The Beautiful Wife I Picked Up Is A Little Mute - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Not Allowed to Leave

Every word crashed down with heavy weight.

Yet Tang Yingrui recounted them with a flat expression and a calm tone, as if to him, none of it mattered anymore.

Xie Mo’s pupils dilated; he found it hard to imagine that anyone could have had it worse than himself. But on second thought, it seemed all these consequences were set in motion by Tang Yingrui himself.

Suddenly, the soft hair on the top of his head was ruffled, and a body temperature smelling of tobacco pressed closer.

Xie Mo was forced to tilt his face up, only to find that Tang Yingrui was actually smiling.

Tang Yingrui leaned in slightly and gently exhaled a puff of smoke onto Xie Mo’s fair, clear cheek. Watching the other man choke and cough, squinting his eyes while waving his hand to fan away the smoke, Tang Yingrui finally finished the second half of his sentence:

“So you must remember: I bought you, and you are my property. You aren’t allowed to complain while staying by my side, you aren’t allowed to despise me, and I don’t permit you to leave. Even if you die, you must die here.”

Tang Yingrui emphasized the word “bought” heavily, as if he truly regarded Xie Mo as a traded commodity. And something bought—no matter the owner’s personality or history—would never grow legs and run away.

Xie Mo had heard this kind of talk many times. It seemed Tang Yingrui was genuinely terrified that he might vanish one day.

Xie Mo was perplexed. He was just a mute who couldn’t speak; even if he got lost, it was difficult for him to seek help from others. Why was he so worried about him leaving?

After finishing his cigarette, Tang Yingrui’s usual personality seemed to return. He began walking with long, rapid strides. Xie Mo couldn’t keep up and had to jog to catch him.

As soon as they entered the house, he was pushed inside, followed immediately by the sound of the iron door being double-locked. Tang Yingrui had headed out again.

Xie Mo didn’t know what Tang Yingrui was up to, nor did he try to guess. Instead, he went straight to the bedroom.

As expected, the bedroom was a mess. The sheets were crumpled in a heap at the foot of the bed, the quilt hung halfway to the floor, and there were traces of a struggle left in the folds. There were even some suspicious marks on the floor.

It was exactly as it had been when Ji Hanyue took him away.

Those memories suddenly became vivid. Xie Mo felt a chill in his heart and immediately began tidying the room. By the time he had put the sheets and pillowcases in a plastic basin to soak, Tang Yingrui was back.

He was carrying a crate of beer in his arms, with several large bags of groceries hanging from his elbows. Xie Mo even spotted a piece of pork rib.

Tang Yingrui set the beer aside and tossed the plastic bags at the feet of Xie Mo, who was crouching by the basin. “Make dinner first.”

Nie Xi had been right; after not eating for days, even an Omega couldn’t fill their stomach with just a bowl of porridge. It was only because the urge to escape had been so strong earlier that he had lied about not being hungry.

Wiping his palms, which had turned pale from the cold water, Xie Mo picked up the groceries and headed to the kitchen.

Meat prices had skyrocketed recently, and they rarely had meat at home. Seeing Tang Yingrui bring back ribs was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise for Xie Mo. But along with the surprise came the question of where Tang Yingrui got the money.

He was mute, but he wasn’t dim-witted. The untouched state of the bedroom suggested that Tang Yingrui hadn’t been home at all during those days. And their first meeting after being apart was at the entrance of that high-end hotel.

Can you earn money at a hotel?

Xie Mo searched his limited knowledge and quickly found a reason for Tang Yingrui. Many hotels were hiring chefs and cleaners; perhaps Tang Yingrui had gone there to apply for a job. Otherwise, why would he be in such a bad mood and seem so drained when he came out?

So, Xie Mo decided to cook a good meal, treating it as a way to nourish the other man’s health.

…

Xie Mo was about to walk out of the kitchen carrying a plate of stir-fried ribs. He looked up and saw Tang Yingrui leaning against the sofa, twirling a cold, gleaming fruit knife between his fingers.

Seeing him, Tang Yingrui lazily lifted his eyelids and hooked a finger at him. “Come here.”

Xie Mo’s eyes were fixed on the knife, feeling a lingering fear. It wasn’t until the other man impatiently raised his voice that Xie Mo hurriedly set the plate on the table and slowly approached.

He made a questioning gesture: “What’s wrong?”

The blade was suddenly pressed into his palm. Tang Yingrui said flatly, “Help me cut this mole off my face.”

He wasn’t superstitious, but things had come to a point where his luck had never been good. If he had to find something to blame, it could only be this mole on the bridge of his nose.

Xie Mo didn’t dare do it. Holding the knife like a hot potato, he shook his head vigorously. “No.”

Tang Yingrui was irritated, his temples throbbing. “What do you mean ‘no’? I’m fucking telling you to do it, so do it! Even if I’m disfigured, I won’t blame you!”

Xie Mo’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his signs were fast and urgent: “This mole… looks good. There’s no need to remove it.”

“…You think it looks good too?”

Despite his words, Tang Yingrui’s face darkened. Xie Mo observed his expression, unsure whether to shake his head or agree. The air turned into shards of ice.

After a long silence, Tang Yingrui closed his eyes and cursed under his breath, telling him to get lost. “What the fuck use are you?”

That mole was hideous—especially after being kissed by another Alpha, it had become even more disgusting.

Xie Mo was already used to his mercurial temper, especially after he returned from being out. He picked up the sheath from the floor, carefully inserted the knife, and placed it back in the storage cabinet behind them. He turned to bring the rest of the dishes to the table, set out the chopsticks, and served the rice, doing everything with familiar ease.

A few minutes later, Tang Yingrui seemed to have regained his composure. He sat at the dining table and began eating and drinking beer in silence.

…

Tang Yingrui was very quiet when he was drunk; he didn’t rave or hit people without reason. He finished the entire crate of beer by himself, threw up on the floor, and then huddled in a corner to smoke. One cigarette after another, the glowing tips left several scorch marks on the floor tiles.

After Xie Mo finished cleaning up the mess and was about to scrub the clothes in the basin, the drunken Alpha suddenly spoke. His voice was raspy and deep, as if soaked in nicotine.

“Xie Mo, are you in early heat?”

The faint scent of cardamom lingered in the air, and Tang Yingrui even caught a few wisps of an Alpha’s pheromones. The Omega’s body was trembling slightly. Tang Yingrui didn’t think anyone would take an interest in a little mute; he assumed he had just accidentally picked it up on the street.

Hearing this, Xie Mo’s breath hitched. He subconsciously touched the suppressant patch on the back of his neck.

Beneath it were the dense hickeys left by Ji Hanyue. Likely due to his rut, the Alpha’s strength had been exceptionally heavy. Instead of fading, the red marks had darkened against his pale skin. Xie Mo had found some Band-Aids to cover the most prominent ones.

When Tang Yingrui suddenly brought it up, Xie Mo was still terrified; the man had never asked before.

“Answer me.”

Xie Mo turned his head extremely slowly and overlapped his fingers: “Yes.”

“Because there’s no Alpha to soothe you, your heat cycle is disordered?”

Xie Mo didn’t know how to answer, so he just followed his lead: “Yes.”

Tang Yingrui scanned his entire body with a somber gaze. A trace of an unreadable emotion flashed through his eyes, but it vanished in an instant.