This Alpha Is So Devoted to His Wife - Chapter 38

The rain gently tapped against the umbrella’s surface, and the handle seemed to tremble slightly, much like the ripples that the other person’s wronged complaints stirred in his heart.

“Duan Yuluo, why did you ignore me?” Lu Xinghe raised his hand and grasped the hand holding the umbrella. He looked down at the boy, his eyes slightly red—not from crying, but from being awake all night.

His hand was entirely enveloped by Lu Xinghe’s large palm. The warmth was somewhat scorching, forming a sharp contrast with the cool, rainy weather.

“I…” Duan Yuluo hesitated, unsure how to explain. He met Lu Xinghe’s gaze. “I’m sorry, I forgot.”

“You have to tell me why you’re angry right now.”

“Well… you took too long to buy the ice cream.” Duan Yuluo could only come up with a clumsy excuse to fob off the reason for his anger last night, but he also remembered Lu Xinghe’s tone when he unhesitatingly told that boy he didn’t like him.

Thinking this, he pulled his hand out of Lu Xinghe’s palm and thrust the umbrella into his hand.

Lu Xinghe caught Duan Yuluo’s small movement. He frowned but didn’t press the issue; he was here to coax the other person, not to argue. This kind of lingering bad feeling had never occurred between them, and he needed to find out the real reason.

“I thought all night and couldn’t figure out what I did wrong to make you angry. If I really made a mistake, just tell me, or I’ll be miserable.”

As he spoke, he tilted the umbrella towards Duan Yuluo.

The rain seemed heavier than before, and the big dog’s shoulder became even wetter.

Just as Duan Yuluo was about to speak, Lu Xinghe added:

“If you still won’t tell me, I’ll cry for you to see.”

He glanced at Lu Xinghe. Seeing him staring back with a wronged look, even more like a big dog, he couldn’t help but soften. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

Even though Lu Xinghe said he didn’t like him, Duan Yuluo still couldn’t help but feel tender-hearted.

This was Lu Xinghe, after all.

Lu Xinghe didn’t expect Duan Yuluo to apologize. Seeing him docilely lower his head made his heart immediately melt. “Alright, I’m not mad anymore. Can you please reply to my messages right away from now on?”

Duan Yuluo: “…” He gave him a meaningful look.

Want to mess up his plan? Dream on.

The two walked through the main hall and started heading upstairs to the bedrooms.

“Xinghe.”

Lu Xinghe greeted the large group of elders one by one. Then, he was called out by Duan Yuluo’s Great Grandpa Chu. A chill ran down his spine, and he stood straight obediently. “Yes, Great Grandpa.”

Great Grandpa Chu leaned back on the sofa and adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. He didn’t look up, instead flipping through a newspaper, still devoted to print media in this era of peak internet.

Sitting there flipping the pages, even the silver strands at his temples accentuated his graceful, seasoned elegance.

“Do you have someone you like?”

Lu Xinghe met Great Grandpa Chu’s eyes. He feared Duan Yuluo’s Great Grandpa Luo the most, but he was always most nervous facing Great Grandpa Chu—he always felt completely seen through.

He couldn’t let himself be seen through.

“No.”

That’s a lie.

Great Grandpa Chu glanced at his great-grandson, Duan Yuluo. Seeing that the little guy seemed happy now, he withdrew his gaze and continued reading the paper. “Hmm, good. Don’t date prematurely.”

Lu Xinghe could only nod obediently.

He failed to notice the slight curve of the youth’s lips beside him.

The two finally walked upstairs.

Duan Yuluo pushed open his bedroom door and headed to the walk-in closet. “Wait for me here for a moment. I’ll find you some of my brother’s clothes.”

Lu Xinghe “Mm’d” and grabbed the hem of his shirt, preparing to take it off. But he abruptly stopped, his expression turning instantly serious.

No, he couldn’t be so casual in front of Duan Yuluo anymore. The other person was an Omega; this was too improper.

Just as he stopped and was about to lower his shirt, he saw Duan Yuluo walk out with the clothes. Lu Xinghe’s gaze drifted downward, staring straight at his…

Abs.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. He deliberately lowered his shirt and walked up to Duan Yuluo, reaching out for the clothes. “I’ll change in the bathroom.”

Duan Yuluo held onto the clothes.

Lu Xinghe: “…?”

“Why won’t you change in front of me?”

Lu Xinghe was shocked. “You’re an Omega now! How could I possibly change in front of you?” What kind of ridiculous thing was that to say? Could an Omega even say that?

“Why not?” Duan Yuluo looked up at Lu Xinghe, his tone serious.

Lu Xinghe was momentarily speechless. Did this question even need explaining? He was an Alpha. Changing clothes in front of an Omega would be sexual harassment.

He assumed Duan Yuluo was joking and offered a casual smile. “Stop messing around. Give me the clothes.”

Duan Yuluo looked at Lu Xinghe, stayed silent for two seconds, then tossed the clothes directly at him and turned to walk into his study.

Lu Xinghe was hit in the face by the clothes. “…” He caught the clothes clumsily, pulled them off, and looked thoughtfully at Duan Yuluo’s retreating back as he entered the study.

Why was he so fierce?

Did he say something wrong again?

When Lu Xinghe finished showering and walked into Duan Yuluo’s study with his hair still damp, he found the guy sitting at the desk, head bowed, writing something. He walked over and stood behind the chair, silently leaning in to look.

He discovered Duan Yuluo was drawing on the tablet, sketching…

Him.

The screen showed nothing more than a simple black-and-white sketch—him standing at the door, damp from the rain. The pen was currently working on the face, meticulously detailing the contours, erasing and redrawing to achieve precision. He watched that finger gently tapping the outline of his own face in the drawing.

He felt an indescribable sensation, a jolt in his heart as if his own face was being repeatedly stroked.

He became utterly engrossed, not even noticing that he was practically leaning against Duan Yuluo’s back.

Duan Yuluo’s pen paused. Feeling water drip onto his neck, he instinctively turned his head, but in that careless instant, his lips brushed against Lu Xinghe’s cheek.

His shoulders stiffened. His eyes rose, meeting Lu Xinghe’s deep blue gaze, which, for a fleeting moment, was identical to the look he had imagined in his head.

Lu Xinghe had just showered. His body temperature was still high, his hair was wet, his forehead fringe was lazy, and a drop of water was poised to fall from a strand. Duan Yuluo’s eyes lingered for a moment.

That clean, sculpted, handsome face rarely gave him a heart-jolting feeling quite like this moment.

It must be the effect of the pheromones.

Would the 120% compatibility make him like him more and more?

Could he really hold back?

He reached out and gently brushed away the imminent water droplet from the tip of Lu Xinghe’s hair with his fingers. He closed his tablet with a pretense of calm, put it on the desk, and stood up. “Why did you come in without making a sound? You scared me.”

Turning around, he pursed his lips, instantly regretting his lapse. Why hadn’t he heard him enter?

Hopefully, he didn’t see what I was drawing.

He immediately changed the subject. “Why did you come find me? Didn’t you go out with your parents?”

“They went back to Country D to handle some things.” Lu Xinghe watched Duan Yuluo walk to the bookshelf. Only then did he reach up and touch his own cheek. He wasn’t going to wash his face today. He walked up behind Duan Yuluo. “Were you drawing me just now?”

Duan Yuluo’s hand, resting on the glass bookcase door, paused. His gaze fell on his reflection in the glass, feeling an uneasy sense of having his secret discovered. Then, he remembered the word ‘dislike’ he’d heard last night. The disappointment and indignation accelerated his heartbeat, making his palms sweat. He frantically sifted through possible responses in his mind.

“Yes, I was.”

“Why were you drawing me?”

“I’m practicing figure sketching recently.”

“It doesn’t look like a quick sketch to me. It’s quite detailed.”

Duan Yuluo leaned against the cupboard door and looked at Lu Xinghe’s curious expression. He said calmly, “I’ve drawn Jiang Yichen too.”

Lu Xinghe: “…” Damn it.

“I said it’s practice. I can draw anyone.” Duan Yuluo watched Lu Xinghe’s expression, feeling he had won a point. He reached out to grab a reference book for their competition, and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the blue baseball cap with the letter ‘B’ on the top shelf.

Then, he felt Lu Xinghe’s arm brush past his ear as he took the hat down.

“So this is where you hid this hat. I wondered why I couldn’t find it at your house and thought you lost it.” Lu Xinghe was surprised to find the hat he gave Duan Yuluo as a child here. “This hat was my favorite. I always wanted to give it to my future wife.”

As he finished speaking, the hat was forcefully pulled away from him.

The force was considerable.

Lu Xinghe froze for two seconds.

Duan Yuluo took the baseball cap and put it back on the shelf. He didn’t take the reference book but instead closed the cupboard door. “If you gave it to me, it’s mine. There’s no reason to take it back.” Just as he closed the cupboard and was about to turn, he was trapped against the shelf by a pair of solid arms from behind.

The fresh shower scent couldn’t mask the overpowering scent of Ebony Gin Alpha pheromones right in front of him. He was completely enveloped in the embrace. The intense gaze looking down at him was scorching, carrying an overwhelming sense of intrusion that hadn’t been there before.

“Duan Yuluo, suddenly I don’t understand. What exactly are you sulking about with me?”

“I’m not sulking.”

“Then why won’t you look at me?”

Duan Yuluo felt the Alpha pheromones surrounding him, like a burning embrace that was clouding his judgment. He looked up into Lu Xinghe’s questioning eyes. “I’m looking at you. What’s wrong?”

“Did you see it?” Lu Xinghe uttered his most likely conjecture, which he’d pondered all night. “Did you see that senior confess to me at the supermarket last night?”

He wasn’t sure if Duan Yuluo had heard the content, but judging by his reaction, he was nine times out of ten that he saw the senior confess and misunderstood.

Duan Yuluo heard Lu Xinghe’s tone and felt a sudden surge of unwarranted anger. He tried to push Lu Xinghe’s arms away, but the guy was too strong. He took a deep breath and met his gaze:

“Yes, I saw it.”

“So you’re angry that I didn’t tell you about it, is that it?”

Duan Yuluo didn’t answer immediately, just stared at Lu Xinghe.

The two held eye contact for a moment.

Lu Xinghe looked down at the pair of light amber eyes staring back at him. Duan Yuluo’s expression didn’t look angry, but Lu Xinghe could feel that the guy was definitely angry and sulking.

Those bright, expressive eyes just quietly stared at him.

When he was little, this guy laughed when he was happy and cried when he was upset. Now that he was older, he became better at hiding secrets and emotions. Sometimes, Lu Xinghe couldn’t guess what the guy was thinking anymore.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a strawberry-flavored lollipop, tore off the wrapper, and held it to Duan Yuluo’s lips, raising an eyebrow. “Eat this, and I’ll tell you.”

Duan Yuluo smelled the desirable strawberry scent, but only glanced at it. His eyes moved away from the lollipop, showing no intention of eating it. He gave Lu Xinghe a look, then bent down and slipped out from under Lu Xinghe’s other arm.

Lu Xinghe didn’t manage to grab Duan Yuluo. Seeing him walk away without saying anything, he knew for sure this was the reason. He held the lollipop and helplessly followed Duan Yuluo. After all, he was here to coax him today.

“Cub, can’t you just let me explain? I promise my explanation won’t be a cover-up.”

Duan Yuluo walked to his desk, sat down, picked up his tablet, and leaned back in his chair, showing no intention of speaking to him, planning to draw something else randomly.

Lu Xinghe sat on the edge of the desk, his long legs casually bent. He held the lollipop, leaned down, and held it to the ancestor’s lips, gently nudging his mouth with the candy. He coaxed him in a soft voice:

“I know it was wrong of me not to tell you, but I wasn’t going to say anything to him, and I certainly didn’t intend to date him. I already politely refused, so I figured it was better not to mention it to avoid trouble.”

As he finished speaking, he saw Duan Yuluo lower his head and take the lollipop, but he didn’t let go of the stick.

Duan Yuluo held the lollipop in his mouth. Seeing that Lu Xinghe hadn’t let go, he glanced up at him, then bit the candy violently, crushing the lollipop in his mouth with a loud crunch, the sound indicating considerable anger. He left only the stick for Lu Xinghe and leaned back in his chair, chewing the candy.

He then slightly lifted his chin, adopting a ‘go on, talk’ posture.

Lu Xinghe, left with only the stick and a few sugar fragments on it, put the stick in his mouth and sucked on it.

He tasted the lingering sweetness, leaned casually against the edge of the desk with his arms crossed, and raised an eyebrow. Still sucking the stick, he looked down at the ancestor sitting back in the chair like a boss.

“I told him that I already have someone I like.”

To his surprise, Duan Yuluo’s face suddenly turned very unpleasant, and he looked at Lu Xinghe with deep resentment.

Lu Xinghe: “?” What was wrong now?

Duan Yuluo stood up and, without a word, pushed him out of the room.

Lu Xinghe was bewildered, stumbling a few steps. Before being pushed out, he managed to grab the doorframe. He looked at Duan Yuluo in shock. “What did I do now??”

“Go find the person you like now,” Duan Yuluo said expressionlessly, then slammed the door shut without another word.

Liar.

He said he didn’t have anyone he liked.

Lu Xinghe quickly withdrew his hand, narrowly avoiding having it slammed in the door!

With a loud ‘bang’, the door was forcefully closed. He was locked out, staring blankly at the door.

After a while, staring at the door, he was still completely confused.

Where was he supposed to go find her? The person he liked was right inside, and now she had locked him out.