This Alpha Is So Devoted to His Wife - Chapter 36

“Xingxing, can you see anything in this darkness?”

“I can vaguely make things out.”

“Then I want to finish this ice cream. Hold my hand and guide me while I eat it. Don’t let it go to waste.”

Lu Xinghe held his breath, looked up, and then took a deep breath. He thought, Is my sweet little doll trying to flirt with me? But then he immediately decided it was unlikely. That guy was so focused on his studies; how could he know anything about that?

He must simply want to eat the ice cream.

He suppressed the chaotic flutter in his heart and reluctantly held Duan Yuluo’s hand, guiding the melting ice cream to his lips. “Just eat a couple more bites, that’s it. It won’t taste good melted. I’ll buy you another one when the lights come back on.”

Duan Yuluo felt the melting ice cream touch his lips. He licked the sweet cream from his lip, his eyebrows relaxing. “Mmm, this flavor is the best. Oh, right, Xingxing, isn’t your phone on you? Take it out to give us some light.”

The little doll is licking… licking the ice cream.

That’s exactly what a kitten looks like when it grooms itself.

Lu Xinghe had excellent vision and could see everything clearly—even replaying the scene in his mind. Hearing Duan Yuluo’s suggestion, his mind worked faster than usual. “My phone ran out of battery and shut off.” The light absolutely could not come on at this moment.

When it should be on, it’s on. When it shouldn’t, the phone’s dead.

“Okay then.” With the hand holding his, Duan Yuluo used his sense of touch to finish off the ice cream.

Lu Xinghe looked down, watching Duan Yuluo seriously eating the ice cream in his hand. Why could even cuteness be done so seriously? Why did he find him more adorable the longer he looked, even though he was just eating ice cream?

So adorable that…

His own heart was pounding like crazy, as if it was about to give out.

He’d never regretted his excellent eyesight so much as in this moment. His eyes were practically glued to Duan Yuluo’s face.

Because of the heat, the ice cream melted too quickly, and Lu Xinghe’s fingertips were also coated in it.

Just then, he felt his finger being gently licked by something soft. In those two small licks, his entire body exploded.

Lick…

Cub licked his finger…

He actually licked his finger?!!!

Duan Yuluo habitually licked the ice cream off his hand so as not to waste it, but accidentally licked Lu Xinghe’s finger. Just as he was about to apologize, Lu Xinghe abruptly let go of his hand. Perhaps because it was so sudden, even in the complete darkness, Duan Yuluo could feel the other person putting distance between them.

The source of heat disappeared.

Holding the very tip of the ice cream cone, he stood there, bewildered. “…Xingxing? What are you doing?”

Completely unaware, a certain Mr. Lu, who was on the verge of exploding, was holding onto a nearby tree, standing restlessly and feeling flushed. He alternated between hugging his head while squatting and standing, and doing push-ups against the tree, desperately trying to relieve his urge to scream through physical exercise.

So cute, so cute, so cute.

He actually licked his finger. What should I do, what should I do, what should I do!!!

The huge tree rustled in the pitch-black environment. Duan Yuluo’s hearing was acute in the dark, and he then felt several leaves fall onto his head.

“Xingxing, what are you doing?”

Just then, with a faint ‘click’, the lights in the entire school instantly came back on.

Startled by the sudden light, Duan Yuluo instinctively closed his eyes. When he slowly opened them, he found Lu Xinghe with both hands braced against the nearby tree. He looked utterly confused. “…?”

Lu Xinghe forced a calm demeanor, dropped his hands, then raised one to touch the tree trunk, observing it closely. “Hmm, this is a nice tree. We should plant one at home.” He then turned and walked into the now-lit supermarket. “I’m going to buy you another ice cream. Wait for me.”

He showed no trace of the hundred squats and hundred standing push-ups he’d performed in those few minutes.

Duan Yuluo looked at Lu Xinghe’s slightly unnatural back. “?”

Didn’t he say his phone was dead?

Why was it suddenly working now?

Half-believing, he walked to a nearby sink to wash his hands first. The melting ice cream had covered his hands and forearms. However… as if thinking of something, the corner of his lip curled up. He bent down, turned on the faucet, and lathered his hands with soap.

The half-hour had passed more quickly than expected.

After washing his hands, he slowly dried them with tissue paper and walked into the supermarket.

But he stopped by the aisle shelves because he saw Lu Xinghe talking to a boy near the ice cream freezer, and his brows furrowed.

Inside the supermarket, Lu Xinghe had his hands braced on either side of the ice cream freezer, leaning down to feel the cold air blowing out. His chest rose and fell, and his forehead was sweaty as he tried to calm down. No matter how hard he tried, the image of Duan Yuluo just moments ago, and the sensation of being licked twice on his fingertip, kept flooding his mind.

He couldn’t wash his hand.

If he did, the feeling would be gone.

He’s so good, it’s going to kill me.

He took two deep breaths and grabbed a carton of Häagen-Dazs from the freezer. He really should let Duan Yuluo eat ice cream less often. If he has to lick it, it’s going to be deadly to watch.

Just as he closed the freezer door and turned around, a slender boy with glasses appeared behind him.

The delicate-looking boy was clutching a stack of books. Seeing Lu Xinghe, his face immediately flushed. He walked up to Lu Xinghe and nervously looked up at him. “Um, hello, Lu Tóngxué (Classmate Lu). I’m Chen Yuhang from Grade 12.”

Lu Xinghe, holding the ice cream, nodded upon hearing he was a senior. “Hello, senior.”

Chen Yuhang was a little shy when Lu Xinghe addressed him formally. He lowered his head. “It’s, it’s like this. I have to go abroad next semester, and I don’t want to leave with any regrets, so there’s something I want to tell you.”

Lu Xinghe: “!” He strategically and subtly took a step back to create distance, instinctively glancing left and right.

Chen Yuhang didn’t notice Lu Xinghe’s small movement. He was too nervous to speak, determined to get it out in one go. “Lu Tóngxué, I’ve actually had a crush on you for a long time, and I’ve been silently watching you for a while. I never meant to bother you, thinking I would just like you secretly. But before going abroad, I still wanted to tell you how I feel. I’m not asking for a response, but I want to ask you one thing.”

Lu Xinghe had thought he was usually fierce enough, yet people were still confessing to him. This situation left him unsure how to handle it. Suddenly, he understood Duan Yuluo’s previous method of resolution.

As he pondered how to refuse, he heard Chen Yuhang ask:

“The thing I want to ask is, do you like Duan Yuluo?”

The lights in the supermarket were bright as day. Most students were in the classrooms at this time, so the supermarket was basically empty, quiet enough to hear the humming of the freezers and the air conditioning.

Duan Yuluo stood behind the aisle shelf, his eyes tightly fixed on Lu Xinghe. His face seemed expressionless, but his heart pounded like a drum. The rhythm of his heartbeat told him that he, too, really wanted to know the answer.

Whether it was yes or no,

It was all very important.

“No.”

Clang. It was as if something fragile had fallen from a height, shattering onto his heart.

Duan Yuluo turned and walked out of the supermarket.

Since childhood, he had received countless honors, always sure of victory. Perhaps he had rarely experienced such a failure or setback. This was the first time he felt this kind of bitterness—it could be this painful.

He took a lollipop from his pocket and put it in his mouth. The sweet strawberry flavor spread through his mouth.

But…

The candy wasn’t sweet at all. It tasted bitter.

Lu Xinghe paid for his purchase. Having dealt with the confession, he felt completely relaxed. He took the ice cream and walked out of the supermarket, where he saw Duan Yuluo sitting on the steps, hugging his knees, and staring blankly with a lollipop in his mouth. Wondering what he was thinking, Lu Xinghe smiled and quickly walked over.

He quietly pressed the cold ice cream cup to Duan Yuluo’s cheek from behind.

Duan Yuluo was startled by the cold. He looked up in surprise and saw it was Lu Xinghe, holding up the ice cream cup. He frowned. “Why did you scare me?”

Lu Xinghe saw that Duan Yuluo’s eyes were slightly red. He immediately sat down next to him. “What’s wrong with your eyes? Why are they red?” He opened the ice cream lid and offered it to him.

“You eat it,” Duan Yuluo said, biting the lollipop. He rested one hand on his knee and propped his chin on the back of his hand, gazing toward the brightly lit academic building in the distance, contemplating something.

Lu Xinghe sensed that Duan Yuluo’s mood was a little off. He shuffled closer to him. “What is it?”

Duan Yuluo glanced at the closer Lu Xinghe. “Don’t stick to me.”

Lu Xinghe: “?”

“I’m hot and bothered,” Duan Yuluo said, giving a loud ‘crunch’ as he bit the lollipop, grinding it audibly.

Lu Xinghe: “…” Oh no, was he angry because I took too long to buy the ice cream? It must have been the delay. I should have been quicker. He tried to placate him, scooping up some ice cream and offering it to Duan Yuluo’s mouth. “Eat this, and you won’t be hot anymore.”

Duan Yuluo stood up. “I’m going home.”

Lu Xinghe looked up in confusion and quickly stood up to follow him. “This is your favorite. Aren’t you going to eat it?”

“Am I the kind of person who’s just greedy?” Duan Yuluo gave Lu Xinghe another look. “I don’t love it anymore.”

Lu Xinghe instantly felt Duan Yuluo was angry. Fearing the ice cream would melt, he took a bite first. “Did I take too long? Are you mad?”

“No.”

“Then you are mad.”

“I said no.”

“You are mad.”

Duan Yuluo abruptly stopped, turned to face Lu Xinghe, and said with a serious expression, “I said no, so it’s no.”

Lu Xinghe saw the look of annoyance on his face and knew perfectly well he was angry. He could only nod. “Okay, okay, it’s no, it’s no.”

Duan Yuluo looked at Lu Xinghe again, then looked away, frowning, and mumbled, “Annoying.”

Lu Xinghe: “…???”

Oh no. Why was Duan Yuluo annoyed with him?

This couldn’t be happening.

But it really was. Even when Duan Yuluo’s dad picked him up, he didn’t say goodbye to Lu Xinghe.

He didn’t say goodbye to him!

He didn’t!!

In front of the school gate, Lu Xinghe, backpack on his back, glared sullenly at the black car driving away, not even noticing his own parents had arrived.

“Bennett?” Clemens, who had been waiting for a while, finally lost patience. His son was standing there like a statue waiting for her husband to return. He called out, “Go back home.”

Lu Xinghe finally saw his dad. “Oh, you’re here.”

Clemens: “…I’ve been standing here for five minutes.”

Lu Xinghe glumly walked to the driver’s side door, intending to open it, but his dad put a hand on his. He looked at his dad in confusion. “You won’t let me get in?”

Clemens smiled faintly. “I’m driving. Why are you opening the driver’s door? Are you going to drive?”

Lu Xinghe: “…” He silently walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and got in. That was truly embarrassing.

“What’s on your mind? You’re so distracted.” Clemens buckled up and reminded his son to do the same.

Lu Xinghe hugged his backpack and leaned back in his seat, looking out the window. “I was having a good time tonight.”

“And then?”

“Cub got upset.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know either.”

“There must be a reason. Did you bully him?”

“How’s that possible!” Lu Xinghe looked at his dad incredulously, so frustrated that his mother tongue came out. “Do you think that’s possible?”

“I don’t think it’s possible,” Clemens smiled as he turned the steering wheel to drive out of the roundabout outside the campus. “But since you say Cub is angry, there must be a reason. He’s not a child who throws tantrums. If he’s angry at you, it means it’s your fault.”

Lu Xinghe looked thoughtful, his brows still furrowed. He tried to think what it could be… Suddenly, a possible reason dawned on him. Could he have overheard the Grade 12 boy’s confession?

Which part did he hear?

—I want to ask, do you like Duan Yuluo?

—No.

—No? But you usually with him—

—I think I should say I love him. I’ve loved him since we were little, so there won’t be anyone else in this world that I like that much. Thank you for liking me. I wish you can find someone who likes you very much in the future.

Outside the car window, the city’s vibrant neon lights fell upon the dappled shadows of the trees, as if the brightest parts were hidden in the darkness, just as his secret thoughts were hidden. The boy’s handsome face was reflected on the window as he stared outside, lost in thought.

“Dad.” Duan Yuluo called out glumly.

“What is it, sweetie?”

“Have you ever experienced heartbreak?”

“Of course,” Dad said, turning the steering wheel toward the manor. “When I was young and fought with your Big Dad, we nearly divorced. As for what heartbreak feels like, I’d say in that moment, I truly understood my feelings for your Big Dad—the regret and nearly losing him.”

“How did you overcome that feeling?”

Dad chuckled. “You have to be brave and say your love out loud. How will you know unless you try again?”

That sentence was like opening a secret-laden box, and the boy’s hidden feelings were finally allowed to emerge.