Chapter 88: Unexpected Heat
Du Xun placed the bag of soy sauce on the table, leaning down to exchange a wet, heated kiss with the young man.
Shen Zhuo licked his lips, the bright red tip of his tongue sweeping across them:
“If the Royal Family is rotting from the inside, and someone is willing to break free from their shackles to see the truth, will that help us?”
Du Xun’s eyes darkened as he gripped the young man’s waist, lifting him up to sit on the table.
He kissed his face, then moved lower.
His response was muffled and thick with ambiguity.
“Yes.”
Shen Zhuo curled his lips, his fingers threading through the man’s hair.
His body involuntarily arched backward, proactively exposing his slender neck, his voice breathless:
“Fu Qishang will see clearly…”
“The Prince treats them as pawns to harvest wealth and prestige… He hasn’t thought about the good of the Empire for a long time…”
Earlier, the request Shen Zhuo made to Fu Qishang was simple.
Shen Zhuo said, “If I win, you come with me to meet Ai Li’s father.”
Fu Qishang’s expression had frozen instantly.
But after struggling and hesitating for a long while, he actually agreed.
“The military has already discovered some evidence of the Prince’s crimes, we just need a little more time…”
Du Xun’s voice was low, raspy, and sexy as he kissed his way from the neck up to the tip of the ear.
Shen Zhuo turned his head away, his eyes rippling and unfocused.
“Mmh… don’t lick…”
“Du Xun…”
……
Shen Zhuo didn’t know how a discussion about business had devolved into such absurdity on the bed.
However, due to the doctor’s diagnosis, the frequency of their pheromone exchanges had indeed increased recently under Shen Zhuo’s authorization.
He didn’t know if it was truly effective, but at the very least, the frequency of pain in Du Xun’s gland had decreased lately.
The next day, Shen Zhuo kept his promise and chose to conduct the Monthly Assessment with Fu Qishang.
Among the judges, Du Xun sat as an observer.
This ensured fairness and impartiality in all scoring.
The Monthly Assessment was a one-on-one unarmed combat session that continued until one side could no longer stand.
Pheromone suppression was prohibited; it relied entirely on physical ability.
Shen Zhuo wrapped his hand wraps, using his teeth to pull them tight.
He then lifted his eyes to look at Fu Qishang, who was taking deep breaths across from him.
Behind Shen Zhuo, Ai Li wore an unreadable expression, leaning against the railing, his fingertips tapping rhythmically.
The instructor blew the whistle to start.
Fu Qishang moved first.
As the former number one of Ares, Fu Qishang was fast.
When a punch came straight for Shen Zhuo’s face, Shen Zhuo realized that he indeed had the capital to be proud.
Fu Qishang’s speed was comparable to Ai Li’s.
Perhaps even a bit faster.
Shen Zhuo immediately sidestepped to dodge.
As if anticipating this, Fu Qishang twisted his body, raising his leg to kick the spot where Shen Zhuo had dodged.
However, the kick met nothing but air.
The hair on Fu Qishang’s body stood on end, a chill running down his spine.
The young man had already flipped behind him.
While spinning in mid-air, he grabbed Fu Qishang’s shoulders with both hands.
Using core strength and inertia, he flung the person directly outward.
Fu Qishang slammed onto the ground, his body rolling uncontrollably backward until he crashed into the boundary railing.
The impact was loud; an ordinary person would likely have fainted.
Yet, before Shen Zhuo could even stand still to await the instructor’s command, Fu Qishang was moving.
Clutching his chest and coughing violently, he gripped the railing and pulled himself up, inch by inch.
In those blue pupils, there seemed to be a fire burning.
Five seconds later, he was thrown out by Shen Zhuo again.
The sound of him hitting the railing was even louder than the first time.
Fu Qishang’s mouth tasted of blood.
But he still held on, slowly, stubbornly standing up.
The third time…
The fourth time…
Until Fu Qishang’s legs were trembling, and his chest was stained with dripping blood.
His golden hair was long since messy and wretched from the dust and blood on the ground.
The high-and-mighty young master of the Prince’s family now lay prone on the ground, unable to even stand.
Through his blurred vision, Fu Qishang looked at the young man opposite him, who seemed to have barely moved.
Those pitch-black eyes held no emotion, only a downward gaze.
Since childhood, Fu Qishang had firmly believed that everything the Prince did was for the prosperity of the Empire.
And as the younger generation, they all lived for this purpose.
He didn’t believe that the education he had received for so many years was wrong.
He didn’t believe that noble status wasn’t the standard for judging people.
He didn’t believe that befriending commoners and degrading oneself was worthwhile.
Class antagonism, worship of status—these were supposed to be the things that helped the Empire move forward…
…
Was it really, right?
——
The gemstone-encrusted crown was dazzling and blinding.
Every gem required absolute obedience.
Yet the cracks had appeared long before the gems were even set.
The crown simply kept whispering about the beauty of power.
Years of brainwashing caused the gems to gradually lose their judgment, filling in the cracks themselves, believing every word the crown said was correct.
“Father… wouldn’t be wrong…”
“For the family… for the Empire…”
Fu Qishang coughed violently, but ultimately collapsed onto the ground, struggling and twisting his limbs in an attempt to rise again.
Tears blurred his vision; the Omega pressed his hands against the ground, but he couldn’t lift himself more than five centimeters.
Just after the instructor finished scoring, Shen Zhuo stepped forward.
He extended a hand toward Fu Qishang.
“Use your own eyes to see, your ears to hear.”
Shen Zhuo bent down, watching as Fu Qishang stared at him in disbelief.
After a long time, with red-rimmed eyes, he slowly placed his hand in the young man’s palm.
“Use your own heart to judge right from wrong.”
“You are yourself.”
Fu Qishang was helped up, dazed and glassy-eyed, murmuring repetitively with an expression that looked like he was laughing and crying at the same time:
“I am… myself…”
——
The S3 therapeutic agent allowed Fu Qishang to recover quickly, and he sat beside Shen Zhuo, waiting for Ai Li.
He had promised Shen Zhuo he would go to Ai Li’s house to meet his father—
His Little Uncle.
To be honest, Fu Qishang never imagined there would be a day when he would go to Ai Li’s house in this manner.
But after the Monthly Assessment, when Ai Li heard about this, he looked at Fu Qishang.
He smiled at Fu Qishang.
Ai Li’s appearance was gorgeous, his smile warm and infectious.
That smile actually made Fu Qishang look away first.
“You really should see another way of living. Of course, if you dare to insult my Dad—”
Ai Li’s smile vanished. “Even if you are an S3, I’m not afraid of you.”
Fu Qishang silently bit his lip.
He didn’t respond.
Du Xun needed to continue participating in the Monthly Assessment at Ares, so Ai Li’s family driver picked them up together.
Along the way, Fu Qishang just stared out the window, his heart racing.
Shen Zhuo chatted with Ai Li.
He didn’t pay any attention to Fu Qishang.
Ai Li currently lived in a high-rise luxury apartment in the bustling city center.
Just a street away was the corporate building of Ai Li’s father, Ai Yuesheng.
When they were a few hundred meters from Ai Li’s home, Fu Qishang spoke his first sentence.
“Does… Little Uncle know I’m coming?”
The usually arrogant and domineering young master of the Prince’s family felt awkward for the first time.
He clenched and unclenched his hands.
The hem of his shirt was wrinkled from his grip.
Ai Li and Shen Zhuo stopped talking.
Ai Li glanced at the rearview mirror from the passenger seat, resting his chin in his hand lazily:
“He knows.”
Fu Qishang took a deep breath, clenching his fingers tight:
“He betrayed the family, failed years of cultivation; he is a sinner.”
His voice was very quiet, lacking its usual arrogance.
Fu Qishang didn’t know what he was insisting on.
Perhaps it was rhetoric to numb himself into blind obedience.
For so many years, whatever Father said was law; whoever Father said was bad was bad.
Ever since he was beaten severely and locked in confinement for seven days as a child for defending a maid his Father had scolded, Fu Qishang never harbored thoughts of disobedience again.
Father is the Prince.
His words must be right.
Fu Qishang told himself this repeatedly.
Therefore, Fu Qiuhe was guilty.
From the moment he heard those words from his Father, Fu Qishang told himself—
Little Uncle must be guilty.
No matter what he did.
Anyone who insulted the Prince’s lineage was guilty.
Including Ai Li.
Ai Li didn’t care what he thought.
Ai Li had grown up without those constraints; Ai Yuesheng and Fu Qiuhe let him grow freely.
He didn’t understand, nor did he want to understand Fu Qishang’s mindset.
“We’re here.” Ai Li clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his chin. “You knock.”
Fu Qishang’s eyes widened, and he looked at Shen Zhuo in a panic.
Shen Zhuo maintained his cold expression.
But there was no hostility.
Fu Qishang curled his fingers, holding his hand up for several minutes before finally making up his mind.
He knocked three times.
A gentle, lively “Coming” immediately sounded from inside.
The door opened within two seconds. The Omega, wearing slippers, poked his head out.
Ai Li’s Dad was an extremely exquisite and beautiful Omega.
Long, slightly curly blonde hair cascaded down his back, and he had deep blue eyes like the ocean, identical to Fu Qishang’s.
There were almost no traces of age on his small, exquisite oval face, and the fingers resting on the doorframe were slender and fair like scallions.
Just as beautiful as he was at twenty.
The moment he saw Fu Qishang, the Omega showed no surprise.
“Qiqi.” He called Fu Qishang by his childhood nickname, smiling until his eyes curved like crescent moons.
“Come in, quickly.”
“I prepared the cookies you loved most when you were little.”
Fu Qishang lowered his head almost instantly.
The memories from when he was two years old were very blurry.
But Fu Qishang remembered that when he couldn’t recite his books and was punished to kneel, the cookies Little Uncle gave him were the most delicious things.
Ai Li gave Fu Qishang a shove from behind:
“Go in, take off your shoes.”
Fu Qiuhe then blinked at Shen Zhuo at the very back:
“Xiao Zhuo, today’s lunch should be all things you like. Your Uncle Ai cooked them himself.”
“Okay,” Shen Zhuo smiled.
Entering the room, the first thing Shen Zhuo saw was the study on the left at the end of the corridor, the door half-open.
“Uncle Ai is…?” Shen Zhuo gestured toward the study with his eyes.
“Oh, he’s discussing business with the dark horse company, Jingyue. Something about military equipment parts.”
Fu Qiuhe ushered them to change shoes and sit on the sofa, stuffing a box of cookies into Fu Qishang’s arms.
He also gave Shen Zhuo a plate of freshly cut fruit.
Causing Ai Li to shout: “Dad, why don’t I get any!”
Shen Zhuo felt Fu Qishang’s gaze and glanced at him sideways.
Fu Qishang lowered his head after a brief eye contact, hugging the cookie box, his eyes reddening slightly.
Shen Zhuo, however, raised an eyebrow when he heard Fu Qiuhe mention “Jingyue.”
Just then, the discussion inside the study ended, and Ai Yuesheng walked out with a young Alpha.
“President Liang, stay for a casual meal. I opened a bottle of good wine.”
Ai Yuesheng’s warm invitation made it hard for Liang Yeta to refuse.
Just as Liang Yeta put away the contract and was about to accept, he saw Shen Zhuo sitting on the edge of the sofa in the living room, slowly eating fruit.
In that instant, across several figures and pieces of furniture, Liang Yeta saw only Shen Zhuo.
The young Alpha’s eyes widened slightly.
“You… guys, what a coincidence.”
Shen Zhuo glanced at Fu Qishang, who didn’t know what to say and only cared about eating cookies, and Ai Li, who raised his eyebrows and said “long time no see.”
Then he looked at Liang Yeta.
He should give these people space to talk.
A family; they probably had a lot to say.
After a few turns of thought, Shen Zhuo stood up and said to Liang Yeta:
“Liang Yeta, I have something to ask you.” The young man then asked Ai Yuesheng, “Uncle Ai, can I use the study?”
Ai Yuesheng nodded: “Of course.”
Shen Zhuo immediately pushed Liang Yeta into the study and closed the door behind them.
When the lock clicked, Liang Yeta still hadn’t figured out what was happening.
Shen Zhuo made a “don’t ask” gesture and stood by the bookshelf to find a book.
The two chatted casually about a business topic for a while.
He didn’t know if it was because the weather was a bit hot, but after entering the study, he felt dizzy.
Liang Yeta was the first to notice his complexion was off:
“Shen Zhuo, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
Shen Zhuo held onto the desk and sat down slowly, closing his eyes and shaking his head.
“I’m fine.”
But when he looked up at Liang Yeta, he saw double.
A familiar sensation rushed from his spine to his brain for no reason.
The next second.
The S5 Night-Blooming Peacock Epiphyllum pheromones erupted without warning, instantly filling the entire study.
Liang Yeta’s pupils constricted, reflecting the image of the pale-faced young man falling backward.
He propped himself up on the wheelchair recklessly, using his body to cushion Shen Zhuo’s fall.
Liang Yeta immediately supported the young man, a sharp pain shooting through the back of his neck:
“Heat?!”
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