After Transmigrating as the Omega Fiance of the Cannon Fodder Top - Chapter 9

Luo Yao finished slicing the fruit in the kitchen. After having Shu Baiyu and Lu Xingzhou eat a few pieces, she handed the remaining plate to Lu Xingzhou. “Xiao Xi just went back to his room. Bring this up to him.”

Shu Baiyu, who was still munching on fruit, felt his radar go off instantly. Before Lu Xingzhou could agree, he reached out and snatched the plate.

—Never give the Cannon Fodder Top and the Protagonist Bottom a chance to be alone!

It was the first time Lu Xingzhou had seen him so proactive. His gaze lingered on the plate Shu Baiyu had grabbed before he reached out to take it back. “I’ll do it.”

But Shu Baiyu held on tight. Lu Xingzhou actually couldn’t pull it away on the first try.

Shu Baiyu refused to let go: “I’ll deliver it.”

Lu Xingzhou was displeased: “I can handle it.”

The plate was held between the two of them, neither side budging in the stalemate. Luo Yao watched for a while, completely baffled by their struggle. She tried to take it back: “…Maybe I should just do it?”

“No need…”

Another voice cut between them. They turned to see Tao Xi, who had just come downstairs to fetch something. He reached out weakly: “Um… maybe I should just take it myself?”

Seeing him come down of his own accord, Shu Baiyu let go and lowered his gaze as if nothing had happened. Lu Xingzhou also released the plate, glancing at the crown of Shu Baiyu’s head.

“Gosh…!” Luo Yao ended up inventing a suitable reason for them in her head. “They’re just too enthusiastic! Both of them wanted to bring you fruit!”

Tao Xi gave a forced smile, preparing to retreat from this inexplicable “crematorium” of a scene. Out of the corner of his eye, however, he suddenly spotted the bite marks on Shu Baiyu’s gland. His eyes widened in shock.

Though he had seen many open-minded couples during his time abroad, it was rare to see people like Lu Xingzhou and his partner being so blatant right under the noses of their parents!

Shu Baiyu, unsettled by the intensity of the stare, turned his head, his eyes seemingly asking what was wrong. Lu Xingzhou also turned following Shu Baiyu’s reaction.

Seeing this, Tao Xi quickly replied, “No, it’s nothing.”

As a cover, he hurriedly stuffed a piece of apple into his mouth. When he looked down, the tips of his ears were red.

Shu Baiyu naturally noticed the suspicious redness. He glanced at Lu Xingzhou, whose gaze was fixed on Tao Xi, and froze. Suddenly, a realization struck him. His eyes darkened; he couldn’t understand why the Protagonist Bottom was blushing at Lu Xingzhou when he already knew the man was engaged.

And Lu Xingzhou, too—did he not realize he was just a Cannon Fodder Top?

After a pause, Shu Baiyu lowered his eyelids. His gaze swept over a fruit platter on the counter and then over the seemingly ambiguous atmosphere between Lu Xingzhou and Tao Xi. Conveniently, Luo Yao wasn’t in the room.

Suddenly, he looked up: “Brother Lu.”

Lu Xingzhou looked over at the sound of his voice, and something wet and cool touched his lips. Shu Baiyu had speared a piece of fruit and was holding it to his mouth, his eyes staring straight at him from beneath his long bangs.

Abruptly meeting those dark eyes, Lu Xingzhou instinctively opened his mouth. Shu Baiyu hadn’t expected such cooperation. To prevent him from changing his mind once he realized what was happening, Shu Baiyu shoved the entire piece of fruit into Lu Xingzhou’s mouth the moment it opened.

After the crude movement, he performed a token act of concern: “Careful not to choke.”

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

After forcing himself to swallow the whole piece of apple, he shot a direct look at Shu Baiyu. Shu Baiyu, having finished the feeding, noticed Tao Xi’s gaze was also fixed on them.

Just as Lu Xingzhou was about to speak, he saw Shu Baiyu spear another piece. Expecting another aggressive delivery, he was surprised to see the boy’s movements go into slow motion this time.

Shu Baiyu gave a toneless demonstration: “Ah—”

“…”

Lu Xingzhou seemed to catch on. He caught a glimpse of Tao Xi staring at them blankly. Looking back at Shu Baiyu, who was holding the fruit, he took the initiative to lean down. His thin eyelids lifted, his light-colored eyes staring intently at the boy as he bit off half the fruit and pulled back: “You eat the rest.”

Shu Baiyu held the remaining half-apple on the toothpick, his movements and expression frozen mid-air: “…?”

Lu Xingzhou very considerately pushed the “leftovers” toward him: “You haven’t eaten yet.”

Shu Baiyu: “…”

The disgust in his eyes was palpable. Lu Xingzhou, acting as if he didn’t see it, continued to prompt him. Shu Baiyu didn’t move, instead looking at Tao Xi.

Noticing the look, Tao Xi suddenly realized he was likely interrupting them. His face turned bright red. He shouted, “You guys continue!” and bolted back upstairs.

Only when his figure disappeared around the corner did Shu Baiyu withdraw his gaze. Turning back, he felt a gaze on him. Lu Xingzhou was watching him—who knew for how long—and even tilted his chin slightly, asking, “Why aren’t you eating?”

Shu Baiyu: “…”

He placed the half-apple in Lu Xingzhou’s hand, said “I don’t like it,” and went upstairs to his room as well.

Lu Xingzhou didn’t stop him. However, after the boy had completely left, the indifferent expression on his face slowly turned cold, his lip line pulling tight.

Though he had known Shu Baiyu had changed, he felt it even more strongly now; the more he interacted with him, the more “off” he felt. It was strange enough that Shu Baiyu lacked common knowledge, but now Lu Xingzhou sensed that Shu Baiyu was very concerned about the relationship between him and Tao Xi, constantly trying to show intimacy in front of the other boy.

All of Shu Baiyu’s strange behaviors flooded his mind. Since the Jian family banquet, Shu Baiyu had changed, actively approaching him and even sticking to his side. Now, he was being so defensive about Tao Xi.

Could it be…

A thought he would never have entertained before slowly rose in his mind.

Could it be that Shu Baiyu has fallen for him?

That would explain all of his strange actions so far. At this thought, his heart skipped a beat, and his grip on the toothpick tightened. So, Shu Baiyu had given up on pursuing Qi Yan and begun to silently pursue him instead? Despite his shock, this was the only logical explanation.

Finishing his thoughts, Lu Xingzhou exhaled slowly. His emotions were unreadable, but his first reaction wasn’t actually one of disgust. After a moment, he pulled his focus back.

He found Shu Baiyu very peculiar. His own pheromones had mutated since his second differentiation—he had no scent. For an Alpha, this was a humiliating blow to his self-esteem. His parents had taken him to various hospitals, and after a series of treatments and tests, the diagnosis changed: from having no pheromones to having pheromones that others simply couldn’t smell.

But there was a chance for recovery. Unless someone with an extremely high matching rate appeared, it was unlikely anyone would ever smell him. If that happened, his “pseudo-scentless” condition could be treated.

He thought he would never receive further treatment until that night when Shu Baiyu blurted out those words. Even though the boy hadn’t shown any signs of smelling him since, Lu Xingzhou still didn’t believe it—especially not with such a high matching rate as evidence.

If Shu Baiyu liked him, then he could use that to get the truth out of him.

Shu Baiyu spent a peaceful night staying on guard to prevent Lu Xingzhou from approaching Tao Xi. The next morning, the Lu family intended for Lu Xingzhou to help Tao Xi with his school transfer procedures, but fortunately, Tao Xi declined, saying his parents had already arranged everything. Lu’s parents let Lu Xingzhou off the hook.

It was Wednesday. Shu Baiyu checked his schedule; he had no classes this morning. He certainly wasn’t going to stay at the Lu house, so he returned to school with Lu Xingzhou.

However, just as they reached the school gate and Shu Baiyu prepared to head to his dorm, Lu Xingzhou suddenly stopped him. He turned back, puzzled, only for Lu Xingzhou to say: “Go to the teaching building.”

Shu Baiyu was confused: “I don’t have classes this morning.”

“I know.” Lu Xingzhou nodded quite calmly, his gaze matter-of-fact. “You’re coming to class with me.”

Shu Baiyu’s first instinct was to refuse, but he remembered Lu Xingzhou’s earlier condition and his own plan. After a moment of silence, he gave a flat “Oh” and followed behind him.

Lu Xingzhou was exceptionally handsome and already drew attention at school. Shu Baiyu, as the subject of half the school’s gossip, was also a notable figure. They attracted many stares along the way.

Before they reached the building, someone suddenly burst from the crowd and threw an arm around Lu Xingzhou’s neck. Shu Baiyu glanced up, confirmed it was Wei Li, and lowered his gaze in disinterest.

Lu Xingzhou was very direct in his dislike of the contact, pushing Wei Li away. Wei Li was used to the distance; he shamelessly draped his arm back over Lu’s shoulder while peeking at the person following them.

“Hey, I heard on the way here that someone was chasing after you—a toad trying to eat swan meat. I was wondering who was so bold, but I didn’t expect it to be your fiancé again! What kind of medicine did he take? Why is he following you instead of Qi Yan now?”

Surprisingly, Lu Xingzhou didn’t ignore him this time. He glanced at him sideways. That lukewarm look was enough to let Wei Li know he was unhappy. Wei Li stopped talking, but his eyes kept wandering toward Shu Baiyu.

He couldn’t help but click his tongue: “No wonder… people on the street said they thought you were being followed by a pervert. With that hairstyle, he really does look a bit ‘retro’ (non-mainstream), doesn’t he?”

At this, Lu Xingzhou stopped in his tracks, turned to him, and asked: “Are you very free today?”

Wei Li was stunned. “Huh?”

Lu Xingzhou didn’t spare him another look. “You don’t have classes in this building today.”

Reminded of this, Wei Li checked the time and hurriedly said goodbye: “Class is starting, Brother Lu, I’m off!”

Lu Xingzhou ignored him. Once he was gone, he turned to Shu Baiyu, who had stopped two steps behind him. Shu Baiyu didn’t understand why he had suddenly braked; he looked up curiously and met Lu Xingzhou’s gaze.

For some reason, Lu Xingzhou’s gaze lingered on his face much longer today. Just as Shu Baiyu was about to check if something was on his face, Lu Xingzhou reached out toward him.

With a flick of his fingers, he lifted half of Shu Baiyu’s bangs. Lu Xingzhou watched him silently for a long moment before letting the hair fall back. Shu Baiyu found it bizarre; he ruffled his bangs back into place and looked at Lu Xingzhou with a confused expression.

Lu Xingzhou remained still, but his gaze was strange as he asked: “Why don’t you cut your hair?”

Shu Baiyu fixed his bangs, feeling perfectly fine with them. He told the truth: “Too much trouble.”

Lu Xingzhou paused, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Before Shu Baiyu could catch the expression, Lu Xingzhou flicked him on the forehead and turned away, commanding:

“Let’s go.”

Shu Baiyu frowned, rubbed his forehead, and followed.

Inexplicable.