Aren't You Two Going to Do Something?

"Holy shit, this song actually made me sweat."

"I played this song at the office and got such a fright I almost turned it off, but I couldn't resist listening."

"Xu Xi, you're dating someone, aren't you? Did you sing this while doing that with your alpha? Fuck, it's practically turning me on."

"Has no one noticed how clever the title is? Not 'mating,' not 'copulation,' but 'copulate'-it's emphasizing the actual act, aaaaaah."

"God, it's so intense. Just listening, you can feel the pheromones filling the whole room. It's so... you know."

"So filthy, so filthy, so filthy. Xu Xi, do you remember you're a female idol?!!!"

"Desperate lovemaking, frenzied embraces, so lost in passion your vision blurs, so intense you can barely breathe, the air filled with a sweet fragrance, intimate and tangled."

"Sophisticated melody, sophisticated lyrics, sexy and sensual without being remotely tacky. The atmosphere is incredible, and it skirts the line just right. Absolutely brilliant."

The entire trending topic was filled with heated discussion of the song. Of course, some people said it was just a gimmick, that lyrics like these had been written deliberately to grab attention.

But more people were saying how hot it was and how good it sounded.

Among them were plenty of music critics and major influencers analyzing the song's melody and choice of instruments. Their long posts and video explanations elevated the discussion of its depth and technical sophistication to another level.

Among them, the industry heavyweights were more interested in the song's songwriter and composer, Terra Australis, than its singer, Xu Xi.

They had never heard of this songwriter before. Nor had they heard any of his other work, but his skill was readily apparent in this song.

If this was his first song, then he was a genius among geniuses. That was simply impossible and made no logical sense.

But if he had other work, then he had to be an established master. Why would an established master use an alternate account?

And so, gossip accounts caught the scent of a story and sprang into action, digging into what exactly Xu Xi had been doing during her three years of silence.

As the powerhouse vocalist of a once hugely popular singing-and-dancing girl group, Xu Xi had abruptly seemed to vanish from the entertainment industry after the group disbanded, releasing no new work at all.

Some said she had gotten pregnant and gone off to get married; others said her agency had shelved her.

As an omega and a beautiful woman with sweet, innocent looks, she was always bound to be surrounded by romantic scandals. All the more so since Xu Xi's team had offered no response when people dug into her affairs back then.

This was her first appearance in the public eye since she disappeared, and she had returned with a song completely at odds with her image during her girl-group days.

"Didn't someone say before that her boyfriend was a musician? Did he write it for her?"

"Terra Australis? Has there ever been anyone by that name in the industry?"

"This song suits Xu Xi's voice so perfectly. It's incredible. Listening makes you want to do it with your alpha immediately."

"So wild. I'm starting to speculate about what state Terra Australis was in when he wrote this."

As a bar that always stayed at the forefront of trends and also had a Livehouse, Soul Bar naturally wouldn't leave it off the playlist.

Not long after the SIXGO band finished performing, the bar's speakers began playing "Copulate," the song that had shot up the trending charts online.

The late-night bar, the suggestive interplay of light and shadow, paired with this song, intoxicated everyone amid the glittering nightlife.

After coming offstage, Nan Zhou once again made his familiar way behind the bar to ask Huo Xingye for a drink.

As though he had known all along that Nan Zhou would do this, Huo Xingye handed him a freshly mixed drink as soon as he came over.

Unlike yesterday's, its colors resembled fireworks over the sea. What remained the same, however, was its low alcohol content.

"Nice. A good match. I like it." Nan Zhou took the glass.

Just then, the opening of "Copulate" began playing in the bar.

Huo Xingye's movements paused briefly.

Nan Zhou, meanwhile, was just as he always was, without the slightest change in expression. He even checked the camera operator's position first, just as he had yesterday.

Turning sideways, he used Huo Xingye's tall frame and his own back to block the camera, then tilted his head back and took a few sips.

His movements were elegant, his eyes half-closed, his whole posture relaxed and content.

Xu Xi's voice and the melody echoed through the bar. On Huo Xingye's phone, a veteran industry heavyweight had posted the song to WeChat Moments ten minutes earlier, asking everyone in his contacts whether anyone knew who Terra Australis was.

Huo Xingye had briefly checked Moments after Nan Zhou came offstage.

At that moment, he looked down at the person in front of him. Though his face betrayed little expression, out of the camera's view, his grip on his phone was so tight that the veins stood out on his hand.

A burning desire rose in his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his canine teeth ached in that instant as beautiful, sweet memories surfaced in his mind.

He looked away and quietly took a deep breath.

[This bar is actually playing "Copulate"! They've got taste!]

[A suggestive place, a suggestive song, and a suggestive little couple.]

[Seriously, Brother Ye, baby Zhou, with the mood this good, aren't you two going to do something?]

After drinking a third of the liquor in his glass, Nan Zhou looked at Huo Xingye.

From his angle, the first thing he saw was the alpha's beautifully defined jawline in the dim lighting. It was lovely to kiss.

Just as it had been when he had gently tasted it in the fitting room.

Below that was his sexy Adam's apple.

When it bobbed, Nan Zhou, who had just had a drink, felt even thirstier.

"Do you like it?" he asked, his voice carrying the quality of having been moistened by liquor.

"What?" Huo Xingye appeared to be concentrating on mixing a drink, his gaze kept away from Nan Zhou.

"The song."

The alpha's movements visibly paused. "Which one?"

Nan Zhou froze, then burst out laughing. He moved a little closer to Huo Xingye, his moist lips nearly brushing his earlobe. "Whichever one you think."

[Which one? Isn't there only one? Did I miss something?]

[I've never missed a single minute of the livestream, and I'm full of question marks. Isn't it just "Summer Flame"? What other song is there?]

[Don't tell me he's asking about "Copulate"! Hey, hey, baby Zhou, if you flirt with an alpha like that, he'll fuck you to death!]

[Huo Xingye probably doesn't feel much about "Copulate," right? He seems to prefer "Summer Flame." It's his wife's song, after all, and it's so good, sob!]

[Damn it, I knew it. You really did get up to something after cutting the mics last night!]

[What "Copulate"? Aside from "Summer Flame," they must mean that song he sang only for Huo Xingye! Damn these lovebirds, singing in secret and not letting us listen.]

[I want to hear Nan Zhou sing "Copulate" for my Brother Ye. It would be so hot. My Brother Ye would get hard on the spot.]

"I like them all," Huo Xingye answered.

He was so unlike his usual self in how little he spoke that Nan Zhou felt something was a little strange.

He was just about to ask when Huo Xingye said, "Does this one mean something different to you?"