Chapter 16
Jun Yanxing took a deep breath and finally answered his question: “No.”
The educational path he followed was different from ordinary families. Jun Hua focused more on capability than grades, though he certainly didn’t allow him to slack off in his studies. During his four years studying abroad, he had completed all the courses Jun Hua arranged for him. Upon returning to the country, he was meant to enter the company directly, gaining practical experience while continuing further studies to prepare for inheriting the family business—
Of course, that was the original route in his past life. This life was no longer the same.
Tang Zhuo had only asked casually; given how Jun Yanxing looked when he first returned, he didn’t look like someone going to school. Furthermore, he smelled alcohol.
“Did you drink?” Tang Zhuo asked.
Drinking so late—who was he drinking with? Tang Zhuo felt a twinge of envy just thinking about it. He didn’t even dare to leave the residential complex, yet Jun Yanxing not only came back this late but had gone out for drinks…
Meeting Tang Zhuo’s slightly resentful gaze, Jun Yanxing felt a strange, inexplicable flicker of guilt for some reason. He frowned slightly and said somewhat unnaturally, “I didn’t drink much.”
Tang Zhuo pursed his lips and went back to eating his cantaloupe. The living room suddenly fell quiet, leaving only the noisy sounds of the TV drama.
Jun Yanxing stole a glance at Tang Zhuo, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter. The current atmosphere made him uncomfortable, yet he didn’t understand why Tang Zhuo was unhappy. It was just like how he didn’t understand why Tang Zhuo was often inexplicably happy; he couldn’t grasp the logic behind Tang Zhuo’s emotional shifts.
He thinned his lips and glanced at Tang Zhuo again. After a long while, Jun Yanxing finally spoke in a low voice, breaking the silence first: “I won’t go in the future.”
In any case, he truly didn’t want to go to that kind of place again.
“Hmm?”
Tang Zhuo was startled to suddenly hear him speak, taking a moment to process it. He blinked and looked at Jun Yanxing.
Just now… Jun Yanxing was coaxing him, right?
Tang Zhuo wasn’t entirely sure, but he felt his mood brighten instantly. Being willing to speak softly to him proved that the man cared about his thoughts, and that was exactly what Tang Zhuo needed most right now.
“It’s not like I’m forbidding you from going. Having a drink once in a while is nothing.”
Tang Zhuo scrunched closer to Jun Yanxing’s side, a hint of sweet softness in his voice. “It’s just… next time you go, can you take me with you?”
Unprepared for Tang Zhuo suddenly leaning in to act spoiled, Jun Yanxing froze, his body stiffening. At this moment, he realized that he had just compromised with Tang Zhuo so easily—even though it was a decision he had already made, in the context of the conversation, it felt more like he had made a concession…
Jun Yanxing furrowed his brow. However, the sweet, fresh scent of peach drifted over, quickly soothing the annoyance and displeasure in his heart.
Jun Yanxing lowered his eyes, looking at Tang Zhuo who was mere inches away. Tang Zhuo’s eyes were curved into a beautiful arc, his gaze clear and soft, filled with such intense expectation that it was hard to refuse.
Jun Yanxing’s gaze dipped slightly, landing on Tang Zhuo’s two rosy lips. The sticky fruit juice clinging to them made his lip color look even more lustrous and… even more enticing.
He suddenly raised his hand and caressed Tang Zhuo’s beautiful face. The tender, warm sensation transmitted through his fingertips, bringing a gentle tremor to his heart.
Tang Zhuo blinked in surprise. He felt Jun Yanxing’s palm brush against his cheek; the man’s fingertips were slightly cool, and the pad of his thumb rubbed gently near the corner of Tang Zhuo’s mouth, causing a slight itch.
But his attention was on the man’s eyes—those pitch-black pupils were so deep, it felt as though they were going to pull him in.
“What’s in it for me?” he heard Jun Yanxing ask, his voice slightly husky.
What’s… in it for him?
Tang Zhuo felt his head spinning. He struggled to think before he understood Jun Yanxing’s meaning. He was asking what the benefit was if he took Tang Zhuo out for drinks next time? But… but why was he touching his face?
His Omega friends had never done this to him. His father, however, would occasionally cup his face like this, saying his cheeks were soft and nice to touch. But that was his father, the person closest to him; surely his relationship with Jun Yanxing hadn’t reached that level yet?
Tang Zhuo felt Jun Yanxing was lacking a sense of boundaries, but thinking of his own behavior of insisting on sticking to him, he felt guilty again.
It… it doesn’t seem too excessive.
And he didn’t feel uncomfortable—if he ignored his increasingly fast heartbeat. Tang Zhuo tried hard to recall his “Mr. Alpha” just to barely maintain his composure.
He started thinking about the benefit for Jun Yanxing. What did Jun Yanxing need? Recalling their interactions so far, Tang Zhuo’s eyes lit up slightly. He said hurriedly, “I’ll give you another massage tomorrow night, how about that?”
“Is that all?”
To his surprise, Jun Yanxing didn’t seem satisfied. Tang Zhuo bit his lip and stole a peek at Jun Yanxing, but he couldn’t decipher anything from the man’s indifferent expression.
He pondered for a moment and said, “Then… then I’ll massage you every night this week, okay?”
If that really didn’t work, he would go find Yueyue. Although Yueyue was an “Omega” and might not be able to give him a sufficient sense of security.
“Is what you want…” he heard Jun Yanxing’s deep voice say slowly, “…just to go out drinking with me?”
Tang Zhuo nodded. To be precise, he wanted to go out and see the outside world, and psychologically he needed a “guardian” to accompany him—just like every time he went out in his original world.
“Is that okay?”
Tang Zhuo looked at Jun Yanxing nervously, only to see the corners of the man’s mouth curve slightly in an ambiguous smile. He was momentarily dazed.
This seems to be the first time I’ve seen Jun Yanxing smile…
“Okay.”
Jun Yanxing nodded. The hand on Tang Zhuo’s face tightened slightly, pinching and squeezing the soft flesh on his cheek. Tang Zhuo snapped back to reality and pouted, swatting the hand away.
“Don’t do that… you’re hurting me!”
Jun Yanxing had only given a light pinch and hadn’t used much force, yet two red marks were left on Tang Zhuo’s fair skin. Seeing Tang Zhuo rubbing his cheek pitifully, Jun Yanxing’s eyes flickered, and he said softly, “Sorry.”
Tang Zhuo grumbled. “You can pinch if you want, but not so hard.” Then he made a formal declaration, “And… you have to ask me first. You can only pinch after getting my consent.”
Watching Tang Zhuo’s huffing appearance, the corners of Jun Yanxing’s mouth involuntarily curved into a tiny arc. This time, the smile was a bit more sincere. He suddenly didn’t want to overthink whether Tang Zhuo’s performance in front of him was real or fake.
At least for this moment, the lightness and joy in his heart were real.
While Tang Zhuo was still muttering, Jun Yanxing suddenly raised his hand again and caressed the other side of his face.
“…”
Why is he so disobedient? He just finished the left side and now he wants the right?
Tang Zhuo’s skin was excellent, with almost no visible pores. The soft flesh of his cheeks was slightly puffed out because he was annoyed, looking squishy and pleasant to the touch. Having just tasted the “sweetness,” Jun Yanxing naturally knew how good it felt to pinch them, but this time, he didn’t use force.
His thumb and index finger dipped slightly, creating two small dimples in Tang Zhuo’s soft, pink cheeks. The soft flesh between the two dimples naturally squeezed between his fingers as if it were being held.
“This pressure…” Jun Yanxing spoke slowly, “…is this okay?”
Tang Zhuo couldn’t help but freeze, staring blankly at Jun Yanxing. He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he found that in those dark, usually indifferent eyes, there seemed to be a bit more of a soft light. His tone had also become much gentler…
(/o/o/)
A flush surged onto Tang Zhuo’s cheeks. After two seconds of dazedness, he hurriedly pulled away and moved back to his original position with his head down, fearing Jun Yanxing would notice the heat on his face.
“That… well…” Tang Zhuo stammered, “You… sit further away. I… I need to apply medicine!”
Seeing the scar cream on the coffee table, Tang Zhuo remembered something and quickly picked up the tube. Jun Yanxing watched his reaction and lightly rubbed his fingertips together, doing as he was told and sitting a bit further away on the other side of the sofa.
Only then did Tang Zhuo bend one leg and unscrew the cap to start applying the cream. A few days had passed, and the scrapes on his legs had scabbed over; he had removed all the gauze last night. He carefully applied the cream to his knees, feeling the coolness of the ointment. His mood gradually stabilized, though Jun Yanxing’s expression from just now kept flashing through his mind…
He wasn’t actually that much gentler, but perhaps because Jun Yanxing was usually too fierce, the contrast of him suddenly becoming mild was a bit hard to handle.
But… what use is it even if Jun Yanxing is good?
He couldn’t possibly like him. In this world, they can only be friends or relatives.
Tang Zhuo took a deep breath and silently recited his “Mr. Alpha’s” name in his head, finally managing to control his heartbeat.
As the wounds he was treating moved lower, his posture became increasingly contorted. Perhaps because he was five years older and the original owner didn’t usually bother with exercise, this body’s flexibility wasn’t very good; Tang Zhuo soon felt uncomfortable. He had to put his leg down and switch to a leaning position, but that caused blood to rush to his head and couldn’t be sustained for long.
“Give it to me.”
At that moment, a hand reached out from the side. Tang Zhuo blinked and looked over to see that Jun Yanxing had moved back at some point. In his daze, Tang Zhuo let him take the ointment.
“You… are going to help me apply it?”
“Once is raw, twice is familiar.” (Practice makes perfect).
When he said this, Tang Zhuo remembered how he had dragged the man over yesterday and made him apply the liquid medicine. Tang Zhuo felt a bit embarrassed and couldn’t help but steal a look at him. Seeing that Jun Yanxing’s expression was neutral—not enthusiastic, but showing no signs of being forced—he chuckled and happily lifted his leg, resting it across the sofa.
He couldn’t resist someone being kind to him, especially in this world where he was all alone.
“Then I’ll trouble you!” Tang Zhuo said softly. “Jun-jun, you’re so good~”
Jun Yanxing’s hand jerked, nearly dropping the cream. He shot an unreadable glance at Tang Zhuo, but looking at the man’s flushed face and sweet, honey-like smile, he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
“Come here.” He patted the spot beside him.
Tang Zhuo paused for a moment, but eventually obeyed, lifting his leg and moving over. This way, his knee rested right above Jun Yanxing’s thigh. Their distance had closed significantly again. The heat that had seemingly subsided crept back onto Tang Zhuo’s cheeks.
The cream landed on the shin area. Feeling the coolness, Tang Zhuo slowly took a deep breath until… he felt that burning, large palm grip his ankle. The thick, wide palm could completely wrap around his ankle. Jun Yanxing wasn’t using force, yet there was a dominant strength he couldn’t resist. Heat invaded the skin of his ankle from the man’s dry palm, bringing a slight shiver to his spine.
These strange, unfamiliar sensations eroded his composure, making Tang Zhuo lower his head until it was almost buried in his chest. Yet, the culprit seemed unaware of the impact he was having.
Jun Yanxing gently lifted his foot. Because he was shy, Tang Zhuo instinctively curled his toes. The tensed arch showed a healthy pink color, which made the scars on it even more eyesore.
Staring at the scars, Jun Yanxing’s brow furrowed slightly. “How did you get injured?”
These injuries also seemed to have been left recently, but clearly not from being dragged by the kidnapper that day.
“A car… car accident,” Tang Zhuo whispered.
He regretted it a bit now; he shouldn’t have let Jun Yanxing apply the medicine for him. But at the same time, Tang Zhuo couldn’t help but despise himself, feeling ashamed and guilty toward Jun Yanxing. After all, Jun Yanxing was helping him out of kindness, yet he was secretly thinking all sorts of things about him and having such strange feelings about his touch…
Tang Zhuo buried his head even deeper. It’s not like he was a three-year-old who knew nothing; he had watched no less than a hundred idol dramas growing up. His theoretical knowledge was very rich; he wasn’t some silly, dense little Omega.
But in this world, they were of the same gender. There was never any possibility between them. If Jun Yanxing knew about those strange thoughts just now, he would surely hate him and stay far away, right?
Thinking of this, Tang Zhuo felt a wave of stuffiness in his chest. He didn’t want to lose Jun Yanxing as a friend—not for his emotional state, and certainly not for his current wallet.
But trying to think of Jun Yanxing as an Omega is truly so hard… T^T
If he had to substitute him for a character from his original world, it could only be—
“Big brother?”
“What?” Jun Yanxing looked up in confusion.
Tang Zhuo only then realized he had accidentally said it out loud. He hurriedly shook his head and explained randomly, “I… I meant heh heh… it’s a bit itchy.”
Jun Yanxing looked at him suspiciously but let go of his ankle nonetheless, saying in a low voice, “Right side.”
“Oh, right.”
Tang Zhuo shifted his position, struggling to lift his right leg, which was encased in a cast. Since they were sitting together on the sofa, both of his legs were now resting on Jun Yanxing’s thighs, making it look as though he were semi-sitting in the man’s lap.
Fortunately, Jun Yanxing’s expression was neutral, as if he were focused solely on the scars. This gave Tang Zhuo a professional feeling similar to a doctor’s, successfully resolving his tension and embarrassment.
Gazing at Jun Yanxing’s handsome, young profile, Tang Zhuo blinked. He suddenly realized—he couldn’t think of Jun Yanxing as an older brother either, because…
Jun Yanxing was actually a few months younger than him!
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