18

At work, Omegas experiencing heat were entitled to seven days of leave. Although Shen Dai’s heat would always end a little earlier, he would still make sure to be fully rested before going back to work.

Unable to stay any longer in this room filled with the odour of lingering pheromones, he quickly freshened up, got a change in clothes, then decided to head home.

Going downstairs, he was once again unable to avoid bumping into Uncle Heng.

Proving himself the consummate housekeeper, Uncle Heng exercised appropriate discretion, showing no change in expression. Using an appropriate tone, he asked, “Would you be heading out? You must not have fully recovered yet?”

“I’m fine now. I’m going to drop by my place first.” Shen Dai, too, was trying to appear unperturbed, though his footsteps were hurried.

“Let me have the driver send you then. Your body is at its weakest right now.” Uncle Heng added, “In any case, it’s not easy to get a taxi from here.”

It was true, the period after heat was when an Omega’s physical stamina was at its lowest. Due to barely eating and the strenuous “physical activities” of the past few days, his exhaustion would have peaked just as his hormone levels dipped. Just by standing, Shen Dai felt his legs so weak and so sore that they were going to give way. In fact, leaving right now was not very sensible, but he was trying to escape.

Shen Dai once again declined, “It’s fine, I’ve already got one.”

“Just let the driver send you. I heard from Xiao Wu that you live very far away. If the young master hears about this, he will fault me for not taking care of you.”

The moment he mentioned Qu Moyu’s name, Shen Dai could not help but comply. Submissiveness towards Alphas was, after all, part of an Omega’s pitiful nature. “Alright, thank you.”

He boarded an MPV and was driven home by another one of Qu Moyu’s drivers.

Only after the car had reached a distance away from the Qu residence did the sensation of his heart being gripped start to ease. It seemed that Qu Moyu’s alpha pheromones, which had been lingering all over his body, had finally dissipated.

He should have felt so fortunate; During those three days, Qu Moyu hadn't even given him a temporary mark. Although more than three years had passed, he could still recall that unprecedented sense of loss he felt when that temporary mark disappeared.

He took out his mobile phone and opened Qu Moyu's WeChat. The chat dialogue only contained a system verification message, and his Moments page was still as empty as ever. Shen Dai could only gaze at that uncommunicative profile picture, lost in his own thoughts.

As he was going downstairs today, he had been afraid to run into Qu Moyu, and at the same time, he also longed to run into him. He desperately wanted to know how they would get along, but that was entirely dependent on Qu Moyu.

The feeling that someone else was completely in control of everything was truly horrid.

He was so tired that he fell asleep in the car. By the time they reached, it was already dark.

When his grandmother saw how pale his face was, and how he also appeared to be a little weak, she grew concerned. “A-Dai, did you fall sick? How did you become so thin and have such a poor complexion in just a few days?" she asked.

“I told you the last time, remember, I’ve been preparing for my presentation during this period, which is why I've been doing a bit more overtime. It’s nothing. I’ll feel better after a few days of rest, that’s all.”

Shen Dai plopped himself into the sofa, feeling like he could fall asleep at once.

His grandmother sighed softly. Stroking his hair, she said affectionately, “My poor baby is being worked to the bone. Have you already eaten? Are you hungry?”

He smiled brightly and asked in a childlike and coaxing way, “Grandma, can you make me a bowl of noodles, please? And can the egg be fried?”

“Alright. Just rest first. You came at the perfect time to try the beef tendon I braised yesterday.”

Shen Dai gave his aching muscles and joints a good stretch on the sofa, his tired eyes quietly gazing up at the ceiling above. Although this tiny apartment was indeed shabby when compared to the Qu residence, it had been rented with his own money. It was his own safe haven, where the family member he loved most in the world lived.

Yet in that luxurious villa, where food and clothing were all taken care of, he was not even entitled to step into the bedroom of his so-called husband, to the extent that they only made love in the guest room, he could not even be compared to a tenant…..

But in the next instant, his own inner voice shouted at him to stop. Stop with all the self-pitying thoughts, stop with all these pointless entanglements. If he could not put a stop to his emotional turmoil, more problems would arise from an inability to manage life properly. His better judgement was cautioning him loudly.

By now his feverish brain had calmed down. It was time to come back to his senses.

After a day’s rest, Shen Dai met up with the real estate agent. The agent had found several apartments according to his requirements and taken him to see each one. Having narrowed his choices down to two, he left the price negotiations to the agent.

As long as it fell within the price he had in mind, he wanted to complete the purchase as quickly as possible. With another month or two spent on minor renovations and acquiring some soft furnishings, he would be able to move in with his grandmother into his own apartment before the New Year.

Each time he looked at the balance in his bank account, he reminded himself that he needed to regard Qu Moyu as his boss, to be more grateful, and to have less extravagant expectations.

The fact was that when he had first agreed to replace You Boyue for You Xinghai, he had already prepared himself to sell his body. And to be able to sell it to Qu Moyu was clearly an unbelievable deal. After all, he too had enjoyed it. As for the tangled emotions he was experiencing, that was his own business and had nothing to do with Qu Moyu. Consoling himself with this line of thinking was quite effective.

The agent was extremely efficient. On the very last day of his vacation, they and the owner settled on a price that both parties were satisfied with. The next step would be to complete the process.

He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. To be able to provide his grandmother with a comfortable new environment gave him an immense sense of gratitude.

On his first day back at work, his colleagues came up to him one by one to show their concern. They all knew that he had been affected by the pheromone influence back then on stage and had taken a few days off as he wasn't feeling well, but they were clueless about the exact nature of his discomfort, or how he had managed to "feel better".

But clearly, this group had other motives than simply expressing concern. A younger female colleague who wasn’t shy at all asked, “Shen-shixiong, I heard that after your presentation the other day, you fainted in the toilet and Qu Moyu took you to the hospital?”

“Eh, how come I heard that it was Yan Mingxiu?”

“It was President Yan’s bodyguard, actually,” answered Shen Dai calmly. “In fact, I didn’t faint at all, I was just feeling a bit unwell. And it wasn’t due to pheromone influence, it was mostly because I had been overworking and staying up late recently, so I took the opportunity to ask for a few days off.

And thus, the rumours that had been circulating over the past few days were coolly put to an end by the person in question. Naturally, everyone was a little disappointed and the crowd soon dispersed.

But Cheng Zimei was not so easy to get rid of. Grabbing Shen Dai, she asked insistently, “Tell me the truth! Was it really the bodyguard? Someone told me that they saw with their own eyes that it was the Crown Prince!”

“It wasn’t. It really wasn’t. Alphas and Omegas have to keep a proper distance in public places. Qu Moyu would never be that careless. Honestly, it was Yan Mingxiu’s bodyguard who helped me.” Pulling her in the direction of the meeting room, he added, “We have a meeting with the Professor this morning. Let’s get serious.”

Cheng Zimei shot him a look that said: “What a shame!”

The both of  them spent the entire morning in a video conference with their professor. The Professor was full of praise for Shen Dai's presentation, telling him that the feedback from the higher-ups had been very positive, and telling him not to mind Qu Chengchen's attempts to make things difficult. It hadn’t been directed at him, after all, and had no impact on their project, either.

This was of great comfort to Shen Dai. At least the sleepless nights before and after the presentation had not been for nothing.

During the lunch break, he and Cheng Zimei were too lazy to head to the canteen and got their juniors to help them buy food back. When Zhou Lan returned, he had brought not only lunch but also a double-boiled pear dessert - a speciality of a famous dessert chain near the office which was very popular in winter.

“Shixiong, here’s the rice bowl you wanted. Shijie, here are your noodles.” Putting the bag from the dessert shop on the table, he smiled and said, “I bought two double-boiled pears. Eating them will help nourish your lungs and dispel dampness in winter. I heard that this shop is pretty well-known.”

Cheng Zimei beamed, “Thanks! You have to queue at this shop right? Every time I want to buy it I just give up when I see the line.”

“It was still okay. I didn’t have to queue for long.” Zhou Lan stole a glance at Shen Dai and said, “Shen Shixiong, you’ve gotten thinner these few days. Why not eat a little more?”

Shen Dai nodded, “Thanks. How much was it? I’ll transfer you the money altogether.”

“Ah, there’s no need. Shixiong and Shijie always treat me to meals anyway.”

“You interns don’t earn a lot, there’s no need to be so polite with me,” said Shen Dai with a slight smile. “But next time you don’t have to get me one. I don’t really eat sweet things very often.”

Zhou Lan grinned, trying to hide the disappointment in his eyes, “Alright. In that case, please go ahead and eat.”

After he had left, Cheng Zimei started eating the sweet, delicious and still steaming double-boiled pear. “Eh, it’s so good,” she exclaimed, deliberately smacking her lips a few times. “There’s even bird’s nest inside. Somebody actually queued up on a cold winter’s day just to buy this for you. You had better try it.”

“Can you finish your lunch first? Will you even have room in your stomach after that?”

Shen Dai had barely opened his lunch container before Cheng Zimei forcibly fed him a spoonful of pear soup.

“Yeah, it's quite delicious, and not too sweet,” agreed Shen Dai, then added, “Though isn’t queuing for it a bit too much?”

“Nah, recently it’s been all over the internet,” Cheng Zimei glanced at Zhou Lan from a distance. “This little junior has had his eye on you ever since he joined the Research Institute. He has pretty good taste!“

Shen Dai said helplessly, “If you’re free, help me give him a hint. I don’t know how to handle it. I’m afraid of hurting his self-esteem.”

“Handle what? I reckon he’s not half bad. His height and appearance are not bad, also he’s got good grades. Alphas in science and engineering are a little dull, but they’re also simple and adorable.”

“No, let’s not go there, plus he’s so much younger than me?”

“What’s wrong with that? Even he doesn’t mind.”

“I owe so much money I can’t even begin to talk about relationships. Wouldn’t that be holding the other person back?”

Cheng Zimei sighed, “A-Dai, I really have to tell you. Firstly, the one who owes the money is not you; it’s your grandmother, or more precisely, it’s your father. Secondly, let’s say you do have a debt, even then you still need to live your life, and you still have to chase after happiness. What if there’s someone who is willing to take on this struggle with you? How many people with feelings for you have you avoided over the past few years for the sake of this nonsense?” You can’t keep going on like this.”

“No one in their right mind would agree to take on this struggle with me. And, even if there were, there’s no way I would want to burden another person with that.” Looking seriously at Cheng Zimei, he continued, ”Who on earth would want to fall in love and marry someone who owes millions? Zimei, I know you mean well, but you know well in your heart that it’s just not possible.”

“Someone rich might!” Cheng Zimei lowered her voice and said, “Listen to me. I’ve asked around and it turns out Zhou Lan’s family is pretty well-off. The best thing for someone like you is to find someone rich, then all your problems will be solved!”

Secretly, Shen Dai could not help but agree with her. He had indeed “found someone rich” and solved all his problems with money. Only, it also led to many new problems.

“Stop making so much noise. Help me. Don’t let him waste his time any longer. When you’re in the same laboratory, there’s just no way to avoid each other. It’s so awkward.“

Cheng Zimei pouted and ate her pear sulkily. “One who accepts others' gifts is beholden to them. I'll do it next time around.”

Shen Dai was packing up his things to leave work when he received a call from an unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Mr Shen? It’s Old Wu. Might I ask if you’re still at the office? Or have you already gone home?”

“I’ve only just finished. I’m preparing to go back right now.”

“Ah. That’s good timing. The young master is requesting for you to go down to the basement so that you can go home together.”

“…Alright.”

In the days after his heat ended, not once did he and Qu Moyu see each other or have any contact. They had gone from the most ardent physical intimacy to being cold as two strangers. This abrupt and immense disparity had been a source of constant sadness for him over the past few days. The saddest part was knowing that he wasn’t even in a position to feel sad.

And even sadder still, was that at the mere thought of being able to see Qu Moyu again very soon, his feelings were once again ignited.

He took the lift down in a hurry and ran over to Qu Moyu’s reserved parking space. This area only had parking space for top executives, so there weren’t many people around. Still he lowered his head, afraid to be seen by anyone.

When he got into the car, Qu Moyu was looking straight at him calmly, with a slight smile on his face. He was not looking at documents, nor was he checking his mobile phone. It seemed that he had been waiting for him all along.

His heart could not stop itself from leaping for joy.

“Come over here,” said Qu Moyu, reaching his hand out to Shen Dai

Shen Dai hesitantly placed his hand in Qu Moyu’s palm. Seizing it, Qu Moyu pulled him into his lap. And pressing the tip of his nose to the back of Shen Dai’s neck, he then breathed in lightly.

1. There’s even bird’s nest inside! | Edible bird’s nest, 燕窝 an expensive Chinese delicacy made from the saliva of swiftlets, with a gelatinous consistency. It is believed to have various health benefits, such as improving the immune system and promoting healthy skin. It is often served as a soup or a dessert.