After school in the afternoon, Shen Yuqing carried a bag home, his mind still preoccupied with Haoyunlai and Pei Yiyan’s interactions. He wanted to return early to check on them.
Lin Sui had been unusually quiet today and probably wouldn’t seek him out.
Shen Yuqing suddenly realized he was… quite busy.
Carrying the bag, he arrived home, changed his shoes in the entryway, and glanced toward the living room—no one was there. After taking a few steps inside, a beta servant emerged from the kitchen to take the bag from him.
Shen Yuqing asked, “Where’s Pei Yiyan?”
“Today is Young Master Pei’s follow-up examination. They haven’t returned yet,” the servant replied. “Young Master Shen, does this garment need washing?”
Shen Yuqing remembered now—there was indeed such an arrangement. He nodded to indicate he understood. It was just as well that Pei Yiyan wasn’t home; he could take a short breather.
At the servant’s question, he replied, “No need. It’s clean—just hang it up.”
After searching the house for the cat, Shen Yuqing finally found Haoyunlai asleep inside the wardrobe in the walk-in closet—the one designated for Pei Yiyan’s clothes.
Bending down, he carefully picked up the cat and murmured, “You naughty thing. Be careful, or Pei Yiyan will be furious when he gets back.”
Haoyunlai merely opened its eyes, meowed lazily at him, then sprawled back into his arms, looking utterly exhausted.
Shen Yuqing sighed helplessly and carried the cat back to the living room. Before long, the front door opened from the outside. Turning his head, he saw Pei Yiyan returning—followed by a man carrying a stack of medical reports.
The system promptly informed him: 【The man behind him is the servant the Pei family sent to supervise Pei Yiyan. He’s an Omega.】
A male Omega?
Shen Yuqing raised an eyebrow. If he wasn’t mistaken, the Shen family’s servants were almost exclusively beta—for the simple reason that betas lacked pheromones, heat cycles, or rut periods. They were stable, unaffected by external influences.
The Pei family couldn’t possibly be unaware of this.
Sending an alpha would have been one thing, but dispatching an Omega? That hinted at motives that were… difficult to decipher.
Lazily, Shen Yuqing remarked, “You’re back.”
Pei Yiyan responded with a faint “Mm,” then addressed the Omega servant. “Put my things away. The study.”
“Yes,” the Omega replied obediently, carrying the stack of documents toward the study.
Pei Yiyan guided himself forward with his cane, moving slowly until he settled beside Shen Yuqing.
Shen Yuqing asked, “So that’s the person the Pei family sent?”
“Yes,” Pei Yiyan answered coolly, adding unprompted, “An Omega.”
Initially, Pei Yiyan had assumed the Pei family would send a beta servant. But upon the man’s arrival, he discovered otherwise. He didn’t need to think deeply to grasp the intentions of the other Pei family members.
The Shen family might not know how hostile his relationship with Shen Yuqing truly was, but the Pei family knew full well. They had stood by indifferently through his suffering—and now, they were adding fuel to the fire.
With the Omega’s arrival, Shen Yuqing would undoubtedly refuse to let the matter rest.
Shen Yuqing was somewhat surprised by Pei Yiyan’s frankness. After all, the person was from the Pei family and had come under the pretense of taking care of Pei Yiyan. Shen Zhen and the others certainly wouldn’t question it. So as long as Pei Yiyan didn’t say anything, they—who lacked pheromones—would never notice.
He remarked, “No wonder I thought this person looked so delicate. If you hadn’t said he was a servant sent over, I would’ve assumed he was some young master from another family.”
Pei Yiyan gave a noncommittal hum. “If you don’t like him, we can send him back.”
This was actually what Pei Yiyan had in mind as well. If he sent the person back, the Pei family would undoubtedly send a second or third replacement. It would be better to take advantage of the situation and use Shen Yuqing’s words as an excuse to dismiss him.
Shen Yuqing was well aware of Pei Yiyan’s thoughts.
Though the two of them were on the same page, the matter wasn’t settled yet.
He immediately said, “No need. He just got here. If we send him back right away, your uncles from the Pei family will surely say I don’t know how to behave.”
Good Luck, the cat, was roused awake by their back-and-forth. It meowed softly and, upon spotting Pei Yiyan, swiftly climbed out of Shen Yuqing’s arms and began rubbing affectionately against Pei Yiyan’s body.
Pei Yiyan, sensing the cat’s friendliness, froze for a moment before unconsciously relaxing. His hand lifted, groping for the right spot to pet.
The sight of the man and the cat together looked oddly harmonious.
Shen Yuqing muttered under his breath, “Just who is your real owner, huh?”
Good Luck couldn’t care less. It simply found Pei Yiyan’s scent quite similar to that of the kind soul who had once fed it ham sausages.
Hmm… the scent of an alpha.
Just then, the Omega returned after organizing the documents. He stood obediently beside Shen Yuqing and greeted, “Hello, Young Master Shen.”
Whether male or female, Omegas were always delicate—their voices soft and gentle, like a spring breeze.
Shen Yuqing studied him closely. It was hard to imagine that this seemingly frail Omega had actually drugged Pei Yiyan.
Truly, appearances could be deceiving.
Shen Yuqing tilted his chin slightly. “You’re an Omega. Wouldn’t it be inconvenient for you to share a room with a beta? Maybe you should just go back.”
The Omega quickly replied, “It’s no trouble at all, Young Master Shen. Though I’m an Omega, I can do anything and don’t mind hardship. Please don’t send me away.”
As he spoke, he glanced at his own young master, his tone growing even softer and meeker. “I’ll do whatever you ask of me.”
Shen Yuqing felt goosebumps rise at the words. He shot a sidelong glance at Pei Yiyan, who seemed utterly unfazed—not even a frown in sight.
Shen Yuqing said, “If you can do anything, then don’t stand around here. Go work in the kitchen.”
The Omega gazed at him with adoring eyes before nodding. “Yes, Young Master Shen.”
Leaning back against the sofa, Shen Yuqing watched as the Omega disappeared into the kitchen. Only then did he feel something was off, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly.
Dismissing the thought for now, he turned his attention back to Pei Yiyan.
Seated quietly beside him, Pei Yiyan continued petting the cat. Despite being blind, he always managed to avoid Good Luck’s injured leg with uncanny precision. The cat, thoroughly pampered, purred contentedly, its tail swaying leisurely—a clear sign of its current bliss.
Being a cat sure was nice.
Shen Yuqing pondered, carefree and without the burden of saving the world.
He quietly envied Pei Yiyan’s cat-attracting constitution for a while before finally getting up to take a shower in his room.
But before he could even sit up, the plot point surfaced in his mind right on schedule.
**[At 4 a.m., Song Wangzhuo finished his part-time job and was walking home. Some breakfast stalls had already opened along the street. After working a full day, he hadn’t eaten much, and now, catching the scent of food, hunger finally caught up with him.
He bought a pack of noodles from a noodle shop, planning to eat them slowly at home. But as soon as he turned into the shortcut alley he’d walked countless times before, he sensed something was off. There was someone in the alley.
Song Wangzhuo immediately turned to leave, only to find two burly men closing in from behind.
Step by step, they advanced toward him—their target, Song Wangzhuo, holding his breakfast.
He frowned slightly, quickly considering his options, but these men had come prepared. The moment his guard wavered, the two closest to him lunged forward, pinning his arms and forcing him to his knees.
The takeout box hit the ground with a dull thud, shattering into pieces.
The leader stepped in front of Song Wangzhuo, reached out, and patted his cheek before spitting out, “Don’t blame us. You’re the one who crossed Shen Yuqing. We’re just doing our job. Behave, and we’ll wrap this up quick.”
As he spoke, he signaled to the others. Song Wangzhuo felt the air thicken with the scent of an alpha’s pheromones—directed at him.
The suppressant patch on the back of his neck left him no chance to retaliate with his own pheromones.
Shen Yuqing—again, Shen Yuqing!
That name clung to him like a curse, impossible to shake off!
He was like the shattered meal on the ground—inconsequential, unnoticed by anyone.
Rage and long-suppressed resentment surged to their peak. In a sudden burst of defiance, Song Wangzhuo sprang up from the ground, his leg striking the leader’s vulnerable spot.
A one-sided brawl erupted, lasting until the first light of dawn. When it was over, Song Wangzhuo staggered to his feet from the corner, battered beyond recognition.
But the alphas sent to humiliate him hadn’t fared much better—they hadn’t expected Song Wangzhuo to fight like an absolute madman!
Now, step by step, the madman returned to his cramped home. He stripped off his clothes and stood before the mirror, coldly assessing his injuries.
Not a single part of him was untouched—bruises mottled his skin, his handsome face swollen. Yet, in his heart, there was only satisfaction.
“Shen Yuqing… Shen Yuqing…”
The three simple syllables were repeated over and over, coiling through the narrow-rented room like a venomous snake.
