Drunk On The Night Breeze - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

When Ruan Lingfeng woke up, he was being held tightly in Tao Zhi’s arms. His face was pressed against Tao Zhi’s chest, allowing him to hear the other man’s heartbeat and smell the pleasant scent of the Alpha.

The heat period hadn’t passed that quickly. Although Ruan Lingfeng no longer let instinct override his consciousness thanks to the comfort he’d received, he could feel that his body was still in a state of readiness to accept the Alpha beside him at any moment.

It was terrible.

This is terrible, Ruan Lingfeng thought.

He remembered everything. He remembered losing control because he smelled Tao Zhi’s pheromones; he remembered how he had guided this younger brother—who knew nothingto possess him bit by bit; he remembered how they went from the living room sofa to the bedroom, turning the once-tidy house into a complete mess.

He remembered all the chaos, the gasps, and the tears. He also remembered how he was taken, time and time again, to a realm of ultimate bliss he had never visited before.

The Alpha still submerged in a dream was much younger than him, yet far more reliable. Even in those moments, Tao Zhi had maintained a level of rationality—he didn’t actually listen when Ruan Lingfeng told him to leave everything inside him, nor did he mark him. Afterward, he had carried him to clean up, fearing he would catch a cold, and helped him dress.

He remembered it all.

And precisely because he remembered everything, Ruan Lingfeng didn’t know how to face him.

He was awake now, yet his thoughts felt impossible to untangle.

For example—how could he even have a heat period?

Ten years ago, when he presented, he had been given a “death sentence.” For all these years, he had lived like a Beta. Why had such a violent heat period suddenly arrived? It was so intense that he had been utterly unable to control himself.

As if sensing movement, Tao Zhi opened one eye. He instinctively brushed away Ruan Lingfeng’s bangs and pecked him on the forehead.

He was a good kid, a good Alpha…

Ruan Lingfeng pulled away from Tao Zhi’s embrace and sat up. Tao Zhi followed suit. As the blanket slid down, it revealed the smooth muscle lines of his upper body, marked with the scratches and bites the Omega had left last night. Tao Zhi looked slightly awkward: “…You’re awake?”

“Yes.”

“Last night…”

Ruan Lingfeng cut him off before he could continue: “Last night… there might have been some misunderstanding.”

Tao Zhi’s face instantly went cold. “What do you mean?” You’re not going to acknowledge it after sleeping with me?

Ruan Lingfeng took a deep breath. He had to confirm one thing first.

“First… answer one question for me,” Ruan Lingfeng asked. “Can you smell my pheromones?”

Tao Zhi found the question nonsensical. “No shit.”

After saying that, Tao Zhi rubbed his nose, looking a bit sheepish as if seeking credit: “I didn’t tell you, but I have ‘Omega-disgust’ (an aversion to Omegas). Up until now, your pheromones are the only ones I don’t hate… actually, I don’t just ‘not hate’ them, I like them.”

Tao Zhi likely thought this was a very sweet thing to say, but as the words left his mouth, Ruan Lingfeng felt his heart slowly sink.

Ruan Lingfeng sighed. He got out of bed, and as he stood up, he found his whole body aching, though he didn’t let any discomfort show. His clothes were intact, so he simply tidied himself up. He then sat at the desk, deliberately keeping a distance from Tao Zhi.

He saw Tao Zhi reach out as if to grab him, but in the end, his hand caught nothing but air.

“Last night was my fault. I’m sorry,” Ruan Lingfeng lowered his head, staring at the floor. “I think I need to tell you a few things.”

Ruan Lingfeng didn’t want Tao Zhi to feel like he had just been used as a tool, so he told him everything truthfully—including his illness and the fact that he was supposed to have no pheromones.

Finally, he added: “I plan to see a doctor later. I don’t know what happened, but I’m truly sorry. I’ve never had a heat before, so I couldn’t control myself for a moment…”

Tao Zhi listened in silence, his expression growing grimmer. He cut straight to the chase: “Do you like me?”

Ruan Lingfeng said nothing. Tao Zhi continued on his own: “You said you liked me last night.”

“I did say it,” Ruan Lingfeng pursed his lips. “But as you know, I… I wasn’t in my right mind.”

Actually, Ruan Lingfeng had known all along that Tao Zhi liked him.

He had, after all, lived a few more years, been in a few relationships, and watched many others fall in love. He didn’t think he was being conceited; for someone as black-and-white as Tao Zhi, the favoritism shown to him was far too much. He had brushed it off as coincidence once or twice, but Tao Zhi always tried to get close to him, yet never quite dared to get too close.

Tao Zhi couldn’t hide his affection at all. Ruan Lingfeng knew it, and he hadn’t rejected it.

But did he like Tao Zhi back?

Actually, he felt that at his age, talking about “liking” someone felt too much like a starry-eyed youth. It was a bit embarrassing.

But if he were forced to answer, he knew he did.

At first, he viewed Tao Zhi as a business contact. As they became familiar, he saw him as a younger brother. Then, at some point, it suddenly became something else.

Tao Zhi was different from everyone he had dated before. In the past, he only knew what it meant for someone to be “suitable,” until he met Tao Zhi. Tao Zhi was like his belated spring—from the first moment they met, Ruan Lingfeng felt Tao Zhi was like a rising sun. But the fire of this sun never burned him; instead, it coaxed something in his heart to break through the soil.

However, Ruan Lingfeng still believed that in a relationship, “suitability” was vital. Perhaps they had mutual feelings, but they weren’t from the same world. Tao Zhi was young; it was normal to fall for someone who was kind and supportive. But how long would that heartbeat last? Who knew? As he got older and gained more experience, meeting more people, what would a plain person who was just “nice to him” even matter?

Furthermore, Tao Zhi was a top-tier singer. Even if he didn’t rely on an “idol” persona, getting involved in scandal would be extremely troublesome.

Therefore, Ruan Lingfeng had never spoken up, nor was he willing to burst the bubble. It was fine to coexist through that layer of paper; if their mutual infatuation faded one day, there wouldn’t be too much awkwardness, and they could still be friends.

He had even thought that if Tao Zhi wanted to try, he likely wouldn’t refuse.

Even knowing it wasn’t suitable, and knowing they wouldn’t reach the end, a love that made the heart race like this was something he might only encounter once in a lifetime.

…If only yesterday hadn’t happened.

Ruan Lingfeng had always believed that Tao Zhi liked him for who he was as a person.

Until just now, when he realized it was actually due to pheromone attraction.

He recalled his first encounter with Tao Zhi—how Tao Zhi had gotten angry, called him “undignified,” and told Chen Ping to find him suppressants. At the time, he thought Tao Zhi was being bizarre. Now he understood: that day, he had felt weak all over, similar to how he felt yesterday before Tao Zhi arrived. It must have been his heat starting… He didn’t know because he had never experienced it, but Tao Zhi knew because he could smell it.

Because Ruan Lingfeng was the only Omega Tao Zhi didn’t find repulsive, his pheromones were the only ones Tao Zhi liked.

And by extension, he liked the person.

That was the reason.

All the thoughts he’d had before were suddenly invalidated.

Ruan Lingfeng’s past failed relationships were all because his partners couldn’t stand that he had no pheromones.

Now, someone was showing a reckless affection for him, but only because they could smell his pheromones.

No one would ever love him for himself, and not for something else.

Ruan Lingfeng thought that he couldn’t really blame anyone, but he found it truly hard to accept. He felt pitiable.

So, Ruan Lingfeng told Tao Zhi that the “I like you” he said last night was only because he wasn’t clear-headed.

Even though it made him look like a “scumbag,” he believed it was for the best. Once Tao Zhi stayed away from him for a while, he would realize there was nothing particularly special about him.

After speaking, Ruan Lingfeng looked at Tao Zhi, expecting him to fly into a rage. But he didn’t.

Tao Zhi only looked slightly dejected: “…You’re not lying to me?”

Ruan Lingfeng shook his head.

Tao Zhi confirmed one more time: “So, the fact that I could smell your pheromones before wasn’t because you were deliberately… deliberately releasing them at me. It was because you had no idea you were even releasing them.”

Ruan Lingfeng said softly: “Yes… I’m truly sorry.”

“You are very good to me.”

“I’m good to everyone… you know that.”

Tao Zhi persisted: “You’re different with me.”

“I view you as a brother,” (This wasn’t a lie, was it? At least for a period of time, it was true.) As if to make his words more credible, Ruan Lingfeng added, “I have a sister who is only two or three years younger than you. When I see you, I think of her, so I want to take care of you. It doesn’t mean anything else.”

Tao Zhi: “…”

Ruan Lingfeng bit his lower lip and added: “It’s normal for occasional accidents to happen between adults…”

Tao Zhi stood up, bent over to grab his trousers from the floor, and put them on. He walked toward Ruan Lingfeng as he spoke: “You mean, if any other Alpha had come yesterday, you would have let them help you solve the problem too, right?”

Since things had come to this, Ruan Lingfeng could only play the “scumbag” to the end.

He said: “Yes.”

To his surprise, Tao Zhi laughed. “Dream on. Didn’t you say you couldn’t feel other Alphas’ pheromones before? You only react to mine. If anything, it’s probably because you’re with me every day that your heat was triggered.”

Before Ruan Lingfeng could say a word, Tao Zhi used an even more direct and crude phrasing: “It’s fine if you think of me as a brother, but only I can make Brother feel good.”

Ruan Lingfeng: “…Stop talking nonsense.”

Tao Zhi stepped closer, leaning down to support himself on the desk. Sitting in the chair, Ruan Lingfeng could only look up to meet Tao Zhi’s eyes.

Tao Zhi stopped restraining himself. The scent of wine overflowed from his gland. Very quickly, Ruan Lingfeng’s hands, gripping the armrests of the chair, began to tremble slightly.

But Tao Zhi withdrew it just as quickly. “See? You can’t even refuse… But I won’t do that.”

Tao Zhi added: “It doesn’t matter if you don’t like me now. I’ll just start courting you from today. Is that okay, Gege?”