Bearing the Gu

[Bonus side stories will drop from time to time. My new novel next door, The Pheromone Cultivation Method, is now available.] Straight men turned gay | obsessive love | new novel launching in February, check it out in my author profile if you're interested A month ago, Lin Cheng was grieving over his terminal illness. A month later, Lin Cheng dreamed of dying. After six years of working 24/7 at a major tech company, Lin Cheng was diagnosed with a terminal illness and decided to return to his hometown before he died. He never imagined that not only would he fail to die on that trip, but he'd end up tied to someone for the rest of his life. His hometown had a familiar name to outsiders: Miaojiang. After many years away, Lin Cheng saw a beautiful young man before him, so enchanting he seemed like a spirit. He muttered to himself, wondering when someone so gorgeous had appeared in the mountains. The young man smiled and called him "Brother Cheng," looking after him in every way. Even after learning Lin Cheng had a terminal illness, he didn't leave. He even brought out a traditional family remedy to help nurse him back to health. As Lin Cheng's health began to rally, he got a brief chance to catch his breath. He was immensely grateful to the young man, treated him entirely like a younger brother, and promised to take him to the big city to "see the world." Lin Cheng packed his bags, intending to leave the village for a full medical checkup. Full of hope, he went to say goodbye to the young man and promised to come back for him in a few days. The young man still wore that smiling, cheerful expression. "Brother Cheng, you still love lying." Lin Cheng didn't understand. Before his brain could grasp what those words meant, everything went black. !!! When he woke again, the silver chain around his ankle, the black snake coiled by the head of the bed, and the gorgeous ouroboros tattoo above his waist all made the young man's intentions clear. Lin Cheng's heart sank. His voice trembling, he said, "I've always thought of you as my little brother. You can't..." "You can think of me as an animal," the young man said without expression, grabbing Lin Cheng's pale ankle and dragging him back beneath him. "I don't mind." Little scene: Seventeen hours after Lin Cheng lost his phone and wallet, the young man brought him a bowl of hot porridge. He scooped up a spoonful, carefully blew on it to cool it, then brought it to the young man's lips. To Lin Cheng, he felt like a beggar by the roadside, begging for money. He could only open his mouth in humiliation and let the warm liquid slide down his throat and into his stomach, temporarily easing the painful gnawing of hunger. As he ate, tears trickled down his lashes and fell into the bowl with a soft plop. Liao Hongxue gently wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes and asked softly, "Why are you crying? Doesn't it taste good?" As he spoke, he took a sip of the hot porridge with Lin Cheng's spoon, not caring at all that it was something Lin Cheng had just licked and sucked on. Lin Cheng kept his head bowed and noticed nothing. Otherwise, he might have found the answer to certain questions right then and there. #The gods and Buddhas across the heavens won't save you# #Then I'll do it myself# Read this first: * The recipient is straight; a straight man is turned gay. Obsessive love. Miaojiang setting, but a fictionalized world. Most witchcraft and poison magic are author-created. * Love is more prominent than obsession. This isn't a traditional obsessive-love story. Both leads are each other's first and only partners. Happy ending. * There are escape attempts. You know the drill. Not suitable for readers who are extremely protective of either the pursuer or the pursued. If you don't like it, please stop reading in time. Here's the blurb for the upcoming novel The Pheromone Cultivation Method [Some obsessive love | school life | Alpha-Omega romance | manuscript in progress] A gentlemanly scoundrel Alpha with maximum possessiveness x an Omega who seems frail but is actually world-weary and sharp-tongued As an Omega with pheromone deficiency and congenital heart disease, Su Mian has nearly every trait that makes people feel sorry for him. And because his family's financial circumstances are so dire, Su Mian has no chance of being cured. The people around him have always looked at him with unconcealed pity. Then, at the age of seventeen, Su Mian is "reunited with his birth family." He goes from an exam-focused kid from a small town to a second son of a wealthy family, gaining ridiculously rich parents and an Alpha older brother who looks at everyone like they're a dog. The family's top-tier medical care and financial resources mean Su Mian's heart might actually be cured. Su Mian: Oh, wow. How is this not a fresh start in life? Two months after arriving at his new home, Su Mian runs into a tutor who makes things difficult for him. He closes his eyes and performs his signature act: clutching his chest and slowly collapsing. That night, the tutor is fired. His biological parents, who'd been nowhere to be seen until then, take turns sitting by his bed and gently coaxing him to sleep. Meanwhile, in an effort to let him experience life with people his own age, Su Mian is transferred to Beicheng No. 1 High School, where the children of the wealthy are everywhere. It's like a little white rabbit wandering into a group of Celestials. Who knew that on his first day of school, a line of top-of-the-line luxury cars would rear-end him? The accident isn't serious, but the other party doesn't get out of the car for a long time, sending only the driver to handle things. Noticing that students nearby are filming, Su Mian gets out of the car trembling. His face is deathly pale, his eyes red, and he looks heartbreakingly fragile. Before he can perform his signature act, the car doors open in a flurry. A tall, handsome Alpha in the school's uniform strides over and asks politely, "Classmate, are you all right?" Su Mian: "..." Before he can say anything, the Alpha flashes a perfect smile and takes both his hands, full of apology. "To make up for it, I'll take responsibility for the rest of your life." Su Mian: "...???" Little scene: Su Mian coldly watches the Alpha blocking his way in the lounge. Too lazy to keep pretending to be sweet and harmless, he says icily, "Move." Pei Hanzhou wraps an arm around the Omega's waist and pulls him against himself, speaking in an encouraging tone. "Running low on pheromones, huh? Come on, bite me." Su Mian suddenly remembers that electrifying, tingling sensation. His lower abdomen tightens, and his legs almost give way. Coming back to his senses, Su Mian points at the Alpha and curses, "You should go to the hospital and see if a dog ran off with your thick skin..." He can't finish the sentence. The Alpha takes his fingertip and kisses it gently, more shameless than a mangy dog. Calling him a dog would almost be an insult to man's best friend. Su Mian thinks expressionlessly: This guy's a pervert. Warnings: * The pursued is frail and beautiful, with lots of descriptions of his looks and expressions. The author is a hopeless romantic who loves this sort of thing, so I'm writing what I want to read. * All intimate acts take place after the pursued has reached adulthood. The pursuer is six months older. * The pursuer is shameless and acts like a dog. He falls in love at first sight and then forces himself on the pursued. Not suitable for readers who are extremely protective of either the pursuer or the pursued. Thanks for understanding. Theme: Love can overcome every obstacle.