Chapter 53

Chapter 53

An Nuo's attitude shifted abruptly, a complete turnaround that left Lu Yunyan utterly bewildered, let alone able to guess the reason.

What was that all about?

It made no sense.

Could it really be about the marking?

But if An Nuo intended to refuse, he could just say so tomorrow—why all this drama?

Lu Yunyan needed answers and asked directly, "Are you upset because I suggested marking you?"

An Nuo quickly replied, "I'm not upset."

Was he upset?

An Nuo wasn't sure. He felt he wasn't angry, just a bit disappointed, which made him act a little moody.

But wasn't that normal?

Everyone has emotions.

Everyone has moments when they're moody.

"You say you're not upset, but your tone sounds pretty annoyed."

An Nuo tried to create distance, but Lu Yunyan closed the gap, moving right up to him.

Still, Lu Yunyan didn't overthink it, guessing that An Nuo might still be in the clingy phase after his heat.

Their time together these past few days had shown Lu Yunyan that An Nuo was an omega with relatively high emotional needs, so it was normal for him to be a bit clingy for a while longer.

Lu Yunyan said, "If you're really not upset, how about a hug?"

During his heat, An Nuo liked kisses; after his heat, he preferred hugs.

Having grown accustomed to such closeness, Lu Yunyan was starting to feel withdrawal symptoms from the sudden cold treatment.

And as Lu Yunyan's scent washed over him, An Nuo's heart fluttered. For a moment, he wavered, then softened, almost defenseless, on the verge of giving in.

Fortunately, his heat had passed.

Reason finally had the strength to battle instinct.

"No... you can't!"

An Nuo lifted his foot and planted it against Lu Yunyan's face, pushing him away.

"..."

Lu Yunyan wasn't angry. It wasn't the first time An Nuo had used his foot to keep him at bay, and frankly, he quite liked it.

Lu Yunyan asked again, "Is it because I came back late?"

"I told you, I'm not upset."

"..."

But no matter how he listened, it sounded like An Nuo was upset. Lu Yunyan felt like scratching his head in frustration.

Even the most capable alpha could feel helpless when faced with the omega he loved.

After thinking it over, he still felt the marking issue was the most likely cause.

Lu Yunyan said, "If it really is about the marking, you don't need to feel pressured."

Though Lu Yunyan himself would be deeply disappointed.

"If you're unwilling, I completely understand. I'd never force you."

But none of this addressed the real issue. An Nuo grew increasingly irritated and couldn't help retorting, "Is that a threat? How would you force me anyway—by raping me?"

Lu Yunyan: ...

Though Lu Yunyan wouldn't mind such play and might even look forward to it, actually going through with it was out of the question—it crossed moral boundaries.

Lu Yunyan admitted he was at fault. He had corrupted An Nuo and was now facing the consequences, left speechless for once.

"Of course it's not a threat," Lu Yunyan explained awkwardly. "I just want to know why you're upset with me."

"I told you, I'm not upset."

An Nuo insisted, "Being close to you affects my ability to think objectively. That's why I asked you to keep your distance... Don't you believe me? Don't you respect my opinion? Are you just ignoring it?"

"..."

Suddenly, the intensity escalated.

Not only was he upset, but he was also taking the moral high ground, pointing fingers.

It sounded exaggerated—surely it wasn't that serious.

But if he had to admit it, there was some truth to it, even if it was a bit of an overreaction.

Could Lu Yunyan accuse An Nuo of overreacting?

If he did, An Nuo would probably get even angrier.

Lu Yunyan tried to push back, "Is it really that serious?"

An Nuo shot back, "I should be asking—do my words mean so little to you?"

"..."

Alright, it was time to stop.

It seemed An Nuo had his own triggers and sensitive spots. Once provoked, he turned into a prickly little pufferfish.

"Of course not. I absolutely respect every choice you make."

Lu Yunyan first clarified his stance, then added, "As long as you're not upset, I'll give you plenty of time to think tonight. I won't rush you anymore."

With that, Lu Yunyan truly distanced himself from An Nuo, creating a clear boundary between them.

Yet, in An Nuo's eyes, whatever Lu Yunyan did was wrong.

Getting too close showed a lack of respect for his opinions, as if his words didn't matter.

And when he truly distanced himself, it became cold, unfeeling rationality.

Just look at him.

This is how Lu Yunyan operates—a master of restraint, able to advance and retreat at will. He looks full of deep affection and doting indulgence, but when it's time to pull back, he can withdraw instantly, completely unaffected.

An Nuo burrowed under the covers. After keeping his distance from Lu Yunyan, he was genuinely angry now, and could no longer fool himself.

Damn alpha.

Die, just die.

That night, an angry An Nuo had a rage-filled dream.

In the dream, it was three years later, during their divorce, but this time it was Lu Yunyan clutching his leg, weeping bitterly, sorrowfully begging him not to leave.

But the dream An Nuo remained cold. Not only did he refuse, but he also savagely beat Lu Yunyan, leaving him beaten within an inch of his life, crawling on the floor.

Perhaps because he got it out of his system in the dream, An Nuo felt somewhat better when he woke up the next day.

He wasn't as hung up on Lu Yunyan's cold attitude toward divorce and could finally think clearly about the "marking" matter.

Though this rationality led to the most irrational outcome.

Because An Nuo didn't wrestle with it much and directly leaned toward agreeing.

The reason was simple.

It was purely to help Lu Yunyan's recovery.

An Nuo didn't want Lu Yunyan to suffer and wanted to do whatever he could for him.

When he realized this, even An Nuo himself thought it was ridiculous.

It's true what they say—some lines shouldn't be crossed.

Once crossed, already confused feelings become even murkier, severely impacting An Nuo's personal rationality.

But how could he not be affected?

So many kisses, embraces, and sweet words had given him tremendous emotional fulfillment, letting him know what it felt like to be treasured and cherished by someone.

And they had crossed all boundaries, shared the most intimate moments.

Even without the influence of pheromones, even if he successfully broke free from withdrawal symptoms later, Lu Yunyan would forever remain a uniquely special presence in his heart.

He would always remember Lu Yunyan, never forgetting him for the rest of his life.

Could this be real feelings?

Unable to disentangle the influence of pheromones, An Nuo found it difficult to be sure.

But if it really was, it was way too bitter.

No one had ever told him that infatuation could feel so bitter.

Especially when facing real feelings doomed to fail, it was so painful it was agony.

All day, An Nuo was preoccupied with this, unable to focus on work, his efficiency abysmal.

Two hours before the end of the workday, Tao Si appeared out of nowhere and walked up to An Nuo: "An Nuo, there are several urgent documents at the company in the SW district that need to be picked up. Go get them."

An Nuo looked up in surprise: "...Huh?"

Not only was he stunned, but Lenny and Sean were equally surprised when they heard.

The SW district was incredibly far from here, and due to different regional policies, private aircraft were not allowed to land, and corporate aircraft required advance authorization—so An Nuo would have to go by car. Just getting there would take over two hours, making it impossible to return before the end of the workday.

It was clearly a real chore of an errand.

An Nuo was still processing this: "...Go now? I probably won't be able to get back before the end of the workday, right?"

Tao Si said officiously: "Don't worry, these documents won't be needed until tomorrow morning's meeting."

That meant it was basically working overtime.

But such a distant location, with no telling when he'd return—who would want to go right before the end of the workday?

Sean glanced at An Nuo a few times but showed no particular reaction and went back to his own work.

Lenny's sympathy was barely concealed. He had previously thought An Nuo was lucky, with opportunities to shine coming his way.

But now, crappy tasks were also landing squarely on him. It seemed luck had its balance.

An Nuo hesitated for a moment, not responding immediately.

"An Nuo, do you have an issue with this arrangement? Are you unwilling to go?"

An Nuo quickly replied: "...Of course not."

Tao Si mentally cursed himself, thinking he deserved to die a thousand deaths. Not only had he failed to curry favor, but he was also forced to play the role of the evil villain again.

Tao Si urged: "Don't worry, the company will arrange a company car to take you. These documents are highly confidential and must not be leaked, which is why we always send someone to pick them up. Hurry up and go, don't waste time, or it'll be very late by the time you get back."

Preoccupied with heavy thoughts, An Nuo didn't pick up on Tao Si's tone and nodded dumbly in agreement: "...Okay, I'll go now."

"Mm, hurry up. I'll send you the company car number."

"...Okay."

But it wasn't until he stepped into the elevator that An Nuo finally realized something was off.

They were sending him on an errand?

And it was Tao Si who notified him—wasn't it obvious this was Lu Yunyan's idea?

But weren't they supposed to have dinner with Lu Yunyan's parents tonight?

What would they eat by the time he got back? A late-night snack?

And to such a faraway place—

It sounded like intern-level work, but if the documents were so important, was it really okay to entrust them to an intern?

Were they really not afraid the intern would screw up?

Could it be that the arguments from last night and the one-sided cold shoulder he gave Lu Yunyan this morning had upset him?

So he was flexing his power to get his attention?

An Nuo didn't think Lu Yunyan was such a petty alpha, but it was highly likely that he was up to no good.

An Nuo took out his phone, opened the chat window with Lu Yunyan to ask about his whereabouts, and half-heartedly got into the car arranged by the company.

An Nuo: "I didn't see you today. Where did you go?"

Continuing to type: Was it you who sent me on an errand to 'sw'? Do you know how far that place is?

Just before hitting send, Lu Yunyan's voice came from the front seat: "I'm right here."

An Nuo was startled, his whole body jolting.

He quickly looked up and only then did he realize that the driver of the so-called company-arranged car was none other than Lu Yunyan himself.

"...What are you doing here?!"

Lu Yunyan smiled, thinking that this time he had actually managed to surprise him.

However, what awaited him was An Nuo's angry tirade: "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

"..."

"You're going to scare me to death!"

For now, the moment of confused attraction was set aside, replaced by a wave of real murderous rage. An Nuo wanted to punch Lu Yunyan right then and there.