Fang Fengqin had already forgotten how he managed to walk out of that room the other day.
He only remembered that Shen Jiyun was like a wolf starved for eight lifetimes, marking him back and forth over and over again until, by the end, Fang Fengqin’s consciousness had blurred somewhat, leaving him to sob and let himself be at the other man’s mercy.
It was as if Shen Jiyun had finally recovered his sanity, gently picking him up from the sofa, tidying up his disheveled clothes, and wiping the tears spilling from the corners of his eyes with the pad of his thumb.
“Young Master Fang, thank you for your generosity.” The man left a gentle sentence by his ear in a mild tone before turning and leaving.
How humiliating.
Fang Fengqin closed his eyes with a blank expression, feeling his face burn hot.
Those harmless, petty provocations he had directed at Shen Jiyun over the past few years now seemed like absolute child’s play.
Shen Jiyun didn’t make a sound until he struck, but when he did, it was earth-shattering.
The dull ache at the back of his neck had yet to fade, and Fang Fengqin couldn’t muster up any other energy. He holed up in the lakeside apartment for several days straight, not even showing his face when his father and Fang Rongxi returned to the country.
Let alone plotting revenge; he now wished nothing more than to stay as far away from that person as possible. For the first time in his life, the arrogant young master who had run wild for half his youth felt a genuine dread toward someone from the bottom of his heart.
His phone rang beside him. He lazily reached out to grab it, finding it was an incoming call from his father.
Fang Fengqin glanced at it, then lazily placed the phone right back down.
The call only rang for a few seconds before hanging up, and another one came through the next second. Feeling annoyed, Fang Fengqin answered with his eyes closed. “Hello? What is it?”
“Xiao Chengzi.” A refined voice came from the other end. Fang Fengqin was startled, opening his eyes to look at the screen. It was his older brother’s call.
He lightly pressed his lips together, instantly losing half his arrogance.
“Brother.” Fang Fengqin scratched at the bedsheets with his fingers, speaking in a muffled tone. “What is it?”
“Come back to the old residence right now.” Fang Rongxi’s voice sounded somewhat solemn. Through the line, Fang Fengqin could hear someone nearby give a low cough. It was Fang Long.
Fang Fengqin fell silent for a moment before giving a low acknowledgment.
The Fang residence was nestled in Rongcheng’s famous upscale district. This place was backed by mountains and faced water, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Countless people broke their necks trying to squeeze their way in, yet couldn’t step foot inside even halfway for the rest of their lives.
The afternoon sun was warm and cozy, making it ideal for sleeping. The security guard in the guard post was dozing off when he was startled awake by a short blast of a car horn. Recognizing the vehicle, he scrambled to open the automatic gate in a flurry of panic and ran down a few steps.
“I’宁m sorry, Young Master. I’m sorry.”
Stepping on the accelerator without even rolling down his car window, Fang Fengqin drove straight through.
Knowing he was returning today, the housekeeper was waiting in front of the main hall. Catching sight of him now, he hurried forward with a beaming smile.
Tossing his keys to the parking attendant, Fang Fengqin took the lead and walked toward the main hall.
“Young Master, the Master and the Young Master have been talking about you for ages. You’ve finally come back.”
The housekeeper walked alongside him, speaking in a soft voice while observing his expression. Seeing how listless he looked all over, a wave of worry arose in his heart.
“The Master worries about you, too. Since you’re away from home year-round, don’t let distance make you feel distant from your family.”
“Uncle Zhang.” Fang Fengqin felt a headache coming on from all the nagging and said helplessly, “Stop talking.”
Uncle Zhang gave an awkward assent, stopping at the doorway to watch him go in.
He gazed at Fang Fengqin’s slender back and shook his head with a touch of sentiment.
The young master had never been close to the family all these years, rarely initiating contact. Usually, it took a phone call from Mr. Fang or the eldest young master just to get him to reluctantly return for a visit.
He never stayed long and never spent the night, as if there were a man-eating monster hidden in this house.
The main hall of the Fang residence was decorated in a traditional Chinese style. Fang Long sat in the main seat drinking tea, while Fang Rongxi sat off to the side. Hearing footsteps, Fang Rongxi turned his head to look over.
“Chengzi, you’re back.” Fang Rongxi smiled at him, though his gaze carried a hint of worry.
Fang Fengqin met his gaze without a word and walked straight to sit as far away from the two of them as possible.
“Why’d you call me back?” He lowered his gaze and asked directly.
Fang Long lifted his eyelids to look at him, setting his teacup down on the table with a firm thud. “Pull your pheromones back in. What, are you trying to rebel?”
As an S-class alpha, he was exceptionally sensitive to pheromones. Even though the scent on Fang Fengqin was already very faint, he still keenly detected the threat hidden within it.
Since Fang Rongxi was a beta, he hadn’t picked up on it. Hearing this, he looked at Fang Fengqin’s listless little face and said gently, “Chengzi, is this your rutting period?”
“You’re a beta, why are you poking your nose into this?” Fang Fengqin frowned, turning his face away to avoid looking at him.
A teacup carrying scalding tea smashed through the air toward him. With a dark face, Fang Fengqin slammed his hand hard against the table in front of him.
“You’ve grown some backbone, haven’t you? How dare you speak to your brother like that?”
The second the cup was hurled, Fang Rongxi stood up to block it, only to be stopped by a single look from Fang Long. Clenching his lower jaw slightly, Fang Rongxi lowered his eyes and sat back down.
Fang Fengqin didn’t dodge. Dodging would only make Fang Long angrier. This was a lesson he had learned through bitter experience since childhood.
The teacup hit the floor mid-air and cracked open with a sharp snap, splashing some hot water onto the back of his hand and instantly turning the fair skin red.
“If nothing’s wrong, I’m leaving.” He abruptly stood up and headed toward the exit.
“Your romantic debts have followed you all the way to my doorstep to complain, and you still say nothing’s wrong?” Fang Long’s expression was unsightly as he stared at his youngest son with a look of disappointment.
He couldn’t understand why Fang Fengqin refused to show any vulnerability toward him. Though he had many offspring, no other alphas had been born in all these years. Fang Fengqin was the only one, yet he was utterly useless.
Standing up, Fang Long said coldly, “Follow me to the study.”
Hearing those words, Fang Fengqin suddenly remembered something, and his expression turned grim as well.
The two of them walked one after the other past Fang Rongxi, heading toward the study on the second floor.
Without a sound, Fang Rongxi glanced at Fang Fengqin’s retreating back and picked up his teacup to take a sip.
“Eldest Young Master, the Master…” Hearing the sound of the teacup shattering inside, Uncle Zhang hesitated before walking in.
Fang Rongxi’s expression carried a trace of lingering chill before it slowly warmed back up.
“I accidentally dropped a teacup. Have someone come and clean it up.” He gave Uncle Zhang a gentle smile.
Inside the study, Fang Fengqin stood opposite Fang Long, listening to him spout nutritional-free nonsense.
“Your brother is only temporarily taking over the company for you. Whenever you decide to step in, all of this will be yours.”
Fang Fengqin grazed his tongue against his cheek and said dismissively, “Fine by me. A beta like him really isn’t suited to stay in the company anyway. There’s no time like the present, let’s do it today.”
With a blank expression, Fang Long asked him, “Do what today?”
“Transfer the shares to my name today.” Fang Fengqin curved his lips into a smile. “I just happened to take a liking to an omega, and he wants me to fund his debut in the entertainment industry.”
Fang Long’s chest heaved violently a few times. He stood up, walked over to Fang Fengqin, and delivered a heavy slap across his face.
“You don’t even measure up to a fraction of your brother!” Pacing back and forth twice on the spot, he said coldly, “How did the Fang family end up with a good-for-nothing like you?”
The slap left Fang Fengqin seeing stars, and a warm liquid seemed to stream from his nasal cavity. Reaching out to wipe it, he found bright red blood continuously flowing down.
Fang Long had already regained his composure, looking at him with not a shred of heartache.
“People from the Wei family say you marked an omega from their household? What’s his name, Wei Jinlin. Is this true or not?”