When Shen Yuqing returned home, only Xiao Zhao was there.
He sat on the sofa and asked, “Has Pei Yiyan not come back yet?”
Xiao Zhao replied, “No. Wu Yi said he might be back very late.”
Shen Yuqing yawned and glanced around. “Where’s Good Luck?”
“Probably in the workout room,” Xiao Zhao answered.
Good Luck always accompanied Pei Yiyan during his workouts, so Pei Yiyan had Xiao Zhao install a cat tree in the corner. Now, the workout room had become Good Luck’s favorite spot. If it wasn’t visible elsewhere, it was definitely there.
Hearing this, Shen Yuqing got up and walked over. Sure enough, he found Good Luck sprawled on the cat tree, tail swaying lazily as it dozed with half-closed eyes.
The sound of his approach woke Good Luck. Seeing him return, the cat meowed twice and, as soon as Shen Yuqing got close, stood up and leaped into his arms.
Shen Yuqing held it and took a deep sniff only to catch a familiar scent.
A cool, refreshing fragrance enveloped him. He inhaled deeply again, unable to describe the scent, but it was utterly intoxicating.
Carrying Good Luck, he walked out and asked, “Did you give Good Luck a bath today?”
“Not today, but it was bathed a couple of days ago,” Xiao Zhao replied. “Is it dirty? I can wipe it down later this afternoon. Frequent baths aren’t great for cats.”
“It’s not dirty,” Shen Yuqing said. “I just thought it smelled really nice, so I wondered if it had been bathed again.” Nice?
Xiao Zhao was puzzled. He hadn’t noticed any particular scent.
All the products used for Good Luck were fragrance-free, and due to pheromone sensitivities, they rarely used perfumes.
Only betas occasionally spritzed some, but Shen Yuqing wasn’t one to wear cologne, and Xiao Zhao certainly didn’t either.
Yet, watching Shen Yuqing bury his face in Good Luck’s fur and inhale deeply again, Xiao Zhao swallowed his words.
But judging by Shen Yuqing’s reaction, he really seemed to be smelling something pleasant.
Shen Yuqing carried Good Luck back to the sofa. The more he smelled that scent, the more addictive it became. What exactly was it?
He felt almost lightheaded from inhaling it. He’d ask Xiao Zhao later if they could find the same shampoo.
If he could smell this fragrance every day, his mood would improve significantly.
After dinner, Shen Yuqing checked the time. It was still early, so he cuddled with Good Luck and drifted off to sleep.
Today, Good Luck was unusually docile. No matter how Shen Yuqing moved, it stayed sweetly curled up beside him.
As Shen Yuqing breathed in that soothing fragrance, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
When Pei Yiyan returned, the house was quiet. Xiao Zhao, hearing the commotion, stepped out of his room. “Young Master Pei, have you eaten?”
“I have,” Pei Yiyan replied, changing his shoes. His gaze lingered on Shen Yuqing’s shoes. “Has Yuqing gone to the academy?”
“No, Young Master just went to his room to rest,” Xiao Zhao answered.
Pei Yiyan gave a hum. “You can rest too. Wu Yi is here.”
Xiao Zhao nodded and retreated back to his room.
Pei Yiyan turned and said, “You should rest as well.”
A foldable bed had been set up in the workout room for Wu Yi to use during midday breaks at home. Originally, he was supposed to share a room with Xiao Zhao, but alphas and betas still needed to maintain some boundaries.
Wu Yi nodded. “Young Master, what time are we leaving?”
They still had work in the afternoon, yet Pei Yiyan had decided to return home for a while.
Pei Yiyan replied, “As long as we arrive before they do. There’s still plenty of time.”
Wu Yi didn’t press further.
Pei Yiyan freshened up before slowly pushing open the bedroom door. As expected, he saw Shen Yuqing lying on the bed, already fast asleep. Lucky was nestled against his shoulder, snuggled close.
Hearing the noise, Lucky turned its head, glanced at Pei Yiyan, then turned back and closed its eyes to sleep.
Pei Yiyan changed into his pajamas and lay down. Though he had been busy all morning, during his free time at noon, he still wanted to come back and check on things.
After all, he had rejected Shen Yuqing earlier that day, and the latter hadn’t seemed too happy about it.
Shen Yuqing was sleeping soundly, undisturbed by Pei Yiyan’s movements.
Pei Yiyan turned on his side to watch him for a while before lying flat to rest.
Perhaps it was due to his increased workload lately, but he felt unusually tired. Ever since his return, he hadn’t been sleeping well. Yet, whenever he woke up and tried to recall his dreams, nothing came to mind.
Oh well. Whatever disturbed his sleep probably wasn’t a pleasant dream anyway.
Shen Yuqing had slept deeply. He rolled over, reaching out to grab Lucky and pull it into his arms for a little more cuddle time.
But after patting the bed for a while, he found nothing. He mumbled, “Lucky…”
His fingers brushed against fabric. Hmm.
He had definitely put his clothes away before sleeping.
Bleary-eyed, Shen Yuqing opened his eyes to see Pei Yiyan “looking” back at him. His hand was gripping the fabric at Pei Yiyan’s waist, and his movements had tugged it up slightly, revealing a sliver of skin beneath.
Shen Yuqing’s drowsiness vanished instantly. He yanked his hand back, embarrassed. “I was looking for Lucky. Didn’t expect you to be back.”
Pei Yiyan simply hummed in response, pulling his clothes back down to cover his waist.
Shen Yuqing glanced at the alarm clock before sitting up, the thin blanket pooling around his waist. He looked around and spotted Lucky perched on the other side of Pei Yiyan.
No wonder he couldn’t find Lucky. It had moved to the other side.
He threw off the covers and got out of bed. “It’s getting late. I should head to the academy.”
As he spoke, Pei Yiyan also got up, giving a faint hum of acknowledgment.
Shen Yuqing hesitated, then asked, “Do you have plans this afternoon? If not, why not come to the school with me?”
“I have to go out,” Pei Yiyan replied. “Next time.”
Shen Yuqing nodded. “Alright.”
He picked up his clothes and headed to change. After a few steps, he heard Pei Yiyan ask from behind, “Aren’t you going to ask where I’m going?”
Shen Yuqing turned back to look at him. “Why should I?”
At this point, Pei Yiyan was likely building his company. Though the main storyline didn’t detail his early struggles, his company would later become a commercial giant. Starting from scratch with no resources, it was easy to imagine the hardships he must have faced before becoming the revered “President Pei” everyone knew.
Pei Yiyan watched Shen Yuqing’s retreating figure until the bathroom door closed behind him.
Yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about Shen Yuqing’s earlier words.
Was he aware of it, or simply indifferent?
Pei Yiyan lowered his gaze, thinking it was probably the latter.
When Shen Yuqing came out, Pei Yiyan was still sitting on the bed. Shen said, “I’ll head out first. You should get some more rest.”
Hearing the word “leave,” Pei Yiyan felt an inexplicable discomfort in his chest, along with an impulsive urge to keep the other man by his side.
By the time he snapped out of it, Shen Yuqing had already closed the bedroom door behind him.
He left without a shred of hesitation.
Pei Yiyan pressed his lips together, unable to pinpoint the emotion swirling inside him.
Shen Yuqing changed his shoes and turned to Xiao Zhao. “Later, see if you can find a body wash that smells similar to Haoyunlai.”
Though puzzled, Xiao Zhao nodded. “Understood.”
After seeing Shen off, Pei Yiyan emerged shortly after, with Haoyunlai trotting ahead of him.
Xiao Zhao picked up the cat and sniffed it. “There really isn’t any scent, though.”
Pei Yiyan noticed Xiao Zhao’s confusion but didn’t press further. Just as he was about to sit and wait for Wu Yi, Xiao Zhao spoke up. “Young Master Pei.”
“Yes?”
“Master Shen said he really likes the scent on Haoyunlai. Could you help me check? I don’t smell anything at all.”
But Shen Yuqing had seemed so certain it didn’t seem like a lie.
Xiao Zhao handed the cat to Pei Yiyan, who lowered his head slightly, an imperceptible flicker of emotion passing through his eyes before he straightened. “No scent.”
“Alright, I’ll ask Master Shen again when he returns,” Xiao Zhao said.
Pei Yiyan hummed in acknowledgment. “Go wake Wu Yi.”
Xiao Zhao agreed and headed toward the gym.
Only after Xiao Zhao left did Pei Yiyan turn his attention back to Haoyunlai.
Impossible. How could there be.
Pei Yiyan pressed his lips tightly together, bending down to inhale deeply, just as Shen Yuqing had done. No mistake.
How could Haoyunlai carry the scent of his pheromones?
He recalled Xiao Zhao’s words. Shen Yuqing claimed the cat had a fragrance he adored.
But if it really were pheromones, Shen, a beta, shouldn’t be able to detect them at all.
Pei Yiyan stroked Haoyunlai’s head twice. What the hell was going on?
If it was his pheromones, how had the cat picked them up? And how could Shen smell them?
If not, why did the scent resemble his pheromones so closely? Who was behind this, and what were they trying to achieve?
For now, Pei Yiyan had no answers.
