Part 2
Jiang Zhaosheng was locked up for a few days, but his spirit was still quite good. He even smugly used a silver spoon to dig a “tunnel.”
Shen Qiming didn’t mistreat him; his food and clothing were normal, though he would add some muscle-relaxing medicine.
“This method won’t work either,” Jiang Zhaosheng looked at him provocatively. “Forcing yourself on meâbe careful the Shen family line ends with you.”
Shen Qiming didn’t touch him. After a month of house arrest, Jiang Zhaosheng felt it was time. He carefully avoided the villaâs surveillance and found the “passage” he had dug.
He had just stuck his head and shoulders outâthe sand and dirt on his head hadn’t even been shaken offâwhen he saw a pair of polished leather shoes in a style he was familiar with.
Refusing to give up, he looked up. Who was this if not Shen Qiming?!
Jiang Zhaosheng wanted to crawl back, but his waist was stuck. His tender skin was rubbed painfully, yet he couldn’t pull himself out.
He thought, This is bad. What if this old thing takes advantage of the situation and goes to the other side of the wall…
“I didn’t know you liked crawling through dog holes.”
Jiang Zhaoshengâs expression changed, returning to that “what can you do to me” flippant attitude. Shen Qiming took off his gloves, wiped the dirty face, and sighed, saying:
“From today on, I won’t touch you.”
Hearing this, Jiang Zhaosheng felt a burst of wild joy. Little did he know, that was the beginning of the nightmare.
On the first day, he took a hot bath, wrapped himself up tightly, and lay in bed. Jiang Zhaosheng warned him: “Get lost.”
Shen Qiming merely calmly suggested he wear less, or he would wake up from the heat.
Jiang Zhaosheng faced away from him and flipped over, falling asleep instantly.
After he fell asleep, he was soon awakened by the heat. His robe was impatiently pulled open, but the heat became even more intense. Jiang Zhaosheng seemed to smell a hint of… sea salt.
This scent seemed to soothe the heat. He couldn’t help but inhale deeply until his lungs felt a bit uncomfortable before giving up on chasing that scent.
With his head resting on the sea-salt-scented pillow, Jiang Zhaosheng nudged closer to the source of the scent. Suddenly, a low laugh exploded like thunder in his earâ
“Fighting me for the pillow?”
From that day on, Jiang Zhaoshengâa Betaâbegan to be crazily obsessed with an Alpha’s scent, even more so than an Omega with a 100% match.
But Shen Qiming seemed intended to keep his word. Even if Jiang Zhaoshengâs eyes were blurred or he occasionally looked over with a hint of resentment or complaint, the man would insist on doing his own thingâdressing and washingâand absolutely would not touch him.
Jiang Zhaosheng would occasionally feel ashamed because of this… but he was quickly overwhelmed by the waves of heat. His body clamored for pheromones, and wave after wave of assault softened his bones. He went from wrapping himself tightly to sleep, to just tying his bathrobe, to quietly returning to a normal distance for sharing a bed, and finally even finding that Shen Qiming was letting him out of his arms in the morning.
…He was obsessed with the scent to the point of being unable to extricate himself. He didn’t know how long he had voluntarily waited in that room. Every day he seemed to have endless tearsâor other fluidsâlike a jellyfish: succulent, harmless, and soft enough to be kneaded and flattened by anyone.
But Shen Qiming merely let him collect his clothes, like an obsessive, placing ties and suits by the pillow, self-deceivingly hugging them to sleepâeven if he would still roll into the man’s arms in the middle of the night.
The mud-like life smoothed out Jiang Zhaoshengâs resistance. When he asked in a roundabout way how the torture could end, the other person gently smoothed his sweat-dampened forehead hair, his finger grazing the corner of his mouth to bring out a trace of glistening moisture, and spoke slowly:
“Stay with me, Zhaozhao.”
Jiang Zhaosheng finally understood that Shen Qiming never merely wanted to be a guardian. From the beginning, what he wanted was a perfect “partner” entirely shaped by him, entirely belonging to him, and permeated with all his influence.
Shen Qiming became a shadow he spent his life trying to escape, yet could never truly flee from.
The man who had given him strength and power when he was helpless as a child also became the source of all his pain and fear as an adult.
Driving to the other side of the city, Jiang Zhaosheng suppressed the turbulent waves in his heart stirred by Shang Yan’s words and walked in quickly.
The name Shen Qiming was like a needle… but right now he couldn’t afford to reminisce about the past. He needed to personally confirm what Samuel had seen.
The interior of Eden was dimly lit, and the air was murky.
Samuelâs coordinates were sent to his phone. Just as he was about to move in that directionâ
Suddenly, a familiar scent drifted into his nose.
That scent… a fresh mix of sea breeze and lemon. It wasn’t as predatory as Samuelâs, but to Jiang Zhaosheng, it was a specially provided scent…
This was a scent he had only smelled in that place, only beside that personâShen Qimingâa scent specially formulated for him. It could easily soften his bones, paralyze his will, and induce the most unspeakable dependency and adoration.
“…”
Jiang Zhaosheng let out a very soft gasp, covering his mouth and nose, but it was too late.
The scent was like a living thing, lingering and wrapping around him, getting closer and more intense. It pierced through all the surrounding murkiness, accurately targeting him alone with a fatal allure.
I like it so much…
His vision began to uncontrollably blur. The exaggerated mouth movements of the host on the auction stage and the feverish expressions of the guests below all distorted into swaying blocks of color and noise. Yet that eerie sweet fragrance became increasingly distinct, like a guiding signpost leading his senses.
No… not here…
Reason was screaming in alarm; fear was like ice water pouring down. Jiang Zhaosheng felt his soul split in two: reason knew what this scent meantâa trap, an anesthetic, an abyss leading to the nightmare of the pastâbut physiologically, he uncontrollably wanted to approach, following the call of that scent. He was as weak as a child just out of the swaddling clothes abandoned in the ice and snow, instinctively approaching a place of fantasy.
He wanted to turn and leave, wanted to hold his breath, but his body betrayed him.
His legs seemed nailed to the spot, yet also seemed drawn by the invisible threads of that fragrance. Unconsciously, he moved a step toward the source of the scentâthe deeper part of the venue, the area half-hidden by thick curtains.
Jiang Zhaoshengâs breathing became hurried, and a fine layer of sweat broke out on his skin. A familiar, numbing sense of emptiness spread from his lower abdomen, crazily craving something.
It was a lure…
Even though he clearly realized he was becoming the target of a hidden hunter, he couldn’t stop himself from moving deeper into the venue with small steps.
People were mixed here; perhaps that mastermind was in some corner, watching all of this with satisfaction.
The fragrance was the bait. Jiang Zhaosheng felt like a sparrow foraging in winter, chasing food and easily falling into a simple trap.
Instinct is terrifying…
His gaze struggled to cast toward the shadow covered by the curtain, trying to see what was behind the shadowâbut his vision became increasingly blurred, leaving only that bewitching fragrance and the prairie fire burning ever more intensely within his body.
He pulled back the thick curtain. The darkness was like a warm and cloying hot spring, slowly washing over his ankles, climbing up his back, and gently swallowing his last bits of consciousness and struggle.
…
The darkness was warm and thick, his consciousness floating.
Memories became dreams, stained with surreal colors.
It was a wedding.
Noisy and festive. The air was filled with the scent of champagne and cloying floral fragrance. Guests filled the room, laughter and chatter everywhere.
He sat on the bed sprinkled with dates and longans. his vision was obscured by a soft, hazy white veil, and everything became very unclear.
He was wearing a complex and exquisite white wedding dress. The shoulders were light, but the skirt felt heavy because of the layers upon layers of lace. Places that originally had tiny tears brought bursts of stinging pain. The jewelry adorned on his chest hung heavy, the cold metal settings and sharp edges pressing into his flesh, bringing bursts of clear and humiliating stings.
The gazes cast from around him were curious, envious, and even… carried a kind of indescribable pity and silence.
Jiang Zhaosheng tilted his head slightly. Through the thin bridal veil, he could see a few familiar facesâthose “colleagues” who had once stood side-by-side with him through life and death.
Their expressions were frozen in a strange stiffness. Someone deliberately looked away, talking and laughing loudly with others, pretending not to recognize this face under the veil. Someone just stood there in silence, looking over with a complex gaze, as if trying to digest some unbelievable yet undeniable fact. Someoneâs fist clenched slightly at their side, but eventually loosened dejectedly, draining the wine in their glass.
No one spoke; no one broke the illusion.
A massive sense of absurdity and isolation seized him.
Amidst the unreal noise, suddenly, a raspy, cracked voice shouted out:
“Jiangâ!”
Only one surname was shoutedâthe person who spoke was grabbed by the throat, and all subsequent syllables were roughly cut off.
A short and intense sound of struggle followed, the muffled thud of a chair being hit, and then everything quickly returned to silence.
The surrounding guests were also silent for a moment, before being covered by even more transparently forced chatter and laughter, as if that abrupt shout was just an insignificant interlude.
Jiang Zhaoshengâs heart felt as if it were being squeezed hard by an invisible hand. He instinctively wanted to find the source of the sound, wanted to look toward the direction of the dragging, but Shen Qimingâs arm tightened undeniably, firmly fixing him at his side. The strength was gentle, yet there was zero possibility of breaking free.
“The bride really is clingy,” a greasy voice spoke up, breaking the awkwardness from before. “What will happen during the ceremony? Could it be he has to hang on Mr. Shen the whole time?”
A burst of echoing, knowingly suggestive laughter rose around them.
Jiang Zhaosheng silently refuted in his heart: he wasn’t being clingy, he was unable to control himself.
Because there were guests at the wedding, Shen Qiming couldn’t release pheromones at will, which resulted in a wild fire being lit inside him. The palpitations and sense of void brought by the lack of soothing were crazily gnawing at his reason.
Jiang Zhaosheng could only rely on this man beside him who was in his element. He was the only source of relief. He hugged Shen Qimingâs arm tightly, his white lace gloves forming small wrinkles.
Then, he heard Shen Qimingâs deep and smiling voice from above, as if responding to someoneâs words:
“He doesn’t need to walk himself.”
Before Jiang Zhaosheng could figure out why the hand on his shoulder suddenly tightenedâin the next second, the world spun.
Shen Qiming leaned down directly. One hand went under the crook of his knees while the other firmly embraced his back, easily picking up the man wearing the heavy wedding dress in a princess carry.
“Ah!” Jiang Zhaoshengâs soft cry of surprise was quickly drowned out by the loud jeers and laughter of the guests.
“No… put me down,” he struggled in Shen Qimingâs arms, powerlessly hitting the man’s solid chest and shoulders. “Let go! Put me down!”
In the eyes of those who didn’t know the truth, this action was absolutely the shy flirtation of a bride… Another burst of gasps rose around themâ
“The bride really is unbelievably beautiful!”
“Look at this clinginess; Mr. Shen is lucky!”
Jiang Zhaoshengâs pounding was misinterpreted as the bashful playfulness of a bride, and his cries were drowned out by the envious sounds of “a talented man and a beautiful woman” and “loving couple.”
But he didn’t have time to feel angry. Because there was no familiar pheromone soothingâJiang Zhaosheng only felt his heart beating very fast, like a bird trapped in a cage crashing around frantically, unable to find an exit in its panic. His brain was a mess, unable to think, leaving only one instinctâcraving the touch and scent of the man beside him.
After his pounding proved fruitless, his hands in the white lace gloves hugged Shen Qimingâs arm even tighter, leaning most of his weight over as if that were the only piece of driftwood in a surging sea.
The slight trembling was hidden by the heavy wedding dress. Only Shen Qiming, who was pressed against him, could feel his… shaking dependency.
Around them, some strangers who had drunk too much let out suggestive laughter and teases:
“Look how happy the bride is!”
“Mr. Shen is really considerate; I didn’t expect it.”
“The bride can’t wait to enter the bridal chamber, right? Haha!”
The crude teasing sounds seemed to come through a layer of water, blurred and unclear. Jiang Zhaosheng couldn’t hear them clearly, nor did he care. All his attention was focused on the arm he was tightly hugging, drawing out the cold yet addictive scent coming from Shen Qiming.
Shen Qiming seemed to look down at him. Through the white veil, Jiang Zhaosheng couldn’t see his expression; he only felt that the arm he was hugging tightly remained steady without moving an inch.
His “husband” liked to use a tolerant, all-controlling posture to encourage his every near-lost-composure dependency.
[Authorâs Note: The ex-husband is… S. Iâve revised the content and plan to split it into two chapters to explain why Zhaozhao especially likes Alpha pheromones. [Let me see] [Let me see] Good news: Iâve booked a dream artist. Since itâs for commercial use, there will be illustrations. Bad news: I don’t know when Iâm scheduled for. ()]
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