Chapter 6: Kiss

Chapter 6: Sweetheart

Night.

Yan Wanqiu stood outside Xie Chi's door, food box in hand, his feelings a tangled mess.

To avoid being seen, he'd already sent the guards outside Xie Chi's door away, pulled his long white hair back, and put on black contact lenses and a silver-white half-face mask, hiding the upper half of his face completely.

A prince of the realm, sneaking around like he was having a secret affair just to see a shadow guard.

Yan Wanqiu took a deep breath, his hand clenching around the gun in his pocket.

No matter what, the last time he'd slept with Xie Chi was an accident. Today, he hadn't been drugged by the Night Owl Syndicate, and during these days of rest, his pheromone disorder hadn't acted up, which was a surprise.

Tonight, his body was in normal shape, his head was clear, and his gun had plenty of ammo—there was no way he'd make the same mistake twice.

Whether for the info in Xie Chi's hands or because of that unfamiliar terminal in his bedroom, he had to show up.

After steeling himself, Yan Wanqiu pursed his lips and raised his hand to knock.

"Knock, knock."

"Creak—"

Almost the second he knocked, the door swung open.

"Babe!"

The black-haired youth looked at him, eyes shining, grinning wide, deep dimples showing on both cheeks.

Yan Wanqiu was startled and instinctively took a small step back. "How'd you open the door that fast?"

"Because I heard you breathing. I've been waiting by the door this whole time." Xie Chi said breezily, casually grabbing the other man's stiff hand, not noticing his tension, and pulling him inside.

"It's warm in here, come on in. Your hands are freezing, babe—huh, you brought something?"

Yan Wanqiu was thrown off balance and only had time to hastily hide his gun.

He stumbled, getting yanked inside, shocked and wary of when Xie Chi had gotten so good at that. Hearing the question, he instinctively explained, "I heard from Nie Huaiyi that you like sweets, so I had the kitchen box up some pastries."

Xie Chi hadn't expected this bonus and eagerly took the food box from Yan Wanqiu's hands. "Thanks, babe!"

Even with his mental prep, Yan Wanqiu still felt uneasy with him throwing "babe" around like that.

"Um..." he said, choosing his words carefully, "You can just call me by my name."

Xie Chi paused mid-motion as he set the food box on the table, the smile dropping from his face. "I can't call you that? I thought you'd already agreed to be my babe."

Yan Wanqiu: "..."

Yan Wanqiu recalled his answer that night. Even though he'd only been messing with Xie Chi, he had no choice but to take the loss now. "...That's true, but can we switch it up? It's weird being called that all the time."

Xie Chi thought for a moment. "Then I'll call you hubby?"

Yan Wanqiu almost tripped over his own feet.

That's not the issue!

"Forget it, call me whatever you like." Yan Wanqiu dropped the subject, his head throbbing.

Xie Chi perked right back up. He led Yan Wanqiu to sit at the table, poured him some tea, and opened the food box, laying the pastries out on the table.

Since it was personally ordered by Yan Wanqiu, the cafeteria chef, terrified of losing his head, had practically turned the entire kitchen storeroom upside down to make these few plates of pastries.

The dacquoise had two crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside shells, tinted with food coloring, with different colored berry and cream fillings between the layers; the cheese-filled puff pastry smelled rich with milk and butter; and there was also a small plate of exquisite fruit, fresh and juicy.

Xie Chi was a little surprised.

Blizzard City was short on supplies. Staples like rice, flour, and frozen meat were barely covered thanks to Yan Wanqiu's efforts, but fresh produce, milk, and other processed goods were hard to come by. To put together a spread like this clearly took a lot of thought and money.

He looked worriedly at the man in the half-face mask. "This must've cost a fortune. How much did you drop?"

Yan Wanqiu also realized these items didn't exactly fit his cover story and awkwardly tried to backtrack. "Not much. I work in the back kitchen, and I wore the mask today because His Highness didn't want you to recognize me from the kitchen."

Xie Chi got even more worried. "The kitchen must be tough, right? Want me to ask His Highness to move you to an easier post?"

His Highness himself: "..."

"No need to bother. His Highness is moody as hell, and I don't want you getting caught in the middle." Yan Wanqiu forced himself to badmouth himself a little.

Xie Chi was touched. "Babe, you're such a good wife."

Yan Wanqiu had never been called "wifely" in his life and broke out in goosebumps from the praise.

He pushed the dessert plate toward Xie Chi, deciding to wrap this up fast. "His Highness only gave me ten minutes. Don't you have something important to tell me?"

"Ten minutes?" Xie Chi was shocked.

"How could this be? I clearly told him fifteen. Yan Wanqiu's such a jerk—no wonder they call him the Tyrant." Xie Chi grumbled under his breath as he got up.

He took the gift he'd prepared and pressed it into Ji Chou's hands, whining a little. "This is for you, babe. You have to stay away from Yan Wanqiu from now on. He's really dangerous. Last time we met, his pheromones almost crushed me. Today he even threatened me, said he'd cut my balls off, and used your life to threaten me. I had to negotiate with him several times and agree to work free overtime before he grudgingly let me see you."

Yan Wanqiu: "...Wow, what a jerk."

Xie Chi nodded, totally agreeing. "Right, right. Oh, and after that night, you just vanished. Did he threaten you? Were you hurt?"

Yan Wanqiu thought of the night of high fever and pursed his lips, trying too hard to hide it. "No."

Xie Chi gave him a skeptical look, clearly not buying it.

Just as Yan Wanqiu was about to get pissed off from the staring, Xie Chi spoke. "Inside this gift box is a letter with intel Yan Wanqiu desperately needs. I have to go on a mission for the next three days. I'm scared Yan Wanqiu might go after you, so keep this info as leverage and play him with it. He still needs me for stuff, so as long as you don't ask for too much, he won't give you a hard time before my mission's done."

Yan Wanqiu froze, holding the gift box. "You kept this info just to use as a bargaining chip for me?"

"Yep yep." Xie Chi nodded seriously. "But there's more than just info inside—there's also a set of clothes made of temperature-controlled fabric. It's freezing here in Blizzard City. Wear it as your base layer, then throw a thick coat over it to hide it, so you won't have to pile on so many heavy layers."

Xie Chi got shy talking about it. "Sorry, I don't have a lot of money yet, and I don't have much pull with Yan Wanqiu. You need anything? Just wait three more days for me. I'll finish my current mission first, show Yan Wanqiu what I can do, and then he won't mess with you so easily. After that, I'll clean the place up, get a new bed, and try to see you as much as I can. I'll buy you whatever you need."

Yan Wanqiu's expression flickered several times, and he found himself avoiding Xie Chi's earnest look without meaning to.

Ever since he got caught sneaking around with Yan Baiyue, Xie Chi's behavior had gotten strange, and he'd been driving him up the wall all week.

But setting aside the identity of "Yan Wanqiu," Xie Chi's treatment of "Ji Chou"—a wife he'd only met once and never seen the face of—was nothing short of devoted, giving it his all.

After Xie Chi left, holding the smart terminal he'd never seen before, Yan Wanqiu thought deeply.

He'd thought Xie Chi might be from some secret organization, only handing over half a map at a time to get more out of it. On the way over, he'd even had the paranoid thought that Xie Chi had already figured out Yan Wanqiu and Ji Chou were the same person and was playing dumb just to mess with him.

But it never even crossed his mind that everything Xie Chi did was really just to give "Ji Chou" a little more security.

Foolish.

Driven by a cruel urge to shatter the surface calm, Yan Wanqiu paused, then spoke: "I don't lack anything. But you—handing me something this important, aren't you worried I'll take it and abandon you?"

"No, I won't." Xie Chi, seeing that Ji Chou didn't seem disdainful, breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes crinkling into a smile. "You're my family—how could you abandon me? Unless I treat you badly, so I have to work hard to be very, very good to you."

Xie Chi was handsome, and his smile was especially striking, with a natural, radiant innocence. The tear mole at the corner of his eye lifted slightly as he grinned, lively and vivid.

Yan Wanqiu's gaze lingered on Xie Chi's face for a moment, thinking that he looked even more foolish when he smiled.

No wonder Yan Baiyue had approached Xie Chi. This kind of selfless fool didn't even need deceiving—just promise some vague warmth and they'd come running.

How had he never noticed Xie Chi was this kind of person?

"You really are..." Yan Wanqiu let out a helpless sigh.

"What am I?" Xie Chi asked, confused.

"A fool," Yan Wanqiu said expressionlessly.

Xie Chi felt instantly insulted by his wife: "I'm not! I'm smart. I pick things up fast. I'm the most skilled assassin!"

Yan Wanqiu: "That's not what I meant..."

Xie Chi, competitive as ever: "I'm definitely not dumb. Just give me a little more time, and I'll give you a better life, for sure."

Yan Wanqiu looked at Xie Chi, whose burning gaze made it clear he wouldn't drop it unless Yan Wanqiu took back his words, and said helplessly, "Fine, I'll wait for you."

Only then did Xie Chi breathe a long sigh of relief.

Close call—he almost got pegged as an idiot by his wife.

With the serious matters settled, the two chatted idly over snacks, mostly Yan Wanqiu asking and Xie Chi answering.

Yan Wanqiu wanted to probe how Xie Chi planned to complete the mission within three days and where he'd gotten such high-tech thermal wear, but Xie Chi had gotten shrewd this time, refusing to give away even a hint no matter how Yan Wanqiu probed.

With only two minutes left, Yan Wanqiu knew he probably wouldn't get anything more out of this, so he dropped the line of questioning.

"Is there nothing you want to ask me?" Yan Wanqiu looked at Xie Chi, who was lowering his head to eat a pastry, and couldn't help asking.

He had so many red flags—didn't Xie Chi have even a shred of suspicion?

Xie Chi swallowed the pastry in his mouth and looked at Ji Chou.

The man was fully covered this time, but the sharply cut dark coat hugged his broad shoulders, with the waist nipped in just right. His legs were long, and the exposed half of his face showed a high nose and thin lips, sharp-featured.

Though he couldn't see the full face, he could imagine how coldly handsome the man behind the mask must be.

Xie Chi's face gradually flushed red: "There's one thing..."

Yan Wanqiu waited for Xie Chi's next words.

Xie Chi lowered his head and murmured quietly: "Can you kiss me—no, wait, touch me? Or even just hold my hand..."

Xie Chi's words got more jumbled, and his face got redder.

Scared of being misunderstood by Ji Chou, he was so nervous his words came out all tangled, rambling: "I heard from other people that if you have a wife, you can sleep together and be close in everyday life. It's just... I've never done that before. We didn't kiss that night. I-I just want to know what it feels like to be with family. I'm not trying to be fresh—that night was an accident—"

Xie Chi stopped mid-sentence.

Because Yan Wanqiu's hand had landed on his bowed head.

Xie Chi had just showered, and his hair wasn't fully dry yet, feeling slightly damp when touched.

He... he got a pat on the head.

Xie Chi froze, his mind going completely blank, with no idea how to react.

Yan Wanqiu watched the young man's body tense up with amusement, his hand slowly moving down from Xie Chi's head to the corner of his eye.

He traced his thumb over the tear mole at the corner of Xie Chi's eye and slowly leaned in closer to Xie Chi.

Xie Chi trembled.

A soft laugh escaped Yan Wanqiu's throat.

They were too close—almost nose to nose. The warm breath of Yan Wanqiu's chuckle landed right on Xie Chi's cheek.

Thump-thump.

Even a heart that stayed calm in life-or-death situations started pounding out of control.

Xie Chi stared blankly at Ji Chou, who was getting closer and closer.

He hadn't put on a blocker patch and was unconsciously giving off a faint orange pheromone scent.

Sour and sweet, like the young man's still-slender frame.

Yan Wanqiu suddenly felt his earlier wariness on the road had been completely unnecessary.

What had he even been worried about? He was the highest-ranking alpha of this era, and no matter where Xie Chi was from, right now he was just an ordinary alpha bodyguard.

Unless he was drugged, how could he possibly be pushed around by such an innocent fool?

Feeling good after regaining the upper hand, Yan Wanqiu dropped a quick, light kiss on Xie Chi's cheek.

"Happy now?" Yan Wanqiu chuckled softly as he stepped back to a proper distance.

Xie Chi stood frozen for a few seconds before slowly covering his face with his hand, hunching over like an ostrich: "I-I-I said just holding hands was enough..."

Yan Wanqiu lounged against the table: "What's done is done—no harm in a little extra."

Xie Chi peeked at Ji Chou through his fingers, his heart pounding even harder.

His wife looked so handsome even when he was all casual and lazy like this.

His wife was so forward—he liked his wife even more now T^T

Xie Chi rubbed his kissed cheek, looked up and said firmly: "Wife, just wait a few more days for me! Once I get Yan Wanqiu under control, I'll come see you as soon as I can!"

Yan Wanqiu knew he meant the mission to assassinate Boss Ye, the head of the Night Owl Syndicate, and couldn't help adding a warning: "The local powers in Blizzard City are all tangled up with each other. Be extra careful in your day-to-day."

"I'll be fine. I just need you to hang in there a few more days, wife. During this time, don't get into any fights with Yan Wanqiu. He's got Pheromone Dysregulation Syndrome and is super irritable—he's already offed several bodyguards in the last few days."

Seeing that the ten minutes were nearly up, Xie Chi rattled off his warnings quickly as he stood up to grab a coat for Ji Chou.

"Time's almost up. Hurry and go, so he won't give you a hard time. It's cold and slippery out at night—be careful heading back, wife."

Yan Wanqiu let Xie Chi pull him up and help him into the coat. Listening to Xie Chi badmouth him, he couldn't help but set the record straight on one thing: "His Highness doesn't just kill people for no reason either. Those bodyguards were all traitors the Night Owl Syndicate had bought off."

"That so." Xie Chi didn't take it to heart, his only thought being not to let Ji Chou get in trouble over the time limit. "Anyway, just keep your distance from His Highness. He's not easy to deal with—the more you say, the more you risk slipping up."

He opened the door and looked at Ji Chou reluctantly. "Leave His Highness to me. You get some good rest, honey—I'll work hard to earn money and take care of the family."

Yan Wanqiu was shoved all the way to the door by Xie Chi. Looking at the reluctant Xie Chi, he sighed. "Got it. Close the door now—it's cold outside."

Xie Chi knew full well that Yan Wanqiu would never let him learn where Ji Chou lived, and his desire to get promoted and gain more say only grew stronger. He shut the door with reluctance.

"Creak—"

Yan Wanqiu stared at the wooden door before him and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Playing "wife" to Xie Chi was way too much for him.

Luckily, Xie Chi wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, which was the only reason he'd managed to fumble his way through the night.

That idiot, bragging he could handle him. If it weren't for one coincidence after another, he'd have thrown this infuriating traitor of a guard into the dungeon and executed him ages ago.

Yan Wanqiu remembered that Xie Chi could pick up on breathing sounds, so he didn't hang around by the door. Carrying the gift box Xie Chi had shoved into his hands, he limped unevenly down the side path toward his own residence.

It would snow lightly tonight, hiding his tracks, so there was no need to worry about anyone catching the crown prince sneaking off with a guard.

"Just like having an affair," Yan Wanqiu chuckled softly.

He patted the gun he'd kept tucked away in his pocket the whole time.

Tonight wasn't a total loss—at least he'd obtained the other half of the mining map, and he could confirm that Xie Chi had absolutely no idea that "Ji Chou" was Yan Wanqiu.

And also...

Yan Wanqiu glanced at the gift box in his hand.

Inside was the temperature-regulating suit Xie Chi had given him. Though he'd only given it a quick rundown, Yan Wanqiu knew full well how crucial and era-defining a strategic resource it would be in this frozen wasteland.

Just like that dead, powered-off terminal, this was tech he'd never even heard of.

The amusement in Yan Wanqiu's eyes gradually faded.

It was Xie Chi who had fed him false intelligence about the Night Owl Syndicate, and now it was Xie Chi who unhesitatingly set out to eliminate its leader.

Combined with these never-before-seen technologies, Yan Wanqiu found Xie Chi increasingly impossible to read—and naturally, he dared not act rashly.

Yan Wanqiu turned back and cast a distant glance at the small cabin still glowing with light in the distance.

Xie Chi, just who the hell are you?