Chapter 3

A Boring Person

Xu Shen’s gaze fell on Yan Xingzhi’s hand. The alpha’s hand was grasping his wrist, and when he spoke, he exerted a slight force on his wrist, shielding him behind his body.

The alpha’s hand was large, capable of encircling Xu Shen’s wrist entirely.

Xu Shen guessed that Yan Xingzhi’s hand should be about 21 cm long.

Yan Xingzhi was also taller than him, as alphas seemed to be generally taller.

But Yan Xingzhi was taller than the other alphas at the research institute.

Moreover, the alphas at the research institute would neither grasp his hand nor stand in front of him.

Xu Shen suddenly felt a small sense of joy.

It was a rare emotion. Although Xu Shen had wanted to cultivate this relationship after learning about the arranged marriage, Yan Xingzhi was still just a name on the marriage certificate to him.

Yan Xingzhi was his alpha, and they were supposed to be a family.

To Xu Shen, this was still only a concept.

So he read many books on how an alpha and omega should interact and how to establish a family with an alpha…

The books said that there should be love between them.

Xu Shen couldn’t quite understand it. He had never been likable and didn’t know what love felt like.

“Love? Love is when you feel super happy just thinking about him,” said one of Xu Shen’s colleagues.

“Huh?”

“Let me put it more specifically: it’s when he holds your hand, and it makes you happier than successfully completing ninety-nine experiments.”

Happiness? Xu Shen pondered.

So… love is the feeling when Yan Xingzhi grasped his wrist?

Xu Shen drifted off, his gaze settling on the bouquet that had been thrown to the ground.

From Yan Xingzhi’s perspective, he could have glimpsed Xu Shen’s pale earlobe beneath his black tousled hair. Xu Shen had never worn earrings or necklaces, looking like a fresh-faced, model student.

Yan Xingzhi recalled their first meeting when their arranged marriage was immediately agreed upon. The day after receiving the pheromone compatibility report, he found Xu Shen and registered their marriage.

After the registration that day, hoping to get acquainted, Yan Xingzhi took the initiative to offer Xu Shen a ride home.

The alpha drove smoothly and casually rolled up the windows.

Not for any particular reason, just that a certain A didn’t want his hairstyle messed up.

The alpha hummed a tune.

But the moment he nonchalantly turned his head, he noticed his newly wedded partner hadn’t spared him a glance, staring out the window at the receding trees the entire time.

Yan Xingzhi: Not a good start.

Xu Shen was truly nervous at the time. The marriage registration, marrying an alpha, and establishing a family – everything happened too quickly. It wasn’t until he sat in the car that he belatedly realized what had occurred.

Fortunately, Xu Shen eventually let Yan Xingzhi into his home. Unlike what Yan Xingzhi expected, Xu Shen’s room was simply decorated in a minimalist black and white style. The bedroom was small, but the adjacent study had three neat bookshelves.

“Would you like something to drink?” his arranged partner finally spoke up.

“Juice would be nice, thank you.” Yan Xingzhi wasn’t shy either. Having spent the morning obtaining reports and rushing to register the marriage, he was genuinely thirsty.

After fifteen minutes, Yan Xingzhi finally found the flustered Xu Shen in the kitchen, surrounded by over a dozen brands of instant coffee, clearly randomly grabbed during grocery runs.

“We’re out of juice,” the omega explained dryly, “Would you like to choose a coffee instead?”

No juice, no milk, not even fruits or vegetables.

No cat, no dog, not even the cute plushies most omegas adored. The sofa was pristinely clean, with the sole white cushion emblazoned with a row of formulas.

Utterly boring.

Such a boring person currently had his head lowered, lost in thought.

What could he be thinking? Yan Xingzhi followed Xu Shen’s gaze to the fallen bouquet on the floor.

It was a bundle of elegant pink roses, exquisitely packaged, though the ribbon was loosened and a footprint marred the wrapping paper.

The earlier breathless, sobbing peach omega had scurried away, leaving only flailing pheromones behind.

So cloying.

Nothing like his own omega.

His omega wouldn’t be so cloying.

Oh, his omega’s scent-blocking patch seemed permanently affixed, his pheromones so faint they were imperceptible.

Tsk.

What was he thinking? Who needed someone with a cold and aloof cedar-like attitude?

“The bouquet looks quite nice. Why did you get off work so early today?” But his omega had taken the initiative to give him flowers, so what if he picked them up?

Lack of pheromones? So be it. He had plenty to spare, no need to bother with certain omegas.

“Ah, I got off early.” Xu Shen sounded distracted as Yan Xingzhi retrieved the bouquet, retying the ribbon, though the footprint on the wrapping and lingering peach pheromones remained evident.

That peach omega had been too close to the bouquet earlier. Xu Shen estimated at least three percent of the pheromones had transferred.

He disliked it.

“What made you decide to buy flowers?” Yan Xingzhi held the bouquet in one hand and, after a moment, hugged it close.

——————–

Author’s Note:

Alpha: He actually gave me flowers! Hmph, I’ll reluctantly accept them!

Chapter 4

Just a Little

Not hearing Xu Shen’s response, the alpha wasn’t annoyed.

Yan Xingzhi was in a good mood, completely oblivious to the peach pheromones tainting the bouquet. With the flowers in one hand and his car keys in the other, he walked over and opened his car door.

The time to get off work was 5:30 p.m., but it was already 4:35 p.m. Yan Xingzhi glanced at his phone and decided to leave work early with Xu Shen.

For the sake of the flowers, he’d reluctantly go home to accompany a certain omega.

“Straight home?” Yan Xingzhi asked from the driver’s seat, still cradling the bouquet.

“Mm, put the flowers…in the backseat,” Xu Shen replied.

“Oh okay, got it.”

Yan Xingzhi placed the bouquet on the rear seat, positioning it carefully against the door to prevent it from falling. After arranging everything, the alpha’s peripheral vision caught sight of the omega beside him.

Xu Shen was fastening his own seatbelt, his head lowered, black tousled hair hanging, and his expression still cool and detached.

Was he still upset about being bullied earlier? Why did he seem unhappy?

Although Xu Shen always wore that expression, Yan Xingzhi felt he seemed displeased.

His Omega wouldn’t express joy or displeasure.

So dense.

Yan Xingzhi slightly regretted letting go of that dense omega’s hand.

Just a little regret.

Xu Shen secured the seatbelt with one hand. Perhaps due to the repulsion of identical polarities, even with the bouquet placed a meter away on the backseat, the lingering peach scent maintained an overwhelming presence.

Finally, Xu Shen took out his phone, his pale fingers sliding across the screen to open a green social app.

[Shen]: I’ve noticed my sensory range has expanded.

[Tangtang]: What?

Tangtang was the colleague Xu Shen had asked before – Tang Yan, also an omega who had purportedly read over 999 romance guides despite never dating.

Xu Shen doubted the 999+ claim, but it didn’t stop him from finding Tang Yan impressive.

Xu Shen briefly described what had happened to Tang Yan.

[Tangtang]: !! What kind of person is this !!

After rapidly sending over a dozen angry emoji reactions about the peach omega, Tang Yan finally focused on the current issue.

[Tangtang]: Do you really, really, really, really, really hate peaches now?

[Shen]: A little.

[Tangtang]: I see.

Tang Yan sent an audio clip. Xu Shen put on his headphones and heard an upbeat song playing:

“It’s a heartbeat, oh no, I can’t escape your gaze. My heart inexplicably races for you…”

Heartbeat? Xu Shen discreetly counted his heart rate – 103 beats per minute.

A little fast.

They soon arrived home, the living room lights illuminating two identical pairs of slippers at the entrance.

Xu Shen slipped on his own, and Yan Xingzhi placed the bouquet on the coffee table before heading upstairs.

Xu Shen peeked over and saw Yan Xingzhi enter the bedroom.

He really disliked peaches! The omega tiptoed towards the bouquet.

A subtle cedar scent seeped out, trailing along the ribbon, then gradually enveloping the pink roses through the wrapping paper, gently erasing the lingering peach pheromones.

“What’s wrong?” Yan Xingzhi had just come back downstairs when he saw Xu Shen sitting beside the bouquet, swiftly withdrawing his hand.

Yan Xingzhi: ????

“Nothing.” Xu Shen spoke rapidly, thin eyelids lowered towards the floor. The living room light cast faint shadows on his drooping lashes.

But for some reason, Yan Xingzhi felt Xu Shen seemed flustered, like he’d done something wrong.

“I’m going upstairs.” Xu Shen blurted out before scurrying away quickly.

It was a little cute.

Just a little.

Yan Xingzhi retrieved a vase he had “casually” found upstairs, unwrapped the bouquet packaging, and carefully removed each rose stem.

The roses were lightly tinged with a cedar scent.

Well…might as well keep the roses for a few more days, Yan Xingzhi thought.

——————–

Author’s Note:

Alpha: I didn’t deliberately get a vase! Hmph, who would purposely get a vase to keep flowers in? Ծ‸Ծ

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