A little past nine in the evening, Zou Yuqing walked Xu Wang out of the residential complex and watched him board the bus before turning to head home. Whenever they met at his place, it was always like this. They would not go out to bars or restaurants for drinks and chats like other good friends, because he needed to take care of his mother, and Xu Wang had never minded.
Wei Mingjue sat inside his car, watching Zou Yuqing talk and smile with another young man as they walked out of the complex, feeling a surge of irritation.
After leaving the breakfast shop that morning, he had driven straight home without going to the company. After all, having promised Wei Mingyu last night that Zou Yuyang would be brought to the house today, he had to keep a constant eye on Zou Yuyang, this deeply annoying Alpha.
It wasn’t until midday that Zou Yuyang nervously stepped into the grand residence. He truly could not fathom it. An Alpha acting all timid and spineless, cowardly to the extreme, and he did not even know where on earth the guy found the audacity to mark his younger brother and even get him pregnant. Every time he looked at Zou Yuyang, his teeth felt itchy with annoyance, and his expression toward Wei Mingyu was infinitely complicated.
Yet Wei Mingyu genuinely seemed to adore Zou Yuyang, instantly pouncing on the Alpha the moment he saw him. This made Wei Mingjue even more frustrated. Wei Mingyu had not been half this excited upon returning from abroad, whereas now, being apart from Zou Yuyang for a single day felt like three autumns.
It felt as though he were stuck in the middle, playing the bad guy blocking a deeply in-love couple from meeting.
“Brother, then Yuyang and I will head back to the room first.”
Look at that. They wanted to go to a room the moment they met. Were they treating him like air? Wei Mingjue’s mouth twitched as he turned his head to glare angrily at the clinging backs retreating before him. “Mingyu, I agreed to let him come here, but I didn’t agree to let you two stay in a single space alone.”
Satisfied as he watched the two freeze in their tracks, he continued. “Sit in the living room today. Let me make this clear beforehand: if either of you dares to release your pheromones, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” With that, he strode past them to sit on one side of the sofa, fixing a direct stare at the pair who were still hesitating where they stood.
“Brother, isn’t this awkward?” Wei Mingyu’s delicate brows were knitted together. “With you right here, we can’t do anything else.”
“Anything else? What else do you want to do? Tell me so I can hear it.” Wei Mingjue laughed out of anger. Under his very nose, they still wanted to do other things? What else could a single Alpha and an omega do alone in the same space? Did they really take him for some gentle, kind-hearted good brother?
Seeing how things were, Zou Yuyang finally spoke up. “It is fine, Mingyu. Let’s just sit in the living room.” As he spoke, he gently touched Wei Mingyu’s hand in reassurance, then cast a timid glance at Wei Mingjue. “Sorry, President Wei, for causing you trouble.”
“Hah, causing trouble.” Wei Mingjue reached up to rub his face, as if hearing some huge joke. But seeing his younger brother’s pleading gaze fixed on him, the sarcastic remarks he wanted to make ultimately stayed unsaid. Instead, he let out a breath. “How could it be trouble? Sit down. What are you still standing there for?”
At his word, Wei Mingyu and Zou Yuyang walked over to the sofa and sat down. Wei Mingjue couldn’t help feeling like a school principal, with the two of them acting like students following his every look and cue.
For a long time, the living room remained entirely silent. Even the sound of the maid cleaning upstairs was crystal clear. Wei Mingjue glanced sideways. This little couple was secretly holding hands and exchanging occasional smiles, surrounded by a subtle, sweet atmosphere that made him not want to look a second time.
“Let’s talk about the engagement,” Wei Mingjue said, putting down his phone and looking at the two of them.
“Engagement?” Zou Yuyang showed visible panic, while Wei Mingyu’s eyes lit up instantly.
Such a spineless wretch.
“My younger brother is currently carrying your seed. Didn’t you even think about marrying him?” Wei Mingjue frowned as he stared at the slightly trembling Zou Yuyang, who looked like a sheep facing down a wolf. As the wolf, however, he just wanted to tear this sheep to pieces.
“No, I’d be very happy to marry Mingyu.” Zou Yuyang smiled awkwardly. Naturally, he was terrified of Wei Mingjue, initially assuming the Wei family looked down on him. Never had he expected them to bring up engagement today. It seemed Zou Yuqing had handled things rather well after all, and coupled with Wei Mingyu’s unwavering devotion, Wei Mingjue would not dare touch him.
The outcome, of course, was settling the engagement. Watching the loving display between the two before him, Wei Mingjue found it an absolute eyesore. Unwilling to share a space with them any longer that afternoon, he left instructions behind and headed to the company. Later, feeling an urge to check on Zou Yuqing, he drove out to the vicinity of Weimin Residential Area.
Lately, he had been seeing Zou Yuqing a bit too frequently, yet whenever irritation took hold of him, the mere thought of this person brought back the imaginary scent of crisp mint, steadying his mind and soothing his soul.
He had originally intended not to go in, just lingering outside the complex for a bit before heading home, but right as he prepared to leave, he spotted Zou Yuqing walking out alongside another young man. That young man looked very familiar. It was undoubtedly Xu Wang. When Zou Yuqing had called out that name, he had already ordered Xia Fan to investigate.
Xu Wang, an ordinary beta, Zou Yuqing’s college classmate and close friend. His family ran a tobacco and alcohol business, operating a small shop near the university town.
A beta. Wei Mingjue hadn’t paid him any mind at all. Yet seeing the two of them talking and laughing just now had left a rather unpleasant feeling in his chest.
“Zou Yuqing.” Just as Zou Yuqing turned to head into the residential complex, he spoke up.
The summer evening breeze carried a hint of restlessness. Hearing that familiar voice, Zou Yuqing froze entirely, a chill washing over him. The wound scratched open by Xu Wang that afternoon, which had stopped hurting, flared with a sharp sting once more. He tried to pretend he hadn’t heard and quickened his pace toward the complex, only to hear that devilish, low voice cut through the air. “You wouldn’t want me to drag you in here myself, would you?”
Even without any pheromone suppression, Zou Yuqing felt his heart skip a beat. Swallowing hard, he turned around and walked toward the man.
“Sit in the passenger seat.”
Just as Zou Yuqing reached for the back door handle, Wei Mingjue issued another command. Pressing his lips together, he pulled open the front passenger door and climbed in.
“What is it this time?” The peaceful mood restored by chatting with Xu Wang had been shattered once again. Zou Yuqing glared at Wei Mingjue with furrowed brows. He had told him hundreds of times to stop looking for him, yet this man acted like he was completely deaf.
“Our company’s administrative department is short on hands. Want to come intern? You can also do part-time work on weekends after school starts.” Wei Mingjue looked at Zou Yuqing. “The internship salary is nine thousand a month, five hundred a day for part-time. The work isn’t busy. It is much better than your supermarket job.”
Zou Yuqing didn’t respond for a moment. When it finally registered, he rejected the offer flatly. “No. Do you feel guilty toward me? Are all these recent actions just your way of making compensation? It’s fine. I’m an Alpha too, and what happened won’t have any lasting impact on me. If you genuinely feel sorry for me, then please, do me a favor and truly stop coming after me.”
Was there truly no impact? Zou Yuqing gritted his teeth as he forced those words out. As an Alpha, his dignity had already been trampled into the dust.
Wei Mingjue merely raised an eyebrow. He had never felt guilty toward anyone, least of all Zou Yuqing. Everything he did was purely out of a desire to satisfy his own urges. He was fascinated by Zou Yuqing, which meant he would find every possible means to see him.
“If you’re worried about your mother, I can assign people to keep an eye on her.” Though finding Zou Yuqing’s words somewhat amusing, Wei Mingjue didn’t refute them, pressing on on his own accord.
“I said no. I’m getting out of the car.” With that, Zou Yuqing pushed the car door open.
With lightning speed, Wei Mingjue reached out and stuffed a business card into Zou Yuqing’s pants pocket before smiling. “You can think it over. This is my card. Call me if you need anything.”
As if he could ever need anything. Zou Yuqing threw Wei Mingjue one last scowl, slammed the car door shut with force, and turned to stride into the complex.
Meeting Zou Yuqing had put him in a vastly improved mood. Wei Mingjue drew in a deep breath. The clean, crisp scent of Zou Yuqing still lingered undissipated within the car cabin, serving as his ultimate remedy. Recalling the defiant look in Zou Yuqing’s eyes, a surge of excitement stirred within him.
Ah yes, apart from Zou Yuqing’s pheromones, that stubborn gaze of his was equally addictive.