Besides work, An Xun spent all his slacking time studying knitting. He slowed down the videos, watching intently, and occasionally mimicking the motions with his hands.

He kept it a secret from everyone, including Tao Nian. He had a whole day’s chat with him, his lips tightly sealed, suppressing a strong urge to share as he distractedly talked about this and that.

With about twenty minutes left until the end of work, he guarded against his colleagues seeing the tutorial videos.

Suddenly, the quiet office erupted; a group of people dropped their work to stare at him with a teasing look in their eyes. An Xun quickly closed the app, anxiously gauging their reactions, relieved that it wasn’t the video that caused the stir.

His desk wasn’t near the window. He covered his phone with a book as if hiding something guilty, following their gazes toward a colleague and then out the window, where an outstanding black SUV was parked.

It wasn’t something you’d expect at this small company.

An Xun calmly returned to his desk, his heart leaping as if a line of tiny dancers were celebrating inside—

Bo Xiangzhou had come to pick him up.

An Xun kept his gaze low, pretending to work as his colleagues tactfully remained silent, only occasionally glancing up to gauge his expression.

Feeling the uncomfortable stares, An Xun decided to finish tomorrow’s tasks. He watched the clock and, three minutes before the end of the workday, began packing up to meet Bo Xiangzhou.

His colleagues watched from above, seeing a slender hand pull An Xun close before the car door shut, likely pulling him into an embrace.

“Didn’t you have a social event tonight?” The car was too warm, An Xun having worked up a slight sweat from running, so he began to undo his scarf.

Bo Xiangzhou stopped him, rearranging it into a slightly cooler style, “It’s not important. I sent someone else.”

“So, you’re saying I’m more important than work,” An Xun said, massaging his sore shoulders.

Bo Xiangzhou, accustomed to holding him, felt something was missing if he wasn’t, “Of course, baby is the most important.”

A buoyant An Xun shyly made a request, “Then, could you give your baby a shoulder rub?”

The request sounded a bit too intimate for An Xun, who wasn’t yet used to making such bold statements.

“Sure.” Bo Xiangzhou readily agreed, realizing there wasn’t much he hadn’t agreed to except for staying up late and drinking.

An Xun turned his back to him, finding it much more comfortable than doing it himself, despite Bo Xiangzhou not being professionally trained. Some things shouldn’t be seen, even if his cheeky nature was already quite evident.

An Xun remembered something, “Husband, was that the only time you went to the bar?”

Bo Xiangzhou, recalling the technique from memory as he massaged An Xun’s shoulders, observed his expressions to adjust his strength, “No, there was another time. I had to drag Shen Yuchuan, who skipped class to drink, back home for my uncle.”

An Xun took a deep breath, “Uh… did you bump into anyone at the door, or did someone bump into you?”

Bo Xiangzhou almost forgot about that day, too busy covering up a lie. He stopped massaging, embracing An Xun from behind and playing with his earlobe, seeing it turn pink. His voice was rough as he asked, “Is baby talking about himself?”

“You knew?”

“Yeah, I guessed it was you on the day you thought you bumped into me.” Bo Xiangzhou rubbed a bite mark on his wrist, “I didn’t expect baby to be a little flirty fish. Tell me, aside from me, have you liked any other alpha?”

An Xun struggled a bit, perhaps because he was hit right on the mark, “No.”

“One platform recommended your account to me—” Bo Xiangzhou left a few seconds of suspense before continuing, “I followed it, opened it, and looked through each one, comments too.”

Fighting with a stickler, who accused him of being a privacy user, made him angrily turn off the privacy settings, opening up all permissions for a month. Relying on Bo Xiangzhou’s ignorance, he used to check it every night before sleep.

Now, it was a full-blown disaster.

An Xun was frustrated, “I was wrong. I shouldn’t look at other alphas, but I want to prove to myself that it’s really only you I like. Didn’t you see? The blogger I followed dresses somewhat like you.”

“Just the dressing style?” Bo Xiangzhou’s voice was deep, and the way he spoke slowly next to his ear was as thrilling as a clash of metals, as if any insincere word from An Xun would have unimaginable consequences.

“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have copied their words for fun. Maybe you should beat me up, just don’t swell me up.” He was really feeling sorry for his behind; it was suffering like he was with a school disciplinarian.

He saw An Xun’s post and almost went mad with jealousy. Since he couldn’t kiss him, he lightly bit his chin, “I won’t hit you, just to let you learn your lesson.”

“I know, I’ll cancel the account when I get back,” An Xun lamented, “It’s not all my fault though, you don’t let me touch or look, I can only look at others to satisfy my craving.”

“Baby’s eloquence is wasted, not being a host.”

“I’m speaking the truth.”

“So am I,” Bo Xiangzhou said. “It’s not that you can’t touch; it’s how will I go to work tomorrow if you do?”

An Xun’s eyes lit up, his voice soft, “I’m not working the day after tomorrow. Let me touch then, and I’ll take responsibility.”

Bo Xiangzhou suddenly remembered the refreshing voice he first heard on the day they met, “Has baby’s voice always been like this?”

“Ah? No, I forgot to switch it back.” Softening his voice had almost become instinctive around Bo Xiangzhou; switching it back took a few minutes.

“Sorry, that took a bit long.” His voice returned to its natural lively and youthful tone.

At first, it was hard to get used to, “So you’ve been deceiving me with your voice too.”

“It was an accident! I’ll stop pretending from now on.” His real voice sounded like it always needed a good scolding.

“What if you pretend again?”

An Xun smiled mysteriously, causing Bo Xiangzhou to cough a few times and sneeze, whispering seductively into his ear, “I’ll just lie down and let you deal with me.”

Bo Xiangzhou’s breath hitched, “Is that a punishment or a reward?”

“Try it a few more times and you’ll know?” An Xun did his best for a happy life; it was up to Bo Xiangzhou to put in the effort.

“Okay.” The intention was clear.

An Xun became shy; he had been a bit too unrestrained, rare in the entire circle of the wealthy.

Once the words were out, they couldn’t be taken back. His bashful demeanor after speaking made Bo Xiangzhou laugh for a while.

Feeling belittled, An Xun fetched a package and stealthily washed the pajamas clean, hanging them with an unworn coat on a hanger, fastening the coat buttons and hanging it in the back of the closet. He even stood on a stool to check from Bo Xiangzhou’s height perspective, ensuring no part of the pajamas showed before feeling relieved and stepping out.

Just as Bo Xiangzhou finished up and entered the bedroom, An Xun’s actions didn’t match his thoughts; he stumbled into Bo Xiangzhou’s arms, opening his collar and nibbling on his collarbone.

He still had a cold, so he couldn’t kiss.

For his plan, he took his medicine diligently without needing Bo Xiangzhou’s reminder.

Casually, An Xun showed off his self-discipline, yet all he got was this reply—

[Hubby]: Where there’s deviation, there’s a monster.

An Xun threw his phone, realizing too late that he was at the office, not at home. His colleagues looked displeased at the disturbance; he meekly apologized and handed out two small packs of imported, expensive, individually wrapped cookies from his bag to each as an apology.

After distributing, only one pack was left, which he stuffed into his mouth, replying, “Monster, my foot, I just wanted to kiss you.”

On Saturday, Jiang City saw its first snowfall, the snowflakes quickly melting in his palm, forming a small puddle of water.

He had just returned home from playing outside with Tao Nian; a light snow had started minutes before he got back. Butler Lin, making a big deal out of it, pulled him indoors with an umbrella, then had the kitchen make a bowl of red date and snow pear soup.

His cold hadn’t fully cleared, and the butler was in a “tell President Bo or drink” mood. For the sake of his evening plans, An Xun shut up and sipped the soup quietly.

Bo Xiangzhou was supposed to meet Cheng Song and Sang Qi tonight, and An Xun was happily preparing his clothes until he heard Qiao Qiao wouldn’t go. He dropped the clothes and curled up in bed. Without Qiao Qiao, the gathering would be utterly boring.

Bo Xiangzhou hung the clothes back up and exchanged a deep kiss with him, kissing nearly for half an hour, barely separating for a few seconds before leaning down to kiss him a few more times. He steadied his breathing and put on his coat.

An Xun grabbed his thick coat sleeve, biting his lip in slow motion.

Bo Xiangzhou’s gaze was deep. He smiled obediently, as if his previous action was unintentional, “Husband, remember to come back early, I can’t sleep without you holding me.”

Bo Xiangzhou agreed, walked a few steps, then came back to gently pat his buttock through the blanket, “I’ll let you off this time, absolutely no next time.”

An Xun’s eyes widened, “Just admit you were moved! You only stop after you’ve seen enough, you’re no different from those who break up after they’re done, you dog alpha! I’ll drink all the liquor in your cabinet once you leave!”

His threat seemed genuine. Bo Xiangzhou sternly replied, “Baby, money.”

An Xun, remembering the spanking grudge, retorted, “Money, your brain!”

Not long after he left, An Xun draped on a warm silk wool robe and confidently approached the liquor cabinet, selecting a bottle with care.

Knowing he shouldn’t wreck his body further, he followed an online tutorial: apple, orange, and snow pear slices went into a mini enamel pot, and for extra flavor, he added two dried plums.

Despite not understanding why mulled wine required rosemary, cinnamon, and cloves, he followed the instructions, grabbed a handful of rock sugar, and poured the wine in as if it cost nothing.

After cooking for about three to four minutes, the taste wasn’t as expected. Not exactly bad, but not great either. He still preferred his beer chilled, even in winter.

That idea, of course, would drive Bo Xiangzhou mad.

To prevent Bo Xiangzhou from thinking he wasted his treasured wine, and to avoid a few more slaps, he forced himself to finish it.

Left with a bit too much and unable to drink more, he poured it down the drain. An Xun sealed the half-bottle of wine with a cork, returned it to its original spot, then went upstairs nervously yet excitedly, slipping a nightgown under his robe.