The Unmarried Omega Falls into Being a Wife - Chapter 17

“This bouquet is for you,” Gu Pei said.

Lin Xunye froze in place.

He suddenly felt like a total idiot.

Lin Xunye remained stiff, unmoving. Gu Pei then placed the flowers gently on his lap.

Lin Xunye tilted his head to look at the ceiling, pretending to be relaxed but truthfully, he wanted to jump up and slap himself twice.

Everyone waited until 8:30, but the person in charge never showed up.

By 9:00, Ge Yan received a message.

A preliminary meeting would be briefly held an hour before tomorrow’s official discussion, and the relevant staff sincerely apologized.

Due to a chain-reaction car accident, other roads were overwhelmed. It was impossible for them to make it tonight.

Ge Yan expressed understanding. After all, life is unpredictable.

No one really objected except Zhang Wangjiang. Lin Xunye followed Ge Yan’s lead, Gu Pei wouldn’t be upset over such a minor issue, and Lin Youjia didn’t dare say a word anymore.

Zhang Wangjiang was different.

The young and hot headed Alpha had been humbled by Gu Pei tonight, and he was holding in his frustration just looking for an outlet to show off or lash out.

Zhang Wangjiang had never lacked anything growing up. After adulthood, any Beta or Omega he fancied, he could easily get. But tonight, he’d hit a wall with Lin Xunye.

To him, that was humiliating.

And the best way to wash away that humiliation? To take what he couldn’t get.

When Lin Xunye returned that night, he deliberately left the bouquet of sunflowers behind. But the next morning, as he washed up, he saw the bouquet sitting on the bathroom counter.

The trimmed sunflowers raised their heads high, as if greeting him.

There were still one or two droplets of water on them.

As he brushed his teeth, Lin Xunye examined the sunflower petals.

Maybe due to the weather, the flowers weren’t as lively as the night before, but they still smelled nice.

After brushing and drying his face, he changed the water for the flowers before leaving.

As soon as he stepped out, Zhang Wangjiang, posing in wait, greeted him with a bubbly tone: “Good morning, Lin-ge.”

Lin Xunye glanced at him and gave a symbolic nod before striding away.

Zhang Wangjiang’s spread-out legs hadn’t even retracted before Lin Xunye disappeared out of sight.

Breakfast was at the hotel buffet.

Lin Xunye happened to run into Gu Pei on his way down.

Gu Pei was still in a suit, but his tie had changed. Lin Xunye took one glance and couldn’t shake the feeling that the pattern looked like an opened can of whipped cream.

But only an idiot would custom-make such a tie, right?

Lin Xunye stopped his wandering thoughts and ignored Gu Pei, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he walked right past him. Gu Pei followed closely, eyes fixed on the back of Lin Xunye’s head.

Gu Pei caught a faint whiff of corn on Lin Xunye and it made him unhappy.

Lin Xunye didn’t usually eat breakfast.

He’d gotten up early today purely because Ge Yan had repeatedly reminded him to be energetic.

Lin Xunye had seriously thought about it for five minutes but still couldn’t understand what getting up early had to do with being energetic.

Wouldn’t waking up earlier just make you more tired?

Still, he woke early just to see for himself.

But for someone who normally woke up late, waking up early didn’t help; it just made him more irritable.

He grabbed some light, easy to digest food and sat in a corner to eat.

Lin Xunye didn’t have much of an appetite.

Maybe because when he was abroad and at his poorest, he couldn’t afford good food. Over time, he simply lost the desire for it.

Midway through eating, the bright light above him was blocked.

Without looking up, Lin Xunye said, “Gu Pei, move.”

Gu Pei sat down with a plate of food very similar to Lin Xunye’s and started eating.

Lin Xunye still didn’t look up.

The two ate their breakfast in silence.

When Lin Xunye got up to leave, his wrist was grabbed. Gu Pei said calmly, “I don’t like the smell of corn.”

Lin Xunye tugged at his hand, but couldn’t get free.

He took a breath, trying to stay calm. “Me neither.”

Gu Pei released his wrist and took the tray from his hands. “Good.”

Lin Xunye: “…”

Good? What?

Was he allergic to corn?

After the preliminary discussion, Lin Xunye was nearly falling asleep.

They were talking about things he didn’t understand, and the one part he did understand was skimmed over quickly.

Toward the end, he perked up a bit.

It seemed the calligraphy exhibition’s hosting rights would be decided between the Zhang and Gu families. Though the Lin family had been proactive, they lacked deep cultural capital and overall advantages.

Lin Xunye wasn’t particularly interested it wasn’t like they expected him to host it.

As they were about to leave, Ge Yan called out to him.

Everyone else had already left, leaving just the organizer, the museum director, Ge Yan, and Lin Xunye in the private room.

Under Ge Yan’s introduction, Lin Xunye bowed and greeted everyone respectfully, without the slightest impatience.

After the greetings, he stepped aside and quietly listened to their conversation, responding occasionally.

From their brief exchange, he learned he’d soon be entrusted with an important task.

He and Ge Yan would be responsible for guiding visitors through the history of calligraphy works at the exhibition.

When he chose this path, he had hoped for a chance like this one day but now that it had come, it felt a little unreal.

After seeing the guests off, Lin Xunye chirped excitedly beside Ge Yan, “Teacher, is my hair okay? Should I dye it black? Or wear a hat? Wait, would that look too informal? What if I get a buzz cut?”

“I look great with a buzz cut too!”

Chattering the whole way, Ge Yan stopped five steps from a black car and chuckled, patting Lin Xunye’s arm. “You, oh you… Just dress formally, tidy up your hair, and swap the earring for something more conventional. That’s enough.”

Lin Xunye scratched the back of his head, watching his teacher get into the car and leave.

His teacher was so nice.

Just like family.

It was still early. Lin Xunye decided to go back to the hotel and eat again.

Just as he turned around, a hand clamped onto his shoulder.

Thinking it was Gu Pei, he casually said, “I saw the sunflowers. Forgot to mention it this morning. I’m taking great care of them. Each one looks amazing.”

A voice he didn’t recognize replied, “I didn’t give you sunflowers. I was going to give you roses.”

Lin Xunye turned around almost punching Zhang Wangjiang in the face.

He yanked his shoulder free and took a big step back. “What do you want?”

Zhang Wangjiang pulled out a bouquet of fresh, crimson roses and said earnestly, “I bought these for you, gege. I hope you like them.”

Staring at the roses in his hand, Lin Xunye blinked rapidly, pain surfacing in his eyes.

He hated roses.

When he had just differentiated, Lin Youjia would often suppress him with rose-scented pheromones, forcing him to kneel and apologize even when he had done nothing wrong.

Fighting off the nausea, Lin Xunye declined, “No thanks. I don’t like roses.”

I hate roses the most.

But Zhang Wangjiang just thought it was an excuse to reject him. He tossed the bouquet into a trash bin in front of Lin Xunye, then leaned in, whispering, “Gege, I’m very good…”

Lin Xunye hated people who suddenly got too close. He told himself to stay calm, then turned and walked away.

Zhang Wangjiang tried to follow but a sudden gust of wind made him stop.

It felt like something was watching him from the shadows.

He looked back. Nothing.

Zhang Wangjiang shrugged and watched Lin Xunye’s retreating figure with greedy eyes.

The scent of roses had been overwhelming Lin Xunye was feeling sick.

He slept until 5pm before someone knocked on the door.

Opening it, Gu Pei walked in with a plate of peeled oranges.

Seeing it was Gu Pei, Lin Xunye for once didn’t say anything.

Even though he had never smelled Gu Pei’s pheromones, there was something about his calm and steady presence that made Lin Xunye feel at ease.

As if, so long as Gu Pei was around, he could relax.

Yawning, Lin Xunye sat back on the bed, waiting for Gu Pei to explain why he was here.

Gu Pei sat on the only chair in the room. The flowers  previously in the bathroom had been moved to the table beside the bed.

Judging by the clarity of the water, they’d been freshly changed.

Gu Pei asked, “Did you sleep well?”

Lin Xunye blinked. That was all he asked?

“…Yeah.” Freshly woken, Lin Xunye sounded softer than usual.

Gu Pei noticed, and his mood improved.

This side of Lin Xunye  only he had seen it.

Gu Pei asked a few more questions. The more Lin Xunye listened, the more confused he looked.

Finally, he interrupted, “Don’t you have work to do?”

Gu Pei replied, “It’s my break time. I’m not a robot. I need rest too.”

Lin Xunye said, “Then rest in your room. This is my room.”

Gu Pei nodded. “I never said it wasn’t. But it’s healthy to occasionally change your environment — helps you relax and maintain physical and mental well-being.”

Lin Xunye: “…”

This man was impossible.

He flopped onto the bed, making it clear he was done talking.

But Gu Pei acted like he didn’t notice and kept peeling oranges.

Once peeled, the citrus scent filled the air.

Lin Xunye’s nose twitched suddenly recalling that citrus aroma he had smelled that night in New Zealand.

Things had been so busy lately, he’d completely forgotten to continue looking for that person.

Once he got back to Haishi, he would return to the bar and keep searching.

Maybe because Gu Pei was quiet enough, or maybe because they’d already had physical contact, Lin Xunye’s guard wasn’t as high anymore.

The two of them could now coexist peacefully in the same room.

Even if Lin Xunye wasn’t entirely willing.

Just as he was drifting off again, something cold touched his lips.

Fighting his drowsiness, he opened his eyes but Gu Pei was no longer in sight.

Looking up, he ran straight into Gu Pei’s abs as the man bent over.

“Ow…” Lin Xunye croaked, pouting in irritation.

Gu Pei stepped back. “Open your mouth.”

Still groggy, Lin Xunye obeyed instinctively.

As soon as he parted his lips, a peeled orange segment was placed inside.

He bit down reflexively, the bright citrus flavor bursting in his mouth.

But… the flavor was almost too strong.

The scent in the air grew even more potent like someone was trying to marinate him in it, marking territory and warning off anyone who dared approach.

Trying to sit up, Lin Xunye was met with another orange slice pressed to his lips.

Gu Pei’s voice was low and coaxing: “Finish it all before going back to sleep, okay?”

Too tired, Lin Xunye swatted his hand away. “No.”

Gu Pei sighed, pretending to be hurt as he sat beside the bed, his fingers trembling slightly as he held another slice. “It’s my first time doing something like this. Do you really dislike it that much?”