Duan Xu vaguely heard his phone ringing, but he was sleeping soundly, and even the loud noise didn't completely wake him up. After a while, the ringing stopped.
But the next moment, the bell rang again.
Duan Xu finally woke up, picked up his phone and saw it was Shen Yanlang.
He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that Shen Yanlang's "take a nap" didn't mean waiting until dawn, but right now.
He simply ignored the phone call, got out of bed, put on his shoes, and ran downstairs.
"Shen Yanlang!" Duan Xu shouted as he opened the door.
Sure enough, Shen Yanlang was at the door, holding his phone and calling him, when he was startled by the sudden noise.
The phone was still in his hand when Duan Xu rushed over. He quickly opened his arms to catch it, "Xuxu!"
Duan Xu snuggled against Shen Yanlang and inhaled his scent, feeling much more comfortable.
"Let's go inside, okay?" Shen Yanlang carried Duan Xu through the door.
Duan Xu hummed in agreement. Although he let go of her hand, he took hers again, taking the initiative.
Shen Yanlang smiled and bent down to change his shoes.
[She's clingier than before.]
Duan Xu snorted softly. Undeniably, that was indeed the case.
When he saw Shen Yanlang and smelled his pheromones, his anxiety vanished instantly, and he felt much more at ease, so he couldn't bear to let go.
Shen Yanlang changed his shoes, pulled Duan Xu upstairs, and went back to the bedroom.
"Go to sleep, I'm going to wash up." Shen Yanlang gently kissed Duan Xu's lips.
Duan Xu nodded obediently, finally letting go of Shen Yanlang's hand, but before Shen Yanlang went into the bathroom, he whispered, "You have to come out quickly."
Shen Yanlang paused slightly, his throat tightened, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Okay."
Duan Xu returned to his bed and couldn't help but smile. Shen Yanlang so kind; knowing he was about to enter his heat cycle, he specially drove over to keep him company in the middle of the night.
It was already past 1 a. m., and Shen Yanlang had been driving for so long. Thinking of this, Duan Xu suddenly became sentimental and felt like crying.
But he held back; he couldn't be so pathetic. It must be his heat affecting him!
A few minutes later, Shen Yanlang out. He had changed into his pajamas, went straight to bed, turned off the light, and then held Duan Xu in his arms.
"Xuxu, your pheromones have become stronger." Shen Yanlang noticed it when they were at the door.
Duan Xu hummed in agreement. He hadn't used any barrier patches since he was home alone, and with his heat cycle approaching, his pheromones were much stronger than before.
Shen Yanlang also tore off the barrier tape, allowing his pheromones to slowly leak out, soothing the restless Duan Xu.
Duan Xu snuggled closer to him, "You must be tired, go to sleep."
"Hmm." Shen Yanlang smelled his pheromones, her mind wandering, but she was more worried, so she didn't have the same thoughts as before.
With the soothing effect of Shen Yanlang's pheromones, Duan Xu calmed down and quickly fell asleep again.
Shen Yanlang couldn't sleep, partly because of Duan Xu's pheromones, and partly because he was afraid that something might go wrong with Duan Xu's first heat.
Fortunately, nothing went wrong that night.
In the morning, Shen Yanlang took a nap. When he woke up, Duan Xu was still asleep, so he used his phone to buy some groceries online, planning to cook lunch for Duan Xu himself.
Half an hour later, the vegetables arrived. Shen Yanlang told the deliveryman to leave at the entrance of the vegetable shop, and then hung up the phone.
He got up quietly and gently kissed Duan Xu's forehead before leaving the room.
Duan Xu woke up at ten o'clock this time. He still remembered that Shen Yanlang came to find him last night. He immediately reached out to the side, but found nothing.
"Shen Yanlang?" Duan Xu sat up, but did not see Shen Yanlang.
For a moment, he wondered if he had been dreaming last night, but the lingering scent of wood and the pheromones of the blazing sun in the room convinced him that Shen Yanlang had really come last night.
Duan Xu happily threw off the covers and got out of bed. He didn't rush to find Shen Yanlang, but washed up first before opening the door and going downstairs.
As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, Duan Xu smelled the aroma of food. He quickened his pace and, upon reaching the kitchen, deliberately peeked out to startle him. "Shen Yanlang!"
But Shen Yanlang had already heard his footsteps and turned around to wait for him. He wasn't startled at all and even smiled, "Xuxu, come here."
Duan Xu didn't show any disappointment. Instead, he ran over with a smile and rushed into Shen Yanlang's arms. "What are you doing?"
"Shrimp porridge." Shen Yanlang hugged him.
[Make sure you get enough nutrition before your heat cycle to avoid being overwhelmed during it.]
Duan Xu: "..."
This familiar feeling...
"Oh." Duan Xu still had a smile on his face. He sniffed, "You didn't put on any barrier patches?"
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of shrimp congee, but it couldn't mask the subtle woody scent mixed with the pheromones of the blazing sun.
Shen Yanlang nodded, "Yes, I'm afraid you won't have enough."
Omega needs the pheromones of an alpha to soothe him, Duan Xu's symptoms suggest he'll be in heat soon. Since it's just the two of them at home, they didn't put on any more barrier patches.
The shrimp porridge was ready. Shen Yanlang told Duan Xu at the table, and he scooped two bowls and brought them over.
"How does it taste?" Shen Yanlang asked Duan Xu.
Duan Xu took a sip, then nodded, smiled with narrowed eyes, and said, "Very good! Excellent!"
This made Shen Yanlang chuckle. "That's good."
[Xuxu is even cuter than before.]
Duan Xu lowered his head and drank his porridge, his heart bubbling with a sweet feeling.
After eating the porridge, Shen Yanlang asked Duan Xu if he felt unwell anywhere. Duan Xu shook his head, "No."
I feel a bit better mentally, but I still feel somewhat unwell physically.
So Shen Yanlang accompanied Duan Xu to watch a movie in the underground video room, holding him in his arms and glancing at him every now and then to ask about his situation.
Shen Yanlang only went to the kitchen to cook when Duan Xu said he wanted to eat.
But Duan Xu didn't want to watch it alone, so he followed him to the kitchen.
Shen Yanlang didn't ask him to do anything. He simply brought him a stool and placed it by the door so that he could watch over him and talk to him.
"Shen Yanlang, when did you learn to cook?" Duan Xu leaned against the door frame, his eyes never leaving Shen Yanlang.
While washing the vegetables, Shen Yanlang replied, "Thirteen years old."
"So early?" Duan Xu, somewhat surprised.
Shen Yanlang replied, "I had just started junior high school at that time. My parents took me abroad, but they had something come up, and I was home alone. I got tired of the foreign food, so I learned to cook for myself."
"Wow! That's amazing!" Duan Xu was genuinely impressed, and his eyes lit up when he looked at Shen Yanlang.
Shen Yanlang glanced back, and his heart skipped a beat. He tried to hold back, but couldn't resist. He wiped the water off his hands and strode over.
Duan Xu tilted his head in confusion, "Hmm?"
[You seduced me yourself.]
Duan Xu looked puzzled, not quite understanding what was going on, when Shen Yanlang approached, bent down, raised his chin, and kissed his lips—the whole sequence of actions flowing smoothly.