Chapter 75

“Benefits?” Xie Fuyi tilted his head, still somewhat naive. “After I return to the capital, I’ll have my father give you money. Whatever amount you want.”

“I don’t want money,” Norman squinted, “I want you.”

“What?” Xie Fuyi widened his eyes. “You-you want an A-A relationship?” His face twisted in disgust. “You’re dreaming!”

Norman found it somewhat amusing, not bothering to argue with him. He half leaned on the edge of the bed, leaning over to look at him, coaxing, “It’s just an exchange for this voyage. You’ll be with me, and I won’t tell anyone you snuck onto the ship. How about that?”

“But…”

Xie Fuyi hesitated, and Norman suppressed his smile, making a show of getting up. “Otherwise, I’ll have to go explain the situation to the General, and then you’ll…”

“Wait!” Xie Fuyi thought of the punishments he mentioned, his face turning pale. He quickly grabbed him. “Alright, agreed. Just for this voyage. Afterwards, we’ll pretend we don’t know each other…”

Norman’s heart leaped with joy. He turned back around, now having secured his deal. The rest could be discussed later.

Feeling overwhelmed by Norman’s dominance, Xie Fuyi looked somewhat aggrieved. He kicked Norman’s leg, his tone resolute. “Both being Alphas, I won’t be the bottom!”

Norman simply nodded, his expression unreadable.

Seeing Xie Fuyi’s alluring appearance, Norman’s heart softened. With the arrow already on the string, he had lost his rationality. He simply hugged him tightly, burying his face in his neck and kissing him passionately. Gasping for breath, he spoke, “I promise you, sweetheart. You smell so good, let me kiss you…”

Unfortunately, the collar couldn’t be removed, much to Norman’s regret. Otherwise, once fully marked, Xie Fuyi would be his omega. Nonetheless, he still savored the peach wine scent of the young master’s pheromones from other parts of his body. Damn, it was delicious!

…

And so, Xie Fuyi was kept in Norman’s room. He couldn’t leave, and every day Norman would bring him food. Normally, the army ate nutritional supplements, but the young master’s delicate stomach couldn’t handle such rough fare. Each time, Norman brought him exquisite meals and even small cakes, items only available in the kitchens reserved for high-ranking officers.

After spending several days cooped up in the room, Xie Fuyi grew restless. He figured Norman’s pheromones must have been detected by now.

…

In the command room atop the starship, Ye Baixiao and Lu Shiyi sat facing each other.

“We should succeed this time and when we return, I will gain most of the support and will be able to reclaim my alpha status,” Lu Shiyi said, noticing Ye Baixiao’s distraction. He smirked slightly, his expression ambiguous. “It’s rare to see General Ye lost in thought. What are you thinking about?”

Ye Baixiao paused for a moment. Was it that obvious? It had only been three days since they parted, yet he found himself missing Xie Fuyi.

Ye Baixiao lowered his gaze and replied calmly, “You better take care of yourself and think about how to deal with those brothers when we return.”

Lu Shiyi noticed that he didn’t seem inclined to talk much, and he fell silent.

Just then, a soldier on the side brought lunch.

“General Ye, Vice General Lu, lunch is here.”

Lu Shiyi had concealed his identity within the army, and only a very few knew his true identity.

Ye Baixiao had just picked up his chopsticks when suddenly his nose twitched, and he froze.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Shiyi, seeing his cold expression, thought there might be an issue with the food, and unconsciously followed suit in putting down his chopsticks.

However, Ye Baixiao had already abruptly stood up, staring fixedly at the soldier who brought the food. “Who made today’s dishes?”

The soldier, under the intense gaze of those dark eyes, broke out in a cold sweat on his back and hurriedly replied, “General, today’s dishes are no different from usual, they were still sent from the kitchen as before. Is there a problem?”

Ye Baixiao didn’t reply; his expression just darkened slightly as he strode quickly towards the kitchen, with the nearby soldier hastily following.

Lu Shiyi remained seated, looking pensive. His gaze fell upon the food in front of him, and he picked up the plate to sniff carefully—a faint trace of pheromones.

His expression changed; it was peach wine!

It couldn’t have been directly applied to the food, as it was too faint to detect without careful sniffing.

So, it was likely that someone had touched him and then touched the food.

In Lu Shiyi’s mind, the image of the young man from that night suddenly flashed. He also stood up and followed along.

…

Ye Baixiao walked quickly, almost reaching the kitchen in no time at all.

Here, only a few high-ranking officers were provided with freshly made food. Ye Baixiao scanned them all at a glance but didn’t detect that familiar scent on any of them.

Seeing him slightly tense, the others asked hesitantly, “General, is there something wrong with the food?”

Ye Baixiao’s thin lips pressed into a sharp line. “Aside from you all, who else has been here today?”

The group hastily replied, “General, the kitchen is heavily guarded by soldiers; no outsiders can get close.”

Ye Baixiao’s gaze swept over the soldiers outside the door, his voice chillingly authoritative, “I asked, who else has been here?”

The soldier felt a chill down his spine, racking his brain for any detail. “General, Captain Norman comes here for routine checks every day.”

Ye Baixiao’s dark eyes instantly turned cold. “Take me there.”

“Yes.” Perhaps Ye Baixiao’s demeanor was too oppressive, causing the soldier to quicken his pace involuntarily.

…

Inside Norman’s room, Xie Fuyi wore only the oversized shirt belonging to the other man. His fair, long legs were propped up, adorned with ambiguous red marks, as he impatiently glared at the man before him.

Norman held a small cake in his hands and coaxed, “Darling, look what I brought you today? Strawberry cake…”

“Don’t call me that, it’s disgusting!” Xie Fuyi furrowed his brows at the term, then kicked Norman’s chest after taking the cake, “And when can I leave? It’s so boring being stuck here every day.”

Norman didn’t mind the other’s arrogant tone. Instead, his gaze was fixed on those legs, unable to move away.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, the shirt only covering up to mid-thigh…

Norman’s heart raced as his gaze swept over, his chest heating up. He adjusted his tie and leaned over, kissing Xie Fuyi while murmuring softly, “Soon, if you’re bored, I’ll find something fun to do.”

“Mmm… go away!”

Xie Fuyi impatiently tried to push him away, but the sensitive omega quickly softened under Norman’s touch.

The cake was pushed aside as Norman comforted, “Good baby, you’re so sweet. Let me kiss you…”

Xie Fuyi’s eyes turned red with anger as he kicked randomly, “No, leave me alone!”

Norman firmly held his hands down on the bed, his strong legs pinning Xie Fuyi’s. Unable to move, Xie Fuyi grew anxious, his voice almost tearful, “Bastard, let go…!”

Norman thought this was just the young master being stubborn, as he had been a couple of days before. A little touch, a lick, and he’d be obedient. But—

With a loud “bang,” the door was suddenly kicked open with great force, shaking the room.

“Who the hell is it? Wanna die?” Norman quickly pulled the blanket over the person in his arms, cursing as he looked towards the door.

But the next moment, his body froze. “G-General?”

The familiar sweet scent of peach wine in the room mixed with a repulsive unfamiliar alpha scent.

Ye Baixiao’s dark eyes emitted an icy aura, his words dripping with rage, the fire burning deep within his gaze almost scorching, “It’s you who wants to die.”