The familiar scent of pheromones spread once again, completely enveloping Xiang Shuyu like a restraint, yet also like a comfort.
Xiang Shuyu took a step back, leaning against the sink, looking at Duan Lin in a panic as he murmured his name: “Duan Lin…”
Duan Lin turned his gaze away with an indifferent expression, meeting Xiang Shuyu’s eyes. He always looked so cold, making Xiang Shuyu’s spine go stiff.
Duan Lin asked, “What? Blaming me for hanging up the phone?”
“No!” Xiang Shuyu blurted out in a hurry, then quickly regained his composure and said softly, “I’m not blaming you.”
In truth, when Duan Lin had hung up the phone, Xiang Shuyu had felt a sense of relief. He realized only now that he still needed someone to make decisions for him.
Truly useless.
Xiang Shuyu lowered his eyes. He didn’t dare ask for his phone back, only biting his lower lip as he heard Duan Lin ask again: “Your mother wants you to get married?”
Duan Lin had investigated Jiang Xiayue. Her marital status was clear at a glance: her first marriage was unhappy and ended in divorce; then, she tried to marry into a wealthy family with her son but ended up as a mistress, causing Xiang Shuyu to be ridiculed for years.
Jiang Xiayue didn’t care about the rumors outside; she lived a carefree life. But Xiang Shuyu was thin-skinned, and living in these rumors for so long had naturally cultivated his timid nature—he didn’t even dare to speak up for what he wanted.
Duan Lin scrutinized Xiang Shuyu’s face. Xiang Shuyu seemed somewhat helpless himself, rubbing his cheek with a finger as he said softly, “My mother has mentioned it to me twice.”
“With whom?” Duan Lin interrupted.
Xiang Shuyu froze for a moment. Duan Lin had hung up his phone twice and helped him find a house; beyond fear, he felt a bit of gratitude toward Duan Lin.
So, when asked, Xiang Shuyu obediently told the truth: “It’s my eldest brother, Xiang Han. My mother thinks he seems to like me, so she’s thinking of having me marry him.”
He paused, then gave a self-deprecating smile. “How could Big Brother like an Omega like me? He used to be just like Xiang Ming—they both hated me.”
Duan Lin’s brow furrowed slightly, but hearing Xiang Shuyu say this, his expression smoothed out again. He said seemingly casually, “Perhaps they think you’re an easy target, no need to force it.”
He held up the phone and asked flatly, “Do you want it?”
“Huh?” Xiang Shuyu was a bit dazed, taking a moment to realize what Duan Lin was asking. He felt a bit embarrassed and hesitated.
Duan Lin added, “If you don’t want it, I’ll throw it away.”
It was an old model from many years ago anyway; it would lag just hanging up a call. It should have been replaced long ago.
But Xiang Shuyu became anxious: “I want it… please… please give the phone back to me.”
He steeled himself and reached out toward Duan Lin. Duan Lin stood very close to him, their toes almost touching. The overwhelming pressure of an Alpha washed over him, making Xiang Shuyu’s legs feel weak.
When Duan Lin didn’t move for a long time, Xiang Shuyu felt a pang of humiliation and began to lower his hand, only to have his wrist grabbed by the other man in the next instant.
Duan Lin’s palm was very hot. The moment it touched his skin, Xiang Shuyu almost thought a spark had landed on him, instantly burning through his entire body along his veins.
His knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed onto the floor in a shameful display, but Duan Lin caught him by the arm.
Duan Lin placed the phone in his hand, let go, and turned to walk away.
Xiang Shuyu stood frozen on the spot. The scent of the Alpha’s pheromones had not yet dissipated. His head felt dizzy, and he stood there clutching his phone for a long time before finally gathering enough strength to leave.
The cooperation with Du Qing was already a certainty, so Xiang Shuyu didn’t need to worry too much. Today he met Ping Wenchun again. Somehow, Ping Wenchun had found out about Ming Xiu trying to steal the contract and comforted Xiang Shuyu, telling him not to worry.
She liked Xiang Shuyu. Although he had a soft personality, he was beautiful and very polite. He was like a pool of warm water, constantly accommodating everyone around him. Being with Xiang Shuyu was comfortable; one could hardly find a fault in him.
Ping Wenchun was never stingy with her praise, saying his piano pieces were beautiful, that he was handsome, and that his hands were lovely.
Xiang Shuyu’s face turned bright red from the compliments, making him so shy he was almost fidgety. He didn’t notice that Duan Lin’s gaze remained fixed on his hands resting on his knees.
Duan Lin thought Ping Wenchun talked too much, but what she said wasn’t wrong.
Xiang Shuyu’s hands were indeed beautiful—slender and fair. If only he could grab those fingers and kiss them, leaving teeth marks on the knuckles.
Duan Lin looked away with a hint of regret, not looking further.
He was afraid that if he looked for too long, he wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to hurt Xiang Shuyu.
Xiang Shuyu was already very tired. Too much had happened today, and he had cried many times. When he left the restaurant, he couldn’t help but think of Duan Yue.
It wasn’t that he cared deeply about whether he stayed with Duan Yue, but Duan Yue was different from anyone he had met before. He was special to him, and Xiang Shuyu craved that feeling of being special, which caused him to ignore Duan Yue’s true nature.
Only today did he realize that Duan Yue wasn’t as good as he thought. He had no dignity in front of him; Duan Yue only cared about his own feelings and didn’t respect Xiang Shuyu.
Those sweet words and compliments whispered during intimacy weren’t because he liked him that much, but simply because being with Xiang Shuyu made him feel comfortable and satisfied his current romantic needs.
If it were someone else, he could treat them the same way.
Xiang Shuyu was sad that he hadn’t maintained his boundaries, having been blinded by Duan Yue’s gentleness and even becoming addicted to the “gentle village” of his sweet lies—which was why he was suffering now.
After getting into the car, Xiang Shuyu didn’t look at his phone, but simply leaned against the window watching the scenery fly by.
He thought of nothing.
Back at the rental apartment, Xiang Shuyu tidied the bed a bit, took a shower, and lay on the bed in a daze.
This rental room was exactly how he imagined it: it had bright windows and a spacious room. He could put his piano by the window and practice while soaking in the sun.
Just thinking about it made him feel much better.
Xiang Shuyu hugged a pillow, curled up, and replied to a few messages from Ping Wenchun.
Ping Wenchun was a person of character. She didn’t like Ming Xiu and had looked up a lot of information on him. After reading it, she couldn’t help but vent to Xiang Shuyu: “This guy is just a ‘green tea’ bitch.”
“Your manager isn’t a good person either.”
“So young, yet so full of schemes. Good thing I didn’t let him into our studio back then.”
Xiang Shuyu replied to comfort her: “It’s all in the past now.”
Watching his messages, Ping Wenchun couldn’t help but think that with such a soft temper, it was no wonder he was always being bullied. She might have to look out for him more once he joined the studio.
Not everyone in the studio was kind-hearted.
After chatting a bit more, Xiang Shuyu stopped responding.
The afternoon sun had risen, shining through the window onto Xiang Shuyu’s face.
He had already fallen fast asleep, his expression very peaceful. His exposed wrists and the skin of his calves were fair and delicate, though the marks left from his entanglement with Duan Yue the night before were still there—out of place and jarring.
Duan Lin turned off the surveillance monitor, closed his eyes, and propped his forehead with his hand.
Whenever he thought about what Xiang Shuyu and Duan Yue had done together, he felt agitated and uneasy.
How he wished Xiang Shuyu had never belonged to his twin brother. That way, he could pursue Xiang Shuyu openly, rather than finding ways to sabotage their relationship and pushing them toward a breakup as he was doing now.
But since things had come this far, he could only keep going and finish it once and for all.
Didn’t Xiang Shuyu like Duan Yue?
Duan Lin took off his glasses and looked at his own face reflected on the computer screen, his eyes darkening.
Without the glasses, there was no difference between him and Duan Yue.
Xiang Shuyu slept until evening when Ji Yeran called and woke him up.
Xiang Shuyu answered the phone groggily: “Hello…”
“Xiang Shuyu, did you break up with Duan Yue?” Ji Yeran asked point-blank. “He even called me looking for you. Last month when you called me, I thought your relationship was pretty solid.”
Now that Ji Yeran wasn’t in front of him and Xiang Shuyu didn’t have anything to ask of him, his tone became cooler, saying somewhat stiffly, “Young Master Ji, you needn’t trouble yourself with my affairs.”
“So cold?” Ji Yeran said in surprise. “Your temper has changed a bit after being with Duan Yue for a month.”
Xiang Shuyu remained silent, not wanting to talk.
He had known Ji Yeran’s intentions long ago. Previously, Ji Yeran had been wary of Duan Yue; knowing they were dating, he had refrained from harassing him. But now that he knew there was a rift between him and Duan Yue, he had come crawling back with a thick skin.
Xiang Shuyu wasn’t so desperate that he didn’t have standards.
Ji Yeran continued, “I even ran into your big brother tonight. He was with your mother.”
Xiang Shuyu’s heart skipped a beat. “What were they doing?”
“Picking out rings. Weren’t you and your mother kicked out of the Xiang family? I didn’t know your mother and the eldest Young Master Xiang were on such good terms.”
Xiang Shuyu couldn’t recover for a moment.
He had truly underestimated Jiang Xiayue. Even with him not being there, she actually went to pick out rings with Xiang Han?
Xiang Shuyu felt anxious. He hadn’t thought about getting married, especially a marriage as reckless as one with Xiang Han—it felt as if he had been abandoned and was just desperately finding someone to entrust his life to.
Furthermore, he didn’t like the Xiang family. Xiang Ming and Rong Ya didn’t like him either—they even loathed him. If he entered the Xiang family’s doors, he feared it would be like entering a prison, never knowing peace for the rest of his life.
At this thought, Xiang Shuyu didn’t care to say more to Ji Yeran and hurriedly hung up the phone.
Should he contact Jiang Xiayue? She wouldn’t necessarily listen to him and might even aggressively demand he return to get married.
After deep consideration, Xiang Shuyu called Xiang Han.
Looking at the caller ID, Xiang Han’s breathing hitched for a moment.
He observed Jiang Xiayue, who was picking out rings nearby. Seeing that she hadn’t noticed him, he stepped out of the store and answered the call.
“Xiao Shu, what’s wrong?”
“Are you with my mother?” Xiang Shuyu’s breathing was a bit rushed. “What… what are you doing right now?”
“Accompanying your mother to pick out wedding rings,” Xiang Han said in a gentle tone. “You can tell me what kind you like first.”
“I don’t like any of them!” Xiang Shuyu was uncharacteristically firm. “I don’t like any wedding rings, and I don’t want to marry you!”
Xiang Han went silent for a moment. Only his breathing could be heard, along with Xiang Shuyu’s voice, which was trembling and choking up with anger: “Hurry up and… tell my mother that it’s impossible for us to get married.”
“Why is it impossible?” Xiang Han asked calmly. “We aren’t related by blood, and we aren’t on the same household register. The law allows us to marry.”
Xiang Shuyu felt like he was going to faint. His voice shook as he continued, “I don’t like you…”
“It’s enough that I like you,” Xiang Han’s tone was gentle but brook no refusal. “Besides, your mother just borrowed 500,000 from me.”
Xiang Shuyu was instantly thunderstruck. “How much?”
“500,000,” Xiang Han said with a laugh in his voice. “Your mother borrowed it in your name. If it’s not paid back, you might have to suffer a bit.”