The Sickly Omega Is No Longer Pretending to Be Good/Obedient - Chapter 26-1.2

Chapter 26-1.2: Lucid Dream – “Concealment” [Three in One]

The rain was sudden, violently crashing against the windowpane, each sound louder than the last.

A sudden flash of white light struck Wen Jiangchu’s back. His entire body was hidden in the night, leaving only Shen Qiudu’s slender, pale arm draped over his shoulder.

Following Shen Qiudu’s words, there was an endless silence. Wen Jiangchu’s breathing grew heavier, his body stiff. Faced with Shen Qiudu’s direct interrogation, his lips trembled.

But before he could utter a single syllable of what he wanted to say, tears spilled from his eyes first, landing on Shen Qiudu’s exposed collarbone, their heat darkening Shen Qiudu’s gaze.

Shen Qiudu, controlled by pheromones, completely exposed his darkest thoughts. He ignored Wen Jiangchu’s lack of response, shifted his body, and brought his lips closer to Wen Jiangchu’s cheek, even feeling the tickle of his fine hair.

“Qiudu!”

Wen Jiangchu immediately stopped his further movement, but the sound he made had no deterrent power, instead further inciting Shen Qiudu’s desire for destruction and provocation.

“Wen Jiangchu, when you sleep every night holding my clothes, didn’t you fantasize about me doing this to you?”

Shen Qiudu didn’t hesitate to reveal the action that made Wen Jiangchu feel ashamed. He smiled seductively, the physical changes brought by the rut completely devouring the persona Shen Qiudu had painstakingly created over the years.

“Qiudu, I…”

Wen Jiangchu weakly lowered his eyes, his mind blank, utterly clueless as to how to explain—

Or perhaps, he deliberately didn’t want to explain at all.

Wen Jiangchu turned and sat down by the bed with Shen Qiudu, attempting to put him down, but Shen Qiudu hugged him tightly.

“Wen Jiangchu, do you want to abandon me too?”

“Do you… not like me?”

Shen Qiudu’s eyes were bloodshot at the corners, much like a startled rabbit, wearing a look of helplessness and panic, yet his heart pounded violently, a most wicked thought hidden beneath his fearful gaze.

Speak, hurry up and speak.

But regardless of whether Wen Jiangchu answered yes or no, Shen Qiudu wouldn’t believe it.

If Wen Jiangchu declared his interest, Shen Qiudu would see it as absolutely him condescendingly bestowing pity because he was so miserable. He didn’t want to be pitied by others, and even less did he want to be looked down upon.

If Wen Jiangchu said he wasn’t interested, Shen Qiudu would be even more displeased. Wen Jiangchu had treated him like this, so why wouldn’t he be interested? This proved it was just a game from the start. He was right about him after all; Wen Jiangchu was a bad man through and through.

Shen Qiudu naturally knew this was unfair to Wen Jiangchu, but he couldn’t convince himself that Wen Jiangchu would lower his stance to be unconditionally and unreservedly good to him.

Moreover, the word “like” was too ethereal, more fleeting than the brief emerald green that appears when rain falls on moss.

Shen Qiudu had seen too many people doing dirty deeds under the banner of “like.” In his eyes, so-called “liking” was just a conscience-salving justification when they did disgusting things.

His father loved his mother, yet he constantly demanded money from her for gambling, which in his mouth became, “This is what a good wife and mother should do.”

There were also those who sold their lovers to pay off gambling debts, or those who, in pursuit of their loved ones, would even resort to spreading rumors and inciting ridicule to humiliate them. No matter how ugly the actions, they would always hastily brush it aside with the phrase, “I like them.”

But what exactly was true “liking”? Shen Qiudu had never understood it in the first half of his life, and naturally, he didn’t believe he would understand it in the future.

So, even though Shen Qiudu’s heart constantly screamed and argued, telling him how much he needed someone like Wen Jiangchu, urging him to be content, urging him to believe.

He still didn’t dare.

When he asked that question, there was a moment of regret. He wanted to hear Wen Jiangchu’s answer, yet he was afraid of receiving the answer he dreaded.

Shen Qiudu was too contradictory. He might psychologically doubt everything Wen Jiangchu said, yet he fiercely clutched his clothes with his hands, refusing to let him leave him for even half a step.

This contradiction had been accumulating since childhood, starting when he had to choose between leaving his parents or continuing to endure.

So, he began to probe, hiding his emotions, testing everyone who showed him kindness. Before Wen Jiangchu, everyone’s actions had confirmed Shen Qiudu’s assumption—

They didn’t truly like Shen Qiudu; they were merely coveting his looks, his body, and the illusory, distorted structures of his physical self.

Thinking for too long, Shen Qiudu felt his head was about to explode. The scent gland on the back of his neck swelled intensely. A stabbing pain drilled into his heart, relentlessly gnawing at his thoughts, like an infection with an unending plague, smoothing out his five senses, leaving him with only one thought—

To completely devour Wen Jiangchu.

He desperately wanted to taste what it felt like for Wen Jiangchu’s tears to slide down his throat.

Would they also taste like Silene? Or would they, like Wen Jiangchu himself, become the strongest obsession in the depths of Shen Qiudu’s being?

In any case, it must be very astringent.

But the sudden intense pain left Shen Qiudu no time to react. Due to the unsatisfied gland and the lack of suppressant obstruction, his body began to express strong dissatisfaction.

“Mm…”

Shen Qiudu was always good at enduring pain, but under the dual torment of desire and agony, he couldn’t bear it and finally let out a soft whimper like a kitten.

“Qiudu, Qiudu… please tell me, what should I do to make you feel better?”

Wen Jiangchu didn’t answer whether he liked him or not. In other words, he didn’t prioritize his own feelings when answering this question.

He had only one thought right now: to make Shen Qiudu feel better without forcing him.

So when Shen Qiudu pressed him with these irrational questions while concealing the answer he’d already decided upon, Wen Jiangchu only felt heartache. Heartache for his resilience and endurance, heartache for the fear and resentment caused by his own contradictions.

“Wen Jiangchu… don’t you want to completely mark me? This is a perfect opportunity…”

A logical and compelling opportunity for Shen Qiudu to become Wen Jiangchu’s therapeutic carrier.

Shen Qiudu had never forgotten this detail.

Through Shen Qiudu’s blurred and unfocused vision, he saw Wen Jiangchu lower his head as if resigned to fate, slowly leaning toward his most vulnerable scent gland.

The Silene pheromone thoroughly enveloped Shen Qiudu. The intensity was so strong that if he were outside, any Alpha interested in Shen Qiudu’s beauty would feel intense revulsion.

Shen Qiudu also resigned himself. It seemed Wen Jiangchu had given him his answer. Just like everyone else before, he couldn’t resist any temptation, including Shen Qiudu’s own.

His body gradually relaxed. His head weakly rested in Wen Jiangchu’s shoulder hollow, his body slumping, supported entirely by Wen Jiangchu alone.

But the sensation coming from the scent gland wasn’t the discomfort of being forcibly penetrated; it was a gentle, moist touch.

Shen Qiudu’s pupils suddenly contracted. His mind went blank. An utterly absurd idea was confirmed at this moment, an action he had never imagined over the years—

Wen Jiangchu kissed Shen Qiudu’s incomplete scent gland with utmost reverence, constantly releasing the Silene pheromone around its edges.

What was entering Shen Qiudu’s scent gland was not teeth filled with selfish desire, but Wen Jiangchu’s scalding tears.

“Qiudu, I’m sorry. I can’t do that. I can only make you feel better this way. Just wait a little longer. Xue Shan will be back with the medicine soon.”

“As for the question you asked me, I’m very sorry, but I still can’t give you an answer right now. It’s not because I’m afraid, nor is it due to any other factor.”

“It’s just that the timing isn’t right. Our relationship isn’t right, the location isn’t right, and the time isn’t right.”

What timing? What does ‘it’s not because I’m afraid’ mean?

Shen Qiudu tried to push himself up to question Wen Jiangchu with his last bit of consciousness, but the soft, weak pressure of his palm against Wen Jiangchu’s chest resembled more of a caress of Wen Jiangchu’s muscles.

He slightly parted his lips, but before he could speak, the closed door was violently pushed open again. Xue Shankè, trailing the scent of medicine, rushed towards them without hesitation, a bowl of thick, black herbal concoction held in his right hand.

“Quick! Make him drink this medicine! Once he drinks it, it will help him safely get through the rest of the rut. The effect is absolutely good!”

Shen Qiudu squinted and leaned in to inspect the concoction. The intense bitterness assaulted his nostrils, almost making him gag and vomit. Fortunately, Wen Jiangchu immediately covered his mouth and nose.

“Why is it so bitter?” Wen Jiangchu asked, frowning.

Xue Shankè rolled his eyes helplessly. “Good medicine tastes bitter, don’t you know that? I spent half an hour on this. One bowl is worth a thousand pieces of gold.”

“Qiudu?”

Wen Jiangchu spoke softly, but Shen Qiudu was utterly merciless, turning his head to bury it in Wen Jiangchu’s chest, muffledly speaking: “I won’t drink it. If you want to drink it, you drink it.”

Xue Shankè blinked, then said seriously, “Mouth-to-mouth feeding? That works too, as long as you don’t mind me being present.”

Predictably, Xue Shankè was met with a fierce kick from Wen Jiangchu. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Wen Jiangchu took the medicine from Xue Shankè, bent down, and coaxed softly in Shen Qiudu’s ear: “Qiudu, drink the medicine and you’ll be a good boy. Your body will get better.”

“Wen Jiangchu, don’t talk to me like a child.”

Shen Qiudu stubbornly refused to take the medicine, but the longer he delayed, the worse Shen Qiudu’s condition would become. Wen Jiangchu was truly at his wit’s end and could only resort to a little trick, deliberately releasing more pheromones.

Shen Qiudu, who was actively avoiding the medicine, naturally knew nothing, only feeling his body being completely satisfied, yet craving more.

So, he gradually relaxed his body, raised his face to subconsciously search for Wen Jiangchu’s scent gland. His thin lips slightly parted, which Wen Jiangchu seized as the perfect opportunity, bringing the concoction straight to Shen Qiudu’s lips. Before he could react, the bitter taste of the medicine already flooded his taste buds.

Fortunately, Wen Jiangchu’s pheromone coverage was strong enough that the bitter taste was even tinged with the scent of Silene, preventing Shen Qiudu from resisting too much.

Seeing the bowl emptied in just a moment, Xue Shankè, who was oblivious to what happened, slightly widened his eyes.

“Holy cow, how did you do that?”

Wen Jiangchu glanced at Xue Shankè and spoke mercilessly: “This is something a Beta wouldn’t understand.”

Xue Shankè curled his lip in exasperation. They often joked like this, and knowing Wen Jiangchu easily lost his mind in front of Shen Qiudu, and since Xue Shankè liked his Beta identity, he shrugged and generously let it go.

After all, back in high school, when Xue Shankè was mocked by some Alphas during the preliminary competition for being unfamiliar with the process, it was Wen Jiangchu who proactively stepped in to help him.

His gaze fell on Shen Qiudu, his original intention being to observe his reaction after taking the medicine, but he felt an intense glare of dissatisfaction.

“Aren’t you leaving yet?”

Wen Jiangchu shielded Shen Qiudu with his embrace, almost completely concealing him. The intense Alpha sense of exclusion and possessiveness reached its peak at this moment. Even if Wen Jiangchu tried to hide it well, it was impossible to leave no trace, especially since he was an S-class Alpha.

So, even as a Beta, Xue Shankè felt this sensation, like being stared down by the lord upon accidentally entering their territory, leaving only the option of frantic escape or death.

“Alright, alright, I’m leaving right now. But I warned you in advance. Even with the medicine, I can’t completely guarantee that Shen Qiudu’s rut will proceed smoothly and calmly.”

“And for the remaining five days, you must be with him constantly. Your pheromones are the most suitable for Shen Qiudu.”

“Even if Shen Qiudu doesn’t say it, his body doesn’t lie. His pheromones are already dependent on you. You can’t escape.”

Xue Shankè frowned, telling Wen Jiangchu about the potential complications, but Wen Jiangchu’s eyes were completely focused on Shen Qiudu, who was now obediently asleep in his arms after taking the medicine.

Hearing this, his eyes lit up. “I couldn’t ask for more.”

“…”

Xue Shankè closed his mouth. He swallowed the rest of his words.

He wouldn’t say any more. Even if he did, this lunatic wouldn’t listen. It was a complete waste of breath.

This person’s mind had completely gone the moment he met Shen Qiudu years ago.

After Xue Shankè left, the room returned to tranquility. The curtains were drawn tightly, leaving only the soft sounds of rain falling onto the eaves.

The effect of Xue Shankè’s concoction was rapid. Shen Qiudu only felt the severed nerves in his scent gland reconnecting, as if nothing had changed.

The sleepiness accumulated over many days exploded at this moment. He finally couldn’t hold on and let himself fall into a self-constructed dream.

Subsequently, he felt himself being placed on the soft, large bed. His body felt lighter, and his dangling, powerless hands were completely enveloped, even being gently stroked by a thumb as if in comfort.

This was the first time Shen Qiudu had slept peacefully and soundly during a rainstorm.

He was no longer immersed in the painful torment brought by that typhoon year, nor was he trapped in the anxiety of how to earn more money to pay off gambling debts, and he no longer lived in constant fear of being discarded as trash by his father again.

At this moment, he was just Shen Qiudu. His dream was no longer about others; it was only about himself.

He opened his eyes and plunged his entire body into a field of fresh Silene, comfortably closing his eyes. When he opened them again, the field of grass had momentarily transformed into Wen Jiangchu’s warm chest.

The physical changes brought by the rut were well controlled by the medicine. Shen Qiudu quickly woke up, regaining his rationality.

“Thump, thump—”

The sound of the door knocking suddenly woke him up. Shen Qiudu immediately closed his eyes, feigning sleep. Wen Jiangchu cautiously placed him under the blanket, quickly went to the door, and opened a slight gap.

“Young Master, Young Master Shen’s mother is awake.”

Shen Qiudu’s mother had been in a coma due to mental and emotional stress and was isolated in a guest room, where a doctor and nurse were scheduled to check on her daily.

When the doctor went to examine the room as usual today, as soon as he pushed the door open, he was unexpectedly ambushed and struck heavily on the head with a box by Shen Qiudu’s mother. It was then discovered that she had woken up early that morning.

To prevent the situation from becoming uncontrollable, Uncle Liang had no choice but to seek out Wen Jiangchu.

Uncle Liang’s voice was just loud enough for Shen Qiudu to hear clearly. His heart trembled, and he longed to rush out immediately.

“She keeps demanding to see you.”

“See me?”

“Yes, otherwise she’ll go on a hunger strike. I’m worried it might disturb Young Master Shen’s rut. Perhaps you should go first, Young Master?”

See Wen Jiangchu? Shen Qiudu frowned, feeling somewhat confused. The hand at his side slowly clenched. He felt a vague sense of unease.

Soon, Wen Jiangchu quietly left the room. The next moment, Shen Qiudu opened his eyes. He waited quietly in the room for a while before getting up and moving stealthily to the door, opening a crack, and peeking out.

Seeing no one in the corridor, Shen Qiudu did his best to hide himself and followed his memory to the guest room where his mother was. As soon as he got close, he heard the violent sound of something shattering on the floor.

His mother’s fragmented sobs followed closely: “Please, let us go! Qiudu’s father must be worried sick right now! We can’t abandon him!”

“He’ll die without us by his side!”

“I know you saved us. We will definitely come back and work like slaves to repay you once we find his father. We won’t break our promise!”

Shen Qiudu stood by the door, his darkened gaze fixed on everything inside the room. Wen Jiangchu tried to lean down to help the mother, who was kneeling on the floor, struggling with whether to tell her that the man was dead—killed by Shen Qiudu’s own hands.

As the tension hung in the air, Shen Qiudu quietly walked to Wen Jiangchu’s side and was the first to help his tear-stained mother up.

Upon seeing Shen Qiudu, the mother grasped him like a lifeline. Her untrimmed fingernails dug deeply into the back of Shen Qiudu’s hand due to her extreme anxiety, yet she was completely oblivious, only trying to pull Shen Qiudu down with her to beg Wen Jiangchu.

“Qiudu… Qiudu, you’re here! Quick, beg Young Master Wen with me. Your dad must be waiting for us!”

“He won’t wait for us anymore,” Shen Qiudu said with an emotionless face, lowering his eyes.

“What nonsense are you saying, child! Your dad did make mistakes, but… others led him astray! Your dad is kind at heart, you know that, Qiudu!”

“And he promised me after you left that he would never gamble again! We searched the slums for you all night. Your dad was so remorseful when he couldn’t find you! Qiudu, let’s go home… we’ll talk at home!”

“We’ll beg Young Master Wen. He saved us; he can surely save your father too—”

“Mom.” Shen Qiudu interrupted his mother, meeting her gaze. He spoke softly: “He is dead.”

The mother’s expression completely froze. Her pupils slightly widened, and she shook her head in disbelief. “No… no, Shen Qiudu, you mustn’t curse your father! He is your father!”

“I know you hate your father, but… he had his difficulties! How could a perfectly fine person suddenly die—”

“I killed him.”

“I personally plunged a small knife into his heart.”

“Finally letting him taste the pain of being betrayed by his closest loved one.”

“Mom, I got revenge for us.”

Shen Qiudu withdrew his hand that was being grasped, lowered his eyes, and cut her off again without hesitation.

The chill of the early morning penetrated his bones, like a stab of a surgeon’s knife, slowly and deeply slicing along the skin’s texture, digging out the cruel, bleeding truth.

Shen Qiudu had never intended to deceive his mother. He had anticipated what would happen at the moment of revealing the truth, but he accepted it.

If he wanted to completely sever the past, Shen Qiudu couldn’t be soft-hearted anymore. He and his mother deserved a better future.

But for a biological son to kill his biological father was a huge scandal no matter how one looked at it, and the mother caught between the two was in the most agony.

She knew her son was not wrong, yet that was her husband. They had once squeezed into a tiny rental room, dreaming of the future, chased sunsets together, and walked along the dilapidated beach.

While pregnant for ten months, she harbored expectations for the new life, believing everything would improve. These memories would forever exist in the heart of a mother, a wife.

But she had forgotten that the source of her pain was that man.

Before being a mother and a wife, she was herself first.