The night was deep and heavy with dew, and the moonlight shone into the richly fragrant living room. On the bookshelf sat a pot of fresh delicate jasmine, its tender white buds looking like butterflies strung together by silk threads, swaying gently by the window.
The dense aroma of paper and ink inside the room masked the fragrance of the delicate jasmine, creating a clash of two scents. However, it was clear that a small potted green plant was no match for the deliberately spread aroma of paper and ink.
Xu Mingfu’s pheromone scent was uniquely his own. When deliberately reined in, it always carried a faint scholarly ink-scroll aura; when deliberately released, it felt like a bottle of ink knocked over by someone, spilling across a desk full of books and paper, and trapped within a confined space.
His pheromone scent was not accepted by everyone; it lacked the mass appeal of sweet wine or fruit fragrances. Xu Mingfu had never imagined that his pheromone would one day accomplish a major task and please someone. After all, there were far too many pheromones that were more special and pleasant than his. To most people, his pheromone carried a trace of bitterness and was difficult to accept.
Yet Shao Yiqing liked it. This highly sought-after Omega in Xiangjiang actually liked it.
Should he feel fortunate, or should he feel troubled?
Shao Yiqing lay flat on the sofa, his legs propped high on the armrest, his figure forming an exceptional curve. His head rested on the opposite armrest, a soft throw pillow cushioned his waist, and the fingertips of one hand were curled, resting casually beside his ear against his slightly long hair. With his eyes closed, he parted his thin lips and said, “That’s enough.”
As if granted a pardon, Xu Mingfu stopped releasing his pheromones. He quickly picked up the neck collar from the table and, casting a glance at Shao Yiqing, slipped it around his neck.
Shao Yiqing did not open his eyes, but he knew what Xu Mingfu was doing. He heard the click of the buckle, just like the sound it made when it was unfastened.
He curved his lips amidst the aroma of paper and ink, mocking Xu Mingfu’s panic.
Xu Mingfu had long since grown immune to Shao Yiqing’s smiles. So what if it was mockery? For an alpha to be ordered around by an Omega and look flustered in front of him was nothing short of a laughable matter. The moment he decided to come find Shao Yiqing, he had already anticipated this day.
“Why do you like my pheromones?” Xu Mingfu looked at the man on the sofa. Shao Yiqing was still maintaining that posture as he lay before him. One could only imagine how dangerous such an undefended posture was for an Omega, yet Shao Yiqing was so content and at ease. Did he know that he, Xu Mingfu, would not and dared not do anything to him?
Or rather, even if something were done to him, he wouldn’t care anyway. This kind of promiscuous player.
“Like is like, is there a why?” Shao Yiqing did not explain. People’s acceptance of scents varied from person to person; that was an instinct that required no reason.
There were many things Xu Mingfu disagreed with about Shao Yiqing, but this sentence was something he could not refute. It was precisely the case, some people hated while others loved, and this world had always been ever-changing.
“You only wanted me to do this, and that’s it?” Xu Mingfu asked. There was doubt in his tone. Someone newly stepping into society had no way of directly laying things out, unable to hide the skepticism in his mind.
Shao Yiqing said, “Or are you unsatisfied with something? Do you need to do a little more?”
A wild and unrestrained Omega roaming among various alphas only needed his pheromone? This was completely different from the rumors Xu Mingfu had heard outside. Those rumors said that no one around Shao Yiqing had a pure relationship with him; all of them had rolled in Shao Yiqing’s bed. There had even been rumors of extramarital affairs. Although there was no solid proof, placed on Shao Yiqing, any of it could be true.
Xu Mingfu did not doubt it. He believed it, and felt that Shao Yiqing was simply that kind of person. In the short span of two months, he hadn’t met Shao Yiqing many times, but he had already figured out this Omega’s disposition.
“No,” Xu Mingfu lowered his gaze, incredulous. “I just didn’t expect you to only require me to do this.”
Shao Yiqing laughed.
He opened his eyes, turned his head to look over, and took all of Xu Mingfu’s caution and bewilderment into his view, exposing his beating-around-the-bush words. “Can’t believe I’d let you off so easily?”
Xu Mingfu’s thoughts were hit on the mark, and he stayed silent. Those filthy and obscene words were something he couldn’t bring himself to say; after all, he wasn’t Shao Yiqing.
Shao Yiqing said, “You wanted a week, but I only postponed it by three days. From the result, the effectiveness was cut in half, so I shall collect a reward commensurate with this result. Any more questions?”
“Are you that particular about things?” As soon as the words left his mouth, Xu Mingfu regretted them. He saw Shao Yiqing’s gaze fixed on him, thinking to himself why his doubt about the other’s character had slipped out so easily without even passing through his brain. But spoken words were like spilled water; how was he supposed to embellish and salvage it? It was too late.
He could only pinch his own hand in vexation.
Seeing his lingering fear, Shao Yiqing arrived at a conclusion: Xu Mingfu had opinions on his conduct, yet deep down he was afraid of him. His inability to keep his mouth shut suited his impulsive age, but his tendency to regret was also fitting. Sometimes Shao Yiqing found young people interesting, while at other times he found them naive and foolish. He was unwilling to waste words building a noble persona for himself, especially since he had never had anything to do with nobility in the first place.
Shao Yiqing turned his head to look at the ceiling. When designing this room, he had instructed the craftsmen to deliberately carve a few light fixtures suited for the night. The sunset-colored lighting was soft, and staring straight at the lamp tubes wouldn’t sting the eyes.
“Has your dad been locked up?” Shao Yiqing changed the subject, neither bothered nor angered, his tone no different from just a moment ago.
Xu Mingfu turned heavy. “Tomorrow.”
Shao Yiqing said, “How long was the sentence?”
Without stating it explicitly, Xu Mingfu took a deep breath and said, “His whole life is ruined in there.”
When he first learned of what his father had done, Xu Mingfu couldn’t believe it. He had always taken his father as a benchmark of success, having no idea how many hearts that benchmark had pierced through before steadily standing at the bullseye of the target.
With exceptional incomprehension, he said, “You people, once your careers get big, can’t you help but walk down that kind of path?”
He sought counsel from Shao Yiqing. In a sense, Shao Yiqing’s status and position were identical to his father’s; Jiachuang in the design industry was much like Lingrui in the tech industry, even if inferior, the gap wouldn’t be by much.
Shao Yiqing was a capable person. Putting aside his private life, Xu Mingfu knew he was considered very successful.
“It depends on the individual,” Shao Yiqing’s voice was exceptionally pleasant. All his physical hardware was outstanding; hearing him speak with that voice that could earn money, he said, “Desire expands along with one’s horizons. The external world can change ninety percent of a person, no matter how firm their original principles were. Flowers blooming everywhere dazzle the eye and bewitch the mind. If you don’t want to be changed by this society, you have to submit to it and change alongside it. Only then can you guard that tiny, insignificant shred of your own principles.”
Xu Mingfu had yet to enter society, so understanding this still posed a certain difficulty. He understood the logic, but couldn’t thoroughly digest Shao Yiqing’s words. “If you change along with this society, is there still any principle to speak of?”
“What is a principle?” Shao Yiqing said. “If you define principle as remaining unchanged and being yourself, then that’s not a principle; that’s self-righteous, stubborn ignorance. Principles are actions, not thoughts. There are many ways and means to achieve a goal. Let your thoughts keep pace with the times so your actions aren’t completely restricted. Those in high positions are often constrained by circumstances; perhaps your father had already guarded his principles. If you don’t agree with this result, then be even firmer in your own principle-ism.”
Could Xu Mingfu do better than his father? The worlds they saw were different; his father built high towers from flat ground, while he was reaping the rewards of someone else’s labor. Evaluating his father’s right and wrong with his current mindset and making comparisons was effortless, because he hadn’t yet walked a mile in his father’s shoes.
“Are you going to the signing ceremony, or is your mom going?” Shao Yiqing asked. He was never thoughtful enough to allow the other party time to make the mental turn.
“Both of us,” Xu Mingfu said. “I didn’t want to go, but the other side demanded it.” Speaking of the Sheng family, Xu Mingfu’s mood grew heavy, and he became gloomy.
“You guys have a blood feud with the Sheng family, right?” Shao Yiqing’s tone was decisive; he already had a measure of this matter.
Xu Mingfu looked at Shao Yiqing in astonishment. “Sheng Tingzhou leaked it to you?”
Shao Yiqing rested his head on his arms and said, “Would he leak it to me? Do you think I have that kind of ability?”
Xu Mingfu fell silent, deeply torn.
Shao Yiqing didn’t push him. “If you don’t want to talk, don’t talk.”
This was the private business of their two families; Shao Yiqing didn’t need to know every detail.
Yet Xu Mingfu wavered amidst his internal struggle, his lips parting and closing, hesitant to speak. After falling silent for a moment, with a rich wave of emotion, he said, “Sheng Hang’s Omega died on the operating table when she was pregnant back then.”
Shao Yiqing looked over.
Xu Mingfu choked out, “I’m not very clear on the details either. Just heard it from my mom. My dad was competing with them for a project, and that project was very important to Sheng Hang. Without it, catching up to Lingrui would have taken them at least another ten years. They were capable of competing with my dad back then, so in order to secure that project one hundred percent…”
Xu Mingfu stopped talking.
Shao Yiqing supplemented with a dark glint in his eyes, “Your dad directed his methods at their family members.”
Xu Mingfu panicked. “My dad and the others didn’t mean it! He just wanted to keep Sheng Hang distracted and overwhelmed. Who would have known that his Omega’s body was so fragile and couldn’t withstand a scare…”
“Do you believe that?” Shao Yiqing interrupted, his expression cold and sharp. “Your dad didn’t mean it. Do you believe that?”
Xu Mingfu clenched his fists and said no more.
Shao Yiqing thought to himself, no wonder Sheng Tingzhou wanted to hunt them down to the last. For a matter of harming others without benefiting oneself, Sheng Tingzhou probably wouldn’t do it if he were smart. But since there was a blood feud, that was an entirely different story.
“Behave yourself, and tell your mom not to play the fool by dreaming up any more tricks to save Lingrui,” Shao Yiqing said. “Otherwise, nobody can guarantee what will happen to you widow and orphan.”
With a furrowed brow, Xu Mingfu said, “Could it be they still refuse to let us go?”
Shao Yiqing suddenly burst out laughing.
Xu Mingfu was startled by that harsh, grating laughter, and a rising wave of panic welled up from the bottom of his heart.
“Let me put it this way, if I were Sheng Tingzhou right now,” Shao Yiqing tilted his head, looking straight into Xu Mingfu’s eyes with a dark and gloomy expression, “I would let your dad die in prison.”
Pausing for a moment, he added, “And make the rest of your and your mom’s lives completely devoid of peace.”
From Shao Yiqing’s pupils, Xu Mingfu understood that he was not joking.
From the perspective of the perpetrator, determining whether the perpetrator’s statements were fair was extremely difficult, until he saw Shao Yiqing’s expression and heard his warnings and reminders. Only then did he belatedly realize that he had lacked fairness, and from an outsider’s perspective, this matter warranted such severe consequences.
“Alright, go back,” Shao Yiqing stopped wasting time with him. “You still have a driver at home, right? Have him come pick you up. I’m not sending you off.”
Hesitantly, Xu Mingfu stood up. Seeing that Shao Yiqing had already closed his eyes, he wanted to say something else, but ultimately couldn’t get the words out. He took a step to leave, torn with hesitation.
After stepping out of Shao Yiqing’s villa, Xu Mingfu stood dazed in place by himself for a long time. Shao Yiqing’s warnings replayed entirely in his mind, and he thought that perhaps he had oversimplified things. He wondered where he and his mother should go from here.
If Sheng Tingzhou truly refused to let them go.
With a heavy mind, it was hard to stroll leisurely. Every step Xu Mingfu took felt heavy. With his hands shoved into his pockets, he dawdled outside Shao Yiqing’s villa for quite a while until, on the wide avenue leading straight to the villa, he ran into someone.
That person was around his same age, handsome in appearance, yet entirely different in temperament. He looked uninhibited and arrogant, with a heavy alpha aura. He was also walking on foot. Although they didn’t brush past each other, Xu Mingfu caught a glimpse of his face.
Visibility was obstructed by the night, and Xu Mingfu strained his eyes to look.
The other person was doing the same. Amidst the quiet night, a mutual force of confrontation was released across the space.
It dissipated as the distance between them grew further and further apart.
Both parties withdrew their gazes and headed toward their respective destinations.
When Yang Qian pushed open the door, his scalp went numb from being assaulted by the room’s thick paper-and-ink pheromones. He drew back a step, raising his eyes to look at the quiet figure on the sofa bathed in the dim halo of light.
Then he stepped inside, leaving the door unclosed, letting a glass door stand wide open right where it was.
Yang Qian walked into the room with furrowed brows.
“Everything smells like someone else.” He complained with displeasure, and the person on the sofa took a moment to stir.
Shao Yiqing gazed at him, extended a hand to pull him to his side, and commanded, “No releasing pheromones. I hate your scent.”
As soon as Yang Qian arrived, the Baileys Irish Cream in the air would drive away the paper-and-ink fragrance that had left Shao Yiqing spellbound.
Yang Qian negotiated, “Then I’ll release yours. I like yours. Is that okay?”
Shao Yiqing said, “I finally managed to find a pheromone I like, and you still want me to suppress this scent completely?”
Yang Qian’s arm was burning hot; the rut was approaching, and Yang Qian lowered his head to plant a kiss on his damp, warm forearm.
Shao Yiqing sat up, Yang Qian pressing against his knees. They always maintained this posture; an Omega in rut was clingy and attentive, and for someone like Shao Yiqing, gentleness and submissiveness were the most unusual sights during his rut.
“I’m leaving,” Yang Qian said. “The quota has come down, and the timing is set too. Going to London for two years. Little Uncle, will you miss me?”
The back of Shao Yiqing’s hand pressed against Yang Qian’s cheek, his gaze tender. “I’ll miss you.”
Yang Qian gripped that damp, warm arm tightly and said, “If I get settled over there, can you come over?”
“Having finally escaped my clutches, you still want to build your own fortress to trap yourself?”
“I want to live under your claws and fangs for the rest of my life. I want to have a home with you. Too many people in Xiangjiang covet you; I don’t like this place.”
“But this is my home,” Shao Yiqing lowered his head, displaying a rare vulnerability. “I can’t escape this place, and besides…”
Shao Yiqing twirled one of Yang Qian’s strands of hair. “Pengpeng is almost catching up to your height. I didn’t raise him well; it’s impossible to leave him here all by himself.”
Yang Qian fell silent, tightening his grip on Shao Yiqing’s arm by a fraction. He stood up, scooped Shao Yiqing up in his arms, and walked toward the bedroom.
“Yang Qian,” Shao Yiqing cupped Yang Qian’s face. As they sank into the softness and passionate kisses fell upon his neck, he said, “Starting tomorrow, cut off all contact with me. Don’t say you know me. Once you arrive in London, win some dignity for yourself.”
The only response he received was an ardent kiss.
Shao Yiqing’s turbid gaze swayed on the light-mottled ceiling, unable to focus his vision. Drunk in the land of tenderness, intoxicated and delirious, he murmured, “Wild geese do not roost on broken walls and ruined corners, they yearn for the high branches that aid their flight, not the dilapidated eaves.”