That night, Xia Wennan didn’t fall asleep until late. Nobody switched on the lights in the bedroom, so the two talked in the dark. Xia Wennan slept in Ming Luchuan’s arms, too lazy to leave, nor did it cross his mind to do so. It was clearly not their first time spending the night together, but tonight’s vibe was different.
Xia Wennan had touched upon the most important secret at the depths of Ming Luchuan’s heart, yet instead of getting angry, Ming Luchuan showed a seldom seen calm, his temper not once flaring up throughout the night.
Under such conditions, Xia Wennan’s sleepiness gradually washed over him; one second he was talking with Ming Luchuan, the next he was fast asleep.
And because he had fallen asleep, he was naturally unaware of Ming Luchuan kissing his brow, nor did he know that when Ming Luchuan was the sole person awake in the room, his eyes stayed wide-open, trained at the murky ceiling until the early hours of the morning.
Xia Wennan was first to wake the next morning. He opened his eyes to the sight of Ming Luchuan clinging to him; the man himself was still sleeping.
The sun was out, its rays squeezing through a narrow opening between the blackout curtains, casting a streak of light across the bed.
Xia Wennan’s immediate thought upon waking was that he was late. He hastily moved to sit up, but in the next second, he suddenly remembered that it was a Sunday. All his muscles instantly relaxed as a result, and he laid back down, studying Ming Luchuan’s face.
For all that had happened, compared to Lu Wenxing’s apathy, Xia Wennan was more concerned about Ming Qin’s palpable indifference towards Ming Luchuan. According to Lu Wenxing, Ming Qin loathed him—so when facing Ming Luchuan, did Ming Qin treat him as the child of his biological brother, or the child of an alpha he despised? Xia Wennan couldn’t fathom it. Neither could he position himself as Ming Qin and figure out what the man was thinking.
He was only certain of the fact that Ming Luchuan’s feelings had been severely hurt, so he couldn’t help but feel bad for him, because in a sense, he and Ming Luchuan were both parentless children, though he’d been fortunate to have been raised by a grandpa who loved him and had received enough love as a child, so he dared and wanted to love.
Dared to love? Xia Wennan stilled, wondering if this only meant that he felt sorry for Ming Luchuan, or if he loved him.
Every nook and cranny of the room was pervaded with the scent of Ming Luchuan’s pheromones. Since Xia Wennan was still pressed close to the man, he could smell it oozing from his skin, and because every breath he drew was coloured with the scent, his thoughts drifted to his Xishui Hall.
He prodded Ming Luchuan awake with his hand, exclaiming spiritedly, “Let’s go work overtime!”
On Sunday, the only workers in the company were security.
Xia Wennan and Ming Luchuan holed up in the lab, with Xia Wennan at his workbench, making final adjustments to the semi-finished Xishui Hall.
Ming Luchuan, who had likewise donned a white lab coat, accompanied him nearby, making no sound.
Xia Wennan’s expression was one of deep focus. At noon, he didn’t raise a word about lunch, so Ming Luchuan didn’t bother him.
He kept on until 5 p.m., when the sun gradually set in the west. The sunshine streamed in at an angle through the window, illuminating a portion of the workbench.
Xia Wennan grabbed a marker and firmly underlined a series of figures on the whiteboard, which determined the exact measurement of the osmanthus flower oil. When he lifted the prototype of the fragrance on his workbench and brought it under Ming Luchuan’s nose, his hand slightly trembled, and he merely gazed at Ming Luchuan expectantly without uttering a word.
After smelling the fragrance, Ming Luchuan’s head jerked up, turning to Xia Wennan and saying, “This is it.”
They both knew the scent well—it was the scent of Ming Luchuan’s pheromones, mixed with the faint smell of osmanthus flowers under the old, red-brick laboratory building.
All at once, Xia Wennan threw himself at Ming Luchuan. He was finding it a little hard to contain his excitement; winding his arms around Ming Luchuan’s neck, he leaned in and kissed his mouth.
Ming Luchuan was evidently just as excited as he hoisted Xia Wennan up. If it weren’t for the precious items strewn on the countertop, he would probably sweep everything away and directly set Xia Wennan down.
Rationality still intact, Xia Wennan said, “My office.”
Before, when he heard Ming Luchuan claim that they’d done it in the car and the lab, Xia Wennan had refused to believe him. It was only now did he understand that there really were certain emotional outbursts that couldn’t be quelled by mere hugs and kisses alone.
In the sealed space of the lounge, Ming Luchuan smothered Xia Wennan in his pheromones, almost as if he wanted to suffocate him.
Both Xia Wennan’s mind and body were exceedingly overstimulated, and all he wanted to do at this very second was cling to Ming Luchuan.
Xia Wennan believed that humans had always enjoyed categorising their feelings for another in minute detail, whether they felt sorry for someone, grateful to someone, or idolised someone. Some people only wanted a friendship, while others craved carnal pleasures. His own feelings towards Ming Luchuan may be complicated, or perhaps very pure. At this very moment, he was utterly convinced that, in what he felt, there absolutely was—love.
After what felt like a long time, Xia Wennan came down from the momentary blankness of his high. He was gasping for breath as he embraced Ming Luchuan, gaze never straying from the man’s face.
“What’s the matter?” In times like these, Ming Luchuan was always tender. He gently brushed away Xia Wennan’s sweat-soaked hair, when not even minutes before, he’d slightly lost his temper after Xia Wennan forbade him to bite his nape.
All his sulking was insignificant though, as the present Ming Luchuan was completely satiated and calm.
Xia Wennan said, “I’m so hungry.”
Ming Luchuan hugged him, buried his head in his shoulder, and took several deep breaths before getting up and saying, “Let’s get something to eat.”
Xia Wennan laid in bed, relishing in the feeling of his skin sliding against the satiny-smooth bed sheets. He lazily said, “I don’t wanna move.”
“I’ll bring something back for you,” said Ming Luchuan.
“Really?” Xia Wennan was a little flattered.
Ming Luchuan was already getting dressed. “What do you want to eat?”
“I’m hungry. I’ll eat anything.”
“Wait for me.” Once he was dressed, Ming Luchuan opened the door and exited the lounge.
The room now contained Xia Wennan alone. After exhausting both his mind and body, he was completely relaxed, and unknowingly dozed off. He didn’t sleep for very long, though, and awakened shortly after. When he checked the time on his phone, no more than ten minutes had passed.
Right then, the sound of the elevator in the corridor outside drew Xia Wennan’s attention.
It was ordinarily not so audible, but because the company was especially quiet today, the sound was a little clearer.
Xia Wennan thought that Ming Luchuan had returned. Inwardly, he wondered why he was back so soon, but after lying there for two minutes without hearing Ming Luchuan enter the office, he couldn’t help but get up and start getting dressed.
Once clothed, he opened the door to exit the office, and as soon as he stepped into the corridor, he spotted Yin Zejing standing outside the lab, peering in through the window.
That night, Xia Wennan didn’t fall asleep until late. Nobody switched on the lights in the bedroom, so the two talked in the dark. Xia Wennan slept in Ming Luchuan’s arms, too lazy to leave, nor did it cross his mind to do so. It was clearly not their first time spending the night together, but tonight’s vibe was different.
Xia Wennan had touched upon the most important secret at the depths of Ming Luchuan’s heart, yet instead of getting angry, Ming Luchuan showed a seldom seen calm, his temper not once flaring up throughout the night.
Under such conditions, Xia Wennan’s sleepiness gradually washed over him; one second he was talking with Ming Luchuan, the next he was fast asleep.
And because he had fallen asleep, he was naturally unaware of Ming Luchuan kissing his brow, nor did he know that when Ming Luchuan was the sole person awake in the room, his eyes stayed wide-open, trained at the murky ceiling until the early hours of the morning.
Xia Wennan was first to wake the next morning. He opened his eyes to the sight of Ming Luchuan clinging to him; the man himself was still sleeping.
The sun was out, its rays squeezing through a narrow opening between the blackout curtains, casting a streak of light across the bed.
Xia Wennan’s immediate thought upon waking was that he was late. He hastily moved to sit up, but in the next second, he suddenly remembered that it was a Sunday. All his muscles instantly relaxed as a result, and he laid back down, studying Ming Luchuan’s face.
For all that had happened, compared to Lu Wenxing’s apathy, Xia Wennan was more concerned about Ming Qin’s palpable indifference towards Ming Luchuan. According to Lu Wenxing, Ming Qin loathed him—so when facing Ming Luchuan, did Ming Qin treat him as the child of his biological brother, or the child of an alpha he despised? Xia Wennan couldn’t fathom it. Neither could he position himself as Ming Qin and figure out what the man was thinking.
He was only certain of the fact that Ming Luchuan’s feelings had been severely hurt, so he couldn’t help but feel bad for him, because in a sense, he and Ming Luchuan were both parentless children, though he’d been fortunate to have been raised by a grandpa who loved him and had received enough love as a child, so he dared and wanted to love.
Dared to love? Xia Wennan stilled, wondering if this only meant that he felt sorry for Ming Luchuan, or if he loved him.
Every nook and cranny of the room was pervaded with the scent of Ming Luchuan’s pheromones. Since Xia Wennan was still pressed close to the man, he could smell it oozing from his skin, and because every breath he drew was coloured with the scent, his thoughts drifted to his Xishui Hall.
He prodded Ming Luchuan awake with his hand, exclaiming spiritedly, “Let’s go work overtime!”
On Sunday, the only workers in the company were security.
Xia Wennan and Ming Luchuan holed up in the lab, with Xia Wennan at his workbench, making final adjustments to the semi-finished Xishui Hall.
Ming Luchuan, who had likewise donned a white lab coat, accompanied him nearby, making no sound.
Xia Wennan’s expression was one of deep focus. At noon, he didn’t raise a word about lunch, so Ming Luchuan didn’t bother him.
He kept on until 5 p.m., when the sun gradually set in the west. The sunshine streamed in at an angle through the window, illuminating a portion of the workbench.
Xia Wennan grabbed a marker and firmly underlined a series of figures on the whiteboard, which determined the exact measurement of the osmanthus flower oil. When he lifted the prototype of the fragrance on his workbench and brought it under Ming Luchuan’s nose, his hand slightly trembled, and he merely gazed at Ming Luchuan expectantly without uttering a word.
After smelling the fragrance, Ming Luchuan’s head jerked up, turning to Xia Wennan and saying, “This is it.”
They both knew the scent well—it was the scent of Ming Luchuan’s pheromones, mixed with the faint smell of osmanthus flowers under the old, red-brick laboratory building.
All at once, Xia Wennan threw himself at Ming Luchuan. He was finding it a little hard to contain his excitement; winding his arms around Ming Luchuan’s neck, he leaned in and kissed his mouth.
Ming Luchuan was evidently just as excited as he hoisted Xia Wennan up. If it weren’t for the precious items strewn on the countertop, he would probably sweep everything away and directly set Xia Wennan down.
Rationality still intact, Xia Wennan said, “My office.”
Before, when he heard Ming Luchuan claim that they’d done it in the car and the lab, Xia Wennan had refused to believe him. It was only now did he understand that there really were certain emotional outbursts that couldn’t be quelled by mere hugs and kisses alone.
In the sealed space of the lounge, Ming Luchuan smothered Xia Wennan in his pheromones, almost as if he wanted to suffocate him.
Both Xia Wennan’s mind and body were exceedingly overstimulated, and all he wanted to do at this very second was cling to Ming Luchuan.
Xia Wennan believed that humans had always enjoyed categorising their feelings for another in minute detail, whether they felt sorry for someone, grateful to someone, or idolised someone. Some people only wanted a friendship, while others craved carnal pleasures. His own feelings towards Ming Luchuan may be complicated, or perhaps very pure. At this very moment, he was utterly convinced that, in what he felt, there absolutely was—love.
After what felt like a long time, Xia Wennan came down from the momentary blankness of his high. He was gasping for breath as he embraced Ming Luchuan, gaze never straying from the man’s face.
“What’s the matter?” In times like these, Ming Luchuan was always tender. He gently brushed away Xia Wennan’s sweat-soaked hair, when not even minutes before, he’d slightly lost his temper after Xia Wennan forbade him to bite his nape.
All his sulking was insignificant though, as the present Ming Luchuan was completely satiated and calm.
Xia Wennan said, “I’m so hungry.”
Ming Luchuan hugged him, buried his head in his shoulder, and took several deep breaths before getting up and saying, “Let’s get something to eat.”
Xia Wennan laid in bed, relishing in the feeling of his skin sliding against the satiny-smooth bed sheets. He lazily said, “I don’t wanna move.”
“I’ll bring something back for you,” said Ming Luchuan.
“Really?” Xia Wennan was a little flattered.
Ming Luchuan was already getting dressed. “What do you want to eat?”
“I’m hungry. I’ll eat anything.”
“Wait for me.” Once he was dressed, Ming Luchuan opened the door and exited the lounge.
The room now contained Xia Wennan alone. After exhausting both his mind and body, he was completely relaxed, and unknowingly dozed off. He didn’t sleep for very long, though, and awakened shortly after. When he checked the time on his phone, no more than ten minutes had passed.
Right then, the sound of the elevator in the corridor outside drew Xia Wennan’s attention.
It was ordinarily not so audible, but because the company was especially quiet today, the sound was a little clearer.
Xia Wennan thought that Ming Luchuan had returned. Inwardly, he wondered why he was back so soon, but after lying there for two minutes without hearing Ming Luchuan enter the office, he couldn’t help but get up and start getting dressed.
Once clothed, he opened the door to exit the office, and as soon as he stepped into the corridor, he spotted Yin Zejing standing outside the lab, peering in through the window.
