TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 12

Lin Mingfei slapped his forehead, realizing he had completely forgotten about this.

“That’s him, that’s him!” Zhou Yanjun was jumping in frustration, his heavy frame making the marble floor echo loudly. “That’s the one who said I was fat, scary, impolite, and nosy—and definitely not a good person!”

“Good for him.” Lin Mingfei turned, his narrowed eyes sharp. “Try jumping again. Son.”

Zhou Yanjun froze in place. “…”

Lin Mingfei withdrew his gaze, walked over quietly, and bent down, picking up the sleeping little Omega from the sofa.

The Omega’s frame was small and light, almost like a hollow doll. Lin Mingfei held him gently, worried he might hurt Xia Tong. Carefully, he gathered Xia Tong, along with the chatty AI robot, and carried him upstairs.

Xia Tong must have exhausted himself playing games, as he was deeply asleep, unmoving during the transfer. He nestled into Lin Mingfei’s chest, and Debon’s LED eyes went dark, as if it had powered down.

Lin Mingfei found that Xia Tong’s assigned bedroom was as bare as a construction site, with the bed unmade and his suitcase still closed against the wall.

“No wonder you ended up sleeping on the sofa…” Lin Mingfei muttered to himself, amused.

The fragile little Omega seemed to lack survival skills, having been overly sheltered before. Once out on his own, all he could think of was gaming. Since it would take time to fix up his room, and it wouldn’t be fair to have him sleep on a bare bed, Lin Mingfei decided to take Xia Tong to his own bedroom.

His room was simple, but his pillows and blanket were clean and ready. He wasn’t planning to sleep that night anyway, so he gently laid Xia Tong down on his pillow and pulled the blanket over him. Xia Tong turned slightly in the soft bed, murmured a bit as if dreaming, and burrowed further into the covers until half his face was hidden.

Lin Mingfei, amused, brushed aside Xia Tong’s chestnut bangs with his fingers, watching the soft hair bounce. Smiling, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

“Where’s the ‘online recitation of the Omega Protection Act as a warning’ you promised?” Downstairs, Shi Ya crossed his arms, sarcasm in his voice: “That robot sure has double standards, huh?”

“This robot is more than just double-standarded; it’s downright sentient!” Lin Mingfei rolled his eyes as he came down the stairs. “The other day, it tricked me into doing a check-up on it and even made me sign up for a Debon membership.”

Ignoring the murderous glare from Zhou Yanjun, he took a bag of coffee beans from the drawer and poured them into the coffee machine. “Hey, Fire, did you gain weight again? Every time you jump, it feels like my temples are getting pounded.”

“Yeah, I did! Do you know how miserable life at KUQ was?” Zhou Yanjun snapped, his neck stiff with indignation. “Stress weight, okay? It’s called stress weight!”

“Your life is probably a constant cycle of stress weight and happy weight,” Shi Ya said with a smile, crossing his legs. “I can vouch that the little Omega doesn’t have anything special going on with Zero.”

“You can vouch?” Zhou Yanjun shot back. “Then why is he sleeping at our base?”

“It’s three-thirty in the morning; all living creatures are supposed to be sleeping by now,” Shi Ya pointed to the wall clock.

“What I’m asking is why he’s here in the first place!!” Zhou Yanjun was about to lose it. “Are you messing with me on purpose? I knew you two trashy Alphas didn’t actually want me here! This is bull!”

“Alright, I admit he has something to do with me. I got scared living alone in a big place, so I grabbed a lucky little guy off the street to move in with me,” Lin Mingfei said, handing Zhou Yanjun a cup of coffee, his tone placating. “Satisfied? No more fussing?”

Zhou Yanjun was speechless.

This guy’s ability to spout nonsense with a straight face was infuriating.

Too bad he couldn’t do anything about it.

“Why do you even care about an Omega’s opinion?” Shi Ya said with a grin. “Having such a pretty little Omega cuss you out is practically an honor.”

Lin Mingfei chuckled, taking a seat on the couch with a sip of coffee, his expression turning serious.

“I know about Ping Shuai. He’s currently on Sabertooth’s main team but only as a backup for Goblin. Hasn’t played a match all year. I’ll check on his transfer; it shouldn’t be a problem. But does anyone know where Bo Yu is?”

“Little Bo left before Shi Ge and me, but I haven’t heard about him joining any team,” Zhou Yanjun scratched his head.

“Didn’t he go back home?” Shi Ya took out his phone and checked his feed. “I saw him post an ad for selling persimmons a few days ago.”

“Is he…not playing professionally anymore?” Zhou Yanjun’s face fell.

His question brought an uncomfortable silence to the living room for a solid half-minute.

“I’ll give Du Yong a call,” Lin Mingfei said with a furrowed brow as he got up to head outside.

—

Xia Tong had one of the best nights of sleep, surrounded by a faint, comforting sandalwood scent that kept him warm. He stretched out and rolled over, only to feel something hard poking into his back.

“Ouch!” he complained, pouting. “Debon, you’re so hard!”

“You didn’t shower before bed; you’re dirty,” Debon coldly scolded him.

Xia Tong sat up with a start. “Ah! I was so tired I forgot! I’ll go shower right now!”

He used to follow a strict routine at the Zheng family home, maintaining the “healthy and refined state” the nutritionist required, which included regular washing and care. Yesterday he’d let loose and forgot, so no wonder he felt uncomfortable now.

Not noticing the oddity of the room, he dashed out to grab his suitcase, then hurried back to Lin Mingfei’s bedroom with his assortment of scented products and pajamas.

Shi Ya and Zhou Yanjun had brought all their stuff and slept in their own rooms, leaving Lin Mingfei on the couch last night. Early that morning, the sound of hurried footsteps from upstairs roused him. He opened his eyes just in time to see Xia Tong rushing out of the bedroom.

The base’s bedrooms had private bathrooms, and Lin Mingfei, worried about disturbing Xia Tong, had planned to borrow Shi Ya’s if necessary. But now that Xia Tong was up, he didn’t need to worry anymore.

Yawning, Lin Mingfei dragged himself upstairs, but just as he was about to enter his bedroom, Xia Tong dashed into the bathroom, his arms full of fragrant, glistening products, and closed the door with a loud “clack.”

Through the frosted glass, Xia Tong’s anxious voice carried over the sound of running water. “Ahhh, I’m so dirty!”

Lin Mingfei was speechless for a moment, blinking away his drowsiness as he looked at his rumpled bed.

The bedding was all freshly washed…so how did it end up dirty after just one night?

Did he find the Alpha scent unpleasant?

The realization hit him like a two-hundred-pound punch from Zhou Yanjun. Lin Mingfei coughed, then reluctantly knocked on Shi Ya’s door.

Xia Tong, of course, was oblivious to the commotion outside. Happily, he lathered up, scrubbing himself clean while admiring Lin Mingfei’s neatly organized toiletries.

Compared to Zheng Linchuan, this Alpha was so much more likable. Zheng Linchuan’s mess of mouthwashes and razors was everywhere, and if the housekeeper didn’t tidy up, he wouldn’t bother. His clumsiness always left grime in the cracks, which was absolutely disgusting. But Lin Mingfei’s bathroom counter had just one simple tumbler for his toothbrush and toothpaste, an electric razor, and a few bottles of fancy-looking foreign colognes, all impeccably organized and dry.

“Xia Tong,” Lin Mingfei knocked after getting ready in Shi Ya’s room. “We’ve got to go out for a bit. Can you stay put at the base?”

Xia Tong was drying his hair when he remembered last night’s chat message: [Polaris_Zero logged off].

Then, he’d been mercilessly pounded.

That feeling had been terrible.

“Wait, wait, wait!” He threw open the door and came face-to-face with Lin Mingfei. “Can you take me with you? Let me come along!”

The little Omega, freshly showered, was wearing a pale yellow pajama set, his face rosy and soft. His hair and eyelashes were damp and gleaming. Without a suppression bracelet, a faint osmanthus fragrance mixed with the fresh scent of the shower gel wafted toward Lin Mingfei, hitting him unexpectedly like a wave of warmth and steam.

For a few seconds, all Lin Mingfei could hear was his own rapid heartbeat, until Xia Tong reached out his soft, pale hand and tugged at the hem of his shirt, pulling it gently, then pulling again.

“Can I go with you? Please… can I go with you?”

This little guy is acting like he’s eaten something cute!

Lin Mingfei was stirred by the tone of those words, his pupils dilating as he stared at the faint water stain on his clothes for a long time. His Adam’s apple moved slightly.

“Then go change.”

“Yay!” Xia Tong cheered on the spot and was about to run out, dragging his slippers across the floor. Lin Mingfei, relieved for a moment, then heard a loud thud as Xia Tong tripped right in front of him and fell flat on his face.

“Xia Tong!” Lin Mingfei was startled, his heart skipping a beat. He quickly bent down to help him up.

“The slippers… they’re too big…” Xia Tong whined as he stretched his legs out, Lin Mingfei glanced at his snowy white feet, now wearing a pair of dark, oversized flip-flops.

“These are my slippers. How could they be too big?” Lin Mingfei said with a bitter laugh, then froze for a moment. “Why are you wearing my slippers?”

“I didn’t bring my own…” Xia Tong mumbled, looking a bit shy. “Is it okay to wear yours?”

Lin Mingfei lowered his eyes.

It seems like… he doesn’t completely dislike me.

His heart loosened, and the sweet fragrance seemed to seep deep into his chest. Lin Mingfei’s lips involuntarily curled into a smile as he gently lifted Xia Tong’s ankle, his warm hand covering it as he softly massaged. “I don’t mind, I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

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