After Entering a Contract Marriage with a Disabled Alpha - Chapter 36.1

Qin Yiyang noticed something was off.

Sitting at the dining table and watching the interaction between Pei Yu and his cousin, he felt the two looked even more like a perfect match than before. If he had to point out what was different… well, his cousin was the same as always, full of affection, his cold eyes softening whenever they landed on Pei Yu.

But Pei Yu?

The frequency of his silly grins had increased exponentially. It was as if he had truly fallen into a pink bubble of love.

Later, sitting in the passenger seat of the car, Qin Yiyang put on his headphones, but he was actually eavesdropping on their conversation.

“You didn’t sleep well last night. Your eyes…”

The pale skin under the man’s eyes was tinged with faint shadows; it was obvious he was sleep-deprived. Qin Yiyang looked up at the rearview mirror and saw that his cousin looked a bit lethargic.

What happened next left him floored.

The mirror clearly reflected Qin Shen pulling Pei Yu toward his lap, lowering his head to whisper secrets. He even nipped the boy’s ear in a doting, intimate way. Pei Yu’s eyes curved into crescents, a sweet smile blooming on his lips as his face flushed red. Then, he gave Qin Shen’s leg a heavy swat.

Qin Shen—the man who conquered the business world with decisive ruthlessness—didn’t get angry; instead, he laughed and spoke in a low voice, seemingly coaxing the boy.

“…” “…”

He really shouldn’t have gotten up so early just to be mistreated like this. Qin Yiyang was losing his mind. He desperately wanted to turn around, pop the pink bubbles surrounding the “dog couple,” and scream: “Brother Pei, buckle your seatbelt!!!”

Careless driving leads to family weeping!

He observed quietly, thinking for a long time before finally realizing what was different. Previously, it felt like his cousin’s feelings were more overt, while Pei Yu was more reserved. In this relationship, Qin Shen had always been the one leading the charge.

But looking at them now, Pei Yu seemed to have taken a giant leap forward. It looked very much like a “two-way street” kind of love. So… had his cousin finally seen the clouds’ part to reveal the moon?

The car came to a steady halt. After getting out, Pei Yu turned back and held the car door open, smiling. “Bye then! I’m off to school. Good luck with your rehab training today.”

The golden sunlight illuminated the boy’s flawless face fair, translucent, and radiating a gentle, tranquil aura. Many passing students recognized Pei Yu and watched the scene with curiosity. Seeing his “celestial” beauty, their eyes glazed over for a moment.

The corners of Qin Shen’s mouth curled up. He unbuckled his seatbelt, leaned over to rub Pei Yu’s head, and looked at him with lingering reluctance. “Mhm. Study hard. If anything happens, just message me.”

“What could possibly happen at school? I’m surrounded by classmates and teachers,” Pei Yu said. “Plus, I have Qin Yiyang with me.”

“…” Qin Yiyang watched the public display of affection with a numb expression.

He wittily chimed in, “Exactly, Cousin! Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep a close eye on your wife. No Alpha will get within five feet of him!!”

Qin Shen: “…” Pei Yu: “…”

Pei Yu’s face turned beet-red instantly. He mumbled, “What are you talking about?”

Qin Yiyang blinked. It was the truth, wasn’t it? They were getting engaged in a few days; he was the wife. Just thinking about it made him annoyed—he really wanted to find a wife too.

Hearing that title sent a ripple through Qin Shen’s heart. He was naturally pleased. However, he had to consider Pei Yu’s shyness; if he made the kid angry and was banned from kissing him at night, it would be a problem.

Qin Shen frowned slightly, his voice deep and stern: “Don’t call him that. We aren’t engaged yet.”

“Oh, so it’s okay to call him that after the engagement?” Qin Yiyang joked.

Pei Yu bit his lip and threatened in a low voice, “Do you think your grades have improved so much that you won’t need my help anymore?”

Qin Yiyang: “?”

Pei Yu smiled. “Say it again and I won’t let you copy my homework.”

“…” Damn.

Qin Yiyang immediately chickened out, not daring to joke further. “Brother Pei, I was wrong.”

The first bell for morning self-study rang. Qin Shen checked the time, but before he could tell the two kids to hurry to class, Qin Yiyang and Pei Yu had already dashed off and disappeared.

Once Pei Yu’s slender figure vanished, Qin Shen instructed the driver to start the car.

“Don’t go back yet. Go to the Medical Research Institute,” Qin Shen said.

For the past two days, his mood had been swinging between irritability and restlessness, and his need for Pei Yu’s pheromones was skyrocketing. Even just now, he hadn’t wanted to let Pei Yu go. All signs pointed to one thing: his rut was coming.

His last rut had been in August. In previous years, although his ruts were more frequent than a healthy Alpha’s, the interval was usually at least three months. It was rare for it to return so quickly.

If the rut really came, given Pei Yu’s soft-hearted nature, he would definitely help him. But if they were in a room together, could he truly restrain himself from hurting Pei Yu?

Qin Shen used to believe he could fight against the ruts dictated by his genes. No matter how painful or difficult, he could just grit his teeth and endure it. But with Pei Yu by his side, everything was different. He was no longer confident that he wouldn’t harm him.

One wrong step—a sexual encounter or a permanent marking—would be a massive physical and psychological turning point for Pei Yu. He needed to understand his condition clearly and make full preparations for this upcoming rut.

In the classroom, the teacher hadn’t arrived yet, and the morning lessons hadn’t officially started. Some students in Class 3 were eating breakfast, some were doing homework, and others were chatting.

Qin Yiyang squeezed out a grin, wanting to ask if Pei Yu’s relationship with his cousin had truly taken a massive leap forward.

“Brother Pei…” Qin Yiyang smiled.

Pei Yu: “…” “Could you not smile so lecherously?”

Qin Yiyang clutched his chest as if wounded. “Brother, you have pierced my heart. How am I lecherous? I’m so handsome!”

Pei Yu looked at him for a few seconds. Okay, he was quite handsome. It had to be said—whether it was Qin Shen or Qin Yiyang, they were both exceptionally good-looking. Their family genes must be superior. Take Grandpa Qin, for example; though he was old, he was full of vitality, and one could see his handsome youthful features.

He had seen photos of Grandpa and Grandma in the tea room. Grandma had striking, well-defined features and deep, jet-black eyes; Qin Shen’s eyes looked just like hers. Compared to Qin Shen’s cold aura, Qin Yiyang was more the conventional image of a handsome Alpha—sharp features, rugged lines, and thanks to basketball, a great physique. He was more the “sunny and cheerful” type of handsome.

“You are pretty handsome…” Pei Yu acknowledged.

Qin Yiyang beamed, but before his smile could fully form, Pei Yu added: “…just a bit of an idiot.”

Qin Yiyang: “…” “Brother Pei, I’ll study hard, just stop scolding me, wahhh.”

Seeing him whining like that, Pei Yu was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to tell Qin Yiyang the cruel truth: even if his grades improved, his personality and actions would still be “idiotic.”

“But Brother Pei, are you and my brother…” Qin Yiyang blinked, finding a suitable phrase, “Have you already fallen in love with him?”

Pei Yu’s heart skipped a beat, and his cheeks felt hot. He whispered, “Why do you ask that? Is it that obvious?”

“I knew it.” Qin Yiyang wasn’t surprised. “But my brother is way too shameless.”

He glanced at Pei Yu’s neck. On the snowy skin of his collarbone sat a cartoon strawberry band-aid, peeking out from the collar of his uniform.

“He’s a total beast!!!”

Pei Yu followed Qin Yiyang’s gaze, and his face instantly turned beet-red. He knew it—the band-aid was basically a self-confession! He pulled out his phone and sent a string of emojis of a kitten swearing and throwing a tantrum.

Qin Shen, receiving the messages, looked at the spamming emojis and silently sent back a question mark. Seeing the lonely question mark made Pei Yu even angrier. He shut his phone and stuffed it in his pocket, letting Qin Shen experience what it felt like when the person he liked didn’t reply!

“I mean… would you believe me if I said it was a mosquito bite?” Pei Yu said hesitantly.

Qin Yiyang paused, then nodded frantically. “I believe you. My brother really isn’t human.”

Pei Yu was suddenly moved to laughter.

The sound of Chinese textbooks being read aloud gradually filled the classroom. Zhou Yue stepped in just as the final bell rang. As she rushed to her seat, she caught sight of the stunning Pei Yu. She thought to herself: This is great; looking at a beauty every morning really improves my mood.

“Here, one for each of you.” Zhou Yue pulled out two marshmallows. Qin Yiyang stood up to let her in.

“Thanks.” Pei Yu didn’t want sweets first thing in the morning, so he put it in his pocket.

“Huh? What’s wrong with your neck? Are you hurt?” Zhou Yue blinked.

Qin Yiyang wanted to laugh but shut his mouth under the threat of Pei Yu’s cold glare.

“I accidentally got bitten,” Pei Yu said with a smile.

The innocent Zhou Yue didn’t think anything of it and just gave an “Oh.” Seeing the homeroom teacher in the hallway, she quickly pulled out a book and pretended to study.

The third and fourth periods were physics with Sun Hai. Before the class started, he walked in with a new student.

“Alright, class, settle down. I have an announcement. We have a new classmate joining us. Su Yan—”

Pei Yu joined the applause. He looked at the boy on the podium, his eyes widening. Su Yan?

Wasn’t that the fellow patient from the bed next to his when he was hospitalized for his presentation? The one who had been abandoned and had attempted suicide by slitting his wrists?

“Su Yan, come and introduce yourself to everyone,” Sun Hai said kindly.

The boy called Su Yan was extremely thin; even a size small school uniform hung loosely on him. His lips were pale, and he looked frail, as if he might faint if a breeze blew. His arms were incredibly thin, hanging limply by his sides. Qin Yiyang felt like he could snap one of those arms with ease.

The students in the aisles whispered: “Hey, I’ve seen him on the honor roll before. Wasn’t he in the grade above us? Why didn’t he go to university?” “I heard he had a falling out with his boyfriend and… well,” someone whispered very softly, “he had some mental health issues. Apparently, he messed up the Gaokao and only hit the first-tier cut-off.” “What do you mean ‘only’???” “But he used to be top-tier material.” “So he’s repeating senior year?”

Sun Hai looked up and pointed to the back row. “Sit next to Pei Yu. There’s an empty seat there.”

Su Yan nodded softly. “Okay. Thank you, Teacher.”

Sun Hai opened his laptop. “Alright, let’s start class. We’re continuing our review of Gravitation and Aerospace…”

Su Yan walked to his seat and looked at Pei Yu, finding him familiar.

“Hospital,” Pei Yu reminded him.

Su Yan looked surprised. “It’s you. I remember now.”

Pei Yu smiled and moved his textbook to the middle. “I see you don’t have materials yet. Let’s look at mine for now.”

Su Yan said softly, “Okay, thanks.”

As a former “new student” himself, Pei Yu witnessed a scene similar to his own arrival. As soon as the bell for the end of the third period rang, Su Yan’s desk was surrounded by people asking about his interests and hobbies.

Unlike Pei Yu, who had answered every question back then, Su Yan was clearly more introverted. After stuttering through a few questions, he made an excuse to go to the restroom and took the opportunity to leave.

The students left behind grumbled, “Did we upset him?” “Maybe he’s just naturally introverted.” “Or maybe his psychological issues aren’t cured yet, and he’s not good at socializing.” “Hey, I heard he tried to slit his wrists. Did you see the wristband he’s wearing?” “What? Slitting his wrists?! No way.”

Pei Yu frowned slightly and said in a low voice, “Class is starting soon. Everyone should head back.”

In the front row, Zhou Yue and Qin Yiyang chatted briefly about the rumors surrounding Su Yan.

By the time Su Yan returned from washing his face, class had started, and he sat back down. Pei Yu caught a few glimpses of the sports wristband used to hide the scars, then quietly looked away.

When school let out at noon, Pei Yu didn’t go back for a nap. When Qin Yiyang asked what he was doing, he gave a vague explanation about needing to buy some things at the mall.

Qin Yiyang got into the car. “Then let Old Yang drop you off first.”

Pei Yu glanced at the back seat; Qin Shen wasn’t there. Due to work, Qin Shen rarely came at noon, only picking them up in the evenings.

“Alright.” Pei Yu sat in the back and buckled his seatbelt. “Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Yang.”

Old Yang started the car and said calmly, “No trouble at all. It’s my job.”

On the other side of town.

Qin Shen had just finished a comprehensive physical examination and was currently sitting in Dr. Lu’s office, listening to an analysis of his condition.

Dr. Lu was one of the heads of the medical research institute under the Qin Group. His research focused primarily on pheromone disorder treatments, and he also served as Qin Shen’s private attending physician.

Qin Shen explained the irritable feelings he had been experiencing over the past few days in detail.

“Specifically, when I’m alone with Pei Yu, my emotional fluctuations are much more intense. I’m worried that if he stays with me during my rut, I might accidentally hurt him.”

Dr. Lu hadn’t expected President Qin to be so considerate of his partner. He was slightly taken aback but nodded. “I understand.” He carefully flipped through more than a dozen pages of the examination report, integrating the data with the information Qin Shen provided.

“From the data, Mr. Qin, your rut is indeed approaching. It’s likely that because you spend so much time with an Omega with a 100% compatibility rating, his pheromones are influencing you.”

“As for your fear of hurting him, my suggestion is to spend as much time with him as possible before the rut begins. Frequent pheromone exchange will soothe your emotions.”

“I heard Pei Yu is still in his senior year, but try not to interrupt the pheromone therapy if possible.”

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