The Beautiful Cannon Fodder Becomes The Heartthrob of the Dating Show - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: A Hug from the Wife

Huo Yan paused, lifting his eyes to meet the boy’s gaze in the mirror. The cold water had indeed cleared his head significantly, but the burning sensation within his body had not entirely vanished.

Huo Yan’s breathing was somewhat heavy. “Why do you ask that?”

Xu Jingchu didn’t think much of it. “Intuition.”

Huo Yan stared at him fixedly. Xu Jingchu did not look away; the two of them simply stared at each other quietly through the reflection.

After a long silence.

“If one day you discovered that the people around you who supposedly cared for you were all wearing masks—that their concern for your well-being was all fake—what would you do?” Huo Yan turned around to face him, asking in a hoarse voice.

“I’d just stop paying attention to them,” Xu Jingchu said earnestly. “Only people who truly care about me are worth my worry. Since their concern is fake, why should I be unhappy because of them?”

It was a simple answer without much hidden depth, yet it was incredibly frank.

Huo Yan was stunned.

From the moment he woke up this morning, his chest had felt as if it were blocked by a heavy stone—painful, yet he hadn’t known how to clear it. After all, these were family members he had lived with under the same roof for ten whole years; he couldn’t remain completely indifferent.

“Even if they are your only family?” Huo Yan pressed.

“Yes, even if they are my only family,” Xu Jingchu nodded. “If you really don’t know what to do, then just move out and don’t live with them anymore.”

Xu Jingchu’s mindset was simple: love is mutual. Rather than dealing with hypocrisy and putting on a show, it was better to keep them out of sight and out of mind.

Huo Yan lowered his eyelashes.

Xu Jingchu didn’t speak to disturb him. Some things can’t be fixed by others’ words alone; one has to figure it out for themselves.

A moment later, Huo Yan raised his head. “I know what to do now.”

“Thank you,” he said softly, uttering the boy’s name, “Xu Jingchu.”

Xu Jingchu’s eyes crinkled. “You seem to be constantly thanking me.”

Huo Yan paused; it really did seem that way. It was the same yesterday, and again today.

Xu Jingchu walked up to him, tilting his face up slightly. “Do you need a hug?”

Huo Yan froze.

Xu Jingchu said, “You look like you really need a hug.”

Huo Yan had lived for twenty-eight years, and this was the first time someone had told him he needed a hug. He couldn’t describe his current feelings; he only felt his entire heart burning and his throat tightening.

The restroom fell silent.

The tall Alpha gazed down at the Omega, who was close enough to be gathered into his arms with a simple reach.

Hold him tight! A voice inside him was screaming.

Xu Jingchu took the initiative to step forward and gently hugged the man. “Do you remember the strawberry cake I took you to eat yesterday?”

The fragrance of narcissus aggressively yet tenderly occupied all of Huo Yan’s senses. The burning sensation inside him suddenly intensified several times over. From an angle Xu Jingchu couldn’t see, the veins on the man’s forehead bulged menacingly, and the calm yet surging ocean pheromones of a top-tier Alpha began to spread quietly.

“Though there’s no real scientific basis for sweets making one feel better,” Xu Jingchu said, completely unaware of the impending danger and only feeling that the scent on the man was very comforting, “whenever I eat sweets, I forget the bitter, awful taste of medicine.”

He furrowed his delicate brows, his soft, waxy voice sounding involuntarily aggrieved. “You have no idea, some medicines are truly, incredibly disgusting…”

Yet, his body happened to need those medications to sustain its vitality. So, every time he finished the nasty medicine, he had to sneak several pieces of candy behind his parents’ backs to recover.

Luckily, his current body was very healthy…

The sweet floral scent in such close proximity almost made Huo Yan lose his sanity. His Adam’s apple bobbed with restraint, and the terrifying darkness deep in his eyes struggled to break free several times, only to be violently suppressed by him. His raised hands hovered, never daring to touch the boy’s thin shoulders and back, for fear of scaring him.

“I…” The man’s voice was completely hoarse, even carrying a slight tremor. “Leave, quickly…”

He struggled to push the sweet-smelling Omega out of his arms, then quickly turned around to lean against the sink, panting heavily. “Get out, now…”

He was about to lose control.

Xu Jingchu was startled. “How are you—”

Xiao Yu suddenly realized: I know! His rut has arrived!