Sweet O's Report on Post-Marriage Deterioration - Chapter 4

Ruan Nian did not sleep for long. He woke up before long.

This time, he woke up in the embrace of an alpha.

Ruan Nian finally saw his face clearly.

His facial features were deep and three-dimensional, with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes. His nose bridge was high and straight, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his lips were pale and pressed tightly together.

The muscles beneath him were very solid, and the power hidden within them could be faintly felt. Those arms wrapped around him, holding Ruan Nian in his arms neither too tightly nor too loosely, giving him a full sense of security.

The moment Ruan Nian moved, he perceived it and immediately lowered his head to check on his condition.

His expression was very focused, much like someone examining a precious gemstone in an exhibit, pondering whether to wipe it with a soft cloth.

Ruan Nian saw his own reflection in those deep eyes.

He woke up all at once, his body subconsciously struggling to break free from the embrace.

Mu Yan noticed that the omega had woken up and instinctively focused on his condition right away.

The youth’s immediate reaction upon waking was to get away from him, which caught him somewhat off guard. Seizing the opportunity, Ruan Nian broke free immediately.

His embrace suddenly became empty, and his eyes dimmed by a fraction right away. The unfamiliarity of the unknown emotion took him a long time to process: it was a sense of loss.

Ruan Nian gripped the quilt tightly. He was very nervous, as the alpha’s aura brought him a strong sense of urgency. He subconsciously moved away from the alpha, sliding his body into a corner some distance away from the source.

Only by doing this did he seem to feel a little more secure.

The influence of the estrus-inducing heat slowly receded, and reason returned to his body. Yet he still felt a bit strange, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

The alpha opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he said nothing at all. His gaze constantly followed his movement, which Ruan Nian could perceive.

Ruan Nian subconsciously lowered his eyelids, avoiding the intense gaze, and silently refused to communicate or make eye contact with the alpha.

No one spoke for a long time, and an awkward atmosphere permeated the room.

Time seemed to pass for a very, very long time. In the end, it was the alpha who spoke up to break the peace.

“My name is Mu Yan. Mu as in nomad, Yan as in prolong.”

Then followed another long pause.

Ruan Nian did not know how to respond; his thoughts had long since run away from home, scattering aimlessly in all directions.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered the grassland he once visited in Meng Star, which stretched out endlessly without a single boundary in sight.

“I offer you my solemn apology. I am sorry.”

The alpha’s voice was serious and sincere.

Ruan Nian’s thoughts were pulled back all at once, and the tension in his body unconsciously dissipated because of the alpha’s solemn words.

He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help it.

He wanted to reach a temporary reconciliation with this alpha and have a proper conversation.

Yet in the end, he said nothing.

The omega’s silence and rejection made Mu Yan feel somewhat discouraged.

He didn’t know what he should say, nor did he know how to handle such a situation. But he knew that his previous words had already hurt this delicate omega, and he must never repeat the same mistake. Every single word had to be carefully weighed, lest he bring about the omega’s tears once more.

After pondering for a long time, he decided to take a step back first.

Mu Yan stood up, picked up the tray with nutrient solution and water placed on the coffee table by the sofa, and gently set it down on the bedside table. The wooden tray covered the display screen that had originally been sitting there, leaving only a pitiful little corner of the screen still glowing faintly.

Having done all this, Mu Yan walked out of the room, leaving private space for the omega so he could properly sort out his thoughts.

His footsteps and the closing of the door were kept as light as possible.

Ruan Nian silently observed all of this out of the corner of his eye.

The alpha’s movements were stern and cold, yet they revealed an imperceptible gentleness that was captured by Ruan Nian’s sensitive nerves, making his heart grow slightly warm and bringing a comfortable, soothing feeling.

He moved back to the edge of the bed, instinctively picked up the glass of water from the tray, brought it close to his lips, and took a sip.

The water was warm.

Ruan Nian slowly drank the water sip by sip. Instead of putting the empty glass back in its original place, he lifted the cover of the quilt and lowered his gaze instinctively, which gave him a start.

At some point, he had been dressed in clothes, simple white clothes and black trousers with soft fabric and a just-right size.

Ruan Nian turned his head slightly, unable to figure out when his clothes had been properly put back on.

His feet touched the ground, and when he tried to support himself to stand up from the bed, he suddenly stumbled and almost fell to the floor.

Ruan Nian grabbed the edge of the bed at once. A sense of shame washed over him.

Enduring the physical discomfort, he walked over to the window and pulled open the heavy curtains.

Sunshine poured into the room.

His body gradually awakened. Ruan Nian casually placed the cup on the small table by the window, and the sunlight refracted through the glass cup onto the wall, leaving behind beautiful light and shadow.

Ruan Nian walked slowly back to the bed, pushed the wooden tray aside just a bit, and pulled out the display screen.

After reading through the tens of pages of documents, Ruan Nian rubbed his slightly sore eyes and set the display screen aside.

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded. The sound was very light, tapping twice briefly before subsiding, carrying a hint of tentative hesitation.

Ruan Nian grew a bit nervous all over again. He cleared his throat unnaturally; clearly, he had just drunk a large glass of water, yet now he felt thirsty again.

After adjusting his sitting posture, which had grown somewhat slack from prolonged reading, he tapped on the bedside monitor.

The image on the screen did not show the alpha, but rather a worried Ruan Shi accompanied by Tan Qiyu.

Ruan Nian immediately relaxed and pressed the control switch for the room door.

After a messy round of checkups, the data on the medical report finally allowed Ruan Shi and Tan Qiyu to set their minds at ease. Under his older brother’s excessive worry, Ruan Nian could only laugh helplessly and stay in the hospital for a full day. Once he had sorted out his thoughts and rested adequately, Ruan Shi reluctantly agreed to Mu Yan’s repeatedly proposed and continuously postponed meeting time.

The meeting room carried only a faint trace of woody ambient fragrance, but Ruan Nian still caught the hint of liquor scent mixed within it.

Seeing this alpha again, Ruan Nian hadn’t even realized that he was no longer overly triggered or nervous. He could even respond calmly to the alpha’s gaze and carefully examine this character who had unexpectedly appeared in his life.

There were faint dark circles under the alpha’s eyes, as if he hadn’t rested for a long time, yet his attire and hairstyle were meticulous, clearly spruced up on purpose.

Mu Yan was nervous, very nervous.

He treated it like facing a formidable enemy.

Ruan Shi refused to disclose any information about Ruan Nian to him, leaving him with no choice but to use connections to fish for intermittent feedback from the hospital through indirect means. Knowing that the omega’s body was out of danger truly allowed him to let out a sigh of relief, permitting him to settle down slightly and handle the affairs that had piled up during this period.

He continuously expressed his desire for a talk to Ruan Shi, while Ruan Shi maintained his silence and refusal. Without a single trace of resentment, Mu Yan continued to relentlessly propose a suitable time, seizing every brief gap to handle the backlog of work caused by the postponements. He worked with such high intensity until Ruan Nian finally nodded in agreement to talk.

Compared to physical exhaustion, his mental state remained constantly alert.

He subconsciously yearned to see his omega, his senses uncontrollably searching for any trace of sweet milk-scented clues.

The moment he saw Ruan Nian, his body tightened all at once.

The youth seemed even better-looking than a few days ago. Did he suffer any adverse stress reactions? Did he rest well? Has anyone cooked for him and cared for his diet?

What is his mood right now?

While working, Mu Yan had imagined all sorts of scenarios to simulate Ruan Nian’s reaction upon seeing him. He hoped both sides could remain calm and handle the matter properly.

Now that this day had finally arrived, Ruan Nian was indeed, just as he had imagined, extremely calm.

Instead, he found himself somewhat unable to remain calm.

“Let’s talk things out properly now, President Mu.”

Ruan Shi’s cold and stern voice broke his train of thought. Pulling back his gaze, Mu Yan tried his best to keep his voice calm and steady.

“Of course.”

The calm and rigid tone instantly made Ruan Shi furious.

It wasn’t as if he had never dealt with Mu Yan before. On the contrary, as young leaders alike, the Ruan family and the Muyu Group shared numerous competitions and cooperations in business.

Yet his younger brother had suffered such severe harm, while the culprit could pretend as though nothing had happened. The purely professional tone almost made him lose control, leaving him wanting to use an alpha’s methods to teach the man a harsh lesson.

A hand gently tapped his back as a warning. Ruan Shi took a deep breath, trying hard to calm himself down.

“How do you plan to resolve this matter?”

Mu Yan could feel the anger contained within his voice.

At this moment, Ruan Shi was no longer a competitor or business partner, but rather the family member of a victim. Mu Yan could fully understand his anger. In fact, letting Ruan Shi beat him up once was also acceptable, provided it could comfort Ruan Nian.

“This matter is my fault. You can name your conditions, and I will try my best to satisfy them.”

His tone was very sincere, making Ruan Shi feel slightly better. However, remembering the beastly actions the other party had committed, anger welled up in him once more. Throwing away his composure and calm from the business world, he couldn’t help starting to sarcastically mock him.

“Oh? Is transferring Muyu’s shares and turning yourself in at the inspection bureau acceptable as well?”

Before Mu Yan could respond, Song Qi beside him couldn’t hold back anymore. During this period, all the company affairs had been dumped entirely on his shoulders because of Mu Yan’s business trip. Having finally waited for Mu Yan to return, he had been dragged right back to continue working non-stop under continuous high-intensity overtime without any rest, which thoroughly ignited the vice chairman’s fury, instantly provoked by Ruan Shi’s sarcastic tone.

He completely threw Mu Yan’s earlier instructions to the back of his mind. At the negotiating table, he had always been eloquent and silver-tongued, firmly grasping the rhythm and advantage of negotiations in his own hands. How could he possibly let such provocation slide? He subconsciously started to retort:

“Pardon me for interrupting, but if we look at it carefully, this matter shouldn’t be blamed entirely on Mu Yan, right? Both sides bear responsibility, and I believe your side is well aware of that. If your side insists on taking this to court, it won’t do any good for either the Muyu Group or the Ruan family. We are willing to make concessions, but that does not mean…”

“Song Qi!”

Before he could finish his sentence, Mu Yan cut him off. Yet, contrary to his usual behavior, Song Qi did not continue insisting; instead, he shut his mouth with reluctance.

Mu Yan frowned slightly and signaled Tang Xian behind him to take Song Qi outside.

Indeed. This matter wasn’t solely Mu Yan’s fault. Examining it seriously, the omega’s weak self-awareness and the act of letting his pheromones diffuse, even if unintentional, meant he bore some responsibility as well.

Coupled with the rare pheromones featuring high compatibility between the two, even if they went to court, Song Qi was confident that Muyu’s meticulously assembled legal department could handle the affairs properly. Mu Yan could completely have left this matter to them to manage, yet he still proactively stepped forward beforehand to offer extra compensation.

As a fellow alpha male, Song Qi deeply respected his close friend and business partner. However, the opposing side’s arrogance was simply too much, making it impossible for him to swallow this grievance.

Receiving the big boss’s instruction, Tang Xian bit the bullet and pulled Song Qi away. Although Song Qi was still unconvinced, he followed Tang Xian out anyway.

He truly had no room to meddle in this affair, but the other party’s demands were simply too excessive.

Only he, as a business partner, knew how much of Mu Yan’s heart and soul was poured into Muyu. No matter the amount of financial compensation offered, the other side was demanding far too much like an open lion’s mouth.

“Why are you holding me back? Clearly, it was them…”

The deliberately lowered voice faded into the distance, yet it still reached the ears of everyone present. Ruan Shi gave a cold snort and stopped speaking.

Naturally, he also understood the division of responsibility in this matter, but his partiality toward his family left him unable to remain calm. Even if his excessive tone provoked the other party’s resentment, he felt that they deserved to take it.

Just as Mu Yan gathered his composure and prepared to speak again, Ruan Nian spoke up first.

“It is alright, brother.” He gently placated his older brother.

His usually steady and calm older brother had grown so impulsive purely because of him. Ruan Nian felt a tinge of guilt, but more than that, he felt the warmth radiating from family ties.

Affection is always a two-way street. His brother didn’t want him to suffer any harm, but he likewise didn’t want his own affairs to exert too much impact on the Ruan family business that his brother had painstakingly built and expanded.

Deep down, he already had an answer in mind.

Perhaps it was an answer that minimized the impact on the current situation.

“I agree to marry you.”

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