Wen Yan froze for a moment.
Liang Shijing had returned at some unknown point. He stood with his back to them beside the bookshelf, holding a book and leafing through it absentmindedly. Liang Wangyou peeked out from behind the desk now and then, like a frightened little gopher.
After a brief pause, Wen Yan walked toward the desk.
“Wen Yan, I want to tell you something…” Liang Wangyou lifted his head hesitantly.
Liang Shijing gave a light cough.
“Hm?” Wen Yan instinctively glanced at Liang Shijing. Had he scolded Liang Wangyou again during the short time he’d spent washing his hands? Yet the two didn’t look like they’d argued. If anything, they seemed to share some secret understanding—Liang Wangyou wanted to confess, and Liang Shijing’s cough was his reminder.
“What’s wrong?” He ruffled Liang Wangyou’s hair.
“I… I tore your drawing…” Liang Wangyou lowered his eyes. “I’m sorry…”
“He wouldn’t blame you for it anyway,” Liang Shijing added calmly.
The paper did have a long tear in it. Wen Yan turned back to them. “It’s no big deal. Even torn, it can be fixed.”
Liang Wangyou shot Liang Shijing a resentful glance. “If Father had torn it, would you be mad?”
“Hang on—just give me a second, and it’ll be good as new.”
Pretending not to hear, Wen Yan took a pen and sketched a pair of eyes over the tear with a few deft strokes. Then he pushed the sketchbook toward Liang Wangyou. “Pull down the first page and see.”
Liang Wangyou pinched the edge of the paper with exquisite care and slid it downward. As he did, the jagged tear slowly revealed a pair of eyes—beautiful eyes positioned in the upper right corner of the private residence. For a moment, he felt as if he were floating in the sky, gazing down at the tiny figure playing on the lawn below.
“It’s so pretty! That’s you!” Liang Wangyou cried out in delight.
“You figured it out.”
“But Wen Yan, don’t be up in the sky, okay? We’d be too far apart.”
Wen Yan smiled serenely. “Let’s call it a day. Get some early rest tonight, and we’ll play more tomorrow.”
Sure enough, whenever Liang Shijing was home, Wen Yan never lingered anywhere outside the bedroom. Liang Wangyou gave him another resentful glance. “Okay. See you tomorrow.”
He slid off the chair and, as he passed Liang Shijing, deliberately stomped on his foot—then bolted away, probably terrified of getting scolded.
Wen Yan gathered his things to leave, but Liang Shijing blocked his path like some persistent ghost. His expression was icy as he seized Wen Yan’s arm.
“Still mad.”
The omega fell silent. The alpha’s fingers tightened, digging into his skin and leaving indentations… A certain scene flashed through his mind, and Wen Yan squirmed uncomfortably.
“Why’s your face red?” Liang Shijing’s cool fingers brushed his earlobe, rubbing it gently with his pad. “Even here—it’s red. What are you thinking about?”
“Let go of me.” Wen Yan was frantic with anger, but he couldn’t break free.
“Little You messed up, so why take it out on me? He’s not mad—why are you still fuming?” Liang Shijing pulled him into his arms, lips brushing his ear as he spoke.
Little You had indeed done wrong and deserved punishment, but was beating him that badly fair? He still couldn’t use his hands—not even to drink water without the childcare workers’ help.
“I don’t want to talk to you. Let me go,” Wen Yan said coldly.
Liang Shijing ignored him. He placed both hands on Wen Yan’s shoulders and slowly turned him around. Warm breath ghosted over his ear from behind. “Look up.”
The glass cabinet across from them, polished to a spotless shine and displaying delicate artworks, reflected the omega and alpha with perfect clarity. The omega’s face was flushed, his earlobes pink, and even the skin at his shirt collar glowed red.
“After this weekend, Little You heads back to school,” the alpha said, his tone half declaration, half negotiation. “Monday through Friday, you’ll stay by my side. Weekends with him. That’s my biggest concession.” In the glass, the omega met his gaze. “But you have to talk to me.” the alpha continued. “Refuse, and from now on, you’re confined to the house—no seeing anyone.”
That did it—the omega was truly furious now. He stomped hard on the alpha’s foot.
A chime sounded from the wristband behind his ear as it adjusted. Moments later, a crisp, icy scent wafted through the air… The right amount of Alpha pheromones could soothe an omega’s agitation…
The innate physiological pull between alphas and omegas made Wen Yan instinctively turn toward the source for more. But he only tilted his head slightly before catching himself.
Liang Shijing’s warm breath fanned his ear, flooding Wen Yan’s senses with more pheromones. He tried to breathe shallowly, but Liang Shijing scratched his palm, throwing off his rhythm entirely.
Pheromones were an irresistible force like that, drawing even the most conflicted pair into an intimate tangle.
“You get three minutes to think it over.” Liang Shijing slumped against him, resting his head on Wen Yan’s shoulder as if overcome by drowsiness. His nose tip grazed the skin near the gland, his voice coming out husky.
Was this his reaction to being unwell? Wen Yan went rigid. “Would you agree to any demand I make?”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Let go of me first.”
“Next one.”
Dusk’s golden light gilded the edges of the white gauze curtains, with stray rays diffusing into the glass. Wen Yan stared at the alpha’s long legs in the reflection, trailing up to the dark hair buried against his shoulder.
“Did it hurt you—when you hit him?”
“Never.”
“Never?!”
Even the pheromones failed to calm him now. Long-suppressed fury boiled over, and Wen Yan glared at the glass cabinet. “How many times have you hit him? Was it always like that? You fought to bring him home—why treat him this way?”
“How have I treated him badly? What makes you think I’m not good to him?” Liang Shijing straightened up.
In that instant, they weren’t sworn enemies anymore—just two “parents” quarreling over how to raise their child.
“During that state visit, Little You called so many times begging to go to the aquarium, but you dismissed him like a subordinate, telling him to wait without ever setting a date. Was it always like that—empty promises that went nowhere?” Wen Yan thought of Little You’s mangled, bloody hands, his own eyes reddening with rage. “I was right there. You could’ve just let me take him.”
Liang Shijing let out a cold sneer. “He knows better than anyone the price of enjoying special privileges. Do you think he’s a fool? He didn’t give an exact time because he couldn’t commit to one, but I didn’t refuse him, did I? In the past, anywhere he wanted to go required a security sweep first, followed by a scheduled slot. He understands the protocol perfectly. He risked sneaking out because he can read the room—he knows there’s someone at home now who’ll protect him. As for letting you take him, how am I supposed to know you won’t whisk him away like you did five years ago?”
“I won’t!” Wen Yan blurted out.
“Is that right? Then why did you turn back thirty-six days ago? Why did you insist on seeing me? Why did you agree to stay?” Liang Shijing dismantled his excuse without mercy. “Was it for me?”
It had already been thirty-six days since his return… It had been so long already…
“The Ministry of National Defense still hasn’t traced your escape route from back then. What makes you think I’d entrust Liang Wangyou to you without a worry?”
“I won’t take him anywhere.” The hand clamping his shoulder finally released its grip. Wen Yan hedged as he asked, “Then… since you’re so afraid I’ll run off with him, why agree to let me take him out for lessons this weekend?”
“Because your security clearance outranks mine.” Liang Shijing crossed his arms and arched a brow. “Your location pings refresh every five seconds. Lose visual contact, and the whole area locks down on the spot. Anyone helping you gets taken out immediately—including Liang Wangyou.”
“You’re insane…” Wen Yan stared at him in shock.
“Maybe I am.” Liang Shijing shrugged indifferently. “Three minutes are up. Your call.”
“I agree,” Wen Yan said.
“This is entirely your choice,” Liang Shijing pressed, his tone unyielding.
“I don’t have a choice. No one in this world can defy you. Everyone has to follow your orders.” Wen Yan pressed his lips together and glared at him with raw intensity.
“Then will you obey me?” Liang Shijing countered softly.
“For anything concerning Liang Wangyou, I’ll follow your lead if it’s the right call. I’ll provide the pheromones too.” Wen Yan cranked up the Neck Ring’s vibration, his face draining of color as he explained, “I’ll pay my debt.”
“Aren’t you the one who hates my guts?”
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. Feeling better now?”
“Hating me, yet speaking to me so gently.” Liang Shijing fixed him with a cold stare. “Figured it out yet?”
“What?”
“Aren’t you testing them one by one? The marine creature models.”
“How did you know?” Wen Yan’s eyes flew wide in disbelief. To head off future trouble, he had to uncover why Liang Wangyou had snuck off to the Aquarium. Best to resolve it once and for all—otherwise, the boy would repeat the mistake, take the same beating, and there’d be no one left to shield him.
“You think he couldn’t tell? The two of you are hopeless idiots.” Liang Shijing tsked in irritation.
“Little You… he’s that sharp? Then why not just tell us the reason outright?” After half a month together, their bond had grown strong—close enough for secrets shared only between them.
“Who can pry it out of him if he clams up? Stubbornness runs in the bloodline.” Liang Shijing said.
Wen Yan had never imagined Liang Shijing “scolding” him like this. He stared, stunned, into those cold, merciless eyes.
“Aren’t you the king of backtalk? Cat got your tongue?” Liang Shijing prodded.
“Don’t bring that up!” Wen Yan’s Posterior Cervical Gland gave a sudden throb. Why did those words echo something from the past? No, not this scene. It was a dim room—he was straddling Liang Shijing’s lap, the man’s hand pressing his neck down, forcing it halfway into his mouth… Liang Shijing’s voice hadn’t been this aggressive then, nor had he been gripped by this terror and panic…
The memory sharpened in his mind, piece by vivid piece.
Knees pressed tight, ankles crossed. Back arched like a drawn bow. Low moans choked in his throat. And that rush of ecstasy flooding his body in an instant…
Wen Yan bit his lower lip hard.
“Now you know fear.” Liang Shijing regarded him impassively. “Remember something?”
