Out of Control Overnight: The Irritable Top Alpha Goes Mad Searching for His Wife - Chapter 14

Shen Qing gripped his glass so tightly that his knuckles turned white, though it was not very obvious against his naturally fair skin.

“Do you remember that glass of white peach champagne from before?”

“I thought it tasted quite good, so I was thinking…”

As if a sore spot had been poked, Lu Shijun suddenly became irritable. “It is not good!”

He interrupted Shen Qing and completely dismissed his preference.

“White peaches taste terrible!”

“That champagne tasted good because of the champagne itself, not the white peach. You thought it was good only because you were drunk at the time.”

Lu Shijun’s cold words shattered the few illusions Shen Qing had left. With the phrase “tastes terrible,” he had utterly rejected Shen Qing’s pheromones. To an Omega, their pheromones represented their very self.

Shen Qing felt humiliated and thought himself ridiculous. He should not have tested him; he had known this result all along. Perhaps because he had been completely dismissed, Shen Qing decided to stop caring. He showed a rare streak of defiance and snapped back, “I have not even eaten any yet, so how can you be so certain they are not good? You do not represent me. I can still tell the difference between white peaches and champagne.”

Lu Shijun looked at him in disbelief.

Shen Qing remained stubborn. He looked up, suppressed the bitterness in his heart, and asked, “Lu Shijun, what if I insist on eating them today?”

Lu Shijun suddenly felt as if he did not recognize the Shen Qing in front of him. Shen Qing had never been a forceful person. He seemed cold and distant but never sharp. He was like moonlight in the dark night: beautiful, soft, yet unattainable.

But now, Lu Shijun stood up from his chair.

He knew his mind had been thrown into chaos by that damned Omega. On the surface, he appeared no different than before, but every night, he could not stop himself from thinking about that person. The memories of that night were a mess. He did not even know what the person looked like, yet the white peach pheromones felt as if they were carved into his soul. He could not forget them; he simply could not forget.

Lu Shijun had endured until now without finding the person. He was like a bomb about to explode, needing only a fuse. For the past two days, everyone at the company had been walking on eggshells, not daring to provoke him. This caused his anger to keep building until, at this moment, he surged up from his chair.

He did not want to lose his temper with Shen Qing, but he did not know how to handle his emotions. Specifically, he keenly sensed that his best friend was pulling away for no apparent reason. He felt panicked and afraid, and he began to act out of desperation. Thus, he blamed every problem on that night and on those damned white peaches.

“Shen Qing, do you really insist on eating those damned white peaches?”

“Is it absolutely necessary to have them?”

Lu Shijun raised his voice. After saying only a few words, he saw Shen Qing’s face turn pale. His heart tightened with worry, yet he refused to compromise.

“Anything except white peaches.”

“Qingqing, except for white peaches, you can have anything else.”

His attitude remained firm. He trampled the idea of white peaches under his feet, wishing they would disappear from the world.

Shen Qing wondered if it was because he had become an Omega that his emotions had grown so fragile. He had always known Lu Shijun’s attitude toward Omegas: distaste, loathing, and even disgust. But when it came to himself, why could he not accept it?

“But,” Shen Qing took a deep breath, as if to affirm his own existence, “I only want white peaches.”

Lu Shijun was free to despise them, but Shen Qing did not want to fail to defend himself. Loving someone or having a secret crush did not mean he had to be humble. Otherwise, it would be a betrayal of himself. Shen Qing was not so low as to cheapen himself that way.

The unexpected stubbornness of his friend left Lu Shijun feeling hurt. At this moment, he did not know how to face him, so he took two steps back. If they continued to argue, it would only lead to a fight. Lu Shijun did not want to fight with his friend, but he also could not compromise regarding the white peaches.

In the end, he left.

This was the first time he had ever walked out on Shen Qing. Actually, that was not right; this was Shen Qing’s home, so there was no “walking out” to speak of. However, the moment he left, Shen Qing could no longer maintain his composure.

When grievances accumulate to a certain point, Shen Qing can no longer digest those emotions. His nose began to sting, and combined with the aftereffects of the temporary marking, the feeling that his Alpha did not want him, Shen Qing’s eyes turned red.

For the first time, he felt so tired. He felt that staying by Lu Shijun’s side was merely self-torture and a mistake.

Time passed slowly, and the dinner spread on the table began to grow cold. The once fragrant and colorful dishes turned dull, and the meat became dry and hard, making it completely unappetizing. Shen Qing stared at the food and suddenly felt that it was just like him and Lu Shijun. The initial beauty did not prevent the ugliness that followed the cooling.

He stood up, threw all the food away, cleared the table, and returned to his bedroom. When he reached the door, he checked the lock. Strangely, the lock was not damaged at all. How had Lu Shijun opened it earlier? Regardless, it did not matter.

He let out a long breath, washed his face in the bathroom, and buried himself under the blankets. At first, he thought he would be unable to sleep, but gradually his consciousness blurred and his body grew heavy. In his daze, there seemed to be the sound of a door opening outside, but Shen Qing was too exhausted. He was so tired he lacked the strength to even open his eyes. He simply allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep.

Lu Shijun had returned. When he came back, he was carrying a bag of white peaches.

What did Qingqing do wrong? He knew nothing; he just wanted to eat white peaches. It was Lu Shijun who had shouted at him; it was Lu Shijun who would not even let him eat fruit. It was all his fault.

Lu Shijun returned filled with deep regret. He had intended to apologize, but upon his return, he found the table cleaned and his friend asleep. He felt even more regretful. His friend was still sick, so how could he have let him clear the table? Indeed, Alphas were just crude and brainless fools!

Lu Shijun was so harsh that he even insulted himself. After his self-reproach, he tiptoed to take a shower. His friend had agreed to let him stay tonight. Shen Qing’s apartment had two bedrooms and a living room. The guest room always had a bed with clean sheets. Whenever Lu Shijun acted shamelessly and insisted on staying, he would sleep in that small room.

But today, after his shower, Lu Shijun went to the master bedroom. He carefully lifted the blanket and pulled Shen Qing into his arms. The long-awaited touch made him let out a sigh of contentment.

Back in university, the two of them would occasionally sleep together. Naturally, those were all little tricks played by Lu Shijun. He would spill water on his own bed, and Shen Qing would take him in. However, after the same trick was used twice, it failed the third time as Shen Qing saw through his little scheme.

All in all, including this time, they had only shared a bed three times!

Lu Shijun was very unhappy. He saw others get along with their friends by living together, sharing a bed, and even scrubbing each other’s backs in the shower, yet Qingqing refused to do any of that. Did he find him repulsive?

Thinking of this, Lu Shijun almost sat up in bed. It was a possibility he had never considered before.

Did Shen Qing actually hate him?