"And then?" Li Yuheng couldn't help but ask.
“Then I saw that you were really pitiful,” Shu Bai turned her gaze back to him, her eyes seemingly carrying a faint smile, “so I agreed.”
"Would I experience that during my sensitive period? It sounds like..."
"...Yes. And more than once. You're more emotional during your vulnerable periods."
Li Yuheng: "..."
never mind.
Just consider it flirting.
But speaking of crying?
Tsk, if we're really going to compare, Shu Bai definitely looks better when she cries.
Those eyes, which were always so pale, were now misty, the corners of them red, their long eyelashes wet with tears, trembling slightly... They must have been breathtakingly beautiful.
Because the tightly pursed lips might loosen, revealing a tiny, suppressed sound...
Li Yuheng was immersed in the beautiful fantasy of "crybaby Shubai" and couldn't help but smile, but was suddenly interrupted by another thought.
etc.
Susceptible period?
Is the period of vulnerability for sparse white skin?
Li Yuheng's thoughts instantly switched from enchanting fantasies to real-life memories.
In this ABO world, Shu Bai's vulnerable period is completely different from the scene he just imagined.
On the contrary.
Shu Bai's vulnerable period was a Waterloo for him and Li Yuheng in their more than ten years of childhood friendship; it was an impenetrable fortress and an absolute no-go zone.
During those days, Shu Bai would lock herself in her room beforehand, with the doors and windows tightly shut, and her pheromones would be completely concealed, as if she had evaporated from the face of the earth.
No matter how much Li Yuheng knocked on the door, acted shamelessly, or played the victim outside, Shu Bai would never open the door. At most, he would throw a "stay away" through the door, or simply block his communications.
I've never succeeded even once.
Li Yuheng immediately countered: "What about your sensitive period? Will I stay with you like that? Or what will I do? As your boyfriend, I can't possibly not be by your side during your sensitive period, can I?"
Upon hearing this question, Shu Bai's lips, which were about to begin making up a story, paused almost imperceptibly.
He looked up and met Li Yuheng's eyes, which were filled with curiosity and expectation.
Ah, he's waiting for him here.
Shu Bai's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible awkwardness: "My vulnerable period? No, you're not in it."
"I'm not here? Why? Aren't we boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"Just because that's true. Li Yuheng, because I like you."
"...Cough, what does this have to do with liking me?"
Li Yuheng really couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
Hearing several confessions a day, the male protagonist was so happy he was oblivious to the world around him.
“The conflict was huge.” Shu Bai’s voice remained flat, but Li Yuheng sensed a hint of tension. “My feelings for you… were a bit excessive. During the height of my fertile period, an Alpha’s instincts and possessiveness are at their peak, and I…”
He seemed to find it difficult to speak, pausing for a moment before continuing, "I can't control myself. I want to keep you by my side, I want your pheromones to be filled with only my scent, I want to... mark you completely, so that you can't go anywhere and can only look at me."
Li Yuheng's breath hitched.
Shu Bai avoided his gaze, her tone tinged with self-deprecation: "But you are an Alpha, Li Yuheng. You are not an omega who can be marked, and I cannot force you with pheromones. That kind of uncontrolled possessiveness is dangerous and unsightly."
I was afraid of scaring you, and even more afraid of hurting you. So, keeping you outside was the best choice for you. At least, that's what I thought at the time.
Li Yuheng slightly propped himself up, moving closer to Shu Bai, his gaze intense: "...And now? What do you think now?"
Shu Bai seemed surprised that he would immediately seize on this point and ask further questions, turning his face away.
"...Now? We've already broken up. You were the one who initiated the breakup, have you forgotten? You said splitting expenses was too much trouble and you didn't want to continue. So what I think now is irrelevant."
Li Yuheng: "..."
Good grief, the other party refused to answer and instead threw a label at me, calling me a "scumbag A".
Li Yuheng leaned forward, trying to reach Shu Bai's hand resting on her knee. He lowered his voice, which carried just the right amount of regret and probing: "Shu Bai, if I feel right now, I still like you?"
Even though I don't remember, my heart doesn't lie, right? Seeing you, that feeling of my heart fluttering was so strong. How about we start over?
Shu Bai lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on Li Yuheng's fingers that were trying to approach. She didn't immediately look away, but she also didn't respond.
After a moment, he chuckled softly, looked up at Li Yuheng, and his expression held a hint of understanding and a touch of barely perceptible mockery.
"Start over?" Shu Bai repeated these four words. "Li Yuheng, you say you like him now because you've forgotten the past and are only acting on impulse based on 'feelings'. But what if..."
He leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them: "What if you wake up tomorrow and your memory suddenly returns, and you remember that you were the one who thought AA relationships were too troublesome and tiring, and pushed me away yourself? What do you plan to do then?"
Shu Bai knew, of course, that Li Yuheng liked him, but liking someone was one thing, and facing all the pressure and criticism with unwavering determination for a long time was another.
He himself may not care about the whole world, but he cannot ignore the potential wavering that Li Yuheng might experience one day.
Even the slightest possibility was enough to cast a shadow in his heart.
What he feared was not Li Yuheng's current pretense, but that at some point in the future, Li Yuheng might genuinely feel tired, annoyed, and give up.
Li Yuheng's eyes instantly calmed down.
He suddenly seemed to understand why Shu Bai had fabricated the story that he was her ex-boyfriend.
“There’s no ‘what if’.” Li Yuheng’s voice was low, but it carried an undeniable certainty. “Even if the memories were restored a thousand times, the outcome would not change.”
He held Shu Bai's hand, his fingertips warm and strong: "You find it troublesome, you find it tiring? That only means you don't like it enough. Shu Bai, to me, you are not troublesome, you are the answer."
So what if we're in an AA relationship? Our pheromones don't match? That's perfect, it just means we're together simply because we're each other. I'll handle all the criticism and obstacles. You just need to look at me and trust me.
His sparse, pale fingers curled up almost imperceptibly in his palm.
Li Yuheng looked at his slightly fluttering eyelashes and continued, "As for the vulnerable period, you can lock it if you want. You can try marking it if you want. Let's see who marks whom in the end. Or... mutual possession, that sounds pretty good too."
The ward fell silent, with only the sound of their breathing mingling.
Shu Bai looked at Li Yuheng, remained silent for a moment, and finally replied, "Oh."
So, can I finally take off the 'ex-boyfriend' label?
Shu Bai withdrew her hand, pressed Li Yuheng down onto the bed, and quickly turned off the light: "Let's see how you behave. Now, go to sleep."
Li Yuheng silently curled his lips in the darkness.
"Why did the lights suddenly turn off, Shubai? I'm a little afraid of the dark."
"..."
Where is everyone? Why aren't you saying anything? Let me turn on the light—
"He's here." Shu Bai pressed down on Li Yuheng's hand as he tried to turn on the light, gritting his teeth as he spoke.
"Oh. Aren't you sleepy sitting there?"
"Not sleepy."
"Then talk more."
"...I'm very sleepy."
"Then lie down on the bed with me. The bed is quite big."
"..."
"Why are you so quiet again? I'll turn on the light—"
Shu Bai pressed down on Li Yuheng's hand again and lay down next to him in a fit of rage.
"Shut up and go to sleep." He had his back to Li Yuheng and his voice was very low.
Li Yuheng smiled triumphantly and, sure enough, quieted down.
Shu Bai closed his eyes and remained silent in the darkness for a moment.
Then, he turned around, put his arm across the already narrow gap between them, wrapped it around Li Yuheng's waist, and gently rested his forehead against Li Yuheng's shoulder.
Li Yuheng paused for a moment, then tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer into his embrace. He gently brushed his chin against her soft, white hair and smiled silently.
A hug is good, but a tight hug is what makes it his.
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