Before My Withering

Zhou Chen said he’d be back in a week, but only two days passed and I was already bored to death that I had to rely on TV to pass the time.

After changing the channel, I was caught off guard when a familiar face appeared on the TV.

Qi Shu…

His appearance didn’t change; still as cold as ice, but he seemed a bit tired, although I didn’t know if it was an illusion. 

Qi Shu was holding a company press conference. I didn’t quite understand a few words, but it shouldn’t be a good thing seeing the heavy countenance of the several board members next to him.

Apart from the sudden glance last time, I hadn’t seen him for more than a month.

Zhou Shen said that desensitization therapy should be carried out in proper sequence. I didn’t want to make it difficult for myself, so I turned off the TV before more intense discomfort came.

The phone rang just in time.

“Xiao Yu, is Brother Shen with you?” Xu Xingze’s voice sounded a bit anxious.

“No, what’s wrong?”

“I know why Qi Shu made his grandpa angry. He pushed the engagement without authorization and refused to marry Wen Ziqing no matter what. I didn’t think the man surnamed Wen was any good, so I found two people to keep an eye on him, and just now I got news that he went alone to Brother Shen’s house in the city. I can’t get through to Brother Shen’s phoneー Fuck, what exactly does this surnamed Wen want?!”

After Xu Xingze finished talking, something very serious suddenly occurred to me. 

Zhou Chen, he’s… in his susceptible period.

“Do you know the address of Mr. Zhou’s house? I’ll head there straight away.”

“Yes, I’ll send it to you. You go over first and wait for me. Don’t worry, I’ll be there in a minute.”

I called the driver and set out after I got the address from Xu Xingze. 

I thought about a lot of possibilities while we’re on the way. The worst thing that could happen was Zhou Chen losing control and marking Wen Ziqing, thus, completely ending his relationship with Qi Shu.

The road was empty at night. I urged the driver to drive the car out instead of the chopper and arrived at the apartment building in half an hour. This should be Zhou Chen’s usual residence, Sunset Lane was far too remote, not convenient to go out and work.

The apartment had good privacy, one staircase for each household. 

The moment I stepped out the elevator, I was assaulted by the strong smell of peaches.

…Heck, why do I always run into such scenarios?

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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Only then did I notice a man sitting in the shadows.

“Why are you here?” Zhou Chen’s voice was a bit more hoarse than usual, and with the moonlight outside, I could see a few strands of his hair hanging on his forehead, and his clothes were a bit disheveled.

“Come.” He said.

I whiffed a hint of unusual danger, but it soon passed. 

“Are…you okay?”

Although the air was enclosed with floating pheromones, the smell of lust and desire seemed to be missing, so it seemed that there was no time for it to happen.

Instead of answering my question, he said, “You’re not wearing a coat, isn’t it cold?”

The early summer night was still a bit cool, I left the house in a hurry, still wearing pajamas, and almost forgot to change my shoes. 

“Not cold.”

He frowned. “Liar.” After saying this, he pulled the thin blanket next to him and draped it over me, sighing seemingly. “Do you know how dangerous an alpha is in their susceptible period? How could you dare run here alone?”

“I was worried about you. And…you won’t hurt me.” I remembered the reason I rushed here so I asked him, “Where’s Wen Ziqing?”

He said faintly, “Bedroom.” 

I squatted down and only then did I notice that Zhou Chen’s face didn’t seem to be looking good, his skin was much paler than usual, and his eyes were bloodshot.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you okay?” I felt bad, at a loss of what to do.

He shook his head, raised his hand and tousled my hair and said, “I’m fine, you should go back.”

“I don’tー” 

“It’ll be bad for me if you’re here.”

His gaze resembled a complicated web.

I seemed to understand what he meant, but I didn’t seem to understand.

“But I’m a beta…” 

“Pheromones don’t dictate everything.”

If it were in the past, I would’ve doubted this statement, but now I believe it. I’ve never heard of an alpha being indifferent to such a high concentration of omega pheromones especially in their susceptible periods, yet Zhou Chen did it.

From this perspective, he’s simply frightening.

“If you don’t leave, I might really do something I’ll regret.” His voice was distinctly low and deep. 

I wasn’t a white bunny who’s ignorant of the ways of the world, I knew what he meant.

At the same moment, I also finally distinguished a different smell from the house aside from the omega pheromones.

ーーThe scent of scorching brandy from Zhou Chen.

I didn’t expect that he, an introverted and sensible man, would have such a blazing flavor. 

I only caught whiff a miniscule amount of it, and it’d been as if I already got drunk.

“Why are you saying that you will regret it?”

ーーBecause I’m not clean, because I’m not your ideal bed partner, or because you don’t want to get into trouble?

However, he just looked at me and said, “Because it’ll hurt you.” 

Right after he said that, the door slammed open and Xu Xingze broke in with two bodyguards in tow.

“Brother Shen!”

“ーFuck, what’s that smell…”

“Are you okay, bah?” 

……

He rushed in to open all the windows in the living room as he spoke, then saw Zhou Chen momentarily stunned, so he uncertainly asked, “You’re…in susceptible period?”

Zhou Chen nodded.

Xu Xingze froze, and then squeezed out two words after a while, “…So awesome.” 

“I knocked that person out in the bedroom. Please help me take him away.” Zhou Chen said calmly.

Knocked out? He knocked Wen Ziqing out?

Xu Xingze was completely speechless, then he instructed the two beta bodyguards to go to the bedroom to find someone, while he himself took out a bottle of blocking agent and sprayed it a few times. He stood far away and asked, “I won’t make you uncomfortable like this, right?”

It was well-known that alphas in their susceptible period would be naturally hostile to their own kind, and may lead to violence when they’re in the same room. 

I had no clue what other alphas were like, but so far, Zhou Shen had yet to show any abnormalities.

He shook his head and said, “It’s okay.”

The bodyguards dragged Wen Ziqing out, and the pheromones in the living room, which had readily dissipated, became thick again. He had already woken up, his eyes originally half-open. After seeing me, his gaze suddenly turned stern, and he coldly laughed, “…So that’s why.” 

What ‘so that’s why’? Before I even had a chance to ask, he was dragged out.

Xu Xingze felt as if his head would explode. “What should we do now?”

“Find a hotel to put him in, I will inform Qishu,” said Zhou Chen.

Xu Xingze glanced at my direction. “Xiao Yu, youー” 

“I’ll stay.”

“Not a bad idea…” He thought for a while and agreed, “Brother Chen is in his susceptibility period, it’s inconvenient for me to be here. Take good care of him and call me whenever you need anything.”

After Xu Xingze left, there were only two of us left in the living room.

Amidst the silence, I saw the extreme forbearance and the struggle on the edge of losing control in Zhou Chen’s eyes. 

“Why won’t you listen?” He asked hoarsely.

When I said “stay”, I’d already thought about the possible consequences. It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t afraid.

I still couldn’t be sure for what purpose Zhou Chen saved and took care of me. I was afraid that it is what I think it was, and I hope that it is what I think it was.

My only hope would be that it had nothing to do with love, so I’d be less burdened. 

“You don’t have to fight it…”

His eyes darkened again. “Do you know what you’re saying?”

“You saved my life, but I’ve got nothing to repay youーjust myself. Only I-I’m not so clean. If you don’t dislike it, I…”

“Xiao Yu.” Zhou Chen’s eyes were frighteningly red as he looked at me and asked word by word, “What do you take yourself and me for?”