normal taste
Alarm bells rang in Yu Zou's mind. There was no clearer indication than this: he intended to show his vulnerability, to tell his past self that this was tantamount to allowing him to participate in the future. But what could he say to make him feel even a little better about this parasitic gene, this maggot clinging to his bones, this pain that clung to his flesh and blood?
After much deliberation, unable to find a single word, Yu Zou remained silent and raised his hand to cover his.
Du Pianjian looked down, unable to see his own hand, yet he could feel the warmth seeping in slowly and steadily, with a slight coolness in the middle—his wedding ring. A fierce battle between heat and cold surged through his heart, and suddenly his stomach churned, threatening to vomit. He abruptly stood up and ran towards the room. The door slammed open with a loud crash, like a clap of thunder. He collapsed onto the sink, vomiting up all the alcohol, his esophagus churning violently. Looking up in the mirror, he saw Yu Zou standing far away, watching him with concern, his mouth forming the words: "I'm sorry."
Before Du Pianjian could turn around, the door had already been slowly and silently closed.
Yu Zou collapsed onto the tatami mat, filled with remorse. He realized he had only made things worse, completely forgetting Chi Hengxun's example and ignoring He Honghan's advice. Du Pianjian abhorred physical contact, even Chi Hengxun had occasionally suffered from it; her mind was an overly sensitive alarm clock, and He Honghan had warned her to be extremely careful.
The windows kept the thunderstorms out, making the sighs from inside the house all the more clear.
At six o'clock the next day, before the thunderstorm had stopped, Yu Zou had already woken up.
Staring blankly at the still raging storm outside, a bold idea flashed through his mind, and his eyes immediately lit up with a fierce light. He quickly tidied himself up and headed outside. It was still early, and he guessed that Du Pianjian hadn't woken up yet. Yu Zou left a note, gave a message to the temporary steward, and then turned and plunged into the rain.
The raindrops pattering on his face acted as an stimulant, and the roaring waves repeatedly engulfed and expelled him. Freed from restraint, his pheromones cut through the waves with him, searching for that tiny balance point amidst the danger. Yu Zou's heart and nerves were overwhelmed by the extreme pleasure he experienced. The surfboard beneath his feet groaned under the weight of the waves, yet under his pressure, it successfully tore through the water's surface.
A flash of lightning illuminated the scene, like a joyous celebration.
"Are you sure you want to play this song for Mr. Yu when he arrives?" The butler hesitated to confirm. This couple was the strangest he had ever met. They were neither intimate nor distant, neither like true lovers nor business partners.
After receiving an affirmative answer, the temporary steward took Du Pianjian to the stargazing room.
The waves carried him to the shore. Yu Zou shook his wet hair, his legs feeling as heavy as lead, but his mood was incredibly light. He took out his bracelet from his pocket to check the time; the screen was full of calls from Du Pianjian, the earliest being at 7:32, and now it was 8:48. He quickly put it on and tried to call back, but this time the call wouldn't go through.
Yu Zou boarded his surfboard, held it over his head to shield himself from the rain, and rushed to the villa as fast as he could. He immediately summoned the butler to ask if he had delivered his message and if he had seen Du Pianjian's whereabouts.
The butler answered each question respectfully and immediately relayed the message to Du Pianjian. Coincidentally, Du Pianjian had also left a message for him. He then took out his phone, opened the music interface, and listened to the continuously looping and rising arpeggios, the notes flowing like water.
"Let me sail,Let me sail,Carry on the waves."
Yu Zou understood, and Du Pianjian also went surfing.
He asked the butler, "Do you have a telescope?"
The butler led Yu Zou to the stargazing room as well. When he opened the door, the room was empty. Yu Zou used his telescope to look across the entire sea area but did not see Du Pianjian.
Just then, the butler's call bell rang. He put his finger on the Bluetooth headset, confirmed the other party's instructions, and hung up. He then said to Yu Zou, who was still looking through the binoculars, "Mr. Du is in the hot spring area. Would you like to go and check on him?"
"Never mind, I'll use it later."
Yu Zou, who was sitting cross-legged, put down his phone and asked Du Pianjian, who had just entered, "How are you? Feeling any better?"
"I just felt a little unwell from drinking." Du Pianjian closed the door. He figured it was the soda that was the problem; the amount of alcohol alone wouldn't have made him throw up. His gaze swept over her, almost accusingly: "You went there because you were in a bad mood?"
"A little bit, but mostly it's fun."
"Fun? This is abroad. If I woke up and didn't see you, I would have thought I was abandoned here."
"Sorry, I'll let you know in advance next time."
Du Pianjian's expression softened a bit, and he sat down as well, asking again, "Why did you apologize yesterday?"
"Your discomfort is all because of me." Yu Zou patted non-existent dust off the tatami mat. If it were just a few words of comfort, you wouldn't have vomited from the stress, would you?
The person who could openly announce their engagement is now apologizing because they can't be marked after marriage? He wasn't prepared for Yu Zou being a disabled Alpha; it was exactly what he wanted. Since differentiating into an Omega, his high level and difficulty in dealing with Alphas have attracted a constant stream of suitors. The competitive spirit mixed with a desire to show off has made him a symbol of Alpha ability, subjecting him to all sorts of schemes, which has only increased Du Pianjian's dislike of people.
Therefore, no one is more suitable than Yuzo, who has no marking ability, and no one is more suitable than Yulong, who has already fallen in love with him.
Du Pianjian interrupted him: "You don't need to try to comfort me. I thought you had some self-awareness."
Yu Zou was slightly taken aback, but still smiled and said, "There will be more in the future, don't be angry with me. Would you like some lunch?"
"I don't want to go out." Du Pianjian leaned back on the cushion and yawned.
"I've booked a room. Would you like to have hot pot in this weather?"
"But the smell is very strong."
"Eat in this room, and if you get tired, go rest across the way."
"And then what? You open your eyes and you're nowhere to be found again?"
“I left a note,” Yu Zou struggled.
"There was a time difference before I knew about it."
"I apologize again, let's let this go, okay?" Yu Zou gave up, turned on the screen on his bracelet, and pushed the electronic menu in front of Du Pianjian, saying, "The restaurant also offered delivery yesterday, and today we have raw beef available."
Du Pianjian selected all the products and saw yesterday's soda in the beverage section. Even though she knew she shouldn't drink it and didn't like it, she still ordered a bottle.
About forty minutes later, the room was clearly divided into two parts. In front of Yu Zou were hot pot ingredients: meat, vegetables, mushrooms, and instant noodles as a staple food. On the small table in front of Du Pianjian were red and white dishes, with a small dish of mixed sesame oil on it, and chopsticks hesitating over which one to choose first.
Yu Zou waited for the ingredients to cook, while Du Pianjian chose to eat the raw beef liver first.
"I'm really curious what it tastes like in your mouth." Yu Zou rested his chin on his hand, watching Du Pianjian's happy face, even the mole seemed to be jumping with joy. He had tasted all these things before, and the first thing he tasted was an extremely strong, bloody flavor, which he couldn't swallow at all.
"The beef liver is very fresh and sweet. Hmm, this one is even more moist and tender." Du Pianjian swallowed, then picked up a piece of raw beef spleen. The spleen was a mixture of red and black. He put it in his mouth, chewed a few times, and commented, "The beef spleen is soft, but the fibers are very firm. It breaks down very quickly in the mouth. The chef did a good job."
What is this white thing?
"Raw beef bone marrow, it's similar to jelly. But it has no taste."
"So what did you eat?"
"The texture is very chewy."
"Then I'll have some jelly. It's all about participation." Yu Zou lifted the pot lid, releasing a fragrant aroma. He picked up a mushroom with an orange-red cap and a white stem—a local specialty, the Crown Red Mushroom. "Would you like to try this?"
Du Pianjian looked at it for two seconds, then picked it up with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. She tasted the smoked porcini mushroom. Then she put a piece of beef spinal cord into Yu Zou's pot and said, "Here's some jelly for you."
"Thank you, would you like to see a movie?"
"Whatever," Du replied dismissively, holding her chopsticks and concentrating on deciding which one to eat next.
Yu Zou turned on the projector and scrolled down through the movie categories, immediately recognizing the film with Shi Nao's secretary on the cover—"A Promise." It's an art-house coming-of-age film about the protagonist's upbringing with his stepfather after his mother moves in, and his subsequent relationship with his half-brother. The distorted family dynamics and the resulting strain on the brothers' lives push them into an irreversible abyss. Shi Nao's secretary plays the older brother, delivering a powerful performance that perfectly captures the character's twisted complexity. His powerful stepfather's pervasive contempt for him, and his mother's vanity that leads her to disregard everything and everyone that doesn't offer her that value, are all revealed in his every word and action.
The film truly deserved its award-winning status that year; within ten minutes, it drew Yu Zou into the story, making him forget his original purpose. Du Pianjian, too, went from being indifferent to watching intently, until the credits rolled, at which point he asked, "Why do you think the older brother secretly seduced the younger brother into depravity?"
"Jealousy? Because your younger brother is more outstanding and gets more attention from your parents?" Yu Zou felt that this answer was not quite right, but he couldn't think of a better explanation.
"They share the same plight. Living in the same space, how could the younger brother not feel what the older brother feels, unless he deliberately ignores it? Perhaps the two hit it off and, after not being accepted by their parents, chose to settle for their brother's acceptance within the family."
This was an angle Yu Zou hadn't anticipated. Du Pianjian's interpretation elevated the film to a level he needed considerable effort to understand. Looking up to him inspired admiration, and Yu Zou sincerely praised Du Pianjian's artistic comprehension. Looking down, on the other hand, fostered contempt. Du Pianjian pointedly remarked, "An adult, successful person, seemingly unintentionally and with great relish, is targeting a child. Such contempt represents absolutely nothing. Why do people place so much importance on the parents' attitude? It's hard not to suspect that this is a self-destructive, tearful plea for leniency, a film of pointless whining. Why do you like this kind of thing?"
"I just clicked on it randomly." Yu Zou retracted his initial assessment.
Du Pianjian took out her phone and searched for a while. After seeing that the movie had won numerous awards, she scoffed and said, "It's good that you don't like it. I don't want to see this kind of thing at home all the time."
A small thrill suddenly rose in Yu Zou's heart; it turned out he wasn't the only one who had imagined living together. The light screen retracted, and the bracelet showed that the weather outside had cleared up. Yu Zou drew back the curtains, and sunlight immediately streamed in. He said, "Want to go for a walk?"
"I just ate and don't want to move. I'll take a nap." Du Pianjian squinted, stood up, and opened the door. Seeing that Yu Zou didn't move, she held the door and urged, "Come on."
"Okay. You go first." Yu Zou felt in his pockets, but the inhibitor wasn't on him, so he had to look for yesterday's clothes. Du Pianjian was waiting by the door, and only after seeing Yu Zou swallow two pills with his drink and come over did she close the door and ask, "What medicine are you taking?"
"Nutritional supplement." Yu Zou placed his pillow against the wall, lay down, closed his eyes, and neatly clasped his hands in front of his abdomen. "A party is held here after every rain. Would you like to attend?"
"Of course. I saw it on the itinerary."
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