Apex Predator - Chap 39

The both of them hadn’t slept for very long when the alarm that Qu Moyu set started to ring.

Shen Dai opened his tired eyes. From the light leaking in from the chink in the curtains, he could determine that it was already daytime.

Qu Moyu let out a murmur of dissatisfaction. Switching the alarm off, he turned his body over, pinning Shen Dai down beneath him. His mind was not yet fully awake, but instinct had already driven him to draw close to Shen Dai’s nape and kiss the gland emitting the delicate fragrance of the epiphyllum.

The weight on his body being too heavy, Shen Dai was finding it difficult to breathe. Turning his face to the side, he asked, “Did you manage to sleep? Are you feeling any better?”

“Much better,” replied Qu Moyu, kissing Shen Dai again on the cheek. In the past, he had always felt that Shen Dai’s pheromone scent was too weak. But now that he had gotten used to it, he found that this kind of light fragrance could actually make him feel very comfortable. The lighter it was in ordinary times, the thicker it would be in moments of passion, giving him more of a desire to delve deeper — which had its own unusual appeal.

“Do you want to get up already?” Shen Dai wanted to persuade Qu Moyu to continue resting for a few more hours. Without sufficient sleep, he would be more likely to have headaches. But feeling the object pressed against his lower back get harder and harder, he no longer dared say a word.

Tugging down Shen Dai’s pyjama bottoms with ease, Qu Moyu replied, “A little later is fine.”

It was normal for most guys to have a physical reaction in the morning. Shen Dai was no exception. But thinking of how Qu Moyu probably had only two or three hours of sleep, and how he was supposed to go home today, right now really didn’t seem like an appropriate time. Only his words of protest came too late, Qu Moyu already gripped his waist and pushed it up.

He buried his face into the pillow, his body rocking violently in pace with the thrusts that were getting faster and faster. Unable to hold back the moans escaping from his throat, he quickly bit down on the fabric close to his lips to stop himself from letting out any noise.

For some inexplicable reason, entering this room gave him the vague impression of carrying out an illicit affair. Though it was just a vertical shift of one floor, this was a place that had originally been off-limits to him. Yesterday evening was just an exception, because Qu Moyu, suffering from sickness, had lowered his psychological defences.

Even if he had slept on this bed, and even if he was presently being fucked on it, he still had the sense that he should not be there; this was the master bedroom, and the master bedroom belonged to the master.

But Qu Moyu was dissatisfied, not being able to hear Shen Dai’s cries of excitement. Grasping Shen Dai’s chin firmly between his thumb and fingers, he lifted that fair and handsome face up from the pillow and instructed, “Moan out loud.”

Shen Dai glanced over at Qu Moyu, his eyes stained with tears. That look of feeling unjustly treated while doing his utmost to endure provoked Qu Moyu, stirring up an intense fire throughout his body. He slammed in a few more hard thrusts, until he finally forced out the moans he wanted to hear.

After that bit of morning ‘exercise’, Qu Moyu swept aside his despondency from the night before. Now mentally clear and rejuvenated, he proceeded to go freshen up. Shen Dai stayed in bed to rest a little while longer, before propping up his aching back and climbing out.

The bathroom was divided into a wet and dry area. While Qu Moyu shaved, Shen Dai went to take a shower. Stepping out of the bathroom, he found the curtains already drawn open. Harsh rays of sunlight were spilling into the room through the large floor-to-ceiling windows. He raised his hand to shield his eyes. As his vision adjusted to the brightness, he noticed that Uncle Heng had appeared in the room with their breakfast.

Shen Dai had nothing on except a towel around his waist, his hair was only partially dried, and he was still dripping with water. Only just moments ago he had rushed into the bathroom to clean out what Qu Moyu had left inside his body. When he was not in a state of heat and his reproductive cavity would not open itself, Qu Moyu often liked to come inside him.

Now that he was done showering, all he wanted was to grab his clothes as quickly as possible and rush back to his bedroom. Seeing Uncle Heng, he had a sense of shame as if he had been burst in on at the scene of a crime.

Uncle Heng smiled and greeted him, “Good morning, Mr Shen.”

“Good morning,” Shen Dai replied, smiling weakly back.

“Why didn’t you dry your hair?” asked Qu Moyu, who was already seated at the table, preparing to start breakfast. As he saw Shen Dai stepping out with wet hair and a towel around him, he set down his cup of coffee and said, “Put on some clothes, you’ll catch a cold.”

“I’ll do it when I’m back in my bedroom.”

“Go and dry your hair, now.”

Shen Dai had no choice but to grab his clothes and retreat back into the bathroom. His short hair was blown-dry very quickly. After he had changed back into his pyjamas and reemerged, Uncle Heng had already left. Qu Moyu called him over to join him for breakfast.

Qu Moyu had his meal while scrolling through his phone. “I’ll be leaving soon. It’s still early, go sleep for a bit longer after you’re finished with breakfast”.

He paused for a moment, then added, “You can stay here and sleep if you like.”

The surge of joy in his heart turned into an irrepressible smile. Giving Qu Moyu a gentle look, Shen Dai asked, concerned, “Can’t you catch a few more hours of sleep? You’ve only slept for three hours.”

“I don’t have time.”

“Well, then I’m not going back to sleep either. Just going to pack up a bit and then head home.”

“You’re going home?” Qu Moyu was momentarily taken aback, as if only now just remembering that Shen Dai had a home of his own. He furrowed his brows, feeling somewhat displeased for no apparent reason.

“Don’t bother going back anymore, there are only three days of the holiday left.”

“Exactly. That’s why I have to go back and spend some time with…”

“You’re already married,” stated Qu Moyu, raising an eyebrow at him, “You need to spend New Year’s at my side of the family.”

“……”

For a while Shen Dai could not tell if Qu Moyu were simply joking or if he were serious.

Qu Moyu dabbed his mouth with a napkin. As he got up, he gave Shen Dai a peck on his cheek: “I’m only teasing you. You can go home, but I want to see you tonight.”

After he left, Shen Dai sat staring off into space for a long time, lost in his thoughts, before quickly wolfing down his breakfast and returning to his room.

Having changed his clothes, he glanced at the laptop in his backpack which he usually carried with him. He paused, contemplating for a moment, before finally deciding to take it out. He was going home today to accompany his grandmother and had not planned to work. And this evening…he would be coming back just like Qu Moyu wanted. So, there was no need for him to bring it along.

He was aware that blindly obeying Qu Moyu like this was not necessarily a good thing. But he also knew that his obedience was not only due to Qu Moyu’s status as a top Alpha or his position as his boss, but also his own inability to refuse any of Qu Moyu’s requests.

When he arrived home, the television was quite coincidentally airing a report about the passing of the founder of the Xingzhou Corporation.

“Oh dear, no wonder your business trip got cut short,” said his grandmother, pointing at the television. “Sweetheart, travelling back and forth like this must have messed up your body clock. Aren’t you feeling tired?”

“I’m still fine. I managed to get some sleep on the plane,” replied Shen Dai, helping his grandmother take a seat on one side. “Grandma, would you like an apple? I’ll peel one for you.”

“No need, no need. I ate so much this morning that I still haven’t digested all of it.”

Once he saw that Shen Qin went off to tidy the house, he quietly asked her, “How was it the past few days? Did he take good care of you?”

She smiled. “Yes, he did a pretty good job. Don’t worry.”

Shen Dai could see clearly that his grandmother had put on a little weight and also gotten some colour back in her cheeks. It appeared that she had indeed been well taken care of, putting his mind at ease.

Despite the ongoing news about the Xingzhou corporation playing in the background, Shen Dai didn’t pay it much attention, instead chatting with his grandmother to one side. In any case, he already understood far more about the situation than what was being reported.

Once Shen Qin had finished tidying the house, he settled onto the sofa and began watching the television. Picking up the remote control, something on the screen captured his attention.

His expression started to change gradually, from one of astonishment to deep contemplation.

All of this went unnoticed by Shen Dai.

Shen Dai left early after finishing dinner, using work-related matters as a pretext. Seeing the look of disappointment on his grandmother’s face, he had a huge pang of guilt in his heart. But as soon as he thought of how Qu Moyu might possibly need him, though he was physically here, his heart had long since flown back to Qu Moyu’s side.

Upon returning to the Qu residence, he found that Qu Moyu had not yet returned. Though he had a tinge of disappointment, it was not entirely unexpected. Qu Moyu must have too busy to even breathe today.

After taking a shower, Shen Dai turned on his laptop and continued working on his thesis. He wanted to wait for Qu Moyu to come back, never mind the time, so that Qu Moyu could see him as soon as he arrived home.

This wait would go on until two o’clock in the morning.

Already he was sleep-deprived and somewhat struggling to stay awake. But just when he couldn’t stop yawning, he finally heard that familiar sound of the engine and hurriedly went downstairs.

Qu Moyu was being brought in by Old Wu and Uncle Heng, who were supporting him by his shoulders. As he had too much to drink, the smell of alcohol was noticeable even at a distance. From his unsteady steps and unfocused gaze, one could clearly see that he was inebriated.

This was the first time that Shen Dai had seen Qu Moyu drunk. He remembered an offhand comment from Auntie Lan, that, although Qu Moyu seldom drank, he was good at holding his liquor. He didn’t know what Qu Moyu had gone through today, but seeing the tiredness that could not be concealed behind his features, his heart unavoidably started to ache as well.

He walked over and reached out his hand, wanting to comfort him, but there was no space left for him to intervene.

To his surprise, Qu Moyu pushed Old Wu and Uncle Heng aside and flung himself onto him. Although he had braced himself, Qu Moyu was still unsteady on his feet, and he was unable to support the weight of such a body dragging him down. If not for the quick reactions of Old Wu and Uncle Heng, both of them would have ended up crashing down onto the floor together.

“A-Dai.” Qu Moyu murmured, “A-Dai”

“I’m here,” replied Shen Dai, caressing his back over and over, gently placating him.

“A-Dai”

“I’m here.”

Qu Moyu called out to him several times, and Shen Dai patiently answered each one. Once his agitated nerves appeared to have been assuaged, he fell silent.

Only after a lot of difficulty did they eventually succeed in putting Qu Moyu into bed. Together, Auntie Lan and Shen Dai helped him undress, and they gently wiped him down with a damp towel for a quick wash. Soon after, he drifted off to sleep just like that.

“It’s been a long time since I last saw the young master drunk. The last time must have been…let me see, he must have been young. As a teenager, he would often go drinking with his friends.”

“What was he like as a teenager?” asked Shen Dai, curiously.

“Like a little grown-up. Very mature and bright beyond his years. This is how it is for top alphas, they have to learn a lot from a very young age,” Auntie Lan lamented. “But at the end of the day, he was still a child. There were a lot of times where he had to pretend to be mature.The young master is only twenty-five this year after all. To be so young and shoulder such heavy responsibilities, it’s really very tough for him.”

“…That’s true.”

“A-Dai. I feel like the young master is starting to depend on you. Just now, he kept calling out your name.” Auntie Lan smiled. “If only you could help him share some of life’s pressures, that would truly be wonderful. What the young master needs is someone attentive and caring by his side”

Shen Dai looked at Qu Moyu’s sleeping face. It was as serene and beautiful as a painting. He was clearly sober, and yet his heart had started pounding.

Of course he wanted to be the person that Qu Moyu would depend on. He wanted it so, so much.

Qu Moyu had already allowed him to get this close, but would he permit him into his heart as well?