This Alpha Is So Devoted to His Wife - Chapter 40

Pitching tents was routine for them. They had been camping and playing outdoors with the adults since childhood. After finishing the tents, they put on UV-protection jackets, donned hats, and grabbed backpacks containing two bottles of water and emergency supplies before heading up the hill.

After all, they were here for exercise.

“Uncle and Qiao Qiao are ahead. Should we catch up?” Duan Yuluo adjusted his baseball cap, subtly gesturing toward Duan Yifan and Jiang Nianqiao not far away, asking Lu Xinghe to look.

Lu Xinghe couldn’t be bothered to look. “Let’s stick to our own pace. Why go over there? Do you want to be a third wheel?”

Duan Yuluo: “?”

Lu Xinghe offered no explanation. He reached out and pushed Duan Yuluo’s cap brim down. “You should rest a bit, too. You’ve been focused on the CTB competition lately. Let yourself relax.”

“I—”

“Relaxation is fine, but how come I didn’t know you were pursuing a star? When did you start chasing celebrities?”

The slope of the campsite hill wasn’t steep, making the climb comfortable and easy. Combined with the rain from yesterday, the weather was breezy and cool today, with the sunlight subtly veiled behind the clouds. Despite it being only 7:30 AM, there were already casual hikers in small groups, chatting and laughing.

Duan Yuluo yawned. “Guess.”

“How can I guess? We’re together every day! I’ve never seen you like any celebrity.” Seeing his sleepy look, Lu Xinghe reached out to pinch the back of his neck to wake him up, but silently withdrew his hand just before touching it.

Duan Yuluo caught Lu Xinghe’s moment of hesitation out of the corner of his eye. What, did he have to think about touching him now?

“How about we walk a little faster? That way you won’t feel sleepy. I won’t pinch you,” Lu Xinghe said, dropping his hand.

“Why?”

Lu Xinghe looked exasperated. “You’re an Omega now. Can I just pinch your neck casually? The scent gland is a sensitive area. Touching it might make you uncomfortable.” He spoke with a serious expression. “Duan Yuluo, I find you have no Omega awareness whatsoever. Why do you even have to ask me?”

Duan Yuluo lowered his gaze, a slight curve forming on his lips under the cap brim.

Good. So he wasn’t avoiding touching him because he didn’t like him; it was because he was an Omega.

“Xingxing, want to have a race?”

“A race for what?”

“Whoever reaches the top of the mountain first gets one wish granted by the other.”

As the words fell, the two exchanged a look and simultaneously took off running up the hill.

These two energetic guys managed to cut the roughly one-hour climb to the mountaintop down to thirty-five minutes. Duan Yifan and Jiang Nianqiao, who were leisurely hiking and taking pictures halfway up, watched the two suddenly burst into a competitive frenzy.

They shot up the mountain like a gust of wind.

“?”

How strange.

Duan Yuluo clearly felt his stamina fail just as he was about to reach the summit. He couldn’t climb any further and had to stop, leaning forward with his hands on his knees, his cap shading the sweat dripping from his cheeks.

“Tired?”

He heard the voice coming from above his head. He looked up, tilting his head to look at Lu Xinghe standing in front of him. Perhaps because he was backlit, the light was somewhat blinding. He closed his eyes briefly, then felt his whole body being pulled up, and his cap was removed.

“Your stamina really isn’t as good after differentiating into an Omega.” Lu Xinghe took off his cap. He saw Duan Yuluo’s face flushed with a healthy after-exercise glow, covered in sweat. At this close distance, he could smell the Omega pheromones released with the sweat.

It was truly a case of ‘everything about an Omega is fragrant’; even his sweat was pleasant. His body was also more delicate than before. Previously, this amount of exercise was nothing to them; they could do it back and forth twice without a problem.

“My legs feel a bit weak,” Duan Yuluo admitted, breathing heavily, not intending to pretend to be tough.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt hands grip his waist, lifting his feet off the ground. He was completely lifted by Lu Xinghe and placed in front of him. His expression froze in surprise as he stared at Lu Xinghe. Then, a cap was placed on his head.

“You won,” Lu Xinghe said, putting the cap on Duan Yuluo. With his hands in his pockets, he leaned down and looked at him over the brim of the cap. “Now you can ask anything of me.”

Thump, thump, thump—

Duan Yuluo felt a surge of excitement in his chest. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if the rapid heartbeat was due to the strenuous exercise or this action and these words from Lu Xinghe.

He actually carried him to the front and declared him the winner.

He lowered his head, calming himself down for a long time, trying not to get overly excited, but he still couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from turning up. “Xingxing, I—”

The next second, with a sudden whoosh, a downpour of rain descended, as if poured from a bucket.

Duan Yuluo: “…”

Why did it have to pour cold water on him at this moment?

Lu Xinghe also didn’t expect the rain to start so suddenly. He quickly stripped off his UV-protection and waterproof jacket and draped it over Duan Yuluo, pulling him to run down the hill. But no matter how fast they ran, they couldn’t escape the furious rain.

The sudden downpour caught the hikers off guard, leaving them nowhere to hide.

In less than a few minutes, they were soaked through.

Duan Yuluo was wrapped in Lu Xinghe’s jacket, which was already drenched, but the chest wrapped around him was warm. His cap could barely block some rain, preventing him from losing sight of the path, but the rain was too heavy to continue moving down.

The two could only stand still, getting completely drenched.

Lu Xinghe was being pelted so hard he could barely keep his eyes open. Just then, a cap was placed on his head. He raised his hand to wipe his face, opened his eyes, and met Duan Yuluo’s gaze. Before he could speak, he saw Duan Yuluo lift the UV-protection jacket over both their heads.

In truth, the jacket was completely soaked and offered little protection. It was even dripping water. But…

It felt as if, under the separation of the jacket, only the two of them existed in the world. Their breathing was confined to this small space, and even the sound of the downpour couldn’t completely mask the sound of their nearby breaths.

And their heartbeats.

They stared at each other for about ten seconds.

The atmosphere was rather good.

Lu Xinghe took the jacket from Duan Yuluo. “I’ll hold it. I’m taller, so it’s less effort for me to hold up.”

But as he lifted the jacket, the pooled water on it poured straight down, dousing Duan Yuluo’s face.

Duan Yuluo was unexpectedly splashed. He flinched, a little irritated. “Lu Xinghe!”

Was this person allergic to romance?!

Lu Xinghe saw his hair was completely wet, plastered to his face, outlining his features. When Duan Yuluo opened his eyes to wipe his face, there was a hint of anger, and when he looked up at Lu Xinghe, his expression was speechless, unsure how to scold him.

In this instant, all of Duan Yuluo’s micro-expressions seemed magnified, suddenly striking the secret buried in Lu Xinghe’s heart.

How could the rose he had loved since childhood like someone else?

He should be mine.

Duan Yuluo saw Lu Xinghe just staring at him without speaking, not knowing what he was thinking. He reached up and wiped the water off his face. All the previous atmosphere was now completely gone. Luckily, the rain had lessened. He pulled off the now useless jacket.

“Let’s go.”

Lu Xinghe was still spaced out. Seeing Duan Yuluo turn to leave, he quickly followed, putting the cap back on his head. “I’m sorry, that was an accident. You should wear the cap to avoid catching a cold.”

“The biggest accident was the rain you caused,” Duan Yuluo couldn’t help but complain.

Lu Xinghe pressed his hands together. “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. I truly didn’t mean it. Please don’t be angry, okay? If you’re angry, I’ll get depressed again.”

“Why would you be depressed?” Duan Yuluo glanced at him.

“I’m happy when you’re happy. If you’re not happy, I get depressed.”

Duan Yuluo paused his steps.

Lu Xinghe stopped with him, holding his hands up to shield his head. “What’s wrong?”

“Do you say that to everyone?”

“Am I an idiot? I only say that to you.”

The corner of Duan Yuluo’s lips curved almost imperceptibly. He looked at Lu Xinghe again.

Lu Xinghe caught that fleeting look, turned his face away, and laughed aloud. Then, ignoring his own soaked state, he put his arm around Duan Yuluo’s shoulder. Like a casual chat, he wiped the water from his cheek. “Now that you’re happy, can you tell me which star you’re pursuing?”

He was ready to become an anti-fan.

“He’s a very dazzling star. He’s good at everything—all-around athlete, swims, fences, skateboards… anything he wants to learn, he masters. He’s also a good person, sweet-talker, very gentle, and also…”

Lu Xinghe’s forehead throbbed. So many compliments, and there was more? He had never heard Duan Yuluo compliment him like this. It was so unfair.

Duan Yuluo looked at Lu Xinghe. “Also, he’s very handsome. I really, really like him. He’s exactly my type. I want to marry him.”

Lu Xinghe exploded. “Marry him? What marriage? How old are you to be talking about marriage?! Duan Yuluo, since when did you become so love-struck? He’s a celebrity. His public persona might just be an act for his fans. You’ve never even interacted with him, yet you know he’s a good person?”

“He is—” Duan Yuluo was about to argue, but he didn’t notice the rock under his foot, stepped on it, and twisted his ankle. He frowned and moved his ankle gently.

“See? Even a rock is telling you he’s not a good match.” Lu Xinghe squatted down in front of Duan Yuluo, cupped the ankle he was moving, and looked up at him. “Stop moving it. You might have sprained it.”

He then turned his back to him. “Get on. I’ll carry you the rest of the way down.”

Duan Yuluo didn’t hesitate, climbing onto Lu Xinghe’s back. He was carried up steadily. He wrapped his arms lightly around Lu Xinghe’s neck, resting his head on his shoulder, and gazed at him sideways. “Xingxing, he really is great.”

Lu Xinghe was furious. He shifted Duan Yuluo’s bottom slightly. “It’s too early to be thinking about these things. Sixteen and you already want to get married.”

Duan Yuluo saw how angry Lu Xinghe was, smiled, and hugged his neck tighter. He whispered into his ear, “I also want to have babies for him.”

Lu Xinghe was enraged and immediately put Duan Yuluo down right where they stood.

“Hiss…” Duan Yuluo was set down unexpectedly, jarring his twisted ankle. He stared at Lu Xinghe with pained eyes.

“Are you going to stop talking now?” Lu Xinghe turned sideways, his voice stern.

Duan Yuluo obediently shook his head, then his nose tickled. He let out a big sneeze, froze for a moment, and then sneezed twice more.

Seeing him sneeze, Lu Xinghe had to temporarily suppress his anger. He turned his back to Duan Yuluo and squatted down. “Get on.”

Duan Yuluo climbed onto Lu Xinghe’s back. Once securely carried, he whispered into his ear, “Don’t be angry.”

That phrase only made Lu Xinghe’s anger surge.

He walked with heavy steps, his expression utterly miserable, reaching the peak of his distress. “Duan Yuluo, you need to remember you’re an Omega. How old are you to be talking about marrying someone, and, and saying you want to have babies for him? You really are!”

He was going to die of anger!!!!

“Why are you so angry?”

“How can I not be angry!”

“Like, what exactly are you angry about?”

“Do I need to give examples? You never told me you liked anyone, and now I suddenly hear about it from others. How can I not be angry? Since we were kids, I’ve treated you like… like my son!”

Duan Yuluo: “…” He mercilessly locked his arms tighter around Lu Xinghe’s neck.

And so, Lu Xinghe carried the rose he cherished—the one about to be plucked by someone else—down the hill, scolding and worrying the whole way.

Duan Yuluo, resting on his back and hugging his shoulders, remained silent for the latter half of the journey.

He rested his head on Lu Xinghe’s shoulder, his mind recalling something the teacher said during their sophomore year of junior high when they were learning about the different biological structures and sexual knowledge of Alphas and Omegas:

[The pheromone compatibility between an Alpha and an Omega is not absolute or unique. It’s highly possible to have high compatibility with someone you don’t love. Conversely, you might have very low compatibility with someone you deeply love.]

[And here’s a good way to judge if your liking for someone is influenced by pheromones.]

[Before differentiation, during puberty, the person who features in your wet dreams is likely your ideal type. Your ideal type can help you judge whether your affection for them stems from pheromones.]

That year, he dreamt of Lu Xinghe over a dozen times. At the time, he thought it was just because they spent too much time together.

But the moment he truly realized this wasn’t habit, but liking, was when he instinctively lowered his head and exposed his nape to Lu Xinghe without warning, and the unwavering firmness with which he unhesitatingly defended Lu Xinghe when facing their fathers.

He clearly understood what an Omega’s scent gland represented: the most private, most precious spot.

This place was to be given to the most precious person.

Lu Xinghe was a dazzling existence to him, like a star. He was the person who made him happy all day just by seeing him, the person who seemed to glow during sports, and who always carried a lollipop.

So he wanted Lu Xinghe to like him. He really, really wanted it.

[No.]

But…

Why didn’t he like him?

And why did he answer so firmly?

He didn’t care. Lu Xinghe would ultimately be his.

Lu Xinghe felt something drop onto his neck. Thinking it was starting to rain again, he quickened his steps back to the campsite.