Chapter 31
Shen Lin was thrown off balance, his center of gravity suddenly gone. He stumbled back a few steps before he could steady himself.
The oppressive and shocking presence of the S-class Alpha was on full display, his pheromones as sharp as a blade, constantly stimulating his nerves.
He gasped for breath, wiping the fine sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, and forced himself to stand up against the man’s high-level pressure, meeting the Alpha’s icy gaze.
“It’s not… It’s not your place to lecture me!”
Shen Lin gritted his teeth. Before he could question the man’s identity, he saw the Omega, who had been avoiding him, rush toward the Alpha.
“Mr. Pei! You’re back?”
The young man stopped in front of the man, his eyes shining as he looked at him, his voice filled with an irrepressible joy.
He didn’t even dare to blink, as if the man would slip away from him if he closed his eyes for a second.
Pei Tingyu lowered his gaze and grunted softly.
It took all his strength to resist the urge to pull the young man he had been thinking about day and night into his arms.
But his pheromones had no such restraint. They instantly shed their fierce aggression and gently welcomed the Omega.
The strong scent of orange blossom moved quickly, irresistibly, and closely enveloped the slender young man, driving away every trace of the strange Alpha’s scent, leaving no room for it!
The atmosphere between the two was intimate, as if they only had eyes for each other, and no one else could intrude.
Shen Lin felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He gave a stiff twitch of his lips and asked in a trembling, disbelieving voice, “Senior Bai Yan, he is?”
Only then did Bai Yan come back to his senses. Remembering what he had just done, he averted his gaze in embarrassment.
He pressed his lips together and introduced softly, “He is my family.”
The young man then turned to Pei Tingyu and explained, “Mr. Pei, it was a misunderstanding just now.”
“Shen Lin is my junior. He didn’t mean to pester me. There were just some things that weren’t said clearly. He was probably just too anxious, which is why he grabbed my hand.”
“Is that so?” The Alpha stood protectively in front of the young man, his arm hovering over his back.
But a cold glint flashed in his icy eyes, clearly not believing him.
Shen Lin was hit with another blow. His body, attacked by the high-level pheromones, could barely support him.
He said family, but the way Senior Bai Yan looked at him with such attachment…
Anyone could see that their relationship was not ordinary.
A bitter feeling rose in the Alpha’s heart. No wonder Senior Bai Yan had rejected him.
It turned out it was all his misunderstanding. He was a joke for being here.
His face was pale. He swallowed the bitterness, forced a smile, and said with difficulty, “Senior, your family is here, so I’ll be going.”
The Alpha didn’t wait for a reply and turned to leave without looking back.
Shen Lin walked away quickly. In the blink of an eye, the small flower garden was left with just him and Mr. Pei.
The wind picked up. The magnolia flowers overhead swayed in the breeze, and a pink and white petal on a branch trembled and fell silently to the ground.
Bai Yan lifted his eyelids and glanced at the silent man opposite him, saying softly, “Mr. Pei, is your work finished? Did you just—”
“Mm.”
Pei Tingyu grunted, his gaze nonchalantly tracing the young man’s outline.
The photos hadn’t been able to fully capture it. Now, seeing him in person, he realized just how bad his precious’s condition was.
The young man had lost a circle of weight, his thin shoulders barely holding up his jacket. His pale lips were also a little dry and chapped. He must have forgotten to take his vitamins again.
He had thought that being apart would be for Bai Yan’s good, but in the end, it had still hurt his precious.
Pei Tingyu deeply blamed himself, an unspeakable pain in his eyes. If he hadn’t arrived in time today, who knew what that Alpha would have done to Bai Yan?
He should have thought of it sooner. His precious was cute, soft-hearted, and naive. A little kindness from others, and his precious would let down his guard and treat them with sincerity.
How could he not attract the covetous gazes of the greedy?
And he had dared to speak so brazenly, to take a candid photo of Bai Yan’s back and post it on his social media feed.
Did he not know that his precious hated the strange gazes of others the most?
The young man’s eyes were moist and bright, completely unaware of the darkness in the man’s gaze.
He blinked, his pink lips pressed into a straight line, and finally, with dawning realization, asked innocently, “Mr. Pei, why did you suddenly come to my school?”
Pei Tingyu was speechless.
The man nonchalantly averted his gaze and said coolly, “Song Jian’s nephew goes to a middle school near Haicheng University. He was just called in by the school.”
Bai Yan was confused.
So, what does that have to do with you being at the school?
The young man’s eyes were filled with an almost innocent confusion, his pupils reflecting the man’s stiff face.
The Alpha was rarely at a loss. He calmly continued to fabricate, “The situation was urgent. He was halfway through picking me up from the airport and brought me here too.”
Bai Yan was speechless.
I didn’t realize Assistant Song was such a warm-hearted person.
The Alpha probably felt that this excuse was not very suitable and turned his head to cough twice.
He glanced at his watch and changed the subject, asking casually, “I just got off the plane. Do you want to go home with me now?”
“Okay.” Bai Yan pressed his lips into a light smile, revealing the shallow dimples at the corners of his mouth.
The spring sunlight was soft and gentle, shining into the young man’s clear, translucent eyes, so beautiful they seemed to glow.
The Omega had put on sunscreen today, and his skin had a light, pleasant sweet scent, mixed with the scent of jasmine pheromones, which drifted over with the wind.
A fleeting gentleness appeared in Pei Tingyu’s eyes.
If he could keep this smile forever, he would willingly trade everything for it.
The tall man and the slender young man walked side by side, disappearing together into the depths of the campus.
Whether in appearance or pheromones, they were a clear and obvious match.
Shen Lin emerged from behind the bushes, his gaze fixed on the direction the Omega had disappeared, his eyes gradually dimming.
His first love, his sweet campus romance, had ended so miserably.
Just as he was about to leave, a voice suddenly sounded from in front of him.
“Hello, junior.”
Shen Lin’s face was slightly annoyed. He suppressed his temper and asked as politely as possible, “May I ask what you want?”
The Beta pretended to be embarrassed and touched his nose, walking toward the Alpha. “Sorry, I happened to overhear your conversation just now.”
Shen Lin’s face darkened, feeling as if he were being mocked.
“I’m Bai Yan’s former roommate.”
Shen Lin was stunned. Before he could speak, he heard the Beta in front of him continue.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to laugh at you.”
Cen Yang crossed his arms in front of his chest and shook his head regretfully. “I’m just a kind senior who doesn’t want to see another junior go astray.”
“I have something here… Junior Shen, I think you’ll be very interested.”
A knowing smile appeared on his lips as he asked softly, “Can you tell me how you and Bai Yan met?”
The black car drove steadily along the silver-white road. Beautiful flowers and trees flashed by the car window, leaving a blurry shadow.
Bai Yan had never felt that the road back to Yǎyuán was so long.
The scent of orange blossom was rich. Even in the car, which had been sprayed with scent-blocker, it was still overwhelmingly present, constantly lingering at the tip of his nose.
It was incredibly active, as if waiting for something.
It made the Omega a little dazed, wondering if it was his imagination or if it was real.
The young man stared out the window, at the large white clouds in the distance, at the lush green lawn, at the gardener tending to the flowers, engrossed in his work.
Finally, he couldn’t hold back any longer. Suppressing his excitement, his gaze fell on the person he wanted to look at.
It seemed like a long time since he had last seen Mr. Pei.
The Alpha was leaning back against the leather seat, one hand resting on his forehead, his eyes half-closed in rest, a layer of weariness clinging to his features.
The black greatcoat accentuated Pei Tingyu’s broad, straight shoulders. The man’s features were as deep as ever, with only a circle of dark shadows under his eyes.
An indescribable feeling suddenly welled up in Bai Yan’s heart, and his clasped hands couldn’t help but tighten.
Mr. Pei seems… a little thinner.
Was he not doing well abroad?
The young man silently released his jasmine pheromones, trying to soothe the overly restless orange blossom scent.
Bai Yan had a belly full of questions he wanted to ask Mr. Pei, but the words were swallowed back down.
They are only in a contract marriage. Even if Mr. Pei is very nice and gentle and doesn’t mind treating him as family, he shouldn’t forget himself and bother Mr. Pei too much.
Especially when Mr. Pei is still uncomfortable.
Looking at the man’s furrowed brow, Bai Yan’s mind was involuntarily drawn in, his thoughts racing.
What is Mr. Pei thinking?
Do these big shots also have worries, also have problems they can’t solve?
Is it the company or… something else?
He suddenly had a strange urge to reach out and smooth the gloom from the man’s brow.
This urge, born of concern, came out of nowhere, yet it weighed heavily on his chest, so heavy that Bai Yan couldn’t ignore it.
The young man had to clench his clasped hands to resist the desire to reach out.
In the quiet back seat, the man’s brow gradually relaxed, and he finally had the best sleep he had had in days.
The car slowly stopped in front of the main house. Zhao Mingcheng got out first, bowed respectfully, and opened the car door for Mr. Pei.
Pei Tingyu gave a polite nod, returning to his usual indifferent demeanor in front of outsiders, and strode toward the door.
Bai Yan followed the man inside and up the stairs. He was just about to go back to his room to change when he was suddenly called.
The man’s low, magnetic voice sounded by his ear. “Yanyan, I need your help with something. Is that okay?”
It had been a long time since he had heard that form of address. Bai Yan was stunned for a few seconds and hurriedly replied, “Of course.”
“Good.” A gentle curve appeared on the man’s lips. He strode up the stairs and walked to the young man’s side. “To the study. Let’s go.”
The young man, not understanding, obediently walked beside the man.
Where the Alpha couldn’t see, the young man lowered his head, his fingertips gently touching his hot cheeks.
The two stopped in front of the third-floor study.
Clear sunlight shone into the corridor. The Alpha’s features were enveloped in a halo of light, his expression unclear.
With a drip, the door sensed its master’s approach and automatically opened inward slowly.
The furnishings of the study slowly unfolded before Bai Yan’s eyes, making him involuntarily widen them.
The blackout curtains hung quietly on either side. The dark brown decor had been completely redone in a light green style.
Several potted plants were placed in the corners, and fresh flowers stretched their leaves in a vase.
More importantly, the bookshelves that had once stood against the wall were gone. In their place were several new glass shelves.
Test tubes were sorted and stacked on the shelves, their glass edges reflecting a clean, bright light.
In the center of the room was a large, white control panel, with various sophisticated instruments that botany students dreamed of scattered around it.
Bai Yan blinked in disbelief, as if he had momentarily lost the ability to speak.
A satisfied, light chuckle escaped Pei Tingyu’s throat. He said softly, “Do you remember? I owe you an apology.”
“Your laboratory. Aren’t you going to take a look?”
