After Entering a Contract Marriage with a Disabled Alpha - Chapter 32.2

She hurriedly called Lin Yifeng. When he heard the news at the office, he flew into a rage. Ever since learning Lin Shuxing wasn’t his biological son, his feelings had cooled significantly. Besides, he had other children. He kept a son and a daughter with a mistress elsewhere; his mistress had long been unhappy that Lin Shuxing was allowed to live in the Lin mansion while her own children were kept outside due to Luo Meihua.

What little remained of his foster-fatherly affection had been eroded by Lin Shuxing’s repeated selfishness. He hurled a leather notebook across his office and smashed a pen holder in fury. Even without a final verdict, the fact that the police had a case meant Pei Yu’s drugging was almost certainly Lin Shuxing’s fault.

Under Lin Yifeng’s questioning, Luo Meihua admitted what happened at the banquet. “But Xiaoxing came home with us that night, which suggests he didn’t succeed.”

“If he didn’t do it, why would the police take him? The accuser is Pei Yu. If it were anyone else at that party, do you think Qin Shen wouldn’t have found them?” Lin Yifeng’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared. “I warned him so many times to behave! and you—he isn’t even your son, yet you insisted on keeping him. Pure sentimentality!”

Luo Meihua, who had been pampered since childhood, couldn’t stand being spoken to like that, and the two began to argue bitterly. After minutes of shouting, Lin Yifeng yelled, “If Lin Shuxing did this, he’s never living in this house again! I’m not spending my life raising Jiang He’s son for him!” He rolled his eyes and slammed the phone down.

At the Qin family mansion, Pei Yu sat on the sofa watching an English ocean documentary with Grandpa Qin. As he listened, Pei Yu kept glancing at the old man.

Noticing his gaze, Grandpa Qin suddenly spoke in fluent, elegant British-accented English, explaining a segment about orca migration. Pei Yu’s eyes widened, his jaw nearly dropping.

Qin Shuo laughed heartily at the boy’s shocked expression. “Your grandpa was a student at Yan University back in the day. I built my business from nothing; how could I not know English? I’m just old now and forget the complex vocabulary. Without subtitles, I struggle with these technical terms too.”

Pei Yu swallowed and instinctively replied in English, “Grandpa, you’re amazing. Your pronunciation is beautiful. You’ve still got it.”

Qin Shuo beamed with pride. “It’s alright. A-Shen is much better than me though. He had mastered several languages by the time he was in high school.”

Pei Yu hadn’t heard Qin Shen speak a foreign language yet and felt curious. Given Qin Shen’s naturally seductive voice, he imagined any language would sound wonderful coming from him. “I hope I get a chance to hear it later.”

“Of course. Just ask A-Shen to read you some foreign poetry.”

Qin Yiyang, who was sitting nearby playing on his phone, looked dazed. He felt like an idiot, unable to understand a single word his grandfather and Pei Yu were saying. For the first time in his life, the boisterous Qin Yiyang felt a sense of shame. Even his grandfather, several generations older, was fluent.

He abruptly stood up from the sofa. “I’m done with the phone! I’m going to my room to study English right now!”

Grandpa Qin and Pei Yu watched him go. “What happened to him?” Pei Yu murmured.

Qin Shuo chuckled. “He probably felt stimulated. It’s good for him.” Before Pei Yu arrived, Qin Yiyang had been lazy and content to fail. “A tutor will be coming every night starting in a few days. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them as well.”

Pei Yu, happy to share the resource, nodded. “That would be great. I do run into difficult problems sometimes.”

Back in his room, Qin Yiyang stared at the squiggly English letters and felt sleepy almost immediately. He wanted to toss the book aside, but remembering the effortless conversation between his grandpa and Pei Yu, he gritted his teeth and kept studying.

The afternoon sun was warm. Watching TV, Pei Yu soon drifted off on the sofa. Seeing this, Grandpa Qin quietly turned off the television and headed to the tea room.

When Pei Yu finally woke up, it was 4:30 PM. He opened his eyes to see Qin Shen sitting beside him, working on a laptop.

“Mmh.” Pei Yu rubbed his eyes sleepily. A glass of water was held out to him.

“Awake? Drink some water to moisten your throat,” Qin Shen said caringly.

“Mm.” Pei Yu took the glass and sipped.

“The investigation into Lin Shuxing is finished,” Qin Shen said. “The police just called to notify me.”

Pei Yu paused. “And the result?”

“It was Lin Shuxing, though there was a bit of a coincidence involved,” Qin Shen explained.

Lin Shuxing hadn’t expected to be caught. He hadn’t deleted the records of the drug purchase or the transfers on his phone. Deliberately drugging an Omega to induce heat is a criminal offense. With no way out, he confessed. He had originally intended to drug Pei Yu but gave up after failing to get close. Passing the glasses to the waiter was a mindless act of anger. Because it was technically an “accidental” exposure to the other guests rather than a direct successful hit on the target, he wouldn’t face full criminal charges, but since he was an adult, he was sentenced to 30 days of administrative detention.

The hotel also faced major liability for the security lapse. “The hotel will likely offer compensation. Five-star hotels value their reputation above all else, and since it involves the Qin Corporation, they’ve asked for a private settlement. The employee who failed to clear the juice was fired, but since he didn’t know about the drugs, he only faces a fine. The person who sold the drugs to Lin Shuxing was also arrested and will face a much harsher sentence. As for the Lin family…”

Qin Shen paused. “I haven’t contacted them yet. I wanted to hear your thoughts first. If I don’t intervene, the Lin family could easily bail him out early.”

“I see,” Pei Yu murmured. “Detention for a month?”

Qin Shen lowered his gaze. “Yes. He’s an adult. If he can think of drugging someone, he should think of the consequences. A month is a light sentence for him. If he had actually succeeded that night, he’d be facing much more than administrative detention.”

Pei Yu sighed deeply, feeling a hint of melancholy. It wasn’t pity for Lin Shuxing; he simply believed people should be responsible for their actions. He was lucky he was the one who drank it, as his 100% compatibility with Qin Shen meant a temporary mark could resolve the issue. If another Alpha or Omega had drunk it, the results could have been irreversible and violent.

“Let the law take its course. Lin Shuxing should serve the month,” Pei Yu decided.

Qin Shen agreed. He patted Pei Yu’s back. “I’ll let the Lin family know.”

He called Lin Yifeng, who picked up immediately. Lin Yifeng already knew what happened and spoke urgently. “President Qin, we know about Xiaoxing. Rest assured, if the boy did wrong, he must be punished. I won’t interfere.”

“I called to tell you exactly that,” Qin Shen said coolly.

“Is… Xiao Yu there?” Lin Yifeng asked tentatively.

“I’m here,” Pei Yu replied.

“Xiao Yu, Dad is sorry. We didn’t raise him well. I have a vacant property I’d like to give you as a gift to help you settle your nerves. I hope you don’t hate your mother and me.”

After a silence, Pei Yu looked down. “I understand.”

On the other end, Lin Yifeng breathed a sigh of relief. He suspected that under the influence of the drug, Pei Yu might have already been permanently marked by Qin Shen. Given Qin Shen’s protective stance, Lin Yifeng knew he couldn’t afford to offend him.

After hanging up, Qin Shen noticed the time. “Should we head up to the room? You have school tomorrow morning.”

“Okay.” As Pei Yu picked up his phone, it rang. The caller was Jiang He. Her contact name used to be “Mom,” but Pei Yu had changed it after their last clear conversation. He looked at Qin Shen.

“Answer it. Let’s see what she has to say,” Qin Shen said calmly.

Pei Yu nodded and answered. As soon as he did, Jiang He’s sobbing came through the speaker.

“I heard about the drugging. It was wrong of him. I never thought he’d be so extreme. Thank God nothing worse happened. Do you think Yangshen High will expel him because of the detention? He’s a senior; what will he do?”

Pei Yu exhaled slowly. “I don’t know how the school will handle it. It’s not something I can control.”

“Oh, what a mess. Why was he so foolish? If I had raised him better, he wouldn’t be like this.”

Pei Yu realized she just needed someone to vent to, so he listened silently for ten minutes. Eventually, her crying slowed, she asked about his health, and hung up.

“Are you okay?” Qin Shen ruffled his hair.

“I’m fine. She just has no one else to talk to. I just let her cry.”

“She’s the one who didn’t cherish you,” Qin Shen said softly. “Ready for bed?”

Pei Yu nodded and stretched. “Let’s go.”

“Sleeping in my room again tonight?” Qin Shen smiled.

Pei Yu yawned, his eyes watering slightly. “Yeah.”

In the dead of night, Pei Yu slowly scooted closer to Qin Shen.

“Do you want a hug?” Qin Shen asked.

Pei Yu nodded with a red face. “Let’s hug. It’s quite comfortable to sleep this way.”

“It’s comfortable for you,” Qin Shen said meaningfully.

Pei Yu played dumb. “You aren’t losing out either. You wanted to hug me too, and I’m ‘treating’ you, aren’t I?”

“Should I say thank you, then?” Qin Shen’s fingers moved slowly across the boy’s back. “The report on the pheromone treatment came in. The doctor had some suggestions for our exchanges.”

Pei Yu blinked. “What suggestions?”

“The frequency of exchanges, and that it’s best to perform a permanent mark—”

Pei Yu’s face turned bright red. “No.”

Qin Shen laughed. “I know. So, should we try treatments other than a permanent mark?”

“Like what?”

His chin was gently tilted up. The crisp scent of cedar and mint drew closer. In the darkness, Pei Yu knew Qin Shen was very, very near.

“Like a kiss every night. Let’s call it a goodnight kiss.”

Pei Yu’s face heated up. Qin Shen’s warm breath brushed against his eyelashes. “You aren’t lying to me, right?”

“Of course not.”

“The kind with tongues?”

“That’s the most effective.”

“Oh,” Pei Yu bit his lip.

Qin Shen added with a smile, “I like it too.”

The atmosphere became heavy with tension and affection. Qin Shen stopped talking and simply held Pei Yu’s waist.

“Then… let’s kiss,” the boy’s soft voice whispered.

“Understood,” Qin Shen replied, a smile in his voice.

In the thick of the night, the soft, ambiguous sounds of a deep kiss filled the quiet room. Pei Yu tilted his head, accepting the intense and possessive kiss. His thoughts became sluggish as the Alpha’s pheromones enveloped him, making the cold scent of snow feel as if it were on fire.

Though both were novices, the Alpha seemed to know instinctively how to search for the rose-like sweetness between the boy’s lips. It wasn’t gentle; it carried a burning possessiveness.

Eventually, Pei Yu found it hard to breathe. His lips felt numb and tingly. He squeezed Qin Shen’s wrist to signal a stop. Instead, he was met with even more intensity.

It wasn’t until Pei Yu let out a soft, whimpering sob that Qin Shen regained a sliver of reason. He released the boy’s tongue and kissed the corner of his mouth.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Qin Shen rasped, his voice thick with desire.

Pei Yu’s cheeks were flushed as he pursed his lips. He could taste Qin Shen’s pheromones on them; his whole body was saturated with the man’s scent. To his embarrassment, he realized he had been stirred.

He hid his head under the covers, his voice sweet and shy. “We can kiss every day; don’t go so hard.”

“I’ll be gentler next time.” Qin Shen stroked Pei Yu’s soft hair. “Baby.”

Pei Yu’s face turned even redder. “The goodnight kiss is over. Time to sleep.”

“Okay.” Qin Shen lay down, feeling his arms were empty until he pulled Pei Yu back into his embrace. “Does Baby like me a little more now?” he asked huskily.

After a few seconds, a soft voice drifted through the darkness. “I guess so.”

“Guess so?” Qin Shen laughed. “Is that a yes or a no?”

Pei Yu’s dark eyelashes fluttered. “Half and half.”

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