Chapter 88
The villa was extremely quiet; one could hear a pin drop.
The sound of Shu Ci pulling open his collar seemed exceptionally piercing, like lightning tearing through the sky.
His resolute action stung Lu Wanqing’s eyes.
The plump, tender spot behind his neck seemed to be waiting for his pity, like a small white flower swaying in the wind, expecting the battering of a storm.
Lu Wanqing snapped out of it, pinched his thigh hard, and stood up to exit the closet.
“Don’t be like this,” he said hoarsely.
His fingertips trembled slightly as he tried to push aside Shu Ci standing in front of him.
Raising his hand like that, he suddenly touched smooth, delicate skin.
Lu Wanqing was stunned and focused his gaze.
Only then did he realize that the person in front of him really had “not a single pair of pants,” as he had claimed. He was merely wearing Lu Wanqing’s white shirt, which barely covered his knees.
His temples throbbed with pain.
If he died suddenly one day, the constantly teasing Shu Ci would have to take full responsibility.
“Let’s talk.” He took a deep breath, bowed slightly to step out of the closet, stood in front of him, and tidied Shu Ci’s collar.
“Fine.” Shu Ci didn’t back away. He stood face to face with Lu Wanqing, almost pressing against his chest, already able to feel the burning heat radiating from him.
“Just one request. You are not allowed to say things like ‘you’re not worth it’.”
Shu Ci remembered clearly that Lu Wanqing had once advised him that he deserved better.
Bullsh*t. Looking around, there was no one better than him.
“I won’t say it.” Lu Wanqing lowered his head and pecked the corner of his mouth as if coaxing him.
“Aren’t Li Yi and the others doing research? We have a long time. I would feel heartache if I put you in danger for my sake.”
A moment of pleasure was just fleeting joy.
But what he sought was a long, enduring future with Shu Ci.
It was rare for Shu Ci to hear him say such direct romantic words. His heart stirred, and he draped his arms around Lu Wanqing’s neck.
His breath fanned against Lu Wanqing’s ear.
“Then have you thought about me? Seeing you lock yourself in a closet, enduring the suffering aloneāwouldn’t I feel heartache too?”
Lu Wanqingās throat moved. His fingertips wandered to the back of Shu Ciās neck, and he sighed softly. “ā¦If you help me, it doesn’t necessarily have to be marking.”
It was just that every morning, he felt unable to suppress the fire in his heart, and fearing he would want too much and too hard, accidentally hurting Shu Ci, he had to use physical means to restrain himself.
“Tsk.” Shu Ciās fingertips traced down Lu Wanqingās spine. He stood on tiptoe and bit gently on Lu Wanqingās gland with the tip of his teeth.
He didn’t have the function to mark; such a move was merely a mood setter, a seduction.
The books said this was an Alpha’s most vulnerable spot. Even Gu Lanzhu wouldn’t easily let the original host touch the softness within. Yet Lu Wanqing openly exposed that vulnerability for him to manipulate.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier? Do you know how hard it was for me to look for you like finding a hiding cat these past few days?”
Dissatisfied, he left a faint red mark.
“Trust me, I have more experience in this than you.”
Lu Wanqing embraced him, his body stiffening.
“Experience… rich?”
He had never asked about Shu Ciās past romantic history. Shu Ci had never volunteered it either. To hear him bring it up in this situation…
At this moment, overwhelming jealousy controlled Lu Wanqing. He pressed his weight down, and the Omega, wearing only a shirt, sank into the soft cushions.
Shu Ciās pupils constricted. He realized the room was filled with Lu Wanqing’s pheromones at some point. It was only the moment he fell backward onto the bed that he sensed a fluctuation of energy.
This person… it seemed that after enduring for so long, his ability was even stronger than before.
They pressed against him seamlessly, slowly wrapping around his hands, feet, and neck, carrying a hidden intent of interrogation.
Shu Ci arched his body and kissed his sensitive Adam’s apple.
“Don’t overthink it. It’s just a lot of experience filming intimate scenes to pass censorship.”
“…”
Light, sweet frost and snow drifted in the Far-flung District, while on Dragon Spine Island, the gentle sea breeze carried waves to the beach.
In the research room of the main building, the harsh prompts of a robot were exceptionally noisy, destroying the peaceful atmosphere.
“I beg you, shut up!”
Yi Xingshui backhanded the volume button to mute the chatter, continuing to bury her head in the equipment.
Her hands didn’t stop moving as she recorded various parameters, her mouth constantly complaining: “All my respect for Mr. Shu collapses the moment this robot opens its mouth, and I have to rebuild it.”
Li Yi looked up from the documents and rubbed his temples. “Don’t blame Mr. Shu. I set the scheduled meal reminder.”
It was no longer the study mode of their student days. Diving into Shu Changzeās research, both of them were forgetting to eat and sleep.
There had been several times when they missed meal times and came out of the lab starving, almost fainting on the way to the cafeteria.
“We still have to eat.” Li Yi patted her shoulder, his gaze falling on the data in front of her. “We’ll see the results when we get back.”
His voice was calm. Just one sentence extinguished Yi Xingshui’s anger.
“Two more minutes. We’ll go eat in two minutes.”
She leaned back, lying down, and turned to look at him. “Why do I feel like you’ve turned into a fan of Mr. Shu? You defend him whenever I make a casual complaint.”
Li Yi glanced at the screen she had just turned off and didn’t speak.
He and Yi Xingshui had a clear division of labor. He was responsible for studying and organizing Shu Changze’s research results, while Yi Xingshui was responsible for reproducing and verifying the conclusions. The more progress they made, the more they felt that Shu Changze’s direction was correct.
He walked alone on a lonely path of research. Even his death seemed likely to be closely related to it.
Next, the two had no communication, waiting quietly for the two minutes to pass. Yi Xingshui saw the result light up and stood up to start recording.
After writing it down, her brow twitched fiercely.
Even though she had psychological expectations, she was still shocked at this moment.
Shu Changze’s judgment had been verified as correct.
“Senior Brother.” Her eyes darted around frantically looking for Li Yi. “Take a look. Is it what I think it means?”
Li Yi stood behind her with lowered eyes, having already scanned Yi Xingshui’s experimental data ten lines at a time.
He looked at the title of Shu Changze’s unfinished thesis at Yi Xingshui’s hand.
āOn the Pseudo-Scientific Nature of Pheromone Compatibility Concepts and the Dangers of Their Excessive Application.
Yi Xingshui pinched Li Yi hard.
“Give me two more minutes. I need to write an email to Shu Ci!”
“Little Shu, filming again? Is our General Lu not accompanying you?”
It was a rare warm sunny day without snow. Shops along the street set out outdoor tables and shelves, lining up all the way down the street, making it exceptionally lively.
Seeing Shu Ci holding a tripod and filming icicles alone, the flower shop proprietress poked her head out to greet him.
“Just shooting casually.” Shu Ci took two shots, put the equipment away with satisfaction, and walked into the flower shop. “He has things to do today.”
The proprietress smiled. “Right, right. I heard on the news that the investigation results are out. Councilman Shen… oh no, Chief Shen has ordered the General’s reinstatement.”
Saying that, she glanced at her husband, who was tying a flower basket. “Even the General can squeeze into Lin Niang’s hot pot restaurant to eat with his partner, yet you won’t even queue for a number with me!”
The ups and downs during the election had made Lu Wanqing and his partner celebrities in the Seventh District, and even the whole country. But currently, only the people of the Seventh District dared to say they were very familiar with the two.
These two had no “celebrity” airs. The people of the Seventh District often saw them holding hands while shopping, eating street food, and walking the streets together.
Shu Ci often stopped to walk and film with a camera. Even though he wouldn’t film their faces directly, he would ask gently.
Whenever this happened, General Lu would say nothing, watching him with gentle eyes.
Recently, he had posted several daily vlogs on his account. Because of the consecutive long posts with pictures, new followers joked that he had changed from a gossip king to the Seventh District Tourism Ambassador.
Accidentally boosting the tourism industry of the Seventh District, business on the street became easier. When they saw Shu Ci, it was like seeing the Seventh District’s own son.
“Sister, help me bundle these flowers into a bouquet.” Shu Ci pointed twice. “Just send it to the house.”
Lu Wanqingās address was no secret in the Seventh District.
“Sure thing.” The proprietress took a small box from the shelf and handed it to him. “My old man’s younger brother sent a box of floral essential oils from the Third District. Here, a gift for you.”
Shu Ci quickly waved his hands. “No, no, no, that’s too expensive.”
There was no shortage of people wanting to give gifts to him and Lu Wanqing. On one hand, they didn’t want to accept them; on the other, they didn’t want to speculate on the intentions behind those gifts.
The boss put the flower basket aside and walked over. “My father-in-law founded the essential oil brand back in the day based on an idea General Lu Wei gave them. We can’t reach them, but if you have a chance, take it to the martyr’s tomb for her to see.”
Shu Ci paused, his gaze falling on the exquisite small box.
“Lu Wei?” He didn’t expect to hear the name of Lu Wanqing’s teacher here.
“I heard General Lu Wei’s tomb was built in the cemetery of the Central District Main Base. We don’t have the chance to go in there.”
Shu Ciās eyes dimmed slightly.
Lu Wanqing had gone today to settle the matter of the mining area held by the Gu family. Once the mining area was recovered, he could collect Lu Wei’s remains.
He didn’t expect the official story to have always been like this.
“I don’t know if people named Lu are just hard to remember. We people in the Seventh District repay a drop of kindness with a spring, but it feels like after more than ten years, not many people remember Lu Wei.”
The proprietress sighed with emotion. These words struck a chord in Shu Ciās heart.
He didn’t want Lu Wanqing to carry the fate of a passerby, always on the road to being forgotten. Even if only one or two people remembered his goodness, he wanted him to know.
So he accepted the delicately packaged box of essential oils, wandered around the streets for a while longer, shot some beautiful footage, and walked home.
Arriving in front of the villa, an unfamiliar black luxury car was parked at the gate.
It wasn’t Lu Wanqingās car.
Could it be Gu Lanzhu? Impossible, right?
But if he had protagonist plot armor, nothing seemed impossible.
Shu Ci instinctively became alert. He mobilized the muscles around his glands, ready to defend and attack at any time.
The car door opened, and a black long dress dragged on the ground.
An Omega woman walked slowly toward Shu Ci, tightening her beige coat as she stood still.
“Mr. Shu Ci, correct?” She tilted her head to size him up, her gaze landing on his green pupils.
While she sized up Shu Ci, Shu Ci was also sizing her up.
His gaze moved upward, and suddenly his eyelids jumped. The woman’s curly red hair revealed under the brim of her hat was exactly the same as his.
Sure enough, her next sentence was: “I am family to your Alpha mother.”
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