Chapter 22 “Don’t Tell Me You’re Jealous”
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Shortly after Guan Shu left, the doctor Yan Zhixing had arranged for arrived. He conducted a simple examination of Shen Yao’s body and found no major issues. The doctor prescribed some medication for him and gave a few instructions before leaving.
Shen Yao closed the door and returned to bed to continue sleeping. When he woke up again, it was five o’clock in the morning, and his phone beside him was still lit.
When Xu Yibai left, Shen Yao had promised to call and video chat with him every day. However, he didn’t fully keep his promise and sometimes answered the calls, sometimes ignored them. Whenever he didn’t answer, Shen Yao would reappear after an hour or two, sincerely saying, “Sorry, I forgot, brother.”
His attitude was so impeccable that it was hard to find fault. Yet, he would often disappear again, forgetting time and time again. Then, suddenly, during one of those times, he would pick up the video call and smile radiantly at Xu Yibai on the other end of the line.
Shen Yao hadn’t forgotten about this matter. As he had been absent for a longer period this time, he picked up his phone and made a video call to Xu Yibai.
The call was answered quickly, but since Shen Yao hadn’t turned on the lights, his camera showed complete darkness, only capturing a blurry silhouette.
On Xu Yibai’s end, it was still evening, and his handsome face quickly appeared on the screen, with a backdrop of a setting sun and a bustling crowd.
He wore a Bluetooth device, not like he was in a piano room but more like he was outside.
Xu Yibai’s gaze shifted downward. Amidst the slightly noisy background noise, he didn’t question why Shen Yao had been absent for the whole night. He simply called out softly, “Yao Yao… why are you calling at this hour?”
Shen Yao placed his phone on the bed and sat up, turning on the dim bedside lamp. He pulled the covers up, covering his neck and revealing only his beautiful face.
His eyes were still red, indicating that he wasn’t in a good state of mind. His voice was nasal as he replied, “Brother, I caught a cold… I fell asleep directly last night, so I didn’t receive your call.”
“Are you running a fever?” Xu Yibai immediately expressed concern, tightly pursing his lips as he asked, “Did you take any medicine?”
“No, I don’t have a fever.” Shen Yao looked at him with a dependent gaze, answering each question cooperatively. “I took the medicine you bought for my last cold, and I’m feeling much better now.”
Xu Yibai softly murmured, “Mmm,” and then reminded him, “Don’t turn the air conditioning too high.” He still couldn’t let go of his worries. “Are you still feeling uncomfortable? Should I send a doctor over to see you, or should I come back and accompany you?”
Shen Yao couldn’t help but smile. “I just caught a cold, I’m not dying.”
“Shen Yao.”
Xu Yibai’s tone became more serious, and Shen Yao knew he didn’t like to hear that. He lightly responded, “Mmm,” and changed the subject, “Why are you outside? Aren’t you practicing the piano?”
The residual sunlight turned into a rosy hue, casting a layer of light on the glass doors of the airport in front of him. Xu Yibai didn’t even have a suitcase with him; it was evident that he had rushed out without any preparation.
His manager, with a distressed expression, followed closely behind him, seemingly on the verge of tears. When Xu Yibai finally halted his steps, the manager’s eyes filled with hopeful anticipation.
Xu Yibai said, “I’m going out to buy something. I’ll be back soon.”
The manager let out a sigh of relief, her feet no longer sore from running in high heels. As she relaxed, she watched Xu Yibai make a phone call to his rumored boyfriend.
Being taller than the average person, Xu Yibai held his phone high, making it impossible for the manager to see the screen or hear the voice of Xu Yibai’s partner. All she could observe was the gentle smile on Xu Yibai’s face and the soothing tone he used to placate the other person.
Xu Yibai was usually kind and gentle towards others, but never to this extent.
Xu Yibai glanced at the time and thought about Shen Yao still being sick. He spoke gently, “Yao Yao, you continue sleeping. Rest is important when you have a cold. When you wake up, I’ll have someone deliver food for you.”
“No need to send food,” Shen Yao’s drowsiness returned gradually, and he yawned. “I’ll order takeout when I wake up later. I’m hanging up now.”
He was about to end the call when Xu Yibai softly negotiated with him, “Can you not hang up? I’ll just watch you sleep. I won’t disturb you.”
Shen Yao had already closed his eyes, pretending to doze off, but upon hearing that, he opened his eyes again. He glanced at his phone’s battery level and said a little embarrassedly, “Next time, brother. My phone is running out of battery, and it’s inconvenient to charge it now.”
Xu Yibai remained quiet for a while before a smile appeared on his face. “Okay, you can hang up.”
“Bye, brother.” Shen Yao leaned closer, and even though his face appeared magnified on the screen, there were still no flaws. “Let’s talk again next time.”
After the sound of the call ending, Xu Yibai couldn’t see anything, but he continued to stare at the phone screen for a while. Then he said to his manager beside him, “Sister Li, let’s go back.”
The manager covered her heart, almost jumping up in tearful gratitude. She confirmed once again, “Master, are we going back to the piano room?”
Xu Yibai’s momentary hesitation made her heart race, but luckily, she immediately received an answer.
“Yes, back to the piano room.”
Afraid that he might change his mind, the manager quickly started the car and Xu Yibai got in.
Sister Li had been cooperating with Xu Yibai for many years, but this period of intensive training had left her mentally and physically exhausted. Xu Yibai was a genius, but even geniuses needed daily training, especially for such an important concert.
She never imagined that Xu Yibai would be so infatuated with his mysterious boyfriend. First, when his boyfriend expressed missing him, Xu Yibai would immediately fly back to the country, even disappearing for days without a trace.
Today, Xu Yibai couldn’t contact his boyfriend again, and he actually considered dropping everything and flying back to the country. This was also a young master she couldn’t even scold.
As Sister Li drove the car, she kindly advised, “Yibai, you should know how important the concert is, right? Of course, I’m not saying that love isn’t important.”
Xu Yibai looked out of the window, gazing at the coastline in the distance, and replied, “I know, I have a sense of proportion.”
“That’s good.”
Sister Li smiled and refrained from saying the thought in her mind, “Do you really have a sense of proportion?” As expected, Xu Yibai’s next question was, “When can I go back?”
“Soon, very soon.” Sister Li reassured him. “You’ll be able to hold your little omega soon.”
The night was slightly cool as Yan Zhixing stepped off the private plane. He had been working continuously for a day and a night, yet there was no sign of fatigue on his face. During this period, he had been flying back and forth between domestic and international locations, constantly readjusting to different time zones.
Yan Zhixing took the documents handed to him by Chen Shuang, and his footsteps paused briefly. He felt the unstable pheromones within his body, and the scent of sandalwood diffused in the air before dissipating.
He furrowed his brow and asked, “Where is Shen Yao?”
Ever since he used marking on Shen Yao to alleviate his dependence on pheromones, there had been pros and cons. The sharp nerves that had been a constant source of pain were now relieved, and he hadn’t lost control for a long time.
However, the effectiveness of the medication seemed to be diminishing for him, and Yan Zhixing noticed that he was gradually craving more than just the marking.
“Mr. Shen…” Chen Shuang hesitated for a moment but decided to relay Shen Yao’s words. “He said he remembered what you said last time, so he won’t come over now.”
Shen Yao always had a tendency to disobey when he should listen, but he would be obedient when he shouldn’t. Yan Zhixing had grown accustomed to this. “Tell the driver to pick him up. I’ll let him know what Shen Fulin has been up to lately.”
Shen Yao wasn’t lying; the mark on his neck hadn’t completely faded, but it had become fainter. Now, only shallow traces remained.
“I remember the doctor gave you a cream,” Yan Zhixing glanced at him and asked, “Why didn’t you use it?”
Shen Yao casually came up with a reason, not caring whether Yan Zhixing believed it or not. “I’m allergic to that cream.”
He took a few steps forward and stood in front of Yan Zhixing. Familiar with the routine, he turned his back, placed his hands on the table, and slightly turned his face. “Please take care of the patient and be gentle.”
Yan Zhixing walked behind him. Shen Yao was completely relaxed now, devoid of the tension he had on his first visit. There was a gentle smile at the corners of his mouth.
This was how he looked, just smiling like this, with the corners of his eyes curved as if there were hooks, even though Yan Zhixing knew he didn’t mean to seduce him.
From the beginning of their contract until now, Shen Yao had always adhered to the agreement without crossing any boundaries.
Yan Zhixing’s expression remained unchanged as he supported Shen Yao’s shoulder, feeling the faint warmth beneath his palm.
Inevitably, his gaze fell upon the mark on Shen Yao’s neck. Yan Zhixing bit his lip. A suppressed moan reached his ears, and as if anticipating it, Yan Zhixing reached out his hand to protect Shen Yao’s waist.
The marking this time seemed unusually long, and Shen Yao’s fingers tightened, his knuckles turning white. After it ended, he turned around, not appearing angry. His expression seemed like a smile but not quite. “Why did you bite so hard? Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”
Yan Zhixing was skilled at concealing his emotions, and sometimes Shen Yao couldn’t see through his intentions. However, he could sense that Yan Zhixing cared about the mark on his neck.
He could understand it very well—it was the possessiveness of an alpha.
Yan Zhixing furrowed his brows upon hearing the term “jealousy” for the first time. He denied, saying, “No.”
After the marking ended, Yan Zhixing still stood behind Shen Yao, his hands braced on the desk, trapping Shen Yao between the desk and himself.
Yan Zhixing’s eyes were deep blue, like a frozen lake in winter. He lowered his gaze, scanning from Shen Yao’s face to his neck.
The finger marks there had already lightened considerably. Yan Zhixing roughly estimated that Guan Shu’s fingers were about the same size as his.
Shen Yao became wary and covered his neck. “What are you doing? Do you also want to choke me?”
Yan Zhixing’s gaze was calm. He knew exactly what he was thinking and exactly what he was doing.
The marking had aroused a strong possessiveness toward the omega in front of him. He wanted to create some marks to cover up the finger marks left by other alphas.
“Do you have this kink?” Shen Yao chuckled lightly. “Choking doesn’t work; it hurts.”
Shen Yao straightened up and approached him, the collar of his oversized shirt revealing his collarbones. He whispered softly, “But love bites do.”
Yan Zhixing was not easily teased. He would change his expression after just a few words, and it amused Shen Yao to see his icy facade crack.
However, he didn’t expect that Yan Zhixing would also lower his head, bringing his prominent nose very close to him.
Shen Yao leaned back, instinctively tilting his head up, narrowly avoiding a collision with Yan Zhixing.
This was the first time they had been this close to each other.
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