Chapter 32
Pei Tingyu stepped slightly to the side, clearing the way.
A faint smile played on his lips. With the gesture of a gentlemanly invitation, he quietly waited for Bai Yan to enter.
Bai Yan was too surprised to speak, as if still in a dream, and walked into the study on weak legs.
The quick glance he had gotten through the doorway was just the tip of the iceberg.
Once inside, he discovered that the laboratory was surprisingly large, at least twice its original size.
The experimental equipment was neatly arranged against the smooth walls, gleaming coldly under the overhead lights. Some models were even better than the ones at school.
The man looked around and frowned, somewhat dissatisfied. “Time was too tight. There are still a few machines abroad. They’ll be delivered next month at the earliest.”
Bai Yan was confused.
He hadn’t been on the third floor for a short time. When had Mr. Pei started renovating?
Why hadn’t he heard any noise at all?
The young man was stunned, slowly looking around.
It was only when he saw the two pink sofas by the window that he abruptly realized that Mr. Pei had knocked down the wall between the two original studies.
And the one next to it was the small study that had belonged to Mr. Pei and his mother.
The glass display cases against the wall had all been removed, replaced by several bookshelves. Next to the bookshelves stood two solid wood desks of the same size.
In the center of the desks was a classical vase, with several vibrant red roses, their silk petals unfurling in the light.
Bai Yan snapped out of his daze and quickly turned to the man behind him, saying in a panic, “Mr. Pei, this is too valuable. I can’t accept it.”
The young man’s mind was reeling. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His beautiful, moist eyes were filled with panic, and he pressed his lips together, at a loss.
Even if he didn’t know the specific prices of these machines, he knew they were priceless, and it was by no means easy for a private individual to purchase them.
Not to mention the small study, which must have held many of Mr. Pei’s memories with his mother, making it even more priceless.
How could he occupy it for his experiments?
Pei Tingyu had anticipated the young man’s reaction. He raised a long eyebrow and propped his chin on his hand.
He said, feigning distress, “Alright. Since you don’t like it. Yǎyuán has no use for these things, so I’ll just have Song Jian throw them out somewhere.”
“Mr. Pei.” Bai Yan’s shoulders slumped in resignation. He knew the Alpha was joking.
But he still felt unworthy and stammered, “But, but…”
A deep unease showed in the Omega’s eyes, his brow furrowed pitifully.
His almost pure white hair rested on the sides of his neck, like a wronged little rabbit.
“If it’s because of my mother…” Pei Tingyu sighed to himself and walked toward the young man.
He stopped in front of him, lowered his head so their gazes were level, and his gentle, soothing voice was almost a whisper. “You don’t need to worry.”
The young man slowly looked up, his eyes beneath their snow-white lashes clean and transparent, reflecting the man’s handsome face.
The man finally couldn’t resist and reached out to ruffle the young man’s soft hair.
The Alpha’s tone was incredibly gentle, softly plucking at the young man’s heartstrings. “When my mother was alive, she always complained that I was too cold, that I couldn’t express my feelings.”
“The purpose of her building this small study was also to get me to interact with people more. Regrettably, even after participating in so many competitions, I still don’t like to socialize.”
“If she saw you, she would be very happy.”
And she would like you very much.
The man added silently in his heart.
A faint curve touched Pei Tingyu’s thin lips, his tone tinged with a bitter nostalgia.
It was rare for Mr. Pei to reveal his heart to him. The young man’s heart ached. He clenched his hands behind his back, finding that he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
The man quickly composed himself, his expression returning to its usual indifference. He leaned against a solid wood desk and tapped his bent fingers on the surface twice.
Amidst the crisp sound, the man’s calm voice was mixed in.
“Besides, it’s not just for you.”
“The research institute is currently developing a new drug for pheromone disorders. According to their requirements, more contact with highly compatible pheromones will help my recovery.”
“I will be working in this study often from now on,” he deliberately paused for a few seconds before continuing, “and I may need you too, Bai Yan.”
A clear look of surprise flashed in Bai Yan’s eyes. He lifted his small face and asked, “Mr. Pei, your pheromone disorder can be treated?”
Pheromone disorder was a common ailment for high-level Alphas. This condition was genetic and couldn’t be cured, only alleviated by the pheromones of a highly compatible Omega.
Pei Tingyu nodded. “Mm, there’s a good chance.”
His low, magnetic voice was a gentle invitation. “So, are you willing to do me this favor?”
With Mr. Pei’s health at stake, the Omega had even less reason to refuse.
“Of course!” the young man said with a determined look, vowing, “Don’t worry. As long as I’m free, I’ll stay in this room.”
Pei Tingyu’s heart softened, and his feigned indifference almost cracked.
A hint of a smile escaped his lips. “Then now, can you accept this gift?”
“Please wait, Mr. Pei!”
A look of struggle flashed across the Omega’s small face. He suddenly made up his mind and turned to run out of the study.
Pei Tingyu was speechless.
The man watched the young man’s retreating back and shook his head helplessly. But his gaze suddenly noticed that when the young man ran, his left heel was a little awkward.
He furrowed his brow. Yanyan’s ankle injury, has it not healed yet?
The Omega returned quickly, his small face flushed from running, his eyes shining with excitement.
He stopped in front of the Alpha, his clasped hands held out to the man.
Bai Yan’s lips couldn’t suppress a smile. He said in a soft, obedient, and mysterious voice, “Then, in exchange, Mr. Pei, you must accept this gift from me.”
He opened his hands to Pei Tingyu, and a small, dark blue gift box was revealed in his palm.
Pei Tingyu raised an eyebrow in surprise. So soon. It seems his Yanyan was prepared.
Under the young man’s expectant gaze, the Alpha took the gift box and pulled open the golden ribbon on top.
With a click, the dark blue lid flipped open.
A collar pin lay quietly in the center of the velvet cloth. It was exquisitely made, with two black gemstones at either end, connected by a thin metal chain.
He carefully picked up the collar pin. The black surface of the pin, when shone upon by the sun, suddenly reflected a faint, dark green light.
The dark light was inconspicuous, but the man instantly understood the meaning of the gift.
It’s his eyes.
The young man held his hands together as modestly as possible, but his eyes were filled with anticipation. He unconsciously stood on his tiptoes and asked with some trepidation, “Do you like it?”
“Mm, I like it very much.”
The man lowered his gaze to admire it, his eyes filled with an unprecedented gentleness.
I like it, I like it very much. I like the gift, and I like the person who prepared it.
“That’s great. I’m glad you like it.” A satisfied smile bloomed on the Omega’s face, his two eyes curving into crescent moons, the small dimples at the corners of his lips cute.
I knew Mr. Pei would like it. In that case, my three months of part-time salary were not spent in vain.
The young man’s smile was too bright and dazzling.
Pei Tingyu’s Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty. He wanted to put the collar pin on right now, but unfortunately, he had changed into a black sweater today to pick up his precious.
The Alpha could only regretfully put the gift box away and decided to change all his inner shirts to collared ones next week.
Bai Yan had gotten the result he wanted and was overjoyed. He was just about to leave when he heard the Alpha ask, “Is your ankle any better?”
Eh? Bai Yan’s back stiffened. Why did Mr. Pei suddenly think of that?
The young man averted his gaze guiltily and said vaguely, “It’s better. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
The gauze on his ankle had been removed by Dr. Li long ago, and he had been given medicine to change the dressing.
But he found it troublesome and had only applied it for a few days before putting it away in a cabinet.
The man said nothing, only nodding his chin toward the cashmere-covered sofa.
“Then let’s check it.”
Bai Yan froze.
“Mr. Pei,” the young man’s face suddenly flushed a light red. He lowered his head and touched his face, protesting in a small voice, “That’s not necessary. It’s fine. I’ll check it later when I get back.”
Taking off my socks and showing my feet in front of someone else is too embarrassing. I’m not a child who can’t take care of myself.
Didn’t Mr. Pei say that in front of him, I always have the right to refuse?
The young man’s voice was clear and mellow, the drawn-out end of his words sounding strangely like a coquettish plea.
Although they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, after just half a day with the man, the sense of unfamiliarity that had grown with time had completely vanished.
It was a tacit understanding.
The naive Omega had yet to realize that he had already grown accustomed to acting coquettishly in front of the Alpha, and acting coquettishly was the privilege of the beloved.
Seeing the guilty expression on the young man’s face, Pei Tingyu’s shoulders trembled twice as he forced himself to hold back a laugh.
The Alpha raised an eyebrow and said with feigned nonchalance, “If you must be shy, we’ve done things much more intimate than this. Do you still need to worry about this?”
Bai Yan was speechless.
Mr. Pei, did you eat something wrong abroad?
Are these words that fit your character?
Bai Yan was so shocked he lost the ability to speak again.
The Alpha, as if knowing what the young man was thinking, said leisurely, “You certainly have the right to refuse, but that clearly doesn’t include decisions that would harm you.”
The beet-red young man “I, I, I”-ed for a long time but couldn’t find any other excuse. He could only, with a beet-red face, shakily sit down on the small sofa.
Even so, the young man still shyly turned his face away, his eyelashes hurriedly lowered, not daring to look.
After a rustling sound, a pure white cotton sock was peeled down his foot.
Bai Yan secretly rejoiced. Thank goodness I’m not wearing rainbow-colored socks today.
Otherwise, I’d be doomed.
He tried hard to distract himself but found it impossible.
The nerves in his back tensed up unconsciously. Every single one could clearly feel the sensation of his toes being held in a large, broad palm.
The man’s warm body temperature came through his palm, and a tingling, numb sensation rose from his toes all the way to his chest.
This feeling was too strange and unfamiliar, making his heart feel numb and full.
The concentration of pheromones in the room unconsciously rose.
When the man’s fingertips accidentally brushed against the sole of his foot, Bai Yan’s heart trembled, and his fingers clenched the armrest of the sofa.
Through the cotton sock, the Omega’s toes instantly curled up sensitively. If his ankle hadn’t been held, he would have pulled his foot back without a second thought.
The young man bit his lower lip nervously, a watery light shining in his cherry-pink eyes.
The light blush on his cheeks slowly spread behind his ears, and it seemed to be continuing downwards.
But Pei Tingyu was completely unaware.
The man knelt on one knee, holding the young man’s heel, and examined it with single-minded focus.
The smooth skin was as delicate as jade. There were still a few faint red circles around the ankle, like a few plum blossoms, of different shades, blooming on the ankle bone.
The Alpha’s brow furrowed slightly. It was clear at a glance that the young man hadn’t been applying the medicine properly while he was away.
Fortunately, the skin wasn’t broken.
Just as he was about to let go, his fingertips accidentally brushed against the sole of his foot. The sensitive arch of his foot immediately flinched, and a light blush instantly spread across it.
Pei Tingyu’s gaze darkened for a moment, and his mind began to wander.
After a long time, the young man’s voice trembled slightly. “Are you done, Mr. Pei?”
Only then did the man come back to his senses. He withdrew his hand and coughed twice nonchalantly. “The wound is healing well. Try to avoid running recently. It was lucky you didn’t hurt the bone this time. Be careful in the future.”
The young man slowly opened his eyes. The Alpha was kneeling in front of him, his crisp suit trousers stretched tight. Because of his kneeling position, an unavoidable crease had formed on the inside of his thigh.
The young man sucked in a sharp breath, suddenly reminded of a racy scene in one of the photos he hadn’t deleted, of a male model in a suit kneeling.
The dim, ambiguous lighting, the submissive kneeling posture, the hands clasped behind his back, and the untamable, wild gaze.
It wasn’t exactly the same, but it seemed, it seemed to overlap somewhat…
The man lifted his chin slightly, his gaze looking up from below, his eyes slightly backlit. “Is that clear?”
Bai Yan froze.
The Omega’s pupils were a little dilated. His lashes trembled slightly, and it was a long time before he slowly nodded.
“Mm…”
Who knows how much he took in. A habitual sense of helplessness flashed through the Alpha’s mind.
Never mind. It’s okay.
Pei Tingyu shook his head, a doting smile on his lips. The man rose gracefully from the carpet and symbolically smoothed the wrinkles on his suit trousers.
He would not let Bai Yan get hurt again.
Thump—thump—
The sound of his heart pounding in his chest was loud. It felt as if all the blood in his body was trembling with excitement.
Bai Yan sank into the soft sofa and haphazardly stuffed his foot into his cotton slipper.
The jasmine pheromones uncontrollably escaped from the back of his neck, carrying a hint of lazy happiness, eagerly melting into the embrace of the orange blossom.
The young man asked himself, a little uncertainly.
Is this reaction normal?
It was almost the weekend, and Pei Tingyu didn’t go to the company in the afternoon.
The man leisurely gave himself a break and dealt with some simple documents in the small living room on the second floor.
The documents were almost done. He picked up a coffee cup with his left hand and took a sip of the honey yuzu tea he had just made. The wedding ring on his ring finger reflected a beautiful color in the light.
The sun was just right. The young man was lying on his back on a picnic blanket, a big smile on his face as he caught the big, fat dog, crying out and begging for the dog to stop licking his face.
Oz had been let out of dog school at noon. He was happy to find both his masters at home and was so excited he forgot himself, barking loudly.
Seeing Bai Yan come over, the Doberman immediately played rogue, lying on the ground, all four paws in the air, showing his belly, and whining pitifully, insisting that the young man pet him.
No matter how the servant caring for him pulled on the leash, he refused to get up from the marble floor.
Oz is wronged, Oz won’t say.
Wuwu, dog has had it rough these past few days.
One master hasn’t been seen for over ten days. The other master, although at home, has been listless, making dog very anxious.
Dog keenly noticed that today, little master is in a very good mood because big master is home.
Hmph, dog will naturally not let this opportunity go!
Woohoo, sunshine, lawn, frisbee, here dog comes!
Watching the man and dog playing below, a smile touched Pei Tingyu’s eyes.
Three knocks came from the door. Before he could speak, the person came in with a small trolley.
Chen Shulan stopped in front of the desk and placed several plates of snacks on the empty space on the table.
Pei Tingyu glanced at the cute-looking cookies, pinched the bridge of his nose, and said with clear helplessness.
“Auntie Chen, I’m past the age of eating these kinds of cookies.”
“Is that so?” Chen Shulan raised an eyebrow and teased, “I thought you finally decided to tidy up the small study because you wanted to relive your childhood memories.”
“After all these years, you’re finally willing to open that door again.”
She walked to the window and followed Pei Tingyu’s gaze to the young man playing with Oz.
The Beta, who had watched Pei Tingyu grow up, smiled. “Have you figured it out this time? You’re not going on any more business trips? You don’t need me to make excuses to A-Yan anymore?”
Pei Tingyu grunted softly.
Chen Shulan deliberately snorted, her tone laced with blame. “You left so easily. Leaving A-Yan alone at Yǎyuán.”
“You have no idea. A-Yan hasn’t been eating or sleeping well these past few days. But he never says anything, afraid we’ll worry. He doesn’t even mention you.”
An unspeakable bitterness filled Pei Tingyu’s heart. He was both regretful and heartbroken, his heart aching with a fine, stinging pain.
It was his own decision, his own self-righteousness. He had thought that leaving his precious was for his precious’s own good.
But he hadn’t considered how much his departure would hurt his precious, who had just found a family and was willing to open his heart.
It was all his fault, completely wrong.
Never again. As long as the young man was willing to have him by his side, he would never leave first.
Whether as family or as a lover.
Whether for three years or forever.
As long as fate was kind, he was willing to be with Bai Yan forever.
Chen Shulan smiled with relief and said meaningfully, “Since A-Yu was willing to use marriage to shut those shareholders up back then.”
“I knew this day would come sooner or later.”
She smiled mysteriously. “And when you brought that child back, I was even more certain.”
“Qingya would definitely have liked A-Yan.”
The Beta housekeeper didn’t continue, changing the subject. “He doesn’t know what you’re thinking, does he?”
Pei Tingyu said nothing.
Chen Shulan’s heart was as clear as a mirror. How could she not understand the meaning of his silence?
She said slowly, “I’m old. I don’t understand you young people’s contract marriages, love after marriage.”
“But there’s one thing you need to understand. No matter what, don’t hurt A-Yan.”
“That child looks soft, but he’s actually just as stubborn as A-Yu. If you haven’t made up your mind, don’t rush into it.”
“Regardless of whether you two will end up together.”
Chen Shulan said no more, gracefully pushing the trolley away and leaving the room to the silent Alpha.
After a long time, a sigh was left in the room.
How could he bear to hurt his precious?
The choice is always in your hands.
Whether you give me honey or poison.
I will accept it with pleasure.
