This Alpha Is So Devoted to His Wife - Chapter 18

The disparity in height and strength did not make this match a foregone conclusion.

With seven minutes on the clock, the score was 14-13, with Duan Yu Luo in the lead. There were two minutes remaining in the match.

Duan Yu Luo steadily controlled his slightly breathless state. He was faced with a fierce and complex attack, yet his footwork remained evasive. He neither retaliated nor was struck, maintaining a solid defense.

In that instant, the heavy foil struck his chest. The tip of the blade lit up.

The referee immediately raised his hand, signaling a point.

Lu Xing He scored.

The score was now 14-14.

The students in the audience, eager to cheer, tried their best to hold back. Cheering was not allowed in the fencing hall as it could distract the athletes. But the match was simply too exciting. Who doesn’t love watching a competition where best friends are rivals?

Duan Yu Luo adjusted his footwork, unfazed by losing the point. Through his mask, he gazed at the relentless Lu Xing He, and his foil no longer hesitated.

The metal foil gleamed with a cold light under the lamps, thrusting out decisively.

With only 30 seconds left on the clock, everyone held their breath.

The seconds ticked by. The combination of offense and defense brought the match to its climax. Just one more strike would end the game.

In the last quarter of a second, both foils struck each other at the same time!

A “beep” sounded, and the nine-minute match was over.

The referee raised his hand, signaling that the last strike was a non-point. Simultaneous hits were a no-score, and the match was a draw.

The students in the audience cheered. It was so exhilarating to watch such an evenly matched competition!

Lu Xing He took off his mask, revealing a face etched with sweat. Sweat dripped down his forehead, tracing the lines of his brows and features. He was flushed from the heat of the match. He looked at Duan Yu Luo, who was also taking off his mask, and said with a chuckle in his voice,

“Are you taking revenge on me? Every strike was so fierce.”

Duan Yu Luo took off his mask. His flaxen hair was soaked with sweat, revealing a face that was flushed red from exertion. He was slightly out of breath as he listened to Lu Xing He’s teasing. “Do you think I’m as childish as you are?”

The two walked toward each other and shook hands with their non-dominant hands.

They were the last match, and with their game, the fencing competition for the day came to a temporary close.

The students in the hall left in groups to get lunch.

“How am I childish? You won last time, so can’t I win this time?” Lu Xing He held his mask, walked up to Duan Yu Luo, and took his mask from him.

“You still didn’t win this time,” Duan Yu Luo said with a smile. He walked to the side and put his foil in his bag.

“You may be small, but every strike of yours is so powerful.” Lu Xing He also packed up his gear. Seeing that Duan Yu Luo had finished packing his mask and foil, he took the bag from him. “Want to shower after changing?”

“Yeah, I’m so hot,” Duan Yu Luo said, still in his fencing uniform. “I’m soaked underneath.”

In the locker room.

Duan Yu Luo stood in front of his locker, taking off his fencing uniform, revealing his fencing vest. After intense exercise, the vest was almost completely soaked. Sweat outlined the lean, well-proportioned back of a young man.

He took off the wet vest first.

Lu Xing He, who had just finished taking off his fencing uniform, turned to call out to “little one” and saw a flash of a surprisingly slender, pale waist. He raised an eyebrow and walked over.

“What is it?” Duan Yu Luo heard Lu Xing He call him. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a hand reach out from behind him and pinch his side.

“You don’t eat much, so where do you get all that strength from?” Lu Xing He happily pinched the flesh on his friend’s stomach, although his hand was covered in sweat.

Duan Yu Luo felt like a furnace was stuck to his back. It was so hot that he couldn’t help but move away. “I’m so hot. You’re all sweaty. Don’t stand so close to me.”

“I won’t.” Lu Xing He hugged Duan Yu Luo from behind, and with his other hand, he helped him take off his fencing pants. “We’re going to shower anyway.”

“Lu Xing He! Your sweat is dripping on my neck!”

“I’m going to rub it on you some more.”

Lu Xing He intentionally rubbed his sweaty neck on Duan Yu Luo’s face. A vein throbbed in Duan Yu Luo’s forehead. He lightly jumped up and wrapped his arms around Lu Xing He’s neck, pulling him down. He gritted his teeth and said, “…You’re so annoying.”

“Well, you’re getting me all sweaty now, too.”

“You did it to me first!”

“And you did it to me.”

Duan Yu Luo was held by Lu Xing He from behind. It was almost a physical display of dominance. He couldn’t fight back. The two bickered as they walked to the showers next to the locker room. They opened the door of one of the stalls and went in to shower together.

Steam filled the air. They stood back to back, rubbing the same-scented body wash on themselves.

“What topic are you going to choose for this year’s CTB (China Thinks Big)?” Duan Yu Luo asked, facing the door and washing his hair with thick foam.

“Hm?” Lu Xing He didn’t hear him clearly. He turned his head and leaned close to Duan Yu Luo’s ear. “What did you say?”

As he lowered his head to listen, the foam from his hair touched Duan Yu Luo’s eyelids.

Duan Yu Luo instinctively rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, but the foam got into his eyes. They turned red from the pain. He lowered the hand he was using to rub his hair and quietly looked at Lu Xing He.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” Lu Xing He quickly washed his hands, cupped Duan Yu Luo’s face, and took the showerhead down. He helped him wash his eyes with his hands. “Look down and close your eyes. I’ll help you wash your hair, too.”

Duan Yu Luo could only lower his head, and his voice was muffled by his pose. “I just asked you what topic you’re going to choose for CTB.”

Lu Xing He heard him this time. He answered while helping him wash his hair. “What do you want to choose?”

“I have an idea based on the ‘Hyper-Memory Chip.’ Since it can monitor a person’s health and export data, how can we make it more useful for people with disabilities? Can we try to add an AI voice system to the chip for them?”

After the foam was washed away, Lu Xing He turned off the water. He took a towel from the wall and wrapped it around Duan Yu Luo’s head. He then lifted his head and started drying his hair. “Why do you want to choose this topic?”

Duan Yu Luo saw that Lu Xing He’s head was still covered in foam. He covered his head with the towel and stood back. “It’s not entirely because of him, I just want to try it.”

The shower turned on, and warm water rained down on his head.

Lu Xing He tilted his head back, and the foam mixed with the warm water slid down his face. After the foam was completely rinsed off, he wiped his face with his hand. He lowered his head, opened his eyes, and saw that Duan Yu Luo still had wet hair with the towel on his shoulders. He reached out and turned off the water.

“Are you doing this for Yan Muyi?”

Maybe it was because he had just washed his hair, but the sound of his voice, somewhere between a boy and a young man, echoed with a slight rasp in the bathroom.

Duan Yu Luo heard him mention his cousin’s name. He reached out for the clothes bag hanging on the wall. “Not entirely. I just want to give it a try.”

“Dry your hair before you put on your clothes.” Lu Xing He took the towel from his shoulder and put it back on his head, haphazardly rubbing it. “Alright. If you want to try, I’ll join you.”

“Don’t use so much force.” Duan Yu Luo felt his scalp hurt from the rubbing. He dodged Lu Xing He’s hand, pulled off the towel, and glared at him. He reached into the bag for a T-shirt and quickly put it on.

Lu Xing He looked innocent in the face of Duan Yu Luo’s glare. He saw that his face was red from the rubbing. His own cheeks flushed a little, and he had to appease him while putting on his own clothes. “I’m sorry, boss. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Duan Yu Luo put on his clothes and gave him a half-hearted look, then pushed the bathroom door open.

They walked out of the bathroom one after another and ran into some other team members from their match.

“Do you two have to be like this? There are so many showers, and you have to shower together.” It was the fencing club captain in front. He was holding his toiletry bag and couldn’t help but tease them when he saw them walk out together.

“I can’t help it. He just has to stick to me.” Lu Xing He held his toiletry bag in both hands. When the captain asked him, he even intentionally asked Duan Yu Luo, “Right, boss?”

Duan Yu Luo gave him a look.

Lu Xing He nodded seriously. “Yeah, that’s right. I have to stick to him.”

The captain chuckled. He looked at Duan Yu Luo, who was standing next to Lu Xing He. Maybe it was because he had just showered, but he looked so clean and handsome. He couldn’t help but ask, “Duan Yu Luo, have you still not differentiated?”

“Yeah, I think I’ll be a late bloomer,” Duan Yu Luo answered honestly. Just as he was about to say more, Lu Xing He put a firm arm around his shoulder. He frowned and looked at him.

“I’m starving. Let’s go eat.” Lu Xing He directly pulled Duan Yu Luo away, walking past the fencing captain. He said with a playful smile, “See you later, captain. We’ll chat again sometime.”

As they passed, he seemed to intentionally apply pressure, and a faint scent of an Alpha pheromone filled the air, carrying a hint of a warning.

In a time when everyone was using suppressants, the scents of Alpha and Omega pheromones would normally be suppressed by 90%. The remaining 10% was for protection and warning.

The public bathroom returned to its quiet state.

“Captain, why is Lu Xing He’s Alpha pheromone scent so strong, even at 10%?”

The fencing club captain raised an eyebrow. “Because he thinks I’m a nuisance.”

“Huh?”

It was lunchtime as they left the fencing hall.

“Little one, let me tell you, that fencing club captain is not a good guy. I heard a few girls say he’s a player.”

“Oh.”

“Did he ever talk to you when I wasn’t around?”

“No.”

“I’m just warning you.”

“Warning me about what?”

Lu Xing He saw that Duan Yu Luo didn’t care at all. He leaned in and whispered, “I’m worried you’ll get bullied when I’m not around. Hiss—” Before he could finish, he was elbowed in the stomach and gasped. He looked at Duan Yu Luo, shocked and hurt, with a look that said, “You actually hit me? There’s no love left.”

“Who would dare to bully me?” Duan Yu Luo put his hand down and asked with a smile. “Stop talking nonsense.”

Lu Xing He raised an eyebrow. He used the hand holding his toiletry bag to wrap around Duan Yu Luo, using the weight of the bag to pull him in front of him. He was about to say something.

“Only you bully me.” Duan Yu Luo tried to move the strong arm on his shoulder but couldn’t. A vein throbbed in his forehead. “You’re so heavy. Let go.”

Lu Xing He heard his quiet complaint and, for some reason, the curve of his lips deepened. He used the momentum of the bag to pull him into his embrace. “I’m not letting go.”

He was not bullying him.