Chapter 60: Intense Desire

Starting from his undergraduate years, archaeological fieldwork had become a regular part of Fu Rangyi’s life. After joining the team, he frequently encountered temporary assignments and spent long periods away from home. He actually quite liked this work state; he could work at a site all day, far away, and didn’t need to participate in any of the Fu family’s activities.

But this time was different. For the first time in his life, he tasted what it was like to have someone on his mind.

Of course, that wasn’t the only thing that was different.

“Professor Fu, why are you dressed so handsomely this time?” Professor Zhang next to him teased with a smile. “Didn’t you used to wear that huge round sun hat? It was practically a uniform for the professors in our department.”

That’s right, Fu Rangyi thought to himself. In the summer, I’d add a pair of black arm sleeves and carry a large backpack, truly a literal archaeological laborer.

As the youngest professor on the team, Fu Rangyi was already an easy target for teasing. Now that Professor Zhang had brought it up, his other colleagues also suddenly noticed his change and joined in the fun.

“I saw that the trowel Professor Fu used today was new too, and it even has a name engraved on it. You can tell at a glance who had it custom-made.”

“Wow, if someone gave me a custom-made trowel, I’d be reluctant to even use it.”

“And say, this gray baseball cap looks really good. I’ve rarely seen Professor Fu dress like this before.”

“Exactly! This short black down jacket, and these jeans, plus a sun-protective mask. When I saw him coming over this morning, from a distance I just saw a tall, handsome guy waving at me. I didn’t even recognize him. I thought it was some male celebrity.”

Everyone laughed.

Fu Rangyi lowered his head slightly, feeling helpless. He had indeed vetoed several of student Zhu’s styled outfits, but he hadn’t expected that even with the strict requirements of “dirt-resistant” and “sun-proof,” he could still be dressed so conspicuously.

“Hey, is it because you knew a documentary crew was coming to film us this time?”

“Filming a documentary? I had no idea,” Fu Rangyi clarified, then coughed, his voice lowering a bit. “My partner packed my luggage for this trip. I just brought whatever he packed.”

This time, the group of people erupted in gossipy sounds.

“No wonder. Marriage really changes a person.”

“I told you Xiao Zhu was capable. Look at how he’s dressed up our Professor Fu. You can tell he’s someone who really knows how to live.”

“That Xiao Zhu from last time? He’s so cute. I hope Professor Fu won’t get jealous of me saying that.”

Fu Rangyi smiled. “How could I?” He is cute, after all.

He had even placed the coordinated outfits in different storage bags, set by set, and had written little notes for his OOTD, assigning a small task: before leaving each day, he had to take a mirror selfie in the hotel and submit it to Teacher Xiao Zhu.

Fu Rangyi rarely took photos and wasn’t very good at it. The photo from the first day, due to technical issues plus the fact that Zhu Zhixi was still angry at him for leaving early, received an extremely low score.

[Teacher Xiao Xi: I can’t believe a fit Alpha like you doesn’t even know how to take a mirror selfie. That guy Da Zhu can post ten muscle-flexing selfies from one trip to the gym.]

[Teacher Xiao Xi: ☆☆ for the face, zero stars for everything else.]

When it came to scores, Fu Rangyi had a strange competitive streak, which probably came from the dignity of being a top student for many years. So he specifically went online to learn the corresponding mirror selfie techniques. The next morning, after changing into the gray outfit Zhu Zhixi had picked for him, he took a picture.

[Nian Nian on an excavation trip: Shared a photo]

[Teacher Xiao Xi: !]

[Teacher Xiao Xi: Did you go take a class somewhere? Such rapid progress! This picture is handsome enough to start a new viral account. Keep it up. A husband’s photography skills are a wife’s glory.]

[Nian Nian on an excavation trip: Then I’m off to work. I probably won’t be able to look at my phone during the day.]

[Teacher Xiao Xi: Wait! One minute!]

A minute later, Zhu Zhixi sent two photos, or more accurately, two mirror selfies, one in black and one in gray. They were basic styles he almost never wore. Fu Rangyi looked at them for a while, then at himself in the mirror—same clothes, same beaded bracelet, and matching rings. The overall similarity was 99%.

[Nian Nian on an excavation trip: ?]

[Nian Nian on an excavation trip: Buyer’s show and seller’s show?]

[Teacher Xiao Xi: …………………]

[Teacher Xiao Xi: I might as well sell you. Artificial intelligence is all the rage right now. Your brain must be worth a lot of money.]

Fu Rangyi didn’t have time to reply. He set Zhu Zhixi’s photo as his chat background. He didn’t realize that at the top of the chat box, it continuously showed: Typing…

[Teacher Xiao Xi: They’re matching husband outfits, stupid.]

He had finally forced those words out of him. Fu Rangyi was very satisfied.

[Nian Nian on an excavation trip: I see. They look very good.]

Besides the surprise of the clothes themselves, there were also many small surprises hidden within them. During work, he subconsciously put his hand in his coat pocket, only to find some small snacks—snowflake crisps, pork jerky, and beef jerky. Because he didn’t like sweet things, there were more savory options.

This simple act was seen by the other professors.

“Hey, got any candy, Professor Fu? I didn’t eat lunch, and my blood sugar is a little low.”

Hearing this, Fu Rangyi directly handed over the snowflake crisp. “Yes, it’s sweet.”

“Thanks, thanks, you’re a lifesaver. I just stood up too fast after squatting for a long time, and my vision went…” The professor flipped it over. “Eh?”

On the back of the wrapper was a small, pink, folded paper heart.

“This…” The other person laughed, gently detached the heart, and handed it back. “Xiao Fu, the packaging on this snowflake crisp is quite unique.”

Fu Rangyi was stunned. He took it and stared at it for a few seconds. He, who usually showed little emotional fluctuation, suddenly stammered, “This, is also…”

“Also prepared by your wife, I know! Newlyweds are so happy.” The other person answered first, unwrapped the snack, and ate it in one bite. “Mmm! So sweet! I’ll get you a snack this afternoon. Thank your Xiao Zhu for me!”

After the professor left, Fu Rangyi looked down and carefully unfolded the small heart. He thought it would be a surprise note written by Zhu Zhixi. It wasn’t. It was a small doodle. The drawing was of a little person with short hair and glasses, with a pair of fluffy, upright ears on his head. He had a blank expression, holding his puffed-out cheeks and saying, “Sweet to longevity.”

Fu Rangyi was stunned for a second, then laughed out loud.

He flattened the small drawing and clipped it to the flyleaf of his work notebook.

These little Easter eggs that popped up at any time greatly relieved Fu Rangyi’s separation anxiety, but their effect was very limited. When he was idle, he would only miss him more. The extent of this longing completely exceeded his imagination. He could clearly feel that his pheromones were very unstable.

Every day, he looked normal—going to work, attending meetings, busying himself at the site all day, and even finding time to reply to students’ emails. But as soon as he returned to the hotel and quieted down, his mind would be flooded with thoughts: wanting to hug, wanting to hold hands, wanting all kinds of physical contact, the more the better.

This separation anxiety even affected his sleep quality.

As if he had a prophetic ability, Zhu Zhixi had prepared a “sleep aid pack” for him in the suitcase. It contained the scented candle that was often lit in Zhu Zhixi’s room, melatonin gummies, a silk eye mask, and most importantly, Zhu Zhixi’s pajamas.

Fu Rangyi was immediately touched by his thoughtfulness, but he soon discovered a problem. Zhu Zhixi had only packed his own pajamas, not his.

The first night, he wore the set of pajamas that was a size too small and smelled of Zhu Zhixi. He sat on the bed, knees bent, hands on his knees, and took a picture. In the photo, the cuffs and pant legs were noticeably too short. He sent it directly.

Before long, Zhu Zhixi replied.

[Teacher Xiao Xi: Why are you wearing my pajamas? Those are for you to smell… You should wear your own.]

[Nian Nian on an excavation trip: I’d like to wear my own, but I don’t have any.]

[Teacher Xiao Xi: ??? What do you mean! Oh no, did I forget to pack them? I even specifically picked out several sets! I must have missed one… That set is too small for you, isn’t it?]

[Nian Nian on an excavation trip: It’s just right.]

[Teacher Xiao Xi: What do you mean just right? They’re clearly way too short.]

[Nian Nian on an excavation trip: Just right for my wrists and ankles to get some air.]

[Teacher Xiao Xi: You always tell cold jokes with such a straight face. How are the hotel amenities? Do they have a bathrobe? Forget it, you definitely wouldn’t want to wear a hotel bathrobe. Should I just mail them to you? They’ll arrive the next day anyway.]

Fu Rangyi loved seeing the urgency Zhu Zhixi showed because of him, but he also didn’t want him to worry too much.

[Nian Nian on an excavation trip: It’s fine. I’ll wear yours. I sleep better this way.]

This was actually to soothe him. The shoulder line didn’t fit well. When Fu Rangyi slept, he didn’t wear the top but held it in his arms. Doing so did help him fall asleep, but his pheromones were still very unstable.

In order not to worry Zhu Zhixi, he chose to consult Li Qiao, who was more professional after all.

“Pheromone fluctuation? I didn’t receive any message. Eh? What’s going on? Ah, so I’m not your emergency contact anymore.” Li Qiao started off with a string of passive-aggressive remarks.

Fu Rangyi: “…I’ve already sent the data to you on WeChat.”

“I can’t believe we’ve reached this day. I thought I would forever be the lucky one to be the first to be notified when my brother is in the heat of passion.”

“Fine then, I’m hanging up, lucky one.”

“Hey, hey, wait a minute. Why can’t you take a joke?” Li Qiao laughed, then after a moment, he clicked his tongue, apparently having seen the data. “Fu Rangyi, is this data from today?”

Fu Rangyi: “Mm.”

“The fluctuation range is so large, and the pheromone molecules are very active. This is usually a sign of the pre-susceptible period. But your normal cycle is four months, and last time was already early. Logically, this time should be in April. It’s not even spring yet, and you’re already feeling the spring fever.”

Fu Rangyi: “…Can you speak more professionally?”

“Bro, I’m a doctor. Look at the third item on your pheromone index. It directly reflects sexual arousal, okay? I’m already being quite professional and subtle. Do you dare to give me 24-hour data? I’ll plot it into a curve for you. It’ll definitely be off the charts.”

Fu Rangyi wanted to curse, but the other party was making perfect sense. Fortunately, he hadn’t received any stimulation so far, and the wristband hadn’t alarmed, otherwise Zhu Zhixi would have received a text message.

He had no choice but to ask, “Then do I need to take suppressants in advance?”

“Take them. It’s better to take some,” Li Qiao said. “But don’t take the strong kind, just the regular ones you always carry when you travel.”

Fu Rangyi fell silent.

As a friend of many years, Li Qiao immediately understood something from his silence. “No way, Professor Fu. You didn’t even bring suppressants on a business trip?”

“…He packed my luggage,” Fu Rangyi said.

Li Qiao laughed. “No wonder. Betas just don’t have that awareness. You should go to the pharmacy and buy some right away. Start taking them today. As long as you’re not affected by Omega pheromones, you should be fine until you get back.”

After hanging up, Fu Rangyi changed into outdoor clothes, left the hotel room, and went downstairs. The hotel was located near the archaeological site, in a relatively remote development area of C-City, surrounded by construction and half-dug subway sites. At night, it was even quieter, the entire block dark, with few people on the streets.

Walking on the street at night in a place like this always gave one the illusion of being followed. He turned his head once halfway through and didn’t see anything.

After walking down a street, he didn’t see a pharmacy, but there was a 24-hour convenience store with a poster advertising the sale of suppressants on its door, so he went in and found the brand he usually took on the shelf.

“Do you not have injectables here?” he asked at the counter.

“Injectables require a prescription. You can only buy them at a pharmacy.”

Fu Rangyi nodded, his gaze drifting to the steaming oden on the side.

Ten minutes later, he sat in front of the convenience store’s floor-to-ceiling window, silently eating the unhealthy food that Zhu Zhixi loved most, trying to alleviate his unhealthy separation anxiety. For a moment, he even saw a faint reflection of Zhu Zhixi’s face in the glass, smiling, his chin propped on his hand, opening his mouth with an “ah,” asking him to feed him a radish.

After eating, he took a picture of the empty paper cup and sent it to Zhu Zhixi, who was still working overtime, also reminding him to be careful on his way home at night. Then he returned to the hotel with the suppressants.

On the way back, that faint sense of unease surfaced again. Alphas have a natural hunting instinct in their bones, so they are also more sensitive to danger. Fu Rangyi stood in place for a moment, not turning back, just listening quietly.

The solemn, cold wind scraped against his ear.

He continued forward, left that place, and returned to the hotel. After taking the medicine, he sat in front of his suitcase, taking inventory of the things he had already gone through countless times, looking for any small stickers or notes he might have missed.

Unconsciously, he had picked out a small pile of cloth items like towels and small blankets. This was purely an Alpha’s instinct.

He held this pile of things, placed it on the bed along with the pajamas, pawed at them a few times, pushed them around, and built a miniature “nest.” In the very center of the nest, he placed the rabbit doll.

After finishing, Fu Rangyi lay on the bed, buried his face in the “nest,” and deeply inhaled Zhu Zhixi’s scent, seeking comfort.

I really want to bite the rabbit.

I want to hold the soft nape of its neck and bully the rabbit.

That night, he didn’t know if it was a side effect of the suppressants, but he dreamed all night. Any random snippet he picked out would surely cause public outrage from the rabbit protection society.

He sat up, turned off the alarm, without his glasses, his hair a little messy. He was dazed for a moment, then looked down and saw that the rabbit’s pajamas were also dirty.

But the Fu Rangyi who entered the work environment was still calm, focused, and professional, the most reliable Professor Fu, not at all like a top-tier Alpha who would have wet dreams.

“Xiao Fu, why are you so motivated? You’ve been working so hard, you’ve done a week’s worth of work in three days.”

“He’s probably hoping to get back sooner, haha.”

Fu Rangyi just smiled and didn’t say anything. He had completely gotten used to being teased. It was just that he was still faintly worried in his heart. Three days had passed, and the countdown Zhu Zhixi gave him had become 27 days, but he always felt something was wrong.

He had already prepared to work overtime that night, but who knew it would suddenly start to rain. The graduate students he was leading couldn’t help but cheer, celebrating their successful rain-praying on their social media—they often didn’t block Fu Rangyi, all assuming he didn’t check his social media feed.

Professor Wang suggested going for a big drink, which was also a tradition for their group. In the rain, a large group of them boisterously found a small barbecue restaurant and booked the whole place.

Fu Rangyi only liked to drink alone and disliked socializing with a large group of people, so he always ate on the side and listened to them chat. But this time, influenced by the pheromone fluctuations, he inexplicably had the desire to drink, so he drank quite a lot with them.

During this time, Zhu Zhixi was still working overtime. He opened WeChat countless times, but there were no new messages. When he returned to the hotel room, after showering, it was already eleven o’clock, and he received a call from Zhu Zhixi.

“Hello? I’m finally home, just changed my clothes, I’m tired to death…”

On the phone, his voice sounded fluffy. This was indeed a strange description, but it was Fu Rangyi’s first reaction.

He had been drinking, and his mind was a bit dull. He didn’t point out Zhu Zhixi’s slip of the tongue. But Zhu Zhixi realized it himself.

“No, no, I misspoke,” he quickly corrected. “Tired to longevity.”

Fu Rangyi didn’t comment on his mistake, just quietly listened to his voice. Afraid of not hearing clearly, he even subconsciously lightened his own breathing.

“Professor Fu, are you already lying in bed?”

Fu Rangyi was quiet for a moment, then answered with a non-sequitur, “I want to see you.”

“Huh?” Zhu Zhixi’s voice sounded a little caught off guard. “Then, should we switch to a video call? Wait a minute.”

Three minutes later, the voice call switched to video mode.

The small phone screen was filled with two handsome faces. After connecting, Zhu Zhixi’s eyes widened slightly because he found that Fu Rangyi was very different from usual. He wasn’t wearing glasses and was very close to the camera. The screen only showed a small part of his shoulder and collarbone, but it was clear he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“You’re not wearing clothes?” he asked.

Fu Rangyi leaned against the headboard, his eyes half-closed, his eyelashes long. He was extremely quiet, not speaking. After a moment, he smiled with a delay.

“You guess,” he said softly.

Zhu Zhixi’s heartbeat quickened traitorously. He rubbed the tip of his nose and looked away. “I’m not guessing.”

But soon, he reluctantly moved his gaze back, staring at Fu Rangyi on the screen.

“Your ears are red, and so is your neck.” His eyes were also different from usual. The sharp, scrutinizing feeling was gone, replaced by a scattered, misty look.

Zhu Zhixi sensed something. “You’ve been drinking?”

Fu Rangyi smiled again and said, “So smart.”

Zhu Zhixi felt very strange. Just like this, through the screen, looking into those eyes, it felt as if a part of him was being sucked in.

“How much did you drink? Are you feeling unwell?” Zhu Zhixi suddenly remembered he had the wristband record and said, “Let me check the monitoring data.”

It would have been better not to look. The moment he opened it, a large patch of orange and red data scared him.

“Why is your heart rate so fast?? How much did you drink!”

Fu Rangyi was still leaning lazily against the headboard, staring at him without speaking.

“The data is so exaggerated. Is it because of the alcohol?” Zhu Zhixi was very worried.

Hearing this, he tilted his head and said in a low voice, “It’s because of you.”

Zhu Zhixi was stunned.

The camera suddenly shook. When it stabilized again, Fu Rangyi’s face was even closer. He could even see the small indentations on the bridge of Fu Rangyi’s nose from wearing glasses, reddish and slightly sunken. He loved taking off his glasses and kissing him there.

Fu Rangyi’s voice was a bit hoarse. “Zhu Zhixi, you broke the rule just now. I’m going to give you a command.”

Zhu Zhixi blinked. “Huh?”

“A command,” Fu Rangyi repeated in a deep voice. “Be obedient.”

Zhu Zhixi’s Adam’s apple bobbed nervously. He took a deep breath, lowered his eyes, and said, “Alright, go ahead.”

He waited for at least ten seconds. A long ten seconds. So long that he even imagined many strange commands.

However, when Fu Rangyi spoke again, it was casual. “Light the scented candle I gave you.”

That’s it? Zhu Zhixi was dumbfounded.

“The pink one,” Fu Rangyi specified the command further.

A bet was a bet. Zhu Zhixi complied. He went to the bedroom, found the scented candle he was reluctant to light, unwrapped it, found the pink one, and lit it. He said, “It’s done,” but Fu Rangyi didn’t give the next instruction.

The silence between them was as thick as syrup, capable of being pulled into threads. Gradually, the fragrance spread, and the room was filled with the clear sweetness of pomelo blossoms, growing stronger as it burned.

Zhu Zhixi felt a little uneasy and couldn’t help but switch out to peek at the app.

His heart rate was about to explode. How could he look so stable? It was simply terrifying.

“Are you… okay?” he asked in a small voice. Just as he asked, his phone vibrated a few times. It was an alarm text message from the wristband monitoring.

Fu Rangyi squinted his eyes slightly, stared at him silently for two seconds, and then smiled.

“Not so good,” his voice was very low. Transmitted and filtered through the signal, it had a different kind of magnetism compared to usual, making Zhu Zhixi tingle all over, as if an electric current had passed through him.

What does ‘not so good’ mean? Zhu Zhixi was about to speak, but Fu Rangyi’s voice came first.

“Can you smell it? My pheromones, they’re overflowing.”

————————
The pink scented candle was specially made by a certain someone, with the scent of his own pheromones when he was aroused. That’s right, the main note is floral.