Bo Xiangzhou gazed intently at the lonely figure of the omega. Tao Nian’s clothes were still a bit too large for him, making his back appear particularly frail at the moment.

Feng Sheng was quick and efficient. Investigating the reason for resignation was not a tough task for him. He had sent over a document detailing the entire resignation process, clearly marked with timelines, shortly after starting work.

He refused to believe that An Xun was someone without manners. There must be other reasons for his actions, but apart from the person involved, no one else knew.

That day, he indeed ran back, clearly having been bullied, but Bo Xiangzhou didn’t know his state of mind. The real An Xun still felt too unfamiliar to him.

At this moment, An Xun was unaware that his cover was blown. He was wrapped up in a blanket, sulking and unable to sleep as he reminisced about Bo Xiangzhou’s attitude, getting angrier the more he thought about it. He kicked off the blanket, only to pick it up again in a few seconds, dejectedly.

Bo Xiangzhou was deliberately distancing himself, and An Xun could feel it. This alpha’s way of speaking had changed from before, not to mention that it had been half an hour since he walked out of the study and he hadn’t visited even once, nor had he shown any concern.

An Xun was so frustrated he felt itchy, but there was nothing he could do. He didn’t understand the source of Bo Xiangzhou’s attitude.

Seeing that Bo Xiangzhou still showed no sign of action, he grew anxious and started bombarding him with messages.

[Gulu Gulu]: Advisor, help.

[Gulu Gulu]: Tears flowing like springs JPG.

As the end of the month approached and Tao Nian was under pressure to perform, he couldn’t block the barrage of messages. He cursed WeChat’s official team for coming up with such bomb effects, making this gadget too clever for its own good.

[Nian Nian]: The advisor has arrived, speak quickly.

[Gulu Gulu]: Bo Xiangzhou is ignoring me, it seems like he hates me now. Even when I act coquettishly, his expression doesn’t change.

Tao Nian thought it was probably just more trivial matters and replied perfunctorily, letting the couple sort out their own issues. However, when An Xun’s messages came, they were completely different from what he had expected, and he felt it was ridiculous.

[Nian Nian]: Bo Xiangzhou is ignoring you? Don’t lie to me, lying isn’t fun.

He was even more panicked than An Xun, already imagining his friend being thrown out by Bo Xiangzhou and left heartbroken on the streets.

[Gulu Gulu]: I’m not lying, he really is ignoring me. This morning when I arrived, he acted indifferent toward me. It’s been an hour now, and he hasn’t even stepped into the bedroom.

An Xun wailed and told Tao Nian what had happened.

Tao Nian looked at five one-minute-long voice messages and felt immense pressure.

To help his friend, he listened distractedly.

Having listened with great patience, Tao Nian was instantly furious and then passionately opened the microphone.

[Nian Nian]: Slap him awake, an alpha should not be so petty. It’s nothing major if he didn’t come home one night, it’s light considering he didn’t wear a green hat, wealthy families always have endless troubles.

[Nian Nian]: Don’t coax him, you’ve given him enough face, let him regret and ask for forgiveness on his own.

An Xun didn’t think it was likely; someone as exceptional as Bo Xiangzhou probably wouldn’t bow and apologize, and he still hadn’t figured out the reason.

He hurriedly went offline to ponder deeply, his stomach rumbling with hunger yet unable to come up with an explanation.

In his heart, Bo Xiangzhou was exceptional. He wanted to be close to Bo Xiangzhou, his dependency starting to show through the interaction of their pheromones.

His gaze had darkened for the entire morning and hadn’t brightened up even by lunchtime. Bo Xiangzhou’s indifferent attitude extinguished the tiny flame of hope in his eyes.

He dared not show any anomalies in front of Uncle Liu, and the Old Madam’s condition was acting up again, unable to withstand such emotional turmoil.

An Xun had no appetite but forced himself to eat as much as usual. The meal was full of his favorite dishes, but it made his stomach churn uncomfortably.

It felt like a close friend had suddenly become distant without reason or warning. He instinctively took the blame upon himself. After the meal, not giving up, he sneaked out to find Bo Xiangzhou, only to receive news that he had left for a banquet.

He had said before, he didn’t want to attend various banquets and just wanted to lie at home, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be kept in the dark.

His heart shattered into pieces, and he spent the afternoon in distress, plucking the butterfly peonies in the vase bald.

He wasn’t afraid of Bo Xiangzhou discovering, because someone as meticulous as him would notice something amiss in the room at first glance. He feared Bo Xiangzhou’s attitude might drop another degree, cleaned up the petals, and took the vase downstairs as if it had never been in the bedroom.

Tao Nian’s advice was unreliable, not considering the problem from his perspective, their positions too different for him to understand.

An Xun suffered miserably for several days, occasionally acting pitiful intentionally, but Bo Xiangzhou ignored him each time, only replying a few words when he couldn’t avoid it.

It almost seemed like he was forcing him…

This was the first time he realized this, his insides aching, his expression listless, his meals tasteless, hurriedly finishing his meal to reduce the times they met.

He didn’t want to see him either, why should he rush things? If things could be managed, they would be; if not, they would part ways. He could handle the rumors himself. Without Bo Xiangzhou’s supervision, he had plenty of time to deal with the gossipers of Jiang City one by one.

His sleeping posture was always a mystery, his favorite being to curl up on the bed, forming a small mound.

The room was silent, and the sound of the door opening and the footsteps of the alpha, which he once eagerly awaited, now felt like a death knell.

An Xun was heartbroken, clutching the pillow while silently swearing he wouldn’t get along with Bo Xiangzhou anymore. He wouldn’t look when the door opened, he wouldn’t respond when called, he would never show his face before the other had slept, even if it killed him. If he got up to drink water in the middle of the night and the door made a loud noise, he would bear it.

The footsteps stopped at his side, and An Xun realized Bo Xiangzhou had come to find him, burying his face in his arms to maintain his position.

“An Xun.”

An Xun ignored him completely, not giving any response.

“Are you asleep?” Bo Xiangzhou placed something resembling a bowl on the nightstand, then moved to lift his blanket to investigate.

An Xun tightened the corners and turned sideways, his whole body forming a firm cocoon, his body contours clearly outlined.

Bo Xiangzhou was inexplicably irritated, though he didn’t show it, speaking in a calm tone: “Aren’t you hungry after eating so little?”

“I’m not hungry, I’ve always had a small appetite,” he added at the end, “Thanks for your concern, President Bo.”

Each word felt like a boomerang, hitting him right in the heart. An Xun then shifted a few centimeters to the side, again assuming a prone position.

He rested his chin on his hands, guessing Bo Xiangzhou showed no change in expression.

He was no longer important.

The incident with Liu Tang was his own delusion.

Bo Xiangzhou remained silent.

The mound seemed determined to defy him to the end, refusing to move, his arms numb yet stubbornly maintaining the position.

“An Xun, what are you being temperamental about?” Bo Xiangzhou’s tone was gentle, like the calm before a storm.

An Xun blinked, “President Bo is magnanimous and has a broad mind. I am lowly and insignificant, not daring to be temperamental with President Bo. I am not worthy.”

“Do you even know what you’re talking about?”

“Living at the bottom of society, I certainly know what I’m saying. I have no other virtues but a greater self-awareness than others.”

He guessed Bo Xiangzhou’s expression while Bo Xiangzhou was guessing the truth behind his words. He knew his true temperament now, having seen people who said he had a bad temper.

He wondered how bad an omega’s temper could be, now it seemed those comments weren’t unfounded.

Bo Xiangzhou: “So you’re being temperamental, why do you belittle yourself?”

The imagined storm never came, and An Xun, feeling unhappy, retorted petulantly: “Isn’t this the image I have in President Bo’s heart?”

He didn’t know which identity he was referring to at that moment, whether it was an act or his true self.

“Let’s eat first.”

“I’m not hungry.”

The sound of the door opening was immediately followed by it closing, and in this contest, it was Bo Xiangzhou who retreated first.

An Xun poked his head out, his heart brimming with bitterness. He missed Tao Nian.

Even now, he still didn’t know where things had gone wrong. They were still chatting during the day, and overnight it had turned into this.

Mother Chen’s phone call came through, and An Xun picked up with little interest.

Mother Chen got straight to the point, “Xun, have you been mad at Xin Xin for over a month now? He didn’t mean to do it, and it’s inevitable to make mistakes when one’s mind is clouded. Moreover, he apologized to you on the first night it happened…”

An Xun remained silent.

Mother Chen: “Auntie is calling to ask for your help. They say it’s better to demolish ten temples than destroy one marriage. You might not know, but after you married over, Xin Xin and President Cheng started dating. They had a misunderstanding recently and are still not practicing together. Auntie just wants to ask you to reconnect them.”

“I’m not familiar with President Cheng,” An Xun’s eyes were half-closed, his mind working slowly.

So An Xin was after his handle just for this, it’s tough for him to have waited a month before daring to call.

Mother Chen: “But your husband is familiar with President Cheng.”

He didn’t have a husband.

That remark hit a nerve, and he hung up directly.

His husband was dead, the dirt on his grave was still freshly turned.

An Xun felt stifled, sticking his head out for some fresh air. Hearing the door open again, he retracted, determined to see his decision through to the end.

Bo Xiangzhou brought over a cup of thick yogurt, adding his favorite oats.

Noticing the alpha sitting beside him, he moved far away, worried about overstepping into Bo Xiangzhou’s territory. He then shrank towards the foot of the bed, vowing not to have any contact with Bo Xiangzhou.

Bo Xiangzhou: “…you can throw a tantrum any way you like, just don’t starve yourself.”

“I’m not starving, I won’t die on your bed,” An Xun replied coldly.

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

“I’m not familiar with President Bo, how could I know what President Bo means by his words.”

Bo Xiangzhou maintained his silence, keeping the status quo seemed to be the best approach for now. Once the veil of deceit was pierced and the deception discussed openly, those seemingly sweet actions would become impossible to fake, and diverging thoughts would inevitably lead to parting ways.

He wouldn’t stop An Xun from leaving, but not just yet.

Bo Xiangzhou’s tone became a bit firmer, “Come out, put away your childish temperament.”