You Said Everything Was Fine

The threatening atmosphere completely evaporated because the person being threatened was so shameless.

Following the path of the kiss against his wrist, Wu Qie impatiently pushed Zhao Shu’s face away.

Zhao Shu refused to let go.

He pecked at his skin, leaving behind a red mark.

Then his tone suddenly changed.

“You’re still nicer to me.”

Wu Qie raised an eyebrow.

Like someone with a split personality, Zhao Shu’s voice became unusually cheerful.

“You wouldn’t scratch my gland to pieces just because I kissed you.”

“Pei Qingyu isn’t being transferred solely because of his rut.”

“If that fever had continued, the gland he injured from all that external scratching could’ve gotten infected.”

“…”

Alphas really were quite fragile sometimes.

Thinking about it that way, his methods did seem a little excessive.

Maybe he should avoid attacking glands unless absolutely necessary in the future.

Wu Qie lifted his gaze and glanced at the Alpha’s gland from close range.

Most of the time it remained hidden beneath the skin.

About the size of a soda bottle cap, with a small inconspicuous slit in the middle.

Thinking about it carefully…

It was actually a rather suggestive-looking organ.

“I can still scratch yours apart right now.”

Despite the nonsense train racing through his head, his voice remained completely flat.

Cold and merciless.

“Then you’d better do it now.”

Facing the wall, Zhao Shu laughed.

“Because this will be the last time I ever expose my gland in front of you, you dangerous criminal.”

Wu Qie didn’t answer.

“Pei Qingyu underestimated you too.”

“What kind of love potion did you feed him?”

Not just Pei Qingyu.

There were also those twin brothers.

Among the long line of people who underestimated a Beta, Zhao Shu’s mild concussion from getting beaten up was probably the lightest injury anyone had suffered.

And it had only happened once.

The second and third times he kissed Wu Qie, he never got punched again.

“Pei Qingyu is willing to mark someone else just to forcibly end his rut because of one sentence from you.”

As he spoke, Zhao Shu remembered that kissing Wu Qie no longer got him punched.

Fireworks immediately exploded inside his head.

Unable to resist, he turned around again and pressed himself against Wu Qie’s wrist, licking and nibbling at it.

“Doesn’t that sound ridiculously illogical?”

“Although from the looks of it, he seemed to enjoy the entire marking process.”

“So?”

“Has the illusion shattered yet?”

His wrist hurt.

Itched.

Saliva slid across his skin.

Wu Qie frowned slightly.

Then he released the Alpha pinned against the wall.

Zhao Shu exhaled and turned around.

The moment he leaned back against the wall, Wu Qie’s gaze involuntarily dropped below his waist.

His jeans had become uncomfortably tight.

If he walked outside like that, anyone who saw him would call it indecent.

Wu Qie frowned.

He genuinely couldn’t understand how Zhao Shu had the nerve to mock Pei Qingyu.

Setting rutting Alphas aside, Zhao Shu seemed capable of going into heat anytime and anywhere.

Teacher Wu felt this was not a good look.

“Calm down before you go outside.”

“Oh.”

Zhao Shu nodded casually.

“Afraid people will know what I was doing in here?”

“Pei Qingyu did much worse.”

“He isn’t afraid.”

“He even let you watch.”

It was obvious he was extremely satisfied with everything currently happening inside the treatment room.

Otherwise he wouldn’t keep bringing it up every three sentences.

As though afraid Wu Qie might forget for even a second.

Wu Qie ignored him.

He lowered his head and straightened his slightly rumpled clothes.

His palms still hurt from slamming against the glass earlier.

Needle-like pain spread through them.

His hands weren’t moving very smoothly.

But his poker face remained flawless.

None of the pain showed.

“Zhao Shu.”

“I really don’t understand what you’re so happy about.”

“And let me remind you.”

“Didn’t you practically mark Lin Zuwen before too?”

“Oh.”

“But Pei Qingyu bit much deeper than I did.”

“…?”

Comparing whose d*ck was bigger or who could piss farther was one thing.

Now Alphas were comparing bite depth too?

“Did you completely skip biology because you’re a Beta?”

“You didn’t listen to a single word, did you?”

“If those two had formed a knot while doing this, it would’ve been a complete mark.”

“Unlike me.”

“My case was purely humanitarian rescue.”

“I didn’t even look at Lin Zuwen twice.”

It was true.

After giving Lin Zuwen a temporary mark, Zhao Shu had immediately left.

In fact, the moment he stepped out of the hospital, Zhao Guipu had pinned him down and practically drowned him in cheap scent remover.

Lin Zuwen’s pheromones hadn’t remained on him for more than twenty minutes.

“I’m honestly surprised.”

“I didn’t think Pei Qingyu would handle this sort of thing like a stray dog digging through garbage behind an alley.”

“Blood everywhere.”

His tone was full of schadenfreude.

Wu Qie silently thought:

Oh.

So he was happy because he considered himself more elegant?

“An elegant dog eating slowly from a dog bowl is still a dog.”

“People should be kinder to themselves.”

Young Master Zhao smiled brightly.

“Shall we go?”

Wu Qie hesitated.

Seeing that expression, Zhao Shu looked surprised.

Wu Qie wanted to turn around and look into the treatment room one last time.

Unfortunately, he failed.

Zhao Shu reacted instantly.

He pinched Wu Qie’s chin and turned his face back around.

“I already warned you.”

“Don’t look at things you shouldn’t.”

“I’ll wait here.”

“What if something happens—”

“He is with his Alpha.”

“What could possibly happen?”

Zhao Shu sneered deliberately, emphasizing the words his Alpha.

“An Alpha and an Omega.”

“Once their pants come off—”

Wu Qie immediately covered his ears.

In the end, he still left with Zhao Shu.

That evening, Sun Mi announced in the group chat that Pei Qingyu’s rut had officially ended.

Everyone was still confused about how their captain had gone from feverish and needing transfer treatment in the morning to fully recovering by night.

Then Zhao Shu, who almost never spoke in the group, suddenly appeared.

He tagged both Pei Qingyu and Duan Bairui.

Then lazily posted two words.

[Shu: Congratulations.]

The chat exploded.

Everyone instantly entered full-blown gossip mode.

Some people claimed it wasn’t actually surprising.

Hadn’t Pei Qingyu personally carried Duan Bairui down the mountain when he injured his ankle?

Others pointed out that while their captain was kind, he wasn’t that kind.

Otherwise every Omega in the world would be throwing themselves in front of him.

Some mentioned that Duan Bairui’s pheromones smelled like winter plum blossoms.

A perfect match for cedar forests.

Others called it incredibly romantic.

The only son of Jiangcheng’s Chief Director of Law Enforcement.

An Alpha from privilege.

Bending toward an Omega from the lower city districts.

Finding love deep in the mountains.

Everyone began tagging the two of them nonstop.

Offering congratulations.

Asking how far things had progressed.

Wondering whether they had already completed a full mark.

After a long time, Pei Qingyu finally appeared.

[Pei: Thank you.]

[Pei: It was only a temporary mark.]

A moment later, Duan Bairui appeared too.

He didn’t type anything.

He simply sent a shy kitten emoji burying its face in its paws.

Wu Qie stared at the screen with mixed emotions.

People always said helping two people find love was a great act of virtue.

For some reason, this one didn’t feel like a virtue point for him.

The next morning, the rain that had lasted all night finally stopped before training began.

Students from all three schools gathered inside the gymnasium.

Pei Qingyu appeared as well.

Perhaps because he was still recovering, he wasn’t wearing the standard training uniform.

Instead, he had on a warm turtleneck sweater.

The recovery speed of an S-rank Alpha was practically monstrous.

Someone who had seemed half-dead yesterday was walking around freely today.

Though admittedly still somewhat pale.

Having just finished his rut, he wore a bite guard properly.

Even without intentionally releasing pheromones, anyone nearby could still catch traces of cold cedar mixed with a faint plum blossom scent.

Students from other schools who hadn’t heard the news looked stunned.

Hadn’t Hongtie High School only recently claimed everyone except Zhao Shu was single?

Very soon, the Omega carrying traces of cedar scent appeared as well.

Duan Bairui seemed especially sensitive to the cold.

He wore a white turtleneck sweater matching Pei Qingyu’s style, only in a different color.

Because of the temporary mark and his still-healing gland, he wasn’t wearing a protective neck ring.

The moment he entered the gym, he immediately began searching the room.

The instant he spotted Pei Qingyu, his eyes lit up.

He walked over and tilted his head up to speak with him.

The Omega’s face was full of obvious shyness.

Pei Qingyu’s expression remained indifferent.

Not cold.

Just calm.

Those who knew him well understood that by his standards, this already counted as gentle.

After a brief conversation, he bent slightly.

Duan Bairui stood on tiptoe and adjusted the bite guard on his face.

The intimate gesture immediately attracted attention.

Whoever invented Alpha bite guards clearly hadn’t considered this situation.

Because somehow, Pei Qingyu’s already cold face paired with black metal restraints made him look even more attractive.

During a single thirty-lap shuttle run, Wu Qie overheard at least five separate groups discussing the topic.

One exhausted Omega, nearly collapsing after the fifteenth lap, still found enough strength to jab his friend and whisper:

“The way he touches the side clasp of that bite guard is so sexy.”

“If possible, I’d like to kiss his fingers.”

Teacher Wu, who happened to be sitting nearby playing on his phone, heard this unexpectedly bold confession and looked up in confusion.

Unfortunately, the speaker’s voice had been a little too loud.

They were all caught red-handed by the man himself.

Across the gym, Pei Qingyu looked over.

His expression remained unreadable.

Their eyes met.

Then remained locked for several seconds.

After last night’s chaos, neither of them had spoken.

It felt strangely deliberate.

After all, Wu Qie had practically broken his hands pounding on that treatment-room window.

There was no way Pei Qingyu hadn’t heard it.

“Wu Qie: …”

Without hurry, he looked away.

Then lowered his head and returned to his phone.

Because he was currently messaging Zhao Guipu.

And for once, Mr. Zhao had brought good news.

The Visay twins would finish signing their contract with the Zhao family within the week.

After that, they would have no reason to remain in China.

Wu Qie stared at his phone.

Then immediately replied:

[Fireworks.JPG]

[Fireworks.JPG]

[Fireworks.JPG]

He had no idea those three ridiculous stickers perfectly conveyed the image of him celebrating with both hands raised while maintaining a completely expressionless face.

Thousands of miles away, inside a car heading toward the company, a certain older man unexpectedly laughed.

Mr. Zhao had become something like a lucky mascot lately.

Every conversation with him seemed to end with good news.

Thinking that maybe life really did reward people for staying alive, Wu Qie put away his phone in a much better mood.

Then he looked up.

And discovered Duan Bairui standing beside him.

Duan Bairui stood beside Teacher Wu.

The moment their eyes met, his face immediately turned red.

Not long ago, the only person he’d confided in about liking Pei Qingyu had been Teacher Wu.

And now, only a few days later, he’d been marked and publicly announced to be dating him.

He was genuinely worried that Teacher Wu might think he was frivolous.

It wasn’t just because of the approachable impression Wu Qie had always given him.

After the banquet, Duan Bairui had become even more certain that Teacher Wu was completely different from those spoiled rich young masters.

Subconsciously, he didn’t want Wu Qie to look down on him.

Standing beside him, the Omega stammered as he asked what Wu Qie thought about him dating Pei Qingyu.

Wu Qie immediately started picking at his fingers again.

Without thinking, he looked into the distance.

Pei Qingyu was resting his chin on one hand and watching them from afar.

His gaze remained calm.

As though he was completely certain Wu Qie would never say something as absurd as:

“He only marked you because of something I said.”

And Wu Qie really couldn’t say it.

So all he could manage were a few dry, conventional phrases.

“If you’re happy dating, then that’s what matters.”

“But if you’re considering a complete mark, you should think carefully.”

“And… be safe.”

The moment complete marking was mentioned, Duan Bairui’s face turned bright red.

He waved both hands frantically.

Then spoke in a much quieter voice.

“I know Pei Qingyu doesn’t like me.”

Wu Qie froze.

Duan Bairui turned around and smiled toward Pei Qingyu in the distance.

Only then did he continue.

“But he’s very good to me.”

“After the temporary mark yesterday, he saw that I only had a pair of jeans.”

“So he gave me a lot of winter clothes.”

He tugged lightly at the clothes he was wearing.

“This is the warmest winter outfit I’ve ever worn.”

“And he transferred three hundred thousand yuan into my account.”

Three hundred thousand.

Enough to cover three years of rent.

Enough to pay for his elderly family members’ hospital bills.

As he spoke, Duan Bairui’s eyes shone.

He genuinely looked happy.

The Omega from the lower districts wasn’t greedy.

He didn’t need thirty million.

He didn’t need three million.

Just three hundred thousand yuan.

An amount that might not even cover a single night of entertainment for wealthy young masters.

And yet it made his future seem full of hope.

Since the person involved himself was taking it so well, Wu Qie naturally couldn’t say anything else.

At least this wasn’t one of those tragic situations where someone insisted:

“I love him so much. Even if he were as poor as me, I’d still love him.”

He nodded.

Then carefully touched the collar of Duan Bairui’s turtleneck near the back of his neck.

“Does it hurt?”

Duan Bairui blinked.

“Our pheromone compatibility is very high.”

“So it doesn’t hurt.”

“It’s actually… pretty comfortable.”

Wu Qie slowly nodded.

“Oh.”

At that moment, Pei Qingyu finally stood up and walked over.

When he was still several steps away, Duan Bairui immediately got up from beside Teacher Wu and went to meet him.

The moment he reached Pei Qingyu’s side, he once again became enveloped by the Alpha’s pheromones.

Pei Qingyu lowered his eyes slightly.

“What were you talking about?”

“Nothing.”

Duan Bairui smiled up at him.

“Teacher Wu visited the treatment ward last night, right?”

“He probably got scared seeing how fierce you looked while marking me.”

“He was asking whether my gland still hurts.”

Pei Qingyu looked over.

After a brief silence, he seemed to find Wu Qie’s behavior…

Ridiculous.

Hypocritical.

When Wu Qie had scratched his gland and sent him straight into isolation treatment, he hadn’t even blinked.

Afterward, he hadn’t asked a single question about whether it hurt.

Now he was cautiously asking another Omega whether being marked had hurt.

A short laugh escaped him.

No matter how one listened to it, it wasn’t a friendly laugh.

Even Duan Bairui jumped slightly.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

Pei Qingyu withdrew his gaze.

“Stop telling him about our business.”

His voice wasn’t lowered.

He clearly had no intention of hiding the words from Wu Qie.

If Duan Bairui had a tail, it would probably have drooped instantly.

Biting his lip, he quietly responded.

“Oh.”

Subconsciously, he turned to look at Wu Qie.

But Teacher Wu had already looked away.

That night, Wu Qie patiently fed milk to the box full of noisy, climbing kittens.

After they were finally fed and asleep, looking angelic for the first time all day, he took several photos.

Then he posted them in the joint WeChat group for all three schools.

His goal was to find homes for the kittens.

While taking photos, he casually moved the black-and-white kitten’s butt off another pure white kitten’s head.

And wisely chose not to upload that particular picture.

Afterward, he made a Moments post.

[The flower language of stray cats is: first come, first served. I HAVE CATS NOW!!!]

Li Junbi and Wu Wenxiong immediately lined up in the comments section to leave question marks.

More ridiculous was the fact that “ZHAO” actually liked the post.

Wu Qie suddenly had a bad feeling.

Sure enough.

A new chat window appeared shortly afterward.

[ZHAO: New development.]

[Wu Qie: They left?]

[Wu Qie: Excited fist-clenching, starry-eyed, jumping-so-hard-I-leave-afterimages.GIF]

Zhao Guipu sent a video.

In the footage, a Zhao Security employee sneaked out of the surveillance room.

Then sneaked into a side alley.

Then sneaked up to a low-key but expensive nanny van.

The window rolled down.

Rhine Visay leaned against it with a smile.

[ZHAO: Someone paid five thousand euros for a thirty-second martial arts action film starring Teacher Wu.]

Wu Qie’s blood pressure instantly shot to 170.

Not even all the previous Alpha-Omega power-and-s*x transactions had caused such a violent emotional reaction.

[Wu Qie: ?]

[Wu Qie: Why can your employees be bought off for thirty thousand yuan?]

[Wu Qie: Has the Zhao Group survived this long without being completely infiltrated by corporate spies only because Mr. Zhao prays diligently to Buddha?]

Three furious messages appeared in less than a minute.

Then he sent one final message.

Filled with exclamation marks.

[Wu Qie: I DON’T CARE. YOU SAID EVERYTHING WAS FINE!!!!!!!!!!]