Grandpa had just undergone surgery but was in fairly good spirits. When the three of them arrived, Uncle Lian had just left. Mother Lian placed the dinner she brought on the bedside table and picked up the water pitcher, preparing to fetch water. “You all chat with Grandpa for a while.”
“Dad, this is Yang Xun, Zhouxing’s new partner. He’s also in university,” Mother Lian spoke loudly, as Grandpa’s hearing wasn’t very good.
“Ah, good child. Are you a Beta?” Grandpa took Yang Xun’s hand, asking with a warm smile.
“Grandpa, he’s an Omega,” Lian Zhouxing quickly interjected.
“Hello, Grandpa,” Yang Xun also spoke loudly.
Lian Zhouxing had told him before that Grandpa was an Omega, five years older than his Alpha husband. He was a teacher until retiring at 70 and lived with his husband in their hometown. Only after falling ill last year did he move to the city to live with Uncle.
“My father passed away when I was young, and my grandparents on that side died early, too. I grew up with just my mother,” Lian Zhouxing whispered in Yang Xun’s ear, explaining the situation.
“What are you studying, Xiao Yang?” Grandpa asked.
“I study foreign languages,” Yang Xun answered obediently. Watching him like this made Lian Zhouxing’s heart flutter, and he couldn’t resist secretly hooking their pinky fingers together.
Yang Xun was startled, and his palms began to sweat, but Grandpa remained oblivious and smiled, saying, “That’s wonderful. You can become a teacher after graduating.”
“My grandfather likes telling everyone to become teachers,” Lian Zhouxing whispered in Yang Xun’s ear. “You should do whatever you want, don’t feel obligated to follow his suggestion.”
Yang Xun didn’t mind. This was just a favor. It was hard to say whether they would see each other again in the future, so making the old man happy was most important. Besides, he actually planned to become a teacher.
So he held Grandpa’s hand and said, “Yes, Grandpa, I plan to teach after completing graduate school.”
“Graduate school is good,” Grandpa praised everything.
Mother Lian returned then, setting out the meal on a small tray table and directing Lian Zhouxing to sort out the medicine. Yang Xun quickly stood up. “Auntie, let me do it.”
Lian Zhouxing’s leg was injured.
“Thank you, Xiao Yang,” Mother Lian felt relieved.
Grandpa fell asleep shortly after eating. Mother Lian would stay overnight at the hospital and instructed them to eat something when they got home. Lian Zhouxing agreed to everything, holding Yang Xun’s hand as they left the hospital room.
Only when they entered the elevator did Yang Xun snap out of his daze and pull his hand away.
Lian Zhouxing flexed his right hand, as if trying to memorize the soft, warm sensation.
Back home, Mother Lian had left corn and pork rib soup in the casserole. They finished it all with rice. After dinner, Lian Zhouxing insisted Yang Xun go to the guest room while he stayed to wash dishes.
Yang Xun couldn’t persuade him, so he sat on the couch, freely and intently watching Lian Zhouxing’s back.
These past few days had been like a beautiful dream Yang Xun wouldn’t have dared imagine before. Afraid happiness might pop like a bubble. He frantically tried to burn this scene into his memory. He finally mustered out the courage to take out his phone to secretly snap a photo.
He was so nervous that he forgot to mute the shutter sound, which rang crystal clear in the quiet room. He scrambled to hide his phone, but it was too late. Lian Zhouxing turned around with raised eyebrows and wiped his hands with a paper towel, amusement dancing in his eyes. “What are you taking pictures of?”
“N-nothing.” Yang Xun hurriedly hid the phone behind his back. Lian Zhouxing stood in front of him, moving like a slow-motion scene from a movie as he leaned down little by little.
A ringing filled Yang Xun’s ears, his heartbeat growing more rapid with each passing second. His body went rigid, his sweaty hands barely able to hold the phone. Like a verdict being delivered, Lian Zhouxing whispered in his ear:
“Senior, your pheromones are leaking.”
This was the first time Lian Zhouxing called him “senior,” but Yang Xun only felt nervous. He repeatedly apologized while frantically covering his suppressant patch with both hands, yet somehow, the preserved plum scent continued spreading, filling the air with its sweet and sour fragrance.
Yang Xun’s eyes reddened with anxiety. Lian Zhouxing finally noticed something was wrong and stepped back to steady himself, asking in disbelief, “Are you… in heat?”
Those three words hit Yang Xun like a physical blow, and his tears finally fell.
His scent gland burned waves of heat, nearly scorching his fingertips through the suppressant patch. Mind clouded, Yang Xun could only think of hiding his gland, desperately pulling his sweater collar over it, though it did little good.
“I… I didn’t know,” he said, voice trembling.
Lian Zhouxing grew frustrated. “How could you not know?! Don’t you understand how dangerous a heat can be?”
“I only differentiated at eighteen. The doctor said my gland development was impaired and I might never naturally go into heat… this is my first time…” Yang Xun melted into the couch. His sweat permeated with the sweet-sour plum scent.
Mother Lian had undergone gland removal surgery, so there were no Omega suppressants in the house. Lian Zhouxing was immersed in the preserved plum scent, his eyes fixed on Yang Xun’s reddened, soft lips. He unconsciously stepped forward before catching himself. He pressed his own suppressant patch and turned to search his room for suppressants.
But Yang Xun was already lost to the heat. Four years of suppressed heats arrived with overwhelming force, as if making up for lost time. His suppressant patch, soaked with sweat, lost its adhesive and fell unnoticed onto the couch cushion.
He stumbled after Lian Zhouxing’s retreating figure, his nose twitching at the fresh scent that entered his nostrils, like iced salt soda, with undertones of salty sourness.
Lian Zhouxing panted heavily as he crouched by the cabinet, searching. Most of his supplies were in his dorm room, and he’d left in such a hurry that he hadn’t brought any. He vaguely remembered having some old ones in the cabinet. Before he could find them, he saw Yang Xun at the doorway, who stepped forward unsteadily in his urgency and nearly fell.
Lian Zhouxing instinctively moved to catch him. His right foot twinged with pain as they both tumbled to the floor, their touching skin burning with sensation.
He held his breath trying to help Yang Xun up, but the person in his arms was barely conscious, acting purely on instinct to seek the source of pheromones. Gritting his teeth, Lian Zhouxing managed to move them to sit on the bed’s edge. He could no longer resist and claimed those soft, crimson lips.
As their lips met, the two scents in the air began to merge, preserved plums dropped into salty lemonade, creating a more complex flavor. Lian Zhouxing parted Yang Xun’s lips, gently sucking on his tongue, but soon regained some clarity and bit the corner of Yang Xun’s lip.
Yang Xun pulled back slightly. Lian Zhouxing held his face, asking softly, “Can you hear me clearly?”
He nodded, his eyes showing some lucidity.
“I wanted to take things slowly, but there’s no time now.” Lian Zhouxing bit his own lip hard, panting as he continued, “I like you. Will you be with me? I’m serious.”
The dream was so perfect that Yang Xun never wanted to wake up. He gave in, “Of course!”
Given permission, Lian Zhouxing again kissed those swollen, warm lips. He wondered why Yang Xun’s tears flowed endlessly like a thawed stream in spring, but there was no time to think. He could only gently kiss away the salty tears.
Winter departed as continuous rain fell, pelting the grass, mountaintops, and the thawing lake ice. Tender green shoots emerged, and pink-white flowers unfurled from their branches. Through the transparent veil of spring rain, the melting snow and ice on the mountains appeared like green fabric adorned with colorful embroidery, gently swaying in the breeze.
Soon, the rain intensified, and temperatures rose. The ice melted completely, mountain streams surged rapidly, and waterfalls crashed into rivers. The turbulent waters submerged grasslands and scattered flower petals, splashing against the river’s surface with alternating roars and gentle murmurs. For the first time in four years, the mountain and river welcomed the spring flood.
…
The next day, when Lian Zhouxing regained clarity, his first action was to call Mother Lian. She scolded him first, then repeatedly emphasized precautions, before finally saying she would stay at his uncle’s house for the next few days.
After hanging up, Lian Zhouxing carefully studied the sleeping Yang Xun. Half his face was buried in the soft blanket, his cheeks flushed pink. His eyelashes were long but straight, his features resembling those of a delicate doll. Lian Zhouxing gently pulled down the blanket, revealing reddened lips. Seeing the slightly swollen wound at the corner, he couldn’t resist giving another kiss.
As if feeling too hot, Yang Xun’s feet poked out from under the covers, one noticeably thinner than the other. Despite his hazy state last night, whenever his ankle was touched, he would instinctively withdraw, but Lian Zhouxing’s hands held it firmly, preventing escape.
The dark red kiss marks adorning it resembled a string of beads, declaring ownership. Lian Zhouxing smiled, feeling unprecedented satisfaction.
Yang Xun woke up to these constant small movements. He still did not react when his lips were captured, only fearfully retreating after Lian Zhouxing pulled away.
“What are you running away from?” Lian Zhouxing laughed.
As memories gradually flooded back, Yang Xun’s face alternated between red and white as he wedged himself into the corner between the headboard and wall.
“Senior won’t deny everything after sleeping with me, right?” Lian Zhouxing pretended to look wronged.
Yang Xun’s mind seemed rusted shut. His luck had always been poor, and he’d never imagined his beautiful dream becoming reality. A distant star suddenly became a meteor, landing right in front of him.
How could this be real?
“I… how is this possible?”
“I’m not good-looking, my leg is like this, I’m inferior in every way. But you’re different. You’re handsome and have a great personality. You should have better Omegas liking you. You shouldn’t waste your time on me.”
“From our first meeting, I thought you were cute and kind. Maybe I fell for you then,” Lian Zhouxing said. “Besides, my mom and grandfather both like you. Even if I said I wanted to marry you now, they’d definitely be happy. Don’t you like me?”
“I don’t not like you,” Yang Xun couldn’t help crying, finally admitting his crush had begun at their very first encounter.
“So you were that Omega. No wonder the preserved plum scent was so familiar…”
Lian Zhouxing pounced to embrace him, disregarding his stiff body. He kissed from his upturned nose tip to his delicate collarbone before taking a bite.
“Senior, my foot hurts…” he looked up at Yang Xun.
Yang Xun’s attention immediately shifted as he leaned to check the foot, asking anxiously, “Are you okay?”
Avoiding the question, Lian Zhouxing softly asked, “I hear heats usually last two to three days. Will Senior’s take a week?”
“Later, could Senior be on top? My foot’s not very convenient.” He burrowed under the covers, almost completely wrapped in Yang Xun’s embrace. Yang Xun blushed from head to toe. His mind filled only with the fresh salty-sour scent of lemon soda.
Author’s Note:
Salty lemon soda with preserved plums really is delicious.
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