Married, but Still Strangers - Chapter 16

The person opposite suddenly pounced, catching Yue Lu completely off guard. Hearing what Zhuang Yan said, his breathing abruptly quickened.

“Okay,” Yue Lu swallowed hard. He seemed to have lost his reason, influenced by Zhuang Yan’s pheromones, yet he knew exactly what he was doing.

While releasing soothing pheromones, Yue Lu held Zhuang Yan and walked quickly toward the high-security presidential suite. Right now, the person in his arms was his most precious treasure; he absolutely could not let anything happen to Zhuang Yan.

“Beibei, open your eyes and see who I am.” Yue Lu grabbed Zhuang Yan’s hands, which were trying to cause mischief, and locked the door from the inside.

“You’re Yue Lu…” Zhuang Yan murmured. “Can I bear your children? What kind of kids do you like? I can give birth to any of them.”

“As long as they are yours, I will like them,” Yue Lu coaxed softly.

The pheromone compatibility between them must be very high; otherwise, Yue Lu wouldn’t have been affected so easily. However, since Zhuang Yan was not in his right mind, Yue Lu couldn’t take advantage of him.

“Endure it, it’ll be over soon.” Yue Lu increased the dosage of his soothing pheromones.

Even without a temporary marking, the pheromones of a high-compatibility Alpha were much safer and more effective than any inhibitors on the market, especially in alleviating an Omega’s pain. The scent of a pine forest after rain intertwined with the aroma of rum. Yue Lu stayed awake all night, only falling asleep once Zhuang Yan’s condition stabilized.

When Zhuang Yan woke up, he was lying in Yue Lu’s arms in a very intimate posture. He remembered everything—the Mediterranean guy had used an inducer, and Yue Lu had saved him.

When he had pounced on Yue Lu yesterday, Zhuang Yan had thought that if Yue Lu were to mark him, he could accept it. But he couldn’t feel any foreign pheromones in his body. He touched the back of his neck; there were no bite marks.

So, Yue Lu had just held him all night and done nothing.

Zhuang Yan couldn’t describe the feeling in his heart. He seemed to like Yue Lu a little. What did he like? He couldn’t say for sure.

His heat wasn’t over yet, and he felt a bit dizzy, likely accompanied by a low fever. The high compatibility made him instinctively lean closer to Yue Lu; that fresh pine forest scent made him feel at peace. So, he curled back into Yue Lu’s arms and closed his eyes to sleep again. In his dream, Yue Lu was very gentle, and they had a cute baby a very happy family of three.

When he opened his eyes again, Yue Lu was awake, staring at the person in his arms. When their eyes met, Yue Lu looked away first, feeling inexplicably guilty.

“Sorry, it was an emergency yesterday, but I didn’t do anything to you.”

“I know.”

A long silence followed.

“Don’t you have anything else to ask?” Yue Lu finally spoke.

Zhuang Yan shook his head. “No. And… thank you.”

He wouldn’t ask why Yue Lu appeared at the hotel, just as Yue Lu never asked why he frequently appeared by his side. It was a pity, though his grand plan to make Yue Lu “look good” (seduce him) couldn’t be realized. Well, maybe not entirely impossible. If Yue Lu ever made him angry in the future, he could settle the score then.

“Can you stay with me a bit longer?” Zhuang Yan hugged Yue Lu like a spoiled child, burying his face in his chest. “You’re more effective than an inhibitor.”

At this moment, Yue Lu was barely wearing anything, and leaning against him felt very comfortable.

“Our pheromone compatibility is high; I am indeed more effective,” Yue Lu patted his back to soothe him.

Zhuang Yan looked up at the Alpha. “Then I’ll take that as a yes.”

“I promise to stay with you these few days, but don’t move out during your heat ever again.” Yue Lu felt his condition wasn’t excessive.

“Okay, then you have to help me from now on.” Zhuang Yan agreed.

Zhuang Yan’s state remained stable over the next few days. He usually didn’t lose consciousness during his heat; it seemed the inducer from that Mediterranean man was the culprit this time.

“What happened to that Mediterranean guy?” Zhuang Yan asked as they left the hotel. If Yue Lu let it go for the sake of business, Zhuang Yan wouldn’t mind, but deep down, he hoped someone would stand up for him.

“The legal department will handle it. He’ll likely be spending some time inside.”

While at the hotel, Yue Lu had been working non-stop whenever he wasn’t accompanying Zhuang Yan. Zhuang Yan thought he had forgotten about the incident.

“Will it affect the Yue family’s stock price?” Zhuang Yan asked carefully.

Yue Lu scoffed. “A person of his status isn’t even fit to cooperate with me.”

Is this what it feels like to be the capital itself? This feels amazing, Zhuang Yan thought. Later, surfing the web, he saw that the man was actually quite a big figure, and his arrest had made the trending searches. He probably had too many enemies who were now kicking him while he was down. He deserved it.

Once he was sure Zhuang Yan was fine, Yue Lu went back to work. Bored at home while drawing, Zhuang Yan opened his phone to check the “Crush Bro’s” diary again.

Crush Bro had just given everyone another thousand yuan. It seemed some netizen’s advice had worked again.

Crush Bro: “He was almost harassed at a hotel during his heat. I saved him.”

Thomas Rotating Large Sow: “Wow! Nice work, kid! It was his heat, did you guys… do anything?”

AAA Bulk Exam Candidate: “Looks like a no, otherwise he would’ve bragged about it.”

Thomas Rotating Large Sow: “What a missed opportunity! You actually… sighs in motherly disappointment.jpg”

A long string of “sighs in motherly disappointment.jpg” followed from other users

Zhuang Yan was about to join the crowd with a meme when he suddenly realized something was wrong. These events… felt exactly like what he had just experienced. Except it was from the other person’s perspective.

He immediately clicked into Crush Bro’s profile. Though some minor details differed, every single entry matched his experiences with Yue Lu. It couldn’t be such a coincidence.

So, Yue Lu had a crush on him?

Everything made sense now. All of Yue Lu’s weird behaviors were explained.

Then he realized: the “Generous Money-Giver” was giving away their communal marital property! Since they hadn’t signed a prenuptial agreement, Yue Lu’s money was his money!

His money was being given to random netizens! And he had been cheering for it earlier!

NO! He had to stop this!

Zhuang Yan was distracted all day. Finally, in the afternoon, he cooked a few dishes and rushed to Yue Lu’s office. He had to stop Yue Lu before he gave away more money!

Call him a miser if you want, but he had been poor for years and wasn’t going back.

Zhuang Yan arrived at the office panting, hair messy, and looking completely unrefined.

“What’s wrong?” Yue Lu dropped his pen and rushed over.

The office was quiet under the afternoon sun. Zhuang Yan stood on his tiptoes and kissed Yue Lu’s lips. Still soft, still good to kiss.

“Beibei?” Yue Lu stood there, at a loss.

“I like you.” Since Yue Lu couldn’t say it, he would. It was a shame those netizens wouldn’t get to sit at the head table of the wedding mostly because the wedding had already happened.

“Beibei?”

Zhuang Yan put the lunchbox on the table and pinched Yue Lu’s face. “Don’t you know any other words? All you do is call my name. Just say it: do you like me or not?”

“I like you too.”

Zhuang Yan was satisfied. “That’s more like it.”

“Beibei, then… are you willing to marry me? For real, legally. I’m serious,” Yue Lu asked.

Is he proposing again? This is way too casual, Zhuang Yan thought. He wanted a grand ceremony. If he had known Yue Lu liked him all along, he wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble.

“That depends on your performance,” Zhuang Yan didn’t agree immediately.

“Then watch me perform.” Yue Lu held him like a rare treasure.

Zhuang Yan didn’t plan to tell “Crush Bro” that his mask had slipped. Embarrassing secrets are more fun when saved for later.

Yue Lu worked at his desk while Zhuang Yan sat on his lap, leaning against his shoulder or chest. Instead of eating the lunchbox, Zhuang Yan dragged him to a street-side Chuanchuan (skewers) shop.

“What is this?” Yue Lu looked at the pile of skewers.

“Chuanchuan-xiang! Try it, it’s delicious.” Zhuang Yan served him a secret dipping sauce. “Keep the sticks; they count them at the end to bill us.”

Yue Lu copied Zhuang Yan, pulling potato slices off the bamboo sticks and eating them. It actually tasted good. Throughout the meal, Yue Lu ate exactly what Zhuang Yan ate and stopped when he stopped.

Back home, Zhuang Yan eagerly pulled out his “battle outfit.” This one was relatively conservative; he had another one that was basically just a few chains. Since it was their first time “truly” being together, he figured he should ease into it.

“It’s getting cold, don’t wear so little,” Yue Lu said, looking up as Zhuang Yan walked out in his “light” attire after a shower.

“Don’t you have anything else to say?” Zhuang Yan was incredulous. Was his body not good enough?

Yue Lu sighed, picked him up horizontally, and placed him on the bed. Just as Zhuang Yan anticipated the next step, Yue Lu tucked the quilt tightly around him.

“Don’t catch a cold. Many people at the office have the flu. Remember to wear a mask tomorrow.”

Zhuang Yan: “…”

That’s it? This isn’t how it goes in my head! We just confessed shouldn’t there be sparks and fire?

“What’s wrong?” Yue Lu stroked his head.

“Nothing,” Zhuang Yan mumbled from under the covers.

This isn’t right…

Support