Lop-Eared Guard

Lu Shangjin shot a glance at Yan Yi.

One look could soften Yan Yi’s legs like a frightened bird. Lu Shangjin had this ability. To Yan Yi, his eyes were more deterrent than a UMP91. 

Yan Yi’s reddened nose quivered rapidly. He instinctively retreated to avoid harm. 

Lu Shangjin tossed his phone at him, “Call an ambulance.”

With trembling fingers, Yan Yi almost didn’t catch it. The phone slid to his chest and knocked against his collarbones. Ignoring the pain, he silently dialed a number and said in a low voice, “Yes, a human omega whose undifferentiated glands are still dormant. Could be a hairline fracture or a bone fracture.” 

He looked at Lu Shangjin while on the phone. Omegas were fragile, and human omegas with dormant undifferentiated glands were more vulnerable. Yuan Mi’s eyes were dilated with pain as he weakly stretched his hand out to Lu Shangjin. 

Lu Shangjin leaned over and picked up Yuan Mi, releasing his comforting pheromones to pacify the omega who was in heart-wrenching pain, and wiped his tears. 

Seeking comfort, Yuan Mi buried himself into Lu Shangjin’s arms, his fair hands holding onto his neck tightly. Panicked pheromones were being released through the air as he begged with choked sobs for Lu Shangjin to hold him. 

The haters2 under Yuan Mi’s Weibo often said he had no acting skills, undeserving of the Best Actor title. Yan Yi thought his acting skills were excellent. If his gland cells were aroused, he would definitely be a chicken with three golden trophies around his neck. He should record this episode for his haters, they would turn into fans. 

Yan Yi watched them silently. The doctor on the phone asked for details, “How is the patient? We have sent…”

“No need, he’s already dead.” Yan Yi hung up the phone, placing it on the table and straightened the crease on the collar of his uniform. He slowly stepped forward and picked up the omega who was softly from Lu Shangjin’s arms. With indifferent politeness, he said, “My apologies, xiansheng, I will deal with it. You should attend to more important things.” 

Lu Shangjin’s schedule was very busy, with no time left to accommodate the injured omega. He handed over the reluctant Yuan Mi who was scared pale to Yan Yi, and warned with a low voice, “We’ll discuss the punishment when I get back.” 

Yan Yi held onto Yuan Mi, agreeing faintly, “Yes, xiansheng.” 

Lu Shangjin took his coat and drove off on the Rolls-Royce Phantom from the garage, leaving the two omegas in the empty and silent villa. 

Yuan Mi had already experienced this butler omega’s violence. Being carried by him at this moment, he had almost forgotten about the sharp pain in his leg, turning stiff and not daring to move. Only now did his arrogant attitude vanish like a chicken with plucked feathers, the panicked pheromones overflowing uncontrollably through the room, filling it with the scent of Iris perfume. 

Yan Yi walked out of the villa with Yuan Mi in his arms, his face cold, as though he was carelessly holding a pile of damp old clothes which would be thrown in the trash at any time to be ridden of. 

Completely wilted, Yuan Mi threatened Yan Yi with the last thin fragile glass of confidence, “You just wait, Jin ge will kill you.” 

Yan Yi looked straight at him, the corners of his lips politely tilting into an arc, “That’s between us.”

If Lu Shangjin were willing to touch him, even if it were for punishment, Yan Yi was willing to accept it. 

Yuan Mi was only wearing a thin shirt. Goosebumps rose on his fair slender legs, and the bone fracture was already bruised and swollen. He bit his lips and sneered, “You’re the omega he once played with, aren’t you? Hoping to rekindle an old flame? Clinging to him and refusing to leave, losing your last shred of face left, what are you after?”

Yan Yi frowned, a layer of melancholy casted over the indifferent light grey pupils. 

“Then what are you after? Resources, support, or do you covet his second-order differentiated pheromones,“ Yan Yi stared at him, “If you just want to be fucked, I can also satisfy you until you cry out just as loud as you did today.” 

Yuan Mi’s face visibility turned pale in an instant. 

Yan Yi no longer spoke nonsense with him. Slightly arching his tall body and bending his legs, he jumped onto the top of the villa while carrying Yuan Mi like a catapult, and sped between the vastly scattered houses and gardens. 

Yuan Mi was forced to grab onto Yan Yi’s collar, nauseated from watching the ground turn high and low, distant and close. He looked at Yan Yi’s poker expression with fear. 

This omega…his glands must have differentiated, his rank order unknown. 

The probability of an omega’s gland cells differentiating was very small, and could only rely on the stimulation of an alpha’s pheromones. Once, there was an omega whose gland cells had differentiated into the first-order; no matter how humble his origins were or how ugly his appearance was, he had become the target of elite alphas to compete for courtship. 

This was due to the omega’s blood being a symbol of nobility and excellence, able to provide the future generations with powerful genes as the ultimate gift. 

Yuan Mi remained silent, not daring to act out rashly again. 

He had no comparability with this irritable rabbit omega; the latter could be one in a million elite omega. 

“What’s…your name.” Yuan Mi asked testingly. 

“Yan Yi.” He said. 

With wide eyes, Yuan Mi stared at him in disbelief for a long time. 

It was said that the only person in the palace who Lu Shangjin had truly loved was Yan Yi. 

Unexpectedly, he was serving as a butler at his house. 

Lu Shangjin didn’t return to the villa for three days. Yan Yi had received a new task- to accompany Lu Shangjin’s lover in the hospital.

This was an act of silent humiliation. Yan Yi turned off his mobile screen and leaned outside the VIP ward, squatting while lighting a cigarette. 

Lu Shangjin was really cruel. 

In the office, Lu Shangjin sat in front of the French windows. He had just finished a video conference, and the coffee beside him had turned cool. He looked at the photo of the little rabbit sent by his assistant; squatting outside the ward and holding a cigarette, empty gaze on the ground, lonely and desolate. 

Fingertips stroked the little rabbit in the photo. He then lit a cigarette. 

Their compatibility level was only 75%, and their inextricably intricate connections were only dependent on love. Breaking up was only a matter of time. An alpha with second-order differentiated glands faced countless temptations in the world. If he married and lived together with an omega who had a compatibility level of not more than 80%, it would be difficult to watch the feelings between the two turn more dull over time, a tragic marriage. 

He had once loved him.

The lop-eared rabbit was romantic and caring; he carried a camouflage Uzi3 in his hand, and smiled at him with a rose in his mouth. Any alpha’s heart would race. 

But he was tired of it. Any omega around who had 80% pheromone compatibility with him allowed Lu Shangjin to feel more comfortable and at ease. Moreover, charming omegas who had 85% or even above 90% of compatibility rate would offer him an olive branch4. Alphas were animals that submitted to pheromones; none would choose love over a compatible omega. 

Not to mention, he’s very special. 

He lifted his hand to pour out the lukewarm coffee and asked his assistant for a new cup. 

A phone call came in, remarking Lu Lin. 

Lu Shangjin answered impatiently. 

With a deep and grave voice, the middle aged alpha angrily ordered in a questioning tone, “Next time I dial this number and my call gets declined, you’ll leave the Lu family, I don’t have a son like you.” 

Lu Shangjin breathed in, listening with indifference, and said, “Been busy.”

On the other end of the phone, Lu Lin demanded a final condition. 

“If you don’t bring Yan Yi back this weekend again, you don’t ever have to step foot into this house.”

Lu Shangjin rubbed his temples, “There are many omegas from noble families, it’s the same no matter who I marry. Yan Yi and I have long been separated, our compatibility is too low, I’m tired of playing.” 

Lu Lin’s voice became frustrated and irritable, “How can you toss aside an omega of that grade whenever you please? If you can find and bring back an omega of the same grade as him, I won’t say another word.” 

Lu Shangjin’s patience was almost exhausted, so he said with indolence, “He’s a rabbit, there’s only a 15% chance that I can impregnate him, and the probability of him giving birth to an alpha is only one in five. Unfortunately, he might not be able to give you a strong alpha grandson, and may even give birth to a litter of useless omega rabbits. What’s more, the genes of the descendents of the Lu family don’t have to rely on an omega. I still have a meeting, I’m hanging up.” 

Speaking until the end, Lu Lin was almost burning with rage, his roar pressed down by the indistinct telephone signal. Lu Shangjin turned on the switch to block the signal and threw his phone aside. 

The constant pressure imposed by his father made Lu Shangjin reject Yan Yi further. Whenever he saw that beautiful face, Lu Shangjin would feel incredibly agitated. 

    ——

Yan Yi leaned outside the ward for a long time, nearly falling asleep against the ice-cold wall. He was awakened by the sudden vibration of his phone. 

Rabbits were too easily frightened. 

Stupefied, Yan Yi held his phone with shortened breaths and a sudden rise of his heart rate. To him, an ordinary phone’s vibration was like a nuclear bomb explosion. His whole body trembled for exactly three minutes before returning to normal. 

The screen had already turned black for a while. After turning it on, the first message jumped to Yan Yi’s eyes:

‘Coming home tonight. WIll be late.’

The soft rabbit ears quivered as Yan Yi swallowed his saliva. It was as though he had received a court summons. Trembling with fear, he replied to the message and tried to guess what punishment awaited him. 

He didn’t want to be bound to the machine and tortured by a massage stick for twelve hours again. The pain and the dark confinement room made him extremely terrified.  

The reason for this brutal punishment was just because he had softly asked in bed, “Jin ge, can you mark me?” 

However, this piece of news had no mentions of Yuan Mi’s injury, which made Yan Yi relax a little. It seemed as though Lu Shangjin did not like Yuan Mi much. His genuine love wasn’t like this. Yan Yi once had it all, and he could still vividly remember it. 

He was glad Yuan Mi didn’t receive such precious affections, and hence was able to dismiss his jealousy.  

Half an hour later, Yan Yi returned to the villa and changed into his butler’s uniform. The wound on his hand wasn’t too serious; compared to the bullet holes on his body, it looked light and shallow. He found a band aid and plastered it on the back of his hand. Although it had already stopped bleeding for a long time, putting a band aid on made him feel a sense of security, the wound protected by an armour, and won’t hurt too much if he bumped into hard objects. 

After washing the vegetables needed for dinner, he glanced at the quartz clock; it was three in the afternoon. 

Lu Shangjin said he would be back late. Yan Yi calculated the time, before picking out a carrot from the vegetable rack and nestled into the sofa. He then picked a CD to watch a movie. 

It was an old movie from a few years back that Lu Shangjin had brought him to the cinema to watch. Yan Yi would often rewatch it, imagining the person were still next to him, gently hooking his fingertips and kissing the inner side of his sensitive rabbit ears that were covered in thin veins. Kissing it, Yan Yi would withdraw a little from being oversensitive, but he liked it a lot. He couldn’t help but to worm back into Lu Shangjin’s embrace, raising his head to kiss the corner of his lips, and openly expressed his thoughts in an adorable manner, “Xiansheng, I like it like this.” 

The film’s plot was very moving. Occasionally, the soft rabbit ears would curl up to wipe away tears, then he would nibble at the sweet and crisp carrot. 

After eating a whole carrot, he took his time climbing out of the sofa before placing the CD back into the depths of the hidden drawer, pressing it under a notebook. He could then prepare dinner with a peace of mind. 

As soon as he entered the hallway, he heard the sound of keys unlocking the door. Lu Shangjin rarely opened the door himself to enter, bringing in the cold from outside. 

Why was he back so early? He hadn’t started preparing dinner. 

Yan Yi felt a little nervous. He hid the leftover carrot stalk into his pocket and guiltily picked up the coat that Lu Shangjin handed over. 

While changing his shoes, Lu Shangjin took out a black gift box from his pocket and tossed it at Yan Yi. 

Yan Yi was at a loss as he held the gift box, his rabbit ears were raised in an attempt to listen to what was inside. After hesitating for a long moment, he asked, “Xiansheng, is this for me?” 

Lu Shangjin absent-mindedly hummed and sank into the sofa, “I remembered it’s your birthday today.” 

A sentence that’s neither salty nor indifferent was like spring water trickling into the bottom of a dried pool after a long drought, moistening the seeds that were too dry to break through the ground. A tender green sprout slowly pushed through, vibrant with life, then blooming into a lovely pink flower. 

“Today is my birthday,” Yan Yi choked. 

But it didn’t matter. The fact that Lu Shangjin remembered was enough to make him internally happy. 

He hadn’t received a gift for many years. 

Yan Yi’s eyes curved as the corners of his lips tilted in a gentle smile. The hand that was busy opening the gift got caught on the ribbon several times. He tried to remain calm as Jin ge didn’t like exaggerated behavior. 

He asked as he opened the gift, “Is it the new model of the Silencer from Germany? A sniper scope? Or is it that 9-inch platinum folding muzzle that’s been discontinued?” 

In the gift box was a glittering brooch; a gleaming carrot. 

Time stood still at the moment he saw the gift, as he held the box in a daze for a long time. 

Lu Shangjin lazily picked out a movie and said casually, “The designer only created this one piece, the only one of its kind in the entire world.”

Of course, to manufacture such a strange design, they wouldn’t be able to sell it out. 

He didn’t know an omega’s taste and what significance this kind of style holds. Perhaps it was only suitable for the vulnerable lop-eared rabbit omega. 

Yan Yi pinned the carrot brooch on the jet-black butler tuxedo. Holding the box, he said sincerely, “I like it very much.”

Lu Shangjin nodded, “I’m hungry, you should start dinner.”

“Right away,” Yan Yi kept glancing down at the little carrot brooch on his chest, his rabbit ears were red with heat. No matter how much he tried to restrain his mood, anyone could tell he was very happy. 

“Thank you, Jin ge,” Yan Yi couldn’t help thanking him. Like a fluffy ball, the little rabbit tail propped the fabric at the bottom of his suit into a little bun. 

Lu Shangjin narrowed his eyes and said slowly with a gentle tone, “Go on.”

Footnotes 

UMP9: submachine gun 黑粉 haters: the words used are actually “black fans”, referring to “fans” who are not really fans. Instead of supporting and loving their idols, a “black fan” would try to expose the defects in stars and find fault with themUzi: pistol Offer an olive branch: offering peace and agreement with someone