gentlemen
Si Qi stood before the French window, the cigarette between his fingers already burning to the end, yet he was oblivious. Outside the window lay the Shao family's private garden, the morning sun filtering through the mist onto the meticulously manicured lawn. His "spouse," Shao Wei, stood in the center of the garden, expressionlessly undergoing a routine checkup from the family doctor.
"Mr. Si, your coffee." The butler reminded softly and placed a cup of black coffee on the sandalwood table behind him.
Si Qi stubbed out his cigarette, not turning back, but simply nodding. His gaze remained fixed on the slender figure outside the window—Shao Wei had taken off his shirt, revealing his chiseled back. The doctor was collecting a sample from the glands at the back of his neck. Even during this examination, Shao Wei's expression remained unchanged, as if that body didn't belong to him.
"You and Mr. Shao need to attend a joint family meeting at 3:00 this afternoon." The butler continued to report the schedule. "At 7:00 this evening, the Shao family has prepared a dinner to celebrate the six-month anniversary of your marriage."
Si Qi's lips curled into a sarcastic arc. Half a year had passed; this ridiculous Alpha-Alpha marriage had already lasted half a year. When he had chosen Shao Wei against all odds, everyone had thought he was crazy—a top-tier Alpha, heir to the family, with countless high-quality Omegas to choose from, yet he had chosen another Alpha, and that was the Shao family's notoriously insignificant second son.
"Tell the kitchen to make steamed sea bass for lunch." Si Qi suddenly spoke, interrupting the butler's report.
The housekeeper was stunned for a moment: "But Mr. Shao seems to prefer..."
"He ate two bowls last week." Si Qi said briefly, picked up his suit jacket and walked to the door. "I'm going to the company and will be back at noon."
As he crossed the garden, Shao Wei had just finished his inspection. Their eyes met briefly in mid-air, then simultaneously shifted away. No greeting, no exchange, like two strangers passing by.
This is their normal state.
Si Qi got into the car and his phone vibrated. It was a message from his mother: "Don't forget to bring Shao Wei over tonight. Your father invited the Lin family's little Omega. Don't embarrass him."
He sneered and replied, "I have a family."
Those three words were his consistent style. For the past six months, countless Omegas had tried to approach him, only to be repelled by those three words. It wasn't because he loved Shao Wei, but because he hated trouble, hated explanations, and even more so, hated those fools who thought they could sway his decisions.
Si Qi finished his work at the company until noon, and returned home on time. In the dining room, Shao Wei was already seated, the plate of steamed sea bass before him. He ate quietly, making almost no sound, not even the clink of his chopsticks against the edge of the bowl being audible.
Si Qi sat down opposite him, and the two of them finished their meal in silence.
"The meeting will start at 3 pm." Si Qi spoke. This was the first sentence he said to Committee Member Shao today.
Shao Wei nodded, his eyes still fixed on his bowl: "I know."
The conversation ended there.
The afternoon meeting was long and tedious. Si Qi sat at the head table, listening as the elders from both families discussed their plans for the next quarter's collaboration. Shao Wei, sitting to his right, remained silent throughout the meeting, occasionally jotting down figures in his notebook. But Si Qi knew those figures were the real deal—Shao Wei's market acumen far surpassed anyone else present, though he never expressed them.
After the meeting, Si Qi was stopped by his father for a few minutes. When he returned to his office, he found the pile of documents on his desk sorted and organized, with important sections marked with yellow labels. The most urgent document even had his electronic signature. He opened the system to check the records—it was Committee Member Shao's permission.
He stared at the screen for a long moment, then turned on the surveillance footage. In the footage, Shao Wei walked alone into his office, expertly handling documents. He even answered a call from an important client, resolving the issue with concise, professional language. Afterward, Shao Wei paused by his chair for a few seconds, gently stroking the back of the chair with his fingers, then quietly left.
Si Qi turned off the surveillance camera, a strange emotion welling up in his chest. He thought back to their wedding night six months ago. After they completed the marking ceremony, Shao Wei had also handled everything quietly, then said to him, "Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it. If not, I'll keep quiet."
At that time, he just thought it was a polite remark, but he didn't expect Shao Wei to really do it.
At the dinner, the Lin family's young omega arrived as promised. He was a handsome boy with large, bright eyes and a pheromone that smelled of sweet peaches. He purposely sat next to Si Qi, constantly trying to strike up conversation.
"Mr. Si, I heard that you like horseback riding? I'm also an equestrian enthusiast."
Si Qi uttered a cold "hmm" and glanced at Shao Wei, who was standing at the other end of the long table. He was surrounded by several elders of the Shao family, who seemed to be asking questions, but his expression remained calm.
"Siqi," my father suddenly raised his voice, "Young Master Lin is talking to you."
Everyone at the table focused their attention on him. Si Qi saw Shao Wei also raise his head, and a flash of something flashed in his usually calm eyes, then quickly disappeared.
"I have a family." Si Qi raised his glass and gestured in the direction of Shao Wei, "Shao Wei doesn't like me talking about this."
A sudden silence fell over the table. The Lin family's young omega paled, while Shao Wei's eyes widened slightly—this was the first time Si Qi had clearly stated his position in public.
After dinner, the two returned to their bedroom, one after the other. This was their shared space, but it was clearly divided: Siqi's area was neat and tidy, while Shao Wei's side showed almost no signs of habitation.
"You can refuse." Shao Wei suddenly spoke in a low voice, "Those Omegas."
Si Qi paused as he untied his tie: "What?"
"You don't need to use me as an excuse." Shao Wei had his back to him, sorting out tomorrow's clothes in the closet. "There's no such clause in our agreement."
Si Qi walked up behind him, close enough to smell the faint cedar pheromone on him—the scent of an Alpha, but it inexplicably made him feel at ease. "I'm your man," he said, not understanding why he had to use such a vulgar expression. "That's not an excuse."
Shao Wei turned around, and the two of them were so close that they could feel each other's breath. Si Qi noticed that his eyelashes were very long, casting a small shadow under his eyes.
"The susceptible period is approaching," Shao Wei suddenly said, breaking the delicate atmosphere of the moment. "Do you need me to prepare?"
Siqi's eyes darkened. This was one of the few intimate moments in their marriage—the Alpha's vulnerable period, needing the soothing pheromones of his partner. Unlike the gentle affection of an Omega, the union between Alphas was always filled with struggle and conquest, like two beasts tearing at each other yet forced to rely on each other.
"Yeah." Si Qi responded briefly, turned and walked towards the bathroom, "Starting tomorrow night."
The next night, when Siqi returned to the bedroom, Shao Wei was already ready. He was standing by the window in loose pajamas, holding a suppressant in his hand.
"You can use this." He handed the inhibitor to Si Qi, "If you don't want to..."
Si Qi knocked the inhibitor away and pushed Shao Wei against the wall. The agitation during his susceptible period made it difficult for him to control his strength. The back of Shao Wei's head hit the wall with a dull thud, but he didn't even frown.
"I said I need you." Si Qi bit Shao Wei's gland and released his own pheromones at the same time. The two Alpha pheromones collided violently in the air, and although they should have repelled each other, they strangely merged together due to their marked relationship.
What followed was as rough and direct as ever. There was no gentle foreplay between alphas, only instinctive release and conquest. Si Qi teetered on the edge of losing control, while Shao Wei endured silently, biting his wrist without a sound even when it hurt.
When everything was over, Si Qi noticed the scars on Shao Wei's wrists - those were not new wounds from tonight, but old wounds that had scabbed over, crisscrossing across his wrists.
"What is this?" He grabbed Shao Wei's wrist, his voice harsher than expected.
Shao Wei tried to pull his hand back, but Si Qi held it tighter. In the dim light, Si Qi saw that some of the scars had turned white, obviously they had been there for a long time.
"Nothing." Shao Wei said calmly, "An old injury."
Si Qi suddenly remembered what Shao Wei had said: "Life is inherently meaningless." At the time, he had dismissed it as the whining of a young man, but now he felt a strange palpitation in his heart.
"Why?" he demanded.
Shao Wei finally raised his eyes to look at him. There was a hint of tired smile in those eyes that were always calm. "I said, life is boring. But this happened before marriage, it won't affect our agreement."
Si Qi was about to say something when his phone rang. It was a company emergency. He had to let Shao Wei go and get to work. When he returned to the bedroom two hours later, Shao Wei had already cleaned up and was asleep in bed, the scars on his wrists tightly hidden by his long-sleeved pajamas.
Si Qi stood by the bed, watching for a long moment, then gently lifted Shao Wei's sleeve. In the moonlight, the scars looked even more horrifying. He leaned over, his lips gently touching them, then covered Shao Wei with the blanket and headed back to the study.
That night, Si Qi didn't sleep. He pulled up all the information on Shao Wei—those personal files he'd disdained before their marriage. As he read deeper, his brow furrowed deeper.
Medical records show that Shao Wei has long been taking suppressants and antidepressants; internal family emails mention the consideration of forcing him to undergo sex reassignment surgery to become an Omega; school reports repeatedly mention "self-harm tendencies" and "emotional indifference"...
At dawn, Si Qi closed his computer and made a decision.
He wanted to win back this Alpha who had always been by his side but was ignored by him.
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