PA chapter 10

Lin Sheng didn’t sleep well again, feeling very tired but unusually clear-headed. Indeed, he shouldn’t drink tea before bed.

Tossing and turning all night, he kept thinking about Qu Baiyuan. Pheromones entangled in his blood, making him feel like boiling water, with bubbles popping up all over his body.

Helplessly, he lay with his eyes open in the darkness, counting his breaths until dawn approached.

When sunlight penetrated the curtains and illuminated the crowded room, he heard the phone ringing in his sleep. Reaching out to the desk next to the bed, he picked up the phone and saw an unfamiliar number calling.

Before he could answer, the call was automatically disconnected due to the long ringing time. The caller seemed to be in a hurry. After a few seconds, the phone rang again.

Lin Sheng held the phone, lying back on the bed, feeling dizzy and answered hoarsely.

“Lin Sheng.” It was Qu Baiyuan’s voice on the other end.

“Yeah?” He sat up a little. “Qu Baiyuan… Is something wrong?”

Qu Baiyuan seemed to be in a good mood, his tone carrying a hint of a smile, and said softly, “Are you still asleep?”

“Yeah, not up yet.”

Qu Baiyuan said, “I’m coming over to have breakfast with you.”

“Breakfast…” Lin Sheng was still drowsy, feeling like something was wrong. Qu Baiyuan continued, “Then we’ll go to the municipal library, bring your homework, I’ll teach you math, okay?”

“Oh…”

“So get up now, I’ll be waiting for you at the parking spot from yesterday in forty minutes.”

Lin Sheng responded dazedly and hung up, sitting up in bed.

It wasn’t until he was brushing his teeth that he realized what was wrong— they didn’t make plans to go out together today. So why was Qu Baiyuan so sure that he would agree to the appointment?

Although he said “okay,” in fact, there was no hint of discussion. It was like a prearranged play, waiting for him to play his role.

This realization made him uncomfortable, feeling like he fell into a trap. Although upon careful thought, he seemed to have nothing that would be exploited, he was the one coveting Qu Baiyuan. However, Qu Baiyuan’s pheromone made him feel a bit sleazy.

He wanted to clarify things yesterday. He liked Qu Baiyuan, but he didn’t like playing games, nor did he like this vague and uncertain relationship.

He was used to being straightforward, saying things clearly, resolving misunderstandings, and dealing with conflicts head-on.

He particularly disliked the indecisive version of himself now.

The person in the mirror still had some wounds on his face, but the swelling had gone down, leaving only a bruise, which looked a bit darker than yesterday. The small wound at the corner of his lips had just scabbed over, and it would hurt a bit if he opened his mouth too wide.

If he really had to go on a date with this face, he felt a bit embarrassed and even the words he wanted to say seemed less convincing.

After struggling for a long time, he still wore a mask when he went out.

Qu Baiyuan arrived ten minutes early. He sat in the car and saw a guy wearing a black mask walking towards him. His first reaction was that this person had a good physique, and then he recognized him as Lin Sheng.

Lin Sheng walked to the car, opened the door, and sat in the passenger seat. His eyes were fixed on Qu Baiyuan, his expression serious, as if he had made some kind of decision.

Qu Baiyuan rested one hand on the steering wheel and reached out with the other to gently pull down Lin Sheng’s mask, asking, “Why are you wearing a mask?”

Lin Sheng was about to say what he had prepared, but was interrupted suddenly. After a pause, he said, “The wound hasn’t healed yet.”

Qu Baiyuan held his chin, used his thumb to stroke the bruise on Lin Sheng’s left cheek, and lazily said, “It looks okay.”

His hand was warm, his touch gentle and dry, like feathers brushing against his face. Lin Sheng felt his heart skip a beat again and almost forgot what he wanted to say. He turned his face away from that hand, looked into Qu Baiyuan’s eyes, and asked seriously, “Are you pursuing me?”

Qu Baiyuan withdrew his hand and looked at him seriously, asking softly, “And you, do you like me?”

Although Lin Sheng had done a lot of mental preparation, he was still very nervous at this moment. He heard the sound of his own heartbeat being unusually clear in the cramped car. He pulled up the mask to cover his face and slowly answered, “I do.”

He saw Qu Baiyuan smile slightly, with no emotion in his eyes, still looking at him gently. It seemed that he already had an answer in his heart, and even this question was asked for Lin Sheng’s sake. He didn’t need to inquire further.

But Lin Sheng had to ask thoroughly to be reassured, so he asked again, “And you?”

Qu Baiyuan turned to start the car, looking ahead, and made a soft sound of agreement.

Lin Sheng had prepared many words and thoughts. The longing, the sadness of rejection, the bitterness of sleepless nights, were all dispelled by his light “mm.”

He felt that familiar feeling of insignificance in front of Qu Baiyuan again, sweet yet bitter. In the drifting car, he thought endlessly. Could they be considered dating now? Could lovers ask for pheromones? What if he was rejected again?

He propped his elbow on the car window, resting his chin, and looked at the lively hibiscus flowers on the roadside. He felt disgusted with himself for being like a horny insect that was overwhelmed by lust, wanting to skip the dating process and directly ask for pheromones.

Thinking of this, he turned his head to look at Qu Baiyuan, who was driving seriously. Qu Baiyuan noticed his gaze, softened his expression, and said while turning on the turn signal to switch to the left lane, “Are you hungry? We’ll be there soon.”

Lin Sheng thought to himself that he was hungry, but not just in his stomach.

Qu Baiyuan took him to a grand Cantonese restaurant, where people were already sitting in the lobby enjoying breakfast. The hostess led them to a reserved booth near the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The dishes arrived quickly, and various Cantonese breakfast items filled the table.

Lin Sheng looked at them blankly.

Qu Baiyuan picked up a shrimp dumpling for him and said, “You’re too thin, you need to gain some weight, eat more.”

The two of them ate slowly. Qu Baiyuan would occasionally pick up food for him or ask some irrelevant questions. Lin Sheng felt that they were probably the least couple-like pair in the entire restaurant. His own feelings, whether sweet or sour, were his own business, while Qu Baiyuan remained as steady as a rock, always resolute and calm.

Lin Sheng soon couldn’t eat anymore. He put down his chopsticks and noticed someone looking at him—it was two girls from the neighboring table.

The girls, who were caught peeking and showed no shyness, instead came over boldly.

One of them asked him, “Excuse me, are you Lin Sheng?”

“Yes,” Lin Sheng replied, puzzled.

The girl became excited and blushed, saying, “We watched your competition and really like you!”

It was the first time Lin Sheng had been recognized outside, feeling a bit fresh. He smiled at them and said, “Thank you.”

“Can we take a photo with you?”

“I…” Before Lin Sheng could refuse, Qu Baiyuan interrupted him without hesitation, saying firmly, “My omega is not available right now.”

His tone was quite unfriendly, and the two girls were a bit scared by him, so they left awkwardly.

Qu Baiyuan looked unhappy, and it was the first time Lin Sheng had seen him show such an expression, feeling a bit nervous. But then his heart skipped a beat at Qu Baiyuan’s “my omega,” and his face flushed a bit. He uncomfortably averted his gaze.

Qu Baiyuan immediately called the waiter to pay the bill, then took Lin Sheng’s hand and walked out. After a few steps, he stopped and asked, “Where’s your mask?”

Lin Sheng took it out of his pocket. “Here.”

“Put it on.”

Outside the restaurant, Lin Sheng suddenly realized that Qu Baiyuan seemed to be jealous. After giving him a few more glances, he found a bit of cuteness in his stern face. He smiled secretly behind his mask.

Qu Baiyuan glanced at him sideways, frowned, and asked, “What are you happy about?”

“Nothing,” Lin Sheng shook his head.

Qu Baiyuan thought he was happy to have fans, and thinking of the video he saw last night and the comments in the video, he became even more unhappy.

He didn’t speak all the way to the city library. Lin Sheng realized that this person was quite petty. But the fact that he was jealous because of him made Lin Sheng happy for a long time and was willing to use some tricks to coax him.

When the car stopped at the library’s underground parking lot, Qu Baiyuan unbuckled his seatbelt to get out of the car, but Lin Sheng grabbed him.

“Qu Baiyuan,” Lin Sheng leaned over, the two of them were very close, and Qu Baiyuan saw his eyelashes trembling slightly. His voice sounded muffled in the mask as he said, “I really like you.”

After saying that, he kissed Qu Baiyuan through the mask and quickly retreated, grabbing his bag of books and pens and getting out of the car.

Qu Baiyuan’s mouth twitched slightly upward. He got out of the car and held Lin Sheng’s hand in his palm, walking into the library together.

The two of them stayed in the library until the afternoon. Qu Baiyuan seemed to have an obligation to Lin Sheng’s studies, regardless of whether he could keep up or not. He insisted on finishing almost half of the workbook. Apart from the one-hour lunch break, Lin Sheng spent eight hours doing math that day and was exhausted. He thought if Qu Baiyuan still didn’t give him pheromones today, they shouldn’t go out on dates anymore.

Qu Baiyuan stood by the car, arms crossed, watching him walk slowly behind. He furrowed his brows. “What’s wrong?”

Lin Sheng said with a tired face, “My phone ran out of battery…”

Qu Baiyuan opened his arms and chuckled lightly, “Want a hug?”

Lin Sheng walked over and hugged him, tiptoed to bury his head in the crook of his neck, and rubbed against him for a while, finally feeling a little comfort on the skin near his neck. He felt pity for himself, enduring eight hours of math torture just to get a little pheromone, and he even wanted to bite him.

Qu Baiyuan rubbed his hair. “Feeling better?”

Lin Sheng dragged out his voice, “Mmm…”

The soft and sweet sound made Qu Baiyuan’s heart itch a bit. He leaned his head and kissed Lin Sheng’s injured cheek.