A World Asunder - Chapter 13

In response to Zhao Yexi’s question, Lu Huangzhi fell into deep thought.

Zhao Yexi sneered, “Heh.”

Lu Huangzhi was hesitating. He was actually hesitating! It turned out they really weren’t on the same page, so what was the point in talking?

After thinking for a while, Lu Huangzhi said, “I don’t really like Little Dragon Maiden.”

Zhao Yexi looked at him coldly and said, “Why don’t you go change your name along with Bu Chunzhai? I’ve already thought of a name for you. Let’s call you Lu Xiaobao.”

“I don’t want seven wives either,” Lu Huangzhi said. “It’s too much trouble. I’d rather just have one. But forget Little Dragon Maiden. Someone a bit more talkative and clingy would be fine.”

Zhao Yexi froze. The nameless anger he had been suppressed in his heart dissipated by half, and Lu Huangzhi suddenly looked a bit more pleasing to the eye.

Before that debate competition, he truly had admired Lu Huangzhi. He had never been stingy with praise when mentioning him to Tao Qiaosheng. So, when Lu Huangzhi had spouted those bizarre, morally questionable arguments during the debate, Zhao Yexi felt a sense of disillusionment, as if his house had collapsed. Ever since then, looking at Lu Huangzhi only made him angry.

Today, Lu Huangzhi had suddenly offered an explanation, and Zhao Yexi believed it. However, the perfect “god-tier” junior from when they first met was gone for good. The debate was just one entry in his grudge book; there were eighty-some other entries constantly reminding him of how “bad” Lu Huangzhi was to him.

“Got it,” Zhao Yexi said. “Since you like talkative and clingy types, I’ll try to talk less from now on.”

“It’s not that I like talkative and clingy people,” Lu Huangzhi corrected him. “It’s that I hope the person I like is talkative and clingy toward me.”

Zhao Yexi was a bit dizzy from the wordplay. “Is there a difference?”

Lu Huangzhi smiled. “A huge difference.”

“Then I wish you luck in finding your talkative, clingy Little Dragon Maiden,” Zhao Yexi said, cupping his hands. “Farewell.”

Zhao Yexi spent a week flipping through various materials, roughly determining his viewpoint on the disclosure of the second gender. Finally, he could start writing his paper. He typed out the title, picked up his water cup, and prepared to get a refill. As he stood up, he saw Lu Huangzhi sitting opposite him with his head resting on his hand and a pen in the other. His eyes were closed; he seemed to have fallen asleep.

It was a rare chance to catch Lu Huangzhi slacking on the job. Zhao Yexi decisively picked up his phone, aimed at Lu Huangzhi’s profile, and snapped a photo.

Great. He forgot to turn off the shutter sound.

Lu Huangzhi’s lips curled slightly, though his eyes remained closed. “The person is sitting right across from you. Is there a need for a candid shot?”

“Stop being so full of yourself. I was trying to…” Zhao Yexi stopped mid-sentence as a sharp pain suddenly shot through the back of his neck. He instinctively covered it, saying irritably, “Damn it, here we go again.”

Lu Huangzhi opened his eyes. “Your gland hasn’t finished growing yet?”

“How should I know?” Zhao Yexi said, enduring the pain. “I haven’t gone back for a check-up since.”

Lu Huangzhi took the cup from Zhao Yexi’s hand and walked toward the water dispenser. “Leave work early today. I’ll go with you for a check-up.”

“Where am I supposed to go?” The spot where the gland was growing felt both painful and itchy. Zhao Yexi reached back to scratch it, but Lu Huangzhi caught his wrist, saying in a low voice, “Don’t touch it.”

Zhao Yexi’s voice wavered. “But it hurts…”

Feeling the grip on his wrist tighten, Zhao Yexi said angrily, “I’m already in pain and you’re still holding on so tight? Let go!”

At this moment, no matter how much Zhao Yexi tried to be fierce, he was soft and lacked any real bite, though he rarely had any to begin with. Lu Huangzhi didn’t let go, but his grip loosened significantly. “If I let go, you’ll scratch it blindly.”

Zhao Yexi struggled. “I’m scratching my own gland. What’s it to you?”

Lu Huangzhi scanned the office. The two professors were in their respective offices, and the other colleagues were busy with their own work. No one was paying attention to them for the moment.

He leaned down and whispered in Zhao Yexi’s ear, “Be good. Come with me.”

“So disrespectful. Is that how you talk to your senior?”

Lu Huangzhi followed his lead smoothly. “Then will Senior please listen to me and go to the pantry first? Let me take a look for you.”

“That’s more like it.”

Zhao Yexi didn’t want to cause a scene in the office or disturb his colleagues’ work, so he reluctantly followed Lu Huangzhi to the pantry.

The pantry happened to be empty. Taking advantage of the moment Lu Huangzhi spent closing the door, Zhao Yexi took a swipe at his gland.

“Mmph…” The sensation was too strange. It was tingly and numb. It felt like a brief relief, but it was like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water, or even like adding fuel to the flames. It didn’t solve the problem at all.

Lu Huangzhi narrowed his eyes and strode toward Zhao Yexi. He grabbed Zhao Yexi by the waist, picked him up like a child, and set him on the counter. “Is this how Senior listens to me?”

The Lu Huangzhi in front of him seemed a bit different from usual. Gone was that nonchalant “wickedness.” His voice was a bit cold, as if he were actually angry.

Zhao Yexi sat on the counter, his feet unable to touch the ground. Lu Huangzhi stood right between his legs. In this position, he finally had to look Lu Huangzhi level in the eye.

Zhao Yexi’s gland was burning, and so was his face. “When the hell did I ever say I’d listen to you? How many years have you been brain-dead?”

This was no time to tease his senior. Lu Huangzhi didn’t want to keep bickering and said, “Bow your head. Let me see your gland.”

“What could you possibly see?” Zhao Yexi said. “You’re not a doctor.”

“If your gland is truly fully formed, it will start releasing pheromones. You might not be able to smell it yourself.” Lu Huangzhi leaned forward slightly. “But I might be able to.”

At this point, Zhao Yexi didn’t yet realize what it meant to let an Alpha get close to his gland. It was just a sniff; it wasn’t like he’d lose a limb. Zhao Yexi tugged at his collar, lowered his head, and said, “Then hurry up.”

The skin on Zhao Yexi’s body was as fair as Lu Huangzhi remembered, except for the area where the gland was growing, which was slightly red from the scratching.

Lu Huangzhi stared at that spot, and his breathing inexplicably grew ragged.

Zhao Yexi was itching like crazy and urged him, “Sniff it already. What are you waiting for?”

Lu Huangzhi composed himself and leaned his nose toward Zhao Yexi’s gland.

Feeling Lu Huangzhi’s breath, Zhao Yexi’s body trembled. Lu Huangzhi was using an odor blocker, but they were so close that he could still faintly catch a trace of grapefruit scent. The discomfort at the gland suddenly lessened. Zhao Yexi let out a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but lean forward, as if actively offering his gland to Lu Huangzhi.

“Is there a smell?” Zhao Yexi asked.

Lu Huangzhi didn’t move. Zhao Yexi couldn’t see his expression.

“Lu Huangzhi? What do I smell like? Dammit, can you do it or not?”

Lu Huangzhi finally reacted. He straightened up, his gaze toward Zhao Yexi filled with an indescribable strangeness. “Your scent…” His voice was low and deep. “It smells very good.”

As he spoke, the scent of grapefruit swept over Zhao Yexi like an overwhelming tide.