Couldn’t see the title on jjwxc because the chapter was locked. 👀
Thanks a bunch to Dr. Mouse and Anon for the coffee! Aren't you guys glad I didn't leave you with that cliffie? 😂
***
“So why did you have to wait until my eyes were closed and then kiss me?”
This question was really way too direct. Klaire couldn’t respond.
At that moment right after he’d marked Xi Wei, when he saw him close his eyes, he’d thought he was asleep, so he felt bold enough to kiss him. And it wasn’t a shallow kiss either, where just their lips touched, but a deep kiss with tongue. Klaire had taken the opportunity when Xi Wei was asleep to satisfy himself with a kiss, but he hadn’t expected that he was actually awake!
In fact, Xi Wei had been so exhausted that he closed his eyes to rest a bit, but unexpectedly got kissed. If his whole body hadn’t been robbed of strength back then, he might’ve beaten Klaire to a pulp on the spot.
Thinking of this, Xi Wei’s fist clenched. He stared at Klaire and said, “Talk, how come you’re all quiet?”
Klaire coughed twice and rubbed his nose. He thought over it carefully and finally thought of a good excuse. He smiled and explained, “Actually, I don’t know what happened either. Back then, it was like I was possessed, and I inexplicably just kissed you. I think this was probably what they call...the effect of pheromones? Don’t they say that an alpha who meets an omega in heat won’t be able to control himself? Maybe my mind wasn’t that clear either.”
“Bastard!” Xi Wei took a direct step forward, forcefully grabbed Klaire’s collar, glared at him and cursed, “You take me for an idiot? How many years have we known each other? You think I don’t know how strong your self-control is? Besides, I’m the one who was given stimulants! It was a hundred times harder for me! Even I could bear it, you’re telling me you couldn’t bear it? Who do you think you’re fooling?”
“Uh…” Klaire looked awkwardly at Xi Wei.
It looked like this lie couldn’t be kept up anymore.
When he was about to explode, this big monster looked quite scary. His eyes were glaring at him, and his expression could almost kill.
However, in Klaire’s eyes, his angry appearance was unexpectedly very cute. Especially that pair of wide-open eyes—the black pupils were so clear it was as if they’d been washed with water, and he could distinctly see his own small reflection in them.
Because of their height difference, when Xi Wei grabbed his collar, he had to stand on tiptoe. This position actually looked like he was taking the initiative to come closer so he could kiss him. If Klaire just bent his head slightly, he’d be able to kiss those lips again.
Klaire couldn’t help but start to laugh.
—He still dared to laugh?!
Xi Wei was angry to the extreme. He unceremoniously gave Klaire a hook to the chin. “You’re still laughing! Is it that funny?”
“Ow…” Klaire covered his face where he’d been hit. A little wronged, he said, “You really hit me?”
Xi Wei said furiously, “Don’t change the topic! Say it clearly, did you want to seize the chance to take advantage of me? But we’re both men, how could you bear kissing me?! We’ve always been best friends, haven’t we?”
Klaire went silent.
Sure enough, Xi Wei had always seen him as a friend. Even though he’d been reincarnated into this world, and they’d had the experience of growing up together, he’d never changed his way of seeing him.
If he didn’t say it, would Xi Wei never realize that he actually loved him deeply? Would he see Klaire as a good friend and a good brother for all his life?
“I know you’re not a treacherous person like Joen, but I really can’t understand your way of doing things.” Xi Wei frowned, and his face sank. “Don’t use the effect pheromones had on you as an excuse. I know you were very clear-headed at the time. When you kissed me, I could feel that you weren’t confused at all. Klaire, tell me the reason. Maybe I can forgive you, and we can treat this like it never happened…”
“Do you really want to know why I kissed you?” Klaire suddenly interrupted Xi Wei with a low voice.
“What the hell do you think?!” Xi Wei looked up at him. Klaire’s eyes had incomparably hidden depths, like a mysterious blue ocean. From the depths of his eyes, a thread of an incredibly complex emotion slipped out. Under eyes like these, Xi Wei stared blankly for a moment, standing still.
“When I secretly kissed you, it was because I really wanted to. Actually, I’ve been pressing down that kind of thought in my heart all along. Back then, I thought you fell asleep, so I couldn’t hold it back anymore.”
Klaire paused. He reached out and gently held Xi Wei by the shoulders, and said in a low voice, “Xi Wei, I like you. Since a long time ago, I’ve always liked you.”
Xi Wei: “.........”
The man in front of him had eyes full of seriousness. The heavy, deep emotion in those eyes didn’t seem false at all.
Xi Wei was struck dumb. It wasn’t like no one had ever confessed to him before. When he was a celebrity, he’d heard people shouting “I love you” every day until he was almost numb to it. Today, though, was his first time hearing a confession from someone he’d always seen as a best friend, and his first time hearing such a sincere confession from a man.
What was going on here?! His bro had told him “I like you?” Wasn’t there something not right about this?!
Klaire saw how stunned Xi Wei was, and continued, “I don’t know exactly what part of you it is that I like. Before, when I went around with you shooting films, I really wanted to be with you. I wanted to help you succeed in your career, and see you smiling confidently. Every time I saw you winning a prize, I’d be so happy I couldn’t rest at night.”
“You were always so dazzling that I couldn’t move my eyes away. But your personality was too straightforward, and you didn’t like men. So I always held back, and didn’t dare to confess.”
“In this world, I was able to grow up together with you. I’m so glad I was able to stay by your side, and I want even more to stay there for a lifetime.”
“I like you, so I was really happy I was able to get engaged to you. That time when I kissed you at the engagement ceremony, I wasn’t acting. It was because I liked you too much that I couldn’t hold back my feelings and wanted to kiss you. It’s fine if you think I’m despicable or shameless. I just wanted to tell you that my love for you is absolutely sincere.”
“Xi Wei, I really do love you. Can you understand?”
Xi Wei: “......”
He never expected that the friend he’d tell anything to would actually think of him like this.
Klaire’s expression was very serious, and he said every word clearly. There was no way for Xi Wei to doubt his sincerity. They’d known each other for so many years, and Xi Wei knew he wasn’t the kind of person to play around with someone’s feelings. Since he’d personally confessed, he definitely wasn’t acting.
Listening to his sincere and tender confession, Xi Wei’s mind suddenly turned into a mess.
The hand he had seized Klaire’s collar with had unconsciously slowly let go, and his clenched fist loosened. The anger that had spurred him to beat him up had turned into shock after his friend confessed to him.
Klaire gently took Xi Wei’s hand and said softly, “Give me a chance to pursue you, okay?”
Xi Wei awkwardly withdrew his hand and said, “I’ve never thought of being with a man…”
“Just because you’ve never thought about it doesn’t mean that you can’t think about it.” Klaire coaxed him softly, “What’s more, you’re an omega right now, and I’m an alpha. In this world, it couldn’t be more natural for an alpha and an omega to get together. As long as you’re willing to be with me, we won’t meet any resistance, and on the contrary, we’ll have the blessings of all our family and friends.”
Xi Wei: “......”
“Besides, weren’t you already used to living with me before?” Klaire continued to cajole him. “After we marry, it’ll still be the same as living together back then. Didn’t you really like eating the dishes I made? I can cook for you every day.”
Xi Wei finally came back to himself. He looked at Klaire and said angrily, “When I lived with you before, I lived upstairs and you lived downstairs. We each had our own room and we didn’t interfere with each other. If we lived together now, could you live separately from me like before and not get in my way? Wouldn’t you want to hold me every now and then, and for me to have a baby for you while you were at it?”
“...” Klaire coughed twice. He found that Xi Wei was pretty quick sometimes. He’d immediately gotten to the crux of the problem.
It was true that when they lived together before, all they had was the partnership between a celebrity and his manager. Now, though, they’d be living together as husband and wife. Not only would they be doing some exercise beneficial for the body and mind together from time to time, but they’d also have to have a kid, and then raise him up together.
After going quiet for a moment, Klaire decided to take the initiative to yield a little. He smiled and said, “Well...if you don’t want to have kids, that’s actually fine too. If you’re not willing, we won’t have kids for the time being.”
Xi Wei said angrily, “Klaire! Stop blabbering about having kids, don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourself? I’ll say it again, it’s impossible for me to get together with a man!”
Klaire couldn’t help but give him a splash of cold water. “If you want to marry a beautiful woman, it’s also impossible for one to dare to marry you. Don’t forget that you’re an omega.”
Xi Wei frowned and said, “Then I just won’t ever get married.”
“...” Klaire sighed softly. He looked at Xi Wei and said quietly, “You’d rather not marry for a lifetime than accept me?”
Xi Wei answered decisively, “I can’t, so give up!”
Klaire felt a sense of loss, and his voice turned hoarse. “In this world, there won’t be anyone who loves you more than I do. You’re not willing to give me a chance?”
“I…” He’d originally wanted to flatly refuse, but faced with Klaire’s gentle gaze, he suddenly felt like he couldn’t bear to. After all, he was a friend he’d known for so many years. All the care and affection Klaire had shown him until now was still vivid in his mind. If not for Klaire, he wouldn’t have been able to smoothly achieve success in the entertainment field as a big-name actor in his first world, nor would he have been able to live so happily until now in this world.
The things Klaire had done for him were truly too many to count.
But just because a man was good to him and liked him didn’t mean he had to accept him.
Xi Wei still had no way to get past his mental barrier. The introductory book to marking he’d accidentally come across as a child suddenly floated into his mind. Omegas had to open their legs and receive an alpha’s repeated invasions. The alpha would put that thing into their body, and then they had to get pregnant and give birth to children…
Once he thought about Klaire stripping him naked and overpowering him, doing it this way and that for three days straight, and after doing it, he’d have to hold up a big belly and give birth to Klaire’s baby… Fuck, it was simply more terrifying than using a knife to slice him up from head to toe!
So...forget it!
Xi Wei felt that it was better to continue being what the people of the empire called him, a big beast whom no one would dare to want.
“Sorry.” Xi Wei looked away and said awkwardly with his head down, “There’s no way for me to accept that kind of relationship. I’ll just go on being single and taking suppressants until the end.”
Although Klaire had long known he’d get this answer, when he heard him actually say it, he couldn’t avoid feeling a piercing pain in his heart.
But no matter, making a straight man like Xi Wei change his way of thinking was always going to be a long, slow process. Klaire had never lacked patience. He had faith that warm water could boil a frog. There would be a day when that frog would, without realizing it, turn into a delicacy for him to enjoy.
When he thought of this, Klaire smiled and rubbed Xi Wei’s head gently. He said softly, “It’s alright, I won’t force you.”
A little awkwardly, Xi Wei dodged his hand. He looked at Klaire and said, “If I’m away too long my father will worry. I’d better go back to the capital planet.”
Klaire said, “Don’t go back for now. Joen won’t give up that easily. He’ll definitely think of other sinister schemes to deal with you. When he asked you to meet him, did he find some blackmail material on you?”
Xi Wei frowned and nodded.
Klaire smiled and said, “Stay here for now. You’ll be very safe at the military base. What’s more, we’re engaged now, and no one will question it if you stay by my side.”
He’d just confessed. Would staying at his side really be appropriate?
Xi Wei couldn’t help but be at a loss.
Klaire said comfortingly, “You don’t have to worry, I’ll be very busy every day. The Morningstar Corps has a pile of things for me to handle, so we won’t see each other much at all… If you don’t like it, I’ll sleep in Bluestar’s cockpit at night. Stay on planet Rennes for a while, and tell your father about what happened. Once he’s thought of the right way to deal with Joen, you can go back.”
When he saw Xi Wei still hesitating, Klaire said, “It couldn’t be that because I confessed, you don’t even want to be friends anymore, could it? Is it that you never want to see me again, and break it off with me?”
Xi Wei scratched his head and said quickly, “It’s not like that.”
“Then isn’t this fine? It won’t be easy to resolve things if you go back and confront Joen now.” Klaire paused, then suggested, “You’ve never been to planet Rennes before, so you can take the opportunity to enjoy yourself here for a while. I heard that this place has the most beautiful snowscapes in the empire. Don’t worry, I’ll stay here with the corps, I won’t bother you.”
Xi Wei couldn’t help but be a little swayed. After he considered it carefully, he felt that what Klaire said had logic. Since he’d be busy with military affairs and basically wouldn’t have time to see him, it’d be okay for him to stay here. After coming to this world, he’d never seen the snow. It’d be fine if he had some fun on planet Rennes for a few days, and thought of a way to deal with Joen in the meantime.
After thinking about it like this, Xi Wei nodded and said, “Alright, then I’ll stay here for a few days before going back.”
Xi Wei, who was straight as a ruler, didn’t realize at all that after confessing and getting rejected, Klaire remained calm and collected and had laid out a gentle trap for him. He had found an excuse for him to stay by his side.
It might be that the next time he wanted to escape, it wouldn’t be so easy anymore!
***
4 hours and 3 minutes for 2,755 words, or 8.8 minutes for every 100 words. A decrease in rate by 4.2 minutes. I think that's the fastest I've ever been...I really blew through this one.
Feeling so betrayed after realizing there was no smut in this...can’t believe that little bit of description Xi Wei did was enough to get this chapter censored.
I don’t know how y’all feel about the idea of eating frogs, but frog legs are really yummy…they’re like the flavor and texture of chicken and fish combined. They haven't actually got a ton of flavor on their own, but they’re really good deep-fried with peppers.
If you like this translation, please consider encouraging me on Ko-fi! Extra chapter for every two ko-fis~ 🌸