Chapter 24

The bathroom suddenly fell into an awkward silence.

Shu Baiyu had not yet dried his face, and water ran straight down from his forehead, unexpectedly getting into his eyes.

He narrowed them and rubbed the water away. When he looked again, Lu Xingzhou had already wrapped a towel around his waist, leaving only his upper body exposed.

Lu Xingzhou’s skin was fairer than that of most Alphas. Shu Baiyu had previously assumed he would be somewhat thin and weak, but after seeing him today, he realized he had been mistaken all along.

Water droplets clung to his exposed body. Perhaps because he had only just finished showering, a layer of mist filled the bathroom, making his figure appear slightly blurred.

His muscles were not exaggerated, but everything that should be there was there. The clean, aesthetically pleasing lines of his V-cut disappeared beneath the white towel.

Shu Baiyu’s eyes instinctively landed there, and he counted the number of abdominal muscles.

After pausing, he counted them again.

Then he abruptly turned around and silently lifted the hem of his own shirt.

After comparing them, he fell silent for a long time before slowly recovering his expression.

For some reason, Lu Xingzhou read a profound sense of grief on his face.

Seeing that Shu Baiyu had not reacted for so long, Lu Xingzhou assumed he had been frightened by the situation and cautiously called out:

“Shu Baiyu…?”

Only then did Shu Baiyu return to his senses and apologize.

“I didn’t know you were in here.”

If he had known, he would have opened his eyes and checked before pushing the door open.

He had been so drowsy that he had not even noticed another person inside.

Fortunately, Lu Xingzhou did not seem to mind.

After speaking, Shu Baiyu quickly glanced toward him, frowned, and hurried out of the bathroom.

Lu Xingzhou remained standing inside and stared at the closed door.

The image of Shu Baiyu’s fully exposed face still lingered before his eyes.

With his bangs completely swept back, it was nearly impossible to look away.

Whenever people praised someone’s appearance, Shu Baiyu had never been mentioned.

Lu Xingzhou had met the Jian family’s eldest son, Jian Jiaheng, before. He was good-looking and considered one of the most handsome Alphas in their social circle.

Although Shu Baiyu had taken his mother’s surname, he and Jian Jiaheng had been born to the same parents.

Lu Xingzhou had once found it strange.

There was no reason the eldest son should be handsome while the younger one was too unattractive to be seen in public.

He had not expected the truth to be like this.

Although he did not know why Shu Baiyu kept his hair so long, the bright black eyes beneath his bangs were indeed unforgettable.

By the time Lu Xingzhou came out of the bathroom, Shu Baiyu had already returned to his bedroom.

Lu Xingzhou’s bedroom was directly opposite his. When he passed by, he saw Shu Baiyu standing before the full-length mirror with his shirt lifted, exposing a large portion of his waist and abdomen.

Shu Baiyu’s brows were slightly furrowed, clearly considering something.

Remembering his reaction in the ​stolen content​bathroom, Lu Xingzhou smiled silently and changed direction, walking over to him.

“What are you doing?”

Shu Baiyu was startled by the figure that suddenly appeared in the mirror, but quickly recovered and turned toward him.

“Why haven’t you put on clothes yet?”

Lu Xingzhou lowered his head and glanced at himself.

His expression remained unchanged. Not only did he fail to answer, but he moved even closer and gestured toward the mirror.

“Comparing this?”

Both of them were reflected in the full-length mirror.

Lu Xingzhou still looked exactly as he had when leaving the shower. The lines of his body were clearly reflected, creating a sharp contrast with Shu Baiyu.

Shu Baiyu immediately dropped his shirt and took a step away.

There was no harm without comparison.

Lu Xingzhou clearly knew that, yet he had deliberately come closer!

Lu Xingzhou acted as though he had not noticed Shu Baiyu’s expression at all and continued the previous topic.

“Actually, your physique is much better than that of most Omegas.”

Unlike the soft bodies of other Omegas, Shu Baiyu was slender but covered in a thin layer of muscle. His waist was flexible, lean, and genuinely well proportioned.

Shu Baiyu understood what he meant.

However, perhaps because Lu Xingzhou had just finished showering, a faint trace of pheromones still surrounded him.

Shu Baiyu was already highly sensitive. Now, whenever he remained close to Lu Xingzhou, all kinds of strange thoughts uncontrollably appeared in his mind.

He did not answer and turned his head aside.

“Put on some clothes.”

“Mm.”

Lu Xingzhou nodded without reacting and returned to the master bedroom.

Only then did Shu Baiyu seem to be released. He abruptly exhaled in relief.

After glancing at the full-length mirror again, he turned it around until it could no longer reflect him, then left in satisfaction.

On the way there yesterday, he had seen several shops through the car window.

There seemed to be many breakfast shops beneath the residential compound.

Shu Baiyu looked back at Lu Xingzhou’s half-open bedroom door. As he bent down to put on his shoes, he silently decided to bring back a portion for him as well.

After all, Lu Xingzhou had cooked dinner yesterday.

With this thought, he closed the door and went outside.

He slowly walked around the residential compound, familiarizing himself with the area, then bought two portions of steamed buns and soy milk from a breakfast shop.

When he took out his phone to pay, he finally saw the two messages Lu Xingzhou had sent earlier.

Lu Xingzhou: You’re not home?

Lu Xingzhou: Where did you go?

Shu Baiyu replied that he had gone downstairs to buy breakfast.

After a pause, he typed another message:

Do you drink soy milk?

He did not know Lu Xingzhou’s preferences.

He had bought only steamed buns and soy milk. If Lu Xingzhou did not eat them, it would waste what little money Shu Baiyu had.

Fortunately, after the message bar showed that the other person was typing for several seconds, Lu Xingzhou replied with a simple:

Mm.

After receiving the answer, Shu Baiyu’s steps became somewhat lighter as he returned to the building.

It was still fairly early, around nine in the morning.

Not many people were wandering around the residential compound at this hour.

While Shu Baiyu stood by the entrance waiting for the elevator, several people arrived one after another, including a young man around his age.

When he saw Shu Baiyu, [unauthorized copy]the other man’s eyes suddenly brightened. A trace of amazement flashed through them.

When he saw that Shu Baiyu had pressed the button for the same floor, his smile became even wider.

“You live on the ninth floor too? What a coincidence! I also live on the ninth floor!”

By now, Shu Baiyu’s mind had more or less accepted the secondary genders of the ABO world.

Whenever he needed to identify someone, he first judged based on appearance. If he could not tell visually, only then would he pay attention to their pheromones.

As far as he knew, besides Alphas and Omegas, there was another secondary gender called Beta.

The person standing beside him appeared to be one.

The young man was fairly handsome. When he smiled, two small canine teeth appeared, making him look friendly and easy to get along with.

Mm…

Shu Baiyu lowered his head and considered him.

This was probably what people called a cute, puppy-like boy.

Shu Baiyu was relatively easy to speak with when someone showed no obvious hostility.

He nodded.

“Mm.”

“When did you move in? Why haven’t I ever seen you before?”

As though worried the question might be too forward, the Beta scratched the back of his head.

“Oh, right. My name is Jiang Ji. I’m a Beta and still in university. What about you? Are you an Omega? Are you also a university student?”

“Mm. Shu Baiyu.”

Shu Baiyu watched the elevator display gradually approach the ninth floor.

“I moved in yesterday.”

Jiang Ji appeared pleasantly surprised that he had genuinely received an answer.

“I live in 903. You can come over sometime!”

This time, Shu Baiyu did not directly agree.

This was Lu Xingzhou’s apartment, and he did not know when he might move away, so he did not pay much attention to this “neighbor.”

While Jiang Ji continued talking, the elevator arrived with a chime.

The doors opened.

Jiang Ji still seemed reluctant for the conversation to end.

“Which apartment are you in?”

Shu Baiyu recalled Lu Xingzhou’s apartment number.

“901.”

“901?”

Jiang Ji quietly repeated it.

He was not sure whether he remembered incorrectly, but he thought an Alpha had previously lived in that apartment.

While he muttered to himself, Shu Baiyu had already carried the breakfast to the apartment door.

Jiang Ji followed him with his gaze and only then noticed that the door was open.

A tall man with a cold, imposing presence leaned against the doorframe.

Standing in the entryway, he looked down at the returning Omega.

Seemingly noticing Jiang Ji’s gaze, he lifted his eyelids and glanced toward him.

Jiang Ji’s heart inexplicably tightened.

After clearly seeing Lu Xingzhou’s appearance, he watched Shu Baiyu hand the purchased steamed buns and soy milk to the Alpha waiting at the door.

The amazement and favorable impression in his eyes immediately transformed into astonishment.

Under Lu Xingzhou’s cold, indifferent gaze, he lowered his head, turned on his heel, and hurried away.

Shu Baiyu failed to notice the exchange of looks behind him.

“Why are you standing here?”

He was somewhat surprised to find Lu Xingzhou waiting at the door.

“I haven’t registered your fingerprint yet. I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to open the door.”

Lu Xingzhou calmly accepted the breakfast, entered with him, and casually shut the door.

“I could ring the doorbell,” Shu Baiyu said.

He then turned and saw Lu Xingzhou set down the breakfast before staring silently at him without blinking.

Feeling strange, Shu Baiyu touched his face and frowned.

“What is it?”

Lu Xingzhou’s gaze remained on his face.

As though asking casually, he said:

“Why did you sweep your bangs back today?”

“Mm?”

Hearing this, Shu Baiyu abruptly remembered and immediately pulled down the bangs read the original at bailiantales.com he had pushed onto the top of his head.

“I forgot.”

After leaving the bathroom halfway through washing his face, he had not paid any attention to his hair.

Only after remembering that he had gone outside with his hair in such a mess did he finally understand the strange way that Beta had looked at him.

Lu Xingzhou said nothing about his answer.

His gaze, however, remained fixed on Shu Baiyu’s hair.

Shu Baiyu turned his head away somewhat unnaturally.

While he was still wondering about it, Lu Xingzhou spoke.

“Why do you keep your hair like that?”

He had previously heard about Shu Baiyu pursuing and pestering Qi Yan.

Unless Shu Baiyu had no awareness that his face was an advantage, there was no reason he would not have used it to improve his chances while pursuing someone.

From the way things looked now, Shu Baiyu genuinely seemed unaware that there was anything wrong with his hairstyle.

“?”

Shu Baiyu looked confused.

“I keep it because I want to.”

Lu Xingzhou walked to the dining table and sat down, gesturing for him to come eat breakfast as well.

Once Shu Baiyu began drinking his soy milk, Lu Xingzhou asked again:

“Have you never considered cutting your hair?”

The thought of Shu Baiyu merely sweeping back his bangs to buy breakfast and immediately attracting a fly made Lu Xingzhou inexplicably displeased.

Even so, truthfully, he also wanted to see what Shu Baiyu would look like after cutting his hair.

Shu Baiyu had clearly not expected the question.

Even the straw he was inserting into the soy milk carton went crooked.

He looked up in confusion and, after thinking, still asked:

“…Are you dissatisfied with my hairstyle?”

“No.”

Lu Xingzhou considered it for a moment and produced an explanation.

“I’m merely curious. I want to see what you look like after cutting it.”

Shu Baiyu remained somewhat puzzled, though he no longer cared as much as before.

“Wouldn’t I look the same?”

Lu Xingzhou did not answer directly.

“I’m going to the salon this afternoon. Do you want to come?”

Shu Baiyu lowered his head and was about to blurt out “No” when Lu Xingzhou continued:

“I’ll pay for yours as well.”

The instant he said this, Lu Xingzhou saw Shu Baiyu, who had shown no interest [unauthorized copy]whatsoever, suddenly reach up and touch the ends of his hair, which nearly reached his shoulders.

He finished the last sip of soy milk, then raised his head.

“All right.”

His hair had already grown so long that he would need to cut it sooner or later.

Going with Lu Xingzhou meant receiving a free haircut.

There was no reason not to go.

The mention of payment reminded Shu Baiyu of his current situation.

“How much rent do I need to pay each month while living here?”

Lu Xingzhou paused for an instant, lowered his eyes again, and replied calmly:

“Nothing.”

Shu Baiyu looked surprised.

“I don’t need to pay rent?”

“Mm.”

He had not expected the cannon-fodder Alpha to be so generous.

Not only was Lu Xingzhou covering his transportation and activity expenses, but he did not even require rent.

Shu Baiyu was not someone who accepted favors without gratitude.

After hearing Lu Xingzhou’s answer, he stared steadily at him and spoke with inexplicable determination:

“Don’t worry. I’ll satisfy your requirements.”

He merely needed to act as Lu Xingzhou’s subordinate and follower.

He could tolerate that.

Shu Baiyu did not know whether Lu Xingzhou understood what he meant.

He only saw the other man’s expression abruptly become somewhat strange.

The way Lu Xingzhou looked at him seemed hesitant, and he offered a word of advice:

“…You don’t need to treat me that way.”

“It’s fine. I can accept it,” Shu Baiyu replied.

Lu Xingzhou looked at him.

His lips pressed together several times before he finally nodded.

“I understand.”

The dining table temporarily fell silent.

After some time, Shu Baiyu nearly finished eating and prepared to stand.

At that moment, Lu Xingzhou’s voice sounded again.

“Who was the person outside just now?”

There was no interrogation in his tone. It sounded like an entirely casual question.

Shu Baiyu did not think much ​unauthorized copy​of it and directly repeated the information Jiang Ji had shared in the elevator.

“A neighbor from 903. He’s also in university.”

“Is that so?”

Lu Xingzhou’s voice was faint.

“He should be a Beta.”

Shu Baiyu nodded.

“Mm.”

He was about to stand when he heard Lu Xingzhou emphasize it once again:

“He’s a Beta.”

Shu Baiyu failed to understand what he meant and slowly frowned.

“Yes?”

Lu Xingzhou’s expression remained unchanged.

“He can’t smell an Omega’s pheromones, and he can’t help relieve your heat.”

Shu Baiyu nodded in confusion, indicating that he understood.

“Mm.”

Lu Xingzhou continued without changing his expression:

“Although 903 is nearby, there’s no telling whether his apartment is clean. He doesn’t look like someone who knows how to tidy up.”

Shu Baiyu hesitantly nodded.

“I won’t go to his apartment.”

The other man had probably only been polite. Shu Baiyu had never taken the invitation seriously.

Seeing that Shu Baiyu had not taken the Beta’s words to heart at all, Lu Xingzhou relaxed.

His mood noticeably brightened, and his expression softened when he looked at Shu Baiyu again.

“All right. Get ready. We’ll go for the haircut this afternoon.”