11
After lunch, with the dishwasher taking care of the dishes, there wasn’t anything for Qi Zhao to do.
Qi Zhao went back to his room to unpack. As he opened his suitcase, Qi Wei, having finished clearing the dining table, came upstairs to move his clothes out.
Qi Zhao paused slightly.
Qi Wei discreetly glanced at the contents of Qi Zhao’s suitcase.
Betas were even more cautious than omegas. Their undergarments were carefully sealed in opaque bags and placed in the zippered mesh compartment, double-layered for extra security.
Qi Wei felt a twinge of regret, but not much.
He knew what styles Qi Zhao usually wore and what colors he liked. He knew everything about Qi Zhao.
“Need any help?”
“No.”
Qi Zhao took out his tablet. “I don’t have much.”
Qi Wei nodded. “Okay.”
After they quietly finished packing, Qi Wei’s phone rang.
The people who worked under him knew what he was doing today and wouldn’t disturb him with calls unless it was urgent. Qi Wei knew this too. But he still hung up the phone without changing his expression.
Qi Zhao, having just finished packing, asked, “Is it something about your company?”
Qi Wei didn’t nod or shake his head. “It’s nothing important.”
But Qi Zhao was hard to deceive in this regard. “Er-ge, go ahead and take care of your business. I’m done here.”
Qi Wei paused. He knew he had to give Qi Zhao some space and distance. Holding someone too tightly would only push them away. So he finally nodded. “Okay.”
“I’ll tell you about the driver I’ve arranged for you when I get back. If you need to go out today, just call me, and I’ll make arrangements.”
It wasn’t intentional on Qi Wei’s part. It was just that it was too late last night, and he had done too many things. There wasn’t enough time to schedule a driver.
After all, he had gone to the lab and then to see the President last night, hadn’t slept all night, and had even waited at Qi Zhao’s door.
Qi Zhao didn’t mind. “Okay, I’m not going out today.”
He said honestly, “I’m a little tired. I’m going to take a nap later.”
So they said goodbye for the time being.
As he turned to leave, Qi Wei looked back at Qi Zhao, who was taking out a towel, preparing to shower and sleep. “Ah Zhao.”
Qi Zhao stopped, his heart still involuntarily flickering like a candle flame in the wind of Qi Wei’s words. He looked at Qi Wei, puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
Qi Wei curled his lips slightly. “See you tonight.”
Okay?
—He swallowed the last two words.
Because Qi Wei knew that if he asked, the meaning would be different.
Although Qi Zhao was a beta, he wasn’t made of stone.
Qi Zhao felt that Qi Wei seemed to care about rituals. He had insisted on saying goodnight last night, and now again today… Was this also part of an alpha’s inherent elegance?
He nodded casually. “See you tonight.”
Qi Wei’s eyes curved into crescents.
Qi Zhao took a shower and went to sleep as he said he would.
He personally preferred using a bathtub, and there was indeed a bathtub in the bathroom, much larger than the one he had used before, probably to accommodate Qi Wei’s large frame. But… Qi Zhao still didn’t take a bath to wash away his fatigue.
Because he knew it was Qi Wei’s bathtub, and using it… felt strange.
So after blow-drying his hair half-dry, Qi Zhao lay down on the bed.
He couldn’t smell pheromones, but that didn’t mean people without pheromones had no scent. Earlier, when Qi Wei had rested his head on his shoulder and smelled him, Qi Zhao had faintly detected a scent from Qi Wei.
It wasn’t the smell of pheromones, but his natural scent, both the scent of human flesh and a unique scent that belonged only to Qi Wei, dangerous and dominant, also incredibly hot.
Just like the scent Qi Zhao now smelled on the pillow and blanket.
“…”
Should he change the bedding?
But when they were packing earlier, Qi Wei had clearly and deliberately not taken his blanket and pillow.
If he changed them, the sensitive alpha would probably overthink it, right?
Qi Zhao closed his eyes, feeling a sense of helplessness and frustration.
He really wanted to get a good night’s sleep, but the lingering scent of Qi Wei… forget it.
Qi Zhao told himself that he had to get used to it.
Might as well start now.
Perhaps because he hadn’t slept well last night, waking up many times, always in a light sleep, dreaming lucid dreams, coupled with the worry about his cousin’s marriage to Liu Feng over the past few days, Qi Zhao hadn’t slept much. Now, completely relaxed, he felt a little disoriented. So although his mind raced for a while after he lay down, he soon fell asleep.
He slept on his side, the necklace around his neck shifting to the side of his neck, the small round ball containing Qi Wei’s pheromones pressed against the skin beneath his neck.
The matter that prompted the call to Qi Wei wasn’t trivial. There was a problem with a national project, and he needed to make a decision.
After the meeting, Qi Wei didn’t move immediately. Only after most of the people in the conference room had left did he slowly stand up and walk out. He didn’t go home immediately but went to his office. There was still some follow-up work to be done.
But Qi Wei opened his tablet.
When Xu Chenzhou arrived, he saw Qi Wei looking down, staring at the tablet without blinking.
He wisely stopped at a distance to report, not worrying about whether Qi Wei was listening or not.
After he finished speaking, Qi Wei hummed in response.
Xu Chenzhou then lowered his voice. “Boss, what’s the situation with the Qi family now?”
—In private, Xu Chenzhou called Qi Wei “Boss.”
Qi Wei didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Which Qi family are you talking about?”
Hearing this, Xu Chenzhou knew the answer. He bowed and was about to quietly leave when Qi Wei called out to him, “Wait.”
Xu Chenzhou stopped and saw Qi Wei slowly curl his lips and ask him ambiguously, “I don’t need to remind you what you can and can’t say in front of him, do I?”
Xu Chenzhou understood, of course. He also knew why Qi Wei was reminding him. He was valued by Qi Wei because of his relationship with Qi Zhao, but also because of his relationship with Qi Zhao, he was treated differently by Qi Wei. “Don’t worry, Boss.”
He did consider Qi Zhao a friend, and he did feel guilty towards him, but he wouldn’t joke around with the Xu family’s safety.
Qi Zhao slept for quite a while, which surprised even himself.
He usually wouldn’t sleep until almost five o’clock in the afternoon, even if he was tired and took a nap. Perhaps he was just too exhausted?
When Qi Zhao washed up and went downstairs, he heard noises coming from the kitchen. He saw that Qi Wei had returned and was already cooking.
“…”
He felt ashamed. Qi Wei, the “boss,” had already finished his work and come back to cook for him, while he had just woken up.
“Dinner will be ready soon.” Qi Wei turned to look at Qi Zhao, his lips curved into a smile. If you ignored his physique, he looked like a friendly older brother, his expression gentle, wearing an apron, sleeves rolled up as he stir-fried the vegetables. “I brought you sweet tofu pudding when I came back.”
People in Kyoto preferred savory tofu pudding with various toppings.
But Qi Zhao preferred the southern style, sweet tofu pudding, especially with a sweet milk base and toppings like mango or taro balls.
This was a taste his mother had cultivated in him.
After his mother passed away, although the Qi family didn’t treat him badly, no one ever brought him a bowl of sweet tofu pudding after returning from a trip.
So Qi Zhao paused, feeling a sudden discomfort in his left wrist.
He pinched it and replied softly, wanting to thank Qi Wei again.
…It had only been two days since they reunited, and he had already wanted to thank Qi Wei a dozen times.
Qi Zhao guessed that Qi Wei didn’t want him to say thank you because he wanted to cultivate his “spoiled” nature, to make him take it for granted that Qi Wei would do anything for him. For an alpha, this would give them a great sense of satisfaction.
—That’s what the alpha behavioral studies class had said.
If this could satisfy Qi Wei, then he would consider it a thank you gift.
He no longer had a home anyway, and Qi Wei wouldn’t force him into a physical relationship. Living like this didn’t seem so bad.
Qi Zhao said okay, then washed his hands and opened the container to find mango inside.
He figured it wasn’t taro balls because he was worried he wouldn’t be able to eat dinner.
Qi Zhao took a bite; the taste was exactly what he liked. “Er-ge.”
He was a little curious. “Where did you buy this? When I was in Kyoto before, they didn’t have this flavor of tofu pudding.”
The Qi family hadn’t always been in Kyoto. They moved there not long after his mother passed away, as the family expanded their business there.
Their current villa couldn’t be called the Qi family’s ancestral home because Qi Mu had bought it from someone else. It was strange; that family had sold the property due to investment failures. At the time, the Qi family’s real estate business was booming, with government support, so they bought the villa without hesitation.
Now that real estate wasn’t as profitable, everyone was shifting to online businesses, electronics, and new industries, and the Qi family was in a precarious situation. Qi Zhao had seen the signs; he estimated that if Qi Mu didn’t come up with something brilliant, he would have to sell the villa soon.
Qi Wei chuckled softly. “The economy has developed rapidly over the years, and there are many authentic delicacies from both the north and south in each region. This tofu pudding shop is downstairs from Qi Corp’s headquarters. I’ve had it a few times. Their cheese sweet potato is also very delicious, but it’s best eaten fresh… I’ll take you there next time.”
“Okay.” Qi Zhao asked again, “Do you also like sweet things?”
Qi Wei knew him very well, but he knew nothing about Qi Wei.
Since they were going to live together, he should at least know a little, right?
Qi Wei looked at Qi Zhao’s blurred reflection in the kitchen window and chuckled softly. “Yes, my pheromones are usually too strong, always reminding people of endless drinking parties… I prefer their sweeter scent.”
Because that was the scent he encountered when he was with Qi Zhao.
Qi Zhao couldn’t help but ask, “Er-ge, if I bought a bottle of liquor, would it smell like your pheromones?”
As soon as he said it, Qi Zhao realized his mistake.
—In social etiquette, mentioning wanting to smell an alpha’s pheromones in their presence was considered harassment!
But after pausing, Qi Wei turned off the stove and walked towards him.
As he approached step by step, the gentle affection around him gradually transformed into danger and suppressed madness. “Do you want to know what my pheromones smell like?”
Qi Zhao: “I…”
He wanted to apologize and say he didn’t mean it that way.
But looking at the excitement and anticipation in Qi Wei’s dark eyes, he felt as if he had been burned, his instincts telling him to run.
But this was Qi Wei’s home; where could he run to?
Besides, his reason told him that if he dared to run, this alpha would definitely go crazy.
So Qi Zhao opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Then he saw Qi Wei lick his lips, unable to contain himself, and place his hand on the other side of the island.
He bent down slightly, his shadow completely engulfing Qi Zhao, his voice low. “Ah Zhao.”
Qi Wei restrained himself, his knuckles white, stopping himself from cupping Qi Zhao’s face in his hands and caressing it.
He tried his best to keep his tone gentle, but it was precisely this that made him seem like a monster wearing human skin, barely maintaining a human facade, especially with his deep, husky voice—
“I’ve developed a perfume. I’ve compared it, and it’s over 90% similar to my pheromones. Do you want to smell it?”
He had specially developed it because he desperately wanted to exchange scents with Qi Zhao.
