“Your candy tin.” Zhou Mo handed over the iron box filled with sweets to Zhou Younan.
Zhou Younan accepted it, looking at him with unconcealed anticipation.
With a gentle smile in his eyes, Zhou Mo continued, “I arranged for someone to buy Lou Lou a new terminal, one that supports full-holographic communication.”
The moment he heard that, Zhou Younan couldn’t help the way his lips curved upward, joy blooming quietly across his face.
“This is his contact number,” Zhou Mo added, “you two can talk anytime you want.”
“That’s great!” With Lou Lou’s contact finally in his possession, Zhou Younan immediately tried to dial.
“Hey.” Zhou Mo swiftly stopped him. “What time is it right now?”
Zhou Younan checked the display. “Ten o’clock.”
“There’s a time difference between Yaoxing and Canberra. He’s probably already asleep.” Zhou Mo’s tone became stern. “He’s still a student. You can’t disturb his rest or his classes.”
Letting out a faint sigh, Zhou Younan bowed his head in gratitude.
Without Zhou Mo’s reminder, he likely wouldn’t have thought about that at all.
“I understand now. Brother… thank you.”
“It’s my job to think ahead and consider every detail.” Zhou Mo smiled, then hesitated before asking, “So… how did things go between you and Wei Qing last night?”
Zhou Younan’s gaze drifted to his own palm, his expression faintly awkward. “It was… okay, I guess.”
“Before and after the marriage, his attitude toward you changed completely. I’d say he fell for you at first sight.” Zhou Mo deliberately emphasized the stark contrast in Wei Qing’s behavior before and after the wedding.
He was probing, probing whether Zhou Younan had used the capsule exactly as the projection foretold.
Zhou Younan lowered his eyes, avoiding his brother’s gaze.
His fingers tapped against the terminal screen lightly. “Maybe. He did say… he liked my pheromones.”
“That’s a good thing. Pheromones are a part of you. You’re an Omega. If he loves your scent, then he is loving you. You two will definitely have a happy future, grow old hand in hand, stay together for a lifetime.”
Zhou Younan’s movements paused. He bit his lip, and after a moment of silence, whispered, “I… hope so.”
Zhou Mo stared at him intently, like a hunter observing his prey. He paid close attention to the slightest emotion flickering across Zhou Younan’s face.
His smile grew deeper and deeper. “I’m truly happy for you.”
Zhou Younan forced a small smile in return.
After a long moment of quiet, Zhou Mo knew he had already obtained the answer he wanted.
Zhou Younan had used the capsule on Wei Qing.
This realization put Zhou Mo in an excellent mood.
He then told him about encountering Noah by the riverbank. Zhou Younan was visibly surprised.
“He claimed to be your friend, isn’t he?”
“No, he is,” Zhou Younan replied quickly. “It’s just… we haven’t contacted each other for a long time.”
“He belongs to the Hall family. May I ask where the two of you met?”
“At the research institute, we were both assistants there.” As he spoke, he stared at the newly added contacts in his terminal: Lou Lou, and Noah Hall.
“The Hall family… are they powerful as well?”
“They’re not one of the five great families, but the Halls are extremely wealthy. Didn’t Noah Hall tell you his surname?” Zhou Mo asked, pretending to be casual.
“Noah said he ran away from home when he was young and was later sold to the institute by human traffickers. He only knew his family was rich, but not exactly to what extent.”
“Then he also stayed in the detention facility on Short-Tail Star like you?”
“Yes.” Zhou Younan nodded. “His family found him and took him back first. It’s been about six months since we last talked.”
Zhou Mo raised an eyebrow, humming in acknowledgment.
“Noah told me that when he was taken away, he would come find me and Lou Lou very soon…” Zhou Younan’s voice faintly carried disappointment.
If Noah had kept that promise, if he had come for him… perhaps he would never have ended up in the Zhou family. But such thoughts were only useless imaginings.
“The Hall family is rich and influential. Noah Hall was missing for years and suddenly reappeared, there’s bound to be trouble surrounding him.” Zhou Mo tried to comfort him. “That might be why he couldn’t come to you and Lou Lou right away.”
“…mm.” Zhou Younan quietly agreed.
What Zhou Mo said made perfect sense.
“You must have felt lonely in Toriquis with no friends. And now he has reached out, which shows he still cares and has his reasons. Contact him. Let him explain.”
“You’re right, Brother.”
“Of course. I’m the older one.” Zhou Mo spread his hands dramatically.
The two exchanged smiles, brothers sharing a brief moment of warmth.
After Zhou Mo left, Zhou Younan sent Lou Lou a message:
[Lou Lou, it’s your brother. Call me when you wake up, full holo-communication.]
Then, after wiping Wuhaurou dry, he contacted Noah.
The holographic call connected almost instantly.
Noah’s image projected from the terminal, curly hair and a face sprinkled with freckles.
His eyes lit up with pure joy. He leaned too close to the camera and shouted excitedly, “Nannan!”
“Yes, Noah. My name is Zhou Younan.”
“Then I’ll call you Younan from now on!”
“Alright.”
“Younan! This is great! You finally contacted me!”
Because of how near he was to the terminal, the projection could only show a single, exaggeratedly stretched big face hovering right in front of Younan.
“I was so scared you wouldn’t want to see me again.”
Noah’s mouth wobbled sadly. “Younan, please listen to my explanation. I didn’t deliberately avoid you. I… ”
“Wait.” Zhou Younan cut him off. “Move farther from the camera. I can’t even see your whole face.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll step back. I’m just… too excited.” Noah quickly wiped away the tears gathering in his eyes.
Hearing the small tremor in his voice, Zhou Younan knew Noah was crying again.
Noah was twenty-four years old, four years older than Younan, but his personality was always a little sloppy, overly emotional. Back in the institute, he cried often… and always depended on Zhou Younan for comfort.
“I saw your wedding livestream! With Marshal Wei Qing!” Noah beamed, grinning so wide his cheeks puffed up. “Everyone online says he really loves you, that’s amazing!”
Zhou Younan frowned. He hadn’t checked the news at all recently. He didn’t even know how Captain Fei Li’s betting pool had turned out.
“What’s wrong? Is it not as simple as it looks?” Noah asked, instantly noticing something off.
Turning away from Wuhuarou watching TV inside, Younan stepped into the corridor outside.
The rain was loud, drumming on the roof, pouring off the eaves.
He didn’t want to reveal anything about using the capsule on Wei Qing… or his plan to escape with Lou Lou.
So he changed the subject. “How have you been? You said you’d come back for me and Lou Lou. We waited for you for five months.”
“Younan, I told you before… I’m the second child in my family. No one liked me. My parents only cared about grooming my big brother.”
“My little brother, six years younger than me, was smart and loved by everyone. But I… I was slow, clumsy. They never paid attention to me, so I ran away.”
He then launched into everything that happened after returning to the Hall family.
“My parents are gone now. My big brother controls the Hall estate. My little brother already graduated from a prestigious university and helps run the family businesses.”
“And me? Because I ran away and never received proper education… I turned into some unpresentable Omega.”
“When I got back, my brother sent me to an Omega Academy. He said if I wanted to make demands, I’d need to complete my studies first.”
“You know… my memory is terrible.”
“And just like that, half a year passed.”
Zhou Younan stayed silent. Noah truly had his hardships.
Noah lowered his head and began crying again. “I’m so sorry, Younan… I really tried. I did go to find you later, but the detention center said that two days earlier, the Zhou family had taken you away.”
Younan inhaled slowly. Back then, he had thought Noah had abandoned them forever. For Lou Lou’s sake, he had agreed to go with the Zhou family.
Fate had played a cruel joke on him.
He had only needed to wait two more days… and Noah would have come.
“I was too late. I know it’s useless to say this now but… I’m really sorry, Younan.”
Noah wiped his tears again and again.
“You were the one who hid me and Lou Lou. Because of you, we got out of that horrible place…”
“I really wanted to take you and Lou Lou away from the detention center. I wanted to do something for you. But in the end… I failed.”
The more he spoke, the harder he cried, tears falling like a broken string of beads.
“You were interrogated because of me… beaten because of me… I’m so, so sorry…”
Zhou Younan bit his lower lip. “Noah, I told you not to bring that up again.”
“I… I’m sorry. I just, I feel guilty. For you and for Lou Lou.” Tears streaked down his cheeks, but his expression was painfully serious.
“You used to help me take care of Lou Lou. Should I cry too, and thank you over and over for that?” Zhou Younan asked.
“No, no! You don’t need to.” Noah waved his hands frantically.
“We’re friends. And friends should help each other when needed, that’s what matters.”
Sniffling, Noah nodded vigorously. “Okay.”
After calming down slightly, he asked, “Where is Lou Lou? Isn’t he with you?”
“He’s on Yaoxing. I’ll return to get him later.” Zhou Younan forced a small smile.
Concern flickered through Noah’s violet eyes. “Then… are you okay right now? Really?”
“I’m fine,” he replied.
“Younan, can I visit you sometime? We could play games together, there’s a brand new release. You promised before… once we left that place, you’d play games with me.”
“…Sure.”
“Really? Yes!” Noah lit up with delight.
They agreed to meet the next day before disconnecting the call.
After the projection faded, Zhou Younan sat quietly under the corridor roof.
Everything… seemed to be moving toward a better direction.
The steady rhythm of rain surrounded him. His eyelids slowly grew heavy.
He drifted into a dream. He had always been a light sleeper, a person who dreamed easily and often.
He dreamt he had returned to that cold, damp research facility.
Rows of small rooms separated by glass, the flickering hallway lights going bright then dim, and from the corners came soft, indistinct whispers…
He couldn’t make out what the voices were saying, but Zhou Younan was desperate to hear them clearly. Maybe, just maybe, he could find a way to escape that place with Luoluo.
He stepped closer, straining his ears to catch every sound.
The voices echoed from the far end of the corridor, growing louder and louder, until one shrill, piercing sentence cut straight through his eardrums:
“You deserve to die!!”
Zhou Younan jerked awake with a sharp breath.
A thin red blanket had been draped over him.
The rain had stopped. Warm golden sunlight slanted in from outside the window, falling across Wei Qing’s body.
Wei Qing was sitting opposite him, leaning casually against a chair, relaxed and half-reclining. He was dressed in full military uniform, his waist tightly cinched by the leather belt, and he wore a black military cap.
The brim of the cap was pulled low, casting a shadow that concealed his eyes. Only the tattoo beneath one of them, two droplets, could be seen. The inked water droplets resembled distorted, eerie eyes staring outward.
Wei Qing slightly lifted his chin, and with a single fingertip he hooked up the brim of his hat, revealing one intense eye. He raised a brow and asked, “Nightmare?”
Perhaps seeing Noah earlier had triggered fragments of those buried memories from the research institute.
Zhou Younan bit his lip. He had never told Wei Qing anything about that place.
Wei Qing was the Empire’s Marshal, how could he possibly understand what Zhou Younan felt?
Zhou Younan shook his head. “No, I just…”
Before he could finish, Wei Qing stood up, took off his cap, and settled it onto Zhou Younan’s head.
Then fingers tilted up Zhou Younan’s chin, his unfinished words swallowed by Wei Qing’s kiss.
Wei Qing licked lightly against his lips afterward, then blinked at him with playful mischief. “We agreed, remember? Biting your lip wasn’t only forbidden yesterday.”
Zhou Younan stiffened his lower lip, resisting the urge to bite it again. “I thought you would return much later…”
“I was supposed to,” Wei Qing admitted lazily, pinching Zhou Younan’s cheek, “but I missed you. I was impatient to see you, so I came back early.”
Zhou Younan forced out two dry laughs. In truth, when Wei Qing wasn’t home, he felt far more relaxed and at ease.
“Master!” Wuhaurou trotted in circles around Wei Qing and then stopped directly in front of him.
From the way the little robot moved, Zhou Younan could actually see its sense of pride.
Wuhaurou was clearly trying to show off, its body had been cleaned, polished until it looked refreshed and brand-new.
Unfortunately, Wei Qing didn’t seem to notice any difference. He frowned and asked impatiently, “What?”
“Don’t you think Wuhaurou seems… special today?”
“Specially annoying?” Wei Qing replied without mercy, his voice full of wicked sarcasm.
Wuhaurou froze mid-movement, trembling slightly before it scuttled behind Zhou Younan’s feet for protection.
Zhou Younan thought it was frightened and finally behaving itself.
But then, Wuhaurou spoke in a small, pitiful voice, “Wuhaurou watched the drama with Madam’s permission. I did not watch it secretly.”
Oh! This little robot, selling him out so fast?!
Zhou Younan lifted his gaze. Wei Qing’s green eyes were already locked onto him, filled with amused interest.
“Is that so?” Wei Qing drawled, voice low and dangerous. “Disobedient behavior must be punished.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
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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