Bo Xiangzhou then picked up a fruit candied hawthorn for An Xun.

The fruit looked fresh and the candied hawthorn wasn’t overly sweet. They walked around the children, and An Xun picked up an orange slice, asking, “Do you want some?”

The sugar was glistening, emitting a gentle sweetness.

An Xun figured Bo Xiangzhou probably wouldn’t want any, but asked just to go through the motions, setting himself up as a considerate guy.

Sure enough, Bo Xiangzhou shook his head.

An Xun ate it without hesitation and pulled out a wet wipe from Bo Xiangzhou’s coat pocket to clean the sugar off his fingers.

As they walked, An Xun couldn’t find a map, so he pulled Bo Xiangzhou to sit on a bench, found a public account on his phone, and looked up a guide for the zoo.

They could reach the peacock garden if they kept going down this path.

An Xun pulled down the brim of his bucket hat to cover most of his face. Bo Xiangzhou watched him for a moment and then adjusted the hat a little higher, “Can you even see the path like that?”

An Xun answered honestly, “I can if I hold my head up high.”

“Then you might as well not wear it.”

“That won’t work. I don’t want to make headlines. Have you forgotten your social prominence? If our identities are revealed, how can I go to work?” An Xun had given up struggling; in Bo Xiangzhou’s mind, an omega needed to have his own career to be appealing.

Without work, his charm would be greatly diminished. Sometimes An Xun was frustrated by this workaholic, whose work was more important than home. An Xun himself loved to work, so he put up with it, but now Bo Xiangzhou was even encouraging him to work hard.

He’d rather just lie flat!

An Xun poked him, “Speechless when it comes to work?”

Bo Xiangzhou grabbed his hand, “If you don’t want to work, resigning is also an option. The Bo family’s money is enough for you to spend several lifetimes.”

“I’d better keep working.” He definitely didn’t mean that sincerely.

Suddenly, An Xun remembered something and pulled out a new black mask for Bo Xiangzhou to wear.

It had been less than two months since the Old Madam’s death, and here he was taking his husband out to relax. Although traveling was indeed a good way to cheer up and let go of grief, the internet had all sorts of people who might exploit this situation to vent their emotions improperly, using Bo Xiangzhou as a shield.

That could negatively affect Bo Xiangzhou’s image and the company’s interests.

After a moment of thought, Bo Xiangzhou understood his intent.

With double protection, it was hard to identify them.

In early winter, the nights grew colder and longer. Before the temperature dropped, An Xun visited the last garden section, warming his hands inside Bo Xiangzhou’s sleeves, then raced ahead to the car where he changed into a warmer coat before urging Bo Xiangzhou to drive them to dinner.

The restaurant had been booked in the morning, and the menu was full of An Xun’s favorite dishes.

After a satisfying meal, An Xun leaned back in his chair. The room was warm, and he took off his coat. The sweater he wore underneath showed a slightly rounded stomach.

Bo Xiangzhou reached out and touched it.

Images unbidden popped into An Xun’s mind—of a handsome alpha caressing an omega’s pregnant belly.

He wasn’t ready to accept the idea of pregnancy; he felt too young, and it would limit his freedom.

He needed to have a conversation with Bo Xiangzhou about this.

After a few touches, Bo Xiangzhou withdrew his hand, and An Xun was too full to walk, so they stayed longer in the private room.

Ten minutes before they had to leave, Bo Xiangzhou opened his arms to help An Xun into his coat.

In that moment, An Xun felt enveloped by love.

“Are we going back, or do you want to hang out a bit more?” Bo Xiangzhou buttoned him up. “There’s a big shopping mall on Tonglin Street with local specialties you won’t find elsewhere. Want to check it out?”

“Are you asking knowing the answer?” An Xun’s response was not unreasonable; Bo Xiangzhou knew him better than he knew himself, and theoretically, he shouldn’t have needed to ask such an elementary question.

Bo Xiangzhou straightened his crooked hat, “I’m just worried you might be too tired.”

An Xun let him fuss, “Actually, I’m quite energized. You can test me if you don’t believe it.”

“Let’s not. You’d probably end up falling asleep on a couch in some shop, and I’d have to carry you back.”

“What does that mean? You don’t want to?” An Xun grabbed his hand, demanding an explanation for himself.

“I do want to, but I’m afraid you’d be embarrassed.”

An Xun imagined the scene; indeed, it would be embarrassing to be seen so exhausted that he fell asleep, only to be carried out by an expressionless alpha.

No need to think further; his short videos would flood the feeds for half a month, and he might as well plan his exit from the internet.

An Xun thought of a solution, “If I really get sleepy, leaning on you to the point I might pass out any second, you have to make sure to wake me up.”

How to wake him was a question.

There were many solutions, but An Xun chose the silliest one.

He grabbed Bo Xiangzhou’s hand and tried lightly pinching various parts of his body. He stood straight, placing a hand on his waist.

Through the thick layers of clothing, the pinch didn’t reach the flesh, so he slipped his own hand under the coat and sweater to give himself a pinch.

It hurt less than other places.

An Xun said, “If I get sleepy, pinch my waist, but don’t pinch too hard, I hold grudges.”

“…I might as well carry you.” Pinching was not really feasible.

As an alpha, no matter the reason, he shouldn’t resort to violence on an omega.

“You might as well pinch.” An Xun trusted Bo Xiangzhou, pulling his hand to practice again.

The fabric was thick, and Bo Xiangzhou couldn’t feel his waist; he just went through the motions, his hand only touching the piled-up fabric of An Xun’s clothes.

While sharing a bed, he had been careful not to touch too much, but that kiss had clarified the nature of their relationship, and his actions had started to overstep boundaries.

He could imagine how soft an omega’s waist would feel.

“Put some strength into it!”

An Xun often spoke without filtering, and the unintended implications made Bo Xiangzhou’s eyelids twitch uncontrollably.

An Xun didn’t notice the ambiguity in his words, saying, “Use a little force, it won’t hurt me.”

Accompanied by his sugary voice, the suggestion became even more potent.

Bo Xiangzhou didn’t want to listen to his slightly libertine talk anymore; his slender fingers found the resilient waist and gave a gentle squeeze.

It wasn’t a clear sensation due to the fabric, but the way the alpha teased, pinching the waist was ticklish, sending a tingling sensation right to his heart, causing a flutter.

An Xun’s ears turned slightly red, “I think we shouldn’t pinch, you could just wake me up with some food or something that smells nice.”

Bo Xiangzhou smiled, “Okay.”

The two walked discreetly, but their extraordinary demeanor made Bo Xiangzhou, an outstanding alpha, extremely conspicuous among the ordinary, drawing many eyes in the mall, becoming a singularly striking presence.

The omegas’ glances at Bo Xiangzhou were not well-intentioned, so An Xun moved even closer, as if to declare his territory.

Childish but effective.

Sure enough, the eyes converging on Bo Xiangzhou lessened.

There weren’t many places to explore in the mall. An Xun, who previously couldn’t afford many things, now wanted to experience the feeling of spending freely with a sponsor by his side. Arm in arm, they walked out of the mall’s back exit, heading straight to a shopping street filled with luxury stores.

The physical stores outside were much more luxurious than those inside most malls.

The stores were empty; those who could afford to shop big were savvy enough to either approach Bo Xiangzhou for connection or keep his identity secret.

An Xun wasn’t interested in clothes, and headed to the area selling brand hats.

The hats were even uglier than those sold online, uniformly dull, the only beautiful thing about them was the price tag.

Finding it boring, An Xun pulled Bo Xiangzhou to leave. Bo Xiangzhou then pulled him back, swapping his bucket hat for a black knit hat.

It was a plain style but the best-looking among them.

The hat looked good on him; An Xun stood in front of the mirror, changing poses every few seconds to admire it.

Bo Xiangzhou adjusted his collar, enhancing the visual effect. An Xun nearly leaned in, adjusting the hat to the best angle while checking the reflection in the mirror to see if it matched his imagination.

Such intimacy in a public place made him lower his gaze slightly, feeling the reality of their relationship, and he sneakily peeked through the dressing mirror. The alpha looked serious as if studying something important.

His heart skipped a beat, his gaze flitting around. When he noticed no one paying attention, he tugged at Bo Xiangzhou’s collar from behind and planted a kiss on his lips.

…This is how a relationship should be, right? If he doesn’t make the move, and I don’t either, when will we ever have a normal couple’s life?

Bo Xiangzhou was only momentarily surprised, then he playfully flicked An Xun’s nose.

An Xun, excited by his new hat, abandoned the old one. The old hat barely covered half his face, but at least there were fewer people out at night, which eased his concerns.

He had plenty of casual and formal wear, so when browsing clothes, he barely glanced at them. His attention was usually caught by more novel, quirky items.

Like the leopard-print pajamas in front of him.

Bo Xiangzhou didn’t want to interfere with his personal choices, but this particular set he couldn’t ignore, “Not this one. It’s too weird. Pick another.”

“You think I’d look ugly in it?” An Xun asked, puzzled.

“No.”

An Xun asked a probing question, “Would you dislike me if I got ugly?”

Bo Xiangzhou sensed a trap, “No, you’d never get ugly. You’ll never be ugly.”

An Xun’s true intentions showed, “Then can I buy this one?”

“Anything but this.” The only reason being that this one was unbearably ugly. He couldn’t even imagine what An Xun would look like in it.

The leopard print was made with faux fur that was so glossy it looked almost like real skin.

He couldn’t fathom what the designer was thinking, making winter pajamas look like a tiger’s spirit had come alive.

To get An Xun to compromise, he picked out the second ugliest option in the pile of hideous pajamas.

The ugliest was the leopard print, the second ugliest was a two-piece set of sleep pants and a robe.

Pure black, with the robe extending to the ankles.

An Xun stood in front of the mirror, trying it on, “This makes me look like a high priest.”

Especially with the hood on the robe, it was even more fitting.

Bo Xiangzhou deployed his linguistic charm, “Indeed, it has a very mysterious and sacred aura.”

Moved by that comment, An Xun bought it, thinking it might even serve as a good prop for scaring Bo Xiangzhou by pretending to be a ghost when he got mad.

They shopped down the street, with Bo Xiangzhou complimenting An Xun every step of the way. His spirits soared, determined to carry on the good vibes for the rest of the evening.

While Bo Xiangzhou queued up to buy him a roasted chicken leg, An Xun searched for romantic spots nearby on his phone.

There was a little alley, with streetlights. Walking through it, you’d loop around to the front entrance of the mall.

It would be a bit tiring, but worth it.

Unbeknownst to him, Bo Xiangzhou followed An Xun into the alley, tricked without realizing.

The alley was long and deep, with no end in sight.

An Xun clung to Bo Xiangzhou’s arm, mentally recalling all the romantic techniques he had learned.

Now was the time to act scared, to make the alpha feel like he was a timid omega in need of protection. Then, after being comforted by the alpha’s warmth, he’d relax. This would trigger a strong protective instinct in the alpha, ensuring he was always concerned for him.

He thought it out beautifully, his expression unguarded, with a subtle smile at the corners of his mouth.

Bo Xiangzhou quietly observed his expression, wrapping an arm around An Xun’s shoulder and slipping his hand into his pocket to check the warmth of his hands.

Warm, not cold.

An Xun’s heart melted, snuggling into his chest.

Seeing his innocent look and recalling what he had said before entering the alley—when there were closer routes that would satisfy his hunger but he chose a slightly riskier one instead, claiming it would help him digest before bed—Bo Xiangzhou instantly understood his true intent and hugged him tighter.

The alley wasn’t as safe as it seemed online. It was narrow, with residential buildings on both sides, sparsely populated. There was a stretch where the streetlights were dim, and they seemed to hear someone talking.

“Is it haunted?” An Xun asked. “I’m most afraid of poor ghosts.”

“At least it’s in the city. You won’t find any ghosts here.”

Many people probably took this path. If there had been any ghosts, it would’ve been reported and blocked off by now.

But they did hear voices.

With his sharp alpha hearing, Bo Xiangzhou pulled An Xun closer, stopping under a streetlight. The light stretched their shadows long, and judging from their reflections, An Xun was still munching on his chicken leg.

With Bo Xiangzhou around, he felt safe. He believed that if anyone came along, one dose of pheromones from Bo Xiangzhou would knock them all out.

An Xun was entirely confident in him.