Chapter 26: I was too indulgent in you before, giving you freedom you shouldn't have…

Pei Jiqing blinked.

His long eyelashes cast a shadow in the light, like butterfly wings blown by the wind.

The mist beneath his eyes blurred the outline of Chen Huixing, who was so close at hand.

Pei Jiqing didn't understand why Chen Huixing had suddenly changed his attitude. The

warmth of this person, which was clearly warm, burned into his skin through the fabric of his clothes, yet he couldn't feel the slightest attachment.

Innate arrogance, stubbornness etched in his bones.

These two things would never change.

Therefore, Pei Jiqing knew that Chen Huixing's embrace of him at this moment was a condescending pardon, and he must have felt that he was being very magnanimous by lowering his posture.

Now Pei Jiqing had two choices.

One was to go along with Chen Huixing's wishes and put the matter behind him.

The other was to argue to the end, and the two of them continued their cold war.

In the past, he would have meekly swallowed his grievance and ended this farce with the gentle grace of an executive's wife.

But now, a thorny lump in his throat, like a ball of thorns, refused to swallow it.

A sudden change had struck their lives, and Pei Jiqing didn't know whether to continue.

Most crucially, Chen Huixing must not know that secret.

A life with their blood coursing through its belly, if it wasn't exceptional, if it wasn't dazzling enough, would surely be crushed by Chen Huixing's cold standards.

Highly compatible genes, the offspring of an S-rank Alpha—such a double yoke would be enough to crush even an ordinary child.

Pei Jiqing lowered his eyelashes, his voice as soft as falling snow: "...It's truly my fault."

It was his fault for being too greedy, for stubbornly clinging to a shaky relationship, forcing himself into a dead end and burning away all his escape routes.

Chen Huixing's expression relaxed slightly, a hint of satisfied pride etched on his brows, as if silently saying—it's good that you know.

But the next second, Pei Jiqing's voice drifted softly into his ears: "...Hubby, I can't stay with you through this susceptible period." Chen

Huixing was stunned, his expression frozen for a moment, then he quickly found an excuse: "Are you feeling unwell?"

Pei Jiqing's lips had turned white from biting himself, the color of blood flickering between his teeth. "I've been feeling very bad lately, and you're not allowed to mention the adulterer. There's no such thing."

Chen Huixing hesitated, unable to agree.

So the two of them called a truce.

Chen Huixing had come to the military alliance meeting. The climate here was hot and dry, the sea breeze humid and salty, even his breath had a sticky, damp feeling.

When Chen Huixing took the suppressant, he would lift his sleeves and let Pei Jiqing help him, exposing his arms, the veins winding beneath the skin like hidden rivers.

In the past, Pei Jiqing always hesitated, his fingertips trembling and his heart weakening. Back then, Chen Huixing hadn't yet been promoted to executive officer. Pei Jiqing put down the inhibitor, blushing, unbuttoned his collar, revealing the back of his slender neck, his glands tinged with a faint red. His voice was so soft, almost inaudible, "Husband, bite it... I can bear it."

But now, Pei Jiqing simply lowered his eyelashes, calmly disinfecting and positioning Chen Huixing. He

smoothly and smoothly pushed the cold inhibitor in.

Chen Huixing watched his movements in silence, his face gloomy, his demeanor dwindling to a terrifying level.

As if truly convinced of his cruelty.

A fever usually lasts a day.

Pei Jiqing locked himself in his room, no longer the way he used to travel with Chen Huixing, happily traversing the malls, bringing back bags and bags of souvenirs.

Chen Huixing had once described Pei Jiqing as a Christmas tree covered in gifts, balancing them on his body and spinning in front of him.

When Chen Huixing pushed the door open, he often had nowhere to stay. On the return trip, the freight for shipping those items by air became a considerable sum.

This coastal city should have been the perfect fit for Pei Jiqing - the sun was blazing, the sea breeze was lingering, and even the air was filled with lazy romance.

But Pei Jiqing leaned against the window, casting a bored glance at the beautiful scenery of the tide outside.

Although all the luggage was moved back to Chen Huixing's suite, it was he who first suggested sleeping in separate beds.

He drooped his eyelashes and said that he needed to be alone to reflect on his mistakes. Chen Huixing was silent for a moment, his Adam's apple rolling: "...It's good that you have this awareness. Those before-" He

didn't even finish the word "enough".

"I must reflect on myself." Pei Jiqing suddenly interrupted him, "After all, I was so rude."

He raised his eyes and pursed his lips: "Hubby, I'm too ashamed to see you now."

After that, Pei Jiqing locked himself in another room.

In the dark, Chen Huixing imagined the scene in the next room - Pei Jiqing must have been tossing and turning.

In reality, Pei Jiqing slept soundly, save for the occasional moment in the middle of the night when he woke to find himself entangled in a passionate embrace, startling him awake.

He instinctively shrugged towards the edge of the bed, only to be completely enveloped by the Alpha's scent as he moved.

Chen Huixing had sneaked in at some point, and Pei Jiqing's awakening disturbed his light slumber.

He was half-aware that he was drenched in the Alpha's pheromones—an Alpha in heat, like an animal marking its territory, weaving an impenetrable web with scent.

Seeing that Chen Huixing showed no sign of waking, Pei Jiqing sank back into a hazy sleep. With his back to Chen Huixing, he was suddenly pulled back by an iron-clad arm. His

waist sank into the other's grip, his chin grasped and tilted, his lips forced to meet the sudden kiss.

Outside, the rain poured down, and at the instant the thunder cracked, he felt the coolness of his pajamas being torn off, and the burning marks of fingers burned his inner thighs.

Just as his pajamas were tangled around his waist, Pei Jiqing suddenly woke up.

He turned and leaned back against Chen Huixing's chest, his palms protecting his lower abdomen. "...Hubby, I don't want to do this."

Pei Jiqing hadn't yet decided whether to keep this potentially imperfect life, much less gamble on its survival under Shen Huixing's uncontrolled demands.

Chen Huixing's eyes suddenly turned cold, a fury of being disobeyed swirling in his dark pupils. "Pei Jiqing, you did it on purpose."

The air froze into ice.

Pei Jiqing opened his mouth, then bit his lower lip in silence—any explanation would only make Chen Huixing angrier, so he chose to keep quiet.

He watched Chen Huixing rub his shoulders and stand up. Rejection was something the executive rarely faced, so his displeasure was evident.

This was the third day of Chen Huixing's susceptible period.

Usually, after Pei Jiqing's appearance, his condition would return to normal the next day, but this time was different—Chen Huixing was still enveloped by a low pressure, like the leaden clouds that solidify before a storm.

Xu Ze stood in front of the French window, the rain streaking across the glass like tear marks. "It's raining heavily outside. If Madam wants to go out... you can cancel your trip." Chen

Huixing's jaw tightened, and only a cold, nasal sound escaped his throat.

They were caught in a strange cold war.

Because of Pei Jiqing's refusal, Chen Huixing unilaterally built an ice wall.

Outside the window, heavy rain poured down, as if it would drown the entire world.

When Pei Jiqing woke up, he sat on the messy mattress, bent one leg, and watched the weather forecast on TV. There would be no good weather in the next week. The quilt slipped to his waist, and his black hair stood up in a mess.

He suddenly missed his job - there were lively people there, and there were conversations without speculation, instead of being trapped in a closed space like now, repeatedly considering what expression to use to face Shen Huixing, how to test his possible attitude towards the new life.

Chen Huixing asked him to come, just to meet his physical needs.

So, rejection would lead to such a cold reception.

Pei Jiqing thought it was better this way, so that they could both calm down.

However, Chen Huixing's susceptible period should have ended in three days, but it was dragged on for a week. The trip, which was originally scheduled to start a week later, was forced to be postponed for two days.

The daily inhibitor injections continued, and Chen Huixing stubbornly insisted that Pei Jiqing perform it himself. Pei Jiqing watched the needle tip pierce the bruised skin, and the transparent liquid slowly pushed into the blood vessels.

Chen Huixing would never show any vulnerability. His self-esteem was paranoid to the point of being pathological. He always maintained a high and mighty attitude and would not allow himself to show any embarrassment.

This oppressive atmosphere lasted until the last day. Although Pei Jiqing resisted close contact, his words were always gentle. But he was so worried that he no longer had the energy to observe the dark changes in Chen Huixing's eyes.

He accompanied Chen Huixing to a banquet. Although Chen Huixing had a sour face throughout the whole process, when Pei Jiqing took his arm, he still naturally folded his arm as before.

But for those glasses of wine that were handed to him, Chen Huixing made an exception this time and drank one glass after another. He drank a lot.

The amber liquid swayed on the wall of the glass. The rare courtesy given by the executive officer made the toasting people look flattered.

On the way back in the car, Pei Jiqing stared at the neon lights outside the window, tilted his head, and asked Chen Huixing, "Are you feeling dizzy?" Chen

Huixing's profile was sharp in the shadows. "Not bad."

Silence froze in the car, spreading all the way to the suite.

They went back to hang up their coats and showered.

Pei Jiqing emerged from the bathroom, wiping his damp hair. The wet ends shimmered in the warm light, like the gentle sheen of underglaze porcelain.

Droplets of water slid down his slender neck, and the hem of his bathrobe lifted with his movement, revealing the curve of his calves.

The warm light cast a soft, glazed hue over him. There was a noise at the door, and before Pei Jiqing could react, he was suddenly pushed back into the bed by a weight.

Chen Huixing's kiss, hot with alcohol, seemed to devour him whole.

When Pei Jiqing turned his head to avoid it, his robe had already slipped off his shoulders, revealing a large expanse of jade-like skin. The Alpha's scorching palm pressed against his waist, a startling burn.

"Pei Jiqing..." Chen Huixing's lips brushed against his earlobe, leaving a subtle sting on the soft earlobe. His breath, mingled with the aroma of wine, filled his ear. "I didn't marry you just to keep that marriage certificate."

Those words made Pei Jiqing tremble, like a fawn caught by the scruff of a beast's neck.

Chen Huixing bit his lips, as if to devour him. Pei Jiqing turned his face away, stretching his neck to avoid it. He said he didn't want it, but the Alpha seemed deaf. Pei Jiqing was truly frightened, and in his struggle, a slap pierced the air.

Chen Huixing knelt, finger marks on her cheek, and clamped her fingers under his chin. "You really cheated?"

Tears soaked the pillowcase. Pei Jiqing curled up in a protective posture, his hands trembling as he protected his abdomen. "I didn't..."

Chen Huixing's breath was impatient. "Then why didn't you let me touch you?"

"Is this the only thing I'm worth to you?!" Pei Jiqing's broken questioning made Chen Huixing's temples throb.

The self-control that he was so proud of was crumbling, and the culprit was actually his usually docile Omega.

No, it was so wrong, his Pei Jiqing shouldn't look at him with such grief, anger and disappointment.

What went wrong?

Chen Huixing felt a splitting headache, a feeling he had never had before. The self-control that he had always been proud of kept sounding the alarm at this moment.

It was very wrong, really very wrong, Pei Jiqing had really changed.

How could he change?

There was no second chance for the unfaithful with him, but he hoped that Pei Jiqing could turn back.

Traitors would never be forgiven by him, but at this moment, he hoped for the first time in his life that Pei Jiqing would turn back.

It must be those ignorant wild dogs outside who seduced his Omega and defiled his originally pure soul with dirty means.

Chen Huixing slowly leaned over, and the moment their foreheads touched, his palm had already clasped Pei Jiqing's slender neck. Their breaths entangled within a short distance, and the scorching breath intertwined into an invisible cage.

This posture is like the intimacy between lovers, and also like the absolute control of a hunter over his prey.

"We are a perfect match made in heaven." His voice was filled with unquestionable certainty, "so we are destined to be together." Chen

Huixing rubbed the other's hot gland with his thumb, which was emitting the familiar smell of pheromones.

"I indulged you too much in the past and gave you freedom that you shouldn't have," Chen Huixing's nose brushed against Pei Jiqing's earlobe, and each word was wrapped in suppressed danger, "so that the wild dogs outside had an opportunity to take advantage."

The last few words were almost spit out against Pei Jiqing's lips: "In the future... never again."