Chapter 36: Brother, Is Your Husband Not Home?

Chapter 36: Brother, Is Your Husband Not Home?

Qi Zhengqing gripped the doorknob, his knuckles turning white and veins bulging on the back of his hand.

His assistant stood behind him, too afraid to utter a word. What had he just witnessed? Song Yuqing was Qi Zhengqing’s partner, yet he was touching his stepson’s waist and abdomen—what did that mean? Was Mr. Qi being cuckolded by his own stepson?

The Qi family certainly had some explaining to do.

Qi Zhengqing uttered a single word: "Leave."

Though brief, the assistant sensed a bone-chilling coldness in his tone.

Ye Siling had no idea what Song Yuqing was up to either. It had been quite some time since he last saw Song Yuqing, who hadn’t come to his desk.

After the monthly exam, it was highly likely that Song Yuqing would return home and run into that old man, Qi Zhengqing. As husbands, whatever they did together was to be expected. The mere thought of it made Ye Siling deeply uncomfortable.

Lately, he hadn't heard about Pei Huai making any moves. Ye Siling increasingly felt that Pei Huai was useless, yet he still waited for Pei Huai’s schemes. Showing his hand wouldn't be smart. The best strategy was to use Pei Huai as a pawn—let Pei Huai get rid of everyone around Song Yuqing. Pei Huai’s jealousy would surely earn Song Yuqing’s disdain. Waiting until Qi Zhengqing and Pei Huai had torn each other apart would be the optimal time for him to make his move.

Perhaps because he was thinking of Song Yuqing, Song Yuqing actually showed up at the lab. Ye Siling couldn’t help but glance his way.

Song Yuqing’s face was pale and tense, clearly in a bad mood. He arrived without greeting anyone or speaking a word, sitting down immediately to code.

A cold-faced kitten.

No, more like a sulky kitten.

Usually, he was just distant, but today he looked particularly upset, as if someone owed him millions.

88 was already used to it. After being tricked by that "Period Brother," Song Yuqing had been speaking very little these days.

Apart from working on his projects, whenever he had free time, Song Yuqing was busy figuring out how to destroy Period Brother. Given Song Yuqing’s vengeful nature, waiting five years for revenge was out of the question.

Lately, it seemed Song Yuqing had come up with a plan, spending his time coding whenever possible.

Ye Siling tried to start a conversation with a common topic. "How’s your preparation for the monthly exam going?"

It then occurred to Ye Siling that he still hadn’t exposed Song Yuqing as the livestreaming teacher.

He instinctively glanced at the collar of Song Yuqing’s school uniform, where there should have been a small burn hole. Instead, a sloppily sewn kitten now covered the spot.

Ye Siling: "…?"

Had his evidence been destroyed?

How was he supposed to expose Song Yuqing’s secret identity now?

His head spinning, Ye Siling finally registered Song Yuqing’s voice.

"Ready."

At that moment, Ye Siling hadn’t yet realized how serious the situation was.

It wasn’t until after the monthly exam results were released, with Song Yuqing taking first place, that Ye Siling fell silent.

Not only was Song Yuqing first, but he also won by a landslide, only losing a few points in each subject.

Almost every teacher and student in the school was stunned.

Ye Siling: "…"

Song Yuqing had stopped pretending, and Ye Siling’s genius halo had shattered. Now, that halo belonged entirely to Song Yuqing.

Yeah, sure. He wasn't jealous, not at all. Song Yuqing could even build robots—what was so strange about him acing an exam? Hah… He’s just skilled. If he’s so good, he should just practice more.

Pei Huai was also stunned. First place? Song Yuqing had taken first place. Did that mean he would return to the Aurora Class?

Would he have to change dorms too?

Victor’s class assignments weren’t fixed. They were rearranged after every monthly exam, with top performers moving up and poor performers moving down.

Seeing himself ranked last while Song Yuqing was first, Pei Huai felt like vomiting blood.

He never even saw Song Yuqing studying.

They played together, got into trouble together, and lost points together—yet Song Yuqing was the top of the class.

If it were anyone else, Pei Huai would have cursed. But since it was Song Yuqing, he could only praise him when their eyes met: "You're amazing."

For the first time, Pei Huai felt insecure. Clutching his own test paper, filled with F’s, he felt he wasn’t good enough for Song Yuqing.

Overnight, every student at Victor was plunged into self-doubt. Victor’s exams were notoriously difficult—even Ye Siling had never scored so high.

It was almost superhuman.

LZ: Are you saying the wife I always called a trophy wife scored first in the grade?

1L: I’m a clown.

6L: I’m a clown too.

26L: Great, I’ve been firmly pushed out of the Aurora Class by Song Yuqing. Now I have to go be a loser in the Intercontinental Class. Who would’ve thought someone from the Intercontinental Class could outperform us? Weren’t they all slackers? Tell me Song Yuqing studied hard, or I’ll lose the will to live.

127L: How did I ever dare to dream? Am I a toad lusting after swan meat?

136L: Actually, even before this, Song Yuqing’s looks and aura were swan-like. It’s just that his beauty was too overwhelming—simple academic achievements couldn’t overshadow the direct appeal of his appearance. It made people wish even more that he was just a trophy, wish he’d be tainted, wish to drag him into the mud and defile him over and over…

Destroying beauty, tainting beauty—that in itself is deeply captivating.

Song Yuqing didn’t care much about his grades. The pheromones Qi Zhengqing sent him were far more interesting.

They were S+ grade alpha pheromones, properly sealed and delivered as per his request.

There were 300ml in total—even more than Pei Huai’s.

Song Yuqing had thought Pei Huai’s 240ml was the maximum threshold for an alpha’s pheromones. He hadn’t expected Qi Zhengqing’s to exceed that.

Then again, perhaps Qi Zhengqing’s pheromones were simply more volatile.

According to the materials Song Yuqing had read, as alphas age, controlling their pheromones becomes more difficult. An accumulation of excess pheromones can cause physical issues and make mental instability more likely.

In such cases, alphas typically use Omegas or betas as tools to expel their excess pheromones.

Alphas seldom tolerate discomfort.

Of course, during pheromone loss of control, they can also regain rationality quickly by extracting pheromones to reduce their concentration.

Song Yuqing suspected that Qi Zhengqing might have experienced pheromone loss of control and extracted the pheromones for that reason.

An Alpha who had just finished pheromone extraction looked as if he had been drenched, as if pulled from water, soaked all over, the muscles on his exposed arms clearly defined. The surroundings were in chaos, and the attendant outside, after taking the item Qi Zhengqing had asked to be sent out, had been waiting outside, too afraid to enter.

They were terrified that going in might lead to an out-of-control Alpha in the midst of a psychic meltdown strangling them to death.

Qi Ran’s injuries had almost healed, and since Song Yuqing was returning to the Qi family, he naturally planned to go back with him.

However, Qi Ran felt somewhat anxious and, before heading home, asked the butler whether Qi Zhengqing was home.

Qi Ran had always been treated as invisible in the Qi household. In the past, he had hardly ever inquired about Qi Zhengqing’s whereabouts like this. His time spent at the Qi residence was also limited; due to Qi Zhengqing’s disdain, no one in the Qi family regarded him as a legitimate member of the family.

At this moment, since the true master of the Qi family was home, the butler naturally chose to ask Qi Zhengqing how to respond to Qi Ran’s question.

After a moment, Qi Zhengqing finally spoke, “Tell him I’m not home.”

“Clean my bedroom—Mr. Song will be returning. I’ll be going to the Fourth District. Let him stay in my room.”

Hearing this, the butler replied respectfully, “Yes, sir.”

It seemed that Mr. Song and Qi Ran were different. To receive such personal instructions from Mr. Qi, Mr. Qi must accept this partner.

It was only natural for Mr. Song to return and share a room with Mr. Qi.

Upon receiving the reply that Qi Zhengqing was not home, Qi Ran breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you sick?” Pei Huai reached out to feel Song Yuqing’s forehead, but Song Yuqing brushed his hand away.

Song Yuqing’s complexion looked pale today. With the recent autumn rain, the chill of the season had grown more intense, making it easy to fall ill in such weather.

Song Yuqing had also seemed very busy lately; the number of times Pei Huai had seen him could be counted on one hand.

Song Yuqing lowered his head slightly, long eyelashes casting shadows, inexplicably appearing vulnerable. “I’m not sick.”

Pei Huai was standing close, and the warm breath from Song Yuqing’s words brushed against his neck. Pei Huai froze for a moment, then inexplicably said, “Qingqing, what did you eat? You smell so good.”

Song Yuqing: “…”

Song Yuqing: “Get lost.”

Xiao Jinshi watched from the side, calculating something. Surprisingly, he didn’t start any drama today, nor did he chase after Song Yuqing calling him “Gege.” Instead, he picked up his things and left.

Song Yuqing and Qi Ran left, leaving only Pei Huai alone in the dormitory.

Ye Siling waited until evening but still hadn’t received any news from Pei Huai.

Unable to resist, he asked:

ysl: “If you don’t do something soon, you won’t even get to be the other man.”

Pei Huai, who had already climbed into the Qi residence, raised an eyebrow as he looked at the lit room on the third floor.

My Heart Leans Toward the Moon: “I’m already at the Qi residence, going to find my wife.”

ysl: “That’s Qi Zhengqing’s wife, not yours.”

After sending the message, Ye Siling also left the school. If Pei Huai could go, why couldn’t he? He was Song Yuqing’s senior—what was wrong with visiting his junior brother at night?

Mist hung in the air. In the bathroom, the person’s skin was strikingly pale, with a delicate pink flush where the hot water had touched it. The mist blurred the surroundings, making the Beta’s beauty seem even more unreal.

A slender neck, a graceful waist, and a pair of alluring shoulder blades.

Even just a blurred silhouette was enough to leave an unforgettable impression, making one want to embrace him from behind, kiss him, kiss every part of him like a work of art—most of all, his lips. A tall Alpha would hold him from behind, encircling him in his arms, lowering his head to steal a kiss.

After some thought, Pei Huai decided to enter through the first floor. He tiptoed quietly toward the third floor, not encountering anyone along the way.

The Qi residence was as silent as a graveyard, devoid of any signs of life, and he didn’t run into anyone.

When Song Yuqing first arrived at the Qi residence, he had felt the same way—no signs of life. The butler and servants would even leave the property after 8 p.m.

It was a strange rule, as if the place was full of taboos—or perhaps Qi Zhengqing had many taboos.

Song Yuqing didn’t dwell on it further. After his shower, while waiting for his hair to dry, he tested something on the computer the butler had provided.

After sending the file, he clicked on it again, and the computer froze completely. Song Yuqing repeatedly tried to restore the infected computer, but it remained unresponsive. Only then did he smile faintly.

But 88 knew that someone was about to be in trouble.

Song Yuqing opened the chat window with “。” and sent the virus-infected file to “。”

88: “What if he doesn’t accept it or open it?”

Song Yuqing: “He will.”

Period was confident in his skills—otherwise, he wouldn’t have waited in the alley for him, timing it just right, and quickly leaving the moment he was discovered.

He enjoyed the thrill of almost being caught, loved challenging puzzles. Even if he knew it was a virus, he would open it.

After sending the file, Song Yuqing looked up and saw a familiar face outside the floor-to-ceiling glass door.

Xiao Jinshi spoke to Song Yuqing, “Brother, isn’t your husband home?”

“Let me keep you company, okay?”

Song Yuqing: “…”

*Crash!*

A loud noise came from downstairs. Qi Ran, who had been doing homework, hurried downstairs at the sound. With only him and Song Yuqing in the house, Qi Ran was worried that someone might have broken in, threatening Song Yuqing’s safety.

Following the crash, there was a *click*.

Qi Ran quickened his pace, rushing downstairs and into the room, where he saw Pei Huai, who had broken into Song Yuqing’s bedroom.

Also present was Xiao Jinshi, who seemed to have entered from the balcony through the sliding glass door. Xiao Jinshi had clearly already been hit by Song Yuqing and was clutching a pillow, his gaze intently fixed on Song Yuqing.

Song Yuqing turned to look at Pei Huai, his eyes sweeping over him lightly. Pei Huai had a gut feeling that things were about to go south.

Xiao Jinshi had ruined his plans. He hadn’t dared to come in through the window, planning instead to sneak in after Song Yuqing fell asleep to watch over him while he slept.

Song Yuqing: “What are you doing here?”

“I…” Pei Huai glanced around. “Your husband isn’t here? So you’re sleeping alone tonight? I can warm the bed for you.”

Song Yuqing: “…”

Outside the door, Qi Ran clenched his fists, but he didn’t dare to speak. The last time he had spoken against Pei Huai, Song Yuqing had been very displeased with him. He couldn’t afford to argue with Song Yuqing again.

But with so many Alphas eyeing him covetously...

Pei Huai had always been close to Song Yuqing. If Song Yuqing really decided to let Pei Huai stay, he...

Qi Ran lowered his head, his eyes clouded with gloom, and left.

Unable to suppress his anger downstairs, he dialed Qi Zhengqing's number and said, "Are you ever coming back? If you don't return soon, your wife will end up with someone else."

Author's Note:

Song Yuqing: How generous of you, even clearing the place specially.

Da Qi: ...