Extra 2: Elite Pei × Mayor He (2)

Translator: Abo Dammen

☆

Extras 

“Mayor He?”

A colleague’s voice interrupted He Yixun’s train of thought. The pen he had been incessantly spinning clattered onto the table, producing a sharp sound in the quiet conference room.

He Yixun picked up the pen, composed and unruffled. “Where were we?” 

“The budget for municipal greening…”

His concentration lasted less than a minute before He Yixun’s mind began to wander again, his thoughts flying back to last night.

—–

“What do you need?” 

Hearing a term with very specific connotations, He Yixun’s mind still didn’t go to the erotic. His first reaction was that Xu Pei meant “self-defense” because he was in an unfamiliar world, he needed a weapon for self-defense.

And this weapon was a massage wand.

Baffling.

Xu Pei repeated himself, saying, “You might find it hard to understand, but people in my world can enter a state of heat due to pheromonal influence. If it isn’t relieved in time, it leads to persistent high fever, and the consequences are severe.” 

He Yixun truly couldn’t comprehend it, but he suddenly remembered the insults Xu Pei had hurled at him when he was captured. “What is an alpha?”

“A gender,” Xu Pei said. “My gender is omega.”

It sounded like fantasy, but fortunately, He Yixun had a high capacity for accepting new concepts. He picked up his phone, trying not to think too much about it. “I can order a delivery for you.”

“Okay.” Xu Pei went and sat on the sofa, completely engrossed in watching the news, utterly disregarding how distracting his bare legs were. 

It was his first time browsing an adult shop online, his first time buying a sex toy. He Yixun stared at the screen filled with little toys, utterly clueless. He thought about asking Xu Pei, but glancing sideways at him, absorbing information from the news, his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting the screen’s cool light, looking far too proper, it seemed inappropriate to broach the topic.

He randomly selected one with a vibration function, put his phone away, and said, “It’ll be here in half an hour.”

“Mm.” Xu Pei nodded and asked He Yixun, “Have there been any documented cases of other-dimensional travel here before?”

“Not to my knowledge.” Seeing Xu Pei seemed less despondent than before, He Yixun asked, “You said someone in your world tried to murder you?” 

“It’s a long story.” Xu Pei adjusted his glasses, not averse to explaining the events of his world to He Yixun. Just as he was narrating the story and got to the part about the murder attempt on the airplane, the doorbell rang precisely on time.

The moment of truth had arrived.

For the first time, He Yixun felt at a loss in his own home. He handed the bag to Xu Pei and asked, “Should I…”

This penthouse had an open layout, the glass bathroom door didn’t offer much psychological sense of privacy. Xu Pei said politely, “Could you please step out for a bit?” 

That was exactly what He Yixun had in mind. He picked up his cigarettes and lighter. “I’ll go out for a smoke.”

The sound of plastic packaging being torn open echoed behind him, and an unwelcome image surfaced in He Yixun’s mind. He quickened his pace, opened the door, only to hear Xu Pei suddenly call out, “Mayor He.”

Such a formal address.

He Yixun felt that, having shared a birthday experience, they had a special connection. Was there really a need for such distance? 

“Does this need batteries?” Xu Pei asked.

Since He Yixun bought the item, it was his responsibility to figure it out.

He returned to Xu Pei’s side, sat down, and picked up the object, examining it top to bottom. He found no battery compartment, only an on/off button. He pressed it, but nothing happened.

“Let me check the instructions,” Xu Pei muttered. 

He Yixun held the button down for three seconds, and the object sprang to life in his hand.

A long silence ensued.

It wasn’t that Xu Pei lacked shame, he just had priorities. Compared to that, his physical well-being was more important. He could disregard He Yixun’s opinion of him.

But after showering, watching the news for a while, and chatting with He Yixun, the sense of this world being real grew stronger. It was becoming difficult for Xu Pei to keep treating He Yixun as an NPC in a virtual space. 

“Uhm…” Xu Pei began.

He Yixun pressed the button again, intending to turn it off, but it only changed the vibration mode. The object in his hand began shaking wildly.

He Yixun: “……”

He held the button down for another three seconds, and the thing finally stilled. 

Xu Pei took a deep breath. “Give it to me.”

He Yixun hastily handed it over. “I’m going for that smoke.”

And then another awkward situation arose.

After finishing one cigarette in the emergency stairwell, He Yixun didn’t know if Xu Pei was done or not. Should he go back in? 

He checked the time. Less than ten minutes had passed. Probably not done yet, right?

So, like a gentleman, he smoked another cigarette.

There was still no movement from inside the apartment. He Yixun walked back to the door, thought about knocking to ask how much longer, decided against it, but just then, he faintly heard suppressed moans from inside, followed by a long, relieved sigh.

His Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily. The taste of nicotine lingered in his throat. 

Hearing the sound of slippers approaching, and not wanting to be misunderstood as eavesdropping by the door, He Yixun retreated into the emergency stairwell.

The door opened, and Xu Pei’s voice carried the distinct languor of post-release. “Mayor He, I’m done.”

He Yixun stepped back into the hallway to see Xu Pei leaning casually against the doorframe. His fair legs were flushed with a rosy hue, and the prim-looking glasses chain lay lazily draped over his shoulder, much like its owner.

He Yixun had never imagined the childhood companion from his memories would grow up to be like this. 

“Has your… condition… been relieved?” He Yixun asked.

“It’s better for now,” said Xu Pei. “I might need to observe it for another day or two.”

“Perhaps I should take you to see a doctor,” He Yixun suggested.

“No need, I understand my own body. Using it a few more times might fix it.” 

A few more times.

Perhaps worried that He Yixun would find his presence inconvenient, Xu Pei added, “I’ll do it while you’re at work tomorrow.”

Pulling his thoughts back to the present.

His mind had wandered for pretty much the entire meeting. He Yixun found it hard not to think about what Xu Pei might be doing at home. 

Would he turn the vibration setting to the maximum?

…He couldn’t let himself think about that anymore.

Managing, just barely, to keep up with the meeting’s pace, He Yixun offered a few comments and closed the folder. “Let’s end it here for today.”

His assistant reminded him of the dinner engagement that evening. “Cancel it,” he said, then, for the first time ever, returned home before dark. 

As soon as he stepped inside, He Yixun smelled the aroma of home-cooked food. He was somewhat surprised that Xu Pei had cleaned the entire apartment spotlessly. However, a few cigarette butts in the ashtray on the coffee table indicated that Xu Pei smoked too.

“You’re back?” Xu Pei appeared in the entryway wearing an apron, his legs still bare. “I didn’t know you were coming back. I’ll make one more dish.”

Accustomed to living alone, the feeling of someone cooking at home was truly novel. He Yixun went to the fridge, grabbed a can of beer, and sat down at the dining table. “Are you feeling better today?”

With a crack, the pull-tab opened, releasing a froth of dense foam. 

“I’ve found it only provides short-term relief,” Xu Pei said, his back to He Yixun. “Do you have sperm banks here?”

“Sperm banks?” He Yixun sipped the foam and took a swallow of beer.

“I might need to absorb semen to achieve complete relief.”

“Pfft—”