If You Can't Avoid It, Run

When Jiang Jifu returned to the hotel, he took out his phone and looked over travel guides.

There came an unexpected knock at the door.

"Who is it?"

Jiang Jifu frowned, but silence was the only response.

Thinking he had misheard, he was about to wash up when the door was knocked on again.

Growing impatient, Jiang Jifu opened the door. The moment he saw the man outside, he reflexively tried to slam it shut.

Huo Sili easily stopped the door from smashing into his face, smiling with open longing.

"Buonasera~"

Jiang Jifu cursed and grabbed the vase by the door, smashing it toward the man's face.

Huo Sili caught his wrist and shook his head.

"Non fare niente di pericoloso~"

"Get out!"

Jiang Jifu gritted his teeth and glared at him resentfully.

Huo Sili stepped into the room. If not for the excessive heat in his gaze, his appearance alone would have made him seem like an elegant and kindly gentleman.

"Long time no see, Jiang."

His wrist was seized and raised above his head. Jiang Jifu nearly shattered his teeth from clenching them.

"Why didn't you come back? I waited for you for so long, but you never returned."

There was reproach in Huo Sili's voice.

"Let go of me, you lunatic!"

Pinned against the wall, Jiang Jifu could only glare furiously at the man before him, who was releasing pheromones.

"Jiang, you're always so disobedient."

Huo Sili lifted his chin and kissed him before he could react.

His kiss was nothing like his gentlemanly appearance—fervent and rough.

The instant Jiang Jifu was overwhelmed, he bit down hard on Huo Sili's lower lip. The metallic taste of blood immediately filled both their mouths.

Huo Sili hissed, licking his bleeding lip. His fingers pinched Jiang Jifu's chin, and his eyes darkened.

Jiang Jifu's breath caught. Fear stained his stubborn gaze, and his voice began to tremble.

"You... let me go..."

Watching the person he had longed for day and night beg him for mercy, Huo Sili smiled wickedly. With a slight sideways twist of the hand gripping Jiang Jifu's chin, he forcibly dislocated Jiang Jifu's jaw, leaving him unable to close his mouth.

Jiang Jifu glared furiously, his hands held above his head and pinned in the narrow space between him and the wall, unable to move. Tears slid down his cheeks, yet his expression remained fierce. It clearly was not the first time he had been treated this way.

His face was exceptionally small, only large enough for his exquisite features and the alluring beauty mark beneath his eye. Perhaps that was because, as an idol, he managed himself with astonishing discipline.

As an A-grade alpha, Jiang Jifu was widely acknowledged to be beautiful. His red hair gave him a wild, roguish air, yet Huo Sili loved nothing more than seeing him cry.

Making an alpha cry was not easy, but fortunately, Huo Sili quickly mastered the trick.

Pain—pain so intense that tears fell beyond his control. Jiang was at his most enticing then.

With European blood running through him, Huo Sili prized passion and excitement. He was rarely gentle or languid, and when it came to Jiang Jifu, he preferred to go straight to the point.

Though both belonged to the International Biological Research Institute and were both high-quality enigmas, Huo Sili was vastly different from Pei Jiaqian in bed. He was crude, rude, wild, and utterly heartless.

Every time, Jiang Jifu cried until he fainted, then woke up crying, over and over, until the first rays of dawn streamed through the glass and fell upon the tear-streaked face of the red-haired young man.

Only then would Huo Sili reveal his gentle side, stroking Jiang Jifu's reset jaw with his fingers, brushing aside the young man's bangs, and placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

The seaside morning was romantic. Beside a flowerbed blooming with evening primroses, a white Maltese sniffed at the flowers with its nose.

The ringing of bicycle bells heralded the day's bustle, while the clattering scrape of skateboards colored the daylight.

Peaceful, yet brimming with vivid life.

Pei Jiaqian shifted his arm, which had gone numb beneath the weight. Six hours had passed since he had sneaked into Ye Qingpu's room last night, climbed into his bed, and held him as they slept.

For a marked omega, an enigma's pheromones could soothe them and help them sleep.

Ye Qingpu had not slept well in over a month. The pheromones Pei Jiaqian released had given him a rare good night's sleep, and even his body clock had failed to wake him.

Pei Jiaqian lovingly touched the sleeping man's face. When he had seen Ye Qingpu, who had vanished for over half a month, appear before the media cameras, he had defied his father for the first time and released the dominant pheromones of his enigma.

After finally dealing with the bodyguards and rushing to Ye Qingpu's company, he had been stopped and sent back by Jiang Jifu.

What Jiang Jifu said had not been unreasonable. Pei Jiaqian simply did not have the courage to face Ye Qingpu, so as always, he became a voyeur lurking in the shadows.

Seeing Ye Qingpu so thin that even his suit hung loosely on him, he felt helpless heartache while also being confined by his father.

But at least his sister stood on his side. So he often sneaked out and silently watched from afar the aloof, shattered Mr. Wealthiest Man.

But after acting as an anonymous passerby and taking Ye Qingpu, who had fainted at the event venue, to the hospital, Pei Jiaqian was captured and brought back by the bodyguards his father had sent before he could wait for him to wake up.

His father beat his limbs until they were dislocated, then gritted his teeth and set them back when Pei Jiaqian stubbornly refused to admit fault.

His mother's eyes were swollen red from crying, but his father turned a deaf ear.

This was the first time in over a month that he had touched Ye Qingpu. He carefully wrapped his arms around him, greedily breathing in the pheromone scent from Ye Qingpu that could cleanse the soul.

Seeing the person in his arms frown slightly, Pei Jiaqian lowered his head and kissed the tip of his delicate nose.

Ye Qingpu was sleeping groggily. He sniffled uncomfortably, and even his serene sleeping face wrinkled up.

Pei Jiaqian's heart trembled at the sight—he was already thirty, so how could he still be this adorable?

Estimating that he would wake soon, Pei Jiaqian held Ye Qingpu and slept a little longer before reluctantly letting him go and carefully leaving the room.

As the door made a faint sound, the person curled beneath the covers slowly opened his eyes.

Looking at the faint impression on the pillow, Ye Qingpu subconsciously stroked it, then clenched his fingers and turned over.

It was not until there was a knock at the door that Ye Qingpu forced his less weary body out of bed.

The instant he opened the door, Ye Qingpu frowned.

"You...?"

Jiang Jifu wore a white mock-neck shirt and was yawning, his face still heavy with sleep.

"It's fashion. Celebrity outfits don't distinguish between seasons—you wear whatever looks good."

Jiang Jifu stretched lazily as he explained.

Ye Qingpu truly did not understand. Today's high was around forty-two degrees Celsius.

Both of them had things on their minds, and they silently found a restaurant to eat breakfast.

"This place is haunted. How about... we go back to Harbor City?"

"You still want to have fun here?"

Jiang Jifu: ...?

Ye Qingpu: ...!

"You're not thinking the same thing I am, are you?"

The two spoke in unison, then exchanged a look and smiled politely, awkwardly.

People with something on their minds were the easiest to read.

Only after opening his phone did Jiang Jifu discover that, due to the peak travel season, there were no return flights left.

"Oh dear, what an oversight."

Jiang Jifu sprawled on the sofa, playing rock-paper-scissors with the air conditioner.

Ye Qingpu said nothing. He merely made a phone call. After hanging up, he said,

"I borrowed a private plane from a friend. Go pack your luggage."

"? That efficient?" Jiang Jifu sat upright in surprise.

"As the richest man, I need to have some connections when I'm out and about."

Ye Qingpu stretched, glanced at the glittering sea in the distance, and sighed.

"If there had been enough land, I should have built a private airfield when I invested in developing this place. It could specifically provide parking for private planes, so I wouldn't have to trouble myself with taking a taxi to the airport."

Jiang Jifu: "?"

But dear little uncle, doesn't that assume everyone has a private plane?