Before My Withering

Summer has passed. The weather suddenly grew cold after a few rainfall.

The art exhibition of Xu Xingze took place towards the end of September. Zhou Chen gave me a pair of thin gloves to wear before heading out. When I put on my clothes, I saw that my bow tie and his tie were the same color, and the brooch was also a pair. 

“I can’t help myself; my little rose is too charming,” he said as he leaned in and kissed my ear. “There will be a lot of young, intelligent, attractive, wealthy alphas and omegas there today, and I’ll become nervous if I don’t do the small trick of proclaiming sovereignty.”

He would not let me say that I was no good, and he praised me so constantly that I began to question if I was really good enough.

At the very least, I’ve been looking a little better recently, no longer as drab and dry. Zhou Chen stated it was all his credit, and after he finished speaking, he requested for a passionate kiss as a reward.

He’d constantly be unreasonable when he should be, and reasonable when he shouldn’t be, and put on a gentleman’s air, asking, 

“May I kiss you?”

“Is it all right to go deeper?”

“Would you like more?”

I was about to be tormented insane by the lust all over my body, and he’d ask questions like this, as if he wouldn’t move if I said no.

I was embarrassed and angry, and I wanted to shove him out of bed, but my body and mouth weren’t listening to me.  I opened my mouth only to utter a bemused, “Want…”

I think he did that on purpose.

“What are you thinking, blushing again?” he said, flicking his index finger over my face.

I gathered myself, hesitant to acknowledge that I was thinking such things in broad daylight, and covered it up by replying, “Do you wish I was an omega…” 

——Because I was an omega, I might be marked, and a mark was worth a thousand words. Even without a bow tie or brooch, others would know that I belong to him.

“Not at all.” His gaze went solemn. “I hope you are with me because of love and nothing else,” he added. Moreover, marking isn’t the only way to finalize an agreement.”

I couldn’t come up with a response. “What else is there besides the mark?”

He gave me a deep look. “There’s also getting married.” 

“Don’t joke about it.” I reflexively avoided his gaze. “How can you marry a beta?”

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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“That won’t do either.” I retorted without thinking, unable to say why it wouldn’t. 

Because I’ve worn Qi Shu’s ring... I rubbed my left ring finger unconsciously.

The word of Qi Shu’s marriage had traveled across the city at the time. What would people say if they found that I had married Zhou Chen?

They would say Zhou Chen was a villain who robbed his didi's fiance.

No, no way. I forbid them to insult Zhou Chen. 

I wish I had been stronger back then; I should not have worn Qi Shu’s ring…

Zhou Shen could certainly tell what I was thinking. “Sorry, I was in such a rush… Don’t think about this now. Be cheerful. Let’s go visit Ah Xing’s art exhibit,” he embraced and soothed me.

“En.”

My mood improved slightly when we got at the exhibit hall. 

Xu Xingze’s painting style was vibrant and gleaming. There was a romantic retrospection of Impressionism in the modern period of art consumption.

Wen Yan, the curator, naturally joined us. When Xu Xingze was speaking with visitors, I observed that he would inadvertently cast looks in Wen Yan’s direction. But Wen Yan appeared indifferent, and even if he caught Xu Xingze’s eyes, he’d just smile gently and politely.

There were many luminaries from the art world present today, as well as many women and gentlemen from the high social circles. I wasn’t very adept at dealing with situations like these, but luckily, there was Zhou Chen. All I have to do is follow him and smile and say “hello” to everybody who comes up to me from time to time.

Zhou Chen was even more popular than I thought, which makes me feel a strong sense of crisis. 

Being doted on for so long in our two-person world, I forgot that he was the most attractive alpha of all.

——Family background, status, appearance, age, and moral character were the best; most importantly, he was unmarried.

My thoughts were interrupted by an elegant and gorgeous omega woman.

“Long time no see, Mr. Zhou,” she said with a charming grin. ” Last week, I joined my father and uncle Zhou to play golf and didn’t see you. I was looking forward to seeing you for a long time, but I didn’t expect expect to meet you here today.” 

“I’ve been quite busy recently, sorry.”  Zhou Chen gave a tiny nod.

“Who is this?” asked the omega woman who noticed me.

Zhou Chen shook my hand, his eyes softening, and he said, “It’s my lover.”

“Hello,” I hurriedly replied, my heart quivering. 

“Hello,” she said, her grin stiffening, and she hesitantly inquired, “Is Mr. Zhou married? Why haven’t I heard about it?”

“Not yet, just waiting for his approval,” said Zhou Chen, his tone spoiling and hopeless. “Young people don’t want to be limited at such a young age, and I can’t help myself; you may laugh at me.”

“No…”

After she had gone, I grasped Zhou Chen’s hand and objected in a quiet voice, “What were you saying? 

He bowed his head and said, “Did I say something wrong?”

“You…” I didn’t know what to say, so I had to chose to escape. “I’m going to find Wen Yan.”

Zhou Chen let me go, and I didn’t need to look back to know that his eyes were following me.

Wen Yan, standing in front of a painting, saw me coming and grinned. “Xiao Xiao.” 

A modest white building and a vast rose garden were depicted in the picture. In the midday sun, the roses were lovely and warm. I could tell it was Sunset Lane.

“I heard Zhou Chen say that you are going abroad together.” Wen Yan asked, “When are you leaving, next month?”

“En, I’m going to meet with Mr. Herman Evans, and if all goes well, I might be able to join the Misty Philharmonic Orchestra.”

Zhou Chen and I should have been in Vienna by now if it hadn’t been for the recent accident. 

Mr. Evans was extremely concerned when he learned that I had been hurt and wanted to meet me in person, which caused me to panic for a long time.

“Great.” Wen Yan sighed sadly, “Although I hate to part with you, I am very happy for you.”

My heart warmed up. “Thank you, Senior.”

“By the way, Qi Shu has been discharged from the hospital.” 

“Oh…”

Wen Yan hesitated for a moment and asked, “Won’t you meet him before you leave?”

I thought of Zhou Chen and shook my head. “Nah.”

“I knew it. “He sighed a little emotionally. “Qi Shu asked me to tell you that that person have received it.” 

“Who?”

“Wen Ziqing.” Wen Yan sighed, “Zhou Shen found him. and when he handed him over to Qi Shu, his left hand was already useless; a bullet had passed through his palm, and all five fingers were fractured.”

I couldn’t help but shudder as I imagined that image. I then remembered that Wen Ziqing was Wen Yan’s younger brother, and he…

As if guessing what I was thinking, Wen Yan smiled and said, “Wen Ziqing was brought back to the Wen family when he was fifteen years old. By that time, I had already broken off relations with my family.” 

He didn’t say anything further, and I couldn’t ask. It’s probably another ugly secret of a rich family.

“Who would have thought Qi Shu would fall head first to you in the end?” Wen Yan smiled and flicked at the tip of my nose. “He also asked me to bring a final message. If Zhou Chen let’s you down, you can always come back. He’s waiting for you.”

“But I think…” I followed his gaze and saw Zhou Chen, “There will be no such opportunity.”

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    Today’s playlist：《Here, After, Us》

    [Don’t look back at me, my dear]

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