The Cage of Warmth and the Illusion of Belonging

Li Chen’s question forced Shi Ji into a heavy silence.

His lips parted, but the words that rushed to the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down after a few seconds of hesitation. Shi Ji lowered his eyelashes, staring at the steak in his plate that had been poked into a soft mess. Opposite him, Li Chen watched him, silent ever since his last sentence fell.

A stagnant, death-like silence permeated the spacious dining room.

Shi Ji blinked slowly.

He realized he truly hadn’t considered Li Chen’s perspective.

After all, from the very beginning, his approach toward Li Chen had been calculated and purposeful. He couldn’t tell Li Chen the truth. It was simply too cruel.

The expression on the youth’s face gradually darkened. The man’s prolonged silence served as a definitive answer. Li Chen’s long lashes trembled, and the bright green broccoli under his fork had been shredded into tiny pieces.

“But I told you,” Li Chen finally spoke after a long while, his slightly muffled voice breaking the rigid atmosphere. “I only have Brother left.”

“I have no one else worth caring about.”

He spoke calmly, but the weight of his words made Shi Ji’s heart ache.

The youth before him was only eighteen. He had endured things that an ordinary person wouldn’t experience in a lifetime. Fate seemed to take pleasure in playing tricks on him, snatching away everyone close to him, one after another.

And now, it was even threatening to take Shi Ji away.

“Brother.” Li Chen stood up, walked to Shi Ji’s side, and knelt down. He urgently reached out to grasp Shi Ji’s wrist, his fingers covering the faint red marks still lingering on the skin. “Don’t leave me, okay?”

He tilted his head up to look at Shi Ji, his eyes filled with an intense craving. Those misty blue eyes were like a deep, fathomless ocean; the surging waves nearly made Shi Ji feel as though he were drowning.

Shi Ji took one look and didn’t dare look again. He furrowed his brows and bit his lower lip.

“To me, this place is just a book.”

“Once the plot reaches its end, there’s no reason for me to stay.”

He spoke softly, but a dull pain began to throb in his chest, as if a blunt knife were stabbing his heart over and over again.

“Li Chen, I’m an outsider,” Shi Ji said. “Even if I wanted to stay, the plot would automatically expel me.”

The youth gripped him even tighter, his face reflecting a stubborn refusal to accept this. “Then I’ll destroy it.”

Shi Ji froze, thinking he had misheard.

“You said… what?”

Li Chen’s eyelashes fluttered. He looked up, staring directly into Shi Ji’s eyes.

“I said,” he paused, “if it dares to expel you, I will destroy it.”

Shi Ji’s pupils contracted.

The youth’s words sounded like a complete fantasy, yet his attitude was resolute, as if he truly intended to turn the world upside down.

How was that possible?!

Even with a system, the settings in the original novel weren’t powerful enough to allow such a thing. Shi Ji felt a thin layer of cold sweat break out in his palms.

“Don’t be naive, Li Chen.” He forced a corner of his mouth to twitch, trying to shatter the youth’s delusion. “That’s impossible.”

Li Chen let out a cold snort. He pulled Shi Ji’s hand to his lips, closed his eyes, and nuzzled it affectionately.

“Then is there another way?” Li Chen asked. His soft lips brushed against the man’s palm, the warmth of his breath seeming to ignite a fire in Shi Ji’s hand. “For example, let me go to your world.”

Li Chen opened his eyes. “I also want to see that world full of only Betas.”

His eyes were round, filled with the innocent curiosity unique to a youth—like a puppy interested in everything, its tail wagging happily behind it.

Shi Ji didn’t answer immediately. He had never considered this possibility. Li Chen wasn’t in a hurry for an answer; a shallow curve lifted the corners of his mouth.

“No matter what, I just don’t want to be separated from you.”

After that confession, Li Chen still didn’t remove the shackles from Shi Ji’s ankles, but compared to before, his behavior had returned to a semblance of normalcy.

He seemed truly terrified that Shi Ji might suddenly vanish, so he was obsessed with being able to hear Shi Ji at all times. The bell embedded in the shackles could not be removed; as long as Shi Ji moved even slightly, it would let out a crisp ring.

No matter where Shi Ji went, Li Chen could find him by following the sound.

After several days of continuous drizzle, the sun finally peeked out. Gentle sunlight pushed aside the haze in the sky, casting a warm glow over Shi Ji as he sat under a tree.

His hair had grown longer, reaching down to touch his shoulders. For convenience, he had found a small hair tie to pull it back, exposing his fair neck.

Shi Ji sat with his head slightly bowed, flipping through a book resting on his lap. His fingertips brushed against the coarse paper, and the pen in his hand moved occasionally, adding his own marks to the clean pages.

Suddenly, he heard soft footsteps nearby. Shi Ji turned to see Li Chen.

The youth had been busy with exams lately. He had always been a top student, but recent events had caused him to miss classes and fall behind.

He looked exhausted. Shi Ji took one look at him and then turned his gaze back to his book. But before he could read the next line, Li Chen plopped down beside his legs and snatched the book away.

The youth felt that this cold object was occupying his spot. He carelessly tossed the thick book aside and leaned over, resting his head on Shi Ji’s lap.

The sunlight framed his profile, casting fragmented, dappled shadows beneath his eyelids. His fingers toyed with Shi Ji’s fingertips—a gesture of such intimacy that it brought a sense of warmth to the moment.

For Li Chen, who was naturally insecure, his heart only felt full when he returned home and saw Shi Ji.

He interlaced his fingers with Shi Ji’s and looked down at the shackles still clinging to the man’s pale ankles, the skin marked by persistent red traces.

Li Chen smiled. His brother had been very obedient lately; whatever he wanted him to do, his brother complied. Li Chen lifted Shi Ji’s hand to his lips and kissed it, then looked up into Shi Ji’s dark eyes.

“I like you,” he whispered. The winter wind carried his voice into Shi Ji’s ears. As he spoke, he kissed the man’s fingers again. “I like you so much.”

Shi Ji had long since grown accustomed to such affection. He didn’t pull his hand away, merely watching him in silence.

Li Chen straightened slightly and let go of the man’s hand to wrap his arms around his waist. He tilted his head, pressing it gently against Shi Ji’s abdomen, feeling the slight rise and fall of the man’s breath.

Shi Ji’s muscles were lean. Sitting like this, his abdominal area wasn’t as tense as when he stood; it was as soft as a baby’s cheek. Li Chen felt he could hear the very sound of Shi Ji’s breathing through the skin.

“Brother’s stomach is so warm,” he murmured. Then, like a puppy, he playfully nudged his head against Shi Ji’s abdomen. “And it’s so soft.”

“It would be nice if I could crawl inside.”

“Or let me become a part of Brother’s body.”

Li Chen continued to talk to himself.

“That way, I could be with Brother forever.”

Shi Ji was startled by his words. Though it was winter, he felt a sudden chill. He frowned slightly and finally spoke: “What nonsense are you talking about!”

Hearing Shi Ji’s voice, the smile in Li Chen’s eyes deepened. He revealed the sharp tips of his canines and, before Shi Ji could react, he lifted the man’s shirt and buried his head underneath.

A cool breath brushed against the skin of his abdomen, and Li Chen’s lips accidentally grazed him. Shi Ji could clearly feel the temperature of the youth’s body. He recoiled instinctively, eyes widening as he looked at his bulging shirt, feeling a wave of eeriness.

He pushed awkwardly at Li Chen’s head. “Li Chen, you…!”

“Don’t move,” Li Chen replied in a muffled voice. He relaxed, pressing his cheek firmly against Shi Ji’s stomach. “Just let me hold you like this for a while.”

It was warm inside Shi Ji’s clothes, and he carried a faint, lingering scent—like a delicious, sweet cake that constantly tempted Li Chen to take a bite.

And he did. His lips pressed against Shi Ji’s abdomen, nuzzling briefly before his tongue flicked out to lick the skin. Shi Ji couldn’t help but twitch, his slight tremors appearing incredibly endearing to Li Chen.

Li Chen used his canines to gently suck on a patch of delicate skin, his arms tightening around Shi Ji’s waist. Shi Ji bit his lower lip, pushing at Li Chen’s head. He didn’t understand why Li Chen was suddenly doing this; the sensation at his abdomen was itchy, making him want to flee.

Then, Li Chen’s hand slipped further under the shirt, his finger poking the area around Shi Ji’s navel, watching the soft flesh dimple and slowly return to its original shape.

He was curious about every inch of Shi Ji.

Shi Ji was reaching his limit. His legs, dangling off the chair, shifted, and the crisp jingle of the bell rang out. Suddenly, Li Chen asked: “Can Brother get pregnant?”

Those four words caused Shi Ji’s brain to short-circuit. He knew Omegas had reproductive chambers specifically for bearing offspring.

But he was a Beta. He had never heard of a Beta becoming pregnant.

“N-no.” With a flushed face, he looked down at his bulging shirt where Li Chen’s head was buried; from the outside, it really did look as if he were carrying a child.

It was too strange!

Shi Ji was deeply repelled by the sensation.

“Really?” Li Chen asked in a muffled voice, leaving a trail of tiny kisses on Shi Ji’s stomach.

“R-really…” Shi Ji’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He felt his eyes growing hot. “Li Chen, I’m a Beta.”

He had to remind Li Chen of his gender once again.

Li Chen didn’t speak, only let out a low, ambiguous laugh.

“But I’ve heard that some Betas also have reproductive chambers,” he said softly. “They’re just hidden deeper than an Omega’s. They require their partners to patiently search and develop them.”

Li Chen blinked.

“I wonder where Brother’s is?”

He poked the right side of Shi Ji’s abdomen. “Is it here?”

Then he poked the left side. “Or here?”

His movements were neither heavy nor light, but each touch felt like a scratch on Shi Ji’s stomach. The dense itch stimulated Shi Ji’s nerves. He took a deep breath, lifted his shirt, and grabbed Li Chen’s hair to make him look up.

“Stop it! Li Chen!” Shi Ji’s chest was heaving.

Li Chen looked at him innocently, his gaze sweeping over the man’s reddened eyes. It seemed Shi Ji had been somewhat stirred by the youth’s words and was struggling to suppress his arousal.

He’s so stubborn, Li Chen thought.

He leaned in, his shadow enveloping Shi Ji. Li Chen reached out to pinch Shi Ji’s burning earlobe and whispered, “Just from this, does Brother feel something else too?”

“Brother is so lewd.”

His soft fingertip slid down Shi Ji’s jawline.

Shi Ji frowned and turned his head to dodge.

Li Chen gripped his chin, forcing him to look up and meet his eyes.

He saw the irrepressible smile in the youth’s gaze and his own flustered reflection in those blue eyes.

Shi Ji felt his heart was about to jump out of his chest. The rushing blood made his head spin. He simply closed his eyes, deciding that what the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over.

The intermittent sound of the bell in the air stopped. After a moment, Shi Ji felt Li Chen move, and then something was placed on his head.

Puzzled, Shi Ji opened one eye, only to meet Li Chen’s appreciative gaze.

He froze, then reached up to touch the top of his head.

There, he felt a pair of fluffy ears.