Chapter 4: This Wife Was Meant to Be His

Lin Yan returned before long.

He carried two large military lunch boxes, steam curling from beneath their aluminum lids.

Kicking the door shut behind him, he set the lunch boxes down on the desk with a heavy clunk.

The rich aroma of braised meat and cooking fat immediately filled the room.

Mixed with the cool plum blossom fragrance from the diffuser, it created a strangely harmonious contrast.

“Eat.”

As concise as ever, he pulled over the chair and sat down.

Opening one lunch box, he revealed a generous serving of braised potatoes and chunks of meat piled high, along with two coarse-grain steamed buns.

Shen Qingxian hesitated before walking over.

He looked at the other lunch box.

Then at the room’s only chair, already occupied by Lin Yan.

Unsure what to do, he remained standing beside the desk.

Without even looking up, Lin Yan jerked his chin toward the bed.

“Sit there.”

Only then did Shen Qingxian carefully sit on the edge of the bed.

He occupied only a tiny corner of it.

His back remained perfectly straight, like a student waiting to be scolded.

Opening his own lunch box, he found the same dishes as Lin Yan’s.

Only the portions were slightly smaller.

Even so, they were far more than he could normally eat.

The meat came in large chunks.

The potatoes were stewed until tender.

Everything glistened with oil.

It was unmistakably food meant to fuel soldiers.

Picking up the heavy metal spoon beside the lunch box, his slender fingers looked almost delicate against the rough utensil.

Lin Yan had already started eating.

Large mouthfuls.

Quick movements.

Every bite carried the efficiency unique to a career soldier.

He made almost no unnecessary noise.

Yet his presence filled the room.

Shen Qingxian cautiously scooped up a small piece of potato and brought it to his lips.

It was salty.

The seasoning was heavy.

To someone accustomed to refined cuisine, the flavor was almost overwhelmingly rustic.

He said nothing.

He simply continued eating in tiny bites, making as little noise as possible, trying to minimize his own presence.

For a while, the only sounds in the room were Lin Yan eating…

And the occasional crackle from the stove.

An awkward silence settled between them.

Lin Yan ate quickly.

After finishing most of his meal, his pace slowed.

He looked up.

His eyes landed on the Omega eating across from him.

Shen Qingxian resembled a cautious little cat.

Each spoonful was tiny.

He chewed slowly.

The sheen of oil had restored a hint of color to his lips, making them appear softer than before.

“What’s your name?”

Lin Yan suddenly asked.

His deep voice sounded unusually abrupt in the quiet room.

Shen Qingxian’s grip on the spoon tightened.

Immediately raising his head, he swallowed before answering softly,

“Shen Qingxian.”

“How old?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Where are you from?”

Lin Yan’s gaze rested squarely on his face, impossible to evade.

“…An A-Class Residential Zone.”

His answer was even quieter this time.

There was a trace of avoidance in his voice.

He clearly didn’t want to talk about that place.

Lin Yan studied him for two seconds.

He didn’t press him about which A-Class district it had been.

Instead, he asked something else.

“What’s with your pheromone disorder?”

Shen Qingxian’s eyelashes trembled.

Lowering his gaze to the potatoes inside his lunch box, he replied quietly,

“…I was born with it.”

“Later…”

“I took a lot of medication.”

“So it only became more unstable.”

There was a calm acceptance in his voice.

Yet beneath it lingered the faintest trace of grievance.

Lin Yan didn’t pursue the topic.

He could tell the question had only made the Omega opposite him even more nervous.

After taking another few bites, he asked casually,

“What can you do?”

The question seemed to catch Shen Qingxian off guard.

He sat frozen for a moment before answering hesitantly,

“…A little…”

“…data analysis…”

“And…”

“…some instrument maintenance…”

His voice grew quieter with every word.

As though he believed those skills were utterly useless in this desolate frontier outpost.

Perhaps even laughable.

Sure enough, after hearing him out, Lin Yan simply responded with a calm,

“Mhm.”

His expression revealed nothing.

Whether satisfied or disappointed was impossible to tell.

The conversation ended once more.

Shen Qingxian lowered his head again, focusing intently on his lunch box as though it contained something fascinating.

Only the occasional faint clink of spoon against metal proved he was still eating.

He slowed down even further.

Meanwhile, Lin Yan had already finished.

He snapped the lid onto his lunch box with a crisp click.

The sudden sound made Shen Qingxian’s shoulders twitch almost imperceptibly.

Lin Yan noticed.

Something flickered in his eyes.

He didn’t get up.

Instead, he leaned back against the chair and openly looked Shen Qingxian over.

Slowly.

From head to toe.

He took in the silky black hair that looked especially obedient when his head was lowered.

The slightly trembling eyelashes.

The pale yet beautifully shaped lips gently pressed together from nervousness.

And the fair, slender wrist holding the spoon…

So delicate that it looked as though it might snap with the slightest force.

The longer Lin Yan looked at him, the more pleasing he found him.

The kid might be delicate.

Troublesome.

Look like he’d be blown away by the slightest breeze.

But…

He really was good-looking.

Not the kind of beauty that demanded attention or felt aggressive.

Rather, it was a clean, cool sort of refinement.

As if he’d been carved from ice and snow.

The kind that made people wonder what he’d look like once he melted.

And Shen Qingxian was afraid of him.

That cautious fear carried an inexplicable obedience that deeply satisfied the Alpha’s instinctive desire for control.

Especially when he thought back to the unbelievable 100% displayed on the compatibility test…

Lin Yan’s gaze darkened further.

This Omega was meant to be his.

From his pheromones…

To the person himself…

Everything about him fit this rough frontier of his far too perfectly.

Shen Qingxian grew increasingly uncomfortable beneath that stare.

He felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles.

Even holding his spoon became difficult.

He’d completely lost his appetite.

Gathering his courage, he whispered,

“…I’m full.”

More than half the meal remained untouched.

Lin Yan frowned again.

“That’s all you’re eating?”

“Even a cat eats more than you do.”

Shen Qingxian twisted his fingers together.

“…I’m really full.”

Lin Yan stared at him for a few moments.

Then, without warning, he reached across the desk.

Using the back of his hand, he lightly touched the hand holding Shen Qingxian’s lunch box.

Cold.

“Figures.”

He withdrew his hand.

His voice betrayed no particular emotion.

“No meat on your bones.”

“You’re not even producing enough heat to keep yourself warm.”

Getting to his feet, he dropped the subject of food.

“Clean up.”

“Hot water’s only available for one hour every day.”

“Use the washroom.”

He pointed toward the hallway outside.

“End of the corridor. Left side.”

With that, he stopped paying attention to Shen Qingxian altogether.

Picking up his military coat and empty lunch box, he headed straight out the door, apparently returning the containers—or perhaps tending to some other business.

The door closed once again.

Only then did Shen Qingxian finally relax.

He let out a quiet breath, realizing his back was damp with sweat.

Just being around that man…

Even when Lin Yan sat there without saying a word…

The overwhelming pressure of his presence and pheromones kept every nerve in Shen Qingxian’s body taut.

He looked down at the food left in his lunch box.

After a brief hesitation, he slowly put the lid back on.

Taking both empty lunch boxes, he carefully opened the door and headed toward the washroom as Lin Yan had instructed.

The corridor was deserted.

Only the cold fluorescent lights illuminated the passage.

He walked quickly.

Yet his thoughts kept returning to the brief touch of Lin Yan’s hand against his own.

Rough.

Warm.

Gone in an instant.

And yet it had somehow left behind a lingering, burning impression.

Meanwhile, outside the room…

Lin Yan leaned against the cold wall of the corridor.

Lighting a cigarette, he took a deep drag.

But the image occupying his mind wasn’t the day’s mission…

It was Shen Qingxian taking tiny bites of food, his eyelashes trembling softly.

Tsk.

He is delicate.

But…

The more I look at him… the better he looks.

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