He had seen something like this before. Back in the orphanage, the director had once owned a small piece of something similar in color, he cherished it dearly, never letting it out of sight.
Later, when the orphanage was on the verge of closing down, the director sold that little piece, and with the money, managed to keep the place running for a few more years.
Now, this one was several times larger. It must be worth a fortune.
Zong Yuan cast a sideways glance at Fu Xu, his tone somewhere between reprimand and warning.
“This thing is precious,” he said coldly. “It’s a birthday gift from the family head to the old master. If you damage it, you’ll be answering to military law.”
“Yes, sir.”
After that, Zong Yuan pulled out his phone and pressed it to his ear, “Master, yes, everything has been delivered.”
He paused briefly, startled by whatever was said on the other end, and his eyes narrowed slightly before he turned back toward Fu Xu, voice low and tight.
“Understood, Master.”
Fu Xu’s legs had only just regained some strength and he wanted nothing more than to return to his room, to wait for Mr. Shen to come back.
“Stop right there.”
He froze at the sharp command. Zong Yuan motioned for one of the men behind him, who stepped forward and handed over several plastic-wrapped items, “These are the clothes the Master prepared for you, and this bracelet. Someone will come in a while to attend to you.”
Fu Xu hesitated. His hair hadn’t been trimmed in a long time; it hung loosely, tied up in a careless knot. With those oversized clothes draping from his thin frame, he looked like someone the family head had picked up straight from a trash heap.
Zong Yuan’s irritation flared just looking at him. The old master had claimed to have found a “perfectly compatible omega” for the family head.
Yet this… this pitiful thing, disheveled, unkempt, without even a trace of pheromone to speak of, how could he be the one? How could the family head, of all people, decide to keep him?
Fu Xu clutched the package in his hands, wary. They were giving him clothes again, were they planning to send him away this time?
“Are you even listening?” Zong Yuan snapped.
Fu Xu jerked his head up, his expression smoothing into that practiced, polite smile,one he’d worn for years at the orphanage, the exact curve that people liked best.
Under the current system, survival depended on pleasing alphas. Submission was the only way to live. But other than that, he couldn’t find a single redeeming feature in this one.
“What are you standing there for?” Zong Yuan barked. “Go bathe and change your clothes.”
“Yes…yes, sir.”
Fu Xu hurried away with the bundle in his arms.
His room was connected to a gleaming white bathroom. The tiles shone under the bright lights; everything was spotless, perfectly arranged. The whole house radiated wealth and order, everything except him. He was the one thing that didn’t belong here.
Thinking that Zong Yuan might still be watching from downstairs, he quickly stepped inside.
The showerhead was silver, polished to a mirror shine. Fu Xu stared at it uncertainly. He… didn’t know how to use this kind of thing. Back at the Fu estate, their “bathroom” had only a crude basin and a bucket to collect rainwater.
He tentatively turned one of the knobs.
A sudden torrent of cold water burst from above, drenching him completely. Within seconds, he was soaked from head to toe. The icy stream bit into his skin, stinging against his half-healed wounds, each droplet sharp as a blade.
It hurt, but at least, at least there were no ice shards or filth in it.
He washed as quickly as he could, scrubbing himself clean, then wrung out his old clothes under the flow to rinse away the dirt. Only when he was sure he wouldn’t drip water onto the carpet did he step out.
Inside the package were white pajamas with little fuzzy rabbit prints. The fabric was soft, luxuriously so and even just brushing it with his fingers made him feel warm.
Were these really meant for him?
He rubbed a corner of the sleeve between his fingers over and over, unable to stop the small smile tugging at his lips. So soft… so warm.
He stood there for a long time before finally putting them on. The fit was a little loose, the sleeves too long, unsuitable for housework or cooking.
He rolled them up slightly, slipped on the slippers, and hurried downstairs, hoping Mr. Shen’s assistant wouldn’t be angry at him for taking so long.
When he reached the living room, the others had already left. Only Zong Yuan and a man were there, Zong Yuan looking through documents, while the other impatiently checked his watch.
“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting,” Fu Xu said quietly as he approached.
“You have kept us waiting,” the man replied sharply before Zong Yuan could speak. His tone was laced with irritation. An omega making an S-class alpha wait? Absurd. Were it not for the family head’s orders, he would never have come here.
His pheromones leaked into the air, thick, oppressive, suffocating. The atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Even though Fu Xu couldn’t clearly identify the scent, he could feel the pressure, it was like invisible hands wrapping around his throat, squeezing until he could barely breathe.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Zong Yuan moved faster than lightning, grabbing the man by the back of his neck, his fingers pressing directly against the gland. “Pull your pheromones back or I’ll crush it right now.”
The man’s eyes flashed with fury. He seized Zong Yuan’s wrist, “We’re comrades, and you’re doing this to me, for a worthless omega?”
Zong Yuan snorted coldly. “I’m following the Master’s orders. He’s the family head’s omega. Are you tired of living? You know the Master hates it when someone leaves their scent in his house.”
His voice turned low and dangerous, with a mocking edge. “Remember what happened to the last fool who dared to release pheromones here? You peeled his skin off yourself, didn’t you?”
The man’s jaw clenched; veins bulged at his neck. After a tense pause, he retracted his pheromones, his breath uneven.
Zong Yuan finally released him.
“Truly the family head’s loyal dog,” the man sneered, rubbing his neck. “You’ve got his temper exactly.”
Zong Yuan’s expression didn’t flicker. “It’s an honor to resemble him. Now do your job properly. Next time, I won’t clean up your mess.”
Fu Xu nearly collapsed from the lingering scent in the air. Even after it faded, his body remained rigid, trembling faintly.
Only when Zong Yuan finished airing out the room did he manage to sit down in front of the mirror.
The man glanced at him and asked impatiently, “That hair, are you keeping it or not?”
Fu Xu twined a strand around his finger, looking at his reflection. “Can… can I have it styled the way Mr. Shen likes?”
Trying to seduce the Master, of course, the man thought with disdain.
Standing behind them, Zong Yuan pondered silently. If the family head had chosen to keep this omega, then it was his duty to help him please the Master. There was no harm in that.
He hesitated a moment, then took out his phone and dialed. The family head should have finished his meeting by now.
“Master,” he said once the call connected, “This omega, Madam Shen, asks if you’d like to choose a hairstyle for him.”
On the other end, Shen Louchen twirled a pen between his fingers, speaking absently, “Let him decide. Don’t bother asking me.”
“As you wish.”
Zong Yuan had expected as much. The family head’s time was far too valuable to waste on a “defective omega.”
But just as Shen Louchen was about to hang up, a faint voice came through the receiver, soft, hesitant.
“If you’re going to send me away… may I see Mr. Shen one more time?”
That voice, it was of Fu Xu’s.
So he was afraid after all.
Shen Louchen set down his pen, a sigh escaping his lips, “I’ll be back soon,” he said.
When Zong Yuan ended the call, he turned to the others, “The Master will be back shortly.”
The man, Ren Jiu, nodded, studying Fu Xu’s reflection in the mirror.
Truthfully, the omega wasn’t bad-looking. Fragile, yes, but his skin was smooth and pale, his lips bright against his complexion, his expression gentle in an almost luminous way. Hard to believe this was supposed to be a defective omega.
The only flaw was in his hands, covered in calluses and scars from years of hard labor, the kind of hands no noble omega would ever have.
Fu Xu sat still, afraid to move, enduring the scrutiny without protest.
Then, footsteps echoed from the hallway, steady, powerful.
He looked up. Shen Louchen was already standing behind him.
“M… Mr. Shen,” Fu Xu stammered, rising quickly to bow.
A firm hand pressed him gently back into the chair.
“What kind of style do omegas usually like?” Shen Louchen asked, his voice deep, clipped. He had clearly come straight from work, the coldness of the outside air still clinging to him. Removing his coat, he turned toward Ren Jiu. “You’ve dealt with omegas the most. You tell me.”
Ren Jiu swallowed hard, struggling for breath under the man’s overwhelming presence, “That… depends on what kind of look the alpha prefers.”
The same useless answer again.
Shen Louchen frowned, dissatisfied, then shifted his gaze toward Fu Xu. His fingers brushed lightly through the long strands of Fu Xu’s hair, “Do you want to keep it?”
Fu Xu’s voice trembled as he replied, “Whatever you like, sir. As long as you’re pleased.”
To stay in the Shen household, to live even a little better, he needed this alpha’s approval. Even without pheromones, if he could be someone Mr. Shen didn’t find unpleasant to look at, that was enough.
Shen Louchen’s expression hardened. He spoke slowly, deliberately.
“I asked what you like. You are my wife, not a tool attached to me. Since I’ve allowed you to stay, this home is yours too. You don’t need to please anyone, not even me.”
Wife.
It was the first time Fu Xu had ever heard himself called anything other than “trash,” “worthless,” or “failure.”
If he didn’t have to please Mr. Shen… then what was he supposed to do?
His gaze drifted to the mirror. The reflection staring back at him was wild-haired and hollow-eyed, a picture of humiliation and defeat.
He remembered Fu Jiaze’s laughter, the sneer that had cut like a knife: You belong in the garbage heap.
Perhaps it was time to let this part of himself go.
“Mr. Shen,” he said softly, gathering his courage, “may I cut it short?”
Shen Louchen’s eyes lowered briefly, then he gave a small nod of consent before turning to Zong Yuan, “Disrespecting Madam Shen will not be tolerated. Have him return to receive punishment.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ren Jiu clipped up Fu Xu’s hair and began to cut. In just a few quick, decisive motions, the long strands fell away, pooling at their feet. Fueled by his determination to meet the Master’s expectations, he worked carefully, shaping and trimming until he was satisfied.
An hour later, he stepped back to admire his work.
Turning the chair toward the room, he glanced at Shen Louchen, who was still seated on the sofa, eyes lowered over his documents.
Quietly, Ren Jiu said, “Master, it’s done.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The translator has entered their coffee-deprived final form. (╥﹏╥)
☕ 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