Wu Yi cleared his throat deliberately and said, “Young Master Pei, watch your step.”
Pei Yiyan shot him a glance and strode toward the sofa.
Hearing Wu Yi’s voice, Shen Yuqing looked up. Seeing Pei Yiyan arrive, he stood up decisively, repositioned himself with Haoyunlai in his arms, then buried his face again, inhaling deeply.
Pei Yiyan was momentarily speechless. Was this really necessary?
He had never heard before that Shen Yuqing liked small animals, especially cats.
As soon as Haoyunlai spotted Pei Yiyan, it no longer wanted Shen Yuqing’s affection. It meowed twice at Pei Yiyan, as if pleading for rescue.
Shen Yuqing said, “Go ahead and cry. No one’s coming to save you!”
Haoyunlai meowed again seems like it had to rely on itself!
It twisted its body swiftly, flicked its tail, and dashed away, terrified of being smothered by Shen Yuqing again.
Shen Yuqing straightened up, kneeling on the sofa as he watched Haoyunlai run to another spot. He shook his head and called out, “Come here.”
Haoyunlai knew it was adorable but even it couldn’t handle such overwhelming affection!
After giving Shen Yuqing one last look, it turned away mercilessly and went to play with its own toys. Shen Yuqing was disappointed.
Pei Yiyan observed everything, especially Shen Yuqing’s earlier remark: “No one’s coming to save you!”
That phrase sounded eerily familiar.
Wasn’t it exactly what Shen Yuqing had once said to him?
And back then had he worn the same expression?
Pei Yiyan’s face grew even more peculiar.
Shen Yuqing turned his head and noticed Pei Yiyan had already taken a seat beside him at some point.
Shen Yuqing ran a hand through his hair and asked, “Finished with your rehab?”
Pei Yiyan regained his usual composure and replied, “Yes, just finished today.”
After a brief pause, he added, “You’re done too?”
“Yep,” Shen Yuqing sprawled lazily on the sofa. “Even finished my homework.”
Ever since studying with Song Wangzhuo, he had been completing all his assignments. His teacher had even praised him once when he handed them in.
Pei Yiyan listened to his muttering, his gaze lingering on him.
Shen Yuqing glanced back but didn’t find it too strange Pei Yiyan had always looked at him like this before.
He yawned and asked, “Xiao Zhao, what’s for lunch today?”
After Pei Yiyan sat down, Wu Yi had gone to help Xiao Zhao. Now employed by Shen Yuqing at a high salary, Wu Yi assisted Xiao Zhao with household chores after accompanying Pei Yiyan to rehab, effectively serving as his assistant.
Upon hearing Shen Yuqing’s question, he answered, “Hot pot for lunch today.”
With the recent rainy weather and dropping temperatures, Shen Yuqing had casually mentioned yesterday that it was perfect weather for hot pot and now it was already arranged.
He glanced at the dining table, where an array of ingredients was laid out, all exuding one unmistakable trait: luxury.
Watching Wu Yi bring out four individual pots one for each of them, so no one had to compromise on flavors Shen Yuqing turned back.
“Oh, by the way, did the report come out today?”
Pei Yiyan had undergone a gland examination yesterday, and the results took 24 hours to process. By now, they should be ready.
Shen Yuqing’s gaze fell on Pei Yiyan, only to see him slightly lower his eyes and say, “The results are out.”
From his tone, Shen Yuqing sensed something was off.
Sure enough, Pei Yiyan soon added, “It can’t be repaired.” That couldn’t be right his glands had recovered in the later stages, hadn’t they?
Shen Yuqing didn’t even notice the strange expression on his own face. The system couldn’t be wrong. Could it be that they’d have to wait a bit longer for a new breakthrough?
Pei Yiyan took in every subtle shift in Shen Yuqing’s expression. For some reason, he found it odd, though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why.
So when Shen Yuqing tried to comfort him, Pei Yiyan merely responded with a faint “Mm.”
Truthfully, he had expected this outcome. Right after the car accident, Old Master Pei had consulted countless specialists for his gland condition.
For a double-S-class alpha, glands weren’t just crucial to the individual they mattered greatly to the entire family.
Yet every doctor said the same thing: the injury was in too tricky a spot, beyond repair.
A shard of glass had pierced straight into his gland. Had it been even slightly off-target, there might have been hope.
But luck simply wasn’t on his side.
After years of hearing identical verdicts, this result no longer surprised him. He accepted it with complete indifference.
Life without fully functional glands wasn’t so bad. Though ruts still occurred, their intensity had noticeably diminished.
At times, he no longer felt like a puppet to his own pheromones. That was fine.
Seeing his despondent look, Shen Yuqing finally reached out and patted his shoulder. Meeting Pei Yiyan’s unreadable eyes, he reassured, “Don’t lose heart. Your glands will recover eventually. Keep seeking treatment if one attempt fails, try again. Next time might work.”
Pei Yiyan hadn’t anticipated such words from Shen Yuqing and froze momentarily.
Shen Yuqing continued unprompted, “Honestly, whether your glands function or not doesn’t matter. Whether you have pheromones or not doesn’t matter. Being alive is what counts.”
“And isn’t it better without pheromone interference? That way, if you fall for someone, you can be absolutely certain it’s real no second-guessing whether it’s just pheromones playing tricks on you.”
Alphas and omegas were inevitably influenced by pheromones the higher their compatibility, the stronger the effect.
As Shen Yuqing spoke, Pei Yiyan couldn’t help pressing his lips together slightly.
Their conversation flowed like that between old friends. More importantly, Shen Yuqing’s eyes remained bright throughout, his face devoid of any pretense.
And in Pei Yiyan’s understanding, Shen Yuqing still believed him to be blind incapable of seeing. There was no need to “perform” for a blind man. He meant every word.
Shen Yuqing… really wasn’t the same as before.
“Young Master, Young Master Pei, dinner’s ready,” Xiao Zhao called out at just the right moment.
Shen Yuqing snapped out of their chat, instantly cheerful again. “Coming!”
He’d caught whiffs of the spicy hotpot broth ages ago his stomach had been growling for a while.
Pei Yiyan watched him practically skip toward the dining table. Hmm… rather like an eager puppy wagging its tail.
Seeing Shen Yuqing leave, Good Luck trotted over and leapt onto Pei Yiyan with a flick of its tail.
Pei Yiyan lowered his head to stroke its fur, thinking to himself, “No wonder Lucky’s affection for him was so fleeting.”
Seeing Pei Yiyan motionless, Shen Yuqing turned back and said, “Pei Yiyan, dinner’s ready.”
Only then did Pei Yiyan place Lucky on the sofa and stand up, walking over as usual. “Mm, coming.” he replied.
