WMAW Chapter 8

Having agreed to visit his older brother for dinner over the weekend, today was only Thursday. Zhong Lin received feedback from the client in the morning, so he stayed home to revise the demo and sent it to post-production. By the time he finished, it was dinner, and Pei Jue came over to pick him up for a meal.

As Zhong Lin changed clothes and stepped out of his room, he saw Zhuang Yi fiddling with something in the kitchen. The once elusive CEO had recently been lingering around the house every day. Unaware of how unusual this was due to his amnesia, Zhong Lin thought that Boss Zhuang, aside from being a ninth-degree black belt in Sanda, was also a top chef.

Indeed, many skills do not overwhelm a person.

Not knowing how to face Zhuang Yi, Zhong Lin crept out with his back bent, unnoticed by his arranged marriage partner.

Downstairs, the blond Pei Jue waited. Seeing Zhong Lin in a childish sweater printed with a big yellow duck, Pei Jue sensed a significant regression in Zhong Lin’s taste and solidified his plan to take advantage of Zhong Lin’s amnesia to lead him into a bit of rebellion.

The two enjoyed a newly opened Japanese buffet and, holding their waists from fullness, strolled through a nearby university to digest. The weather was mild, and many students were cycling with backpacks, the air filled with youth and freedom, which was relaxing. After getting tired, Zhong Lin and Pei Jue lay on the grass of the sports field to chat.

After hearing about Pei Jue’s disastrous romantic history over the past few years, Zhong Lin realized that their high school dream of conquering men together had utterly failed.

“You’re like a magnet for jerks; finding boyfriends shouldn’t mean dumpster diving,” Zhong Lin remarked sagely.

“There aren’t that many good men in the world. An alpha can mark countless people in their lifetime, but it’s not the same for omegas. Once an omega is permanently marked, they become physiologically dependent on the alpha who marked them. Unless they undergo gland removal surgery, an omega will be influenced by that alpha’s pheromones for life, and might even lose their sanity without them,” Pei Jue, with an arm behind his head looking at the dim sky, added, “Especially high-quality alphas, those with a bit of money and power, accustomed to being adored. Don’t expect any special favors from these top dogs; if it’s not an act, it’s charity.”

Zhong Lin turned to look at Pei Jue, sighing without knowing how to comfort him.

After philosopher Pei Jue shared his views, he turned his head, teasing Zhong Lin, “So, Boss Zhuang is actually not too bad, right? He’s upright, doesn’t have bad habits, just a bit stiff. That kind of man, well-trained, tsk tsk.”

“Stiff?” Zhong Lin didn’t think of Zhuang Yi as stiff at all. His memory of their second meeting was of Zhuang Yi pinning him to the carpet, confessing his feelings while looming like a wolf, and speaking like a big dog.

“Oh right, you lost your memory,” Pei Jue looked a bit schadenfreude, “Oh, the poor dog, licked until the end…” His words were cut short as a shadow zipped across the ground at high speed, almost hitting Zhong Lin’s vulnerable head. Pei Jue, watching from the side, panicked and quickly got up to block it with his shoulder.

The ball bounced off, and Pei Jue couldn’t help but grunt in pain. The sweaty culprit ran over, constantly bowing and awkwardly apologizing, “Classmate, I’m sorry, my dribbling skills are poor, I didn’t expect it to fly so far, I’m sorry.”

Pei Jue’s shoulder felt numb as the soccer-playing youth helped him up. He waved it off, not planning to make a big deal since they had entered someone else’s activity space.

However, the youth with still some baby fat on his face was trembling visibly, clearly very socially anxious, and insisted on making things right.

While they were politely and awkwardly declining, Zhong Lin, who had been lying on the ground as if paused, finally reacted. He stared blankly at the stars above, a jumble of memories flashing through his mind from the moment Pei Jue had shielded him.

It was a blurry scene, lying down, someone roughly pulling at his collar, desperately trying to call for help but feeling weak from the disgusting pheromones. As the sticky breath approached his neck, he bit down hard on the other’s ear.

The intense smell of blood nauseated him. In a moment of despair and darkness, a hand raised in anger did not land on his face. A sudden loud bang, the smell of camphor repelling an attack on an omega, cleared his muddled mind instantly.

Efficient movements, shattered furniture, a twisted evil face pressed to the ground, a sharp fruit knife, the sound of it piercing flesh—all rushed into Zhong Lin’s mind. Anger, worry, relief, gratitude—he turned pale, overwhelmed by emotions, taking a long time to recover.

“Lin, what’s wrong? Are you scared?” Pei Jue noticed Zhong Lin’s distress and quickly knelt to check on him, while the guilt-ridden youth couldn’t lift his head. Omegas are fragile, and his kick had hurt two people at once.

“It’s nothing,” Zhong Lin got up, explaining, “Just remembered something.” He snuggled into his sweater, his face still pale. Pei Jue brushed off the dust from Zhong Lin’s back, ready to head back.

Pei Jue’s shoulder throbbed, and after a moment, he turned to ask the apologetic youth, “Can you drive?” The youth nodded, and Pei Jue tossed his car keys to him, “Good, then please drive us home. Let’s forget this incident, don’t worry about it.”

As they regained their spirits, Zhong Lin noticed Pei Jue rubbing his shoulder, “Is your shoulder okay? Should we go to the hospital to have it checked?” Pei Jue waved it off, and the three walked towards the campus exit. Zhong Lin joked, “Pei, thanks. Otherwise, my poor head would’ve cracked open again, and I might have forgotten you too.”

“That wouldn’t be so bad. I’d just trick you into thinking you’re a big dummy I picked up and owe me a life debt. You’d have to cook for me every day, bring me footbath water, and serve me faithfully,” Pei Jue laughed heartily, while the youth following behind blushed at the banter.

On the ride back, the young driver drove diligently and responsibly.

Zhong Lin gazed out the car window, lost in thought. He remembered that dark memory, the gloomy feelings, how he had once despised himself for being a useless, weak omega, always suppressed. He also remembered the alpha who had appeared out of nowhere to save him and even took a knife for him.

“That idiotic second-generation rich kid, a trash alpha. After failing to court you and getting rejected for arranged marriage, he resorted to those despicable methods and even tried to forcibly mark you for life,” Pei Jue spat in disgust next to him, “Doesn’t he look at himself and see he’s unworthy?”

Zhong Lin was amused by Pei Jue’s indignant rant and smirked slightly, “I wonder how that guy is doing now.”

“How is he? Probably crying behind bars. Your brother isn’t someone to mess with,” Pei Jue mentioned Zhong Jue with a sigh, “It’s my fault for not making a move on your brother sooner. Now, I wouldn’t dare.”

“I’d be afraid your sister-in-law would chop off my claws,” Pei Jue shook his head, remembering Zhong Lin’s cool sister-in-law, then chuckled, “Actually, your sister-in-law, I wouldn’t mind.”

Zhong Lin wholeheartedly agreed.

After their playful banter, the car slowly pulled to a stop. Pei Jue insisted on walking Zhong Lin upstairs, feeling it his duty to protect Zhong Lin’s fragile head from further harm.

Upstairs, Zhuang Yi had been staring out the window at the community’s driveway, naturally noticing Zhong Lin and the blond man beside him. His susceptible period was nearing its end, his emotions stabilizing, but the ache in his heart had not lessened.

That afternoon, Zhuang Yi had been frantically busy in the kitchen, truly unaware that Zhong Lin had already left. Reflecting on his ineffective attempts at wooing his wife, he decided to skip the second step and move directly to the third.

Step three of the Ten-Step Wife Chasing Method: notice and appreciate the other’s efforts, and actively make changes for them.

Zhuang Yi wanted to cook for his wife. In the afternoon, his assistant delivered fresh meats and a set of measuring cups and a kitchen scale. Rolling up his sleeves, a confident Boss Zhuang set up a tablet on the cooking counter and followed a tutorial video step by step.

Many food bloggers simply indicate to add “a pinch” or “as needed” of spices, all of which Boss Zhuang emotionlessly rated poorly. It was hard to find videos with precise measurements. Just as he finally found a suitable video, he was so distracted he didn’t measure the salt properly, and the dish in the pot burned.

Unknowingly, it was past seven o’clock by the time Zhuang Yi served three unappetizing dishes on the table. He was very dissatisfied with himself, feeling underperformed. Although he usually felt competent in everything he did, why was he so talentless in cooking?

Hesitating for a moment, he decided to invite Zhong Lin to taste the dishes but after knocking on the door for a long time, no one responded. Thinking Zhong Lin might not have heard him due to wearing headphones, Zhuang Yi tentatively turned the doorknob and peeked inside. The bedroom was empty, as were the bathroom, the suite’s media room, and the mini-game room.

Zhuang Yi lowered his eyes and stepped back. This poor performance and the unpalatable dishes were thankfully not subjected to his wife. He sat alone at the dining table, gnawing on the half-cooked dishes, unable to swallow.

Zhuang Yi, whose ancestors had once been wealthy, felt utterly stuck in a mire without his wife, struggling to emerge, overwhelmed by sadness. He stood up, disposed of the uneaten dishes, and stood in the empty house, unsure of what to do next.

It seemed he always got it wrong, his actions displeasing, his words unskilled; he had been mistaken from the start.

Originally, knowing his arranged marriage partner was involved in music, Zhuang Yi was resistant—not out of professional prejudice, but because he felt they had nothing in common and couldn’t imagine them together. He was a boring, stiff person whose main entertainment was watching the financial news at night. Their personalities, interests, everything seemed mismatched.

The first time the two families had dinner together, Zhuang Yi’s eyes briefly met with the beautiful, flamboyant omega, then quickly looked away.

Despite his refusal, he eventually complied with his parents’ wishes and married the omega. He could have firmly opposed the marriage, but he didn’t persist because of that one moment when the sparkling omega smiled warmly at him.

To avoid mutual disdain later, Zhuang Yi gave his partner the utmost freedom from the start. Little did he know, this freedom also created distance and indifference. He recognized his mistakes, but the harder he tried, the further he felt from Zhong Lin.

Did he have any competitive advantages? Hadn’t he always been clumsy, stiff, boring, inarticulate, insensitive to others’ emotions? From the beginning, he had wondered how a charming, attractive omega would ever want to stick with a block of wood?

Zhuang Yi no longer watched the people downstairs, turning back to his room instead.