DMPSA CH 5

Chapter 5: He Doesn’t Understand Love

Qin Yang had been living with Su Qing since his first year of high school, and it had now been a full seven years. Although he had already graduated from university and was on the verge of establishing his own career, Su Qing remained his primary source of reliance.

Over the years, Qin Yang received not only financial assistance from Su Qing but also constant care in his daily life. He thoroughly enjoyed this treatment, and the boyish Qin Yang had no desire to grow up.

Growing up meant becoming independent.

Qin Yang wasn’t ready to let go of this older brother, who had taken on the role of a doting caregiver.

He liked Su Qing and wanted Su Qing to care exclusively for him. So, he came up with an idea: he would confess to Su Qing directly and propose that they start a relationship.

Despite Su Qing being much older than him, he had been so focused on working hard to earn a living that he had never experienced romantic love. When the younger boy he had raised suddenly pursued him with relentless determination, Su Qing couldn’t withstand Qin Yang’s persistence and didn’t have the heart to see him upset. Confused and overwhelmed, he agreed to the relationship.

However, after a year of dating, Qin Yang still hadn’t managed to get into Su Qing’s bed.

Su Qing might have seemed easygoing and warm, but due to a physiological issue, he was utterly indifferent to intimacy. Apart from Qin Yang occasionally forcing a kiss or hug, Su Qing steadfastly refused to allow anything more.

If even he couldn’t enjoy it himself, how could he let this Alpha who suddenly appeared halfway through his life reap the benefits?

The more Qin Yang thought about it, the more displeased he became. He decided it was time to have a serious conversation with this oblivious man.

“Hey,” Qin Yang called out, still sprawled on the table, directing his voice toward Yue Qi.

Yue Qi was nervously hiding the cookies when he heard someone call out, “Hey!” Startled, he looked up at Qin Yang. “Are you calling me?”

“Yeah, you,” Qin Yang replied, glaring at Yue Qi. He pointed toward the kitchen, then at himself, speaking with a tone of hostility. “He’s mine. Don’t even think about getting any ideas.”

“Me…?” Yue Qi was stunned. “Getting ideas?”

“An Alpha hanging around a Beta’s shop late at night instead of going home—don’t think I can’t see through your intentions.”

“…” My intentions? They’re just to grab a late-night snack and pet a cat after my shift.

Yue Qi felt wronged but knew there was no way to explain himself. It was perfectly normal for a Beta to worry about their partner being snatched away by an Alpha. However, he thought Qin Yang’s defensiveness was a bit excessive. Usually, Betas would only feel this strongly when their partner was an Omega. After all, Betas couldn’t mark their Omega partners or produce pheromones that appealed to them. Without the physiological bond that most AO couples shared, Betas often felt insecure.

The presence of an Alpha near their Omega would amplify these insecurities, making every Alpha seem like a scheming thief plotting to take their Omega.

But Qin Yang and Su Qing weren’t in that kind of situation. Su Qing was also a Beta. There was no involuntary physiological attraction between Su Qing and Yue Qi, so what exactly was Qin Yang guarding against?

Forget it. Yue Qi shrugged it off, chalking it up to the “original sin” of being an Alpha.

Seeing that it was getting late, Yue Qi decided not to stay and provoke further annoyance. He put the cat down and walked toward the counter. Qin Yang also got up from the bar to handle the checkout. After paying, Yue Qi hesitated before leaving and couldn’t help but offer a small explanation. Pointing to the back of his neck, he said, “I’m wearing an isolation patch.” Yue Qi wanted to make it clear that he had no intention of causing any trouble.

“You better wear one every time you come here,” Qin Yang said coldly. “Better yet, don’t come back at all.”

“…” What kind of business tells its customers not to come back? Yue Qi smiled bitterly and shook his head. People in love truly lose all reason.

“Here’s your boiled vegetables. I added a boiled egg, too,” Su Qing said as he brought over a plate of wet broccoli and carrots, placing it in front of Qin Yang. Noticing that Yue Qi was leaving, he asked in surprise, “Heading out so soon? Did you try the cookies?”

When Su Qing turned and saw the empty dessert plate at Yue Qi’s seat, he exclaimed happily, “You ate them all? I only meant for you to try one! Da Wang and I haven’t had any yet, and Xiao Yang didn’t get to taste them either.” Su Qing’s tone carried a hint of complaint, but it was clear he was delighted. “Were they that good? Could you tell what flavor it was? If they’re good enough, I might bake more to sell in the shop.”

“Uh, I couldn’t quite figure it out. Just… thought they were alright,” Yue Qi said, nervously touching the bundle of cookies wrapped in a napkin in his pocket.

“You couldn’t figure it out?” Surprisingly, Su Qing didn’t seem disappointed but rather delighted. “That’s great! That’s exactly the effect I was going for. I’ve always thought that if I could remove the weird taste of green peppers, more people would be willing to try green pepper cookies.”

“…” Green peppers again.

If you know green peppers taste weird, why are you using them to make cookies?!

“Hehe, you… are really creative,” Yue Qi stammered, utterly baffled by Su Qing’s peculiar thought process. All he could do was smile awkwardly and offer a polite compliment.

Seeing Yue Qi’s ingratiating expression and realizing he had eaten all the disgusting green pepper cookies, Qin Yang’s face darkened even further.

This guy is clearly up to no good.

Determined to prove that he, too, could stomach Su Qing’s “poisonous” cooking, Qin Yang sulkily lowered his head and began devouring the plate of boiled vegetables, a mixture of vibrant reds and greens that looked as unappetizing as it smelled.

“Eat slower,” Su Qing said, frowning as he watched Qin Yang’s unusual behavior. He thought, This poor kid must be starving. Otherwise, how could he manage to swallow something he usually detests so much?

Ignoring Su Qing, Qin Yang kept his head down and continued eating furiously. With his mouth still full, he suddenly looked up and asked, “Darling, Valentine’s Day is the day after tomorrow. How do you want to celebrate?”

“…” Su Qing froze, caught off guard by the sudden “darling.” His lips twitched slightly. “V-Valentine’s Day? We don’t need to celebrate Valentine’s Day, do we? You’re so busy…”

“No matter how busy I am, I’ll make time to celebrate with you.” Qin Yang shot a sideways glance at Yue Qi, who was by the door putting on his jacket, and added sarcastically, “If you’re not celebrating with me, who else are you celebrating with? Him?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?!” Su Qing’s face turned bright red. He quickly waved at Yue Qi, who had turned back to glance at them, and said with an awkward laugh, “Don’t mind him. He just loves to joke around.”

Yue Qi smiled, indicating he didn’t take it seriously, and waved goodbye to Su Qing before leaving.

Faced with Qin Yang’s intense possessiveness toward Su Qing, Yue Qi chalked it up to love.

He respected Qin Yang’s love.

At the time, he didn’t realize that Qin Yang was just a child.

A particularly immature child.

Not only did Qin Yang not understand love—he didn’t love Su Qing at all.

(To Be Continued…)

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