Married To My Childhood Friend: An Alpha Business Contract - Chapter 4

An Omega in heat possesses weak self-awareness; it is a specialized situation. Even if they are willing in the moment, they are under the control of pheromones, and it is not uncommon for them to regret their actions after the fact.

If one were to be careless due to a momentary softening of the heart and become tainted by a trouble that couldn’t be shaken off, a scion of a prestigious family like Xiao Yanxiu naturally needed to remain constantly vigilant and on guard. Thus, the man watched coldly from the sidelines. If the boy wanted him to take the initiative, that sentence of his served as a disclaimer: both parties would take what they needed, and by all logic and reason, there would be no fault. After it was over, they would part ways without any messy entanglements.

But…

The catalytic effect of the Omega’s scent was remarkable. Lu Siyan’s head swam; his breathing was labored, and his lips were slightly parted as he panted softly. As the temperature inside the car continued to rise, a pink flush crept across his cheeks, spreading all the way to the corners of his eyes. Fine beads of sweat gathered on the tip of his nose, yet he remained stubbornly resilient.

“You’ve misunderstood.”

To the Omega, whose vision was blurred and misty with tears, hearing the man’s words was like a bolt from the blue. He panicked instantly, his eyes trembling, unsure of how to explain himself. He wasn’t doing this to relieve his heat, nor was he trying to climb the social ladder or use improper means to secure a position.

The scent-blocking patch had completely lost its stickiness. Before the bergamot pheromones could erupt entirely, Lu Siyan used his scarf to tightly wrap his gland.

“I—I’m going home now.” “As for the perfume, I will apologize and make amends another day.” “Though I am very grateful for your help on several occasions… please…” He bit his lip. “Please don’t be so full of yourself.”

The man’s eyebrow arched slightly. Full of himself?

The little Omega clenched his fists, summoning his courage to loudly clear his name: “Actually, I don’t like your type at all!”

Let alone throwing himself at the man or offering his body in exchange for favors—the idea that he was using every trick in the book to crawl into his bed was nothing more than the man’s own narcissistic fantasy. Lu Siyan felt much better after shouting his grievances. He turned quickly and grabbed the car door handle, pulling and rattling it with a series of frantic “clacks,” only to realize with embarrassment…

Great. The car door was locked.

During heat, body temperature rises, making one feel parched and hot, but in that instant, the Omega felt a bone-chilling cold crawl up his spine. Even without looking back, he knew the man behind him was watching with eyes that seemed to smile yet didn’t—staring intensely enough to burn a hole through his back.

Lu Siyan’s palms sweated; he felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles. The air inside the car felt stagnant, making it even harder to breathe, and Xiao Yanxiu had no intention of letting him off so easily. This little fellow had just sarcastically snapped at him and expected to just turn around and leave? Not that easy.

The atmosphere between them was awkward to the extreme. If he had known, he should have waited until he was out of the car to mutter his complaints. The Omega toyed with his hands, thinking back and forth; since he was in a special period, staying in this stalemate with the man wasn’t a long-term solution.

He looked back timidly, his gaze crashing right into the Alpha’s. The other man looked as though he were watching a play, his powerful gaze capturing Lu Siyan’s evasive eyes. He stared until the boy was flushed, his throat dry, and his seat unbearable… only then did he decide to show mercy.

His well-defined fingers landed on the control panel beside him. Accompanied by a cold, mocking “Heh,” his fingertip flicked a button. There was a sharp click.

Lu Siyan pushed the car door open as if fleeing for his life. The swirling snowflakes and freezing wind instantly dissipated the rich, cold scent of camellia and cedar from his nostrils. Deprived of the Alpha’s pheromones, the Omega’s heart suddenly felt empty and desolate; he felt a surge of sadness.

The little fellow’s toes, which were almost touching the ground, suddenly halted and pulled back. He didn’t dare look up, merely stuttering: “I… I’ll smell it just one more time.”

Pheromones are unstable during heat, and the camellia-cedar scent provided an immense sense of comfort. If he left abruptly now and lost the Alpha’s protection, there was no guarantee something else wouldn’t go wrong. If his hormones spiraled out of control and he encountered what happened that other day…

Lu Siyan tried hard to convince himself. He took tiny, secret sniffs of the man’s scent, wanting to store more of it, afraid he wouldn’t be able to smell it next time.

Unexpectedly, the other man played a trick. Seeing the boy’s instinctive lingering and hesitation, he deliberately hid his pheromones. As the scent faded, the Omega’s nose twitched carefully, and he was unknowingly led forward until he bumped into the Alpha’s approaching jaw.

They were pressed tightly together.

Lu Siyan was struck with panic. His eyes widened as he saw the handsome face—flawless from every angle—magnified countless times before him. His brain capacity hit its limit, and after a buzzing sound, it shut down completely. The hand that had instinctively pushed the door open was pulled back by a counter-force, and the sound of the door closing echoed again.

His narrow waist was gripped by the man’s broad palm. The Omega practically slammed into Xiao Yanxiu’s embrace.

“If you don’t get closer, how can you smell it clearly?”

The Alpha’s low, mellow voice rang in the Omega’s ear—warm and tingling. He carefully lifted his eyes, meeting the man’s gaze for a second time. In that moment, a surge of heat from his lower abdomen caused Lu Siyan’s pupils to briefly dilate and then contract. The color in his cheeks deepened several shades darker than before.

The bergamot scent emanating from his gland was sweet and rich; at the height of his emotion, it was so sweet it almost smelled metallic.

Was it… time?

The Alpha reached out a finger and lightly tapped the dazed Omega’s nose, which was damp with sweat. He no longer hid himself, releasing his full pheromones within the cramped space. The scent of camellia and cedar instantly enveloped the unconscious Lu Siyan.

The Omega, who had initially resisted intimacy, now found his arms moving uncontrollably, winding tightly around the man’s neck. His fuzzy little head wanted nothing more than to merge with the man, his nose pressing against the nape of the man’s neck, greedily and forcefully inhaling without restraint.

But it wasn’t enough. It was still not enough.

The burning, painful sense of emptiness inside his body grew more severe. When he lifted his eyes again, they seemed covered by a layer of white mist, making it impossible to distinguish who was in front of him. However, the instinct of pheromone matching still guided him to utter his request in broken pieces.

“Xiao Yanxiu… mark me.”

He actually remembered the name, the man thought with a knowing smile.

The scent-blocking patch was stuck to the scarf, revealing a section of fair, delicate skin at the back of the neck. The swollen tooth marks had not yet faded, and the scars were eye-catching. The Alpha felt a twinge of pity as he touched the spot; if it were bitten open again, it would surely be a piercing pain.

The scar, touched by the man’s fingertip, reacted like a startled porcupine, causing the body to curl up. But he quickly accepted the current situation, smoothing out his gland and presenting himself before the man’s eyes.

Drenched in sweat, the Omega’s breath was as thin as silk. Even his body, which clung to this “suppressant” like it was nectar, was losing its strength. In the second before he felt like he might need an emergency room, a sudden sharp pain hit the gland on the back of his neck. Lu Siyan instinctively resisted, but he was completely pinned down, his body unable to break free.

But soon, the pain, the heat, and the body’s instinctive thirst were all soothed by a cool, light fragrance. He was no longer in pain. His breathing slowed. The rain-like sweat that had soaked through his undershirt finally came under control.

The man finished the temporary marking and carefully let go. The Omega in his arms slid down weakly and was caught again by a strong arm. Through his haze, he saw blood on the corner of the man’s lip and reached out to wipe it away. Unexpectedly, before he could touch him, he completely lost consciousness from exhaustion.

When he finally woke up, it was already the next morning. The clock on the bedside table pointed to 11:18 AM. Lu Siyan lay on his back in the bed, his eyes blank. It took him dozens of seconds to recall what had happened last night.

The tightened string in his brain caused him to snap upright, then immediately collapse back down. After twenty seconds of severe dizziness, he recovered enough to confirm that this was not his home.

The dark gray marble floors, the minimalist yet luxuriously detailed furniture, and the faint, lingering scent of camellia and cedar from the pillows… The Omega panicked and threw back the thin quilt, confirming that his clothes had been completely changed. The mint-green silk pajamas he was wearing were neither too big nor too small; they fit perfectly.

How strange. Wasn’t he at Xiao Yanxiu’s house? How did that man have such small clothes? Could they have been left here by another Omega?

Lu Siyan grabbed his collar and sniffed deeply. His severe germaphobia made him want to tear the clothes off his body the moment the thought surfaced. Fortunately, after sniffing repeatedly, he detected no one else’s scent. Aside from a bit of his own bergamot sweetness, there were only slight traces of camellia and cedar on the cuffs and collar. Other than that, there was nothing.

But these clothes… surely Xiao Yanxiu hadn’t changed them for him?

Lu Siyan remembered his unreasonable behavior from the night before, and his cheeks reddened again. He touched the back of his neck; the wound there had been treated well. Having regained his awareness, he pulled back the covers. He couldn’t find slippers by the bed, so he walked out of the bedroom barefoot.

He poked his head around to confirm the hallway was empty and discovered the house was a two-story duplex. The crystal chandelier hanging from above was vintage and lavish; the space was enormous. A floor-to-ceiling window in the living room overlooked the bustling prosperity of the city. Beneath the leather sofa lay an apricot-colored cashmere rug, clean and soft. Outside on the open balcony, a field of Litchi Rose was planted—tender and romantic.

The Omega moved cautiously, exploring almost every corner of the house. Finally, he found the man in a bathroom around a corner on the first floor.

Dressed in loungewear, his hair soft and falling over his forehead, wearing a white hoodie and dark gray sweatpants, the domestic Xiao Yanxiu looked like an eighteen-year-old college student. He looked clean and energetic, his eyes clear and refreshing. He was a far cry from the image of the overbearing wealthy heir from the night before, who had held a cigarette and wore a black overcoat.

Lu Siyan stared blankly. The man, who was scolding two large dogs to make them sit still for their bath, noticed the Omega’s presence. He snapped his soapy fingers toward the boy, but it had no effect; the boy seemed to have lost his soul.

Xiao Yanxiu chuckled, wondering what could be so captivating that it made the little Omega so entranced. He lifted the water hose in his hand and sprayed it toward Lu Siyan’s feet. The warm stream of water felt like an electric shock, making Lu Siyan cry out and retreat a few steps.

Realizing the man was staring at him, he felt uncomfortable and looked away for two seconds. Seeing no way out, he simply rolled up his sleeves.

“Let me help you.”

He used to work in a pet shop and had plenty of experience bathing dogs. The Omega was full of confidence and started walking forward. The Alpha warned him to be careful, but before the words “the floor is slippery” could even leave his mouth, those small feet had already fearlessly stepped into the soapy water. He slipped and fell, his body falling backward uncontrollably.

His arms flailed in a desperate attempt to save himself, knocking over several bottles and jars on the counter. There was a loud clatter of breaking and falling items. Even the towel he managed to grab was pulled down along with its hook.

It’s over. A broken bone takes a hundred days to heal.

The Omega wailed for help, feeling utterly humiliated. In a flash, a hand reached out from the side and grabbed his arm. His backward fall turned into a forward lunge, and he crashed into the Alpha. His forehead slammed into the man’s chest with a dull thud.

Lu Siyan winced, the pain nearly killing him. When he finally composed himself, he realized he was once again in the man’s arms in an extremely intimate and ambiguous posture. Both of his hands were gripping the man’s collar, pulling it down to reveal a lean, prominent collarbone—and a small red mole on his private right chest area.

The man stared at those hands that were taking advantage of him. He looked down, his expression full of the look of someone who had seen through this little trick. He said with a cold laugh:

“Though an S-class handsome guy is a rare find… even if someone refuses to give up on their wicked designs… they should still have some limit.”