Chà Chà Novel

Min Zhi was in a foul mood all evening. It was not because of the blind date, but because of Fu Baiqi.

He had never liked making casual assumptions about other people’s private lives. He had little desire to pry into such things. But this was someone he had liked for a long time, which made these matters especially difficult to ignore.

As for the Omega who had come to the company looking for Fu Baiqi, the two were already living together. In Min Zhi’s view, there was no way they had no relationship at all. At the very least, they must be lovers. Perhaps the scene outside the company that day had simply been an argument. But then there was the other, beautiful Omega…

At first, Min Zhi had reserved judgment, thinking they might only be friends. But the person on the other end of that phone call in the parking lot was very likely Fu Baiqi. How could they possibly be nothing more than friends?

Irritated, Min Zhi walked into the bathroom. His feelings for Fu Baiqi were growing increasingly complicated. He still liked him, but he truly could not accept that Fu Baiqi would do something like this.

Had it been anyone else, he might not have said anything, but unless business required them to work together, he would have stopped associating with someone whose personal conduct was so poor. With Fu Baiqi, however, he felt a peculiar mixture of anger and disappointment at seeing him fall short.

He found the feeling ridiculous. He and Fu Baiqi were nothing to each other. Why should someone else’s private affairs be his concern?

The mood lingered until the following morning.

When Fu Baiqi came close, there was pitifully little chamomile left on him. In its place was another fragrance, belonging to the Omega from the parking lot. Min Zhi’s tightly controlled expression nearly cracked.

He knew no one in the world was perfect, and he had no right to dictate other people’s private lives. But perhaps because of the unusual education he had received at school from childhood, questions of personal integrity like this touched his bottom line.

He restrained himself, keeping his personal feelings out of work. As soon as the meeting ended, he left. Even when he heard Fu Baiqi calling after him, he did not respond.

The project that had kept the company busy lately was more or less wrapping up. Several colleagues who had worked on the planning invited Fu Baiqi out for drinks.

He was in a bad mood that day. One thing after another had piled up, leaving him stifled and irritated, so he agreed to have a few drinks and unwind. They had the next day off, and everyone rarely had a chance to relax like this. By the time they finished, it was almost midnight. He had originally planned to go to Bai Zhen’s place, but it was so late that he worried Bai Zhen would already be asleep. He went home instead.

He had drunk a little too much and was unsteady on his feet, though his mind remained clear.

By the time he managed to get home, the lights were off, which only made him more irritable. He carelessly changed his shoes, took off his jacket, and tossed it onto the sofa. Then he went straight to the study, where he had slept ever since marrying Fang Fengzhi. He was about to take a shower when the bedroom light suddenly came on.

Fang Fengzhi approached him.

“Baiqi? Have you been drinking?”

An inexplicable gleam came into Fu Baiqi’s eyes as he looked at Fang Fengzhi. The Omega’s pheromones filled the entire room. Hadn’t his heat already ended? He glanced at the man’s scent gland. There was nothing covering it, just smooth, exposed skin. The sight made his teeth itch with the urge to bite.

“Fuck,” he swore. “You’re not wearing a fucking suppressant patch again.”

Fang Fengzhi froze. It was the first time he had ever heard his Alpha husband swear. A nameless fear rose inside him.

“I thought you weren’t coming home tonight…”

It had been so late, with no sign of Fu Baiqi returning, that he had assumed he would stay out. Only then had he quietly peeled off the patch. Keeping one on all the time was terribly uncomfortable.

Suppressant patches blocked pheromones from escaping through the scent gland. Anything that defied the body’s natural processes was rarely good for it. Fang Fengzhi already had no Alpha pheromones to soothe him. Now, with his own pheromones prevented from escaping as well, prolonged use left them surging restlessly inside his body, making the heat even worse. It felt as though something had been blocked inside him, stifling and raw, itching until it hurt.

Fu Baiqi ignored him, pushed him aside, and headed for the bathroom. But after only a few steps, his alcohol-weakened body faltered when he caught his foot on something, and he nearly fell.

The Omega hurried over to support him.

“You’re a little drunk. Let me help you wash…”

Fu Baiqi strained to keep Fang Fengzhi’s pheromones from driving him out of his mind.

Help him wash?

Looking at him, it was obvious he wanted to seduce him, to seize the chance to be marked, then get pregnant and bind himself to Fu Baiqi for the rest of their lives.

He remembered his mother’s call that morning, telling him to settle down and have a child. Fu Baiqi sneered. Fang Fengzhi must have said something to her.

Fuck. His irritation reached a breaking point. Staring at the Omega’s hypocritical face, he suddenly reached out and grabbed his hair.

“What did you say to my mother?”

Pain tore through Fang Fengzhi’s scalp. He struggled, tugging at Fu Baiqi’s hand.

“Nothing… Baiqi, Baiqi, please don’t hold me like that…”

Watching the Omega struggle in pain beneath his hand, something jolted inside Fu Baiqi, and he abruptly let go. His heart was pounding. In an instant, most of his drunkenness vanished. Just then, he had actually felt an urge to hurt him. He had even wanted to strike Fang Fengzhi.

His face darkened. Without a word, he turned and entered the bathroom, slamming the door with a hollow bang.

Fang Fengzhi remained alone, still shaken. His face was white as he drew a ragged breath. He stared at the bathroom door for a moment, then hurried away.

Fu Baiqi’s expression had frightened him. Ordinarily, his husband might refuse to acknowledge him, but he had never gone so far as to get physical. Yet just now…

Pressing a hand to his chest, Fang Fengzhi took a suppressant patch from the drawer and fled to the guest room.

The next morning, Fu Baiqi woke with a splitting headache. He looked around. The surroundings felt unfamiliar. He was not in the study.

He hissed in pain and sat up, holding his head. Memories of the night before gradually returned. He paused, then got out of bed and walked out.

Hearing sounds from the kitchen, he looked in and saw Fang Fengzhi preparing breakfast.

The Omega had not noticed him. Unsure what to say, Fu Baiqi took a few steps forward, making a noise. Fang Fengzhi jolted as though startled, his whole body trembling. He turned to glance at Fu Baiqi before lowering his head.

“Breakfast will be ready soon…”

Fu Baiqi’s feelings were complicated. What had happened the night before had indeed been his fault. Perhaps the alcohol had gotten the better of him. Seeing the Omega act so meekly around him, actually afraid of him, left him uncomfortable.

“Last night… I was drunk…”

He had never apologized to anyone in his life. This time was no different. Forcing himself to offer an explanation already counted as backing down.

At those words, Fang Fengzhi went still before turning to look at him again.

His husband, usually so cold that he would not even look him in the eye, was now offering an explanation with an air of awkward reluctance. It was the first time Fu Baiqi had ever explained himself to him.

Fang Fengzhi sighed.

He remembered several years earlier, when Fu Baiqi had accompanied his parents to his grandmother’s house. The elderly couple were his family’s neighbors and had invited him over. The moment he walked in, he saw Fu Baiqi sitting among a crowd of relatives. It was as though everyone else were cast in gray, while he alone, sitting there so cool and detached, was vivid and alive.

Fang Fengzhi had only dared to look once.

But even now, he could not forget.