Chapter 34: Continued Heating Up

On the last day of the final exams, Fu Rangyi was proctoring in the afternoon. Many teachers had already started to leave early, but he still chose to wake up early and go to work. As usual, Zhu Zhixi groggily walked to the entrance hall, leaning against the full-length mirror with his eyes closed.

He was wearing soft, light blue pajamas, the headband from his morning routine still on, and small water droplets still on his face. He held out his hand to him without even opening his eyes, holding it high.

It was as if he was on some kind of mission. A mischievous thought arose in Fu Rangyi. He didn’t take his hand, but patted it instead.

“Hey!” Zhu Zhixi finally opened his eyes, quickly retracting his hand and putting his hands on his hips in mock anger. And his next sentence was also anticipated by Fu Rangyi. The two spoke at the same time.

“How could you?” / “How could you?!”

Zhu Zhixi’s eyes widened. The next second, Fu Rangyi leaned over, lowered his head, and quickly planted a kiss on his cheek.

After straightening up, he put on his glasses while looking in the mirror, trying to act casual. He said, “Didn’t you say holding hands wasn’t working anymore?”

Zhu Zhixi was still stunned, maintaining his silly hands-on-hips pose.

Fu Rangyi glanced at him and said with a smile, “You really look like the sky-blue glass double-handled vase from the Palace Museum right now.”

“What?” Zhu Zhixi finally managed to find some of his lost soul, and was completely awakened by this series of moves. “What what vase?”

“I’ll send it to you later.”

Zhu Zhixi had a gut feeling that it was definitely not some elegant-looking artifact. Fu Rangyi was definitely making fun of him. The kissed cheek was inexplicably burning hot. Zhu Zhixi subconsciously raised his hand and scratched it a few times, his eyes following Fu Rangyi’s every move.

He reached for the suppression bracelet. For this thing, Zhu Zhixi had specially bought a transparent acrylic box, placed it on the cabinet, and labeled it—”Home for the Bracelet,” emphasizing it many times: take it off when you come back, wear it when you go out. So far, Fu Rangyi had been very obedient.

With a click, the bracelet was put on. It wasn’t turned on yet.

“Ouch.”

Fu Rangyi was taken aback. He saw Zhu Zhixi leaning against the entrance hall wall, frowning as if in discomfort.

“What’s wrong?”

“Did you secretly release your pheromones…” Zhu Zhixi let out a few weak groans, a pained expression on his face. “Why can’t I move? My shoulders are so heavy, like I’m carrying a mountain.”

This made Fu Rangyi involuntarily recall the rut period. Zhu Zhixi had said the same thing back then.

“What?” He was obviously flustered. After all, something like this had never happened before. This also meant that his secret of releasing pheromones could no longer be hidden.

Fu Rangyi pressed the power button on the bracelet and turned up the suppression level. “Are you okay? Is it serious? I’m sorry, I thought I was controlling it quite…”

“My hands are numb. Why are you releasing pheromones for no reason? Wasn’t making fun of me just now enough?”

Fu Rangyi was very apologetic. For a top Alpha to release pheromones to the point of intimidating a Beta was in itself a form of bullying. He took Zhu Zhixi’s hand and gently massaged it, from the palm to the wrist, then to the forearm, trying to help relieve the pressure.

Who knew that the hand would suddenly be pulled away.

Zhu Zhixi hid his hands behind his back, his bright eyes, which looked very mischievous, darting around. He whispered to him, “I was tricking you.”

Seeing him like this, Fu Rangyi also immediately understood. “You knew all along.”

“Knew what?” Zhu Zhixi was still acting, but his ears had somehow turned red.

He rarely blushed when he lied.

“About me putting my pheromones on you.”

Zhu Zhixi pursed his lips, his eyes darting around, looking at Fu Rangyi’s hand in the mirror. “Well, I go out and meet so many people every day. I’m a Beta, with SA pheromones on me. Of course someone would tell me.”

Fu Rangyi subconsciously blurted out, “Who would be so rude?”

Zhu Zhixi looked up at him, and for some reason, he laughed.

Such a strange sense of humor. Fu Rangyi couldn’t read him, only feeling very embarrassed that his secret had been exposed.

But soon, Zhu Zhixi shuffled a little closer in his slippers. “But I don’t mind. When I used to go out, I would always get hit on by some weird guys, and some would be very persistent, it was so annoying. Ever since I had your pheromones on me, there have been almost no such people. It feels… like you’re protecting me.”

He looked down, his voice getting softer and softer, but his two hands held his, and even shook them a few times. “I feel very safe every day. Thank you.”

Fu Rangyi noticed that his heart had started to beat abnormally again. It was always so easily manipulated by Zhu Zhixi, a look, a small gesture, a few words.

Regret. I shouldn’t have just kissed his cheek just now.

Zhu Zhixi was almost pressed against him. Fu Rangyi could vaguely smell the light, pleasant scent of his shower gel emanating from his skin.

Zhu Zhixi looked up, blinking at him. “I’ve already said thank you. Shouldn’t you say something?”

Say what? Say I want to press you against the entrance hall mirror and kiss you? Or say I want to mark you right now?

A guy who failed physiology class and still likes to flirt with Alphas.

Of course, Fu Rangyi said none of that. He stared fixedly at this bad rabbit and asked, “My car has been sent for inspection. I was originally going to take a taxi to work. You’re going to the museum in the morning, right? Can you give me a ride to school?”

Zhu Zhixi squeezed his hand forcefully. “You’re taking and taking from me?”

Fu Rangyi pursed his lips into a smile. “Can’t I?”

“Fiiine~” Zhu Zhixi dragged out the last syllable. “Say thank you.”

“Thank you.”

“Say, thank you, my little angel.”

Fu Rangyi hesitated for a moment, but still complied. “Thank you, my little angel…”

“Alright, give your little angel five minutes. I’ll get changed and we’ll go!”

Fu Rangyi even expected for a second that he would dress up as an angel, just like that little firefight… no, big fire hydrant, with a pair of snow-white wings on his back and a halo on his head. It should be very suitable.

However, when he saw a real angel and confirmed that such things really existed in the world, the first wish that popped into Fu Rangyi’s mind was not this, but…

Since the little fire hydrant could turn into various animals and understand what animals were saying, was there a possibility that he could also turn people into animals, even if just for a day.

“What are you spacing out for?” Zhu Zhixi fastened his seatbelt and turned to look at Fu Rangyi sitting in the passenger seat. “You’re not waiting for me to fasten your seatbelt for you, are you?”

Not at all.

It was just that a moment ago, a little rabbit was sitting in the driver’s seat, a small fluffy ball that couldn’t even reach the steering wheel. It was very fun, so he stared.

“No, I was just a little distracted.” Fu Rangyi pulled the seatbelt and buckled it himself.

This was his first time in Zhu Zhixi’s car, and it felt a little novel. It was very different from his car. Zhu Zhixi would put many small decorations in the car. On the windshield was a whole row of mini doll figurines, all kinds of small animals, from short to tall. The lumbar and neck pillows were soft and had a kitten pattern. A small pendant hung from the rearview mirror. At first, he thought it was just a small golden heart, but when the car started moving, the heart rotated, and he saw the photo on the back.

A face very similar to Zhu Zhixi’s, a young female Omega.

Of course, Fu Rangyi knew who that was.

If Zhu Zhixi’s mother were here, he would be even happier than he is now.

A child raised with love also had an eternal and irreparable regret.

“Why aren’t you talking?” Zhu Zhixi suddenly spoke up. “Do you get carsick when I drive? My skills are pretty good, you know. I even have a license for large vehicles.”

Fu Rangyi came back to his senses and shook his head. “It’s fine.”

He didn’t want Zhu Zhixi to notice that he was staring at that photo and bring up his sad memories. Thinking of the sticker he saw on the rear windshield before getting in the car, he nonchalantly changed the subject. “I saw you have an AED sticker. When did you install the in-car defibrillator?”

Zhu Zhixi was taken aback. He glanced at him at a red light. “You’re the first person to ask me about this. You know about it too?”

“My previous car had one too. After I changed cars, I kept saying I’d install another one, but I was too busy and always forgot.”

Zhu Zhixi’s fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel. “No wonder you recognize it. I was hiking in Chile before, and a friend in the same camp suddenly went into shock. Luckily, a big brother’s car had this defibrillator, and it saved a life. At that time, I felt that this thing was too important at critical moments, so I asked my brother to help me install one. But it hasn’t been used so far. Maybe because I was abroad before and no one drove this car, it was just gathering dust in the garage at home, so now I try to drive it more myself.”

Fu Rangyi nodded. After a pause, he said, “I can teach you CPR. I’ve been a patient who fainted from sudden death many times. I’m very familiar with the procedure.”

Zhu Zhixi said proudly, “You don’t need to teach me. I’ve learned it too, and I have a certificate.”

Fu Rangyi said seriously, “Then Dr. Xiao Zhu can do it for me.”

“What?” Zhu Zhixi’s hands were sweating, and they were a little slippery. “Don’t talk nonsense.” After a few seconds, he muttered a few “bahs” softly.

Chatting, they soon arrived at S University. Zhu Zhixi dropped him off inside. When he got out of the car, Fu Rangyi walked from the passenger side to the driver’s side and tapped on the window.

The window rolled down. He said to the smiling Zhu Zhixi inside, “Thank you.”

“Thank who?” Zhu Zhixi crossed his hands on the window edge, rested his chin on them, and winked at him suggestively.

Fu Rangyi took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “Thank you, little angel.”

Zhu Zhixi tilted his head. “You’re too kind. Five-star review, dear. Remember to book me again next time.”

Soon, he realized that this sentence was ambiguous, so he hurriedly added, “Book my car.”

Fu Rangyi didn’t seem to have taken it the wrong way. The word “book” instead reminded him of the dinner party in the evening. “You remember the dinner tonight, right? Six o’clock. I sent you the location yesterday.”

“Mmm, I remember.” Zhu Zhixi tilted his head. “I’ll dress up carefully, so I definitely won’t embarrass Professor Fu.”

“That’s not necessary,” Fu Rangyi replied quickly.

“Why?” Zhu Zhixi frowned, his hand reaching out, his fingertips hooking onto the button of Fu Rangyi’s coat. “You hate my sense of style?”

He was clearly pretending to be wronged, but there was still a mischievous glint in his eyes, and his tone was light and airy, like a sticky gummy candy.

I hate other people’s eyes sticking to you.

Before, Fu Rangyi had never thought that Betas could be even more outrageous than Alphas and Omegas when they flirted. They would stick to anyone regardless of gender, with no taboos, and everyone wanted to have a go.

“Why aren’t you talking? You really don’t like it.” Zhu Zhixi gave him a push.

“Of course not.” Fu Rangyi pulled at the hand that was pushing him and said very honestly, “I just think you look good even without dressing up.”

Zhu Zhixi was stunned for a moment.

Fu Rangyi was telling the truth, so he didn’t notice anything. He also quickly let go of his hand. Before turning around, he even said very casually and warmly, “Come early, little angel.”

His figure grew more and more distant. He walked through the tree-lined path, encountered two students, stopped, and gave a polite, slight nod.

Zhu Zhixi stared the whole time. Subconsciously, he opened his mouth and softly dubbed the two students, “…Hello, Professor Fu. Goodbye, Professor Fu.”

After talking to himself, he started the car and left. His face was hot. Zhu Zhixi didn’t close the car window immediately. He let the wind blow for a while before he felt completely awake.

As soon as he arrived at the museum, a new message popped up on his phone. It was from Fu Rangyi.

[Pretty Widower: ☆☆☆☆☆]

Zhu Zhixi grinned foolishly for a good while.

The exhibition work progressed more smoothly than expected. Although he wasn’t the type to make detailed plans and be highly efficient at work, he had many ideas, an endless stream of them, and was very creative.

Zhou Ming stood aside, watching Zhu Zhixi set up the photography equipment. “Are you taking pictures?”

“Filming a vlog.” Zhu Zhixi smiled and turned back. “I plan to record the process of preparing for this exhibition and post it online. On one hand, it can attract more people to come and see it. On the other hand, it can also serve as a memento.”

He clapped his hands and stood up. “Actually, before I took this job, I didn’t know much about these historical artifacts. I’ve been organizing them recently and found that every small artifact actually has its own story behind it. Some are history itself, and some are interesting anecdotes from archaeological work.”

These were all additional supplements that Fu Rangyi had added when he was explaining the exhibits to him one by one, afraid that he would get bored. Zhu Zhixi sat next to him taking notes, listening with fascination.

He found that Fu Rangyi, who seemed to value logic, efficiency, was demanding of himself, and was extremely outstanding in his professional field, actually had a very soft and emotional heart. He himself might not have even noticed that in his descriptions, these cold and ancient objects would suddenly “come to life,” as if by magic, given a brief, vivid soul, and they would line up to perform for Zhu Zhixi, showcasing the stories behind them.

As a listener, Zhu Zhixi touched this purest form of softness and was fascinated by it.

Therefore, he sincerely praised Fu Rangyi.

[I’m so envious of your students, having such a great teacher.]

He took out a piece of chocolate from his pocket and stuffed it into Fu Rangyi’s hand.

[You be my teacher too. Professor Fu, this is my tuition.]

But Fu Rangyi glanced at him and didn’t say yes.

[Don’t call me Professor Fu. It sounds like a demotion.]

This person’s focus was always off.

But soon, Fu Rangyi raised his finger, pushed his glasses, and explained awkwardly with his eyes downcast.

[When I’m teaching, I don’t teach like this either. It feels… not very proper.]

At this thought, Zhu Zhixi couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Zhou Ming also spoke up at the right time. “Was it Professor Fu who gave the professional guidance?”

Zhu Zhixi came back to his senses and nodded. “Mmm, I paid him too. Don’t worry, he won’t scam the museum.”

He continued, “These stories are actually very interesting, but it’s hard for people to have a channel to understand them. Even friends who come to see the exhibition can only read the background introduction next to it. This kind of viewing experience is very boring. So I decided to pick the ten that I find most interesting, tell their stories from their perspective, make 10 video materials, and release one every day for the ten days leading up to the exhibition. Isn’t that a great promotional plan?”

Zhou Ming’s eyes lit up after hearing this. “That’s indeed very interesting, but the workload suddenly… We didn’t give you that much money in the first place, I feel quite embarrassed.”

“That’s not important.” Zhu Zhixi smiled sincerely and sighed in relief. “I just want to make this exhibition a success.”

He knew from the beginning that this was the last time, but he really hoped it wasn’t.

In order not to be late for the dinner party, Zhu Zhixi left the museum at four o’clock, wanting to go home and change his clothes. He remembered the dark gray coat Fu Rangyi was wearing in the morning and had already thought of a matching outfit in the same color scheme in his mind.

Although he acted very casual in front of Fu Rangyi, he actually attached great importance to this dinner party. After all, this was his first time attending as someone’s partner, an unprecedented experience.

He found himself getting overly excited, even his leg was shaking, and he even chose a navigation route he wouldn’t normally take.

Calm down, Zhu Zhixi, he commanded himself in his heart.

As he crossed the bridge, it started to snow again, and a light winter mist rose from the river. Zhu Zhixi slowed down after crossing the bridge, cautiously driving away from the intersection. While waiting at a red light, he casually glanced around and suddenly saw a small dog squatting on the side of the road about 20 meters ahead.

White, small, wearing a blue collar.

A layer of goosebumps rose on Zhu Zhixi’s skin. Without a second thought, he first took a picture, anxiously waited for the traffic light to turn green, and immediately drove quickly to the side of the road to stop temporarily. The little white dog had indeed run off. It was running towards the other side of the road.

“Hey!” Zhu Zhixi also quickly ran to the other side, his eyes following the little dog, but it was too small, and this was an old residential area. The sidewalk was occupied by small stalls selling vegetables and daily necessities. The little white dog was easily lost in the crowd.

He crossed the entire street, dodging and weaving through the stalls, and chased to the alley at the corner. Zhu Zhixi ran in after it, but the little white dog was nowhere to be seen.

“It clearly ran this way…”

He was panting. He looked down and suddenly felt a warm stream flow to his lips. He raised his hand to wipe it and found that he had a nosebleed again. Soon, blood dripped onto his clothes.

“Help me,” Zhu Zhixi found a tissue and wiped it, remembering the method Fu Rangyi had taught him. He pinched his nose and lowered his head, but he was still unwilling to give up. He circled the area, continuing to search, and even softened his tone, trying to coax the little dog out.

“Xiao Yu? Is that you? We just met, don’t you remember?”

Did it even lose the memory of meeting them? What a weak angel.

There was no response. It had disappeared completely.

Looking at the time, Zhu Zhixi was afraid of being late, so he reluctantly left the alley and returned the way he came. He bought a popsicle from a small shop on the way and used it to ice the back of his neck.

The snow was falling heavily, and the low outdoor temperature made him feel a little uncomfortable. Zhu Zhixi turned up the heat, sat in the car for a while. The beeping of the temporary parking warning sounded like the countdown. He felt a little unreal, as if what had just happened was just a dream. A thin layer of mist formed on the windshield.

The temperature difference was too great. The white mist condensed on the glass, blurring the view. Wiping it with a fingertip turned it into water. He wiped it clean.

After wiping the eyeglass lenses, the vision became clear again. After wiping, Fu Rangyi put his glasses back on. Several portions of barbecue had already been served. A colleague said, “Eat first, eat first,” and placed a few slices on the grill. With a sizzle, the meat shriveled up.

“Hey, didn’t Xiao Fu say he was bringing his wife? Why did he come alone?”

Only then did Fu Rangyi look up and explain warmly, “He has work. He said he would come by himself, he’s on his way.”

A female Omega colleague sitting diagonally across from him smiled and said, “I’m so envious. Look at Professor Xiao Fu’s wedding ring, it has such good taste. Unlike my husband, who only knows about platinum diamond rings, with no design sense at all.”

“It’s true, Professor Fu’s wedding ring is so beautiful. I thought you weren’t interested in jewelry at all.”

“His wife must have picked it!”

Fu Rangyi rarely mentioned personal topics before. When they were brought up, he would just smile silently. Everyone only joked and didn’t care if he responded or not. Unexpectedly, he actually responded this time, which was a bit surprising.

“I picked it,” Fu Rangyi said with a gentle expression.

“Really!?”

“Why did you choose a ruby? Most people choose diamonds.”

Fu Rangyi picked up his hot tea, took a sip, and said with his eyes downcast, “When he arrives, you’ll know when you look at his eyes.”

---

Author’s Note:

—Little Theater of Professor Fu’s Invitation—

The day after they built the snowman, Professor Fu “coincidentally” went to the museum to pick up Zhu Zhixi after work.

On the way, he kept talking about random things, mostly office gossip from his school, jumping from one topic to another. Zhu Zhixi vaguely felt that something was strange, and then it became stranger and stranger, until he finally couldn’t help but interrupt.

“Whoever you are, get off my husband’s body right now.”

Fu Rangyi: ?? What are you talking about?

Zhu Zhixi: What are you talking about? You’re rambling, as if you’re trying to make conversation. What do you really want to say?

Fu Rangyi: ……… (after ten minutes of silence) It’s the end of the term, my colleagues want to have a dinner party together. A few teachers want to meet you. I said you might be busy and not have time, and I also said you don’t like attending these kinds of gatherings, but they still really want to meet you. If you don’t want to go, I’ll talk to them. Anyway, it’s not a very important dinner. Don’t worry, I can find some excuses for you…

Zhu Zhixi: Wait a minute, what are we eating?

Fu Rangyi: What do you want to eat?

Zhu Zhixi: Barbecue.

Fu Rangyi: …It happens to be barbecue.

Zhu Zhixi: That’s great! I want to go! The barbecue at XXX is super delicious!

Fu Rangyi silently noted it down. After returning home, he opened the colleague group chat and initiated a conversation for the first time this year.

[Xiao Fu: I heard the barbecue at XXX is delicious. Can we change the dinner party to there?]