Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Caught completely off guard by the question, Yan Zhuo was stunned, his mind was unusually fuzzy.

"What's wrong?"

"Just curious. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Ruan Yunchu's tone was as indifferent as ever.

"No, of course it's fine," Yan Zhuo said quickly, "It's just... do you really want to know? I thought you didn't like it?"

He had steeled himself to never let the other person smell his pheromones before he left, after all, he didn't want to leave Ruan Yunchu with psychological trauma.

But at this moment, Ruan Yunchu said flatly, "You know mine, but I can't know yours?"

That sounded reasonable, but to Yan Zhuo's ears, it still felt a little strange.

But he didn't think much about it and just whispered, "My pheromones are not a specific scent; it's the scent of a scorching sun."

"What?"

Ruan Yunchu was taken aback for a moment.

As if dissatisfied with just talking, Yan Zhuo urged him to turn over, his tone carrying a hint of coaxing.

"I can release it for you to feel, but you might feel a bit uncomfortable."

Ruan Yunchu reluctantly turned over, clearly unimpressed, "Let me smell it."

His words were as ordinary as could be, but Yan Zhuo felt his blood rush upon hearing them, making his mind burn.

"You... can you not say things like that?"

Ruan Yunchu glanced at his red-faced expression and, accustomed to his inexplicable neuroticism, ignored the comment, "Hurry up."

Yan Zhuo took a deep breath. He first used his mental energy to probe and shield the omega beside him.

Soon, the faint scent of pheromones spread in the room. At first it wasn't obvious. Ruan Yunchu frowned slightly and, before he could detect anything wrong, slowly felt the surrounding temperature rise, and the heavy scent of a scorching sun crashed over him.

A faint dull ache came from the gland at the back of his neck, and he subconsciously furrowed his brow.

Seeing his expression change, Yan Zhuo immediately withdrew the nearly imperceptible wisp of pheromones.

"Are you okay?"

Ruan Yunchu pulled away from his hand, his eyes wary and repulsed.

"You... stay away from me."

He had never known that an Enigma's pheromones could be this powerful.

Yan Zhuo's face was full of worry. He deeply regretted agreeing to this, but there was no taking it back, so he could only release a faint, soothing trace of pheromones.

Upon smelling the gentle scent, Ruan Yunchu's face didn't soften much; instead, it grew even more pained.

"You..."

He took a few deep breaths and then said coldly, his teeth clenched, "Retract it. Don't release any more scent!"

The tone was too harsh, so Yan Zhuo had no choice but to compromise, but looking at him afterward, he felt thoroughly displeased.

He looked at the slender young man who had shifted to the other side of the bed and couldn't help lowering his head to sniff himself. But there wasn't anything remaining—was it really that bad?

He was completely perplexed.

After an indeterminate time, Ruan Yunchu finally calmed down. His face was cold, the earlier flush gone.

"Go sleep in a different room."

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhuo's face suddenly changed. "I've been so accommodating."

He almost suspected Ruan Yunchu was doing this on purpose, but thinking about it, the other didn't seem to have a reason—after all, after smelling his pheromones, Ruan Yunchu was the one suffering.

He shouldn't have listened to him so readily; he couldn't help blaming himself inwardly.

Why do I never learn my lesson?

Seeing he didn't react, Ruan Yunchu shot him a fierce glare, turned his back, curled up in the blanket, and stayed still.

The room was very quiet. Amidst their earlier quarrel, the music seemed less noticeable, but Yan Zhuo could still hear the young man's slightly rapid breathing, clearly indicating he had no intention of sleeping.

He thought for a moment and then tried to reason with him.

"Baby, isn't this asking a bit too much of me? You were the one who said you wanted to feel it. I tried my best to control it. You can't just kick me out like this."

"..."

Ruan Yunchu ignored him.

The more Yan Zhuo thought about it, the more unbalanced he felt. "I'm not leaving. When you feel better, we'll talk."

This was his last day staying on Star A. He didn't want to waste such a rare night. Of course... he wasn't such a beast as to do anything before leaving; he just wanted to talk more with Ruan Yunchu.

After all, when he returned to the front line, he would only return to that lonely life again. Just thinking about it was depressing.

But that was alright. After all, he was best at lying low and waiting.

Time passed minute by minute. He kept his eyes open, and by listening to the breathing, he judged that the person beside him was gradually calming down. Then he tentatively leaned over and reached out to touch the other's shoulder.

Slap!

Unsurprisingly, his hand was slapped away hard.

That reaction actually made Yan Zhuo feel relieved. He murmured, "Young master, I was wrong. I promise I won't release a single wisp of pheromones. Can I hug you? I'll be leaving by dawn; can you really bear to let me go?"

Ruan Yunchu didn't move again. From experience, he guessed this was a tacit agreement, so he tentatively reached out and gently embraced the tense body.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Ruan Yunchu's body temperature was a bit low, and there were slight tremors.

"Are you this cold?"

He muttered to himself, pulled his arms tighter, and kissed the top of his head, thinking it went unnoticed.

"You're only resting this late. By the time you wake up again, I'll already have left. Won't you take this chance to talk with me?"

"..."

Sure enough, no one answered him.

Yan Zhuo was not discouraged. He said softly, "I've arranged everything for the coming days. The period before I reach the front line is the most dangerous. Don't go out for now. When things calm down, the previous medical team will start your rehabilitation. I've already asked about the specifics. As long as you keep at it, you'll be able to stand and walk later. Maybe... by the time I come back, I can take you out for morning exercise."

He imagined that scene, and a hint of sweetness welled up in his heart.

"I won't hold you back. Once this dangerous period is over, you can go wherever you want. But you must keep the people I've assigned to you by your side at all times. I've already given orders: apart from not leaving your side, they will follow your instructions on everything else."

"Don't worry about the Jiaxie facility. The alliance's mission has always been targeting your father. I know the Ruan family's affairs have nothing to do with you. Ruan Jing still hasn't shown any signs of waking up. After I leave, Peng Zhongying will transfer him back to the Jiaxie facility, where he'll be under professional care. You don't need to worry about him."

The person in his arms gradually relaxed and softened, but from beginning to end, he didn't say another word.

Yan Zhuo couldn't help but sigh and let out a soft laugh. "Most importantly, it's your health and safety. No matter when, don't mess around with your own life. There are still many people in this world who love you."

He thought he heard a scoff, but it might have just been his imagination.

"Are you sleepy?"

Yan Zhuo held him tighter and looked down, finding the person in his arms had closed his eyes, breathing steadily and slowly, his sleeping face peaceful and beautiful, as if it touched a soft place in his heart.

"If none of this had happened, would you have kissed me willingly?"

He muttered to himself, thinking back to their first kiss on the terrace at night, and couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the smooth forehead.

No matter what, it was his fault.

If he had the chance... he would come back to make up for all of this.

"..."

Ruan Yunchu didn't know when he had fallen asleep. His cold hands and feet gradually warmed, and his world, as always, sank into a pure white emptiness, a boundless loneliness.

From a distance, he seemed to hear someone calling his name. He opened his eyes and found himself sitting in an elegant garden, his small hand clutching a toy butterfly, but a shadow fell in front of him.

"Xiaochu." A woman called out to him in a tender, affectionate voice.

He looked up in confusion and saw a piece of cake being handed to him. The woman smiled and said, "I've prepared a gift for you. I heard you really like Jiesen's comic books, so I bought you the whole set of merch."

Ruan Yunchu's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

At home, his father never allowed him to read stuff like that, only permitting those obscure, boring professional books.

As if sensing his hesitation, the woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled ingratiatingly. "Don't worry, I've already talked to your dad. Reading a little on weekends is fine."

Ruan Yunchu let out a sigh of relief and obediently took the cake from her. "Thank you, Auntie."

"It's nothing. What a lovely child." The woman said, ruffling his hair. She asked a few questions about school, then suddenly cleared her throat. "Xiaochu, how about I take you to the amusement park this weekend?"

Ruan Yunchu's eyes lit up slightly. The child was quiet and reserved by nature, and now he rarely showed the childish innocence of his age.

"But... I have to study on weekends."

"When your dad's not around, I'll sneak you out. I'll bring you back before he gets back, okay?"

Ruan Yunchu had already forgotten the last time he'd been to an amusement park. It was before his mother passed away. He didn't even have many memories of it, and now it was hard to say no.

That weekend, he finished all his homework early. Uncle Chen dressed him in a hoodie and overalls, with a little round hat—he looked adorable.

The woman greeted him warmly, introducing the amusement park's attractions on the way. The little boy gazed at the beautiful rides, his eyes immediately drawn to the most dazzling carousel.

Under the night sky, the golden carousel had children sitting in front and their mothers behind them.

Seeing his lingering gaze, the woman asked, "Xiaochu, do you want to ride this? Auntie can go with you."

Ruan Yunchu looked up at her.

The woman paused for a moment, then quickly explained, "I didn't mean it that way. Even though I'm with your dad now, I don't expect you to treat me like your mother. After all, your real mother must be—"

"Okay."

Hearing his answer, the woman let out a sigh of relief and affectionately ruffled his hair.

Ruan Yunchu looked up and could read affection and pity in her eyes.

They finally arrived at the amusement park. The woman got out of the car first and turned to pick up the child, but saw that Ruan Yunchu had already moved himself to a lightweight wheelchair and slowly gotten out of the car.

He was still young, needing to look up at things, his soft little face tender, but his expression was serious. Staring at the whimsical amusement park gate in the distance, his emerald-green eyes lit up with a beautiful glow.

"Let's go in."

The woman smiled and reached for his hand.

Ruan Yunchu lifted his hand, ready to place it in hers.

The next second.

Bang! From all around, several fully armed men in black rushed in. The woman's face turned pale with panic, and before she could make a move, she was firmly restrained, her hands twisted behind her back.

"Who are you?"

Ruan Yunchu's mind went blank. Sensing that the people around him had no intention of harming him, he opened his mouth to speak, but then heard a car door open behind him.

He instinctively turned around, and his eyes fell on a pair of long legs in suit pants. The man leisurely got out of the car, slowly buttoned his jacket, and as he passed by Ruan Yunchu, he reached out and ruffled his hair.

"President Ruan?" The woman looked at him as if she'd seen a ghost. "Why are you—"

"Why?" Ruan Mingyi let out a scornful laugh, as if he'd just heard a joke, and in the next moment, his face turned cold. "I should be asking you—why are you trying to abduct my son?"

"Abduct?" The woman's eyes widened in disbelief. "I was just taking him to the amusement park!"

Ruan Mingyi squinted, slowly turned to the stunned Ruan Yunchu behind him. "Is that so?"

Ruan Yunchu nodded instinctively. "Yes."

Ruan Mingyi turned around. He backhanded Ruan Yunchu, delivering a sharp slap. The child's body slammed violently against the backrest, the wheelchair tipped—only for the bodyguard behind to catch it in time to prevent it from overturning.

His fair cheek quickly swelled red. Ruan Yunchu's ears rang, and for a moment, he couldn't hear anything.

He could only dimly see a shadow fall on the ground as Ruan Mingyi approached him.

The woman's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe that the gentle, refined man she'd once dated could do such a thing.

"Say it again. Did you come out with her willingly?"

The sinister voice sounded indistinctly in his ears. The child's breathing quickened. In a daze, he looked up and met his ruthless gaze, but nodded again.

"Yes."

Ruan Mingyi's lips curled into a cruel smile, and one hand seized his throat.

A sharp pain shot through his throat. Breathing became difficult, his little face gradually turning red. Ruan Yunchu instinctively tried to hit his hand, but it was no use.

"Then it's her who led you astray."

Under the intense pain, Ruan Yunchu stared at him fiercely, but still forced out a pained voice: "No... it's not..."

Ruan Mingyi let out a "ha," "My son is really like me—has a spine, but he's too foolish."

Watching the slapping hand gradually lose strength and the little boy's pupils slowly dilate, the woman couldn't help but scream: "If you keep choking him, he'll go into shock from suffocation!"

Ruan Mingyi gave her a cold glance, then raised his hand in a signal.

The woman didn't get another chance to speak; she was gagged by the bodyguards and shoved into a car.

When Ruan Yunchu was thrown back onto the chair, he instinctively clutched his throat, letting out a choking cough that left him breathless. He gasped for fresh air, as if he had just come back from the dead.

The man slowly crouched down in front of him, his eyes full of pity.

"Why do you have to protect her? Can't you tell that she's only being kind to you to marry into the Ruan family? Or... has it only been three years since your mother passed, and you've forgotten her already?"

Ruan Yunchu's throat was almost stinging, and he couldn't say a word. He could only stifle the blood-tinged cough, calming his breaths.

"This is the first lesson Dad is teaching you: don't show your hand so easily. As the future heir of the Ruan family, you can't have such a soft heart. A comic book was enough to win you over—how can I feel at ease leaving the Ruan family to you?"

"Consider this: the servants at home treat you well for their salary, and she treats you well to marry me. Everything has a price. The more leverage you give others, the more you'll be exploited."

After Ruan Mingyi spoke earnestly, the previous cruelty vanished. He took out some ointment and gently applied it to the fierce choke marks on the fair neck, his movements gentle, as if he had returned to being the usual good father.

"Don't you think so, Yunchu?"

Ruan Yunchu sat motionless, his eyes slightly lowered, yet in his pupils was a coldness beyond his years.