24
Silence fell in the bathroom.
Qi Zhao was now certain that Qi Wei had indeed…
He was a little incredulous, and for a moment, he forgot that the alpha was still in rut, his tone hardening. “How could you do this?”
A muffled apology mixed with the sound of water came from the bathroom, but judging from Qi Wei’s tone, Qi Zhao felt that he probably wasn’t truly sorry.
So he opened his mouth, about to say something, but then realized that Qi Wei was still talking to him…
Qi Zhao unconsciously clenched his fists, his whole body flushing as if he were the one in rut, the soft flesh around his heart trembling slightly. He didn’t want to say another word.
He turned to leave the bathroom, to distance himself from this troublesome situation, but Qi Wei called out to him at this moment. “…Ah Zhao.”
That light, airy voice, as if it were a figment of his imagination or a hallucination, came from inside. “Talk to me… okay?”
Qi Zhao couldn’t believe his ears.
He knew what Qi Wei had been doing, with his clothes, and Qi Wei still dared to ask him this?
Was he crazy, or was Qi Wei crazy?
Qi Zhao didn’t intend to respond to Qi Wei at all, but the alpha inside seemed determined to show him the difference between an alpha in rut and an alpha in their normal state, making Qi Zhao fully aware of the danger he posed.
“Talk to me… and I can finish faster…”
Qi Zhao: “…”
Was he insane?!
He really wanted the sane Qi Wei to hear what he was saying!
Qi Zhao couldn’t help but think that there was a clear lustful tone in Qi Wei’s voice, making his already burning ears itch even more. He felt utterly mortified, wanting to turn and run, to escape this “cage.”
But his reason told him that if he ran away at this time, the alpha, who had finally calmed down enough to speak normally and still retained a shred of sanity, would truly lose control.
So Qi Zhao sighed inwardly and sat back on the edge of the bed, ignoring Qi Wei’s unreasonable request.
Let him suffer.
He thought expressionlessly.
After waiting for a long time, Qi Zhao even messaged Qiu Ji and the others, telling them that Qi Wei’s condition had stabilized and asking if they wanted to withdraw the police presence.
Qiu Ji politely replied, [Boss, it’s precisely because you’re there that we need the police presence even more. An alpha’s territorial instincts are very strong. During their rut, they’ll establish a pheromone territory, and generally, only their partner is allowed to enter. Others are likely to trigger an aggressive reaction.]
They weren’t just there to subdue a rutting alpha by force, but also to ask others to avoid the area for the time being.
Qi Zhao knew a little about what Qiu Ji was talking about; he had studied it.
But… an alpha’s territorial instincts during their rut usually only covered a single room or a few rooms, even for S-rank alphas. Was the territory Qi Wei had established really that large?
He was a little shocked, and at this moment, he once again realized why an alpha like Qi Wei had so many privileges, both domestically and internationally.
In the hierarchical world of ABOs, he was the absolute king.
The more powerful he was, the more he needed an omega.
But he had fixated on a beta, even developing a psychological nesting problem because of it…
Qi Zhao sighed silently, replied “okay,” then turned off his phone, resting his head in his hands, lying on the bed.
What should he do with Qi Wei?
The moment the bathroom door opened, Qi Zhao immediately sat up.
He watched Qi Wei walk out. The moment their eyes met, Qi Zhao instinctively tensed his shoulders, startled by the look in Qi Wei’s eyes, as if he could be devoured.
Those dark eyes were cold and oppressive at first glance, the churning emotions within clearly telling Qi Zhao that he hadn’t been satisfied.
Because the gaze on him was greedy and aggressive.
The moment Qi Zhao met his eyes, he instinctively wanted to run.
Humans were creatures who sought pleasure and avoided pain; he wasn’t a fool, and he could sense danger.
Then Qi Wei took three steps in one stride, finally utilizing his long legs, and instantly appeared before Qi Zhao. Before Qi Zhao could react, he was pulled into a tight embrace.
And Qi Wei held him, then slid down, kneeling on one knee before him, burying his face in his chest.
Qi Zhao was speechless for a moment.
Because now, when he saw Qi Wei, he couldn’t help but think of what he had been doing in the bathroom with his clothes.
The alpha seemed to know why the person in his arms was even stiffer than before, so he murmured, “Ah Zhao, I washed them clean for you.”
Qi Zhao: “…”
He still couldn’t help it, his muscles tense as he gritted his teeth. “I’m not going to wear them even if you washed them.”
How could he possibly wear those clothes again!
Qi Wei hummed in agreement, then inhaled Qi Zhao’s scent a few more times before slowly asking, “Then can you give them to me?”
Qi Zhao: “???????????????????????????”
He really wanted the sane Qi Wei to hear what he was saying.
“…”
After a few seconds of speechlessness, Qi Zhao’s tone was difficult to describe. “Didn’t you say you washed them clean?”
Then what was the point?
Qi Wei: “Yes, but you’ve worn them several times.”
Especially the undergarments.
He seemed slightly delirious, but his mind was also clear, knowing what he could and couldn’t say. “They have your scent.”
Qi Zhao: “…”
He shouldn’t have asked.
“Ah Zhao, is that okay?”
“…No.”
Qi Zhao gritted his teeth. “Discuss this with me after your rut is over.”
Qi Wei wasn’t in his right mind now; he didn’t even know what nonsense he was spouting.
When Qi Zhao rejected him, Qi Wei tightened his arms, but hearing that there was still a chance, he replied softly, “Okay.”
There was still a hint of happiness in his voice, which made Qi Zhao’s heart soften again, slightly regretting “losing his temper” at someone who was “sick.”
He wasn’t even in his right mind now; what was the point of arguing with him?
Qi Zhao sighed and touched Qi Wei’s wet hair. “Dry your hair.”
Qi Wei didn’t move. Qi Zhao had figured out how to interact with Qi Wei in his current state, so he said patiently, “You’re getting water on my clothes. It’s cold.”
So Qi Wei obediently loosened his grip and looked up at him.
From this angle, the oppressive aura around Qi Wei lessened significantly, and Qi Zhao could see the beauty that was usually hidden by his large frame.
That androgynous beauty, striking straight to the heart.
Qi Zhao had always liked beautiful things, and he believed that unless someone had a specific preference, they wouldn’t dislike beauty. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of compassion.
It was because of this compassion that he offered, “I’ll dry it for you. You can still hold me.”
Qi Zhao shifted slightly. “But we need to change positions.”
Qi Wei was happy. He curled his lips slightly. “Okay.”
After some struggle—mainly because Qi Wei truly didn’t want to let go—they changed positions. Qi Zhao plugged in the hairdryer and started drying Qi Wei’s hair.
The smart lights in the bedroom had already switched to a warm night light due to the pre-set sleep time, creating a cozy atmosphere, which the warm air from the hairdryer made somewhat ambiguous.
Qi Zhao’s fingers ran through Qi Wei’s hair as he slowly dried it.
Perhaps because the atmosphere was too comfortable, perhaps because Qi Zhao hadn’t had this kind of conversation with anyone in a long time, and in just a week or two, Qi Wei had become somewhat different to him… or perhaps because he thought that alphas might not remember clearly what happened during their ruts.
—For alphas like Qi Wei, who had been injecting suppressants for a long time, their ruts could easily cause memory loss. After the rut ended, their memories of it were often fragmented and unclear.
Of course, it was also entirely possible that Qi Wei would remember what he said. So Qi Zhao himself wasn’t quite sure why he said to Qi Wei with a smile, “My friend used to have a Tibetan Mastiff, and I helped bathe it. Your hair feels a bit like its fur.”
Alphas were often compared to wolves, and wolves were canines.
Hearing this, Qi Wei, instead of getting angry, looked up slightly from Qi Zhao’s embrace. “So Ah Zhao, you know how to dry hair because you’ve dried a dog’s fur before?”
Qi Zhao froze, then realized that Qi Wei was actually jealous because of this. He was a little incredulous and amused. “Yes.”
He told him, “I’ve never dried anyone else’s hair.”
Qi Wei was finally satisfied and buried his face in Qi Zhao’s chest again, murmuring, “No one has ever dried my hair either.”
Qi Zhao was slightly stunned. “…How is that possible?”
Qi Wei didn’t seem to care much. “It’s true.”
He said softly, “When I was young… my omega father always kept me at arm’s length. Later, when Qi Yuanyu and the others approached me, I didn’t like being touched on the head anymore.”
“Because I always injured my head when fighting, so I instinctively resisted it.”
He resisted, so those people naturally ignored him and didn’t try to coax him or anything. After all, he was just a tool.
“Later, when I gained some power, I was in the process of differentiating. At that time, I really resisted being touched by others, not just because I didn’t like it.”
Qi Wei inhaled Qi Zhao’s scent, his whole body relaxed, his voice carrying a sleepy drowsiness, mixing with the soft whirring of the hairdryer, creating an oddly comforting atmosphere.
He said, “But I always wanted to be close to you.”
He wanted to be like Qi Zhao’s friends, putting his arm around his shoulders, playfully pinching his cheeks, hugging him in celebration after winning a game… but his intentions were never that pure.
He wanted something more than friendship, something more intimate.
He wanted to kiss him, touch him, even make love to him.
Qi Zhao didn’t know that he was a dirty, dark monster, lurking in the shadows, leering at him disgustingly.
He wasn’t as good as Qi Zhao imagined.
“Then…”
Qi Zhao finally asked the question he had always wanted to ask. “Why didn’t you get to know me earlier?”
He didn’t care about the ABO secondary gender classifications. If the young Qi Wei had stood before him when they were both young and asked to be friends, he thought he would have agreed.
If they had known each other earlier, perhaps… many things would have been different.
“Qi Yuanyu and the others didn’t treat me the way they do now back then.”
Qi Wei said softly, “It took me a long time to differentiate, so I was almost 90% certain to be an omega. Your family was very powerful at the time. If I got too close to you… if I were truly an omega, Qi Yuanyu wouldn’t want me to choose an alpha myself.”
Not to mention that Qi Zhao’s differentiation was also late. He was almost certain to be a beta by the time he was fourteen, but the Qi family still held out hope, because Qi Zhao was truly exceptional.
Qi Zhao sighed softly again.
He turned off the hairdryer but still touched Qi Wei’s mostly dry hair. “You’ve suffered a lot.”
Although Qi Wei was two years older than him, in Qi Zhao’s eyes, two years wasn’t a big difference; they were practically the same age.
Qi Wei was happy that Qi Zhao felt sympathy for him, even happier for the physical contact. “No, I haven’t.”
He murmured, “As long as I can meet you, it’s all worth it.”
If he hadn’t met Qi Zhao, his life would have probably been ruined.
Even differentiating into a super S-rank alpha wouldn’t have mattered.
He would have become a cold, ruthless, cruel, and moody monster.
A true inhuman creature.
It was Qi Zhao who gave him a human heart.
