When an Alpha is Marked by One of His Own Kind

Chapter 23

Shen Qiao kept the lollipop between his teeth and didn't utter a sound. Lu Zhe waited and waited for an answer, but to no avail. He could only give up in the end.
He picked up a small bowl from the condiments station and moved to stand next to Shen Qiao, sweeping his gaze across the myriad condiments gathered on the counter.

Lu Zhe was the stereotypical 'puts literally everything in his dipping sauce' type—

Vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, hotpot paste, chopped peanuts, cilantro, green onion…

More and more stuff went into his bowl.

Just as he topped off his bowl with two heaping scoops of sesame paste, Shen Qiao spoke up from next to him:

"This lollipop is pretty sweet."

Saying that, he stuffed the lollipop into his cheek, like a hamster storing food for winter. A round bulge jutted out from the side of his face, distorting and completely destroying the cool and arrogant vibe his features usually gave off. It was such a startling change that Lu Zhe wasn't able to react right away.

Furthermore, Shen Qiao didn't seem to realize such a discrepancy in his persona had manifested. He still maintained the same attitude as usual, the one that clearly stated he couldn't be bothered to waste his time and attention on lowly, inferior others. He leaned against a chair by the table closest to the condiments station, gazing impassively at Lu Zhe for a moment before adding another line:

"But what does that have to do with gege?"

Since he still had the lollipop in his mouth, his words were a little muffled. They were the slightest bit more nasally, and they were inexplicably cute.

As a result, Lu Zhe froze for a good few seconds before he came to his senses and realized what he'd heard—

Gege.

His sesame paste-laden spoon clacked against the faux-porcelain bowl, nearly causing the contents to overflow. Lu Zhe lifted the spoon just in time, but a bit of the sauce still got on the finger he'd had resting on the bowl. He set his burning gaze on Shen Qiao and said only one thing:

"What did you just call me?"

Shen Qiao played dumb and lazily drawled, "Hm?"

Lu Zhe set his bowl aside on the counter. He wanted to reel Shen Qiao in and interrogate him one more time, but as soon as he reached out, Shen Qiao dodged back.

Shen Qiao held his own bowl of dipping sauce in one hand, and he grabbed the stick of the lollipop with his other hand, plucking it out of his mouth. His elbow came up, blocking Lu Zhe's outstretched hand. He blinked once and asked, slowly:

"What are you getting so excited about?"

Then, he cast his gaze upon the bowl Lu Zhe had set aside and swiftly changed the subject. "I was just about to say, when did you start liking sesame paste? Don't you think that stuff is gross, just looking at it?"

Lu Zhe yanked a napkin out of a holder on the nearby table and wiped away the sauce that had marked his hand earlier. He raised his eyebrows, ever-so-slightly, at Shen Qiao. His voice remained as gentle and fluid as ever, but there was a hint of menace in his dark pupils. A glint of light flashed through his eyes.

"Forget it," he said. "I'll let you go this time."

Shen Qiao breathed a silent laugh, expressing clear disdain for this 'lenience' that Lu Zhe was showing him.

After Lu Zhe finished cleaning his fingers, he wiped the rim of his dipping sauce bowl clean as well. He picked up the bowl and started heading back to their table. Walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Shen Qiao, he offered an answer to Shen Qiao's earlier question: