“What is it, Master Shen?” The doctor paused at the doorway, turning back, his expression a mixture of confusion and apprehension.
Without looking up, Shen Louchen toyed with the jade ring around his thumb. His voice was calm, deliberate, yet carried a weight that made the air tense. “From now on,” he said, “address him as Madam Shen. Not ‘defective omega.’”
The doctor froze, as though struck. Shen Louchen’s back was straight, his presence unyielding. The words alone left him reeling. Madam Shen?
For a moment, he was certain he’d misheard. In all his years of service to the Shen family, even during the master’s rumored involvement with the famed Qi heir, he had never heard this title uttered.
“…Yes, Master,” he finally managed, bowing low before retreating quietly.
The first thing Fu Xu felt was pain. A dull, twisting ache radiated from his stomach, as if a steel rod had been driven into him and slowly turned. The kind of agony that blurred the edges of consciousness.
“You’re awake.”
A low, composed voice came from nearby. Shen Louchen sat on the sofa beside the bed, flipping through documents. Hearing movement, he lifted his gaze toward the fragile figure on the bed.
Fu Xu blinked, bleary and disoriented. Rubbing at his eyes, he realized he was lying on the bed. He shouldn’t be here.
Panic surged. He scrambled off the mattress, knees hitting the floor before he fully registered his own movements. “I’m sorry, Mr. Shen. I shouldn’t have… ”
“Shouldn’t have what?” Shen Louchen’s tone was cool, unreadable. Each interaction left him perplexed; this omega’s reactions were extreme, almost like a frightened animal.
“I shouldn’t have fainted… I caused you trouble.” Fu Xu’s voice trembled. He did not dare raise his head.
The room was silent except for the frantic thumping of his heart. Memories from the Fu household surged, the whip, the punishments for the slightest mistake. Would this man be the same?
A warm hand closed around his arm. Shen Louchen’s palm burned through the thin fabric of his nightclothes. Before Fu Xu could recoil, he felt himself lifted effortlessly.
He froze. Was Shen Louchen going to throw him out?
“Mr… Mr. Shen,” he stammered, voice cracking. “Are you… are you going to throw me… out?”
His eyes darted to the window. From the second floor, a fall might not kill him but he would break, be discarded like refuse once more.
“What are you imagining?” Shen Louchen’s voice held a faint note of exasperation. “Rest. I need a healthy Madam Shen.”
Fu Xu blinked. Madam… Shen? Was he speaking to him?
“I told you already,” Shen Louchen continued, lowering him gently back onto the bed, “You’re married to me now. As long as you stay alive, my grandfather won’t interfere. If you die, I’ll have to find another omega, and that would be far more troublesome.”
Fu Xu stared blankly. Alive. As long as I’m alive, I’m useful.
“I… I can do many things, Mr. Shen. I’ll try my best,” he said quickly, clutching that sliver of hope as though his life depended on it.
“Good.” Shen Louchen’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. He stepped back, seating himself once more. After a pause, his deep voice cut through the silence again.
“Since you can cook, why do you only drink nutrient packs?”
Fu Xu bit his lip until he tasted blood, grounding himself with the sharp sting. He could not tell the truth, nutrient packs were a luxury compared to the spoiled leftovers he had survived on.
To him, the solution had always tasted clean, almost delicious.
“I’m sorry…” he murmured, head bowed low. “I just… really like them.”
Shen Louchen studied him. The fragile young man looked so small, lashes trembling, shoulders hunched as though expecting a blow. After a long moment, he finally said, “Understood.”
When he left the room, Fu Xu’s body trembled from the release of tension. Fingers stiff and cold, he curled them tightly and began to cough.
The window had been left slightly open overnight, and the winter air, carrying a fine mist of rain, pricked his skin until he nearly sneezed.
Shen Louchen hadn’t been kind, he only wanted him alive. Yet for Fu Xu, that fleeting concern, that one sentence, was precious beyond words.
The bed was soft, the blanket warm. It had been years since he felt anything like this. Exhaustion soon claimed him, and he drifted into sleep.
The next morning, Fu Xu awoke groggily. Sunlight spilled through the curtains, near noon. He could not recall the last time he had slept so long.
His forehead was warm. Rubbing his face, he noticed the window still open. He hesitated. Had Mr. Shen left it that way because he disliked the smell of him? He could not risk disobeying.
He had bathed before coming here, he reassured himself quietly, pressing the faint ache in his chest down with a sigh.
Gathering courage, Fu Xu opened the door softly and froze. Shen Louchen stood before him.
The man wore a fitted black suit, tall and commanding, dark hair slicked back to reveal sharp, flawless features. In the morning light, he looked like a deity descended to earth.
“Mr. Shen… would you like lunch?” Fu Xu’s gaze lingered too long before he quickly looked down. “I’ll make it right away.”
“No need.” Shen Louchen turned toward the stairs, stride long and measured.
Just before leaving, he paused, glancing back.
“If you want to… ”
“I don’t!” Fu Xu blurted, nearly tripping as he rushed down the steps. In panic, he collided with the railing, leaving a deep bruise on his pale skin.
Clutching Shen Louchen’s sleeve, terrified, he gasped, “I… I don’t want a divorce, Mr. Shen.”
He had glimpsed the word “marriage” on the papers in Shen Louchen’s hand. His mind jumped to the worst conclusion, would he be cast out again?
For a moment, Shen Louchen almost laughed. He steadied Fu Xu by the arm and said mildly, “I wasn’t planning to divorce you. It’s work-related.”
“Oh…” Tension in Fu Xu’s shoulders eased slightly. He stepped back, bowing. “I… I was too anxious, sir.”
“It’s fine.” Shen Louchen adjusted his cufflinks casually.
Fu Xu looked up, eyes glassy. Somehow, he wanted to cry. Mr. Shen wasn’t angry. Even after Fu Xu’s presumptuous behavior, he had forgiven him. He was… such a good person.
Shen Louchen gathered his papers and, without thinking, patted Fu Xu’s shoulder briefly. The faint floral scent hit him again, the same delicate fragrance from that night, curling through his veins. His suppressed gland beneath the inhibitor trembled once, then settled.
That scent…
Twice now, it had appeared whenever Fu Xu was near. But his glands were supposedly atrophied. How could an omega like this still release pheromones?
“Mr. Shen…” Fu Xu’s uncertain voice pulled him back.
Shen Louchen brushed his fingers lightly through the young man’s soft hair. “I’ll be back later,” he said simply.
The frequency of his episodes was increasing. What once came once a month now returns every few days. Moments of clarity were shrinking. He had to make use of them before his body betrayed him entirely.
Fu Xu’s heart fluttered wildly. “O-okay, Mr. Shen.”
After Shen Louchen left, the villa settled into heavy silence. Fu Xu could not relax; memories pressed upon him, memories he wished to forget.
The first time he had felt this fear, he was a child. A man had taken him in, fed and clothed him, then brought him to a clinic. When results came, the man’s face twisted in disgust. He had shouted that Fu Xu was useless and left, never returning.
Later, the orphanage head had taken him in. Small, frail, often bullied, he watched other omegas be adopted while he remained. He had dreamed someone would come for him too. That day had arrived, only for the truth to shatter him, he was defective.
His mother’s warmth had vanished overnight.
So when Mr. Shen had called him “defective omega,” terror had swallowed him whole. Another abyss. Another pit.
He didn’t know how long he could fall before it killed him. He had thought of dying before, but fear had always stopped him.
He stood unmoving until the numbness in his legs forced him to shift. Just then, the electronic lock at the front door beeped.
Zong Yuan entered with several uniformed men, stopping short when he saw Fu Xu. Surprise flashed in his eyes, he hadn’t expected the omega to still be here, much less in the inner residence.
“Move everything inside,” Zong Yuan ordered curtly, ignoring Fu Xu entirely.
Instinctively, Fu Xu stepped back, but his leg prickled and weakened. He stumbled, catching himself on the corner of a table. The edge sliced his palm, a thin line of red blooming across his skin.
Within minutes, the room was alive with activity. The men carried massive jade sculptures mounted on gold bases, their gleaming surfaces reflecting the afternoon light into the quiet villa.
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Emergency! Someone feed the translator. 🚨☕
☕ 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