It was past one in the morning when Li Xiao woke up. He was the only one left in bed, though the spot beside him was still warm.

Li Xiao sat up, feeling a faint, stinging pain on his shoulder. He reached over and touched it, feeling a deep bite mark.

On the adjacent pillow lay a piece of paper. Li Xiao picked it up and saw a line of wild, messy handwriting: I’ve gone back to my country. Goodbye.

Li Xiao ran a hand through his hair and asked 09, “Give me his location.”

09: [He said if I told you, he’d format me. You’d better look for him yourself.]

Li Xiao: “…”

The bedsheets were still warm, which meant he had only just left. It wasn’t light outside yet, and if Song Jin had actually left the palace, the butler would have reported it to him.

So, he was still in the side hall.

Li Xiao casually pulled on a pair of pants and went straight to the place with the highest probability—the bathroom.

“Xiao Jin?”

Li Xiao went in and looked around, but didn’t find anyone. Instead, he saw his own tragic state in the mirror.

The bite mark on his gland was oozing blood, which had already clotted. There were several scratch marks on his neck and shoulders, his lips were bitten through, and the corners of his mouth were red and swollen—all the work of a certain cat.

He had accidentally stepped on the cat’s tail, so the cat scratched him up and ran away in a huff.

Li Xiao wiped the injury at the corner of his mouth. Thinking of Song Jin, who had actively seduced him two hours ago, he let out a helpless laugh and turned to walk out of the bedroom.

If he didn’t find him before dawn, he probably wouldn’t get a good look from him for the next few days.

Two hours ago—

When Li Xiao returned to the bedroom and realized Song Jin hadn’t followed, his body acted before his brain could think, immediately turning back to the outer hall to retrieve the cat.

“Time to sleep.”

Meeting Li Xiao’s gaze—which was brimming with overt aggression—Song Jin turned off his terminal and stood up, feeling a solemn sense of walking onto a battlefield.

He couldn’t rely on his older brother anymore; if he wanted to mark Li Xiao, he had to rely on himself.

In terms of martial strength, they were about equal, but Li Xiao had faster reaction times. Coupled with the hormonal stimulation of his rut, winning by force was almost impossible.

If hard tactics wouldn’t work, he could only use soft ones.

The moment they returned to the bedroom, Li Xiao clung to him, kissing and rubbing against his face, acting insufferably clingy.

Song Jin pushed him away slightly. Seeing Li Xiao instantly frown in displeasure, he asked casually, “Does it make you anxious when your pheromones can’t stay on me?”

Li Xiao bit his lip neither too hard nor too softly, staying silent, which was a tacit admission.

Song Jin stroked behind Li Xiao’s ear and deliberately lowered his voice, “Do you want to mark me?”

Li Xiao: “Are you willing?”

Song Jin moved toward the bed while kissing him, pushing him down and striding over him. Under Li Xiao’s startled yet deep gaze, Song Jin unbuttoned his shirt one button at a time, revealing the elegant curve of his shoulder and neck line, smiling with unbridled audacity: “Come on. Bite me.”

Under normal circumstances, Li Xiao would have noticed something was wrong. But right now, his mind was entirely occupied by the arrogant, excessively beautiful cat in front of him; his self-restraint was eroded down to nothing.

The atmosphere grew steadily warmer, and Li Xiao’s breathing pattern turned frantic.

His gaze swept over Song Jin’s neck. In the end, unable to hold back, his voice sounded lower and looser than usual: “Jin, I—”

A sharp pain shot through his neck as canine teeth pierced his skin. A familiar yet alien pheromone forcefully invaded him. As two Alphas’ pheromones collided, a strong rejection reaction erupted instantly.

Before Li Xiao could mark him, Song Jin bit first.

Li Xiao’s hand tightened around Song Jin’s waist. Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He tilted his head to look at Song Jin, who was buried against his neck, his breathing slightly unstable: “Tricking me?”

Song Jin grinned wickedly, licking the bite mark he had created with satisfaction: “This is called a feint. Who told you to fall for the bait so easily?”

Song Jin proudly touched the bite mark. But when he looked up and met Li Xiao’s even deeper, darker gaze, he felt a bit puzzled.

Why was he still looking like a demon? Was it because he didn’t bite deep enough?

“Let me try again.”

Having no prior experience, Song Jin was just about to deepen the mark on top of the original bite when Li Xiao suddenly flipped over and pinned him down.

“Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the tactic you just used?” Li Xiao pinned Song Jin’s wrists, his gaze sweeping over the blood smeared on Song Jin’s lips. “That was clearly a honeypot trap.”

Song Jin noticed his gaze and provocatively licked the blood off his own lips, letting out a smirk: “Just tell me if it worked on you or not?”

“It worked.”

Li Xiao leaned down, his nose almost touching Song Jin’s. “The bad news is… it worked too well.”

Song Jin: “…?”

The collision of pheromones failed to calm Li Xiao down; instead, it sparked his desire for dominance even more, completely burning away what little rationality he had left.

Li Xiao showed no mercy with his mouth, kissing Song Jin until he felt numb and sore.

However, he quite liked Li Xiao being rough like this once in a while.

Feeling the hand at his lower back starting to slip into his waistband, Song Jin pinned Li Xiao’s hand, his eyes flashing a warning: “Where are you touching?”

Li Xiao licked behind his ear, not showing the slightest intent to reflect on his actions: “I’m just feeling a bit.”

Song Jin was kissed into a hazy daze. By the time he snapped back to reality, things were already very wrong.

“Wait a minute, your fingers… Hey! … Li Xiao!”

In the training room, this scene flashed through Song Jin’s mind, and he punched a heavy sandbag so hard it caved in.

He had only been eyeing Li Xiao’s neck, but he didn’t expect that kid to be eyeing his ass.

He did bite him back, but he still felt a sense of defeat.

07 turned into a small floating sphere in midair and reminded him, “Master, you should be resting at this hour. Strenuous exercise will cause insomnia~”

Song Jin’s strikes grew faster and faster, every hit ruthless.

“To deal with that kid, fists really are the most useful tool after all.”

07 asked obediently, “Are you practicing boxing overnight so you can go back and deal with Madam?”

Song Jin smiled coldly: “Beat him to the ground, and then touch him back.”

In the distance, standing at the door of the training room and peeking inside, Li Xiao: “…”

He had searched several places, even checking every single corner of the kitchen, but couldn’t find him. He hadn’t expected him to be here.

The cat in combat stance was both gorgeous and sharp; he could watch this until morning.

09: [Stop staring! Hurry in and coax Madam back, or else I’m going to suffer along with you.]

Li Xiao: “…”

The cat was in the middle of a fit; whoever went in right now would be in deep trouble.

In the hallway, Butler Lin Hai was dutifully standing guard. Seeing the Second Prince pressing against the crack of the door to peek, he couldn’t help but find it novel.

The Second Prince had been reserved since childhood and rarely made such childish moves.

Li Xiao gestured to Lin Hai and said softly, “Go prepare some desserts and place them in the outer hall of my bedroom.”

Lin Hai also suppressed his voice: “His Majesty sent over quite a few new varieties recently. Would you like to try those?”

Li Xiao: “That works.”

The cat had highly praised his brother’s taste in selection; this should gain him some extra points.

“Who’s outside?!”

A cold shout from Song Jin echoed from inside the room. Li Xiao stepped to the side and gestured for the butler to retreat.

Rapid footsteps approached. Lin Hai looked left and right, realizing it was too late to run. He panicked, unsure of which way to retreat. Looking over, he saw Li Xiao cleanly vault over the hallway balcony railing. Lin Hai hurriedly followed, but tripped over his own feet while climbing over and nearly took a nose-dive. Li Xiao grabbed him by the back of his collar in the nick of time.

“Th—”

Just as Lin Hai opened his mouth, he saw Li Xiao hide behind a pillar and make a shushing gesture. Lin Hai quickly clapped a hand over his own mouth, not daring to breathe loudly.

“…”

Why were they hiding like thieves?

Th-This was so thrilling.

Song Jin opened the door and took a look. The hallway was completely quiet and empty. Under the light of the moon, only the flower bushes in the small garden were swaying in the wind.

“I’ll count to three. Come out on your own.”

Song Jin’s voice was frigid. “Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless. One… two…”

Lin Hai squatted behind another pillar, his heart in his throat.

With the Crown Prince Consort’s combat ability, he wouldn’t even survive a single punch.

The Second Prince wouldn’t make him go out as a scapegoat, right?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he saw Li Xiao point at him and gesture toward the hallway.

Lin Hai: “…”

He really was making him go out as a scapegoat!

Lin Hai took a deep breath. The footsteps that had been fading away suddenly approached, and a hand reached around the pillar toward Li Xiao.

Lin Hai’s eyes widened. Just as he was about to warn the Second Prince, he saw the prince deftly twist his steps right before being caught, supporting himself on the railing to fluidly vault back into the hallway.

“Tired of living? Coming to seek death?”

Song Jin missed his target in one move, instantly turning around to attack Li Xiao.

Li Xiao dodged while stepping back: “I can’t sleep without you.”

Song Jin rotated his wrist, shifting a fist into a palm sweep aimed at Li Xiao’s neck: “Looks to me like you were sleeping quite soundly.”

Li Xiao lied with a straight face: “I was knocked unconscious by your bite. Cough, cough…“

Song Jin stated word by word: “If you don’t fight back, it won’t just be as simple as fainting.”

“…” Li Xiao had no choice but to raise his hands to handle the attacks, while simultaneously giving a subtle eye gesture to Lin Hai, who was hiding behind the pillar.

Lin Hai understood, crouching down and sneaking through the small garden to prepare the desserts.

Li Xiao: “I was just bitten by you, I’m feeling very weak… cough, cough… hit me lighter.”

Song Jin didn’t hold back his strikes at all: “Cut the sob story.”

Li Xiao: “Are you tired? How about a quick mid-fight break?”

Song Jin: “I have enough energy to beat ten more of you to death.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Why weren’t the desserts here yet?

After fighting for fifteen minutes, Butler Lin Hai hurried over from the end of the hallway, speaking respectfully: “Your Highness, the tea and refreshments are ready. They are the new dessert styles sent by His Majesty.”

Li Xiao felt the fist swinging toward him pause slightly. He took the opportunity to ask, “Fill your stomach before we continue fighting?”

Song Jin: “…”

“I heard they were specially developed according to the Crown Prince Consort’s taste preferences,” Lin Hai smiled and began reading off the menu, even listing out the recipes.

Song Jin: “…”

He was hungry.

Five minutes later, Li Xiao sat at the dining table, watching Song Jin dig into the desserts.

Seeing the cat’s satisfied expression, Li Xiao wiped a bit of cream from the corner of Song Jin’s lips and tasted it himself.

It was indeed a flavor the cat would like.

He hadn’t expected his brother to be so extraordinarily talented in such odd areas.

Song Jin puffed his cheeks as he ate in large mouthfuls. Seeing this, he glanced at Li Xiao. The other man was only wearing a thin long robe, a style unique to the royal family of the Danse Empire.

The collar was open down to his chest, exposing his firm chest and abdominal muscles in a subtle reveal. Even the bite mark on his neck was only half-covered. Visually, it was vastly different from his usual appearance, making Song Jin’s gaze drift.

This kid was dressed so flamboyantly and dared to wander all over the palace like this.

Song Jin gestured to Lin Hai: “Go find a padded coat for him.”

Lin Hai broke into a cold sweat, forcing himself to comply: “…Yes.”

Li Xiao: “I’m not cold.”

Song Jin said casually, “The bite mark is exposed.”

Li Xiao: “Is this something that can’t be seen by others?”

Seeing how composed he was made Song Jin feel a bit better: “Are you coaxing me?”

Li Xiao stroked his head: “Not angry anymore?”

Song Jin’s gaze fell on the swollen corner of his mouth: “Does it hurt?”

Li Xiao lowered his eyes slightly: “I can endure it.”

This pitiable tone and phrasing could melt even an iceberg.

Song Jin touched Li Xiao’s face. But before Li Xiao could feel pleased, his cheek was pinched hard.

Song Jin warned: “Next time you dare touch my ass, it won’t be as simple as receiving a punch.”

Li Xiao: “Mm, okay, I’ll listen to you.”

Song Jin narrowed his eyes slightly: “You agreed so readily?”

Li Xiao: “Should I pretend to look troubled instead?”

Song Jin: “…”

This kid hadn’t reflected on his actions at all.

Early the next morning, Li Xiao went to the main hall to find Li Ji.

Wei Feng immediately caught sight of the scratch marks on his neck and teased, “What happened to your neck?”

Li Xiao: “Scratched by a cat.”

Wei Feng smiled frivolously: “You young couple sure play wild.”

Li Xiao sat down across the desk: “Envious? Too bad you don’t have a partner.”

Wei Feng: “…”

His mouth was truly venomous.

Li Ji, who took stray damage while sitting right there: “…”

Li Ji signed a document, looked up, and sized Li Xiao up: “Is your body fully recovered?”

Li Xiao nodded: “My indicators have returned to standard levels.”

His condition had been too poor yesterday, so Li Xiao was afraid he might have missed some details. He re-confirmed the things Gao Wanxin had said with Li Ji.

After Li Ji recounted everything, Li Xiao fell into thought.

Listening to Gao Wanxin’s tone, he seemed to harbor suppressed anger toward the Meng family without daring to speak out, and both his actions and rhetoric differed from theirs.

In his past life, Gao Wanxin had indeed helped him deal with the Meng family.

Perhaps the issue lay with Jin Heng.

After finishing his questions, Li Xiao prepared to leave. Before stepping out the door, something came to mind, and he said to Li Ji, “Xiao Jin really liked the newly made desserts.”

Li Ji crossed his hands in front of him and said with full confidence, “There are plenty of other new flavors. I’ll have a few more types sent over today.”

Once Li Xiao left, Li Ji happily gestured for Old Liu to come over: “Raise the bonus for the dessert R&D department by 20%.”

Old Liu: “Yes, Sire.”

Outside the main hall, Song Jin sat in a car waiting for Li Xiao to come out. Once the route navigation was set, he slammed the accelerator, flying out of the Royal Palace and heading toward the Research Institute.

Outsiders were not allowed into the institute, but the vehicle they were driving had palace authorization, allowing them to drive right in.

Just as they arrived at the main gate of the institute, they saw several people in white lab coats gathered together, discussing something with panicked expressions.

Li Xiao spotted Qiu Bin at a glance and gestured for Song Jin to land, opening the door to step out and strike up a conversation.

“I’m here to find Jin Heng.”

The one who answered him was a beta male in his fifties.

“Second Prince? You’re too late! Jin Heng was just taken away in a black vehicle!”

Li Xiao asked in confusion, “What black vehicle?”

Qiu Bin took over: “A modified hovercar displaying military license plates! Senior Jin had just returned from the lab building with us when he was forcibly taken away by people who stepped out of that car!”

Li Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly: “What was the license plate?”

Qiu Bin pointed to the upper right: “99-653! It went in that direction!”

Hearing this, Li Xiao silently turned around and returned to the car without a word.

The researchers looked at each other in confusion.

The fifty-something beta male ran two steps after him: “Your Highness? Where are you going? It’s too dangerous! We’ve already notified the police department—Your Highness!”

Before he could finish, the hovercar turned into a blur and flashed past their eyes, flying far away in the blink of an eye.

“Oh no!”

The beta male said to Qiu Bin, “Hurry and contact the Guard Division! If something happens to the Second Prince, none of us will hear the end of it!”

Qiu Bin: “Got it!”

Li Xiao sat in the passenger seat, attempting to have 09 lock onto the position of 99-653.

Soon, several surveillance feeds popped up in their vision, along with the vehicle’s coordinates.

Song Jin climbed to the highest fast lane, speeding at top speed. Ten minutes later, vehicle 99-653 appeared in their line of sight.

“Just as you came looking for him, he gets snatched away. Is there really such a coincidence?”

The vehicle used for the abduction was even sporting fake military plates; it was blatant kidnapping, done without a shred of fear.

Li Xiao looked up the vehicle’s ownership through the military system. The owner’s name was completely unfamiliar to him, and he couldn’t find any familiar names among the family members either.

The car ahead seemed to notice it was being followed and began accelerating for dear life.

“Hold on tight.”

Song Jin stared at the car ahead, predicting its trajectory. He suddenly yanked the steering wheel hard to the left and pushed down on the control stick.

The car carved a downward spiraling arc in the air, scraping past the front of 99-653.

The two vehicles crossed paths in midair at high speeds; if either party had failed to control their vehicle properly, it would have resulted in a fatal crash.

Li Xiao’s brows furrowed: “Keep it steady, you’re being too reckless.”

Song Jin didn’t care: “Dilly-dallying like that, how long would it take to catch up?”

Both sides were gambling that the other wouldn’t dare crash into them.

At the critical moment, 99-653 chickened out, forced to a complete halt by Song Jin.

Inside that car, the driver looked at the white car that had just flown past his eyes, his hands shaking as he cursed angrily: “Who the hell is that?! Who drives like that?! Is it a suicide attack?!”

The beta in the passenger seat felt his heart pounding violently, his lips pale.

“Hurry, accelerate and shake them off!”

Accelerating a vehicle took time. Before their speed could fully pick up, they were blocked again by the white car that had circled back.

The white car bore royal palace plates, representing the Royal Family. The military-plated car had no choice but to land and submit to questioning.

The two vehicles pulled over beside a plaza. Li Xiao only stepped out after the people from the military-plated car got down.

Recognizing Li Xiao, the two young betas bowed respectfully.

“Second Prince.”

Li Xiao’s gaze swept over the military-plated vehicle, asking them point-blank: “Where is Jin Heng?”

The two betas exchanged glances. The driver spoke first: “In response to Your Highness, we have already dropped him off at the place he wanted to go.”

Li Xiao said coldly: “Open the car doors.”

One of the betas issued an instruction to the AI, and all the doors of the hovercar slowly opened.

Jin Heng was indeed not inside the car.

Inside the white car, seeing this scene, Song Jin immediately used his mind to order 07 to check the surveillance feeds, pulling up all road surveillance footage from the moment 99-653 left the Research Institute until now.

07: [The vehicle disappeared in Tianlu District for eighteen seconds. I temporarily cannot find relevant surveillance footage for that interval.]

Song Jin monitored more than twenty screens simultaneously. The car hadn’t pulled over anywhere along the road, except during those eighteen seconds it disappeared.

Evidently, the person had been transferred within those eighteen seconds.

The Guard Division arrived very quickly, swiftly surrounding the plaza.

Seeing that it was Li Xiao, the Guard Captain rushed over, saluted, and then looked at the two betas: “Daring to kidnap someone in broad daylight, please present your arrest warrant!”

Seeing that they were surrounded by the Guard Division, the beta driver hurriedly explained, “We didn’t kidnap anyone! Doctor Jin asked us to give him a ride on the way!”

Guard Captain: “Still trying to make excuses?! Then why did the people at the Research Institute say you forcibly abducted him?”

Beta driver: “We really didn’t!”

Li Xiao had no patience to listen to their bickering. He gestured for the Guard Captain to send someone to the location the driver claimed to have dropped Jin Heng off, while also having him contact Jin Heng directly.

Right now, the most important thing was to confirm that the person was safe.

The Guard Captain got the contact details from Qiu Bin.

The video call was only answered on the second attempt.

Jin Heng’s stern face appeared on the popped-up screen.

Li Xiao stood off-camera, his eyes scanning the environment Jin Heng was in—it was an ordinary tearoom.

“May I ask who you are?” Jin Heng looked puzzled.

After identifying himself, the Guard Captain asked, “Where are you right now?”

Jin Heng looked bewildered: “I just arrived to have tea with a friend. Is there something wrong?”

Guard Captain: “Someone reported that you were kidnapped in broad daylight. Is your current environment safe?”

Jin Heng looked as if he had heard a ridiculous joke, his expression subtle: “Are you joking? It’s just a friend inviting me for tea. I’m very safe.”

Li Xiao observed Jin Heng’s micro-expressions and cut into the conversation: “I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. Is it convenient to meet up in a bit?”

“This voice is… the Second Prince?” Jin Heng initially looked slightly confused. His eyes quickly darted off-camera for a fraction of a second before he instantly restored his previous composure. “My apologies, I’m afraid today won’t work.”

Li Xiao: “It will only take a few minutes of your time.”

Jin Heng opened his mouth, darting his eyes off-camera once more, hesitating without speaking.

“What matter could be so important?”

Meng Jian’s voice rang out from the other side of the screen. In the next moment, Meng Jian entered the frame. “Doctor Jin is going to examine my father today. If there’s anything you need, how about I personally send him to see you tomorrow?”

Li Xiao looked at Meng Jian’s face on the screen, faintly sensing the scent of a conspiracy.

Tomorrow was the farewell banquet for the Shengya exchange students. What scheme was this old man cooking up now?