Pretending to Be an Alpha in an All-Alpha Boy Band - Chapter 44

Chapter 44 Dreaming

Ten years.

Jiang Heng felt dazed, realizing it had already been ten years.

Ten years is long enough to completely forget a person.

And long enough for someone else to take that person’s place and carefully raise Yuan Shiyuan.

“Why are they standing there frozen?”

Not far away, Yuan Shiyuan waved hurriedly; the pale pink strands of his hair trembled as he said, “Come over here, I found a seat.”

Although it was mealtime, the hospital cafeteria offered delivery service. Most family members ordered in advance and had food brought to the ward to avoid going downstairs.

The cafeteria wasn’t very crowded now, but they were public figures. Yuan Shiyuan had chosen a particularly hidden corner; a large potted plant conveniently blocked the surrounding view.

As long as someone didn’t purposely lean in, they wouldn’t be recognized.

“Then you go.” Jiang Heng’s tone was flat as he turned and walked toward Yuan Shiyuan.

Just after Jiang Heng sat down, he saw Yuan Shize—like a loyal houseman—already taking out tissues and efficiently wiping the table.

“Eat this.” Jiang Heng put the rice cake and spare ribs in front of Yuan Shiyuan.

“I don’t like this anymore, ge.” Yuan Shize glanced at him and lowered his head to open the disposable chopsticks.

Jiang Heng was stunned. “You don’t like it?”

“You did when we filmed that variety show last time,” he said.

“I didn’t stop liking it.” Yuan Shiyuan answered honestly. “I’ve just been eating too much of it recently.”

Yuan Shiyuan had liked rice cakes with spare ribs since childhood; it was the tastiest dish at the welfare institute. Although there wasn’t much meat on the ribs, he still enjoyed it.

After he was adopted, his parents knew what he liked and kept making it for him.

Even a favorite dish becomes cloying if you eat it too often.

He hadn’t eaten much of it on the cruise either.

Jiang Heng stared at him for a few seconds before saying, “Fair enough. Tastes do change.”

He moved the rice cakes and ribs aside and pushed the black-boned chicken soup toward Yuan Shiyuan.

“This black-boned chicken soup is good.” Jiang Heng ladled a bowl for Yuan Shiyuan. “You’ve been unwell; drink this to recover.”

Jiang Heng had drawn blood too? If he needed to supplement, shouldn’t he be taking it too?

Yuan Shiyuan didn’t refuse his good friend’s kindness and also served a bowl for Jiang Heng.

Yuan Shize suddenly tightened his grip on his chopsticks, eyes fixed on the bowl of soup cradled between the slender white fingers. Disapproval filled his gaze.

At home, his brother had been treated like a little princess, kept safe in the palm of the whole family—yet now his brother was being served soup by another Alpha?

When Jiang Heng took the bowl, his fingertips brushed the back of Yuan Shiyuan’s hand, slight and almost imperceptible. The delicate touch made Yuan Shiyuan’s wrist jolt; some soup sloshed and splashed onto the table.

Luckily, Yuan Shiyuan didn’t see it.

This hospital’s black-boned chicken soup was famous for its rich, delicious flavor. He had tasted it before; it really was very good.

Eager, Yuan Shiyuan bent down and took a sip, only to be scalded. He let out a sharp, involuntary “pss.”

Yuan Shize hurriedly cupped his cheek and blew on it.

“Any blisters? Let me see…” Yuan Shize said, then his gaze suddenly froze.

A small, wet, red tip of tongue peeked out between the lips, instantly drawing the attention of the two Alphas.

Yuan Shiyuan’s face was small; his lower face was pinched, the defined fingers creating a hollow in his cheek. He was forced to tilt his head back; his moist lips parted slightly, revealing the red, wet tip of his tongue that had been burned.

He mumbled, “It’s nothing, just a little hot.”

Yuan Shize stared for a moment, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he averted his eyes. “Good, that’s a relief.”

After being scalded, Yuan Shiyuan recovered quickly and was fine.

He took advantage of Jiang Heng not noticing and, thinking himself very stealthy, tossed the dish he didn’t like—one bite had told him it was just so-so—into Yuan Shize’s bowl.

Jiang Heng lowered his eyelids.

The gesture was too familiar, familiar enough to sting.

Dining here was private enough; the only downside was being farther from the air-conditioner vent. After a while of eating, it got a little warm.

“Bro, I brought a hair clip.”

Yuan Shize took a thin colorful clip from his pocket, turned his body and pinched the tip of Yuan Shiyuan’s chin, angling his face.

He bent down and swept up the pink fringe with a practiced motion that looked like it had been repeated countless times. “I’ll clip it for you.”

“Having your hair up will feel a bit cooler.”

Yuan Shiyuan cooperatively tilted his face up as if to make it easier for his brother, even leaning his shoulders forward a little.

The bangs were clipped aside, revealing a smooth, slightly rosy forehead; his face looked no bigger than a palm.

“All set.” Yuan Shize let go, and the corner of his eye flicked toward Jiang Heng, barely noticeable.

Yuan Shiyuan was completely unaware. Just as he was about to bury his face in his food, he suddenly looked up across the table.

Jiang Heng had been staring at him.

“Not to your taste?” Yuan Shiyuan put down his chopsticks, blinking his amber eyes in confusion. “Should I order something else?”

“No need.”

Jiang Heng reached out to stop him. He paused a moment and averted his gaze slightly. “These dishes are fine. They’re things I like too.”

But Jiang Heng hadn’t really touched his chopsticks much, had he?

Yuan Shiyuan stared at his reddening ear and asked, “Too hot? I can go get a cold drink…”

“I’ll go.” Yuan Shize immediately stood up. “I’ll go to the milk tea place nearby and take pictures of the menu. Jiang-ge, tell me if you want anything; tell bro.”

“What about you?” he bent and asked, “What do you want to drink? Same as before?”

Yuan Shiyuan: “I don’t know if they’ve released new flavors—just take the menu for me first.”

After Yuan Shize left, the atmosphere noticeably quieted.

Yuan Shiyuan sat quietly up front, eating politely. The hair clip threaded through his pale pink hair looked like crossed, colorful musical notes. Some of the dishes were spicy, making his lips slightly swollen and show a bright, moist redness.

Jiang Heng recalled the provocative look Yuan Shize had given as he left.

He knew better than anyone what that look meant.

Even though they exchanged few words, from the very first glance each had already made a rough appraisal of the other. They didn’t need to speak; the mutual hostility was palpable.

Earlier, those apparently casual moves by Yuan Shize were loaded with meaning. Cutting in to pick food, starting topics, deliberately performing—those seemingly accidental displays of intimacy were like a peacock unfurling in front of a mate, eager to catch Yuan Shiyuan’s attention.

Whenever Yuan Shize succeeded, he would deliberately glance at Jiang Heng.

Yuan Shize was showing off.

Showing that he had the chance to look after Yuan Shiyuan while Jiang Heng could only watch from the sidelines.

Even though Jiang Heng knew the tricks, his anger flared anyway, tempered by the knowledge that he had no standing to be furious.

His absence in the past left him only able to observe from afar now.

But Yuan Shiyuan seemed completely oblivious, unaware of his brother’s odd behavior.

Jiang Heng watched him without showing it. When Yuan Shiyuan tilted his head to sip his soup, his brow suddenly knitted.

The next second, he stepped behind Yuan Shiyuan and hooked his fingers lightly into the back of his collar, tugging it aside.

“Hm?” Yuan Shiyuan turned his head; the food in his mouth hadn’t yet been chewed down, his cheek puffed slightly. He looked up blankly at Jiang Heng, who was caught hooking his collar from behind.

Around the pale nape of his neck were several red marks of varying depth—an image that stabbed into Jiang Heng’s sight.

Jiang Heng’s expression dimmed slightly. “There are marks on it.”

Yuan Shiyuan turned his head as if to look, but there was no mirror nearby. Unconcerned, he said, “Probably mosquito bites.”

Jiang Heng looked thoughtful. Just as he was about to speak, his phone vibrated. Seeing the caller, his face suddenly went cold.

“Do you need to go? If you’re busy, go ahead.” Yuan Shiyuan said considerately.

“I’m tied up for a bit.” Jiang Heng replied. “Thanks for dinner.”

He cleared his own bowl and chopsticks and took them to the return area. When he turned, his brows were icy as he pressed to accept the call.

“Have I ever told you not to call me again?” he began impatiently, cutting the other person off. “My surname is Jiang. I have nothing to do with your Su family.”

“You were the one who kicked my mother and me out of the old house back then—why didn’t you say I was a Su then?”

……

That night, Yuan Shiyuan and his brother took a taxi home.

Yuan Shiyuan had just come in from outside and felt sticky with sweat all over; the first thing he did when he got home was shower.

Yuan Shize deftly picked up Yuan Shiyuan’s crossbody bag, tidied its contents as usual, and added a few new items on a whim.

He counted the disposable underwear.

Yuan Shize calculated the time since they’d last split, the number of days filming variety shows… the numbers roughly matched.

But why were there a few more items that looked like suppressants? There were no labels—could they be special inhibitory meds prescribed by the hospital?

“I’m done.”

The moment the door opened, steam and the scent of body wash hit them.

Yuan Shiyuan was dripping wet; the loose, light-colored T-shirt barely covered his upper thighs. His legs, flushed pink from the hot water, extended from beneath the hem, water tracing down from his groin and pooling into little puddles on the floor.

Above that were a lovely collarbone and a face softly red and damp.

Yuan Shize felt his blood surge and then rush downward; ashamed, he stood up quickly.

Yuan Shiyuan casually clipped his pink fringe to the side and walked over to the sofa. He curled into it, damp toes hooking around his brother’s knee—an action that made the T-shirt hem creep up several inches.

“Water.”

Yuan Shize opened a bottle of mineral water, cupped Yuan Shiyuan’s chin with one big hand, and with the other pressed the bottle’s mouth to his soft lower lip, casting a little shadow.

He tilted the bottle and fed Yuan Shiyuan a swallow by hand.

“That’s enough, go shower.” After two sips, Yuan Shiyuan didn’t want any more; he turned his head, pursed his lips in mock resistance.

After taking back the bottle, Yuan Shize still looked dazed. “Bro, why are you… wearing my clothes?”

The T-shirt was clearly not Yuan Shiyuan’s size.

Too loose, it hung on him like a dress—no need for sleep pants. He lay sideways on the sofa with his calf thrown over his brother’s leg; if he had bent his knees a bit more, from Yuan Shize’s angle he might have seen everything.

“What’s wrong?” Yuan Shiyuan tugged the hem and settled into a more comfortable position. “Can’t I wear it?”

“I can’t find my pajamas.”

The brothers shared a wardrobe and often wore each other’s clothes. Yuan Shiyuan hadn’t been home for a while, and the closet had been turned upside down—his clothes were nowhere to be found!

He’d been in a hurry to shower and too lazy to look, so he’d grabbed something at random.

Yuan Shize absently touched his nose. “I tidied up a few days ago…”

“So you took all my clothes? Not a single one left!” Yuan Shiyuan muttered, stamping on his brother’s palm. “Are my clothes not clothes?”

Yuan Shize’s breathing was rapid; he didn’t dare say why.

When he first shifted, the Alpha nesting instinct was overwhelming. He couldn’t control himself and took all of Yuan Shiyuan’s clothes out, piling them into mound-like little hills, then impatiently crawled in and lived there.

By the time he sobered up, all of Yuan Shiyuan’s clothes had been soiled by him.

This T‑shirt Yuan Shiyuan was wearing now—he had worn it just last night; it was soaked with his pheromones…

Yuan Shize was afraid Yuan Shiyuan would notice, so he had cleaned up the evidence in advance. Those garments had been washed and were now stored in another wardrobe.

“I’ll bring your clothes back in a couple of days.”

Yuan Shize’s gaze dropped; he looked up from Yuan Shiyuan’s toes, followed the line to the slightly flushed knees, the faintly revealed crotch, and finally stopped at that lazy, casual face. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he called, “Bro.”

Yuan Shiyuan touched his face curiously. “What’s up?”

“Nothing. I’m going to shower.”

Yuan Shize almost fled in embarrassment, but the bathroom still smelled entirely of his brother’s freshly washed scent. He shut the door and took a deep breath.

It was all his brother’s smell…

The TV in the living room was playing an edited version of the variety show Struggling to Survive.

Yuan Shiyuan watched attentively; it still felt novel. He used to watch TV with the family, but seeing his own variety show felt particularly strange.

When it was time for him to head to the maid café for his shift, he sat up straight and reached for the remote to turn the TV off.

The next second he was pounced onto the sofa.

Yuan Shize had finished his shower; his whole body steamed with heat, his face and neck flushed bright red. He knelt between Yuan Shiyuan’s legs like a big dog and pressed his face against Yuan Shiyuan’s lower belly.

The shirt hem had been rubbed up; he buried his face in Yuan Shiyuan’s stomach and took a slow inhale.

Yuan Shiyuan’s belly twitched. He grabbed his brother’s head and pulled him up. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t move, it tickles.” The fuzzy hair on his head was ruffling his skin; of course it felt good.

Interrupted, Yuan Shize looked a little pitiful but didn’t continue burying his face. He crawled up slowly and instead lay sprawled on his brother’s chest.

He turned his head toward the TV and said aggrievedly, “Bro, you’re wearing a skirt.”

“I didn’t even see it…” Yuan Shiyuan trailed off.

“You didn’t see it?” Yuan Shize pressed, and Yuan Shiyuan leaned back, lazy. “Back in middle school you wore a skirt in a performance too.”

“That’s different!” Yuan Shize protested. “That was a school uniform skirt-pants thing. What you wore on the show was…”

“How is it different?” Yuan Shiyuan saw no distinction. “Why are you talking back? Starting to rebel now that you’re almost an adult, huh?”

Yuan Shize immediately withdrew his retort and, not forgetting to correct, said, “I’m already an adult.”

By the ID’s date he technically was, but their family habitually followed the lunar calendar. Yuan Shiyuan couldn’t be bothered to argue and asked instead, “What do you want for a gift?”

He now had a decent stash of money saved. Whatever his brother wanted, he could afford to buy.

“Anything?” Yuan Shize asked.

“Anything,” Yuan Shiyuan confirmed.

“I want you, bro.”

“Alright, alright, you can have me.” Yuan Shiyuan agreed briskly. “Whatever you want to do, I’ll go with you.”

How big a deal could it be?

Yuan Shize probably just wanted to go somewhere for a couple of days and bring him along—to have him by his side, to do something together.

He wouldn’t be stingy about such a small request.

“Really?”

“Why would I lie to you?” Yuan Shiyuan yawned lazily when he finished speaking. Seeing this, Yuan Shize clung to him like a giant dog.

“Bro, we haven’t slept together in a long time,” Yuan Shize said, fixing his gaze on Yuan Shiyuan’s face. “Can we sleep together tonight?”

“Sure.” Yuan Shiyuan answered too quickly, then felt something was off.

Yuan Shiyuan often forgot that he had gone through a second split; he still kept many Alpha habits. But asking him to change those habits wasn’t easy; after living as an Alpha for so many years, suddenly adjusting his social boundaries wasn’t something he could do overnight.

Still, sleeping with his brother for one night wasn’t a big deal.

Yuan Shiyuan didn’t dwell on it.

Maybe because of the recent split, he got sleepy earlier than usual. After watching a bit more of the variety show with his brother, he yawned and went back to bed, intending to fall asleep.

Not long after, a warm body snuggled up to him. Yuan Shize nuzzled his neck like a dog; Yuan Shiyuan couldn’t be bothered to resist and let him fool around, falling asleep first.

That night, Yuan Shize had a dream.

He pushed open the house door as usual, but the place inside was eerily silent.

Only when he entered his bedroom did his pupils suddenly dilate.

Yuan Shiyuan was lying on his bed, knees naturally apart, wearing a sheer gauze robe that hinted at the curve of his waist.

His pink hair fell around his temples. Seeing Yuan Shize frozen in place, he knitted his brows and parted his lips with a pink fingertip, drawing up a thin, transparent strand of fluid.

Yuan Shiyuan looked at him with eyes shining like wet glass, then beckoned him like calling a dog.

Yuan Shize advanced without hesitation, but a soft hand pressed him down onto the edge of the bed.

“Xiao Ze, you’ve worked hard. Are you hungry?” he heard his brother ask gently. “Let me feed you, okay?”

“What is it?”

Yuan Shize very quickly understood.

Out of worry for how busy he had been, his brother had prepared a lavish snack for him to enjoy when he returned home. But Yuan Shiyuan, used to being waited on, didn’t know the proper way to feed someone.

He agonized over it for a long time, then turned his back to his brother and inched backward step by step until he nearly bumped into him and finally stopped.

Yuan Shize watched his brother retreat step by step.

That made it so when he looked up, he saw something glistening and wet—the gauze robe clinging to him, revealing a clear flush of red.

He watched as his brother drew closer and closer…

A drop of crystal-clear liquid hanging above trembled as if about to fall.

Coincidentally, Yuan Shize felt thirsty. He tilted his head back to catch it without a second thought; the sweet, cloying scent filled his mouth.

The next moment, his mouth and nose were pressed tightly, and his brother fed him directly.

Caught off guard, Yuan Shize froze for a beat.

His brother had prepared this treat with his own hands, and though Yuan Shize didn’t know precisely how to taste it, he knew he shouldn’t waste his brother’s kindness or disappoint him. Following his rule to waste nothing, he tipped his head back and sucked hard, afraid even a little of his brother’s homemade snack would go to waste.

At first, Yuan Shize could keep his composure, but he’d never experienced such a delicious flavor.

The more he ate, the more ravenous he became, abandoning his usual manners and even making wet, messy sounds as he ate.

Yuan Shiyuan rarely cooked at home—he’d been in the kitchen only a few times—so feeding his own brother was indeed awkward for him.

Soon he wobbled, and noticing his brother’s unusually eager behavior, he suddenly stepped back and accidentally stumbled.

Even though Yuan Shize grabbed his leg to steady him, Yuan Shiyuan couldn’t stop himself from falling backward. All his weight sank down.

“Ugh…!”

Yuan Shize couldn’t clearly see his brother’s expression, but he knew Yuan Shiyuan had been startled; he hurriedly grabbed his brother’s leg, helping him steady himself so he could lean his face against him.

It had happened so suddenly that Yuan Shiyuan hadn’t expected he’d nearly fallen. Still in shock, he clamped his hand over his mouth and, frightened, let out a muffled groan as his eyes rolled up slightly.

His high nose bridge vanished entirely from view; Yuan Shize felt smothered, as if choked, and like someone drowning, he was briefly gasping.

When he finally drew big breaths, his face regained freedom. It felt like he’d just washed his face but hadn’t had time to towel off—his whole face was drenched.

Yuan Shiyuan had fallen back, curled up at the foot of the bed, his expression vacant and dazed, as if he hadn’t fully come to. A thin sheen of soaked pink clung to him; tears mixed with saliva trickled from the corners of his mouth, wetting his chin and collarbone.

After a long moment, he tremulously reached out to his younger brother and cupped his face. His fingertips gently stroked the jaw; his look was satisfied and tender. “Xiao Ze, you’re amazing…”

“Thank you, Xiao Ze.”

“……”

Yuan Shiyuan usually slept deeply—ordinary noises wouldn’t wake him—but today he was especially restless.

It was like being circled and licked repeatedly by a large canine, or like soaking in a bathtub…

He unconsciously frowned and pushed a little, a muffled murmured dream-voice escaping his throat.

It felt similar to sleep paralysis, but not quite.

He kept pushing and shoving but couldn’t stop that trapped, soaking-in-a-hot-spring nightmare feeling, so he gave up resisting.

By morning, the odd sensation had only grown stronger. Yuan Shiyuan suddenly opened his eyes; through a slit in the curtains a ray of sunlight showed his T-shirt oddly stretched and ballooned.

Under the hem, Yuan Shize’s arm was wound tightly around his waist; he was clinging to Yuan Shiyuan like a dog, his prominent nose constantly nuzzling.

The warm breath he exhaled landed on Yuan Shiyuan’s skin, producing a damp, prickling itch.

“Mm… Xiao Ze, stop it,” Yuan Shiyuan said, ticklish, letting out a soft breath; his expression was complicated.

He’d always known his brother liked to sleep holding something in his mouth—when they were kids Yuan Shize had needed to suck his finger to fall asleep.

But it had never been like this. Thin lips attached and then gently nibbled with the teeth.

What was this? A baby still nursing?

Yuan Shiyuan had a head full of black lines (felt exasperated); he reached back and grabbed the hair at his brother’s nape, trying to pull him out.

Though he tried to ignore it, being bitten made him flinch and cry out with a trembling jolt, “Ha ya…”

Yuan Shize was still half-asleep; he seemed to recall the old instinct of sucking his brother’s finger, clamping onto Yuan Shiyuan like a vampire who wouldn’t let go. His tongue restlessly licked the surface and then tugged, as if trying to suck out blood and feast.

“Wake up—I’m your brother!” Yuan Shiyuan couldn’t bear it and hauled Yuan Shize’s head free.

The quiet bedroom produced a clear “buo” sound.

Separated lips drew a thread of moisture that snapped and fell, silently slapping against the surrounding skin.

Skin, still glossed with moisture, met the slightly cool air, and sensory awareness multiplied.

Panic-stricken, Yuan Shiyuan hurriedly lifted his shirt to check.

Like something had melted from heat, the originally pale pink left nipple was pressed skewed and askew by a nosebridge; its color had turned a ripe, wet red. The edges blurred and bled outward.

What on earth was happening?

Was he being used as a pacifier? Or what?

Yuan Shiyuan was completely bewildered.

Had Yuan Shize’s psychological state gotten worse? This bad?

Or was the pressure from school and work so intense that it had birthed these strange habits?

Oh my god, how did this happen.

This is perverted.

What baffled Yuan Shiyuan even more was that even with all those noises and movements, Yuan Shize was still sleeping like a log. Could he really be that tired?

Yuan Shize slept very deeply; if you ignored the moisture on his thin lips, he still looked obedient and well-behaved.

Yuan Shiyuan’s fist hung in the air.

If he really woke Yuan Shize up, he’d feel guilty. After all, his brother was busy with pro matches—today was his rare day off.

Maybe it was because Yuan Shize had only just undergone his split and his hormones were unstable, reactivating some kind of mother fixation, which led him to indulge and do such baffling things on him.

Sigh, whatever.

His brother being like this was, to some extent, his responsibility as the older sibling.

Let him suck—there wasn’t much to get anyway.

Yuan Shiyuan bent down and wiped the wetness with a tissue; the more he wiped, the more speechless he felt. He returned to the bedside and, on impulse, raised his hand and slapped Yuan Shize hard.

The crisp smack made him feel a little better. He kept wiping with wet wipes several times before changing his clothes.

He left a small note and walked out without looking back.

The moment the door closed softly, Yuan Shize, who had been sound asleep, suddenly opened his eyes.