Transmigrated As The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Of A Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 20

Zhao Zhiyi hugged his pillow, sleeping fitfully.

He felt as if he were walking alone in a desert, a vast, desolate wilderness with no sign of other living creatures. Above him, a fierce sun beat down, its poisonous UV rays scorching his skin. Yet, he could only push forward, step by step, hoping that somewhere ahead lay the oasis he craved.

He didn’t know how far or how long he had walked before his footsteps faltered. He caught a scent, crisp, cool, and utterly foreign to a desert.

It was… gin on ice.

Zhao Zhiyi reached out blindly, trying to find the source of the scent. His fingers touched something so hot he recoiled, but then he felt himself pulled into a searing embrace. The aroma of alcohol swirled around him, very close, yet he couldn’t quite pin it down.

Meng Ze sat by the bedside, holding Zhao Zhiyi from behind. He buried his face in the crook of the younger man’s neck, his breathing rapid, his expression turbulent.

He desperately wanted to bite down, but Zhao Zhiyi’s gland was already severely swollen. He could only hold him like this, quenching his thirst with a drop of poison.

To make matters worse, the person in his arms wouldn’t stay still, tossing and turning while mumbling incoherent nonsense in his sleep.

Suddenly, the youth turned his head and threw his arms around Meng Ze’s neck, murmuring, “I’m a little thirsty.”

“I’ll go get you some water…” Meng Ze began, but the rest of the sentence was swallowed whole.

Zhao Zhiyi had hooked his arms around Meng Ze’s neck and kissed him.

Sitting in Meng Ze’s lap, his face flushed crimson and his brow furrowed, Zhao Zhiyi tasted Meng Ze’s lips as if searching for something. It wasn’t until he pried open Meng Ze’s teeth that he let out a soft muffle: “…Found it.”

The veins in Meng Ze’s neck pulsed. He gripped Zhao Zhiyi’s waist tightly and asked hoarsely, “What did you find?”

Zhao Zhiyi didn’t answer, he was focused on “drinking.”

It wasn’t so much a kiss as it was a… tasting. It was as if Meng Ze’s tongue and lips were a piece of fruit low on juice, though Zhao Zhiyi seemed unsatisfied, he made do with what he had.

Meng Ze remained still, letting Zhao Zhiyi take what he wanted until the youth grew tired. Drunk on the scent of gin, Zhao Zhiyi pulled away, intending to lie back down and continue sleeping. But Meng Ze caught the back of his head and kissed him back.

This was a real kiss.

Fierce, domineering, and driven by primal desire.

Zhao Zhiyi had no defense. Locked in the other man’s embrace, he gasped piteously, tugging at Meng Ze’s hair in an attempt to endure the intensity. Meng Ze seemed oblivious to the pain. Only when Zhao Zhiyi was about to run out of breath did Meng Ze show mercy, releasing him and trailing dense, lingering kisses down from the corner of his mouth.

Dazed, Zhao Zhiyi cradled Meng Ze’s head, feeling that something wasn’t right.

This didn’t feel like a dream.

But his brain had turned to mush, unable to process the logic, especially as Meng Ze’s lips drifted toward places they shouldn’t go. A shiver ran down Zhao Zhiyi’s spine, and he clung to Meng Ze. “Don’t… I’m going to die. Let go of me.”

Meng Ze replied, “You won’t.”

Beads of sweat formed on Zhao Zhiyi’s forehead as his pheromones spiraled out of control again. He couldn’t distinguish between pain and pleasure. He could only hug Meng Ze and curse him feebly until he felt the heat between his legs. He jolted, panicked and trying to flee: “No!”

He was truly terrified, crying as he tried to crawl away. “It still hurts from before! Don’t touch me!”

Meng Ze caught him effortlessly. However, seeing how hard Zhao Zhiyi was crying, he frowned and said, “Let me see.”

Zhao Zhiyi’s eyes widened. “You actually want to look!?”

Meng Ze: “Mm.”

He actually had the nerve to say “Mm” so righteously?!

For the first time in his life, Zhao Zhiyi regretted not learning a trade, specifically, how to castrate a high-energy lunatic like Meng Ze for the good of society.

Despite his cursing and biting, he was pinned down across Meng Ze’s lap.

Zhao Zhiyi’s face was red down to his neck. He bit down on his own knuckle, looking like a fish on a chopping block, his toes curled tight. “Are you done looking yet!”

“Mm.” Meng Ze’s breathing seemed heavier. He said, “It is indeed very swollen.”

Zhao Zhiyi: “…Then why are you still pressing against me? I’m telling you, I absolutely do not consent! I’ll die!”

Meng Ze thought for a few seconds, then picked Zhao Zhiyi up like he was handling a beautiful doll. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t go in.”

Zhao Zhiyi sneered.

He should have let Dr. Zheng call the police to haul this bastard away. Why did he come to this demon’s den yesterday?

“You’re in your heat, too,” Meng Ze said seriously. “Aren’t you uncomfortable?”

Zhao Zhiyi stubbornly replied, “I’m not uncomfortable, not at all… Ugh!” He slapped Meng Ze across the face, his eyes reddening with anger. “Let go!”

Meng Ze took the sharp slap without a hint of anger. Instead, he leaned in to kiss the corner of Zhao Zhiyi’s eye soothingly. “I know you’re suffering.”

“You know nothing, ah! Meng Ze! I’m warning you one last time, don’t touch!”

“…Meng Ze!”

“Meng Ze, you… you bastard! Ooh!”

Su Jiyu sat by the floor to ceiling window, watching the neon lights and flickering shadows of the city below. People drifted through the late night, hurried and transient, traffic merged under a dim starlight.

His slender fingers toyed with a beer can, swinging it aimlessly. His eyelashes were lowered, his eyes reflecting the world outside or perhaps, only a dry, empty wasteland.

His phone rang. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but it vanished instantly when he saw the caller ID. The last trace of warmth left his eyes.

Su Jiyu answered expressionlessly. “Hello?”

The person on the other end sounded anxious. “Jiyu, I went to your house to find you. Your mother said you haven’t been home for several days. Did something happen?”

Su Jiyu glanced at the contact name, someone from the same social circle, though he didn’t recall them well. His voice, however, remained gentle. “I’m fine. Work has been a bit busy lately, so I haven’t gone home.”

“Oh, I see.” The caller sighed in relief, then coughed lightly. “Well, Jiyu, do you want to play golf tomorrow? I’ve invited a few friends…”

There was no emotion on Su Jiyu’s face, but his tone stayed warm and steady. “If you want to play golf, you should ask Meng Ze. I’m not very good at it.”

“President Meng? He doesn’t have time for the likes of me. He’s probably all lovey-dovey with his Omega right now. I ran into him at the hospital tonight, they were very close.”

Su Jiyu paused. “The hospital?”

“Yeah. He had a very beautiful Omega with him, don’t know if it’s his ‘wife’ or not… They were probably there to check pheromone levels. I only caught one glimpse of the Omega, and Meng Ze almost jumped me. Scared the life out of me. His rut must be severe, there’s no way he’s coming out to play golf.”

Su Jiyu remained silent for a long time.

“Jiyu? Jiyu, are you still there?”

“Mm.” Su Jiyu smiled slowly, his voice soft. “I see.”

He hung up the phone and looked at the profile picture on the screen, a sliced orange. He murmured to himself, “So that’s why you haven’t been replying to my messages.”

Zhao Zhiyi felt his life was utterly ruinous.

This life was even worse than his last one.

When he opened his eyes and saw Meng Ze lying next to him, only one thought crossed his mind, kill Meng Ze first, then himself. Absolutely no one else in this world could ever know the absurd things he had agreed to last night. He had to silence the witness.

Just as his hands reached for Meng Ze’s neck, the man caught his wrist and pressed a kiss against his pulse point. Meng Ze’s lips were dry and soft, his voice slightly raspy. “Awake?”

Zhao Zhiyi said coldly, “If I could, I’d prefer to sleep forever.”

But wanting to die and actually dying were two different things. As Zhao Zhiyi calmed down, he reached for his phone to search Baidu. Meng Ze asked, “Where does it hurt?”

Zhao Zhiyi: “I just want to know how much an Alpha remembers about what happens during their rut once it’s over.”

Meng Ze slowly stroked his smooth back. “If it’s me, I usually don’t remember most of it.”

“Really?” Zhao Zhiyi’s eyes lit up.

“Mm,” Meng Ze said. “My ruts are always spent in a haze. It’s not pleasant. There’s no need to remember painful memories.”

Zhao Zhiyi slumped back onto the bed, feeling this was one of the few pieces of good news he’d had in days.

Meng Ze nuzzled his cheek. “What do you want to eat? I’ll order takeout.”

“First, forget about the food.” Zhao Zhiyi grabbed a handful of Meng Ze’s hair and squinted. “How did you get in last night? Did you use your pheromones to trigger me?”

“I used the key, opened the door, and walked in,” Meng Ze confessed honestly, adding a helpful reminder: “This is my house.”

Zhao Zhiyi: “…”

“As for the pheromones, you were having a nightmare when I came in,” Meng Ze said. “I was just sitting there. You were the one who kissed me first.”

To prove he wasn’t lying, he pointed to a wound on his lip. “You bit me.”

Zhao Zhiyi was furious. “Nonsense! I would never!”

“You’re in heat,” Meng Ze said. “It’s normal to feel miserable without an Alpha’s pheromones.”

He pinched Zhao Zhiyi’s bright red earlobe and chuckled. “Don’t be shy.”

Zhao Zhiyi gripped the sheets. He tried to hold back, but couldn’t: “You think everyone is as shameless as you? I clearly told you that you couldn’t lick that place… damn it, what am I saying?”

He shoved Meng Ze away. “Go cook. Hurry up.”

“You want to eat my cooking?”

“Yes, hurry.” Since Meng Ze wouldn’t remember anything after the rut anyway, Zhao Zhiyi decided to order him around out of spite. “I’m starving.”

Meng Ze got up, grabbed a pair of pajamas from the side, and pulled them on. Zhao Zhiyi caught a glimpse of the dark red scratch marks across his firm back and sheepishly retreated into the blanket, pretending he hadn’t seen a thing.

Though he was awake, Zhao Zhiyi didn’t want to get out of bed. He stayed under the covers playing mini-games on his phone until a call came in, and he realized he was holding Meng Ze’s phone.

“Meng Ze!” Zhao Zhiyi shouted. “Your phone’s ringing.”

Meng Ze was clattering around in the kitchen. “Answer it for me.”

Between answering the phone and getting up to find Meng Ze in the kitchen, Zhao Zhiyi chose the former.

“President Meng? President Meng, are you feeling better? Although you instructed us not to disturb you these few days, there’s a problem with a case at the company. It’s urgent, we had no choice…”

The voice on the other end was a mix of fear, urgency, and concern. Zhao Zhiyi sighed, climbed out of bed, and slowly walked to the kitchen. He handed the phone to Meng Ze and whispered, “It’s someone from your company.”