Nie Wencheng had never liked this kind of business banquet.
However, early this morning, his father had given him a strict lecture, explicitly telling him to put on a good performance tonight.
Aside from stabilizing a few business partners, there was also the eldest young master of the Wan family to deal with. At the end of the conversation, seeing that Nie Wencheng was distracted, Elder Nie added, “Your fiancé is here too. Go meet him.”
Oh, Wan Xu.
Nie Wencheng’s fingers twitched slightly.
Supposedly dictated by their parents and arranged by matchmakers, it had been nearly five years since their engagement, yet he had never even seen a photograph of the other person.
Because he interacted frequently with Wan Ting, everyone seemed to assume that he had at least seen what his arranged marriage partner looked like through Wan Ting. But Wan Ting kept this younger brother of his tightly guarded, stubbornly claiming that the child was still young and still in school, telling him not to harbor any unrealistic expectations. Once Wan Xu graduated, he would naturally be sent over.
What an old-fashioned feudal mindset.
He held no interest in this arranged marriage either.
Marriages with a foundation of genuine affection didn’t necessarily last, let alone one completely devoid of feelings.
Besides, did his family have a royal throne to inherit? Why must they insist on an arranged marriage?
Nie Wencheng didn’t show his feelings on the surface and simply offered a polite smile.
Rationally, he knew that the two families had a long-standing friendship, and that having children of suitable age form a union would make future interest-alignment much more convenient. Moreover, as Elder Wan’s precious treasure, Wan Xu’s dowry would undoubtedly be substantial.
What they truly wanted was this.
The banquet might prove to be a good opportunity; he could ask Wan Xu about his perspective face-to-face. Since the kid had gone so far as to run abroad to continue his advanced studies just to avoid marrying him, in all probability, he was just as formidable a character as his iron-fisted older brother.
If Wan Xu agreed to a sham marriage, then they would fulfill the wishes of the two elders and get married. If Wan Xu refused, they would call off the engagement.
Of course, this matter certainly couldn’t be brought up by the other person first; if he initiated it, the weight of his words would carry more substance.
He had thought that way until he bumped into that Omega tonight.
Few people knew that this young Alpha, praised by others as self-disciplined and unfailingly polite, actually suffered from pheromone identification disorder and a series of after-effects. Simply put, Nie Wencheng had lost his sense of smell and taste all the way back when he underwent differentiation at eighteen. His world lacked not only the scent of pheromones, but all other tastes and smells as well.
Therefore, when the fragrance of citrus aggressively pierced into his nasal cavity, Nie Wencheng froze entirely, momentarily thinking he was experiencing some kind of hallucination.
He intended to brush it aside and ignore it, but who would have thought that the scent simply refused to dissipate. Nie Wencheng instinctively touched the gland at the back of his neck; it seemed to be growing somewhat hot.
Wan Ting, who had been conversing with him just moments before, stopped. Realizing something was amiss, he wiped the formalized smile from his face, patted Nie Wencheng’s shoulder, and whispered, “Excuse me, I need to step away,” before hastily walking off.
Nie Wencheng stood in place for a moment.
The scent grew denser and denser, reaching a point where it could no longer be ignored. Nie Wencheng furrowed his brows, loosened the top button of his shirt, and downed a mouthful of champagne, attempting to use the alcohol to suppress the uneasy restlessness stirring within his body.
Yet even the wine turned into a rich citrus flavor the moment it touched his tongue.
He knew he could no longer wait.
He picked up his pace, heading toward the source radiating the scent.
In an inconspicuous corner of the corridor, the Omega radiating the fragrance grabbed his sleeve and bit down hard on the gland at the back of his neck.
At that exact instant, Nie Wencheng felt his entire being fill with citrus-scented pheromones. His rut was provoked by the Omega’s pheromones, surging in aggressively until everything else was stripped away, leaving only raw biological instinct.
He scooped the person off the floor into a bridal carry and headed straight for the hotel rooms upstairs.
That person tightly gripped his collar, twisting restlessly within his embrace. Several times, Nie Wencheng almost lost his grip and dropped him onto the floor.
After finally managing to toss the slippery, fish-like person onto the bed, Nie Wencheng immediately flung off his jacket and pressed down over him. The person beneath him was pinned down and suddenly stopped moving.
The Omega held his hands high in the air, a pair of gorgeous amber eyes veiled in a layer of mist, looking at him with deep affection.
The pheromones caused his entire body to burn as if consumed by a roaring fire, his breathing growing increasingly rapid. Nie Wencheng felt as though he had been frozen in place by a spell; his canine teeth ached, his mouth parting, yet he lingered and failed to bite down on that vulnerable neck.
What was it that the physiology classes taught?
Ultimately, willpower won out. Nie Wencheng suddenly broke free and locked himself inside the bathroom.
Faint whimpers leaked through the crack of the door, and the scent of pheromones lingered persistently in the air, causing Nie Wencheng to shudder uncontrollably. Hurriedly stripping off his clothes, he turned on the shower head and thoroughly drenched himself in ice-cold water.
The rushing sound of water drowned out the soft moans. After resolving his condition on his own, Nie Wencheng wiped himself dry, took a deep breath to steel his resolve, and finally pushed open the door.
The person on the bed had stripped himself bare, leaving only an unbuttoned shirt on his upper body, and was curled up into a tiny ball while clutching Nie Wencheng’s jacket.
Thinking he had fallen asleep, Nie Wencheng cautiously approached, only for the Omega’s eyelashes to flutter slightly as he opened his eyes.
His face was breathtakingly pretty with well-proportioned features and a high bridge of the nose, particularly his pair of amber peach-blossom eyes which looked so pitifully charming that anyone who saw them couldn’t help but gasp in admiration.
The gorgeous Omega grabbed Nie Wencheng’s hand and brought his face closer.
An Omega deprived of effective comfort clearly hadn’t finished rutting yet, and his flushed face appeared exceptionally endearing at this moment. Nie Wencheng even subconsciously licked his lips.
“Help me.” The Omega’s voice was hoarse. “Thank you.”
Right now, the other party was in an unlucid state. Wouldn’t doing that sort of thing be taking advantage of someone’s vulnerability? But since he had already entered estrus and suppressants had lost their effect, an Alpha’s pheromones were an absolute necessity.
Although two single individuals swept up in the heat of the moment would have a justifiable excuse for whatever happened, if something actually occurred, it wouldn’t be good for either person’s reputation.
Hesitating for a moment, Nie Wencheng still pulled the person into his embrace and clumsily released soothing pheromones.
The most urgent task right now was to help him get through his estrus.
He tried hard to tear his gaze away from the other person’s young and gorgeous figure, but the tightly pressed skin made it impossible to ignore that softness, feeling just like a cloud, gentle and damp.
The Omega’s body temperature dropped slightly. With his hand resting on Nie Wencheng’s chest, his entire body leaned softly against Nie Wencheng’s shoulder, still unconsciously trying to bite the gland at the back of his neck.
Nie Wencheng pulled his collar up a bit higher.
“Not enough,” the person in his arms murmured fuzzily. “Bite me.”
Trembling, Nie Wencheng replied, “No.”
“You can, I allow it.” The other unsteady person sat up, pulled off his shirt, and exposed a slender, fair neck. The swollen gland had already raised into a tiny curve. With tears welling in the corners of his eyes, he whispered, “I’m begging you, it hurts.”
Without a word, Nie Wencheng pulled the other’s clothes up, took out his phone, and placed it to the side. After hitting record, he spoke in a clearly audible voice: “To alleviate your estrus, I will temporarily mark you now. Are you aware of this, and do you consent?”
The person opposite him gave a soft laugh. “Such a prude.”
Yet, driven by instinctive craving, he quickly pressed close to Nie Wencheng again and said, “I consent. Mark me.”
Nie Wencheng’s rationality was teetering on the edge of collapse. As the other’s arms wrapped around his waist, he leaned down and used his canine teeth to precisely pierce the gland.
Without any superfluous movements, acting strictly as if handling official business, he withdrew his bite as soon as the estimated concentration of pheromones reached the standard.
The person in his arms fell completely silent, though a pair of hands still tightly clung to his back without letting go, murmuring something unintelligible. Nie Wencheng couldn’t hear it clearly.
The bed was an absolute mess, and sleeping under such conditions was too uncomfortable. He helped dress the person properly and called room service to change the bed linens.
Uneasy, Nie Wencheng stood guard by the bedside the entire night. The person on the bed likely remained somewhat uncomfortable; halfway through the night, he first cried out of being hot, kicked off the blanket, and then stripped off his outer trousers, flinging them onto the floor until his breathing finally steadied toward the latter half of the night.
At dawn, having stayed awake all night, Nie Wencheng could no longer hold on. He had someone deliver suppressants and placed a bottle of water on the bedside table.
He had initially picked up a pen and paper intending to leave a note, but then realized leaving a note was meaningless. It was merely a one-night romantic encounter.
The person on the bed hugged the blanket, sleeping soundly.
Nie Wencheng ultimately lowered the hand holding the pen.
He repeatedly admonished himself that he was a man bound by an engagement, and doing this would be unfaithful to his unmet partner.
Yet this person seemed so different, as though destined to appear within his world.
Disturbed and feeling restless, and having lost any thought of leaving contact information, he picked up his jacket and prepared to leave.
The phone on the tabletop vibrated. Nie Wencheng instinctively snatched it up, expertly unlocked it with one hand, and tapped the screen.
[President Nie, how did you sleep last night?]
Nie Wencheng’s brows furrowed, and shortly after, another message popped up.
[Shall I have someone send a clean change of clothes to your company?]
His phone nearly flew out of his hand.
The person sending the message was Wan Ting.
The eldest young master of the Wan family was in high spirits after sending that threatening text message.
Through the car window, he watched Nie Wencheng across the street rush out of the hotel in a panic, running around in frantic circles like an ant on a hot pan.
“Did you delete the hotel surveillance footage?” he asked the driver.
“Everything has been handled according to your instructions.”
Wan Ting turned his head aside.
Nie Wencheng finally managed to flag down a car, hastily pulled open the door, and sped away.
“And the backups?” Wan Ting extended his hand.
When Wan Xu returned from the washroom and sat down on the edge of the bed, still dazed and struggling to make sense of the situation, his business partner’s phone call came through.
“Boss.”
Yu Dong always had this kind of boisterous personality, so Wan Xu was already unfazed by it and responded lazily, “What is it?”
“Where are you? Did you forget that we scheduled a meeting with the investors today?”
It seemed there was indeed such a matter.
Wan Xu sat cross-legged on the bed, moving the earpiece a little further away. “I’m running some errands this morning. Hold the fort for now; I’ll be over by afternoon.”
“No worries, Boss, I was just reminding you,” Yu Dong’s voice was brisk. “I was afraid you might still be dealing with jet lag since you just returned to China.”
After hanging up, Wan Xu began to seriously ponder what to do next.
He first sent a message to Wan Ting telling him not to worry, then called a private clinic to schedule a physical check-up first.
He had indeed been marked, but a superficial examination couldn’t fully confirm everything. Even if there were no physical marks left, it didn’t mean he hadn’t been violated. If an irreversible situation had truly occurred, he would make that scoundrel pay the price.
After setting an appointment time with the doctor, he began getting dressed, which naturally led him to notice the blank piece of paper and the suppressants on the bedside table.
Confirming the medicine packaging was intact and unopened, Wan Xu hesitated for a moment before snapping open the foil and swallowing two pills.
As he got into the car, he was still contemplating what to do if he had genuinely lost his virginity. Actually, he didn’t care much about chastity; sex was inherently just one of human instinctual behaviors, and moralizing rhetoric about a tainted body was harmless to him. But…
What about the engagement?
Would an Omega who had lost his virginity be looked down upon by the man surnamed Nie?
Why on earth should I care what he thinks?
Wan Xu was amused by his own thoughts.
Then again, perhaps this served as a good excuse to call off the engagement, didn’t it?
Feeling that his mind was in complete chaos, Wan Xu decided against pondering it any further, closed his eyes, and leaned back against the car window for a nap.