Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Lu Yao lay sprawled on the bed, deep in sleep.

A corner of the blanket had slipped, exposing his bare shoulder to the cool air—and revealing gruesome, prominent wounds.

Betas lacked scent glands. For an Alpha to leave their mark, they had to repeatedly bite and tear at the flesh of the neck.

But this sleeping Beta seemed even more pitiable. The bite marks extended to his rounded shoulder, each a deep, bloody imprint. Even in his sleep, the throbbing ache in his neck made him subtly furrow his brow.

Clearly, his Alpha had not treated him well.

Fu Yanhuai had already finished his morning routine. He walked to the bedside and glanced at the still-sleeping Beta, his brow subtly furrowing.

Deliberately, Fu Yanhuai released his grip on the muzzle above Lu Yao. The cold metal dropped onto his exposed shoulder, startling Lu Yao awake.

The bedroom was filled with a cool, woody scent. Lu Yao blinked groggily, waking up with a sleep-muffled nasal sound, "Hmm?"

Recognizing Fu Yanhuai standing beside him, Lu Yao instinctively sat up quickly. He should have woken up earlier than Fu Yanhuai.

The movement pulled at his waist muscles. Lu Yao was so sore and weak he could barely sit upright. He quietly inhaled, forcing himself to endure it. "Sorry, I overslept."

Fu Yanhuai was not in a good mood. His rut wasn't over, and unfulfilled desires always made him irritable.

He curtly reminded Lu Yao, "The muzzle."

Lu Yao bit his lip and said no more. He lowered his head, reaching for the muzzle beside him. Alphas in rut must wear a muzzle when going out, but Fu Yanhuai utterly detested its restrictive feeling.

Having accompanied Fu Yanhuai through three ruts, Lu Yao had a fairly good grasp of his temperament during this period. The muzzle needed to be coaxed onto him.

Lu Yao cautiously looked at Fu Yanhuai. "Okay."

Kneeling, Lu Yao leaned closer, pressing the muzzle against Fu Yanhuai's face, looping the straps behind his ears, and finally fastening the buckle.

Alphas in rut were notoriously ill-tempered. Last night, he hadn't fully released his pent-up pheromones, and now he had to wear a muzzle first thing in the morning. Fu Yanhuai's mood was even worse.

Lu Yao tried his best to avoid eye contact with Fu Yanhuai, focusing intently only on the lower half of Fu Yanhuai's face—his high nose bridge and thin, crimson lips.

"Yan—President Fu, it's on."

His given name was only to be used in bed during rut. Normally, Lu Yao addressed him as "President Fu" like everyone else.

A strange relationship, intimate yet distant.

Once the muzzle was secured, Lu Yao retreated. He thought his blush wasn't obvious, but impatience still flickered in Fu Yanhuai's eyes.

Fu Yanhuai seemed to have an innate dislike for others getting close. An S-class Alpha possessed an overly aggressive nature, and his fierce pheromones could equally harm anyone in close contact. For this reason, Fu Yanhuai couldn't rely on an Omega's comfort to get through his rut. Moreover, he loathed having anyone else's scent on him.

At least this Beta was clean—a cheap, obedient little plaything.

Fu Yanhuai stood before the mirror, tilting his head to adjust his tie. His hair was meticulously styled, every strand in place, his brows sharp, revealing the full extent of an S-class Alpha's power and ferocity.

Lu Yao knelt on the bed, clutching the blanket in a daze. The man in the mirror was handsome yet aloof. At 190cm tall, and with a physique honed by years of training, Lu Yao felt almost delicate standing beside him.

Lu Yao's gaze was far too obvious—shy yet brimming with affection. An Alpha couldn't ignore such a look.

Suddenly, Fu Yanhuai looked directly at Lu Yao through the mirror. "What are you staring at?"

Lu Yao awkwardly lowered his head. He stammered, "Nothing, I..."

"Your wounds look a bit severe. Deal with them yourself."

This conversation had gone too far. Lu Yao's face instantly flushed crimson. Without a word, he shrank back, stumbling over the blanket as he got off the bed. Mortified, he tried to cover his body as he bent down to pick up his torn clothes from the floor.

Fu Yanhuai paid no attention to Lu Yao's discomfiture. He was rushing to the company, needing to handle business during the lull in his rut. "I'll be home by nine tonight. Make sure you're available."

"Okay, I understand."

The bedroom door closed with a soft click. Lu Yao's bare feet felt cold on the floor. He managed to put on his clothes, then rummaged through the closet for new sheets and duvet covers before leaving. Fu Yanhuai disliked traces of others in his bedroom. Lu Yao was accustomed to this routine, and usually, he didn't spend the night in Fu Yanhuai's bedroom. Last night was an exception.

After tidying Fu Yanhuai's bedroom, Lu Yao hurried out. He also had to rush to work at the dessert shop. Lu Yao was immensely grateful he had dragged himself to the bathroom to clean up last night; otherwise, he would be uncomfortable today and would have to find time to shower.

Back in the guest room in the corner of the first floor, Lu Yao first pulled out a very old biscuit tin containing a needle and thread. He carefully mended the torn fabric.

He was Fu Yanhuai's partner in name only. Lu Yao had no right to ask Fu Yanhuai for more.

Lu Yao held the mended clothes against himself. The stitches were on the inside, barely visible from the surface.

"Mended," he murmured softly. "But they're a bit dirty. I'll wash them tonight and wear them tomorrow."

Lu Yao was truly exhausted, but the distance from the villa area to the city center was long. He had to leave now.

His room was at the end of the corridor. If he were to exit through the main entrance of the villa, he would inevitably pass through the living room and face the strange looks of the housekeeper and maids. Lu Yao usually chose to take a long detour to the side gate of the villa, walking to the nearest shared bike station.

The summer morning sun was already dazzling. Lu Yao felt exceptionally tired today; his neck ached unbearably, and his legs felt heavy, slowing his pace.

He had stayed up too late last night. But then again, Betas enduring Alpha pheromones would indeed experience some discomfort. Lu Yao raised a hand to massage his neck, trying to rouse himself. The dessert shop had a lot of prep work before opening, and being late would mean a pay deduction.

First, a shared bike, then a bus, and finally a short walk—and he arrived at the 85°C Bakery.

The dessert shop opened promptly at 10:30 AM. Lu Yao, slightly out of breath, arrived at 9:00 AM sharp, not late.

Lu Yao was the first staff member to arrive. He started the machines one by one, washed and chopped ingredients for preparation, checked the cream, and began making cake bases.

This dessert shop was quite famous in the capital. It initially catered to an affordable market, but since this year, high-end custom orders had become more frequent.

Lu Yao held an advanced pastry chef certificate, but the Fu family would never allow him to spend his days selling cakes outside—it would be too embarrassing for a wealthy family.

But Lu Yao had no choice; there were simply too many places where he needed money.

When Xia Shiyue entered the shop, Lu Yao had already baked some cake bases and was reviewing the day's bread orders.

"You're the first one here again." Xia Shiyue put down his backpack and started changing. He complained on Lu Yao's behalf, "We agreed to rotate weekly shifts, but Ma just keeps exploiting you."

"It's fine," Lu Yao said, sticking the order list on the refrigerator door. "The extra monthly bonus for being on call helps, so it's not entirely unpaid labor."

Xia Shiyue's expression was one of exasperation. "Three hundred yuan a month—what can three hundred yuan buy in the capital? He's clearly taking advantage of you because you're easygoing."

Ma Song knew Lu Yao was obedient and exploited him without hesitation. Fortunately, a common rule in the pastry industry was that whoever made the order received a commission, so Lu Yao primarily earned money from custom orders.

After speaking, Xia Shiyue looked at Lu Yao with a frustrated expression. "You're too soft-tempered. People will walk all over you like this."

Xia Shiyue had the causality reversed. It wasn't because Lu Yao was gentle that he was bullied; it was because he had been bullied so much since childhood that he developed his current good temper.

Lu Yao lowered his eyes. He knew Xia Shiyue genuinely cared for him. "If he schedules me again next week, I'll refuse."

Firstly, he had already given Lu Qianxing his allowance this month, so the Lu family should be quiet for a while. Secondly...

Thinking of Fu Yanhuai, Lu Yao's face flushed slightly. Fu Yanhuai had been in his rut recently, and Lu Yao was truly struggling to cope.

Standing here now, his back and waist ached, but making pastries required bending over all day. He really needed a good rest.

Xia Shiyue's expression softened slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he added, "Why don't you let your Alpha pick you up these two days? No matter how busy he is, he should be able to make time to take you to work, just for these two days."

If someone truly cared, how could they not find time to treat their loved one properly? Xia Shiyue didn't like Lu Yao's Alpha much. From the sparse information Lu Yao shared, he pieced together a rather neglectful partner.

Fu Yanhuai had never inquired about Lu Yao's work, and Lu Yao guessed Fu Yanhuai simply didn't care. But that was fine; otherwise, if Fu Yanhuai really asked, Lu Yao wouldn't know how to explain.

What could he say? That despite Fu Yanhuai having already given the Lu family a large sum of money and a small manor in the suburbs, the Lu family was still broke and wanted more money.

Fu Yanhuai already looked down on him enough. Lu Yao didn't need to see more mockery and disdain in Fu Yanhuai's eyes. No one would want to see the person they liked look at them that way.

Lu Yao just lowered his head and mumbled vaguely, "I'll ask him what he thinks when I get home."

It was clear Lu Yao hadn't really taken Xia Shiyue's words to heart. Xia Shiyue sighed and said nothing more.

Lu Yao clumsily reassured him, "I'm really fine. Next week, I'll definitely apply for leave."

Ma Song was the boss; he usually arrived at the shop in the afternoon. With fewer customer orders in the morning, only Lu Yao and Xia Shiyue were scheduled—it was the easiest work period of the day.

Today's customer had ordered a caramel mousse cake. Making the syrup required constant stirring, and shortly after Lu Yao started working, his arms were already too tired to lift.

For some reason, Lu Yao had been sore and aching all over these past two days. He pursed his lips, focusing intently on the syrup in the pot.

He had once made caramel pudding for Fu Yanhuai. He remembered Fu Yanhuai praising him that time, saying the pudding was delicious.

Though it might have just been a casual remark because Fu Yanhuai happened to be in a good mood, Lu Yao still remembered it clearly. Last night, Fu Yanhuai had said he smelled sweet—his tone had sounded much gentler than this morning.

Lu Yao thought for a moment, and during a break between orders, he froze a serving of caramel pudding.

With a small thrill, he closed the refrigerator door. Day by day, Fu Yanhuai might also gradually come to like him.