After leaving the Ning residence, Dou Changxiao found a random spot outside the residential complex to sit down. Passersby came and went, each one glancing back at him as they walked by. Though Dou Changxiao didn’t look as shocking as Ning Zhu, he was still a sorry sight, and sitting alone by the roadside made him stand out all the more.

Dou Changxiao didn’t care.

After all, hadn’t that Ning guy spent the whole night outside his own front door last night, looking just like a homeless person?

For the past two days—the susceptible period—he hadn’t eaten a single grain of rice, drinking only water from the bathroom sink when he was thirsty. But Dou Changxiao wasn’t hungry at all right now; or rather, he had no desire to fill his stomach.

A sour, swelling sensation spread from his heart, causing his eyes and nasal passages to sting, then surged into his stomach, even counteracting the hunger he’d felt after two days without food.

“Thirty million a year to buy you, this precious Alpha… isn’t it all just me spending money to bring this misery upon myself? I deserve it.”

Dou Changxiao thought coldly: If it weren’t for his glandular illness, who would want his money? Who exactly was the one rushing to court trouble…

He pulled out the emotions he’d been bottling up all along, hoping to ease his sense of grievance by picking a fight with Ning Zhu.

But before he could list Ning Zhu’s faults in detail, other memories began to surface.

More accurately, his senses began to belatedly awaken.

The scent of Ning Zhu’s neck he’d caught in the bathroom, the faint gasps during their kisses, and the sound of the other person helplessly swallowing… not to mention the shuddering pleasure of their tongues intertwining.

“……”

Dou Changxiao’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he rubbed the fabric on his knee. The aching, swelling emotion in his heart was gradually replaced by guilt, even mixed with a subtle sense of excitement.

But then again… it was indeed his fault to begin with.

It seemed… understandable that Ning would want to keep his distance.

Dou Changxiao’s mood shifted so rapidly that it bordered on capriciousness. Feeling somewhat disoriented, he got up, ignoring the car still parked near Anjiang Square, and headed back to S University first.

Once in his dorm, he ate a few energy bars to replenish his strength, tidied himself up, and contacted both his advisor and the hospital to let them know he was out of the contagious period and would be able to return to work the next day.

Although he had already picked up on Ning Zhu’s hints, when evening came, Dou Changxiao thought about how Ning Zhu had spent the night out the previous night and couldn’t help but send him a message.

【Ddd:】Hope you didn’t catch a cold.

Ning Zhu didn’t reply until the next day.

【Ning Huochong:】 [smile]

No “yes” or “no”—just a vague smiley face. Dou Changxiao didn’t press further.

He also called his parents to let them know he’d gotten through the rut period without any issues.

As usual, Dou Shu and Lu Mao’an didn’t think much of it. They mentioned that Lu Chaolai was coming to Haicheng on a business trip next week.

Dou Changxiao had no intention of meeting Lu Chao; he exchanged a few perfunctory words and hung up.

His chat history with Ning Zhu remained unchanged for the next few days.

When the agreed-upon Saturday arrived, Dou Changxiao didn’t sleep in; he woke up early.

Ning Zhu had said he’d arrive at Dou Changxiao’s place around two or three in the afternoon, so Dou Changxiao had packed his morning and afternoon schedules full of work.

However, by the end of the morning, he hadn’t finished a single task.

He thought, this won’t do. Until he’d given Ning Zhu his medicine, he’d remain idle and unable to focus. He had to pull out this thorn tormenting him ahead of time.

So, before 11:00 a.m., he set off directly for the Ning residence without calling Ning Zhu ahead of time.

After all, there was a chance Ning Zhu wouldn’t reply until the next day.

The consequence of not calling ahead was that he arrived too early—Ning Zhu wasn’t even home at that hour.

When he entered the house, he called out Ning Zhu’s name, startling Aunt Lin, who was preparing ingredients in the kitchen.

Stepping out of the kitchen, Aunt Lin took a good look at Dou Changxiao and recognized him immediately: “Oh, it’s you—the gentleman Xiao Ning brought home last time, the one who was drunk.”

“……”

Dou Changxiao had no recollection of that day; as far as he was concerned, this was his first encounter with Aunt Lin. Before this, he’d only heard Ning Zhu mention that there was an Aunt Lin in the household.

“……Yeah. I’m looking for Ning Zhu. Isn’t he home?”

Aunt Lin: “Young Master Ning went out to meet some friends. He said he was going to play basketball.”

Dou Changxiao: “…”

Oh. So the plan to play ball with me is off now.

That guy named Ning—can he even handle the ball?

“Who is he with…” Dou Changxiao frowned, swallowed the rest of his words, and asked instead, “When will he be back?”

Aunt Lin: “He said he’d be back for lunch.”

Dou Changxiao: “Thanks, then I’ll come back this afternoon.”

“That’s such a hassle. Why don’t you wait in the living room for a bit? Young Master Ning should be back soon,” Aunt Lin said with a warm, friendly smile. “I’ll go back to the kitchen and whip up a couple more dishes.”

Dou Changxiao paused for a moment before realizing that Aunt Lin had probably misunderstood his relationship with Ning Zhu.

He said calmly, “No need to go to the trouble. Just prepare his usual portion. Mr. Ning is my client; our relationship is purely professional… a business transaction. Nothing more.”

Aunt Lin looked skeptical but remained cheerful: “Don’t try to fool me. Young Master Ning wouldn’t give access to his apartment to just any business partner.”

Dou Changxiao replied calmly, “It’s nothing. He’ll probably revoke the access in a couple of days.”

Aunt Lin smiled without comment, turned to brew some tea, brought out some pastries to offer Dou Changxiao, and then returned to the kitchen.

Dou Changxiao waited silently in the living room for a few minutes. Finally, hearing the sounds of activity coming from the kitchen, he worried that Aunt Lin might have prepared enough food for him as well, so he got up and followed her into the kitchen.

Upon entering, he saw that she had indeed done just that. Judging by the number of ingredients on the cutting board, there was enough to feed four people.

Dou Changxiao sighed and said, “Half of this is enough. Save the rest for his dinner. Really. He won’t be keeping me for dinner.”

Having that much food laid out on the table would actually be awkward if the host had no intention of keeping a guest.

Aunt Lin turned around and glanced at him hesitantly. “You and Boss Xiao Ning really aren’t…”

“No.”

Aunt Lin finally mumbled an embarrassed reply, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I just thought…”

Dou Changxiao didn’t say a word.

“Still, you must be friends with Boss Ning, right? There was a doctor before who was close to him, but he didn’t have access to the door lock.”

“I suppose so.”

Aunt Lin thought to herself that even if they were just ordinary friends, Ning Zhu would surely have invited him to stay for lunch. He’d love to have someone to eat with. Although when he had company, Ning Zhu always felt too embarrassed to be picky about his food.

But seeing Dou Changxiao’s rather cold expression, she didn’t voice this thought.

Dou Changxiao didn’t feel like continuing the conversation, so he turned and went back to the living room to wait.

About twenty minutes later, Ning Zhu still hadn’t returned.

Aunt Lin cut up a plate of fruit, brought it out, and placed it on the table. “Why don’t you give him a call?”

She had already put the soup on to simmer; the remaining dishes would be stir-fried fresh once Ning Zhu returned. She chatted briefly with Dou Changxiao in the living room: “On weekends, Young Master Ning doesn’t really like staying home. Next time you come over, you might want to give him a heads-up beforehand.”

Dou Changxiao replied indifferently, “I know. He has plenty of hobbies.”

“That’s not really the reason. He’s the kind of person who likes a lively atmosphere. Since he’s always home alone on weekends, he can’t help but want to get out.”

Dou Changxiao didn’t react at first, but after a few seconds, he realized that he had indeed never seen any signs of other people having been there at Ning Zhu’s place.

Including that guest bedroom—before he moved in, it didn’t look like anyone had ever lived there. That was strange.

Dou Changxiao asked, “Don’t his family members usually come to visit him?”

Aunt Lin looked at him in surprise and asked, “Young Master Ning doesn’t have any other relatives. Hasn’t he mentioned that to you?”

She spoke without thinking, only then realizing it was inappropriate to discuss Ning Zhu’s family affairs in front of a stranger. Because she had automatically assumed Dou Changxiao was someone close to Ning Zhu, the words had slipped out without much thought. A look of embarrassment immediately flashed across Aunt Lin’s face.

Dou Changxiao paused for a moment before saying, “…No.”

They weren’t the kind of relationship where one could casually bring up family matters in front of the other.

“How… how could that be?”

Aunt Lin could only add, “I don’t know the specifics, and Boss Ning doesn’t like to talk about it. I don’t feel comfortable prying too deeply.”

Dou Changxiao clutched the warm teacup, recalling that icy “lemonade” from a few months ago, and the indecipherable look of envy in Ning Zhu’s eyes back then when he’d mentioned Fang Huaixin’s family.

He lowered his eyes and swirled the teacup in his hand a few times.

As a wave of complex, painful emotions began to well up, Dou Changxiao drained the tea from his cup, then picked up the teapot to refill it, temporarily diverting his attention.

Aunt Lin soon returned to the kitchen to continue her chores.

Dou Changxiao slowly drank another cup of water, forcing himself not to speculate or pry too much into others’ pasts. Such curiosity was impolite, yet certain associations surfaced uncontrollably…

His gaze shifted to the medicine cabinet in the living room.

The doctor he’d consulted earlier had said the patient likely had a congenital defect in their glands.

One way to confirm this was to check whether the patient had been taking specific inhibitors long-term.

Dou Changxiao stared at the cabinet for a moment, then set down his glass and stood up.

“Since when did you get so into sports? You actually asked me out to play ball.”

Cheng Li held a basketball in both hands, jumping up to shoot as he spoke.

The ball hit the rim and bounced back with a thud. He cleared his throat. “…I haven’t touched a ball in two months. My hands are a bit rusty.”

Ning Zhu watched from the sidelines and said, “Are you any good at this?”

Cheng Li: “You’re so good at it—you go, you go!”

Ning Zhu took the ball and shot with one hand, but this time the ball didn’t even graze the rim.

He shamelessly defended himself: “My right hand is injured; I can only use one hand.”

Cheng Li was unsparing: “You’re even worse when you use both hands.”

“……”

“You didn’t call me out here just to play, did you? You don’t look like you’re in the mood for a game.” Cheng Li studied Ning Zhu’s sullen face; the other guy hadn’t even smiled much.

Ning Zhu had barely touched the ball for half a minute before sitting down in the bench area and saying, “No, I really am here to play.”

“Bullshit. You’ve definitely got something you’ve been dying to say; otherwise, you wouldn’t have dragged just me out here.”

Ning Zhu paused for a moment, looked at Cheng Li, and pointed at his own nose. “Am I… a charismatic person? Aside from being super rich, that is.”

“…What are you talking about?” Cheng Li was initially baffled, but after a few seconds, he realized something and suddenly sat down next to him. “Damn, you’re asking me for relationship advice.”

Ning Zhu shot him a glance. “Advice on what? You’ve only got failure stories for me to learn from.”

Chasing an Omega for years, from school uniforms to suits, only to watch him walk down the aisle with a Beta.

“My methods are absolutely flawless. My little brother used exactly this approach to land his current boyfriend.”

Ning Zhu chuckled. “No wonder it took him a year. I was wondering—your brother seems pretty smart, so why did it take him so long to win someone over?”

Cheng Li: “……”

Ning Zhu really did have questions. That coconut-scented little rascal was, in his eyes, an utterly inscrutable enigma. That day, after he’d dropped so many hints to get the guy to leave, the kid had just replied flatly, “I won’t sleep in,” and Ning Zhu had been fretting ever since.

It was manageable during the day at work, but at night, as his mind relaxed, his thoughts were invaded by Dou Changxiao’s incessant, nagging grievances and accusations during his “susceptible period”… as if Ning Zhu had done something particularly cruel.

Ning Zhu firmly believed he was innocent, yet he felt inexplicably guilty.

So he picked through his circle of close friends—only to find they were all fucking single. Cheng Li was actually the one with a bit of romantic experience. On a whim, he called him out.

But when it actually came time to ask, Ning Zhu found he didn’t want to hand this mystery over to someone else to solve.

He felt like his illness might have spread from his glands to somewhere else.

Ning Zhu came up with a flimsy excuse to change the subject, and he and Cheng Li chatted aimlessly until the conversation turned to work.

Cheng Li said, “Things have been pretty tense at Qisheng lately, haven’t they? My sister told me that Qisheng and Ren’s Group are currently competing for the Lu’s Group’s business.”

Ning Zhu replied lazily, “It’s not that tense. It’s mainly about guarding against certain people pulling strings behind the scenes.”

Cheng Li furrowed his brow.

Qisheng’s name had trended on Beicheng’s hot search list a few days earlier, with the headline reading “Qisheng SA Employee Injures Someone During Susceptible Period”—every keyword was a potential scandal. Fortunately, aside from a few of Qisheng’s own security guards getting injured, there wasn’t much of an impact. The police quickly issued a statement to clarify the situation, so it didn’t spark much discussion afterward.

But if that employee had actually injured a visitor at Anjiang Plaza, Qisheng would undoubtedly have been scrambling to manage the public backlash these past few days. With an incident happening at such a critical juncture, Cheng Li didn’t believe for a second that there wasn’t someone pulling the strings behind that trending topic.

“This kind of dirty trick is nine times out of ten the work of that idiot Ren Shaokun,” Cheng Li said with disgust. “His dad really did him a favor by sending him abroad. He should’ve been stuck in the ICU for two weeks!”

Ning Zhu smiled.

“How can you even smile? I still don’t know what happened back then…” Cheng Li tossed the ball he was holding aside and said in a low voice, “I took a break, and when I got back to school, I found out you’d been in an accident… You were in a coma for half a month. Ji Chi and I almost thought you wouldn’t wake up.”

A month before the college entrance exams, he returned to school after the break and found Ning Zhu’s desk empty.

After asking the teacher, he learned that Ning Zhu had unexpectedly gone into heat while studying in the classroom during the break. A passing Omega had caught the scent of his pheromones and discovered Ning Zhu had been unconscious inside for who knows how long, so they frantically called an ambulance.

Cheng Li had never heard of an Omega falling into a dangerous state due to heat before.

During that time, Ren Shaokun would pick on Ning Zhu every now and then whenever Cheng Li wasn’t around. Although Ning Zhu’s coma hadn’t been made public, Ren Shaokun acted particularly smug, and Cheng Li was certain this incident was somehow connected to him.

Unfortunately, they never found any direct evidence. They checked the surveillance footage, and it showed that Ning Zhu was indeed the only person in the classroom that day—no one else had been there.

When Ning Zhu woke up after pulling through the critical phase, he refused to discuss the incident.

Before that, Ning Zhu had mostly met Ren Shaokun’s harassment and bullying with contempt, paying him little mind. But after that incident, his attitude changed. After class and at the end of the school day, whenever he had the chance, he would watch Ren Shaokun’s every move like a venomous snake, his eyes burning with a reckless ferocity.

Cheng Li had a gut feeling that if he didn’t do something, Ning Zhu would definitely resort to some extreme action.

Plus, he wanted to get even with Ning Zhu, so he begged his older brother and sister to cause some trouble for Ren Hongyuan, which led to Ren Shaokun being sent abroad by his own father.

Cheng Li frowned and said, “That asshole will get his comeuppance someday.”

Ning Zhu neither confirmed nor denied it.

In the end, neither of them managed to sink many shots.

The questions Ning Zhu had been mulling over regarding Dou Changxiao never made it out of his mouth.

When they got home, the gloom was still written all over his face.

As he opened the door and glanced up, Ning Zhu suddenly spotted Dou Changxiao standing in front of the cabinet in his living room.

He paused in surprise, then turned away as if nothing were amiss to change his shoes, muttering, “You’re here so early.”

Dou Changxiao glanced at him, then quickly looked away.

“Mm.”

“What are you doing standing there?” Ning Zhu asked, making small talk.

Dou Changxiao: “Nothing.”

The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen.

Ning Zhu returned just in time for lunch. He glanced at Dou Changxiao but didn’t invite him to stay for a meal. Instead, he smiled and said, “Let’s go upstairs.”

“……” Dou Changxiao stared intently at him for two seconds without speaking.

Ning Zhu felt inexplicably uncomfortable under his gaze and walked straight up to the bedroom on the second floor.

In fact, Ning Zhu had already taken an overdose of medication a few days earlier, during the other’s susceptible period. This time, his heat cycle had unexpectedly not come early, and his glands had been unusually stable lately. He could have asked Dou Changxiao not to come over this Saturday, but since Ning Zhu had suggested a fixed time, he didn’t feel right asking him to change the date, so he simply didn’t bring it up.

As a result, the duration of his medication this time was exceptionally brief.

Ning Zhu didn’t even go into the bathroom; he just stayed in the spacious bedroom with Dou Changxiao for five minutes.

Occasionally, he exchanged a few casual remarks with Dou Changxiao about his hospital internships. He’d ask a question, and Dou Changxiao would give a half-hearted reply; as time went on, his answers grew increasingly perfunctory, until finally he stopped responding altogether.

Ning Zhu: “……”

Great.

He hadn’t even settled the score from the susceptible period yet, and this little brat was already getting cocky and picking a fight with him.

Once the five minutes were up, Ning Zhu finished taking his medicine and stood up.

“Five minutes. Is that enough?” Dou Changxiao asked him.

Ning Zhu: “Yeah.”

Dou Changxiao fixed him with another stare.

It was the same gaze he’d had downstairs—unblinking. His eyes seemed to hold something pent-up, so intense it was almost raw.

For some reason, that look made Ning Zhu want to look away.

Dou Changxiao neatly retracted his pheromones. Once the scent in the bedroom had faded somewhat, he went downstairs without a word.

Ning Zhu followed him down. As Dou Changxiao stood by the door putting on his coat, Ning Zhu stole a couple of glances at him.

Dou Changxiao rarely wore his emotions on his face; whenever Ning Zhu saw him, his expression was always cold. At this moment, the corners of his lips were pressed down, his eyelashes lowered, and his eyes were utterly calm.

For some reason, Ning Zhu sensed a hint of gloom in the other man’s expressionless face.

Ning Zhu: “…”

What’s wrong with me? Since when did I become so perceptive?

The sound of the other person’s voice—when he’d reproached Ning Zhu during a vulnerable moment—popped into his mind at the most inopportune time. That slightly soft, aggrieved tone overlapped with the expressionless Dou Changxiao standing before him, making Ning Zhu so restless he felt like biting his finger.

Dou Changxiao buttoned up his coat, turned around, glanced up at him, and said, “I’m leaving.”

“Oh, okay. See you next week, haha.”

Dou Changxiao walked away without looking back.

The door closed. Ning Zhu stood there for a moment before walking into the dining room.

Aunt Lin was stir-frying the last dish. He glanced into the kitchen and saw some ingredients wrapped in plastic wrap on the cutting board. Surprised, he asked, “Why did you prepare so many dishes today?”

“I was afraid you might invite guests over for dinner, so I prepared a little extra.”

Ning Zhu nodded.

Aunt Lin looked at him, as if she wanted to say something but held back.

Feeling a bit flustered by her gaze, Ning Zhu said, “If you have something to say, just say it.”

“…Young Master Ning,” Aunt Lin turned down the heat a little, “have you had a falling out with that gentleman who was just here?”

Ning Zhu: “…How could that be? What kind of conflict could I possibly have with him? I’m so polite and friendly. Did you see me lose my temper with him?”

“That’s not it.”

Ning Zhu laughed. “Then why do you think I’m at odds with that guy?”

“When I was prepping ingredients in the kitchen, he told me not to bother, saying, ‘he’s not going to invite him to stay for dinner.’”

Ning Zhu: “…”

Aunt Lin looked at Ning Zhu and said hesitantly, “You really didn’t.”

Given Ning Zhu’s sociable nature, he’d usually invite even unfamiliar neighbors who dropped by to sit down and have a bite to eat. Yet he hadn’t done so just now?

“…………”

Ning Zhu cleared his throat awkwardly, then spoke after a moment: “That’s not true. Never mind that—why don’t you come sit over here?”

Ning Zhu had said this to Aunt Lin many times before, but unfortunately, she still felt more at ease in the kitchen. Although she cared about him, Ning Zhu was, after all, her employer, and she was accustomed to dining at a separate table from her employer—a habit she simply couldn’t break.

Ning Zhu didn’t press the matter and quietly finished his lunch alone in the dining room.