Tao Nian didn’t see anything wrong with the statement, saying, “Indeed, among the Bo family, he’s the fiercest when it comes to eating people up; just look at how he starves our treasure, almost turning him into skin and bones.”

“It’s not as exaggerated as you say,” An Xun replied with a slight reduction in his smile.

There weren’t many guests invited to the birthday party, mostly Bo family members. An Xun, a bit face-blind, couldn’t recall any of the few he had met at the wedding.

He leaned close to Bo Xiangzhou, shaking his sleeve. Bo Xiangzhou put down his wine glass, listening attentively and discreetly informed An Xun of everyone’s identities without anyone noticing, except for the nearby Tao Nian and the reticent Shen Qingrang.

Shen Qingrang and Father Bo spoke little, maintaining a silent atmosphere at the dining table. Feeling it inappropriate to squabble with Bo Xiangzhou in front of the elders, Shen Qingrang would occasionally get annoyed and pinch him under the table.

After being pinched several times, Bo Xiangzhou’s expression shifted from being carefree to a reluctant, shallow smile, discovering that An Xun’s temperament was like a firecracker, easily ignited.

He stared at him for a few seconds, smiling, then reached under to twist the wrist An Xun had placed on his thigh.

An Xun didn’t show his displeasure, but Bo Xiangzhou knew he was probably ruffled.

Leaning in, Bo Xiangzhou whispered, “Drink less, or your clever brain will stop being so sharp.”

After a few words of soothing, An Xun was willing to look at him directly. He held his hand up to block half his face and spoke in a hushed voice, “I want to drink even if I become dumb.”

They chose the highest alcohol content wine like complete novices, Tao Nian and An Xun nodding at each other in silent agreement.

Unwatched for a moment, An Xun filled his cup and clinked glasses with Tao Nian, joyously forgetting himself.

Bo Xiangzhou said, “If you get drunk, I won’t take care of you.”

An Xun wagged his tail, “I have Nian Nian!”

As soon as he said it, his tail dropped, and he shifted topics, “I’m talking nonsense, just cover my stomach with a blanket if I’m drunk. My relationship with Nian Nian is purely love, though he had a crush on me before and even said he wanted to marry me. But I don’t love him, and I’ve made that clear now, so you can relax, right?”

Listening to his nonsensical talk, Bo Xiangzhou sighed, “You’re drunk, stop drinking.”

“I’m not drunk,” An Xun protested, feeling an empty stomach and too much alcohol bloating uncomfortably. He gestured with his eyes, “I want to eat that.”

It was the delicious garlic vermicelli steamed oysters.

From the moment the meal started, he wanted to eat them but they were too far away to reach.

Bo Xiangzhou, without complaint, fulfilled his requests one by one. An Xun ate happily, realizing he was neglecting Tao Nian, and went to find him holding a wine glass.

Throughout, Old Madam observed An Xun with a smile that wouldn’t close; their relationship was progressing faster than she had expected, already exchanging tender looks in just a few months.

With a face full of joy, Old Madam said, “Xiao Xun, grandma will have the room cleaned up, why don’t you stay here tonight and let Xiangzhou take you to work tomorrow morning?”

“Sure, sure!” An Xun hardly listened, eager to whisper with Tao Nian, agreeing to whatever Old Madam said.

Tao Nian’s expression was hard to decipher, “Baby, do you even know what you agreed to?”

“What?” An Xun, holding a small plate, used a fork to remove the chocolate he disliked. He saw blueberries Tao Nian didn’t want on his plate and popped them into his mouth, asking, “Do you eat chocolate?”

“I don’t. You eat more, you’ve agreed to share a bed with Bo Xiangzhou in the old house tonight, don’t let there be any surprises later,” Tao Nian simply gave him all the blueberries, strangely enough, half of the cake’s blueberries ended up on his plate.

An Xun evenly spread cream on the cake base, “Just sharing a bed, what could go wrong? Don’t I usually sleep with him in one bed?”

“Do you think the Old Madam will let you each have your own blanket?”

That indeed was a question worth pondering.

An Xun, bewildered, had all sorts of silly ideas popping up, “Then should I drink more? If I’m drunk, I won’t know anything, and it’ll just pass.”

Their wavelengths were almost identical; Tao Nian considered the scenario and found it feasible.

An Xun ignored Bo Xiangzhou’s advice, doing as he pleased.

One block, one tackle, and in the end, An Xun, drunk beyond help, collapsed in his arms, waving at Tao Nian and saying goodbye without a care.

…That foolish look was unbearable to witness.

For the first time, Tao Nian regretted agreeing to this utterly foolish method, sending his best friend into the unpredictable, coldly violent arms of a jerk.

He wanted to carry An Xun away but could only watch helplessly as Bo Xiangzhou carried him upstairs to the bedroom.

·

Old Madam had planned this but hadn’t had the chance to mention it; before An Xun’s arrival, she had the room prepared with all new essentials laid out.

An Xun was drunk to the point of madness, and Bo Xiangzhou struggled to control him. He laid An Xun flat on the bed and, after searching the room for a long time, found only two bathrobes, two packs of disposable underwear, and several boxes of sex products.

This meant he had to share a blanket with An Xun for the night.

He wasn’t opposed, but An Xun’s drunken madness was too much to handle, promising a chaotic night.

Bo Xiangzhou knew An Xun’s character well and, after hurriedly washing up, quickly fastened his belt and came out.

The familiar bulge under the covers on the bed indicated An Xun’s presence, giving Bo Xiangzhou a bad premonition.

His heart raced as he lifted the covers, and the sight that greeted him made his temples throb.

An Xun had stripped down to his underwear, his clothes causing the blanket to roll up.

The omega’s slender body was porcelain-white, his skin bathed in a warm yellow halo, his long legs intertwined.

The sudden exposure to the cold air caused his skin to break out in goosebumps, and An Xun tugged at the blanket corner to cover his stomach, shifting to another sleeping position.

His habit of sleeping on his stomach hadn’t changed; now, with the blanket slipping off and no clothes to cover him, his posture was completely exposed, like an unintended but naked temptation.

The image struck him as forcefully as the night he’d been tricked in the bar.

The honest and unaware allure was more stirring than any deliberate seduction.

Bo Xiangzhou looked away, draping a bathrobe over An Xun, only daring to look at him once he was covered. He wrapped An Xun up tightly, like bundling a rice dumpling, even tucking in his arms.

Wrapped uncomfortably, a rebellious instinct emerged, and An Xun kicked the blanket away, his hands weakly fumbling over his body, peeling off the bathrobe.

He occasionally let out small noises, and when Bo Xiangzhou listened closely, he realized An Xun was cursing at him.

He flicked An Xun’s head lightly with his finger, then picked up his clothes, emptying the pockets and tossing the contents into the washing machine.

The bathrobe was a bit disheveled, and Bo Xiangzhou lowered his eyelids, clumsily dressing An Xun, tying the belt tightly before settling him comfortably in the center of the bed, taking up only a small part of the space himself.

Taking advantage of An Xun’s quieter moments, he wrung out a hot towel to wipe his face. It was his first time doing this without much experience, so he was extra careful, treating it as if it were important business, often attending to details An Xun usually missed.

An Xun cooperated quietly, leaning against him without fidgeting.

But when he wiped behind An Xun’s ears, squeezing his earlobe made An Xun hum softly and dodge away.

Realizing he had touched a sensitive spot, Bo Xiangzhou wisely let go, asking, “Can you hear what I’m saying?”

Sending him to work in this state was as likely as expecting a fish to take his place.

An Xun’s mind was somewhat clearer, but his inherent rebellious streak was always ready for battle, “Can’t…”

“Do you need me to call in sick for you?” Bo Xiangzhou folded the towel again, switching to a clean side.

An Xun spoke his mind, “Just quit for me—”

“You’re giving up after just a few days? Should I make the call, or will you?” Bo Xiangzhou asked.

An Xun’s face scrunched up, seemingly pondering, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

“Calling in sick, you yourself…” Bo Xiangzhou paused, “Never mind, I’ll do it. Should I use your phone?”

“Don’t snoop on my privacy!”

An Xun suddenly sat up as if struck by a severe illness, startling Bo Xiangzhou, “I won’t look at your privacy, just calling in sick for you.”

He held An Xun, who hooked an arm around his neck, leaning on his support and then resting against him, his blurry eyes gradually widening, his tense face watching his movements.

What on earth was on this phone that he was so afraid of him seeing?

Bo Xiangzhou chuckled, “Can you see clearly?”

His nerves were numbed by alcohol, and though his vision was as if shrouded in a thick fog, he still stubbornly said, “I can!”

Bo Xiangzhou handed him the phone, “Which finger is your fingerprint?”

His hand slipped, not holding on, and Bo Xiangzhou patiently spread his fingers, placing them in his palm.

An Xun confidently took it, expertly positioning his right index finger on the fingerprint reader, but not aligning it properly, causing the phone to vibrate with a failed verification.

An Xun, not believing it, tried several more times.

Unable to watch, Bo Xiangzhou adjusted his finger correctly.

An Xun grinned foolishly, and Bo Xiangzhou didn’t know what he was laughing at but joined in anyway.

He guided An Xun to open WeChat, where strange remarks filled the screen.

Tao Nian was pinned at the top, labeled simply “Nian Nian,” the rest carrying a bit of personal grudge, uniformly using a surname plus a nickname.

For instance, his own label was “Bo Lao Gou” (Old Dog Bo), with others like “Zhou Da Tuo” (Big Lump Zhou), “Du Ma Hua” (Twisted Du), “Lin Ying Ying”…

Bo Xiangzhou laughed immorally, “What’s your company’s procedure for calling in sick?”

An Xun spelled it out, “Wait for direct supervisor to approve the leave, then report to the general manager.”

“That’s troublesome.”

An Xun heavily agreed with a grunt.

“Who’s your direct supervisor?” The labels made Bo Xiangzhou dizzy.

“Hehe.” An Xun scrolled a bit, “Not here, on the burner.”

“Which one?” Bo Xiangzhou switched to the burner, where the remarks mirrored the style of the main account.

“I won’t tell you!”

Bo Xiangzhou changed his questioning, “What’s your leader’s nickname?”

“He’s called Zhang…” An Xun stopped, slapping his back, “Don’t try to trick me!”

Surname Zhang, nickname unknown.

There were only two Zhangs in the remarks, one Zhang Nianyu (Catfish Zhang) and one Zhang Shi Duo (Busy Zhang).

Bo Xiangzhou checked WeChat Moments, deducing from the style and little details that his leader was called Zhang Nianyu.

To be safe, he asked again, “Not saying it doesn’t matter, is it called Zhang Nianyu?”

“How did you know…” An Xun responded slowly, “It’s not!”

So that was it.

Bo Xiangzhou drafted a leave request over a hundred words, showed it to An Xun for a procedural glance, checked it for errors, then sent it.

At night, the peacefully sleeping An Xun suddenly rolled towards him, propping himself up on an elbow, half-lying next to his ear, asking, “Are you asleep? I thought about it and will tell you anyway, my leader’s nickname really is Zhang Nianyu, do you know why he’s called that? Because he’s very annoying and looks like a big catfish.”

“You should have woken up by now.” Bo Xiangzhou rolled up one side of the blanket and tucked it under him, “This time I won’t scold you, but in the future, don’t give people nicknames, got it?”

“Hmm.” His tone was ambiguous, neither agreeing nor expressing dissatisfaction.

Bo Xiangzhou released soothing pheromones, patting his back to coax him to sleep.

Gradually, the warm scent of agarwood drew him closer, eventually rolling into his arms.

Facing Bo Xiangzhou, he inhaled the alpha pheromones like an addict, unintentionally murmuring, “Mmm, hubby.”

Like a stone thrown into a calm lake, ripples spread out.

Bo Xiangzhou measured their height difference, which seemed not much different from the omega he had bumped into at the bar that night.

An Xun’s voice was always soft in his presence, whether arguing or bantering, always like coquetry; he hadn’t heard his real voice, or perhaps overlooked it, but he could imagine it was full of provocation and frivolity.

That night was the same, the omega’s tone filled with flirtation.

Their figures gradually overlapped, the answer plainly laid before his eyes.

He should have recognized it sooner.

This little trickster, probably knew all along.