Chapter 9

Ruan Shuyang froze, his mind going blank. He didn’t know what to do.

What was going on?

His fiancé’s older brother had previously given him a temporary mark, and now, due to his physical condition, he was dependent on Pei Siyue’s pheromones.

…Could he just faint?

He desperately wanted to escape this situation.

Yet no matter how much he wished, he remained fully conscious, sitting beside Pei Siyue.

He murmured softly, “But Sister Su Yan said your surname is Chi…”

Pei Siyue raised an eyebrow, likely understanding why the other thought his surname was “Chi.”

The club was Chi Heng’s territory. Since it wasn’t convenient for him to station his own people there, he’d asked Chi Heng to handle it. Chi Heng’s men had probably told Ruan Shuyang it was Mr. Chi’s orders, so Ruan Shuyang assumed his surname was “Chi.”

“The person Su Yan mentioned wasn’t me,” Pei Siyue explained quietly. “The club is Chi Heng’s territory. After that day’s events concluded, I asked him to arrange for someone to escort you home.”

So it had been Pei Siyue helping him all along.

That night, the other party had saved him, marked him, and arranged for someone to deliver things and escort him home.

From childhood onward, no one besides his mother had ever been so kind and considerate toward him—not even Pei Siming during his polite and refined phase before their relationship soured.

The most Pei Siming ever did was casually bring him snacks and occasionally listen to him talk.

Then he pushed him into hell.

Without Pei Siyue, he didn’t know what he’d become by now.

The other man just happened to be there. He happened to run into him and was saved by Pei Siyue.

Setting aside their identities, it was nothing more than pure coincidence and assistance.

Thinking of this, he sincerely thanked Pei Siyue: “Mr. Pei, thank you so much for that night.”

Pei Siyue’s calm, detached gaze swept over his grateful expression before he tapped the table, signaling Ruan Shuyang to focus on the report.

“What are your thoughts on the treatment?”

“What do you mean?” Ruan Shuyang didn’t grasp immediately. “Um… are you referring to this pheromone therapy?”

“Yes.” Pei Siyue nodded, explaining to Ruan Shuyang in measured tones, “The treatment methods include marking, sharing clothing and personal items, and so on.”

“Based on effectiveness, simultaneous implementation is optimal.”

Ruan Shuyang froze. He was to accept Pei Siyue’s marking and wear the other man’s clothes…

He seemed to be wearing the other’s vest right now, already undergoing the treatment.

He felt overwhelmed, unsure what to do.

Given his status, shouldn’t he avoid intimate contact and relationships with Pei Siyue? Especially since he was currently seeking ways to dissolve his engagement with Pei Simin.

Moreover, he’d always worried about what his mother had told him.

His mother, Yu Xianpo, was a deeply tragic figure. After an unexpected heat, she was permanently marked by his then-boyfriend Ruan Jianchuan, who claimed to be single, and gave birth to him.

After his birth, Ruan Jianchuan exploited both the newborn and the dominance-submission dynamics of the permanent mark to force Yu Xianpo to provide design drafts for Ruan Jewelry without compensation…

Later, Yu Xianpo’s mental state deteriorated. She became emaciated, and whenever he saw her, she would grab his shoulders and sternly warn him: never be marked by an Alpha, especially never accept a lifelong mark. Otherwise, he would be exploited by the Alpha, dominated, and reduced to a person without dignity.

These words left a deep impression on him, fueling his relentless resistance to marking.

Fortunately, Pei Siming had once rejected him as an illegitimate child, deeming him unclean, and thus never marked him.

Yet while he seemed to have escaped Pei Siming, he couldn’t escape Pei Siyue.

Of course, he knew Pei Siyue’s marking was meant to help him, yet worry still lingered.

Pei Siyue waited a moment, receiving no reply, and turned his head to look at the person beside him.

The young omega hung his head, biting his lips until the pale cherry color turned white. His almond-shaped eyes, with their distinct black and white irises, were filled with hidden thoughts.

A soft curve traced the nape of Ruan Shuyang’s neck, where delicate glands lay concealed beneath the gland barrier patch.

Unconsciously, his voice softened as he addressed Ruan Shuyang: “If you have any concerns, speak them. We can look into them together.”

Ruan Shuyang took a deep breath, meeting his gaze. Feeling that Pei Siyue had been open with him—directly revealing his name and identity—he shouldn’t hide anything either. The other deserved at least the right to know. He began, “My name is… Ruan Shuyang. Mr. Pei, I don’t know if you’ve heard of me, but I’m your younger brother Pei Siming’s fiancée.”

Pei Siyue’s expression remained utterly calm. His handsome face betrayed no emotion as he simply replied, “I know. It’s fine.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Siyue showed no surprise whatsoever. Ruan Shuyang didn’t find it strange either. Subconsciously, he felt as if Pei Siyue knew everything—nothing could be hidden from him, nothing could escape his notice.

But immediately after, he heard Pei Siyue ask, “Do you like him?”

Him?

Pei Siming?

Ruan Shuyang was lost in confusion, failing to notice that Pei Siyue had been staring intently at him while asking the question.

He murmured softly, “I do.”

He used to like him.

Living in the suffocating environment of the Ruan household, unfamiliar with his classmates, he had walked alone in darkness ever since Yu Xianbo’s death, enduring the Ruan family’s harsh treatment and verbal abuse.

Then Pei Siyue appeared. At first, he was polite, listened attentively, never hit or scolded him, and even had his secretary fetch delicious little cakes from banquets for him to eat.

Like a ray of light illuminating his utterly bleak existence, he had even hoped that marrying his would allow him to escape the suffocating, painful Ruan household.

That night, the dream ended, and he stopped loving her. All he wanted was to escape.

…Maybe he never loved his that much.

Because now he wanted to separate from Pei Siming, even break off the engagement.

Lost in his own thoughts, he didn’t notice that after he uttered the word “love,” the enigma beside him instantly darkened.

The air grew bitterly cold. The water, always warm, suddenly felt icy. He shivered involuntarily and murmured, “So cold.”

Pei Siyue closed his eyes briefly, forcing himself to steady his emotions. His tone was detached as he asked, “So you’re worried Pei Siming would mind if he found out?”

Ruan Shuyang scratched his hair. “Not exactly.”

“It’s fine.” Pei Siyue only looked at him, his expression calm, yet his gaze was unusually dark. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”

Ruan Shuyang didn’t bring it up again. He sensed the matter was too complicated to explain clearly in a moment. Besides, he intended to find a way to cancel the engagement with Pei Siming himself—he wanted no further entanglement.

So accepting Pei Siyue’s mark didn’t feel like betrayal. After all, Pei Siming had been the one to give him away in the first place.

Truthfully, as an outsider, he didn’t understand the dynamics between the Pei brothers, though his instincts told him their relationship wasn’t exactly harmonious.

He didn’t want to cause trouble for Pei Siyue. Obediently, he whispered softly, “I won’t tell Pei Siming about this.”

Pei Siyue’s gaze darkened.

The young omega before him appeared exceptionally innocent and obedient, revealing his identity so plainly and promising not to tell Pei Siming.

Yet he claimed to like Pei Siming.

If he truly liked him, why had he resisted Pei Siming so fiercely that night?

Seeing the hesitant expression still lingering on Ruan Shuyang’s face, he pressed further, “Is there anything else troubling you?”

This time, Ruan Shuyang hesitated noticeably longer, his words coming out haltingly, as if unsure how to articulate his thoughts clearly.

Pei Siyue waited patiently.

After wrestling with his thoughts for a long time, Ruan Shuyang finally tried to speak to Pei Siyue: “My mother once said that the Mark comes with domination and submission—”

Before she could finish, she faltered, unsure how to express herself.

Pei Siyue, however, understood his meaning immediately and asked directly, “Are you afraid I’ll use the Mark to dominate you?”

Ruan Shuyang lowered his head, twisting his fingers as he nodded.

Pei Siyue tapped the table lightly with his middle finger and said to Ruan Shuyang, “If I recall correctly, it’s been five days since the last marking. The pheromones lingering in your glands are now faint and minimal. They shouldn’t affect you much.”

Ruan Shuyang nodded.

It had indeed diminished; otherwise, he wouldn’t have had those dreams.

Pei Siyue suddenly commanded in a tone that brooked no refusal: “Stand up.”

Ruan Shuyang felt an overwhelming pressure, like water crushing his brain until it went blank. He rose slowly.

Seconds later, realizing his own action, his face drained of color.

Was he being… controlled?

The next instant, he heard Pei Siyue command him again in the same tone: “Sit down.”

He felt utterly powerless to resist and immediately sat.

Only after sitting did he slowly regain his senses, his entire body trembling slightly. The act of standing and sitting had filled him with dread and unease.

So this was what being dominated felt like?

Completely powerless to resist, utterly clueless how to fight back.

Pei Siyue’s fingers shifted imperceptibly, yet he offered no comfort. Instead, his expression remained icy as he told Ruan Shuyang, “I don’t need a mark to dominate you.”

Ruan Shuyang’s face drained of color, his lips trembling, unable to speak.

“So you needn’t worry that I’ll dominate you even with the mark,” Pei Siyue stated in a tone brooking no argument. “Only the incompetent rely on the mark to command an omega.”

Ruan Shuyang slowly snapped back to reality through Pei Siyue’s words.

The other didn’t need a mark to dominate him. Clearly, domination had nothing to do with the mark itself, only with whether Pei Siyue chose to exert it. His resistance to the mark was meaningless.

His heart, which had been racing in his throat, slowly settled back into place. His tense mood calmed. He looked up into Pei Siyue’s deep, dark eyes and asked earnestly, though confused, ” Mr. Pei, why are you helping me?”

“And… what kind of reward do you need?”

The price the doctor quoted for alpha pheromone treatment was outrageously expensive. The higher the grade of alpha pheromone, the more costly it was. Pei Siyue was an enigma, a grade even higher than S-class alpha. Relying on him for help was something he dared not even consider.

He felt utterly unable to afford it.

“We can discuss that later. If there are no other questions, then—”

Pei Siyue shifted his tone abruptly, fixing him with a commanding gaze. “Now, you need to accept the mark.”

Omega pheromones filled the air to such an extent that even the barrier patches couldn’t block them. He could smell the scent of lily of the valley.

Ruan Shuyang’s body seemed eager beyond measure.