Chapter 03
The Alpha not only had long arms and legs, but his physique was also impressively developed in all the right placesâwell-defined pectoral muscles, abs, and a beautiful, trim waistline.
Wu Xing gulped, recalling Dr. Zhuâs speculation about the amnesiac Alphaâs identity, and sighed inwardly.
He certainly had the credentials for it.
The Omega handed a pair of slightly oversized shorts and a t-shirt to the man, then ducked into the bathroom to shower.
Although the Alpha looked lean, his frame was large; the t-shirt was a bit tight, and the shorts were somewhat snug.
“Wu Xing.”
The manâs voice was no longer as hoarse as it had been at the beginning, gaining a low, melodic resonance that drifted into the Omega’s ears.
“Hmm?”
Wu Xing had his back to him, busy laying out a sleeping mat, exposing a small patch of his fair lower backâalluring without him even realizing it.
“Can I stay with you?”
Wu Xing put down the pillow. He didn’t look at that beautiful face as he replied, “No.”
“Why?”
The Alpha couldn’t understand it. Was he really less desirable than that drunken Beta?
“Why?”
Wu Xing heard the question again and felt a bit annoyed. His tone was cold and hard as he replied, “I have no money.”
With his half-brother demanding money and having to support an apprentice who expected room and board, Wu Xing couldn’t afford to keep an amnesiac Alpha, no matter how kind-hearted he was. Even if the man was devastatingly handsome, he wouldn’t budgeâhis wallet simply didn’t allow it.
“Go to sleep.”
Wu Xing planned to send the Alpha to the Population Administration first thing in the morning; if he needed to be in a shelter, he would go to a shelter.
“Can you leave a light on?”
The Omega left a small desk lamp on and laid down on his side. Wu Xing faced the wall away from the light, his breathing gradually becoming steady and slow.
In the cramped room, the Alphaâs sleeping mat was right next to the single bed, and that clean, soapy scent drifted out again.
It wasn’t the smell of soap residue after a shower, but Wu Xingâs own Omega pheromones.
Wu Xing slept until broad daylight, completely unaware that his low-grade, nearly undetectable pheromones had kept the Alpha tossing and turning all night.
Early in the morning, someone opened the door with a key and shoved it wide open.
Wu Xing had just finished brushing his teeth and walked out wearing blue plastic slippers, only to be greeted by a completely unfamiliar face.
“Who are you looking for?”
The man was tall and burly, his face full of flabby, cruel flesh, looking every bit like a local thug.
“This house is mine.”
“Itâs going to be sold, get out immediately!”
As the man spoke, he swaggered inside, leaving dusty black shoe prints on the beige floor tiles.
Wu Xing was confused. When he signed the contract with the landlord, he was supposed to stay until the end of the year. Why did a new landlord suddenly appear?
“Who are you? Itâs written in black and white on the contract; this is a breach of contract by the landlord.”
The rent for this month hadn’t been paid yet, and Wu Xing had been planning to discuss it with the old man to see if he could delay it by a few days to get his finances in order.
The man casually picked up an apple from the dining table and took a bite. Seeming to dislike that it wasn’t sweet enough, he spat it out loudly: “Pah!”
The apple, with only one bite taken out of it, rolled into the trash can.
Wu Xing reached into his pocket, preparing to call the police, when the man finally responded.
“Landlord?”
The manâs pronunciation was strange, and the tone of his voice was jarring to the ear.
The man leaned against the table and burst into loud laughter, laughing until there were tears in his eyes.
“The old man who signed the contract with you is already dead. This house belongs to me now, so get the hell out immediately.”
Wu Xing stood there, stunned. Just last week, he had played chess with the old man.
“Damn it! Are you deaf or what?!”
The amnesiac Alpha suddenly stepped between the two, shielding Wu Xing with a protective stance and glaring at the intruder.
The manâs eyes turned vicious at the sight, and he called the “brothers” waiting at the door to come in.
These men wore black sunglasses and were dressed in either loud floral shirts or black suitsâit was unclear what kind of gang they were.
The elderly landlord had no sons, only one daughter. Who on earth was this man?
Wu Xing clenched his fists, pulling the amnesiac Alpha behind him, and said with dignity, “We can move out, but this is too sudden. Give us a few more days to find a new place.”
“And youâwho exactly are you? You owe us that much.”
The man huffed through his nostrils and said, “Iâm his son-in-law. This house is mine now. If you keep whining like a woman, youâre looking for a beating.”
Wu Xingâs pupils flickered. He had heard the old man mention this person before, describing him as a demon who brought nothing but shame to his family.
This man was indeed malicious; as soon as the house was sold, the money would naturally flow into his own pockets.
Seeing Wu Xing standing there with pursed lips, saying nothing, the man smashed the bowls and plates on the table onto the floor with force.
The porcelain shards flew everywhere with a piercing, jarring sound.
The commotion woke the hungover A-Qiang. The Beta walked out, sporting a bird’s nest of hair.
A-Qiang hadn’t even opened his eyes yet, grumbling, “Whoâs disturbing my sleep?”
The man glanced at A-Qiang and gave a sinister laugh: “Well, isn’t this a small world.”
As soon as A-Qiang saw the manâs face, he was kicked in the chest and sent sprawling to the ground.
Wu Xing didn’t have time to process what was happening before the thugs swarmed them. He didn’t know how to fight, and though he was quite strong, he could only block and defend.
One of the thugs in flared trousers grabbed a vase and aimed it at the back of Wu Xingâs head.
In the corner, A-Qiang clutched his stomach, struggling to get up, only for the lead man to step hard on his fingers.
“Don’t let me see you around here again.”
A-Qiang cried out in pain, watching as the vase was about to crash down on Wu Xingâs skull.
“Xing-ge!”
Chapter 3: Balance
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Just as the vase was about to hit Wu Xingâ
Suddenly, the Alpha lunged forward, grabbing the Omegaâs arm, pulling him into his embrace from behind and shielding him with his own body.
The turn of events exceeded everyoneâs expectations, occurring in less than a thousandth of a second.
A deafening “crash” echoed through the room; the celadon vase struck the Alphaâs head.
The cramped apartment fell silent. Time slowed down, as if the movement of dust particles in the air was visible.
The thug in the corner, holding a rolling pin heâd snatched from the kitchen, froze at the sight, cursing: “F*ck…”
Everything had happened too suddenly. Wu Xing hadn’t even had time to react to protect himself.
The Omega turned his head, met the Alphaâs eyesâwhich resembled gray glassâand reached out to steady the wobbling man.
Bright red blood flowed from the Alphaâs head, winding down like a creek.
Wu Xingâs lips parted slightly, his eyes filled with both shock and deep, profound guilt.
The Alphaâs head throbbed with excruciating pain. He blinked weakly; surely, he would be allowed to stay by the Omegaâs side now, right?
“So much blood…”
A-Qiang finally broke free from the lead manâs control, clutching his stomach as he stumbled over to Wu Xingâs side.
“Xing-ge, itâs my fault for involving you in this.”
Wu Xing pursed his lips, his expression turning grave. He looked up at the burly man, his voice calm and cold: “If you keep this up, Iâm calling the police.”
The man smiled without mirth, crouching down slightly to look at Wu Xing with a playful, mocking gaze.
“Feel free to try.”
This was an open, brazen threat.
Wu Xing swallowed nervously, but his gaze didn’t retreat in the slightest.
The man crouching opposite him stood back up, brushed the dust off himself, and glanced at the house the old man had left behind with cold, indifferent eyes.
“Get out within twenty-four hours.”
A-Qiang and Wu Xing worked together to help the Alpha up. The three of them looked utterly disheveled.
Before the troublemaker left, he glanced at A-Qiang again, patted the Betaâs cheek, and said, “And another thingâdon’t let me see this face of yours again.”
The manâs gesture wasn’t forceful, but it was dripping with malicious humiliation.
The half of A-Qiangâs face that had been touched burned instantly. One hand supported the injured Alpha, while his other hand went numb with pain; he wished he could just disappear into the ground.
After the gang left, the thin door slammed shut with a thunderous bang, shaking the frame.
Wu Xing glanced at A-Qiang, wanting to ask something, but didn’t open his mouth. Silently, he rode the electric tricycle to take both of them to a nearby clinic to dress their wounds.
With a “screech,” the tricycle tires grazed the ground, coming to a steady stop in front of the clinic.
“Dr. Zhu!”
Zhu Qian heard the familiar voice and thought he was hallucinating, until he saw a frazzled Wu Xing again.
Wu Xing had blood on his shoulder, and behind him stood A-Qiang and the amnesiac Alpha; all of them looked like they had been through a brawl.
“What happened?”
Dr. Zhu strode over to Wu Xing, his eyes filled with undisguised concern, and asked in a low voice, “Are you alright?”
Wu Xing shook his head and replied, “The landlordâs greedy son-in-law came over this morning to cause trouble.”
“Iâm fine, please, take a look at them.”
On the way over, the Alphaâs head had been bleeding constantly. Even after Dr. Zhu stitched up the wound, tiny beads of blood continued to seep from the edges of the sutures.
Wu Xing sat to the side, watching the nurse bandage the wound, and reached up to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
“Does it hurt?”
The Alpha sat quietly, looking at Wu Xing with a pitiful expression, and whispered, “It hurts.”
If it weren’t for the fact that he had brought the man home, the other party wouldn’t have been injured again.
Wu Xing felt a wave of self-reproach. He pursed his lips, reached out to cradle the Alphaâs face, and gently wiped away the dried blood with a damp tissue.
