[ABO] The Despised One Becomes an Internet Sensation After Marriage - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The village was nestled against the mountains, and as night fell, the temperature plummeted.

Xu Zhimian, however, felt like a furnace. His limbs were weak, and his face was flushed a deep crimson, yet Fu Shiyan persisted in teasing him.

“…Sir!” He glared at Fu Shiyan reproachfully. His eyes were clouded with desire, and his long, feather-like lashes trembled slightly; the look held no real deterrent, but rather carried an air of seductive invitation.

Feeling a certain change in the atmosphere, Xu Zhimian pressed his fingers against Fu Shiyan’s abdomen. He shifted his hips restlessly, letting out a soft, strained breath as he pleaded in a small voice: “Sir, please… help me…”

…

A thick wall of warmth seemed to surround Xu Zhimian on all sides. The surface was scorching, and he couldn’t break free, letting out a few muffled whimpers.

Fu Shiyan’s arms tightened, his eyelashes fluttered, and a moment later, he opened his eyes. He found Xu Zhimian plastered against him, one leg hooked over his waist. Their limbs were intertwined, holding each other tightly.

Xu Zhimian was fast asleep in his arms, his breathing steady and looking incredibly well-behaved. Because they had kissed too hard the night before, the corners of his mouth were red and swollen, and his lower lip was slightly chapped—he looked utterly ravished. Fu Shiyan took one look and quickly averted his gaze.

As the heat source suddenly shifted, Xu Zhimian instinctively reached out into the empty air, grabbing Fu Shiyan’s hand and murmuring: “Don’t… don’t go.”

This reminded Fu Shiyan of the time after the “Permanent Marking,” when Xu Zhimian had sat alone by the bed crying like an abandoned kitten, desperately lacking a sense of security.

Xu Zhimian hadn’t been like this before. So, what exactly had he gone through during these past three years?

Fu Shiyan leaned down, kissed his forehead, and said softly: “I’m not leaving.”

A moment later, a pair of arms looped around Fu Shiyan’s neck. Xu Zhimian lay on the bed, looking at him with half-lidded eyes, his voice raspy from sleep: “Why… Why are you kissing me?”

Fu Shiyan raised an eyebrow and teased: “…I wonder which little wildcat was grabbing onto me and wouldn’t let me leave.”

“…”

As the memories of the previous night came rushing back, Xu Zhimian’s sleepiness vanished. His eyes widened in confusion: “…The heat cycle came early.”

Fu Shiyan keenly caught his wording: “Two months in a row?”

Xu Zhimian nodded: “It came early when I saw you… and then again last night. But last night didn’t feel like my usual heat.”

Indeed, while he had been in a state of high arousal, he had cleared his head by the middle of the night. By this morning, the pheromone concentration had faded, returning to a normal state. A true heat cycle doesn’t end that quickly.

“It must have been a pseudo-heat then,” Fu Shiyan mused. There are many triggers for a pseudo-heat: it could be induced by another Omega in heat, or influenced by an Alpha with high compatibility.

Given how easily the two of them ignited like dry wood and fire, their compatibility definitely wasn’t low.

However, thinking back to that day at Victoria… Fu Shiyan let go of Xu Zhimian’s hands, which were still around his neck, and frowned: “Was your heat also early that time at the Victoria?”

Xu Zhimian’s wrists were held in Fu Shiyan’s grasp. Sensing the seriousness in his tone, he blinked: “…Yes. I don’t know why it came early then, either.”

Fu Shiyan paused, his throat tightening: “What was your purpose for going to that dinner party?”

This was something Fu Shiyan hadn’t asked since they reunited. Xu Zhimian assumed he still thought Wu Hang was his “Sugar Daddy” and said gloomily: “My former manager told me that if I accompanied Wu Hang to a dinner, I could get 500,000. At the time, Sky Entertainment was suing me for 30 million, so I went. That was the first time I met Wu Hang, and I had never participated in that kind of dinner before.”

Xu Zhimian emphasized the last sentence, subtly telling Fu Shiyan that he hadn’t sought out anyone else in these three years.

To his surprise, Fu Shiyan let out a short laugh and asked a seemingly unrelated question: “…Back then, when I ‘bought’ a year of your time, how much did it cost?”

The word “bought” was quite piercing, but it was undeniably the truth.

Xu Zhimian said dejectedly: “One million.”

In reality, it was more than a million. Besides that price tag, Fu Shiyan had given him many other things: expensive sketchbooks, brushes, clothes that were unbranded but clearly made of luxury fabrics, and various high-end watches.

“One million…” Fu Shiyan repeated the words, his gaze heavy. “If you can get 500,000 just by attending a dinner, do you really think there’s such a thing as a free lunch?”

With that hint, Xu Zhimian would have to be a fool not to understand. He murmured: “You mean… Is my heat cycle coming early?”

It was highly likely that Wu Hang had drugged his wine. If Fu Shiyan hadn’t shown up that day…

Xu Zhimian shuddered, not daring to think further.

Fu Shiyan left it at that. Seeing Xu Zhimian’s fearful expression, a string in his heart was touched. He couldn’t help but pinch Xu Zhimian’s cheeks and say coldly: “…Utterly stupid.”

At the time, he thought Xu Zhimian had schemed to marry him. Now he realized it was likely a series of coincidences. After all, he had never seen an Omega so slow that they didn’t even notice their own heat cycle was abnormal. Truly stupid… he couldn’t even tie a necktie.

Xu Zhimian wasn’t having it. Finding a sudden burst of courage, he grumbled: “…So what if I’m stupid? You still married me and brought me home!”

Fu Shiyan was amused by his response. He flicked Xu Zhimian’s forehead: “Let’s just divorce in nine months. I don’t want a stupid wife.”

Nine months? Why nine months? Xu Zhimian calculated—that would be exactly one year of marriage. So that was his plan all along.

Feeling a surge of grievance, Xu Zhimian shouted muffledly: “Fine! Removing a mark is very painful! I want compensation! And I get to decide the amount!”

He was living in Fu Shiyan’s house now; they definitely wouldn’t live together after the divorce. He needed to save money for a house, and a car… he should find time to get his driver’s license soon.

“…” Fu Shiyan was only teasing him. Seeing Xu Zhimian starting to think seriously about it, he pinched his cheek again and said seriously: “Stupid wife, I was lying. No divorce.”

“…” Xu Zhimian pulled away and turned his back, thinking huffily that Fu Shiyan was getting meaner and meaner.

…

After their little fuss, the two got out of bed.

Surprisingly, the others hadn’t slept well either. Especially Zhou Yan and Ji Yan; Zhou Yan had a bruise near his eye, and Ji Yan had a purple mark on the corner of his mouth.

Ye Ming asked tentatively: “Dr. Ji, are you two okay?”

Their rooms were close, and Ye Ming had heard several heavy thuds during the night. He had no idea what they had been doing.

The smile on Ji Yan’s face stiffened slightly. He shook his head: “We’re fine. Last night… we didn’t control our strength well while moving things. Sorry for the disturbance.”

The bullet comments flooded the screen: 【I don’t believe it.】 【How do you get a facial injury from ‘moving things’?】 【Dr. Ji and the other one must have had a fierce battle last night (Smirk emoji x2).】 【Ahem, what exactly happened?】 【I have a ‘friend’ who wants to know.】

After a quick breakfast, they dispersed to join their respective teams for rehearsals. Fu Shiyan grabbed Xu Zhimian as he was about to run off, kneading the area around his scent gland: “…Find me after rehearsal.”

Being touched in such a sensitive spot sent a wave of numbness through Xu Zhimian. He didn’t even process what Fu Shiyan had said, only giving a vague: “Okay.”

…

The girl teaching the Miao song was about eighteen or nineteen. Her long hair was woven into braids, she had sun-kissed skin, and her eyes were large and bright—she looked faintly familiar.

A-Hua didn’t expect to run into Xu Zhimian here. She greeted him warmly: “Hello! Handsome younger brother.”

“…” Seeing Xu Zhimian’s confused look, she tucked a strand of hair back and smiled shyly: “Don’t you remember me? At the 12th ‘Block-the-Gate’ wine station, the one who asked for your WeChat?”

Xu Zhimian had a faint memory: “Hello. What should I call you?”

“Just call me A-Hua.”

Xu Zhimian smiled at her: “I’m already 24. You should call me ‘Elder Brother’.”

A-Hua’s eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape: “You… I thought you were only seventeen or eighteen. Ah… so you really are an Elder Brother.”

“…” A middle-aged woman nearby teased A-Hua: “Has A-Hua taken a liking to this handsome brother?”

A-Hua snapped back in embarrassment: “Auntie, don’t talk nonsense. He’s married.”

“Ah, what a pity. Young man, do you have any Beta friends? Remember to keep an eye out for our A-Hua.”

The aunties all laughed. In this simple and lively atmosphere, Xu Zhimian smiled gently: “I certainly will.”

Xu Zhimian didn’t know the Miao language, so A-Hua taught him the pronunciation word by word. Xu Zhimian studied very seriously. After nearly half an hour of practice, he finally mastered the pronunciation of every word. The lead auntie then announced the end of the rehearsal.

“So soon?” Xu Zhimian asked in surprise.

A-Hua’s eyes were bright: “Because the Host is coming here to rehearse soon, and that includes the Great Shaman, Gan Luo!”

Xu Zhimian immediately thought of shamans dancing around a bonfire to summon spirits. He let out an “oh” and raised an eyebrow: “A-Hua, does your Great Shaman know voodoo or poison arts?”

“Haha!” A-Hua laughed heartily. “I knew you’d ask that. Don’t believe those rumors; we Miao people don’t cast poisons.”

Xu Zhimian felt a momentary sense of disappointment.

…

As he packed up his sheet music to leave, he bumped right into Jiang Xiaocheng and the others.

The leader was an exceptionally tall Alpha. His sun-kissed skin glowed with health under the light, and his features were classic Eastern good looks—a high bridge on his nose and sharp, bright eyes. He looked very young, despite being in his thirties.

Going to “dance for the spirits” with a face like that… Xu Zhimian struggled to imagine the scene.

A-Hua and the other Miao people greeted Gan Luo respectfully. Gan Luo nodded slightly in response. His gaze landed on Xu Zhimian and lingered for two seconds. A-Hua explained from the side: “…This is the program crew doing promotion for us.”

“…” Gan Luo ignored A-Hua. He paused and asked in somewhat broken Mandarin: “What is your name?”

Xu Zhimian blinked. “Xu Zhimian.”

Gan Luo stared at his face thoughtfully. After a moment, he said: “You look a lot like a relative of mine.”

If anyone else said that, it would be a pick-up line—and a very cheesy one at that. But coming from the Great Shaman, it sounded strangely sincere and solemn. Xu Zhimian didn’t know how to respond. Jiang Xiaocheng chimed in: “What a coincidence! When I first saw him, I thought he looked like a relative of mine too, haha.”

The atmosphere became inexplicably more awkward.

The Great Shaman didn’t seem to notice, nor did he acknowledge Jiang Xiaocheng. He kept his eyes on Xu Zhimian and said: “Can I have your contact information?”

Everyone: “…”

What a cheesy way to hit on someone. Even a Great Shaman can’t escape being cliché?