06

Although the Qu family estate had stood for a long time as well, unlike the You residence, which gave the impression of decline, this manor was like a fine antique to be carefully appreciated, having borne witness to three generations of the Qu family’s glory.

After they got down from the car, Qu Moyu walked up to Shen Dai's side and said to him in a soft voice, “There’s no need to be nervous.”

His voice still had the clarity of a young man, yet it also possessed a composure and authority that was far beyond his years. Although his tone was unmistakably gentle, it sounded more like a command than a reassurance.

“I’m not.” Shen Dai genuinely wasn’t nervous. This was not his domain, nor a place where he needed to present himself. He was merely here as part of the scenery, not to defend a thesis. As long as he played this role adequately, Qu Moyu would handle whatever situation might arise. So, there was really nothing for him to worry about.

But the next instant, he became genuinely nervous, because Qu Moyu took hold of his hand.

A large, dry, and powerful hand covered his own. The faint scent of the ebony wood swirled all around. Touch, temperature, smell - all of his senses made him feel as though he was being enclosed by Qu Moyu in layers.

Qu Moyu led him inside. Tones of classical music resonated from within the house. Guests were scattered all over the immense living room, some of them idly chatting, others admiring the artwork. Their arrival immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room

Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum - that was the sound of his heart pounding wildly.

“Moyu’s back.” One of the older relatives smiled and nodded in their direction.

“Er shu.” Qu Moyu greeted his relatives one by one. “And where is my father?”

(Er shu | 二叔: Qu Moyu is addressing his father’s younger brother.)

t/n: “Er shu” “Second Uncle,” referring to one’s father’s younger brother who is the second son in birth order. Though I’m not sure why Qu Moyu calls him Er shu since his father’s younger Omega brother should be at the very least the third son in birth order.

”He’s taking a call, might be in the library.” The man turned toward Shen Dai. “And this is…?”

“Let me introduce you. This is my wife, Shen Dai. He also happens to be a researcher at the Rare Earth Institute,” said Qu Moyu, smiling as he patted Shen Dai on his lower back.

“Good evening, elders,” Shen Dai greeted them, bowing slightly. 

“Then he must be very good at studying, not bad, not bad at all.”

“So does that mean you both were acquainted at the company?”

A few pleasantries were exchanged, but it quickly became apparent that they had little interest in him as they huddled around Qu Moyu to talk.

The members of the Qu family clan, all hailing from affluent backgrounds, had seen much of the world, and were every one of them astute. From the mere fact that Qu Moyu had neither held a wedding nor made the marriage public, they already could tell that Shen Dai was not someone fit to be presented. As for his background, naturally they had all heard the rumours, which was why there was no one who truly regarded him as being “Qu Moyu’s wife.”

Shen Dai was well aware of this and stood quietly to the side, emptying his mind, playing the part of an adequate decorative piece.

As far as Alphas, and in particular S-class Alphas, were concerned, a marriage certificate counted for little. Holding a wedding ceremony or having a child together did not signify commitment either. The strongest bond an Omega could have with an Alpha was: A mark.

This was because an Alpha could only mark one Omega at any given time. Once the mark had been made, outside of the Omega’s passing or the removal of the mark, no one else would be able to conceive the Alpha’s offspring. To add to that, it was also illegal to coerce an Omega into having it removed.

An Alpha’s instinct was to spread their genes and select the most outstanding offspring through numbers. Therefore, a mark was the highest form of lifelong loyalty an S-class Alpha could offer an Omega. This mark not only signified the exclusive claim over the Alpha’s reproductive resources and their intense emotional bond, but the act of entrusting one’s most vulnerable, defenseless self into the Omega’s hands during their yearly occurring rut.

The vast majority of Alphas would give their lifelong partners a mark along with marriage, as a gesture of both sincerity and respect. S-class Alphas, however, were different; these proud rulers found it difficult to tolerate being bound by anyone. Among them, only a handful would mark a companion capable of bringing them enormous benefits, using the mark as a bargaining chip in the exchange of resources.

So it was clear that the act of marking You Boyue by this aforementioned cousin was an open declaration of war. Shen Dai didn’t even know what treasures the declining You family might still have in their hands, and he was quite curious.

・・・ 

Some time passed before a middle-aged Alpha made his way down the stairs. This was Qu Shen, the chairman of the board of the Starship Corporation and Qu Moyu’s father. Shen Dai had only ever seen him at the annual company meetings.

“Father,” called out Qu Moyu, pulling Shen Dai over with him.

Qu Shen nodded his head, then his gaze fell upon Shen Dai.

Shen Dai bowed and greeted him: “Chairman Qu, Good evening.”

“Hmm, you’re Shen Dai, aren’t you? I've heard you’re a researcher at the Rare Earth Research Institute, a student of Professor Liu’s?”

“Yes, I am.”

“The extraction and separation technology being researched by your group is critical to the future of our company and will greatly enhance our country's competitiveness in the rare earth industry internationally. You must keep up the hard work.“

“Yes. The professor and our team will work hard to live up to your expectations.”

“Come with me, I need to discuss a few things with you.”

Qu Shen then addressed a man who looked like a housekeeper, “Dinner will be served at seven-thirty.”

Qu Moyu followed him upstairs, leaving Shen Dai alone in a room full of strangers.

Shen Dai withdrew quietly towards the wall and admired a painting by Holbein* that was hung there. Given that it was worthy of being displayed in the living room of the Qu family, it most certainly had to be an original.

His maternal grandfather had been a traditional Chinese painter. Although he had never made a name for himself as an artist, he was highly respected in the fields of education, art research, and appreciation. If his grandfather were still alive, he could have taken a photo of the painting with his phone and then had a good talk with him about it when he got home.

Suddenly, he found himself deeply missing both his maternal grandparents. There were so many people here in this room. Though it wasn’t very lively, everyone had someone by their side. But not him, and not his grandmother either.

As he stood alone gazing at a painting, perhaps his grandmother was also alone, gazing at a potted plant or a book, confined to a small flat that wasn’t truly hers, contemplating her past and loved ones, with the rest of her life consumed by sorrow, loneliness, and regret.

This sudden wave of sadness caused an intense feeling of tightness in his chest. He was so absorbed in his emotions that he didn’t even notice the front door opening again - another person had walked in.

At least until he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Turning his head, he saw a tall young man standing beside him. In terms of appearances, this person bore a thirty to forty percent resemblance to Qu Moyu, and the sixty to seventy percent that was not alike had its own unique charm. Likewise, he was exceptionally handsome, with an impressive presence. And just like Qu Moyu, people could sense his strong Alpha pheromones.

Shen Dai could guess at once who it was.

"Hi, I’m Qu Chengchen.” With both of his hands stuck in his pockets and a grin on his face, Qu Chengchen had the irreverent and casual air of an upper-class young master.

You must be my elder brother’s new wife. It seems I should call you sister-in-law?”

Shen Dai nodded his head and said politely, “Hello.”

Qu Chengchen gave Shen Dai a once-over, 'You really don't seem like an Omega. How did Uncle You suddenly... find you out of nowhere?”

Shen Dai thought to himself, Miscalculated, didn’t you? Snatching someone else's fiancé, thinking you could take over like a cuckoo in a magpie’s nest. Who would’ve thought your Uncle You still had a trick up his sleeve, digging up an illegitimate child from the very past he’d been so eager to distance himself from.

Instead, he maintained a calm expression and replied, “I’m not sure about that either.”

“Are you really You Xinghai’s son?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re really an Omega?”

“Yes”

Qu Chengchen hadn’t expected Shen Dai to be this stubborn. He had answers to all his questions, yet all his answers were nonsense.

He narrowed his eyes. “Then, why is it that I can’t smell your pheromones?”

Suddenly, he stepped around to Shen Dai’s side and leaned in towards the back of Shen Dai’s neck.

Shen Dai's instinct was to turn and avoid him. Like the throat, the gland at the back of the neck was a vulnerable spot. Even more than the throat, the gland carried sexual connotations as an intimate part of the body. Regardless of what Qu Chengchen's motives were, anyone who had a stranger come too close to their gland would have an instinctive defensive reaction.

Except that he was suddenly unable to move, as if his whole body had entered a state of sleep paralysis. He had lost control over himself, and could only let Qu Chengchen lean in and sniff at the nape of his neck.

“Ah, so you really are an Omega. But your pheromone scent is so weak!”

In a split second, Shen Dai’s body was ‘released’. He took a big step backwards and stared at Qu Chengchen with indignation.

Everyone, to some degree, would have encountered an Alpha’s pheromone suppression at some point growing up. In some cases it was due to a young Alpha’s inability to control themselves, in others due to conflicts, and, in more severe cases as a result of malicious attacks.

To use an analogy, Alphas were to other genders what boxers were to people, and pheromones could be likened to fists. Naturally, Alphas of different ranks had varying levels of “attack power.” But in a society governed by law, Alphas would have to restrain their strength to avoid harming others.

For the most part, they would have no need to fight; a simple gesture would often be enough to achieve their purpose, for instance, by releasing pheromones to intimidate someone. When they were truly compelled to use their fists, as long as they remained rational, they would typically engage only with others of a similar ‘weight class,’ making it a contest rather than a unilateral assault.

But the pheromone suppression Qu Chengchen had used on him had been a serious offence. Although it had only temporarily immobilised him, it was already egregious enough. What chilled Shen Dai the most was that while Qu Chengchen had released only a small amount of pheromones, nobody else in that crowded room of people had been affected except him. Was this what an S-class Alpha was? Ordinary people could at least struggle or resist against ordinary opponents, but controlling Shen Dai had been as effortless for Qu Chengchen as breathing.

Qu Chengchen blinked his eyes. “Oh, you're angry, huh? I apologise. What’s the scent of your pheromones? It actually smells rather nice, only that it’s too light. Is your gland underdeveloped or something? Won’t that affect fertility?”

“Chengchen.” the sound of Qu Moyu’s sullen voice rang out from behind them.

Shen Dai inhaled sharply. He turned his head to look at Qu Moyu, the pupils of his eyes shining with anxiety, worlds apart from his usual calm demeanour.

Qu Moyu gave Shen Dai a reassuring glance, before turning his icy gaze towards Qu Chengchen. “What did you just do?”

“Big brother,” replied Qu Chengchen with a fake smile. “Just getting to know my sister-in-law”

”Did you just take a sniff of my wife’s gland?”

“Well, no offence, but his pheromone scent is really weak. I really thought he was a Beta.”

”Apologise.”

“I already did.”

“I didn’t hear you say it,” said Qu Moyu, glaring sharply at Qu Chengchen.

The smile on Qu Chengchen’s face gradually faded from the corners of his lips.

The two top Alphas stared at each other face to face, with only a span of two floor tiles between them. What difference was there between them and two tigers trapped in a cage? Nobody in the living room dared utter a word. Two overbearing strains of pheromones lay poised to attack, making the atmosphere even more tense.

Finally, Qu Chengchen shrugged his shoulders and, recovering his smile, he said to Shen Dai, “I'm sorry."

1. Hans Holbein the Younger | 荷尔拜因 : A German-Swiss painter active during the Reformation who worked in the Northern Renaissance style. He was celebrated for his portraiture and the rich symbolism embedded in his paintings. His work, The Ambassadors (1533), contains an anamorphic skull, one of the most famous examples of Memento mori, a reminder of the inevitability of death