for Feng Chengyu’s pheromones intensified. He often leaned against him limply, eyes red as he nuzzled his scent. Feng Chengyu didn’t have an easy time either, even putting on a bite guard ahead of time.

Finally, on the morning of the fifth day, the persistent hollow ache completely broke Qin Bao down.

A large wet patch bloomed across the bedsheets. Feng Chengyu gathered him into his arms, kissing him, whispering softly, “Bao Bao, it’s time to go.”

Qin Bao’s mind was still marginally lucid: “…Where are we going?”

“A safer place,” Feng Chengyu said.

Thick, cloying Omega pheromones flooded the entire room. A scent patch was applied to Qin Bao’s gland, and he was zipped into a cool black sleeping bag, looking like a little caterpillar.

His fingertips trembled, battered by the strange tidal waves until he forgot what Feng Chengyu had just said, asking, “…Do you not… do you not like it here?”

He liked it, so he wanted Feng Chengyu to like it too.

“No, I like it very much. I love what you arranged.”

He felt Feng Chengyu carrying him.

“But there are too many variables here.”

What variables?

Qin Bao thought in a haze.

His vision swayed; Qin Bao caught blurry glimpses of a car roof.

He didn’t know what Feng Chengyu had fed him, but when he opened his eyes again, he saw the clean, sharp lines of Feng Chengyu’s jaw and the cabin window of a plane. Beyond the glass, the sky was pitch black.

When he finally woke completely, he was already lying in a bed. The scent of narcissus was terrifyingly dense, instantly soaking the sheets beneath him once more.

His first true heat had begun.

Feng Chengyu passed him some fresh water mouth-to-mouth. Before the man could pull away, Qin Bao leaned forward on instinct, desperately chasing those thin lips.

He loved… Feng Chengyu so much.

Feng Chengyu’s gaze darkened, holding him, steadying him: “What should I do? I’m regretting it now.”

Qin Bao couldn’t hear clearly: “…”

Feng Chengyu threaded his fingers through Qin Bao’s hair, forcing the boy to look directly at him: “…Once I give you a permanent mark, I want you to keep it forever. I won’t allow you to remove it. Do you accept?”

Qin Bao nodded. In truth, no matter what Feng Chengyu was saying right now, he would agree unconditionally.

He truly loved Feng Chengyu so much.

Feng Chengyu tightened his grip, yet softened his voice to a gentle murmur: “Bao Bao, swear it.”

Qin Bao forced out two words with difficulty: “I swear.”

Feng Chengyu smiled and let go, and Qin Bao immediately captured his lips.

They kissed with ravenous hunger.

The Alpha had long been pushed to the edge of unraveling. Scooping the boy up, he pressed him against the icy glass of the window, revealing a breathtaking expanse of starry sky outside.

Qin Bao’s arms were completely limp, even the skin along his limbs flushed an unnatural rosy pink. He couldn’t grasp what was happening, nor did he know where in the universe they were.

He could only vaguely remember that he had agreed to something monumentally important, and feel Feng Chengyu’s scorching body radiating lethal pheromones.

The sharp ache of a blade tearing through flesh, rehearsed time and time again, finally arrived for real.