Chapter 118: Clinging

Chapter 118: Clinging On

Catching a glimpse of the pill, the alpha swiftly cupped it in his palm and tucked it away.

Assistant: "..."

Great. Not only was his boss out of favor, but even lowly assistants like him were getting the cold shoulder.

Qi Zhengqing's assistant didn't linger long before departing.

Coal Ball had already been sent back by Qi Zhengqing, leaving Song Yuqing once again idle. The only sound in the room was the cartoon still playing on the screen.

Song Yuqing closed his eyes, trying to recall the medicine Qi Zhengqing had hidden.

He finally pinpointed it: a drug designed to rapidly induce calm and reduce aggression after an alpha's psychic outburst.

It was a medication developed by the Tan family, named "Jingxi No. 9" because it was the ninth generation of the drug.

However, taking Jingxi No. 9 typically led to impaired consciousness, and long-term use could result in dependency.

Qi Zhengqing had suffered a psychic outburst.

Was it because of him?

When?

Since Song Yuqing had woken up, Qi Zhengqing had been by his side most of the time. It couldn't have been caused by their recent argument.

That left only one explanation: Qi Zhengqing must have had the outburst when he saw those photos.

Song Yuqing fell silent again, making no effort to communicate with Qi Zhengqing.

The two remained in a state of strained silence. During the day, with people and the cat around, the hospital room’s atmosphere wasn't as stifling. But now, it felt oppressively heavy, almost suffocating.

Late that night, thinking Song Yuqing was asleep, Qi Zhengqing went to adjust the blankets, only to have his wrist abruptly seized by Song Yuqing.

In the darkness, Qi Zhengqing’s dark eyes held an almost tangible intensity, piercing the heavy gloom to fix on Song Yuqing’s face.

Song Yuqing’s expression was cold, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Sit down."

Qi Zhengqing leaned in, gently pressing his forehead against Song Yuqing’s. "I was wrong. Don’t be angry."

"My thoughts were too extreme. It was my fault. Forgive me, okay?"

He no longer asked about love, nor did he force Song Yuqing to protect himself. He let go, granting Song Yuqing complete freedom and respecting his wishes.

As long as Song Yuqing was willing to return to him when weary.

As long as Song Yuqing no longer pushed him away, whether there was love or not truly didn't matter so much.

After all, Song Yuqing had never loved him before.

Continuing in this ambiguous, undefined way wasn’t necessarily bad.

Occasionally, Qi Zhengqing would display his alpha dominance and possessiveness in front of Song Yuqing, but more often, they interacted naturally, on equal footing—at least, that’s how it was before his injury.

But such humility and caution were unprecedented.

Song Yuqing, too, felt uneasy. "Sit down."

He repeated expressionlessly, "I’m uncomfortable. Don’t make me force you. Take off your shirt."

The alpha’s gland was covered in needle marks, red and swollen, clearly indicating that his pheromone levels had not returned to normal.

An abnormal psychic outburst, requiring over a dozen sedative injections to pull the alpha back from the brink.

Qi Zhengqing's already limited lifespan was now even more compromised.

At this moment, Song Yuqing found it impossible to blame Qi Zhengqing.

He even felt a flicker of empathy for the alpha who had gone mad because of his injury.

He was the one who had driven Qi Zhengqing to this.

He pushed Qi Zhengqing to the edge, yet still expected him to remain rational.

His fingers gently prodded the alpha’s swollen gland, his eyes downcast as he asked, "Does it hurt?"

Qi Zhengqing, seeing Song Yuqing lower his head, felt a pang shoot through his chest. He pulled Song Yuqing into his arms and kissed his brows. "It doesn’t hurt."

"It wasn’t because of you. All alphas go through this—psychic outbursts are something every alpha experiences."

Song Yuqing: "Hmm."

"Then you deserve it," Song Yuqing said bluntly.

Qi Zhengqing: "..."

Qi Zhengqing lowered his head and nuzzled against the young man in his arms. "Yeah, I deserve it."

Only at this moment, with Song Yuqing in his embrace and no longer rejecting his touch, did the alpha, who had been driven to the brink of madness, finally relax.

"Next time, don’t do this. I’ll live—I’ll find a way to survive."

"I’ll come back to you, understand?"

"You have to believe me."

Song Yuqing tilted his head back slightly, his gaze fixed on the alpha, his tone leaving no room for doubt or rebuttal.

Not a single word spoke of love, yet Qi Zhengqing’s heart felt completely filled by Song Yuqing’s words.

Song Yuqing wasn't without affection for him.

Song Yuqing cared about his well-being, too.

Just as he cared about him.

Unwilling to abandon his goals, but willing to find a way back to see him.

"I’ll listen to you," Qi Zhengqing said, leaning in to kiss Song Yuqing’s lips.

Song Yuqing stopped him. "Take your medicine first. No more kissing."

"Hurry up, I’m watching you," Song Yuqing urged, his eyes fixed on the alpha.

Qi Zhengqing took the medicine under Song Yuqing’s unwavering, domineering gaze.

"Can I sleep here with you?" Qi Zhengqing asked again, longing to hold Song Yuqing a little longer.

Song Yuqing was about to nod when Qi Zhengqing held his neck. "Let me see if your neck has healed."

The alpha gently lifted Song Yuqing's chin, examining the faint pink, tender scar on his neck. The new skin that had grown on his slender, pale neck looked like a peach blossom petal.

Song Yuqing raised his chin slightly in the other's grasp, the line of his neck tensed straighter. "Stop touching, it doesn’t hurt."

"It doesn’t hurt now, but it did before." Qi Zhengqing’s thumb gently brushed over it.

"It wasn’t that painful anyway."

"Let’s sleep." His pale face showed little expression. Song Yuqing stared at Qi Zhengqing for two seconds before pulling him under the covers.

Having dealt with the overly meddlesome alpha, Qi Zhengqing, Song Yuqing was clearly in a better mood, naturally settling into a comfortable position in Qi Zhengqing’s arms to sleep.

Strong-willed, unreasonable, and self-centered—that was Song Yuqing, Qi Zhengqing thought.

But being dragged under the covers by such a domineering kitten felt incredibly reassuring, the comfort of something lost and found again.

The previous arguments, the cold war—none of it seemed important anymore.

Feeling the solid weight and warmth in his arms, listening to the gradually even and steady breathing, Qi Zhengqing tightened his embrace, completely and securely enveloping Song Yuqing.

A weighty warmth seeped slowly from their touching skin into his heart.

Gu Ling came to report to Song Yuqing on the final decisions of the council members.

Almost everyone had unanimously chosen not to provoke Song Yuqing anymore and to obediently follow orders.

They even sent several alphas to protect Song Yuqing’s personal safety at all times.

Song Yuqing glanced at the alphas who had come with Gu Ling—all S-class alphas, clearly specially trained.

Song Yuqing studied them more closely.

A flicker passed through Gu Ling's eyes. "If you don’t need them, I’ll send them back. I can arrange suitable bodyguards for your safety."

The old bastards in the council had no good intentions—the alphas they sent were all strong, well-built, and good-looking.

It was almost as if they were explicitly sending them to Song Yuqing’s bed.

A clumsy and undignified tactic; unable to deal with Song Yuqing, they resorted to sending pillow talk operatives.

Song Yuqing closed the files on the alphas and coolly lifted his eyelids. "Send them back."

The alphas: "..."

The fastest rejection on record.

If he dared use people sent by those dogs, he’d truly be recklessly careless.

Though the people were sent back, the council did not relax their surveillance on Song Yuqing.

Song Yuqing’s report, along with that mass of psychic energy, was enough to intimidate.

The council members were almost completely duped by Song Yuqing.

During Song Yuqing’s hospitalization, New Zhou intercepted and eliminated three groups of Sri Lanzhou agents attempting to kill Song Yuqing while he was ill.

New Zhou’s intelligence agency even received word that Song Yuqing had been listed as the number one target on Sri Lanzhou’s assassination list.

Killing Song Yuqing would yield a huge reward.

New Zhou became even more convinced of Song Yuqing’s importance. Sri Lanzhou likely had similar technology; otherwise, why would they be so determined to kill him?

Goddamn it, wanting Song Yuqing’s life was like wanting their lives.

Xiao Jinshi, listening nearby, understood the situation and smiled faintly. The last person fooled by Song Yuqing like this was his father.

And his father? Dead.

These old fools had better obey, or they could end up dead like his father.

While reviewing the report, Song Yuqing felt that although these dogs were usually unreliable and full of boasts during meetings, they weren’t complete incompetents.

When tasked to do something properly, they could actually do it well.

They just needed to be kept in line now and then.

On the day Song Yuqing was discharged, the first batch of military robots also arrived at the military district, beginning the first round of human-robot coordination training.

Pei Wei asked Song Yuqing if he wanted to observe the training, as this was the human-robot combat unit Song Yuqing had invested significant money and resources in.

Song Yuqing had no intention of watching the training for now.

"Not yet. I’ll take someone over once the training is more advanced."

"Pei Huai’s robot won’t arrive for another couple of days; he’s not included in this batch."

He had promised Pei Huai before to have one made for him, so this time, during the robot allocation, Pei Huai would receive his.

Two birds with one stone—saves money.

88: "Qingqing is smart!"

Keeping an alpha happy didn’t cost much.

Song Yuqing smiled. Pei Huai’s robot was likely only usable by Pei Huai himself, tailored specifically to his psychic energy.

And Pei Huai was one of only two S+-class alphas in New Zhou.

Naturally, they had to find a way to maximize Pei Huai’s strength on the battlefield.

A good blade should be used to its maximum potential.

At home, he received another new recording tape. Song Yuqing studied the tape box for a while, played it, and at 44 minutes and 3 seconds, he began to jot down observations.

After watching, Song Yuqing’s eyes turned colder.

Sri Lanzhou was constantly making underhanded moves, trying to let New Zhou and West Land Continent fight first while they watched from the sidelines, waiting to profit from the conflict and draining New Zhou’s strength.

But Song Yuqing wasn’t too worried—they could use West Land Continent as a whetstone.

To sharpen this new army.

In the military district,

Pei Huai’s special operations team was named "Blade."

"Blade" was created by Song Yuqing and Pei Wei.

Each alpha in "Blade" is top-tier, trained under the most rigorous conditions, all aimed at building the first military robot unit.

Every alpha was assigned a robot, and even the most composed among them were visibly excited.

After all, these were young alphas who hadn’t yet seen real combat.

The alphas stepped up one by one to bind with their robots, the air filled with the faint, shifting pheromones of top-tier alphas, buzzing with excitement and anticipation.

Only Pei Huai stayed put.

Once everyone had theirs, Pei Huai: "?"

Nothing for me?

Was he the only one left out?

Did his marshal father overlook him when distributing the robots?

It never crossed Pei Huai’s mind that his councilor wife might be the one who didn't assign him a robot—he was always quick to blame his dad for any slip-up.

Pei Huai: "Report, sir! I still haven’t been assigned a robot!"

In an instant, all the alphas turned to look at Pei Huai, their looks tinged with pity.

Thanks to gossip that had been going around, Pei Huai’s image had already been cast as that of an alpha who’d been cheated on—chasing after his wife only to come back and embrace the humiliation, training till late every night, ranting about winning glory for her. A lost cause with a cuckold complex.

Tough as nails, sure, but a total simp—no saving him.

Now, with no robot assigned to him, the others’ looks of sympathy only deepened.

When it rains, it pours. Despite being ranked first in overall performance, Pei Huai was left out—truly hopeless.

The drill instructor glanced at Pei Huai. "You don’t have one."

Pei Huai: "No way."

Would Song Yuqing really hold out on him? Even if no one else got one, he should.

The alpha shot him a warning look. "Now, everyone, move on to the next drill. Pei Huai, remain here!"

This alpha was Pei Wei’s subordinate—someone Pei Huai had even peed on as a child, so they went way back.

But military training was no joke. Aside from occasional leniency from Pei Wei, Pei Huai got it worse in the army than any other alpha.

The alpha: "Follow orders. If you run off again over some little fit, you know the consequences."

Pei Huai: "..."

Pei Huai muttered, "My wife still wants me, right? Is my dad messing with me? He always holds me back, making it look like my wife abandoned me."

The alpha: "..."

The alpha didn’t know what had happened higher up that led to Pei Huai not getting a robot, but Pei Huai’s habit of blaming his father made him roll his eyes for a moment.

During the afternoon training, all the alphas in "Blade" were getting familiar with their robots, while Pei Huai continued with standard drills.

During break, some glanced toward Pei Huai.

"How did he get so unlucky? Sure, his mental strength is top-notch, but..."

"He’s a Pei—worry about yourself."

"Still training with us, without even a robot. And the army values military merits, not whose son you are. If he’s not the brightest, can he lead in the future?"

Though the words seemed dismissive of Pei Huai, they made others fall silent.

Who cared whose son he was? Pei Huai might not be clever, but what if his father could steal credit and give it to him?

Some ambitious alphas harbored mixed thoughts.

Those without agendas stayed quiet.

"His father can’t possibly have a grudge against him, not giving him a robot, right?"

"Then who else would withhold it?"

"Song Yuqing, maybe. He developed our robots—his authority is no less than Pei Huai’s father’s."

Many alphas didn’t know about Pei Huai and Song Yuqing’s relationship.

Some believed Song Yuqing’s influence would keep Pei Huai in check, while others with ulterior motives saw themselves as potential blades for Song Yuqing in the army—a path to rapid promotion and currying favor with the beauty.

When Pei Huai rejoined the group, he noticed the change in how they looked at him—coldness from many alphas, palpable even without trying to sense it.

But Pei Huai didn’t care. Unless it was Song Yuqing, why would he care what they thought?

If it were Song Yuqing giving him the silent treatment, that would be even better.

Nothing was more thrilling than when Song Yuqing laid into him with a frosty expression.

The kind of thrill that turned an alpha on.

Another day spent pining for Song Yuqing.

Pei Huai sat alone on the steps, dazed. Like a large dog, he perched on the cold concrete, his tall figure appearing lonely and isolated in the empty grounds.

He was like an unyielding block of ice—cold and lethal, a blade honed to sharpness. Without Song Yuqing, his edge was fully exposed.

Author's Note:

Pei Dog: Looks like you really want to live off someone—even aiming for my wife.

Some Alpha: You do it too.

Pei Dog: So what?

Song Qingqing crooks a finger: Pei Huai, dinner.

Pei Dog happily runs back to his wife's side.