Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Lin Ze had just arrived home when, as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, a heavy rain began to pour.

Lin Ze ran into Fu Zhi in the foyer. Lin Ze asked, "Why did he come back so early today?"

Fu Zhi replied, "The General doesn't like this weather."

Lin Ze already knew the reason, so he didn't press further. Instead, he said, "It's pouring outside. Would you like to stay in the guest room for the night?"

Fu Zhi said, "My wife and child are waiting for me at home. It's better to be with them on an awful night like this."

"Alright, be careful on the road."

After taking a shower, Lin Ze noticed the alpha wasn't in the bedroom.

By midnight, the thunder grew louder, but the alpha still hadn't entered the bedroom. Had he left without Lin Ze noticing? Lin Ze threw on a robe and went downstairs. A maid was dozing off in the kitchen. Lin Ze called out to her, "Why aren't you sleeping in your room?"

"I'm afraid the General might call. On nights like this, he sometimes needs sedatives delivered in the middle of the night."

"Sedatives?"

"Why does he need them?"

"We don't really know. Ever since we started working here, Assistant Fu has instructed us to do this."

Lin Ze nodded, "...Give me the medicine."

Lin Ze took the medicine and went to the study. The door was unlocked, so he gently pushed it open.

Behind a screen partition was a daybed. Lin Ze vaguely made out a silhouette.

As Lin Ze approached, the alpha was lying with his back to him, seemingly asleep.

Lin Ze quietly crouched beside the daybed and kept watch over him.

Although the maid hadn't explained why sedatives were needed on such nights, Lin Ze could roughly guess it was due to the psychological trauma left from when he was five years old.

Lin Ze had also lost both parents when he was ten, but he was fortunate to have met a mentor. But him...

No wonder he didn't inform his family when he got married. No wonder his personality turned out this way.

Lin Ze reached out, wanting to touch him, but felt it was inappropriate.

This was something his real wife should do, not him...

Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, a deafening roar of thunder suddenly erupted outside, as if piercing through the thick walls and striking right above their heads. Accompanied by lightning, Lin Ze shuddered in fright.

The sleeping alpha turned over, his face frighteningly pale and ashen, cold sweat streaming down his resolute cheeks.

Was he having a nightmare...

"Don't be afraid... don't be afraid..." Lin Ze placed his soft hand on the alpha's face, soothing him over and over, "Xiu Jin..."

Whether it was because the thunder had passed or his comforting had worked, the alpha's expression gradually softened. Lin Ze let out a sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to shyly withdraw the hand still stroking the alpha's cheek, his wrist was suddenly gripped with force.

The alpha opened his dark eyes, staring intently at him.

Lin Ze became flustered, "You... you're awake..."

"I..."

The next moment, Lin Ze felt the world spin. He was pulled onto the daybed, and a sweat-drenched head burrowed into his embrace, rubbing against his cheek, almost obsessively sniffing the scent on him.

Lin Ze's cheeks flushed slightly. Sometimes, Lin Ze felt like the alpha treated him as a mother, even though he himself was a male alpha.

"...Are you feeling unwell?" Lin Ze asked softly, "Do you need medicine?"

There was no answer, but his shirt buttons were rubbed open. A shy place was eagerly taken into the alpha's mouth, sucked hungrily and forcefully, as if trying to draw something out...

Lin Ze felt embarrassed, but then he thought about the animal kingdom—when young are scared, they hide in their mother's embrace. So, he actively arched his back to offer himself.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here with you..." Lin Ze endured his embarrassment and spoke gently and softly.

The alpha suddenly stopped his movements, lifted his ink-black eyes, and fixed him with a heavy stare.

Lin Ze grew nervous, thinking he had said something wrong.

"I mean..."

Before he could finish, he was cut off.

The alpha cupped the back of his head and kissed him.

*

During breakfast, a maid glanced at Lin Ze and suddenly smiled happily, "Sir, did you put something on your lips? They're so red, really beautiful."

Lin Ze felt self-conscious, "No, I didn't."

"Then why are they so red? Could it be..." The maid widened her eyes.

Before she could voice her speculation, Lin Ze hurriedly left.

Driving through a tunnel, the car window turned into a mirror. Lin Ze saw his lips were red and slightly swollen.

Lin Ze reached out and touched them.

He absentmindedly recalled the scene from last night when the man had kissed him.

Then he felt ashamed and at a loss.

Kissing wasn't something they should be doing between them...

Arriving at the school, Lin Ze received a private message from Lu Mo.

- Ji Ran feels like he's being followed.

- Let's meet at noon.

- Is your husband still driving you?

Lin Ze was stunned for a moment, then felt embarrassed.

He hadn't wanted Lu Mo and Lin Zhuo to know about his marriage to Li Xiujin, but he hadn't been able to hide it from them. Now, Lu Mo could even calmly ask such a question... as if they were a real married couple.

- No.

Lu Mo replied that he understood.

If he waited until after school was over to meet Lu Mo, he'd definitely be spotted, so Lin Ze had no choice but to give up his lunch break now.

They met up at a pretty out-of-the-way restaurant near the school.

"These people keeling over one after another means they know we're investigating the wristband. That rich kid's already dead, so we've hit a dead end. Ji Ran's not a big deal to them either; no need to wipe him out." After analyzing the situation, Lu Mo turned to Ji Ran and asked, "Maybe you're just seeing things?"

Ji Ran was bundled up, with only his eyes showing. "No way! Someone's tailing me for sure. I can feel it."

Lu Mo said, "But why would they?"

Lin Ze said, "Then lay low for a while. Stick with Lu Mo for now."

Ji Ran shook his head. "Of course not. I have to work. I have younger siblings to support."

"I've got my own stuff going on too. I can't babysit him 24/7."

"Colonel, how about we get him a self-defense weapon?"

Lin Ze nodded.

"A knife's no good. He's not as good as you are. He'd get himself killed before he got close." Lu Mo suggested, "How about we get him a gun?"

Ji Ran's eyes lit up.

"But we're not licensed to carry anymore." Lu Mo's expression fell, then he thought of something. "Colonel, your husband should have one, right?"

"Yeah."

When the gun came up, Lin Ze did think of his alpha, but...

"Getting it from him probably isn't an option."

Ji Ran asked, "But I thought you guys were good? Why wouldn't it work?"

Good terms... Lin Ze had no idea where he got that from. Hiding his unease, he said, "I'll get you a gun ASAP. Just be careful in the meantime."

"Never mind. If you can't, it's cool. I'll just grab something to defend myself with. Truth is, I'm tired of living. I'm just worried about those two little brats. If I buy it, you gotta make sure they're taken care of." Ji Ran smiled.

"We won't let anything happen to you," Lin Ze said seriously.

The conversation ended just before Lin Ze's afternoon class. After class, he left school, ducked into a remote alley, and got in a car, and stared out the window, lost in thought.

Getting a gun from his alpha was obviously the easiest way, but Lin Ze wasn't having it.

He didn't want his alpha in the know. He didn't want to drag him into danger. This mess had nothing to do with him. After he gave birth—if he really could give birth—the two of them would dissolve their marriage.

His alpha came home in the middle of the night. Lin Ze opened his eyes to find him right there, staring down at him with an unreadable look...

"...Can't sleep?" Lin Ze's heart skipped a beat.

"What did you have for lunch?"

"The cafeteria." Lin Ze lied, on edge. He hadn't had time for lunch, just a glass of water.

The alpha kept staring, like he was waiting for more.

Feeling self-conscious, Lin Ze started unbuttoning his shirt.

But the alpha's gaze suddenly turned icy.

Lin Ze grew even more anxious and confused. He seemed into it yesterday, so why the cold shoulder now...

*

Lin Ze was racking his brains about the gun issue for two days and finally thought of someone. Again, during his lunch break, Lin Ze took a car to visit the person at his home. The person lived in a remote area. From the outside, it looked like an elegant, tasteful little villa with an antique charm.

A ten-year-old child stopped Lin Ze at the door. "Godfather isn't home today."

Lin Ze bent down and patted the child's head. "Go tell him it's a brother with the surname Lin looking for him."

The child, with clear black-and-white eyes, looked at Lin Ze for a moment, then ran inside with quick steps. After a while, he ran back panting. "Godfather says you can come in."

The villa looked elegant on the outside, but inside were bloody things like knives and guns. A middle-aged man with messy hair, wearing dirty clothes and reading glasses, fiddled with something without looking up.

"You wouldn't come without a reason. Speak, what do you want?"

Lin Ze spoke somewhat awkwardly, "Uncle Lin, I want a gun."

"What do you need a gun for?"

"A friend is in danger. I want him to have it for self-defense."

"Your friend is in danger? I think you're the one in the most danger." Uncle Lin finally looked up and snorted a laugh.

"I can handle it."

Uncle Lin finally looked up. "You came at a bad time. I was just raided yesterday. I don't have anything on hand right now."

Lin Ze looked at him.

"Don't look at me like that. I don't know which bastard reported me. Yesterday, a team from above came and almost turned my place upside down."

"How did they find you?"

Lin Ze frowned. Uncle Lin was actually his teacher's uncle. On the first day Lin Ze became an adult, his teacher brought him to Uncle Lin and begged him to make a dagger for Lin Ze. Because he was involved in a gray-market business, he was always very cautious. This kind of situation had never happened before.

"Probably because of the change in leadership above. Luckily, I'm fine. As long as the green hills remain, there'll be no shortage of firewood."

But Lin Ze wasn't convinced. Leadership had changed back and forth so many times, why now of all times?

Knowing that Uncle Lin disliked being disturbed, Lin Ze was about to leave when Uncle Lin suddenly called him back and chuckled meaningfully, "Why go through so much trouble to find me? If you want a gun, just ask your husband, wouldn't that be easier?"

Lin Ze didn't know how he knew and remained silent.

"You kid, hiding such a big thing like getting married from me."

The child who had been eavesdropping on the adults' conversation looked up and asked Lin Ze innocently, "What's getting married?"

Lin Ze didn't know how to explain.

"Getting married is sleeping under the same blanket, sharing hardships, and then producing a little fool like you." Uncle Lin tapped the child's head. "Go do your work."

The child covered his head and stomped away angrily.

As Lin Ze was leaving, he heard Uncle Lin say behind him, "Since you're married, live a good life together."

Li Xiujin finished work at 7 PM. On the way back, Fu Zhi reported to him, "The bodyguards following Colonel Lin said that Colonel Lin left the school again at noon today and went to the home of that arms dealer you just had raided yesterday."

"General, you guessed right. Colonel Lin really does need a gun."

Even though he guessed correctly, Fu Zhi didn't see a trace of happiness on Li Xiujin's face. Instead, he frowned, his expression dark and sinister.

Li Xiujin returned home and told the servant, "Once he's back, tell him to meet me in the training room."

Lin Ze was a bit late because he had been tutoring a student individually. He was on edge the whole way home. Upon arriving and seeing the alpha's car already parked, he felt a fresh pang of nerves. Steeling himself, he entered the living room only to find no one there. The servant said to him, "The General wants you to go to the training room to find him."

The training room...

That was where the alpha practiced shooting...

Why would he suddenly be summoned there...

Lin Ze pursed his lips, standing still for a moment before heading there. As he approached, he heard several low, heavy reports. Lin Ze knocked on the door, but there was no response, so he had to push it open and enter.

A chair sat in the middle of the open floor. The man, wearing only a shirt, sat there with his chin in his hand, a pistol aimed forward, each shot hitting the bullseye.

Hearing the movement, he spoke without turning his head, "Come here."

Lin Ze walked over.

Li Xiujin raised his dark eyes and gestured at his own thigh with the pistol.

Lin Ze trembled slightly, then obediently sat on his lap.

The gun muzzle, which had been aimed at the bullseye, pressed against Lin Ze's face, then slowly slid down, pushing aside his shirt, exposing his fair skin to the alpha's gaze...

A shiver of mingled fear and arousal shot up his spine. Lin Ze's face flushed with shame...

"Carry this gun with you at all times. I'll give you another one as a spare."

Suddenly, he heard the alpha say this.

Lin Ze's eyes widened, then he lowered his gaze, "...Thank you."

"Didn't I say that saying thank you shouldn't be done with just words?" Li Xiujin gripped the back of his head, revealing a gloomy smile.

Lin Ze trembled with shame, obediently removing his clothes, but this time, the alpha showed no interest...

Instead, he gripped the back of Lin Ze's head and forcefully pulled him forward, making their foreheads touch and their noses meet.

Li Xiujin let out a heavy, ragged breath, staring at Lin Ze as he commanded, "Now, take the initiative and kiss me."