31
Qi Zhao had never heard such a statement before.
He had met old acquaintances over the years.
Even though he hadn’t returned to Z Country, he had encountered some old friends abroad. After all, people in their circle were wealthy, and traveling abroad was common.
Sometimes, if they happened to be in the same place, they would meet up, and Qi Zhao was always willing to go.
And the most common thing he heard from them was that he seemed different from before, that he had changed a lot… Xu Chenzhou had said the same. Even he himself felt that he had changed a lot, to the point where he couldn’t bear to face himself.
“…Actually, I don’t know when it started,” Qi Zhao turned his head, looking at the traffic ahead, “but becoming an alpha became my goal.”
Not a dream, but a goal.
Because Qi Zhao himself didn’t have any prejudice against secondary genders. He believed that being an A, B, or O was fine. He had felt this way since he was young.
If he became an omega like An Xinzhi, he would become a strong omega like her; if he differentiated into an alpha, he would become an alpha like his father, loving his omega; if he became an ordinary beta, he could still strive for what he wanted through his own efforts.
Qi Wei knew that Qi Zhao avoided talking about his psychological issues, so he tightened his grip on the steering wheel and asked gently, so as not to offend Qi Zhao or intrude on his privacy, “Was it because of Jiang Qingyue?”
Jiang Qingyue, Qi Zhao’s omega stepmother.
Qi Zhao was lost in thought. “…I guess so.”
He lowered his voice. “The moment Qi Mu appeared before me with her, I probably didn’t even realize that I had already sensed it.”
Qi Mu would no longer be his support.
He and the omega with a 94% compatibility rate would have a new child. The new child would have more perfect genes due to their high compatibility, and more importantly, there would be Jiang Qingyue’s lifelong mark binding them, making Qi Mu unconsciously favor that future child, the current Qi Wense.
Actually, Jiang Qingyue didn’t treat Qi Zhao badly, but she wasn’t his mother.
She had her own child.
The kindness between them… was that of strangers.
It was kindness under Qi Mu’s approval.
Qi Mu had abandoned him, and she had also disappeared from his world.
“Thinking about it now, there was no need for me to be so obedient back then. Qi Mu told me to go abroad, and I just went.”
Qi Mao was indeed at its peak at the time, but so what?
Z Country wasn’t dominated by just one family. If Qi Zhao wanted to, he could have found a way to gain a foothold in the country.
But…
He was only seventeen at the time, and facing the abandonment of the father he had always admired was like the straw that broke the camel’s back, shattering his spirit.
His seven years of exile weren’t just about escaping this land, but also about escaping a fact—
The home that belonged to him, in reality, had ceased to be his home the moment An Xinzhi was taken away by Qi Mu during his rut.
Because his subsequent status was earned through his own excellence, not from the love Qi Mu should have given a son.
Perhaps because Qi Wei mostly listened, not asking too many questions, and even his inquiries weren’t meant to hurt him, Qi Zhao gradually opened up, unconsciously expressing his current feelings. “I thought I would be very happy.”
He had thought he would be happy to become an alpha, but in reality, that joy only lasted a few days. After it receded like the tide, he realized he was still the same.
It wasn’t that he didn’t feel it because he was a fake alpha, but…
The real him didn’t care whether he was an alpha or a beta.
Qi Zhao turned to look at Qi Wei, a smile finally blooming on his face. “Qi Wei, you were right.”
He hadn’t changed, he hadn’t become worse; he was just trapped.
From the moment he was expelled from his home and stripped of his heir status for being a beta, he had been trapped.
This mountain, this cage, these chains binding him had kept him in a daze for seven years, until he returned this time… Qi Wei effortlessly pulled him out.
Inexplicably, Qi Zhao suddenly wanted to hug him.
Perhaps out of gratitude, perhaps out of a budding sense of dependence…
In any case, after parking the car, Qi Zhao unbuckled his seatbelt, turned, and hugged Qi Wei.
Qi Wei froze.
By the time he came back to his senses, Qi Zhao had already settled back in his seat and was about to open the car door and get out. If it weren’t for the alpha’s keen senses, which caught the fleetingly stronger scent of Qi Zhao, a scent that was uniquely his, a sweet scent to Qi Wei, the hug would have seemed like a mere illusion.
But Qi Wei still needed confirmation.
He got out of the car with Qi Zhao and held his hand, his thumb rubbing against the back of Qi Zhao’s hand.
Qi Zhao couldn’t ignore this small gesture.
Especially since the alpha’s hand was calloused, the rubbing slightly ticklish.
Qi Zhao turned to look at Qi Wei, who was looking down at him, his dark eyes fixed on him. He said softly, “Ah Zhao, you just hugged me.”
It was both a question and a confirmation.
Qi Zhao hadn’t thought much of it when he hugged him; he had simply acted on impulse. But now that Qi Wei had pointed it out, it felt strange.
He coughed slightly and still said, “Yes,” even asking in return, “Can’t I hug you?”
Of course he could.
Qi Wei extended his other arm, his voice gentle as he slowly asked, “Do you want another hug?”
Qi Zhao: “…”
It was clearly you who wanted to hug me, why does it sound like I’m the one who wants to hug you?
And Qi Wei’s tone… Qi Zhao’s shoulders tensed involuntarily.
Qi Zhao looked at Qi Wei for two seconds, then, instead of saying anything, he took a step forward.
But as soon as his shoulder brushed against Qi Wei’s, Qi Wei’s arm tightened around him in an embrace.
Qi Zhao paused, not surprised, just smiling silently, and wrapped his arms around Qi Wei in return.
Qi Wei’s embrace was truly warm.
Both inside and outside the car, the air conditioning was set quite low. But because Qi Zhao was wearing a suit, he didn’t feel cold, just cool, not to the point of being chilled.
But being held by Qi Wei was different.
Qi Zhao preferred this warmth.
And… the alpha had a pleasant scent.
Different from the perfume that mimicked his pheromones, although it was also dominant, it had a “sunny” feel to it. Inexplicably reassuring.
The moment Qi Zhao closed his eyes and relaxed in his embrace, Qi Wei suddenly bent down and swept him up into a princess carry, just like before.
Qi Zhao was startled. “You…”
Qi Wei held him tightly, burying his face in his chest, inhaling deeply, and murmuring almost uncontrollably, “Ah Zhao.”
Qi Zhao realized what he was thinking and didn’t dare say or do anything more, just letting Qi Wei hold him like this for a while.
He didn’t know how long it had been before Qi Wei finally moved.
But he didn’t let go of him. Instead, he carried him to the sofa and sat down, Qi Zhao now sitting sideways on his lap.
This position was too intimate, and Qi Zhao’s nerves tensed up involuntarily. “If you’re done, then…”
“I want to kiss you.”
Qi Zhao and Qi Wei’s voices overlapped.
Qi Zhao’s words trailed off, his eyes widening slightly, his ears instantly burning red.
He looked at Qi Wei incredulously, meeting his dark eyes, which were filled with complex yet straightforward emotions.
Qi Wei even asked again, “Ah Zhao, is that okay?”
“…”
Qi Zhao instinctively moved, and Qi Wei’s grip on his arm tightened, his body leaning closer.
“No…”
Qi Zhao finally spoke, but after just one syllable, Qi Wei interrupted him again.
His voice was soft, low, and hoarse, slightly slurred, yet like invisible chains, binding Qi Zhao’s body and soul, along with Qi Wei’s arms and body, preventing him from escaping.
“Just one.”
He murmured, “Ah Zhao, just one kiss.”
And to be able to rightfully kiss the person he longed for, Qi Wei even conceded further, “You choose where, just one kiss.”
Qi Zhao fell silent again.
He turned his head away, unwilling to look at Qi Wei, who was like a colorful venomous snake, its tongue flicking out, yet disguised in human skin, trying to persuade him, to make him agree.
He was like a devil, whispering and tempting him endlessly.
“Ah Zhao, Ah Zhao…”
Qi Wei raised his hand, cupping his face, making him look at him. “Okay?”
Qi Zhao felt as if his heart was being held captive in Qi Wei’s hand.
That’s why it was so hard to breathe, why even his heartbeat was controlled by him.
The perceptive alpha sensed something and moved even closer to Qi Zhao.
Qi Wei stared intently at his chosen partner, his voice so hoarse that it was almost unrecognizable. “Ah Zhao, Ah Zhao.”
He murmured, as if to himself, “My good Ah Zhao, please help me, okay?”
If Qi Zhao were an alpha or omega, he would definitely be able to sense it now.
Qi Wei’s pheromones had become incredibly seductive, the intoxicating scent and sweetness intertwining, forming a devil’s pool of wine, easily trapping anyone who fell in, their soul sold for a pittance.
Qi Zhao really wanted to push him away.
Especially when Qi Wei said those words, he felt like the venomous snake had tightened its coils, about to swallow him whole in the next second.
The sense of danger had reached a terrifying level; every cell in his body was screaming at him to run.
But how could he break free from Qi Wei’s hold?
…No, actually, as long as he wanted to, he could escape.
Qi Zhao knew this very well.
If he truly showed resistance and disgust, Qi Wei would immediately let go and apologize.
So…
The sensitive alpha had already seen through him.
Qi Zhao closed his eyes and didn’t speak, but raised his hand and offered it to Qi Wei.
Qi Wei’s eyes flickered. He let go of Qi Zhao’s face, slowly took his hand, and lowered his head.
His eyes held both an intense desire that threatened to consume them both, and an endless, devout tenderness.
Qi Wei’s lips touched the back of Qi Zhao’s hand, resting mainly on his ring and middle fingers, pressing a light yet solemn kiss.
“Ah Zhao.”
He murmured, as if it wasn’t just a kiss, but a lifelong vow made on a solemn occasion. “I really love you.”
He was already becoming greedy.
He, who had said it was okay to take it slow, that Qi Zhao could only be his, could no longer suppress his desires, revealing his greedy nature.
He wished he could hear Qi Zhao say “I like you” tomorrow, he wished Qi Zhao would love him so much he couldn’t leave him the day after tomorrow, he wished Qi Zhao would have the same twisted and possessive desires as him…
But he also knew very well that even if Qi Zhao did like him, he wouldn’t express it in such an ugly, despicable, and embarrassing way.
But it was precisely because he knew this so clearly that he wanted Qi Zhao’s affection so desperately.
