Chapter 34

Chapter 34

After breakfast, Pei Siyue had to work overtime. He asked Ruan Shuyang if he wanted to go out over the weekend, but Ruan Shuyang felt he wouldn’t enjoy going alone. So, he decided to accompany Pei Siyue to the company, embracing his role as a dedicated personal assistant.

Although he hadn't done anything particularly important so far—mostly just reminding Pei Siyue to eat, and not yet having the chance to handle documents since Pei Siyue had been on a business trip for over a week, leaving him with little to do—this didn't diminish his serious attitude toward work. Ruan Shuyang felt he'd been quite diligent every day, rarely slacking off.

Pei Siyue was busy all day, and Ruan Shuyang, too, completed a design sketch.

He remembered Pei Siyue mentioning that the material capable of blocking alpha pheromones was expensive, difficult to produce, and currently unsuitable for mass production. Given that, he decided to design each necklace with a unique style, using attractive designs to draw attention.

So far, he had completed three design sketches, each with a distinct style. The pendants were crafted in traditional-style characters without engravings, extravagantly set with black jadeite, or adorned with small, colorful gemstones.

He was very interested in jewelry design. In the past, when he had free time alone, he would often read related books and research materials, but he never had the opportunity to create designs. Now that he finally had the chance, he immediately sketched out several styles he had long envisioned.

When Pei Siyue finished handling the backlog of work from his week-long business trip and returned to the office, he saw Ruan Shuyang bent over, diligently working on a design sketch. Not wanting to disturb him, Pei Siyue quietly walked up behind him to watch.

After filling in the details of the black jadeite necklace design, Ruan Shuyang stretched his neck and shoulders and noticed Pei Siyue standing behind him.

Surprised, he asked, "Brother, are you finished?"

"Mm," Pei Siyue responded softly. "Are you working on a design?"

Ruan Shuyang nodded with a smile and showed Pei Siyue the newly completed sketch. "Yes, I’ve already drawn several designs for that special-material necklace."

Pei Siyue stood beside Ruan Shuyang, looking down at his face, which was animated with excitement as he talked about jewelry design. His bright, large eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, and his porcelain-like skin was tinged with a delicate flush of happiness and excitement.

Pei Siyue reached out and gently brushed his finger over that flush, which was even more beautiful than porcelain glaze, and asked, "What’s your idea?"

"I was thinking that since this material has a long production cycle and high costs, we could design each necklace with a unique style and market it as a luxury product..."

He paused halfway, worried that Pei Siyue might grow impatient, but when he saw that Pei Siyue was listening attentively, he felt encouraged and continued, "That way, we can set a higher price, which would increase profits. When others see the profit potential and market demand, they might be motivated to research and develop similar materials..."

He hoped more such materials would become available, so that omegas wouldn’t be forced into heat by alpha pheromones.

"Alright," Pei Siyue said, looking down at him. Then he asked another question, "Do you hope that more omegas who want to remove their marks can use the newly developed post-surgery medication?"

Ruan Shuyang answered without hesitation, "Of course."

Pei Siyue’s voice was low, carrying a solemn promise, "Your wish will come true."

Ruan Shuyang didn’t quite understand and tilted his head, asking, "Do you mean you’ll set the price of the medication very low?"

But Pei Siyue shook his head and didn’t explain further, only saying, "It’s getting late. Let’s go home."

"Oh, okay."

Ruan Shuyang instinctively trusted Pei Siyue. Since the other said he would get his wish, he believed that many omegas wanting to remove their marks would be able to use the newly developed post-surgery medication, greatly reducing side effects.

When they arrived home, they went upstairs together. On the spiral staircase, Pei Siyue reminded Ruan Shuyang, who was about to enter his room, "Don’t stay up late watching dramas tonight."

Ruan Shuyang looked at Pei Siyue standing not far from his door. The other’s expression was somewhat lazy, his tone casual, and he only stood at the doorway without any intention of entering.

Suddenly, Ruan Shuyang had an impulsive thought—he wanted Pei Siyue to stay with him.

Without being taught, he walked over to Pei Siyue, tugged gently on the hem of his clothes, and looked up at him with a soft, sweet smile on his small face, like a budding Lily of the Valley.

"Brother, I only have a few episodes left to finish the series. Can you watch them with me tonight?"

"If you watch with me, you can remind me of the time, and I won’t stay up late."

Pei Siyue felt that Ruan Shuyang was unconsciously being coy with him.

Pei Siyue, who had never watched melodramas and had no interest in them: "..."

He looked down at Ruan Shuyang and said, "Okay."

But his tone held a hint of resignation that Ruan Shuyang didn’t notice.

He had been the one to suggest it. If he refused Ruan Shuyang the first time, it would be harder to get the young omega to come out of his shell and act coy with him again in the future.

So he had to agree.

Ruan Shuyang pulled Pei Siyue into his room. The room wasn’t much different from how Ji Huai had decorated it, except for a faint, elusive scent of Lily of the Valley.

Seeing Ruan Shuyang open his laptop to start watching, Pei Siyue stopped him and, checking the time, said, "Wait a moment."

Half an hour later, a large curved-screen TV was set up in Ruan Shuyang’s room. After installing the video software, Pei Siyue motioned for Ruan Shuyang to sit down and watch together.

"Tomorrow, I’ll set up a projector and audio system for you in the living room downstairs," Pei Siyue said. "You can watch dramas or movies there, as long as you don’t stay up late."

Ruan Shuyang was excited.

He had already looked up many dramas and movies he could catch up on in his free time.

The only downside was that university was about to start.

For the first time, he felt that summer vacation was too short. Back at the Ruan family home, he had felt it was too long and couldn’t wait for school to start.

He hugged Pei Siyue’s arm and nuzzled against it. "Brother, you’re so good."

The TV started playing the drama, and before long, Ruan Shuyang was completely absorbed in the plot.

Since it was near the end, the story was full of climaxes, misunderstandings, and heart-wrenching moments.

It didn’t take long for Ruan Shuyang to lose control of his tears and start crying.

Pei Siyue looked helplessly at Ruan Shuyang, who was crying uncontrollably, tears and sniffles running down his face. He really didn’t see what was so sad about the drama.

To him, the plot was incredibly boring, with many illogical points and countless plot holes. He couldn’t understand why Ruan Shuyang was so engrossed or why he was crying so hard.

Once again, he had no choice but to hold Ruan Shuyang in his arms, wiping his tears while comforting him, "Don’t cry. It’s just acting."

"But it’s so sad," Ruan Shuyang said tearfully, looking at him. "Why do there have to be such misunderstandings and coincidences? Why can’t they just explain things clearly?"

Most importantly, the ending was tragic!

After finishing the series, Ruan Shuyang couldn’t move on. The sentimental young omega was completely overcome with sadness, wishing he could bring the director, screenwriter, and actors back to reshoot a perfect conclusion.

His eyes were like faucets, tears flowing endlessly as he wallowed in sadness.

Even after he finally stopped crying, his body continued to shake with occasional sobs.

Pei Siyue put in eye drops for him, watched him finish washing up and get into bed, then fetched an ice patch to soothe his eyes. Just as he was about to leave after reminding him to sleep early, Ruan Shuyang grabbed the hem of his clothes.

"What's wrong?"

"Can you stay with me for a bit?" Ruan Shuyang's voice was thick with a stuffy nose. "I'm a little scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Scared that those things might happen to me."

Pei Siyue sat calmly by the bedside and reassured him, "They won’t. I’m not that brainless alpha from the show, and you’re not that omega who keeps everything bottled up without saying a word."

Ruan Shuyang mumbled softly, "But I’m still really scared."

"Don’t be afraid," Pei Siyue said steadily. "The more you dwell on it, the scarier it gets. Get some rest now."

Pei Siyue gently carded his fingers through Ruan Shuyang’s soft hair, massaging his scalp, and let out some pheromones. Though Ruan Shuyang’s mind was still filled with sad scenes from the drama, he instinctively felt safe and slowly dozed off. Even in his sleep, he kept a tight grip on Pei Siyue’s clothes, clearly feeling insecure.

Pei Siyue didn’t pull away and simply stayed seated by the bed, keeping him company.

Unable to sleep late at night, he took out his phone and sent a message to Jiang Wu: *You’ll attend the medical aid conference in Africa next week.*

Jiang Wu: ???

Jiang Wu: *Young Master, Pei Young Master, Boss Pei—can’t we just send a project lead to this kind of conference? Why me?*

Pei Siyue: *Because you made Ruan Shuyang watch that cheesy drama.*

*You made the little omega cry so much.*

Jiang Wu: .

Jiang Wu: *What’s wrong with sharing interests?*

Pei Siyue: *So, you’re going to Africa.*

Jiang Wu: ……

Jiang Wu: *You can’t use company business for personal payback!*

Pei Siyue: *I can, because I’m the boss.*

Jiang Wu had nothing to say, seething inside: *So what if you’re the boss!*

Well, actually, it did matter. His lucrative job was under Pei Siyue’s control, so he had no choice but to listen to the boss.

*Being a wage slave is tough!*

**

Ruan Shuyang, exhausted from crying the night before and soothed by the cooling patch, slept until after 9 a.m. When he woke up, Pei Siyue had already left. He hugged a pillow that smelled like Pei Siyue.

Remembering how he had clung to Pei Siyue and refused to let him leave the night before, his face flushed.

He buried his face in the pillow, too embarrassed to lift his head.

*So embarrassing—how could I do something like that?*

He stayed in bed, burrowing like an ostrich, for a while before finally getting up. When he went downstairs, he wasn’t surprised to see Pei Siyue in the living room.

Besides Pei Siyue, there were a few others in the living room installing what seemed to be the home theater setup he had mentioned the day before.

By the time he came down, the installation was nearly complete. Pei Siyue told him to go to the dining room for breakfast first.

After he finished breakfast, the home theater system was fully installed, and Pei Siyue had him try it out.

The massive projection screen provided an excellent viewing experience for videos and movies, and he was sold on it.

Seeing how much he liked it, Pei Siyue casually suggested, "If you enjoy it, you can watch more at home. No need to go to work."

Ruan Shuyang found the proposal very tempting but resisted after some thought.

"No," Ruan Shuyang said with a deadpan expression. "I need to be ambitious. I can’t laze around all day."

So, it was better to just watch in the evenings. The idea of watching all day sounded delightful, but he couldn’t allow himself to do that.

Still, he couldn’t resist the temptation and spent the entire Sunday at home binge-watching movies and series.

This time, Pei Siyue specifically picked out some funny anime and movies suitable for teenagers. Ruan Shuyang enjoyed them thoroughly and didn’t shed a tear.

**

The following afternoon, Chi Hang walked into the conference room at Ruiji Technology and noticed Pei Siyue reading a book. He glanced at the title and saw it was—

*How to Support Teenagers*

"What, raising a kid?"

Pei Siyue didn’t deny it. "Something like that."

"Seriously?" Chi Hang looked surprised. "Who? Someone you’re actually raising?"

Pei Siyue said with a faint smile, "Ruan Shuyang."

Chi Hang was stunned for a moment, then said, utterly speechless, "Didn’t you want to claim him? Why are you raising him like a child now?"

"He’s still too young and isn’t there yet."

Chi Hang stared at Pei Siyue for a while before remarking in an amazed tone, "I’m just realizing now—you’re quite the hopeless romantic."

*Most people wouldn’t take someone in just to raise them like a child. Not many have that kind of patience.*

Pei Siyue also felt he had been exercising saint-level self-control lately. But what could he do? The little omega’s body was still developing, so he couldn’t do anything.

"So, why are you reading this book? Ran into problems while raising him?" Chi Hang, with his extensive experience in childcare, asked, "Fill me in."

Pei Siyue: "He sometimes pulls all-nighters, and he’s too empathetic—he cries his eyes out when watching shows."

Chi Hang: "……"

"Isn’t that pretty normal? Many omegas are in tune with their emotions, and what teenager doesn’t stay up late? I remember Chi Ye was up all night during the summer after his college entrance exams, completely flipping his sleep schedule. Don’t set your expectations too high."

Pei Siyue frowned. "It’s not good for his health."

Chi Hang pressed, "Didn’t you pull all-nighters when you were eighteen?"

Pei Siyue: "……"

Of course he had—back then, working overtime through the night to meet R&D deadlines was the norm.

"So, you shouldn’t hover too much over Ruan Shuyang," Chi Hang advised earnestly. "Acting like a parent is no good. You’re raising a partner, not a child. If you micromanage too much, he might push back against you."

Pei Siyue frowned and outright dismissed Chi Hang’s speculation: "He won’t. He’s a good kid."

Chi Hang looked at Pei Siyue expressionlessly, feeling that he was overstepping in such matters.

Outsiders talking too much about couples' business would only cause annoyance.

Better focus on the real matter.

**

Another weekend came, and Pei Siyue once again helped Ruan Shuyang measure the diameter of his gland and reproductive cavity. After finishing, he said, "It's grown slightly."

Ruan Shuyang asked expectantly, "How much?"

"The reproductive cavity is three millimeters, the gland is one millimeter. The growth in gland diameter is negligible—one millimeter is within the margin of error."

Ruan Shuyang: "..."

He thought: It felt almost like no growth at all.

"Take it slow, no need to rush," Pei Siyue said. "It will develop fully in time, and the current treatment effect is quite noticeable."

Ruan Shuyang was puzzled, "Noticeable?"

He thought: His gland and reproductive cavity hadn't grown at all.

"Of course it's noticeable," Pei Siyue said bluntly. "You're already experiencing desire now."

Ruan Shuyang's face visibly flushed, the redness spreading slowly across his cheeks. He was so flustered he couldn't bring himself to look at Pei Siyue.

He thought: That's mean—how could he say that? Couldn’t he just not mention it?

But Pei Siyue didn’t let him off just because he was blushing. He continued asking, "Have you ever experienced wet dreams before?"

Ruan Shuyang’s mind went completely blank upon hearing this. He didn’t know what to do with his hands and feet, and in his panic, he abruptly stood up. "Can we... not talk about this?"

"No," Pei Siyue said calmly, looking at Ruan Shuyang. "This is also part of the treatment. I need to know every change in your body, especially your thoughts about sex. It reflects the development of your primary sexual characteristics."

He thought: Is that really true?

Ruan Shuyang pouted and glared at Pei Siyue, but Pei Siyue’s expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of panic or guilt.

He thought: Gradually, he began to wonder if he was being overly sensitive, reading too much into things.

He thought: Doctors probably do ask these kinds of questions during treatment, right...

Flushing, Ruan Shuyang slowly sat back down, avoiding Pei Siyue’s gaze, and tried to convince himself that this was just a doctor examining him.

"Before... no, I haven’t."

He thought: Come to think of it, he had only ever felt an unfillable emptiness inside his body before, but there were no concrete manifestations. He never really thought about these things normally. Occasionally, when he heard classmates discussing them, he would wonder what it felt like, since he had never even tried masturbating—he had no urge to do so at all.

He thought: When Pei Siyue marked him, that was his first time. And that night, holding Pei Siyue’s blanket, was the second.

He thought: Thinking about it this way, it seemed like his primary sexual characteristics really hadn’t developed before.

He thought: His first and second times were both with Pei Siyue...

He thought: It felt a little strange somehow.

Then Pei Siyue immediately understood, looking thoughtfully at Ruan Shuyang, "That time was your... first time?"

He thought: Thinking about it himself was one thing, but having Pei Siyue say it out loud felt utterly embarrassed.

His face flushed crimson, and he bit his lip, standing up as if to leave, but unfortunately, Pei Siyue held him back.

Pei Siyue said in a very calm tone, "Your previous medical report showed signs of malnutrition, coupled with low pheromone fluctuations. Your primary sexual characteristics hadn’t developed, so your body had no desires."

"Now that your nutrition has improved, your primary sexual characteristics are starting to develop, and you’ll encounter many experiences like this."

Ruan Shuyang stopped but still felt deeply embarrassed. He thought: How could Pei Siyue just say it so directly?

Pei Siyue continued explaining, "Everyone experiences desires as their body matures. It’s a natural instinct—there’s no need to feel ashamed. You need to learn to face and accept it."

Ruan Shuyang bit his lip, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly asked softly, "Do you... have them too?"

Pei Siyue admitted frankly, "Yes, I do."

Ruan Shuyang felt his face grow even hotter, his heart racing. For some reason, he didn’t dare ask further.

But perhaps because Pei Siyue had also admitted it, he felt less awkward, realizing that everyone experienced this. He no longer insisted on leaving and let Pei Siyue pull him back to sit down.

Pei Siyue explained in a doctor’s analytical tone, "Every healthy, normal adult has desires. Your primary sexual characteristics developed later, so you might face more complex and unpredictable situations."

At this point, he noticed Ruan Shuyang’s face was already as red as it could get and didn’t continue describing further. Instead, he said, "If you encounter anything you don’t understand or know how to handle, just ask me."

Ruan Shuyang only wanted to end this topic as soon as possible. Upon hearing this, he nodded flusteredly, "Okay."

He thought: Perhaps because of his conversation with Pei Siyue, Ruan Shuyang found it hard to fall asleep on Sunday night.

He tossed and turned, shifting against the sheets but never feeling satisfied. His body was restless, unable to sleep.

His soft hair tangled messily around his cheeks, most of his body curled under the blanket, with only a small head visible.

His fair cheeks were flushed, his expression full of shyness and frustration.

He thought: Why wasn’t it working?

He thought: That time in Pei Siyue’s arms, it had felt so natural and comfortable.

He thought: Now, it seemed he didn’t understand his own body, didn’t know what to do, and felt unbearably stuck.

He thought: He remembered his classmates saying before that this was how it was done.

He slipped his hand under the blanket again, fumbling around, but only grew more frustrated. He missed being in Pei Siyue’s arms, missed being held by him.

He missed his scent, his pheromones...

Ruan Shuyang pulled his hand out, wiped it clean with a tissue, and hopelessly lifted the blanket to take a look. He turned on the bedside lamp again and decided to search for some videos on his phone.

He thought: He would learn from others’ methods.

But after he started searching, he grew even more desperate because he couldn’t find what he was looking for.

Pei Siyue finished working overtime late at night, past eleven. On a summer night, his mind involuntarily drifted to Ruan Shuyang’s slender figure, his fair and flexible waist that seemed to glow.

Ruan Shuyang was in the next room.

He felt particularly restless that night and went downstairs to the kitchen to get a bottle of cold water.

As he passed Ruan Shuyang’s room on his way back upstairs with the cold water, he noticed light seeping from under the door. Frowning, he checked the time on his watch.

It was already half past eleven at night.

Pei Siyue was worried that Ruan Shuyang might stay up late watching dramas again and strain his eyes, so he knocked on the door to remind him, "Go to bed early."

In the deep silence of the night, the stand-alone villa, far from the noise, was exceptionally tranquil. Ruan Shuyang could only hear the sound of his own breathing.

He had just managed to follow a forum link to a website and hadn't even entered it yet when he heard Pei Siyue's knock on the door.

In the quiet room, the sudden, dull sound of knocking startled Ruan Shuyang, causing him to drop his phone onto the wooden floor with a thump, thump.

Because he had moved in hastily, soundproofing had only been done in the study, basement, and master bedroom, not in the guest room. Now, he was extremely grateful for that decision, as he could clearly hear the sound of something heavy falling in Ruan Shuyang's room.

He grew concerned and asked, "What happened?"

After a moment, Ruan Shuyang's flustered voice replied, "N-nothing's wrong."

His voice was much hoarser than usual, which definitely didn't sound like nothing was wrong.

Worried that he might be sick, Pei Siyue didn't hesitate and opened the door.

Ruan Shuyang had felt there was nothing to be wary of living here, so he only closed the door at night without locking it. Now, he deeply regretted that decision.

Because Pei Siyue had come in.

When Pei Siyue entered, Ruan Shuyang had just picked up his phone. In his panic, he accidentally tapped somewhere on the screen, and the video he had just opened immediately started playing.

"Mmm..."

"Baby, does that feel good..."

Ruan Shuyang was mortified and fumbled with the volume buttons to mute the sound before turning off the screen and tossing the phone onto the bedside table.

Sitting on the bed, he didn't dare look at Pei Siyue's expression, tucking his chin nearly to his chest. "Wh-why did you come in?"

Pei Siyue closed the door behind him and stepped inside, walking over to Ruan Shuyang's bed. His tall figure loomed closer as he asked in a low voice, "What were you doing just now?"

As Pei Siyue drew closer, his familiar pheromones enveloped Ruan Shuyang, making his face flush even more. He couldn't help but recall that time.

Before his climax, it felt like pins and needles were crawling all over his body; after, every pore seemed to open in pleasure, leaving him too relaxed to even move a finger.

Perhaps because he was thinking about that time, he felt an ache in the small of his back. What had been bearable before was now becoming increasingly unbearable.

Pei Siyue glanced discreetly at the back of Ruan Shuyang's neck—no gland patch.

He released a wave of pheromones to coax him gently, "Do you remember? I'm your primary doctor. If you have any issues, you can talk to me."

Ruan Shuyang wanted it even more now, unable to control himself as he clenched his legs and curled his toes.

He was so uncomfortable that he lifted his head to complain softly to Pei Siyue, "Why did you have to come in?"

"It's all your fault—making him feel this way."

Pei Siyue sat on the edge of the bed and asked patiently, "What's wrong?"

Ruan Shuyang, his rationality mostly overtaken by discomfort, was not entirely lucid. Sniffling, he murmured pitifully, "I feel so uncomfortable."

Pei Siyue guided him in a gentle tone, "Where does it hurt?"

Ruan Shuyang couldn't bring himself to say it and let out a soft whimper, clutching the sheets.

Pei Siyue thoughtfully placed his hand on the comforter and asked, his voice dropping to a whisper, "Is it here?"