Chapter 26: The Scent of Betrayal

Guan Qing had some materials on his old computer. When he copied them, he left his USB drive at Xie Xu’s place, so he returned to Xie Xu’s home.

Unexpectedly, Xie Xu was sitting in the entryway, his expression obscured by the gloom. Only the flickering glow of his cigarette was visible. Xie Xu wasn’t a heavy smoker, only indulging when his mood soured. Guan Qing hadn’t seen him smoke in a very long time.

“Why aren’t the lights on?” Guan Qing paused, then reached for the switch.

As evening approached, the entire room was dim, the curtains still drawn. The coldest days were fast approaching, the wind howling, and the entirety of S City was brewing, awaiting its first snowfall.

Xie Xu suddenly stood up, gripping Guan Qing’s wrist. His grip was surprisingly strong; Guan Qing couldn’t break free and even felt a twinge of pain. Xie Xu whispered, “Don’t turn on the lights.”

The scent of smoke was overwhelmingly pungent, and his voice was hoarse.

“You’ve smoked so much again.” Guan Qing sensed something was amiss. He stood on his tiptoes, reaching out to smooth Xie Xu’s hair, and quietly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xie Xu wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly. He buried his head in Guan Qing’s neck, sniffing like a large dog, and asked, “Where have you been?”

“I went to Professor Wang’s place,” Guan Qing replied.

Xie Xu, however, muttered sullenly, “The scent is wrong.”

Another’s pheromones clung to Guan Qing’s body, like a perfume. Its top notes were gentle, shifting to a mysterious and dangerous heart, before culminating in a sudden, fiery base. This scent was all too familiar to Xie Xu.

“It doesn’t smell good.” His arms tightened abruptly around Guan Qing.

“I’m wearing a lot of clothes; I might have sweated a bit. I’ll go wash up when I get back…” Guan Qing, being a beta, was usually insensitive to pheromones. He thought Xie Xu was implying he smelled of sweat, feeling a little awkward.

At the same time, a strange discomfort settled in his heart. He knew Xie Xu was going to see Jiang Lu, and Xie Xu hadn’t lied to him this time, yet a suffocating feeling persisted.

Xie Xu was his boyfriend, after all.

He had intended to simply grab his item and leave, giving them both some space to cool down. Just as he was about to push Xie Xu away, Xie Xu unexpectedly licked his nape, then bit down without warning.

“Ah—” Guan Qing was unprepared, his voice trembling uncontrollably, almost making him jump.

He wasn’t an omega; there was no gland there to be marked. Yet, perhaps due to incomplete degeneration, that spot was incredibly sensitive. Moreover, Xie Xu had only marked him yesterday. Though the mark faded quickly, its trace still lingered.

Xie Xu continued to lick and bite there, murmuring, “I’ll ask you again: Where were you, and who did you see?”

“I… I went to see Professor Wang…” Guan Qing gasped, feeling so bullied he was on the verge of tears.

He couldn’t withstand Xie Xu’s teasing like this. The Xie Xu of late seemed different from the one he knew—like a dog that would wag its tail and rub against you daily, suddenly revealing its fangs, making you realize it wasn’t a dog at all.

It was a wolf.

The heating was on indoors, and Guan Qing hadn’t had a chance to take off his street clothes. He was still bundled in his scarf and coat, and with Xie Xu acting this way, he quickly started to sweat. His bangs were damp, and a drop of perspiration slid from his forehead to the tip of his nose, where Xie Xu licked it away.

Xie Xu turned his head to capture Guan Qing’s lips. Neither closed their eyes, gazing at each other from such close proximity. The kiss carried the salty taste of sweat, yet was bitter like tears.

“Not just them. Who else?”

When their lips parted, Xie Xu asked, his voice icy.

From this close, Guan Qing finally saw his expression clearly. Xie Xu’s brows were furrowed, his eyes chillingly cold. Despite being intimate with his lover, he looked utterly unhappy.

Slowly, Guan Qing’s heart also grew cold.

“It has nothing to do with you, does it?” He averted his gaze, pushed Xie Xu away with force, and turned to leave.

He no longer wanted that item; he simply wanted to escape this place. He felt that both he and Xie Xu needed to calm down and reflect individually.

However, Xie Xu blocked his path.

He held Guan Qing captive, without an embrace, without releasing his grip. Xie Xu half-lowered his eyelids, looking down at him from above. “You’re not allowed to leave.”

“What are you doing? Stop messing around—” Guan Qing suddenly froze.

Xie Xu released his suppressive aura.

Guan Qing’s face turned pale, his legs weakened, and cold sweat poured out. He almost collapsed onto the floor.

Xie Xu picked him up, resting his head on Guan Qing’s shoulder, and whispered, “Where do you think you’re going? To Ye Zi’s place?”

An almost absurd disbelief surged through Guan Qing. He couldn’t muster any strength, his face stark white as he stammered, “What does that have… to do with Ye Zi?”

“Nothing to do with him?” Xie Xu scoffed. “Then you two seemed to be having quite the cheerful chat at noon.”

“I was just…” Guan Qing gasped for air. The feeling of being relentlessly crushed and pulled downwards terrified him. “You… can you please rein it in? I feel awful.”

Suppression.

He was being threatened. He had never encountered Xie Xu like this.

Xie Xu continued speaking, while simultaneously helping Guan Qing take off his coat and carrying him to the bathroom. Guan Qing didn’t know what he intended to do. He tried to struggle but had no strength, his mind reeling.

Xie Xu stripped Guan Qing of his clothes, piece by piece, finally placing him in the bathtub. He picked up the showerhead and a bath towel, vigorously scrubbing Guan Qing’s neck and shoulders.

Guan Qing frowned tightly, weakly huddling in Xie Xu’s arms, letting him have his way. “Be gentler, it hurts.”

The skin there was already red, yet Xie Xu, almost frenetically, continued to scrub with force. Xie Xu paused, lightened his touch, but still wasn’t satisfied. He lowered his head and explained, “It’s dirty here. I’m helping you clean it.”

Dirty where? Guan Qing had been wearing clothes all along; there was absolutely no stain there.

At most… at lunch today, Ye Zi had placed a hand on his shoulder while they talked for a while.

“You… you can’t be this unreasonable. I really… feel terrible, Xie Xu.” Guan Qing was tormented by the overly exposed suppressive aura, finding it almost impossible to breathe. He had to gasp, clinging to Xie Xu as if drowning.

He felt both wronged and pained.

What had he done to make Xie Xu act this way? The beta’s fear of an alpha was etched into their genetic code, unchangeable, but in his interactions with Xie Xu, this problem had almost never surfaced. Xie Xu had always treated him with equality and respect, never using his gender to force anything upon him.

“Just a little longer and it’ll be clean. It’s still not clean enough,” Xie Xu whispered.

Guan Qing’s consciousness began to blur.

The bathroom’s incandescent light and Xie Xu’s backlit silhouette slowly intertwined into an overwhelmingly oppressive dark shadow, pressing down on him. He heard the sound of water, the wind, and his own heavy, weary heartbeat.

He repeated to Xie Xu, over and over, “I’m in so much pain… please.”

Xie Xu remained silent for a long time, then said, “So miserable?”

“Then you… won’t have the strength to leave, will you?” Xie Xu whispered, pulling him into his embrace and kissing him, breathing air into his lungs. “You said it yourself, that you love me, that you are mine.”

“Then you must keep your word; you’re not allowed to leave. If you leave me, and then treat others well, smile at others… I can’t bear it.” The tremor in Xie Xu’s voice was uncontrollable.

He had already lost Guan Qing once.

That was the greatest nightmare of his life; it made him paranoid.

His most precious possessions were out in the sun, unable to withstand any heavy rain. The moment a dark cloud drifted across the sky, he would become restless, his heart filled with anxiety.

Rather than losing them, he would prefer those things to shatter in his own hands.

“Is that what you think?” Guan Qing forced his eyes open, a profound sense of powerlessness washing over him.

“Why… can’t you be only mine?” Xie Xu buried his face in Guan Qing’s hair, his voice choked with sobs.

Overcome by lack of oxygen, everything Guan Qing saw blurred into distorted color blocks amidst the bathroom’s steam. His hearing vanished; all sounds of water, traffic, wind, and rain in the world faded away.

In that blur, he saw Xie Xu.

Xie Xu was like a child clinging to a borrowed toy car, unwilling to let go, crying uncontrollably in the torrential rain, helpless and wronged, with no one to comfort him.

His cries pierced through the layers of rain, reaching Guan Qing’s ears. His heart ached beyond measure.

In that near-death experience, Guan Qing became remarkably calm.

With his last bit of strength, he whispered into that Xie Xu’s ear, “I am yours. I won’t leave.”

“…”

He closed his eyes in despair. “I love you.”

He had no intention of fighting for anything. If this was the end of his life, he felt no regrets.

But he still hoped… that little boy crying in the rain could smile.

Xie Xu looked best when he smiled, after all.

The suppressive aura receded like a tide. Guan Qing’s entire body relaxed, and before he could think of anything else, he lost consciousness.

****

Ye Zi opened WeChat and saw a message from Xie Xu: ‘[Get lost.]’

He smiled, then dragged the contact, saved as ‘Xie Idiot,’ into his blacklist.

Ye Zi’s customary smile was precisely like this: at first glance, it appeared gentle, polite, mature, and generous. In reality, the contempt and arrogance within were hidden in the corners of his eyes and brows, carrying a hint of nonchalance.

“Xiao Ye?” The elegant lady sitting opposite him picked up her cup and took a sip.

“Oh, my apologies, I was momentarily lost in thought.” Ye Zi returned his gaze to the person before him:

“So, what is it you wish to do?

“…Madam Xie.”

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