After-sex smoke

by M1zushi

Near midnight, the⁠‍‍⁠‍‍‍⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌ terrace’s electronic door glided open automatically. Someone stepped inside, letting out a long, slow breath.

A nurse was hiding in the corner eating a late-night snack. Management at this private hospital was strict, forbidding food with strong odors indoors. Following the internet trend, she had ordered garlic-grilled octopus tonight. Having barely taken two bites, she recognized the person walking in as Mr. Bai from the top-floor VIP suite.

She tried to stand up to greet him, but he didn’t even turn his head, instructing casually: “Keep eating. Don’t mind me.”

The terrace was semi-open. Smoking was strictly prohibited inside the hospital, making this the sole designated smoking area.

The night grew deep, and a gust of wind lifted the decorative tulle curtains. She watched Mr. Bai lean against the railing, tilting his head to light a cigarette. The gale blew hard, so he lightly cupped his hands to shield the flame. The flickering tongue of fire illuminated his youthful features; with his eyelashes slightly lowered, his beauty was otherworldly, like an immortal.

The nurse knew he had a partner.

Sharing a physical relationship with a much older guardian sounded somewhat scandalous on the surface, but under Imperial law, it was entirely permissible.

And… he was likely out here for an after-sex smoke, right?

The moment the nurse recalled the scene when she had pushed the door open earlier, her face flushed and her heart hammered. That refined, noble alpha’s back had been covered in scratch marks, his hospital gown torn into ribbons, looking exactly as though he’d been mauled by a wild cat. One could easily infer how intense the process had been.

Bai Ling took a drag from the filter, exhaling softly to watch the smoke dissipate like scattering clouds and stars. Narrowing his eyes, he was also savoring the events from moments ago.

Not the intimacy, though.

The wound.

When the dressing was being changed, he had caught sight of the scar across Yu Chen’s abdomen. A rough glance suggested it spanned at least ten centimeters. Rumor had it that this fellow had literally reached his fingers inside to dig out the bullet—truly absurd beyond measure.

Though when Bai Ling examined his own conscience, he admitted that if the roles were reversed, he was entirely capable of committing an equally unhinged act.

How marvelous. One massive freak paired with his own little maniac.

Two of a kind, brought together.

The slender fingers holding the cigarette gave a spasmodic twitch, his entire frame exhausted from the ordeal. Yet with his physical strength completely drained, this single cigarette actually rendered his mind increasingly sharp and clear.

Compared to a complete mark, determining how to break out of their current predicament was the absolute priority.

Bai Ling understood with total clarity that Yu Chen could never return to the Royal Palace.

If his predictions held true, the merman had likely suffered a similar assassination attempt in his past life, causing his situation to rapidly deteriorate, lying dormant for twenty years without a single sign of movement. As long as Yu Chen remained on the Capital for a single day, such attacks would never cease. Who knew how many bone-ash bullets remained in stock?

Failing to kill him this time, there would be a next time, and a another after that.

Therefore, hiding was entirely useless; the time had arrived to actively strike out.

Lifting his face, Bai Ling gazed up at the gloomy night sky. The hospital sector was quiet, its airspace routing around the bustling sky-rails, allowing one to faintly glimpse the flashing defense island chain above.

Staring at it for a moment, he took a deep drag of his cigarette, then clamped the filter between his teeth, pulled out his terminal, and began searching aggressively for information.

Keywords: Sovereign Kaide’s Birthday Celebration.

On the tyrant’s birthday, political dignitaries from various nations were invited to celebrate. Originally, a mere thirty-fifth birthday, not a National Day, held no need for such elaborate preparations or global attention.

However, the economy had been continuously spiraling downward in recent years, reaching an all-time low this winter. Public discontent ran rampant, and opposition voices could no longer be suppressed. The authorities simply leveraged the birthday celebration as a pretext to launch a grand festival, intending to utilize overwhelming media coverage to mask their administrative failures and divert the populace’s focus.

The Vice President of the Federation would also attend.

When that time came, the Federation’s warships would cross the aerial defense island chain, and the Capital Star’s Identify Friend or Foe system would be temporarily deactivated to grant passage.

This window would last for a full ten minutes.

To Bai Ling, this represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; if missed, he had no idea how many years he would have to wait.

Tomorrow, they had to break out through that opening in the It proposed surrounding the Soviet Union and China with naval bases in the West Pacific to project power and restrict sea access.[2] The “island chain” concept did not become a major theme in American foreign policy during the Cold War, but after the dissolution of the Soviet Union it has remained a significant focus of both American and Chinese geopolitical and military analysts. For the United States, the island chain strategy is a significant part of the force projection of the U.S. military in the Far East. For the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the concept is integral to its maritime security and fears of strategic encirclement by the U.S. and its allies. For both the U.S. and the PRC, the island chain strategy emphasizes the geographical and strategic importance of Taiwan. " footnote="false"]island chain.

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The Captain breathed a sigh of relief. Not losing a teammate was a win in itself. But when mentioning the vessel required for tomorrow, his tone turned somber:

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Their paperwork had gone through multi-party notarization; it was indisputably legal. Yet the Bluefin Tuna simply refused to budge, adamantly insisting they were suspicious. As for the motive, he could easily deduce it.

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After all, purchasing a ship outright on short notice was completely unrealistic. starting prices were 1 billion credits, an amount they couldn’t possibly afford. Furthermore, even if they bought a ship, they couldn’t just fly it out at a moment’s notice; they had to process a license valid for flight. Otherwise, the moment they ascended into the sky, the air police’s aircraft would immediately give chase.

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“Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out and get back to you later,” Bai Ling stated from the other end.

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As the second son of the shipping tycoon, Lan Qi had always maintained a clean public image. Aside from loving mecha combat and keeping pilots, he harbored no other vices.

So when he appeared at a neon-lit, bustling bar, the attendants gasped internally: Unpresented.

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They were escorts clad in bunny-ear costumes.

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The person pointed out went over with delight, instinctively wanting to sit on the young master’s lap. Lan Qi glared at him with displeasure, and the other immediately acted meek and obedient, smoothing down his bird tail as he sat to the side, lifting his hand to pour Lan Qi a drink.

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“I prefer…” The words reached his lips, but Lan Qi suddenly swallowed them, providing the exact opposite answer: “I prefer someone more delicate, a little titmouse or something.”

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Yet Lan Qi pondered it in his heart, feeling that the person lacked any kind of charm os presence.

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Lan Qi pulled him over and smoothed his hair. The texture was quite soft, which unexpectedly improved his mood slightly. He noted, “It’s not a preference, He’s just my betrothed.”

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Bai Ling was young and acted impulsively when handling matters; in a fit of rage, he actually picked up a pair of scissors and stabbed his guardian, landing himself straight in prison afterward. His engagement with Lan Qi was, naturally, ruined.

Originally, Lan Qi hadn’t taken the matter to heart. Missing out on one omega merely meant waiting for the next match; after all, his biological father only required him to marry a high-compatibility Omega, without specifying which one.

Yet he never anticipated that this fierce omega would actually appear on the tournament arena…

Lan Qi reopened his terminal, replaying the clip of “Bai Ling” being apprehended.

Previous tournament live streams had mosaic protection, so no one had ever witnessed the true appearance of that face. Looking at it now, it turned out this bird possessed an extraordinary aura—a cold detachment laced with a stubborn, unyielding bone of pride. It was ten times more stunning than the system match photo sent over back then.

It was simply…

It simply fit Lan Qi’s preferences to absolute perfection.

Now, Lan Qi was entirely certain that the younger man’s imprisonment was merely a pretext; he just wanted to evade him, a betrothed he had never met.

“Ah…” The young master’s upturned peach-blossom eyes gradually dimmed. Suddenly finding the situation dull, he pushed the titmouse away in a single motion, drinking his alcohol in solitary silence.

“Does Young Master have something troubling his mind? Would you be willing to tell me?” The titmouse was a professional service provider; at a time like this, he naturally acted as a sympathetic listener.

Lan Qi stared at his white hair for a moment, but ultimately felt that nothing could compare to the true mountain clouds. Paying the tab, he departed.

Walking out of the bar entrance, he stole another glance at the match results from back then: 92%.

An exceptionally high compatibility quotient.

What a pity, what a pity. They failed to meet even a single time before the younger man was sent to the gallows. Otherwise, he truly would have liked to invite the other party out for a meal, sampling along the way what kind of scalding sensation love at a high compatibility level possessed.

Lost items were always the most precious.

That night, Lan Qi was plagued by a lingering sense of tragic loss.

s if a million-dollar check on the ground had been swept away Aby a sudden gust of wind. When “Bai Ling’s” club came to rent a ship, he had used a pretext to turn them down.
That night, Lan Qi was plagued by a sense of tragic loss—as if a million-dollar check lying on the ground had been swept away by a sudden gust of wind. When “Bai Ling’s” club came to rent a ship, he used a pretext to turn them down.

Upon returning to his seaside villa, Lan Qi gave the order anyway: “No matter how much money it costs, or how many strings need to be pulled, get Bai Ling out for me.”
Upon returning to his seaside villa, Lan Qi gave the order anyway: “No matter how much money it costs, or how many connections need to be utilized, get Bai Ling out for me.”

“But Young Master, as for your father’s side… will it be difficult to explain?”
“But Young Master, as for your father’s side… won’t it be difficult to explain?”

“It doesn’t matter. Just tell him that he is my betrothed.”
“It doesn’t matter. Just tell him that he’s my fiancé.”

His subordinate submissively agreed, knowing that to the old master, the young master’s lineage and succession were matters of paramount importance. An omega with a high compatibility quotient possessed a pregnancy rate 5 times higher than that of an ordinary omega; it was definitely worth pulling every string to smooth things over.

Yanking at his tie, Lan Qi asked offhandedly, “Will Father be coming to the Capital tomorrow to offer his birthday congratulations?”

“The Tuna King mentioned that he hasn’t been feeling well lately and it isn’t convenient for him to travel by ship to the Capital. Furthermore, he requested that you, Young Master, go visit him as soon as possible.”

“Alright, I understand.” Lan Qi tossed his tie onto the sofa and sank heavily into it himself.

No one on the Capital knew that he was actually the illegitimate son of a crown prince from a small border nation, and the sole alpha born to his father. It was merely due to complex family dynamics that he had been fostered here with his uncle, posing publicly as the second son of the shipping tycoon.

His biological father had promised him that he would be brought back next year, declared the primary heir to the throne and the family estate, and allowed to reclaim his lineage in total glory.

If he could bring his pregnant omega back with him, his father would undoubtedly recognize him all the more.

Lan Qi murmured slowly, “92% compatibility…”

Bai Ling, you will become my beloved princess.

Author’s Note:

What a pity, what a pity. If the Tuna knew how the Old Merman ruthlessly rose to power and became Emperor at the age of twenty, he would realize that he was already defeated at the starting line.

First update posted! I’ll keep writing the next part in a bit, hehe.

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