Apex Predator - Chap 8

Shen Dai purchased a folding bicycle online, intending from then on to split his commute between cycling and taking the subway. As the distance between the Qu residence and the station was not more than four to five kilometres, this route had the highest cost-to-benefit ratio. The total travel duration would still be shorter than driving, and he would be able to exercise at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.

As he rode his bicycle past the gates of the Qu residence, Uncle Heng had a tense look on his face.

“Would it be possible to park this in the driveway?” asked Shen Dai “If not, I can fold it up and put it in the garage.”

“Mr Shen, do you know how to drive?” Uncle Heng inquired.

“I do, but I don’t have a car.” The car his grandparents had left behind had been auctioned off a long time ago.

“If you find that being driven by a chauffeur isn’t convenient, I could allocate you a car – one that isn’t too flashy – for you to drive yourself.”

“What you consider as not flashy would still be too flashy. If my living standards suddenly went up overnight, my colleagues would all start to get curious. I just want to be able to abide by President Qu’s instructions and keep this —”. All of a sudden, he had a bit of trouble uttering the word ‘marriage’. He corrected himself, “- and keep this relationship confidential. So the way I travel to work actually doesn’t matter.”

Uncle Heng had no choice but to reply, “Alright, in that case, put it in the garage instead.”,

Taking a glance at his watch, Shen Dai said, “Well then, I’ll first have a shower. I’ll have to trouble you to send dinner up to my room.”

“Certainly.”

Although they were well into autumn, the weather was still a bit sultry, and Shen Dai had worked up a good sweat from cycling. As he got back to his room he put down his laptop and documents, hurriedly entering the bathroom to take a shower.

This year he started work on a new research paper. Before marrying Qu Moyu, he would often stay late at the laboratory before retiring to the company dormitory, finding the atmosphere in the laboratory more conducive for work and study.

But nowadays he strove to return home a bit earlier, best if he could arrive when supper was still piping hot, as the meals of the Qu household kitchen were both healthy and delicious. He had eaten too much of cafeteria food and takeaway.

He would have preferred to prepare his own food had the dormitory been equipped for it. Unfortunately, it was only a place for sleeping. Being able to have a decent meal every evening was very important to him.

But also, despite the fact that Qu Moyu often had engagements and rarely dined at home, despite him always having dinner sent to his room for fear of intruding, ever so often, when he would stay up late to work, he would hear the hum of the Phantom Sedan arriving in the driveway. Secretly making a narrow opening between the curtains to look out the window, he would see the driver in a suit and a pair of white gloves holding the car door open. And then Qu Moyu would descend from the car and leisurely make his way into the house.

Those brief few seconds could satisfy the anticipation he had the entire day.

There were over ten thousand people working at the Xingzhou building. For him to even cross paths with Qu Moyu back then would have been next to impossible. But now, being able to see him regularly at such a close distance made him unbelievably happy.

Finishing his shower, Shen Dai towelled off his hair while sitting in front of his laptop, checking the emails that he just received from his colleagues at the South African laboratory.

Idly, he tore off the already-soaked pheromone-blocking patch that he had forgotten to remove before showering and threw it into the bin.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

Shen Dai opened the door expecting that his dinner had arrived, only to find Uncle Heng in front of him empty-handed: “Uncle Heng?”

“The young master is back. He asked that you go downstairs and have dinner with him.”

Dumbfounded, Shen Dai repeated, “President Qu wants me to have dinner with him?”

“Yes.”

Uncle Heng scrutinised his still-damp hair. “You should dry your hair before coming down, but do hurry a little. The young master is waiting for you.”

”Alright, I’ll go down at once.”

Shen Dai shut the door. Switching out of his pyjamas into casual clothes, he blow-dried his hair and then hurriedly went downstairs.

Despite having lived at the Qu residence for this duration of time, he had never once taken a meal in the dining room. He stayed constantly in his bedroom, truly managing to ‘not be a bother’. Qu Moyu must have known about this, since he had never asked to dine together before. Today would be the first time – the first time – that he and Qu Moyu would be having dinner together at home.

When he got downstairs, he saw Qu Moyu dressed in home attire. Compared to his usual suit and tie, the soft cotton material instantly gave Qu Moyu a relaxed air which suited his age – No matter how exceptional his pheromones were, this man was only twenty-four years old after all. He still needed the right armour to make firm decisions among people that were much more experienced than he was.

Shen Dai walked towards the dining room.

“Good evening President Qu.”

The dishes and cutlery were all laid out on the table. Qu Moyu was actually there waiting for him. All of a sudden he felt a little nervous.

Qu Moyu continued to study the tablet in his hand without looking up. At that very moment, he was making some notes on a document with his stylus. He tilted his chin to indicate the seat next to him and said, “Please sit down.”

Shen Dai took a seat. The last time he had a meal in such close proximity to Qu Moyu, he was tense from start to finish. But it was different now, seeing this domestic side of Qu Moyu for the first time, he couldn’t help feeling a trace of happiness.

A trace of that faint and elegant aroma unexpectedly wafted into Qu Moyu’s breath. Slightly startled, he raised his head.

Fresh from the shower, Shen Dai’s entire body looked clean and dewy, with skin that was slightly flushed. A grey t-shirt, washed so often that its collar was already faded, along with a pair of simple blue jeans fit snugly over his body, while the damp ends of his hair clung gently to his slender and white neck. Added to how he was clearly avoiding his gaze, it all lent him a kind of youthfulness, which stood in stark contrast to the cool indifference he had when dressed in a white lab coat.

That barely discernible scent of the epiphyllum left Qu Moyu in a momentary trance.

He was brought back three years earlier. It had been his first time visiting the Research Institute and already he met with an unexpected mishap – An Omega had suddenly gone into heat at the laboratory.

All Omegas experienced some symptoms before heat and would keep an inhibitor on hand. For mature adults to let themselves fall into such a shameful state at work was utterly careless and irresponsible.

But that scent – it was so thick and beguiling, far surpassing the simulated pheromones he had been exposed to during his resistance training.

An ordinary Omega would not produce such intense pheromones during heat, nor could an ordinary Alpha endure it. If he had not been able to contain the situation before the security department arrived, the impact on the corporation in terms of legal consequences and public opinion would have been severe.

Thinking about it, to this day, it was the closest he had ever gotten to losing control. And now, he once again caught the scent of the epiphyllum. As faint as it was, it evoked memories just like before.

He glanced at the back of Shen Dai’s neck, sure enough, there was no pheromone-blocking patch – only flawless skin.

Activities such as drinking, exercising and taking showers which increased the heart rate would cause the odour of one’s pheromones to become thick.

Noticing his gaze, Shen Dai all of a sudden remembered the pheromone blocking patch he had torn off, instinctively covering the back of his neck with his hand while at the same time straightening up. “I’m sorry, I’ll go…”

“No need. It’s fine. Please eat,“ said Qu Moyu, looking away quickly.

Shen Dai hesitated before taking a seat but could not stop fidgeting out of nervousness. It had been a long time since he had been around someone with his neck completely exposed like this.

After coming of age and the presentation of their second gender, a pheromone blocking patch would become an integral part of an Alpha or Omega’s daily attire outside the home, not only to protect themselves but also to avoid making things awkward for others. In other words, they would only keep the gland unexposed in front of family members or romantic partners.

Not to say that smelling someone’s pheromones meant that one would automatically act upon it, but it definitely would be an inconvenience.

Shen Dai felt a little flustered. He had no idea if Qu Moyu had sensed his pheromones, but if he had, would he have any…thoughts?

Seeing Qu Moyu’s unchanged expression, Shen Dai sighed in relief. And yet at the same time, he had a mild feeling of disappointment.

“I heard from Uncle Heng that you bought a bicycle.”

“Yes, It’s quite convenient for me to ride out from here to the subway station and then catch a train to the office.” Shen Dai continued, “President Qu, thank you for arranging a driver for me, but it’s too conspicuous. In fact, it’s actually a little faster for me this way”

“Mmm, very well then.”

At this point, Uncle Heng approached the table, bringing along a pheromone-blocking patch. Taking it from him, Shen Dai hastily applied it to the back of his neck. Only then did he exhale in relief, finally feeling secure again.

The scent of the epiphyllum dissipated in an instant, causing Qu Moyu to recall when Qu Chengchen sniffed the back of Shen Dai’s neck. His pheromone scent was indeed weak, or perhaps his gland truly was underdeveloped.

The both of them ate their dinner in silence. Shen Dai was eating in a rather constrained manner. He could not help but steal the occasional glance at Qu Moyu throughout the meal, observing what he liked to eat and wondering why he had asked to have dinner with him.

Qu Moyu spoke up all of a sudden, “I have a matter to discuss with you”

“Go on.”

“Previously you met with my family, next, I’ll have to bring you back to the You household.”

Shen Dai had suspected early on that this matter would come up.

“You Xinghai told me that he took care of you all these years, but based on my inquiries, this isn’t true, is it?”

Putting down his chopsticks, Shen Dai replied, “It isn’t.”

“In that case, do you have any relationship with You Baiyue?”

“I don’t, either.”

“And you’ve never met him?”

“I have never met him.”

“When we visit the You residence this time around, I’ll need you to do something for me,” said Qu Moyu, putting down his chopsticks as well.

Shen Dai still had trouble looking directly at Qu Moyu, and could only appear to listen respectfully.

“I suspect that what Qu Chengchen gave You Baiyue was not a permanent mark, but a temporary one.”

The colour drained from Shen Dai’s face. Qu Moyu and You Baiyue had broken off their engagement due to this mark, yet he still cared if it was a permanent mark or not. And if it were – then what? He suddenly felt a kind of tightness in his chest. ”Is that possible?”

“A temporary mark is only effective for around a week, but while it lasts, it shares some of the characteristics of a permanent mark. For example, the scent of an Alpha will also be present on the Omega’s body. The bite from a temporary mark is not deep, so the skin can heal completely, but because he wears a pheromone-blocking patch, it’s impossible for anyone to tell. Even if he does have Qu Chengchen’s scent on his body, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he has a permanent mark. It’s possible that he is using a perfume made with an extract from Qu Chengchen’s gland.”

Qu Moyu narrowed his eyes slowly, “The way they are acting between each other makes me doubt that it’s real.”

Shen Dai lowered his head: “Then, what do you need me to do?”

He recalled the temporary mark that Qu Moyu once gave him. Of course he was familiar with its various characteristics.

Once, he had been protected and soothed by the pheromones of an S-class Alpha.

Once, he had been enclosed in the aroma of ebony wood.

Once, for a brief moment, he possessed the illusion of being possessed by Qu Moyu.

A temporary mark was but a fantasy, that would only leave behind immeasurable loss and emptiness upon waking.

“I need you to confirm it for me.”