Several indescribable stenches permeated the air—resembling grease smoke trapped in an unventilated kitchen for years, fermented and spoiled food scraps, or a long-neglected refrigeration unit suddenly opened. Mixed with the earthy dampness of melting snow, the odor was exceptionally unpleasant.
Chu Yanyi’s brow twitched. As a high-grade Alpha, his natural sensitivity to pheromones was far higher than that of ordinary Alphas, making him acutely aware of this heavy, deliberately released Alpha pheromone.
The undisguised provocation embedded within the pheromone directly stirred an Alpha’s biological instincts.
Looking toward the group of men and women shouting as they rushed over, his frown deepened.
Leading the group was an Alpha wearing a chef’s hat stained with grease. With a ferocious glint in his eyes, he slammed his hands heavily onto Zhou Yi’s shoulders, roaring furiously: “Was it you again?! Why are things missing again?! You stole it, didn’t you?!”
The roaring was so loud that even standing at a distance, Chu Yanyi could hear every word with utmost clarity.
Zhou Yi lowered his head and opened his hands, shaking his head in confusion, his expression innocent yet laced with bewilderment. The very next second, he was shoved backward, his feet slipping, nearly stumbling straight into the lake.
“Alright, alright, he’s just a brain-damaged slave who can’t even speak, why bother arguing with him?” A servant following behind the chef tried to mediate, their tone helpless. “It’s not like anything important went missing anyway. Mr. Chu is at home today; let’s not disturb him.”
Zhou Yi snapped his head up, shock written across his eyes. He frantically made several gestures toward the servant, uttering only a few dry, raspy gasps from his throat.
“What is that supposed to mean?! How am I supposed to understand that! You really must be broken in the head!” The chef grabbed Zhou Yi by his collar, dragging him forward. “Last time, it was out of pity that I paid out of my own pocket to cover the difference! Do you think I’m easy to push around?! This time… we’re settling all accounts, old and new!”
“Hey, hey, don’t, don’t do this…” Seeing the escalation, the others quickly crowded forward to separate the two. The mediating servant held tightly onto the chef’s arm: “He’s just a slave—where would he get money? Forget it, he doesn’t have it easy either.”
The onlookers, never ones to pass up drama, began whispering among themselves with contemptuous expressions. Every single word floated clearly into Chu Yanyi’s ears.
“That’s right, Xiao Yi, just admit your mistake.”
“A slave really is just a slave after all. Never seen the world, only capable of petty theft.”
“It’s not like Mr. Chu actually cares about him that much. I heard he’s an Alpha? Hard to tell.”
Zhou Yi’s intact hand clenched tightly into a fist, only to suddenly release it. He bowed his head, adopting a posture of total submission.
“He doesn’t have it easy, but do I?!” The chef panted heavily, pointing a finger at the silent Zhou Yi. Scanning Zhou Yi up and down, he suddenly grabbed Zhou Yi’s wrist. “What’s this? Where did you get a terminal if you have no money?! Don’t tell me you stole this too!”
Ignoring the crowd’s attempts to stop him, he attempted to forcibly yank the communication device from Zhou Yi’s wrist.
Clenching his teeth as if he had pushed past his limit, Zhou Yi let out a raspy groan and swung his arm with sudden force, breaking free from the chef’s grip.
The chef hadn’t expected him to possess such strength and was dragged straight down onto the ground. He originally intended to fly into a rage, but the flash of ruthlessness in Zhou Yi’s eyes left him frozen on the spot.
Before the others could react, Zhou Yi sprinted off toward the opposite direction.
Only then did Chu Yanyi notice something dangling from Zhou Yi’s neck, glinting with his every movement.
“Goddamn cripple…” The chef spat out a barrage of filthy curses. “You dog, escape again if you dare! Do you really think a single glance from the master makes you any less of a slave? You’ll never turn your life around. Mr. Chu is only taking pity on you because you’re a cripple too!”
Wind swept up the lingering snow in the forest. Chu Yanyi narrowed his eyes as chaotic, rapid footsteps drew closer. He stepped aside, leaning against a large tree and turning his body slightly. When the footsteps arrived right before him, he extended his cane unhurriedly, blocking Zhou Yi’s path.
Startled by the sudden obstacle, Zhou Yi stabilized his footing, dropping onto one knee. He looked up in panic like a trapped beast, and Chu Yanyi looked down at him, offering a slight smile.
In the sunlight, Chu Yanyi’s blue eyes resembled the sky reflected upon a frozen lake, shimmering with a peculiar, icy brilliance.
The director of the orphanage was a man who strictly adhered to rules.
The timing of three meals a day, the exact portion of food allocated to each child, the bed slept on at night, the attitude when meeting different people, the angle of a smile, the procedure for handling a deceased child’s body… The brain was like a whiteboard covered in grids, with corresponding rules filled into every single box.
Children who broke the rules were punished by the director. It wasn’t until Chu Yanyi left the orphanage with Chu Yanqi that he learned a punishment could simply be a kick or a beating.
The first time Chu Yanyi “erred”[1]Erred is the past tense and past participle of the verb err, which means to make a mistake, be incorrect, or stray from the right path or standard. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3669444_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3669444_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); was when a child ranked higher than him falsely accused him of stealing a piece of bread.
The other children shouted “bastard” and “son of a whore” at him, telling him not to think he could do whatever he wanted just because the director favored him. He was chased around the orphanage for an unknown number of laps before finally collapsing at the director’s feet. The dog kept by the director to handle enemies was still alive back then, snapping its gaping, blood-filled jaws straight at Chu Yanyi.
Perhaps lunch had been truly unappetizing, perhaps the Alpha pheromone was thoroughly repulsive, or perhaps this scene carried a sense of deja vu—looking at the fleeing Zhou Yi, Chu Yanyi suddenly recalled those past events.
In moments like these, even a hypocritical act of concern or charity was enough to be remembered for a lifetime.
Chu Yanqi had once said: “Brother, you haven’t forgotten any of it, have you?”
Indeed, he hadn’t forgotten, Chu Yanyi thought absently. Why should he forget?
He raised his head lazily, looking at the group struck mute with fear. Leaning on his cane, he limped over to stand before them: “I didn’t realize the house was this lively while I was away.”
Silence blanketed the surroundings. The quiet, heavy crunch of shoe heels and cane pressing onto dry leaves and frost repeated in everyone’s ears over and over again.
The pungent Alpha pheromone scent vanished instantly, leaving only the cool, detached fragrance of iris drifting slowly through the thawing air.
Every servant held their breath. This was their first time smelling a high-grade Alpha’s pheromone, and the overwhelming pressure was self-evident.
Trembling, the chef collapsed onto his knees with a loud thud. His entire body shivered, even the fat on his face twitching involuntarily: “Mr… Mr… Mr. Chu…”
Chu Yanyi used his cane to lift the man’s chin, lowering his head to force the chef to meet his gaze directly: “Repeat what you just said.”
The chef’s eyes darted around erratically. Taking a deep breath, a long moment passed before he managed to speak: “…I…”
Chu Yanyi maintained a smile, as if patiently waiting for him to continue.
In the end, he couldn’t repeat his own words. Gripped by overwhelming terror, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out cold on the spot.
The others didn’t dare make a single movement.
Chu Yanyi let out a cold chuckle: “What about the rest of you? Did you hear what he said?”
Everyone before him shook their heads in unison, wishing they could puncture their own ears on the spot.
Chu Yanyi looked back from his vantage point, his gaze colliding with Zhou Yi’s, who was staring fixedly at him. He hooked the item hanging around Zhou Yi’s neck using his cane—it was the key he had given Zhou Yi a few days ago.
“Tell me, how should I handle them?” Chu Yanyi asked softly, as if genuinely seeking Zhou Yi’s input.
Zhou Yi’s breathing turned rapid. Lowering his head, his lips moved slightly before he raised both hands. His clumsy, stiff right hand cooperated with his left to make several gestures toward Chu Yanyi:
——I’ve been very obedient and didn’t get myself into a wretched state.
The moment he grasped Zhou Yi’s meaning, something was added to Chu Yanyi’s smile. Laughing, he tapped Zhou Yi’s head: “Why are you a little foolish?”
Subconsciously, Zhou Yi bowed his head even lower, staring intently at the dry, yellow blades of grass beneath his feet, exposing the bandage over his neck gland and half of the brand. Having put on some weight compared to before, his features retained a hint of his former fierce, hard-to-mess-with demeanor—making it look like a pretense in the eyes of others right now.
He knew he was broken in the head; otherwise, why could he never understand Mr. Chu’s thoughts? But as a slave, he didn’t seem to need to understand Mr. Chu’s thoughts either.
That annoying pheromone was finally masked. Someone cried and begged for mercy in the wind, Chu Yanyi’s trench coat rustling loudly in the woods. He leaned down, his tone sounding like he was comforting a lost lamb: “When I said ‘obedient,’ I didn’t mean listening to just anyone.”
The iris-scented pheromone brushed past Zhou Yi’s ear. Zhou Yi’s throat bobbed. The scent was far too familiar; he was dazed for a split second as past whispers echoed in his ears: “How are Chu Yanyi’s pheromones? Smell decent enough, don’t they?”
Chu Yanyi withdrew his smile and raised his eyes, his gaze landing on the housekeeper and other servants hurrying over: “Housekeeper Mo, replace everyone in the kitchen.”
Taking in the scene, Housekeeper Mo wiped away his sweat, nodding subserviently while speaking cautiously: “We won’t be able to find new staff immediately, so for the next few days, should we…”
“No need for the trouble. I brought my own people over; we’ll use the ones who serve me outside,” Chu Yanyi said calmly, scanning the rest of the group. “I’m not sure what happened among them, but it seems there’s a thief in the house. I’ll have to trouble Housekeeper Mo to look into it thoroughly.”
Before his words finished, several unfamiliar attendants emerged from nowhere, seizing the servants who had caused the commotion.
Tears and snot ran down those servants’ faces as they either cried aloud for mercy or were too terrified to speak, their limbs going limp as they were dragged away with their mouths covered.
“Mr. Chu… then… what about Xiao Yi?” the housekeeper asked nervously.
“Handle things as usual,” Chu Yanyi patted Zhou Yi’s shoulder. “Once you’ve settled things here, come find me. You know the way, right?”
With that, he turned unhurriedly and walked away. The snow resting on the branches trembled, as though nothing had happened at all.
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