Fu Xu froze for a moment, then lowered his head slowly.
His fingertips rubbed unconsciously along the spine of his book as he murmured, voice muffled as if covered by a veil of melancholy, “It’s not that I like it… It’s just that only when I’m reading do I feel…” He paused, searching for a word, “…that I still…” That I still have hope.
Shen Louchen didn’t interrupt him. He simply waited, quiet and steady, as though giving him space to unravel the knots inside.
“I stayed in school up to junior high when I was in the orphanage.” Fu Xu’s voice grew even softer, tinged with a shy, barely perceptible inferiority.
“Later the orphanage didn’t have enough funding, so they couldn’t afford to let us continue studying and when I returned to the Fu family, I saw the other boys reading. I… I would pick up the books they’d finished, hide in a corner and try to learn a little bit. I don’t even know if I understood anything correctly…”
In truth, even that so called junior high curriculum wasn’t really equivalent to what alphas learned, most of the textbooks given to omegas were ridiculous things like “How to Soothe an Alpha.” The classes that truly overlapped with alpha courses were almost nonexistent.
He finally looked up, eyes carrying a faint mixture of confusion and a timid longing, staring quietly at Shen Louchen. “The book Dr. Gu gave me… there are so many words I don’t understand and all the things it talks about, the concepts… I just…”
Something in Shen Louchen’s chest trembled, barely but undeniably. He stared into Fu Xu’s clear, crystalline eyes, so transparent they revealed every ripple of emotion. There was no pretense, no disguise, only sincerity, only that raw, earnest desire to learn, wrapped in a mist of insecurity.
Junior high level. For a nineteen year old… it was far from enough.
“Do you want to keep studying?” Shen Louchen suddenly asked. His tone was calm but his voice carried an unquestionable weight.
Fu Xu’s eyes widened instantly, like a startled fawn. For a moment he thought he might have misheard. “H.. huh?”
Earlier, Shen Louchen had already agreed to let him enter the study. Now he was asking this, did it mean… did it mean…? A faint, trembling hope rose inside Fu Xu’s chest, so delicate it felt like it might break if he breathed too hard.
“What I mean is,” Shen Louchen continued, his gaze steady on him, “if you want to learn, I can first check your foundations, then help you create a study plan. You’re only nineteen. If you want to go back and repeat your senior year and take the college entrance exam, you’re still completely on time.”
Fu Xu stared at him, stunned. His lips parted but no sound came out. Sunlight streamed through the window, catching on the tips of his lashes and casting tiny shadows beneath his eyes.
His heart thudded so violently it almost hurt. Studying? Taking the college entrance exam? These were things he had only ever seen in dreams, distant, intangible, unreachable yet now those same words were coming out of Shen Louchen’s mouth, solid and real.
“I… I can?” His voice trembled, carrying disbelief and a touch of desperation. His eyes reddened. “Shen sir, I…”
“There’s nothing you can’t.” Shen Louchen watched his trembling expression and for some reason, the tangled knot in his heart about the matter of nicknames loosened slightly. “As long as you want to learn, there won’t be a problem.”
Fu Xu sucked in a shaky breath, nodding so hard it almost looked like his neck might hurt. Tears nearly spilled from his eyes.
Never, never in his life, had he thought that someone like him, a boy brought back from the orphanage to serve as a servant in the Fu family, could still have the right to study, the right to try for university. It was a luxury he had never even dared to imagine.
“Thank you… thank you, Shen sir!” His voice was heavy with a thick nasal tone, gratitude overflowing from every syllable. “I’ll study hard! I won’t disappoint you!”
And with that surge of emotion, Shen Louchen suddenly noticed a gentle, soothing scent diffusing into the air, subtle but unmistakably pleasant.
The same scent as before. The exact same soft floral fragrance that seemed to appear only in certain moments.
Shen Louchen had always had exceptionally sharp sensitivity to pheromones. Several times previously, he’d almost thought he was hallucinating but this time… it wasn’t faint. It was calm. Peaceful. Even tinged with a note of joy.
Was it because of happiness? Because he felt safe? Shen Louchen eyed Fu Xu’s flushed cheeks, suspicious and thoughtful.
He didn’t know much about an omega’s pheromone fluctuations, especially one with such a complicated past. It seemed he would have to ask Lin Yunzhou next time… or perhaps even ask Gu Wangyan directly.
But for now, watching that light, finally reignited, in Fu Xu’s eyes, that fragile but brilliant longing for the future, Shen Louchen felt that all his earlier discomfort and all the troubles that might follow were, at least at this moment, worth it.
He reached out. This time, he didn’t hesitate. His hand settled gently on Fu Xu’s hair, fingers brushing lightly through the soft strands. “Good. We’ll start with the basics. Starting tomorrow, I’ll set aside two hours every afternoon to teach you.”
Fu Xu blinked, momentarily dazed by the touch. Then his cheeks flushed further but he did not shy away, instead he tilted his head up just a little, like a small animal instinctively leaning into warmth. The gentle floral scent in the air deepened slightly.
“Tomorrow a new housekeeper will arrive,” Shen Louchen added, retracting his hand. “He’s one of the old household’s people and also supervised the renovations of this house. He knows this place well. Spend some time with him and get used to the environment. Otherwise you won’t be able to settle into studying properly.”
He knew Fu Xu couldn’t continue being so timid forever. Whether in the previous villa or now, Fu Xu barely dared step outside his room whenever Shen Louchen wasn’t home. That kind of behavior couldn’t continue and considering Gu Wangyan’s advice… perhaps there was truth in it.
“I’ll… I’ll work hard, Shen sir,” Fu Xu said, trying unsuccessfully to make his voice sound steadier.
“Good.” Shen Louchen kneaded his brow lightly. “I have work to handle. Rest early.”
“O.. okay.”
Before dawn even arrived, Shen Louchen was already awake. He wore a sharply tailored dark suit, his tie impeccably straight, the subtle gleam of the metal cufflinks at his wrist sanding off the last traces of softness from the morning haze.
Fu Xu was an extremely light sleeper. Even the faintest sound of a closing door was enough to wake him. Back at the Fu residence, he also had to rise at this hour every day to prepare breakfast for everyone.
Each morning his temples would throb, his eyes sore and swollen. After those weeks in the hospital, he had almost forgotten that feeling.
Half awake, half dazed, he stumbled downstairs just in time to see the tall figure at the door disappear slowly into the drifting morning mist.
The living room was silent. Only faint sounds came from the direction of the kitchen. Fu Xu took a step and his vision abruptly went black. He crouched down instinctively. It took nearly two minutes before the darkness receded and his sight cleared.
Remembering what Shen Louchen told him last night, he pushed himself to his feet and walked toward the kitchen. Inside stood a beta butler, dressed in a crisp uniform, setting out breakfast with smooth, practiced movements. He looked to be in his early forties, his expression warm, carrying the unobtrusive steadiness that only years of service could create.
“You’re awake, madam.” The beta butler turned and dipped his head respectfully. His tone was polite, not servile. “I’m the new housekeeper, my surname is Chen. Just call me Old Chen. Shen sir left early for headquarters and said you don’t need to wait for him to eat breakfast.”
Fu Xu instinctively clutched his clothes, nodding softly. “Chen… Butler Chen.”
He was still overwhelmed by the strangeness of the house, uneasy in every unfamiliar corner. Speaking with strangers only made him tenser.
But Old Chen’s eyes were observant. He passed a cup of warm milk to him. “Shen sir instructed me specifically to take good care of you. If there’s anything you’re not used to, please just let me know.”
Fu Xu took the warm cup. Heat seeped through his palms and traveled gently into his chest. He murmured a quiet thank you and subconsciously glanced toward the foyer, Shen Louchen’s silhouette disappearing into the fog lingered clearly in his mind.
He knew Shen Louchen was busy. Ever since the day he was left in this house, he had seen countless people addressing Shen Louchen with formality and awe.
Calls, messages, documents, Shen Louchen always stood in the center of a storm of responsibilities. When he worked, he seemed like an entirely different person, cold, powerful, untouchable.
“Does… does Shen sir… stay this busy every day?” Fu Xu asked softly, his voice barely louder than a whispering breeze.
Butler Chen was arranging the dishes. Hearing that, he chuckled. “Yes. Shen sir carries a heavy responsibility. He was supporting the entire Shen family at a very young age. Especially recently, things have been busy at the ministry. Sometimes the master stays up the whole night reviewing documents.”
He paused, shot Fu Xu a brief glance and added in a tone touched with something like quiet respect, “But Shen sir knows his limits. You don’t need to worry.”
“I… I was just asking.” Fu Xu immediately fiddled nervously with his fingers, terrified that the butler would think he was trying to pry into an alpha’s affairs.
“Worrying about one’s own alpha is normal,” Butler Chen said, pulling out a chair for him. “Since you’re awake, go ahead and eat breakfast.”
“Thank you… I can… I can do it myself.” Fu Xu shuffled forward in tiny steps. He’d always been the one serving others, sometimes, when Fu Jiaze was in a bad mood, he’d get slapped across the face with no warning. Being treated like this felt unreal.
After breakfast, butler Chen suggested showing him around the house. Fu Xu nodded, cleaning up the kitchen first as habit demanded, then following behind him.
It was the first time Fu Xu truly saw the house’s full scale. Three whole floors butler Chen patiently guided him through the first floor living room, dining room, kitchen; then the second floor study and guest rooms; finally reaching the third floor with Shen Louchen’s private meeting room and an unused rooftop terrace.
“This is Mr. Shen’s study. He usually handles most of his work here,” Butler Chen said as he pushed open a thick, weighty wooden door. “Without his permission, the servants generally don’t enter.”
Inside, the room unfolded like a private sanctuary. Bookshelves covered the walls from floor to ceiling, packed so densely it felt as if every inch of space exhaled quiet knowledge.
The air carried a faint but distinct mix of ink, aged paper and polished leather, an elegant, understated scent that seemed to define Shen Louchen himself.
Behind a wide solid wood desk stood an entire wall of floor to ceiling windows. Through the pristine glass, one could overlook the entire garden stretching beneath the morning light.
Fu Xu paused at the threshold, not daring to take even a single step forward. He simply stood there, fingers curled nervously at his sides, feeling as though the entire room was permeated with Shen Louchen’s presence, steady, powerful, composed and deeply disciplined. It made his heart tighten for a moment, both out of awe and an indescribable sense of distance.
When they reached the rooftop terrace, Fu Xu’s eyes lit up instantly. Although the space currently held only a few basic flower stands and stone benches, it was easy to imagine what it must look like in spring, flowers blooming across the trellises, scent carried by warm breezes, sunlight spilling across the tiles like liquid gold.
“When Mr. Shen was young, this was his favorite place to drink tea,” Butler Chen said, a faint smile in his tone. “But as he grew busier, he rarely had time to come up here. If Madam likes it, feel free to come often. Sitting for a while, getting some sun, it’s good for the body and the mind.”
After completing the full tour of the house, Fu Xu finally felt a genuine sense of grounding settle into his chest.
The house, which once felt vast, cold and intimidatingly unfamiliar, no longer appeared as a place he was trespassing. Step by step, room by room, it began to feel just a little bit like a home, one he might truly belong to.
When they returned to the living room, butler Chen reached into his pocket and took out a brand new, top of the line smartphone. He held it out to Fu Xu with both hands.
“This is from Mr. Shen,” he explained patiently. “He asked me to give it to you. I’ve already saved my number in it, as well as Mr. Shen’s and Assistant Zong’s. If you ever need anything or if you want to contact Mr. Shen, you can call or send a message. If you’d like, can I teach you the basics?”
As Butler Chen spoke, he found himself watching Fu Xu more closely. It had been a long time, far too long, since he had seen such a genuinely well behaved omega.
After spending so many years managing the old residence, he had seen countless omegas pass through its doors: those whose spirits were numb like puppets and those whose schemes were sharper than blades, ready to use any trick to please an alpha, even plotting against the family head himself.
When he first heard from Deputy Officer Zong about why the head of the household had brought this young man back, butler Chen assumed, like many others, that Fu Xu must be pretending to be pitiful, simply another restless, manipulative omega.
But after seeing him with his own eyes… he realized the boy’s gentleness came from his bones, not from some calculated performance.
Fu Xu accepted the phone with surprise. The cool, sleek device felt strangely heavy in his hand, almost burdensome. He stared at the clean, minimal interface on the screen, his fingertip hesitantly brushing across it. He had never held something so new, so expensive, so utterly beyond what he was used to.
Butler Chen walked him through the basics patiently. “You see this icon here? That’s for making calls. This one is for messages. Mr. Shen’s number is saved right here. If you want to call him, you just tap his profile and wait for it to connect and if you’d like to send a message, tap here, write what you want to say and press send.”
Fu Xu listened with full attention, his gaze fixed on the screen as if afraid he might miss something. His fingers, slightly trembling, moved in the air to mimic the motions. He actually wanted to try calling… wanted to ask Mr. Shen how he was doing, whether he remembered to eat, whether he was too busy but the thought startled him, who did he think he was, daring to disturb someone like Mr. Shen?
Mr. Shen was so busy. How could he possibly have time to answer a call from him? What if he found him childish, inconsiderate? What if he interrupted something important?
“I… I’ll learn slowly first,” Fu Xu murmured, clutching the phone lightly. “I don’t need to use it right now.”
Butler Chen didn’t push him. He simply smiled with that steady, reassuring calm of his. “Take your time. Whenever you have questions, just ask me. Mr. Shen is very concerned about you.”
Concerned about… him?
Fu Xu’s heart skipped violently, a wave of heat rushing to his cheeks. He quickly lowered his head, pretending to study the unfamiliar phone interface, though his heart felt like someone had gently tapped it, sending tiny ripples through him.
They both sat on the sofa butler Chen began to chat casually about household routines, the meal schedules, the weekly cleaning arrangements, the gardener’s visits and so on. Fu Xu listened quietly, nodding now and then. After a while, an uncomfortable realization crept into his chest.
He lived in such a large house, and was cared for so thoroughly… yet he contributed nothing.
“Um… Butler Chen,” he said hesitantly after a moment’s struggle. “I… I was wondering if I could help with anything? Maybe cleaning… or cooking? Before… I used to learn a bit.”
He didn’t elaborate on what “before” meant but when he mentioned cooking, a faint brightness appeared in his eyes, subtle but real. It was something familiar, something that had once brought him a sense of peace in an otherwise bleak world.
Butler Chen blinked, then chuckled. “Mr. Fu Xu, you’re too polite. Those are all our responsibilities. All you need to do is rest well and get used to living here.”
But Fu Xu shook his head firmly. “I want to try. Otherwise… I feel like a burden.”
His voice was soft, barely above a whisper but there was stubborn determination beneath it.
Butler Chen looked at him, at those clear yet uncertain eyes and sighed inwardly. He wanted to reassure him again but before he could, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
It was Assistant Zong.
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The translator has survived another chapter. Please reward them with coffee. ☕
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Substitute MarriageChapter 2 · PleaseChapter 3 · Thank you, Mr. ShenChapter 4 · Mr. Shen, are you going to throw me away?Chapter 5 · You don’t have to please me in everythingChapter 6 · Is This For Him?Chapter 7 · Do you know you don’t have long to live?Chapter 8 · But what about you? What will you be then?Chapter 9 · That’s a vehicle from the logistics department.Chapter 10 · What do you take my Shen family for?Chapter 11 · Can I bite your gland?Chapter 12 · He is not my “medicine catalyst”Chapter 13 · Who is that Alpha?Chapter 14 · Perfectly matched omegaChapter 15 · Perhaps you could call him, baby?Chapter 16 · That’s… Fu Xu’s scent?Chapter 17 · It was made by the masterChapter 18 · Abusing a pregnant omega is a serious crime.Chapter 19 · Mr. Shen is the best alpha.Chapter 20 · Family elderChapter 21 · Shen Louchen’s berserk periodChapter 22 Part 1 · You are my wifeChapter 22 Part 2 · You are my wifeChapter 23 · Aren’t we mutually in love?Chapter 24 · Which alpha did you go to see?Chapter 25 · Fu Xu, tell me you like meChapter 26 · Could Mr. Shen possibly have a little crush on him?Chapter 27 · Get out!Chapter 28 · Stay close to meChapter 29 · Mr. Shen and I are a legally married coupleChapter 30 · Spit it outChapter 31 · He’s been acting increasingly strangely latelyChapter 32 · Do you listen to everyone except me?Chapter 33 · Monthly ExamChapter 34 · Parent Teacher MeetingChapter 35 · The classroom was cold at nightChapter 36 · Court deathChapter 37 · Wife, Kiss meChapter 38 · This omega trying to steal a kiss from him?Chapter 39 · His omega turned out to be a little cunning.Chapter 40 · Is this little omega taking advantage of him?Chapter 41 · “Madam Shen” is your trump card, understand?Chapter 42 · Mr. Shen, I don’t know how to wear it…Chapter 43 · HusbandChapter 44 · Why is Shen Louchen acting like a peacockChapter 45 · I won’t abandon you, and I never willChapter 46 · Omega with a 92% match rateChapter 47 · Are you waiting for him?Chapter 48 · How can someone magically transformChapter 49 · Now it’s all good, two kids.Chapter 50 · Mr. Shen, will you regret it then?Chapter 51 · What is regret?Chapter 52 · If you’ve got the guts, say it again!Chapter 53 · That’s my milk teaChapter 54 · What he wanted to replace was the alphaChapter 55 · How do you know I’m not part of Mr. Shen’s plan?Chapter 56 · Why don’t you just kill me?Chapter 57 · Are we sending him away?Chapter 58 · Are you angry?Chapter 59 · Inhibitor or marker?Chapter 60 · Let Fu Xu mark himChapter 61 · There should be limits to joking, right?Chapter 62 · Do you really not like Young Master Lian?Chapter 63 · Will you still love me after I go to school?Chapter 64 · You are the best husband in the worldChapter 65 · Extra 1Chapter 66 · Extra 2