Chapter 15: Dark-Skinned Rugged Honest Man 15

Jiang Rang had heard some farmhands chatting about it back home in the village during the slack farming season.

They all said omegas were delicate and precious, rare as hen’s teeth—especially those in the Federation’s big cities. Every one of them was like a pampered prince or princess, raised in a honey pot. They might seem gentle and fragile on the surface, but at the slightest provocation, they turned moody, smashing pots and pans in a fit of rage.

One of the guys took a big gulp of water, shaking his head vigorously. “Those noble omegas? Beautiful, sure, but I couldn’t handle marrying one.”

“You could end up bankrupt. Piss one off, and they’ll drag you to the Omega Protection Association. You’ll rot in jail for life. My nephew who moved to the big city? His omega was always off at banquets. He just said a couple words, and next thing you know, he’s in the police station.”

Jiang Rang had only half-listened at the time. The guy’s story was vague anyway, clearly biased toward his own family.

But one thing had stuck with the young man: omegas were protected by the Federation—precious and beautiful, yet unpredictably moody.

If he hadn’t truly felt it before, he certainly did now.

Wasn’t the Male Master of this villa the perfect example?

It was just a piece of clothing. He’d explained everything clearly, but Qi Yu had blown up anyway, acting like he’d been personally insulted.

Jiang Rang couldn’t make sense of it. He chalked it up to the inflated pride of noble families.

Truth be told, the young man felt a real pang of regret. His family was already dirt poor—the windbreaker alone had cost him a small fortune. A Liu hadn’t even worn it, and as for the ring Qi Yu had forced on him, that was just flashy jewelry. Even if you gave him a hundred times the nerve, he wouldn’t dare try to sell it.

Worse, the omega had all but commanded him—almost forcibly—that as a beta, he had to wear the ring every single day. No exceptions.

At heart, Jiang Rang was still just a country laborer, used to backbreaking farm work like weeding and planting. Even now, most of his days were spent on rough odd jobs, and a ring got in the way something fierce.

Especially one that expensive. Lose it or damage it, and a hundred Jiang Rangs couldn’t cover the cost.

Whatever gratitude he’d once felt toward the main household had soured into nothing but hassle, confusion, and irritation.

To top it off, he’d taken in a mentally impaired alpha lately. It meant running back and forth every day, draining his time and energy.

When the Male Master used to crash at the Company, Jiang Rang had more time to himself. Now Qi Yu came home right on schedule every evening, and even the young man’s downtime was spent glued to his side. Twice, he’d been too late getting back to the low-rent apartment, and the alpha had been so starved he could hardly function.

Chen Jingxu had already endured severe trauma. He couldn’t voice his needs properly and had no clue about Jiang Rang’s bind. All he knew was that the young man was going to abandon him. He’d wail neurotically all night long, until the neighbors were up in arms.

Jiang Rang only found out when he squeezed in this visit to the low-rent apartment.

The rusty keys scraped harshly in the dim stairwell as he unlocked the door. Before he could even push it open, the battered security door across the hall flew wide.

A sour-faced beta in his middle years, belly swollen from beer, stuck his head out. Impatience twisted his features, and curses flew from his mouth. “Can’t you keep your damn dog under control? Barking day and night—some of us are trying to sleep!”

But midway through, his bluster faltered. He’d clocked the tall, broad beta’s corded muscles and realized this wasn’t someone to tangle with. The rest of his tirade died in his throat.

This was a rough neighborhood, after all. Even the police barely bothered.

Jiang Rang put two and two together—the alpha must’ve been a nuisance. Feeling guilty, he opened his mouth to apologize, but the door slammed shut with a bang.

The beta scratched his head, figuring it best not to press the issue.

He swung open the door to his low-rent apartment and flicked on the light without a second thought.

The weak bulb chased away the shadows, revealing the cramped space.

Jiang Rang was handy. Even this dingy little hole had been whipped into shape under his care—the table’s grease stains scrubbed clean, the wall’s cracks patched neatly with whatever he could scrounge.

He’d been stuck all day yesterday. The moment he got a breather today, he’d bolted straight here.

The instant the light flickered on, a tall, lithe figure launched itself straight into Jiang Rang’s arms.

He wasn’t startled in the least. Habitually, he patted the alpha’s quivering back while gently combing through the uneven strands of hair at his ears.

Chen Jingxu’s current hairstyle was still personally cut by the young man himself—uneven bangs of varying lengths, but far more attractive than the pitted, messy state it had been in at the start.

The beta patted the man’s head buried against his neck, his voice tinged with a hint of helplessness. “Alright, alright, no more acting spoiled. I’m back. Did you heat up your own meal yesterday?”

The alpha was still whimpering, clinging tightly to the young man’s embrace.

Jiang Rang could even detect a trace of grievance and reluctance in the other’s low humming voice. He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Does Xiao Xu not even want to talk to me now?”

Chen Jingxu abruptly lifted his head, his messy bangs draping over his handsome brows and eyes. His healed cheek was refined and noble, while his ink-green eyes brimmed with moisture. The alpha shook his head frantically, his lips parting and closing repeatedly until his face flushed red. He finally stammered out a sentence.

“…N-No, it’s not that. Xiao Xu… Xiao Xu is hungry, but… he has to wait… wait for Jiang Jiang to come home.”

“I’m not called Jiang Jiang.” The beta took the other’s hand and led him to sit at the dining table, correcting him. “My name is Jiang Rang.”

The man pursed his lips and grumbled reluctantly before murmuring softly in the end, “J-Just Jiang Jiang. M-My Xiao Xu’s Jiang Jiang.”

It seemed the little dog was going through his own rebellious phase.

Jiang Rang chuckled and didn’t press the issue further. He simply ruffled the other’s hair and softened his voice as he asked, “Alright then. Jiang Jiang wants to ask Xiao Xu—did you not sleep well last night? Did you disturb anyone?”

Chen Jingxu’s eyes began to redden around the edges. His lips trembled, and in the end, he only managed to utter a single word.

“Afraid.”

As he spoke, he gripped Jiang Rang’s clothing hem tightly, his voice turning low and sensitive. “Jiang Jiang… didn’t come yesterday.”

Jiang Rang couldn’t bear seeing him like this. He hurriedly soothed the little dog, his own tone softening several degrees. “Okay, okay, I know. How about this? In the future, as long as Xiao Xu behaves and doesn’t disturb anyone, Jiang Jiang will definitely come visit more often, alright?”

Chen Jingxu sniffled softly and let out a quiet hum of agreement.

Only then did the beta relax. He turned to open the fridge and heat up a meal for the little dog.

After finishing his meal, Chen Jingxu quickly grew drowsy. The alpha had heavy dark circles under his eyes, but he kept enduring it, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on Jiang Rang—as if terrified that the young man might slip away the moment he fell asleep.

The young man wanted to coax him into sleeping, but his phone suddenly vibrated intensely in his hand.

The buzzing vibration was especially jarring in the quiet, cramped space.

Jiang Rang looked down to unlock his phone and answer the call, completely missing the little dog beside him, whose eyes were gradually filling with agitation and loathing.

Clearly, he was resenting the phone in the young man’s hand.

It was always like this—always. Whenever that thing called a phone in Jiang Jiang’s hand rang, Jiang Jiang would leave him.

The alpha was like Pavlov’s dog. The moment he heard the phone’s vibration, he began uncontrollably digging at his fingers, a voice in his mind endlessly telling him:

Jiang Jiang would be taken away, stolen by the repulsive voice’s owner from inside the phone.

Chen Jingxu stared fixedly at the beta on the phone for a long time, not even blinking, as if he had lost his normal human physiological responses.

Wrapped in extreme jealousy and anxious torment, he suddenly realized why the person in the phone wanted to steal Jiang Jiang away.

Jiang Jiang was so beautiful—beautiful eyes, beautiful lips, beautiful limbs, beautiful chest. When asleep, he resembled a lazily curled-up, gorgeous beast.

When Jiang Jiang smiled, he was like the handsome prince from a storybook—the prince who had come to save him.

No one could fail to love him.

The alpha actually had a little secret: he knew the scent of every inch of the beta’s body.

He was a bad dog.

Without his master’s permission, he had secretly tasted his master’s body.

Jiang Jiang trusted him completely. When asleep, he lay still like a slumbering sculpture, unmoved no matter how he licked and teased.

Chen Jingxu loved Jiang Jiang’s lips the most—soft and wet, like a cute little snake. Sometimes, the other would even unconsciously respond to him in his dreams.

They had once tangled together on this narrow bed. The alpha remembered only that he had become a fully beastly monster, unable to control his urge to pierce the beta’s nape with his sharp teeth.

He thought of many words that Jiang Jiang had never taught him.

Possession, desire, marking, and love.

The alpha couldn’t comprehend their meanings, but he understood that these words had emerged because of Jiang Jiang.

The man stared at the beta with near-obsessive fascination, like a large dog leashed and awaiting his master’s judgment.

Jiang Rang was utterly oblivious to the alpha’s abnormality, completely distracted by the message on his phone, his soul seemingly flown away in shock.

“Mister’s heat period has arrived?”

“Why on earth is he missing? Mr. Butler, wasn’t Mister in the villa the whole day today without stepping out?”

The person on the other end said something more, and the young man’s expression gradually turned serious and worried. “Mister’s heat has come on—he shouldn’t have gotten far. I’ll head back right away to help search. Don’t panic. Pull up the surveillance footage again and check it carefully. It’s best to search the villa from top to bottom one more time too.”

Jiang Rang hung up the phone and wiped his face. Worry weighed on him like a massive boulder suspended over his head.

He no longer had time to stay with Chen Jingxu. The young man had just been about to comfort the alpha when he saw the other’s eyes tightly shut, his breathing steady and even, as if he had been asleep for quite some time.

Jiang Rang let out a breath of relief, snatched up his phone, and hurried out of the low-rent apartment.

He didn’t see Little Dog suddenly open his eyes behind him.

Nor could he see the unnatural flush on the alpha’s face or the venomous, jealousy-laced glare in his eyes.

Bang—

The door slammed shut.

The alpha on the bed slowly climbed to his feet. He could now walk upright without issue.

The man mimicked Jiang Rang’s routine from every time he left: straightened his clothes, laced up his shoes tightly, and finally pulled the spare key from beside the light switch before stepping out of the cramped low-rent apartment.

The beta moved quickly, and the alpha had to break into a run just to keep up.

But strangely, Chen Jingxu never lost sight of him.

Little Dog glared fixedly at the ornate fence blocking his way, then abruptly turned his gaze aside. His ink-green eyes reflected the image of a grand, classical Western-style luxury villa.

This wasn’t the first time he had laid eyes on this villa.

Nor was it the first time he had tailed Jiang Jiang.

Ever since he could walk on his own, the poisonous venom of jealousy and the sticky mire of infatuation had driven him down this very path countless times.

However many times Jiang Rang had walked it, he had walked it just as many.