08

Shen Dai bought a foldable bicycle online, intending to switch to a combination of cycling and subway for his daily commute. With the distance from the subway station to the Qu residence being only four to five kilometres, this method offered the best cost-effectiveness. The overall travel time would still be shorter than driving and he would be able to get some exercise at the same time, killing multiple birds with one stone.

As he rode his bicycle past the gates of the Qu residence, Uncle Heng had a tense look on his face.

“Would it be possible to park this in the driveway?” Shen Dai added, “If not, I can store it up and put it in the garage.”

“Mr Shen, do you know how to drive?” Uncle Heng inquired. “I do, but I don’t have a car.” The car his grandparents had left behind had been auctioned off a long time ago.

“If you find that having a driver isn’t convenient, I could allocate you a more low-profile car for your personal use.”

“What you consider low-profile would still be too conspicuous. If my living standards suddenly went up overnight, my colleagues would all start to get curious. I just want to be able to abide by President Qu’s instructions and keep this —”. All of a sudden, he had a bit of trouble uttering the word ‘marriage’. He corrected himself, “- and keep this relationship confidential. So the way I travel to work actually doesn’t matter.”

Uncle Heng, left with no other option, replied “Alright, then please store it in the garage.”

Taking a glance at his watch, Shen Dai said, “In that case, I’ll go take a shower first. Could I please trouble you to send dinner up to my room?”

“Certainly.”

Although they were well into autumn, the weather was still a bit sultry, and Shen Dai had worked up a good sweat from cycling. Upon returning to his room he put down his laptop and documents, then hurriedly entered the bathroom to take a shower.

This year he began working on a new research paper. Before marrying Qu Moyu, he frequently stayed back at the laboratory, only going back to his dormitory when it was very late, as he found the atmosphere in the laboratory more conducive for work and study.

But nowadays he did his best to return home a bit earlier, best if he could arrive in time for a hot, freshly prepared supper, as the meals of the Qu household kitchen were both healthy and delicious; He had really had too much of cafeteria food and takeaway.

He would have liked to cook for himself if the dormitory had the facilities for it. Unfortunately, the dormitory was solely a place to sleep. Being able to have a good meal every evening was very important to him.

But also, despite the fact that Qu Moyu often had social engagements and rarely dined at home, despite him always having the servants bring his meals to his room to avoid intruding, ever so often, when he would stay up late to work, he would hear the sound of the Phantom’s engine as it pulled in the driveway. Secretly making a narrow opening between the curtains to peer out the window, he would see the driver, dressed in a suit and a pair of white gloves opening the coach door. And then Qu Moyu would descend from the car and walk leisurely into the house.

Those brief few seconds could satisfy the anticipation he had the entire day.

There were over ten thousand people working at the Starship Corporation headquarters. For him to even cross paths with Qu Moyu back then would have been next to impossible. But now, being able to see him regularly at such a close distance made him unbelievably happy.

Finishing his shower, Shen Dai towelled off his hair while sitting in front of his laptop, reviewing the emails that he recently received from his colleagues at the Research Institute in South Africa, then idly tore off the already-soaked pheromone-blocking patch that he had forgotten to remove before showering and threw it into the bin.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

Shen Dai opened the door, expecting his dinner had arrived, only to find Uncle Heng standing there empty-handed: “Uncle Heng?”

“The young master has returned and wishes for you to join him for dinner downstairs.”

Dumbstruck, Shen Dai repeated, “President Qu wants me to have dinner with him?”

Uncle Heng glanced at his still-damp hair. “You should dry your hair before coming down, but do hurry a little. The young master is waiting for you.”

”Alright, I’ll be right there.”

Shen Dai shut the door. Changing out of his pyjamas into casual wear, he blow-dried his hair quickly, and then hurried downstairs.

Despite having lived at the Qu residence for this duration of time, he had never once taken a meal in the dining room. He stayed constantly in his bedroom, truly embodying not being a "disturbance". Qu Moyu must have been aware of this, since he had never invited him to dine together before. Today would be the first time - the first time - that he and Qu Moyu would have dinner together at home.

When he got downstairs, he saw Qu Moyu dressed in home attire. Compared to his usual well-ironed suit, the soft cotton material instantly gave Qu Moyu a relaxed appearance more appropriate to his age.

No matter how exceptional his pheromones were, this man was only twenty-four years old after all. He still needed the right armour to make firm decisions among people that were much more experienced than he was.

Shen Dai walked towards the dining room.

“Good evening President Qu.”

The dishes and cutlery were all laid out on the table. Qu Moyu was actually there waiting for him. All of a sudden he felt a little nervous.

Qu Moyu continued to study the tablet in his hand without looking up. At that very moment, he was making annotations on a document with his stylus. He tilted his chin towards the seat beside him and said, 'Please, have a seat.

Shen Dai took a seat. The last time he had a meal in such close proximity to Qu Moyu, he was tense from start to finish. But it was different now, seeing this domestic side of Qu Moyu for the first time, he couldn’t help feeling a tinge of happiness.

A trace of that faint and elegant aroma unexpectedly wafted into Qu Moyu’s breath. Pausing for a moment, he raised his head.

Fresh from the shower, Shen Dai appeared clean and radiant, his skin flushed with a soft pink hue. A grey t-shirt, washed so often that its collar was already faded, along with a pair of simple blue jeans fit snugly over his lean frame, while the damp ends of his hair clung gently to his slender and white neck. But also, the way he was clearly avoiding his gaze lent a certain youthfulness, which stood in stark contrast to the calm indifference he had when dressed in a white lab coat.

That barely discernible scent of the epiphyllum left Qu Moyu in a momentary trance.

He was brought back three years earlier. It had been his first time visiting the research institute and already he was met with an unexpected mishap - An Omega had suddenly gone into heat at the laboratory.

All Omegas exhibited some symptoms before going into heat and would typically carry an inhibitor with them. It was utterly careless and irresponsible for a mature adult to allow themselves to fall into such an embarrassing state in public.

And that scent - it was so thick and beguiling, far surpassing the simulated pheromones he had been exposed to during his resistance training.

An ordinary Omega in heat would not produce such intense pheromones, nor would an ordinary Alpha be able to withstand it. Had he failed to control the situation before the arrival of the security team, the company would have faced significant legal risks and a public relations crisis.

Thinking about it, to this day, it was the closest he had ever gotten to losing control. And now, he once again caught the scent of the epiphyllum. As faint as it was, it stirred up memories just like before.

He glanced at the back of Shen Dai’s neck, sure enough, there was no pheromone-blocking patch - only flawless skin.

Activities such as drinking, exercising and taking showers which increased the heart rate would naturally cause the scent of one’s pheromones to become thick.

Upon noticing his gaze, Shen Dai suddenly remembered that he had removed his pheromone patch, and instinctively covered the back of his neck with his hand as he stood up. “I’m sorry, I’ll go…”

"'No need,' Qu Moyu responded, averting his gaze. 'It's fine. Let's eat.'”

Shen Dai sat back down hesitantly, but he couldn't help fidgeting due to his nervousness.

It had been a long time since he had been around someone with his neck completely exposed like this. After reaching adulthood and presenting as their secondary gender, the use of a pheromone-blocking patch became as essential as daily attire for Alphas and Omegas when leaving the house, serving both as a self-protection measure and to avoid causing inconvenience to others. In other words, they would typically only leave the gland exposed in the presence of family or romantic partners

Not to say that smelling someone’s pheromones meant that one would automatically act upon it, but it definitely would be an inconvenience. Shen Dai felt a little flustered. He had no idea if Qu Moyu had sensed his pheromones, but if he had, would he have any…thoughts?

Seeing Qu Moyu’s unchanged expression, Shen Dai sighed in relief. And yet at the same time, he felt a slight sense of disappointment.

“I heard from Uncle Heng that you bought a bicycle.”

”Yes, I cycle from here to the subway station, and then take the train directly to the office. It's very convenient. Shen Dai continued, “President Qu, thank you for offering to provide a car, but that would be too conspicuous. In fact, it’s actually a little faster for me this way”

“Hmm, very well then.”

At this point, Uncle Heng approached the table, bringing along a new pheromone-blocking patch.

Taking it from him, Shen Dai hastily applied it to the back of his neck. Only then did he exhale in relief, finally feeling secure again.

The scent of the epiphyllum dissipated in an instant, causing Qu Moyu to recall when Qu Chengchen sniffed the back of Shen Dai’s neck. His pheromone scent was indeed weak, or perhaps his gland truly was underdeveloped.

Both of them ate in silence. Shen Dai was eating in a rather constrained manner. He could not help but steal the occasional glance at Qu Moyu throughout the meal, observing what he liked to eat and wondering why he had asked to have dinner with him.

Qu Moyu spoke up all of a sudden, “I have a matter to discuss with you”

“Go on.”

Previously you met with my family, next, I’ll have to bring you back to the You household. Shen Dai had suspected early on that this matter would come up.

“You Xinghai told me that he took care of you all these years, but based on my inquiries, this isn’t true, is it”

Putting down his chopsticks, Shen Dai replied, “It isn’t.”

“In that case, do you have any relationship with You Boyue?”

“I don’t, either.”

“And you’ve never met him?”

“I’ve never met him.”

“On this visit to the You residence, I’ll need you to do something for me,” said Qu Moyu, putting down his chopsticks as well, gazing intently at Shen Dai with his deep eyes.

Shen Dai still had trouble looking directly at Qu Moyu, and could only appear to listen respectfully.

“I suspect that what Qu Chengchen gave You Boyue was not a permanent mark, but a temporary one.”

A look of surprise crossed Shen Dai's face. Qu Moyu and You Boyue had broken off their engagement due to this mark, yet he still cared if it was a permanent mark or not. And if it were only a temporary mark... then what? He suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. ”Is that possible?”

“A temporary mark is only effective for around a week, but while it lasts, it shares some of the characteristics of a permanent mark. For example, the scent of an Alpha will also be present on the Omega’s body. The bite from a temporary mark is not deep, so the skin can heal completely, but because he wears a pheromone-blocking patch, nobody can see it. Even if he does have Qu Chengchen’s scent on his body, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a permanent mark. It’s possible that he is using a perfume made with an extract from Qu Chengchen’s gland.” Qu Moyu narrowed his eyes slowly, “All indications between them make me doubt that it’s real.”

Shen Dai lowered his head: “Then, what do you need me to do?” He recalled the temporary mark Qu Moyu had once given him. Of course, he was well acquainted with its various characteristics.

Once, he had been protected and soothed by the pheromones of an S-class Alpha. Once, he had been enclosed in the scent of ebony wood. Once, for a brief moment, he possessed the illusion of being possessed by Qu Moyu.

The temporary mark was nothing but a fleeting dream, leaving behind only endless loss and emptiness upon awakening.

“I need you to confirm it for me.”