“No need,” Bo Xiangzhou rejected decisively.

An Xun gave him a friendly look. “No need to be shy, I understand the world of adults.”

“Doesn’t it hurt anymore? You’re starting to act up again? I don’t know who was just so embarrassed they couldn’t even lift their head.” Bo Xiangzhou bent down, their noses almost touching, close enough to hear each other’s breathing clearly. “Baby, sometimes I really can’t figure out what’s going on in that head of yours.”

An Xun casually replied, “Young people’s thoughts are always changing, you know.”

He wasn’t trying to imply that Bo Xiangzhou was old. Achieving such success at the age of thirty was remarkable, not just because of his family background but also due to his own talent and hard work. Plus, Bo Xiangzhou had become famous in his teens, proving his exceptional abilities.

But at the end of the day, regardless of gender or profession, age was something everyone cared about. One wrong word could hit a sore spot for someone older.

An Xun quickly explained, “I wasn’t making fun of you for not being young anymore. I just meant… young people… their thoughts are hard to figure out…”

Bo Xiangzhou still had a smile in his eyes, but An Xun felt a chill—not a natural coldness, but one created by the person in front of him.

An Xun was at a loss for words. “Hubby, that’s not what I meant. I was just trying to say, if I were your age with your achievements, I’d… I’d change an omega every day, 365 days a year without repeating.”

Bo Xiangzhou: “…”

For entrepreneurs, thirty was young, forty was just right, and fifty was when they’d start feeling old. Yet here An Xun was, constantly saying he was old, and now even directly dismissing him.

Twenty was indeed young, and Bo Xiangzhou didn’t think An Xun was wrong for calling himself young. He hadn’t even considered the age issue until An Xun tried to explain, which made everything sound worse.

Bo Xiangzhou said, “Oh? Really? Seems like I should start sending less money to your little stash then.”

An Xun clung to his arm. “No! I was just joking, I wouldn’t look for an omega. Not even if it was Tao Nian. I wouldn’t like him.”

Bo Xiangzhou, remembering the past incident, sighed, “Of course, I know you’re not looking for an omega—”

An Xun quickly added, “I’m not looking for an alpha either! Give me my money back! The contract says a million a month. If you don’t pay up, I’ll get a lawyer. Your wife will become the plaintiff, and after that, your ex-wife.”

Bo Xiangzhou was the type to follow through on his words. He was even stricter than a school principal. If An Xun had a toothache, he wouldn’t let him drink sugary drinks, locking the cabinet to prevent access. If he got caught gaming late at night, he’d unplug the internet. If An Xun couldn’t sleep after listening to half an hour of sleep-inducing audio, Bo Xiangzhou would make him read a book until his head spun. And if reading didn’t work, he’d find some math lessons online for him to study. If he wandered into the study out of boredom and lingered too long, distracting Bo Xiangzhou from work, he’d be put to work organizing old files.

At work, he was a corporate drone. At home, he was an overworked assistant. The level of control over him was extreme.

An Xun’s face was expressionless. Bo Xiangzhou’s ruthless methods earned him the title of “King of the Underworld.”

Since playing tough wasn’t working, An Xun tried the soft approach. “If you keep scaring me, I’ll start crying.”

“Go ahead, cry. When you’re done, I’ll comfort you.”

An Xun froze. Did this alpha not fall for this trick anymore?

Bo Xiangzhou couldn’t help but smile at his stunned expression. “Baby, even if it’s unintentional, you shouldn’t say things carelessly.”

Got it. He still cared about his age.

An Xun, acting foolish, said, “Okay, I won’t mention the age thing anymore.”

Bo Xiangzhou: “?”

Bo Xiangzhou was puzzled. “Baby, I wasn’t talking about age.”

“Then what were you talking about? Day-use lovers?” After speaking, An Xun froze like a deer in headlights.

The unintentional comment—he thought it was about age, but Bo Xiangzhou had been referring to the lover remark.

Bo Xiangzhou also realized this. “Baby, I’ll give you another chance. Was that unintentional or intentional?”

“Unintentional! Even if I had money, I wouldn’t go after an omega—uh, I mean, alpha,” An Xun said quickly. “I only want you, no other alphas out there can compare to you.”

Why did he keep talking about finding an omega?

Bo Xiangzhou couldn’t help but laugh. Then, in a more serious tone, he added, “Baby, I’ll give you one more chance. Do you want to come clean about anything from your past?”

Come clean? Like the time he got into a fight?

This question was out of the blue, and An Xun’s eyes filled with confusion.

Bo Xiangzhou pulled him into his arms. “I heard a rumor about you from your last company. People are saying you had a close relationship with the boss of Yi Hai Group…”

An Xun exclaimed loudly, “I was wrong! I shouldn’t have said anything stupid!”

Bo Xiangzhou, like a parent scolding a child, said, “It’s not about whether you said something or not. Baby, even if you’re going to spread rumors, at least pick something better. Pretend you’re the hidden heir of some rich family or the lover of a famous person. That would do more for you than bringing yourself down. Sure, the threat worked, but the boss of Yi Hai is well-known for being a scumbag. People tend to associate with others like themselves, so by saying that, you indirectly damaged your own reputation. Word spreads, and now half of Jiang City knows the rumor.”

“No way?” An Xun was shocked that those gossips had spread things this far.

Bo Xiangzhou opened a forum post where a university student was complaining about a roommate being a gold-digger. The top comment, coming from an IP address in Jiang City, was about him.

“[Just heard this at a gathering with friends a few days ago. A friend of a friend’s former colleague was a lover of Yi Hai Group’s boss. Young, good-looking, and had a decent temper, very polite. Good at his job, too—everyone in the company had a great impression of him. He even admitted it himself that he was the boss’s lover. Then, a few days later, he quit. No one knows why, but I’ve heard he’s doing well now. Supposedly pregnant.]”

An Xun: “…” Thanks for the compliment about my temper.

An Xun was at a loss for words. “I didn’t know things would blow up like this!”

“The rumor’s already out there. If you delete the comments, it’ll just confirm the gossip. Baby, next time, be more careful. You know your coworkers weren’t exactly easy to deal with, and yet you still live without a shred of caution,” Bo Xiangzhou scolded gently.

“I messed up,” An Xun admitted. “But look on the bright side—at least my name didn’t get leaked, so I can still live as a miserable working stiff. Since you won’t let me help with work, I’ll just read novels instead.”

After chatting for a while, his frustration had faded.

He glanced at Bo Xiangzhou, but couldn’t see his face as Bo Xiangzhou had covered his eyes. “Aren’t you afraid of me getting eye infections from watching this stuff?”

“I’m not a child.”

“Hmm, you’re a big child.”

An Xun turned his back on him, deciding to ignore him for a full minute.

Half a month later, when Bo Xiangzhou’s work had piled up, An Xun pulled him away from it. If they stayed any longer, Bo Xiangzhou wouldn’t be coming home at night, spending all his time in the office.

He didn’t mind the late nights as much, but he had gotten used to falling asleep nestled in Bo Xiangzhou’s arms.

Back in the country, An Xun still wasn’t used to the current temperature and spent the day alone in an air-conditioned room.

Bo Xiangzhou had rushed straight to the office after getting off the plane, and no one had unpacked the three large suitcases yet. An Xun didn’t ask the servants to help either, since Bo Xiangzhou disliked others touching his personal items. An Xun, being lazy, attempted to unpack one suitcase but gave up quickly, opting to lay back down.

A husband should have some practical uses, after all. Otherwise, what’s the point of marriage?

As Cheng Song’s brother’s engagement party approached, An Xun dressed in a casual beige suit. Though he didn’t understand why the engagement party had to be held in the middle of winter, he still attended with a heart full of good wishes.

He wasn’t used to wearing suits, and after trying them on for about ten minutes at the estate, nothing seemed to look right. So, he took off the jacket and wore a white padded coat over it.

At work, some coworkers were giving him odd looks. Feeling puzzled, he grabbed one of them during lunch and asked, “Why are you all staring at me?”

“Because you’re dressed so formally. Is there something good happening?” With the heating on in the office, wearing the coat was too warm, so he had taken it off to reveal his fleece-lined shirt underneath.

Fortunately, Bo Xiangzhou had matched his outfits for every season. That’s how he learned that shirts could be lined with fleece. If it had been up to him, he would’ve worn a thin shirt and shivered outside.

His shirt, paired with trousers that had a great drape, made him look even better than some of the higher-ups. Indeed, it seemed a bit over the top, as if he was celebrating something.

An Xun denied it, “Something good, yes, but not for me.”

A coworker sighed regretfully, “We all thought you were going to get proposed to today. We even placed bets in private, and now I’ve lost everything.”

Another coworker chimed in, “You’re the fool who bet on a proposal. Xiao An doesn’t even have a partner yet. He hasn’t even started dating, let alone thinking about proposals.”

Others joined the conversation, “Xiao An, what kind of alpha do you like? How about I introduce you to someone?”