Dance studio.
The man in the mirror was breathing slightly heavily, drenched in sweat. His originally deep features now bearing a hint of wildness. He twisted open a bottle of mineral water and drank it all in one go, head tilted back.
He was trying to suppress his irritation.
There was no problem with the choreography, and he had practiced it thoroughly.
The choreography teacher gently reminded, “God Che, it’s getting late.”
“Mm.” Ling Che tossed aside the bottle, “Let’s do it one last time.”
He practiced late into the night again.
Xiao An was dozing off when his name was called. He woke up with a start, only to see Ling Che’s furrowed brow as expected.
These days, Ling Che was experiencing an unprecedented level of restlessness.
The reason was simple.
For the first time in his life, he had entered an alpha’s susceptible period.
When Ling Che first felt that irritation, he didn’t know what was happening. Everything seemed to go wrong, and nothing looked right to him. Despite getting eight hours of sleep, he would wake up feeling unrested. The toothbrush he was accustomed to using suddenly felt too harsh, the ring of his phone seemed too loud, and during rehearsals and recording sessions, he found fault with everything.
He hadn’t been staying at the Ling family home recently, choosing instead to stay in his own house.
Ying Chen’s home was next to his, and one night, Ying Chen came over with a bottle of wine to drink with him.
Seeing him nitpicking and finding fault everywhere, Ying Chen suddenly said, “Hey, are you going through that thing?”
Ling Che drank his wine, looking impatient: “Which thing?”
Ying Chen said leisurely: “The susceptible period.”
Ling Che’s reaction was delayed for a moment.
He found it difficult to accept this reality.
An alpha’s susceptible period would often occur after separating from their omega, especially after the first marking. The body particularly craved the omega’s pheromones, which was why many AO couples lacked restraint. Symptoms include irritability, poor sleep quality, and an inability to stay calm. If the alpha was especially enamored with the omega, the symptoms would be even more pronounced until they were once again exposed to the omega’s pheromones.
The Creator was fair.
Although omegas were inherently at a disadvantage and physiologically under the control of alphas, conversely, omegas could also have a significant impact on them.
Ling Che fell silent.
Did he long for… Xu Tangzhou?
Since the last time, several days had passed without contact between them.
The last message still read “I have,” as if Xu Tangzhou would never reach out to him unless he initiated contact first.
He knew that once back in the country, Xu Tangzhou would go back to the hospital to get his medication for pheromone sensitivity. It was certainly not like in Surland, where he blushed and eagerly wanted to be bitten.
Yet, this time it was clear that the person he said he liked was Xu Tangzhou.
Ying Chen didn’t take pleasure in his misfortune anymore but instead asked, “How does it feel after the first marking?”
Ling Che didn’t want to discuss this topic.
He wasn’t like Ying Chen, who took pleasure in being a playboy and dared to tell any risqué joke.
“It feels great, doesn’t it?” Ying Chen swirled the wine in his glass, the fans could never imagine their Movie Emperor, a human treasure, shamelessly discussing the pleasure of marking, “Teeth sinking in deep, the sweet glandular fluid seeping into the mouth, your pheromones mingling with his, as if biting deeper could completely devour him. In that moment, the mind goes blank, and there’s this trembling excitement in the scalp. Tsk.”
“Are you a pervert?” Ling Che raised an eyebrow, “It’s just a bite, yet you describe it like it’s something else.”
Ying Chen said, “It’s the truth. What’s there to be afraid of saying? Don’t you feel the same? Or did you not enjoy marking that much?”
Ling Che didn’t answer.
Whether he enjoyed it or not, he didn’t need a third person to know.
He kicked Ying Chen, who then started laughing, this damaging friend of his.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Lfs, la’r pera ajix,” Tlcu Jtfc rjlv klat jwerfwfca. “P tjnfc’a aglfv la wsrfio. Ktfs rjs la bcis kbgxr lo atfgf’r j tlut mbwqjalylilas bg lo sbe gfjiis ilxf atf batfg qfgrbc.”
Olcu Jtf: “Rba tlut.”
Tlcu Jtfc rjlv, “Ktfc la wera yf yfmjerf sbe gfjiis ilxf atf batfg qfgrbc.”
Ling Che surprisingly did not refute.
Ying Chen became interested, even putting down his wine glass: “God Che, how much do you like this one? More than your ex?”
Ying Chen knew about Ling Che’s past heartbreak.
When they met, Ling Che was much more melancholic than he was now.
Back then, Ling Che composed a score for a movie Ying Chen starred in but was reluctant to write the theme song, saying their movie was trash and he couldn’t think of any lyrics that would fit, so he could only deliver an instrumental piece.
At that time, Ying Chen found him disagreeable and opposed him at every turn.
Neither was willing to concede through their back-and-forth disputes. They ended up getting together after all the bickering.
Ling Che didn’t talk much about this ex, nor did he bring it up often. Ying Chen rarely had such direct conversations with him about it.
This time, he thought Ling Che wouldn’t answer, but he got a response.
“It’s the same person,” Ling Che said.
Ying Chen was shocked.
Ling Che drained the wine in his glass, gazing out at the city’s night view through the window, and said again: “The ex is Xu Tangzhou.”
“What? You fell for the same person twice?” Ying Chen could hardly believe it, “Ling Che, are you too sentimental? He dumped you before, and you still fell for him again?”
No wonder the person who usually didn’t spare a glance for others would give a temporary mark to a partner experiencing a pseudo-heat during the recording of a program.
Ling Che was never promiscuous, nor was he gentle, and certainly not a philanthropist.
Ling Che: “Now, he has amnesia.”
Ying Chen: “……”
Who would believe such a plot?
Ling Che might have been too agitated, or perhaps he was drunk, as he gave him a glance: “That’s not important.”
The information was overwhelming.
From the moment he learned the truth, Xu Tangzhou had been unable to digest such a volume of information for several days.
For the first time, he felt that his psychological endurance was inadequate.
Ling Che… and… him? Dated?!
If it weren’t for what Huang Qian said, he would sooner believe he had won a ten-million lottery than believe such a thing! What kind of miraculous turn of events was this, that he had dated the person he liked without his knowledge?
Could those dreams… have actually happened?!
Was Ling Che really his ex?!! Was he the legendary Ling Che’s omega?
And he dumped Ling Che? Is he blind???
Could he ask to get back together?
All of this was simply too far beyond his expectations. He had thought at most they had some unpleasantness in the past like having fought before.
But the truth was more shocking to him than all the understanding he had accumulated about Ling Che over the years.
No wonder the first time he met Ling Che, the reaction was so adverse, and Ling Che disliked him so much! At that time, Ling Che didn’t know about his amnesia, so when he saw him and heard Huang Qian introduce him as someone who had never been in a relationship… what must Ling Che have felt?
No wonder Ling Che would say something like “If you want me to take him, maybe in the next life.”
But they still ended up collaborating.
So what had Ling Che been feeling these past few days?
Caught off guard by the revelations of the past, Xu Tangzhou asked Huang Qian again, “Huang ge, you knew all along. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Wasn’t this just like falling into a trap!!
Huang Qian explained, “I only found out a few days ago myself. It was when your inhibitor was taken and we were checking the surveillance footage that Ya jie, worried about the two of you living together possibly leading to trouble, told me about it. It seemed she originally didn’t want to disclose this matter. At that time, I was worried it would affect your condition, so I planned to wait until you finished recording the show to tell you.”
Xu Tangzhou nodded. He remembered Huang Qian mentioning that he had something to tell him.
But why didn’t he say it later?
Huang Qian sighed, “It was Ling Che. He asked me not to interfere and specifically told me not to tell you about it.”
To avoid further complications and unnecessary speculation, he decided not to tell Xu Tangzhou.
Xu Tangzhou understood.
He now understood why Ling Che had never mentioned it before—such a proud person would never let an amnesiac ex know that they had been dumped by them!
Not to mention, even when he didn’t know about his amnesia, Ling Che had specifically instructed him not to casually talk about their matters with others.
At the time, he thought Ling Che just didn’t want to stir up scandals, but it turned out there was this reason too!
Truly an oblivious Xu Tangzhou!!!
These past few days, Xu Tangzhou had been reflecting on himself.
Fortunately, since their last parting at the airport, Ling Che hadn’t contacted him, as if there was nothing left to say between them.
If there was contact, he really wouldn’t know what to say!
What he didn’t expect was that upon arriving at the company, he learned some news.
Ling Che had come to the company.
Ling Che’s visit to the company was considered internal news. Even though they were both artists under Star Realm, some people had never seen him even once, which showed just how rare his visits were.
Everyone was discussing what Ling Che wore today, who he talked to, and the extravagant budget for his concert, among other things.
It was said that Ling Che came to the company specifically to discuss the details of his concert.
After filming 《Our Perfect Journey》everyone knew that Ling Che and Xu Tangzhou might truly be friends.
Xu Tangzhou was taking classes at the company, and the acting teacher kindly asked him, “God Che is at the company. Zhouzhou, won’t you go and say hello during your break?”
Xu Tangzhou: “……”
He didn’t dare. He had to pretend he wasn’t in the company.
But after class, a trainee who hadn’t debuted yet asked him, “Zhouzhou, I heard God Che came to the company today. Since you two are so close, could you help me get an autograph?”
Xu Tangzhou awkwardly said, “He might be a bit busy.”
The trainee said apologetically, “That’s true. Sorry, but if you get a chance, could you get one for me?”
Xu Tangzhou could only say, “I can.”
Having just made a promise he wasn’t sure he could keep, he breathed a sigh of relief, only to run into Xiao An while eating in the cafeteria.
“Zhouzhou!” Xiao An was too enthusiastic, greeting him from afar.
Xu Tangzhou: “……”
Ling Che couldn’t possibly be here too, could he?
Xiao An was already approaching.
“What a coincidence!” Xu Tangzhou gave him a slight smile, “Are you here on business?”
Xiao An had come to pick up milk tea, which was already packed and he seemed in a hurry: “Brother Che is in a bad mood, so I came to get him some milk tea.”
Mentioning Ling Che made Xu Tangzhou’s heart skip a beat, hearing that name always made him a bit uncontrollably excited.
Fortunately, Ling Che wasn’t in the cafeteria!
However, why would Ling Che be in a bad mood?
Xiao An didn’t seem to know about their past.
Of course, Ling Che definitely wouldn’t tell such things to an assistant.
“Brother Che is in his room.” Xiao An asked, “Do you want to come up with me?”
Xu Tangzhou said earnestly, “You guys are so busy, I won’t go up. I have to attend class as well.”
After finishing his classes in the afternoon, Xu Tangzhou ran into Situ Ya at the elevator entrance.
It seemed like the whole world was related to Ling Che today.
Situ Ya was aware of their past, but because Xu Tangzhou had been performing well, she held no prejudice against him and even invited him, “Zhouzhou, let’s have dinner together tonight.”
Xu Tangzhou tried to remain calm, “Ah? Thank you, Ya jie. I’ve already made plans with a friend and am about to head home.”
Situ Ya said gently, “Postpone your plans with your friend for next time. Didn’t Huang Qian tell you? There’s a last-minute arrangement for you to meet with the producers today.”
Xu Tangzhou: “……”
Situ Ya added, “Oh, and go call Ling Che to join us. He’s in his room.”
Xu Tangzhou felt like the sky was falling.
It took Xu Tangzhou more than ten minutes of dawdling before he reluctantly made his way to the door of Ling Che’s room.
The first time Huang Qian brought him to the company, he had been to this room, and his first impression was that it was messy.
This time, his first impression… was still messy.
The door was ajar, with instruments, posters, and performance costumes all piled up haphazardly in their original places, looking like a storeroom—except for the cup of milk tea on the table, one-third drunk.
It must have been the one Xiao An bought at noon.
There was no one in the room, and just as Xu Tangzhou was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard a somewhat hoarse voice.
“If you have something to say, say it. If not, get out.”
Following that, Ling Che sat up from the sofa with his back to the door.
He was wearing a black hoodie. His hair disheveled, with faint dark circles under his eyes, squinting impatiently as he looked over.
In just a few days, the aura of an alpha about him had intensified, his S-class pheromones spreading far and wide.
Xu Tangzhou met his gaze.
In an instant, his heart stopped beating, and he instinctively wanted to flee.
His first thought was, Ling Che was indeed in a very bad mood!!
“Xu Tangzhou,” Ling Che said irritably.
Xu Tangzhou immediately shrank a little, his legs feeling weak.
Too alpha.
What was he thinking at the time, to be such a heartbreaker?
“Um, Ya jie said it’s time for dinner,” Xu Tangzhou said obediently and naturally.
However, Ling Che looked at him for two seconds and concluded coldly, “Are you avoiding me?”
Marachne:
Tired ah I’ll update two chapters on Wednesday \o/ Hehehe… For now, I’ll be reading novels to refill my energy bar 
Damn, how did he figure it out so quickly?!
Thanks for the chapter!
Thanks for avoiding the cliffhanger! But now, why do I feel like this is also a cliffhanger though… Ha. crying laughing
Thanks so much for the chapters!
He is truly unlucky~
Thank You for the new chapter (੭ु ›ω‹ )੭ु⁾⁾♡