47: Still Going To Run?
Shen Jin’s tightly clenched fingers slowly relaxed as he said meaningfully, “You got here fast.”
The appointment time had been set for half an hour later, yet he had arrived more than ten minutes early, as if the moment he got the message, he rushed over without stopping.
Too fast, so fast it felt like he had been right beside Shen Jin all along.
The Alpha opposite him let out a faint vibration of laughter from his throat. “I was nearby.”
If one listened carefully, his voice was lower than usual, carrying a steady strength that soothed people’s nerves.
At first glance there was almost no resemblance, but that shadowlike familiarity had always been there. Now, Shen Jin finally had an answer for why it felt familiar.
Shen Jin didn’t respond. He walked straight to the isolation window and tore off the high-strength suppressive patch at the back of his neck. In that instant, the entire room flooded with a sweetness potent enough to drive any Alpha mad.
He was like a bud that had been quietly gathering itself for a long time, only to suddenly bloom, releasing its fragrance into the air without restraint. Before the Alpha could even react, that lethal, poppy-like scent slipped through every breath, striking straight into his adrenaline.
Most fatal of all, the moment Shen Jin tore it off, he also opened the final layer of the isolation window.
That last layer was the infrared grid meant to prevent Alphas from losing control.
It was as if he wanted to end the marking quickly, and also as if he trusted the Alpha across from him.
From Qian Kun’s angle, he could see the snowy, porcelain-smooth back of Shen Jin’s neck, an untouched domain. On that pristine skin, the pink gland looked like a petal in bloom, soft and delicate at its core.
All the rejection that should’ve existed vanished without a trace.
The person in front of him was, to him, the strongest possible aphrodisiac, a craving that rose from the deepest part of his soul. He was already desperate to seize him at once.
To possess him, to stain him from head to toe with his own scent.
Qian Kun’s throat bobbed. He stepped forward.
He’d only taken a few steps when he heard Shen Jin’s tense voice. “Can I turn around?”
One last chance for you to come clean.
Qian Kun replied lightly, “Did you forget we have an agreement?”
Shen Jin: “……”
Then don’t blame me.
Qian Kun’s hands settled on Shen Jin’s shoulders. That dizzying sweetness nearly made him lose control. He lowered his voice. “You didn’t go wash off the marking.”
Even from the pleased tone alone, it was obvious the Alpha’s joy was genuine.
Shen Jin slowly closed his eyes. His lashes trembled like a dragonfly’s wings.
His fingers were nearly digging into his palms. He wished the Alpha would hurry up so this torturous every minute and second could end quickly.
Qian Kun didn’t need Shen Jin’s answer. His thumb pressed against the tender gland, as if soothing him, but the moment that callused finger touched such a sensitive place, Shen Jin sucked in a sharp breath.
“You…”
Don’t touch it.
Shen Jin’s whole body flushed, as if brushed with rouge.
“I couldn’t really hold back today. Sorry.”
The Alpha moved fast and decisively, biting down on the prey he’d coveted for far too long.
When hot breath brushed the skin near the gland, Shen Jin jolted his head up. His body trembled from the overwhelming stimulation.
His already feverish body surged even hotter, burning like a true fever.
Moisture gathered in Shen Jin’s eyes, and his vision blurred as if steamed over by the heat.
The Alpha was too fast. Compared to the first time’s unfamiliarity and resistance, this time he was not only practiced, he even adjusted angles, testing how to make Shen Jin feel better, as if searching for a reason they could keep going.
Shen Jin couldn’t endure the terrifying tide inside him. He tried to wrench free from the hold on his shoulders, trying to escape the terrifying control behind him.
Every struggle was effortlessly neutralized.
A dry, steady hand cupped his chin, soothing down from his neck to the black mole behind his ear.
The Alpha’s movements were slow and firm, as if reminding him.
Do you remember what I said last time?
Don’t run.
The Alpha revealed a domineering coldness completely unlike his usual self.
Shen Jin’s mind grew hazy. A small, involuntary whimper slipped from his throat, like a small animal pinned down by a beast, unable to stop itself.
Reason dissolved. Every nerve in his body was amplified, and only the tingling numbness stirred by the Alpha’s soothing touch felt unbearably provoking.
After who knows how long, feeling the Alpha input the last trace of pheromones, Shen Jin urgently retreated several steps and pressed the red button on the wall.
The three shutters on the isolation window snapped shut at once, cutting off the nearly fused scents in an instant and forcing a space for both of them to cool down.
Through the wall, the Alpha’s voice was calm as ever.
“Did I hurt you?”
This made Shen Jin feel somewhat embarrassed, as if he was the only one affected by the pheromones.
Shen Jin didn’t see that the Alpha on the other side wasn’t doing well either. The impact of marking was mutual.
Alphas who treated the public matching room’s temporary marks like a job would inject themselves with a neutralizer to remove the aftereffects. The results weren’t perfect, but over time the influence would fade.
However, Qian Kun had never intended to neutralize it from the start.
How could he bear to?
Shen Jin waited for the heat wave to subside, the temperature in his body gradually dispersing.
Thinking of the Alpha’s slightly teasing tone, and that unnervingly composed attitude, Shen Jin’s temper flared.
You think you’re the one who’s fine, huh? Let you be arrogant, huh? Fine.
Shen Jin bit his lip. Without a word, he yanked the door open and walked out. Staff were waiting outside.
Because the temporary marking rooms were separated by only one wall, it was highly possible for the two people involved to run into each other. To prevent that, staff would accompany them throughout and stagger their exits.
Now the staff member signaled Shen Jin with her eyes, waiting for his instruction.
Back at registration, Shen Jin’s request had been to remove Qian Kun’s guide.
The reason was simple.
They knew each other in real life.
So there was no need to treat each other like strangers anymore. Wouldn’t it be better to speak openly?
The public matching room wasn’t inflexible. Besides, when that 3S agreed in the first place, he’d said he and the person needing the mark were classmates.
So when Shen Jin asked for a formal meeting, it wasn’t strictly within the agreement’s wording, but it could be accommodated.
Qian Kun sensed the person opposite him had left. The scent that belonged to him was already thinning.
He brushed at the loose strands near his forehead. So he really had been used like a tool. Shen Jin had left cleanly and decisively.
Recalling how Shen Jin had looked trapped in his arms just now, Qian Kun licked his lips, a dark storm brewing in his eyes.
After a long while, the green light on the door lock turned on. It meant the person opposite had already left the matching room. The guide would activate the light as a signal, and only then was the Alpha allowed to exit.
Qian Kun straightened his slightly rumpled cuffs. The expression on his face was that familiar, distant gentleness he wore in front of outsiders. His glass-colored eyes were calm and unreadable, carrying an innate sense of separation.
He opened the door and took two steps.
Then he slammed to a stop.
…!!
Why is he still here?
Not far away stood a youth with an icy aura, arms crossed, watching him with leisurely patience.
Qian Kun’s eyelid twitched violently. His mind went blank as he reflexively tried to close the door again.
At this moment, he who was usually skilled at calculations had none of his usual shrewdness and scheming.
“Why are you going back in?” Shen Jin observed Qian Kun, asking with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Do you still have other Omegas to mark?”
Qian Kun retreated several steps at once.
He stared at Shen Jin’s frost-covered face, emotionless.
He… was done for.
What kind of person was Shen Jin? Someone who didn’t tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes.
Someone like that couldn’t be fooled easily. All it took was a little thought for Shen Jin to see it: Qian Kun had refused at first, then later lured him in. That was ulterior motive, plain and simple.
And with Qian Kun’s past behavior, plus the things he’d done early on just to catch Shen Jin’s attention…
Shen Jin would have a hard time giving him the benefit of the doubt even if he tried.
The seeds he’d planted back then had finally borne fruit, and now the fruit was dragging him straight into a pit.
What would Shen Jin do?
Return to that original, distant coldness, where nothing Qian Kun said could stir him at all, only endless indifference?
Cold sweat slid down from his temple. Qian Kun’s expression changed several times.
Shen Jin watched the way his face looked like a spilled palette and felt his previously blocked chest loosen instantly.
“When did you know?” Qian Kun still clung to a sliver of hope.
“If you mean suspicion, probably earlier than you think.” Shen Jin’s gaze stayed on him. “Are you not going to explain?”
Explain what?
Explain that the first time he saw him, his attention had already been different.
Explain that when he believed Shen Jin belonged to someone else, he still wanted to take that place for himself.
All the emotions he’d suppressed for so long, the ones he’d labeled shameful and vile, erupted at once.
In the instant Shen Jin tore the lie open in front of him, he couldn’t think of anything.
Give him a few minutes.
Just a few minutes, and he could find a way out.
Not now.
Right now, the only thing he didn’t want to see was disgust and rejection in Shen Jin’s eyes.
A terror he’d never known before drenched him like cold water, plunging Qian Kun into ice.
Qian Kun turned sharply, his aura razor-cold. Like a defeated soldier, he retreated step by step.
He turned and left, faster and faster.
Shen Jin froze for a moment, then immediately went after him, quickening his steps to catch up.
“Why are you running!” Shen Jin stared in disbelief.
So there really was a day he would witness Qian Kun, of all people, that arrogant and untouchable bastard, fleeing in panic.
One walked, one chased behind, all the way into the matching room lobby.
Staff saw them and tried to stop Qian Kun, but they hadn’t expected the Alpha who used to sound so aloof on the phone to bolt like his back was on fire.
They could only stop Shen Jin.
Shen Jin remembered they still had to process the agreement to cancel the temporary mark. He left Qian Kun a message telling him to wait a moment.
The cancellation paperwork still took time. Shen Jin signed several documents and handed them over. Then he heard the staff member say with a laugh, “Before this, your friend was known as the man our matching room would never get.”
When Shen Jin looked up, the staff member gave him a conspiratorial blink. “You know his level. Once his pheromones matured, we contacted him. With his level, if he was willing to mark, the ‘pocket money’ would be quite a number.”
Shen Jin hadn’t expected that. He didn’t believe Qian Kun would care about that kind of pocket money at all.
With that man’s I-am-the-only-one-who-matters personality, he’d probably rather throw money away than do it.
“He refused?”
“Yes, and you really do understand him.” The staff member nodded. “He not only refused, but he also donated a million to our official site for temporary marking. A lot of Omegas simply don’t have enough money to hire someone. He only made one request: don’t harass him.”
That did sound like his style.
However, something about that logic felt off. Shen Jin frowned slightly. “Then how did it later…”
The staff member smiled at Shen Jin. “Later, he contacted us on his own.”
“Back then, he even asked us to hide it from you. He said your relationship wasn’t good.”
Shen Jin’s ears warmed. He nodded awkwardly. Back then, their relationship had been explosive. If they met, it was sparks and fire, and they’d definitely exchange barbs.
At the time, Shen Jin had truly believed Qian Kun must dislike him too.
“This should be your last time coming here,” the staff member said, still smiling. “Congratulations.”
Working here long enough meant seeing nothing but transactions. A twist like this, something this unexpectedly interesting, was rare.
“And one more thing.” Her voice softened. “He was always afraid that once you knew, he wouldn’t even be able to stay classmates with you. He made us promise we’d keep every clause strictly confidential.”
Something like lemon soda filled Shen Jin’s chest. Bubbles rose and rose, spilling out a sour ache.
Shen Jin blinked. The hard line of his lips lifted slightly. “Thank you for telling me.”
The rain outside had eased. A fine drizzle fell on his skin, like soft threads brushing by.
Shen Jin looked left and right. After searching around, he didn’t see any sign of him.
Qian Kun’s legs were long to begin with. Unless he deliberately slowed down, with his explosive speed, disappearing was easy.
Shen Jin stared blankly at the pedestrians and the street.
Which direction should he go?
His mind mapped the nearby parking areas. He settled on the one with the highest probability.
He was walking too fast and didn’t notice his footing. With one misstep, he tumbled down the steps.
It didn’t hurt too badly. Shen Jin was about to roll up his pant leg to check for injury when a large hand wrapped around his back and lifted him straight up.
Shen Jin instinctively frowned, about to strike, when he caught that familiar scent.
All resistance melted away, replaced by a low protest when he saw Qian Kun’s drenched expression.
“I’m not hurt. I can walk.”
He must’ve run the whole way without an umbrella. His hair and lashes were damp, his clothes wet with rain.
Stay calm. Once means twice. They’ve already touched how many times now. Don’t make a big deal out of it.
But… how could anyone get used to this?
Qian Kun lowered his eyes. “Don’t talk.”
Water droplets clung to his lashes, clear and bright. They looked like crystals caught in the rain, unwilling to fall away, beautiful as if scattered into the sea.
Qian Kun carried him to the car parked at the curb and set Shen Jin into the back seat. Before Shen Jin could move, Qian Kun slowly went down on one knee.
His well-defined fingers settled on Shen Jin’s loosened shoelaces, and in silence, he tied them for him.
Shen Jin opened his mouth.
He wanted to pull his foot back, but Qian Kun was too focused. He tied them carefully, as if using the act to settle the chaos in his thoughts.
Qian Kun had thought of countless excuses that might make Shen Jin forgive him.
But when his hands rested on the shoe and he looked up into Shen Jin’s trusting eyes, every excuse vanished.
He said softly, “I’m an Alpha.”
Shen Jin paused, then asked, “So, are you still going to run?”
Author’s Note:
Uhh… if you two don’t get married, it’s going to be really hard to wrap this up.
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