Chapter 73: Side Story

Half-awake, half-asleep, Shi Qi vaguely feels someone standing by the bed.

He says, his eyes bleary with sleep: 'Shang Sui?'

The air is filled with a faint, almost imperceptible scent of Pheromone, yet to Shi Qi, it is familiar beyond measure.

The Alpha’s gaze scrapes over his face inch by inch, offering no response as he usually would.

A moment later, Shi Qi hears a hesitant voice: 'You...'

The speaker stops mid-sentence, his gaze shifting downward.

Shi Qi is wearing pajamas that are clearly too large, the collar wide open, his neck and collarbone covered in crimson marks of varying depths.

He pivots to ask: 'Are you uncomfortable?'

Shi Qi replies coldly: 'I said I was dying last night; why didn't you stop to ask if I was uncomfortable then?'

'...'

The other man remains silent, and only then does Shi Qi realize he is not quite himself.

The Alpha is dressed in a school uniform, his slightly long hair obscuring his brows and eyes. As the light from the hallway slants into the room, only his rough silhouette is visible.

Shi Qi runs through the dates in his mind, confirming that today is neither their wedding anniversary nor either of their birthdays.

Why is Shang Sui dressed like a student? And his hair is cut short, too.

Given Shang Sui’s long history of antics, Shi Qi doesn't even think twice: 'What new trick are you playing now? Roleplay?'

Before the Alpha can answer, the bedroom door is pushed open. The newcomer pauses for a second, grabs the Alpha by the shoulders from behind, and throws a punch!

The Alpha staggers back, his body slamming uncontrollably against the wall.

Shang Sui seems to have misunderstood something, staring gloomily at the other: 'How did you get in?'

Shi Qi widens his eyes.

Shang Sui... are there two of them?

Seeing that Shang Sui is about to strike again, Shi Qi quickly says: 'Wait!'

The Alpha looks up at that moment, and Shang Sui freezes abruptly.

He raises a hand to wipe away the blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, staring coldly back at Shang Sui.

Looking at a face identical to his own, only younger, Shang Sui curses like he has seen a ghost.

-

'So, you don't know why you appeared here either.'

Shang Sui sits on the sofa, looking at the person opposite him with irritation.

Compared to his own striking, beautiful features, the younger 'Shang Sui' is more refined and clear-cut, like a plant growing in the shadows. Shi Qi cannot help but steal several glances.

The boy is observing Shi Qi as well, his gaze sweeping over the identical Ring on the ring fingers of the two people opposite him: 'Are you married?'

His expression is strange, and he cannot help but ask: 'Was it voluntary?'

What?

Before Shi Qi can react, a hand slides from behind across the side of his neck, lightly pinching his chin.

Shi Qi is forced to lean to the side. Shang Sui circles him into his arms, asking ambiguously: 'What do you think?'

Young Shang Sui frowns.

In his memory, Shi Qi should not want to see him again. Even worse, his future self does not look like a good person, not even stopping when Shi Qi says he is dying.

He actually ended up pestering him, shameless enough to force a marking and coerce a marriage.

Guilt rises on his face, yet in his heart, a shameful excitement takes root.

Young Shang Sui opens his mouth: 'I...'

'What on earth are you talking about?' Shi Qi asks, bewildered. 'If it wasn't voluntary, what else could it be? Did I force him?'

Shang Sui cannot help but laugh: 'Sounds nice.'

He looks at the stunned boy opposite him, thinking that he really couldn't hide his feelings back then: 'But you might have misunderstood. Our relationship is great; we kiss every day, and we also—'

Shi Qi covers his mouth first, preventing Shang Sui from saying anything inappropriate for children.

Come to think of it, how old is the other Shang Sui, anyway?

He is still wearing a school uniform; is he even an adult?

As if he had never considered this possibility, young Shang Sui is quiet for a long time, watching Shi Qi as he says: 'I am very happy.'

'Since you are happy, please stand up, turn left, open the door, and find somewhere else to stay.'

'If I leave, it is not safe for you.' The boy ignores Shang Sui’s order to leave, pointing to the wound on his face. 'If I get hurt, you will get hurt too.'

Half of his cheek is bruised, clearly the result of Shang Sui’s ruthless strike. The eerie thing is, Shang Sui has an identical mark on his own face.

They are essentially the same person; if one meets with an accident, the other is affected as well.

Young Shang speaks calmly, but a ghostly glint flashes through his eyes.

He knows himself best; Shang Sui understands the subtext of his words.

He will do everything in his power to stay, even using self-harm as a threat.

'Do as you please.' Shang Sui is unmoved. 'If that is all you have, you really are incompetent.'

The boy suddenly says: 'Gege.'

Shang Sui sneers: 'Who are you trying to get close to—'

'Xiao Qi gege,' the boy asks softly, 'can I stay for a while?'

Shang Sui listens to his affected, syrupy voice and feels a chill run down his spine.

His voice is about to smoke from all that faking, isn't it?

Unlike him, Shi Qi at his side unconsciously shows an expression of being drawn in, staring unblinkingly at the boy’s slightly childish face.

Shang Sui says sinisterly: 'Darling?'

Shi Qi is suspiciously silent for a moment: 'There is a guest room in the house.'

'No. His eyes are practically glued to you.' Even if it is his past self, Shang Sui cannot tolerate it. 'I will have nightmares living under the same roof as this gloomy bastard.'

'But...' Isn't he you?

'He can take care of himself.' Shang Sui hugs Shi Qi’s arm and says, acting spoiled: 'If you really are worried, I will call home and have them come pick him up?'

Shi Qi is caught in a dilemma. He opens his mouth, and a thought suddenly flashes through his mind.

The more he thinks about it, the more plausible it seems. Shi Qi hesitates: 'His appearance here might have something to do with me.'

'I made a wish on my birthday to see the past...' Seeing both of them look at him, Shi Qi simply calls out the name: '...to see the past Shang Sui.'

A few days ago, Shi Qi had accidentally stumbled upon an Album of Shang Sui’s from high school.

It was clear that the seventeen or eighteen-year-old Shang Sui did not like having his picture taken; most of the photos were kept by Yu Wan in secret. In the very last one, Shang Sui finally looks at the camera.

He is standing in a school uniform under dense tree shade. Even though it is a bright, sunny day, he looks like a lonely shadow.

In Shang Sui’s own description, aside from the summer he met Shi Qi, his high school life was nothing special. But Shi Qi remained full of curiosity about it.

Not long after that was Shi Qi’s birthday. Before blowing out the candles, the image of Shang Sui standing alone under the tree flashed through his mind.

If they hadn't parted back then, perhaps he would have appeared in that photo too.

There is no more reasonable explanation. Once he thinks that the boy appeared because of his birthday wish, Shi Qi cannot just sit by and do nothing.

'Let him stay,' Shi Qi says to Shang Sui. 'When your birthday comes, make a wish for him to leave.'

-

'Two of the values in your Mental Assessment this time are nearing the high threshold.'

Shen Qianyu says as he flips through the report at hand. Ever since he married Shi Qi, Shang Sui’s assessment results have been stable; Shen Qianyu had almost forgotten he was in a period of Differentiation: 'Have you encountered anything stressful lately?'

Shang Sui is expressionless.

Stressful is an understatement.

If he could go back to that day, he would definitely find a way to make that brat get out.

Every day it is 'gege' this and 'gege' that. Shang Sui’s ears are calloused from hearing it, yet Shi Qi falls for it, actually treating some scheming Alpha like a child who needs looking after.

Especially after learning that young Shang Sui is not yet an adult, Shi Qi feels embarrassed to be too intimate with Shang Sui. Forget about going to bed; he even has to be careful about kissing Shi Qi at home.

Thinking of this morning, Shang Sui is filled with resentment.

After they married, Shi Qi has accompanied him to every Psychological Assessment. Having a partner present helps the subject remain stable.

But recently, he and Shi Qi have been busy with work, and with the boy who popped up out of nowhere, he had forgotten that the deadline for the assessment had arrived.

Shi Qi has work today and cannot get away, so he confirms with him before leaving: 'Will you be okay by yourself?'

'I haven't done an assessment alone in a long time; I’m not used to it.' Shang Sui says, half-truthfully, and relying on his height and long legs, he traps the other in the entryway without a trace.

He grips Shi Qi’s waist, burying his head into the crook of the Omega’s fragrant neck: 'Can Xiao Qi compensate me?'

The voice in his ear is sticky and thick, and the hand on his waist goes even further, reaching under the hem of his jacket.

As if he really has been holding back for too long, Shang Sui pinches and kneads Shi Qi, touching his skin through the thin shirt, wishing he could just stick to him.

After a slight flinch, Shi Qi lets the Alpha do as he pleases. Shang Sui presses his lips against his: 'Be good, let me kiss you.'

Shi Qi lets out a faint hum, lured into parting his lips.

At the moment his tongue is about to probe inside, a voice comes from behind without warning—

'What are you doing?'

Shi Qi freezes and pushes Shang Sui away.

Under the boy’s curious gaze, Shi Qi remains outwardly calm: 'I’m going to be late for work, bye.'

As the door closes, the boy tilts his head slightly.

With Shi Qi no longer present, he seems like a different person, looking at Shang Sui as if to provoke him: 'Did I interrupt you?'

'If you know, then get lost.'

Shang Sui cannot be bothered to deal with him and is about to turn away when young Shang Sui suddenly says: 'I want to know what it feels like to kiss Shi Qi.'

'...'

A slight flush rises on the boy’s cheeks, desire making his light brown eyes shine: 'Besides that, what does deeper contact taste like?'

A layer of frost settles on Shang Sui’s previously smiling face. He flexes his fingers, managing not to strike him directly.

'Our cravings are the same,' young Shang Sui says ambiguously at last. 'After all, you are me, and I am you.'

......

Coming back to his senses, Shang Sui looks at Shen Qianyu: 'Was I very annoying in high school?'

'It was okay,' Shen Qianyu evaluates objectively. 'Not hard to get along with.'

'This morning, I wanted to beat myself up.'

Shen Qianyu hesitates for a moment, checks the box for 'self-loathing tendencies,' and adds a note: Mental state unstable.

After everything is finished, Shen Qianyu says, as if casually: 'How did you get those injuries?'

The bruises on Shang Sui’s face have faded, leaving only faint red marks. It is almost impossible for an average person to hurt him; Shen Qianyu has a rough guess in his mind.

Shang Sui says dismissively: 'Had a little accident.'

Shen Qianyu nods, considerately choosing not to expose him.

Shang Sui really is a pervert, liking to be slapped by Shi Qi.

Just then, the perverted Alpha’s phone pops up with a new message, his expression softening as he looks down to reply.

He doesn't even need to guess whose message it is.

17: [I’m getting off work early, waiting for you downstairs at the hospital.]

17: [[Location Shared]]

Shi Qi puts his phone away and looks at the clusters of blooming jacaranda flowers.

There is a temperature-controlled greenhouse inside Ningshan Hospital, much quieter than the busy hospital lobby. Shi Qi is standing under a flower tree, lost in thought, when someone calls his name.

The familiar voice makes him turn around quickly. The figure approaching is tall and slender, wearing a black baseball cap.

Shi Qi walks straight toward him, but as the other lifts his face, Shi Qi pauses: 'Oh, it’s you.'

Young Shang Sui keenly senses the change in his attitude and asks nonchalantly: 'Are you cold? It’s raining outside.'

He takes Shi Qi’s hand naturally: 'Gege, your hands are so cold.'

Shi Qi doesn't think much of it: 'Why are you here?'

'I used to do my Psychological Assessment here too, so I came to take a look.'

Before Shen Qianyu held the license for assessments regarding Differentiation, an old professor at Ningshan Hospital was in charge of him. Hearing that his future self needed a psychological assessment, he was curious, and didn't expect to run into Shi Qi by chance.

He stares unmoving for a long time, unable to look away.

Shi Qi cannot help but ask: 'When did it start?'

'Differentiated at 14, found out it was a period of Differentiation,' young Shang Sui recalls. 'The first time I did an assessment, I had a drug allergy and kept running a fever when I got back, but luckily I got used to it later... Did he never tell you?'

Judging by Shi Qi’s expression, he clearly didn't know. The boy bites his lip, beginning to regret speaking so much.

Just as Shi Qi is about to say something, a sweet fragrance overwhelms his senses.

He is pulled into an embrace, his back pressed against a broad, solid chest. Shi Qi hears a more mature, colder voice: 'Still not letting go?'

As if provoked by the scene before him, young Shang Sui grips Shi Qi’s wrist even harder. He stares straight at his future self and asks a seemingly unrelated question: 'When do you plan to tell him?'

'None of your business.'

Even as dull as he is, Shi Qi senses the subtle atmosphere: 'What are you two talking about?'

The next instant, young Shang Sui lets go first.

Shang Sui’s gaze sweeps over the seemingly retreating boy, and he looks down at Shi Qi: 'It’s nothing important, let’s go home.'

-

Since that day, Shang Sui and young Shang Sui have changed their habit of bickering whenever they meet; the two leave each other alone, as if by some tacit agreement.

Recalling the confrontation at the hospital, Shi Qi always feels he has overlooked something.

On second thought, they are one person after all; it is normal for them to have little secrets.

The day before Shang Sui’s birthday, Shi Qi is busy until late at night before leaving the company, arriving home near midnight.

Unexpectedly, the house is empty.

Shi Qi searches around, confirming that not only is the older one gone, the younger one is gone too.

Thinking they will appear sooner or later, Shi Qi yawns.

So sleepy.

He did so many dance demonstrations today, he’s exhausted...

He falls asleep on the sofa without realizing it, until someone gently touches his cheek.

The other’s fingertips are wrapped in a sweet fragrance, and just as the hand is about to leave, Shi Qi cannot help but nuzzle into the warm palm.

A faint laugh enters his ears, and Shi Qi gradually wakes up, just in time to hear the midnight alarm he set.

He doesn't think much of it, groggily saying: 'Happy birthday, Shang Sui.'

'Thank you, gege.'

The unexpected response makes Shi Qi jump involuntarily. Before he can see clearly who is stroking him, another person winds around him from the side: 'Thank you, baby.'

Shi Qi is sandwiched between the two Alphas, for the first time feeling that the sofa at home is too crowded.

Shang Sui tilts his chin toward his younger self: 'Speak up, what kind of trick are you playing?'

The boy rarely argues with him, but instead says to Shi Qi: 'If I make a wish on “my” birthday, I can leave, but he and I are one person.'

This sounds like a riddle at first. Shi Qi is confused for a moment, but soon understands the deeper meaning.

Young Shang Sui confirms his guess: 'To make the wish come true, we must make the same wish at the same time.'

'I can cooperate with the wish, but... I have another wish that only you can satisfy.'

Two identical pairs of eyes look at him at the same time. Shi Qi realizes a beat late that they have reached some kind of agreement.

An eerie feeling creeps up his spine; it seems as if someone is touching his shoulder, and someone else is gently holding his wrist. The dual Pheromones are like a sweeping, dense net, trapping him within.

'Wait a moment,' Shi Qi suppresses the inexplicable unease in his heart, speaking first to young Shang: 'Before you make your wish, I have something I want to say to you.'

'Happy 18th birthday to Shang Sui.'

As the words fall, Shi Qi cannot help but feel this moment is incredible: 'I have always thought that if I could just say this to you in person, it would be enough. I want to grow up with you.'

Young Shang Sui’s pupils dilate involuntarily, the look of craving freezing on his face, appearing completely blank.

'I looked through your high school Album; you looked so lonely in the photos, and others said you didn't have a very good time.'

Whether it was Yu Wan, Jiang Yan, or Shen Qianyu, from the mouths of those who knew Shang Sui’s past, Shi Qi only ever received an image of someone who walked alone.

Even Shang Sui himself said that he wasn't very likable in high school and was often uninterested in everything around him.

'But seeing you for real, I feel much more at ease.'

Even if he spends every day disliking the other version of himself, it is still better than how he looked in the photos.

Shi Qi cannot help but smile: 'I am very happy.'

After he finishes speaking, the boy is silent for a long time. Shi Qi asks curiously: 'Do you need me to do anything?'

'It has already been fulfilled; this is my wish.'

The boy’s eyes tremble slightly, like a lake with ripples spreading across it. He smiles at Shi Qi as well: 'Thank you for wanting to see me. I want to accompany you as you grow up, too.'

Along with the boy’s slightly hoarse voice, a hazy mist rises before Shi Qi’s eyes. He wants to say something more, but his feet suddenly feel empty.

An intense sense of weightlessness envelops his senses, and the world falls away along with it.

......So it was a dream.

Everything was too real. In the few seconds before the dream ended, Shi Qi actually felt a wave of inexplicable panic, until an intimate inquiry pulled him back to reality:

'Awake?'

Shi Qi turns his head slowly to see the Album of Shang Sui’s high school years placed on the nightstand.

Before his nap, he and Shang Sui had been chatting while flipping through the Album; it must be why he had that dream.

Shi Qi doesn't speak for a long time. Shang Sui just assumes he is still groggy from sleep, touching Shi Qi’s neck with his fingertips, treating him like a slow-reacting toy.

Shi Qi suddenly says: 'I dreamed of you.'

Shang Sui says naturally: 'It was a wet dream, right?'

'...'

Shi Qi looks at him inexpressibly: 'I dreamed of two of you, a chaotic nightmare.'

He is about to get up after speaking, but is pressed back onto the bed.

The Alpha’s soft hair falls down, half-covering those eyes filled with interest: 'Tell me, what did you dream about?'

Shi Qi meets his gaze for a moment and begins to recount the dream.

Even though it was only the duration of a nap, it felt as long as a month.

After hearing Shi Qi’s account, Shang Sui actually laughs. He laughs more and more happily, finally commenting: 'It is said that dreams reflect the desires of the person involved to a certain extent.'

Shi Qi says 'oh': 'And so?'

Shang Sui lifts a strand of the Omega’s platinum-blonde hair, twirling it around his finger: 'Xiao Qi gege is so good at dreaming.'

Shang Sui’s frivolous manner makes Shi Qi’s ears burn, and he drops a line: 'Who is your gege?'

He tries to get up again, but Shang Sui grips his shoulders, easily pressing him back onto the bed.

Being treated like a doll by Shang Sui twice in a row makes Shi Qi somewhat annoyed, and he kicks out, not too lightly, not too hard.

The slight resistance only makes the Alpha more excited. The other takes the opportunity to grip his fair, slender lower leg, dragging Shi Qi back beneath him.

Unlike his forceful movements, Shang Sui says very girlishly: 'Today is my 18th birthday, I want to make a wish too.'

'?'

Shi Qi thinks to himself that he really knows how to apply what he learns: 'First of all, today is not your birthday, and secondly, you are already twenty-seven. Can you have some shame?'

Shang Sui says to himself: 'You have to like me forever and dream of me often.'

Shi Qi is quiet for a moment: 'I’ll try.'

After a while, he adds: 'I can do the first part, but dreaming isn't something I can control.'

As if pleased by his reaction, Shang Sui laughs: 'Right, I forgot to ask just now.'

He props himself up on the bed with one hand, bending his knees as he speaks, staring straight at the Omega trapped beneath him.

Shi Qi is forced to submit to his movements, his breathing skipping a beat without him realizing it.

'Does gege like the big one or the small one? The one in the dream, or the one right in front of you?'

Shi Qi does not speak.

Shang Sui pinches his waist in a urging manner, only then hearing Shi Qi say softly: 'I like you.'

The smile in Shang Sui’s eyes deepens. His hand points downward, and he sees with satisfaction that Shi Qi’s cheeks are stained with a blush:

'Then gege, give me an adult class.'