DL Chapter43

It snowed at night, and a thick layer of snow piled up on the ground the next morning. Fang Fengzhi took an old scarf from home and wrapped it around his neck before walking towards the villa.

 

When he arrived at the villa, he saw Fu Baiqi playing with the dog in the yard. When he saw him open the door and go in, he walked towards him. At a distance of one meter, Fang Fengzhi could feel Fu Baiqi’s pheromones clinging to him, and he paused.

 

Fu Baiqi now always unconsciously releases pheromones, which cling tightly to his body and are very sticky. Fang Fengzhi has always liked this smell, but he still shrinks his neck and covers half of his face in the scarf.

 

He looked up at Fu Baiqi’s expression, which was still cold and distant, as if it were completely disconnected from the pheromones, not clingy at all like the pheromones.

 

Maybe it was just a habit formed after he got sick, the pheromones unconsciously always sticking to him.

 

But the next second, Fu Baiqi suddenly leaned in, his face almost touching his scarf.

 

Fang Fengzhi, with only his eyes visible, somehow looked adorable. Moreover, he hadn’t smelled his chamomile scent all night and couldn’t help but want to lean in and take a few sniffs.

 

But Fang Fengzhi was startled and quickly took a few steps back.

 

Fu Baiqi slightly furrowed his brows, seemingly displeased with Fang Fengzhi’s withdrawal, but he didn’t say anything. He gave him a faint glance before turning and heading back to the villa. The dog that had been lingering around Fang Fengzhi’s feet initially stayed, but upon seeing Fu Baiqi leave, it barked a few times before following him.

 

Fang Fengzhi stood still for a while, as if his feet were nailed to the spot. The way Fu Baiqi had looked at him just now, vague and shadowed, made him unable to stop thinking about it.

 

It wasn’t until the cold wind had numbed his hands and feet that Fang Fengzhi finally stepped into the villa, where warmth enveloped him at once.

 

Fu Baiqi seemed to have gone somewhere, and the others were nowhere to be seen as well. Now, downstairs, it was just him and the dog that had followed Fu Baiqi.

 

Fang Fengzhi changed his shoes and took off his scarf, unsure of what to do next. He ended up sitting on the sofa. The friendly little dog nudged its way to his feet, and Fang Fengzhi absentmindedly patted its head. But his eyes caught the open photo album placed beside him. The page facing up was a picture of Fu Baiqi’s grandparents in the old house, but besides his grandparents, there was another person in the photo.

 

The familiar wooden scent suddenly rose again, and a dent appeared in the seat beside him. “This is when you were a child, right?”

 

“……”

 

“En.” The boy in the picture was probably accidentally captured, tucked away in a small corner. Compared to now, his cheeks were fuller, not as lean as he was now, but it was not hard to tell from his eyes that this was a younger version of Fang Fengzhi.

 

“That year when I went back, did we meet?”

 

The Omega remained motionless, not speaking or reacting at all, as if he didn’t want to continue the topic. Fu Baiqi furrowed his brows, a trace of irritation flashing in his beautiful eyes as he stared intensely at the top of Fang Fengzhi’s head. But soon, his brows relaxed. “Grandpa said you liked me back then.” He hadn’t expected that Fang Fengzhi had actually had feelings for him. At that time, Fang Fengzhi hadn’t undergone his differentiation yet, so it couldn’t have been the influence of pheromones, and it certainly wasn’t because of his family background either.

 

For some unknown reason, Fu Baiqi felt inexplicably pleased.

 

He saw Fang Fengzhi pause for a moment before continuing, “Grandpa also said you always asked when I would come back again.”

 

Fang Fengzhi finally lifted his head to look at Fu Baiqi, his eyes shimmering intensely. “Don’t say it anymore.” Whether it was from impatience or something else, his cheeks flushed red slightly. “It’s all in the past.”

 

Fang Fengzhi no longer felt the slightest trace of the fluttering emotions he had back then. Especially hearing those things from the person involved only made him feel that his childish feelings were both laughable and embarrassing.

 

But Fu Baiqi seemed to not understand this at all. His eyes were glued to Fang Fengzhi, unable to look away. The Omega’s eyes had a certain shine to them, and Fu Baiqi noticed the mole on Fang Fengzhi’s eyelid. He had never paid much attention to it before, but now, seeing it made his heart stir.

 

“Past?” The Alpha’s pheromones around him suddenly spiked. “So, did you ever kiss me back then?” His voice carried a hint of clear, teasing laughter. Fang Fengzhi froze for a moment, staring directly at Fu Baiqi’s face.

 

It was rare for Fang Fengzhi to see Fu Baiqi smile like that.

 

Usually, Fu Baiqi wore a cold, distant expression, but now his lips were slightly curved, it made him even more handsome than usual. However, the emotion in his eyes, the kind that made Fang Fengzhi feel anxious and fearful, was becoming even more apparent.

 

Fang Fengzhi didn’t dare to move.

 

He felt like he was shopping for something. There was one item he really liked but couldn’t get, so he ended up picking something else that satisfied him and was ready to leave. But then the sales associate grabbed him and tried to make him buy the original item, insisting how perfect it was for him.

 

But now, he has already bought the one he truly wanted.

 

Fu Baiqi’s pheromones enveloped him, the woody scent surrounding him completely. Because their pheromones matched, Fang Fengzhi felt a strange sense of comfort and pleasure, as if being wrapped in the scent was soothing and enjoyable.

 

Fu Baiqi was indeed the most suitable for him. Fang Fengzhi had liked him for so many years; he was the rare, fated partner. Now, he was beginning to show interest and seek Fang Fengzhi’s love.

 

The two of them were very close now, with the Alpha slowly leaning in closer to Fang Fengzhi.

 

Some people say that a fated partner is a destiny written in the stars.

 

When Fu Baiqi’s hot, humid breath hit Fang Fengzhi’s face, Fang Fengzhi suddenly realized what Fu Baiqi was about to do. He widened his eyes and forcefully pushed Fu Baiqi away.

 

He was different from others; he could only give all his love to one person.

 

So he didn’t need that ‘most suitable’ person right now. And even more so, he didn’t want any ties with him. He had briefly been tempted by Fu Baiqi’s pheromones but quickly snapped out of it. He stared directly at the Alpha and spoke, “Are you doing this now because of the pheromones?”

 

Any emotion from Fu Baiqi would burden him. He wanted to sever all ties completely, hoping that Fu Baiqi could be like before, without a trace of emotion, and that it was just the influence of the pheromones. But Fu Baiqi’s response only disappointed him.

 

He said, “No.”

 

Fang Fengzhi tightly furrowed his brows. He no longer wanted Fu Baiqi’s feelings, but being forced upon him only made him feel irritated and troubled. “Don’t do this.”

 

His nonsensical words caused the smile on Fu Baiqi’s face to instantly fade.

 

Fang Fengzhi pretended not to notice and continued, “Didn’t you want a divorce?” He reminded him, hoping to rekindle Fu Baiqi’s resolve.

 

“You said you hated my pheromones and said I didn’t spark your interest.” He watched as the man’s expression darkened, almost on the verge of anger, but he didn’t care. “And you even had Bai Zhen, your first love, come find me as well, didn’t you?” Their roles seemed to have reversed, once Fu Baiqi had seen Fang Fengzhi as a burden, but now it was Fu Baiqi’s feelings that had become a burden to Fang Fengzhi, something he didn’t want at all.

 

Fu Baiqi furrowed his brows, his face turning pale. Back then, he really hadn’t looked at Fang Fengzhi that way, but now, he had already decided to move forward with him. Fang Fengzhi suddenly bringing up those old matters stirred an unpleasant feeling in his heart, something he couldn’t quite put into words.

 

Then he heard Fang Fengzhi say something that made him feel even more uncomfortable.

 

“I agreed to it now. No, I already agreed to it last month. Did you forget?”

 

Although he had agreed to Fu Baiqi’s father, he couldn’t hold back now. He looked at Fu Baiqi’s face. “By the time the new year is over, your health should be almost fine, and we can handle the divorce.” After saying that, he didn’t wait for Fu Baiqi’s response, as if just informing him of the matter. He turned to leave, but his arm was suddenly grabbed, and he was yanked back.

 

The smile on Fu Baiqi’s face had long since disappeared. He was so angry that he felt like doing something he would later regret, his gaze fixed intensely on Fang Fengzhi. “No.” He found it laughable that the Omega acted so recklessly—before, he wanted a divorce, but he wouldn’t leave, and now that Fu Baiqi didn’t want one, Fang Fengzhi was even pushing him.

 

“What?”

 

“I said no, to a divorce.”

 

Fang Fengzhi’s arm was gripped tightly by the Alpha, and his heart skipped a few beats, a bad premonition creeping in. Then he heard Fu Baiqi’s questioning voice, “Have you been seeing someone else?”

 

Fu Baiqi’s gaze darkened, and the pheromones around them grew oppressive and dangerous. Fang Fengzhi felt a chill run down his spine, he had indeed noticed. He feigned confusion and anger on his face, forcefully shaking off Fu Baiqi’s hand. “What are you talking about?” He said, then quickly ran upstairs, as if trying to escape.

 

He had assumed Fang Fengzhi mentioned the divorce out of spite, but now he realized it was sincere. No wonder he used to be so obedient, always clinging to him, now he avoided him as if terrified.

 

Fu Baiqi gritted his teeth, a strange metallic taste lingering in his mouth.

 

Fang Fengzhi went to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face and scrubbing it hard. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, his face emotionless.

 

With Fu Baiqi acting this way, getting a divorce had become much more difficult.

 

In the following days, Fang Fengzhi avoided Fu Baiqi at all costs, fearful of running into him.

 

As the New Year approached, more and more members of the Fu family began to return from the city.

 

On the eve of the New Year, most of the Fu family had gathered. Fang Fengzhi didn’t really enjoy being with his family, as the relatives of the Fu family all had good relationships with each other, while Fang Fengzhi often felt like an outsider, excluded from the group.

 

Especially the younger generation, Fu Baiqi’s younger cousins, didn’t like him at all. Being teenagers who admired their outstanding older cousin, they somehow developed a sense of hostility toward Fang Fengzhi.

 

A few years ago, when he came back here, he was often subjected to rude comments from them.

 

Since he hadn’t been spending much time with Fu Baiqi lately, perhaps due to the lack of pheromone comfort, Fu Baiqi appeared extremely weak. His already pale face now looked even more unnaturally pale.

 

Fu Baiqi’s mother wanted to scold Fang Fengzhi for not taking better care of him, but she feared he would get upset and leave, so she held her tongue. Instead, she asked Fu Baiqi’s father to speak to Fang Fengzhi. Since Fang Fengzhi responded better to gentleness than harshness, and he didn’t want to say anything harsh to his elders as well, so he agreed to take better care of Fu Baiqi.

 

But the younger kids didn’t understand all this. Seeing Fu Baiqi looking so pale, they naturally blamed Fang Fengzhi for it.

 

With no one else in the living room besides Fang Fengzhi, Fu Baiqi’s younger cousin suddenly sat down beside him, smiling as she spoke. “Your pheromones can’t comfort my Gege?” She looked at Fang Fengzhi with a mocking expression. “Is it because you haven’t been marked yet?”

 

Suddenly, someone popped up next to the girl, it was Fu Baiqi’s younger cousin. “If I were you, I’d have packed up and left by now… how…”

 

“Fu Yan.”

 

The boy, called Fu Yan, paused for a moment. He turned around and saw Fu Baiqi behind him, obediently calling out, “Gege.”

 

The Alpha looked at his younger brother and sister with a neutral expression, his face cold. “Don’t speak out of turn.”

 

He then turned to Fang Fengzhi. “Don’t mind them.”

 

Fang Fengzhi blinked, recalling how Fu Baiqi’s father had said the same thing when the kids had teased him before. He let out a sigh for no reason. As he was about to leave, he realized just how much he had endured in silence.

 

“Even your younger brother and sister want me to pack up and leave.”

 

“You tell me, what should I do?”

 

Fu Baiqi’s expression instantly turned unpleasant. The two children who had been quietly smirking nearby hadn’t expected Fang Fengzhi to say such a thing. However, thinking that Fu Baiqi probably wouldn’t take it to heart, they were ready to watch Fang Fengzhi become embarrassed. Just then, they heard a voice, cold as ice—

 

“Apologize.”

 

The two children froze for a moment, looking up to see Fu Baiqi staring at them with a heavy gaze. “Apologize to him.”