Chapter 90: “Xu Yibai is my husband.”
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Xu Yibai personally helped Shen Yao put on the wedding dress.
Shen Yao had no chest to fill out the V-neck of the wedding dress, and the loose neckline swayed, exposing his skin, but it was covered by the light veil.
The layers of the wedding dress’s skirt were piled up, adorned with hand-woven butterflies, and Shen Yao’s legs hidden under the skirt were touched by someone’s hand.
Shen Yao now looked like a truly pure bride.
Perhaps due to the fermentation of alcohol, Xu Yibai’s palms were warm. His gaze scanned over Shen Yao bit by bit, and Xu Yibai’s movements gently lifted Shen Yao’s veil. Their eyes met for just a moment, and Xu Yibai leaned over to steady him, and the delicate veil fell on both of them.
Xu Yibai suddenly opened Shen Yao’s lips with a tug. His kiss was saturated with the strong aroma of alcohol, intense like wine.
“Mmm…”
Shen Yao couldn’t help but make a sound as he was kissed, and his attempt to move backward stimulated Xu Yibai’s nerves. While pressing his chin, Xu Yibai kissed him deeper, then raised his hand to forcefully push Shen Yao down onto the bed.
The skirt instantly spread like moonlight on the bed, but Xu Yibai’s hand still held onto Shen Yao’s leg, and even lifted it slightly.
Xu Yibai knelt in front of Shen Yao, his back bending down, the heavy white skirt draped over his shoulders.
His tongue was more agile than anything else.
Shen Yao trembled, his knees shaking continuously. He instinctively tried to close his legs, the delicate and soft inner thighs tingling from the touch of the Alpha’s hair, turning that patch of skin crimson.
“Don’t…”
The rest of that word was swallowed back, his body had been rendered too susceptible by the several Alphas, he simply couldn’t bear this level of stimulation.
Shen Yao raised his hand to push Xu Yibai away, but he didn’t know how to go about it. In the end, the fingers, even the joints, turned red, and he could only weakly grab onto his own skirt.
He was firmly imprisoned, Shen Yao couldn’t help but squirm his knees, intending to break free from Xu Yibai, but his legs inexplicably clamped down tighter.
The continuous movement of his knees was forcefully stopped by Xu Yibai, and the hand that held him down around his waist exerted strength, pulling Shen Yao down a little more.
The edges of Shen Yao’s eyes grew redder, the shoulder straps of his wedding dress uncontrollably sliding down, exposing more and more skin on his chest, white with a hint of red.
Like a fully bloomed flower being gradually crushed, the fragrance of apricot blossoms surged out wave after wave.
Xu Yibai gradually stopped his movements, lifting his face from under the skirt, his lips shimmering with a crystalline sheen.
He didn’t bother to adjust Shen Yao’s skirt, his gaze fixed on Shen Yao’s rosy cheeks. Xu Yibai’s eyes, hazy with intoxication, were dark, and he had thought that only he would be able to see Shen Yao in such a state.
However, in fact, Shen Yao did not only reveal this expression under his presence. He would cry and act spoiled like this under someone else’s presence as well.
The associations in Xu Yibai’s mind caused him to roughly pinch Shen Yao’s eye corner and uncontrollably blurt out:
“Why are you crying?! Do I make you feel uncomfortable where I touch you? Making you cry like this?”
Shen Yao had never heard Xu Yibai speak like this before. It was as if a firecracker had exploded with his words, leaving Shen Yao, who had just regained his senses, feeling a bit dazed and helpless.
He was about to say something when the Alpha’s sudden movement without any warning instinctively made him try to move away, but he was forcefully held at the waist, with nowhere to retreat.
Shen Yao let out a soft sob, and the pheromones intensified once again.
“Why are you trying to hide? Do you simply not like me being with you? You don’t like me? Or are you simply unsatisfied? Do you want to find another Alpha?”
The Xu Yibai on the bed felt somewhat unfamiliar to Shen Yao. With trembling fingers tightly clutching the wedding dress, he struggled to explain, “I didn’t…”
“I didn’t?”
“If you didn’t, then why did you…!”
Xu Yibai almost revealed his own lie. His breath suddenly caught, and due to his angry jealousy, his forehead was covered in sweat.
He didn’t say anything further. Without any soothing preparation, he crudely tried to touch the most delicate part of the Omega’s body.
The process of marking for a lifetime should have made the Alpha feel content with possession. Xu Yibai firmly held onto Shen Yao’s waist, forcing his back to press tightly against his chest.
His eyes were filled with undisguised jealousy.
Shen Yao didn’t actually like being treated gently; he preferred rough Alphas like Guan Shu, who were robust, that’s why he took the initiative to let him mark for a lifetime!
The first night of their marriage, which should have been a gentle and affectionate exchange, was now being disrupted by Xu Yibai, turning into something akin to a violation.
Shen Yao’s slender back continued to tremble before him. His teeth, biting into his lip, slipped out of control, emitting faint whimpering sounds:
“It hurts…”
His quiet pleas didn’t elicit any sympathy from Xu Yibai; instead, they made the Alpha even more forceful. Wherever Shen Yao tried to hide, Xu Yibai grabbed his ankle and pulled him back.
Xu Yibai’s teeth also sank into Shen Yao’s gland. He grabbed the Omega’s hands, which were constantly pushing him away, and successfully completed the lifelong mark.
“Other than me, will you let others mark you for a lifetime?” Xu Yibai forcefully demanded, “Will you let others touch you like this?”
The pristine wedding dress had long become soiled, and murky fluids slid down from the lining.
“…No, I won’t.”
Shen Yao’s assurance didn’t bring a sense of peace to Xu Yibai. He once again forcefully bit into the vulnerable gland, repeatedly smelling the scent left behind.
Shen Yao was the one who had lost his memories, and it was Xu Yibai who was throwing himself wholeheartedly into this self-deceptive performance.
He wanted to portray the image of a perfect and caring husband, but he couldn’t let go of his continuous suspicions towards Shen Yao, tearing apart his own facade uncontrollably.
Struggling, Shen Yao opened his heavy eyelids. The first person he saw was still Xu Yibai, just like the first time he woke up in the hospital.
His expression was warm and guilty, forming a stark contrast with the Xu Yibai from last night, making Shen Yao feel like they weren’t the same person.
“Are you feeling uncomfortable?” Xu Yibai tightly pressed his lips together and looked at him. He cautiously reached out his hand, sensing Shen Yao’s withdrawal. He slowly retracted his hand and lowered his head, explaining, “I’m sorry… I drank last night. Did I scare you?”
Shen Yao curled up in the corner of the bed, avoiding him. The torn hem of the dress was left behind on the bed.
Finally, Shen Yao took the initiative to approach him, grabbing his hand and saying earnestly:
“You can’t treat me like this in the future, I’ll really get angry.”
Xu Yibai reached back and held his hand, the illusory beauty captivating. He nodded and apologized again:
“I’m sorry.”
***
On the third day after their wedding, Xu Yibai accompanied Shen Yao to the cemetery. Xu Yibai stood by Shen Yao’s side, his gaze fixed on his face.
The past Shen Yao had never mentioned his own matters, and Xu Yibai kept guessing. He wanted to know if this indicated… that the sealed-off space within Shen Yao was opening up for him, allowing him to touch those hidden wounds.
He tightly held Shen Yao’s hand, crouching down alongside him, and naturally changed his question: “Do you want to say something to your parents?”
Shen Yao lit a stick of incense, and upon hearing Xu Yibai’s question, his expression slightly froze. He shook his head and didn’t say anything, maintaining his excessively quiet demeanor.
Xu Yibai continued to accompany him like this.
He always felt that Shen Yao was contradictory. He was so unfeeling that he didn’t hold anyone’s kindness close to his heart, but he doubled his hatred for anyone in his heart.
Such a cold and unfeeling person, yet year after year, month after month, he would squat in front of his parents’ graves, speaking all his thoughts through his eyes.
Sometimes, Xu Yibai felt he couldn’t hold onto Shen Yao at all, because Shen Yao had no desires. He wasn’t even afraid of death, as if he could leave at any moment.
If he spent the rest of his life making Shen Yao feel his warmth, would Shen Yao change?
“Yao Yao,” Xu Yibai called softly, “Can you feel sad?”
Shen Yao looked in his direction, a shallow smile forming at the corner of his mouth. He said, “No, because I have you.”
He had heard Shen Yao’s seemingly sincere but actually hypocritical sweet words too many times. Beneath the honey was always a sharp blade.
Xu Yibai admitted he was despicable. He fell for it time and time again. This time, he couldn’t control his heart from being moved once more.
“Mmm,” he murmured, “I’ll always love you.”
Things that Shen Yao didn’t want, he dismissed without hesitation. Things he wanted, he pursued without caring about the consequences.
He wanted a perfect love story, so he dragged an entirely innocent person into it, discarding them resolutely when he didn’t need them anymore.
Who was right or wrong between him and Shen Yao, Xu Yibai no longer cared. In the years to come, Shen Yao would live in lies, and he would live in constant suspicion.
This wasn’t a dream he wove for Shen Yao; it was a dream he concocted for himself.
Yet, Xu Yibai didn’t regret it, not one bit.
***
Xu Yibai stayed with Shen Yao here, from afternoon to evening. When they left, they coincided with the change of guards stationed at the cemetery.
“Why are you here?” The new guard was extremely surprised when he saw Shen Yao’s expression. “I remember you told me last time that you’d be away for a while and asked me to be more attentive. Why have you come back?”
“Is that so?”
Associated memories were entirely blank, but as soon as he started thinking about the missing piece of memory, a sharp pain stabbed through Shen Yao’s brain. A warm hand pressed against his temple, soothingly saying:
“Don’t force yourself to remember if you can’t.”
“Xu Yibai.” Shen Yao subconsciously followed the source of warmth, the person he now trusted the most. “… Did I forget something important?”
“Probably because of the honeymoon plan we had. Want to go to the hospital again?” Xu Yibai said, guiding Shen Yao out of the gate, his expression unchanged even as he wove the lie.
“Let’s not go to the hospital.”
As Shen Yao opened the car door, he remembered something and continued, “By the way, you were worried, right? But now I feel like my body is almost recovered, and I’m not uncomfortable. I want to go back to dancing.”
Xu Yibai’s steps paused for a moment before the car door, his expression unreadable. After a while, he got into the car and said, “Alright, I’ll take you tomorrow.”
After night fell, Xu Yibai lightly patted Shen Yao’s back, putting him to sleep before getting up quietly and heading out to the corridor.
He stood by the window, gazing at the lights outside, his demeanor cold and different from daytime.
Xu Yibai picked up his phone and put it to his ear, getting straight to the point: “Is Guan Shu still in the military hospital?”
“Yes, General Guan has been keeping an eye on him.”
Xu Yibai continued to inquire, “And what about Yan Zhixing?”
“Something came up with the Yan family. He probably went back. His private jet flew abroad yesterday,” his assistant replied.
Xu Yibai nodded expressionlessly and issued a command, “Keep an eye on both of them.”
Until he was prepared enough to take Shen Yao away, he couldn’t let Shen Yao notice that something was amiss.
If Xu Yibai was willing to be more ruthless, he could break Shen Yao’s legs. That way, he wouldn’t need any reasons, and Shen Yao would have to stay obediently in bed, unable to go anywhere or even use the bathroom without someone’s help.
But he wouldn’t.
***
Early the next morning, Xu Yibai drove Shen Yao to his destination.
Shen Yao felt like he was imagining things; people’s gazes towards him seemed subtle, as if they were on the brink of saying something.
Though Shen Yao should have grown accustomed to being stared at, his steps faltered. He changed into his practice clothes and placed his backpack against the wall. He noticed something amiss and asked, “Where’s Teacher Zhuo Ran?”
The person he asked momentarily looked flustered, then quickly replied, “Teacher Zhuo has other commitments during this time. It’ll probably be a few months before they can come back.”
Shen Yao responded absentmindedly, “Is that so?”
After asking that, he continued to squat down and organize his belongings, not caring much about why others were looking at him this way.
For the next several days, Xu Yibai punctually brought Shen Yao here and picked him up, carefully managing every minute and second of their time.
Shen Yao went downstairs carrying his backpack as usual, but he heard Xu Yibai’s voice arguing with someone else. The distance was too far, and he couldn’t make out the specifics of their dispute.
However, Xu Yibai wasn’t someone who easily engaged in disputes.
When Shen Yao glanced in the direction of the commotion, he could only vaguely see an Alpha with unusual blond hair standing opposite Xu Yibai. The Alpha stood tall, his stance confrontational.
Shen Yao subconsciously wanted to move in the direction of the sound, but as he passed by the dance studio, the closed door suddenly swung open forcefully. An arm extended from within and pulled him inside.
“Bang!”
Shen Yao’s backpack fell heavily to the ground. Just as he was about to cry out Xu Yibai’s name, a hand with a faint tobacco scent covered his mouth, silencing him completely.
He couldn’t make a sound.
The Alpha’s breath hung around him like a fierce wolf, and the arm around his waist restrained him completely. Shen Yao’s back faced him, and he couldn’t even see the Alpha’s face.
The Alpha disappeared into the darkness, calmly calling out, “Shen Yao.”
Shen Yao’s mind, however, had no memory associated with him. He blinked in confusion, asking subconsciously, “Who are you…?”
“Who am I?!”
One particular word seemed to trigger the Alpha’s nerves, and he shouted angrily, “I let you run for a little while, and you’ve forgotten who I am?!”
As the Alpha spoke, he suddenly yanked Shen Yao’s arm, forcefully pressing his back against the door panel.
Amidst the dizzying swaying, Shen Yao finally saw the Alpha’s appearance. He was wearing a black tactical vest with the zipper pulled all the way up, and he had a cap on his head.
Shen Yao could only see half of his face. He watched as the Alpha’s sharp mouth gradually tightened, his expression already grim:
“You let Xu Yibai mark you for life?”
“Why are you acting so despicable?!”
Furrowing his brows, Shen Yao attempted to pull away from the Alpha’s grip, but he couldn’t even budge a finger. Instead, his resistance only fueled the Alpha’s anger.
Their eyes met beneath the brim of the Alpha’s cap. Shen Yao asked in incomprehension, a hint of frustration in his tone:
“I don’t care if Xu Yibai marked me for life; he’s my husband, what’s it to you?”
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