Chapter 15: First Time Sleeping Together

Crunch. Lost in thought, Zhu Zhixi accidentally bit down on the hard candy. The grape-flavored liquid center burst out, a little sour.

Hearing the answer, he felt a bit awkward, but also wanted to laugh.

“Our wedding candy is so delicious. Where did you buy it? I’ll buy some more to give to my brother and the others.”

“No need, there’s still a box at home.” Fu Rangyi took a deep breath and turned around. He suddenly realized the ambiguity of his words and added, “I mean at the apartment.”

“Oh.” Zhu Zhixi raised his hand again to dry his hair, paced behind his chair for a moment, and then sat back down on the sofa.

He stayed quiet for a while, then sniffed and asked tentatively, “It’s so late, aren’t you going to rest?”

Fu Rangyi replied coolly, “If you have an issue with my working hours, you can write a letter to the principal’s email.”

“I’ll pass on the letter.” Zhu Zhixi laughed twice, stretched out his long legs, swung them a bit, and then reached down to pluck a small tuft of fluff from the carpet. “I was just thinking, if… if I go to bed by myself now, would you think I’m being impolite?”

Actually, that sounds weird too.

What’s with being polite or impolite? It makes it sound like I’m about to lift the covers and pat the bed, inviting him to sleep with me.

As expected, Fu Rangyi didn’t answer.

“Then I’ll sleep first, okay?” Zhu Zhixi got up, straightened the oversized pajamas on his body, and slipped under the covers.

The bed was very comfortable and had a very clean scent, but it was different from the scent on Fu Rangyi. He probably hadn’t been back to stay here for a long time.

Zhu Zhixi lay on his side, the blanket pulled up to his face, covering his chin and nose, leaving only a pair of round eyes exposed. He lay motionless, his gaze fixed on Fu Rangyi’s working back.

Actually, when Fu Rangyi wasn’t talking, he was indeed very handsome. Admittedly, part of this handsomeness must have stemmed from his top-A genes. But he was very different from any Alpha Zhu Zhixi had ever met.

Even those who had received higher education and came from elite families couldn’t completely shake the beastly instincts ingrained in their bones—domineering, autocratic, driven by desire, with a wolf-like hunger in their eyes. The higher the rank, the stronger this predatory instinct.

But Fu Rangyi had none of it.

This person seemed insulated from desire—taciturn, cold, aloof, detached. Other than his mountains of literature and the porcelain shards, rubble, and bones buried deep in the earth, nothing else seemed to move him.

Even in his own home, at his family’s dinner table, he carried a natural, transparent barrier that set him apart from everyone.

He was like an extremely thick book, forgotten and left untouched for too long. His obscurity was obvious, making him seem daunting and discouraging anyone from mustering the courage to flip through his pages.

His gaze shifted from the back to the bracelet on the desk, and Zhu Zhixi’s mind drifted.

What would his susceptible period be like? Don’t tell me there’d be no change at all.

He had seen Alphas who turned into silly dogs during their susceptible periods, and also those who completely lost their humanity. Of course, there were the sentimental types too, like Liang Yi’en—usually so cool, but would cry his eyes out during his susceptible period.

What about Fu Rangyi?

How did he get through his susceptible periods?

Naturally, he thought of the photo Liang Yi’en had sent him, the one that was widely circulated on the S University forum. In the photo, the Alpha was frowning, wearing a bite guard, and calmly giving a presentation.

To be able to attend such an important academic conference during his susceptible period, is this guy completely unaffected by pheromones?

As his thoughts ran wild, click, the desk lamp went out. For some reason, he subconsciously closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Footsteps drifted near and far, circling around him, carrying a very light sandalwood scent, very similar to the aromatherapy in their apartment. He suspected Fu Rangyi had been thoroughly marinated in this incense.

The bathroom door closed, and the sound of running water started. Zhu Zhixi opened his eyes. Only the bedside reading lamp remained on. He suddenly felt a bit of insomnia, turned over, and lay on his stomach, his eyes darting around. His gaze paused, landing on the nightstand.

He found an overturned photo frame and reached out to set it upright.

In the photo, a teenage Fu Rangyi was holding a young Ruby, sitting on the same garden bench he had sat on tonight. His face and Ruby’s coat were too easy to recognize.

Compared to back then, Fu Rangyi’s face had barely changed, but he had grown much taller, his shoulders much broader. His expression was the same, ice-cold.

Although it was just a photo, it was already the most human object in this bedroom. Other than that, the room was so tidy it was lifeless. He could only identify the owner of the room by the various trophies, certificates, and badges in the display cabinet.

He stared at the photo in a daze. Suddenly, the sound of the bathroom door opening came from behind him. Zhu Zhixi immediately dove back under the covers, leaving only half a fluffy head exposed.

Outside the blanket, the gloomy owner of the room walked out with heavy steps. The closet was opened. He seemed to take out another blanket and comforter, picked them up, and then threw them heavily onto the floor, as if deliberately venting.

Zhu Zhixi pretended not to hear. This is completely unnecessary. The bed was so big. If Fu Rangyi had suggested they use separate blankets and sleep on the other side, he wouldn’t have refused. He wasn’t that heartless.

But since the owner had decided to sleep on the floor and had already lain down, Zhu Zhixi planned to pretend to be asleep to the end.

Until, half a minute later, the owner suddenly spoke coldly, “Turn off the bedside lamp.”

“Huh?” Zhu Zhixi poked his head out, then said, “Oh,” and fumbled around with his hand. “Where is it?”

He finally found the switch panel, but there were four switches on it. He pressed the first one, and all the lights in the room turned on, nearly blinding him. He immediately switched to the second one, still wrong.

On. Off. On-off. Click, click, click, click.

“Which one is it?” Zhu Zhixi’s head was spinning.

Finally, as if he could bear it no longer, Fu Rangyi sat up from his neatly made bed on the floor, reached out his long arm over Zhu Zhixi’s shoulder, and pressed a single, hidden switch next to the nightstand.

He complained in a small voice, “You should have just said it was this one.”

Click. Zhu Zhixi realized that in the darkness, as Fu Rangyi withdrew his arm, he had also flipped the photo frame on the nightstand face down. Just as he had seen it earlier.

So it hadn’t been knocked over by accident.

In that instant, a multitude of thoughts flashed through Zhu Zhixi’s mind. From the moment he stepped into this family, all the subtle wrongness and discomfort he had felt all surged up at this moment, like shredded paper, overwhelming him, impossible to ignore.

This has nothing to do with me.

I’m just a fake partner.

Ours is just a fake, contractual marriage. The contract clearly states that we are prohibited from inquiring about or interfering in each other’s private lives.

What’s more, I’m the one in deep trouble right now. Fu Rangyi’s tolerance for me is as limited as my current lifespan.

The best way is to play dumb.

When Fu Rangyi is in a good mood, I’ll try to get more physical interaction, accumulate more time on my countdown. That’s what I’ve been doing all this time, and it’s been quite effective. The countdown has been stopping and starting, and I still have over forty days left.

[47 days 13 hours 11 minutes 03 seconds]

Don’t be nosy.

Go to sleep.

He knew it all, understood it all. However.

“Fu Rangyi.”

The moment he called his name, another little person in Zhu Zhixi’s mind furiously punched himself. He had long expected that he wouldn’t be able to stay out of it. He knew it when he came back from the lawn. He was very angry, but back in the room, seeing the ever-calm Fu Rangyi, he felt powerless. He didn’t want him to be alone, like an outsider, so he made small talk, bothering him all evening.

If he didn’t say it, he wouldn’t be able to sleep all night.

However, the unhappy owner of the room, who was sleeping on the floor, did not respond. At this point, Zhu Zhixi decided to go for broke.

“Are you asleep?”

“What can I do for you now?”

“I have a bit of insomnia.”

“You won’t have insomnia if you sleep on the floor.”

“No, don’t even think about it.” Zhu Zhixi vowed to defend the bed he had fought for.

The room fell silent again, and it was very dark. The only source of light was the palm of Zhu Zhixi’s hand, and only he could see it. It pulsed, a speck of light, its speed perfectly matching his heart rate.

“I don’t really like it here,” Zhu Zhixi spoke again, his voice very soft.

“Oh, I’ve wronged you by making you squeeze into a room with me.” Although Fu Rangyi was being sarcastic, his tone was faint.

“No.” Zhu Zhixi frowned, turned over to get closer to the edge of the bed, and propped himself up. After being misunderstood, his tone became a bit urgent. “Don’t misinterpret me. I mean, compared to here, I still prefer our own home.”

That sounds even weirder.

What ‘our,’ what ‘own home’?

“No, how should I put it.” He scratched his head in frustration. “I mean… the apartment.”

Fu Rangyi’s back was completely turned to him, the blanket pulled over his shoulders. He seemed to have grunted in acknowledgment, but his voice was very low, and Zhu Zhixi wasn’t sure.

“Your family… is so strange.” Zhu Zhixi’s head drooped, and his hand slipped out from under the blanket, dangling over the side of the bed, his fingers almost touching the bunched-up comforter on the floor.

“Don’t worry, no one’s going to sell you.”

Zhu Zhixi was already used to his cold words and was actually a little amused by them. He chuckled, and his fingers moved down, tapping lightly.

Your dad doesn’t care about your work at all.

Your mom has no idea you can’t eat even a tiny bit of fatty meat. You only took one helping of food during the entire meal, and it happened to be the one you dislike the most.

And your brother, I don’t even want to talk about him.

They named you Fu Rangyi, but they gave him a name like Liaoxing, which incorporates both parents’ surnames and has a completely different meaning.

As rare as the morning stars.

And Ruby, is she really your brother’s dog?

The more Zhu Zhixi thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. He knew that Fu Rangyi hated his lack of boundaries, hated that he didn’t know his place, but in the end, he still couldn’t hold back.

“No, I’m still really angry. They’re clearly your family, why do they have to treat you like…”

But Fu Rangyi suddenly cut him off. “Don’t say it.”

Zhu Zhixi froze and fell silent. Fu Rangyi’s voice was very soft, a hint of exhaustion in its clarity.

“I know what you want to say, but please don’t say anything right now, okay?”

From that moment on, Zhu Zhixi’s emotions rapidly declined, turning into dejection and sadness.

In the darkness, he stared at Fu Rangyi’s back for a while. In a daze, he felt those shoulders shrink, become frail. It was as if he wasn’t seeing the present-day Fu Rangyi, but the teenage version of him, just like in the photo.

He understood. Fu Rangyi would never say anything.

[When another person fully understands you, it also means they know how to hurt you.]

That sentence flashed back into his mind with a sharp, cold light, like a blade cutting through memory.

“Zhu Zhixi.”

He snapped back to reality, a bit dazed. It seemed to be the first time Fu Rangyi had called him in such a tone, so solemnly.

“Hmm?” Zhu Zhixi responded with a soft, nasal hum.

“Thank you.”

Hearing that made his heart ache even more. A child who had grown up being doted on had, for one day, briefly experienced another kind of life, tasted what favoritism and inherent unfairness felt like. And this was just the tip of the iceberg. What he considered an “experience” was nothing compared to what Fu Rangyi had gone through his whole life.

He suddenly thought of a kitten he had once rescued. It had been abandoned multiple times, passed through several adoptive homes, and was finally left on the roadside. When it was rescued, it was extremely resistant to human contact, to being held. The more gently you called it, the more you tried to guide it, the more it fled.

No one is born distant.

“Professor Fu, I still kind of want to talk.”

To be honest, hearing this, Fu Rangyi was not surprised at all. This guy was someone who wouldn’t give up until he got what he wanted.

But he really didn’t want to bring it up, nor did he want to respond. He had worked so hard to compress and thin out the past so many years, to hide them away. Once someone showed concern, he would have to take it out for display. A hard, thin sheet, and pulling it out from the bottom of his heart was like pulling out a razor blade. Before he could receive any comfort, he would cut himself to a bloody mess.

He didn’t want to ask for any sympathy either, especially from Zhu Zhixi. He could sense his own vulnerability, his own unease, but he didn’t care. Before a susceptible period, most Alphas become sensitive and emotional, their minds filled with various desires, wanting to be satisfied, to be cared for, to be loved. These were all physiological reactions dominated by pheromones, not the real him.

But the next second, the words that came out of Zhu Zhixi’s mouth were unexpected.

“Do you remember the countdown I told you about?”

Here we go again.

The voice behind him was very low and had moved closer, making Fu Rangyi a little worried that he might suddenly lose his balance and fall off the bed.

“You remember, right? I said, the first time it paused was because your hand touched mine.”

Fu Rangyi still ignored him. He didn’t know if the person was asleep or just simply didn’t want to respond.

Zhu Zhixi was a little nervous because he was indeed lying right now.

“Now… it’s ticking so fast. I’m panicking.”

Actually, the best way to comfort someone is with a hug. But Fu Rangyi had said he hated being hugged. He had even recorded it on the questionnaire, though the reason was unknown.

He took a deep breath. “Could you… could you reach your hand over and let me hold it for a bit? I’ll let go once it stops.”

A long silence.

After waiting for so long, Zhu Zhixi suddenly felt his face grow slightly hot. A sense of shame washed over him. Talking to himself like this was really asking for a snub.

Why would Fu Rangyi need his comfort?

Forget it.

He turned over, looked at the ceiling, and prepared to close his eyes and sleep.

But just then, a hand reached over, gently rested on the edge of the bed, and touched his arm.

The countdown in his palm glowed faintly, and his eyes lit up a little. He suppressed a smile, turned onto his side, and quickly grabbed Fu Rangyi’s hand, holding it tight.

“Your hand is so cold,” he said in a very small voice. “Are you cold?”

Fu Rangyi didn’t answer.

“Let me warm it up for you. My hands are really warm.” Not wanting to be seen as taking pity on him, Zhu Zhixi deliberately acted a bit like a sycophant, as if he was desperate to accumulate more time on his countdown.

But he didn’t spare a single glance at the ticking numbers. He wrapped both his hands around Fu Rangyi’s and rubbed them gently. Body heat was transferred bit by bit between their touching fingers.

With sight covered by darkness, the sense of touch became exceptionally sensitive.

It was just his hand being held, but Fu Rangyi could even sense the size of Zhu Zhixi’s hand, the length of his fingers, the thin calluses on his fingertips and palm, and his empty ring finger.

His thoughts suddenly jumped to the garden at dusk. Fu Rangyi remembered the image of him and his brother sitting on the bench, and also remembered fragments of their conversation.

“Is it okay now?”

After a while, he heard Zhu Zhixi let out a “hmm.” The hand was released.

“Go to sleep. We have things to do tomorrow.”

“What things?”

“You’ll know tomorrow.” Fu Rangyi pulled his hand back under his blanket. It was so warm it didn’t feel like his own, which was strange. He suddenly felt like he didn’t know where to put it.

“Okay. Thank you for letting me hold your hand. The countdown stopped. It was very helpful.”

He heard the rustle of the blanket, then Zhu Zhixi’s long exhale, as if in relief.

“Goodnight, Fu Rangyi.”

He didn’t sleep well that night. It wasn’t that he couldn’t get used to the bed; Fu Rangyi’s bed was very comfortable. Perhaps he was too worried about his fake husband’s terrible childhood experiences, so much so that he had a strange dream. In the dream, he met the teenage Fu Rangyi and boldly ran up to him, saying he wanted to be his friend.

Fu Rangyi had been like that since he was a child, with that deadpan look, and ignored him. At that age, he was going through his differentiation period, so he was still wearing a bite guard and a suppressor collar, looking even more unapproachable than he did now.

Zhu Zhixi didn’t give up and kept pestering him, determined to heal and warm this gloomy Alpha. In the end, the other person couldn’t stand it anymore, repaid kindness with malice, and the moment the bite guard was removed, bit him fiercely on the back of the neck.

Are you crazy! I’m not an Omega, what’s the use of biting me!

Zhu Zhixi woke up with a start. Coincidentally, the moment he opened his eyes, he saw Fu Rangyi opening the door and coming in. He had already changed out of his pajamas and was wearing a cream-colored knit shirt and dark brown trousers. The suppressor bracelet was back on his wrist. Last night’s vulnerability seemed to have been just a fleeting moment.

“Are you done sleeping?” His tone was exactly like the kid in the dream.

Zhu Zhixi touched the back of his neck, still shaken, and wrinkled his face pitifully. “I just woke up.”

“Mm, but it’s almost twelve o’clock now.” Fu Rangyi glanced at his watch. “My mom asked me to come up and call you for lunch.”

“Oh…” Zhu Zhixi yawned. “Got it.”

“She also said that if you’re really tired, I should bring it up for you.”

He got out of bed and slowly shuffled to the bathroom in his slippers to brush his teeth. “That won’t be necessary. What am I tired from? I haven’t done anything, how could I be tired…” If that were the case, he probably wouldn’t live for many more days either.

“She probably doesn’t think you haven’t done anything.” Fu Rangyi leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “I told them you went to bed very late last night. They seem to have misunderstood.”

“Huh?” Zhu Zhixi wasn’t fully awake yet, his brain like mush. “Misunderstood…”

Suddenly, a jolt went through him. He rinsed his mouth. “No way? She doesn’t think we were doing something debauched last night, does she? We didn’t even make any noise! This is pure slander!”

Fu Rangyi was so exasperated he wanted to laugh. “Is it possible that in the eyes of normal people, marital relations between a legal couple can’t be described as ‘debauched’?”

Zhu Zhixi hastily washed his face, patted it, and came out dripping wet, saying righteously, “I’m a virgin. I think it’s pretty debauched.” The door wasn’t even closed.

Fu Rangyi covered his mouth, walked into the room, closed the door, and lowered his voice. “I know. Now please wipe your pure, virginal face.”

He got a handful of water. Fu Rangyi looked down at it, and it surprisingly sparked some associations that could be called debauched.

“It would be strange if they didn’t think that way,” he added unnecessarily. “It just means your previous performances were all failures.”

“True, you’re right.” Zhu Zhixi wiped his face in distress, then pulled up his collar, wiggled his nose, and looked up, staring at Fu Rangyi with a pair of pure, virginal eyes.

“What now?” Fu Rangyi asked.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Zhixi suddenly moved closer, breaking the safe distance, almost pressing against his chest. “Smell me. Do I have your pheromones on me?”

Fu Rangyi didn’t need to smell, nor did he want to answer. The entire room was already practically marinated in his scent.

Fortunately, Zhu Zhixi backed away on his own. “No, right? I knew it. It’s too fake to not have any pheromones on me after a whole night.” He blurted out, “Otherwise, you could hug…”

Fu Rangyi hates being hugged.

No, no.

After rejecting that option, a flash of inspiration struck Zhu Zhixi. “No need. I know what to do.”

Let’s see what you’re up to.

Fu Rangyi crossed his arms and watched with amusement as he suddenly turned his back and, right in front of a top-A, brazenly took off his pajamas.

Crackle. Static electricity sparked in the air. A fair, lean back suddenly appeared before his eyes.

He froze, subconsciously long-pressing the button on his bracelet—the shortcut to turn the suppression level to maximum. But he quickly realized he was doing something foolish and unnecessary again.

“Let me borrow your pajamas!”

Aren’t you wearing them right now…

The next second, Fu Rangyi saw Zhu Zhixi throw aside the pajamas he had just taken off and instead pick up the navy blue one draped over the sofa, quickly pulling it on.

That was the one he had worn last night.

Turning around, he straightened the shirt, ruffled his static-filled hair a few times, and smiled at him. Those eyes were as clear as glass beads, and when he smiled, there was a hint of mischief.

“See? Aren’t I smart?”

Fu Rangyi didn’t answer. He wasn’t even listening; his mind was elsewhere.

It’s covered again. That mole.

Soon, Zhu Zhixi’s voice woke him from his brief state of being controlled by reproductive desire.

“This way, not only will I smell like your pheromones, but I’ll also look more like…”

Fu Rangyi frowned. “Like what?”

---

Author’s Note:

Holding an empty hand, it’s time to buy wedding rings (don’t fall too hard, from1¹)

Both of them are now in a state of having a little crush but not realizing it. The unspoken comfort from last night, including the conversation on the lawn, will be discussed openly again later by Xiao Zhu and Professor Fu (in a rather dramatic way).

—Little Theater of the Overworking Professor—

Last night’s student group chat:

[Professor Fu is a Bodhisattva. He replied to my message instantly at this hour. I feel like the academic garbage I wrote doesn’t even deserve the time he’s spending on it…]

[Doesn’t Professor Fu have a nightlife this late? It’s the weekend, and isn’t he married?]

[Is he really having a Platonic relationship with his wife? Not gonna lie, that fits Professor Fu’s style. The ascetic, top-A type.]

[He’s a top-A, I don’t think that’s possible…]

[Ah, I don’t quite understand Professor Fu’s reply this time? [Forwards chat log]]

[Hahahaha, why does it sound a bit like an AI! There’s even a typo!]

[Professor! Is someone playing blindfold games with you!!!]

[Is he replying to my messages while being blindfolded… I’m so touched (wait, how did I become a part of the roleplay)]

[It’s really strange. The professor is always so precise with his wording when answering student questions or making comments. The more I think about it…]

[OMG, the Professor replied to me [Forwards chat log]]

[“The little dog at home is causing trouble??” I remember when we were in his office, Professor Zhang asked him, and he said he had a dog when he was a kid but not anymore.]

[So is it a real dog or…]

[Help, the more I ponder this sentence… Professor Fu, what did you put in this reply!]

[If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t think much of it, but coming from Professor Fu, why is it so suggestive, SOS]

[Maybe because Professor Xiao Fu is usually so abstinent, the bigger the contrast, the more intriguing.]

[I can’t, I really want to see what his wife looks like. I’m dying of curiosity. How could she bewitch our academic fanatic into a human-bot!]

[Professor Fu, take a student’s advice, please don’t let yourself be played into a dog, okay? Okay.]

1. Fu Rangyi’s nickname ↩︎