One-way Access

It was well into the night when Ming Luchuan drove Xia Wennan back to the city. Since he regained his consciousness at the hospital, his main concern had been his grandpa, and now that the dust had settled, a profound weariness assailed his still recovering body. Seated on the passenger’s side, he fell asleep midway home.

Xia Wennan awoke to find that the car had come to a halt. He opened his eyes to the sight of the dimly lit parking lot outside the window, as well as Ming Luchuan beside him, the man’s gaze fixed on him.

Ming Luchuan had probably been staring at him for a good while. He didn’t avert his gaze when Xia Wennan’s eyes blinked open and only asked, “You’re awake?”

Xia Wennan rubbed his eyes. Stretching his arms, he gazed out the window. “We’ve arrived?”

Ming Luchuan didn’t answer, instead opening the door and stepping out of the car as he said, “Get out of the car if you’re awake.”

Despite the large number of parked cars, the underground parking lot seemed vacant. As Xia Wennan followed Ming Luchuan to the elevator, he saw that the parking spaces were largely occupied by pricey luxury cars. Groggy from sleep, he inquired, “Where do I currently work?”

When they entered the elevator, Ming Luchuan answered, “You don’t work. You stay at home to take care of me.”

Xia Wennan fought off a yawn. His reply came off a little sluggish. “Can you try to sound a little more convincing?” He’d spent enough time with Ming Luchuan to figure out some of the man’s tricks, and he’d also come to realise that Ming Luchuan wasn’t all that scary.

“Since I was little, my grandpa always told me that a man has to stand on his own two feet and not rely on others.”

Ming Luchuan was standing upright. His back was even more so. “And so?”

Xia Wennan said, “And I always listen to my grandpa.”

When the elevator reached their floor, Xia Wennan followed Ming Luchuan out and was greeted by a small indoor courtyard. The only door in sight was directly ahead, which Ming Luchuan unlocked with his fingerprint. The lights were turned on, illuminating a large, spotless living room.

The apartment was approximately 200 square metres in size. The interior design leaned towards a masculine cold and harsh aesthetic, primarily in black and white tones. The place had little to no homey feel to it.

Xia Wennan walked up to the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room and peered out, spotting a flower garden downstairs that was still lit up with yellow lights even this late at night.

Ming Luchuan didn’t say anything to him after they arrived home and went straight to his room.

Xia Wennan took an inquisitive look around the room. He then followed the sounds until he came to a halt in front of a bedroom doorway. Inside, Ming Luchuan was stripping down to his underwear. “This is where I used to live?”

Ming Luchuan first removed his shirt, baring his muscular upper body, before removing his pants. He didn’t even spare a glance at Xia Wennan when he said, “You stay in the courtyard outside.”

Xia Wennan rolled his eyes. His heart was filled with dread when he saw the two-metre-wide bed in the middle of the room, complete with a set of pillows on top of it, but he persisted and asked, “Which room is my room?”

Ming Luchuan turned to face him, his legs now bare. “This here is your room.”

In Xia Wennan’s almost twenty-two years of memories, he was close with plenty of his male classmates, and they’d often change clothes in front of each other. Though the majority of his buddies were Betas, there had also been the occasional Alpha.

Back then, he’d never regarded male Alphas as a member of the opposite sex, and neither would he treat Ming Luchuan any differently now—had he not known that they were married.

The fact that male Alphas and male Betas could also get married struck Xia Wennan with the realisation that he and Ming Luchuan were of different sexes, so what ought to be an ordinary and casual relationship became something else entirely under the influence of his consciousness.

Now, for example, Xia Wennan abruptly registered just how tall male Alphas really were. Ming Luchuan’s shoulders were broad, the muscles on his chest and abdomen were firm and defined, and although he had a lean waist, its strength was apparent, and the man’s legs were much longer than his own.

Xia Wennan had confidence in his own figure and appearance.

He was born and raised in a small town where Betas made up 90% of the population, with Alphas and Omegas accounting for the remaining 10%. Although these Alphas and Omegas were not particularly attractive within their own gender group, their beauty stood out among Betas. And there Xia Wennan was, someone who also had outstanding looks amongst Betas.

In his senior year of high school, Xia Wennan had been confessed to by the only female Omega in his grade. This event had caused a large sensation and even brewed discontent among the few Alphas in that small town school.

But Xia Wennan as he was at present knew that he was no match for Ming Luchuan. It was the natural superiority of Alphas. No matter how slender his waist was and how long his legs were, they would never be able to compare to the other man’s.

Dressed in only his briefs, Ming Luchuan stood in front of Xia Wennan with the utmost calm. Seeing Xia Wennan staring at him all dazed, he asked, “What are you looking at?”

Xia Wennan shifted his gaze away, covering his restlessness with an indifferent tone as he said, “Nothing.”

Ming Luchuan didn’t press on. He turned away and headed towards the en-suite bathroom.

Xia Wennan paused at the doorway for a few moments after the bathroom door closed before entering the bedroom. He opened the wardrobe, took a quick look inside, and discovered that it only held Ming Luchuan’s clothes. He finally felt a sliver of relief.

Not long after, Xia Wennan left the master bedroom to check out the two other rooms, discovering that one was a study, and one was another bedroom. It was a little smaller than the master bedroom, but it also came with its own en-suite bathroom. The bed was neatly made, and there was also a desk and a wardrobe. There were books and a laptop on the desk, and opening the wardrobe revealed unfamiliar clothes that looked to be Xia Wennan’s size.

Walking up to the desk, he studied the row of books. Upon finding that many of them were related to his field of study, he felt at ease at long last.

The desk had a drawer, and the drawer contained some personal items—including his work ID.

Written on the ID card was the company Xia Wennan worked for, Ming Yan Fragrance Technology Co. LTD., along with his position as Department Manager of Product Research and Development. Xia Wennan’s mouth fell open. A moment later, he stored his work ID back in the drawer and sat down on the desk chair, spinning 180 degrees and wondering if he could get a divorce as quickly as possible.

The drawer contained several other items, but Xia Wennan’s papers were nowhere to be seen. He couldn’t find his bank card and bank book either, and he had no idea where he’d kept his grandpa’s ring.

Xia Wennan went through the entire room and ended up finding a safe in the lower compartment of the wardrobe. The safe had a passcode, which he tested out his birthday on but left it without a second attempt when it was declared incorrect.

Though the night was well into its late hours, Xia Wennan’s earlier exhaustion in the car had been swept away, his mind alight. He left his bedroom, returned to Ming Luchuan’s, and reached out to open the door.

A freshly showered Ming Luchuan was sitting on the edge of the bed in a pair of loose and comfortable pyjamas. The room was illuminated by nothing but a small desk lamp. It looked like he was about to go to bed.

“Do you know the passcode to my safe?” Xia Wennan asked.

Ming Luchuan raised his eyes, directing a chilly gaze his way. “Where are your manners? Did nobody teach you to knock?”

Xia Wennan simply pushed the door open all the way and strutted inside. “Isn’t this my room?”

He strode right up to the bed.

Ming Luchuan didn’t say anything, only raising his eyes, his line of sight tracking Xia Wennan’s slow movements until he finally stopped, which was when Ming Luchuan reached out and tugged him towards the bed. In an emotionless, wholly flat tone, he said, “Come to bed.”