After Faking My Death, I Sub-gendered into an Omega; My Alpha Ex-Husband Tracked My Scent and Wept - Chapter 6

The next day.

When Shen Qi woke up, his eyelids felt as heavy as lead.

He reached for his phone on the nightstand. The screen lit up: 10:27 AM.

He had known last night that he would not be in a good state today, so he had requested another day off.

He locked his phone screen, thinking to himself that he had slept until now, which meant he must have been too exhausted from crying last night.

He slid on his slippers and walked into the bathroom, feeling lightheaded.

The person in the mirror had severely swollen eyes, and his whites were filled with broken blood vessels.

Shen Qi pursed his lips at his haggard reflection, feeling a sense of grievance again.

He was the one who had been wronged, so he did not understand what Cheng Yanzhou was being so fierce about last night.

After cleaning himself up, he noticed that the citrus scent on his wrists had completely dissipated.

So much for long-lasting fragrance. Like some things, it faded too quickly.

Walking down the spiral staircase to the first floor, Shen Qi saw breakfast set on the dining table, still steaming.

Cheng Yanzhou had likely already left for work, leaving a note pressed under the bowl: [Remember to eat].

Shen Qi stared at those words for a long time, suddenly finding them ridiculous.

They had just brought up divorce last night, yet this morning, the other party acted as if nothing had happened, even caring about whether he ate or not.

It had been three years. Cheng Yanzhou was always like this, giving a tiny bit of insignificant concern, then disappearing without a trace. When they met again, he was still the same cold person. Had he not long been accustomed to this kind of life?

Perhaps it was only because of a special day like their third anniversary that he felt a glimmer of compassion. In reality, Cheng Yanzhou probably just thought he was being unreasonable.

He chewed his toast mechanically, finding it tasteless as wax.

At lunch, Cheng Yanzhou came home to eat, which was unprecedented.

The Alpha sat across the dining table. The position of his pheromone gland on the back of his neck was covered by gauze with a new blocker patch on top. His suit jacket was draped casually over the back of the chair.

Shen Qi noticed that his complexion looked abnormal and there was visible fatigue between his brows.

Could his rut cycle have arrived?

Subconsciously, he still could not help but care about him in his heart.

Shen Qi managed a bitter smile and lowered his head to eat.

“Are your eyes uncomfortable?”

Cheng Yanzhou spoke abruptly.

This question was not strange, as Shen Qi’s eyes were still somewhat red and swollen, making it easy to tell.

Even though he was being cared for, Shen Qi still felt unhappy. His hand, holding the soup spoon, paused for a moment before he replied, “I will not trouble President Cheng to worry.”

President Cheng.

Except when at the office, he generally did not address Cheng Yanzhou this way unless he was angry.

The air froze for a moment.

Cheng Yanzhou set his chopsticks down on the edge of the bowl, making a crisp sound. He seemed to want to say something, but was interrupted by a sudden ringing of his phone.

He furrowed his brows, answered the call directly, and after hearing a familiar voice, he silently stood up and walked to the window to talk.

But Shen Qi still heard it.

“Shi Nian? You have arrived at the airport?”

The moment he heard that name, his hand holding the soup spoon trembled, and the spoon almost fell into the bowl.

Shi Nian.

This name was too familiar.

He had heard it many times: the only son of a family friend of the Chengs, an Omega who grew up with Cheng Yanzhou, a genius pharmacist who later went abroad to study and work, settling down overseas.

He was said to have a gentle and cute personality, his pheromone was an elegant jasmine scent, and plenty of people lined up to ask for his hand in marriage.

If it were not for that hasty arranged marriage, perhaps Cheng Yanzhou would have tied the knot with Shi Nian.

No wonder Cheng Yanzhou had always been indifferent to him. If it were him, and someone he did not know had intervened to sever his path to a marriage, he would also feel extreme disgust.

Then why did he not agree to divorce him?

Shen Qi’s thoughts ran wild until he was interrupted by the volume of Cheng Yanzhou’s voice, which had suddenly risen.

“Now? Okay, I will be right there.”

He hung up, his expression containing a trace of joy, as if he were going to pick up something incredibly important to him.

As he put on his coat, his gaze swept over Shen Qi’s still red and swollen eyes. He seemed to have more to say, but in the end, he only spoke coldly: “There is an urgent matter at the company, you…”

“Go ahead.”

Shen Qi lowered his head, stirring the soup which had instantly lost all its color and flavor, feeling a bitterness in his mouth.

He added, his tone light, “You do not need to report to me.”

He watched Cheng Yanzhou’s hurried departure expressionlessly, yet his heart was sour.

He had been crying his eyes out over their argument and divorce the previous night, but as soon as Cheng Yanzhou’s “white moonlight” returned, he was left behind.

It was not that he could not feel anxious; it was just that the person he felt anxious for was never him.

Shi Nian stood in the airport arrival hall. His light pink hair was grown to shoulder length, pulled into a small bun at the back of his head. He wore a creamy-white knit sweater, which made his porcelain-white skin appear almost transparent. Several strands of sandalwood beads were wrapped around his wrist.

Under the sunlight, he looked as if he were bathed in a soft glow.

“Yanzhou!”

Shi Nian stood on his tiptoes and waved. A faint scent of jasmine drifted with his movements.

He jogged forward two steps to meet him but slammed on the brakes half a meter away from the Alpha.

Since he studied pharmacology, he knew exactly what state Cheng Yanzhou was in just by the smell.

Shi Nian hurriedly covered his nose, “Wait, do not come over. What happened to your gland?”

Cheng Yanzhou subconsciously touched the gauze on the back of his neck.

“Just a minor operation.”

Shi Nian dug a specialized mask out of his bag, wrinkling his nose as he spoke, “Liar. Can the gland surgery of an S-grade Alpha be called a minor operation?”

He put on the mask, then squinted as he stepped closer, lowering his voice, “Besides, doing surgery during your rut… you really have a nerve. Has your pheromone mania worsened again?”

Cheng Yanzhou did not answer, choosing to remain silent.

A moment later, his eyes shifted, and he reached out, eager to take the silver security case from Shi Nian’s hands, “Is all the medicine here?”

“Of course! I take the things you entrust to me very seriously.”

Shi Nian shook his head triumphantly, then suddenly seemed to remember something and looked around, “Eh? Where is your little Beta? Did we not agree that you would let me see him when I returned to the country?”

The Alpha’s knuckles tightened on the security case lock, “He has been busy lately.”

Shi Nian curled his lips, suddenly lowering his voice, “Cut the crap. Could it be that you had another episode and scared him away? I told you a long time ago, if you confessed to him, you might feel better. It is better than taking a lethal dose of suppressants every day.”

Hearing this, Cheng Yanzhou only bowed his head silently, his expression calm, revealing no emotions.

A moment later, he hooked his lip bitterly and changed the subject, “Let us go. The car is at B2. I still have to work this afternoon, come to the company with me to talk.”

“You kid, I just got back and have not even rested, and you are already asking me to work as a laborer at your company? Can you have a little sympathy for me?”

Shi Nian rolled his eyes, forced to follow his footsteps.

An hour later, Cheng Yanzhou had already brought Shi Nian into the president’s office and locked the door behind them.

Getting straight to the point, he placed the box on the table and signaled for Shi Nian to open it.

The latter skillfully entered the password to open the safe, and several pale blue vials were arranged neatly in the temperature-controlled compartments.

“This is the latest improved version. The success rate for induced differentiation is now nearly 100%. The only side effect is a mild fever. It has already undergone two years of clinical trials and multiple improvements.”

“Speaking of which, thanks to you having me research this, our lab is already ahead of our peers. We can register it for the market in a few months.”

Seeing the syringe on the side of the box, Cheng Yanzhou frowned, interrupting Shi Nian’s flow as he boasted about the research results.

“What is the method of administration?”

“Intravenous injection, of course.” Shi Nian blinked, “Otherwise, how would…”

“Change it to oral administration.”

Cheng Yanzhou closed the box.

He then said earnestly, “He is afraid of pain.”

“…”

Shi Nian was speechless for a moment before his expression became playful.

He deliberately drew out his tone, “Wow! Our Young Master Cheng actually knows how to care about people? It seems your little Beta is quite special!”

“Can you stop being a busybody?”

“Hmph, is it not true? From what I know, you are very cold to him. Are you not afraid that he has long come to hate you?”

Cheng Yanzhou was silent.

The image of Shen Qi saying “Let us get a divorce” through his sobs surfaced in his mind, and his heart throbbed with sudden pain.

His voice went a bit hoarse, “I have no choice. If I am too close… I am afraid I will not be able to help but hurt him.”

“Sigh, I hope everything goes as you wish. I just do not know if he will still accept you after he finds out about your plan.”

Shi Nian knew about Cheng Yanzhou’s feelings for his spouse, but he was still worried for him. If that Beta knew he had been plotted against, would he still be able to stay by Cheng Yanzhou’s side?

“If the secondary differentiation is successful, at least I can use a mark to keep him.”

When Cheng Yanzhou said this, his possessiveness and obsession were almost overflowing.

Shi Nian stood frozen in place.

Eww.

How terrifying.