Interruption

After hanging up the video call, Shi Qi’s mind remained occupied by the image of Shang Sui smiling.

Before they said goodbye, the Alpha gave him a goodnight kiss through the screen, murmuring stickily, 'Love you, baby. You’re so good.'

Shi Qi couldn’t bring himself to spill sweet nothings as easily as he did, only whispering, 'Goodnight.'

He had been too focused before; only after standing up did Shi Qi realize, with a dull thud of awareness, just how much this phone call had affected him.

Although his reproductive cavity was well-developed, due to Gland Atrophy Syndrome, he usually felt nothing there; yet recently, it had been blatantly asserting its presence, reminding him of the physical constitution that set an Omega apart from the other two genders—a sensation he had never experienced before.

He bit his lip, legs feeling soft, and walked slowly into the bathroom.

Shi Qi caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror by accident and froze in place.

He had never seen himself wear such an expression: eyes damp, as if infatuated.

Was this the face he had been showing to Shang Sui just moments ago?

It was as if he were going through a Heat Phase.

Shi Qi lowered his head, the heat that hadn’t yet faded from his face washing over him once more.

This time, the shower lasted longer than usual; by the time he emerged, Shi Qi was completely drained of energy.

He dried his hair and crawled into bed, heavy with sleep.

When Lin Yan pushed open the Dormitory door, he thought he had walked into the wrong room.

Usually, this was the time of day when Shi Qi was most energetic, but tonight the main lights were already extinguished, leaving only the orange glow of the small desk lamp Shi Qi had left for him.

'Shi Qi?' Lin Yan asked in a low voice. 'Are you asleep?'

A faint sound came from the direction of Shi Qi’s bed.

Lin Yan assumed he wasn’t asleep yet: 'So early tonight? Tired from studying? Don’t even get me started—I almost fell asleep in the Library too, my head bobbing like I was back in high school morning study sessions.'

Shi Qi murmured in a soft voice, 'Shang Sui…'

'Hm? Did Shang Sui look for you today?'

When no answer came after a long while, Lin Yan suddenly realized.

Oh! He must be dreaming.

Thinking about it, ever since he started dating Shang Sui, Shi Qi hadn’t seemed to suffer from insomnia again.

Half a year ago, when Shi Qi’s condition began to worsen, Lin Yan hadn’t said anything aloud, but he had been anxious inside; back then, no one had expected such an incredible turn of events.

In the past, when Shi Qi chose freedom over longevity, Lin Yan had naturally supported his decision, knowing that Shi Qi was the type of person who couldn’t endure being wronged—if he were truly forced to be bound to an Alpha he didn’t like, one of the two would surely end up dead.

But the thought of his best friend, who he had grown up with, not living to see fifty—even a brief consideration of it was enough to drown a person in immense loneliness and fear.

The year Shi Qi was diagnosed with Gland Atrophy Syndrome, Shi An had initially forbidden anyone from revealing the condition, and Jiang Li hadn’t had the heart to break the news to his youngest son.

It was Jiang Yoning who had handed the medical records directly to Shi Qi, believing that her younger brother had the right to know his true physical state.

Shi Qi stayed alone for three days and three nights. Everyone was on pins and needles, terrified he might do something desperate.

By the fourth day, Jiang Yoning began to regret her impulsiveness. Shi Qi emerged from his room acting as if nothing had happened.

When Shi An cautiously asked for his thoughts, Shi Qi said he had thought it through and could accept his situation.

It was Lin Yan who, after finding out, spent an entire month living in fear.

Both he and Shi Qi were afraid of the dark and of ghosts; they had to cling to each other when watching horror movies. At that moment, with his still-youthful face, Shi Qi had calmly stated that he had Gland Atrophy Syndrome; in that instant, Lin Yan felt he was braver than anyone else he knew.

As a bystander, he had felt suffocated countless times; the pressure Shi Qi endured was surely no less.

At his most terrified, he had even wanted to say to Shi Qi, 'Would you consider just settling for Fu Siyue?'

'I want you to live. Even if we’re both old and gray, I still want to be your best friend.'

'I don’t want to lose you.'

…

…

Thank goodness.

Lin Yan smiled, using the light Shi Qi had left for him to wash up, moving as quietly as he could.

-

On the day finals ended, a fine mist of rain drifted from the sky.

Shi Qi didn’t have an umbrella, so he pulled up the hood of his down jacket to shield himself from the rain. Through his earphones came the voice of Jiang Yoning: 'Finished with exams? Let me come pick you up and take you home!'

'I want to stay at Shang Sui’s place for a couple of days first.'

'Oh~ you’re going to find your butterfly,' Jiang Yoning teased, dragging out the syllables. 'Once you go, will I even be able to see you again?'

'…'

Jiang Yoning knew that an Alpha and Omega in the throes of new love were always inseparable, so she stopped teasing him: 'Right, Dad Xiao An asked where you wanted to go for vacation this year. He wants to find somewhere warmer, and we’ll spend the New Year there. Like an island?'

Shi Qi had intended to say anything was fine, but changed his mind at the last second: 'Qi Jiang?'

Despite running into the psycho Yu Zhiling, on the whole, he quite liked the flower-filled, pleasantly climate-controlled Qi Jiang.

'Qi Jiang? That’s not bad, it’s convenient being domestic.'

Jiang Yoning remembered something: 'We went to Qi Jiang when we were little, do you remember?'

'A little,' Shi Qi recalled. 'Was it the year I went through Differentiation?'

Jiang Yoning fell silent for a moment, gave a simple acknowledgement, and moved to another topic: 'Your sister-in-law was supposed to go on vacation with us, but her shifu passed away a while ago. The person didn’t have any family or friends, just her as a student.'

Jiang Yoning’s girlfriend was a journalist who often ran around the world chasing news, sometimes not seeing each other for weeks at a time.

'She’s busy handling the funeral arrangements; I don’t know if she’ll be able to make it once she’s done…'

After hanging up, Shi Qi checked the time.

Shang Sui had mentioned earlier that he had business to attend to and told him to go home first after his exams, even asking if he needed a driver to pick him up. Thinking it wasn’t worth the trouble, Shi Qi had called a car himself.

Having just been rained on, Shi Qi took a quick shower after getting home.

Not knowing where Shang Sui kept his pajamas, Shi Qi searched the walk-in closet to no avail, finally just pulling out one of the Alpha’s shirts.

The pure black silk pajamas gave off a faint scent of hinoki wood. Shi Qi had originally wanted to put on the pants too, but the size didn’t fit him; he kept stepping on the cuffs and nearly tripping.

Seeing the top hung down to his thighs, he simply curled up on Shang Sui’s bed just like that.

Having pulled all-nighters for finals, now that it was finally over, Shi Qi played on his phone for a while before he started to yawn.

Remembering that when Shang Sui had explained his schedule, he mentioned it was for an elder’s birthday celebration—judging by his tone, he would likely be back very late. Shi Qi decided to take a nap first.

Outside the window, the sky darkened completely, and the light drizzle gradually ceased.

In his haze, Shi Qi felt someone stroking his face.

The person’s long fingers carried the scent of the Pheromone he liked; Shi Qi couldn’t help but lean into the palm, rubbing against it unconsciously.

His small movements pleased the other. Through the soft down duvet, a mountain-like weight suddenly pressed down on him, and the Alpha’s long, sturdy arms braced on either side of Shi Qi’s face, trapping him completely.

Shi Qi couldn’t move, his lips parting slightly, which only made it easier for the intruder.

A soft, agile tongue drove straight in, kissing him with a desperate intensity. Shi Qi’s thin eyelids flickered, but he remained lost in his dream.

Seeing he wouldn’t wake, the man only escalated the assault.

His lips were pressed and ground repeatedly; Shi Qi struggled in his sleep, making soft whimpering sounds, unable to breathe. The suffocating sensation of being occupied finally forced him to open his eyes.

The Omega’s cheeks were stained a light, delicate crimson; unlike his usual self, his newly opened eyes held a dazed and ignorant look.

Like a princess in a fairy tale awakened by a kiss.

'Awake?' Shang Sui poked his nose tip affectionately. 'You were sleeping so soundly.'

The voice seemed to have magic, dragging Shi Qi from the remnants of his dream.

He met the Alpha’s bright pupils and only then noticed that Shang Sui was wearing a formal suit.

The sharp tailoring of the suit highlighted his physical advantages; his broad shoulders and narrow waist were on full display.

Against the backdrop of black and white, his face appeared colder than usual, and with his leaning posture, a pure black tie hung down over Shi Qi’s chest.

Even with such simple attire, Shang Sui wore sparkling jewelry. White diamonds were set into his earrings and cartilage studs, and the fingers stroking Shi Qi’s cheek wore stacked rings of varying widths.

Shi Qi couldn’t help but stare at him, lost in thought.

'Is Xiao Qi doing this on purpose? Lying on the bed like this, looking at me with those eyes.'

'What?'

Shang Sui said it lightly: 'Seduced me.'

Shi Qi had only just woken up and was caught off guard by the accusation: 'I didn’t—'

'Mm-hmm, you didn’t. It’s just that everything I look at seems like seduction to me,' Shang Sui agreed readily. 'I think about you all day long; if you even glance at me, my soul almost drifts away.'

He hooked his knuckle and tugged at the knotted tie.

The shirt collar opened slightly, revealing a small tattoo near the collarbone. Shi Qi stared blankly at him, wanting to ask who exactly was seducing whom.

Taking advantage of Shi Qi’s distraction, Shang Sui gently lifted his head.

The tie caught between his fingers wrapped around the back of Shi Qi’s head, and by the time he regained his senses, everything before him was pitch black.

Shang Sui blindfolded his eyes and tied a neat knot.

Shi Qi wasn’t used to it and reached out instinctively.

Before he could grab the tie, both his hands were caught. Shang Sui interlaced his fingers with his and pressed his hands down on either side of the pillow.

This position of being held captive made Shi Qi purse his lips: 'What are you doing?'

The other answered with a non-sequitur, his words filled with obsession: 'Your skin is so white.'

The Omega pinned to the bed was like a prisoner belonging to him alone. His white-gold hair scattered in fine strands across the pillow, his small, upturned nose and full, tender lips submerged in the flowing light—every inch of his silhouette was flawless.

'…Aren’t you the same.'

'Ask you a question, you have to tell the truth, okay?' Shang Sui gently stroked his chin. 'After hanging up the phone that day, did you do anything bad to yourself?'

Shi Qi wasn’t good at lying; he remained quiet for a long time, saying nothing.

Shang Sui gave his waist a prodding pinch.

Shi Qi let out a muffled groan and finally spoke: 'I tried.'

Before Shang Sui could press him further.

'But I couldn’t,' Shi Qi said, as self-abandoned as he had been that day, whispering in his arms. 'I tried for a long time, but I couldn’t do it myself.'

It took Shang Sui a moment to process the meaning.

This unexpected answer made his eyes widen slightly; for a split second, an intense sense of pleasure overwhelmed his reason, as if an electric current had surged up his spine.

If this situation happened more and more frequently, until it truly became a habit…

Would Shi Qi ever be able to leave him?

Thanks to Shi Qi being unable to see, he didn’t know what expression Shang Sui was wearing now.

A look bordering on evil crawled onto the Alpha’s face, a light tempting one to fall rippling from the depths of his pupils:

'Poor thing, little baby.'

Shang Sui’s tone was full of pity, and then he chuckled: 'It was very hard, wasn’t it? Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you from now on.'

His words made Shi Qi’s spine tingle, his entire body, even his heart, feeling as if it were being restrained by a pair of invisible, massive hands.

Understanding what his 'taking care of' implied, his body began to heat up uncontrollably.

Shang Sui lifted Shi Qi’s face, forcing him to tilt his head back, and a lingering, passionate kiss fell once more.

Shi Qi was kissed until he felt dizzy; thinking of what he had promised Shang Sui to do after exams, his fingers pressed into the pillow curled slowly.

Ding-dong, ding-dong—

Without warning, the doorbell suddenly rang.

The continuous sound made Shi Qi part his lips, pulling him back from his daze: 'Someone is looking for you.'

Shang Sui didn’t want to deal with it at all, whispering in the interval between kisses: 'Let him wait.'

After getting no response for a long time, the person started calling.

Shang Sui’s phone was always on silent; only the screen lit up, displaying the name Jiang Yan.

Shi Qi was blindfolded and didn’t know what was happening, but he could feel Shang Sui pause, then curse under his breath.

This was the first time he had ever heard Shang Sui use profanity.

Shang Sui was annoyed to death; the thought that just as he had finally waited for Shi Qi to finish his exams, that loser Jiang Yan had to go and create trouble for him—

Feeling Shang Sui reach out to touch his waist, seemingly not wanting to pay any attention, Shi Qi couldn’t help but say: 'He seems very urgent, you should go open it… Mmph!'

The doorbell continued to ring like a death knell.

Seeing Shi Qi concerned about the person outside, Shang Sui had no choice but to get up.

Before leaving, he untied the blindfold from Shi Qi’s eyes, kissed his flushed face, and found a suitable hoodie set for Shi Qi from the bedroom closet before going to open the door.

Jiang Yan stood outside the door, waiting for a long time without any movement.

He had called several times without getting an answer. Although Shang Sui didn’t like replying to messages, he always picked up calls; Jiang Yan was just hesitating when the door was suddenly pulled open from the inside.

Shang Sui stood by the door, one hand gripping the handle, looking at him with a gloomy expression.

Jiang Yan was startled, feeling as if the person in front of him were a vengeful ghost, and greeted him sheepishly:

'Uh, Brother Xiao Sui, good evening.'

Shang Sui raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Yan was just about to ask if he had interrupted his sleep, given how full of resentment he looked.

'Unless you have something urgent. Like Shen Qianyu trying to rape you and you’re running to me for help—'

Ignoring Jiang Yan’s suddenly reddened face and stuttering voice, Shang Sui coldly finished the second half of the sentence: 'Otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite.'