Chapter 81: “I love you.” “I love you.”
The susceptibility period was over.
The restless and turbulent pheromones, aside from the excruciating pain caused by the overuse of inhibitors, could now be self-controlled.
The rosemary scent in the air dissipated cleanly within a few seconds, leaving not even a trace behind.
Subdued, like a child who had made a mistake and was waiting for punishment.
Du Xun could recall what he had done in the past few days.
Things that hurt his treasure.
Du Xun remembered him kneeling before him, not resisting no matter what, but using all his pheromones to comfort him instead.
Remembered him with blood spilling from his mouth, yet still saying he was always there.
Remembered him voluntarily exposing his gland, allowing him to bite.
Remembered the three days of endless taking and reckless… during the susceptibility period.
He remembered it all.
It was he who hurt Shen Zhuo.
Truly… damn it.
His heart ached as if being sliced by a thousand cuts. Du Xun carefully held Shen Zhuo, confirming over and over again:
“Does it still hurt?”
“I… I’m sorry…”
The alpha’s voice was low and deep, laced with the stickiness of blood:
“It’s all my fault.”
“Were you scared?”
“I’m sorry.”
He lowered his head, barely daring to look into Shen Zhuo’s eyes.
Overwhelming regret and self-blame almost drowned out all his other emotions.
“I’m sorry…”
He was the one who promised to protect Shen Zhuo.
And he was the one who caused Shen Zhuo such serious injuries.
He failed to keep his promise.
And he didn’t expect forgiveness either.
Shen Zhuo just looked at him like that.
The familiar Du Xun.
Was back.
Shen Zhuo stroked the alpha’s tightly furrowed brows, his fingertips sliding slowly down to rest on the man’s reddened eyes.
“I’m fine, Du Xun.”
These past few days, even during his susceptibility period, Du Xun had been unconsciously releasing soothing pheromones.
Actually, he wasn’t in pain at all.
“Everything was my own choice.”
Shen Zhuo turned around, kneeling in front of Du Xun, and slowly leaned his waist into the man’s arm.
Chests pressed together.
Hearts beating.
Time seemed to stop, silent for a long while amidst the powerful heartbeats.
Just quietly gazing at each other like this.
On this noisy summer night filled with insect chirps, in this messy yet quiet room.
“Don’t blame yourself.” Shen Zhuo smiled, warm and bright.
Just like the moon outside the window.
Or the eternal flame blooming by the window.
“I want to do things for you, I’m willing to do these things, just like you are willing to do everything for me, it’s the same.”
Du Xun lowered his eyes, his eyelashes brushing against Shen Zhuo’s cheek.
“I…”
“Shh.” The boy raised a finger, placing it on Du Xun’s lips, narrowing his eyes threateningly.
“I won’t listen to any apologies.”
The boy was sly like a cat: “I want to hear something else.”
Du Xun paused.
He closed his eyes, reining in all his emotions.
When he opened them again, he was still gentle and calm.
The alpha held the boy’s hand, placing a cherished kiss on it.
A tone of utmost tenderness, revealing dense affection.
Like a feather landing on a lake.
Soft and soothing, creating ripples.
“I love you.”
——
Shen Zhuo had never heard these three words from Du Xun’s mouth.
Du Xun was always a man of action.
All his love was passionately hidden.
Using all real actions to represent the unspoken word of love.
Peeling back Du Xun’s heart layer by layer, one would find the temperature getting hotter behind the cold exterior.
The flame burned Shen Zhuo’s heart simultaneously.
He had long been accustomed to Du Xun never speaking of love.
Therefore, when he suddenly heard these three words, he didn’t move for a long time.
Until the man’s dry, warm hand helplessly brushed across his cheek.
Du Xun hurriedly asked: “Did I say something wrong?”
Shen Zhuo just looked up like that, staring at the man’s face.
A dull pain shot through his mind.
It seemed like a few scenes he had never seen were flashing.
But when he tried to recall them, they turned into scattered starlight.
What was… that?
Just for a moment.
But Shen Zhuo felt a strange familiarity in his body.
It was as if…
It wasn’t actually the first time Du Xun said he loved him.
The confusion in the boy’s eyes tightened Du Xun’s already panicked and guilty heart even more painfully.
“Don’t… don’t cry.”
Du Xun frantically pulled him into his arms, wiping away the unconscious tears on Shen Zhuo’s face bit by bit.
It took Shen Zhuo a while to come back to his senses, the strange feeling in his brain having disappeared.
Only then did he realize he was crying.
“You don’t like it? Then I won’t say it.” Du Xun kissed his cheek. “Don’t cry, baby.”
“I like it.” Shen Zhuo heard his own voice trembling.
He swallowed hard a few times before regaining his composure.
He said it again:
“I like it.”
Shen Zhuo lowered his eyelashes slightly, his gaze moving from the man’s brow to his lips.
He lifted his body and gently pressed against them.
“I love you.”
Not “I love you too.”
Not loving Du Xun because Du Xun loved him.
He loved, simply loved.
.
After the tender kiss, Du Xun hurriedly looked for a pregnancy test strip in the medicine box.
It incorporated the latest technology.
Able to detect pregnancy in an omega after 12 hours.
As soon as Shen Zhuo got up, Du Xun carried him to the bathroom.
“Check it.”
Cold sweat had broken out on Du Xun’s forehead.
Seeing him more nervous than himself, Shen Zhuo couldn’t help but laugh:
“Don’t you want me to be pregnant? Most alphas want their omega to bear their children.”
Du Xun remained silent, shaking his head after a moment.
“You have more important things to do.”
“That is your wish, and something only you can do.”
“I don’t want anyone to hold back your steps forward, including a child…”
Du Xun paused, then said heavily, “Including me.”
The smile on Shen Zhuo’s face slowly faded.
He felt Du Xun was too extreme.
Du Xun regarded himself as a shackle that would bind him.
Thus worrying everywhere, being careful everywhere.
Cautious to the point of being humble.
“But I don’t want to move forward alone.”
Rarely, Shen Zhuo showed a true expression to Du Xun, serious with a hint of anger.
“I want to walk with you, whether forward or backward.”
Fearing Du Xun still didn’t understand, the boy emphasized:
“Shen Zhuo wants to walk side by side with Du Xun.”
Du Xun’s expression went blank for a moment.
The alpha carefully tugged at the boy’s hand.
“Madam…”
Shen Zhuo: “Don’t want to hear that address right now.”
Du Xun: “Baby?”
Shen Zhuo: “Don’t want that either.”
Du Xun: “Wife…”
Shen Zhuo hooked his arm around Du Xun’s neck, pulling him down to bend over, bit hard on Du Xun’s lips, and asked fiercely:
“Remember it?”
Du Xun finally smiled: “Mn, remembered.”
Shen Zhuo then satisfyingly opened the package, and looked back at the alpha staring at him.
“You go out first…”
Du Xun: Didn’t move.
The boy tilted his head and glared.
Du Xun: “Oh…”
Standing outside the bathroom, Du Xun was as nervous as standing outside a delivery room.
Palms sweating, heart pounding like a drum, seconds feeling like years.
A few minutes later, the door opened.
Du Xun immediately asked: “How is it?”
Shen Zhuo had wanted to tease him, but seeing Du Xun’s forehead soaked with sweat, he suddenly couldn’t bear to lie.
Shen Zhuo showed him the test strip in his hand.
One line.
“Not pregnant.”
Du Xun let out a long sigh of relief, holding the boy’s hand, gently rubbing it over and over.
For some reason, Du Xun’s vision blurred.
His heart was full of relief.
Thank goodness, thank goodness.
Thank goodness, you don’t have to endure the pain of pregnancy.
Thank goodness… I didn’t drag you down.
——
Three days of susceptibility period accumulated a lot of matters in the military, so Du Xun went to the military headquarters that night.
Since Shen Zhuo had nothing to do alone at home, he went along.
Chu Baixian intercepted the two downstairs at the office building.
“Two things.” Chu Baixian looked at them. “First, that mecha Xiao Zhuo gave me before, I took a look and there is a problem, I’ll check the details later.”
“Second, Xie Zhen wasn’t caught, he was rescued.”
Du Xun’s expression turned serious:
“Put Xie Zhen’s matter aside for now, let’s look at the mecha.”
The second time Shen Zhuo met Chu Baixian, he privately showed him the “Oracle” obtained from Xun Qing.
Because in subsequent mecha tests, Shen Zhuo’s physical sensation was indeed different.
This gave him some suspicion.
“Then follow me, to the maintenance department.”
Chu Baixian found a spacious enough open space in the maintenance department to release the mecha, carrying a micro-calculator.
“This mecha is very similar to the Oracle.” Chu Baixian said.
Very similar?
Shen Zhuo frowned: “The person who gave it to me said this is the Oracle.”
Du Xun frowned: “I’ve seen the Oracle before, it’s no different from it.”
“Very similar, because this is the Oracle’s second-generation mecha.”
Chu Baixian turned around, “Although the Oracle’s outer armor is also white, it’s not this texture.”
“Laymen might not be able to tell, but I painted the final version of the Oracle’s mecha myself.”
As he spoke, Chu Baixian climbed into the cockpit in a few steps.
He touched the start button, displaying it to Shen Zhuo and Du Xun who had climbed up:
“The person who gave you this mecha might not know it’s not the real Oracle either.”
“It’s a version discarded by the Research Institute.”
Chu Baixian’s hand touching various buttons paused:
“The reason this version was discarded is that a researcher privately added a module to the control system.”
Shen Zhuo pondered for a moment: “Can it extract someone else’s spiritual power?”
Du Xun raised his eyes, his gaze deep.
He didn’t know about this matter.
Chu Baixian turned his head in surprise: “I thought you hadn’t used it yet, so you’ve already tried it?”
Shen Zhuo nodded, “I used it once in the Ares simulation battlefield before, felt… very uncomfortable.”
Chu Baixian’s expression was somewhat solemn.
“You’d better destroy it as soon as possible.”
Shen Zhuo: “What’s wrong?”
Chu Baixian dismantled the controller, saw a certain device, and his face suddenly changed.
“I hadn’t opened this part before—so that’s it.”
After taking out a portable micro-computer and connecting it to the device, Chu Baixian looked at Shen Zhuo again.
His face looked even worse.
“The spiritual power extracted by this mecha is not transmitted to the mecha itself.”
“But to… someone.”
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