CH 54

The time returns to the present, the first day of the new year.

In a small alley not far from the bar, Liao Yan’s face and arms were covered in bruises. He held a phone and attempted to unlock it while the person lay on the ground.

Face recognition failed.

Without hesitation, he threw a punch.

In the dim alley, someone let out a painful sob.

Xu Feiqing has no choice but to reveal the password. Liao Yan ruthlessly formatted the contents of the phone and logged into the other person’s cloud storage, deleting the backups as well.

“What else?”

Xu Feiqing, blood in his mouth, the metallic taste choking him, looked at Liao Yan fearfully, shaking his head frantically. “There’s nothing else, I swear!”

Liao Yan raised his hand, and Xu Feiqing hurriedly covered his head, like a desperate dog.

Liao Yan chuckled. “The photos turned out quite good. Should I take some of you next time?”

Xu Feiqing couldn’t even catch his breath.

Liao Yan asked, “Why are you so afraid of me? Won’t you add me as a friend so we can catch up from time to time?”

“No, no I won’t bother you!”

“Tsk.”

“Liao Yan! I… I really won’t bother you anymore…”

Liao Yan found it boring. He raised his eyes slightly and caught sight of Xu Xiangchi, who was also knocked down by him. His tone was cold but fierce.

“I heard that Senior Xu’s father has some money and influence, and he’s not to be messed with~” Liao Yan deliberately sighed, and pretended to be afraid.

Xu Xiangchi glared at him with a trace of blood on his lips and said nothing.

Liao Yan raised an eyebrow, particularly displeased with Xu Xiangchi’s non responsive attitude.

So, he stepped heavily on Xu Xiangchi’s hand, causing him to scream in pain, in a state of panic he had never experienced before.

Liao Yan quickly took a step back and apologized insincerely, “Sorry, sorry, it’s too dark, and I can’t see well.”

Then, he squatted down and calmly said, “I heard that Senior Xu’s father values his reputation. If he finds out that a few months ago, you drove an Omega crazy…”

Liao Yan successfully noticed Xu Xiangchi’s change in expression. “Oh dear~ This could be troublesome. C University doesn’t listen to your family. Will you be expelled? Will your father be furious with you?”

Xu Xiangchi couldn’t care about the pain. He avoided eye contact and said, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

“She was deceived by you and taken to an underground bar. She trusted you and drank the glass you gave her. After you had your fun, you left, leaving her alone in that place.” Liao Yan whispered a name into Xu Xiangchi’s ear. “Afterward, she went mad and couldn’t say who had taken advantage of her. The school considered her behavior inappropriate and expelled her. But what about you? You distanced yourself from it all and still had the nerve to pursue another freshman.”

Only then did Xu Xiangchi panic.

“Senior Xu, am I right?”

When this statement came out, even Xu Feiqing looked at his cousin with great astonishment.

Xu Xiangchi, of course, denied it. “ Even if it’s true, how would you know? Do you think I’ll be afraid just because you make up such things?”

Liao Yan, impatiently brushing off the dust from his clothes, retorted, “Why do you care how I know?”

He couldn’t tell Xu Xiangchi that in their previous world, that incident was the reason for their constant conflicts.

He remembered it very clearly. Their compatibility was as high as 90%. In that situation, not even a pheromone inhibitor could stop the mutual attraction.

He wanted to stay away from this Alpha, but fate inexplicably made him fall for him more.

He thought he could finally have a normal relationship with him, but in the end, all his hopes were shattered.

A cruel joke.

Xu Xiangchi could mark him, coax him, but he always went around with other omegas.

Facing Xu Xiangchi’s repeated infidelity, repeated mistakes, and repeated consequences, he couldn’t bear it anymore.

The two of them had their first major disagreement.

Back then Xu Xiangchi’s expression turned into fury, and he said to the heartbroken Qu Xing, “We are truly soulmates, destined to be together. Otherwise, with our different social status, how could I be interested in an orphan like you? If you can’t stand me playing with other Omegas, remove the mark or just remove the glands. That way, we’ll both be free!”

Hearing this, Qu Xing stared at the person beside his pillow, feeling heartbroken beyond words.

Xu Xiangchi pressed on, “Qu Xing, we can actually separate. As long as you willingly remove the mark and live somewhere else, we can both be free.”

Qu Xing clenched his teeth, his voice trembling, “Why…?”

He had always been strong. Why was he the only one who could hurt him?

In the end, Xu Xiangchi raised his hand to hit him.

“I’ve been tired of you for a long time, you know?  when you wanted to find your pathetic twin brother, I paid and put in effort to help you find him. Knowing he died in a car accident a long time ago, I still pretended to mourn with you and went to the cemetery to bring him flowers. Is that not enough for you?!”

The physical differences between Alphas and Omegas prevented him from successfully avoiding being hit by Xu Xiangchi, let alone fighting back.

A taste of blood filled his mouth.

Images of his childhood bullying resurfaced, and he didn’t expect that his Alpha, his lover, would be the one to bring back those painful memories.

Under the influence of pheromones, he was in agony, his heart twisted.

Xu Xiangchi’s gaze would turn sinister as he looked at his glands, and he fiercely grabbed his neck, almost choking him. “If I had known that biting this mark would restrict me touching other Omegas, and that I would feel heartache when I hit you, I shouldn’t have bitten you! It was you who seduced me, you,…., you ruined me!”

Xu Xiangchi continued, “Qu Xing, you should be grateful that there is an effective pheromone drug in this world.”

Otherwise, if Xu Xiangchi couldn’t touch any other Omega at all due to their pheromones, he would probably have killed the Omega in front of him.

But Xu Xiangchi “killed” him.

Qu Xing felt lifeless. He wasn’t someone who clung on to things.

Even if it would harm his glands, he wanted to remove the mark and live a good life.

As a result, when Xu Xiangchi’s father learned about his existence and his extremely high compatibility with Xu Xiangchi, he demanded that Xu Xiangchi bring him home.

Such high compatibility was rare, like an urban legend, something few could encounter and even fewer could seek.

He became the face that the Xu family boasted about to the outside world.

In that way, before his surgery, he was forcefully pulled out of the hospital by Xu Xiangchi, who controlled him with pheromones.

Since that day, he involuntarily moved into the Xu family and was forced to register their marriage.

They then began the days of tormenting each other.

Xu Xiangchi always said that he was like a disgusting worm in his bed, revolting. But because of the pheromones, they had no choice but to entwine with each other. Every time after they were intimate, there was endless despair.

Qu Xing reported it to the police, but the mark on the back of his neck, their marriage certificate, and the compatibility test result of 90% became the ropes that bound him.

No one believed that he was trapped by the Xu family.

Everyone thought he was happy.

Qu Xing escaped from the Xu family countless times, and to avoid the Xu family’s pursuit, he would go to a secluded underground clinic for surgery. But in the middle of the surgery, he was still caught by the Xu family and because it was not a regular hospital and the operation was forcibly interrupted, it left irreversible damage to his glands.

Since then, he suffered tremendously until he was 28 years old. His glands deteriorated completely, and he lost his pheromones.

Even his life was coming to an end.

The wrong thread between him and Xu Xiangchi was finally cut.

The Xu family finally let him go.

But Qu Xing had long lost hope for living. He wished he would die quickly. Ironically, once the Xu family realized he was useless, they refused to pay for his medical expenses.

Xu Xiangchi also only visited him once in the hospital, just to have him sign the divorce agreement.

Those memories were like rotting flesh filled with maggots, making him nauseous.

…………

The former Qu Xing, now known as Liao Yan, took a long breath. His light-colored eyes appeared particularly enchanting in the moonlight. He possessed Liao Yan’s memories but never forgot the humiliation of Qu Xing.

In fact, Qu Xing and Liao Yan were so similar, both mocked by fate, both manipulated by others.

Liao Yan couldn’t help but reveal a cold smile. He, filled with resentment towards Xu Xiangchi, truly hated Xu Feiqing. The debt owed would eventually be repaid.

Xu Xiangchi, unable to breathe, his face turning red, said, “What… What do you want…”

Liao Yan was enjoying himself, and he loosened his grip on Xu Xiangchi’s neck slightly, causing him to shrink back and start coughing violently.

It was already late.

He had played enough that day and said coldly,  Don’t cause me trouble. Otherwise…”

He leaned close to Xu Xiangchi’s ear, lowering his tone, incredibly gentle, like whispering to a lover, “I will find a way to kill you.”

He referred to “you” and not “both of you.”

“Oh, by the way, Senior Xu has so many secrets. I know more than just this one.” Liao Yan ominously threatened Xu Xiangchi, “In the days to come, I hope Senior Xu will support me, your junior.”

Xu Xiangchi’s face was bruised and swollen, much worse off than Xu Feiqing. He sensed that Liao Yan had some sort of grudge with him and couldn’t help but ask in alarm, “What do you really want to do? Do you want money or do you want…”

“I want nothing I just want to advise Senior Xu to behave. I’m a person with a bad temper.”

Liao Yan remained motionless, looking down at Xu Xiangchi from above, treating him like trash.

He hated Xu Xiangchi to the bone, and the real Liao Yan hated Xu Feiqing to the bone. The debts between them would eventually be repaid.

Xu Xiangchi was terrified of his gaze and cursed, “Are you crazy?! We have no grudges or grievances—”

Liao Yan didn’t deny Xu Xiangchi’s words, but lightly said, “Yes, I am crazy.”

Crazy to the point of no return, crazy to despair, crazy to become a pile of loam.

Who was responsible for all of that?

Liao Yan glanced at his powerful fist and realized for the first time how strong and effective an Alpha’s body could be. He also understood that Xu Xiangchi, without the high compatibility as a driving force, was truly nothing to him.

He seemed to have found a release for his hurt and smiled brightly, finally feeling better.

A gust of wind blew, marking the end of the New Year’s celebration.

One by one, the lights in every household turned off.

…….

In Gu Zhongyi’s apartment.

With Lin Yuxing’s sob, Gu Zhongyi’s kisses rained down on him like a river, continuously landing on Lin Yuxing’s body.

Lin Yuxing trembled all over, a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead, and his waist felt drained of strength. Tears welled up in his eyes, and in a situation he wasn’t even aware of, he gazed at Gu Zhongyi with tenderness and sweetness.

He reached out and gently touched Gu Zhongyi’s cheek.

Gu Zhongyi turned his face and kissed his palm.

It was over.

Gu Zhongyi said, “Let me take you to the bathroom to clean up.”

With a dry throat, Lin Yuxing couldn’t even manage a “yes” in response.

As the water rushed down, Lin Yuxing leaned against Gu Zhongyi unsteadily. The tingling sensation and soreness from their first time still lingered in his body. Although his neck hadn’t been marked, his heart was already filled with Gu Zhongyi’s pheromones.

Gu Zhongyi moved carefully, his voice warm and apologetic as he asked, “Are you uncomfortable?”

Lin Yuxing shook his head, feeling the taste of being loved. He pursed his lips and smiled happily.

Gu Zhongyi asked, “What are you smiling about?”

“Nothing.” Lin Yuxing raised his head, his eyes curved. “I’m just happy.”