This Alpha Is So Devoted to His Wife - Chapter 53

The Imperial Institute of Technology in Country D’s capital city is located in a scenic, conveniently situated town. It occupies a vast area, nestled by a mountain and close to the water. Students cycle along the shaded avenues beneath towering trees on both sides, feeling as though they are wandering through a fairy-tale forest.

In the School of Biomedical Engineering.

“I just came from the Student Union. Guess what I just saw.”

“Saw what?”

“News that the Queen is selecting a Crown Princess for Prince Bennett.”

“Ah? Is it happening at our school?”

“Yeah, we have a few noble Omega ladies at our school, don’t we? Apparently, the Queen is fond of them, and they’re around the same age as Prince Bennett.”

“But isn’t Prince Bennett a couple with that Jacob Duan? They are practically inseparable.”

“The Clemens Royal Family would never allow a commoner into the Royal Family. Although Prince Bennett’s mother has Huaxia blood, half of her lineage is from Druid Continent. She’s the daughter of an Earl, so she’s not considered a commoner.”

“…Is the Queen going to tear the lovers apart?”

“A commoner entering the Clemens Royal Family is surely a tragedy waiting to happen.”

Two students stood by the vending machine near the secondary differentiation laboratory, gossiping in low whispers, completely oblivious to the handsome young man in a white lab coat leisurely sipping his coffee behind them.

“It doesn’t matter how influential Jacob’s family is in Huaxia, he’s destined not to enter the Royal Family.”

The two turned around with their cold drinks and coffee, coming face-to-face with Duan Yuluo. Their hands holding the coffee jerked, spilling a little, giving them a fright.

Duan Yuluo walked up to the vending machine and refilled his cup of coffee. He took a sip of his cold drink, smiled, and glanced at his classmates: “I wonder if you’ve heard of the Huaxia idiom that says, ‘Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives.’”

“Tsao Tsao?”

Duan Yuluo didn’t bother to correct the foreign students’ pronunciation, laughing as he said: “It just means you shouldn’t talk about people behind their backs, because they might be standing right behind you. That wouldn’t be good, right? Besides, what if he happens to be the team leader for your thesis group? What if he makes things difficult for you?”

The two students exchanged nervous glances, clearing their throats: “Um, we weren’t—”

“What a coincidence, I am the team leader for both of your thesis groups.” Duan Yuluo carried his coffee and, as he passed them, patted one of them on the shoulder, giving a meaningful smile: “Please take good care of me.”

The two students: “!!!”

Duan Yuluo turned and walked into the laboratory, his expression composed, apparently not at all affected by the recent gossip. Once inside, he placed his coffee in the leisure area.

He then walked over to the large screen running the simulation program, bent down, and rapidly typed a string of code on the keyboard with his slender, fair fingers. He then straightened up and took a few steps back.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his lab coat and looked up at the testing program running on the large screen.

Two years had passed since his injury. The secondary differentiation gene testing program had been continuously updated and improved over these two years. Its safety and privacy were becoming increasingly stable, and most of the public’s concerns were being steadily addressed.

This included concerns about potential side effects from implanting the program into Hyper-Memory Chips or whether the program could be used by those without the chip.

These issues, when reported to him, were naturally solvable and could be improved; it was just a matter of time.

Currently, the most promising feedback was that the testing program could now alert users to hidden diseases caused by secondary differentiation gene defects, prompting the implantees to visit the hospital for examination, with an accuracy rate of 90 percent. Coupled with state subsidies, the cost of implanting the program was also continuously being adjusted, alleviating the financial burden of the high cost.

As an effective preventative measure, it also aimed to save the 10 percent of infants who might not survive a secondary differentiation gene defect at birth.

The earlier the prevention, the better.

“Jacob!”

Duan Yuluo turned his head and saw his professor, sporting a beer belly, walk in holding a trophy. He smiled: “What are you holding?”

“What else but your ACM Turing New Star Award!” The professor joyfully hugged and kissed the trophy twice, then handed it to Duan Yuluo: “Our lab is getting credit for this, too! The youngest recipient of the Turing New Star Award is the little treasure of our lab.”

Duan Yuluo smiled upon seeing his professor so happy and accepted the trophy: “Then let’s keep it here in the lab.”

The Turing New Star Award selection is based on the impact of a candidate’s research achievements, such as new ideas, models, and systems created in the fields of computer and communication systems. The research results can be theoretical, empirical, or experimental, with depth and influence being crucial factors considered for the award.

His award was based on the fact that the concept of secondary differentiation gene testing had already been proposed, and the concept itself had a certain impact. All he did was integrate artificial intelligence programming into the Hyper-Memory Chip, bringing about reform and innovation.

Nevertheless, it proved that his hard work had not been in vain.

Although this path had not yet reached complete success, he could at least see the future.

“My boy, you’ll be nominated for the Turing Award in another two years.” The professor stood beside Duan Yuluo, hands behind his back, looking at the running program with him, his eyes full of pride: “This path is not easy. There was a huge wave of public opinion, a huge wave of technical challenges, but you still succeeded. You truly are a child of the Galaxy Group.”

Duan Yuluo took the trophy, walked to the glass cabinet nearby, opened it, and placed the award inside. He stood in front of the cabinet, looking at all the awards he had won at school over the past two years for his secondary differentiation research. As if thinking of something, he smiled:

“Yes, I think I’m quite outstanding. It’s just a pity that the Clemens Royal Family doesn’t want commoners.”

“Do you still care about that?” The professor caught Duan Yuluo’s meaning and guessed that he must have heard something: “You should trust Bennett. He seems to be working hard to resolve this matter recently.”

Duan Yuluo gazed at his reflection on the glass cabinet door, smiling: “I don’t care about that.”

He had always been confident that Lu Xinghe belonged to him.

It was just that a certain stubborn old woman kept trying to snatch Lu Xinghe away from him. Selecting a Crown Princess for the Prince? Was she also planning to make a public announcement, perhaps even post it on international media so the whole world would know, pressuring him, forcing him to feel inferior, and make him give up automatically?

Sorry, not possible.

No one could take Lu Xinghe away from him.

The twilight deepened. A black sedan slowly parked by the standalone villa near the lake.

The villa was brightly lit. The garden, the parking lot, and even several rooms had lights on. An outsider might think every room was occupied, but those in the know understood that the owner was simply afraid of the dark.

Lu Xinghe drove the car into the garage. As he pulled in, he saw a slender figure squatting by the entrance door to the house, rocking slightly back and forth, and drawing something on the floor with his finger.

Almost instantly, Duan Yuluo looked up. Seeing Lu Xinghe was back, he didn’t stand up, maintaining his squatting position.

Lu Xinghe parked the car, turned off the engine, grabbed his suit jacket, and got out of the car, walking over to Duan Yuluo.

“Why are you squatting here?”

Duan Yuluo looked up, meeting Lu Xinghe’s gaze. After watching him for a moment, he extended his arms: “Hug me.”

Lu Xinghe must have just finished attending a public engagement. He was wearing a simple, sharp black shirt. Without a smile, his features exuded a cool detachment. Combined with the Alpha’s inherent powerful aura, he looked like a difficult person to approach.

Even the media in Country D considered him the hardest-to-deal-with Prince in the Royal Family.

Except for one person.

Lu Xinghe looked at Duan Yuluo extending his arms to him, a slight curve appearing on his lips. The fatigue from a whole day of socializing instantly vanished. Endless smiles spread in his eyes. This kind of pampered request was irresistible to him.

He bent down, placing his hands beneath Duan Yuluo’s arms, and lifted him directly into a face-to-face embrace, like holding a child.

After two good years of recovery, he finally had some meat on his bones.

Their difference in physique made such an embrace effortless. Judging by the smoothness of the movement, they did this often.

Duan Yuluo skillfully hooked his legs around the firm waist and unbuttoned the top two buttons of Lu Xinghe’s shirt:

“You came home ten minutes later today than yesterday. Didn’t you know it’s dark outside? I came back from the lab on time every day.”

The third year of university was largely over, transitioning into professional work. He still focused on biomedical research, while Lu Xinghe had a profession early on: being a Prince, handling the Royal Family’s daily duties.

Especially the charitable organizations.

If he remembered correctly, Lu Xinghe was the third in line to the throne in the Royal Family. They placed great importance on him, and they tried to steal him away from Duan Yuluo every day.

Lu Xinghe carried the treasure in his arms and walked toward the house. As he entered the door, he held him securely with one arm, using the other hand to press the switch on the wall to close the garage door, and then carried him into the house with both arms:

“I went to a few charities and dealt with land issues today, so I was late. Tomorrow, I’ll turn on the lights at home early and wait for you.”

“Do you get paid for being so busy now?”

“Being a Prince is a profession. I get everything I should.”

“But you’re going back to Loermann more and more frequently. You’re not dealing with the Omega lady your grandmother arranged for you, are you?”

As soon as Duan Yuluo finished speaking, before he could react, he was placed on the dining table. Firm arms propped up on either side of his legs. The Alpha’s scent filled the space between his arms, seeming to trap him in an embrace. He looked up, his gaze locking directly with the other’s deep, profound eyes.

The Alpha before him was like an unspoken beast, with a hint of grievance hidden in his eyes.

Two years had brought changes. Twenty and twenty-two were different life stages. He felt that Lu Xinghe had changed significantly, evolving from a big, affectionate puppy to a mature, steady, and dominant presence.

Very reliable.

And very sexy.

Others might be intimidated, but he knew the Alpha inside and out—what he liked, what he couldn’t stand, and what he couldn’t resist.

Lu Xinghe was about to lecture the guy for wronging him, when his mind was only filled with Duan Yuluo. Before he could speak, the other’s slightly cool arms wrapped around his neck. Like a coaxing cat, he ran his hands over the back of the Alpha’s head.

“You wouldn’t publicly marry a Princess and then hide me away, would you? Then you’d sneak away to see me, and then sneak back to see your Princess, trying to distribute your affection evenly?”

The laughing, deliberately provocative words near his ear were truly infuriating and highly retaliatory.

“Baby, are you angry that I came back late?” Lu Xinghe’s tone was gentle. His large hand moved up to cup Duan Yuluo’s chin, making him look up at him.

The crystal chandelier over the table combined with the surrounding modern, cool-toned furniture reflected a glow, casting diamond-shaped light and shadow over them, creating a sensual atmosphere.

They were very familiar with this table, after all, they spent a lot of time on it.

The slightly forceful action was actually very gentle, just visually intimidating.

Duan Yuluo looked up, meeting Lu Xinghe’s gaze. He blinked in mock seriousness: “You’re hurting me.”

The handsome, fair features of the young man on the table had become even more refined. The little rose he raised was in its prime, attracting Alphas immensely.

Even without marking him or performing pheromone coding alignment, the Alpha couldn’t resist a single word, glance, tear, let alone an act of flirtation from this person.

Lu Xinghe’s eyes darkened a little, and he laughed. This boy was truly becoming more and more flirtatious with him. He cupped the back of the other’s neck and lowered his head to kiss him.

Compared to the awkwardness of two years ago, they were now masters of the art of kissing. The purpose of a kiss could now be distinguished by the intensity and state based on the context.

The legs resting on the edge of the table were deliberately kept apart by the Alpha standing between them.

His lower back struggled to maintain this posture. His jade-like hands gripped the porcelain-white edge of the table, his fingertips trembling as his knuckles slowly tightened.

Duan Yuluo turned his head. The Alpha’s breath on his neck was hot, making him restless. Before he could speak, he felt a large palm supporting his softened lower back, and heard a low voice in his ear.

“Baby, don’t keep provoking me to mark you.”

Before he could react, Lu Xinghe lifted him from the table and headed upstairs.

“Just laugh at those rumors.”

Duan Yuluo’s brows slumped at the comment. He suddenly felt deflated, looking at Lu Xinghe with a resentful expression: “So, what, you can’t perform? I was the one who confessed, I was the one who proposed, and I’m the one who suggests marking.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a loud, crisp slap on his behind.

His eyes widened, his ears instantly flushed, and his eyes watered: “Lu Xinghe! You hit me!”

“You don’t need to provoke me. I can prove if I can perform without marking. Hold on tight.” Lu Xinghe secured him with one arm, while his other hand hooked his fingers over the waistband of his pants, his palm fully encompassing the small of his back.

“…”

Clothes were discarded on the stairs, one item per step, decisive and ruthless.

The bedroom door was pushed open, and any protesting sounds were swallowed whole.

So, why provoke a fully developed Alpha in the first place?

He brought a night of suffering upon himself.