RBNR Ch53: I’m learning

The Beta secretary knocked lightly on the door and brought in a steaming cup of coffee.

Qin Bao had already drunk a cup while waiting in the secretary’s office. Feng Chengyu asked the secretary, “Does he usually eat irregularly? Are there milk and snacks?”

“Yes.” The secretary understood immediately, “I’ll go change them.”

Qin Bao came to his senses, “No need.”

The secretary smiled, “It’s okay, it’s no trouble.”

The other party walked away politely. Qin Bao sat in the chair, belatedly realizing that he shouldn’t have come.

This place is solemn and rigorous, not somewhere he can just barge in and disrupt the work rhythm, talking about private life.

“Sorry, I seem to have disturbed your work.”

Qin Bao gathered his emotions. The words he hadn’t finished earlier were not suitable to continue here.

“When do you have time? I’ll find you then.”

The sense of vulnerability that belongs only to children lasted only about ten minutes in front of Feng Chengyu. Qin Bao had already straightened up, returning to the young man who always seemed self-assured in front of the camera, never swayed by the outside world.

“You’re not disturbing. The chairman’s wife often comes by, the snacks are brought by her.” Feng Chengyu said, “If you want to come, you can always come.”

The chairman of the Imperial Parliament and his wife have a deep affection, often attending official events together, known by the whole empire.

Qin Bao didn’t think he and Feng Chengyu had anything comparable to them: “…”

Feng Chengyu returned to his position and said to Qin Bao, “Sit for a while longer. I’ll handle some things, and then we’ll leave together.”

Qin Bao was puzzled, “It’s not off work time yet, right?”

Feng Chengyu then smiled slightly, “Today we can leave early.”

It was past mealtime, and Qin Bao did feel hungry. He quietly ate something and sat in the chair looking at his phone.

After more than half a month of not seeing each other, Qin Bao’s hair had grown longer, the ends gently touching his earlobes, vaguely revealing a few silver earrings.

He had long limbs, tall and broad-shouldered, without the softness that most Omegas have, always carrying a bit of a defiant spirit, always eye-catching and impossible to ignore.

Feng Chengyu told Qin Bao to sit for a while, but in fact, Qin Bao sat for more than an hour.

Not having rested well in the past few days, listening to the “swish swish” sound of Feng Chengyu’s pen on paper was very hypnotic.

“Xiao Bao.”

Finally, Feng Chengyu woke him up.

“Let’s go.”

Qin Bao stood up, and Feng Chengyu took his hand.

He instinctively wanted to pull away, but Feng Chengyu held on tightly and said, “It’s okay.”

“Mr. Feng.”

“Hello, Mr. Feng.”

Everyone they passed greeted Feng Chengyu respectfully.

Qin Bao felt very awkward because the shoes and socks he had changed into, although new, seemed to be prepared as part of a guard uniform, completely mismatching his own clothes, making him look as ridiculous as could be.

Feng Chengyu seemed to notice, just bending his lips, and Qin Bao viciously warned in a breathy voice, “Don’t laugh!”

Feng Chengyu then kept a straight face but still held Qin Bao’s hand firmly.

Qin Bao had the first impulse to chop off his feet and put them in his pocket.

Fortunately, out of respect and awe for Feng Chengyu, people’s gazes rarely lingered on him.

Believing that many already knew Feng Chengyu’s partner had arrived, Qin Bao roughly understood Feng Chengyu’s situation—they were legally married, deliberately avoiding suspicion would only arouse doubt, it was better to leave openly.

But holding hands was completely unnecessary, wasn’t it?

Qin Bao thought.

They walked through the corridors of the Council building and entered the elevator. The hard ring on Feng Chengyu’s left ring finger, because of holding hands, pressed against the base of Qin Bao’s finger.

Since getting married, Feng Chengyu seemed to have never taken off the wedding ring.

Qin Bao felt that Feng Chengyu didn’t understand the point he wanted to make by coming over today.

“I came to see you because I want to talk about the pheromone rejection syndrome. If you don’t plan to continue, then it’s not considered a breach of contract.”

After getting in the car, Qin Bao spoke directly.

“I’ll handle the rest myself. Now that I’ve fallen out with Grandpa, I’m not afraid of him interfering with my work anymore.”

Another reason was that he actually had no one else to talk to about this matter, so he could only come to Feng Chengyu.

Of course, he wouldn’t say such a fact.

Lin Zi wasn’t there, and the AI controlled the vehicle towards their marital home.

Feng Chengyu said, “I know.”

Qin Bao was slightly stunned, “…Oh.”

Is that so.

So does that mean he still wants to continue or not?

Feng Chengyu looked at him, “I also think Grandpa’s way of handling this matter is inappropriate. We should at least have the right to know. This time we must express our attitude to Grandpa.”

“Express attitude?”

If it hadn’t been said, it was fine. But once mentioned, Qin Bao got angry again. He retorted to Feng Chengyu, “Haven’t I expressed it before? Shouldn’t you be very clear? It’s useless because he never cares about my attitude.”

After saying that, Qin Bao looked out the window, signaling that he didn’t want to talk anymore.

Usually, at this point, Feng Chengyu wouldn’t say more.

But this time, after a short while, Feng Chengyu asked, “What have you been busy with these days?”

Sure enough, Qin Bao, despite his posture indicating he didn’t want to talk, still responded, “Reading scripts, shooting commercials.”

Feng Chengyu then reached out and pulled him over.

Qin Bao, caught off guard, said, “…What are you doing?!”

“If you were just reading scripts and shooting commercials, that means you still had free time,” Feng Chengyu said, holding him tightly as if he had been holding back for a long time. “Why didn’t you send me a single message or call me once?”

No matter how spacious the back seat was, it was uncomfortable with the two of them squeezed together.

Qin Bao, pushing him away, widened his eyes at the words, “Feng Chengyu, are you being reasonable? You were the one who ignored me first—”

“Initially, it was for a special reason. But later, I admit I did it on purpose,” Feng Chengyu said.

Qin Bao: “?”

“Xiao Bao,” Feng Chengyu seemed to occupy the higher ground as he questioned, “Is it true that if I don’t contact you first, you will never contact me?”

Qin Bao was defiant, “That wasn’t in the contract!”

“Can’t we change that?” Feng Chengyu asked.

“Not everything has to be written into the contract.”

“Let go first, then we’ll talk.”

Qin Bao pushed Feng Chengyu’s shoulder again, trying to get away, but instead, his nape was grabbed.

Now he was forced to be very close to Feng Chengyu.

Their breaths mingled. Qin Bao couldn’t smell his pheromones but still felt his nape pulsing.

“Do you understand,” Feng Chengyu said aggressively, “not everything is set in stone; some things can change.”

Unable to leave or hide, Qin Bao had to take a step back, feeling his heart rate increase. “Then tell me, what things don’t need to be written into the contract?”

“For example, coming to see me like today,” Feng Chengyu said. “It’s been two years, and this is the first time. Have you ever thought that things that are forcibly given to you, marked with a price, might also represent your complete control over them?”

Qin Bao had said this two years ago.

He was confused, “…What do you mean?”

“I mean that when you feel sad or helpless, you can always come to me. I will help you unconditionally,” Feng Chengyu said.

“I don’t want to stop. Whether or not you have pheromone rejection syndrome doesn’t affect us continuing. I just checked, resolving the symptoms of pheromone rejection is straightforward. We just need to perform a permanent mark.”

Now, Qin Bao’s heart was pounding so loudly it was about to break through his eardrums.

Simple?

A permanent mark was more important than marriage itself for any Alpha and Omega.

Qin Bao wasn’t a despicable person, “Do you…do you know what you’re saying?”

He asked Feng Chengyu, “This way, you can never mark another Omega again. Even if you don’t want to stop now, what will you do when the five-year contract ends?”

Feng Chengyu said, “We’ll deal with that when the time comes. For now, it’s more important for you to be able to work normally.”

Qin Bao fell into a state of confusion and struggle.

His survival instinct was alerting him, warning him that he seemed to be falling into a forced situation again.

Yet he heard Feng Chengyu ask, “Is your heat period next month?”

He nodded, “Yes.”

Feng Chengyu gave him a choice, “Then there’s still some time. Xiao Bao, think about it and let me know your decision. You decide.”

*

On the way, Feng Chengyu suggested watching a movie together. Qin Bao asked, “So suddenly, do you want to be chased, or do I want to be chased?” Then Feng Chengyu suggested taking a walk by the lake near their home, but Qin Bao was still uninterested.

Knowing that Feng Chengyu wanted to keep him company to relax, Qin Bao felt sorry, “I’m very tired, I want to sleep.”

Feng Chengyu kissed his forehead, “I’ll sleep with you.”

Qin Bao’s ears turned red, “Ah, this…”

Feng Chengyu glanced at him, “Literally sleeping.”

“You said it yourself, don’t mess with me later,” Qin Bao said seriously, “I can’t smell your scent today, so I won’t be seduced by you.”

Feng Chengyu: “…”

In this situation, he was half to blame.

As soon as they got home, Qin Bao went upstairs absent-mindedly. He had too much to process and decided to sleep it off.

Feng Chengyu slept with him for two hours, waking up when it was already dark.

Without waking him, Feng Chengyu went downstairs alone.

After being away for half a month, nothing had changed at home, except the cleaning lady hadn’t been around for a while. The flowers in the vase were mostly wilted, still not thrown away—they were the ones he gave to Qin Bao last time.

His phone vibrated for the third time, displaying “Grandpa,” but Feng Chengyu still didn’t answer.

He opened the door, walked to the steps, and lit a cigarette.

The snow-covered ground was pristine, and the surroundings were quiet.

The night sky was filled with stars, and the streetlights in the residential area were on. On the internal road, a car wouldn’t pass by for half an hour. The two-story house stood quietly on the hillside, the area in front of the garage empty. Sometimes, when he came back here, he would see Qin Bao’s figure by the floor-to-ceiling window.

Was Qin Bao like this when he was home alone?

Feng Chengyu suddenly felt a silent, repressed loneliness enveloping him.

It was hard to detect.

It appeared not only in this house but also in other places—on the runway, in commercials, in the paparazzi shots of him riding a motorcycle across the highway.

It belonged to Qin Bao, spreading from him.

Too few meetings, always too hurried.

How could that person, always rushing and aggressive, have anything to do with loneliness?

And until he saw Qin Bao standing awkwardly in the office, until this moment, Feng Chengyu only vaguely grasped a bit of it.

Two hours ago, Shu Helan had sent a message. Now he called.

“What’s up?” Feng Chengyu answered.

“I heard your wife came to your office today,” Shu Helan said. “What’s going on? Weren’t you pretending to be separated?”

Feng Chengyu said, “A little accident.”

“Little accident? You seemed quite happy, eagerly following him.”

Shu Helan said.

“But I still want to advise you, endure for a while for a lifetime. You’ve swallowed such a big loss, don’t let it all go to waste just because you couldn’t resist wanting to see your wife.”

Feng Chengyu: “I won’t. I know what I’m doing.”

He took a deep drag from his cigarette and exhaled.

“It’s about time. My father-in-law got the pass yesterday. From now on, sea routes will be more strictly controlled. Goods won’t be able to get out by sea.”

“With such a large presence, Fuxing’s recent hit means the cabinet won’t easily let you off the hook,” Shu Helan said. “But then again, you’re always cautious. After this, you’ll be even more vigilant. Besides, I believe someone like you, a high-level troublemaker, won’t get caught so easily.”

Feng Chengyu chuckled lightly. “Mm.”

Returning to the previous topic, Shu Helan asked, “This time, just a few days of no contact led Xiao Bao to come to you. Aren’t you thrilled?”

The cigarette burned to the end, and Feng Chengyu stubbed it out.

After a few seconds, he said, “He came for other reasons, not because he missed me. He came to talk about ending things.”

Shu Helan: “…This kid has a tough heart.”

Two years and still not warmed up, daring to directly ask for a breakup at the slightest issue—who can handle that?

Shu Helan asked, “What are you going to do?”

Feng Chengyu said, “I’m actually regretting it.”

“Regretting leaving him hanging these days?”

Shu Helan’s typical player response.

“I’m telling you, no pain, no gain. My strategy was sound. With a pampered kid like Qin Xiaobao, if you don’t leave him hanging a bit, he won’t understand his own feelings. You weren’t really using cold violence, just giving him a push. What’s there to regret?”

“Because I might have used the wrong method,” Feng Chengyu said. “Not just this time, but two years ago as well.”

Shu Helan: “What do you mean?”

Feng Chengyu said, “I’ve been thinking that if I had used a different approach back then, not forcing him to marry because of the elders, but standing by his side, maybe it would have had a better outcome.”

Having lived for nearly thirty years, Feng Chengyu was accustomed to getting what he wanted, whether it was in academics, career, or relationships. His distinguished background and outstanding abilities made him used to being the center of attention and getting what he desired.

When he saw someone equally dazzling, vibrant, and brilliant, he arrogantly developed a desire to possess them.

Shu Helan: “That’s how you think now because you’re more deeply involved. Let me ask you, back when he was resolutely against marrying you, would you have pursued him romantically?”

Feng Chengyu was honest: “No way.”

He didn’t want to justify his past self.

“Proud as you are, of course not,” Shu Helan said. “Look at you, even now, after two years, you’re still not willing to lower your head first.”

“I need to lower it.”

Feng Chengyu said.

“I’m learning.”

“Since you want to keep going, try a different approach. You still have three years,” Shu Helan laughed. “Chasing your wife isn’t embarrassing. Look at me.”

Shu Helan and An Qingyan went from friends with benefits to a couple, meeting once every two months in a long-distance relationship, and now they were inseparable.

Shu Helan concluded, “Respect him, sure, but since you think you went too far this time, feel sorry, and just don’t do it next time. In any case, I’ve given you plenty of wedding gifts, so don’t play the ‘letting go’ card.”

Feng Chengyu: “I won’t.”

He used to think marriage was like his parents’—calm, happy, a slow, steady flow. They had a lifetime to gradually work things out.

He never thought he couldn’t hold onto that person.

He didn’t deny his possessiveness.

He even admitted to being somewhat perverse.

When he heard Qin Bao say he had pheromone rejection syndrome and could only accept him, the first thing that surged from his heart was a mad delight.