The Dangerous Omega Who is Good at Disguising Always Wants to Hook Me! - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: He Discovered It

“Qi Yan, what did you just say?”

Shen Xiliu hadn’t heard him clearly; his voice had been drowned out by Xu Langlang’s high-pitched, ecstatic shouting. Subconsciously, Shen took two steps toward Qi Yan.

“Carnival game begins!”

“Snap—!!!”

As Xu Langlang’s cheerful voice echoed through every corner of the bar, all the lights were abruptly cut. Everyone was plunged into darkness. Cheers mingled with screams, and the frantic noise covered everything—one could neither see nor hear.

Shen Xiliu stood at the edge of the crowd. Having arrived only recently, he had no idea what this “activity” was. Falling suddenly into this chaotic, restless darkness did not sit well with him.

Before he could react, someone slammed hard into his back. He staggered forward several steps, and before he could regain his balance, the crowd pressed in. The deafening cheers and the constant shoving caused his glasses to be knocked off and sent flying.

In the dark, no one saw his expression turn instantly cold. His eyes narrowed, flickering with a faint, sinister, and cruel danger. Spilled alcohol from somewhere splashed onto his head, and the piercing shrieks nearly punctured his eardrums.

“…”

Shen Xiliu’s patience hit its limit in an instant. A dark, menacing aura radiated from him as a surge of violent irritability rose in his chest. At that moment, he wanted to tear the bar apart. He wanted to take the screaming wastes of space, the idiots who bumped into him, and the fools who spilled drinks on him and just…

Just then, his shoulder was suddenly grabbed. Shen Xiliu’s pupils contracted. His eyes, beginning to adjust to the darkness, could make out a silhouette. The newcomer forcefully pulled him out of the suffocating crowd.

“Mr. Shen, you really have the worst luck,” Qi Yan’s voice sighed through the din, sounding very close.

Qi Yan reached out to shield the back of Shen Xiliu’s head. A stray, flailing arm swung toward them, hitting Qi Yan’s palm first. The unspent momentum pushed Shen Xiliu’s head forward; his nose throbbed with a sharp pain that nearly brought physiological tears to his eyes, leaving him unable to speak.

“Mr. Shen, are you okay?”

The venue was too loud for Qi Yan to maintain a proper distance. The surging crowd pushed Shen Xiliu right into his arms. Shen’s face was pressed against the space between Qi Yan’s neck and shoulder; his cold, smooth cheek brushed against Qi Yan’s skin, and his ragged breath tickled the man’s neck, giving Qi Yan a momentary shiver of goosebumps.

However, pushing him away now would be too rude. Qi Yan couldn’t bring himself to do it. Fortunately, it was just an accidental brush. Shen Xiliu soon clutched his aching nose and pulled back slightly, apologizing in a muffled voice: “I am very sorry. I’m fine.”

“Alright, that’s good. I’ll get you out of here.” Qi Yan shielded Shen Xiliu as they pushed through the crowd. As they neared the main entrance, a sliver of light spilled in, illuminating the path.

Qi Yan let go of Shen Xiliu’s shoulder, though the hem of his shirt seemed to be gripped by the other man. Amidst the noise, he spoke as loudly as he could, hoping to be heard: “This carnival game lasts five minutes. Mr. Shen, let me take you out… side!”

Before he could finish, the revelers surged again. No one noticed the two people trying to leave. Someone crashed into Shen Xiliu’s back again, sending him plunging forward. Instinctively, Qi Yan caught him in his arms, the force causing him to stagger back several steps until his back hit the wall by the door with a heavy thud.

“Hiss, these guys are really going—” too far!

Qi Yan was speechless at the night’s events, but the “unlucky gentleman” looking for his cousin clearly had it worse. He reflexively looked down at the man in his arms and froze.

It was dark in the bar, but being near the door, the leaking light allowed him to see that Shen Xiliu’s expression was… abnormal.

The black-rimmed glasses were gone. Without them to hide behind, Shen Xiliu was staring directly at him. His eyes held a flicker of something Qi Yan couldn’t quite decipher—a mix of frantic obsession and thick, heavy affection. The three tear moles under his left eye only served to make his face look more gloomy and morbid.

Qi Yan stared, momentarily stunned. The fingers gripping his shirt hem never let go.

They were too close. The bar was a mess of sound—people using the darkness to pick fights, play pranks, or engage in messy, wet-sounding make-out sessions. The air was thick with the faint scent of pheromones, and some were very close to them…

“Ugh!”

Shen Xiliu suddenly bowed his head, reaching back to cover the nape of his neck. His pheromone suppressor collar flickered with a red warning light. A sharp, piercing pain radiated from his glands, and his face turned deathly pale.

“To the lounge, first.” Observing that things were going south, Qi Yan immediately led Shen Xiliu away from the chaos and into the staff breakroom.

Though the noise wasn’t entirely blocked out, the air was much fresher. Shen Xiliu’s complexion recovered slightly, looking less ghastly than before.

“I’ve caused you trouble again. I truly am sorry.”

Shen Xiliu took the warm water Qi Yan handed him. His expression was apologetic, but his fingers were unconsciously and rhythmically tapping the cup—a subtle movement that betrayed his hidden excitement.

The red light on the suppressor collar had vanished. Upon detecting the pheromone imbalance, it had injected a small dose of neutralizer into his gland, stabilizing his condition.

Qi Yan paused, shaking his head. “It’s nothing. How are you feeling, Mr. Shen? Any discomfort?”

So many coincidences. So many accidents.

Qi Yan thought to himself absentmindedly, his mind wandering.

Shen Xiliu stared at him for a long moment before slowly lowering his gaze. “No discomfort. My apologies.”

“There’s no need for Mr. Shen to apologize so many times. You’re here for You Yi, right?” Qi Yan forced himself not to overthink and continued rummaging through a cabinet. “It’s a bit rowdy tonight. After the carnival game ends, everyone stays pretty hyped. It’ll take about twenty to thirty minutes for things to settle. The band will be leaving soon. If you’re feeling unwell, you can rest here. I’ll go call You Yi for you.”

“…Then I shall trouble you,” Shen Xiliu said softly. “When You Yi left home, he didn’t take a single thing. His father—my uncle—is worried after all, so he asked me to find him.”

“I was too busy with work during the day to find time. I thought if I came to the bar tonight, I could see how he’s pursuing his dreams. I didn’t expect it to be so lively, or for there to be such an ‘interesting’ game…”

“Interesting?” Qi Yan thought back to the chaotic scene and his lip twitched. “Mr. Shen, you really don’t have to lie through your teeth. It’s all because of that brat Langlang’s bad idea. They played too hard. Even with night-vision cameras, playing like that is a bit insane.”

Five minutes of absolute darkness to do whatever you wanted—they really weren’t afraid of accidents. Human hearts are unpredictable and dangerous, yet everyone loved this “release.”

Whenever this game happened, Qi Yan usually hid as far away as possible. The first time it happened, he lacked experience and was almost forcibly kissed by someone who climbed onto the bar. Luckily, his reflexes were fast, and he managed to save his “pure” first kiss.

He squatted and searched for a while, finally finding a towel in his locker that had only been used once. Turning to the seated Shen Xiliu, he said, “Mr. Shen, do you want to wipe off? If you don’t mind, I’ve only used this towel once, and it’s been washed and disinfected.”

The spilled alcohol was everywhere. It was on Shen Xiliu’s hair, his cheeks, and his shoulders. The heavy scent of booze enveloped him, and after being in the crowd, he was even picking up traces of other people’s perfume.

In front of Qi Yan, Shen Xiliu appeared composed, but in reality, he was quite uncomfortable. Even though he felt a sense of pleasure, his furrowed brows didn’t relax. He wanted to go home and shower, but he didn’t want to leave just yet.

“I don’t mind at all. In fact, you’ve saved me!” Seeing the towel Qi Yan offered, Shen Xiliu let out a sigh of relief and gratefully took the soft fabric.

Qi Yan stood up and walked toward him. Handing over the towel, he gave Shen Xiliu a gentle smile. “I can tell. It looks like your patience was reaching its limit.”

“…Actually, it wasn’t that bad.” Shen Xiliu shifted his gaze a beat too late, using the towel to wipe the alcohol from his face. He cleared his throat awkwardly, nearly failing to maintain his carefully crafted persona of calm.

Qi Yan’s smile was too beautiful. His narrow, upturned “peach blossom” eyes were filled with mirth, like ripples spreading across water. His brow and eyes were full of a warmth that wasn’t overly intense but made it impossible to look away—as if, in this moment, the noise and turmoil of the world had vanished, leaving only him.

Qi Yan sat down casually in the chair opposite him, leaning forward slightly with his head resting on one hand, watching him as if in casual conversation. He said with a smile, “It must be uncomfortable being covered in booze, right? And with so many people, once you’re squeezed in, it’s hard to get out. If you aren’t careful, you could even get hurt.”

Shen Xiliu busied himself with the towel, not daring to look up. “This game of yours… is truly dangerous.”

“Next time I come, I’ll have to ask you first if there are any ‘interesting’ activities planned.” He chuckled softly, looking up to meet Qi Yan’s gaze with a hint of helplessness. “By the way, Qi Yan, when you speak to You Yi later, please don’t tell him I came because of his father’s instructions. Otherwise, he definitely won’t see me.”

“Before he left, he made my uncle so angry he was nearly kicked out for good.”

The uncle had even thrown a basin of water out the door, declaring that a son driven from the house was like “spilled water”—there was no turning back. It had left You Yi, bass guitar on his back, hopping mad in the street.

“Got it, no problem.” Qi Yan gave him an ‘OK’ gesture. Hearing the change in noise outside, he figured the time was right. He stood up. “I’ll go over now. The restroom is right next door; you can go wash up. You can just toss the towel when you’re done.”

“Thank you for the trouble.”

Shen Xiliu gave him an apologetic smile. He watched as Qi Yan’s long legs carried him out of the room. The door opened and closed with a click. His fingers tightened around the towel, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.

His straight back finally slumped. Shen Xiliu bowed his head, his body trembling uncontrollably as he pressed the towel to his nose and mouth. He took a deep, almost morbid breath. As he inhaled the fresh, natural floral scent from the towel, his expression twisted for a moment. His eyes were dark and deep, flickering with a sinister, gloomy light.

Recalling Qi Yan’s every move just now, he thought: This is bad.

Qi Yan discovered it.

Outside the door, the tall, upright young man leaned his back against the wood. He tapped his head, his bangs falling over his handsome eyes. Those gentle, affectionate peach blossom eyes looked deeply soulful, yet in the depths of his pupils, there was a trace of disbelief.

Thinking back to his little “test” just now, he knitted his brows. “It shouldn’t be… possible, right?”