Chapter 1 Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Xing Hui sat in the VVIP booth, surrounded by friends who were each canoodling with an Omega, drinking and laughing. He, however, sat alone, a two-meter perimeter around him kept clear of everyone. With a grim expression, he stared at his phone, his hands constantly busy—dialing a number one moment, tapping into a chat window to send messages the next. As he watched his silent phone, his face grew progressively darker.

"Hey, Xing Hui, what are you doing? Come have a drink," Shen Heng called out, rising with the beautiful Omega in his arms, intending to join him.

"That's Zhou You's spot!" Xing Hui snapped, visibly annoyed. He shoved his phone into his pocket and extended a hand. "Lend me yours."

Shen Heng settled back down, telling the delicate Omega in his arms, "See? Married. His partner keeps a tight leash on him."

"Just give it here," Xing Hui demanded impatiently.

Shen Heng pulled out his phone and tossed it to him. "Password's 123456."

Xing Hui took the phone, stood up, unlocked it, and walked toward a quieter area.

"Dr. Zhou, we've recreated the person's likeness based on your description and requirements. Please take a look," said Xiao Liu, the photo restoration technician, handing a photo to Zhou You.

"Thank you," Zhou You replied with a gentle smile, accepting the photo. The moment he saw the face in the picture, he felt a surreal sense of disbelief, as if lifetimes had passed.

*He had almost forgotten what he originally looked like,* Zhou You thought, lost in a daze.

Xiao Liu couldn't resist his curiosity. "Dr. Zhou, the handsome guy in the photo has your eyes. Is he a relative?"

Zhou You offered a polite smile. "...You could say that." Pleased with Xiao Liu's work, he took out his phone to pay, only then noticing the 38 missed calls and 99 messages from Xing Hui. He chose to ignore them.

"Ah, Dr. Zhou, don't worry about paying," Xiao Liu said with a laugh. "Last time I came to your place to have my stitches removed, you didn't charge me. I can't take your money either."

"You should take it. You're running a business; it's only right to accept payment," Zhou You insisted, his smile as warm as a spring breeze.

Xiao Liu scratched his head awkwardly and eventually accepted the money. "Thank you, Dr. Zhou. If you ever need anything in the future, just let me know."

Zhou You agreed, took the photo, and left.

Xing Hui used Shen Heng's phone to call Zhou You. He thought, *if Zhou You answers, this isn't over!*

Soon, Zhou You picked up.

Xing Hui was angry, but Zhou You answering also brought him a sense of relief.

"I called you so many times and sent so many messages. Why didn't you reply?" he said, his voice dripping with jealousy. "Why did you answer Shen Heng's call right away?" Without waiting for a response, he accused, "Are you seeing him behind my back?"

"..." Zhou You was silent for a few seconds before saying, "What do you hope I have with him?" Then he hung up immediately.

"Dammit!" Xing Hui cursed.

Shen Heng, sitting in the booth with an Omega in his arms, was laughing uproariously when he happened to glance up. He saw Xing Hui standing in the shadows, staring at him from a distance. For some reason, he shivered, and his smile stiffened.

"What's wrong, Young Master Shen?" the delicate Omega asked, giggling coyly.

Shen Heng composed himself. "Nothing."

Then he couldn't help but glance in that direction again. *A delusion, it must be a delusion,* he thought.

Xing Hui's expression was terrifyingly dark. He gripped Shen Heng's phone tightly before finally taking out his own phone to call Zhou You, calling over and over.

Zhou You didn't answer, only replying with a message: *Not coming.*

Xing Hui immediately opened the chat window and replied: *Why aren't you answering my calls? Or replying to my messages? What were you doing all this time?*

Zhou You: *I went to Xiao Liu's place. If you don't believe me, check for yourself.*

Zhou You: *I'm home now. Dad wants us to go back to the old house for dinner. If you don't want to go, give him a call.*

Xing Hui: *You still haven't answered why you didn't pick up or reply.*

Zhou You stared at his phone screen, his brow slowly furrowing. He decided not to reply anymore.

After waiting a while with no response from Zhou You, Xing Hui's expression grew even darker.

Shen Heng watched as Xing Hui returned, looking utterly pissed. For some reason, he immediately pushed away the Omega who had been nibbling at him, smoothed his clothes, and asked with a smile, "Finished your call?"

"Why did Zhou You answer your call so quickly?" Xing Hui's gaze was sharp enough to kill.

"Huh?" Shen Heng was stunned for a moment before catching on. "Damn! Xing Hui! Cut it out! I have no private contact with him. The last time I saved his number, you were the one who deleted it. I haven't saved it since! And I've never added him as a friend either." He explained frantically, "Shit! Don't look at me like that! I swear I haven't done anything! I'd never make a move on a friend's partner! Besides, he's an Alpha, and I'm an Alpha. I'm not into guys—I like Omegas!" He pulled the pushed-away Omega back into his arms and planted two quick kisses on them.

Xing Hui said nothing for a long moment before finally speaking. "Leave your phone with me. I need to check it."

Shen Heng gritted his teeth. After a pause, he said, "Fine, check it. Check it all you want!" Then, a bit annoyed, he added, "But if I'm innocent, how are you going to make it up to me?"

"We'll talk after I check," Xing Hui said coldly before walking away with a stern face.

Shen Heng was furious, muttering curses at Xing Hui's retreating figure.

"Bro, is that handsome friend of yours gay?" the delicate Omega asked, pursing his lips. "He suspects you're messing around with his partner?" He pursed his lips again. "If he doesn't trust you, maybe he's not much of a friend."

Shen Heng looked at him. "Do you know who he is?"

"Who?"

"Xing Hui."

"Oh!" The Omega was shocked. "The only son of the Central Alliance's commander-in-chief, Major General Xing Hui? No wonder he's so handsome and looks rich and powerful." He wrapped himself around Shen Heng's arm. "But I only like someone like you, bro." He squirmed flirtatiously against Shen Heng.

Shen Heng took off the expensive gem pin from his shirt and fastened it to the Omega's clothes, kissing him. "Sweetheart, I can't stay with you tonight."

"Aw, bro, I didn't mean to take this from you," the Omega said, trying to remove the gemstone.

"Keep it. It looks good on you," Shen Heng said, pecking him on the cheek. "Tonight's expenses are on me."

"Thank you, bro."

On his way back, Xing Hui called his bodyguard to ask where Zhou You had gone that evening. The response confirmed what Zhou You had said—he had only gone to Xiao Liu's place, stayed for about twenty minutes, and then returned home.

These bodyguards not only protected Zhou You but also reported to Xing Hui at all times. Any situation involving Zhou You had to be reported in detail. If anyone suspicious approached Zhou You, Xing Hui would immediately investigate their background and determine whether they were trying to take Zhou You from him.

"Find out what he did during those twenty minutes at Xiao Liu's place," Xing Hui said before hanging up. Irritated, he then snapped at the driver, "Why are you stopping? Drive!"

"..." the driver said timidly, "It's a red light."

Xing Hui scowled and fell silent. A few seconds later, he took out his phone and called Zhou You again. This time, Zhou You answered.

"I'll be home soon," Xing Hui said.

"Aren't you going back to the old house?" Zhou You asked.

"We'll talk when I get home," Xing Hui cleared his throat. "Don't hang up. Wait until I'm home."

Zhou You was exasperated. "Xing Hui, don't you have anything better to do?"

"Not boring," Xing Hui said with a playfully shameless tone, "How could talking to you be boring?"

"I'm hanging up."

"Darling!" Xing Hui said, "If you hang up, we won't go back to the old house tonight, and we won't sleep either. I'll fuck you till sunrise."

Zhou You's face flushed bright red instantly, his hand holding the phone trembling slightly. He didn't hang up but remained silent.

After a few seconds, Xing Hui asked, "Did Father say what we're going back to the old house for?"

Zhou You took a moment to reply, "No, he just said for dinner."

"What time is it? What dinner?" Xing Hui glanced at his phone—7:39 PM.

He suddenly remembered that Father had called him in the afternoon, but he hadn't answered.

Unless absolutely necessary, Xing Hui usually avoided going back to the old house to see his father, mainly because his father would get angry at the sight of him. So, for his father's peace of mind, he tried to avoid meeting him as much as possible.

However, since marrying Zhou You, his father had been hoping for the two of them to live at the old house. Xing Hui wasn't having it—he wanted to have sex with Zhou You every night, and sometimes they would get up to mischief in bed during the day too.

He didn't mind living with elders, but the problem was Zhou You, who was quite shy.

Thinking of Zhou You, Xing Hui spoke into the phone again, "At this hour, Father would have finished dinner long ago. Have you eaten?"

Zhou You replied flatly, "Father said he'll eat whenever we get there. He's waiting for us."

Xing Hui immediately understood—Father must have something important to discuss, otherwise he wouldn't be doing this.

The car pulled into the villa, finally arriving home.

Zhou You heard the car and hung up the phone. Xing Hui smiled, tucked his phone into his pocket, got out of the car, and went inside to find Zhou You.

Zhou You was dressed neatly, sitting on the sofa drinking water. Xing Hui's eyes immediately zeroed in on him. He walked over, sat down beside him, pressed close, and said, "Let me have a sip." Without waiting for a response, he took the cup and drained it in one gulp.

Zhou You's face remained expressionless, his tone flat: "Let's go. Don't keep Father waiting."

"Not in a hurry." Xing Hui pulled Zhou You, who was about to stand up, back onto the sofa and kissed him, his hands not staying idle either.

Zhou You grabbed his roving hand, resisting and trying to pull away, but Xing Hui was bigger and stronger, so his resistance didn't achieve much.

Zhou You couldn't take it and struggled even harder. At one point, he opened his mouth and bit Xing Hui hard.

It was a fierce bite.

Xing Hui immediately winced in pain and let go of him, touching his bleeding lip: "You really didn't hold back."

There were butlers, maids, and bodyguards in the house. Zhou You, being quite conservative, flushed red, pushed him away, stood up, and said, "Don't make a scene in front of others."

Xing Hui looked at him, giving a besotted smile: "Can't help it. When I see you, I just can't control myself."

Zhou You kept a stern face, feeling an urge to press Xing Hui's head to the ground and grind it.

Xing Hui added, "Didn't you enjoy my touch?" He sat there lazily, knowing Zhou You was upset and shy, so he wrapped his arms around Zhou You's waist, buried his face against his abdomen, and said in a wheedling tone: "My fault, don't be angry. It's just that I like you too much. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so determined to marry you and keep you by my side. And remember, you were the one who started it."

Zhou You felt a tingling heat from Xing Hui's warm palms on his waist. He remained silent, pushed Xing Hui away, and reminded him: "Don't keep Father waiting."

Xing Hui didn't respond, like a man possessed. He forcefully pulled Zhou You into his arms, making him sit on his lap, then buried his face in Zhou You's neck. With his teeth, he worked loose the suppressant patch there, pressing his warm lips against the gland and sucking fiercely.

As an Alpha being treated like this by another Alpha, both physically and in terms of pheromones, Zhou You instinctively resisted. He tried to break free from Xing Hui's embrace but instead had his gland bitten. Then Xing Hui began flooding his gland with pheromones, attempting to mark him.

Alphas naturally repel each other. Zhou You's body struggled instinctively, and he drove an elbow into Xing Hui, finally breaking free from his control.

Zhou You covered his aching gland, his expression cold, and left with a remark: "You can't mark me." Then he turned and walked away.

Xing Hui licked his lips, glanced down at the prominent bulge between his legs, and knew he couldn't mark Zhou You. Even in bed, as fellow Alphas, they were fundamentally incompatible—often ending up fighting in the middle of intimacy.

But he was obsessed. Just the thought of Zhou You with tears at the corners of his eyes in bed made his breathing heavy. So, he had kept Zhou You by his side for five years, having sex relentlessly, all to get Zhou You accustomed to his pheromones. But Zhou You was too defiant and too distant.

Sometimes, he really wanted to tie Zhou You to the bed, strip him naked, and have him day and night, every moment.

How perfect that would be.

A dark glint flashed in Xing Hui's eyes. He stood up and said to the butler, "Tell my dad we're not going back tonight."

Then he walked in the direction Zhou You had left, removing his Inhibitor Bracelet.