After taking a shower, Xu Ze came out of the bathroom. Lu Heyang was sitting on the sofa with his chin propped up as he watched a movie. Although there was an empty armchair next to him, Xu Ze decided to sit on the bed instead. He sat down and hung his head down to dry his hair.
“Have you eaten?” Lu Heyang turned around to ask him.
Xu Ze revealed his face underneath the towel and replied, “Not yet.”
“Want me to call the restaurant for you?”
“No need.” Xu Ze said, “I already bought something.”
Lu Heyang looked at the tightly wrapped bag on the table, “This?”
“Mn.”
Lu Heyang then turned back and continued watching TV. Xu Ze rubbed his hair with the towel. He took a deep breath and asked, “Do you want to eat with me?”
“Thanks, but I’m full from dinner,” Lu Heyang politely refused.
“Okay,” Xu Ze’s voice was slightly muffled by the towel.
Xu Ze stood up after wiping his hair until it was partially dry. He walked over to the table and unwrapped the bag. While doing so, a strand of hair fell on his face, feeling slightly itchy. Xu Ze raised his hand to wipe beneath his eyes.
The action resembled wiping away tears. Lu Heyang turned to look at him.
Xu Ze kept his eyes down. He was wearing the same black T-shirt that Lu Heyang had already seen him wear three times. His pale lips were pursed, and he looked a little dejected for some unknown reason. Lu Heyang found it strange because Xu Ze wasn’t usually someone who showed much emotion. He didn’t like to smile or talk much, yet sometimes Lu Heyang could detect some subtle emotions from him. Although he thought he might be overthinking it.
“What food did you buy?” Lu Heyang suddenly asked. Inexplicably, he wanted to see Xu Ze’s face at this moment to confirm if he was truly feeling down or if it was something else.
Xu Ze didn’t turn his head, but his movements noticeably paused. He squeezed the plastic bag strap in his hand tightly, as if it was very difficult to answer the question.
Nevertheless, he answered, “Egg custard buns.”
Slightly surprised, Lu Heyang repeated, “Egg custard buns?”
“Mn.”
The room suddenly fell silent, and Lu Heyang looked back at the TV screen. After a while, he stood up and walked over to the table. He reached out to open the plastic bag. The contents were still warm, and the heat enveloped his fingertips. Lu Heyang saw that there were not only egg custard buns, but also other dim sum, each one individually packed and covered with multiple layers of plastic to keep them dry.
He raised his head to look at Xu Ze, only to find that Xu Ze was also looking at him. His eyes were attentive, even if it was only for a brief moment—because as soon as their eyes met, Xu Ze averted his eyes and tried to shift the focus to cover it up, “Do you want to eat some?”
This question had been rejected once before, and Xu Ze wasn’t supposed to ask it again. However, he had no other words to use at the moment, so he had to ask again.
Lu Heyang placed one hand on the edge of the table, leaned forward slightly, and replied with a question, “Did you go to the city?”
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.
“Mn.”
“Lbk vlv sbe ufa atfgf?”
“Ktfgf’r j yer rabq vbkctlii,” We If lcobgwfv tlw tbcfrais.
“Pr la ojg?”
“Pa’r jybea akb xlibwfafgr bc obba, jcv j 40-wlceaf yer glvf ab atf mlas.”
We If’r rqfjxlcu rqffv kjr cflatfg ojra cbg ribk, jcv tf fcecmljafv tlr kbgvr mifjgis, ilxf j cjnlujalbc rsrafw qgbnlvlcu j gbeaf obg lar erfg. Coafg ajxlcu j rtbkfg, tlr ybvs fzevfv atf rwfii bo mifjc rtbkfg ufi, jcv rlcmf tf kjrc’a kfjglcu tlr kglrayjcv, tf mbeivc’a tlvf atf qtfgbwbcfr fnfc lo tf ragfceberis aglfv ab mbcagbi atfw.
“So, you spent over three hours going back and forth,” Lu Heyang concluded.
“Mn.” Xu Ze hadn’t looked closely at the time, but after some calculations, it had probably taken that long.
“That place is still there?” Lu Heyang looked at Xu Ze’s face and asked.
“It’s no longer open. I bought it from another restaurant,” Xu Ze replied and added, “They said the ones from this place are also delicious.”
Lu Heyang noticed that Xu Ze needed a nudge to talk, meaning he would respond to questions truthfully but wouldn’t initiate conversation voluntarily—but that wasn’t the main point.
The main point was that Xu Ze had spent over three hours in a completely unfamiliar place, navigating through more than a dozen alleys looking for a small restaurant with the word “happy” in its name, which in addition no longer existed. How many detours he had made and how many people he had asked for directions, only Xu Ze knew.
Lu Heyang lightly traced circles on the smooth tabletop with his index finger and asked, “Why?”
This question was neither casual nor serious, but it completely jolted Xu Ze awake.
He hadn’t thought that much about it when he ran down the mountain and took the bus to the city. He hadn’t considered how to give a reasonable explanation for his behavior. Now it seemed that this was simply something that couldn’t be explained at all—why would he spend over three hours buying food for someone he barely knew?
“Because…” Xu Ze took a step back and supported his hand on the table, trying to appear more natural. He felt Lu Heyang’s gaze bearing down on him. His mouth was dry, and he licked his lips and looked at the carpet, “You said it was delicious, so I wanted to try it.”
This answer wasn’t very honest. Lu Heyang wanted to tell Xu Ze that he didn’t seem like the type of person who would go out of his way to buy food just because he had a craving.
But he just looked straight at Xu Ze, and only when Xu Ze’s face was turning white from the intense stare, Lu Heyang slowly spoke, “Ah, it’s like this.”
Xu Ze forgot to even nod and just stood there.
“Go ahead and eat,” Lu Heyang finally said, “Rest early after eating.”
He sat back on the sofa and looked down at his phone. Xu Ze belatedly replied with an “mn” and removed the wrapping foil and plastic cover before sitting on the chair.
Suddenly, a scream came from the TV, drawing both of their attention. Xu Ze glanced at the screen, then tilted his head slightly to glance at Lu Heyang. Unexpectedly, Lu Heyang also looked at him and said, “You can come over to the sofa to watch.” Since it was a little difficult to watch the screen from where Xu Ze was sitting.
“It’s okay.” Xu Ze shook his head.
He continued to eat and heard Lu Heyang say, “The water pipe in the next room has been fixed.”
Xu Ze instantly understood what Lu Heyang meant. He looked at the dim sum in the packaging, and his body felt like it was frozen. After a while, Xu Ze finally raised his head and said, “I’ll talk to the teacher right away about sleeping next door.”
As he said this, he calculated in his head how long it would take him to leave this room with all his things. It shouldn’t take more than a minute—even so, it was a very long time. No matter how dull Xu Ze was, he still felt awkward and embarrassed when he realized what Lu Heyang was trying to imply. After all, it was Lu Heyang.
When Xu Ze was getting ready to pack his things, Lu Heyang asked him, “Do you want to sleep next door?”
This question left Xu Ze perplexed about how to respond, as he was unsure of Lu Heyang’s intentions.
Lu Heyang calmly took a sip of water, then looked at Xu Ze and said, “There’s nothing you can do if you want to, someone has already checked in next door.”
Anyone else might have felt like they were being teased, but Xu Ze just blinked slowly, and after confirming that he didn’t need to leave the room, he whispered, “Okay.”
“Are there any egg custard buns left?” Lu Heyang’s lips curved in a slight smile, looking like he was in a good mood, “I want to know if going so far to buy them was worth it.”
“There are.” Xu Ze’s movements became much more brisk as he took out an unopened box of egg custard buns and handed it to Lu Heyang on the sofa, saying, “They’re still warm.”
Lu Heyang took them and smiled, “Thanks.”
—
After turning off the lights, Lu Heyang asked Xu Ze before putting on his sleep mask, “Do you want to adjust the temperature of the air conditioner?”
The room was quiet, Lu Heyang’s voice was low and soft. Xu Ze touched his ear and replied, “No, it’s just right.”
“Good.”
As Xu Ze’s vision gradually adjusted to the darkness, he lay flat on his back and turned his head to look at Lu Heyang. He could vaguely see the outline of the alpha’s chin, lips, nose, and forehead. Xu Ze thought he might have trouble falling asleep or might even stay up all night, but looking at Lu Heyang like this and listening to his breathing made him feel surprisingly peaceful like he was in a dream.
He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, his dreams becoming more and more complex and confusing.
Lu Heyang was woken up at around 1 am and took off his sleep mask. Xu Ze on the bed next to him was sniffling and coughing in a low voice. It wasn’t loud, but since Lu Heyang wasn’t wearing earplugs, the slightest noise could affect him.
He sat up, reached out to turn on the wall lamp, and looked to the right. Xu Ze’s face was half buried in the covers, his eyes were tightly shut, and his brows were furrowed. He was unconsciously coughing and emitting pheromones uncontrollably.
It was most likely due to being caught in the rain, combined with the fact that Xu Ze had just passed his rut, so he caught a cold easily.
Lu Heyang got out of bed and stood beside Xu Ze’s bed. He pulled the bed cover down to reveal his whole face. Xu Ze’s lips and cheeks were tinged with an unusual redness, and his hair was disheveled. Lying in bed like this, he looked fragile, but at the same time, he seemed more alive and real than usual.
“Xu Ze,” Lu Heyang called him.
Xu Ze’s frown deepened and he twisted his head to the right. Lu Heyang noticed that the glands on the back of his neck were also red, probably due to fever. If he was left untreated, it could trigger another rut.
Lu Heyang went downstairs to find the staff on duty and asked for a thermometer and two antipyretics.
The electronic thermometer hadn’t been used for a long time, and the batteries in it were long gone. The staff asked Lu Heyang to wait while she looked for batteries, but he didn’t want to trouble her any further, so he took the mercury thermometer from the medicine cabinet.
Back in the room, Lu Heyang put on his wristband and set it to the highest setting. Then he opened a new bottle of mineral water, placed it and the pills on the nightstand, and disinfected the thermometer with an alcoholic cotton pad. He bent down and brought the thermometer against the corner of Xu Ze’s lips, “Open your mouth, I’ll take your temperature.”
Xu Ze recoiled from the cold object, pursed his lips, and turned his head away. His breathing was heavy and rapid, and his slender fair neck rose and fell with each breath. Lu Heyang stared at him for a while, then stretched out his other hand, grabbed Xu Ze’s chin, and pressed his thumb against his lower lip, trying to insert the thermometer.
“Uhm…” Xu Ze mumbled in his drowsy state. He opened his mouth, unconsciously stuck out his tongue, and licked Lu Heyang’s fingertip.
His tongue was soft and hot, leaving clear wet marks on Lu Heyang’s finger, which was dimly and ambiguously lit by the faint yellow light. Lu Heyang lowered his gaze to Xu Ze’s face and moved the hand on his chin upward, calmly and slowly inserting his index and middle fingers to pry open his teeth.
A foreign object invaded his mouth. Xu Ze seemed to want to figure out what it was. His tongue wrapped around it and licked it. Lu Heyang’s two fingers slowly stirred in Xu Ze’s mouth, clamping the tip of his tongue, and making a sticky, wet sound. He could feel his fingers being enveloped and sucked. Xu Ze constantly secreted and swallowed saliva, and what he didn’t manage to swallow spilled out of the corners of his mouth. He made some faint sounds from his throat and breathed heavily. He instinctively raised his hand and held Lu Heyang’s wrist as if begging for mercy.
During this process, Xu Ze half-opened his eyes in a daze, with a watery gleam in his eyes. He was clearly out of it when he looked at Lu Heyang. Shortly after, he closed his eyes again, his mind in chaos.
Once his fingers were soaked, Lu Heyang put the thermometer into Xu Ze’s mouth through the gap.
When Xu Ze tasted the alcohol, he pursed his lips and wanted to turn his head to avoid it, but Lu Heyang whispered, “Open your mouth and hold it in.”
He didn’t know if Xu Ze heard him, but his head indeed stopped moving erratically, and even his hand hung down. Lu Heyang withdrew his fingers and inserted the thermometer a little deeper. He had no experience in using thermometers on other people and might have touched Xu Ze’s throat by mistake. Xu Ze raised his chin with some discomfort and made an “uh” sound. Lu Heyang adjusted the position of the thermometer.
To prevent Xu Ze from swallowing or spitting out the thermometer, Lu Heyang stood by the bed and watched him for several minutes while waiting for the result.
When the time was up, Lu Heyang took the thermometer out—nearly 39 degrees Celsius, a fever indeed. Lu Heyang washed his hands. He lifted Xu Ze’s head slightly by supporting his neck and placed a pillow underneath. He brought the medicine to Xu Ze’s lips and said, “You have a fever, take a pill.”
This time, Xu Ze did as he was told, he opened his mouth and took the medicine. Lu Heyang then gave him some water, but Xu Ze stopped after two sips.
Lu Heyang asked him, “Did you swallow the medicine?”
Xu Ze nodded weakly.
“Drink some more water,” Lu Heyang said.
Xu Ze obediently drank a few more sips. Lu Heyang moved the bottle away. A thin silver thread formed between the mouth of the bottle and Xu Ze’s lips, and some water spilled from the edge of his mouth onto his chin. Lu Heyang took out a tissue and wiped the corners of Xu Ze’s mouth, then took the pillow away and let him lie back on the bed.
After about ten minutes, Xu Ze gradually calmed down. Lu Heyang tidied up the things and glanced at Xu Ze before going back to bed. Finally, he turned off the light and went back to sleep.
Author’s note:
Is there still someone who doesn’t know that Lu Heyang is a pervert (lights up a cigarette)
Thanks for the chapter ☺️
Finger-sucking?!! OMG?!! I sensed a little bit of sadistic vibes from this chapter omg
Thank you so much for the chapter QAQ I can only do so much as ping-ing you😭💔
Thank you for translating ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄-⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄
So steamy and yet they didn’t even do anything 😂
Wait— EXCUSE ME AUTHOR?!?!?
😳😳
The only thing I have to say about this chapter is omg! And thank you for your translation
Well, for someone who have to turn on their supressant wristband to the higher setting while watching their wife getting beaten up…yes he is a sadist, but a very considerate hubby (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡