After the Corporate Slave Beta and the Top Alpha Married - Chapter 19

Ji Yu had almost never seen what an Alpha in a rut looks like. His only impression was from a hazy childhood memory, and it wasn’t a particularly pleasant one.

Although the doctor said family members should provide companionship, Ji Yu wasn’t a “real” family member. Besides, with one in a cast and the other in a rut, it was hard to say who would be taking care of whom.

Still, the doctor had seen his condition; that “companionship” was likely just meant to be emotional support.

Reflecting on it now, when Shang Yuanzhou skipped dinner and went straight to the study, he must have already entered his rut without knowing it, beginning to feel instinctively restless.

Ji Yu had never looked after an Alpha in a rut let alone a top-tier Alpha’s first rut that had arrived so late and so violently.

But when he fell from the horse, it was Shang Yuanzhou who rushed to save him, helped clean him up, and thoughtfully ordered a month’s worth of luxury meals. Now that Shang Yuanzhou was in his rut, Ji Yu couldn’t bring himself to ignore him entirely.

But… how exactly was he supposed to “look after” him?

As a Beta who had always been indifferent to Alphas and Omegas, Ji Yu almost never paid attention to second genders. His knowledge of Alphas came only from the occasional mentions by others.

How could he know that the best way to help an Alpha through a rut is to be intimate with a lover, biting into their gland and exchanging pheromones until fully satisfied?

In the words of a crude Alpha in heat, it is deep intrusion, fierce possession, and relentless plundering day and night until the partner is completely saturated with one’s own scent.

The ignorant and innocent Beta rolled over on his bed in distress, eventually drifting into a half-asleep daze amidst his worries.

He was entirely unaware that another person’s pheromones had already silently seeped in through the crack of the door.

The pheromones in the room grew thicker and more abundant. They swarmed in excitedly, needing no command, spontaneously coiling around the person sleeping in the middle of the bed.

The moment they touched the Beta, they were like invisible mycelia encountering prey, even the tips of the branches trembled with joy.

The Beta was completely enveloped in pheromones. The fair nape of his neck was the most concentrated area, covered in layer upon layer of scent. If these things had a physical shape, the poor Beta’s neck would be a terrifying sight.

The pheromones surrounding Ji Yu were so dense that the air around his nose carried a faint scent of bitter liquor. A Beta shouldn’t be able to smell it, yet Ji Yu’s face slowly began to flush, as if he had become intoxicated in his half-dreaming state.

Ji Yu felt like he had forgotten something. His sleep was restless, and even in his daze, he was wondering what he had missed.

What was it? What was I just thinking about? How to take care of Shang Yuanzhou’s rut? Shang Yuanzhou didn’t eat dinner because…

Dinner!

He sat up abruptly. After a night of chaos, Shang Yuanzhou still hadn’t eaten.

Ji Yu touched his forehead with the back of his hand. He felt a bit dizzy, but he didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just from sitting up too fast while sleepy.

He originally thought that since Shang Yuanzhou was an adult, he would find something to eat if he were hungry. But now that he knew Shang Yuanzhou was in a rut and likely “fried” by the high fever and considering that the exquisite, shockingly expensive dinner was paid for by Shang Yuanzhou—Ji Yu felt bad letting him go to sleep hungry.

He got up sluggishly, found the food that was being kept warm, and walked to Shang Yuanzhou’s room. His head was so dizzy he even forgot to knock, pushing the door open directly.

Shang Yuanzhou’s hand paused as he was taking off his clothes. He narrowed his eyes dangerously.

He could naturally feel his own pheromones; he wasn’t surprised they had escaped his control to find Ji Yu. But seeing Ji Yu covered in his scent, face flushed, clothes messy pushing open his bedroom door in the middle of the night and walking toward him…

This scene made Shang Yuanzhou’s heart hammer violently, a heavy blow that sent the blood boiling through his entire body.

He almost wanted to pin Ji Yu down and bite the back of his neck, like biting the fragile throat of prey. Like an animal governed by instinct, he wanted to forcefully grip the flesh of the female’s nape with his teeth, forcing her to mate with the male.

Shang Yuanzhou’s Adam’s apple bobbed. The tip of his tongue was sliced by his canine teeth, and the taste of iron spread in his mouth. He used nearly all his strength to endure, barely managing to speak in a calm voice: “What are you doing here? Not sleeping?”

He knew he had scared the boy today.

In the end, Ji Yu had practically scrambled back to his own room. After all, Shang Yuanzhou had been given a suppressant; his previous behavior could be explained away by the grogginess of the fever, but doing anything now would be hard to justify.

“Hurry up and eat. Go to sleep after eating.”

Ji Yu covered his mouth and yawned. He felt incredibly dizzy and exhausted; unable to even stand straight, he simply crouched by Shang Yuanzhou’s bed.

No matter how exquisite or delicious the food was, it wouldn’t taste good when eaten with the taste of blood in one’s mouth. Yet Shang Yuanzhou finished it all cleanly, not a scrap left, as if he cherished it.

He wanted to tell Ji Yu to go back to sleep, but he couldn’t bear to let him go. He watched the boy crouching by the bed, his head nodding little by little until his breathing became steady.

Ji Yu had fallen asleep while crouching… or rather, he had been “forced” into a drunken stupor.

He knew nothing, merely attributing his abnormal dizziness to being too tired. After all, how could a Beta who cannot perceive pheromones know that a top-tier Alpha’s scent could be so dense it practically became physical?

Shang Yuanzhou knew everything, yet he couldn’t resist the temptation. He lifted Ji Yu’s chin, his calloused thumb grazing the full lips, grinding over them inch by inch.

Finally, he leaned in, taking the small bead of the upper lip into his mouth to suck and tease. He didn’t go deep, only indulging in a shallow, lingering kiss on the lips, not even daring to use force.

A stolen kiss.

Shang Yuanzhou picked Ji Yu up and placed him on the bed, but Ji Yu didn’t wake. A muffled mumble in his sleep made the man go rigid.

After waiting quietly for a while until Ji Yu was completely still, Shang Yuanzhou carefully avoided Ji Yu’s injury and embraced the sleeping boy. The tall, handsome Alpha leaned into the neck of the deeply sleeping Beta to inhale his scent, his gaze becoming more obsessed as he stared at the small, soft earlobe.

Wife smells so good.

The high fever of the rut plagued Shang Yuanzhou intermittently. The suppressant was almost useless for him. A tiny bit of Ji Yu’s scent was like a drop of water splashed into a boiling pan of oil. Just a little was enough to ignite Shang Yuanzhou’s crumbling sanity.

Ultimately, he couldn’t help himself and gave a quick lick and a nibble.

A faint red mark from a canine tooth was left on the small, fair earlobe, adding a touch of ambiguity. Shang Yuanzhou watched it, then gave it another tender kiss.

He had long since been aroused. He lingered, unwilling to leave, aching to the point of pain, but he finally got up and left.

He didn’t want to go. He wanted to sleep with his wife.

But if his wife woke up the next morning and saw him there, he would probably be so scared he’d move out immediately.

Ji Yu was asleep in his bed, so Shang Yuanzhou went to Ji Yu’s room.

In a room filled with Ji Yu’s scent, the man already in a rut with his reason fading and instincts taking charge found it impossible to restrain himself.

Shang Yuanzhou sat leaning against the headboard. With his eyes closed, his mind was filled with Ji Yu’s flushed face. In his eyes, that clean, handsome face was beautiful to the point of being seductive, the lips reddened and enticingly provocative from his rubbing.

His movements grew more forceful, his furrowed brows carrying a sense of heart-burning agony.

Desire was difficult to vent, yet the deeply sleeping Beta was right next door, separated only by a wall. If he wanted to do anything, the poor Beta would have no way to resist; he would probably only be able to sob and wail in his dreams.

But even with his sanity dangling by a thread, Shang Yuanzhou remembered he couldn’t force Ji Yu.

Ji Yu… Xiao Yu’er… is my wife.

He wanted to win his wife’s love.

Shang Yuanzhou opened his eyes irritably. A top-tier Alpha’s vision allowed him to see clearly in the dim light.

A pair of casual shorts was hanging haphazardly on a chair. The fabric was soft and lightweight, perfect for summer. Ji Yu had worn them today; he must have changed into his pajamas for bed and hung them there, intending to wear them again tomorrow.

The fabric was truly soft. Having only been worn for a day at home, they were very clean, carrying the fresh scent of laundry beads very similar to the scent on Ji Yu’s body.

The pervasive fragrance provoked a violent pounding of the heart in his ears.

Before he knew it, Shang Yuanzhou had taken them in his hand, his expression struggling.

…

When Ji Yu woke up in the morning, his head was still very dizzy. He felt the exhaustion of a hangover.

He shook his head, his messy hair swaying with it, as if trying to shake the dizzy sensation out of his strands. After sitting blankly on the bed for a few minutes, he suddenly realized this wasn’t his room.

How am I in Shang Yuanzhou’s room?!

He remembered asking Shang Yuanzhou to eat last night. He entered the door, and then… then there was no “then.” He couldn’t remember anything else; his brain was like a blackout after drinking.

If he was in Shang Yuanzhou’s room, where was Shang Yuanzhou? They couldn’t have slept together, could they?! Impossible.

Based on the contract terms regarding drawing lines, his usual vibe, and the fact that he never saw anyone else, Ji Yu judged that Shang Yuanzhou must be a bit of a germaphobe. He probably couldn’t stand others touching or being near him, let alone sharing a bed.

Filled with confusion, Ji Yu walked out of the room. His own door was open, and the blankets were neatly folded.

Shang Yuanzhou walked out of the kitchen. “You’re awake?”

“Get ready and come eat.”

“Okay,” Ji Yu replied. “By the way, did you sleep in my room last night?”

While setting out the dishes, Shang Yuanzhou spoke naturally: “No, I slept on the sofa.”

He really is a germaphobe!

Ji Yu felt his hunch was confirmed. After washing up, he went back to his own room to change. Although he didn’t go out much, he wasn’t the only one living in the house; he didn’t like lounging around in pajamas.

A moment later, he poked his head out, looking utterly bewildered. “Then the blankets on my bed were…?”

Shang Yuanzhou: “The housekeeper tidied them. Why?”

“The housekeeper finished and left so quickly?” Ji Yu was startled. He walked to the nightstand, checked his phone, and discovered it was already noon. He had actually slept that long.

A short while later, Ji Yu poked his head out of his doorway again. “Then… do you know where the housekeeper put the shorts I hung on the chair?”

He looked very confused and a bit troubled, muttering under his breath, “I was going to wear them today, but I can’t find them anywhere.”

Shang Yuanzhou met his gaze, appearing to think for a moment. “Before the housekeeper left, she seemed to mention that something in your room was damaged, so she helped you throw it away. She asked me to let you know.”

“Oh, so it was the shorts?”

Ji Yu rubbed his chin, thinking hard. Did I tear my pants yesterday? No…

His head was still foggy. The more he thought, the more he doubted himself, so he simply gave up. He sat at the dining table, smiling at Shang Yuanzhou. “I see. Thank you.”