12

I dozed off and had an absurd dream. When I woke up, Ah Yue had messaged me, telling me to come to work early in the afternoon.

It was hot at the construction site, so I grabbed two bottles of ice water from the fridge, tucking them into my coat to bring to Ah Yue. But I must have been cursed today, maybe because I dreamed of Zhu Wenqin crying last night, making him lose face.

After faking my death for half a year, Zhu Wenqin had turned Harbor City upside down looking for me, and now he was standing in the stairwell of my apartment, blocking me.

Without meeting his eyes, I tried to walk past him, but he stood motionless, like a wooden sculpture, blocking my way. We were so close, our breaths mingling. It was a distance I had once longed for.

“Sir, please step aside.” I took a few steps back, politely asking him to move.

He opened his palm, revealing a necklace, the one he had personally put on me back on the yacht.

“Your necklace.” He lifted it, and the pendant swung before my eyes.

I didn’t understand his meaning, so I bit my lip and told him the truth, “I pawned it for cash a long time ago.”

His eyes darkened slightly as he stepped closer to me. Instinctively, I backed away, avoiding his scent, resisting. “Move aside.”

He hesitated, then said, “Come back with me.”

I shook my head, clutching my precious bottles of ice water, and bumped against his shoulder, sprinting down the stairs while he was still stunned.

But I didn’t expect him to have people waiting downstairs. Furious, I turned back, and he slowly descended the steps. “With a 98% compatibility, do you really think you can run?”

I was confused. “You’re the one who kicked me out. Why are you trying to bring me back now?”

Zhu Wenqin reached the bottom step and gestured for me to come closer with the same old hand signal. “Come home with me.”

That’s how he is—he never explains, just gives orders from his high and mighty position.

I glanced at him, pretending to waver, then hurled the two bottles of ice water straight at him and ran. But in the next second, his dominant Alpha pheromones engulfed me, making my legs go weak and my mind blur.

Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to stay conscious. “Zhu Wenqin, we’re over. The mistake I made… let’s just call it even with the favor I’ve done for you.”

13

Zhu Wenqin wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into his embrace. The cold necklace pressed against my gland, sending a shiver down my spine. I yanked the necklace off and threw it to the ground.

“I don’t want anything from you… didn’t you hear me? I said I’m not going back with you.”

In a calm voice, he replied, “You’re about to enter your susceptible period.”

How laughable. If I enter my susceptible period, can’t I just inject a suppressant myself?

I told him to let go, even trying to disgust him by mimicking my old behavior, but his hands remained steady on me, indulging all of my unreasonable behavior.

I was too exhausted to keep resisting, so I let Zhu Wenqin carry me to the car. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret for my wasted ice water. I suddenly blurted out, “Zhu Wenqin, if you go pick up my ice water, I’ll go back with you.”

I said it casually, knowing someone as pampered as him would never do it. At most, he’d have his subordinates fetch it.

But he nodded and said, “Alright.”

I watched in disbelief as he bent down, picked up the bottles, wiped them clean with his expensive handkerchief, and handed them back to me.

Caught between protecting the environment and not wasting water or hurling the bottles at him again, I chose the former.

Turning away from him, I racked my brain.

Finally, I came up with a solution. Sincerely, I said, “Are you afraid my existence poses a threat to you? I can have my gland removed.”

He looked at me in disbelief, finally showing a crack in his composed demeanor. “Li Yunjing, do you even know what you’re saying?”

Of course, I knew. It’s just a gland removal surgery. It would hurt, but at least it’d be more comfortable than staying with him.

“If you’re not satisfied, maybe I’ll just jump into the sea again. This time, I definitely won’t survive, and you and Miss Wen won’t have to worry anymore.”

Before I could finish my sentence, he raised his hand to cover my lips, silently gazing at me with eyes that seemed to glisten with moisture.

“Just live well. Live well,” he whispered repeatedly, his words sending a sour ache through my heart.

I pulled away from him and pretended to sleep, but ended up actually falling asleep.

When I woke up, I was lying in a familiar bed—the same one where I had once feigned drunkenness. But this room, and the villa, were different from where I had stayed before.

14

“How long will I stay here? Until I get through my susceptible period, or are you waiting for yours?”

I knew my place. Zhu Wenqin brought me back only because of our 98% pheromone compatibility, so he could safely get through his susceptible period.

He didn’t answer, and I pressed on. He massaged his temples and finally sighed, gesturing to the lavish meal on the table, telling me to eat first.

I took one bite, then set down my knife and fork, looking straight at him. He blinked in surprise. “I want to eat something you’ve made.”

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, getting up and heading to the kitchen. I watched, dazed, as he moved about the kitchen in an apron, wondering when he had learned to cook.

When the dishes arrived, they looked good, and they were all my favorites, but after just one bite, I told him, “Zhu Wenqin, your cooking is awful.”

I said it with such sincerity and innocence that his brow twitched, and there was an emotion in his dark eyes I couldn’t understand.

He picked me up and carried me to the bedroom. “Then I’ll make you something else to eat.”

Frustrated, I scratched at his back, but he was even more shameless than me. “Zhu Wenqin, if you dare try anything, I’ll jump out of that window!”

He grabbed my hand, pointing to the window, and kissed it. Startled, I looked at him, only to find myself suddenly tossed onto the bed.

He flipped me over, bracing himself on either side of my head. His voice was relaxed as he said, “Do you really think I’d let you jump? But even if you did, I wouldn’t mind. I’d follow you.”

He paused, his slender fingers lifting the hem of my shirt, his palm pressing against my abdomen. “How about we have a baby that looks just like you?”