Chapter 9

Luo Yao cut up some fruit in the kitchen. After letting Shu Baiyu and Lu Xingzhou eat a few pieces, she handed another prepared plate to Lu Xingzhou.

“Xiao Xi just went back to his room. Take this to him.”

Shu Baiyu had still been eating from the fruit platter, but the moment he heard this, his internal alarm immediately went off.

Before Lu Xingzhou could agree, Shu Baiyu reached out and took the plate first.

He absolutely would not give the cannon-fodder Alpha any opportunity to be alone with the protagonist Omega!

This was the first time Lu Xingzhou had seen him behave so enthusiastically.

His gaze paused briefly on the fruit platter Shu Baiyu had snatched away before he reached out to take it.

“All right.”

However, Shu Baiyu was gripping it tightly.

When Lu Xingzhou tried to take it, he unexpectedly failed to pull it away.

Shu Baiyu refused to let go.

“I’ll deliver it.”

Lu Xingzhou looked displeased.

“I can do it.”

The fruit platter remained held between both of them as they stood in a stalemate.

Luo Yao watched them for a while but could not understand why they were fighting over it. She attempted to take it back.

“…Why don’t I do it instead?”

“No need…”

Another voice interrupted them.

They turned around and saw Tao Xi, who had just come downstairs to retrieve something.

He weakly extended a hand.

“Um… Why don’t I take it myself?”

Since he had voluntarily come downstairs, Shu Baiyu released the plate and lowered his gaze, acting as though nothing had just happened.

Lu Xingzhou glanced at the top of his head before also releasing the fruit platter.

“Oh!” Luo Yao ultimately invented an appropriate explanation for them. “The two of them are simply too enthusiastic. They both wanted to bring you some fruit!”

Tao Xi smiled awkwardly.

He was just about to escape from this inexplicable [Read on BaiLianTales]battlefield when something caught the corner of his eye.

He suddenly noticed the bite marks on Shu Baiyu’s gland.

His eyes widened in shock.

Although Tao Xi had encountered many open-minded couples during his time abroad, it was rare to see people as brazen as Lu Xingzhou and Shu Baiyu, displaying such intimacy directly beneath their family’s noses.

Shu Baiyu was startled by his overly shocked stare.

He turned his head, his gaze seemingly asking what was wrong.

Lu Xingzhou also turned in response to Shu Baiyu’s movement.

Seeing this, Tao Xi hurriedly replied, “N-Nothing.”

As if trying to conceal his reaction, he hastily stuffed a piece of apple into his mouth.

When he lowered his head, even the tips of his ears were red.

Shu Baiyu clearly noticed the suspicious redness on his ears.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Lu Xingzhou’s gaze resting on Tao Xi.

He froze.

Then he abruptly realized something.

His eyes darkened slightly.

He could not understand why the protagonist Omega was blushing at Lu Xingzhou even though he already knew Lu Xingzhou was engaged.

And Lu Xingzhou—didn’t he understand that he was merely a cannon-fodder Alpha?

After a pause, Shu Baiyu lowered his eyelids.

He happened to see another plate of sliced fruit on the kitchen counter.

His gaze moved between Lu Xingzhou and Tao Xi, who seemed surrounded by a suspiciously ambiguous atmosphere.

Luo Yao was also conveniently absent.

Shu Baiyu suddenly raised his head.

“Brother Lu.”

Lu Xingzhou turned toward the sound.

A cool, damp piece of fruit touched the corner of his mouth.

Shu Baiyu had speared a piece of fruit and was holding it against Lu Xingzhou’s lips.

Beneath his long bangs, his dark eyes stared directly at him.

For some reason, Lu Xingzhou looked into those black eyes and instinctively opened his mouth.

Shu Baiyu had not expected him to cooperate so readily.

To prevent him from suddenly changing his mind after realizing what was happening, Shu Baiyu immediately shoved the entire piece of fruit into Lu Xingzhou’s mouth the instant he opened it.

After the rough movement, he still dutifully expressed concern.

“Don’t choke.”

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

After forcing down the whole piece of apple, his gaze shot directly toward Shu Baiyu.

After feeding him, Shu Baiyu noticed Tao Xi looking at them as well.

Lu Xingzhou was just about to speak when he saw Shu Baiyu spear another piece.

Just as he became wary that Shu Baiyu would bailiantales.com once again use the skewer to send an entire piece of fruit straight into his mouth, the other man’s movements suddenly became almost exaggeratedly slow.

Shu Baiyu demonstrated without emotion:

“Ah—”

“…”

As though realizing something, Lu Xingzhou glanced from the corner of his eye at Tao Xi, who was staring at them blankly.

When he looked back at Shu Baiyu, who was holding out the fruit, he cooperatively lowered his head.

His thin eyelids lifted, and his lighter-colored eyes stared unblinkingly at Shu Baiyu.

He opened his mouth and bit off half the fruit before leaning back.

“You eat the rest.”

Shu Baiyu held the remaining half of the apple on the skewer.

Every movement and expression froze in midair.

“…?”

Lu Xingzhou considerately pushed the leftover fruit toward him.

“You haven’t eaten any.”

Shu Baiyu: “…”

The disgust in his exposed eyes was obvious.

Lu Xingzhou acted as though he had not seen it and continued urging him.

Shu Baiyu said nothing and did not move.

Instead, he looked toward Tao Xi, who was still staring at them.

The moment Shu Baiyu looked at him, Tao Xi abruptly realized that he might be interrupting the two of them.

His face immediately turned bright red.

“You two continue!”

After shouting that, he quickly ran upstairs.

Only after his figure disappeared around the corner did Shu Baiyu withdraw his gaze.

When he turned back, he noticed the stare behind him.

Lu Xingzhou was watching him.

Shu Baiyu had no idea how long he had been observing him.

Even now, Lu Xingzhou slightly raised his chin and asked:

“Why aren’t you eating?”

Shu Baiyu: “…”

He placed the remaining half of the apple into Lu Xingzhou’s hand.

“I don’t like apples.”

Then he also went upstairs and returned to his room.

Lu Xingzhou did not stop him.

Only after Shu Baiyu had completely disappeared did Lu Xingzhou’s previously indifferent expression gradually turn cold.

His relaxed lips also tightened into a straight line.

Although he had already known that Shu Baiyu had changed, the more he interacted Read on BaiLianTales with him, the more strange things he noticed.

Shu Baiyu’s lack of basic common knowledge was already strange enough.

Furthermore, Lu Xingzhou had begun to vaguely realize that Shu Baiyu seemed extremely concerned about his relationship with Tao Xi.

He repeatedly tried to display intimacy with Lu Xingzhou in front of Tao Xi.

Every strange way Shu Baiyu had behaved toward him suddenly surfaced in Lu Xingzhou’s mind.

After the Jian family banquet, Shu Baiyu’s attitude toward him had changed considerably.

He had begun voluntarily approaching him and even clinging to his side.

Now he was also guarding so carefully against Tao Xi approaching him.

Could it be…

An idea Lu Xingzhou would never previously have considered slowly arose in his mind.

Could Shu Baiyu have fallen for him?

That would explain all of Shu Baiyu’s strange behavior until now.

The moment the thought appeared, Lu Xingzhou’s heart trembled.

His fingers tightened around the fruit skewer.

So Shu Baiyu had given up pursuing Qi Yan and had begun silently pursuing him instead?

Although it was shocking, this was currently the only explanation that made sense.

After thinking it through, Lu Xingzhou slowly exhaled.

The emotions in his eyes were difficult to decipher.

Surprisingly, his first reaction was not disgust.

After a moment of silence, he pulled his wandering thoughts back.

Coincidentally, he also found Shu Baiyu strange.

Ever since Lu Xingzhou had differentiated, his pheromones had been abnormal.

He had no pheromones.

For an Alpha, such a blow was equivalent to a humiliation of his dignity.

His parents had taken him from hospital to hospital.

After a long series of examinations and treatments, the doctors eventually revised their diagnosis.

Rather than possessing no pheromones at all, Lu Xingzhou’s pheromones simply could not be detected by others.

There was still a possibility of recovery.

Only someone with an extraordinarily high compatibility rate might be able to smell his pheromones.

If such a person appeared, that could become the point from which his pseudo-pheromone-deficiency disorder might be treated.

Lu Xingzhou had believed that his condition would never progress any further.

Then, that night, Shu Baiyu had blurted out a single sentence.

Although Shu Baiyu still had not openly shown that he could smell Lu Xingzhou’s pheromones, Lu Xingzhou did not believe him.

Especially now that their extraordinarily high compatibility rate supported his suspicions.

If Shu Baiyu liked him, then Lu Xingzhou could use that to coax the truth out of him eventually.

Shu Baiyu remained vigilant against Lu Xingzhou getting close to Tao Xi and finally passed the night without incident.

Early the next morning, the Lu family even intended to have Lu Xingzhou help Tao Xi handle the stolen contentprocedures for transferring universities.

Fortunately, Tao Xi quickly refused, saying that his parents had already arranged everything and that he could take care of it himself.

Only then did Lu Xingzhou’s parents let him off.

It was Wednesday.

When Shu Baiyu woke, he checked his timetable and saw that he had no classes that morning.

He certainly had no intention of remaining at the Lu residence, so he returned to the university with Lu Xingzhou.

However, just as they reached the university entrance and Shu Baiyu prepared to return to his dormitory alone, Lu Xingzhou suddenly called out to him.

Shu Baiyu turned around in confusion.

Lu Xingzhou said, “We’re going to the academic building.”

Shu Baiyu looked puzzled.

“I don’t have class this morning.”

“I know.”

Unexpectedly, Lu Xingzhou nodded calmly.

The way he looked at Shu Baiyu made it seem perfectly natural.

“You’re attending class with me.”

Shu Baiyu instinctively prepared to refuse.

Then he remembered Lu Xingzhou’s earlier condition and his own plan.

After a moment of silence, he ultimately said, “Oh,” lowered his head, and followed behind Lu Xingzhou.

Lu Xingzhou was exceptionally handsome and naturally attracted attention at the university.

Meanwhile, Shu Baiyu was responsible for at least half of the university’s gossip and could also be considered a well-known figure.

They attracted numerous stares along the way.

As they reached the academic building, someone suddenly emerged from the crowd and threw an arm around Lu Xingzhou’s neck.

Shu Baiyu raised his eyelids for a glance.

After confirming it was Wei Li, he lowered his gaze again in disinterest.

Lu Xingzhou expressed his dislike of Wei Li’s behavior very directly.

He immediately pushed him away.

Wei Li was already accustomed to his distant attitude.

After being pushed away, he shamelessly put his arm around Lu Xingzhou’s shoulders again, while his unauthorized copyeyes secretly glanced toward the person following behind them.

“Hey, on my way here, I heard someone was trailing behind you like a toad trying to eat swan meat. I wondered who could be that bold, but it turns out it’s your fiancé again!”

“What medicine did he take by mistake? Why is he following you instead of Qi Yan now?”

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Lu Xingzhou did not ignore him as he normally would.

Instead, he raised his eyes and glanced at him.

That neither warm nor cold look was enough to make Wei Li understand that he was displeased.

Wei Li wisely stopped talking, although his eyes continued drifting toward Shu Baiyu.

Unable to restrain himself, he clicked his tongue again.

“No wonder… The people on the road said they nearly thought you were being stalked by a pervert. With that hairstyle, he really does look a little non-mainstream.”

After hearing this, Lu Xingzhou stopped walking completely.

He turned toward Wei Li.

“Do you have nothing better to do?”

Wei Li froze.

“Huh?”

Lu Xingzhou no longer spared him another glance.

“You don’t have class in this building today.”

After being reminded, Wei Li finally reacted.

He hurriedly checked the time and said goodbye.

“Class is about to start. Brother Lu, I’m leaving!”

Lu Xingzhou ignored him.

Only after Wei Li had gone far away did he turn toward Shu Baiyu, who had also stopped two steps behind him.

Shu Baiyu did not understand why he had suddenly stopped.

He raised his head curiously and met Lu Xingzhou’s gaze.

For some reason, Lu Xingzhou seemed to spend much longer looking at his face today.

Just as Shu Baiyu prepared to raise a hand and check whether something had gotten onto his face, Lu Xingzhou suddenly extended his hand toward him.

With a lift of his fingers, he brushed aside half of Shu Baiyu’s bangs.

Lu Xingzhou quietly looked at him.

After a long while, he let the hair fall back down.

Shu Baiyu found the action inexplicable.

Afterward, he touched his bangs and looked at Lu Xingzhou with confusion.

Lu Xingzhou remained standing there.

However, the way he looked at Shu Baiyu seemed unusual.

“Why don’t you cut your hair?”

Shu Baiyu messed up his bangs again.

Satisfied with the result, he answered honestly:

“Too troublesome.”

Lu Xingzhou paused.

Then the corner of his lips unconsciously curved upward slightly.

Before Shu Baiyu could clearly see his expression, Lu Xingzhou flicked him on the forehead with one finger and turned away.

“Let’s go.”

Shu Baiyu frowned.

He rubbed his forehead and followed him.

Inexplicable.