Vu Than propped his chin up, the corners of his lips curved, looking at me as if he was watching a funny show.
I was bewildered, my mind was hazy, thinking I had misheard, so I stammered and asked again in a hesitant voice:
"You... what did you just say? I... I didn't hear clearly."
He chuckled softly, his eyes carrying a hint of teasing, as if I was just a silly little cat.
"I said... I'm not a person of this world either."
The words he uttered made my heart skip a beat. My whole body stiffened as if someone had frozen me. While I hadn't had time to react, he leisurely stood up and walked towards me. His slender fingers suddenly grabbed my hand, looked down at me and smiled faintly:
"Hmm? Are you that surprised? Why do you have that expression-"
Before he could finish speaking, the door was pushed open.
My mother appeared, intending to call out:
"A Xiang, you—"
But her words stopped when her eyes stopped on the scene before her: I was sitting curled up on the bed, like a little rabbit being trapped, and Wu Shen was holding my hand, the distance was ambiguous, intimate enough to make anyone who saw it misunderstand.
He immediately changed to a docile expression, politely smiling and greeting:
"Hello, auntie."
My mother paused a bit, then replied with a hum:
"Ah… um…"
Wu Shen immediately let go of my hand, still keeping a friendly smile:
"If you have something to find A Xiang, I'll excuse you—"
Before I could finish my sentence, my mother's eyes glanced at me, shining brightly as if filled with stars, she even quietly raised her thumb, the meaning was clear: Son, very good!
I was speechless, my face was red, while Wu Shen was also a bit embarrassed. He asked softly:
"Auntie… what are you doing?"
She quickly coughed a few times, and awkwardly replied:
"Oh no, I suddenly remembered that I have some things to take care of. You two just… continue talking, I won't bother you anymore."
After saying that, she quickly retreated, not forgetting to slam the door shut. The atmosphere immediately fell into silence.
A moment later, I gently tugged on his shirt, my voice hesitant:
"Um… can I ask you something?"
Vu Than pulled a chair to sit close to the edge of the bed, his eyes somewhat indifferent as he replied:
"Yes, ask."
Seeing that he was willing to listen, I felt a bit relieved. But on the surface, I still pretended to be calm:
"This place… where exactly is it? Why… can boys and boys get married?"
He looked up at me slightly, then slowly spoke:
"In our old world, there were only two genders: male and female. But this place is different. Here, there are three genders: alpha, beta, and omega.
Alpha and omega are attracted to each other by pheromones. Once an omega is marked by an alpha, they can almost only depend on that alpha. Some people use pheromones to control omegas, ordering them around as they please.
As for betas, they are special, they are not affected by pheromones, and can freely love either alphas or omegas."
He paused for a moment, then looked straight into my eyes, his voice firm:
"…And you, in this world, are an omega."
My chest ached slightly. I understood, but I still felt a choking feeling of unwillingness.
"So… I will be controlled by that thing called pheromones?"
Wu Shen nodded, confirming.
I bowed my head, my hands tightly gripping the edge of the blanket, my heart heavy:
"Then… isn't it like I'm being controlled like a puppet, unable to resist…"
He looked at me, let out a soft breath, his voice calm but firm:
"Rest assured. You are the eldest son of the Gu family, a powerful family. No one will dare to touch you.
Moreover, I am now your nominal fiancé. That alone is enough to make anyone wary."
I was stunned, quietly looking at him. I didn't expect him to speak so confidently.
A moment later, he suddenly asked:
"Who do you know in this world?"
I was a little confused:
"I… only know my parents, other than that… I don't know anything."
He nodded, took out his phone. Before I could understand anything, he brought the screen in front of me:
"Add me as a friend."
I blinked a few times, bewildered, then took out my phone, stammering:
"Ah... okay."
After becoming friends, he gently patted my head, his smile was strangely gentle:
"From now on, I will protect you, no matter what, I will not let you go, making your life happier..."
I had never heard anyone say that to myself before, so my heart suddenly trembled. That gentleness made my eyes sting, my eyes red.
He paused for a moment, then reached out to wipe away the tears at the corner of my eyes, his voice softening:
"Be good, don't cry."
He coaxed me for a while before standing up, preparing to leave. I quickly ran after him to see him off, feeling much lighter and warmer.
But as soon as I sent Vu Than away and turned around, my body suddenly slammed straight into a solid chest. I let out a soft cry, raised my head to look at the familiar deep eyes. That gaze made me stunned..
No one else… it was Kinh Uyen?!