Yang Huaijin woke up the next day at noon. Lately, he had been feeling more drowsy, as if his health was deteriorating.
“Who said stable pheromones could help with body function recovery? Was I lied to?”
He reached for his phone on the bedside table and noticed three missed calls from Zhou Qing, reminding him of something tonight. But it was only noon now; was Zhou Qing being overly anxious?
Since he couldn’t go to the docks in the daytime, Yang Huaijin called Lao He and asked him to bring some documents to his apartment. Then he sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought.
Yang Huaijin has always been somewhat passive in intimate matters, and yesterday, Feng Zhi repeatedly pinned him down in the bathtub, clearly seeking revenge accumulated over time. Feng Zhi’s pheromones seduced him, and his body responded involuntarily. The unrestrained release of pheromones between them led to them both indulging in uncontrollable lust.
Later, he remembered accidentally slipping into the water entirely, forgetting to struggle in the extreme pleasure. Suffocation and climax came simultaneously, and he almost lost consciousness. Feng Zhi realized something was wrong and pulled him out, finally ending the affair. After doing something despicable, a certain scoundrel’s conscience kicked in, and he carefully helped him wash, cradled him as he fell into a drowsy state, and gently blew dry his hair, as if he had become a different person.
He recalled Feng Zhi’s words—
I feel heartache when I see you unhappy, even if I have lost my memories…
I must have loved you deeply back then…
You’re essentially closing yourself off in the past, unwilling to face the present…
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Perhaps Feng Zhi is right, but… how can he move on from the past? He devoted his entire life to that relationship, only to find out in the end that the person he loved lost all memories of their time together. Is a lover who has lost their memories still considered his lover? A person’s past is made up of memories, and without shared memories, they are just two strangers.
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Behind Lao He was Zhou Qing. Lao He was a Beta, insensitive to pheromones, while Zhou Qing was an Omega with a nose like a dog. Although the scent of Feng Zhi in Yang Huaijin’s house had faded, Zhou Qing seemed agitated, staring at Yang Huaijin with a look of irritation, hesitating to speak several times.
Yang Huaijin calmly ate the food Lao He brought. He initially ignored Zhou Qing, but couldn’t stand the annoyance in his eyes.
“Zhou Qing, if you have something to say, just say it.”
Zhou Qing tightly pressed his lips together, hesitating for a moment before speaking up, “Master Jin, the Madman from Crimson Alliance Hall is not a good person.”
Yang Huaijin chuckled lightly. “I’m not exactly a saint either.”
“People in the underworld all know that his private life is extremely chaotic. It’s unclear how many Omegas he’s been with, and rumors say he’s quite promiscuous…”
“Yeah, he’s a scoundrel,” Yang Huaijin nodded.
“You… don’t let him deceive you,” Zhou Qing became more anxious. “This Madman is very cunning. Although Crimson Alliance Hall is nominally led by Xing Tian and a few other leaders, in reality, Xing Tian is just a figurehead. Crimson Alliance Hall only listens to Feng Zhi. His approach to you might have another purpose…”
Yang Huaijin speared a piece of fruit and chewed slowly. He knew all this that Zhou Qing was saying, but hearing it from someone else today, he suddenly realized that he didn’t really care much about Feng Zhi’s private life. What Zhou Qing said seemed like unrelated matters to him. Perhaps… deep down, he never really equated Feng Zhi with his lost love, A-jiu.
“Zhou Qing,” Yang Huaijin interrupted Zhou Qing’s words, “Did you come here with Lao He just to gossip about Feng Zhi?”
Zhou Qing’s expression stiffened, straightening his body. “No.”
“Then get to work!”
Zhou Qing pursed his lips, his beautiful eyebrows furrowing. “Yes!” He respected Yang Huaijin, yet feared him too. Yang Huaijin was usually gentle, but from the tone of his voice just now, Zhou Qing knew he had spoken out of turn.
Zhou Qing went to the study, while Lao He brought in a plate of sweets with a smile.
“Have some sweets, it’ll lighten your mood.”
“Do I look like I’m in a bad mood?”
“Someone’s affecting your mood.”
Yang Huaijin’s face fell, his elbow propped on the table as he rubbed his forehead. “Lao He… I seem to be not very good at handling my own affairs.”
“In this world, there’s no right or wrong. What you like is right, what you dislike is wrong.”
Yang Huaijin was taken aback, shaking his head. “…I neither like nor dislike.”
Yang Huaijin stood up, patting Lao He’s shoulder. “Thank you, Lao He. I know you’re all looking out for me. Zhou Qing should be ready now. Let’s start the meeting!”
“Yes,” Lao He replied, but he didn’t move. He hesitated before speaking, “Huaijin…”
Lao He was an elder by Yang Huaijin’s side. Ever since Yang Huaijin took charge of Zhuque Hall and was addressed by the Qingyan Gang as ‘Master Jin,’ Lao He rarely called him by his name.
Yang Huaijin chuckled. “It’s been a long time since I heard you call me that.”
“You… don’t overexert yourself,” Lao He clenched his fist. “Nothing is more important than your health.”
Although Yang Huaijin hadn’t explicitly told Lao He about his relationship with Feng Zhi, he hadn’t avoided Lao He either. Given what had happened, Lao He could guess most of it.
“If I had known earlier that Feng Zhi was… perhaps I should have brought him to you sooner…”
“Haha, that Madman is indeed a big trouble. Bringing him to me earlier, are you trying to prevent me from retiring?” Yang Huaijin adopted a nonchalant attitude. “Let’s just drag it out for now! Once tonight’s matter is resolved, I’ll be ready to retire. By then, I’ll be flying far away, far from trouble.”
