“Hello. Did you two make a reservation ahead of time?”
The hotel’s front desk staff was munching melon seeds and scrolling through videos when the hotel door slid open on both sides. She stood up quickly and looked at the two young men who were heading into the hotel foyer holding hands.
The two visitors appeared to be seventeen or eighteen years old. One was tall and handsome, but he had a cold demeanor; the other seemed cheerful, but his clothes were filthy, as if he had just rolled around.
The employee took a fleeting glance at the clock next to her—it was New Year’s Eve. It was time for families to reunite and have a festive meal. Why had this young couple arrived at the hotel to book a room at such an hour?
She expected the young pair to request an hourly rental of a room; much to her astonishment, they reserved a room for an entire week!
It was weird that instead of spending the Spring Festival with their families for seven days, the two youngsters arrived at the hotel hand in hand…
…It couldn’t be an elopement, right?
Her own imagination amused the employee. That was so outdated! Unless it was in a TV show, there was no such thing as an elopement.
The two youngsters handed out their identification. The tall and cold young man’s name was Xiao Yiheng, and the other sunny and blond boy’s name was Li Cheng.
When they checked in, they were holding hands and their eyes were entangled. A single glance revealed that they were a young couple in love.
The staff employee abruptly said “Huh” while entering the ID card information.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Yiheng inquired.
The employee returned Li Cheng’s ID card: “It’s nothing. I noticed that the guest’s birthday is tomorrow.”
“It’s my birthday?” Li Cheng was similarly taken aback.
His view of time had been a shambles in recent days, and he hadn’t paid heed to the date. He checked the calendar on the front desk—sure enough, his 18th birthday was coming up in a few hours!
He was on the verge of adulthood. His eighteenth birthday would formally mark him as an adult.
Surprisingly, Li Cheng’s Gregorian birthday fell on the same day as the start of the Chinese New Year.
A new day, a new year, and a new life were all about to begin.
These two handsome boys made a good impression on the front desk staff. She decided to upgrade their standard double bed room to a couple’s suite because it was Li Cheng’s birthday.
Her eyes narrowed into crescents as she handed out the room card with a grin: “I wish you a wonderful Spring Festival. I hope you have a great time on your 18th birthday.”
They walked into the room holding hands. When the door was opened, they realized why the staff’s smile had been so “strange.”
In the center of the room was a large round water bed with petals thrown on it. Sweet perfume was sprayed into the air. The glistening roses in the vase were tender and lovely. The entire suite’s arrangement was extremely suggestive.
Li Cheng cast a peek at the large bed and swiftly averted his gaze, as if it didn’t exist if he didn’t look at it.
The room was on the hotel’s upper floors, with floor-to-ceiling windows occupying a full wall. You could see the entire city if you stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was late at night, and the streetlights were turned on. The cars flowed by, each headlight signifying a person eager to go home. The sky and the earth appeared to be flipped. They were standing in the clouds, with light-up stars braided into carpets beneath their feet.
“It’s so beautiful…”
The scenery quickly drew Li Cheng in. He threw himself at the window, enthralled by the view outside.
His fingers gesticulated in mid-air.
“That’s Huacheng No. 1 High School…over there is Youyou’s home…Your house is over there…”
“No, it’s not my home. I have left that place,” Xiao Yiheng said, pressing up from behind him, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist and placing his chin on the boy’s shoulder.
He walked away. He had left the house in a manner that could be described as severing ties.
He felt as light as a feather at the moment, and it wasn’t until he clasped Li Cheng in his arms that he felt he was back on solid ground.
He hugged his happiness.
“Although I don’t want to spoil the mood at this time…I don’t think your parents are the kind of people who give up,” Li Cheng said, automatically placing his palm on the back of Xiao Yiheng’s hand and looking at him from the corner of his eyes.
After a few seconds of silence, Xiao Yiheng chose to reveal a part of his dark side to Li Cheng: “They won’t have time to think about me—they can’t even protect themselves.”
“Huh?”
“I wrote an anonymous letter and delivered it to the Education Bureau to report them.”
“???”
Xiao Yiheng briefly explained how his father exploited his influence at work to participate in sex discrimination and how his mother conspired with wealthy pupils to tamper with their grades. He described how he combed through the evidence and turned it over to the Education Bureau.
He expected the Education Bureau to send people to investigate the case thoroughly after the Spring Festival. Both Father and Mother Xiao would lose their employment at the time, and if the cases were serious enough, they would even face jail time.
Li Cheng couldn’t close his jaw that had dropped wide in amazement after Xiao Yiheng finished explaining the situation.
Xiao Yiheng held his chin, closed his mouth, and murmured quietly, “Do you think I’m cruel, ChengCheng? In order to leave that ‘home,’ I became disobedient to my parents and even took personal actions to have them imprisoned…”
“No! No! How could it!!!” Li Cheng promptly shook his head and hugged his boyfriend, “They deserve it. Without your report letter, many beta and omega would have been treated unfairly!”
In Li Cheng’s opinion, his boyfriend had suffered in silence and had prioritized righteousness over family. He was a true hero among heroes, as well as an alpha among alpha!
“But, ChengCheng, there is nothing left after I gave up that place.” Xiao Yiheng’s voice sounded a little lonely, “I gave them all of the money I had earned from selling paintings before I left. I didn’t want to owe them even a cent… I am now a pauper. I might not even be able to purchase paint.”
Li Cheng’s heart was sour, astringent, bitter, and distressed when he heard it.
“It makes no difference. A world champion is standing right in front of you! Do you understand what it means to be a world champion? It means that you can trade gold medals for gold!” Li Cheng patted his chest and said, “Laozi will support you in the future! You can buy any paint you want and draw whatever you want!”
“Really?”
“Of course it’s true!”
“Then I suppose I want to paint now,” Xiao Yiheng said, looking down at the boyfriend in his arms.
“Not a problem! If you like, you can paint! What would you like to paint? I’ll find you some paintbrushes, pencils, papers, and dyes…”
“There’s no point bothering anyone.” Xiao Yiheng’s mouth curled up, but it wasn’t a smile. “I’ve brought a paintbrush as well as some paint.”
Li Cheng tilted his head suspiciously.
Xiao Yiheng mentioned bringing his own brush and paint? But when Xiao Yiheng left home, he had nothing in his hands save the clothes on his body.
Where could he tuck a long brush away?
“Even if you have a brush and paint, don’t you need a canvas?” Li Cheng was perplexed.
“No, I don’t require a canvas.”
Xiao Yiheng lowered his head, leaned in close to Li Cheng’s ear, and softly whispered—
—”I’d like to use you as a canvas.”
Li Cheng’s brain came to a complete halt for ten seconds.
Then he blushed a deep red in an instant.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
What brush, what paint, what canvas… Li Cheng wished he could reverse time by just a few minutes. How could he have been so foolish, ah? He actually took the initiative to jump into the pit with Xiao Yiheng’s trap!
How wonderful! He truly believed that Xiao Yiheng was sad and racked his brains to make him happy. As a result… As a result… As a result, that bastard Xiao Yiheng’s mind was filled with such nonsense!
Li Cheng shoved Xiao Yiheng away in embarrassment and annoyance, his round eyes fixed on the cocky alpha.
Xiao Yiheng liked his little look of false bravado the most. He drew Li Cheng back into his arms, lowering his head to search for the omega’s lips.
Li Cheng was not deceived. He turned away to avoid Xiao Yiheng’s kiss, freed himself from his arms, and headed to the bathroom: “We’ve been rolling around on the tree for so long that our faces and hair have gotten gray. Do you not think it’s filthy? I believe it is filthy.”
“Then let’s take a bath together?” Xiao Yiheng instantly followed him.
Li Cheng dashed into the bathroom before he could finish his sentence, and the door slammed shut rapidly. Xiao Yiheng’s nose was almost hit by the door.
“Xiao Yiheng, can’t you be more reserved?” Li Cheng yelled as he slumped back against the door.
Xiao Yiheng: “…… ”
Okay. Fine. If ChengCheng wasn’t yet ready, he could wait—in any case, they’d be sharing the bed every day for the next seven days. He couldn’t believe he couldn’t find an opportunity to paint on Li Cheng’s body with his paintbrush!
… …
The couple suite’s bathroom was extremely lavish. In addition to the shower head, there was a jacuzzi in the bathroom corner, which was large enough for two people to enjoy together.
Li Cheng had spent the day climbing trees and lighting candles. His entire body was sweaty and he felt uncomfortable. So he decided to take a relaxing bubble bath.
The bathtub quickly filled up with water. Li Cheng undressed fully and jumped into the bathtub.
The warm water ran over his body, wetting his hair. He sighed contentedly, feeling as if the exhaustion of the previous few days had vanished under the soaking of hot water.
He recalled that he had been mentally stressed and tense in recent months.
First the training camp, then the international competition, and after getting the medal he had flown home to “rescue” his boyfriend… One event after another, all stacked on top of each other, leaving him no room to breathe.
Fortunately…it was all over.
The knight successfully rescued the prince from the great devil, and they would live a happy life from then on!
He had no idea which button on the bathtub he had pressed. Several jets of water blasted from the bathtub’s bottom, directly onto Li Cheng’s body.
It turned out that the bathtub also included a massage and vibration function.
Li Cheng inquisitively touched a few buttons and selected the most comfortable mode. He yawned tiredly and sunk back into the tub, leaving only his nose and mouth above the water.
Hmm… It’s so relaxing… It feels like floating in the clouds…
That’s strange. Was it his illusion? Why did it feel like the water temperature was steadily rising…
Furthermore, the vibration frequency of water was too high. He felt as if he’d been tossed into a never-ending maelstrom. He only felt as if the world and the earth were spinning…
Li Cheng’s hands and feet went slack, refusing to respond to his directions. He instinctively desired to sit up in the bathtub, but despite his best efforts, he could only make his fingers move slightly…
It’s strange. It’s really very strange.
Li Cheng’s blood was boiling throughout his body. The heat raced across his body, instantly reaching his head and heart.
He resembled an overloaded machine. The entire world around him had slowed to a crawl, and everything in front of him had turned a kaleidoscopic hue.
Finally, the blistering heat converged on his left thigh’s root, then his femoral artery, and finally his glands.
Suddenly, the door to the bathroom was shoved open.
The hazy hot steam in the bathroom flowed out, mixed with the rich sweet orange scent, like a ripe fruit hanging on a branch, shouting to the world— “I’m mature! I can be picked, tasted, and enjoyed! I will offer my sweetest juice as well as my plentiful flesh!”
Li Cheng was no longer aware of his own existence. His spirit was floating in the air with his pheromones.
He raised his head and stared at the person outside the door in confusion—
That person had the sharp, cold scent of alpine cedar which warmed his heart and made him forget about customs.
Who was he?
Who was he?
Who was he?
He was—
“ChengCheng,” The man came to a halt in front of the bathtub, lowered his head and looked at him tenderly, “You are in estrus.”
—He was his alpha.
He was his Xiao Yiheng.
… …
In the small hot bathtub, in front of the French windows with views of the city, on the round waterbed that shook like waves.
There were endless kisses, gentle coaxing, and stifled moans followed by a roar.
From the initial fear, to the later desire to refuse and then welcome, it turned into an embrace after eating the essence and knowing its taste.
Physiological tears and unreserved cries mixed together as Li Cheng clung to Xiao Yiheng’s shoulders tightly and buried himself in his arms.
When the clock hit midnight, fireworks exploded outside the window, ushering in the new year.
Li Cheng became an adult on that day.
The instant the clock struck midnight, Xiao Yiheng left a permanent mark on Li Cheng’s glands.
… …
There was a chapter in the “National Health Education Course” that was specifically taught. It said that a permanent mark was a sacred ceremony that belonged exclusively to AO.
Temporary marking was very simple. All the alpha had to do was bite the omega glands and inject their own pheromone into the omega’s body.
There was one more step for permanent marking—After injecting the pheromone, the alpha would bite the tip of their tongue and kiss the omega, allowing the omega to suck their blood.
Only in this manner, would their blood be connected.
Only in this way, would their pheromones be integrated.
After being permanently marked, both alpha and omega would always carry each other’s scent, signaling to the rest of the world that their lives were inextricably linked.
The effect of permanent marking never faded.
Even if a person died, their pheromones would remain in their lover’s body.
As a result, a permanent mark was regarded as a more sacred promise than marriage.
—Even if death separates us, I will always be with you.
“Hello. Did you two make a reservation ahead of time?”
The hotel’s front desk staff was munching melon seeds and scrolling through videos when the hotel door slid open on both sides. She stood up quickly and looked at the two young men who were heading into the hotel foyer holding hands.
The two visitors appeared to be seventeen or eighteen years old. One was tall and handsome, but he had a cold demeanor; the other seemed cheerful, but his clothes were filthy, as if he had just rolled around.
The employee took a fleeting glance at the clock next to her—it was New Year’s Eve. It was time for families to reunite and have a festive meal. Why had this young couple arrived at the hotel to book a room at such an hour?
She expected the young pair to request an hourly rental of a room; much to her astonishment, they reserved a room for an entire week!
It was weird that instead of spending the Spring Festival with their families for seven days, the two youngsters arrived at the hotel hand in hand…
…It couldn’t be an elopement, right?
Her own imagination amused the employee. That was so outdated! Unless it was in a TV show, there was no such thing as an elopement.
The two youngsters handed out their identification. The tall and cold young man’s name was Xiao Yiheng, and the other sunny and blond boy’s name was Li Cheng.
When they checked in, they were holding hands and their eyes were entangled. A single glance revealed that they were a young couple in love.
The staff employee abruptly said “Huh” while entering the ID card information.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Yiheng inquired.
The employee returned Li Cheng’s ID card: “It’s nothing. I noticed that the guest’s birthday is tomorrow.”
“It’s my birthday?” Li Cheng was similarly taken aback.
His view of time had been a shambles in recent days, and he hadn’t paid heed to the date. He checked the calendar on the front desk—sure enough, his 18th birthday was coming up in a few hours!
He was on the verge of adulthood. His eighteenth birthday would formally mark him as an adult.
Surprisingly, Li Cheng’s Gregorian birthday fell on the same day as the start of the Chinese New Year.
A new day, a new year, and a new life were all about to begin.
These two handsome boys made a good impression on the front desk staff. She decided to upgrade their standard double bed room to a couple’s suite because it was Li Cheng’s birthday.
Her eyes narrowed into crescents as she handed out the room card with a grin: “I wish you a wonderful Spring Festival. I hope you have a great time on your 18th birthday.”
They walked into the room holding hands. When the door was opened, they realized why the staff’s smile had been so “strange.”
In the center of the room was a large round water bed with petals thrown on it. Sweet perfume was sprayed into the air. The glistening roses in the vase were tender and lovely. The entire suite’s arrangement was extremely suggestive.
Li Cheng cast a peek at the large bed and swiftly averted his gaze, as if it didn’t exist if he didn’t look at it.
The room was on the hotel’s upper floors, with floor-to-ceiling windows occupying a full wall. You could see the entire city if you stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was late at night, and the streetlights were turned on. The cars flowed by, each headlight signifying a person eager to go home. The sky and the earth appeared to be flipped. They were standing in the clouds, with light-up stars braided into carpets beneath their feet.
“It’s so beautiful…”
The scenery quickly drew Li Cheng in. He threw himself at the window, enthralled by the view outside.
His fingers gesticulated in mid-air.
“That’s Huacheng No. 1 High School…over there is Youyou’s home…Your house is over there…”
“No, it’s not my home. I have left that place,” Xiao Yiheng said, pressing up from behind him, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist and placing his chin on the boy’s shoulder.
He walked away. He had left the house in a manner that could be described as severing ties.
He felt as light as a feather at the moment, and it wasn’t until he clasped Li Cheng in his arms that he felt he was back on solid ground.
He hugged his happiness.
“Although I don’t want to spoil the mood at this time…I don’t think your parents are the kind of people who give up,” Li Cheng said, automatically placing his palm on the back of Xiao Yiheng’s hand and looking at him from the corner of his eyes.
After a few seconds of silence, Xiao Yiheng chose to reveal a part of his dark side to Li Cheng: “They won’t have time to think about me—they can’t even protect themselves.”
“Huh?”
“I wrote an anonymous letter and delivered it to the Education Bureau to report them.”
“???”
Xiao Yiheng briefly explained how his father exploited his influence at work to participate in sex discrimination and how his mother conspired with wealthy pupils to tamper with their grades. He described how he combed through the evidence and turned it over to the Education Bureau.
He expected the Education Bureau to send people to investigate the case thoroughly after the Spring Festival. Both Father and Mother Xiao would lose their employment at the time, and if the cases were serious enough, they would even face jail time.
Li Cheng couldn’t close his jaw that had dropped wide in amazement after Xiao Yiheng finished explaining the situation.
Xiao Yiheng held his chin, closed his mouth, and murmured quietly, “Do you think I’m cruel, ChengCheng? In order to leave that ‘home,’ I became disobedient to my parents and even took personal actions to have them imprisoned…”
“No! No! How could it!!!” Li Cheng promptly shook his head and hugged his boyfriend, “They deserve it. Without your report letter, many beta and omega would have been treated unfairly!”
In Li Cheng’s opinion, his boyfriend had suffered in silence and had prioritized righteousness over family. He was a true hero among heroes, as well as an alpha among alpha!
“But, ChengCheng, there is nothing left after I gave up that place.” Xiao Yiheng’s voice sounded a little lonely, “I gave them all of the money I had earned from selling paintings before I left. I didn’t want to owe them even a cent… I am now a pauper. I might not even be able to purchase paint.”
Li Cheng’s heart was sour, astringent, bitter, and distressed when he heard it.
“It makes no difference. A world champion is standing right in front of you! Do you understand what it means to be a world champion? It means that you can trade gold medals for gold!” Li Cheng patted his chest and said, “Laozi will support you in the future! You can buy any paint you want and draw whatever you want!”
“Really?”
“Of course it’s true!”
“Then I suppose I want to paint now,” Xiao Yiheng said, looking down at the boyfriend in his arms.
“Not a problem! If you like, you can paint! What would you like to paint? I’ll find you some paintbrushes, pencils, papers, and dyes…”
“There’s no point bothering anyone.” Xiao Yiheng’s mouth curled up, but it wasn’t a smile. “I’ve brought a paintbrush as well as some paint.”
Li Cheng tilted his head suspiciously.
Xiao Yiheng mentioned bringing his own brush and paint? But when Xiao Yiheng left home, he had nothing in his hands save the clothes on his body.
Where could he tuck a long brush away?
“Even if you have a brush and paint, don’t you need a canvas?” Li Cheng was perplexed.
“No, I don’t require a canvas.”
Xiao Yiheng lowered his head, leaned in close to Li Cheng’s ear, and softly whispered—
—”I’d like to use you as a canvas.”
Li Cheng’s brain came to a complete halt for ten seconds.
Then he blushed a deep red in an instant.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
What brush, what paint, what canvas… Li Cheng wished he could reverse time by just a few minutes. How could he have been so foolish, ah? He actually took the initiative to jump into the pit with Xiao Yiheng’s trap!
How wonderful! He truly believed that Xiao Yiheng was sad and racked his brains to make him happy. As a result… As a result… As a result, that bastard Xiao Yiheng’s mind was filled with such nonsense!
Li Cheng shoved Xiao Yiheng away in embarrassment and annoyance, his round eyes fixed on the cocky alpha.
Xiao Yiheng liked his little look of false bravado the most. He drew Li Cheng back into his arms, lowering his head to search for the omega’s lips.
Li Cheng was not deceived. He turned away to avoid Xiao Yiheng’s kiss, freed himself from his arms, and headed to the bathroom: “We’ve been rolling around on the tree for so long that our faces and hair have gotten gray. Do you not think it’s filthy? I believe it is filthy.”
“Then let’s take a bath together?” Xiao Yiheng instantly followed him.
Li Cheng dashed into the bathroom before he could finish his sentence, and the door slammed shut rapidly. Xiao Yiheng’s nose was almost hit by the door.
“Xiao Yiheng, can’t you be more reserved?” Li Cheng yelled as he slumped back against the door.
Xiao Yiheng: “…… ”
Okay. Fine. If ChengCheng wasn’t yet ready, he could wait—in any case, they’d be sharing the bed every day for the next seven days. He couldn’t believe he couldn’t find an opportunity to paint on Li Cheng’s body with his paintbrush!
… …
The couple suite’s bathroom was extremely lavish. In addition to the shower head, there was a jacuzzi in the bathroom corner, which was large enough for two people to enjoy together.
Li Cheng had spent the day climbing trees and lighting candles. His entire body was sweaty and he felt uncomfortable. So he decided to take a relaxing bubble bath.
The bathtub quickly filled up with water. Li Cheng undressed fully and jumped into the bathtub.
The warm water ran over his body, wetting his hair. He sighed contentedly, feeling as if the exhaustion of the previous few days had vanished under the soaking of hot water.
He recalled that he had been mentally stressed and tense in recent months.
First the training camp, then the international competition, and after getting the medal he had flown home to “rescue” his boyfriend… One event after another, all stacked on top of each other, leaving him no room to breathe.
Fortunately…it was all over.
The knight successfully rescued the prince from the great devil, and they would live a happy life from then on!
He had no idea which button on the bathtub he had pressed. Several jets of water blasted from the bathtub’s bottom, directly onto Li Cheng’s body.
It turned out that the bathtub also included a massage and vibration function.
Li Cheng inquisitively touched a few buttons and selected the most comfortable mode. He yawned tiredly and sunk back into the tub, leaving only his nose and mouth above the water.
Hmm… It’s so relaxing… It feels like floating in the clouds…
That’s strange. Was it his illusion? Why did it feel like the water temperature was steadily rising…
Furthermore, the vibration frequency of water was too high. He felt as if he’d been tossed into a never-ending maelstrom. He only felt as if the world and the earth were spinning…
Li Cheng’s hands and feet went slack, refusing to respond to his directions. He instinctively desired to sit up in the bathtub, but despite his best efforts, he could only make his fingers move slightly…
It’s strange. It’s really very strange.
Li Cheng’s blood was boiling throughout his body. The heat raced across his body, instantly reaching his head and heart.
He resembled an overloaded machine. The entire world around him had slowed to a crawl, and everything in front of him had turned a kaleidoscopic hue.
Finally, the blistering heat converged on his left thigh’s root, then his femoral artery, and finally his glands.
Suddenly, the door to the bathroom was shoved open.
The hazy hot steam in the bathroom flowed out, mixed with the rich sweet orange scent, like a ripe fruit hanging on a branch, shouting to the world— “I’m mature! I can be picked, tasted, and enjoyed! I will offer my sweetest juice as well as my plentiful flesh!”
Li Cheng was no longer aware of his own existence. His spirit was floating in the air with his pheromones.
He raised his head and stared at the person outside the door in confusion—
That person had the sharp, cold scent of alpine cedar which warmed his heart and made him forget about customs.
Who was he?
Who was he?
Who was he?
He was—
“ChengCheng,” The man came to a halt in front of the bathtub, lowered his head and looked at him tenderly, “You are in estrus.”
—He was his alpha.
He was his Xiao Yiheng.
… …
In the small hot bathtub, in front of the French windows with views of the city, on the round waterbed that shook like waves.
There were endless kisses, gentle coaxing, and stifled moans followed by a roar.
From the initial fear, to the later desire to refuse and then welcome, it turned into an embrace after eating the essence and knowing its taste.
Physiological tears and unreserved cries mixed together as Li Cheng clung to Xiao Yiheng’s shoulders tightly and buried himself in his arms.
When the clock hit midnight, fireworks exploded outside the window, ushering in the new year.
Li Cheng became an adult on that day.
The instant the clock struck midnight, Xiao Yiheng left a permanent mark on Li Cheng’s glands.
… …
There was a chapter in the “National Health Education Course” that was specifically taught. It said that a permanent mark was a sacred ceremony that belonged exclusively to AO.
Temporary marking was very simple. All the alpha had to do was bite the omega glands and inject their own pheromone into the omega’s body.
There was one more step for permanent marking—After injecting the pheromone, the alpha would bite the tip of their tongue and kiss the omega, allowing the omega to suck their blood.
Only in this manner, would their blood be connected.
Only in this way, would their pheromones be integrated.
After being permanently marked, both alpha and omega would always carry each other’s scent, signaling to the rest of the world that their lives were inextricably linked.
The effect of permanent marking never faded.
Even if a person died, their pheromones would remain in their lover’s body.
As a result, a permanent mark was regarded as a more sacred promise than marriage.
—Even if death separates us, I will always be with you.
