Chapter 21 I Want Only Him

Chapter 21: I Only Want Him

Please, no more, I beg you.

Slow down.

Can you slow down?

So tired, my whole body is so tired.

Half-conscious, Zhu Shinian couldn't help thinking again, could Mr. Jiang's body really handle this?

He forced himself to stay alert, and when he saw that Jiang Huaiyan's wound wasn't bleeding anymore, he passed out.

.......

"Drink some water."

Someone brought water with a straw to Zhu Shinian's lips. The temperature was just right, but because it had a little salt added, it didn't taste very good.

"Mr. Jiang, is your rut... over?"

"If I could get through it in three days, I'd at least be an A-grade," Jiang Huaiyan said flatly. "I stole your car keys and stole back the suppressants you took."

Zhu Shinian frowned immediately: "Those suppressants are bad for your health..."

Jiang Huaiyan didn't say anything. He just reached out and very gently touched the red, swollen gland with teeth marks on the back of Zhu Shinian's neck.

His fingers were cold now. When his cold fingers touched the hot, swollen gland, it suddenly didn't feel as uncomfortable.

"...Did it hurt?"

Zhu Shinian shook his head: "You have a medical license, you should know better than I do. Regular suppressants don't work for you anymore. If you keep using suppressants like this, you really will end up like those inferior alphas in District 26..."

"Dying young like them?"

Outside the capital, in the less wealthy areas, apart from the rare high-level alphas and omegas, the majority were betas.

Ruts and heats take time to get through – and time means lost wages. Low-level alphas and omegas who want to hold down jobs have no choice but to use the cheapest suppressants.

"Don't say that about yourself." Zhu Shinian's grandmother was very traditional and didn't allow him to say words like "death," so he subconsciously stopped him.

"Everyone dies eventually. Live a few years with dignity, and dying young can still be called dying young. Live a long time doing nothing useful, and people just call you a useless old fart who won't die."

"...Get some more rest," realizing he shouldn't be saying this to Zhu Shinian, Jiang Huaiyan awkwardly changed the subject. "I only came in to apply medicine to your wound. I didn't mean to wake you."

Zhu Shinian was a bit distracted, leaning on his shoulder without lying back down right away. Jiang Huaiyan paused, thinking he was acting spoiled.

Do alphas who have their gland bitten also become as dependent on someone as a marked omega?

Jiang Huaiyan hesitated, slowly placing his hand on Zhu Shinian's waist, intending to hold him tighter, but Zhu Shinian suddenly seemed to snap out of it, immediately trying to sit up from his embrace.

His waist was too weak, and he quickly fell back into Jiang Huaiyan's arms. Jiang Huaiyan, instead, became amused. He laughed and deliberately pressed him closer into his embrace.

"What's wrong with letting me hold you for a second?" he said teasingly. "Worried about... Gu Zhen?"

"When he got engaged to someone else, did he think about how that would be betraying you?"

Zhu Shinian's eyes went dull. He didn't even dare to lift his head to look at Jiang Huaiyan, only lowering it deeper.

From this angle, it looked like he was deliberately burying himself in Jiang Huaiyan's arms. He didn't realize it himself, and Jiang Huaiyan didn't point it out.

"He... doesn't need to feel he owes me anything. He helped me get treatment for my grandmother. I'm the one who... liked him. He doesn't owe me a thing."

"Then do people who have sex with the one they like cry the whole time?" Jiang Huaiyan asked maliciously. "Or do you act like in those videos, calling them 'daddy' or 'hubby' and saying 'feels so good, deeper'?"

Zhu Shinian's ears instantly turned red, pressed against Jiang Huaiyan's neck, warm and soft.

Jiang Huaiyan looked down at him. Zhu Shinian was nestled obediently in his arms, his head round and fluffy.

His body was completely spent, yet he was still pure enough to be flustered by just a few words.

"What's there to like about him?" Jiang Huaiyan said flatly. "When you're bullied, he can't help you settle it, and he's sneaking around to marry someone else."

Zhu Shinian's face quickly turned pale again. His eyes, red and slightly swollen from crying like a rabbit's, slowly drooped.

"When someone stole my spot, he probably didn't even remember who I was. I just rejected joining his guard unit, so why... would he help me?"

"As for the arranged marriage... he must have had his reasons, just like you must have something you want to do, that's why you agreed to it."

Jiang Huaiyan paused, opening his mouth as if to say something, but then quickly stopped himself.

"Are you fishing for information? Don't think I'm as dumb as Gu Zhen and wouldn't catch on. You have quite a connection with the Resistance, don't you? The moment I killed someone, you got the Resistance to take the blame for me. I don't dare talk to you about this anymore, or I'll end up charged with treason."

Jiang Huaiyan said this as if he were some loyal pillar of the Empire, completely forgetting that he had just killed a high-ranking colleague and his son serving in the Air Force yesterday, and was currently hiding this traitor who'd been in contact with the Resistance.

"I didn't mean that..."

This time Zhu Shinian really had no intention of trying to pry information from Jiang Huaiyan. He stammered out a denial and was about to explain when the doorbell rang.

Jiang Huaiyan didn't get up immediately. The person outside probably got impatient, because soon Jiang Huaiyan's communicator buzzed.

Jiang Huaiyan glanced at the name on the communicator and answered. The person on the other end sounded impatient. The familiar voice from the communicator was clear enough that even Zhu Shinian could hear it perfectly.

"Get your ass out here and open the door. I know you're home. I'm really busy and don't have the patience to waste on you. Uncle said the guest list for the engagement banquet has to be finalized today. If you pretend you're not home again, I'll kick the door down and take your seal."

Jiang Huaiyan's face showed no expression. There wasn't even the panic of someone caught cheating and threatened with a kicked-in door. He calmly fed Zhu Shinian some water, then tucked him back into the covers and locked the master bedroom door.

Gu Zhen walked in from outside. As soon as he entered, he caught the cold, sharp smell of pheromones.

He frowned but before he could say anything, Jiang Huaiyan took the guest list from his hand and signed his name without even looking at it.

"Not even a glance? Is this how you work usually?"

Ever since the alliance was decided, Jiang Huaiyan had always had this indifferent attitude, which always infuriated Gu Zhen.

For Gu Zhen, the alliance was just a temporary arrangement. But after all, he was the youngest major general in the Empire. The Jiang family was just a business with a bit of money and some say in the parliament through political donations. He looked down on Jiang Huaiyan, so why should Jiang Huaiyan look down on him?

"This is a matter between two families. You won't let yourself be shortchanged, and Jiang Mingyuan won't either. Why do I need to check?"

"If you have such a problem with me, we don't have to get married. It's not like I was begging you." Gu Zhen shot him a disgusted look, took the guest list from him, and handed him the gift list to sign as well.

"Doesn't the Major General have a problem with me too?" Jiang Huaiyan replied flatly. "We'll just play along and get through this period. Are you a five-year-old that I have to coax with pretty words every day? If that's what you want, I can do it. The Jiang family is in business. A little flattery will cost you this much."

Jiang Huaiyan held up a number. Gu Zhen sneered: "Are you trying to call off the engagement because of that omega you've got in your room? I recall you never kept anyone before. I used to think you were into nothing."

The whole room reeked of cedarwood pheromones and all kinds of debauchery. Unless Gu Zhen was an idiot, he could guess what had happened.

Jiang Huaiyan had kept a clean reputation all these years, never any scandals spread about him, a breath of fresh air among all those spoiled rich kids.

The Jiang family had more than one child, and there were two omegas of marriageable age. At the time, aside from the fact that Gu Zhen happened to have something on Jiang Huaiyan, this was definitely one of the main reasons he chose him.

Jiang Huaiyan had been alone for so many years, but he chose to find someone now, of all times. It was no wonder he was angry.

Although he himself was well-known in their circle for keeping lovers, he had no position to criticize Jiang Huaiyan. But if Jiang Huaiyan were to get into any romantic scandal at this critical juncture, it would also cause Gu Zhen to lose face.

"After trying it once, I know it's really enjoyable," Jiang Huaiyan replied calmly. "No wonder Major General Gu is so addicted to the pleasures of love."

"An alpha?" Gu Zhen frowned. No wonder he hadn't smelled the omega's pheromones. He had just been wondering if it was a beta, or maybe Jiang Huaiyan didn't like the omega's scent, forcing the omega to keep the suppressant patch on even during heat.

Gu Zhen's frown deepened. Getting involved with alphas easily led to messy news—forced relationships, body transformations. There were many such incidents every year. Whether they would be exposed to the public only depended on how fast the family could suppress the news.

"Isn't it good to have the same taste as General Gu? We could be considered kindred spirits. In the future, if there's anything new, we can also share experiences."

"Who wants to exchange with you?" Gu Zhen gave him a cold glare. "I only want Zhu Shinian. Don't catch any venereal disease or cause any negative news. At least until the marriage alliance is dissolved, keep your lower body in check, or you won't want to know the consequences."

"Of course," Jiang Huaiyan smiled and replied, "I wouldn't gamble with my political career. Lieutenant General Gu need not worry."

Author's note:

Whenever I write about catching someone in an affair, I feel so excited that I can't bear to continue writing. I get up and walk around the living room twice.