The Ultimate Glow-Up Guide for Straight Men - Chapter 9

Shen Zhinan returned to his small dormitory after a tiring night and had just lain down when his phone vibrated.

Fu Yanshi: Are you off work?

Shen Zhinan didn’t reply.

Fu Yanshi: [Photo of abs.]

Shen Zhinan replied with: ?

He tapped on the photo and counted: one, two, three six, seven, eight pack abs.

Hah, what’s this? Trying to compare physiques?

Shen Zhinan lifted his own shirt and saw a single, pale, round belly.

…

Just as Shen Zhinan was about to tell Fu Yanshi not to act crazy so late at night, Fu Yanshi withdrew the photo of his abs.

Then he sent another message: Sent it to the wrong person.

Shen Zhinan:

Fu Yanshi called.

“Have you made up your mind?” Fu Yanshi’s voice sounded lazy and casual. He had just finished showering and was lying in bed, browsing Shen Zhinan’s profile.

He Yan Zhou’s little trick had actually worked Shen Zhinan had replied.

“I already told you from the start I’m not willing,” Shen Zhinan said. “Unwilling, no, not really, do not want, do not want.”..”

Fu Yanshi quietly listened as Shen Zhinan repeated the refusal in several languages before saying, “Alright, I get it. Your language skills are impressive.”

Shen Zhinan, resigned to his fate, blurted out, “Actually, I’m a lost prince of the Saudi royal family. Soon, I’ll be going back to marry an Egyptian princess. You should find someone else.”

Fu Yanshi ignored Shen Zhinan’s wild fabrication. “Don’t you think we’re a perfect match in bed?”

Shen Zhinan fell silent for a few seconds. That part was actually true.

He and Fu Yanshi were strangely compatible in bed.

“Our pheromone compatibility should be over 90%. That’s rare,” Fu Yanshi said. “Didn’t you enjoy yourself those two days?”

Shen Zhinan fell silent again.

He really had enjoyed it a lot more than just a little.

“I’m really not gay,” Shen Zhinan insisted.

“Neither am I,” Fu Yanshi retorted. “Are you an Alpha pretending to be an Omega?”

Ouch, he’d forgotten that being “gay” wasn’t defined that way here.

Shen Zhinan said, “Anyway, I don’t agree with your proposal.”

Fu Yanshi replied, “I don’t think you’ve thought it through. Take some more time to consider it.”

Shen Zhinan was utterly speechless. Was this guy programmed or something? Every time he refused, it was like hitting the back button to reconsider.

“Psycho!” Shen Zhinan hung up.

Maybe it was because he’d seen that photo of Fu Yanshi’s abs, but Shen Zhinan dreamed of him that night.

In the dream, Fu Yanshi was on top of him, kissing him, then took his hand and asked, “Want to touch my abs?”

In the dream, Shen Zhinan was blunt: “Yes, I do!”

Then Fu Yanshi laughed and said, “If you touch my abs, you’re mine. I’m going to keep you.”

Shen Zhinan kept backing away. “No, no! I don’t want to be kept!”

…

Shen Zhinan woke up with a start.

He took a moment to collect himself, then clasped his hands together and began chanting silently, “Demons and monsters, go away, demons and monsters, go away”

Whether it was because of last night’s dream or not, Shen Zhinan felt uncomfortable all day tired and a bit feverish.

But since the weather had been hot lately, he didn’t think much of it.

That night, he had a very indecent dream about spring.

The next morning, his head felt heavy as if filled with lead, dizzy and miserable.

He touched his forehead it was frighteningly hot. And he felt sticky below.

Shen Zhinan realized his heat cycle had arrived.

He texted his manager to ask for leave and spent the whole day lying in his dorm.

During his last heat, he’d given himself several doses of suppressants, but he still felt unbearably uncomfortable, breaking out in cold sweats.

Later, he went to see a doctor, who told him his gland wasn’t well-developed, so suppressants had limited effect. The best solution was to find a stable Alpha partner.

If his pheromone levels stabilized, his heat wouldn’t be so unbearable, and its frequency would decrease.

Fu Yanshi’s face suddenly popped into Shen Zhinan’s mind, and he started replaying those two days like a movie in his head. His hand slipped under the covers.

Even after relieving himself, Shen Zhinan still felt awful all over.

He got up to search for suppressants in the cabinet and gave himself a shot. It helped a little, and he slept fitfully through the afternoon.

His dreams were filled with Fu Yanshi’s face. After all, his first heat had been spent with Fu Yanshi, and it was so much better than the second one.

Shen Zhinan was awakened by the ringing of his phone.

“Hello,” he answered weakly.

“Your voice sounds so hoarse?”

The voice on the other end belonged to the man from his dreams. Shen Zhinan was momentarily dazed.

“I’m calling to ask if you’ve made a decision,” Fu Yanshi’s deep, pleasant voice, tinged with a slight static, reached Shen Zhinan’s ears. Shen Zhinan thought he caught a whiff of cedar.

He wondered if he was hallucinating.

Shen Zhinan was silent for a moment, then said, “If you’re willing, let’s just be fuck buddies and help each other out with our physical needs.”

“Being a sugar baby is so outdated.”

Damn fuck buddies! As if that’s any less outdated!

Fu Yanshi was almost amused by the absurdity.

This Omega’s thought process was truly bizarre!

It was as if a mechanical female voice echoed in Fu Yanshi’s mind:

[The other party has rejected your offer of being a sugar baby and has applied to become your fuck buddy.]

“Are you stupid? You’re sleeping with me either way. If I keep you, you’d even get paid,” Fu Yanshi said, thinking Shen Zhinan’s logic was beyond comprehension. He’d never met anyone so foolish.

“It’s not the same…” Shen Zhinan said weakly. “As fuck buddies, we’d be equals…”

“Besides, I can earn money.” Shen Zhinan’s head grew dizzier. “Let me tell you, I’m going to be rich in the future.”

Fu Yanshi was at a loss for words.

He realized that Shen Zhinan was really, truly an idiot.

But since Fu Yanshi had taken a liking to an idiot, he was an idiot too.

“Fine,” Fu Yanshi thought for a moment and agreed. “Let’s give it a try then.”

It was actually kind of novel.

“If it works out, we’ll keep it this way. If either of us gets tired, we end it.”

“Okay.” Shen Zhinan said.

“By the way,” Shen Zhinan panted heavily, “Buddy, my heat’s here. Waiting online, kind of urgent Hurry, come sleep with me.”

Fu Yanshi:

So he’s treating me like a call boy now.

When Fu Yanshi opened the door to Shen Zhinan’s dorm, he was hit by an overwhelmingly strong scent of hibiscus. Unlike its usual light fragrance, the concentration was now terrifyingly sweet and cloying.

He turned on the light and saw a small mound on the bed.

Shen Zhinan had dozed off again in his daze. The light woke him, and he groggily opened his eyes.

The man from his dreams was right in front of him.

Fu Yanshi pulled back Shen Zhinan’s blanket and found him drenched in cold sweat. He picked him up and carried him to the bathroom.

After filling the bathtub, Fu Yanshi stripped Shen Zhinan and placed him inside. Then he took off his own clothes and got in behind Shen Zhinan. Shen Zhinan glanced back at him, and Fu Yanshi said, “To save time, we’ll shower together.”

“Oh…” Shen Zhinan, flushed pink all over, hugged his knees and sat in the tub, looking very docile.

“Why is your heat so intense? Didn’t you take suppressants?” Fu Yanshi asked from behind him.

“I did.” Shen Zhinan rested his head on his knees. “The doctor said my gland isn’t well-developed Suppressants don’t work well for me.”

“So you’re using me as a human suppressant,” Fu Yanshi pinched Shen Zhinan’s nose into a pig’s snout. “You’re quite clever.”

Shen Zhinan frowned and looked back at him. “I’m really suffering. Can we just get to the point.”

“Calm down,” Fu Yanshi said. “You’re covered in sweat you need a proper wash.”

“And this bathtub in your room is too small. I can’t even stretch my legs.” Fu Yanshi’s long legs were cramped uncomfortably.

“I know… I know you have long legs!” Shen Zhinan, nearly delirious from the heat, couldn’t help but complain. “Dude, do you know how awful heat is? Can you hurry up hurry up and wash!”

Fu Yanshi turned him around and sat him on his lap, saying, “You asked for it. Don’t blame me if your back hurts tomorrow.”

“You talk too much!” Shen Zhinan recklessly bit Fu Yanshi’s shoulder.

Fu Yanshi’s eyes turned red with desire.

Soon, the bathroom was filled with the sound of entangled breaths.

When they moved to the bed, Shen Zhinan was like a stranded fish.

The one who had been so bold earlier was now begging for mercy.

Shen Zhinan clung to Fu Yanshi’s back, leaving a few scratches.

Fu Yanshi grunted, breathing heavily, and laughed. “Not so proud now, are you?”

…

The next day.

When Shen Zhinan woke up and saw Fu Yanshi’s face, he was shocked at first, then remembered what he’d said the day before.

So last night was real, not a dream.

He’d had so many indecent dreams lately that he’d almost mistaken last night for another one.

Now, Shen Zhinan only felt sore all over, but the dizziness and intense feverishness had disappeared.

His body felt much more comfortable.

There was no sticky feeling he must have been cleaned up.

Shen Zhinan studied Fu Yanshi’s face for a moment, then closed his eyes in despair, as if wearing a mask of pain.

Shen Zhinan, oh Shen Zhinan, were you out of your mind from the fever last night? What have you done!

When Shen Zhinan opened his eyes again, he met Fu Yanshi’s gaze. A faint, post-event awkwardness hung in the air.

Feeling a bit ashamed, Shen Zhinan turned over.

Fu Yanshi turned him back, pinched his face, and looked at him.

“You haven’t forgotten what you said yesterday, have you?”