The room was filled with the sweet fragrance of omega pheromones, but Su Ya felt a chill run down her spine. It was as if a venomous predator lurked in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to sever the fragile bond between an alpha and a beta. In the face of such raw, physiological desires, the idea of AB love seemed almost too ethereal, too idealistic.
Su Ya opened her mouth to speak, but Lao Qiao gently took her hand, guiding her attention to their son. Following Lao Qiao’s gaze, Su Ya looked at Qiao Qiao, who was slowly inching closer to the alpha sitting still as a statue. With a cautious, cat-like curiosity, Qiao Qiao extended a finger and poked Zhang Peng.
Zhang Peng remained silent, but he subtly surrounded Qiao Qiao with his own pheromones, carefully shielding him.
Qiao Qiao felt the chaotic noise and overwhelming omega pheromones from outside the room fade into the distance, as if they had never existed at all.
Zhang Peng continued to stare at the door, but Qiao Qiao, feeling reassured, let his finger wander upward, gently brushing Zhang Peng’s eyelid.
Zhang Peng’s expression softened, as if the icy facade was melting, and even a hint of a smile appeared. Yet his body remained tense.
Qiao Qiao paused, then redirected his hand downward, sliding it over Zhang Peng’s sweater until it reached the area that, theoretically, should have swelled in response to the omega pheromones.
But it was flat. There was no swelling.
Surprised, Qiao Qiao muttered, “Did it shrink?” Was it so small that he couldn’t feel it?
Panicking, he squeezed.
Zhang Peng: “???”
He quickly grabbed Qiao Qiao’s hand and crossed his legs, suddenly springing to life, no longer the cold, lifeless figure from a moment ago.
Qiao Qiao, ever observant, noticed that after his touch, there was indeed some swelling, and he let out a sigh of relief. Clinging to Zhang Peng’s arm, he whispered, “You ignored me just now, and I got scared.”
“Don’t be.” Zhang Peng whispered back, “That omega’s pheromones were too sickly sweet. They made me nauseous, but I’m immune now.” Of course, what he didn’t share was that it had taken all his self-control to resist standing up and walking out the door. But there was no need to worry Qiao Qiao or his parents with that.
In reality, if anyone else had heard about what happened today, they would find it hard to believe.
An alpha who had never marked an omega, faced with a heat-stricken omega’s pheromones, had not reacted with the expected “!”—a physiological response—but was instead aroused by a beta’s touch.
Qiao Qiao felt a bit let down. “I didn’t even get to make my dramatic entrance.” Shouldn’t the typical scenario have been: Zhang Peng, overwhelmed by the pheromones, nearly storms out to claim the omega, leaving the little beta clinging to his alpha for dear life? In a last desperate attempt, the beta would confess his love, finally bringing the alpha back to his senses, right?
He thought about it for a moment. After all, Zhang Peng was a true billionaire CEO, unlike those so-called “proudly self-controlled” fake CEOs who couldn’t even keep their lower bodies in check.
Zhang Peng, thinking Qiao Qiao was still shaken, gently hugged him. “You did great.” he said softly. In fact, if it weren’t for Qiao Qiao’s parents sitting across from them, Zhang Peng would have kissed him right then and there! That one touch from Qiao Qiao had sent an uncontrollable surge through Zhang Peng’s body. Perhaps, as an alpha, his physiological instinct did yearn for an omega, but this primal urge was no match for the power of love that had developed over five years. Even a single finger from Qiao Qiao was more effective than any omega’s pheromones.
Feeling the omega-driven desire gnawing at him, Zhang Peng was becoming increasingly agitated. But the moment Qiao Qiao touched him, that desire dissipated, leaving him feeling clear-headed and at peace.
With the parents present, Zhang Peng couldn’t say anything too sweet, but the look in his eyes as he gazed at Qiao Qiao was filled with a honeyed tenderness.
Qiao Qiao understood and snuggled even closer to Zhang Peng.
Lao Qiao and Su Ya exchanged a glance, finally realizing that they were, in fact, the third wheels here!
Su Ya stood up, saying, “I’ll go check on what’s happening outside.” Even though she had never heard of an alpha who hadn’t marked an omega being able to resist omega pheromones, the evidence was clear. As an educator, Su Ya wasn’t one to blindly trust textbooks or authority.
Her lips curled slightly upwards, and her expression softened considerably as she looked at Zhang Peng. “It sounds like things have calmed down out there. I wonder if they’ve gotten the situation under control.”
Lao Qiao added, “Let’s go see if we can help.”
The two hurried out the door.
Watching them leave, Qiao Qiao noticed his mother’s faint smile and began to realize, “Did we just pass the test?”
Zhang Peng, still anxious, asked, “Did they accept me?”
The two mulled it over for a moment, and before they knew it, they were holding each other close. Zhang Peng continued to replay the day’s events in his mind. Although the beginning was a bit rough, the unexpected test had gone quite well. Thinking this, he felt about 70-80% confident that he had passed the test.
Just as he was beginning to feel at ease, Zhang Peng suddenly noticed a warm sensation… He looked down to find that Qiao Qiao had slipped his hand into…
Zhang Peng quickly pulled Qiao Qiao’s hand out, his expression calm, though the noticeable bulge in his pants suggested otherwise. “Not here, we’ll wait until we get home.” he said, referring to their small apartment.
In Qiao Qiao’s family home, Zhang Peng wouldn’t dare make a move. His mother-in-law was watching, after all.
Zhang Peng didn’t want to ruin the good impression he had just built, so he firmly turned down Qiao Qiao’s advances.
Qiao Qiao regretfully withdrew. If they were back at their apartment, they would’ve already started having fun. He sighed, casting a wistful glance at the still-steaming black chicken soup, and decided he’d make his exit as soon as the holiday was over.
Seeing Qiao Qiao a bit downcast, Zhang Peng glanced around and spotted the Ragdoll cat, which had just finished its meal and was now licking its paws. “Kitty!” he called out, hoping to lure the cat over for Qiao Qiao to pet.
The Ragdoll glanced at him, eyes widening as it noticed his feet in slippers. After thinking for a moment, the cat turned and hid behind the two British Shorthairs. The British Shorthairs, large and fluffy like cats disguised as pigs, easily shielded the Ragdoll, which was already a large cat itself.
Feeling a bit offended, Zhang Peng wished he could explain to the cat that he didn’t have smelly feet—it was just that his leather shoes had trapped some odor after being worn all day. It wasn’t the cat’s fault for getting a whiff up close.
Qiao Qiao stood up, saying, “I’ll catch her for you to cuddle.”
He strode over to the Ragdoll, fingers twitching like he was playing an invisible piano, looking slightly creepy.
Worried that Qiao Qiao might get scratched, Zhang Peng quickly intervened, “It’s okay, don’t force it.”
Just then, the two large golden retrievers came running over, flopping down in front of Qiao Qiao and exposing their white bellies, their large tails sweeping the floor back and forth. Qiao Qiao crouched down, saying, “Alright, I’ll pet you two instead.” He picked up Big Mao for a kiss, leaving Little Mao for Zhang Peng.
Seeing that Big Mao had already used the belly-up trick, Little Mao had no choice but to lay on the floor with its chin resting on its front legs, looking up at Zhang Peng with big, watery eyes, the epitome of a sultry dog.
Zhang Peng obligingly picked up Little Mao and gave him a kiss as well.
When Su Ya and Lao Qiao returned after helping the neighbors, they found their son and prospective son-in-law each holding a dog. Lao Qiao couldn’t resist taking out his phone to snap a picture to show Su Ya.
Su Ya glanced at the photo. Even without filters or lighting, taken with Lao Qiao’s front-facing iPhone camera, Qiao Qiao still appeared as radiant as ever, his features delicate and his figure slim and well-proportioned. Zhang Peng, too, remained strikingly handsome, his chiseled features and tall frame clearly visible.
Even the two adorable dogs couldn’t outshine them.
Lao Qiao whispered, “They do look good together.”
Su Ya stared at the photo for a long time, unable to bring herself to shake her head in disagreement.
“Just barely.” she finally said.
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