Chapter 23 - Come Home

Ning Wan answered the call and on the other side, he heard Shen Shuyun's breathless voice: "A-wan... can you come home? I... I think my heat has started..."

Shen Shuyun's voice grew softer, the words "heat" was squeezed out almost through clenched teeth. With the deafening music of the bar in his ears, Ning Wan didn't catch it and asked, "What started?"

"I..." Shen Shuyun closed his eyes, his lips moved several times, but he couldn't say those words aloud. Trembling, he held the phone tightly, his tone almost pleading, "Can you come home first?"

Ning Wan exhaled the last of the smoke from his lungs and replied, "Okay."

He had been drinking, so when he stood up, he swayed a bit. Luo Xiao couldn't just let him leave like that. He quickly supported Ning Wan out the door then hailed a taxi, and helped him get inside. After giving the driver the address and slipping him two red bills in advance, he repeatedly reminded the driver to ensure Ning Wan got home safely. Ning Wan leaned against the back seat of the taxi, the alcohol was making his body temperature rise rapidly. His cheeks were hot, and the distant lights blurred into halos in his eyes, his head dizzy and throbbing.

He didn't know how long the drive took before the car finally stopped. The driver looked at the heavily intoxicated Ning Wan with some concern and hesitated, "Sir, are you alright? Do you need help getting inside?"

Ning Wan was still a bit conscious. He shook his head as he opened the car door and walked towards the courtyard. Their house had a small garden in front, filled with various flowers. Ning Wan picked up the garden hose then he turned on the tap, and splashed some water on his face. The cold water chased away the stifling summer heat, and the redness on Ning Wan's face gradually faded. After a few minutes, feeling more clearheaded, he walked towards the villa.

But when Ning Wan opened the door, the heat that had just subsided surged back up...

It was Shen Shuyun's pheromones- he was definitely in heat.

Ning Wan leaned against the cold iron door, instinctively wanting to flee, but the alpha instinct rooted him to the spot. Every cell in his body screamed for him to go inside and claim the sweet omega waiting for him.

...

"A-wan, is that you?" Shen Shuyun's voice carried a hint of helplessness. Ning Wan's pheromones told him that Ning Wan was inside the villa, "A-wan, I'm here, please help me."

Ning Wan took a deep breath, his eyes were bloodshot. In the end, he lost his grip on reason and slowly made his way to the master bedroom on the second floor...

......

Both of them were drenched in sweat, especially Shen Shuyun, whose hair was plastered to his forehead in strands against his porcelain-like skin, resembling delicate silhouettes. Ning Wan held Shen Shuyun, resting his head on Shen Shuyun's shoulder, hugging him tightly with all his strength.

Shen Shuyun panted softly and was about to ask what was wrong with him, when he heard Ning Wan's muffled voice, "Why isn't it you... why isn't it you... Brother Yun... it would be so good if it were you..."

A scorching tear fell on his shoulder, its heat seemingly burned a hole in Shen Shuyun's heart.

"A-wan," Shen Shuyun hugged Ning Wan back, his voice still a bit hoarse, "What are you talking about?"

Ning Wan just shook his head without speaking, holding Shen Shuyun tighter, as if wanting to merge him into his bones and blood, never to be separated.

Outside the window, the stars were sparse and inside the couple shared the same bed but harbored different dreams.

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Shen Shuyun uneasily sat up in bed, groping for the clock on the bedside table.

With a "click," the light on the small clock came on. Shen Shuyun craned his neck to look-it was half-past three in the morning.

The late night was making his heart palpitate. His heart pounded in the quiet room, the sound was unusually clear. Shen Shuyun couldn't help but smile bitterly. He was no longer young; his age showed, and staying up late wasn't something he could handle anymore.

But he hadn't stayed up late on purpose. He had lain in bed with his eyes closed since eleven o'clock after taking a bath, yet he still hadn't fallen asleep even after such a long time.

Tonight, Ning Wan hadn't come home again.

Shen Shuyun gazed at the empty bed beside him, sighed softly, and lay back down, wrapping himself tightly in the blanket, curling up as if it would give him some sense of security.

It had been over a month since his last heat, and the number of times Ning Wan had come home could be counted on one hand.

Ning Wan always said that he was too busy with work at the company, that he couldn't get away and had to stay overnight. He constantly found various excuses to decline Shen Shuyun's invitations.

Shen Shuyun understood that as the older one in the marriage, he should be more considerate and not let his mind wander. But emotions aren't something that reason can control. Whenever he had free time, he thought of Ning Wan, his words "why isn't it you," and the tears that fell on his shoulder... These thoughts made it harder for him to sleep each day, often tossing and turning until late at night without finding rest.

He always felt that Ning Wan had changed recently, and that they were no longer as open with each other like before...

Shen Shuyun wondered if he should be more proactive. In the past, it was always Ning Wan pursuing him, and he was always been the passive one. Maybe Ning Wan was tired? He reflected and pondered, he discover flaws in himself before choosing to believe the rest of his .

He decided to go to the supermarket today and buy some meat to make dumplings. Inviting Ning Wan home for dinner would be nice.

As he thought about it, he finally felt a bit sleepy and gradually fell into slumber. When he woke up, it was already past lunchtime. Shen Shuyun was glad it was a Saturday, so he hadn't missed work. In the afternoon, he graded some essays from school and when he saw that it was about four o'clock he got ready to head out to the supermarket.

He drove to a large chain supermarket in the city center. Although it was a bit far, it was the only place that sold an Italian seasoning Ning Wan liked, which was great for mixing into dumpling fillings. Shen Shuyun didn't plan to spend much time shopping. He pushed a small cart intending to just buy some meat, vegetables, and seasoning. However, the meat and vegetable section was at the back of the store in the cold fresh section, so he had to pass through the snack aisle.

As Shen Shuyun pushed his cart through the aisles, a familiar voice made him stop in his tracks: "Yichuan, look at this coffee powder. Is it the kind you like?"

It was Ning Wan.

"Hmm? Let me see."

Shen Shuyun's grip on the cart handle tightened, his face turning pale instantly. He took a sharp breath and slowly backed away, hiding behind the stacked shelves, peeking towards the source of the voice.

Ning Wan was holding a small silver can, standing very close to another man. Because the man had his head lowered, it was hard to see his face clearly, but it was obvious he was a tall, slender man, carefully examining the can. Beside him, Ning Wan was smiling softly, his eyes fixed on the man's nape, his expression warm and tender.

They stood so close, like a couple shopping together, so at ease, so natural.

Shen Shuyun took two steps back, his fingertips growing colder by the second.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he pushed the cart to buy the meat, vegetables, and other necessities then left the supermarket with his bag. His face was pale and his were trembling while paying, he tried to calm down but was betrayed by the turmoil inside him.

Shen Shuyun didn't confront Ning Wan, nor did he break down in tears. He just felt his mind was a chaotic mess, as if he hadn't fully realized what had happened. He drove home, took out the flour, poured it into a bowl, added water, and kneaded the dough. Then he mixed the meat filling then added the seasoning, and went through these tasks calmly, as he always did.

Shen Shuyun bent down to retrieve the rolling pin and rolled out the dough into even sheets. Using a porcelain spoon, he scooped out the meat filling, placed it on the dough, and with a swift pinch of his fingers, he formed a plump dumpling.

Standing in the bright and clean kitchen, he made a whole table of dumplings.

When the water boiled, Shen Shuyun dropped the dumplings into the pot one by one. Then he called Ning Wan.

"Ning Wan, will you come home for dinner? ... I made dumplings today, your favorite mushroom pork filling."

Ning Wan felt a bit awkward. He had already planned to try a new Hunan restaurant with Tang Yichuan tonight and was already on the way. He had to decline, "Brother Yun, I've made plans with someone tonight. I really can't cancel, so I won't be coming home. Maybe another day."

Shen Shuyun held his phone and responded with a faint "mn." He didn't ask who Ning Wan had plans with, nor did he ask when the "another day" would be. He simply agreed and then hung up the phone.

The dumplings bubbled and boiled in the pot. Shen Shuyun had some flour on his face. He reached up to wipe it off, but the more he wiped, the more it spread, so he just left it.

Shen Shuyun took a few cooked dumplings from the pot into a bowl. Standing in the kitchen, he took a bite and then smiled bitterly, murmuring, "So it was the dumpling filling that was bland... No wonder he doesn't want to come home."

The room was empty, and it wasn't clear who he was talking to.