Shen Yuqing walked over and sat down on the sofa. As soon as he did, Lucky came over, sniffing at him for a while before wagging its tail and running off to play with its toys completely unlike its earlier clinginess.
Shen Yuqing wondered if it was because he had carried Song Wangzhuo’s scent when he first came back, which had made Lucky so affectionate.
An animal’s sense of smell was far sharper than his own as a beta.
Back when he had taken Lucky to Song Wangzhuo’s place, it had been obvious how much the dog adored him.
Shen Yuqing sucked in a breath, feeling a headache coming on.
How had he never noticed before?
He shifted his gaze from Lucky and finally settled it on Pei Yiyan.
Even if he were the dumbest person alive, he knew that alphas instinctively rejected each other’s pheromones.
Especially someone like Pei Yiyan a natural-born prodigy and especially with his damaged glands.
To him, Song Wangzhuo’s pheromones were nothing short of a provocation, blatantly rubbed in his face.
Shen Yuqing felt his headache worsening.
“I can’t smell pheromones,” he said.
Pei Yiyan didn’t react.
Shen Yuqing added, “And it’s not what you think. The scent just accidentally got on me.”
Accidentally?
Accidentally got covered in pheromones, accidentally let that scent fill the entire apartment.
After Pei Yiyan had entered, all the windows in the living room had been flung open. The scent was gone now otherwise, Pei Yiyan would’ve already left.
What was the point of staying?
This place was never his to begin with.
Seeing Pei Yiyan’s silence, Shen Yuqing knew he was still angry.
But letting this drag on wasn’t an option.
Shen Yuqing scooted closer and sat beside him. “I’ll be more careful from now on. This won’t happen again.”
Only then did Pei Yiyan react. “Don’t bother.”
Just as Shen Yuqing was about to sigh in relief, Pei Yiyan continued, “I have properties under my name. I’ll have someone clean one up in a few days and move out.”
Wait—
How did this circle back to moving out again?
Shen Yuqing was taken aback. “Huh? You’re moving out?”
Back when the original owner had bullied Pei Yiyan relentlessly, he had never once mentioned moving out. But now, just because Shen Yuqing had come home with a trace of another alpha’s scent, he was so furious he wanted to leave?
He blinked, unsure whether to agree or not.
The atmosphere turned awkward.
Pei Yiyan glanced at Shen Yuqing from the corner of his eye and saw him genuinely considering it. The anger in his chest flared even hotter.
He didn’t understand what was wrong with him, but every one of Shen Yuqing’s reactions made him uncomfortable, as if something was lodged in his chest.
“Yeah,” he said coldly. “I’ll make room for your alpha. Don’t worry I’ll explain it to Shen Zhen myself.”
Shen Yuqing snapped out of his thoughts and opened his mouth to speak, but Pei Yiyan cut him off. “Wu Yi.”
Wu Yi had long noticed the tension between them. Now that he was being called over, he felt uneasy.
He approached cautiously. “Yes, Young Master Pei?”
Pei Yiyan said, “I’ll give you an address later. This afternoon, gather some people to clean it up. I’m moving there tomorrow.”
Wu Yi gaped, instinctively looking at Shen Yuqing.
He didn’t dare move. Really, he didn’t.
What on earth was his young master up to now?
Or was he really planning to move out? But he hadn’t mentioned it beforehand, leaving Shen Yuqing at a complete loss for words.
Shen Yuqing was utterly overwhelmed. He could hear the thinly veiled accusations in Pei Yiyan’s words. There was no way he could let Pei Yiyan move out now. If he did, what would happen to his mission? Besides, Pei Yiyan had been suffering from nightmares lately. If he moved out, Shen Yuqing wouldn’t be able to observe him closely or adapt to the situation as needed.
And it was obvious Pei Yiyan was still fuming.
Shen Yuqing shook his head at Wu Yi. “Go help Xiao Zhao.”
Wu Yi glanced between Pei Yiyan and Shen Yuqing, but Shen Yuqing had already turned away. “I already told you, it was just an accident. If I’d actually gone looking for some alpha, I wouldn’t have come back so casually.”
Pei Yiyan remained silent, though his expression seemed to soften slightly.
Shen Yuqing pressed on, “And if you move out, you’ll just tell my brother, and then he’ll come after me for answers.”
Pei Yiyan’s lips remained tightly pressed together. Shen Yuqing sighed. “It won’t happen again.”
Now he understood why alphas sometimes fought over pheromones for no apparent reason. Even someone as composed as Pei Yiyan couldn’t hold back his anger, this was serious.
He’d have to be more careful from now on.
Shen Yuqing patted Pei Yiyan’s shoulder. “Alright, don’t be mad. I’ll have Xiao Zhao take care of it. No, I’ll do it myself. I’ll go buy air freshener right now.”
He made to stand up, but before he could, Pei Yiyan spoke. “No need.” Still angry, huh?
Shen Yuqing’s mind raced for another excuse when Pei Yiyan added, “After dinner, Wu Yi can go buy it.”
Shen Yuqing’s brain short-circuited. “Right, Wu Yi can go.”
He studied Pei Yiyan’s expression, the tension had eased. It seemed he’d been successfully placated. Placated.
Shen Yuqing mentally emphasized the word.
Wait, why was he placating Pei Yiyan?
The thought was terrifying. Shen Yuqing shuddered. If he actually said the word out loud, Pei Yiyan would probably skip dinner and leave on the spot.
Shen Yuqing sat back down on the sofa.
Well, if placating was what it took, so be it.
Pei Yiyan’s temper had changed a bit since he returned, but it wasn’t unbearable.
In fact, Shen Yuqing thought it was kind of nice. At least he wasn’t the same emotionless robot who only ever responded with “mm” or “oh.” Now he got angry, argued it was interesting.
And Shen Yuqing felt this kind of reaction was healthier. Better to vent emotions than bottle everything up until it exploded into something far worse.
He turned to look at Pei Yiyan, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Pei Yiyan’s gaze lingered on Shen Yuqing from the corner of his eye. Seeing the sudden smile, he slowly realized he might have overreacted earlier.
A pang of regret hit him. Why had he said all those things without thinking?
Now that his rationality had returned, he felt a little embarrassed. Yes. Not regret. Just embarrassment.
I shouldn’t be like this. I should be mature and steady.
Why am I still acting like a child, as if competing for attention?
