He had always been very thin and lean. Even when he ate a lot, he was never seen to gain weight. It wasn’t that some alpha bodies weren’t relatively slender, but Shen Yue exhibited a kind of water-like softness from the inside out. No matter who he spoke with, his manner was gentle as a gentle breeze and fine rain. His skin was fair and clean, his features delicate. From any angle, he looked like a porcelain doll.
Although the equal rights movement had long since made omegas no longer the objects of domination and protection, standing alongside alphas at the pinnacle of power and enjoying freedom together, such beauty combined with such a personality still made people want to protect him.
The apron strings hung down from his waist, gently outlining two waistlines. The strings kept swaying gently, above the two slightly raised curves formed by his light-colored pants. The only place with any flesh was probably here.
Shen Yue took the ingredients and carefully walked back to Ren Junzhu’s side.
He wore the servant’s hat with wavy patterns, tucking the hair around his ears inside. But his hair was too long; a few strands still fell from his shoulders, scattering across his chest. If not for the black shackles on his hands, his appearance quietly cooking like this would look exactly like a wife toiling at home.
“What are you standing there for? Cook,” Ren Junzhu spoke up.
Shen Yue was startled and quickly said okay.
He took out the pork ribs again, picked up the cleaver, and chopped a rib in half with one blow. Then he began cutting them into small pieces.
Although he couldn’t cook, Shen Yue’s knife skills were impeccable. His hand was very steady, and each piece was cut to almost the same size. He used his strength cleverly; the broken bone ends showed no tearing but were instead very smooth.
“I can tell…” Ren Junzhu remarked. “You’re used to killing people.”
“…” Shen Yue didn’t know how to respond.
After finishing cutting, he hesitated and looked at Ren Junzhu. Ren Junzhu told him to soak the ribs in warm water with salt to remove the blood water. Then add ginger slices and cooking wine, blanch, skim off the foam, then start the wok and fry the sugar color.
How would Shen Yue recognize ginger slices or cooking wine? He fumbled around clumsily. Under high heat, the melting rock sugar kept splashing onto his hands. He gripped the handle, not knowing that cooking didn’t require holding the pot handle the whole time, and never dodged. Several small blisters formed on his hands. Ren Junzhu saw them but didn’t warn him.
The door suddenly made a “thud” sound. Ren Junzhu frowned, told Shen Yue to add vinegar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and some white pepper, and continue stir-frying, then got up to open the door.
He opened the door, blocking the gap with one leg to prevent the little brat outside from slipping in.
“What are you doing?”
Ren Suixing looked at him angrily: “What are you doing in there?”
“Do I need to tell you what I’m doing in here? Get out,” Ren Junzhu said.
“I won’t!” Ren Suixing grabbed his leg and tried hard to squeeze in: “You must be bullying him. I’m going to watch you two.”
So annoying, wanting to throw this little brat away.
Ren Junzhu picked up Ren Suixing. Ren Suixing knew he was going to throw him, so he hugged Ren Junzhu’s arm and refused to let go no matter what. Ren Junzhu lost patience and said in a deep voice: “If you keep messing around, I’ll send you back to the military camp, and you won’t be able to come back for a year.”
“You… you’re abusing public power for private revenge!” Ren Suixing liked staying at the military department, but he didn’t want to go there now. As he was stunned and loosened his grip, Ren Junzhu threw him far away and slammed the door shut with a “smack—”.
Ren Suixing was caught by the man who had been waiting outside, almost falling asleep waiting for food. He lay on the man’s lap, so angry his nose was crooked.
In the time it took him to regain his composure, Ren Junzhu smelled something burning. He saw that Shen Yue didn’t react even when the pot caught fire, so he quickly went over and turned off the heat.
Ren Junzhu roared: “What are you doing?!”
“Stir-frying,” Shen Yue didn’t understand. He was doing exactly as Ren Junzhu had instructed.
“Can’t you smell that it’s all burnt?” Ren Junzhu looked at him suspiciously: “Are you really one of those nine children from the selection camp?”
“You’re this brainless. It seems the others are also idiots. That adoptive father of yours isn’t much either.”
Shen Yue didn’t dare look at the mockery in Ren Junzhu’s eyes again. He truly hadn’t smelled the burnt smell. He stood with his neck shrunk, his hands covered with small red burns from splattering oil.
He inadvertently looked toward the door. Ren Junzhu said unkindly: “If you dawdle any more, don’t blame me if that little brat starves to death.”
This attempt was a failure again. Ren Junzhu made him start over. After all this toss, by the time the food finally looked like something a person could eat, it was already nine or ten at night. Shen Yue brought the dishes out, almost completely exhausted.
He arranged the dishes on the table and stood silently to the side.
Ren Suixing lay on his chair and exclaimed in surprise: “Shen Yue, did you make all this?”
Shen Yue nodded weakly.
Besides the sweet and sour pork ribs and shrimp fried with eggs, Ren Junzhu had also made him steam rice, and stir-fry braised beef with potatoes, and tomato egg drop soup before letting him off.
The ribs were still a bit burnt, and the sugar color wasn’t good either. The shrimp fried with eggs was more like shrimp being shrimp and eggs being eggs. But this was already the limit of what Shen Yue could make.
The three of them began to eat. Shen Yue didn’t know where to go, so he could only stand there foolishly watching. Ren Suixing held his bowl and called to him: “Shen Yue, sit here and eat with us.”
“I…” Shen Yue secretly glanced at Ren Junzhu.
Ren Junzhu, chopsticks extended, replied: “Have you ever seen a servant sit at the master’s table?”
Shen Yue’s face turned deathly pale. He silently retreated a few steps, feeling as if his heart was about to be smashed to pieces by a hammer.
Ren Suixing looked at him worriedly, then glared at Ren Junzhu angrily. Ren Junzhu simply acted as if he hadn’t seen it.
This meal made Shen Yue stand uneasily. He wanted to suppress his emotions, but when he saw Ren Junzhu chatting with that omega, and that omega feeding Ren Suixing, he couldn’t control his eyes turning red. He endured the sourness in his eyes and turned his head away.
Countless gazes from the butler and servants fell on him, making him feel as if he were being pierced by needles. Such a large room, so many people, yet only he stood alone like a clown.
Finally, the meal was finished. Ren Junzhu elegantly wiped his mouth and asked: “How is it?”
The omega frowned at him, then raised his eyes to glance at the distressed Shen Yue, and said softly: “Not bad.”
Ren Junzhu looked at Ren Suixing. Ren Suixing didn’t want to talk to him, but he wanted to comfort Shen Yue. He spoke: “It’s very delicious. It’s the best sweet and sour pork ribs I’ve ever eaten, even better than Uncle Zhang’s.”
Uncle Zhang was the head chef employed by the Ren residence. Even money might not necessarily be able to hire him. If Uncle Zhang heard this little brat say that, he would be angry and sad.
Shen Yue’s mood had just improved slightly from Ren Suixing’s words when Ren Junzhu’s next sentence knocked him down to the bottom of the valley:
“Ha, the meat is burnt, the eggs aren’t even cooked through. Who knows if eating it will cause diarrhea? So stupid. Who knows what headquarters sent you here for anyway.”
Shen Yue knew he had cooked poorly, but Ren Junzhu saying this without giving him any face made him feel extremely humiliated. He stood in the middle like a criminal being judged by everyone.
“Alright, let it slide this time. If you make it this hideous again next time, then get out and go make pig feed for the farmer.”
Ren Junzhu didn’t even look at Shen Yue, got up, and walked upstairs. Ren Suixing grabbed him: “Shen Yue hasn’t eaten yet!”
“Made like this, eat what? Clean up and get back to where you belong.”
He shook off Ren Suixing. Ren Suixing was so angry he jumped up and down. He stood on the table, hands on his hips, and shouted: “Don’t go too far!”
He was enraged by Ren Junzhu, fire appearing in his eyes. Waves of heat rose from the soles of his feet. Ren Junzhu stood on the stairs, looking at him coldly, revealing beast-like pupils. Shen Yue was afraid the child would truly anger Ren Junzhu, so he quickly stopped Ren Suixing:
“I’m not hungry. It’s okay. Come down, don’t fall.”
Ren Suixing’s eyes were red with anger. Shen Yue tried to persuade him for a while, but he didn’t calm down. His temper was exactly the same as his father’s. Only when Shen Yue saw Ren Junzhu’s aura change, forgetting his own situation, anxiously lifted Ren Suixing down.
Ren Suixing leaned against his embrace, sniffing the scent on his body, and barely managed to swallow his anger.
Late at night, after Shen Yue finished cleaning the kitchen, the butler made him clean the living room again. If it wasn’t cleaned properly, he had to keep cleaning. By the time he was finally done and returned to his room, it was already past two o’clock.
The place he lived was not the villa either, but the servants’ single-story building outside the villa. Apart from the butler and a few servants who could live inside the master’s villa, the remaining servants all lived in the outside single-story buildings. The handcuffs he wore were controlled by Ren Junzhu, and the entire estate was also patrolled and guarded by soldiers, so there was no worry about him running away.
Shen Yue sat blankly on the bed. Too many things had happened this day. He thought of Ren Junzhu’s attitude today and his entire body felt cold. He knew the coming days would be very hard to endure, but he comforted himself that being able to be in contact with that child again was already enough satisfaction for him.
He hadn’t eaten anything and didn’t feel hungry. He had probably lost the sense of hunger. Just as he was resting with his eyes closed, the door was suddenly knocked on softly.
Who could it be so late? Had his room not been cleaned properly again?
Shen Yue exhaled, dragged his tired body over, and opened the door.
Outside the door stood a little brat wearing dinosaur pajamas, carrying a large backpack.
“Xiao Xing?!” Shen Yue exclaimed in surprise.
Ren Suixing hopped around: “I have something to give you. Let me in.”
Shen Yue looked at the third-floor study of the opposite villa, where the lights were on, and hesitated: “But…”
“But what? Hurry and let me in!” Ren Suixing pushed against him. Shen Yue had no choice but to let him in.
The door closed. Ren Suixing inspected the room like patrolling his territory. His little brows furrowed tighter and tighter: “That old bastard arranged for you to live here? Damn, so shabby. Even a beggar wouldn’t live here.”
That was a bit exaggerated. Although it was a servant’s room, it was still part of the Ren residence’s buildings. How could it be very broken? It was just that compared to the luxurious main building, the servant’s room could only be called ordinary. Ren Suixing had lived in the main residence since childhood, mixing with all kinds of noble children. He had never seen a real slum. Seeing these pale, stiff walls and the extremely simple furnishings, he considered it rundown.
“A beggar couldn’t live in this kind of house,” Shen Yue said with a smile. “I’m fine living here. It’s so late, what do you need from me?”
Ren Suixing looked at the large bed in front of him, hesitating whether to get on it. He sniffed like a little dog and smelled a faint floral fragrance. It seemed Shen Yue had lain here for a while just now.
Since Shen Yue had lain on it, it probably wasn’t unbearable. Ren Suixing took off his shoes and sat on the bed with a plop: “Shen Yue, come here quickly.”
Ren Suixing patted the spot beside him. Shen Yue curiously sat over.
Ren Suixing pulled open the zipper and dumped everything inside out. It all fell with a crash, scattering all over the floor.
A bunch of chips, bread, and various snacks fell onto the bed. Ren Suixing proudly puffed out his chest: “This is my little treasure chest. Pretty wide variety, right? You must be very hungry since you didn’t eat dinner. Go ahead and eat. It’s really delicious.”
Other people’s little treasure chests are full of gold; his, in his consciousness, is full of food.
Shen Yue was both surprised and touched. Despite being the center of such adulation, Xiao Xing still possessed such kindness. During those seven years of his absence, the child had been raised well.
“This isn’t good, is it? What if I get discovered…”
Ren Junzhu wouldn’t let him eat in order to punish him. Shen Yue would accept that, but he didn’t want to implicate the child.
Ren Suixing opened a piece of cake for him and raised his face: “So what if you get discovered? Who dares to be angry with me? Let that smelly old man come. Let’s see what he can do to me!”
He lifted his little face, looking very cocky and arrogant. Shen Yue was amused by him. Ren Suixing repeated: “It’s true. I’m really formidable. They don’t dare mess with me.”
“Then if you were… discovered by the Colonel, you’re not afraid either?” Shen Yue teased him.
“Of course I’m not afraid!” Ren Suixing jumped up: “If he dares to hit me, I’ll tell Grandpa Liu that he’s a domestic abuser and have him arrested. Hmph!”
Mentioning Ren Junzhu made Ren Suixing’s face sour, but he didn’t want to talk to Shen Yue about that smelly old man. He finished opening the cake, inserted the fork, and handed it to Shen Yue: “Eat up. It’s really delicious.”
Shen Yue didn’t have much appetite, but with the child looking at him so expectantly, he certainly couldn’t disappoint his hopes. Shen Yue took it and took a small bite: “Thank you. It is indeed delicious.”
Ren Suixing opened a few more items. As Shen Yue ate, he also fed some to the child.
He had been very precocious; at one year old, he no longer needed to be spoon-fed. But when Shen Yue fed him bread, Ren Suixing suddenly felt a bit nostalgic for this feeling.
No matter how young he was, that old bastard Ren Junzhu would never feed him anything. He had no memory of such a scene either. He had always been cared for by butlers and servants. Ren Suixing stared at Shen Yue. Shen Yue’s current status was that of a servant, but his intuition told him that this feeling would be different from that of a servant.
It was different.
Shen Yue saw him suddenly blush after biting into the bread and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Ren Suixing lowered his head. It was a bread he often ate, but it carried an extra faint, lingering, delicate sweetness beyond what he had tasted before. It was a feeling he had longed for, for many, many years. It was a kind of tenderness, a tenderness of being wrapped in maternal love, where he could act spoiled freely.
He tugged at Shen Yue’s sleeve, wanting to ask him once more: was he really not his mother? Just as the words were about to come out, Ren Suixing swallowed them back down. Shen Yue had already given him an answer once. He didn’t want to receive the same answer again. If it weren’t for the fact that the medical center was overcrowded because of the mountain spider incident, and Bai Yanxuan had temporarily stopped the testing as a safety precaution, the test results would have been out long ago.
Thinking about what happened in the interrogation room, Ren Suixing blushed and said softly: “I’m sorry, Shen Yue.”
Shen Yue looked up in confusion: “Ah? Why are you apologizing to me?”
“In the interrogation room, I caused you to faint. I really didn’t mean to… I’m sorry.”
Shen Yue then remembered that incident. He had long forgotten about it, and moreover, that matter wasn’t Ren Suixing’s fault at all. He smiled faintly and comforted him:
“It’s not your fault. You don’t need to apologize. I have never blamed you.”
“It is I who should thank you.” Shen Yue gently wiped away the breadcrumbs beside his mouth: “Thank you for bringing me all this food. I have never eaten any of these. They are all very delicious.”
He was telling the truth. In the selection camp, not dying was already good enough. The food was all training meals, without any taste. Sometimes, if he made a mistake, he would be punished and starved. He had never even seen these snacks. By the time he arrived at Zhongjing, he was already an adult, and with busy military affairs, he never had the chance to eat any special delicacies or snacks.
Shen Yue still remembered the scene when Ren Junzhu took him to eat KFC. He took a sip of cola and experienced for the first time the taste of what they called “happy water.”
“Then I’ll come every night and bring them here for you to eat,” Ren Suixing said.
“This…” For his own child to come see him every night, Shen Yue certainly wanted that. But not getting caught today was already lucky. He was worried that one day he would be discovered by Ren Junzhu. It would be fine if he himself went hungry, but if Xiao Xing were also punished as a result, that would be bad.
“Just say yes. I’ll bring you lots of variety,” Ren Suixing tugged at Shen Yue’s sleeve, acting spoiled. He looked like a little devil, but he was actually very good at acting spoiled. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to charm the people at headquarters into doting on him so much. Even the most cold-hearted commander would privately hoist him onto his shoulders and play with him.
He knelt on the bed, pulling at the sleeve and shaking it. The dinosaur ears on his pajama hat drooped, and the tail on his bottom also swayed along with the motion. His appearance was pitiful.
How could Shen Yue endure that? His heart melted into water. Even though Ren Junzhu’s warning to stay away from the child echoed in his mind, he couldn’t control his motherly instincts. He thought with a fluke: as long as he was a bit more careful, Junzhu wouldn’t find out.
Seeing Shen Yue nod, Ren Suixing pressed his advantage. He scooted forward on his knees two steps and sat in front of Shen Yue, lifting his sparkling, bright eyes like a little dog begging:
“Then… can you give me a hug?”
Shen Yue’s voice caught in his throat. He looked at the child’s young face and instinctively reached out his hands. But the sound of the chains interrupted him. The pitch-black, cold locks on his wrists gleamed coldly, reminding him that he and this child had different statuses. He was just a prisoner.
Shen Yue lowered his gaze and wanted to withdraw his hands, but Ren Suixing suddenly grabbed him.
“It’s okay,” Ren Suixing pulled open his arms and, from under the chains, scooted his bottom and burrowed inside.
“This way, it’s fine,” Ren Suixing wagged his tail and climbed onto Shen Yue’s knees, saying: “Shen Yue, give me a hug.”
“Just once. I just want to experience that feeling. Please, I’m begging you.”
Shen Yue could no longer hold back. He embraced the small body in his arms, not even daring to use any strength. He had never held a child before and didn’t know how much force to use. He could only loosely encircle him. But Ren Suixing used his strength to pull him, wanting him to hold tighter.
Shen Yue buried his face in the child’s small body. After holding back for a long time, he could not suppress the sobs that had long been densely rising in his chest.
Ren Suixing wrapped his arms around Shen Yue’s neck. He finally understood that feeling, just like the fairy tales described, warm, gentle, moonlight-like. Even though Shen Yue was thin and frail, being held in his arms still filled him with an overwhelming sense of safety. No matter how fierce the storm, how violent the thunder and lightning, as long as he was here, he was no longer afraid of anything.
A mother’s embrace.
It was just too thin. Ren Suixing climbed onto his shoulder, feeling that the skin/flesh under his palm was meager; he could even feel the bones, and they were very cold.
Ren Suixing knew Shen Yue was trembling. He was crying. Clumsily, Ren Suixing patted his back, his gaze falling on the snacks laid out on the bed, especially the cream cake Shen Yue ate the most of, the same kind he himself loved best.
It’s okay, he thought.
It’s okay if he doesn’t admit it. He would find proof of their relationship. He was his mother’s flesh and blood; nothing could separate them.
It didn’t matter if his mother had committed crimes either. A child repays the parent’s debts, he would bear his mother’s sins and help him repay what he owed. He was no longer little anymore. He had grown up, and he would protect his mother.
So don’t cry anymore, Mom. You still have me.
Ren Suixing said silently in his heart.
In the study, the omega pulled aside a corner of the curtain, watching the little dinosaur sneak into the opposite small building and not come out for a long time. He turned his head and said:
“Why must you do this?”
Ren Junzhu sat in front of the computer working. The incident seven years ago had changed his temperament. His work intensity grew higher and higher. He often worked all night, yet was energetic and showed no sign of fatigue. Liang Qu always secretly bad-mouthed him behind his back.
He did not reply, acting as if he hadn’t heard.
The man lowered the curtain and walked to the opposite side of Ren Junzhu. He wore all black. His brows and eyes revealed a world-weary indifference:
“If you truly hate him, let me take him away instead.”
Only then did Ren Junzhu look up. His handsome face was impossible to read.
“His pheromone scent is very fragrant and also very compatible with me. You know, the moon is always accompanied by darkness. With him, perhaps my illness could be alleviated,” the man said. His expression was very serious, not joking.
The lamplight cast a shadow on the man’s face, covering half of it. A dark, gloomy aura emanated from him. His deep, black pupils became extremely profound.
Ren Junzhu looked at his sickly appearance and asked: “Where would you take him?”
“Anywhere is fine. The Earth is so big, there will always be a place for us.”
“No, there won’t.” Ren Junzhu said.
The man frowned.
“Perhaps there is a place for you, but absolutely not for him.”
Ren Junzhu calmly closed his laptop and faced the person before him squarely: “You came to me seeking refuge. Where do you want to take him again? He is injured; you are sick. Two fellow patients should just stay in the ICU. Running around outside, do you want me to come rescue you both again?”
“But I cannot stay here forever. One day, they will come looking,” the man said.
“You’re right.” Ren Junzhu affirmed his words. “Today, the S-country Awakened Management Bureau contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Under the pretext of promoting international awakened exchanges and expanding the database, they are planning a visit. They will arrive in Dongcheng next month.”
The man’s expression changed immediately. His already pale face became even more bloodless. He seemed to recall something and said with great disgust: “What are they coming here for?”
Ren Junzhu took a sip of tea and said: “Whether it’s a genuine exchange or has other purposes is unclear. Who exactly is coming is also unknown at this time. At this point, you’d better not run around. Just stay here.”
The man nodded wearily: “I understand.”
This news seemed to greatly frighten the man. He no longer had the energy to think about other matters. He coughed a few times, his brow furrowed deeply, greeted Ren Junzhu, and left.
After he left, Ren Junzhu got up and walked to the window. He saw that gaunt person send the little brat out the door. The little brat was still reluctant to leave, hugging his leg. After being coaxed for a long time, he finally twisted his bottom and walked away with a reluctant expression. That person returned to his room. The light was on for a long time. Only until it went out did Ren Junzhu leave the window.