Zhou Younan was carried in Wei Qing’s arms as they made their way upstairs.
When they reached the second floor, Wei Qing shifted his hold slightly, jostling Zhou Younan as if testing his weight. “You are so light. Are you even fifty kilograms?”
Zhou Younan was entirely preoccupied, his mind spinning as he struggled to figure out how he could possibly escape the situation that was clearly about to unfold.
He had no energy to respond to Wei Qing’s teasing. He only gave a faint, perfunctory sound of acknowledgment. “Mm.”
The two of them arrived at the bedroom door. The door was a wooden one painted in a faded yellow.
In the current Empire, the doors in ordinary citizens’ homes were usually electric metal doors or sleek panels of glass.
The wooden bedroom door in front of him felt completely in line with Wei Qing’s personal style. It was filled with a raw, primitive atmosphere.
Wei Qing narrowed his eyes slightly and said to him, “I prefer someone who has a little more softness to touch.”
Zhou Younan kept his head lowered and did not respond.
He silently thought to himself, nonsense, clearly his ex wife also looked quite slender.
Without knowing the little thoughts turning in Zhou Younan’s mind, Wei Qing lifted a foot and kicked the door open.
The entire room instantly came into view.
A rough and shabby sofa made of coarse cloth stood against the wall, a wooden table covered in claw marks occupied the center of the room, and the curtains around the bed were riddled with small holes.
Zhou Younan’s expression turned strange. Had they entered the wrong room? How could it be this run down? Was this a residential room or a corner of the garbage planet?
Why did everything feel oddly familiar?
Wei Qing stepped inside as if everything were perfectly normal. He even gave a short laugh and said to Zhou Younan, “Let us set a small goal first. You should gain ten jin.”
“Oh.”
Judging from Wei Qing’s attitude, it did not seem they had gone to the wrong place.
Suppressing his surprise, Zhou Younan once again looked around carefully. His room back on the garbage planet seemed slightly better maintained than this one.
How could anyone make every single item in a room look this battered and worn out?
His eyes landed on the gouges along the walls, and he immediately understood everything. The true culprit behind this devastation must have been Wei San.
But was this not Wei Qing’s room? Wei San had destroyed it to this point, yet Wei Qing did not look even a little angry. He was not supposed to have a terrible temper?
Could it be that he was only bad tempered toward people but extremely patient with his pet?
As Zhou Younan was still pondering this, Wei Qing suddenly tossed him onto the bed. The bed curtains might have been shabby, but the bedding was neatly arranged and surprisingly soft.
Before he even had time to adjust himself, Wei Qing pressed down on him and claimed his lips in a deep kiss.
Unable to push him away, Zhou Younan could only endure it helplessly. Fortunately, he had learned how to breathe properly, and his mind remained barely clear.
“Wait, do not…” He tapped Wei Qing’s shoulder with his fingertips.
Wei Qing paused. In his pale green eyes, an intense heat flickered, a heat capable of burning a person completely.
“Why?” he asked.
Why?
The shock brought by the miserable state of the room still lingered in Zhou Younan’s mind. In truth, he had not managed to come up with a reasonable excuse.
He swallowed and stammered out a pitiful explanation. “I am not ready yet.”
Wei Qing let out a low laugh. “You do not need to be ready. I am already ready.”
His long fingers slipped beneath the hem of Zhou Younan’s clothes, sliding over his waist.
“Do not…”
His refusal was swallowed once again.
Zhou Younan braced his legs, pushing upward and trying to inch away from him.
Sensing the movement, Wei Qing paused his kiss. The corner of his lips curved, and he grasped Zhou Younan’s waist, pulling him back with effortless strength.
To prevent any further attempts at escape, he climbed fully onto the bed and pinned Zhou Younan beneath him.
Wei Qing pushed his shirt upward. Zhou Younan tugged it back down.
Wei Qing pushed again. Zhou Younan pulled again.
When Wei Qing prepared to lift it once more, Zhou Younan’s face flushed red. He bit his lip and grabbed the fabric tightly, refusing to let go.
Wei Qing looked at him with amused interest. He is shy.
Zhou Younan glared back at him, cheeks burning. Beast.
“You are biting your lip again,” Wei Qing said with a smile and leaned down to kiss him.
Zhou Younan quickly covered his mouth with his hand, looking very serious. “We really cannot today.”
“Reason?”
“My susceptibility period is coming soon. If we do it now, what if it starts early?”
At the crucial moment, Zhou Younan finally found a workable excuse.
In reality, an Omega’s susceptibility period was usually fixed and would not be triggered early just because of intimacy.
However, many Alphas knew very little about the exact physiological details of an Omega’s cycle. Would Wei Qing be one of those Alphas? Zhou Younan decided to take a gamble.
He gently added in a tone full of considerate reminder, “Tomorrow, you still have to meet His Majesty, do you not?”
Wei Qing stiffened.
He had come from another world and only knew that this world had Alphas and Omegas, and that they experienced cycles similar to the estrus of beastmen.
Alpha, Omega and Beta individuals could all have children, though Omegas had the highest fertility.
Beyond that, he had never bothered to study the detailed biological knowledge. Since Zhou Younan said it was possible, then it might indeed happen.
If Zhou Younan entered his susceptibility period, he would have to stay with him, meaning he would not be able to enter the palace tomorrow.
Wei Qing frowned, clearly displeased.
Seeing his hesitation, Zhou Younan was honestly surprised.
A baseless excuse like this actually worked? Wei Qing had been married twice, yet his understanding of Omegas was this lacking?
Zhou Younan drew a conclusion. Wei Qing must not have cared much for his previous wives. Still, his lack of knowledge had proven beneficial. Look, he already believed the story completely.
Zhou Younan took the initiative to lean up and kiss him, using a retreat to advance.
“Once your marriage leave is approved, then we can do it. All right?”
Wei Qing closed his eyes and pressed his face into the curve of Zhou Younan’s neck.
His voice was low and hoarse. “I feel terrible.”
With the matter finally settled to his relief, Zhou Younan gave Wei Qing a gentle but firm pat on the back, the kind of reassuring gesture someone gives when they believe a situation has been safely defused.
His tone carried a hint of satisfaction as he said, “You will feel better after a while.”
Wei Qing let out a low chuckle, the sound deep and slightly breathless, as if he still had not entirely recovered from the earlier intensity. He pressed a little closer, his voice rough with amusement.
“I am not a three year old,” he said, sounding both teasing and helpless at the same time, as though he wanted to argue but also enjoyed being comforted.
He caught Zhou Younan’s hand and pressed it against the burning heat of his body.
He nipped gently at the soft skin of Zhou Younan’s earlobe, his voice low and rough. “Zhou Younan, release your pheromones. Let them drown me.”
Although his hand had been washed clean, Zhou Younan still could not help feeling a little disgusted.
He made a firm decision. For a short while, he would not bring his hand near his face, nor would he touch his nose or use his hand to eat anything. It was safer that way.
Wei Qing lay behind him on the bed, his posture utterly possessive as he wrapped an arm around him and held him firmly in place.
Just moments ago, Zhou Younan had once again come to understand how overwhelming and frightening Wei Qing’s strength could be.
Wei Qing was an Alpha who was extremely sensitive to pheromones, especially when he was aroused.
Yet during that entire heated moment, he had not released even the faintest trace of his own pheromones.
Zhou Younan thought about it with a complicated feeling spreading in his chest. Wei Qing was powerful to a terrifying extent. Even when his emotions surged to the peak, he was still capable of self control that few Alphas possessed.
With his back pressed against Wei Qing’s firm chest, Zhou Younan could hear and feel the powerful rhythm of the man’s breathing.
The arm around him was hot, strong and a little suffocating, always reminding him that the person behind him was dangerous in every sense of the word, yet also someone he currently had no ability to escape from.
Zhou Younan relaxed slightly only when he sensed that Wei Qing’s rough breathing was gradually smoothing out.
After a long stretch of quiet, Wei Qing finally spoke, his voice calm but still deep with something hard to name. “Your pheromones feel very good.”
Zhou Younan froze for a moment. He had not even released his pheromones intentionally. The little that had escaped earlier was only because he had panicked.
He let out a silent sigh and closed his eyes. It was better not to respond.
Silence fell once again, but this time it carried an odd warmth. Wei Qing rested his forehead against the back of Zhou Younan’s neck, as if that touch alone soothed him. His breathing brushed against the sensitive skin there.
Zhou Younan shifted a little, trying to find a more comfortable position. Wei Qing immediately tightened his hold slightly, as if protecting something precious and refusing to let it slip from his grasp.
“Do not move,” Wei Qing murmured, his voice almost lazily satisfied now.
Zhou Younan pursed his lips and stayed still.
The lamp cast a dim glow over the room, illuminating the tattered curtains, the scratched wooden table and the battered walls. Everything was broken, ruined and worn, just like the life of the man who lived here.
Yet the warmth of an Alpha’s arms and the steady beat of his heart created a strange contrast, one that made Zhou Younan feel both uneasy and faintly dazed.
He took another quiet breath and told himself to relax. For tonight, this was enough.
Wei Qing shifted his head slightly, pressing another soft breath against his neck. “Sleep,” he said in a low tone.
Zhou Younan responded with a faint sound, closed his eyes and allowed the night to settle around them.
Too terrifying. Truly too terrifying. What kind of self control did a person need to achieve something like that? Was he even still human?
Wei Qing could restrain his pheromones to such an unbelievable degree, yet he had still pretended to be pitiful, telling him he was feeling uncomfortable. He must have been teasing him on purpose.
The more Zhou Younan thought about it, the angrier he became. He honestly wanted to turn around and give Wei Qing a hard kick right between the legs. That would solve everything in just one second instead of wasting such a painfully long time.
His wrist felt unbearably sore now.
Wei Qing’s breath drifted closer and closer to the gland on his neck, and a wave of uneasiness swept through Zhou Younan’s heart.
He had said his heat period might be triggered early. Was Wei Qing thinking of marking him temporarily?
Zhou Younan instantly stiffened from head to toe. If Wei Qing spoke that request aloud, he truly had no idea what other excuse he could give to refuse.
The Omega gland was located at the back of the neck.
Wei Qing leaned in and took a slow breath. The scent of catnip was indeed coming from here.
Such a dense and intoxicating fragrance.
He could not resist. He reached out and brushed his tongue lightly against the skin.
“Wei Qing.” Zhou Younan shrank visibly, both shoulders jolting in alarm. He raised a hand to cover his neck. “Do not… do not do that.”
“What am I doing?”
Zhou Younan whispered softly, his tone carrying the tremble of pleading. “Do not mark me.”
Wei Qing let out a low laugh, wrapped his arms tightly around him and sighed into his neck. “I will not do something you do not want. You are so fragrant. I only want to smell you.”
“Mm.”
Although Wei Qing said that, Zhou Younan did not relax in the slightest. He kept every sense alert, afraid that Wei Qing would suddenly strike and bite down without warning.
He kept his guard up, and kept his guard up, and as the soreness in his wrist spread through his entire body, sleep finally dragged him under.
He dreamed of running through a deep forest, branches whipping past, and behind him a huge leopard was chasing him with earth shaking footsteps.
“Why are you chasing me?” Zhou Younan cried out.
He had no idea how it happened, but in the next instant the leopard morphed into Wei Qing.
Wei Qing leaped forward and pinned him to the ground. His golden hair flew wildly around him, and his eyes shone with a manic light as he laughed loudly. “I want to eat you.”
Too terrifying.
Zhou Younan jolted awake, heart pounding wildly in his chest.
He reached up and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. As his hand fell away, he froze.
The memories from last night flooded back all at once.
Slowly, with great effort, he peeled his palm away from his forehead. His lips trembled.
His hand had been contaminated. Now his face was contaminated too.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
He rubbed his hand vigorously against the blanket, then buried his face into the same blanket and scrubbed hard.
A muffled cry came from under the covers. “Ahhh!”
Then his terminal chimed. Zhou Younan opened it with a tap.
A long string of unread messages appeared, all from someone marked as Dear Husband.
Dear… dear husband? Who was that supposed to be? Zhou Younan had never added such a contact in his life.
The bed around him was empty. Wei Qing was not here. He must have already gone to the palace.
Zhou Younan sat straight up in shock.
It was obvious. That nickname had to be something Wei Qing wrote himself.
Wei Qing must have added his own contact into Zhou Younan’s terminal while he was sleeping, and casually wrote that horrifying remark as well.
Grinding his teeth, Zhou Younan stabbed open the conversation.
The earliest message was from six in the morning.
【Breakfast porridge is ready. I placed it in the insulated box.】
The next one was from six thirty.
【Younan, I am going to the palace. I will be back soon.】
Zhou Younan replied perfunctorily.
【Mmmmmm.】
Then he immediately changed the contact name to Beast.
Looking at the word Beast sitting in his contact list, he nodded in satisfaction.
Zhou Younan had very few contacts. Until yesterday, the only names in his terminal were General Henry Grey, Zhou Mo, and Captain Feili.
Now there were only three names: Beast, Zhou Mo, and Feili.
Henry Grey’s name had vanished.
Wei Qing must have deleted it.
Zhou Younan rolled his eyes so hard it hurt. Fueled by irritation, he added a word before Beast.
Big Beast.
Still fuming, he climbed out of bed. Then he suddenly remembered something very important.
Usually he had insomnia. It always took him a long time to fall asleep, and he would wake up very early before the sky brightened.
But yesterday he had fallen asleep quickly and slept straight through until daylight.
Why?
He thought about it carefully.
It must be because he experienced too many things yesterday and was exhausted.
It had been one chaotic day. Early that morning he had gone to the Golden Triangle Hotel to wait for the marriage.
Then he rushed to Marshal Wang Han’s residence and in front of so many people fed Wei Qing the capsule.
After that he chased Wei Qing and ended up at the Empire People’s Plaza.
Once the wedding was finally completed, he had been dragged to this tiny island in the lake.
That night he had met Wuhuarou, also the genius mecha master Wang Wu, and the leopard Wei San that belonged to Wei Qing.
After showering, he had even wasted a very long time in bed with Wei Qing.
It had been a very long day indeed. It would be strange if he was not exhausted.
Zhou Younan went downstairs.
“Madam, you are awake~~” Wuhuarou was mopping the floor and greeted him cheerfully.
“Mm.” Zhou Younan answered with a small nod.
He noticed that the main door and all the windows which were destroyed by Wang Wu yesterday had been restored perfectly.
He stared in surprise. “You fixed all this during the night?”
Wuhuarou proudly flexed his metal arms like a strongman. “Yes. Wuhuarou is very strong. Ha ha~~”
After two seconds of laughter, he continued, “And because I have repaired them many times already, I am getting faster and better.”
“Many times?” Zhou Younan raised a brow.
Wuhuarou tilted his head. “His Majesty, Vance Naber, and Wang Wu. Every time they visit, the house becomes a disaster zone. General Henry Grey and General Su Xi sometimes break a little something too.”
Zhou Younan’s mouth twitched. “Then you really have a tough job.”
Wuhuarou tossed the rag aside and threw himself dramatically against Zhou Younan’s leg. “Madam, Wuhuarou likes watching dramas. If I can watch for a while, I will not feel tired at all.”
“Uh…” Zhou Younan hesitated. “But Wei Qing said you are not allowed to watch dramas.”
Wuhuarou immediately burst into an unnerving wailing noise filled with mechanical static. “Wuu wuu wuu… wuu wuu wuu wuu…”
“Fine, fine, watch a little,” Zhou Younan quickly surrendered. “Just a little will be fine.”
“Yay. Long live! The master~~~” Wuhuarou cheered and began spinning in circles around him.
Long live? Was that a phrase from some show?
Zhou Younan chuckled. For a robot that looked silly, it actually knew how to play pitiful very well.
Why did this routine feel familiar…
A flash of golden hair surfaced in his mind.
Stop.
He shook his head vigorously, flinging the golden hair out of his mind without mercy.
After finishing his porridge, he began exploring the villa.
The basement had only a small room, which was Wuhuarou’s tool storage.
The first floor held the kitchen, living room, a bar counter, a long display wall, a restroom, and an enormous refrigerated room.
The refrigerated room was filled with fresh vegetables and fruits. The deeper section was the frozen chamber. The temperature there was extremely low, and rows of meat hung from the ceiling. The sight was somewhat chilling. Zhou Younan stumbled back in fright.
The second floor contained two bedrooms, an empty multi-purpose room, and a restroom.
The third floor was an open air terrace and a room that simulated moonlight. He had heard of artificial sunlight rooms, but what was meant by an artificial moonlight room?
Tilting his head, he stared at the ceiling where a projected crescent moon glittered softly. His face was full of confusion.
At that moment, he received a communication request from Zhou Mo.
Zhou Younan brightened instantly. “Brother.”
“Nannan, are you alright?”
“More or less.”
Zhou Mo chuckled softly. “Can I come see you? There is something I want to tell you in person. And your candy box is still with me.”
“Is it news about Luoluo? Come quickly.” Zhou Younan answered with excitement.
“Is Wei Qing at home?”
“No. He went to see His Majesty.”
“Then you have to tell him the identification number of my aircraft first.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
✦ END OF CHAPTER ✦ BEGIN COFFEE NEGOTIATIONS ✦
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Escape from Zhou familyChapter 2 · Bride To BeChapter 3 · Attacked on SpaceshipChapter 4 · FiancéChapter 5 · Wild one Tastes betterChapter 6 · Cousin, Zhou MoChapter 7 · Wedding DressChapter 8 · Wedding Hall disputeChapter 9 · Marshal Fainted!Chapter 10 · CATNIP!Chapter 11 · His Pheromone is Catnip!Chapter 12 · The show beginsChapter 13 · He likes me!Chapter 14 · He is crazy!Chapter 15 · Auditorium, I brought it. Do you like it?Chapter 16 · Only I can bite your lipsChapter 17 · Wei Qing grabbed his wristChapter 18 · Your posture just now was perfect for kissingChapter 19 · This is… Wei Qing’s leopard?Chapter 20 · Let’s do what newlyweds should do.Chapter 21 · Release your pheromones and overwhelm meChapter 22 · Zhou Younan, I miss you.Chapter 23 · The promise to bite your lip isn’t just for yesterdayChapter 24 · You beast! You enormous beastChapter 25 · My patience is almost at its limitChapter 26 · Touch Wei San? Pluck its feathers?Chapter 27 · Doesn’t Wei Qing like you a lot?Chapter 28 · You’re the dog, your whole family are dogsChapter 29 · How did things turn out like this?!Chapter 30 · Zhou Younan, I love everything about youChapter 31 · Cheetahs do react to catnip.Chapter 32 · Second PrinceChapter 33 · Immersed in the fluffy touchChapter 34 · What can you do to help if you stay?Chapter 35 · Sand WormChapter 36 · I gave Wei Qing a capsuleChapter 37 · His vulnerable period has arrivedChapter 38 · Reason has long since been burned awayChapter 39 · I can’t believe I did that! I’m insane!Chapter 40 · The person I want to protect is my wifeChapter 41 · Zhou Younan, you can only be mineChapter 42 · Until the last star in the universe is annihilated.Chapter 43 · The light in Wei Qing’s eyes dimmed.Chapter 44 · Family?Chapter 45 · The green capsule was in his palmChapter 46 · Zhou Younan was filled with fearChapter 47 · Brother won’t abandon youChapter 48 · What a piece of trash!Chapter 49 · Zhou Younan, are you looking at me?Chapter 50 · Zhou Younan feared Xu QiChapter 51 · Zhou Younan, you’re such a foolChapter 52 · You really don’t want to marry me?Chapter 53 · My braceletChapter 54 · Zhou Younan, I can’t mark youChapter 55 · A symbol of brotherhoodChapter 56 · How old are you?Chapter 57 · Abnormal!Chapter 58 · Did you give Wei Qing the capsules from the tin box?Chapter 59 · Brother, I’ve made up my mindChapter 60 · Doing things for you is my wishChapter 61 · You’re the first person I’ve ever liked, Wei Qing.Chapter 62 · Childhood sweetheartChapter 63 · He can’t live without youChapter 64 · Teacher RigenChapter 65 · Were they running togetherChapter 66 · You two kidnappersChapter 67 · GiftChapter 68 · Don’t look back, just carry onChapter 69 · Maurice Jin is already a thing of the past for meChapter 70 · I finally found youChapter 71 · Who’s your wife?Chapter 72 · How would he interpret his leaving?Chapter 73 · Wei Qing was Wei San?Chapter 74 · Maurice Jin had been assassinated?!Chapter 75 · Turn your face towards the sunChapter 76 · Wei Qing’s eyes were brightChapter 77 · Pheromones are a double edged swordChapter 78 · Don’t stareChapter 79 · He’s the Empire’s MarshalChapter 80 · So WeakChapter 81 · Are you alright?Chapter 82 · Was he really that kind of person?Chapter 83 · He remembered his forgotten goalsChapter 84 · Come on, shoot me in the heartChapter 85 · Why are you unhappy again when I touch you?Chapter 86 · Don’t you even like me anymore?Chapter 87 · Wei Qing transformed into Wei San.Chapter 88 · I’ll give you my love, and I’ll give you my lifeChapter 89 · Just do it for me, okay?Chapter 90 · Don’t bother me until you explain clearlyChapter 91 · I want to stop your time when you still love meChapter 92 · Damn it! Zhou Younan! You just waitChapter 93 · From the very beginning, I had no choiceChapter 94 · From the very beginning, I had no choiceChapter 95 · A gunshot rang outChapter 96 · I grew up in the research instituteChapter 97 · You complete liar! You’re despicableChapter 98 · You will always be the only one in my heartChapter 99 · You are actually the same as meChapter 100 · Zhou Younan, I’m leavingChapter 101 · How could a big cat possibly resist the allure of catnip?Chapter 102 · The EndChapter 103 · Extra: 1