After Faking My Death, I Sub-gendered into an Omega; My Alpha Ex-Husband Tracked My Scent and Wept - Chapter 8

When Cheng Yanzhou held Shen Qi and stepped into the villa’s entryway, the heavily intoxicated Beta in his arms suddenly began to struggle violently.

“Let me down!”

Shen Qi’s soft fists hammered against his chest. The alcohol made his resistance resemble that of a bristling cat, completely unlike his usual obedient self.

Shen Qi struggled, twisting his body as he shouted, “You must be covered in someone else’s scent. Do not touch me.”

As soon as he finished cursing, the Alpha’s arms stiffened for a moment.

Tears began to fall.

He was crying again.

He had spent a long time with Shi Nian earlier discussing induction agents, so his own jasmine-scented pheromones had indeed lingered on his clothes. However, he had not expected Shen Qi to notice, as a Beta could not smell pheromones. How then did he know he had been in contact with another Omega?

There was no way to answer that question for now, so Cheng Yanzhou decided to soothe the crying Shen Qi in his arms. He patted his back gently and cooed in a low voice, his tone incredibly tender. “Qiqi, be good. Stop crying, stop crying.”

After a moment of fussing, Shen Qi finally grew drowsy and lay still against him, no longer crying, as if he had fallen asleep. Cheng Yanzhou held him gently, coaxing him as he steadily climbed the stairs. He pushed the bedroom door shut with his foot and carefully placed him on the bed.

He took off Shen Qi’s shoes, pulled up the quilt, tucked in the corners, and sat by the bedside. Only then could he not help but cup Shen Qi’s face, his thumb gently rubbing against the small mole on his right cheek.

Unable to hold back, he whispered, “There has never been anyone else; there is only you.”

Shen Qi was half-drunk and half-sober. Now, sinking into the soft bedding, he looked up at him dazedly. It seemed to take a long time for his brain to process the sentence. The alcohol made his thinking sluggish, but it left his emotions raw.

He suddenly grabbed Cheng Yanzhou’s cuffs, his eyes reddened, and he sobbed as he spoke, “You are lying. I saw the photos. Pink hair.”

Cheng Yanzhou’s heart ached the moment he saw him cry. He knelt on one knee by the bed to get closer. He reached out and gently wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes with his fingertips, explaining in a low, gentle voice, “That is Shi Nian. She is just a childhood friend.”

“Can a childhood friend just be brought into the office? Can you just lock the door for two or three hours before coming out?”

Although he was clearly the one interrogating, Shen Qi’s voice grew softer and softer because he still felt insecure in his dazed state. He would not be the winner because Cheng Yanzhou did not love him. The one who was not loved was the third party, and his questioning made him look like a fool.

As soon as this thought emerged, his tears became uncontrollable. Shen Qi sobbed and suddenly pulled Cheng Yanzhou’s tie to bring him closer. His heart breaking in agony, Shen Qi began to speak.

“Cheng Yanzhou, will you love me?”

“I am your spouse. Cheng Yanzhou, please do not love anyone else.”

“Just a little bit. Please love me.”

“Can you?”

He kept saying it, asking, and begging through his sobs. The more he spoke, the sadder he became. As his sense of shame began to surface, he let go of Cheng Yanzhou’s tie and draped his arm over his eyes to cover his heavy crying. His shoulders trembled slightly, but he did not stop talking. He asked over and over again, and Cheng Yanzhou’s heart felt as if it were breaking into pieces.

These words shredded his heart into bloody fragments.

Fool, how could I not love you?

Just as he was thinking about how to soothe him, Cheng Yanzhou’s breathing hitched. A sharp pain suddenly shot through the gland at the back of his neck; his pheromone mania was flaring up again. He was already in his susceptibility period, and he had been too anxious to pick up Shen Qi, forgetting to suppress his pheromones. Furthermore, the incision from the recent surgery had not fully healed. With all these factors combined, even he could not endure it.

The scent of gin spilled out uncontrollably, reaching a terrifying concentration that filled the room instantly. Cheng Yanzhou tried his best to suppress it, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Fortunately, Shen Qi was covering his eyes and could not see, and fortunately, he could not smell it, for his pheromones were not something a normal person could withstand when he lost control.

The only thought in his mind was to leave immediately. He could not stay here; he was afraid he would lose control. He lunged backward, knocking over the water glass on the nightstand.

Hearing the commotion, Shen Qi climbed up unsteadily and hugged him from behind. “Do not go. Why do you always try to hide from me?”

The Alpha’s back muscles were taut. He could feel Shen Qi’s face pressed against his back, his hot tears soaking through his shirt. If this continued, he feared he would lose control and hurt him.

“I am going to pour you another glass of water,” Cheng Yanzhou said, prying Shen Qi’s hands away from his waist, his voice raspy beyond recognition. “I will be back soon.”

The bathroom mirror in the guest room reflected a pale face.

Cheng Yanzhou turned on the shower, ignoring the surgical stitches, and let the ice-cold water wash over his searing gland. He took three inhibitors from a secret compartment and injected them into his arm without hesitation. He took several deep breaths to barely suppress the chaotic urge from before. By now, he was covered in cold sweat.

Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering came from the bedroom.

Cheng Yanzhou was startled. When he rushed back, Shen Qi was kneeling in the broken glass, his palms covered in bloody scratches. He looked up at him blankly, tears streaming down his face. “The glass, it broke.”

“Do not move!”

Cheng Yanzhou picked him up, placed him on the sofa at the foot of the bed, and scrambled to find the first-aid kit. When the alcohol swab brushed against his wounds, Shen Qi, usually so strong, gasped in pain and cried even harder. Yet, he still stared at him stubbornly. “You still have not answered me.”

Was he asking the question about loving him?

Cheng Yanzhou did not dare to judge how sober he was, so he paused, stunned, and remained silent. He bowed his head to apply a bandage to the wound, the shadow of his eyelashes perfectly masking the emotions in his eyes.

“You are drunk.”

“I am not drunk!”

Shen Qi suddenly became agitated. “It has been three years, and you have not even looked at me properly.”

His voice grew softer. “I worked so hard. I learned to cook the dishes you love, memorized all your habits, did my best to be a good spouse at home, and worked hard at the company. I, I am so very tired.”

His nose soured, and his dry eyes filled with tears once more, as if he wanted to shed a lifetime of tears all at once.

Cheng Yanzhou’s fingertips were trembling slightly. Of course, he knew. He remembered every late night Shen Qi spent waiting for him to come home, the stomach medicine hidden in his briefcase, and even the book Alpha Psychology Guide in the living room TV cabinet, with the note, “I must understand him better,” written on the flyleaf.

Just then, a sharp, tearing pain struck the gland at the back of his neck again. Cheng Yanzhou groaned, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back once more. This would not do. Even the inhibitors were failing to suppress it; he had to leave.

“Sleep now.”

He managed to carry Shen Qi back to bed, his voice incredibly gentle. “Tomorrow, tomorrow I will tell you everything.”

At 3:00 AM, after managing his condition, Cheng Yanzhou sat in the sofa in the corner of the bedroom with blood-stained hands, his gaze fixed motionlessly on the bed. The effects of the inhibitors were fading, but he could not take any more. His gland felt as if it were being burned by fire. His breathing remained unstable, and he bit his hand to prevent himself from making a sound, his mouth tasting of blood.

Moonlight shone through the gap in the curtains, casting a silvery glow on Shen Qi’s face. He was asleep, but he was not resting peacefully, and he was still muttering something in his sleep. Cheng Yanzhou walked to the bedside, driven by an uncontrollable impulse to hear what he was saying. However, as he approached, the mumbling stopped.

Cheng Yanzhou watched his sleeping face, his fingertips hovering in mid-air, hesitating to touch him.

“Qiqi,” he called out very softly, as if afraid of disturbing a fragile dream, “Wait for me a little longer.”

Once all of this was over, he would give Shen Qi his best love.

Before dawn broke, the Alpha quietly left the room.