After Entering a Contract Marriage with a Disabled Alpha - Chapter 7

The scene fell into a heavy silence. Time seemed to have stagnated.

“You—” Qin Shen tried his best to control his tone.

Pei Yu could still hear the sound of him gritting his teeth. He pursed his lips and stole a glance at the man’s darkened face.

“I… I could not hold it back,” Pei Yu said, his face flushing with shame. “I am sorry.”

A rare crack appeared in Qin Shen’s icy facade. He could not exactly blame a drunk kid. When the youth apologized in that soft voice, he looked like a kitten that had accidentally caused trouble.

Qin Shen did not even dare to breathe. Although it was only a small amount of liquid, he could not bear the sight or the smell.

“It is fine. I will just take a shower and change clothes.”

A man with a slight case of mysophobia, he could not tolerate the mess. His brows knit tighter. Returning home with this scent and dampness on him would be the death of him. Usually, at home, he had a caregiver to help him bathe. He had a large build, and the caregiver was strong enough to lift him easily.

“Assistant Li, come to the bathroom with me,” Qin Shen said.

Li Shuang was struggling so hard to hold back a laugh that his face was contorted.

Qin Shen asked, “Are you having fun?”

Li Shuang paused, composed himself, and returned to his professional assistant persona. “No, I do not find it funny. On the contrary, I sympathize with you, President Qin.”

Sitting on the bed, Pei Yu felt even more ashamed and uneasy. He grabbed a bathrobe and followed them. After hanging his clothes, he rinsed his mouth briefly; his stomach felt much better after spitting. Having made such a mess, the drunkenness in Pei Yu’s head vanished completely, and the lingering minty taste in his mouth made him sober up quickly.

However, a faint flush still bloomed on his cheeks, and the small red mole at the corner of his eye looked particularly vivid. He set his glasses on the vanity and splashed water on his face. Turning his head, he saw that Qin Shen and Li Shuang had not moved.

Qin Shen’s legs were immobile. Usually, bodyguards or drivers helped him in and out of the car, and he had a caregiver at home. Li Shuang, as his assistant, handled complex professional tasks but had never helped him bathe. The thought of undressing in front of a subordinate gave Qin Shen a sense of inescapable awkwardness.

Maybe I should just wipe it off, he thought. But the idea of not being completely clean made his head ache.

To Pei Yu, the two looked like a frozen image. Li Shuang also guessed what his boss was thinking. After all, President Qin had always maintained a cold, serious, and decisive image. Undressing in front of an assistant was indeed embarrassing.

Seeing that his boss remained silent, Li Shuang spoke up boldly: “President Qin, do you need me to help you take off your trousers?”

Qin Shen paused and gave him a flat look. “Only my legs are immobile. My hands are fine.”

“Oh,” Li Shuang replied. Then take them off, he thought while watching him.

Qin Shen raised his hand, his slender knuckles grabbing his tie. He pulled it loose and handed the tie and his suit jacket to Li Shuang. Li Shuang held the clothes and gestured with his eyes for the boss to continue.

The atmosphere was incredibly strange and tense. Qin Shen closed his eyes and said, “Take the showerhead down and put it on the floor. I will handle the rest myself.”

Li Shuang, holding the clothes, and Pei Yu, who was quietly watching the drama, were both kicked out of the bathroom.

Pei Yu thought about the man’s disabled legs and did not quite understand why he would not let the assistant stay and help.

“Will he be okay alone?” Pei Yu asked worriedly. “Are you not going to help him?”

“Sigh, the boss will not let me stay. I have to follow his orders,” Li Shuang said. Noticing the youth’s slight frown, he added, “He probably feels it is a loss of face. After all, I am a subordinate who usually follows his lead. He has always maintained a perfect image in front of me and would never show a weak side.”

Pei Yu pouted, feeling a bit stifled. “But you were just joking with each other earlier. Are you two not very close?”

“We are close. I have been by his side since I graduated.” Li Shuang recalled the first time he met Qin Shen. Back then, Qin Shen’s legs were still fine. Qin Shen was only three years older than him, but the leadership and cold, sharp methods he displayed in business negotiations were peaks Li Shuang could not reach even with ten more years of training.

“It is precisely because we are close,” Li Shuang sighed. “Perhaps because he has a streak of pride in his bones, he is even more unwilling to show vulnerability in front of those he knows well.”

It was not just him; Jiang Yibai was the same. Neither of them had ever witnessed a moment of helplessness from Qin Shen.

“So that is how it is…” Pei Yu still felt a bit dizzy, so he leaned against the wall to rest. The whole situation had been caused by him, and the man had helped him so much. He turned to look through the frosted glass, but he could see nothing, only hear the rustling sounds from within. He could not help but imagine the scene of the man struggling to clean himself alone.

“How much longer until his legs are healed?” Pei Yu asked softly. He instinctively assumed the man was just sick or temporarily injured. Like Jiang He—when she needed to rest, he would follow the nurses’ instructions, lift her into a wheelchair, and push her through the hospital garden to soak in the sun.

“This…” Li Shuang looked worried. “I am not sure. The doctors cannot say for certain. They just told the boss to focus on rehabilitation and exercise.”

“Rehabilitation?” Pei Yu was slightly surprised. “Are his legs not just broken or something?”

“No,” Li Shuang said heavily. “It is a permanent disability caused by a car accident.” He only knew a little about the power struggle within the Qin family, but such things could not be discussed with outsiders, so he fell silent.

Hearing the truth of the condition, Pei Yu did not know how to react. He had to earn money for living and medical expenses from a young age, but he was physically healthy. He looked down at his own legs and moved his ankles. He could hardly imagine a life without the use of his legs. By comparison, his own life did not seem so bitter.

Lost in thought, a strange sense of sorrow welled up in Pei Yu’s heart. Li Shuang did not notice the youth’s emotions and placed Qin Shen’s jacket on the sofa. “I am going to have the hotel prepare some sobering soup and food. I am starving. Keep watch here and call room service if you need anything.”

“Okay,” Pei Yu said. “I will keep a good watch over him.”

Li Shuang paused. Looking into the boy’s eyes and hearing his tone, it sounded as if he had accepted a solemn mission. Reassured, he left.

Inside the bathroom, after finally struggling to remove his trousers, a thin layer of sweat broke out on Qin Shen’s forehead. He lifted the hem of his shirt to keep it from getting wet from his legs, thought for a moment, and tied a simple knot to free his hands.

The wheelchair was electric and could not be sprayed with water, so he had to move forward and try his best to avoid getting it wet. Qin Shen turned on the showerhead. The spray on the floor flipped the showerhead over from the pressure, instantly drenching his shirt and underwear. His black bangs were soaked, and water dripped onto his legs.

He was very diligent about exercise and regular massages. His muscles had not atrophied, but they were significantly thinner, with only a thin layer of muscle covering the bone.

As the water ran down his legs, a scar several centimeters long from the car accident was visible at the base of his left thigh. The wound stood out against his pale skin, looking hideous under the lights.

Qin Shen remained silent for a while. In recent years, the people he hired were very professional, which had allowed him to slowly forget the sense of decadence and powerlessness brought by his disability. But without a caregiver by his side, the most hidden negative emotions in his heart began to spiral upward.

In the enclosed space, heat and steam filled the air, mingled with a cold, sharp, and freezing pheromone. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees. His long knuckles gripped his thigh tightly, pressing down until they left marks, yet the pain he felt was very slight.

The grip of Qin Shen’s wrist grew stronger, and he even dug his neatly trimmed nails deep into his leg, trying to bring about a greater sense of pain to distract himself. The cold and solemn pheromones occupied the entire bathroom, carrying the scent of cool, bitter mint mixed with the woody fragrance of cedar. The powerful and heavy Alpha pheromones became increasingly thick.

Qin Shen’s gaze was dark, and a destructive impulse surged within him, as if only this could alleviate the dark emotions of being a cripple.

It felt as though he had fallen into the deep sea, drowning and unable to breathe.

The sound of knocking on the door pulled him back to reality.

A soft, gentle voice sounded from outside. “Sir, are you finished with your shower?”

Pei Yu did not know the man’s name. After a moment of thought, he decided this was the only appropriate way to address him. “I am waiting right outside the door.” He leaned against the wall next to the bathroom, staring down at his toes.

His warm voice drifted into the bathroom like fluttering dandelion seeds, reaching Qin Shen’s ears.

Qin Shen blinked his damp eyes. The paranoia and darkness in his gaze gradually receded, and a moment later, he regained his composure. “Yes, almost finished,” Qin Shen called out. He quickly squeezed out some body wash, rubbed it into a lather, and rinsed the thick foam away.

The water flowed down the lines of his calves and pooled on the floor beneath the wheelchair. Turning off the shower, Qin Shen scanned the room; the bathrobe was hanging on a rack. Although the hook was a bit high, he managed to unbuckle the belt and pull it down.

As he was trying to put on the robe, the wheelchair suddenly slipped. A loud crash startled Pei Yu, who was keeping watch outside.

He pushed the door open, brushing through the white mist. The wheelchair had tipped over, and the man had fallen to the floor. “Are you alright?” Pei Yu hurried over.

Before Qin Shen’s embarrassment could flare up, two soft arms wrapped around his waist. He was lifted by the youth and placed back into the wheelchair.

“I was worried something might happen,” Pei Yu said. “Did you hurt yourself in the fall?”

Qin Shen ignored the slight sting in his elbow and used the bathrobe to cover his bare legs. “I am fine.” He looked up at the youth, not wanting to see sympathy or pity in his eyes. Fortunately, there was none. All he saw were clear, flawless light brown eyes filled with genuine concern.

“That is good. Let me help you dress.” Pei Yu instinctively picked up the bathrobe resting on Qin Shen’s lap.

Two long legs rested on the wheelchair; the pale skin was traced with blue veins and covered by a thin layer of muscle. They looked lean and toned, not weak. As his gaze shifted slightly, Pei Yu saw black undergarments that stood in sharp contrast to the pale skin. The damp fabric clung to his body, making a certain silhouette quite prominent.

Pei Yu froze for a second, his cheeks burning. “I… I am sorry, I forgot…” He quickly looked up, chanting to himself that he must not look where he shouldn’t.

“It is fine,” Qin Shen said, feeling a bit awkward, though he didn’t feel any real discomfort.

“Do you still need help? Or will you do it yourself?” Pei Yu gripped the bathrobe nervously, suddenly noticing that the man’s earlobes were faintly red.

Is he shy?

After a moment of silence, Pei Yu heard a low “Mhm.”

“Then I will trouble you.”

Pei Yu grabbed the robe. “It is no trouble. After all, I am the one who threw up on you. Should I take off your wet shirt?”

“Yes. I will do that part myself.”

Qin Shen methodically unbuttoned the shirt. Pei Yu looked away toward the ceiling. A few seconds later, he heard the man say it was okay to look. When he looked back down, he saw the man’s well-defined abdominal muscles, which bore the clear marks of training. Unlike his own slender frame, the man before him possessed a mature charm.

Without looking too closely, Pei Yu focused on getting the robe on him. The man was quite heavy; it took some effort to lean him forward to spread the robe behind him.

His cheek was very close to the man’s chest. A warm breath spread between them, and a crisp, cold fragrance filled his nose—like a pine forest in the snow, a refreshing scent of nature. Pei Yu remembered the smell from the handkerchief.

“Your cologne smells very good.”

His taste was much better than Lin Shuxing’s; the scent was light and comfortable, fitting for a man of his cold and noble temperament.

Qin Shen’s attention was focused on the youth’s hands resting on his waist. Hearing the comment, his brows knit imperceptibly. He took the belt of the robe and tied a casual knot. After a moment of hesitation, he explained, “It is not the smell of cologne.”

Pei Yu asked, “Is it the body wash?” But they were in a hotel; surely the man didn’t use the same brand at home.

“It is pheromones,” Qin Shen’s voice was slightly husky. “Did you not realize I am an Alpha?”

“…”

Pei Yu paused, repeating the word: “Alpha?”

Of course. The unique, steady temperament, the large build, and even that “ferocious” part all matched the textbook descriptions of an Alpha perfectly. Pei Yu looked at the back of the man’s neck and realized there was a skin-toned sticker there. It was a gland patch used to prevent pheromone leakage.

“I thought it was cologne,” Pei Yu murmured in realization. “Your pheromones smell very good.”

Qin Shen narrowed his eyes, his gaze becoming dangerous. The youth seemingly had no idea what it meant to tell an Alpha that their pheromones smelled “good.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Are you an Omega?”

“No, I am a Beta,” Pei Yu said, then his eyes suddenly went wide.

Right. He was a Beta. How could he smell them?!

As they stared at each other, Qin Shen said, “Perhaps I released too many pheromones just now, and you caught a bit of it.”

Pei Yu had to accept this explanation for now. “That is possible.” Though, he still felt something was strange.

Li Shuang had ordered sobering soup and hot milk from room service. Exhausted and hungry, he had quickly grabbed a late-night snack in the hotel dining hall. When he returned to the room, the hotel waiter was just arriving with the trolley.

“Thank you, just leave it here.” Li Shuang took the trolley inside.

Qin Shen had finished his shower and was drying his hair with a hairdryer. A pair of suit trousers and a wet shirt were draped over the sofa.

Li Shuang greeted them. “Boss, and you—”

“I am Pei Yu. You can just call me Xiao Yu,” Pei Yu said with a smile.

Li Shuang handed him the soup. “This is for you.” He then handed the milk to Qin Shen. “Boss, this is yours.”

“Mhm.” Qin Shen set down the dryer and took the milk, glancing at his watch. “It is late. Let’s just stay here tonight.”

The suite was nearly a hundred square meters, with two master bedrooms, two secondary bedrooms, and a living area.

“I’ll send the clothes for dry cleaning,” Li Shuang said, picking up the laundry.

Qin Shen nodded. “Stay in a secondary bedroom tonight. Tell Old Yang to take the other one.”

Pei Yu sipped the sobering soup and checked his phone. It was so late, yet there were no messages from the Lin family. Although he hadn’t expected any, he still felt a bit of a letdown.

He turned off his phone and smiled. “Goodnight then, sir. Thank you for tonight. If there is anything you need help with, just call me.”

Qin Shen frowned. The title “sir” sounded a bit unpleasant to his ears. He stared at the youth for a few seconds before starting his wheelchair. “Goodnight.”

As the night deepened, Pei Yu lay on the large, soft bed. Outside, it was a summer night, but the central air conditioning was pumping cool air. The room temperature was perfect for sleep, and anyone buried under a thin quilt should have felt cozy and comfortable.

But Pei Yu did not. He felt hot.

It was as if he had been thrust into the outdoor heat of a 42°C day. The heat wasn’t just on his skin; it was releasing from deep within his body, flowing through his blood and spreading to his limbs.

Pei Yu wasn’t fully awake. His consciousness was blurred and chaotic, and his whole body was burning. Specifically, his lower abdomen and the thin skin on the back of his neck felt like they were on fire. Unable to stand the heat, Pei Yu arched his back and kicked away the blanket.

“So hot… ugh.” He mumbled in dissatisfaction. His cheeks and collarbone were flushed deep red—not the flush of alcohol or an allergy, but a seductive crimson that seemed to come from his very bones, carrying a certain burning desire.

A wave of heat rose from his tailbone, a sensation Pei Yu had never experienced before. He rubbed his long legs against the sheets. Within minutes, fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead and nose. The red mole at the corner of his left eye deepened in color, looking like a red plum blossom in the snow.

His face was so red it looked as if it might bleed. He twisted his body unconsciously but could find no relief. A rich, floral fragrance began to release from his body, gradually filling the entire bedroom.

Strands of pheromones seeped through the gap under the door, drifting into the adjacent master bedroom and slowly coiling around the man lying on the bed.

An Alpha’s senses were sharp; their sense of smell was far superior to that of a Beta or an Omega. Even a hint of fragrance would be infinitely magnified.

It is the scent of roses, Qin Shen thought as he opened his eyes.

An Omega was in heat, right in the room next to him.

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