Chapter 49

Around 11 p.m., just as Pei Siyue was about to go to bed after finishing an international conference call, he received a call from Ruan Shuyang.

Ruan Shuyang’s voice on the phone was soft and sweet, carrying a barely noticeable breathless tremor.

“Brother, can… can you come keep me company?”

Pei Siyue immediately stood up and said, “Okay, stay on the line.”

Noticing that Ruan Shuyang hadn’t come to his room but had chosen to call instead, Pei Siyue worried that something might be wrong. He quickly headed over, opened the door, and turned on the light.

The bright, soft white light flooded the bedroom. Seeing Pei Siyue standing at the doorway, all the terrifying images in Ruan Shuyang’s mind—the scary doll, the corpses, the bloody scenes—vanished. All that remained was Pei Siyue walking over and leaning down to look at him, curled up under the blankets.

“Ruan Ruan, what’s wrong?”

The affectionate nickname slowly brought Ruan Shuyang back to his senses. A faint blush crept onto his cheeks as he felt embarrassed about his overreaction. Seeing Pei Siyue leaning over him with concern, he wished he could bury his face in the blankets and hide.

Pei Siyue noticed Ruan Shuyang’s silence and flushed face, frowning, asked, “Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Ruan Shuyang whispered, “No, brother.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

He grew even more embarrassed, almost burying his head under the blankets, leaving only his wide, round eyes visible.

“I… I just remembered the scenes from the movie and got too scared to fall asleep.”

He hadn’t been able to resist calling Pei Siyue afterward.

He felt like he might need a bedtime soothing service now, but he wasn’t sure if Pei Siyue would be willing to provide it.

Pei Siyue looked down at Ruan Shuyang, then sat unhurriedly on the edge of the bed, gently extricating the little omega from the blankets and softly massaging his scalp to soothe him.

But this amount of comfort was far from enough. Ruan Shuyang wanted more—he missed the sense of security he felt when Pei Siyue held him. When he was buried in the other’s embrace, he wouldn’t think about those terrifying scenes at all.

Yet he was too embarrassed to say it out loud, afraid that if Pei Siyue stayed in his room, he might want more but have to hold back, making himself uncomfortable.

Torn by this conflict, he looked at Pei Siyue with a pitiful expression, unsure of what to do.

Pei Siyue gently brushed Ruan Shuyang’s cheek with his finger and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

With Pei Siyue by his side, Ruan Shuyang felt much braver, no longer frozen in fear. He took Pei Siyue’s hand and asked, “Brother, would you feel uncomfortable staying in my room? Would you… want something?”

Truth be told, seeing Ruan Shuyang looking so small and vulnerable in the bed, with only his fluffy head peeking out, Pei Siyue did want him.

But his reply was, “I’m fine.”

Hearing this, Ruan Shuyang breathed a sigh of relief. Still holding Pei Siyue’s hand, he looked at him with pleading eyes. “Brother, I… I want…”

Pei Siyue asked unhurriedly, “Want what exactly?”

Pei Siyue actually knew what Ruan Shuyang wanted but didn’t offer it himself. Instead, he leaned in closer, quietly waiting.

While waiting, he deliberately released a small amount of pheromones to gently coax him—so little that the little omega could barely notice it.

Pei Siyue’s features were sharply defined, his gaze intense. Up close, it made one unconsciously hold their breath.

Ruan Shuyang looked at him with pleading eyes.

He felt that Pei Siyue at this moment was like an autocrat, holding power over him. Whether to give or not was entirely up to him—all Ruan Shuyang could do was beg.

“I want… I want you to help me sleep.”

Pei Siyue wasn’t surprised by this request. “Just helping you sleep is enough?”

Ruan Shuyang closed his eyes, thinking back to the fear he felt when he was alone, and murmured softly, “It would be best if you could stay with me awhile… just until I fall asleep. Then you can leave.”

“But don’t stay too long, brother. I’m worried you might feel uncomfortable.”

The autocrat, who held power over him, nodded to him and simply said, “If you want my help, there will be a price to pay.”

“What price?”

Pei Siyue lifted the comforter and lay down beside Ruan Shuyang. The Enigma’s body drew close—tall and radiating warmth.

Keeping the blankets on would make it too warm. Ruan Shuyang pushed the blankets aside completely. Pei Siyue turned on his side, slipping an arm around Ruan Shuyang’s shoulder, and said in a deep, slow voice, “You’ll need to share your pheromones with me.”

Ruan Shuyang’s lips were captured in Pei Siyue’s, who treated them like a delicate, small cherry—sucking on them gently, slowly drawing out their sweetness, then biting into the fruit and slipping his tongue inside.

Lost in the pleasurable sensation of exchanging pheromones with Pei Siyue, Ruan Shuyang gave a soft whimper.

Pei Siyue’s other hand moved to the back of Ruan Shuyang’s neck.

Before bed, Ruan Shuyang had removed his blocking patch for comfort. Now his gland was exposed to the air, looking as tempting as a smooth, snow-white pudding.

Pei Siyue reached out and pressed there lightly with his finger.

Ruan Shuyang immediately let out a soft whimper, completely losing his strength and yielding to Pei Siyue.

Pei Siyue also removed his own blocking patch, allowing his pheromones to gradually seep into Ruan Shuyang’s body.

The kiss suddenly turned intense—so intense that Ruan Shuyang couldn’t withstand it. His breath was stolen, his chest felt compressed, and his heartbeat raced faster and faster. He didn’t even realize that Pei Siyue had pinned down his wrists.

Just as his heartbeat reached a critical point, Pei Siyue suddenly released his lips, returning his air and gently licking his soft mouth.

Ruan Shuyang’s ears rang, his vision spotted with gold, feeling slightly dizzy.

Pei Siyue’s pheromones supported him, making him feel as if he were floating on the ocean, rising and falling with the waves.

His body, exhausted from the earlier intensity, grew weary. Ruan Shuyang slowly closed his eyes as Pei Siyue, lying beside him, patted his back and soothed him in a husky voice, “Sleep, I’ll stay with you.”

Ruan Shuyang fell asleep, no longer afraid. A faint smile even appeared on his flushed face, as if he were having a sweet dream.

Pei Siyue stayed with him for a while longer, only leaving once he was sure the little omega was deeply asleep.

If he stayed any longer, Ruan Shuyang wouldn’t be able to sleep at all.

He’d have to get up and stay with him.

**

Ruan Shuyang slept until the next morning. Seeing the golden rays of sunlight streaming through the gaps in the curtains, he suddenly couldn’t help covering his face.

Though it felt selfish, he thought that Pei Siyue’s soothing last night had been incredibly comforting. How wonderful it would be if he could soothe him like that every night.

But he was, after all, an adult omega who shouldn’t need soothing.

Would it be embarrassing to ask Pei Siyue to soothe him again?

Ruan Shuyang pondered this dilemma as he went downstairs.

When Pei Siyue brought out breakfast, he noticed Ruan Shuyang’s troubled expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Brother, I feel like I’ve become very dependent on you,” Ruan Shuyang said with distress. “I’ve turned into a child who can’t do or handle anything.”

The tall enigma looked down at him, unsurprised by this outcome.

Faced with Ruan Shuyang’s distress, he simply comforted him, “Then go ahead and depend on me.”

Ruan Shuyang: …?

Is that really okay?

**

The happy weekend flew by. On Monday morning, as Ruan Shuyang sat in the lecture hall, he was wondering why he had to go to class and why he couldn’t just have weekends every day.

Sigh, a comfortable and pleasant life makes one lazy—suddenly, he felt like being a layabout.

The morning’s Party History class was so dull and exhausting that he couldn’t help zoning out. He took out a pencil and a piece of paper and started sketching a ring design.

He didn’t want Pei Siyue to handle everything; he also wanted to prepare something for Pei Siyue.

Though he could draw the designs, he couldn’t make the rings himself using blocking materials. If he handed the task to Pei Siyue, it would ruin the surprise, so he planned to discreetly contact a manufacturer to make 18K gold rings.

However, after reaching out to several manufacturers, none were willing to take on such a small custom order. Left with no choice, he had to bother Wen Yusheng, who was knowledgeable in this area.

After hearing his plan, Wen Yusheng recommended a manufacturer to him. Ruan Shuyang thanked her and proceeded to contact them.

During this time, a few other moderately significant events occurred.

Pei Siming, upon hearing about his engagement to Pei Siyue, went to a bar to drown his sorrows. After drinking too much, he caused a scene outside the bar.

The development of sperm-blocking drugs had advanced to Phase III clinical trials. Ruiji’s advertising slogan was: “Keeping permanent marking away from sweet troubles.”

This drug was highly anticipated by countless alphas and omegas.

When an alpha permanently marks an omega, it involves knotting inside the omega’s reproductive chamber without the barrier of a condom. As a result, each permanent marking is highly likely to lead to pregnancy.

Emergency contraception often is too hard on the body, so permanent marking generally implies pregnancy and childbirth. This deterred many couples who were considering permanent marking.

They hadn’t had enough of their sweet time together as a couple and didn’t want a child to disrupt their lives. However, without permanent marking, both alphas and omegas often felt insecure, fearing their partner might leave them. Before the advent of alpha contraceptives, permanent marking was a sweet dilemma.

Currently, alpha contraceptives had entered Phase III clinical trials, raising high hopes among many couples.

Even if not used during permanent marking, the drugs could enhance intimate moments in daily life—after all, no one really enjoyed wearing a “raincoat” during sex.

At the same time, post-operative medication for omega mark removal surgery garnered even more attention. It was said that Phase III clinical trials were showing excellent results. Given the vast market demand and the number of omegas awaiting treatment, the drug might be approved for early market release by the end of the year.

Some joked that Ruiji had covered all aspects of alpha-omega intimate life: first, buy their contraceptives for permanent marking; if unsatisfied after marking, buy their post-operative medication for mark removal surgery—a complete package deal.

Despite the jokes, no one could deny the enormous market demand for these two drugs developed by Ruiji. Once approved, they would generate massive profits.

As there were currently no competing products on the market, Ruiji had achieved a true technological monopoly.

For a while, many grew curious about the identity of Ruiji’s chairman. It was later discovered that the company was initially registered in the U.S. and later partnered with the Chi family’s offline pharmacies to enter the domestic market and establish a local subsidiary.

Most assumed the chairman was a blond, blue-eyed foreigner, but rumors suggested the chairman was actually Chinese.

After seeing the news, Pei Siming felt particularly excited. The unexpectedly positive results of the Phase III clinical trials for the post-operative medication meant he might soon be able to afford a Pagani Zonda.

**

In late October, Ruan Shuyang received a call from the police, informing him that Ruan Jianchuan, Pan Lan, and Ruan Qi all wanted to see him.

When he asked why, the police said Ruan Jianchuan wanted him to sign a letter of forgiveness to reduce his sentence.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Shuyang replied directly, “I won’t sign the letter of forgiveness, but I can meet with Ruan Jianchuan and Pan Lan.”

After making his decision, he messaged Pei Siyue: “Brother, they want to see me. I’ve decided to go and ask some questions for my mom.”

Pei Siyue replied quickly: “Okay, when are you going?”

Ruan Shuyang: “Tomorrow afternoon. I don’t have classes then.”

Pei Siyue called immediately. A calm voice came through the receiver: “I’ll go with you.”

“No need, brother,” Ruan Shuyang said. “I can go alone. You should focus on your work.”

In a firm tone, Pei Siyue insisted, “We’ll go together.”

In the end, they went together.

Pei Siyue was busy until after 1 p.m. before he could come to Ruan Shuyang’s school. A driver, which was unusual when they were alone together, was in the car.

Even as Ruan Shuyang got into the car, Pei Siyue was still working on his laptop handling business.

Ruan Shuyang whispered, “If you’re busy, you really don’t have to come.”

Pei Siyue replied, “A few new drugs are about to be released. Things will ease up after that.”

Once the new drugs were on the market, he planned to take a break from personally leading research projects, leaving them to the R&D team. This would free up more time for him.

He would also have time to spend the winter vacation with his little omega.

Winter vacation…

At the thought, Pei Siyue narrowed his eyes slightly.

Learning from their last experience, he had already purchased an island and arranged for it to be prepared and decorated, planning to spend the New Year there.

When they arrived at the detention center, Pei Siyue finally closed his laptop and got out of the car with him.

Ruan Shuyang entered the meeting room alone, while Pei Siyue waited outside.

After sitting in the meeting room for about ten minutes, the police brought in Ruan Jianchuan, whose hands were cuffed.

When Ruan Jianchuan entered, Ruan Shuyang barely recognized him.

The former Ruan Jianchuan had been very image-conscious, maintaining a decent physique and regularly dyeing his hair black, appearing as a respectable middle-aged alpha.

But now, Ruan Jianchuan, after whatever he had experienced in detention, had gray hair and a stooped posture, completely unlike the well-groomed chairman of a conglomerate he once was.

The moment he saw Ruan Shuyang, his face twisted with rage, and he shouted, “You ungrateful traitor—!”

The police officer standing nearby snapped, “Behave yourself.”

Ruan Jianchuan immediately fell silent, as if choked, not daring to utter another word. After a long pause, he glared venomously at Ruan Shuyang and asked, “What will it take for you to sign the letter of forgiveness?”

Ruan Shuyang closed his eyes briefly, emulating Pei Siyue’s calm and unflappable demeanor. He looked at Ruan Jianchuan and said, “Nothing will make me sign it.”

What goes around comes around.

Back then, Ruan Jianchuan had deceived Yu Xianpo into being the other woman without ever marrying her. Legally, Yu Xianpo had only Ruan Shuyang as family.

Only he could sign a waiver.

If it weren't for this, although Ruan Jianchuan couldn't sign his own waiver, he might have been able to sign Pan Lan's.

Ruan Jianchuan’s face was filled with rage. He slammed his hand on the table and was about to stand up and shout, but the chains on his handcuffs clanked loudly. Remembering his situation, his expression twisted, the veins on his forehead bulged and pulsed for a long time before he slowly sat back down.

He tried to negotiate with Ruan Shuyang: "As long as you sign the waiver, I can give you the password to a private bank card. All the money in it is yours—that should set you up for life."

Ruan Shuyang blinked and asked curiously, "How much is in there?"

Ruan Jianchuan, seeing the illegitimate child he had always looked down upon and treated as a tool now asking him how much money there was, felt extreme anger and disgust. But considering his current circumstances, he forced himself to endure it and said, "There's a full five million, enough for you to spend for a lifetime."

"Hm," Ruan Shuyang pondered for a moment, then said sincerely, "That might not even be enough for a car."

Ruan Jianchuan: "???"

He stared, bug-eyed and bloodshot, as if his eyes were about to pop out of their skull. If it weren’t for the bulletproof glass and the handcuffs, he would have rushed over and beaten the disobedient brat senseless.

"The car I drive now is a fully loaded Maybach S580. Five million really isn’t enough to buy it," he said with a faint smile. "You probably don't know who I am now. Right now, I own a luxury car, a penthouse duplex in the city center, and, oh yes, a prestigious jewelry company called Yu's Jewelry."

"Also, Ruan's Jewelry will be mine too," he added casually. "Maybe Ruan's Jewelry will be renamed Yu's Jewelry in the future. In a few years, no one will even remember Ruan's Jewelry."

If there was anything in this world that was Ruan Jianchuan’s lifeline, it was Ruan's Jewelry.

To become the chairman of Ruan's Jewelry, he had spent over half a year groveling before an omega he looked down on, barely securing the chairman position. For him, the sunk cost was extremely high.

He loved power and money; taking these away was no different from taking his life.

So when he heard that Ruan Shuyang was going to take over Ruan's Jewelry and even rename it Yu's Jewelry, he exploded in rage, his face twisting violently, blood rushing to his head.

Ruan Shuyang stood up, unsurprised, feeling no pity or guilt as he looked at Ruan Jianchuan.

Ever since Ruan Jianchuan had whipped him when he was only ten years old, he had known what kind of person he was.

He added, "I came here just to see how miserable you are on behalf of my mother."

"Knowing you’re not doing well would surely make her very happy."

"Also, I will never sign the waiver, no matter what."

After saying this, he calmly turned and left the visitation room.

Having spent so much time with Pei Siyue, he had gradually learned the other’s calm and composed way of handling things.

He had come today truly just to see how pathetic Ruan Jianchuan had become, for Yu Xianpo’s sake.

He would not sign the waiver. He wanted Ruan Jianchuan to rot in prison.

The father who had once held power over his life, lofty and imperious, was now mired in filth.

What goes around comes around.

Ruan Jianchuan had raised him only to sell him.

An omega from a prominent family could always fetch a good price if sold well, so Ruan Jianchuan had kept him, treating him like a commodity.

Commodities have no human rights. He had lived in the attic, where rain leaked in summer and wind blew through in winter. He was malnourished from long-term lack of proper meals and was never given money to buy inhibitors or blocking patches. He could only use the little money he had saved to buy the cheapest inhibitors, which led to so many terrible things.

He was not a saint and would not forgive.

After Ruan Jianchuan left, he went to see Pan Lan.

Pan Lan had more sense than Ruan Jianchuan. When she saw him, she just shot him a venomous glare and did not directly curse at him.

Ruan Shuyang only wanted to ask one question: "Back when Ruan Jianchuan was pursuing my mother, did you know?"

Pan Lan was stunned, her eyes darting away as she hesitated to answer.

But her expression was the best answer.

Ruan Shuyang turned and left.

Pan Lan had known, and had even tacitly allowed it—the whole family had been sucking Yu Xianpo dry.

As he walked out of the visitation room, tears streamed silently down his face. Pei Siyue, who had come over unnoticed, held him, resting Ruan Shuyang's head against his own warm chest.

Tears fell one by one onto Pei Siyue’s clothes. He whispered, "Gege, I want to go see my mother."

Yu Xianpo’s grave was in an ordinary public cemetery outside the city, bought by Ruan Jianchuan under public pressure from those mourning the talented designer after her death.

But it was only a very ordinary gravesite, even though Yu Xianpo was the one who had earned him so much money.

Pei Siyue had once asked if he wanted to move her to a better gravesite, but he felt it was unnecessary—he didn’t want to disturb Yu Xianpo’s peace.

She was already gone; anything he did now was just to ease his own conscience.

When the car arrived at the cemetery, Pei Siyue asked the driver to wait at the entrance while he and Ruan Shuyang walked in. Seeing weeds growing around the tombstone, he began pulling them and tidying up.

Ruan Shuyang stood before Yu Xianpo’s tombstone, tears streaming down like broken pearls, unable to stop.

Yu Xianpo was the first person in the world who had truly loved him, and Pei Siyue was the second.

Yu Xianpo was gone, and he couldn't protect her. Fortunately, Pei Siyue was still here.

He softly told Yu Xianpo, "Mom, Ruan Jianchuan and Pan Lan have been punished. The Ruan's Jewelry he obsessed over his entire life will be ours."

"I’m very happy now, and I’m engaged. If you're looking down from heaven, you can be at peace."

He sniffled, and as he spoke, it felt like eating an unripe apple—expecting sweetness but instead feeling a sourness that brought tears to his eyes.

His life was so good now, but Yu Xianpo couldn’t see it.

Yu Xianpo had suffered her whole life—an orphan as a child, finally enjoying a few good years after graduating and working, only to be dragged into hell by Ruan Jianchuan.

Why couldn’t someone as good as Yu Xianpo ever find happiness?

After tidying the weeds and wiping the dust off the tombstone, Pei Siyue looked at Ruan Shuyang, who was still crying, held the little omega in his arms, and silently comforted him with gentle pats.

After a while, he looked at Yu Xianpo’s portrait and softly promised, "Don’t worry, I will take good care of Ruan Shuyang."

Though this promise held no grand vows, it meant more than a thousand words.

I will take good care of you.

You will always be my child.

**

On the way back, Ruan Shuyang continued to cry. Pei Siyue, worried Ruan Shuyang would hurt his eyes, had no choice but to remove the blocking patches on both their necks, using his pheromones to comfort him little by little. Ruan Shuyang gradually calmed down, though his mood remained low.

After arriving home, Ruan Shuyang stuck to Pei Siyue like a limpet. When Pei Siyue said he was going to the kitchen to cut fruit, Ruan Shuyang followed him, even wrapping his arms around the tall enigma from behind, pressing his face against his back, feeling his warmth through the thin fabric.

Any thought of cutting fruit was now forgotten. Pei Siyue simply turned around and hugged the little omega, asking with a mix of helplessness and affection, "Why are you so clingy today?"