FIO CH5

Chapter 5: Sleep Together?

In the end, Zhou Zheng didn’t get the answer he wanted. Instead, he was urged by Lu Fangchi to take a shower. Reluctantly, Zhou Zheng made his way to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, as he emerged from the bathroom and passed by Lu Fangchi’s bed, he glanced at him several times. Lu Fangchi was leaning against the bed, watching a tablet. His long, fair fingers tapped on the screen, his face expressionless, and his lowered eyelashes concealed the emotions in his eyes. Zhou Zheng couldn’t fathom his mood—was he still angry or not?

Zhou Zheng hesitated on the spot for a long time, his face showing a desire to speak but ultimately holding back, lest he upset Lu Fangchi further. He looked rather dejected, a tall alpha with a pitiful demeanor. Just as he was about to move, Lu Fangchi’s voice came from behind: “Wait a moment.”

Zhou Zheng immediately stopped and turned around, seeing Lu Fangchi pat the bed. Following his gesture, Zhou Zheng noticed the newly laid quilt on the bed. Lu Fangchi had moved from the center to the left side, leaving a large space on the right.

W-H-A-T D-O-E-S T-H-I-S M-E-A-N?

I-S I-T W-H-A-T H-E T-H-I-N-K-S?

Zhou Zheng’s eyes lit up, and he blinked several times, his excited expression impossible to hide. It seemed his “tail” was wagging even more vigorously than before. He was terrible at hiding his feelings, and Lu Fangchi couldn’t help but smile, raising an eyebrow in invitation: “Would you like to come and sleep together?”

More than willing.

Zhou Zheng nodded vigorously: “Yes, yes, yes!” Fearing that Lu Fangchi might change his mind, he quickly strode to the bedside, nimbly climbed onto the bed, and covered himself with the quilt. Although there were two separate nests, he was already very content!

“Drink some milk before sleeping,” came Lu Fangchi’s gentle voice.

There was even milk! Zhou Zheng, feeling extremely favored, picked up the cup from the nightstand and drank it in one go. Anyone who knew him would understand that he had just drunk milk, but those who didn’t might think he had drunk wine, as a blush of satisfaction spread across his face, and his voice was filled with a sense of euphoria: “The milk tastes great.”

“Mm, sleep now.”

With that, the bedside lamp was clicked off, plunging the bedroom into darkness.

So excited, Zhou Zheng thought to himself, almost sleeping with Lu Fangchi. He hugged his quilt and took a deep sniff, trying to catch a whiff of Lu Fangchi’s scent. But why did Lu Fangchi suddenly let him sleep in the bed? Was it just for tonight, or would it be like this from now on?

However, the bed was so comfortable that once he lay down, he sank into it. The lavender scent by the bedside seemed hypnotic, and before Zhou Zheng could utter a word, he fell into a deep sleep.

Listening to the soft snoring beside him, Lu Fangchi thought, “He fell asleep pretty fast.” But then again, he had been up since early morning, fussing over the chicken soup until the middle of the night. It was hard on him.

Perhaps it was because he had dozed off for a bit earlier, or maybe the sudden presence beside him made it hard for Lu Fangchi to fall asleep. After tossing and turning for a while without feeling sleepy, he finally gave up struggling and sat up quietly.

Adjusting the bedside lamp to its dimmest setting, Lu Fangchi observed Zhou Zheng, who was fast asleep beside him. His breathing was steady and even, his chest rising and falling gently. Even with his eyes closed, the clear and smooth contours and the straight bridge of his nose revealed the handsomeness of his face. Usually, Lu Fangchi had only noticed his thick eyebrows, but now, with his eyes closed, he realized that his eyelashes were also quite dense, casting a shadow under his eyes like a small brush.

He looked peaceful and innocent in his sleep, but actually, he was also very approachable when awake. Thinking back to Zhou Zheng’s “I’m sorry” earlier, Lu Fangchi felt ashamed. In fact, it was he who should have apologized, but the words stuck in his throat, unable to be spoken. It wasn’t that the word “sorry” was hard to say, but rather the subsequent questions that would arise once it was uttered were too much for Lu Fangchi to handle.

Just thinking about it made Lu Fangchi feel annoyed. He quietly got out of bed and walked to the window, opening it slightly. He took out a cigarette from the pack, placed it between his lips, and lit it with a lighter. After inhaling, he exhaled the smoke out the window, where the faint smoke intertwined and merged with the falling snowflakes.

He wasn’t ready to lay bare his feelings to Zhou Zheng, and naturally, he couldn’t explain the reasons behind his apology. In fact, the reasons were quite simple—just a bit of family pain. Lu Fangchi was born into an intellectual family, with both parents being university professors. Their ideas were in sync, and their free-love marriage was harmonious, both materially and spiritually affluent. This setup could be called a perfect match, but it was shattered the day Lu Fangchi was born.

Lu Fangchi was born after a difficult labor that lasted eight hours, finally arriving at midnight on Christmas Eve. The subsequent turn of events was as clichéd and melodramatic as they come. His mother suffered from amniotic fluid embolism and passed away. His birthday became his mother’s anniversary, which was certainly not a day to celebrate.

The once-celebrated love had planted a landmine in their relationship. Lu Fangchi’s father, Lu Jingfeng, was extremely cold towards Lu Fangchi, even to the point of loathing. As a child, Lu Fangchi didn’t understand and felt wronged by his father’s indifference. He longed for the warmth of family affection and awkwardly tried to get closer, only to be pushed away again and again.

As an adult, Lu Fangchi gradually understood Lu Jingfeng’s attitude towards him, but the broken relationship could not be mended. Moreover, neither of them had considered repairing it. Their only contact each year was on Christmas Eve, the day of Lu Fangchi’s birthday and his mother’s anniversary.

Lu Fangchi was unwilling to reveal his scars to Zhou Zheng. These words were just too sentimental.

But he really felt guilty. When Zhou Zheng took out the rose and asked for forgiveness, Lu Fangchi’s sense of guilt reached its peak. Those who betray sincerity deserve to die.

Zhou Zheng wasn’t wrong in the first place, so what was there to forgive?

In the midst of his thoughts, he recalled a little episode just now. Lu Fangchi asked him, “I saw you leave and thought you weren’t coming back.”

“How could I not? I just went out to take out the trash,” Zhou Zheng replied, then he made a face with a hint of annoyance, “But unfortunately, the wind must have been too strong. When I came back, the door was blown shut. I had specifically left it ajar when I left.”

These words made Lu Fangchi fall into reflection. He suddenly realized that he had never recorded Zhou Zheng’s fingerprints during this period.

“It was my oversight,” Lu Fangchi frowned, “but you could have knocked on the door.”

Zhou Zheng rubbed his nose with his hand and hesitated, “Well, you were just angry, and if I troubled you to open the door, wouldn’t you get even more upset…”

Heaven, was he such an unreasonable person? Lu Fangchi couldn’t bear to listen anymore and sent Zhou Zheng to take a shower, ending the topic there.

Although he didn’t talk about it anymore, it didn’t mean that the matter was closed in Lu Fangchi’s mind. He began to reflect on whether he had been too harsh on Zhou Zheng.

The conclusion he finally reached was that he indeed hadn’t been very kind.

Just the fact that a 1.9-meter-tall alpha had been sleeping on the sofa for over a month was already quite pitiful, not to mention the inconvenience of not having fingerprints for going out for a breath of fresh air, and the trouble of buying groceries.

During the more than a month of staying here, Zhou Zheng hadn’t caused any trouble. He had never woken him up at night, and he had been like a fairy, cooking and cleaning, even trying to surprise him on his birthday.

And what about himself?

Lu Fangchi couldn’t continue his reflection. Compared to himself, he was simply a heinous villain.

Since he couldn’t bring himself to apologize, he decided to be kinder to Zhou Zheng.

Two big alphas, what could happen by sleeping in the same bed?

As a cigarette burned down, Lu Fangchi’s eyelids began to droop, and the feeling of fatigue gradually washed over him. He stubbed out the cigarette butt in the ashtray and turned to go to bed.

The sound of regular breathing beside him made Lu Fangchi feel a bit uncomfortable. After all, he had been sleeping alone since he could remember. This feeling was too unfamiliar, making him unsure where to place his limbs.

Lu Fangchi thought he would suffer from insomnia due to the unfamiliarity, but in the end, he couldn’t resist the sleepiness and closed his eyes.

Lu Fangchi was awakened by being entangled. He felt as if he was wrapped by something, unable to stretch or move his limbs.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Lu Fangchi understood his situation. The person behind him had bear-hugged him, with a heavy arm pressing on his chest and a thigh pinning his legs, leaving no room for movement. No wonder he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

Lu Fangchi barely moved, but the person behind him tightened their grip even more, and even rested their head on Lu Fangchi’s neck, their breath hot against his gland.

Lu Fangchi’s body stiffened, and his face turned dark.

No alpha could tolerate such provocation! Not to mention that the other party was also an alpha!

Instinctively, Lu Fangchi’s face turned ugly, almost ready to explode. He immediately struggled to get up, but the person behind him didn’t want to let go, tightening their hold even more. It was only after a elbow strike and a kick from Lu Fangchi that the person reluctantly released him with a muffled groan.

Lu Fangchi sat up in a huff, his robe slightly open from the struggle, his hair disheveled, and even his forehead was sweating. His face rarely showed such irritation.

Because a faint tea fragrance was lingering around his nose, the aroma was strong, as elegant as orchids, a refined scent that was not aggressive but refreshing.

This kind of fragrance was highly praised by omegas and betas, but unfortunately, Lu Fangchi was an alpha. Adhering to the principle of like repels like, he was very annoyed!

This was causing trouble! It was making a fuss out of nothing! It was looking for a fight!

Lu Fangchi took two deep breaths, suppressing the rising anger in his heart, and then reached out to shake Zhou Zheng, planning to have a serious talk with him. The act of releasing pheromones casually was extremely impolite!

But as soon as his hand touched the other’s arm, Lu Fangchi was shocked by the astonishing heat. He felt upwards, and every part was burning hot, as if the person had been boiled.

Lu Fangchi fully woke up and turned on the main light. The sudden brightness made Zhou Zheng wrinkle his brows, close his eyes tightly again, and then bury his face deeper into the quilt.

Lu Fangchi pulled back the quilt, revealing Zhou Zheng’s flushed face. He touched it and found it extremely hot.

Zhou Zheng, like a puppy showing affection, rubbed his face against Lu Fangchi’s palm, and then, as if it was not enough, he covered Lu Fangchi’s hand with his own, a big hand enveloping a small one, rubbing it and burying his eyes into the palm, muttering, “It’s too bright.”

Lu Fangchi felt the scorching heat transmitted through his palm, and even the breath from Zhou Zheng was hot. It seemed that he had a serious fever.

The eyes are a very delicate part. Lu Fangchi didn’t dare to press too hard and could only tap on the position of his eyeballs with his fingers: “Zhou Zheng, wake up.”

“Get up, I’m taking you to the hospital.”