The Beautiful Wife I Picked Up Is A Little Mute - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: I Know

Seeing the photo of Xie Mo, the anger Ji Hanyue had managed to suppress flared up again; he was anxious to get back. He snapped irritably at the man’s relentless pursuit, “What the hell does it have to do with you?!!”

Fang Qiran refused to let go. “Why can’t it be me? What is wrong with me? Point it out, and I’ll change.”

Ji Hanyue had no desire to list grievances and threw out a casual remark: “I’m not interested in Alphas.”

Fang Qiran fell silent. Just as Ji Hanyue turned to leave, he heard the man speak up behind him: “Then I’ll go through with the gland removal surgery. After that, you can treat me as a Beta.”

“…”

Having said it, he gathered his courage to look at Ji Hanyue. The latter paused, a flicker of disgust crossing his face. “Madman.”

Without looking back, he walked out of the cafe.

There was a reason Fang Qiran was so obsessed. Back then, Ji Hanyue had been annoyed by his constant pestering. He happened to learn that after graduation, Fang Qiran’s family would send him abroad for study, likely never to meet again.

So, on a hazy night, in an attempt to test something, he sent Ren Wen and the others away. He called Fang Qiran, who was still a small Omega then, to an empty classroom. Just as he was about to touch the Omega’s cheek, he felt a sudden repulsion and jerked his face away.

He couldn’t bring himself to do it. It had nothing to do with gender; Ji Hanyue simply lacked any romantic feelings for him, mentally or physically.

But the other’s eyes widened; after a brief shock, his cheeks flushed red, almost blurting out the words “I accept.” Seeing the emotions he had stirred up, Ji Hanyue hesitated. He told Fang Qiran that if they got into the same university, he would be with him. The condition was that he stop waiting at the classroom door or after school.

It was the first time Fang Qiran had seen Ji Hanyue so gentle. He agreed incoherently. From then on, that silhouette at the back door of the classroom really did disappear.

Ji Hanyue’s plan was simple: endure the last two years, and once Fang Qiran left, everything would be easy. Fate seemed to be on his side; shortly before graduation, Fang Qiran unexpectedly differentiated into an Alpha. The two were now completely impossible.

Yet, Fang Qiran remained stubborn.

The real reason for the deep-seated aversion, however, was what happened the day Fang Qiran was supposed to leave. After a failed argument with his family about studying abroad, he invited Ji Hanyue to dinner and tried to lure him into bed using alcohol. Fortunately, Ji Hanyue had a strong constitution. Sensing something was wrong after entering the room, he slapped himself awake and kicked Fang Qiran into a corner. He walked out and locked the man inside.

This became a thorn in Ji Hanyue’s side; every time he saw Fang Qiran, he remembered that night. The only reason they were still in contact was because their social circles overlapped and their families were business partners. It wasn’t practical to cut ties completely.

…

When Ji Hanyue arrived at the villa, Xie Mo was stubbornly standing at the gate, his fingers flying as he argued with Xia Yi. Xia Yi couldn’t understand a word; he looked pained and hesitant. Remembering the Young Master’s orders, he didn’t dare lay a finger on the Omega. He could only guess what Xie Mo was trying to say and spout nonsense based on his assumptions.

“I want to go back! Let me go back!” Xie Mo signed, his brow furrowed and cheeks puffed in anger.

Xia Yi misinterpreted with a bright smile: “The Young Master will be back soon. Mr. Xie, there’s no need to miss him so much.”

“…???” Xie Mo’s ears turned red with anxiety. His gestures became more frantic. “I’m not waiting for him! This isn’t my home!”

Xia Yi continued to play deaf: “He’ll be here in about ten minutes. Please wait a little longer, Mr. Xie.”

Xie Mo was flushed with frustration, feeling like he was playing a lute to a cow. He tried to write in Xia Yi’s palm, but the assistant took a solemn step back, shaking his head. “Men and women—no, Alphas and Omegas—should maintain boundaries. Please respect yourself, Mr. Xie.”

Thus, the scene Ji Hanyue arrived to was Xie Mo standing before an assistant half a head taller than him, still wearing the faded bear T-shirt from their first meeting, looking desperate to speak.

Xie Mo, exhausted from signing, turned to walk back toward the villa in defeat. Before he could take more than a few steps, the hand hanging by his side was naturally taken. The warmth of the palm, carrying that distinct Alpha heat, easily enveloped his entire hand.

Since there was no one else there, Xie Mo was shocked. What happened to “maintaining boundaries”?

He whipped his head around to meet Ji Hanyue’s half-smiling gaze. “Only gone for a few hours and you’re already so anxious to find me?”

The Alpha turned his head, grandiosely instructing Xia Yi: “Next time he wants to see me, just bring him over directly. Look at how anxious he is—he’s almost ready to start talking.”

Looking down, he saw the Omega was trembling with rage, speechless. Ji Hanyue rubbed his nose; he decided to stop teasing. It wouldn’t do to actually provoke the boy to death. Although he didn’t know sign language, he understood Xie Mo’s intent well enough.

He just wanted to leave. Once he was tired of the boy, he’d let him go.

He had originally thought about taking responsibility, but since this small Omega had such a large temper, he couldn’t be blamed. He remembered the first time he saw him—wearing that same old T-shirt, crouching by a trash can picking up bottles. His small face held a pair of innocent, pitiful eyes, looking like a little beggar.

Thinking of this, Ji Hanyue felt a surge of disdain for Xie Mo’s unique taste. A healthy Alpha who couldn’t even provide a normal home… yet Xie Mo was devoted to him.

What was the appeal? His impotence? Ji Hanyue clicked his tongue and leaned down to meet Xie Mo’s eyes. “Xie Mo, you want money, right?”

As he spoke, he kindly held out his other hand, palm up, the way Xie Mo usually did.

Xie Mo had decided to ignore them; communicating with Ji Hanyue was unprecedentedly exhausting. But seeing the Alpha’s suddenly softened tone, he hesitated and wrote: “Let me go home.”

Home again. Can that rot-infested dump where even dogs wouldn’t go be called a home?

Ji Hanyue kept his cool and lowered his voice. “Do you know what happens to an Omega in heat without pheromone soothing, relying only on suppressants?”

Xia Yi, standing a few meters away, felt a bit uncomfortable hearing his Young Master use a tone typically reserved for coaxing children. He coughed and, while the atmosphere was still relatively harmonious, called out: “Young Master, I’ll be going then. Call me if you need anything!”

Ji Hanyue waved him off impatiently. “Get out, get out.”

At that moment, a slight itch tickled his palm. Xie Mo remained silent, seemingly having thought it through. From this angle, he could only see the Omega’s trembling eyelashes and his flushed face.

—— “I know.”

Ji Hanyue pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Then why do you still want to be with that useless Alpha? He doesn’t even have the ability to mark you.”