Back in his office, Zhuang Yi couldn’t concentrate all afternoon. He had never found work to be cumbersome or tiresome before, but today, even looking at spreadsheets was making him restless.
Zhuang Yi kept thinking about the way Zhong Lin had looked at him at noon, as if he were a stranger, and it left him feeling deeply unsettled.
It was well past the end of the workday, but the lights in the CEO’s office were still on. Zhuang Yi stood motionless behind the glass window, staring at a unfamiliar Toyota SUPRA parked outside. It was almost 8 o’clock, and the neon lights were lively. A familiar figure headed towards the car, accompanied by someone else.
Zhuang Yi pressed his entire body against the glass, and through the dim light, he thought he could make out that the person with Zhong Lin had light blue hair. His heart suddenly felt cold.
“Hey, did you see that person who came to see the boss these past few days, the one with the light blue hair? They look really good too.”
The gossip he had heard at noon echoed in his ears, and Zhuang Yi felt as if his head was enveloped in a green haze. He silently sat back on the sofa, reminiscing about the days when Zhong Lin would squat by the table, smiling as he laid out the tablecloth and set the chopsticks.
Only recently had he noticed that the tableware and lunch boxes would change colors and styles, the plating was meticulous, and the meals were nutritionally balanced. Zhong Lin always appeared beautifully dressed, never wearing the same outfit twice, sometimes looking irresistibly sexy with a tight waist, and other times wearing something loose and soft, looking utterly adorable.
Zhuang Yi suddenly remembered one lunchtime when he glimpsed a patch of snow-white skin through torn jeans. Hao You was chattering annoyingly by the side, and Zhuang Yi, inexplicably irritated, had gotten angry. Since then, every time Zhong Lin came to deliver food, he would send Hao You away.
Recalling many things in his jealous fog, Zhuang Yi wondered if Zhong Lin also brought meals to the person with blue hair? Did he smile at others too?
Did others also secretly admire Zhong Lin’s slender waist and pale legs?
The more Zhuang Yi thought, the more upset he became, and soon the lights in his office went out. The frosty glass briefly fogged up with his breath, showing a forlorn face that quickly disappeared.
Returning home to a cold and empty house, Zhuang Yi had never before felt the space was too large, but now the house seemed excessively spacious.
He walked to the kitchen to get some water, staring blankly at the coffee machine on the counter. On weekends, Zhong Lin would excitedly make coffee and casually bring him a cup.
Zhong Lin’s coffee was really fragrant.
Feeling increasingly stifled, Zhuang Yi picked up a glass of water, intending to return to his side of the house. Passing the living room, he remembered how Zhong Lin loved to curl up on the couch on weekends. Once, coming out of the study unexpectedly, he saw his omega in a fluffy sweater, hands tucked into the sleeves, deeply engrossed in a novel, tears in his eyes, then looking up to greet him with a smile.
After that, he often found excuses to come out for a drink, even though his study was fully equipped for hydration.
Zhuang Yi longed to see Zhong Lin. He walked a few steps, then turned back. He pulled out the documents he hadn’t finished reading that afternoon from his briefcase and sat on the sofa Zhong Lin usually sat on, pretending to read.
Zhong Lin had said he came back yesterday and would stay home today.
He waited and waited, but no one came home. It was after 10 PM, and Zhuang Yi’s stomach was growling with hunger. Not great at fending for himself, he frowned as he opened the refrigerator he’d never touched before. He couldn’t cook and hoped to find some leftovers, but found only ingredients, some vegetables already wilting. After some digging, he found two bottles of milk, both expired.
What did this mean? Unable to stand it any longer, Zhuang Yi found the domestic service company’s number on the fridge magnet, wanting to ask why the housekeeper had been so lazy recently, not even cooking for him.
“I don’t often eat at home, but I don’t skimp on the grocery budget, replenishing cash monthly in the drawer by the shoe cabinet. If Zhong Lin doesn’t eat at home, does the housekeeper not even bother to buy groceries?”
“Mr. Zhuang, you might be mistaken. Our housekeepers only handle cleaning. Your service includes cleaning a 680-square-meter space from 2 to 6 PM, with weekly bed linen changes, monthly carpet cleaning, and more…”
Zhuang Yi nearly dropped the phone, “But someone always cooks at my house.”
“Ah, that must have been someone your spouse hired separately. Is there anything else you need, Mr. Zhuang?”
Zhuang Yi leaned his forehead against the cold fridge, his voice tightening, “Do you also take care of picking out clothes to wear, hanging them in the wardrobe?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Zhuang, we don’t offer that service. It’s too difficult to match a client’s personal taste.”
Zhuang Yi hung up and slumped to the floor. Personal taste, personal preferences—how had he always assumed these were services that money could buy?
Feeling more regret than he could bear, Zhuang Yi realized he was an idiot. He had lost the precious spouse he took for granted.
The sound of the door opening made Zhuang Yi rush out. Zhong Lin entered, cold air swirling around him as he laughed over the phone, “No problem, we’re all friends here, just give me a few days to recuperate, then I’ll handle it.”
What was he recuperating from? What was he handling? Full of questions, Zhuang Yi froze. Zhong Lin glanced at him, nodded slightly without waiting for Zhuang Yi to speak, and walked to the right, “I’m home, don’t worry. I’ve been busy with a project, you know how it is, busy at times and free at others. I’ll definitely hang out with you once I’m done!”
It was all over. Zhuang Yi watched Zhong Lin’s back, his eyes reddening.
Zhong Lin hung up with Pei Jue and wandered around his studio, amazed by his collection of original soundtracks. Digging enthusiastically, he found a hidden box in the back of the cabinet and pulled out a lightweight box. Curiously, he opened it and pulled out a blood-stained, torn shirt, which startled him into throwing it away.
What was this? Did he have some bizarre fetish he wasn’t aware of?
The box clattered with various small items as he picked up an orange wristband marked with “TK University 2015 Summer Sports.” According to Pei Jue, he graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music, so why did he have a wristband from TK University?
Unable to figure out the random items in the box, Zhong Lin closed the lid. He decided to keep the other items but planned to throw away the blood-stained shirt—he was too faint-hearted to keep such a scary reminder.
After a restless night full of nightmares, Zhuang Yi awoke with dark circles under his eyes, looking drained. Without anyone to pick out his clothes, he wore a black suit with a mournful expression, not quite looking his best.
Then, something in the trash caught his eye. That shirt wasn’t Zhong Lin’s—what did this mean? Had his omega brought someone else home?
Sneakily, Zhuang Yi picked up the blood-stained, torn shirt while Zhong Lin was still asleep, growing angrier as he inspected it. He sniffed it carefully, detecting a hint of a familiar pheromone. Was it someone he knew? As he searched for clues about the “outsider,” his fingers stumbled upon an embroidered patch on the cuff.
He lifted it incredulously to his eyes and read the embroidered name.
Zhuang Yi.
Was this his shirt? Had he been the outsider all along?
Touching the embroidery, a memory surfaced—this custom shirt was from a birthday party he attended for a young tycoon. He had heard faint cries for help outside a locked guest room, kicked the door open, and saved an omega who was nearly assaulted, accidentally getting cut in the chaos.
After being discharged from the hospital, the blood-stained shirt had mysteriously disappeared, and Zhuang Yi hadn’t thought much about it at the time.
Was that omega Zhong Lin?
Zhong Lin had kept this tattered shirt for so many years—why had he suddenly decided to throw it away?
Slow to realize, Zhuang Yi finally understood that the omega he had intended to keep at a distance might have cared for him deeply from the start. By the time he realized it, his omega no longer wanted him.
Overwhelmed by his emotions and forgetting his upcoming sensitive period, Zhuang Yi’s entire body trembled. If he had been more attentive, he might have kept his cherished spouse.
Yawning, Zhong Lin walked out of his room and froze at the sight.
How should one interpret a towering, stoic alpha suddenly weeping and clinging to his legs?
Believe it or not, they were just arranged marriage partners, signed to a non-interference agreement.
