Shen Louchen’s consciousness felt as if it were drowning in molten lava, engulfed in blistering heat. Every nerve in his body thrashed and roared with a violent urge to kill. Zong Zhuyuan’s voice reached him from the other side of a thick, suffocating barrier, anxious, trembling, almost cracking under pressure. “Minister, hold on! We’re almost at the old estate!”
In his current condition, only the old master’s inhibitor could suppress him. Bringing Shen Louchen back like this was no different from transporting a humanoid killing machine.
Shen Louchen wanted to lift his arm, to shove away whatever was restraining him but he couldn’t muster the strength to move even a single finger. His pheromones, completely out of control, crashed violently through his veins, as though they were trying to burst through every vessel.
His vision flickered with chaotic images, ashen corpses scattered across the warehouse floor, shattered tubes of inhibitors littering the ground and then… Shen Louchen’s thoughts dissolved into a muddled blur, crumpling like a crushed ball of paper that refused to flatten out again.
And over it all, an incessant, buzzing voice nagged at his ear.
“So loud…” Shen Louchen growled, a hoarse, low snarl ripping from his throat. His fingers curled involuntarily into his palms until his nails pierced the skin. Beads of blood welled between his fingers, dripping onto his shirt and blooming into dark, spreading stains.
The vehicle screeched to a halt in front of an old, solemn looking villa. The heavy iron gates swung open with slow, deliberate weight. Zong Zhuyuan half dragged, half supported Shen Louchen out of the car, only to see an old man standing beneath the eaves, dressed in a traditional Zhongshan suit.
It was Liao Jiazhi.
“Bring him in,” Liao Jiazhi said, as though he had expected all of this long before it happened. His voice was calm, emotionless yet his eyes were cold enough to freeze steel. The gaze he cast upon Shen Louchen carried a chilling severity, a ruthless assessment stripped of all warmth.
Shen Louchen was thrown into a room lined with dark colored carpet. A cold needle pierced the side of his neck. He forced himself to lift his head, barely managing to make out the syringe in Liao Jiazhi’s hand, the liquid inside glowed faintly purple. It was a rare, extraordinarily potent inhibitor, one that only Liao Jiazhi was capable of formulating.
Its strength was said to be enough to fell even the most berserk alpha, plunging them instantly into unconsciousness and yet… as the drug flooded into his bloodstream, Shen Louchen’s awareness began to crumble, dissolving completely into darkness.
When he finally awoke, moonlight spilled in through the window, casting fragmented shadows across the floor. Shen Louchen flexed his fingers and realized he was lying on a broad bed carved from dark rosewood. His wrists were secured with soft leather restraints.
The room carried a faint scent of sandalwood, blended with a clean, cool hint of crushed leaves, an aroma that soothed the last remnants of his agitation. He remembered the warehouse, the mutated creatures he had eliminated, the broken inhibitors, Zong Zhuyuan’s frantic voice saying they had found evidence linked to the smuggling convoy… but beyond that, his memories dissolved into haze, as though a veil of fog had settled over them.
“You’re awake?”
Liao Jiazhi’s voice drifted from the grand armchair beside him. He held a cup of hot tea in one hand; the rising steam blurred the expression on his face. “How are you feeling?”
Shen Louchen tugged at the restraints around his wrists, the metal buckle emitting a faint clink. “Remove this,” he said. His voice was rough, as if sandpaper scraped along his throat.
Liao Jiazhi set down his cup and walked toward the bed. Looking down at him from above, he said, “Remove it? Not yet. Your pheromones haven’t stabilized. The last thing I want is for you to destroy my house again the way you nearly did earlier.” Though his tone was calm and collected, it carried an unquestionable authority. “And tell me, did you think I wouldn’t find out what you were doing out there? Black market mutants, smuggled inhibitors, Shen Louchen, exactly how much trouble are you trying to drag the Shen family into?”
Shen Louchen closed his eyes, trying to put order to the chaotic jumble of thoughts in his mind.
“The mutants were after the inhibitors,” he said, his voice weary. “Jiang Fenggu’s lab might still be active. Those things were failures, used to destroy evidence.”
“Evidence?” Liao Jiazhi let out a sharp, derisive laugh. “So you’re still chasing after that incident?”
Shen Louchen’s eyelashes trembled but he did not respond.
Liao Jiazhi didn’t seem to expect an answer. He turned toward the window, gazing at the moonlit courtyard beyond. “I told you long ago, some things need to be left in the past but you refused and now look at you, you’ve driven yourself into this state, your pheromones barely under control. If you fall into a full berserk phase, not even I will be able to save you.”
Shen Louchen gave a cold, humorless snort. That incident was something he could never forget. If it hadn’t been for this man standing before him, his father and his dad would never have…
Fragments of memory surged up and scattered again.
Liao Jiazhi paused, then suddenly changed topics with a tone that seemed intentionally casual. “By the way, why is there a defective omega living in your villa?”
He distinctly remembered choosing an S class omega.
Shen Louchen’s brows twitched, barely noticeable but sharp.
What? An omega? A blurred image flashed in his mind, someone wearing an apron dusted with flour, standing beside the dining table, eyes as clear and pure as a spring.
Who… was that?
All he could recall was Lin Yunzou handing him a report and the phrase “treatment effect.”
“Just… an experimental subject,” Shen Louchen said. He couldn’t remember, so he simply abandoned the attempt. His tone was utterly flat, emotionless but somewhere deep in his chest, a thin, piercing ache flickered to life.
“An experimental subject?” Liao Jiazhi repeated, his voice brimming with disdain. “I saw him. That omega’s gland is defective, he can’t even regulate his pheromones properly. Just another worthless thing trying to claw its way up the branch of a higher family and you kept something like that?”
Worthless. Experimental. Defective.
The words stabbed into Shen Louchen like icy needles. That inexplicable ache in his chest grew sharper, more distinct. He felt as if he were on the verge of remembering something, sunlight pouring through floor to ceiling windows, steam rising from dishes arranged neatly on the table, someone standing beside him, nervously twisting the tie of their apron, asking in a soft, shy voice:
“Mr. Shen… are the dishes to your liking today?”
The image flashed and vanished, like a hallucination.
“Just for stabilizing my condition.” Shen Louchen replied faintly. “My pheromones are unstable. His physiology is… unusual. It might have some effect.”
“Stabilizing?” Liao Jiazhi scoffed, incredulous. “An omega who can’t even be marked, stabilize what, exactly? I’d say it’s your mind that’s gone unstable.” He turned sharply, his gaze razor sharp. “Send him back in a few days. After the last scandal you caused, the Fu family is desperate to cut ties with us. This is the perfect excuse.”
“No.” Shen Louchen drew a long breath. “He stays. I still need him.”
Liao Jiazhi raised a brow, surprised, though the emotion quickly faded. “Very well. If you insist but the heir of the Shen family cannot have someone so insignificant at his side. I’ve already selected several suitable omega candidates for you, S class. You’ll meet them soon.”
“No.” Shen Louchen rejected it instantly. “I already have someone suitable.”
“Oh?” Liao Jiazhi’s interest perked. “And who might that be?”
Shen Louchen opened his mouth, only to discover he could not produce a single name.
His brow furrowed. He tried to force the memory to come to him but a sharp pain stabbed into his skull, as though countless needles were driving into his temples all at once.
“Can’t remember?” Liao Jiazhi murmured, his tone carrying a faint note of probing curiosity. “Looks like the inhibitor’s side effects are more severe than I thought.” He didn’t push further. He walked to the door. “Rest.”
In the dark room, Fu Xu had heard every word of their conversation without missing a single syllable. Footsteps approached. The cloth covering his eyes was ripped away.
“Did you hear clearly?” Liao Jiazhi said coldly. “Don’t let a few scraps of attention from an alpha make you think you’ve climbed your way into something higher and your records, I have them all. So here are your two choices. File for divorce on your own initiative… or die.”
According to the regulations, the party who takes the initiative to file for divorce must wait two full years before they are allowed to remarry. The Shen family needed outstanding omegas and if they wanted a legitimate heir, they needed a proper spouse with an unimpeachable status. How could they possibly allow a defective omega to occupy that place?
Fu Xu pressed a hand to his stomach, which throbbed with a faint, twisting pain. His voice was quiet, almost fragile. “What if… I don’t want to?”
It seemed Liao Jiazhi had not expected a meek omega like him to respond in such a way. A cold sneer tugged at the corner of his mouth. “All that nonsense about being some ‘experimental subject’ was nothing but a lie to deceive you. What Shen Louchen needs is an omega who can mark him, someone who can soothe and stabilize him. If you don’t want him to die, then leave him.”
Fu Xu’s eyelashes trembled. He knew all too well that an omega like him was useless, utterly inadequate. Doctor Lin hadn’t contacted him in so long, how could his condition possibly offer any hope of stabilizing Mr. Shen? The little world he had just barely begun to build in his heart collapsed all at once. His voice was dull, mechanical. “I understand.”
“At least you know your place.” Liao Jiazhi waved to his subordinates with a dismissive flick of his hand. “Send him back.”
The door closed softly, restoring silence to the room. Shen Louchen tore open the leather strap binding his wrist and lay in the darkness, mind in complete disarray.
The agitation in his chest surged again, stronger and more frenzied than before. The inhibitor’s power was fading rapidly and his pheromones were spiraling out of control, rampaging through his veins like a wild beast smashing through every remaining barrier of sanity. He ripped off the restraint at his other wrist, rolled out of bed and staggered toward the door.
He had to find that omega.
This thought appeared in his mind with absolute clarity, so sharp and instinctive it felt carved into his bones. Only by finding him, only by getting close to him, could that burning, suffocating pain finally ease.
Shen Louchen had no idea how he burst out of the room. The guards posted along the corridor couldn’t stop him at all. His unrestrained pheromones exploded outward like a crushing, invisible force, pinning everyone in place. Driven entirely by instinct, like a beast following the pull of blood, he stumbled through the old estate’s halls.
When he blinked again, clarity flashed for only a few brief seconds and he realized he was no longer in the old house. Somehow, he had already reached the villa. Before he could process how he got there, another violent wave of pheromones surged through him, shattering the moment of lucidity.
A door stood before him.
Shen Louchen knocked twice.
No answer.
“Bang!”
The heavy steel door burst open under his force. Inside, Fu Xu was quietly packing the few possessions he had. When he saw Shen Louchen suddenly appear, his whole body trembled violently.
Shen Louchen’s eyes were bloodshot, the last remnants of reason completely devoured. All that remained was raw, primal desire. He took a slow, deliberate step forward, each one bringing with it the crushing pressure of an alpha’s pheromones, so dense and overwhelming it felt tangible. Fu Xu could barely breathe beneath that weight.
“M–Mr. Shen?” Fu Xu’s voice quivered, thick with fear and on the verge of tears. His body shook uncontrollably. He wanted to run but his legs were so weak he couldn’t stand.
Shen Louchen grabbed his wrist, yanking him toward his body. Fu Xu’s skin was soft to the touch, faintly warm. The moment their skin connected, the agonizing heat tearing through Shen Louchen’s chest seemed to subside, just a little.
“Don’t move.” His voice was a hoarse snarl, as if every syllable scraped through a throat lined with blades. His thread of rationality was already stretched to its absolute limit.
He lowered his head, leaning toward the side of Fu Xu’s neck.
Right where an omega’s most vulnerable gland lay.
If he completed a mark, even a temporary one, the violent turmoil inside him would be soothed.
All he had to do… was bite down…
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Tiny coffee. Big appreciation. ✧
☕ 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