The autumn rain fell in a sticky drizzle. Shen Que lay by the window, listening to the sound of the rain.
Just as he was drifting into a daze, a luxurious stretch Lincoln pulled into the courtyard. Mr. Xuan, dressed in black and holding a black umbrella, stepped out of the car. The headlights shone behind him, outlining a silhouette that was intriguing and thought-provoking.
Mr. Xuan appeared as cool and noble as the scent of leather pheromones he carried.
Shen Que stretched out his foot to feel for his slippers when a sudden gust of cold wind blew in from the corridor, making him shiver.
Mr. Xuan walked steadily over, casually picking up a blanket and wrapping it around him. “Still cold?”
Shen Que shook his head and pointed toward the door. “It’s the wind.”
Mr. Xuan bent down, scooping him up into his arms. “You don’t need to wait for me to come home in the future.”
Shen Que’s cheeks flushed red. Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around the alpha’s neck. Seeing that the man didn’t reject him, he grew bolder and leaned in closer, whispering by his ear, “The contract says I have to wait for Mr. Xuan to come home.”
“I come home very late,” Mr. Xuan recalled the words Xie Lan had taught him earlier. “You should rest if you’re tired.”
Shen Que raised an eyebrow. “Is this Mr. Xuan’s way of caring for me?”
Sheng Xuanzhu actually didn’t refute it. Shen Que’s heart felt like a soft candy being squeezed until it burst, the sweet filling flowing out—so sweet.
The alpha bent down to place him on the bed, but Shen Que clung to him, refusing to let go. His sparkling eyes, undimmed even by the gloomy rain, focused intently on the alpha.
Sheng Xuanzhu was taken aback.
He felt that Shen Que had changed over the past few days.
Back in the Sheng family, Shen Que’s eyes had been dull and lifeless, filled with nothing but rejection and hostility toward him. Even when Shen Que resisted him, he didn’t care if he twisted his ankle in the process.
But now, Shen Que was like a reborn kitten, full of spirit and vitality.
Suddenly, a gentle, flower-scented kiss landed on his cheek.
“Thank you, Mr. Xuan.”
For the first time, Sheng Xuanzhu allowed his instincts to take over unconsciously. He fiercely captured the omega’s soft, fragrant lips, greedily savoring the floral scent between them.
It shouldn’t be the floral scent he liked.
It should be the scent of wine—the intoxicating aroma secreted by Nuo Feng’s glands.
Sheng Xuanzhu’s mind cleared in an instant. He pushed the omega away, his deep eyes, already ignited with desire, fixed intently on the drowsy omega.
It must be because Shen Que resembled Wen Zhibai so much that he had become addicted to this pheromone scent, which was completely different from Wen Zhibai’s.
“Mr. Xuan…?”
Sheng Xuanzhu snapped back to reality, gazing at the face in the dim light. It should have resembled Wen Zhibai’s, but the more he looked, the clearer the name “Shen Que” became in his mind.
The loss of control over his emotions once again irritated Sheng Xuanzhu. His steaming leather pheromones coiled around the omega like vines.
Shen Que’s delicate glands instantly swelled and reddened, the sweet, cloying scent of wood flowers spreading uncontrollably.
The omega immediately felt his limbs go weak. Every breath he took was filled with the scorching, intense pheromones of a top-tier alpha.
“Mr. Xuan!”
Under the influence of the alpha’s overpowering pheromones, Shen Que instinctively yearned for the person before him. Even his voice grew soft and delicate as he called out.
Sheng Xuanzhu flipped him over, pulled out a suppressant patch from the bedside table, and forcefully sealed the wood flower scent inside his glands.
The omega, who wanted to release his pheromones to seek… affection, trembled with frustration, struggling to tear off the annoying suppressant patch on his neck.
Sheng Xuanzhu wouldn’t allow it.
He untied his necktie and bound the omega’s wrists with it.
After tossing and turning until nearly dawn, Shen Que finally lost consciousness and fell into a deep sleep. Meanwhile, Sheng Xuanzhu leaned against the bed, restlessly smoking.
He stubbed out the cigarette butt and glanced at the scattered suppressant patches on the floor.
Lighting another cigarette, he bent down to pick up the messily discarded patches.
The creases on them were bite marks, and as for who had bitten them, a certain alpha knew all too well.
Sheng Xuanzhu tossed the evidence of his uncontrollable urge to bite the omega into the trash can, muttering under his breath as he left:
“Troublemaker.”
When Nuo Feng received Sheng Xuanzhu’s call, he was so excited he couldn’t sleep. He quickly freshened up, pulled a pill from his bag, and quietly waited for the medication to take effect and for Mr. Xuan’s arrival.
Before the attendant even opened the hotel room door, he caught a whiff of a rich, intoxicating scent of alcohol.
The pheromones, somewhat reminiscent of Wen Zhibai, still stirred something in his heart.
Sheng Xuanzhu was pleased.
In the crisp, clear morning light of autumn, sunlight streamed into the room, where the lingering traces of two ambiguous pheromones had yet to fully dissipate.
Shen Que opened his eyes. Sheng Xuanzhu had been too rough the night before—his waist, legs, and glands ached. But as he turned and felt the empty bed beside him, a hollow emptiness settled in his heart.
“Mr. Xuan?” Shen Que called out tentatively, his voice hoarse.
It was the butler who entered, carrying fresh pajamas and breakfast. Only then did Shen Que realize his own pajamas had been torn to shreds and discarded on the floor.
“Mr. Xuan is working in the study.”
“Oh.”
Perhaps it was an omega’s instinct to seek an alpha’s comfort after such an encounter, but Shen Que felt deeply dejected.
After getting dressed and finishing his breakfast, Shen Que received a call from Dong Xiangyu, instructing him to stay at the Xuan residence for the next few days and to immediately report any harassment he encountered.
Shen Que had no idea what was happening until a trending news alert popped up:
【Nuo Feng Falls Victim to a Malicious Omega’s Scheme—Mr. Xuan Steps in as the Hero to Defend Justice for Nuo Feng!】