Chapter 60: Extreme Craving
Ever since his undergraduate years, archaeological fieldwork had become a constant in Fu Rangyi’s life. After he joined the team, temporary assignments became even more common, and he was often away from home all year round. He actually liked this kind of work rhythm. He could spend the whole day at the site, far away in another city, with no need to participate in any of the Fu family’s activities.
But this time was different. For the first time in his life, he tasted what it meant to have someone on his mind.
Of course, that was not the only thing different.
“Professor Fu, why are you dressed so handsomely this time?” Teacher Zhang beside him teased with a smile. “Didn’t you always wear that huge round sun hat before? Every teacher in our department has one.”
Exactly. Fu Rangyi thought to himself. Add a pair of black arm sleeves in summer and a big backpack, and he would be an archaeological migrant worker in the most literal sense.
As the youngest teacher on the whole team, Fu Rangyi was already easy to tease. Now that Teacher Zhang had brought it up, the other colleagues also noticed something unusual about him and joined in.
“I noticed Professor Fu changed his hand shovel this time too. It even has his name engraved on it. One look and you know who customized it for him.”
“Wow, if someone gave me a custom hand shovel, I wouldn’t even bear to use it.”
“Honestly, that gray baseball cap looks really good. We rarely see Little Fu dressed like this.”
“Exactly. That black cropped down jacket, those jeans, plus the sun mask. When he came over this morning, I saw a tall, handsome guy greeting me from far away. I didn’t even recognize him. I thought he was some male celebrity.”
Everyone laughed.
Fu Rangyi lowered his head slightly, feeling helpless. He had indeed vetoed several outfits prepared by Stylist Little Zhu, but he had not expected that even after giving the hard requirements of “dirt-resistant” and “sun protection,” Zhu Zhixi could still put together something this conspicuous.
“Hey, did you know the documentary crew was coming to film this time?”
“Filming a documentary? I had no idea.” After clarifying, Fu Rangyi coughed once, his voice lowering slightly. “My spouse packed all my luggage this time. Whatever he packed, I brought.”
That immediately set off a fresh wave of gossip among the group.
“No wonder. Marriage really does change a person.”
“I told you Little Zhu knows how to take care of things. Look at how he dressed Professor Fu. You can tell he’s someone who really knows how to live.”
“Was it that Little Zhu from last time? He was so cute. Professor Fu won’t get jealous if I say that, right?”
Fu Rangyi smiled. “How could I?”
He was cute to begin with.
He had even placed the outfits into different packing cubes, one set at a time, and written little notes for each OOTD, assigning him a small task: take one mirror selfie in the hotel every morning before leaving and hand it in to Teacher Little Zhu.
Fu Rangyi rarely took photos and was not good at them. On the first day, after he sent the photo over, due to technical issues—and because Zhu Zhixi was still angry that he had secretly left early—he received an extremely low score.
[Teacher Little Xi: I really can’t believe a gym-going Alpha like you doesn’t know how to take mirror selfies. That person Da Zhu can post ten muscle-flexing selfies just from going to the gym.]
[Teacher Little Xi: ?? for the face. Zero stars for everything else.]
When it came to scores, Fu Rangyi had a strange competitiveness, probably born from the pride of being a longtime top student. So he specifically went online to learn mirror selfie techniques. The next morning, after changing into the gray outfit Zhu Zhixi had matched for him, he took a photo.
[Niannian Out Digging Dirt: Shared a photo.]
[Teacher Little Xi: !]
[Teacher Little Xi: Did you secretly sign up for a class somewhere? That’s terrifying progress. This one is so handsome you could use it to launch an account. Keep going. Husband’s photography skills are wife’s glory.]
[Niannian Out Digging Dirt: I’m going to work now. I probably won’t be able to check my phone during the day.]
[Teacher Little Xi: Wait! One minute!]
A minute later, Zhu Zhixi sent two photos. More accurately, they were two mirror selfies, one black and one gray, both in basic styles he almost never wore. Fu Rangyi looked at them for a while, then looked at himself in the mirror. Same clothes, same beaded bracelet, and matching rings. The overall similarity was ninety-nine percent.
[Niannian Out Digging Dirt: ?]
[Niannian Out Digging Dirt: Buyer’s show and seller’s show?]
[Teacher Little Xi: …………………]
[Teacher Little Xi: I might as well sell you off. Artificial intelligence is in the spotlight right now. Your brain must be worth a lot.]
Fu Rangyi did not have time to reply. He set Zhu Zhixi’s photos as the chat background. He did not realize that the top of the chat box had been showing: typing…
[Teacher Little Xi: It’s couple outfits, idiot.]
He had finally forced those words out of Zhu Zhixi’s mouth. Fu Rangyi was very satisfied.
[Niannian Out Digging Dirt: I see. Very good-looking.]
Aside from the surprise of the clothes themselves, there were quite a few little surprises hidden inside them. While working, he subconsciously put his hand into his jacket pocket, only to pull out some snacks: snowflake crisps, pork jerky, and beef jerky. Because he did not like sweets, most of them were savory.
And as soon as he pulled them out, another teacher saw.
“Hey, do you have any candy, Professor Fu? I didn’t eat lunch, so I’m a bit hypoglycemic.”
When Fu Rangyi heard that, he directly handed over the snowflake crisp. “Yes. This one is sweet.”
“Thank you, thank you. You saved my life. I squatted for too long earlier and when I stood up, everything went—” The teacher turned the packaging over. “Eh?”
A little folded pink paper heart was actually stuck to the back of the wrapper.
“This…” The other person laughed, carefully peeled the heart off, and handed it back. “Little Fu, the packaging of this snowflake crisp is quite special.”
Fu Rangyi froze. He stared at it for a few seconds. Usually emotionless, he suddenly became a little tongue-tied. “This is also…”
“Also prepared by your wife. I know! Newlyweds really are so happy.” The other person answered for him first, tore open the wrapper, and ate the snowflake crisp in one bite. “Mm! So sweet! I’ll get you something to eat this afternoon. Help me thank your Little Zhu!”
Only after the teacher left did Fu Rangyi lower his head and carefully unfold the little heart.
He had thought it would be a surprise note written by Zhu Zhixi.
It was not.
It was a small doodle. In the drawing was a short-haired little person wearing glasses, with a pair of fluffy upright ears on his head. Expressionless, he held his puffed-out cheeks and said, “Sweet enough to make me live forever.”
Fu Rangyi froze for one second, then laughed.
He flattened the little drawing and clipped it to the title page of his work notebook with a paper clip.
These little Easter eggs that popped up anytime and anywhere were very effective at easing Fu Rangyi’s separation anxiety, but their effects were limited. Once he had free time, he only missed Zhu Zhixi even more. The extent of this longing completely exceeded his imagination. He could clearly feel that his pheromones were very unstable.
Every day, he appeared normal as he went to work, held meetings, spent the whole day busy at the site, and even replied to students’ emails when he had time. But as soon as he returned to the hotel and everything quieted down, thoughts began growing wildly in his mind.
He wanted to hug him.
He wanted to hold his hand.
He wanted all kinds of physical contact. The more, the better.
This separation anxiety even affected his sleep quality.
Zhu Zhixi seemed to have the ability to predict the future. He had prepared a “sleep aid kit” in the suitcase for him. Inside were the scented candles Zhu Zhixi often lit in his room, melatonin gummies, a silk eye mask, and most importantly, Zhu Zhixi’s pajamas.
Fu Rangyi was touched by his thoughtfulness at first, but soon discovered a problem.
Zhu Zhixi had only packed his own pajamas. He had not packed Fu Rangyi’s.
On the first night, Fu Rangyi put on that one-size-too-small set of pajamas carrying Zhu Zhixi’s scent. Sitting on the bed with his knees bent and one hand resting on them, he took a photo. In the photo, the sleeves and pant legs were obviously too short.
He sent it directly.
[Teacher Little Xi: Why are you wearing my pajamas? Those are for you to smell… Wear your own.]
[Niannian Out Digging Dirt: I would like to wear my own too, but there aren’t any.]
[Teacher Little Xi: ??? How is that possible! Oh no, did I forget to pack them? I even picked out several sets on purpose! One slip in a hundred precautions, one slip in a hundred precautions… That set is way too small on you, right?]
[Niannian Out Digging Dirt: It fits perfectly.]
[Teacher Little Xi: Where does it fit perfectly? It’s clearly too short by a huge margin.]
[Niannian Out Digging Dirt: Perfect for letting my wrists and ankles breathe.]
[Teacher Little Xi: You always tell cold jokes with such a serious face. What’s the hotel like? Do they have bathrobes? Forget it, you definitely won’t want to wear the hotel bathrobe. Should I just mail some over to you? They’ll arrive the next day anyway.]
Fu Rangyi liked seeing Zhu Zhixi show such urgency because of him, but he did not want to make him too anxious either.
[Niannian Out Digging Dirt: It’s fine. I’ll wear yours. I sleep better in them.]
This was actually meant to reassure him. The shoulder line did not fit very well, so Fu Rangyi did not wear the top to sleep. Instead, he held it in his arms. Doing so did help him fall asleep, but his pheromones remained unstable.
In order not to worry Zhu Zhixi, he chose to consult Li Qiao. After all, Li Qiao was more professional.
“Pheromone fluctuations? I didn’t receive a notification. Huh? What’s going on? Oh, right, I’m no longer your emergency contact.” Li Qiao started off with a whole round of sarcastic bitterness.
Fu Rangyi: “…I already sent the data to you on WeChat.”
“I never thought we’d reach this day. I thought I’d always be the lucky guy notified first whenever my brother’s heat started burning hot.”
“Then fine. I’m hanging up, lucky guy.”
“Hey, hey, wait. Why can’t you take a joke?” Li Qiao laughed. After a while, he clicked his tongue, apparently having seen the data. “Fu Rangyi, is this data from today?”
Fu Rangyi: “Mm.”
“The fluctuation gap is this big, and the pheromone molecules are very active. Generally, this is a sign of the early stage before a susceptibility period. But your normal cycle is four months. Last time was already early, so logically, this time should be in April. Spring hasn’t even bloomed yet, and you’re already lovesick?”
Fu Rangyi: “…Can you speak a little more properly?”
“Brother, I’m a doctor. Look at the third item in your pheromone index. It directly reflects sexual impulse, okay? I’m already being very proper and very tactful. Do you dare send me the twenty-four-hour data? I’ll draw it into a curve chart for you. It’ll absolutely shoot straight into the sky.”
Fu Rangyi wanted to curse, but the other party was simply too logical and well-supported. Fortunately, he had not received any stimulation so far, and his bracelet had not triggered an alarm. Otherwise, Zhu Zhixi would have received a text message too.
So he could only ask, “Then do I need to take inhibitors in advance now?”
“Take them. It’ll be better if you do,” Li Qiao said. “But don’t take the strong kind. Just the regular ones you always bring whenever you go out.”
Fu Rangyi fell silent.
As a longtime old friend, Li Qiao immediately understood something from his silence. “No way, Professor Fu. You went on a business trip and didn’t even bring inhibitors?”
“…He packed my luggage for me,” Fu Rangyi said.
Li Qiao laughed. “No wonder. Betas just don’t have that awareness. Hurry up and go to a pharmacy. Start taking them today. As long as you aren’t affected by Omega pheromones, you’ll definitely be fine until you get back.”
After hanging up, Fu Rangyi changed into clothes for going out, left the hotel room, and went downstairs. The hotel was close to the archaeological site, in a relatively remote development zone of C City. All around were construction projects and half-dug subway sites. Once night fell, it became even quieter. The entire block was dark, with hardly anyone on the streets.
Walking alone at night in a place like this always gave one the illusion of being followed. Halfway through, he turned back once but found nothing.
After walking down one street, he still did not see a pharmacy, but there was a twenty-four-hour convenience store. A poster advertising inhibitors was stuck to the door, so he went inside and found the brand he usually took on the shelf.
“Do you not have injections here?” he asked at the counter.
“Injections require a prescription. You can only buy them at pharmacies.”
Fu Rangyi nodded. His gaze drifted to the steaming oden beside him.
Ten minutes later, he sat in front of the convenience store’s floor-to-ceiling window, silently eating Zhu Zhixi’s favorite unhealthy food, attempting to use it to soothe his own unhealthy separation anxiety. For a moment, he even vaguely saw Zhu Zhixi’s face in the reflection of the glass: smiling, chin propped in his hand, opening his mouth with an “ah” and asking him to feed him daikon.
After finishing, he took a photo of the empty paper cup and sent it to Zhu Zhixi, who was still working overtime. He also reminded him to be careful on the way home that night. Then he carried the inhibitors back to the hotel.
On the way back, that faint sense of insecurity emerged again. Alphas had a natural hunting instinct in their bones, so they were also more sensitive to danger. Fu Rangyi stood still for a while. He did not turn around, only listened silently.
The solemn cold wind scraped past his ears.
He continued forward, left that place, and returned to the hotel. After taking the medicine, he sat in front of the suitcase and counted through the things he had already rummaged through countless times, checking whether he had missed any little stickers or notes.
Before he knew it, he had picked out a small pile of fabric items: towels, small blankets, and the like. This was completely an Alpha instinct.
He held the pile of things, placed them on the bed, and with that set of pajamas, pawed at them a few times, pushed them around, and built a miniature “nest.” In the very center of the nest, he placed the rabbit plushie.
After finishing, Fu Rangyi lay on the bed, buried his face in the “nest,” and deeply inhaled Zhu Zhixi’s scent, seeking comfort.
He really wanted to bite the rabbit.
Wanted to carry the soft nape of its neck in his mouth and bully the rabbit.
That night, perhaps because of the side effects of the inhibitors, he dreamed the whole night. Any random fragment from those dreams would surely provoke public outrage from the Rabbit Protection Association.
He sat up, turned off the alarm, and with no glasses on, his hair a little messy, dazedly took a while to recover. When he lowered his head, he saw that the rabbit’s pajamas had also been soiled.
But once he entered the work environment, Fu Rangyi was still calm, focused, and professional. He remained the most reliable Professor Fu, not at all like a top Alpha who would have erotic dreams.
“Little Fu, why are you so motivated? You bury your head in work and finish in three days what others do in a week.”
“You must be hoping to go back sooner, haha.”
Fu Rangyi only smiled and said nothing. He had already completely gotten used to being teased. It was just that, deep down, he was still faintly worried. Three days had passed, and the countdown Zhu Zhixi reported to him had changed to twenty-seven days, but he kept feeling something was wrong.
He had already prepared himself to work overtime that night, but unexpectedly, it started raining. The graduate students he had brought could not help cheering, and one after another, they posted on Moments to celebrate their successful prayer for rain. They usually did not block Fu Rangyi, because they all thought he never browsed Moments.
Professor Wang suggested going out to drink heavily, which was also a tradition in their group. In the rain, their large group marched off grandly to a small barbecue restaurant and directly booked the whole place.
Fu Rangyi only liked drinking alone. He did not like socializing with a crowd, so every time, he would simply eat on the side and listen to them chat. But this time, affected by his pheromone fluctuations, he inexplicably had the urge to drink, so he drank quite a bit with them.
During that time, Zhu Zhixi had been working overtime. Fu Rangyi opened WeChat countless times, but there were no new messages. By the time he returned to the hotel room and finished showering, it was already eleven o’clock. He finally received Zhu Zhixi’s call.
“Hello? I finally got home. I just changed. I’m exhausted…”
Over the phone, his voice sounded fluffy. This was indeed a strange description, but it was Fu Rangyi’s first reaction.
He had drunk alcohol, so his mind was a little sluggish, and he did not point out Zhu Zhixi’s slip. But Zhu Zhixi noticed it himself.
“No, no, I said it wrong.” He corrected himself quickly. “I’m longevity-tired.”
Fu Rangyi did not comment on his mistake. He listened quietly to his voice, afraid he would not hear clearly, so he even subconsciously softened his own breathing.
“Professor Fu, are you lying in bed now?”
Fu Rangyi was quiet for a moment, then answered something else. “I want to see you.”
“Hm?” Zhu Zhixi’s voice sounded a little caught off guard. “Then… should we switch to video? Wait a second.”
Three minutes later, the voice call became a video call.
The small phone screen squeezed in two good-looking faces. After the call connected, Zhu Zhixi’s eyes widened slightly, because he realized Fu Rangyi was very different from usual. He was not wearing glasses and was very close to the camera. Only a small part of his shoulders and collarbones showed on the screen, but it was still obvious that he was not wearing a shirt.
“You’re not wearing clothes?” he asked.
Fu Rangyi leaned against the headboard, eyes half-lowered, his lashes very long. He was extremely quiet and did not speak. After a moment, he smiled belatedly.
“Guess,” he said softly.
Zhu Zhixi’s heartbeat accelerated very uselessly. He rubbed the tip of his nose and looked away. “I’m not guessing.”
But very quickly, he reluctantly shifted his gaze back, staring at Fu Rangyi on the screen.
“Your ears are red. Your neck too.” His eyes were also different from usual. They lacked that sharp, appraising quality and were instead scattered and misty.
Zhu Zhixi sensed something. “Did you drink?”
Fu Rangyi smiled again. “So smart.”
Zhu Zhixi felt strange. Just looking at those eyes through the screen made it feel as if part of him was about to be sucked in.
“How much did you drink? You’re not feeling uncomfortable, are you?” Zhu Zhixi suddenly remembered that he had the bracelet records, so he said, “I’ll check your monitoring data.”
It would have been fine if he had not opened it, but when he did, the large patch of orange-red data inside startled him.
“Why is your heart rate so fast?? How much did you drink?”
Fu Rangyi still leaned lazily against the headboard, staring at him without speaking.
“The data is so exaggerated. Is it because of the alcohol?” Zhu Zhixi was very worried.
Hearing that, he tilted his head and said in a low voice, “It’s because of you.”
Zhu Zhixi froze.
The camera suddenly shook. When it stabilized again, Fu Rangyi’s face was even closer. Zhu Zhixi could even see the small mark on the bridge of his nose left by his glasses. It was reddish and slightly indented. Zhu Zhixi often liked taking off his glasses and kissing that spot.
Fu Rangyi’s voice was a little hoarse. “Zhu Zhixi, you broke the rule just now. I’m going to give you an order.”
Zhu Zhixi blinked. “Huh?”
“An order,” Fu Rangyi repeated in a low voice. “Be good.”
Zhu Zhixi’s Adam’s apple rolled uneasily. He took a deep breath, lowered his eyes, and said, “Fine. Say it.”
He waited at least ten seconds.
A long ten seconds.
Long enough that he imagined all kinds of strange instructions.
However, when Fu Rangyi spoke again, his tone was careless. “Light the scented candle I gave you.”
That was it? Zhu Zhixi was dumbfounded.
“The pink one,” Fu Rangyi added, specifying further.
A bet was a bet, so Zhu Zhixi did as told. He went to the bedroom, found the scented candle he had been reluctant to light, unpacked it, found the pink one, and lit it. He said, “Done,” but Fu Rangyi did not give the next instruction.
The silence between them was viscous, like syrup, sticky enough to pull into threads. Gradually, the fragrance spread, filling the room with the sweet freshness of pomelo blossoms. The longer it burned, the richer it became.
Zhu Zhixi felt a little uneasy and could not help switching out to secretly peek at the app.
His heart rate was about to explode. How did he manage to look so steady? It was simply terrifying.
“Are you… okay?” he asked quietly. The moment he finished asking, his phone vibrated a few times. It was an alarm text from the bracelet monitoring system.
Fu Rangyi narrowed his eyes slightly and quietly stared at him for two seconds. Then he smiled.
“Not really.” His voice was very low. After being transmitted and filtered by the signal, compared to usual, it carried a very different magnetism. Hearing it made Zhu Zhixi’s whole body tingle, as if a layer of electricity had passed over him.
What did “not really” mean? Zhu Zhixi was about to speak, but Fu Rangyi’s voice sounded first.
“Can you smell it? My pheromones are spilling over.”
Author’s Note:
A certain someone specially made the pink scented candle. It imitates the scent of his pheromones when aroused. That’s right—the floral note is the main tone.
