The butler helped carry the groceries, while Dreamer kept circling Shen Que, nearly tripping him several times. As they passed through the garden and reached the main entrance of the villa, Dreamer suddenly obediently crouched in front of the stairs, panting happily with its tongue out.
Shen Que was curious. “Dreamer, why aren’t you coming in?”
The butler explained, “Mr. Xuan is afraid Dreamer might hurt someone, so it’s not allowed inside.”
Upon hearing the butler’s words, Dreamer’s little face drooped along with its tail, as if feeling wronged over past mistakes.
Shen Que found this series of little gestures utterly adorable. He ran down the stairs and hugged Dreamer. “How about I stay outside and play with you?”
At the word “play,” the guilt on Dreamer’s face instantly vanished. It wriggled out of Shen Que’s arms and excitedly ran to the corner of the garden to fetch a toy ball.
Shen Que spent most of the afternoon playing with Dreamer. At noon, he even learned to make dog food for it. By evening, Dreamer lay sprawled across Shen Que’s lap, warm as a blanket, shielding him from the autumn breeze.
It had been a long time since Shen Que felt so at ease. Gazing at the sky painted in shades of blue and pink, he felt grateful that Sheng Xuanzhu was dead.
After Dreamer was led back to its kennel, Shen Que finally had time to focus on baking. Leaning over the kitchen counter, he didn’t notice that Sheng Xuanzhu had already returned.
“Mr. Shen spent the whole day playing with Dreamer today,” the butler said as he folded a suit, also mentioning the incident with the taxi driver earlier.
Sheng Xuanzhu removed his watch and looked from the hallway at the omega under the light, wearing an apron. With his small, fair hands holding a tiny spoon, trembling slightly as he measured the ingredients, he was completely absorbed in his task.
“I see.”
Sheng Xuanzhu didn’t disturb him. Instead, he turned and went to the garden to find Dreamer. Perhaps exhausted from a day of play, Dreamer wasn’t too excited to see Sheng Xuanzhu. It merely wagged its tail symbolically before lying motionless in its kennel. Sheng Xuanzhu brought out Dreamer’s favorite bone, but it still seemed indifferent.
After pouring the cake batter into the oven and setting the temperature, Shen Que remembered the dinner he had prepared for Dreamer in the pot. Carrying the bowl, he went to find Dreamer.
Dreamer, who had been listless in front of Sheng Xuanzhu, immediately perked up upon catching Shen Que’s scent. Its ears stood erect as it sprang to its feet, peering eagerly behind Sheng Xuanzhu.
“Dreamer! I made pumpkin soup for you…” Shen Que hadn’t expected Sheng Xuanzhu to be there. His voice trailed off, and the smile on his face froze. “Mr. Xuan, I didn’t know you were here.”
Dreamer wanted to go to Shen Que but was frightened back into its kennel by a single glance from Sheng Xuanzhu.
Thinking he had done something wrong, Shen Que lowered his head, not daring to look at Mr. Xuan.
“Do you like animals?”
Shen Que gave a faint “Mm.”
“Dreamer is a fierce dog. Aren’t you afraid?”
“I think Dreamer is quite well-behaved and doesn’t seem hostile.”
“It was protecting you. If the butler hadn’t stopped Dreamer, it could have killed that driver,” Sheng Xuanzhu looked at him. “Apart from me, Dreamer has never protected anyone else.”
“Woof!” Dreamer seized the opportunity to bark, as if saying, “It’s me! I’m the one who wants to protect my brother!”
Shen Que was slightly taken aback. “We’ve only… just met?” How could Dreamer already want to protect him?
This was also something Sheng Xuanzhu found strange. He was certain that Dreamer and Shen Que had absolutely never met before.
Moreover, although Dreamer was fierce, the last time he had attacked someone like this was when Wen Zhibai was still alive. That time, Wen Zhibai had come to the Sheng family alone, wanting to surprise Sheng Xuanzhu. Dreamer, who had been napping in the house, sensed unease and attacked Wen Zhibai viciously, like a wild beast pouncing on its prey.
Wen Zhibai, who had always loved pets, was traumatized by that incident. Because of it, Sheng Xuanzhu took Dreamer to the Xuan family and forbade him from entering the house again.
Shen Que didn’t know what Sheng Xuanzhu was lost in thought about, so he simply walked around him and placed the bowl in front of Dreamer. All the earlier reluctance to eat the meaty bone vanished, and Dreamer buried his head in the bowl, eating happily.
Seeing Dreamer happy, Shen Que couldn’t help but smile.
Sheng Xuanzhu stood to the side, watching even more intently. He hadn’t known that Shen Que could smile so easily, so gently.
“Did you ever want to keep a pet before?”
The question came abruptly. Shen Que turned to look at him, hesitating for a moment before nodding. “Yes, but my grandmother is allergic to fur.”
“Hmm.”
Shen Que instinctively responded with a questioning “Hmm?” thinking Sheng Xuanzhu was suggesting he keep Dreamer.
But after saying that, Sheng Xuanzhu turned and went back inside.
Shen Que stood there, staring wide-eyed at Dreamer, who wagged his tail as if asking for another bowl.
After dinner, Sheng Xuanzhu went to work, while Shen Que quietly continued making cakes, preparing several different kinds.
He arranged the desserts neatly on small plates and handed them out to passing servants to taste. One particularly greedy servant even came back for seconds.
Just as Shen Que was feeling proud of himself, Sheng Xuanzhu entered the dining room with an air of low pressure.
The alpha’s dark red silk pajamas shimmered under the light, making the man look fierce and intimidating. Shen Que carefully pulled the cake closer to himself, afraid that Mr. Xuan would disapprove of him making desserts at home.
But this small action from the omega was interpreted by someone as guarding his food. Could it be that Shen Que could share desserts with the servants but not with him?
Even though he didn’t like sweets at all.
Sheng Xuanzhu’s expression remained indifferent as he took the fork from Shen Que’s hand.
Shen Que was startled. “Mr. Xuan… I’ve used that fork!”
Without hesitation, Sheng Xuanzhu casually speared a piece and ate it. “A bit sweet.”
Seeing that Mr. Xuan didn’t seem inclined to scold him, Shen Que’s previously tense nerves relaxed at that moment. He couldn’t help but explain, “This is a French dessert. It’s supposed to be a little sweet.”
Sheng Xuanzhu didn’t argue. Instead, he took Shen Que’s small hand, still smelling of cream, and led him to the side hall.
Shen Que didn’t know what he intended until he saw Assistant Bian standing in the side hall, with a trembling Yorkshire Terrier cowering at his feet.
Sheng Xuanzhu walked over. The little dog tried to shy away in fear but was still picked up by the scruff of its neck and tossed into Shen Que’s arms.
Shen Que instinctively held the puppy tightly, afraid it might fall.
“What’s its name?”
“You can give it a name. It’s a gift for you.”
A flicker of surprise passed through Shen Que’s eyes. So, the earlier question about whether he wanted a pet was to give him one?
“What about Dreamer?”
“Perfect timing to keep Dreamer company.” That way it wouldn’t cling relentlessly to Shen Que.
Shen Que was petting the puppy, which was still smaller than his palm, when Assistant Bian dragged someone in from outside—the driver who had tricked him that morning.
Dreamer spotted the driver through the glass and let out another frantic series of barks, startling the driver into covering his head and making the Yorkshire terrier burrow deeper into Shen Que’s arms.
Sheng Xuanzhu sat down on the nearby sofa, his expression icy.
The driver, seeing Shen Que, seemed to spot an angel. He knelt and shuffled over to Shen Que’s feet. “Sir, I was truly wrong. I’ll never bully an omega again.”
Shen Que had never encountered such a scene before. He glanced helplessly at the driver, then looked toward Sheng Xuanzhu.
The man sat casually, his expression detached and cold-blooded. It took Shen Que a few seconds to realize that Mr. Xuan was defending him.
Assistant Bian grabbed the driver with one hand, dragged him out the door, and never returned.
“Mr. Xuan, how do you plan to… deal with him?” Shen Que thought of Sheng Xuanzhu’s past methods and worried that this driver might not fare well either.
“I won’t let anyone who humiliates you go unpunished.” He couldn’t tolerate Wen Zhibai being humiliated, not even a stand-in.
Sheng Xuanzhu looked up, meeting Shen Que’s eyes again. “Are you still afraid of me now?”
The unexpected question made Shen Que’s heart tremble slightly. “Mr. Xuan, these past two days, I’ve felt your sincerity. I’ll adapt to your life quickly… very quickly, and I’ll do everything according to the contract.”
Listening to Shen Que speak in the soft, gentle tone unique to omegas, Sheng Xuanzhu realized that Shen Que could be so obedient, so compliant.
So taming a rebellious little kitten was this simple.
“Then what do you plan to do?”
Hearing this, Shen Que lowered his head, not daring to look at him.
The steady, heavy scent of leather gradually grew stronger. Shen Que felt the warmth of the man’s touch as his fingers brushed past his ear, and his face flushed. Before he knew it, his head was lifted, and his lips were captured in a deep kiss.
The puppy in his arms, unaware of what was happening, seized the opportunity to jump to the floor and scamper away.
Shen Que, startled by the sudden kiss and the emptiness in his arms, nearly stumbled. He steadied himself by clutching Sheng Xuanzhu’s pajamas.
Sheng Xuanzhu liked Shen Que’s bewildered, flustered, yet obedient demeanor. It fit perfectly with his expectations for Shen Que—as a stand-in for Wen Zhibai.
He wanted to mark this little omega inside and out with his scent, to make Shen Que his exclusive omega, compensating for the regret of never truly having Wen Zhibai.
The overpowering alpha pheromones left Shen Que with nowhere to escape. Despite his efforts, a faint trace of his floral scent inadvertently leaked out.
“I’m sorry, I…” Shen Que panicked, afraid that Mr. Xuan would get angry again, like the first time when he had roughly pressed a pillow over his face.
Woodland flower was his pheromone.
Sheng Xuanzhu inhaled the scent, feeling a surge of irritation. The pheromones that should have resisted seemed tamed, as if they actually liked this floral fragrance.
This sense of loss of control displeased Sheng Xuanzhu. “Wear your suppressant patches properly from now on.”
With that, the alpha turned away in disappointment and disappeared into the stairwell.
Before Shen Que could recover from the tension of the kiss, the Yorkshire terrier came rushing in from outside, frantically circling at his feet and barking in alarm.
The Yorkshire terrier’s fur was a gradient of brown and black, its tiny frame scurrying on the floor like a potato come to life.
Shen Que had no idea what had frightened it. He quickly scooped it into his arms. “What’s wrong, little potato?”
“Woof!”
Little Potato trembled, only peeking out with its eyes, fearfully gazing toward the door.
Dreamer, with sleek, jet-black fur, sat proudly and imposingly, tilting its head curiously at the little creature.
Shen Que walked over with a smile, placing Little Potato in front of Dreamer, and softly introduced, “This is Dreamer, your big brother from now on. You’re family now~”