Married, but Still Strangers - Chapter 11

This variety show focuses primarily on puzzle-solving and the promotion of traditional culture, while also featuring many interesting plot segments. Furthermore, it is broadcast in a live format to interact with the audience in real-time, causing its popularity to remain consistently high since its release.

The two of them snuggled on the living room sofa to watch, and Zhuang Yan laughed so hard he made “ga-ga” sounds. Yue Lu also relaxed his posture for a rare time, allowing Zhuang Yan to lie on his lap.

After finishing the watch, Zhuang Yan felt a bit melancholic: “How is it over already? I really want to watch it all in one go. Seeing them play so happily, I even want to go in and act in a couple of episodes.”

“If you want to go, I can add some investment to this program,” Yue Lu spoke up from the side.

He hoped to see a shining Zhuang Yan, yet he also wanted Zhuang Yan to be seen only by himself.

He remembered what Zhuang Yan had said that he liked standing in the center of the crowd. Therefore, in order to satisfy Zhuang Yan’s wish, it wasn’t impossible for him to let others have a look.

“That way, you can also receive an invitation.”

“No need, no need,” Zhuang Yan waved his hands repeatedly. “I chose freelance work specifically because I don’t want to have too much contact with others.”

The guests on that show were all fixed; if he dropped in out of nowhere, whom would he be squeezing out?

Unless he could immediately gain a group of die-hard fans the kind who could brainlessly charge into battle for him with extremely strong combat power otherwise, he would definitely be torn to pieces by the fans of the celebrity who was displaced.

“Okay.” Yue Lu didn’t say anything more, but he was very satisfied with Zhuang Yan’s answer.

Fortunately, his Baby Prince would only belong to him, and would only be seen by him alone.

Lying in bed at night, it was still that same post, and the comment section was still that same group of familiar IDs.

The original poster “Sunny Day” posted: “Today I went to see a movie. I was afraid, but he didn’t think I was a buzzkill; he even let me hold him.”

‘Someone Named Zhai, I Hate You’: “I told you to burrow into his arms, not for you to hold him! Omegas are naturally more emotional; if you lean into his arms like a little bird, in the pitch black, I don’t believe he won’t be moved.”

‘Thomas Rotating Big Sow’: “Calm down @Someone Named Zhai, I Hate You, [drinking tea.jpg]. If his brain were really that useful, could he have been pining after the person since elementary school until now?”

‘AAA Raw Exam Wholesale’: “When people are startled, their hearts beat very fast, which can make them mistakenly think they are moved by the person they are with. But looking at the poster’s courage… let’s just pass on this method.”

‘Thomas Rotating Big Sow’: “What if the poster is just afraid of ghosts? You can take your crush racing, bungee jumping, or mountain climbing. It can similarly accelerate the heart rate; the effect should be the same, right?”

‘Little Sweet Wind’: “I know, this is called the ‘Suspension Bridge Effect,’ right?”

‘Someone Named Zhai, I Hate You’: “Right, right, right, you are so smart.”

Afraid of ghosts? Is it such a coincidence? Yue Lu also seemed to be afraid of ghosts.

If only he were Yue Lu’s crush.

Zhuang Yan conceived a plan and also joined the “dog-headed tacticians” in the comment section.

‘Black Swan’: “Since the poster is afraid of ghosts and lives together with the crush, simply hold your pillow and go sleep in your crush’s room at night.”

‘Thomas Rotating Big Sow’: “This idea of yours is not bad. If he asks you, you just say you are scared after watching the movie. An Alpha must show weakness when it’s time to show weakness; an Alpha who knows how to show weakness is more likely to be doted on by an Omega.”

‘Someone Named Zhai, I Hate You’: “For the sake of my one thousand yuan, poster, you absolutely must not mess it up this time.”

‘Thomas Rotating Big Sow’: “Hahaha @Someone Named Zhai, I Hate You, do you think I gave him few ideas before? Guess why I’m only watching the jokes now?”

‘Someone Named Zhai, I Hate You’: “Brothers in misery!”

‘Thomas Rotating Big Sow’: “Who is your brother? Call me Big Sis.”

‘Someone Named Zhai, I Hate You’: “Got it, Sister Pig. [proud.jpg]”

‘Thomas Rotating Big Sow’: “You wait, watch me solo-kill you offline.”

‘Little Sweet Wind’: “That said, given the poster’s personality, does he really dare to go sleep in the crush’s room?”

‘Thomas Rotating Big Sow’: …

‘Someone Named Zhai, I Hate You’: …

No way, right? This poster couldn’t be that unreliable, could he?

In case his “self-recommendation for the pillow” failed, wouldn’t Zhuang Yan’s money fly away?

Please, poster, you must hold your ground!

Knock, knock, knock—

Zhuang Yan’s bedroom door was knocked; there were only two people in the house, so one didn’t even need to think to know who the person knocking was.

Zhuang Yan was too lazy to get out of bed, so he shouted toward the door: “The door isn’t locked, come straight in!”

The bedroom door was pushed open, and Yue Lu stood at the door holding a pillow: “I always feel that something is strange in my room; can you accompany me?”

Zhuang Yan was startled upon hearing this, thinking to himself: Oh no, I was so busy giving the poster ideas that I forgot Yue Lu is also afraid of ghosts.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s fine.” Zhuang Yan jumped off the bed and walked over barefoot to comfort him, “How about you just sleep here with me tonight.”

“Will it disturb you?” Yue Lu asked cautiously.

“It won’t.” With Zhuang Yan’s “underworld” (nocturnal) schedule, it was uncertain who would be disturbing whom.

“Thank you.” Yue Lu lowered his head, revealing his nape; the gland with the suppressor patch was thus exposed before Zhuang Yan.

This action, for an Alpha, was a sign of weakness.

But Zhuang Yan didn’t understand what did Yue Lu have to show weakness to Zhuang Yan about?

It could only be explained as an unconscious action by Yue Lu.

Tsk, this neck is quite white; if only I could touch it.

If only I could take a bite of his gland, that would be even better.

Yue Lu placed the pillow on Zhuang Yan’s bed, then spoke as if he had just realized something: “I seem to have forgotten to take the quilt. It’s so dark outside, I don’t dare go over there.”

That’s right, Yue Lu did it on purpose.

Actually, he originally didn’t even want to take the pillow, but if he didn’t take the pillow, Zhuang Yan would definitely go and bring both the quilt and the pillow over together.

After much consideration, Yue Lu finally decided to only bring a pillow over.

Zhuang Yan looked at the quilt in his own room; it should be able to cover two people.

Zhuang Yan couldn’t say he wasn’t afraid, it was just that he wasn’t as afraid as Yue Lu.

“We can just cover up with one quilt.” Immediately, Zhuang Yan realized something Yue Lu wouldn’t find him distasteful, would he? After all, the person who ran away from the wedding back then was Yue Lu.

“If you mind…”

Fearing that Zhuang Yan would go find another quilt for him, Yue Lu interrupted hurriedly: “I don’t mind.”

“That’s good then.”

The two of them lay on the bed together. Zhuang Yan pulled the quilt over Yue Lu a bit; did this mean their relationship had eased quite a lot now?

Falling in love at first sight with him wasn’t out of the question either.

Zhuang Yan still had some confidence in his own appearance; after all, from childhood to adulthood, the Alphas and Betas pursuing him were too numerous to count.

No, Zhuang Yan felt he was being too narcissistic.

When he looked up, Zhuang Yan’s gaze met Yue Lu’s.

Zhuang Yan lowered his head awkwardly. For no reason, why did he look toward Yue Lu’s side?

“A-Cong, what does your pheromone smell like?” Zhuang Yan had smelled this scent in the car before, so asking now actually carried an underlying suggestive meaning.

The two of them were lying on a bed now; was this whole night really just going to be spent “sleeping plain” under the covers?

“Pine forest after rain,” Yue Lu answered.

“Can you let me smell it?” Zhuang Yan immediately covered his mouth; when he did this action, even he felt he was being affected. “Sorry, I said it wrong, I didn’t mean that.”

“It’s okay.” Yue Lu tore off the suppressor patch on his own gland, releasing a tiny bit of pheromones.

He understood this was a suggestion, but remembering that Zhuang Yan had never properly studied physiology class, he just assumed it was because Zhuang Yan thought his pheromones smelled good.

Too much of a foul.

No, there’s a reaction again.

Yue Lu felt he would be broken from holding it in sooner or later.

Yue Lu’s pheromones were much more comfortable than what Zhuang Yan had smelled in the car last time; the feeling this time wasn’t as impatient as last time, but instead made Zhuang Yan’s heart calm down.

It was indeed the scent of pine trees, but it had more of a fresh earthy smell; no wonder it was a pine forest after rain.

“Why are you so good to me? Do you like me a little bit?” Zhuang Yan decided to throw a straight ball.

“That… I…” Yue Lu panicked. Was he being that obvious? Was he found out so quickly?

“Forget it, I won’t make it difficult for you.” Actually, whether Yue Lu liked him or not didn’t really matter; which wealthy family wasn’t a business marriage nowadays? How many have true feelings? Being able to produce an heir is already very good.

Wasn’t someone like Yue Lu an example?

The male and female parties of a wealthy marriage produce an heir, and then both parties can go out and play their own games, as long as the surface-level work is done well.

“Do you want to smell my pheromones? It’s the scent of rum.” One must reciprocate, right?

In any case, they were a legal couple; it was just smelling each other’s pheromones. In the future, opportunities to do nothing but purely smell them might not be many.

“No need, I’m going to sleep.” Yue Lu covered his face with the quilt.

Yue Lu felt a sense of relief in his heart; fortunately, it was just Zhuang Yan joking.

Separated by two layers of pajamas, Yue Lu’s leg was pressed against Zhuang Yan’s leg. Zhuang Yan did not dodge, and an unspeakable feeling secretly rose in Yue Lu’s heart.

“No need? Well, okay then.” Did this count as Zhuang Yan owing Yue Lu once?

Forget it, the days ahead are long; there will always be a chance to pay it back.

Although Zhuang Yan wasn’t sleepy now, since Yue Lu wanted to sleep, he couldn’t keep the light on, could he?

That would be a bit impolite; after all, it was currently 11:34 PM.

Perhaps because Yue Lu was sleeping right next to him, Zhuang Yan could still smell the scent of Yue Lu’s pheromones.

It remained very reassuring, and Zhuang Yan’s mood also slowly relaxed. Before long, he entered dreamland.

He seemed to feel himself being held by something, which also carried a hint of coolness.

It was probably Yue Lu, or perhaps it was just a dream.

A night of good sleep. The next day, Zhuang Yan could be described as “full of energy.”

He had never slept such a comfortable sleep.

When things are abnormal, there must be a cause; the first thing Zhuang Yan did upon waking up was to check why his sleep had suddenly improved.

“Alpha’s soothing pheromones? What kind of thing is that?” Zhuang Yan had chosen pure liberal arts, and the college entrance exam only tested pure liberal arts; he simply used physiology class to practice sketching and coloring, so he didn’t understand much about ABO physiological structures.

So pheromones actually had this kind of function.

Truly an eye-opener.

It seems those who sell melatonin are going to be out of a job.

“You’re awake! Come eat breakfast quickly!”

Yue Lu was like a hardworking little bee, busily moving back and forth in the kitchen.

“Do you wake up this early every day?” Zhuang Yan stretched his waist and sat down at the dining table.

“Did I wake you up?” Yue Lu, who was originally busy, stood in place cramped with anxiety.

After he used the soothing pheromones to coax Zhuang Yan to sleep last night, he immediately ran to the bathroom to take a shower, but because Zhuang Yan was too alluring, he couldn’t help but hold the person in his arms.

Fortunately, Zhuang Yan didn’t wake up all night.

Or perhaps Zhuang Yan did wake up, but wanted to save him some face.

If that were the case, he should offer an apology even more.

Zhuang Yan waved his hands repeatedly: “No, no, I was just asking casually.”

Are Alphas nowadays all this sensitive?

Really, who said only Omegas have delicate thoughts? There are plenty of Alphas with delicate thoughts, okay?

I hate stereotypes the most.

“Okay.” Subsequently, Yue Lu changed back into that busy little bee. Fortunately, Zhuang Yan didn’t blame him.

“Actually, you don’t have to worry about me in the morning. I don’t have to go to work; how bad would it be to delay your serious business.” Zhuang Yan used a spoon to stir the preserved egg and lean meat porridge in the bowl.

He quite liked drinking this porridge, it was just that he found it troublesome to make; when he wanted to drink it, he would just order takeout.

This was the first time he had drunk porridge made at home; the ingredients were very rich, and the taste was also very good.

“My clock-in time for work is very late. Since there’s nothing to do anyway, I might as well get up to make breakfast.” Yue Lu finally finished being busy and sat down opposite Zhuang Yan.

Actually, thinking that he was making breakfast for Zhuang Yan gave Yue Lu infinite motivation.

“I really envy high-energy people like you.” Zhuang Yan felt that whatever he did was tinged with a faint sense of “deadness.”

“You can give it a try too.” Yue Lu pushed the side dishes that Zhuang Yan loved to eat in front of Zhuang Yan, “I see your mental state is quite good today.”

If Zhuang Yan could accompany him for a run, that would be even better.

Zhuang Yan raised his hand to interrupt: “When I want to do it, I will naturally go and do it.”

“Remember to call me when that time comes; I will accompany you.”

“Sure.” Zhuang Yan couldn’t ask for more, “By the way, do you have to work overtime on the weekend?”

Yue Lu shook his head: “Under normal circumstances, I don’t have to.”

“Then let’s go to the morning market this weekend. I heard there’s a particularly delicious wonton there.”

Yue Lu agreed readily: “Okay.”

“After going to the morning market, we can play around there; there seems to be a ‘fly restaurant’ (cheap hole-in-the-wall) that is both delicious and cheap.” Zhuang Yan paused, “Have you never been to that kind of restaurant before?”

Yue Lu shook his head: “No.”

“It’s just the right time to go try it. I’ve already arranged the route. We take Subway Line 2 first, then transfer to Line 3 and take it to the terminus; there’s an amusement park right there, so we can play for the whole morning. At noon, we walk directly to that small restaurant. In the afternoon, we go see a movie—this time it’s a comedy, not scary at all. After watching the movie, there’s still some time; we can go to the mall to catch dolls. At dinner time, we go to the night market snack street to buy some snacks, and finally take the subway back home.”

Zhuang Yan had made the strategy for a long time; it was just that he had never put it into practice.

“Actually, I can drive us over there,” Yue Lu suggested.

“The streets over there are very narrow, it’s easy to get congested,” Zhuang Yan explained.

“Okay.” Actually, no matter what decision Zhuang Yan made, Yue Lu would support it; his mention just now was only because he didn’t want Zhuang Yan to be too tired.

“Have you never taken the subway?” Zhuang Yan suddenly realized.

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