Chapter 64
The hand reaching out to push the door open froze in mid-air.
Perhaps it was the result of his recent pheromone training, but his five senses had become increasingly sharp. So sharp, in fact, that he unintentionally overheard the hushed code words exchanged between the military superior and his subordinate—words not meant for his ears.
Shu Ci paused, suppressing an inexplicable wave of sourness rising in his chest. He turned and walked away, leaving them enough space.
He walked over to the defensive line formed by Shen Lin’s bodyguards outside and sat down on the floor in a corner.
The bodyguards looked at each other in dismay. They couldn’t exactly interrogate him, but it was also improper to stare openly at a married Omega, so they awkwardly averted their gazes one by one.
Shu Ci tilted his head back, his eyes staring into nothingness.
The word “divorce” he had just overheard awakened a train of thought he had seriously calculated in his mind not long ago.
—Escape the plot, get rid of Gu Lanzhu, divorce, and live a free life.
To that end, he had even bought a comprehensive book on statutes and laws.
Undoubtedly, even setting aside his looks, Lu Wanqing had been important to him from the very beginning.
He was the savior when Shu Ci first arrived in this world; he was the backing that allowed Shu Ci to borrow his authority and act arrogantly in front of Gu Lanzhu.
He had taught him how to control his pheromones and had helped him immensely with the inheritance matters on Dragon Spine Island.
In short, he was a “one-in-a-million” teammate with whom Shu Ci never had to worry about being hurt.
However, this high evaluation wasn’t built on the foundation of any romantic sentiment.
True, he had received enough of a sense of security from Lu Wanqing, but that hadn’t stopped him from wanting to break free from this forced, bound relationship.
It would be better for both of us.
That was what he had thought back then.
Who could have imagined that in just two or three short months, his state of mind would undergo such an earth-shattering change?
In this moment, his empathy—something he took pride in—and his keen sensitivity to emotions made it impossible for him to ignore the shift in his own state, a shift he had repeatedly shelved and ignored during these chaotic times.
His care for Lu Wanqing had surpassed the attention he had given to anyone in two lifetimes.
He could no longer find a calm excuse for his obsessive frequency in refreshing the news about the disaster relief in the Far-flung Third District. He couldn’t mask the way his heart had skipped a beat in his daze when he saw Lu Wanqing appear at the door that night, looking dispirited.
Seeing the man covered in cuts and bruises during his rut, Shu Ci’s heart had moved beyond just wanting to be Lu Wanqing’s ally.
He wanted to become Lu Wanqing’s sense of security, too.
He wanted to sever the shackles of fate binding the man, and snap that ridiculous “1% compatibility” statistic in half with his own hands.
Divorce.
If Lu Wanqing really wanted a divorce…
Shu Ci lowered his eyes, toying with his camellia necklace, and broke the silence. “Are you guys… all married?”
The bodyguard standing closest to him twitched his ears. “Are you… speaking to us?”
Shu Ci gave a lazy hum of affirmation.
The men exchanged glances. After a moment, someone cleared their throat. “We are. All the Alphas by Mr. Shen’s side are married.”
Shu Ci heard the subtext in those words. Being married meant they had partners, which meant they had weaknesses. Shen Lin was walking a difficult path, so naturally, the people he kept close were those without competitive ambitions, men who were easy to control.
“Do you mind if I ask… why did you get married? Was it compatibility?”
It was a late-night shift, and they were all a bit fatigued. Hearing Shu Ci’s question, they rallied their gossiping spirits, lowered their voices, and began to chime in one after another.
“For us common folk, we don’t care as much about compatibility as those noble families do. If the compatibility with the person you like is over 60%, you can get married.”
“Exactly. My wife and I couldn’t bear to spend the money to go to a specialized Compatibility Testing Center. We only found out we were an 87% match when we went through the pre-marital checkup at the service center.”
“Wow, so you’ve been married for over five years then?”
“I remember they closed down the regional testing branches five or six years ago, leaving only the main center in City A. I don’t think pre-marital checkups offer free testing anymore these past few years.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? They abolished pheromone levels, but still looking at compatibility? That’s no different from feudal remnants.”
“Captain Li’s family is rich. He did a compatibility test with his match-made partner, but in the end, didn’t he choose his childhood friend? Their compatibility was the lowest I’ve ever seen.”
Shu Ci was amused.
You clearly don’t know the compatibility between Lu Wanqing and me, he thought.
Captain Li, suddenly singled out, scratched his head awkwardly.
“Actually, you’re right. I originally wanted to pick the one with high compatibility. But later, when I heard she was preparing to just get engaged to some random Alpha, I finally saw my own heart clearly.”
“Compatibility won’t make me unable to let go of someone, but she will.”
“And I didn’t want to leave any regrets.”
Shu Ci, hugging his knees, froze slightly upon hearing those last two sentences.
That’s right.
His previous life had already ended inexplicably.
In this life, no matter what Lu Wanqing thought, he shouldn’t let himself have any regrets.
After a long while, he stood up and bowed to the members of the bodyguard team.
“Thank you.”
Having gained some clarity, Shu Ci turned to walk back, running headlong into Yu Xingxing.
The young man waved at him with his usual swagger, trotting up with an expression that practically screamed “praise me.”
“The boss wanted to keep staying up, but I forced him to go to sleep.”
A look of pure pride.
Shu Ci couldn’t help but laugh. “Did you two finish talking?”
Yu Xingxing shook his head. “We didn’t talk about anything serious. I just re-read the doctor’s orders to him, and then we chatted a bit about Brother Cui’s family matters.”
He glanced up at Shu Ci and suddenly slapped his forehead.
“Oh, right! Brother Cui’s partner is your best friend. You’ll definitely support him. Ah… no wonder the boss didn’t say much in Cui You’s defense just now. Turns out he already took a side!”
Shu Ci frowned. “What happened to Shen Ti?”
Yu Xingxing lowered his voice. “Don’t tell anyone else, but it looks like they’re going to get a divorce.”
Shu Ci: “…”
Wait, that was what they were discussing just now?
In an instant, Shu Ci wanted to strangle that little bit of melodramatic sentiment he had just birthed in the cradle.
He patted Yu Xingxing. “Count how many people you’ve told with that big mouth of yours. Later, if this ends up in the tabloids, I won’t doubt for a second they heard it from you.”
Teased by Shu Ci, Yu Xingxing felt a bit sheepish, his face flushing red.
He rubbed his nose and gave a brazen grin. “I’ll just say one last thing before I go, then I’ll shut up.”
Shu Ci raised an eyebrow. “Speak.”
Yu Xingxing immediately leaned in, winking and making faces. “You should hurry up and let the boss mark you. Otherwise, people in our squad keep forgetting he’s married.”
“…”
Yu Xingxing fled faster than anyone. Shu Ci shook his head and walked helplessly back to the room.
Lu Wanqing was sleeping soundly.
His hands were outside the blanket, stretched out straight.
By the light of a single lamp left on at the bedside, Shu Ci looked at the dense cluster of needle marks on his arm. It was as if a suppressed soul was looking ferocious in a place he couldn’t see.
Shu Ci felt a bitter taste in his heart.
He extended his fingertips, gently caressing the bruised skin.
As if by reflex, the sleeping Lu Wanqing backhanded Shu Ci’s hand, gripping it tight. He yanked him up with force, flipped over, and pinned him down.
The world spun, and Shu Ci found himself lying beneath the Alpha.
His hands were pinned above his head.
He could hear his own heart pounding as he stared straight at Lu Wanqing in the dim light.
“Lu Wanqing, it’s me.”
His throat bobbed, and the sound that came out carried a hint of undisguised desire.
Considering Shen Lin was next door, Shu Ci abandoned the idea of using pheromones. He turned his head slightly, his fine, warm breath dusting over Lu Wanqing’s wrist.
He wasn’t born an Omega, and his understanding of intimate acts between AO was not thorough enough. Despite frantically reading magazines to catch up, he was merely a general on paper—all theory, no practice.
However, he didn’t have that many designs. Tempting the man into doing some slightly intimate, yet not entirely out-of-bounds actions would be enough.
It was enough to let Lu Wanqing see this heart that belonged to Shu Ci.
So, Shu Ci moved his fingertips, hooking onto Lu Wanqing’s finger.
But then, he saw Lu Wanqing open his eyes in the haze of sleep, looking down at Shu Ci’s upturned, smiling face, and freeze on the spot.
The curve of the mattress where his knees pressed down trembled slightly.
Everything that followed was completely outside of Shu Ci’s expectations.
In his groggy state, Lu Wanqing let go. He pulled the duvet over, wrapping Shu Ci up tightly until he was completely bundled. Then, as if handling a precious treasure, he hugged him carefully through the thick layers of the quilt.
The entire sequence of movements was smooth and flowing. He even turned off the light.
Then, Lu Wanqing turned over, facing the wall, and curled up beside Shu Ci.
Like a massive mythical beast retracting its claws and teeth, crouching beside its deity to fall into a deep slumber.
Leaving only Shu Ci, wrapped up like a silkworm chrysalis, blinking blankly in the darkness.
The next day, the sun was already high in the sky.
Shu Ci opened his eyes. He habitually kicked his legs to stretch, only to find he had kicked a warm calf.
He snapped awake.
Looking up, he quickly realized he was lying in Lu Wanqing’s arms.
“…”
If he knew this would be the result, was there any point in wrapping him up like a burrito last night?
The corners of Shu Ci’s mouth twitched. Suppressing the smile at the edge of his eyes, he burrowed deeper into Lu Wanqing’s embrace, found a comfortable position, and closed his eyes again.
Suddenly, a dignified knock sounded at the door.
Before Shu Ci could even respond, the person beside him woke up at that exact moment. Like a flash step, he bolted out of the covers, threw on his clothes, and walked quickly to the door—never once looking back.
What on earth is he doing?!
Lu Wanqing pressed his fingers against his temples, leaning against the door, trying his best not to think about the glimpse of spring scenery that had just crashed into his eyes.
“It’s me,” Shen Lin’s voice came indifferently when no one opened the door.
“Wait a moment.”
Lu Wanqing glanced back, waiting until Shu Ci had leisurely put on his clothes before opening the door.
Shen Lin entered. He had no time to pay attention to the slightly awkward atmosphere in the room. He walked straight in, lowered his voice, and spoke solemnly to Lu Wanqing. “Someone died on the ship. Your subordinate is about to board legally to accompany the vessel.”
Shu Ci walked closer and happened to catch that last sentence. Dragging his slippers, he nearly slipped.
Lu Wanqing extended a long arm, supporting him by the waist.
“Who? Who died?” Shu Ci steadied himself and asked hurriedly.
Shen Lin gave him a complicated look.
“Jin Li.”
Volume 2 · End
Author’s Note:
Volume 2 · Snow Loses a Fragrance to Plum (Taken from Song Dynasty poet Lu Yue’s “Snow and Plum 1”: “The plum must yield to the snow for three parts whiteness, but the snow loses to the plum for one part fragrance.”)
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