Married the Abandoned Puppy Alpha - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Measuring Finger Circumference

After He Xinglou finished asking, he didn’t hear an answer from behind him.

This made him even more nervous. He thought to himself that he must have misunderstood there was no reason to be buck-naked just for measurements.

He Xinglou’s face burned with heat. He cursed his brain for short-circuiting while making a move to put his clothes back on.

“I probably don’t need to take them off, probably,” he muttered incoherently to himself, trying to cover up this moment of awkwardness.

But soon, a pair of hands reached out from behind, helping him straighten the collar of his shirt.

Warm fingertips inadvertently brushed across the side of his neck. He Xinglou shuddered uncontrollably and turned back to look at Shi Qingze.

“What are you doing?”

Shi Qingze raised his eyes to look at him: “Helping you tidy your clothes.”

“You don’t need to undress completely; the shirt is fine.”

After saying that, Shi Qingze moved directly in front of him, intending to button He Xinglou’s buttons for him.

He Xinglou tried to dodge in a flurry: “I can do it myself.”

But this time Shi Qingze was exceptionally firm. He shook his head, his hands already gripping He Xinglou’s collar, quickly pulling it together and buttoning it neatly.

Xinglou observed his expression: “Are you angry?”

Shi Qingze shook his head again, then realized the gesture was a bit cold, so he changed it to a helpless smile: “I’m not angry. I’m worried about you, Brother.”

“…Worried about me?”

Shi Qingze continued: “Brother is an Omega, after all. How can you just take your clothes off in front of an Alpha so casually? What if it wasn’t me here today, but another Alpha? Would you also strip naked and let them touch your body?”

He Xinglou was reminded once again of their “opposite sex” status and averted his eyes uncomfortably.

So, it really was different.

The current Shi Qingze was an Alpha, and compared to the “Xiao Ze” of the past… he was completely different.

…

Back when the two lived in the slums, because Shi Qingze had not yet differentiated, He Xinglou didn’t actually have much perception of the gender distinctions in this world.

Undifferentiated children are not affected by pheromones. After Shi Qingze came to the home, he had looked after He Xinglou through many heat cycles.

Every time, the child would be the first to wake up and notice something was wrong, then bring the suppressants and carefully inject them into He Xinglou’s veins.

At times like these, the two would be extremely close. Once He Xinglou regained a bit of consciousness, he could clearly see his own flushed face in the youth’s pupils.

“Sorry, don’t… don’t look at me. Looking like this is so embarrassing.”

An Omega in heat is exceptionally fragile. Xinglou hurried to raise his hand to cover his face.

“It’s okay, Brother,” the youth, who was then only called “Xiao Ze,” had smiled.

“This is a normal reaction. You don’t need to mind it, Brother.”

“Will Xiao Ze become like this too in the future?” Xinglou peeked his eyes out from under his arm, looking at him with watery eyes.

Shi Qingze’s movements paused slightly. He blinked and said: “Not necessarily. If I differentiate into an Omega, I should be like Brother. But if I differentiate into a Beta, it won’t be much different from now, except… I’ll still have the ability to impregnate an Omega.”

He noticed that after he said the word “impregnate,” the Omega beside him flinched. Therefore, Shi Qingze did not mention the possibility of him differentiating into an Alpha, lest he scare the man to tears.

Xinglou frowned and drifted off for a moment, then suddenly used his burning hand to take the child’s wrist.

“Then… can Xiao Ze differentiate into an Omega in the future?”

Shi Qingze was stunned: “Why do you say that, Brother?”

The groggy Omega half-closed his eyes, unconsciously rubbing his face against the back of the boy’s hand, whispering: “I don’t want to get pregnant.”

He didn’t notice the boy beside him catch his breath.

Why say that? It was almost like a hint that the two would do things in the future that could get him pregnant.

Shi Qingze looked inconspicuously at the table, where the communicator he had intentionally unbuckled still lay.

Perhaps, Brother has already seen those photos?

Would he be willing to accept it? If he can’t accept it now, it’s okay. After all, there’s a long time ahead. As long as the two of us are always together.

My brother will be mine sooner or later.

At this moment, He Xinglou’s pleading voice came again: “When the time comes, I’ll take care of you too. So, Xiao Ze, can you please differentiate into an Omega?”

He Xinglou didn’t hear an answer for a long time after speaking. He looked up at the other person somewhat uneasily, and was soon soothed by Shi Qingze stroking his forehead.

Shi Qingze gently tidied his sweat-dampened bangs and explained: “Brother, what gender one differentiates into is very hard to control by one’s own will. We can only know when the differentiation period arrives.”

“Alright…” He Xinglou sighed with great worry. “Then I can only pray you differentiate into an Omega.”

A glint flashed in the depths of Shi Qingze’s eyes as he asked: “Brother, why do you insist on me being an Omega?”

He Xinglou stammered, unable to answer. His eyes darted toward the communicator on the table and then quickly back.

He did find out, the youth thought impassively.

“I… I’ve sweat a lot. I’m going to take a shower first.” He Xinglou didn’t want to continue the topic and found an excuse to run.

Shi Qingze didn’t stop him: “Do you need me to help you wash?”

Xinglou shook his head hurriedly and slipped into the bathroom.

It wasn’t until he heard the sound of water from the bathroom that Shi Qingze, still sitting on the bed, let out a long breath and buried his face deep into the pillow the Omega had just been lying on.

The pillow was still slightly damp; he could only smell the citrus scent of the shampoo. But as an Omega in heat, the pheromones must have been rich enough to fill the entire room.

Every inch of air, every piece of fabric, even Shi Qingze’s body, hair, and skin should have been completely covered in He Xinglou’s pheromones.

Yet Shi Qingze could smell nothing.

It felt like there was a restless flame inside his body, burning and agonizing him incessantly, but finding no chance for relief.

Shi Qingze held the quilt He Xinglou had been wrapped in tightly in his arms, frowning deeply, painfully enduring the sense of emptiness that could not be satisfied.

He might have to disappoint Brother.

He didn’t want to differentiate into an Omega, nor did he want to be a Beta who couldn’t sense pheromones.

Heavens—

Shi Qingze stepped lightly toward the bathroom door and sat down slowly with his back against the frosted glass.

He wanted to become an Alpha who could sense Brother’s pheromones, who could be driven mad with temptation by Brother’s scent. He wanted to mark Brother, bite through that person’s gland, and knot inside him.

So, please. Let him differentiate into an Alpha.

Shi Qingze closed his eyes, struggling to calm his heavy breathing and restless heartbeat, praying with the most devout intent.

…

Shi Qingze picked up the measuring tape from the table and pulled it open forcefully, making a harsh, tearing sound like silk ripping.

The abrupt noise pulled He Xinglou back from his memories.

He Xinglou said defiantly: “You don’t need to keep emphasizing the difference between Alphas and Omegas. It’s just a simple physical measurement; don’t mind it so much.”

But just as he finished speaking, Shi Qingze’s hand suddenly reached toward his waist, covering the small of He Xinglou’s back with just one palm.

This made He Xinglou’s skin crawl. He glared back warily: “What are you doing now?”

Shi Qingze laughed: “Didn’t you just say it’s just a simple physical measurement? Why is your reaction so big when I get close to you?”

That hand didn’t leave He Xinglou’s lower back; instead, the fingertips applied pressure, as if giving it a squeeze.

He Xinglou truly couldn’t stand it and took two steps back to dodge the touch.

The smile faded from Shi Qingze’s face, and he watched him quietly: “It seems others can do this, but I am the only one who can’t. Do you hate me that much, Brother?”

He really is angry, He Xinglou realized belatedly.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” He Xinglou explained with rare patience.

“Measuring dimensions shouldn’t involve movements like the one you just made. Shi Qingze, you made a strange move first, and that’s why I dodged. It has nothing to do with whether I hate you or not.”

Thinking of their agreement, he added: “Furthermore, if I hated you, I wouldn’t be cooperating with you at all.”

After he said this, he clearly felt Shi Qingze’s expression relax significantly.

He Xinglou smiled: “Now, the misunderstanding is cleared up, right?”

“Mhm. I’ve been coaxed into a better mood by Brother,” Shi Qingze nodded obediently.

He Xinglou pretended not to hear this slightly ambiguous remark.

Then Shi Qingze gestured with the measuring tape in his hand: “Shall we continue then?”

“…Mhm.”

This time Shi Qingze didn’t get touchy. He used his fingertips only as fixed points, continuously pulling the tape long, wrapping it around He Xinglou’s shoulders. Occasionally, he would seriously instruct He Xinglou to raise his arms or turn around, and He Xinglou followed every instruction.

“Is it just ‘not hating’?” Shi Qingze suddenly asked again.

He Xinglou was still waiting for his next instruction and didn’t catch on: “What?”

Shi Qingze was currently half-kneeling in front of him, measuring his waist. He looked up and smiled at him.

He repeated: “Is it just ‘not hating’? Or is there some liking for me too?”

More weird talk. Xinglou practically wanted to play deaf.

Then he felt his hand being raised by Shi Qingze, the measuring tape wrapping once around his ring finger.

He Xinglou asked in confusion: “Isn’t this for a suit?”

Why was he measuring finger circumference?

But Shi Qingze’s face remained as usual: “Attending the banquet is only the first step. Since it’s a contract marriage, there has to be a wedding.”

A wedding means an exchange of rings; it has been so for millions of years.

He Xinglou felt awkward but had nothing to say.

After all this was done, Shi Qingze asked: “Do you have any requirements for the suit, Brother? If not, how about we follow my style and get a similar set?”

He Xinglou knew nothing about these things and answered without thinking: “Just like yours is fine.”

Shi Qingze smiled again, then started typing on his communicator: “Then I’ll relay that to the designer first.”

He said “relay,” but in the blind spot where He Xinglou couldn’t see, his tone was quite forceful: [Make the style a couple’s version of my last one.]

He followed up quickly with a substantial red envelope.

The other end replied immediately: [Easy, easy.]

Only then did Shi Qingze end the conversation with satisfaction.