“I hope you like the scent of red pine.”
by M1zushiThank you Read for the ko-fi donation!
Yu Chen wasn’t like other alphas who would lunge forward indiscriminately upon hearing such invitation from an omega. Instead, following his old habits, he prepared for the aftermath.
He instructed Uriel to bring the clean clothes he had brought and ordered a nutritious dinner suitable for a bird. “Full of fruits and vegetables, and a double portion of meat.”
Concurrently, he summoned the AI.
The AI arrived in the blink of an eye through the fiber-optic network. It spent a second hacking into the terminal service provider and excitedly popped up a notification on the interface:
“Salute! Ready.”
Yu Chen entered a command: “Take over the area and prevent any information leaks.”
The AI gave an excited salute: “Understood! Like back in the day, controlling the entire continental region, right?”
Yu Chen heartlessly rebuffed it: “Just a 500-meter radius around the hostel.”
The AI replied despondently: “Oh…”
It can only be said that the master shapes the AI; it was also a full-blown control freak.
The AI took control of the terminal camera with ease. The familiar little red light glowed eerily as it desperately tried to adjust the camera angle to look into the bathroom:
“Is the mechanical bird in there?”
“Mm.”
“Are you going to bathe with him and help him clean out the internal dirt?”
“…Something like that.”
“Can you put me on the bathroom counter, aim the camera at you both, and let me capture some historical data on the interactions between a pure-blood merman and an android?”
“No.” A very resolute answer.
The AI presented a serious reason: “But without records, I can’t integrate data or provide further recommendations based on your preferences.”
Yu Chen unhurriedly rolled up his pant legs and removed his expensive metal sock garters. His noble profile, illuminated by the warm bathroom light, looked too handsome to be human:
“You can analyze Bai Ling more to understand my preferences.”
AI: “Mechanical bird = Interest Preference, got it.”
Get ready to feel the flood of Big Data, Master!
Soaking in the warm water that reached his chest, Bai Ling gradually became groggy.
The ceramic bathtub was slippery, and he unconsciously relaxed his body, slowly sinking into the water. In his daze, he felt the thick liquid sealing his mouth and nose, forcing him to drift in the overflowing darkness, and being licked into the stomach by a tongue extending from a monster in the tub, elegantly and cruelly devoured—
“Ah!” Bai Ling woke with a start and his wet hair was plastered to his forehead.
Even while soaking in warm water, that sharp, cold feeling still clung to his spine, refusing to disappear.
Soon, a large, warm hand covered his waist, leading him to sit up. “Did you choke?”
Bai Ling lifted his heavy eyelids to look at the merman, then lowered his head. “I’m fine. I just fell asleep and dreamed of something bad.”
He had that dream again, the formless monster lurking in the water, the silent, eerie scene of horror… He used to be plagued by these nightmares when he had mental disorders, making it impossible for him to live a normal life.
Yu Chen lowered his serene gaze as he held Bai Ling’s cheek almost tenderly, kissing his temple:
“You’re under too much pressure.”
Bai Ling blinked, his wet, downy-white lashes brushing against Yu Chen’s jaw like a small fan. Seeing the man still fully dressed with only his pant legs rolled up, he asked:
“Aren’t you coming in?”
A dark glint flashed in Yu Chen’s eyes, but his expression remained gentle. “Don’t ask an alpha that question next time.”
“Fine.” Bai Ling’s voice was light, seemingly unthreatening, but he suddenly grabbed Yu Chen’s waist and yanked the merman into the water with a splash.
Straddling the merman’s legs to prevent him from moving, Bai Ling raised his body high, and his hands braced both sides of the tub. With a cold, superior gaze, he smugly watched the merman’s handsome face bobbing on the water’s surface.
“I won’t ask, but I will directly ‘invite’ the alpha in.”
Yu Chen swept his wet hair back, revealing a high forehead and deep eye sockets. His eyes were full of indulgent affection as he said with a half-smile:
“You little rascal. This isn’t a free fishing ground.”
His shirt was soaked through, and the shape of his abdominal muscles could be vaguely seen through the fabric, making one’s throat tighten for no reason.
Bai Ling silently looked away, but thinking it would be a waste not to look, since he’d have to pay to see something of this quality outside, he forced himself to turn back.
With the addition of a merman, the bathtub instantly became cramped.
Bai Ling carefully tucked his legs in to make room. But the merman sat up with powerful arms, his noble, elegant face suddenly drawing close to his.
Those eyes were a vivid, emerald-like deep green. Bai Ling accidentally met them and was instantly submerged, his mind conjuring the images of a vibrant yet decaying late-summer forest.
Beneath that greenery lay the bottomless, black, rotting earth.
What on earth am I thinking…
Bai Ling shook his head, clearing those scattered thoughts from his mind.
It seems he might really be under too much pressure, causing the lingering effects of his mental disorder to surface. He’d have to find Dr. Lin for a stress test and get some routine sedatives to drink later.
“You said your stomach hurt earlier. Is it here?” The merman’s words interrupted Bai Ling’s train of thought.
Bai Ling froze, then replied: “Yes, it hurts a bit near the navel. It’s no big deal…”
As soon as he finished speaking, the mermaid pulled him into his arms, placing his palms on his stomach and slowly rubbing in circles around the navel.
The strength was cautious and careful, as if he were something fragile.
Bai Ling leaned against Yu Chen’s broad shoulders, silently shifting his gaze to stare at his profile, as sharp and steep as a coastal cliff.
This feeling of being cherished…
Bai Ling quietly closed his eyes.
He hadn’t experienced it since he left his mother as a child.
Uriel delivered the late-night snack and clothing.
The clothes were brought from Yu Chen’s palace, so naturally, they were his. Bai Ling put on a pair of underwear and threw on nothing but a white shirt over it.
The shirt was a size too large, hanging loosely on his frame; the hem just managed to cover his hips. Below it was one long, straight leg and the stump of his other thigh.
Yu Chen told him to eat properly, so he set his prosthetic aside to charge and sat on a stool, dangling his single leg.
Yu Chen returned after exchanging a few words with Uriel outside. He could hear the clink of the spoon against the bowl of milk porridge, but no sound of swallowing.
He reached out to feel the plate; as expected, the meat was gone, and the cherry tomatoes had been entirely eliminated. Only the milk porridge with minced greens remained.
Yu Chen sat down beside Bai Ling and tapped his knuckles against the table. “Don’t be a picky eater.”
Bai Ling fished a tablet out of the bowl, completely unfazed. “Drugging me again.”
“That’s a calcium tablet.”
After the bath, the heater in the room hummed to life, and the steam chased away the last of his alertness. The hangover began to set in and Bai Ling’s head throbbed with a dull ache. He rested his chin on the table and grumbled dizzily:
“How can you give me this? Only fledglings eat these.”
“Have two more bites.”
Bai Ling hunched over, his hot cheek pressed against the tabletop, his heel rhythmically tapping the chair leg.
He said irritably, “I don’t want to eat anymore.”
Yu Chen was about to sigh over how he had managed to turn a little stray into a picky eater when he heard the sound of Bai Ling scooping from the bowl, forcing himself to eat while muttering:
“No, I have to eat. Can’t waste it…”
As expected, he still had the habits of a puppy.
However, this irritability and emotional instability do need to be addressed.
Earlier, Uriel had hesitantly reminded Yu Chen that the first group match was tomorrow. If a pilot was in a bad mood, it would surely affect their performance. In more serious cases, it could even lead to safety accidents on the field, such as a crash caused by an operational error.
This was why most associations refused to recruit omega pilots during their differentiation period.
They are practically synonymous with “instability.”
Yu Chen knew well that with Bai Ling’s self-disciplined habits, he would surely try everything to stabilize his mindset before the race. But letting his omega walk out the door while suppressing a grudge was simply not Yu Chen’s style.
And there are many ways to adjust an omega’s mood and help them gain dopamine.
One can stimulate the glands, engage in some bedtime exercise, or more simply, yield to the omega’s needs and please him.
Yu Chen said thoughtfully, “Didn’t you want a ‘health massage’ earlier?”
Bai Ling, who was idly sipping the milk soup, nearly choked. “That was drunk talk. Just drunk talk.”
Seeing no reply, Bai Ling thought the matter was over. But when he snapped back to his senses, Yu Chen had already begun meticulously washing and disinfecting his hands.
He stared blankly as the old fish unhurriedly used a large cotton swab to clean under his fingernails. Then, Yu Chen casually pulled out a fresh swab and tucked it between Bai Ling’s slightly parted lips:
“Bite down on this. The walls are thin; don’t make a sound later.”
What kind of brutish talk is that?!
Bai Ling spat out the swab, looking as if he wanted to say something but was hesitating. Although it wasn’t great to dampen an alpha’s enthusiasm, some things needed to be clarified.
“…You shouldn’t waste your effort. This trick doesn’t work on me.”
Yu Chen meticulously rolled up his sleeves. He had just changed his clothes and looked once more like a tidy old aristocrat. He asked casually, “Why do you say that?”
Bai Ling was concise, using terms an adult would understand: “I’m frigid. I don’t feel anything.”
Strictly speaking, “frigid” didn’t quite cover it.
Being in a high-pressure, high-stress environment for so long had made his psychological resilience far superior to others, but it also brought problems like pseudo-heat, low reproductive desire, and a severe lack of sex hormones. These symptoms weren’t obvious day-to-day, but they tended to culminate in one result:
It was very difficult for him to find release through basic means.
To be honest, he quite envied people who could solve their needs in three minutes.
But he couldn’t; his desires were like Brownian motion, completely untraceable, with no reliable trigger.
Being checkmated by Mr. D in chess might count as one.
Handling an enemy alpha through “abnormal” means was barely another.
There was a third method, one forced by his mental disorder in his past life, but that mechanism is as mysterious as a brain seizure, so it’s also out.
Yu Chen pondered for a moment, arching his eyebrows in surprise, his tone dropping an octave: “Since you don’t feel anything, why have you been clamoring to sleep with me time and again?”
Bai Ling remained expressionless. “Can’t I just enjoy the idea?”
Regardless, sleeping with Izsu Paraiso was a win no matter how you looked at it.
Free is best.
As long as he treats the other as a tool for release, the other can’t treat him as a replacement. This is how bird magic defeats merfolk magic.
“I don’t encourage young people to just ‘enjoy the idea’; it’s not conducive to physical or mental health.”
As the merman spoke, he pulled a small tube from somewhere and squeezed a dollop of smooth, silky lotion into his palm.
Bai Ling: “?”
He asked suspiciously, “Why do you carry that kind of thing with you?”
Yu Chen rubbed the lotion into his palms and casually tapped Bai Ling’s forehead. “This is moisturizer for my scales, you little rascal. Where has your mind gone?”
Bai Ling let out a cold “heh.” “Doesn’t the purpose end up being the same now?”
This time Yu Chen didn’t deny it. He squeezed the bird’s shoulder, signaling him to stand up. Then he sat down himself and pulled the little bird back onto his lap. Taking advantage of this position, he leaned down and his deep, magnetic voice brushed against Bai Ling’s ear:
“I hope you like the scent of red pine.”
Bai Ling muttered, “As long as you don’t rub pheromones on your hands, it’s fine.”
He hunched his back, wanting to look down, but the merman gripped the flesh of his thigh and commanded:
“Eat your food. Don’t get distracted.”
Author’s Note:
Excitedly rubbing hands.jpg
I have to say, the old man has so many preparation steps (mostly because he has the bird in his heart).
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