On the weekend, Zhou Mo piloted his aircraft away from Plum Blossom Island.
After some consideration, he sent a message to Noah: 【I’ve already given my contact information to Zhou Younan. He should be reaching out to you.】
Noah replied quickly: 【Thank you very much.】
His thoughts drifted back to that pair of violet, clear and unguarded eyes.
Zhou Mo’s index finger traced several slow circles along the metallic edge of his personal terminal. Then he tapped the screen, searched through his contacts and found Aize.
He sent Aize a message: 【Do you know Noah Hall?】
Aize did not reply right away.
It was Thursday and Aize was currently at work.
It was ten in the morning. The parliament’s lunch break was at eleven. Zhou Mo piloted his aircraft toward the Jiande District.
Traffic in Torikis was as congested as ever today. This city bore the weight of far too many people.
After spending some time on the road, Zhou Mo arrived in front of the Jiande District Government Building.
The exterior walls of the government building were white. In order to enhance the authority of the institution, the smooth walls carried no dazzling holographic advertisements at all, only a massive clock.
Zhou Mo lifted his head slightly. The black hands of the clock were pointing precisely at eleven o’clock.
Before long, government officials dressed neatly in suits began filing out of the building one after another.
Zhou Mo spotted Aize.
Aize had short chestnut colored hair and wore black rimmed glasses, his expression heavy with worry.
Aize noticed Zhou Mo as well. After all, Zhou Mo stood out wherever he went, his appearance naturally drew attention.
Zhou Mo walked up to him. “Did you disclose my whereabouts to Noah Hall without my permission?”
Aize was a Beta, thirty five years old this year, two years older than Zhou Mo. The two of them were more or less the same generation.
He looked apologetic. “Zhou Mo, I’m really sor.. ”
Zhou Mo raised his hand slightly, interrupting him. “Apologies are useless. Buy me a cup of coffee and I’ll consider forgiving you.”
The Green Café.
Aize ordered two vanilla coffees.
He took a sip, then set the cup down and let out a long sigh.
Zhou Mo withdrew his gaze and pretended not to hear it.
He took a sip of his vanilla coffee. It wasn’t sweet enough. He added two more packets of sugar before finally finding it barely acceptable.
“I heard from Noah Hall that he, like my younger brother Zhou Younan, only recently returned to Torikis. As expected of the Hall family, keeping news like that completely airtight.”
“Yes,” Aize sighed again.
“How did Noah Hall know that we know each other?”
“He saw a photo of us taken during training at Gonggong Port.”
Zhou Mo and Aize had been recruited in the same batch of government officials. They had attended training together and taken commemorative photos.
“To be able to access that photo… were you two very close? Old friends?”
Aize shook his head gravely.
Seeing that he wasn’t willing to elaborate, Zhou Mo didn’t rush him.
He drank his coffee slowly and asked in a concerned tone, “You’ve been sighing a lot lately. We’re both Betas and from the same cohort. If you’re having trouble, you can tell me. Are those Alphas giving you a hard time?”
“No.” Aize looked at Zhou Mo, hesitating.
Zhou Mo met his gaze, silently encouraging him to speak.
Aize drew in a breath. His shoulders slumped and he nearly buried his head in his arms.
“Noah Hall… is my fiancée.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Zhou Mo’s eyes.
Aize continued, “Our parents arranged it when we were children. Back then, we had a very good relationship.”
“But later, Noah ran away from home and I never saw him again. Now, Bailey Hall, Noah’s cousin and I… we like each other.”
Zhou Mo’s fingers brushed the rim of his coffee cup. He offered a gentle, understanding smile. “You should follow your heart and make a decision as soon as possible.”
“But news of Noah’s return to the Hall family, although it hasn’t been made public, everyone actually knows it. Noah also said he’s not young anymore. If I break off the engagement, he’s afraid he won’t be able to marry.”
“So your choice is Noah Hall?”
“No, no… that’s not it. The person I like now is Bailey Hall.”
“Then what does it matter to you what becomes of Noah?”
“But I am, after all, his fiancée…”
“Was it you who forced him to run away from home?”
“No, of course not. How could it possibly be me?”
“Then isn’t it something he chose himself that led to the current situation? Why should you be the one sacrificing your happiness for it?”
Aize hesitated. “I just… can’t bear it.”
“Aize, don’t tell me you’re hoping to gain the Hall family’s support. If that’s truly what you’re thinking, then Noah Hall is indeed a far better choice than Bailey Hall.”
Aize flushed red with anger and glared at Zhou Mo. “I’m not doing this to gain the Hall family’s support.”
“Then you’re simply too kind,” Zhou Mo said calmly. “Kind people are always the easiest to take advantage of. You should be more selfish, stop worrying about others who have nothing to do with you.”
“I’m just a Beta,” Aize said with difficulty written all over his face. “If I refuse an Omega from the Hall family, I don’t know whether it would affect my own family.”
“Then make it a big deal,” Zhou Mo replied coolly. “The Hall family wouldn’t want things to blow up. If it does, they’ll become a laughingstock just like the Zhou family was.”
The coffee in their cups was long gone. Zhou Mo extended his index finger and lightly tapped Aize on the left side of his chest. “Listen to what your heart is choosing, Aize.”
Before long, evening arrived. Wei Qing left the room to prepare dinner. Shortly after he departed, Zhou Younan received a holographic call request from Luo Luo.
Light bloomed instantly in Zhou Younan’s eyes. His fingers trembled slightly with excitement as he tapped to accept. Luo Luo’s round, smiling face gradually appeared before him.
From the day he boarded the Aipuli, half a month had already passed. Zhou Younan missed Luo Luo terribly.
Ever since he began taking care of Luo Luo, the two had never been apart, let alone for such a long period of time.
He couldn’t help but wonder how Luo Luo was doing now. Was he eating properly? Was he happy at school? Has he made new friends?
Zhou Younan practically wished he could sprout wings and fly straight to Yaoxing to see him.
“Brother!” Excitement lit up Luo Luo’s face as well and he bounced up and down on the spot.
The holographic projection couldn’t quite keep up with his movements and the image became slightly blurry.
“Luo Luo!” Zhou Younan was just as happy. Seeing the one he longed for so much, his eyes couldn’t help but grow a little damp.
“Brother, are you married? Is the Marshal nice to you? When are you coming back to see Luo Luo? Have you been sleeping well lately? Are you eating properly?”
Luo Luo fired off a barrage of questions.
The corners of Zhou Younan’s lips curved upward. “Have you been eating properly, Luo Luo? Are you happy at school?”
“Luo Luo has been eating very well! The uncles in the cafeteria have been making lots of delicious food lately. Luo Luo has even grown taller.”
“I’m very happy at school. In this month’s exam, I earned a little red flower, look!”
Luo Luo puffed out his small chest proudly. A bright little red flower was pinned to it.
“Luo Luo is amazing. Keep working hard in the future too.”
“Mmhmm! When I grow up and become strong, I’ll protect you, Brother,” Luo Luo said seriously, nodding hard.
“Alright. Brother will be waiting.”
“Brother, you have to eat on time and sleep properly, waiting for Luo Luo to grow up.”
“I will.” Zhou Younan’s heart felt incredibly sweet, as though he had just eaten candy.
Thinking of candy made him recall the candy box. He asked softly, “Luo Luo, that box you gave me for candy, did you take it from the research institute?”
Luo Luo didn’t dare look at Zhou Younan. He turned his face away. “I didn’t take it from the institute. Luo Luo picked it up at school.”
From Luo Luo’s behavior, Zhou Younan knew he was lying.
His tone hardened. “Luo Luo, is what you’re saying true? Brother doesn’t like children who lie.”
Luo Luo’s expression turned aggrieved and he lowered his voice. “Luo Luo didn’t steal it. I picked it up. That room was very, very old and dark. Luo Luo picked it up from the ground.”
Having obtained the answer he needed, Zhou Younan asked again, “Were there many boxes like that on the ground?”
“A lot.”
“You picked up one?”
Luo Luo shook his head and held up two stubby fingers. “Two.”
Zhou Younan’s heart jolted. “You kept the other one by your side?”
“Mmhmm. I use it to hold candy.”
Zhou Younan fell into deep thought.
Inside the metal box he held was a capsule. Then could it be that inside the box Luo Luo had, there was also a capsule?
He didn’t want Luo Luo to see the projection inside the box. He decided to wait until he had the box in hand and personally confirm whether the capsule existed.
“Brother, our school is going to hold a sports meet. The teacher said parents can participate too. When will you come back? Can you come take part in the school sports meet?”
Luo Luo’s question brought Zhou Younan up short. He hesitated slightly. “Brother…”
“When is the sports meet?” Wei Qing’s voice suddenly sounded.
Zhou Younan’s heart skipped violently. He turned his head toward the doorway.
Wei Qing was leaning against the doorframe, how much he had heard of the conversation between him and Luo Luo was unclear.
Earlier, Zhou Younan had been so focused on asking about the metal box that he hadn’t noticed Wei Qing at all. A cold layer of sweat broke out on his back and he froze in place.
Wei Qing walked over and sat down beside Zhou Younan, one arm wrapping around his waist.
He looked at the little brat in the projection, raised an eyebrow and said, “My name is Wei Qing. I’m your brother’s husband. What’s your name?”
“My name is Luo Luo.” Luo Luo grew nervous and hastily snapped a salute toward Wei Qing. “Marshal!”
“Mmm. Report to me, when is your school’s sports meet?”
“Teacher said it’s next week.”
“From now on, add the words ‘Marshal’ to the end of every sentence you say to me. Understood?”
“Yes, Marshal.”
The two of them went back and forth like that and the heart Zhou Younan had been holding at his throat slowly settled back down.
He hadn’t mentioned the word “capsule.” Even if Wei Qing had overheard his conversation with Luo Luo, he wouldn’t think of the capsule. He wouldn’t know that the reason Zhou Younan liked his pheromones now was because of the capsule.
For now, both he and Luo Luo were still safe.
“There’s still plenty of time. We’ll do our best. You can look forward to it, kid,” Wei Qing said lightly.
“Yes, Marshal!” Luo Luo was very happy.
“It’s time to eat.” Wei Qing turned to Zhou Younan, his voice becoming unexpectedly gentle. “Shall we hang up?”
“Mmhmm.”
At the dining table, Zhou Younan explained to Wei Qing, “Luo Luo was a child sold to the research institute by traffickers. At the time, he was only a few months old. I’ve always taken care of him.”
Wei Qing nodded. “You can bring him over in the future. The three of us can live together.”
Zhou Younan’s eyes lit up. Bringing Luo Luo over would be a good thing, it would make it easier to escape together later.
He smiled sincerely. “Thank you.”
“Don’t smile at me like that, Zhou Younan.” Wei Qing narrowed his eyes slightly.
Zhou Younan tilted his head in confusion.
“My patience is nearing its limit. If you smile at me like that, I might give up the military exercises and stay home with you through your heat period.”
His grey green eyes locked onto Zhou Younan without blinking, radiating a dangerous aura.
Zhou Younan withdrew his smile, lowered his head and silently continued eating, no longer looking at Wei Qing.
No more smiling.
He definitely wasn’t going to deliberately provoke him.
After dinner, they showered, went out for a walk to help with digestion and then went to sleep.
Zhou Younan had thought Wei Qing might do something more but Wei Qing only held him tightly, his breath brushing against Zhou Younan’s neck.
So close to his gland, Zhou Younan was still somewhat tense.
“Are your legs okay?”
“They’re fine.”
“Go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow to enter the palace.”
“Mmhmm.”
After Wei Qing fell asleep, Zhou Younan continued thinking about one thing.
If there was also a capsule beside Luo Luo, should that capsule still be given to Wei Qing?
Give it?
Or don’t?
After struggling with the question for a long time and finding no answer, Zhou Younan finally sank into sleep.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
You clicked all the way to the end. That deserves one final button press. ☕
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
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