In the world of wealthy families, the existence of illegitimate children is taboo—a scandal that can never be openly acknowledged.

Cheng Song had been carefree and wild for many years, flirting with all kinds of Omegas without ever getting tangled up in any serious mess. This was the first time he’d heard rumors about someone getting pregnant.

He didn’t admit he was part of the An family, but he still used the family name. So when this scandal about An Xin broke out, people would inevitably associate him with it.

Luckily, it turned out to be fake, saving him from embarrassment.

If even Bo Xiangzhou knew it was fake, that meant Cheng Song was well aware of the situation too. But then why hadn’t Cheng Song exposed the lie? And how did An Xin dare to fake a pregnancy and try to fool him?

There were too many unanswered questions. As An Xun was being pulled out of the hotel, he was still deep in thought. Once they got in the car, Bo Xiangzhou tried to get closer to him, but he quickly avoided it.

Bo Xiangzhou had said he’d seen the surveillance footage, and there was no faking that. Everything An Xun had done had been laid bare before him.

Ever since Bo Xiangzhou had shown up unexpectedly, An Xun hadn’t dared to look up at him. He feared that the face he once knew, full of affection, would now show something else entirely.

Bo Xiangzhou sighed softly, took his hand, and raised the partition between the driver and the back seat. “An Xin’s intentions tonight are unclear, but one thing is certain—his pregnancy is fake. He tried to fool Cheng Song with a fake test result, but Cheng Song saw through it immediately. An Xin probably didn’t realize that an Alpha can tell if an Omega has been permanently marked. Cheng Song, for all his business acumen, wouldn’t be so easily fooled by a pretty face.”

“From my own guess, his actions today weren’t about framing you for hiding a fake pregnancy. He has other motives because he’s too smart to use such a low-level trick.”

An Xun mumbled in agreement, deflated like a wilted eggplant. His mind was buzzing, and he didn’t even hear Bo Xiangzhou call him “baby.”

Walking as if he were an emotionless puppet, he got out of the car and trudged forward with his head down. Uncle Lin seemed like he was about to ask something but, seeing a gesture from Bo Xiangzhou, held his tongue.

An Xun had already thought about how much the divorce would cost. Five billion should be enough, he thought, including the kisses from the past few days. He wasn’t about to lose out on this.

As expected from a frequent guest in those little movies, the drug worked fast. On the way back, he started feeling hot, his body becoming limp. He used all his strength to climb up to the third floor, stopping in front of the guest bedroom, but Bo Xiangzhou scooped him up and placed him on the master bed.

Bo Xiangzhou fetched a thermometer and touched An Xun’s flushed face. “Did you catch a cold from wearing too little in the morning?”

“No, it’s my heat,” An Xun replied sullenly, his voice faint.

“I thought it wasn’t due until next week?”

An Xun stopped him from calling the family doctor. “Calling a doctor won’t help…”

The real reason was hard to admit, so he grabbed Bo Xiangzhou’s phone and typed something into the notepad.

Bo Xiangzhou, who had dealt with many business problems over the years, was encountering a headache like this for the first time. “Would one mark be enough?”

If one mark were enough, then why would anyone invent these awful heat-inducing pills just to satisfy their selfish desires?

An Xun asked back, “Aren’t you going to talk about the divorce?”

Instead of bottling it up, he figured it was better to get it out in the open.

“Baby, I’ve never even thought about divorce,” Bo Xiangzhou kissed his hair softly. “Baby, do I need to be more specific? From the moment I agreed to the marriage, I made up my mind to spend the rest of my life with you, whether we like each other or not.”

“But I don’t like you, and you don’t like me. Spending a lifetime with someone you don’t like is suffocating.”

An Xun tried to push him away, but Bo Xiangzhou only held him tighter. “Baby, how do you know I don’t like you?”

“You like obedient people, and I’m not obedient. You saw today how I am. The well-behaved version of me from before was all an act to fool you. I lie a lot, I drink, I fight, I’m not artsy or refined. Even the tears I shed to win you over were learned from a last-minute acting class right before we got our marriage certificate. I don’t know how to play any musical instruments, not even the piano. But if I had to tell the truth, I can sort of play the drums.”

An Xun’s voice cracked as he buried his face in Bo Xiangzhou’s chest, his mindset unraveling. “If you don’t like me, just divorce me already. For the sake of all these tears I’ve shed tonight, I’ll raise the price a bit—seven billion. If you give me one penny less, I’ll make a scene in front of your company.”

Bo Xiangzhou couldn’t help but feel a sense of helplessness. “Baby, let me repeat myself. First, divorce is impossible. Second, you’re very obedient, and I like you a lot. Third, if An Xin told you something, please trust your own judgment and trust me.”

The scent of their pheromones mingling filled the air, stirring something subtle and warm within An Xun. He wanted to believe Bo Xiangzhou, but apart from the physical reaction to the pheromones, his words didn’t feel entirely convincing, more like he was just trying to keep them from divorcing.

An Xun: “I’m not obedient. I drink, I curse, and I have a bad temper. When I was younger, I even wanted to get a full sleeve tattoo.”

Bo Xiangzhou wiped away his tears and gazed into his eyes, every word sincere. “You are obedient. Being obedient has no specific definition. In my heart, you are always the most obedient. Being obedient isn’t just about one thing. First, you’ve always abided by the law and been a good citizen. Second, you’ve never done anything against morals. How can you not be considered obedient? You always have your reasons for doing things, whether it’s fighting or anything else. As long as it feels right to you, I’ll support you.”

“Don’t you mind that I lied to you?” An Xun was confused. How could Bo Xiangzhou accept reality so quickly and even say he liked him? Wouldn’t most people need time apart to think things through after something like this?

Bo Xiangzhou’s voice was soft. “I’ve already minded it.”

An Xun: “?”

Bo Xiangzhou kissed the corner of his lips. “Half a month before you first mentioned divorce, I thought long and hard about it and decided that I still wanted to be with you.”

An Xun felt dizzy. “So you knew back then?”

“Yeah.”

“How did you find out?” An Xun was no longer upset, but his pheromones kept spilling out like water overflowing from a cup.

Bo Xiangzhou smoothly bit down on the Omega’s gland, injecting pheromones to complete a temporary mark. “I came back early from a business trip. As soon as I got off the plane, Cheng Song sent me a message saying he saw you at the bar.”

They were no strangers to temporary marks anymore. Having done it many times, it no longer hurt as much as it did the first time. An Xun shivered slightly but quickly returned to normal. “So, that night, you saw everything?”

“More or less. Cheng Song sent me the rest in a video.”

“You gave me the cold shoulder for half a month because of that? Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“Honesty isn’t always a good thing. Given the situation back then, if I’d told you the truth, do you think we could’ve kept the peace between us?”

Alpha’s saliva had healing properties for gland wounds, but An Xun found it gross, so he didn’t let him touch it. He pulled open a drawer and took out some ointment, applying it to the gland. The cool sensation felt nice. An Xun snuggled into Bo Xiangzhou’s embrace. “Didn’t you say you could always smooth things over? If peace is impossible, just make up some excuse and move on. So why aren’t you playing dumb anymore? Is it because the truth is out, and you can’t pretend anymore?”

“Baby, this is the third time I’ve said this—I really like you. I want to give you all of me and love you with everything I have. Whether I’m honest or not, my love for you never changes. But as your partner, I hope we can be more honest with each other and have no lies between us.” Bo Xiangzhou cupped An Xun’s face. “Baby, I think I’ve made myself clear. Do I need to repeat it again?”

One mark wasn’t enough to satisfy his body’s needs. An Xun could clearly feel the changes in his body. “No need, I understand. But I just want to ask one thing—am I the only one you like?”

“Yes, without a doubt, baby.”

“Then what about what An Xin heard from Liu Tang? That you got together with a pianist while you were studying abroad?”

“That’s a lie. The people I dealt with were all businessmen. There were a few top artists here and there, but I’ve never been close to a pianist. Besides, how old was he when I was studying abroad? He hadn’t even finished high school—just a kid who didn’t know better.” Noticing An Xun sliding down, Bo Xiangzhou lifted him by the waist, his hand brushing against something warm. He smiled. “Baby, you’re usually so smart. How could you be so foolish when it comes to love?”

An Xun shrank like a turtle. If Liu Tang was the same age as him, and Bo Xiangzhou went abroad at eighteen, then Liu Tang would’ve been only nine at the time, not even old enough for middle school.

He’d been foolish enough to believe a lie from someone his own age.

“Baby, stop talking for now. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

An Xun’s skin was flushed red, and his exposed skin was burning hot. Just as Bo Xiangzhou was about to take the next step, An Xun grabbed his arm, his eyes filled with sincerity, as if he’d made a decision. “I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

After a pause, he said, “Do you want to… husband?”

Bo Xiangzhou’s eyes darkened. “Baby, are you willing?”

“I am.”

“Alright.” Bo Xiangzhou breathed in the lychee scent from An Xun’s neck. “Then we’ll talk about the rest tomorrow.”

…(A few hundred words have been cut, see author’s note for mirror content)

After they were cleaned up and laid on the bed, An Xun, having been through a long night, was completely exhausted. He fell asleep halfway through being washed. When it comes to AO, things don’t require many complicated steps, and post-care is also much easier. Out of concern, Bo Xiangzhou still applied some ointment to reduce swelling.

At five in the morning, An Xun, sleeping peacefully, sensed the absence of Alpha’s warmth and furrowed his brows, waking up. His body didn’t hurt, but it was sore, and he didn’t have an ounce of strength left.

The bedroom was dimly lit by a soft, warm nightlight, but Bo Xiangzhou was nowhere to be seen. He wanted to call out to him, but his voice was hoarse from crying, and his phone had been smashed to pieces by An Xin.

Thinking about this, he suddenly felt a surge of energy and sat up with a jolt. His waist ached, and after barely sitting for three seconds, he flopped back onto the soft bed.

Maybe it was intuition, but three minutes later, Bo Xiangzhou opened the door and glanced inside. An Xun gave him a look that seemed to blame him.

Bo Xiangzhou handed him half a cup of warm water, soothing his dry throat. An Xun snuggled back under the blanket and asked, “What were you doing? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I was working, almost done in a few minutes.” Bo Xiangzhou warmed his hands before holding him. “Do you need me to lull baby to sleep?”

An Xun shook his head, blushing, and whispered something in his ear.

Bo Xiangzhou chuckled. “I washed you clean, that was ointment.”

Misunderstanding the situation and then saying it so bluntly, An Xun’s body turned red like a shrimp as he curled up under the blanket, leaving only half of his head peeking out.

After a few minutes of coaxing, Bo Xiangzhou watched as An Xun drifted off to sleep. He dimmed the lights and quietly closed the bedroom door.