MWMM Chapter 65: Loneliness Is a Small Matter, Losing One’s Innocence Is a Big Deal

Yan Yuzhou hid in his room like a turtle retreating into its shell, muttering to himself in his heart, “Please, heavens above, let Shen Ci act like a decent human being!”

And then, in the very next second, he heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock.

Click.

That single sound completely shattered all his faith in the heavens.

“Wuwuwu, is what’s meant to come truly inevitable?” Yan Yuzhou wailed silently. The moment the door was pushed open, he instinctively clutched his chrysanthemum (T/N: euphemism for his behind).

As soon as Shen Ci stepped inside, his gaze landed on the little thing curled up inside the bed. Those wide, panicked eyes stared back at him, filled with sheer alarm. Both hands were tucked behind his back, as if shielding something precious.

Oh? Guarding against me, huh?

Shen Ci calmly averted his gaze, nonchalantly closing the door behind him. Then, he started walking toward Yan Yuzhou’s bed.

He had barely taken a single step when Yan Yuzhou hurriedly called out to stop him.

“Stand right there!” Yan Yuzhou freed one hand and pointed urgently in Shen Ci’s direction. “This is my room! Y-You’re not allowed to come over!”

After saying that, he even put on a fierce expression—his little face so tense it might as well have had “If you dare come closer, I’ll throw myself into a river like the Eight Heroines!” written all over it.

This feeble attempt at resistance—like a kitten baring its claws despite having no real ability to fight back—was simply too tempting to bully.

So naturally, Shen Ci completely ignored Yan Yuzhou’s utterly ineffective warning and continued his leisurely steps toward the bed, inching closer to the omega who was still clutching himself protectively.

By the time he reached the edge of the bed, Shen Ci clearly saw Yan Yuzhou’s small body instinctively shrink back just a little. His wide eyes sparkled, reflecting light like tiny rippling stars.

“S-Shen… Mr. Shen,” Yan Yuzhou’s voice trembled as he felt tears threatening to well up. “Today is my birthday…”

Oh? Shen Ci paused. This little thing is actually trying to bargain with me?

Intrigued, he leaned casually against the bed and asked, “So?”

Yan Yuzhou swallowed nervously. “I’m the birthday star! Besides, I haven’t even made my birthday wish yet!”

Shen Ci raised an eyebrow, finding this whole thing rather amusing. He hadn’t expected his Zhouzhou to still act like such a little kid. Indulging him, he asked, “And what do you want to wish for?”

Yan Yuzhou looked at Shen Ci with an expression of utmost sincerity, his eyes full of hope, and grinned.

“My birthday wish is… to sleep alone tonight!”

Shen Ci: ……

He immediately regretted asking. This was a textbook case of lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot.

Yan Yuzhou saw the shift in Shen Ci’s expression—from doting amusement to something distinctly displeased. A dangerous aura instantly began radiating from the man, making the temperature in the room plummet.

Feeling the chill, Yan Yuzhou unconsciously shrank back, doing his best to maintain some distance from this walking ice machine. Still, he made one last desperate struggle.

“Mr. Shen… isn’t the birthday star supposed to have the final say?”

Shen “smiling on the surface but not in his heart” Ci’s gaze swept over Yan Yuzhou’s little face, which was full of wariness. It was unclear what he was thinking, but suddenly, he chuckled, his tone unexpectedly easygoing.

“Alright then, let’s wish our little birthday star a good night and sweet dreams.”

The moment Shen Ci stepped out and closed the door, Yan Yuzhou let out a deep sigh of relief. Pressing his hands together, he whispered, “Thank you, heavens, for making Shen Ci act like a decent person.”

*

Having received Shen Ci’s personal guarantee that he could sleep alone tonight, Yan Yuzhou’s mental burden was instantly lifted. He flopped onto the bed like a joyful little swallow, rolling around for a while before touching the gland on the back of his neck and giggling to himself.

‘It’s been so long since I slept alone! I missed this free, unrestrained feeling so much…’

Although, without that familiar, pleasant pine scent beside him, something felt a little off.

‘But loneliness is a small matter—losing my innocence is a big one!’

Ignoring the slight discomfort in his heart, Yan Yuzhou happily turned off the lights, hugged his pillow, and quickly drifted into sleep.

He had no idea how long he had been asleep when he suddenly felt his pillow becoming… warm. Then bigger. And—moving?

In his half-asleep state, his nose was filled with that familiar, pleasant scent of pine. Something wrapped around his waist, and before him, there seemed to be a solid, warm wall. Instinctively, he snuggled closer, enveloped in a sense of comfort and warmth.

…Wait.

After hugging this moving “pillow” for a few minutes, Yan Yuzhou gradually woke up and finally realized something was wrong.

‘Hold on—Mr. Shen, who always keeps his word, who prides himself on being a man of honor, who swore he’d let me sleep alone—why is he lying in my bed?!’

A jolt of shock ran through him. He sat up abruptly and quickly turned on the bedside lamp.

What met his eyes was Shen Ci’s incredibly handsome (shameless) face. Shirtless, he gazed at Yan Yuzhou with utterly unrepentant clarity in his eyes, his tone slow and lazy, completely devoid of guilt.

“What’s wrong?”

Yan Yuzhou’s small face tensed, his brows furrowing, his voice full of accusation. “How can you just go back on your word like that?”

Shen Ci shrugged, his face plastered with the word “innocence”, and spoke in a tone of pure obliviousness.

“How did I go back on my word?”

Yan Yuzhou huffed indignantly. “You clearly promised to let me sleep alone on my birthday, but now you— you— hmph!”

Turning his little head away, his puffed-up right cheek was fully exposed to Shen Ci’s view, making him look like an adorable little goldfish. Shen Ci felt a restless itch stir inside him. Resisting the urge to pounce, he let out a low chuckle, scooped up the sulking little thing, and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“Baby, I did say I’d let you sleep alone on your birthday. But… your birthday ended ten minutes ago.”

Yan Yuzhou: … Damn it. I knew this old fox was up to no good!

Seeing the lingering anger in the little one’s expression, Shen Ci’s teasing urge only grew stronger.

“I only promised you could sleep alone last night, but now that your birthday is over… shouldn’t my Zhouzhou start fulfilling his duties as a wife?”

The moment Yan Yuzhou heard fulfilling duties—a phrase with a suggestive undertone—his fear skyrocketed. His originally puffed-up little face instantly filled with terror, and his wide, pleading eyes made Shen Ci’s heart itch unbearably.

“Zhouzhou, do you still remember what I said?” Shen Ci continued speaking softly into his ear. “If you keep having little schemes, I might just have to—mark you completely.”

Yan Yuzhou’s face turned red in an instant. He stammered, “B-but I’ve always been good!”

“Oh? Really?” Shen Ci drawled slowly. “Then tell me, who was it yesterday in the car that jumped to conclusions without understanding the situation? Who was pleading on behalf of their male classmate?”

Yan Yuzhou’s mouth twitched. His little face immediately fell. “Why do you still remember that?”

After saying that, he let out a soft “hmph” and muttered under his breath, so quickly that it was barely audible—

“Petty.”

That tiny complaint only made Shen Ci’s smile widen. Looking at the person in his arms, he leaned in closer.

“Zhouzhou, if there’s a next time… I really won’t hold back.”

Then, he reached out and click—switched off the bedside lamp.

In the darkness, he pulled the soft, fragrant omega even closer. Still, a hint of regret lingered in his heart.

This little omega… still had quite a strong sense of wariness toward him.