Chapter 44: “He won’t Come.”
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Xu Yibai didn’t get out of the car, nor did he say anything further.
The evening sky was dominated by the sunset, and a gentle breeze brushed Xu Yibai’s hair in front of his forehead. The sunlight haloed his pupils with a golden edge, making it difficult to discern the emotions in his eyes.
He simply sat quietly in the car, watching Shen Yao, waiting for him to take the initiative to get in the car. It seemed that he had handed the choice over to Shen Yao.
“Why did you come here?”
Shen Yao adjusted the shoulder bag on his back, his expression naturally cold and warm as he bantered with Xu Yibai. He opened the car door, prepared to sit in the passenger seat that belonged to him.
There was a box of cake placed on the seat, exquisitely packaged, clearly a special gift from Xu Yibai to him.
Shen Yao raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise, holding the cake in his hand without eating it. He smiled with curved brows and said, “Thank you.”
Xu Yibai didn’t force him to eat it either. He lowered his gaze, staring at Shen Yao’s face without looking away for a second. “You don’t need to thank me.”
His hand still rested on the steering wheel. Shen Yao had praised his hands countless times before, but now he noticed that there were many small wounds on Xu Yibai’s hand, as if cracks had appeared on a perfect masterpiece.
Shen Yao noticed it and asked gently, “Your hands are important, why didn’t you protect them properly?”
“These wounds were caused during my susceptible period in the past few days.”
Perhaps it was because he rarely showed his emotions in the past, Xu Yibai’s susceptible period was never as intense as other Alphas.
But this time, the suppressed emotions erupted like a volcanic eruption. By the time Gu Yunyun found him, he had already fainted in the room. When Xu Yibai regained consciousness, he had lost track of how many days he had been in the isolation room at the hospital.
His memory of the susceptible period was hazy. When he woke up, all he saw was a blank white expanse, gradually gathering dots of light, with various dents and marks on the white walls.
When Xu Yibai woke up, his brain was still buzzing. In fragments of memory, he only remembered craving the scent of an omega’s pheromones, longing to smell that familiar apricot blossom fragrance.
But he had nothing. It was unclear which alpha his Omega was with. This speculation plagued his mind, and with reddened eyes, Xu Yibai repeatedly shouted Shen Yao’s name in the isolation room.
The first thing he did after being discharged was to come and find Shen Yao.
Snatching Shen Yao back using such extreme measures was originally suggested by Gu Yunyun, but now she inexplicably stood in his way.
Today was the second day since Xu Yibai was discharged, and he found an opportunity to break free from home and come to find Shen Yao.
Xu Yibai seemed unconcerned about those wounds. He continued to look at Shen Yao and then spoke softly, “Yao Yao, will you help me apply the medicine?”
“Of course,” Shen Yao gently touched his wounds with a light touch, his movements delicate and gentle, as if truly lamenting, “Let’s go to my place. I haven’t seen the gift you gave me yet.”
“Okay.”
Xu Yibai’s fingers twitched slightly as he silently withdrew his gaze and finally started the car.
In the familiar room, on top of the shoe cabinet by the entrance, Xu Yibai immediately spotted the gift he had given to Shen Yao.
Just as Shen Yao had said, he hadn’t even looked at the gift, showing no curiosity or concern.
Only Xu Yibai knew what was inside. Shen Yao liked the sea, but the capital was an inland city with no vast, azure ocean nearby.
In his scarce free time, Xu Yibai walked along the soft sandy beach, carefully selecting the most beautiful and unique seashells, cleaning them one by one, and then assembling them into a collage, which he framed.
The last gift had slipped from his hands, and Xu Yibai had heard the sound of shattering glass. He didn’t know if the seashells inside were still intact.
Suddenly, Xu Yibai grabbed Shen Yao’s outstretched hand, skillfully holding it and leading him towards the sofa, whispering softly, “Help me apply the medicine first.”
Shen Yao’s fingers were narrower than his, slender and pale, seemingly devoid of strength, easily held in Xu Yibai’s grasp.
His eyelashes fluttered like the delicate wings of a butterfly, as if tears of heartache would fall in the next second. Shen Yao’s gaze was focused, and his actions in applying the medicine were gentle and meticulous. It seemed to be the most important thing to him at this moment.
He seemed to cherish and treasure those hands even more than Xu Yibai did. His appearance tempted one to lower their head and kiss him.
Shen Yao was particularly skilled at creating this illusion, and Xu Yibai was well aware of it. However, he still didn’t withdraw his hand, allowing Shen Yao to tend to his minor wounds without any hindrance.
Today, there wasn’t a single moment when Xu Yibai’s gaze wavered from Shen Yao, as if he wanted to make up for all the lost time. This time, Xu Yibai stared at Shen Yao’s slightly reddened lips and asked, “Shen Yao, what are you thinking about every time we kiss?”
Am I so foolish and easily fooled by your lies? Do you think I’m not greedy at all, and all I need is a simple kiss?
“I’m thinking…” Shen Yao’s actions and words paused for a moment. Without much hesitation, he continued, “I’m thinking that you kiss very tenderly, and it feels comfortable to kiss you.”
“You don’t need to ask me such questions again. I remember that I’ve answered you before.” Shen Yao continued on his own, “Let me answer you again. Every word I said when I confessed my feelings for you was true. In an instant, it becomes eternal, and we will both remember the heartbeat of that moment. That is already perfect.”
His gaze was sincere as he looked at Xu Yibai, with a hint of slight confusion, or so Shen Yao deeply believed.
Xu Yibai’s calm demeanor, like a melting iceberg, began to fluctuate, teetering on the verge of collapse. He abruptly reached out and grabbed Shen Yao’s hand, his eyes turning dark.
Just as he was about to speak, a silver reflection suddenly intruded from the corner of his vision. Partially hidden by the sofa cushions, there lay an epaulet, seemingly flaunting its presence.
It was too conspicuous, too familiar. Besides Guan Shu, Xu Yibai couldn’t think of anyone else who owned it.
Xu Yibai stood up abruptly, heading straight for the bedroom. The wardrobe had sliding doors, but Xu Yibai couldn’t control his strength. The sliding door collided with the bottom, causing it to shake several times.
Inside, it was empty, with only clothes and not even a single strand of hair.
However, Xu Yibai didn’t breathe a sigh of relief. He tightly pursed his lips and quickly strode towards the guest room, making forceful noises when opening and closing the door, slamming it shut with a loud “bang” each time.
He repeated each step meticulously, full of suspicion, carefully inspecting every corner and even bending down to check under the bed, where no one could hide.
Shen Yao’s apartment had two bedrooms and a living room, along with a bathroom.
Xu Yibai met his own gaze in the mirror as he finished checking the bathroom. He then barged into the balcony, which was empty and filled only with moonlight streaming in.
Shen Yao lived in a high-rise building, and yet Xu Yibai still leaned out of the window, scanning in all directions. He made sure there was nowhere to hide before returning inside.
He resembled a husband who had discovered his wife’s infidelity, searching for any trace and evidence of the adulterer, willing to overturn the entire room.
When Xu Yibai returned to the living room, Shen Yao remained seated on the sofa, unaffected. His posture was far from lazy, and his gaze unconsciously drifted towards the tightly closed front door.
Xu Yibai had intended to take Shen Yao home.
“Yao Yao.”
Xu Yibai approached him and reached out to touch Shen Yao’s cheek. His fingers, hardened from years of piano practice, carried a faint callus.
His touch was so gentle, cherishing the treasure he held close to his heart. But in the next second, the scent of Blue Wind Chimes filled every corner of the room, forcefully spreading step by step, occupying his territory.
He didn’t want to hurt Shen Yao, nor did he want to restrain him. This was the only way.
In an instant, Shen Yao’s glands began to heat up, and a heavy pheromonal message pressed upon him. Unlike before, it wasn’t soothing him at all.
The overwhelming scent of pheromones made his brain dizzy. Shen Yao could instantly guess—
Xu Yibai was using Alpha pheromones to forcefully induce him into a state of arousal!
Shen Yao’s expression immediately changed, his breathing becoming uncontrollably heavy as a wave of heat washed over him. He quickly pushed away Xu Yibai’s hand and rushed towards the door.
He had escaped countless times from the bed. Shen Yao never learned his lesson and still followed this instinct.
His waist was once again gripped by the person behind him, and Xu Yibai forcefully pushed him back onto the sofa. This time, Shen Yao was trapped in the corner of the sofa, with nowhere to retreat.
The omega’s body curled up in unbearable discomfort, and there was still a last trace of clarity struggling in his gaze as he unintentionally looked towards the door.
As if waiting for someone to come and save him.
“Who are you waiting for to come?”
Xu Yibai stepped to the side, completely blocking his line of sight. He pinched Shen Yao’s chin with his fingers and lowered his head to kiss him.
His kiss was still gentle, just like the compliment from Shen Yao, but it was a bit too meticulous. Their breaths intertwined, plundering the air around them, leaving nowhere to hide.
“Huh…”
Shen Yao’s fingers started to weaken, and he felt the heat within his body ignite. It was as if he had been thrown into a vortex, unable to struggle and stand up.
The situation had gone beyond his anticipated control. He was playing with fire. Shen Yao weakly lifted his hand and pushed against Xu Yibai’s shoulder. Sweat trickled down his forehead. He bit his tongue hard to maintain some composure amidst the pain and tried to negotiate with Xu Yibai, “Xu Yibai… I know what you’re going to say…”
His lips that were about to speak were silenced by a finger pressed against them. Xu Yibai gestured with his eyes, indicating for him to stop talking.
“Are you waiting for Guan Shu?” Xu Yibai concealed the deepest traces of jealousy behind his eyelashes. He shattered Shen Yao’s hope in a low voice, “He’s not coming.”
“Or are you waiting for some other alpha?”
Unable to find the adulterer, he could only seize his own unfaithful omega. Using punishment to tell him that this was wrong, this was not right.
Xu Yibai had many questions he wanted to interrogate Shen Yao with. He wanted to ask Shen Yao why he had spent so much time at Guan Shu’s house. He wanted to ask who Yan Zhixing was to Shen Yao. He wanted to ask why Shen Yao had deceived him.
He had clearly seen that business card.
Xu Yibai wanted to get to the bottom of it all and then take Shen Yao back home.
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